Suddenly, the world went blank. Everything vanished. The sky, the ground, everything. Even though the sun wasn't in the sky, you were able to see your body. There was no ground, yet there was something under you to stand on. It could have been black granite, but there was no texture. The only other thing you could see was the shape of a man. His skin was as black as night, and was a rather tall, imposing figure. Parts of him flaked off like that of a roaring fire, but he didn't appear to be shrinking. The figure approached, and bowed. It's only then you notice his long nails,shimmering in the darkness.
After taking Talus's hand, Everyone found their word shrouded in darkness. And when that darkness faded, everyone found themselves in the new world that he spoke of.
Hero’s district – A district that is heavily guarded, as the sales of weapons and armor transpire here. Because of the high concentration of troops in this area, there is hardly any crime.
Gods – A district where people go to worship. There are all manner of churches and temples in this area.
The Nobles District – Self explanatory, a district for the nobles and the wealthy. You can practically smell the gold.
The Cham – This is where the commoners live. Street merchants and entertainers make a living here, and there are a number of taverns.
Suttlings Basin – More housing, for the very poorest in Priestella. It's been overtaken by crime and has become a slum.
The Golden Quarter – District for the Merchants and Artisans. If you want to shop, you should go here.
The Quagmire – A small area with it's foundation softened by the water line. Nothing can be built here, and aquatic beasts sometimes show up in this area. Very dangerous.
The Docks – A port filled with all manner of vessels, from fishing ships to merchant barges.
(just the GM getting their oversized post out of the way, don't mind me)
Jingle jingle.
There were a fair number of people walking about today, enough to drown out the sound of Aer's accessories. She wore several pieces of chained jewelry, and they bounced with every step she took. Most of them weren't visible under Aer's red cloak, but they could be heard if one tried to listen. Tucking them into her numerous pockets would have silenced them, but the sound was comforting to the petite woman.
Aer pulled the hood of her cloak tight around her head. Her crimson hair was still plainly visible, as if not wishing to be contained by her hood. Though as long as Aer's ears were hidden, she didn't care. The covered object strapped to her back weaved side to side with every step she took. She definitely looked like a mysterious person, but such strange characters were not uncommon here. The hero's district had all matters of weapons laying about. As a result, the area was well guarded and eyes were on everyone. But Aer was not here to purchase wares. She was specifically here to get work from the Gulendam adventure's guild.
The point of an adventure's guild like Gulendam was to let adventurers work for reputable clients. Adventuring is not an easy profession, and they don't always find work while drinking in a tavern. This forces them to put in work doing menial tasks. Not only that, but an unfamiliar adventurer is a prime target for unsavory individuals Tell an adventurer you have a rat problem in your sewer, and they'll happily walk into your trap. But an adventurer's guild doesn't just make things better for adventurers, it makes things better for their clients too. By going to an adventurer's guild, their request is going to be seen by a much larger pool of adventurers. And if it's a particular type of request, it'll end up in the hands of an adventurer who has the tools to complete it. The only downside is that the clients need to register with the guild, which ensures they can settle disputes between the client and the adventurer. Such guilds were funded by monthly payments from all it's members, and small fees from every task a client submits.
The front of the guild was nothing more than a desk made out of wooden crates. There were job postings all over the front of the building, and a guild clerk stood at the counter ready to serve people.
“Hello Aer!” The guild clerk waved.
This was not the first time they met, and Aer had been regularly coming to the guild for work. "Well met, Hanna." If anyone was unsure of Aer's age, her voice would reveal she wasn't a child. The petite woman tipped her head as a greeting before approaching the desk. It was a bit too tall for her to comfortably rest her arms on, so she kept her arms at her sides. ”Are there any requests that might be a good fit for me?" Aer slipped a scroll out of her cloak and presented it to the guild clerk.
“Let's have a look!” All registered adventurers had a scroll that detailed their skills and accomplishments. The guild used a system so that an adventurer's credentials could be quickly assessed and a fitting job could be given to them. Things like a keyword to determine their general set of skill, and their “level,” which was a number that recognized how accomplished a particular adventurer was. The scroll was nothing short of a resume, but it was sometimes referred to as a skill scroll. “Alright, I have two jobs that might interest you.”
Aer smiled. "So long as I can pay for my lodging, I will accept any task."
“That's the spirit!” The guild clerk reached under her desk and pulled out two scrolls. They were bound together with twine and had a number written on the corner of each one. Probably for organization. “The first one should be pretty simple for you. An aristocrat locked themselves out of their study, and they believe their keys were left inside. So you just have to open the lock.”
"I'm surprised they didn't get a lock smith to take care of it."
“Mister Bogart is ... a little strange. But he's made requests from us before. I personally believe he has an obsession with adventurers. Some of our clients are like that.”
"Hmm..." Aer tapped her chin with her gloved finger. "And the second request?"
“The second request will take you a bit more time, but it also comes from the noble district so the pay is good.” The guild clerk slid the twine off of the scroll and opened it on her desk. “It's a missing person request. Mistress Vertti has gone missing. You are to meet the client, Grisaia, at the household. He is one of the servants.”
Aer placed her arm on top of the counter. "This sounds fairly grave. Do we have someone else that can take care of the lock?"
The guild clerk turned away with a groan. “It's not as serious as it sounds. This sort of thing happens all the time with Mistress Vertti. She just disappears for days at a time without telling her servants, who then get worried and call on us.” She looked back at Aer. “Bogart's request is definitely more pressing at this point. There's a very real possibility Mistress Vertti will come back, and then the servants will cancel the request. That's not to say you'll walk away empty handed, but it is possible you won't be properly compensated for your time.”
"I suppose if she's not really missing, it's not that pressing..." Of course, Aer knew what the guild clerk was suggesting. Aer could waste a lot of time looking for someone who wasn't really missing if she wasn't careful. But if she just went through the motions, talked to the servant like it was something she was going to undertake, she could more or less get paid just for feigning interest in finding the lady of this house. She wasn't going to do that of course, but Aer suspected that was why she was downplaying the second request. "In that case, I will see to mister Bogart's lock immediately."
“Do check back later. I'm sure I'll have more work by then.”
Aer gave Hanna a polite nod before heading off.
After a fairly long walk, Aer had arrived at Bogart's home. But now that she was here, she was unsure if this was really his house. The entire thing looked more like a mage's tower than a comfy house. There was a possibility this wasn't his home, but Aer wasn't going to spend a lot of time thinking about it. She respected people's privacy, and wished everyone else would do the same.
“You've come!” Aer didn't even have time to knock on the door before a man leaned out of the window. He was tall, perfectly balled, and had a long white mustache. “You must be the adventurer who's come to save me from this most troubling crisis! Why, you even sound like a pair of jingling keys!” The man was as animated as a rambunctious child, practically bouncing where he stood.
A little strange was an understatement Aer thought to herself. ”That is correct. I am here to help!” She forced an awkward smile.
“Well step inside!” the man gestured while backing away from the window. “I haven't locked anything, and I won't lock anything until I've found my keys!”
This was not the strangest person Aer had to deal with, but he was still strange enough that she was put on guard. When she entered through the front door, the elf quickly looked to either side of the entryway. Aer had to make sure no one else was waiting for her. The first floor was just an open room, but Aer scanned everything as she made her way through. Before she could reach the stairwell, mister Bogart came charging down the stairs and stopped in front of Aer. “Hello little girl! I'm Dax Bogart, pleased to meet you!” He extended his hand.
Aer looked between Dax and his hand before extending her own. ”Aer Pacifica.” She was not going to correct him about her age, as that hardly mattered. It was probably better if he thought she was a young lady anyway.
“Aer Pacifica? Sounds exotic! You must have come from a pretty far away land huh? Would you like something to drink? I have lots of different teas we can try!”
”O-oh, um...” Aer was starting to believe her fears were misplaced. The guild clerk did tell her this was a regular client. ”Actually I have a lot to do today. Once I'm done here I need to help find a missing person.”
“A busy body! I like that!” Dax took her had and walked up the stars. He was quick, but it wasn't hard for Aer to match his pace. “The lock is this way. It's entirely custom, and I paid extra to have it made by the finest locksmith in the kingdom.” He looked over his shoulder at Aer. “I'm sure only a brave adventurer could possibly get it open. I would prefer if we could save the lock, if you think it's possible.”
”The contract said as much. I will not open the door if it breaks the lock.” Before long, Aer was brought before a tall iron door. It looked durable and intimidating. But what Aer was most interested in was the key hole. It was in a black box just beside the door, and was smaller than your conventional key hole. Aer stepped closer to the lock and placed her eye next to the hole. ”You are correct, this is definitely a well made lock.” Aer reached for her waste band and pulled a flask off of it. ”I believe I can open it though, but I'm going to need to focus. It's very important that you stay as quiet as you can.”
“Alright! I think I can do that.”
Standard locks of this vintage mostly work the same. A key with a particularly shaped tab is inserted into the lock, and then it is twisted. If the key is the right shape, it will pass all of the plates, or “wards,” and either engage or disengage the door. As long as someone knows what the basic shape of the key is, it is possible to easily forge a “skeleton key” that can be used to open said door. Since Aer had no idea what the original key looked like, making a skeleton key would be impossible. She did know of another trick that would get the door open though.
Aer used her thumb to pop the cork off the top of the flask and proceeded to pour its contents out. The water seemed to defy gravity and flowed directly into the lock. With the small chamber filled with water, Aer had a much easier time visualizing the inside of the lock, as she could feel her mana coursing through the water. The elf closed her eyes, and some of the water inside the lock started to freeze. She had to be careful. While she was working with a very small amount of water, it took a lot of focus to freeze the water in just the shape she wanted. In her youth, she'd have created an ice cube around the wards, and she wouldn't have been able to continue without thawing it out first. But once the key-shaped ice cube was formed, she had it spin and engage the locking mechanism. Locks like this seldom required much pressure, so the ice cube didn't shatter. Even if it did, pushing the broken chunks against the locking mechanism usually worked.
Of course from where Dax was standing, it just looked like Aer had poured some water into his lock, meditated, and then the door opened with a click.
“You did it?” He stepped past Aer to push the door open. “You did it!”
If Aer wasn't so anxious, she might have laughed at the man's excitement. ”The door lock has a lump of ice in it, but it should melt relatively quickly.”
“Hah! My keys were in here!” After picking up his keys, he rushed out of the room and spread his arms. “Thank you so much! I could just kiss you!”
Aer's face turned pale. ”M-maybe you could pay me instead?”
“Oh, that too!” He quickly reached into his pocket and pulled out a fine looking purse. He pulled out Aer's hand and started shaking out coins into it. “I'm not sure how much it was, but it was at least this much right?”
”Y-yes, that's more than enough!” Aer retracted her hand and dumped the coins into her pocket. A few of them spilled out onto the floor, but she still managed to pocket more than what the job called for. Being over paid for a job was typically something Aer didn't permit, but she just wanted to be on her way. ”Thank you for using the adventure's guild. I must be off, as there's a missing person that needs to be found.” Aer was usually far more polite with her clients, but she felt that if she didn't take the opportunity to disengage, she 'd be talking with Dax well into the evening.
“By the way Aer, I need to ask you something. Real quick before you leave.” Dax calmed down noticably before pitching his question. “Do you believe we have a limited number of chances to get our life right?”
The question was strange enough that it stopped Aer dead in her tracks. ”Excuse me?”
“What's the most dangerous quest you've ever undertaken?”
That was a hard one to answer. Aer was still in a rush to leave, so she recalled something at the front of her memory. ”There were some monsters in an abandoned castle. The castle was very old, the monsters were very strong, and we were entirely outnumbered.” the elf sighed. ”We didn't all make it out of there alive.”
“But you did.” Dax smiled. “And I'm sure you had to make a lot of decisions in order to get out of there alive. Take this path, attack this creature here, regroup on the steps-”
”I suppose I did make a lot of choices, but I made each of them once.”
“Well, that's what you remember.” Dax stroked his chin. “Maybe that wasn't the first time you had been in that position. Maybe you had many attempts to get it right, but you simply don't remember them.” He gestured with his hands. “Like every time you died, you were given another chance to get it right.”
Aer fret her brow. ”If I can't remember my old choices, I'm not sure they would really matter in the long run.” She threw her hand off to the side. ”What's the point of having multiple chances if I cant remember your actions? Why Wouldn't I just make the same choices again?”
“Oh, I didn't think of that.” Dax looked away from Aer. “Oh! I got it!” He shook his finger at her. “Maybe you don't remember, but someone else might have been able to! Maybe they were even guiding you so that you would survive!”
”Then I would ask why they didn't try to save everyone.”
“Hmm...” Dax rubbed his chin more. “It can be hard to figure people out. Maybe they felt they did the best they could, or maybe it was simply impossible to save everyone.” he looked back at Aer. “Did you feel like someone was looking out for you in that mess? Other than divine entities of course.”
Aer sighed and closed her eyes. ”Yea, one of the guys there. He was definitely looking out for everyone.” She shook her head. ”I can't even remember his name, I haven't seen him again since.” She looked up at Dax. ”But leaders are suppose to look out for everyone. That's hardly a reason to suspect a phenomenon like multiple chances at life. Why believe in something so strange?”
The old man chuckled and shook his head. “Aer Aer Aer, there are two types of people in this life: Those that ask why, and those that ask why not.” He started to walk into his study. “People who only ever ask 'why' are missing the boat completely. It is only when we ask ourselves 'why not' that we are welcomed to a world of possibilities. 'why not' is the language of researchers, discoveries, and most importantly, adventurers.” He let out a heart felt laugh. “You should embrace that side of yourself Aer, it's what makes you do incredible things.”
”Perhaps.” Aer was done here, and couldn't wait to leave the tower. She just hoped this Grisaia servant was more hospitable than her former client.
Everyone found themselves arriving in the “new world” at the same time. But they did not all arrive in the same location.
Father Jameson Walker , Alistair Archibald, and Flame Brooks appeared on seats in an old building. It was very old, as evident by the cobwebs in the corners and dust settling on top of the tables. One could guess that this was a meeting room at one time, but little else was known. There wasn't anyone else inside, but outside they could hear quite the commotion. Someone recruiting knights, someone selling wares, yes, things were happening outside. And for some reason, Alistair was hit with some deja vu, and a chill went up his spine.
Nobuhiro Nishioka, Chieko Okawa, and Aerith Hastings appeared in the back ally of some slum in a medieval town. There were very few people walking around, with most everyone remaining indoors, looking out at them. Everything was eerily quiet, with the hustle and bustle of the other districts far away in the distance.
Aaron Yang, Hilda Gunnarsson, Yuuki Kimura, and Ashton Andrews found themselves transported to a merchants district. Their sudden appearance in the center of the road caught a lot of people off guard, and most found themselves stumbling away from the group. Merchants eyed the newly arrived with caution, clutching onto their wares. Some were closing up shop, and a few pedestrians were running away from them.
One thing was for certain. Wherever they were, it wasn't home.
”A man of the cloth? I wonder if she understands Jameson Walker's position. His heart may not be open to such things.” The man folded his arms behind his back and walked closer. ”I am Lord Talus, I will ferry you to the new world.”
Taking a long drag from his cigarette, Jameson placed his lighter back into his pocket, taking a moment to allow the smoke in his lungs to linger just for a bit. His expression didn’t seem to shift one bit, as if his surroundings hadn’t changed from what they once were. As the figure known as Lord Talus began to speak up, however, the priest had perked up, his lungs slowly expelling the smoke through his mouth. ”Hm? Lord? Ferry? You kids messing with me, again?” Chuckling, Jameson took his sunglasses off, sliding them into his coat pocket. ”You know, just because I wear shades at night doesn’t mean you kids can mess with me every-”
Looking around at the void that Jameson had somehow found himself in, a look of bewilderment appeared in his face. Scratching his head and trying to piece together just what had happened, Jameson took the cigarette out from his mouth, taking a look at it. After a brief moment of inspection, he toss the cigarette to the ground and lightly stomped on it, laughing rather joyously, despite his circumstances.
”Ah, damn it, did you guys sneak something into my cigarettes again? I had just bought a new box yesterday, too… Now, you kids know a priest isn’t supposed to be smoking this right? It’s called the devil’s lettuce for a reason.” Jameson placed a hand on his forehead, shaking his head, a carefree smile still on his face. He feels like he was just pranked, once again, by the kids in the youth group he’s currently in charge of. Jameson felt like he needed to scold them a bit more seriously, though. They were supposed to be in bed at this time, after all. Instead, however, he just shrugged and crossed his arms.
”Alright, alright, I’ll play along with whatever game you kids are playing, but it’s straight to bed right after. Now, what sort of new world am I going to?”
”It is only a new world to you. But for me it is the original world, the oldest world I have ever visited.” Talus stopped walking when he was directly in front of the preacher. The man was clearly no child, and stood several feet over his head. ” I actually have a question for you too, preacher. Since we're playing a game after all.” An inky black cigar appeared in his fingers just before he held it to his lips. “What do you think your worth is? What makes you worthy of love?“
Jameson’s cheeks went a flush red for a moment at the mentioning of love, but soon after, he began to laugh, as if he was told a good joke. ”Now, what’d I say about talking about my love life? Damn kid, thinking you’re mature just because you’ve got a cigar, huh? Heh, tell you what, I won’t tell anyone about this if you don’t tell anyone about me taking a smoke break. Sounds good?” Despite his tone of voice, there was no hint of malice in Jameson’s words. It could be interpreted as a sign that he is both a good-natured person, and that he is also a fool who is unable to grasp the reality of his situation. And yet still, he seemed just a bit more reserved at Talus’s question...
After a brief pause, Jameson sighed, crossing his arms once again.
”But fine. Since I did agree to play along and all, I’ll answer your question,” the priest replied, scratching the back of his head. Once again, his cheeks began to redden, slightly. ”Well, the Lord made Adam and Eve for a reason. And while I’ve had a hard time finding my Eve, it just goes to show that when I do, it’ll be worth it. God works in mysterious ways, and I feel like as a loyal servant of the Lord, as long as I continue to serve and make others happy, I’ll find my own happiness at the end of the road…”
”Oh Jameson, if only you knew how right you were.” Talus extended a hand towards the preacher. ”Take my hand, and we'll both find love in the new world.”
Jameson looked at the inky black hand extended to him, making certain to note if he had a buzzer on his palm or not. Being the butt of that joke far too many times made Jameson cautious of that prank, but considering that he’s already in a mostly mellow mood, he’d continue playing along, if only it meant that the kid would finally go to bed. As such, Jameson grasped the hand, unable to predict just what would happen next.
Taking a long drag from his cigarette, Jameson placed his lighter back into his pocket, taking a moment to allow the smoke in his lungs to linger just for a bit. His expression didn’t seem to shift one bit, as if his surroundings hadn’t changed from what they once were. As the figure known as Lord Talus began to speak up, however, the priest had perked up, his lungs slowly expelling the smoke through his mouth. ”Hm? Lord? Ferry? You kids messing with me, again?” Chuckling, Jameson took his sunglasses off, sliding them into his coat pocket. ”You know, just because I wear shades at night doesn’t mean you kids can mess with me every-”
Looking around at the void that Jameson had somehow found himself in, a look of bewilderment appeared in his face. Scratching his head and trying to piece together just what had happened, Jameson took the cigarette out from his mouth, taking a look at it. After a brief moment of inspection, he toss the cigarette to the ground and lightly stomped on it, laughing rather joyously, despite his circumstances.
”Ah, damn it, did you guys sneak something into my cigarettes again? I had just bought a new box yesterday, too… Now, you kids know a priest isn’t supposed to be smoking this right? It’s called the devil’s lettuce for a reason.” Jameson placed a hand on his forehead, shaking his head, a carefree smile still on his face. He feels like he was just pranked, once again, by the kids in the youth group he’s currently in charge of. Jameson felt like he needed to scold them a bit more seriously, though. They were supposed to be in bed at this time, after all. Instead, however, he just shrugged and crossed his arms.
”Alright, alright, I’ll play along with whatever game you kids are playing, but it’s straight to bed right after. Now, what sort of new world am I going to?”
”It is only a new world to you. But for me it is the original world, the oldest world I have ever visited.” Talus stopped walking when he was directly in front of the preacher. The man was clearly no child, and stood several feet over his head. ” I actually have a question for you too, preacher. Since we're playing a game after all.” An inky black cigar appeared in his fingers just before he held it to his lips. “What do you think your worth is? What makes you worthy of love?“
Jameson’s cheeks went a flush red for a moment at the mentioning of love, but soon after, he began to laugh, as if he was told a good joke. ”Now, what’d I say about talking about my love life? Damn kid, thinking you’re mature just because you’ve got a cigar, huh? Heh, tell you what, I won’t tell anyone about this if you don’t tell anyone about me taking a smoke break. Sounds good?” Despite his tone of voice, there was no hint of malice in Jameson’s words. It could be interpreted as a sign that he is both a good-natured person, and that he is also a fool who is unable to grasp the reality of his situation. And yet still, he seemed just a bit more reserved at Talus’s question...
After a brief pause, Jameson sighed, crossing his arms once again.
”But fine. Since I did agree to play along and all, I’ll answer your question,” the priest replied, scratching the back of his head. Once again, his cheeks began to redden, slightly. ”Well, the Lord made Adam and Eve for a reason. And while I’ve had a hard time finding my Eve, it just goes to show that when I do, it’ll be worth it. God works in mysterious ways, and I feel like as a loyal servant of the Lord, as long as I continue to serve and make others happy, I’ll find my own happiness at the end of the road…”
”Oh Jameson, if only you knew how right you were.” Talus extended a hand towards the preacher. ”Take my hand, and we'll both find love in the new world.”
Jameson looked at the inky black hand extended to him, making certain to note if he had a buzzer on his palm or not. Being the butt of that joke far too many times made Jameson cautious of that prank, but considering that he’s already in a mostly mellow mood, he’d continue playing along, if only it meant that the kid would finally go to bed. As such, Jameson grasped the hand, unable to predict just what would happen next.
"Heh, how curious. Ashton Andrews and Flame Brooks? I suppose the heart simply can't choose sometimes." The man folded his arms behind his back and walked closer. "I am Lord Talus, I will ferry you to the new world."
The two had been walking along the sidewalk on a romantic outing when their reality changed forever. Flame, his suspicions ignited by the figure’s appearance, put himself before Ashton, even as he said, “Bring us back.”
Ashton, meanwhile, analyzed the situation as much as possible, keeping down his fear. He would then put his hand on Flame’s shoulder, a signal for him to calm down, then say to Lord Talus, “I’ve seen enough Isekai to know that we can’t stop you. But why us? We’re content the way we are, after all.”
Flame looked at his boyfriend, only mildly surprised that he’d try to negotiate with this creepypasta wannabe. The redhead would then add, “So, on a scale of 1 to 10, how sadistic are you? 1 is the lowest, by the way.”
”Sadistic? Hah!” Talus placed a hand on his chest. ”I'm practically a cupid! Spiriting you away towards someone who loves you! There is nothing 'sadistic' abut that. Surely you must have me confused with some other individual.” He shook his head. ”But you two probably know a thing or two about love right? I mean you seem perfectly content with each other.” Talus stopped walking and looked between the two children. ”Do you think you're worth anything to your partner? Are you worthy of the love you're receiving?“
“Yes,” Flame said. “Ashton rescued me from a fate worse than death and put himself on the line for me.”
“Yes,” Ashton said, “Flame is a good guy at heart.”
”Such simple answers... But they satisfy my curiosity.” Talus extended a hand towards each of the boys. ”Take my hand, and we'll all continue to love in the new world.”
“What choice do we have?” Flame said as he took it.
“I’m with my boyfriend,” Ashton said as he did so as well, before glaring at Lord Talus. “I hope that when this inevitably ends in our deaths, I can do so alongside the person I love.”
The two had been walking along the sidewalk on a romantic outing when their reality changed forever. Flame, his suspicions ignited by the figure’s appearance, put himself before Ashton, even as he said, “Bring us back.”
Ashton, meanwhile, analyzed the situation as much as possible, keeping down his fear. He would then put his hand on Flame’s shoulder, a signal for him to calm down, then say to Lord Talus, “I’ve seen enough Isekai to know that we can’t stop you. But why us? We’re content the way we are, after all.”
Flame looked at his boyfriend, only mildly surprised that he’d try to negotiate with this creepypasta wannabe. The redhead would then add, “So, on a scale of 1 to 10, how sadistic are you? 1 is the lowest, by the way.”
”Sadistic? Hah!” Talus placed a hand on his chest. ”I'm practically a cupid! Spiriting you away towards someone who loves you! There is nothing 'sadistic' abut that. Surely you must have me confused with some other individual.” He shook his head. ”But you two probably know a thing or two about love right? I mean you seem perfectly content with each other.” Talus stopped walking and looked between the two children. ”Do you think you're worth anything to your partner? Are you worthy of the love you're receiving?“
“Yes,” Flame said. “Ashton rescued me from a fate worse than death and put himself on the line for me.”
“Yes,” Ashton said, “Flame is a good guy at heart.”
”Such simple answers... But they satisfy my curiosity.” Talus extended a hand towards each of the boys. ”Take my hand, and we'll all continue to love in the new world.”
“What choice do we have?” Flame said as he took it.
“I’m with my boyfriend,” Ashton said as he did so as well, before glaring at Lord Talus. “I hope that when this inevitably ends in our deaths, I can do so alongside the person I love.”
”Nobuhiro Nishioka? A world renown boxer, not a name many will soon forget. I am not surprised she fell in love with you.“ The man folded his arms behind his back and walked closer. "I am Lord Talus, I will ferry you to the new world."
It took. . . . . a moment or two. . . . before Nobuhiro managed to get his bearings. The first thing that passed through his mind was obviously confusion. Then, panic. After that was a slew of other emotions including anger, sadness, apathy and perhaps a few others. In the end though, the roulette spun, and landed once again on panic.
”W-w-w-what the fuck is this? What do you want from me!? Are you some kinda stalker? Did you drug me and take me somewhere? Are you helping some obsessed fan kidnap me!?”
His mind rationalized what it could. Obviously nothing fantasy-esque could be happening. He had to be under the effects of some kind of hallucinogen.
”hmmmm...” The giant shook his finger at the fighter and smiled. ”The last one! She's definitely a big fan of yours! I don't think she's missed a single fight or practice session.” He stopped in front of the boxer. While Nobuhiro had fought people taller than him before, none of them had been quite this big. ”But such admiration can hardly earn someone a title like 'fan'. Love is the only thing you could describe it as.” Talus looked down at the boxer. ”What makes you so special? What makes you worthy of someone's love?”
Alright. It was clear now. Crazy fan. Got it. With that out of the way, Hiro felt the raging emotions in his body start to calm. He couldn’t get out of this situation if he let his body take control on its own. That’s not how he lived. Hiro took a deep breath in, held it for a few seconds, then breathed out. His heart beat lowering to a reasonable rate, he looked up at the shadowy figure. In all likelihood, this person probably wasn’t actually that much bigger than he was. It was probably that the drugs they had given him were forcing this perception of the other on him. Calm. He was much more calm now.
”Well, give her my best regards, but I don’t have time for this. The biggest match of my life is tomorrow, and I can’t afford to be in anything but perfect shape.” He took a deep breath once more before continuing. ”Please tell my fan that I would very much appreciate it if I could go. I promise to make it up to her in the future, but now is the worst possible time for her to ermm. . . express herself like this.”
”Excuse me?” Talus fret his brow. ”You would... Dare...To put her off until later. ” The giant seemed to grow even larger, and his back flickered like a bonfire. ”You will make time for this! You will not cast her aside like a stone! I should, I will...” Talus chuckled. ”Actually, she can see us, so it's probably in our best interests if you don't make me go there again, alright?” He took a deep breath. ”Just answer the question. I just want to know, what makes you deserving of love?”
This was not going the way he needed it to. In fact, Hiro was entirely sure that he was not going to make it to his fight tomorrow. That was. . . . bad. He had trained his whole life for this exact moment, and it was all for naught.
With that thought going through his mind, he felt himself deflate. All the energy seemed to sap out of his body, and the glimmer faded from his eyes. If he just didn’t show up for the world championship bout, even if he did escape, there would be dire consequences. He might never have the chance to challenge for the title again. Demotivated and mentally exhausted from the admittedly brief few moments that he had spend speaking with this massive, shadowy figure, Hiro looked up into his eyes.
”I don’t believe it is up to me to decide what I possess to deserve any sort of affection. That is up to the giver of it. If your mistress believes that I am deserving of love, then who am I to disagree.” Hiro tilted his head, looking into the dark and foreboding eyes before whispering to himself in a barely audible voice, ”I wonder what you really look like.”
”So you simply believe that one shows you love, that you deserve it?” Talus scoffed. ”I find such a thing maddining, and yet I can't disagree with it.” He extended a hand towards the boxer. ”Let's be off, and may we both find love in the new world.”
Fighting it was no use at this point. Whatever drug they had fed him was showing no signs of wearing off, so it was safer for him to just go along with them for now. With slow and methodical movements, Nobuhiro grasped the outstretched hand of his captor.
It took. . . . . a moment or two. . . . before Nobuhiro managed to get his bearings. The first thing that passed through his mind was obviously confusion. Then, panic. After that was a slew of other emotions including anger, sadness, apathy and perhaps a few others. In the end though, the roulette spun, and landed once again on panic.
”W-w-w-what the fuck is this? What do you want from me!? Are you some kinda stalker? Did you drug me and take me somewhere? Are you helping some obsessed fan kidnap me!?”
His mind rationalized what it could. Obviously nothing fantasy-esque could be happening. He had to be under the effects of some kind of hallucinogen.
”hmmmm...” The giant shook his finger at the fighter and smiled. ”The last one! She's definitely a big fan of yours! I don't think she's missed a single fight or practice session.” He stopped in front of the boxer. While Nobuhiro had fought people taller than him before, none of them had been quite this big. ”But such admiration can hardly earn someone a title like 'fan'. Love is the only thing you could describe it as.” Talus looked down at the boxer. ”What makes you so special? What makes you worthy of someone's love?”
Alright. It was clear now. Crazy fan. Got it. With that out of the way, Hiro felt the raging emotions in his body start to calm. He couldn’t get out of this situation if he let his body take control on its own. That’s not how he lived. Hiro took a deep breath in, held it for a few seconds, then breathed out. His heart beat lowering to a reasonable rate, he looked up at the shadowy figure. In all likelihood, this person probably wasn’t actually that much bigger than he was. It was probably that the drugs they had given him were forcing this perception of the other on him. Calm. He was much more calm now.
”Well, give her my best regards, but I don’t have time for this. The biggest match of my life is tomorrow, and I can’t afford to be in anything but perfect shape.” He took a deep breath once more before continuing. ”Please tell my fan that I would very much appreciate it if I could go. I promise to make it up to her in the future, but now is the worst possible time for her to ermm. . . express herself like this.”
”Excuse me?” Talus fret his brow. ”You would... Dare...To put her off until later. ” The giant seemed to grow even larger, and his back flickered like a bonfire. ”You will make time for this! You will not cast her aside like a stone! I should, I will...” Talus chuckled. ”Actually, she can see us, so it's probably in our best interests if you don't make me go there again, alright?” He took a deep breath. ”Just answer the question. I just want to know, what makes you deserving of love?”
This was not going the way he needed it to. In fact, Hiro was entirely sure that he was not going to make it to his fight tomorrow. That was. . . . bad. He had trained his whole life for this exact moment, and it was all for naught.
With that thought going through his mind, he felt himself deflate. All the energy seemed to sap out of his body, and the glimmer faded from his eyes. If he just didn’t show up for the world championship bout, even if he did escape, there would be dire consequences. He might never have the chance to challenge for the title again. Demotivated and mentally exhausted from the admittedly brief few moments that he had spend speaking with this massive, shadowy figure, Hiro looked up into his eyes.
”I don’t believe it is up to me to decide what I possess to deserve any sort of affection. That is up to the giver of it. If your mistress believes that I am deserving of love, then who am I to disagree.” Hiro tilted his head, looking into the dark and foreboding eyes before whispering to himself in a barely audible voice, ”I wonder what you really look like.”
”So you simply believe that one shows you love, that you deserve it?” Talus scoffed. ”I find such a thing maddining, and yet I can't disagree with it.” He extended a hand towards the boxer. ”Let's be off, and may we both find love in the new world.”
Fighting it was no use at this point. Whatever drug they had fed him was showing no signs of wearing off, so it was safer for him to just go along with them for now. With slow and methodical movements, Nobuhiro grasped the outstretched hand of his captor.
"Alistair Archibald eh? I suppose she's going through a bit of a bad boy phase right now." The man folded his arms behind his back and walked closer. "I am Lord Talus, I will ferry you to the new world."
Alistair did not immediately respond, instead choosing to take a look around. Naturally, he spotted nothing else aside from the figure before him, which he eyed without any intentions of hiding the fact. He gave himself a little pinch, and then after a moment, he spoke. “Since you already seem to know who I am, I won’t bother introducing myself. But a pleasure to meet you nonetheless.” he greeted rather courteously, despite the glare he was shooting at the mysterious figure. He did not seem to be intimidated or confused by it. If anything, he seemed to be annoyed. “I do not recall consenting to any such relocation, and I’m confident I haven’t ingested anything suspicious.” he stated. There was a long pause before he continued.
“Have I somehow died?”
The figure let out a heartfelt laugh as he stepped closer. ”Is this the afterlife you think you deserve? Were you a bad boy?” He let his arms swing at his sides. ”I am fascinated by your world's lore. The Egyptians believed that when you went to heaven, you were asked two questions, one from each gatekeeper. The first question was if there was someone you loved, and the second question was if you knew anyone who loved you.” Talus stopped walking and looked down at Alistair. ”Do you think you're worth anything to someone? Would anyone have a reason to love you?“
Another moment of silence between the two took place before Alistair spoke again. His expression nothing but overwhelming confidence as he spoke. "Ha! You're asking me about companionship? About love? What foolishness." he claimed. "I appreciate myself, that is all that matters. What use do I have for the acceptance of another? Of companionship?" he instead asked Talus. "I cherish nothing more than the freedom of individuality, which love would rob me, I'm sure. And if someone else desires me? That is their prerogative. A man unbound am I, and I intend on staying that way. These feelings have never once changed, nor do I believe they will."
Talus's fists shook, but he didn't move from his spot. ”I suppose the moral of that old story is that some don't realize how important love is until it's too late.” He extended his hand towards the haughty young man. ”May we find a reason to love in the new world. ”
Either oblivious or simply uncaring of the symptoms Talus was showing of... well, displeasure, Alistair shook his head. "I'd rather learn more about where you're taking me before any of that. Stranger danger and all."
”I could, but that will take to long. So let me tell you what will happen if you refuse.” He was grinning ear to ear with every word he spoke. ”If you do not come with me, you will break her heart. And then I’ll have to break yours.” He extended his hand towards Alistair again, but his claws grew a little longer as he did so.
"You drive a hard bargain, but..." Things were finally beginning to make sense. He'd been referring to a girl over the course of their conversation, and she apparently fancied him. Honestly, the question about love should've given it away. This must've been some random girl's father and she wished to marry Alistair. Perhaps he'd not been as attentive to his diet as he should have been, which might explain the weird traits this world and guy had in common. He was just tripping balls, that’s right. "Do I call you father? Well, I suppose that'll have to wait until later." he cautiously shook the textureless hand.
”No, you call me lord.”
Alistair did not immediately respond, instead choosing to take a look around. Naturally, he spotted nothing else aside from the figure before him, which he eyed without any intentions of hiding the fact. He gave himself a little pinch, and then after a moment, he spoke. “Since you already seem to know who I am, I won’t bother introducing myself. But a pleasure to meet you nonetheless.” he greeted rather courteously, despite the glare he was shooting at the mysterious figure. He did not seem to be intimidated or confused by it. If anything, he seemed to be annoyed. “I do not recall consenting to any such relocation, and I’m confident I haven’t ingested anything suspicious.” he stated. There was a long pause before he continued.
“Have I somehow died?”
The figure let out a heartfelt laugh as he stepped closer. ”Is this the afterlife you think you deserve? Were you a bad boy?” He let his arms swing at his sides. ”I am fascinated by your world's lore. The Egyptians believed that when you went to heaven, you were asked two questions, one from each gatekeeper. The first question was if there was someone you loved, and the second question was if you knew anyone who loved you.” Talus stopped walking and looked down at Alistair. ”Do you think you're worth anything to someone? Would anyone have a reason to love you?“
Another moment of silence between the two took place before Alistair spoke again. His expression nothing but overwhelming confidence as he spoke. "Ha! You're asking me about companionship? About love? What foolishness." he claimed. "I appreciate myself, that is all that matters. What use do I have for the acceptance of another? Of companionship?" he instead asked Talus. "I cherish nothing more than the freedom of individuality, which love would rob me, I'm sure. And if someone else desires me? That is their prerogative. A man unbound am I, and I intend on staying that way. These feelings have never once changed, nor do I believe they will."
Talus's fists shook, but he didn't move from his spot. ”I suppose the moral of that old story is that some don't realize how important love is until it's too late.” He extended his hand towards the haughty young man. ”May we find a reason to love in the new world. ”
Either oblivious or simply uncaring of the symptoms Talus was showing of... well, displeasure, Alistair shook his head. "I'd rather learn more about where you're taking me before any of that. Stranger danger and all."
”I could, but that will take to long. So let me tell you what will happen if you refuse.” He was grinning ear to ear with every word he spoke. ”If you do not come with me, you will break her heart. And then I’ll have to break yours.” He extended his hand towards Alistair again, but his claws grew a little longer as he did so.
"You drive a hard bargain, but..." Things were finally beginning to make sense. He'd been referring to a girl over the course of their conversation, and she apparently fancied him. Honestly, the question about love should've given it away. This must've been some random girl's father and she wished to marry Alistair. Perhaps he'd not been as attentive to his diet as he should have been, which might explain the weird traits this world and guy had in common. He was just tripping balls, that’s right. "Do I call you father? Well, I suppose that'll have to wait until later." he cautiously shook the textureless hand.
”No, you call me lord.”
”Oh my, now here's an oddity. She must be in the mood for something strange to pick someone like you, Yuuki Kimura.” The man folded his arms behind his back and walked closer. ”I am Lord Talus, I will ferry you to the new world.”
One step had been streetlights reflected off driven snow.
Another step was taken in utter blackness, broken only by the shape of something quite not human. It gave Yuuki pause, and he stepped back, hoping beyond hope that such a movement would bring him back to familiar territory.
That hope was meaningless, as meaningless as the words that the stranger spoke, so familiar and yet so foreign, as if a distortion upon cognition enabled Yuuki to understand those words despite the dissonant syllables that formed them. ‘She’. ‘Lord Talus’. ‘Something strange’. They bounced off his mind without sticking, and as the man, the monster, approached, Yuuki continued to take uncertain steps backwards, his pack swaying gently.
Remember where you came from.
The snow on the top of his head, half-melting down his face, anchored him, and he took one deep breath.
“There’s no way I’m dead, so this is something else. And whatever this ‘something else’ is, I’d prefer for that to wait, because I’m in the middle of another ‘something else’. So if you’d excuse me, I’d prefer if you delayed this ferrying business of yours and let me tie up some loose ends right now, because this is literally a matter of life and death and I can’t be delayed much further since it’s only a matter of time before my dad finds out I’m not in bed so could you please let me go kay thanks bye, peace, I’ll promise to help you out later if you help me out now?”
“Why thank you for affirming that we're not dead, but that advice would be a little more reassuring if you were more knowledgeable about this place. But to return your kindness, you should stop walking backwards. The ground does not extend forever, and it's difficult to tell where it ends.“ He chuckled before coming to a stop in front of the boy. “Getting you back home would be difficult, but I can get you out of here. There's someone there you love, right? At least one person. The question is rhetorical, don't answer it.“ The giant waved his hand “What I'd like to know is if you feel you're worthy of love? What makes you deserving of such a blessing?“
“Uh…”
What. Did this giant shadow man demon monster approach him for...a discussion on the philosophy of love? Yuuki took another half-step out of instinct, before thinking better of it. Maybe this was still just some sort of crazy prank? Maybe this was a new con? Maybe the gods his father worshipped were real after all?
No. Don't get swept away. Stay present, stay focused. He opened his mouth, ignoring his flaring cheeks, his burning ears.
“Um well…”
A mass of black thoughts jumbled in his mind, a broken spiderweb of barbed wire. Rusted beyond recognition. Twisted with trepidation. Images with no words, synapse offering no answer.
“That's a pretty deep question to be asking a kid like me, yeah?” The blue eyed youth laughed, scratching the back of his head. “Sorry, but I don't really understand those things.”
“But you must have an opinion, or some sort of insight.“ Talus kneeled in front of Yuuki, but he was still taller than him. ”Isn't love why you want to return to your old world so badly?“ The giant leaned closer. ”You must know something. If you don't answer me, I can't say you'll ever leave this place.“
Yuuki gnawed his lower lip, leaning away as the giant tried to close the distance between the two further. Personal space. This shadow-demon monster dude seriously needed to learn about personal space. He could hardly breathe like this, not that breath would help to begin with. Was love the reason why? Was it the reason he deserved?
No.
“It’s not love.”
His heart didn’t sing, his world didn’t become rose-tinted, his life wasn’t perfect and he didn’t even know if the affection he held was romantic or just desperate. He knew too little to call it love, but he knew enough to call it…
“It’s self-loathing, I suppose,” Yuuki said, “I want to change, and I want to do something, and I want to see it through to the end. And doing this...doing what I was before you approached me...is the best, most mutually beneficial method of changing. So is there really no way you can return me to where I was?”
“Let's find out.“ Talus extended his hand towards the boy. ”May we both learn about love in the new world.“
“I’d like to learn about it in my own world instead,” Yuuki replied, keeping his own hand behind his back, “So here’s the deal. I’ll teach you about love or whatever in this new world, and you send me back to the old one after it’s done, ok?”
“You misunderstand, I wanted to understand why she loves you so much. But you do not seem to know the answer. Regardless, it was just for my own curiosity. As a ferryman, it is just my job to move you around.“ Talus's hand expanded in size, and his nails grew longer and sharper along with it. ”But if you won't come to the new world, it will make her very sad. In turn, I will become...Very angry.“
“Fine, fine, not in any power to discuss things like gentlemen? I get it then, Talus my man,” Yuuki said, raising his hands up and feigning exasperation. “Can you at least tell me who ‘she’ is?”
“You’ll find out in time. Now quit stalling!“
One step had been streetlights reflected off driven snow.
Another step was taken in utter blackness, broken only by the shape of something quite not human. It gave Yuuki pause, and he stepped back, hoping beyond hope that such a movement would bring him back to familiar territory.
That hope was meaningless, as meaningless as the words that the stranger spoke, so familiar and yet so foreign, as if a distortion upon cognition enabled Yuuki to understand those words despite the dissonant syllables that formed them. ‘She’. ‘Lord Talus’. ‘Something strange’. They bounced off his mind without sticking, and as the man, the monster, approached, Yuuki continued to take uncertain steps backwards, his pack swaying gently.
Remember where you came from.
The snow on the top of his head, half-melting down his face, anchored him, and he took one deep breath.
“There’s no way I’m dead, so this is something else. And whatever this ‘something else’ is, I’d prefer for that to wait, because I’m in the middle of another ‘something else’. So if you’d excuse me, I’d prefer if you delayed this ferrying business of yours and let me tie up some loose ends right now, because this is literally a matter of life and death and I can’t be delayed much further since it’s only a matter of time before my dad finds out I’m not in bed so could you please let me go kay thanks bye, peace, I’ll promise to help you out later if you help me out now?”
“Why thank you for affirming that we're not dead, but that advice would be a little more reassuring if you were more knowledgeable about this place. But to return your kindness, you should stop walking backwards. The ground does not extend forever, and it's difficult to tell where it ends.“ He chuckled before coming to a stop in front of the boy. “Getting you back home would be difficult, but I can get you out of here. There's someone there you love, right? At least one person. The question is rhetorical, don't answer it.“ The giant waved his hand “What I'd like to know is if you feel you're worthy of love? What makes you deserving of such a blessing?“
“Uh…”
What. Did this giant shadow man demon monster approach him for...a discussion on the philosophy of love? Yuuki took another half-step out of instinct, before thinking better of it. Maybe this was still just some sort of crazy prank? Maybe this was a new con? Maybe the gods his father worshipped were real after all?
No. Don't get swept away. Stay present, stay focused. He opened his mouth, ignoring his flaring cheeks, his burning ears.
“Um well…”
A mass of black thoughts jumbled in his mind, a broken spiderweb of barbed wire. Rusted beyond recognition. Twisted with trepidation. Images with no words, synapse offering no answer.
“That's a pretty deep question to be asking a kid like me, yeah?” The blue eyed youth laughed, scratching the back of his head. “Sorry, but I don't really understand those things.”
“But you must have an opinion, or some sort of insight.“ Talus kneeled in front of Yuuki, but he was still taller than him. ”Isn't love why you want to return to your old world so badly?“ The giant leaned closer. ”You must know something. If you don't answer me, I can't say you'll ever leave this place.“
Yuuki gnawed his lower lip, leaning away as the giant tried to close the distance between the two further. Personal space. This shadow-demon monster dude seriously needed to learn about personal space. He could hardly breathe like this, not that breath would help to begin with. Was love the reason why? Was it the reason he deserved?
No.
“It’s not love.”
His heart didn’t sing, his world didn’t become rose-tinted, his life wasn’t perfect and he didn’t even know if the affection he held was romantic or just desperate. He knew too little to call it love, but he knew enough to call it…
“It’s self-loathing, I suppose,” Yuuki said, “I want to change, and I want to do something, and I want to see it through to the end. And doing this...doing what I was before you approached me...is the best, most mutually beneficial method of changing. So is there really no way you can return me to where I was?”
“Let's find out.“ Talus extended his hand towards the boy. ”May we both learn about love in the new world.“
“I’d like to learn about it in my own world instead,” Yuuki replied, keeping his own hand behind his back, “So here’s the deal. I’ll teach you about love or whatever in this new world, and you send me back to the old one after it’s done, ok?”
“You misunderstand, I wanted to understand why she loves you so much. But you do not seem to know the answer. Regardless, it was just for my own curiosity. As a ferryman, it is just my job to move you around.“ Talus's hand expanded in size, and his nails grew longer and sharper along with it. ”But if you won't come to the new world, it will make her very sad. In turn, I will become...Very angry.“
“Fine, fine, not in any power to discuss things like gentlemen? I get it then, Talus my man,” Yuuki said, raising his hands up and feigning exasperation. “Can you at least tell me who ‘she’ is?”
“You’ll find out in time. Now quit stalling!“
”Chieko Okawa? Hmmm, she's cute I suppose, but aren't all children? Regardless, I do not question her tastes. “ The man folded his arms behind his back and walked closer. ”I am Lord Talus, I will ferry you to the new world.”
Chieko was utterly confused. One second, she had a phone in one hand and was talking to her little sister. The next she was standing in some sort of void with some weird flame man speaking to her. Panicking internally slightly, she looked around the void, taking a few uneasy steps away from the large man as the bag in her other hand crinkled audibly as she moved.
"What…?" She focused her gaze on the large, masculine flame man in front of her. Cute? Children? She wasn't a child. This was some sort of weird prank or something? More importantly, this old man 'Lord Talus' was some sort of weird person that she obviously wanted nothing to do with. He bowed and was quite respectful, but how was she supposed to take this? Ferry her to another world?
As exciting as that would be, it was ridiculous and not possible whatsoever.
"What are you talking about, pervy old man?" Chieko frowned coolly, reaching into her jacket pocket for her bottle of pepper spray.
As the man got closer, the difference in their height became more apparent. She was pretty sure men weren't supposed to get that tall. ”She is the only pervert here. If I am going to be quite honest, she is the only thing I desire.” He chuckled before placing his hand on his forehead. ”But alas, I am not what she wants. So I can only get her what she desires.” Talus spread his fingers and looked down at the girl between his fingers. ” I have questions too, actually.” He pulled his hand away from his face. “Are you worth something to anyone? Do you think you are worthy of love?“
Yep, she was hallucinating or something. Might as well go with it. Freaking out would only get her into more trouble. So Chieko craned her neck, looking up at the tall, flame man in front of her. What was he even talking about? Something about a crush or something and he having to find things she wanted. The question that followed was even more odd. Was she something to someone? Was she worthy of love? She wasn't certain she had an answer for that.
"My little sister," Chieko replied, pulling her hand from her jacket. "I'm worth something to her, at least." She continued, studying the tall man in front of her. The strangeness of the situation was beginning to sink in more and more as she began to accept that this was indeed, really happening and not some sort of weird prank. "What did you mean by ferry me to another world, old man?"
“So because you are loved, you believe you must be worthy of it? I am not sure I agree with that statement.“ he chuckled before extending his hand. “As for taking you to another world, It would be easier just to show you. Take my hand, and we can find out if we're worthy of love in the new world.“
"Well if people love you, they obviously do for some reason. I don’t care whether I deserve it or not." Chieko replied in a rather taciturn manner as the large man held his hand out to her. It was a pointless conversation now anyway. New world? Seriously? Was he going to 'show' her?
Chieko inhaled sharply, hesitating at the notion. Was it so easy as this? Then why couldn't it have happened a few years ago before she had utterly trashed her reputation at school for being a huge weirdo?! She could say no, right? Go back home and see her sister? Never speak a word of this to anyone? Or maybe she had gone completely crazy and was passed out on the street, foaming at the mouth as she hummed the OP to some anime.
W-well…
….it couldn't hurt to take it, could it?
"Fine, old man." Chieko replied, taking his hand hesitantly. "But what's the catch?"
Chieko was utterly confused. One second, she had a phone in one hand and was talking to her little sister. The next she was standing in some sort of void with some weird flame man speaking to her. Panicking internally slightly, she looked around the void, taking a few uneasy steps away from the large man as the bag in her other hand crinkled audibly as she moved.
"What…?" She focused her gaze on the large, masculine flame man in front of her. Cute? Children? She wasn't a child. This was some sort of weird prank or something? More importantly, this old man 'Lord Talus' was some sort of weird person that she obviously wanted nothing to do with. He bowed and was quite respectful, but how was she supposed to take this? Ferry her to another world?
As exciting as that would be, it was ridiculous and not possible whatsoever.
"What are you talking about, pervy old man?" Chieko frowned coolly, reaching into her jacket pocket for her bottle of pepper spray.
As the man got closer, the difference in their height became more apparent. She was pretty sure men weren't supposed to get that tall. ”She is the only pervert here. If I am going to be quite honest, she is the only thing I desire.” He chuckled before placing his hand on his forehead. ”But alas, I am not what she wants. So I can only get her what she desires.” Talus spread his fingers and looked down at the girl between his fingers. ” I have questions too, actually.” He pulled his hand away from his face. “Are you worth something to anyone? Do you think you are worthy of love?“
Yep, she was hallucinating or something. Might as well go with it. Freaking out would only get her into more trouble. So Chieko craned her neck, looking up at the tall, flame man in front of her. What was he even talking about? Something about a crush or something and he having to find things she wanted. The question that followed was even more odd. Was she something to someone? Was she worthy of love? She wasn't certain she had an answer for that.
"My little sister," Chieko replied, pulling her hand from her jacket. "I'm worth something to her, at least." She continued, studying the tall man in front of her. The strangeness of the situation was beginning to sink in more and more as she began to accept that this was indeed, really happening and not some sort of weird prank. "What did you mean by ferry me to another world, old man?"
“So because you are loved, you believe you must be worthy of it? I am not sure I agree with that statement.“ he chuckled before extending his hand. “As for taking you to another world, It would be easier just to show you. Take my hand, and we can find out if we're worthy of love in the new world.“
"Well if people love you, they obviously do for some reason. I don’t care whether I deserve it or not." Chieko replied in a rather taciturn manner as the large man held his hand out to her. It was a pointless conversation now anyway. New world? Seriously? Was he going to 'show' her?
Chieko inhaled sharply, hesitating at the notion. Was it so easy as this? Then why couldn't it have happened a few years ago before she had utterly trashed her reputation at school for being a huge weirdo?! She could say no, right? Go back home and see her sister? Never speak a word of this to anyone? Or maybe she had gone completely crazy and was passed out on the street, foaming at the mouth as she hummed the OP to some anime.
W-well…
….it couldn't hurt to take it, could it?
"Fine, old man." Chieko replied, taking his hand hesitantly. "But what's the catch?"
"Ahhh, you seem like a lonely person Hilda Gunnarsson. I wonder if she only loves you out of pity." The man folded his arms behind his back and walked closer. "I am Lord Talus, I will ferry you to the new world."
Hilda's body froze in place as she tried processing what just occurred, and her thermos full of coffee slipped out of her hand and bounced onto the obsidian floor with a resounding echo. She was in her kitchen just a few moments ago, but now she was in what seemed to be a nightmare world inhabited by a placid yet terrifying entity. ...am I dead? She panickedly thought while swallowing her own saliva, and instinctively gripped at her solar plexus with her right hand, all while she struggled to breathe out of fear. Hilda's heart pounded with a painful intensity, her mind replayed what Lord Talus said, and her wide open eyes twitched as she squinted in a dazed suspicion.
I...no... Hilda's body then relaxed, her shoulders hanging forward as her right hand fell back to her side, and she defeatedly drew and released a deep breath through her nostrils. The woman replied with a calm tone, "I refuse your offer," She then peered into the void, and let out a quiet laugh through her nose while smiling and rolling her eyes. She looked back at Lord Talus, tilted her head to the side, and spoke contemptuously, "But I doubt I even have a choice." She pressed her lips together and quietly watched bits of his form effortlessly float off, her expression slowly becoming dour.
The giant chuckled all the way over to Hilda before stopping in his tracks. ”Well, you at least seem to understand enough about the situation. But what I speak of isn't a mere offer. It is... a reward.” Talus inhaled deeply before taking a knee. His head was still above Helga's. ”I'm still unsure why she loves you though.” Talus snorted, and a puff of smoke shot out of his nose. ”Tell me Hilda, do you think you are worthy of love? Is there anything about you that makes you worthy of another?”
Hilda stared at the giant with a confused and skeptical look, "That's a matter of perspective, I think." She crossed her arms, then adjusted the strap to her shoulderbag while placing most of her body weight on her right leg. "Who is in love with me so much that they'll start making me trip out in my own kitchen?"
”Heh, seems you don't know as much as I thought.” Talus started counting his fingers. ”Number one, you're not in your kitchen, and number two, you're not 'tripping out.' If you were, you wouldn't be aware of it, and you probably wouldn't be trying to talk to your hallucinations...I hope. And number three...” He rested his arm on his knee. ”I posed my question first, and you will answer.”
The earthling took a moment to recall the original question and formulate a response in her mind, "I don't know you, so that's none of your business." She retained her defensive posture and attitude, unwilling to comply with the mysterious entity's questioning.
”I suppose it's not.” Talus Clenched his hands into fists and hopped up and down. ”But that's why I want to know! I can't stand not knowing why she chose you over so many others.” He stopped and raised a finger to his “lips.” ”Or are you clueless? Regardless, it is in your best interest to answer me. Just tell me why someone would love you. It's not that personal.”
Hilda snorted at the imposing figure suddenly acting in a vibrant manner, "Go ask someone who loves me, then, cause I can only speak for myself." She smiled at Talus while resting her arms back at her sides, "And I'm not about to tell some creepy smoke dude that dragged me into the nightmare dimension about myself."
Talus stopped jumping around. ”Well, that is certainly a shame. But I can keep a smile on my face because in the end, I know I'll have the last laugh.” The giant extended his hand towards Hilda. ”May we find reason to love in the new world.” There was a brief pause before Talus continued, perhaps anticipating she wouldn't cooperate. ”And if you don't come to the new world right now, you'll cause her pain. And then I'll be forced to cause pain to your entire body, while you're dying. His hand seemed to be growing with every passing second.
What the f-? Hilda's heart began pounding harder as Talus's hand grew larger in size, and her eyes widened while she gasped, turned, and began to run across the solid and jet black surface of the void. This isn't real! Her mind shouted, and she struggled to keep breathing while charging away from the smokey figure. I have wake up! She slapped herself while running, only to produce the persisting sensation of pain on her cheek. Aw come on!
”Wha? Stop! Stop!” But no matter how loudly Talus roared, Hilda kept on running. But while the darkness was infinite, the floor was not. Hilda soon discovered this as her foot found nothing to stand on, and she tumbled off the side of the cliff. The smoldering giant dove off the cliff, swiftly catching up to the falling woman. ”I forgot to tell you, the ground doesn't go on forever here, and neither does the drop.” Talus extended his smaller hand towards Hilda. ”This is your last chance to escape here. I cannot take you back to your kitchen. The only way out is the new world. Now quit wasting my time before we both become pancakes.” He fret his brow noticeably as the two tumbled towards oblivion.
I don't want to die! Hilda thought in horror while she screamed at the top of her lungs, her eyes moist from the emotional whirlwind that she had been dragged into. She looked up at Talus with a despaired expression, no longer sensing malice from him. "Do it!" She yelled at him, wanting neither to die nor to bring death upon him.
Hilda's body froze in place as she tried processing what just occurred, and her thermos full of coffee slipped out of her hand and bounced onto the obsidian floor with a resounding echo. She was in her kitchen just a few moments ago, but now she was in what seemed to be a nightmare world inhabited by a placid yet terrifying entity. ...am I dead? She panickedly thought while swallowing her own saliva, and instinctively gripped at her solar plexus with her right hand, all while she struggled to breathe out of fear. Hilda's heart pounded with a painful intensity, her mind replayed what Lord Talus said, and her wide open eyes twitched as she squinted in a dazed suspicion.
I...no... Hilda's body then relaxed, her shoulders hanging forward as her right hand fell back to her side, and she defeatedly drew and released a deep breath through her nostrils. The woman replied with a calm tone, "I refuse your offer," She then peered into the void, and let out a quiet laugh through her nose while smiling and rolling her eyes. She looked back at Lord Talus, tilted her head to the side, and spoke contemptuously, "But I doubt I even have a choice." She pressed her lips together and quietly watched bits of his form effortlessly float off, her expression slowly becoming dour.
The giant chuckled all the way over to Hilda before stopping in his tracks. ”Well, you at least seem to understand enough about the situation. But what I speak of isn't a mere offer. It is... a reward.” Talus inhaled deeply before taking a knee. His head was still above Helga's. ”I'm still unsure why she loves you though.” Talus snorted, and a puff of smoke shot out of his nose. ”Tell me Hilda, do you think you are worthy of love? Is there anything about you that makes you worthy of another?”
Hilda stared at the giant with a confused and skeptical look, "That's a matter of perspective, I think." She crossed her arms, then adjusted the strap to her shoulderbag while placing most of her body weight on her right leg. "Who is in love with me so much that they'll start making me trip out in my own kitchen?"
”Heh, seems you don't know as much as I thought.” Talus started counting his fingers. ”Number one, you're not in your kitchen, and number two, you're not 'tripping out.' If you were, you wouldn't be aware of it, and you probably wouldn't be trying to talk to your hallucinations...I hope. And number three...” He rested his arm on his knee. ”I posed my question first, and you will answer.”
The earthling took a moment to recall the original question and formulate a response in her mind, "I don't know you, so that's none of your business." She retained her defensive posture and attitude, unwilling to comply with the mysterious entity's questioning.
”I suppose it's not.” Talus Clenched his hands into fists and hopped up and down. ”But that's why I want to know! I can't stand not knowing why she chose you over so many others.” He stopped and raised a finger to his “lips.” ”Or are you clueless? Regardless, it is in your best interest to answer me. Just tell me why someone would love you. It's not that personal.”
Hilda snorted at the imposing figure suddenly acting in a vibrant manner, "Go ask someone who loves me, then, cause I can only speak for myself." She smiled at Talus while resting her arms back at her sides, "And I'm not about to tell some creepy smoke dude that dragged me into the nightmare dimension about myself."
Talus stopped jumping around. ”Well, that is certainly a shame. But I can keep a smile on my face because in the end, I know I'll have the last laugh.” The giant extended his hand towards Hilda. ”May we find reason to love in the new world.” There was a brief pause before Talus continued, perhaps anticipating she wouldn't cooperate. ”And if you don't come to the new world right now, you'll cause her pain. And then I'll be forced to cause pain to your entire body, while you're dying. His hand seemed to be growing with every passing second.
What the f-? Hilda's heart began pounding harder as Talus's hand grew larger in size, and her eyes widened while she gasped, turned, and began to run across the solid and jet black surface of the void. This isn't real! Her mind shouted, and she struggled to keep breathing while charging away from the smokey figure. I have wake up! She slapped herself while running, only to produce the persisting sensation of pain on her cheek. Aw come on!
”Wha? Stop! Stop!” But no matter how loudly Talus roared, Hilda kept on running. But while the darkness was infinite, the floor was not. Hilda soon discovered this as her foot found nothing to stand on, and she tumbled off the side of the cliff. The smoldering giant dove off the cliff, swiftly catching up to the falling woman. ”I forgot to tell you, the ground doesn't go on forever here, and neither does the drop.” Talus extended his smaller hand towards Hilda. ”This is your last chance to escape here. I cannot take you back to your kitchen. The only way out is the new world. Now quit wasting my time before we both become pancakes.” He fret his brow noticeably as the two tumbled towards oblivion.
I don't want to die! Hilda thought in horror while she screamed at the top of her lungs, her eyes moist from the emotional whirlwind that she had been dragged into. She looked up at Talus with a despaired expression, no longer sensing malice from him. "Do it!" She yelled at him, wanting neither to die nor to bring death upon him.
”Seems I got to you just in time, Aaron Yang. You may not love yourself, but she loves you very much.” The man folded his arms behind his back and walked closer. ”I am Lord Talus, I will ferry you to the new world.”
” Is this-... Is this hell?” Aaron meekly asked the strange figure that stood before him, his voice filled with fear. Quivering as he stared into the abyss, the young boy lifted his sleeve and began to dry the stream of tears flowing from his eyes.
”Hell? And would that make me Lucifer? A demon? Or perhaps you're the one who's damning me for all eternity?” The smoldering giant stopped before Aaron. It was impossible to tell where his white eyes were looking, but the teenager felt like he was being sized up.”Hmmmm.” Talus chuckled. ”I typically ask people in your position if they feel they are worthy of love. But I found you trying to kill yourself. Surely someone in such a position couldn't possibly fathom why anyone would care about them, let alone love them?”
Confused, Aaron looks up at the giant, ”W- What??? Love? Who the fuck would care about a piece of shit like me… pausing, his eyes grew wide with horror and guilt, tears flooding forth once more, ”Oh god… What have I done??? Mom, Dad… I’ve fucking abandoned them!!! I’m not worthy of love at all, even when all that’s asked in return is to keep on living…. I’m nothing but a failure, a disappointment…. I deserve nothing.” curling into a ball as he spoke, he continued to sob, his heart heavy with grief and regret.
Talus placed his hands on his hips. ”Yes, this is the reaction I expected.” He kneeled in front of Aaron. ”And even if I agree with you, I know she doesn't.” Talus extended a hand towards the teenager. ”May we find ourselves worthy of love in the new world.”
Visibly shaking, Aaron slowly rose to his feet, tears rolling off his chin, ”A new world huh? Well, I guess it’s better than nothing..” he responded with a weak, noticeably forced smile.
” Is this-... Is this hell?” Aaron meekly asked the strange figure that stood before him, his voice filled with fear. Quivering as he stared into the abyss, the young boy lifted his sleeve and began to dry the stream of tears flowing from his eyes.
”Hell? And would that make me Lucifer? A demon? Or perhaps you're the one who's damning me for all eternity?” The smoldering giant stopped before Aaron. It was impossible to tell where his white eyes were looking, but the teenager felt like he was being sized up.”Hmmmm.” Talus chuckled. ”I typically ask people in your position if they feel they are worthy of love. But I found you trying to kill yourself. Surely someone in such a position couldn't possibly fathom why anyone would care about them, let alone love them?”
Confused, Aaron looks up at the giant, ”W- What??? Love? Who the fuck would care about a piece of shit like me… pausing, his eyes grew wide with horror and guilt, tears flooding forth once more, ”Oh god… What have I done??? Mom, Dad… I’ve fucking abandoned them!!! I’m not worthy of love at all, even when all that’s asked in return is to keep on living…. I’m nothing but a failure, a disappointment…. I deserve nothing.” curling into a ball as he spoke, he continued to sob, his heart heavy with grief and regret.
Talus placed his hands on his hips. ”Yes, this is the reaction I expected.” He kneeled in front of Aaron. ”And even if I agree with you, I know she doesn't.” Talus extended a hand towards the teenager. ”May we find ourselves worthy of love in the new world.”
Visibly shaking, Aaron slowly rose to his feet, tears rolling off his chin, ”A new world huh? Well, I guess it’s better than nothing..” he responded with a weak, noticeably forced smile.
”Aerith Hastings, I wonder if you will be afraid or overjoyed to know someone else loves you...” The man folded his arms behind his back and walked closer. ”I am Lord Talus, I will ferry you to the new world.”
“W-wha-.....,” Aerith said initially, her words a stutter at first, utter shock written into her face as she stood there, though soon her look shifted into one of deep thought, and genuine evaluation.
Annabelle was gone, no longer by her side. It had been but a moment, and even now she could recall the other girl’s laugh as the smell of a local pizza place hung in the air like a welcoming miasma. Actually, they had talked about getting pizza that night even, but….this had just happened. It almost seemed unreal, like a dream, a hazy fog of hallucinations that had overtaken her mind. Yet, this….man, this thing seemingly from the annals of a bad isekai anime was standing before her.
Tentatively, Aerith tapped her feet on the ground, jumped once even, to test it. She swept her hand through the air, testing its feeling. No, it was real. She then pinched her cheeks, even giving herself a light slap, but again the scene did not change. Real. It...was all real, as real as the ground beneath her feet and the air she breathed right here. However, the experience was rather...surreal, strange even, pulled from the pages of a manga and plastered into her life.
Home, family, friends….all were going to be outright gone if this was her passage to a new place altogether, with no chance to return. It didn’t take her but moments to ponder the matter, to understand what she wanted to say. Even Annabelle would have agreed to this answer, she knew that much. And...somebody loved her, it would seem, so much to want her brought to them. It was flattering….sweet even. Made her heart race. Who was she? Her benefactor that is. That too was an important matter.
“I can’t say i am not worried about all of this, but….to know someone loves me enough to want me in their world literally, i….how can i refuse? Who is she? Or….who are they? Where can i find them in this new world?”
First rule of an anime situation like this. Ask questions, show some vulnerability to draw out the answers. Read the man’s attitude, his face (or what he had of one), and his body language for clues. If this was real she wanted to be sure of things.
When Talus stopped walking, he was right in front of Aerith. The man was far taller than most men, and it wouldn't be unfair to say he probably wasn't human.
”Well now! I'm glad you're so excited to meet her. I'm afraid I can't reveal too many details. But that just means when you finally meet, it'll be that much more special.” He lifted one of his fingers up to his chin and tapped it. ”But do you really feel like you're worthy of this love? What do you have that you could possibly offer a companion?”
Worthy? The lack of direct details in answers was met with another question, it seemed. But it was not a bad question. What was she, to deserve this strong a love towards her, such affections to bypass the nature of worlds? In short, what could she offer to a companion, to offer forth in a relationship even?
The teenager pondered on the matter for a bit….though eventually came to an answer as the metaphorical light bulb went off in her mind. A small, humble smile came to her face, as Aerith looked back up once more at Lord Talus before her.
“....I’ll never give up. That is what i can offer to her in return, at the very least. The determination to not leave her, the will and drive to do what i must to remain by her side. Even if my body is broken, even if my fate has so far been to hurt in life before now, i will not relent,” the teenager finally said, the warm feeling of that answer from deep in her heart arising to the surface, untainted by the memories or such things, “For her genuine love, to be her companion, i can only offer her my best. The best of myself, even all of myself.”
”Dawwww...” He clapped his hands together. ”That's exactly the type of answer I'd expect from a child. Regardless, that satisfies my curiosity.” He offered his hand to Aerith.”My we bathe in love in the new world.”
The man’s comments “about a child’s view of love” were almost a tad annoying, but it at least gave her some ideas about the situation. Potentially. It was a tad ominous, in the manner she couldn’t not notice, but at the same time the offer of love was….more than appealing. Someone to love, to hold, to be with and around. She had to be careful, but….she couldn’t pass up the chance either.
And with that, Aerith reached out, taking Lord Talus’ hand. Albeit slightly tentatively, but she still did it. It wasn’t like her cautious nervousness about the situation had all shrunk up and vanished into thin air, eh?
“W-wha-.....,” Aerith said initially, her words a stutter at first, utter shock written into her face as she stood there, though soon her look shifted into one of deep thought, and genuine evaluation.
Annabelle was gone, no longer by her side. It had been but a moment, and even now she could recall the other girl’s laugh as the smell of a local pizza place hung in the air like a welcoming miasma. Actually, they had talked about getting pizza that night even, but….this had just happened. It almost seemed unreal, like a dream, a hazy fog of hallucinations that had overtaken her mind. Yet, this….man, this thing seemingly from the annals of a bad isekai anime was standing before her.
Tentatively, Aerith tapped her feet on the ground, jumped once even, to test it. She swept her hand through the air, testing its feeling. No, it was real. She then pinched her cheeks, even giving herself a light slap, but again the scene did not change. Real. It...was all real, as real as the ground beneath her feet and the air she breathed right here. However, the experience was rather...surreal, strange even, pulled from the pages of a manga and plastered into her life.
Home, family, friends….all were going to be outright gone if this was her passage to a new place altogether, with no chance to return. It didn’t take her but moments to ponder the matter, to understand what she wanted to say. Even Annabelle would have agreed to this answer, she knew that much. And...somebody loved her, it would seem, so much to want her brought to them. It was flattering….sweet even. Made her heart race. Who was she? Her benefactor that is. That too was an important matter.
“I can’t say i am not worried about all of this, but….to know someone loves me enough to want me in their world literally, i….how can i refuse? Who is she? Or….who are they? Where can i find them in this new world?”
First rule of an anime situation like this. Ask questions, show some vulnerability to draw out the answers. Read the man’s attitude, his face (or what he had of one), and his body language for clues. If this was real she wanted to be sure of things.
When Talus stopped walking, he was right in front of Aerith. The man was far taller than most men, and it wouldn't be unfair to say he probably wasn't human.
”Well now! I'm glad you're so excited to meet her. I'm afraid I can't reveal too many details. But that just means when you finally meet, it'll be that much more special.” He lifted one of his fingers up to his chin and tapped it. ”But do you really feel like you're worthy of this love? What do you have that you could possibly offer a companion?”
Worthy? The lack of direct details in answers was met with another question, it seemed. But it was not a bad question. What was she, to deserve this strong a love towards her, such affections to bypass the nature of worlds? In short, what could she offer to a companion, to offer forth in a relationship even?
The teenager pondered on the matter for a bit….though eventually came to an answer as the metaphorical light bulb went off in her mind. A small, humble smile came to her face, as Aerith looked back up once more at Lord Talus before her.
“....I’ll never give up. That is what i can offer to her in return, at the very least. The determination to not leave her, the will and drive to do what i must to remain by her side. Even if my body is broken, even if my fate has so far been to hurt in life before now, i will not relent,” the teenager finally said, the warm feeling of that answer from deep in her heart arising to the surface, untainted by the memories or such things, “For her genuine love, to be her companion, i can only offer her my best. The best of myself, even all of myself.”
”Dawwww...” He clapped his hands together. ”That's exactly the type of answer I'd expect from a child. Regardless, that satisfies my curiosity.” He offered his hand to Aerith.”My we bathe in love in the new world.”
The man’s comments “about a child’s view of love” were almost a tad annoying, but it at least gave her some ideas about the situation. Potentially. It was a tad ominous, in the manner she couldn’t not notice, but at the same time the offer of love was….more than appealing. Someone to love, to hold, to be with and around. She had to be careful, but….she couldn’t pass up the chance either.
And with that, Aerith reached out, taking Lord Talus’ hand. Albeit slightly tentatively, but she still did it. It wasn’t like her cautious nervousness about the situation had all shrunk up and vanished into thin air, eh?
After taking Talus's hand, Everyone found their word shrouded in darkness. And when that darkness faded, everyone found themselves in the new world that he spoke of.
Hero’s district – A district that is heavily guarded, as the sales of weapons and armor transpire here. Because of the high concentration of troops in this area, there is hardly any crime.
Gods – A district where people go to worship. There are all manner of churches and temples in this area.
The Nobles District – Self explanatory, a district for the nobles and the wealthy. You can practically smell the gold.
The Cham – This is where the commoners live. Street merchants and entertainers make a living here, and there are a number of taverns.
Suttlings Basin – More housing, for the very poorest in Priestella. It's been overtaken by crime and has become a slum.
The Golden Quarter – District for the Merchants and Artisans. If you want to shop, you should go here.
The Quagmire – A small area with it's foundation softened by the water line. Nothing can be built here, and aquatic beasts sometimes show up in this area. Very dangerous.
The Docks – A port filled with all manner of vessels, from fishing ships to merchant barges.
(just the GM getting their oversized post out of the way, don't mind me)
Jingle jingle.
There were a fair number of people walking about today, enough to drown out the sound of Aer's accessories. She wore several pieces of chained jewelry, and they bounced with every step she took. Most of them weren't visible under Aer's red cloak, but they could be heard if one tried to listen. Tucking them into her numerous pockets would have silenced them, but the sound was comforting to the petite woman.
Aer pulled the hood of her cloak tight around her head. Her crimson hair was still plainly visible, as if not wishing to be contained by her hood. Though as long as Aer's ears were hidden, she didn't care. The covered object strapped to her back weaved side to side with every step she took. She definitely looked like a mysterious person, but such strange characters were not uncommon here. The hero's district had all matters of weapons laying about. As a result, the area was well guarded and eyes were on everyone. But Aer was not here to purchase wares. She was specifically here to get work from the Gulendam adventure's guild.
The point of an adventure's guild like Gulendam was to let adventurers work for reputable clients. Adventuring is not an easy profession, and they don't always find work while drinking in a tavern. This forces them to put in work doing menial tasks. Not only that, but an unfamiliar adventurer is a prime target for unsavory individuals Tell an adventurer you have a rat problem in your sewer, and they'll happily walk into your trap. But an adventurer's guild doesn't just make things better for adventurers, it makes things better for their clients too. By going to an adventurer's guild, their request is going to be seen by a much larger pool of adventurers. And if it's a particular type of request, it'll end up in the hands of an adventurer who has the tools to complete it. The only downside is that the clients need to register with the guild, which ensures they can settle disputes between the client and the adventurer. Such guilds were funded by monthly payments from all it's members, and small fees from every task a client submits.
The front of the guild was nothing more than a desk made out of wooden crates. There were job postings all over the front of the building, and a guild clerk stood at the counter ready to serve people.
“Hello Aer!” The guild clerk waved.
This was not the first time they met, and Aer had been regularly coming to the guild for work. "Well met, Hanna." If anyone was unsure of Aer's age, her voice would reveal she wasn't a child. The petite woman tipped her head as a greeting before approaching the desk. It was a bit too tall for her to comfortably rest her arms on, so she kept her arms at her sides. ”Are there any requests that might be a good fit for me?" Aer slipped a scroll out of her cloak and presented it to the guild clerk.
“Let's have a look!” All registered adventurers had a scroll that detailed their skills and accomplishments. The guild used a system so that an adventurer's credentials could be quickly assessed and a fitting job could be given to them. Things like a keyword to determine their general set of skill, and their “level,” which was a number that recognized how accomplished a particular adventurer was. The scroll was nothing short of a resume, but it was sometimes referred to as a skill scroll. “Alright, I have two jobs that might interest you.”
Aer smiled. "So long as I can pay for my lodging, I will accept any task."
“That's the spirit!” The guild clerk reached under her desk and pulled out two scrolls. They were bound together with twine and had a number written on the corner of each one. Probably for organization. “The first one should be pretty simple for you. An aristocrat locked themselves out of their study, and they believe their keys were left inside. So you just have to open the lock.”
"I'm surprised they didn't get a lock smith to take care of it."
“Mister Bogart is ... a little strange. But he's made requests from us before. I personally believe he has an obsession with adventurers. Some of our clients are like that.”
"Hmm..." Aer tapped her chin with her gloved finger. "And the second request?"
“The second request will take you a bit more time, but it also comes from the noble district so the pay is good.” The guild clerk slid the twine off of the scroll and opened it on her desk. “It's a missing person request. Mistress Vertti has gone missing. You are to meet the client, Grisaia, at the household. He is one of the servants.”
Aer placed her arm on top of the counter. "This sounds fairly grave. Do we have someone else that can take care of the lock?"
The guild clerk turned away with a groan. “It's not as serious as it sounds. This sort of thing happens all the time with Mistress Vertti. She just disappears for days at a time without telling her servants, who then get worried and call on us.” She looked back at Aer. “Bogart's request is definitely more pressing at this point. There's a very real possibility Mistress Vertti will come back, and then the servants will cancel the request. That's not to say you'll walk away empty handed, but it is possible you won't be properly compensated for your time.”
"I suppose if she's not really missing, it's not that pressing..." Of course, Aer knew what the guild clerk was suggesting. Aer could waste a lot of time looking for someone who wasn't really missing if she wasn't careful. But if she just went through the motions, talked to the servant like it was something she was going to undertake, she could more or less get paid just for feigning interest in finding the lady of this house. She wasn't going to do that of course, but Aer suspected that was why she was downplaying the second request. "In that case, I will see to mister Bogart's lock immediately."
“Do check back later. I'm sure I'll have more work by then.”
Aer gave Hanna a polite nod before heading off.
After a fairly long walk, Aer had arrived at Bogart's home. But now that she was here, she was unsure if this was really his house. The entire thing looked more like a mage's tower than a comfy house. There was a possibility this wasn't his home, but Aer wasn't going to spend a lot of time thinking about it. She respected people's privacy, and wished everyone else would do the same.
“You've come!” Aer didn't even have time to knock on the door before a man leaned out of the window. He was tall, perfectly balled, and had a long white mustache. “You must be the adventurer who's come to save me from this most troubling crisis! Why, you even sound like a pair of jingling keys!” The man was as animated as a rambunctious child, practically bouncing where he stood.
A little strange was an understatement Aer thought to herself. ”That is correct. I am here to help!” She forced an awkward smile.
“Well step inside!” the man gestured while backing away from the window. “I haven't locked anything, and I won't lock anything until I've found my keys!”
This was not the strangest person Aer had to deal with, but he was still strange enough that she was put on guard. When she entered through the front door, the elf quickly looked to either side of the entryway. Aer had to make sure no one else was waiting for her. The first floor was just an open room, but Aer scanned everything as she made her way through. Before she could reach the stairwell, mister Bogart came charging down the stairs and stopped in front of Aer. “Hello little girl! I'm Dax Bogart, pleased to meet you!” He extended his hand.
Aer looked between Dax and his hand before extending her own. ”Aer Pacifica.” She was not going to correct him about her age, as that hardly mattered. It was probably better if he thought she was a young lady anyway.
“Aer Pacifica? Sounds exotic! You must have come from a pretty far away land huh? Would you like something to drink? I have lots of different teas we can try!”
”O-oh, um...” Aer was starting to believe her fears were misplaced. The guild clerk did tell her this was a regular client. ”Actually I have a lot to do today. Once I'm done here I need to help find a missing person.”
“A busy body! I like that!” Dax took her had and walked up the stars. He was quick, but it wasn't hard for Aer to match his pace. “The lock is this way. It's entirely custom, and I paid extra to have it made by the finest locksmith in the kingdom.” He looked over his shoulder at Aer. “I'm sure only a brave adventurer could possibly get it open. I would prefer if we could save the lock, if you think it's possible.”
”The contract said as much. I will not open the door if it breaks the lock.” Before long, Aer was brought before a tall iron door. It looked durable and intimidating. But what Aer was most interested in was the key hole. It was in a black box just beside the door, and was smaller than your conventional key hole. Aer stepped closer to the lock and placed her eye next to the hole. ”You are correct, this is definitely a well made lock.” Aer reached for her waste band and pulled a flask off of it. ”I believe I can open it though, but I'm going to need to focus. It's very important that you stay as quiet as you can.”
“Alright! I think I can do that.”
Standard locks of this vintage mostly work the same. A key with a particularly shaped tab is inserted into the lock, and then it is twisted. If the key is the right shape, it will pass all of the plates, or “wards,” and either engage or disengage the door. As long as someone knows what the basic shape of the key is, it is possible to easily forge a “skeleton key” that can be used to open said door. Since Aer had no idea what the original key looked like, making a skeleton key would be impossible. She did know of another trick that would get the door open though.
Aer used her thumb to pop the cork off the top of the flask and proceeded to pour its contents out. The water seemed to defy gravity and flowed directly into the lock. With the small chamber filled with water, Aer had a much easier time visualizing the inside of the lock, as she could feel her mana coursing through the water. The elf closed her eyes, and some of the water inside the lock started to freeze. She had to be careful. While she was working with a very small amount of water, it took a lot of focus to freeze the water in just the shape she wanted. In her youth, she'd have created an ice cube around the wards, and she wouldn't have been able to continue without thawing it out first. But once the key-shaped ice cube was formed, she had it spin and engage the locking mechanism. Locks like this seldom required much pressure, so the ice cube didn't shatter. Even if it did, pushing the broken chunks against the locking mechanism usually worked.
Of course from where Dax was standing, it just looked like Aer had poured some water into his lock, meditated, and then the door opened with a click.
“You did it?” He stepped past Aer to push the door open. “You did it!”
If Aer wasn't so anxious, she might have laughed at the man's excitement. ”The door lock has a lump of ice in it, but it should melt relatively quickly.”
“Hah! My keys were in here!” After picking up his keys, he rushed out of the room and spread his arms. “Thank you so much! I could just kiss you!”
Aer's face turned pale. ”M-maybe you could pay me instead?”
“Oh, that too!” He quickly reached into his pocket and pulled out a fine looking purse. He pulled out Aer's hand and started shaking out coins into it. “I'm not sure how much it was, but it was at least this much right?”
”Y-yes, that's more than enough!” Aer retracted her hand and dumped the coins into her pocket. A few of them spilled out onto the floor, but she still managed to pocket more than what the job called for. Being over paid for a job was typically something Aer didn't permit, but she just wanted to be on her way. ”Thank you for using the adventure's guild. I must be off, as there's a missing person that needs to be found.” Aer was usually far more polite with her clients, but she felt that if she didn't take the opportunity to disengage, she 'd be talking with Dax well into the evening.
“By the way Aer, I need to ask you something. Real quick before you leave.” Dax calmed down noticably before pitching his question. “Do you believe we have a limited number of chances to get our life right?”
The question was strange enough that it stopped Aer dead in her tracks. ”Excuse me?”
“What's the most dangerous quest you've ever undertaken?”
That was a hard one to answer. Aer was still in a rush to leave, so she recalled something at the front of her memory. ”There were some monsters in an abandoned castle. The castle was very old, the monsters were very strong, and we were entirely outnumbered.” the elf sighed. ”We didn't all make it out of there alive.”
“But you did.” Dax smiled. “And I'm sure you had to make a lot of decisions in order to get out of there alive. Take this path, attack this creature here, regroup on the steps-”
”I suppose I did make a lot of choices, but I made each of them once.”
“Well, that's what you remember.” Dax stroked his chin. “Maybe that wasn't the first time you had been in that position. Maybe you had many attempts to get it right, but you simply don't remember them.” He gestured with his hands. “Like every time you died, you were given another chance to get it right.”
Aer fret her brow. ”If I can't remember my old choices, I'm not sure they would really matter in the long run.” She threw her hand off to the side. ”What's the point of having multiple chances if I cant remember your actions? Why Wouldn't I just make the same choices again?”
“Oh, I didn't think of that.” Dax looked away from Aer. “Oh! I got it!” He shook his finger at her. “Maybe you don't remember, but someone else might have been able to! Maybe they were even guiding you so that you would survive!”
”Then I would ask why they didn't try to save everyone.”
“Hmm...” Dax rubbed his chin more. “It can be hard to figure people out. Maybe they felt they did the best they could, or maybe it was simply impossible to save everyone.” he looked back at Aer. “Did you feel like someone was looking out for you in that mess? Other than divine entities of course.”
Aer sighed and closed her eyes. ”Yea, one of the guys there. He was definitely looking out for everyone.” She shook her head. ”I can't even remember his name, I haven't seen him again since.” She looked up at Dax. ”But leaders are suppose to look out for everyone. That's hardly a reason to suspect a phenomenon like multiple chances at life. Why believe in something so strange?”
The old man chuckled and shook his head. “Aer Aer Aer, there are two types of people in this life: Those that ask why, and those that ask why not.” He started to walk into his study. “People who only ever ask 'why' are missing the boat completely. It is only when we ask ourselves 'why not' that we are welcomed to a world of possibilities. 'why not' is the language of researchers, discoveries, and most importantly, adventurers.” He let out a heart felt laugh. “You should embrace that side of yourself Aer, it's what makes you do incredible things.”
”Perhaps.” Aer was done here, and couldn't wait to leave the tower. She just hoped this Grisaia servant was more hospitable than her former client.
Aer Pacifica is an adventurer who primarily performs requests for the Gulendam adventurer's guild.
She took two requests: one to help locate Mistress Vertti, and another to open a door in a noble's home.
Aer was able to successfully unlock the door, and is now en route to the Vertti household.
She took two requests: one to help locate Mistress Vertti, and another to open a door in a noble's home.
Aer was able to successfully unlock the door, and is now en route to the Vertti household.
Everyone found themselves arriving in the “new world” at the same time. But they did not all arrive in the same location.
Father Jameson Walker , Alistair Archibald, and Flame Brooks appeared on seats in an old building. It was very old, as evident by the cobwebs in the corners and dust settling on top of the tables. One could guess that this was a meeting room at one time, but little else was known. There wasn't anyone else inside, but outside they could hear quite the commotion. Someone recruiting knights, someone selling wares, yes, things were happening outside. And for some reason, Alistair was hit with some deja vu, and a chill went up his spine.
Nobuhiro Nishioka, Chieko Okawa, and Aerith Hastings appeared in the back ally of some slum in a medieval town. There were very few people walking around, with most everyone remaining indoors, looking out at them. Everything was eerily quiet, with the hustle and bustle of the other districts far away in the distance.
Aaron Yang, Hilda Gunnarsson, Yuuki Kimura, and Ashton Andrews found themselves transported to a merchants district. Their sudden appearance in the center of the road caught a lot of people off guard, and most found themselves stumbling away from the group. Merchants eyed the newly arrived with caution, clutching onto their wares. Some were closing up shop, and a few pedestrians were running away from them.
One thing was for certain. Wherever they were, it wasn't home.
