"Hi again, Sharon. Any news?"
She's so far away, but still so close to heart. Every time her sister sends similar greetings. Jasmine has little interest in the environment; the main task is rather important to her now - the one in which Sharon was sent to the past and started her journey in an unfortunate way. If, surely, crashing near Mana Ridge and throwing ten years off her age was unfortunate. Now she was in the Calderock Pass, listening to an Academic station. How did Jasmine even manage to place these devices everywhere?
"The guild master said that I need to train myself a little before following Elena».
"Well, go ahead then. Have you seen the specialization program?"
"Choosing between Engineer and Alchemist? I picked the first."
"Ah, I always knew you'd make the right choice", Jasmine smiled, and Sharon felt awkward for a second. "Don't forget about the skill programs, contact me on them if you need. You must be level... 16 on the scale. What way shall you go, artillery or turrets?"
"Erm... can't say like that. I'd like to learn both, I guess, there's always a choice."
"It's okay. Oh, by the way, I only just remembered something! It was in your skill program earlier, but I gave you some space and... Sharon, to get you faster to your mission I'm sending someone to help you. Right now. In your time, he's supposed to be at – let me see – Ashen Ruins. It is your concern to find him as soon as possible. But be careful, I beg you, it's unsafe outside."
Waving a sad goodbye, Sharon sighed. Who was she supposed to find, unaware of their name and even the slightest description?
The place named Ashen Ruins was quiet enough, but not deserted. There were two mercenaries: a Swordsman and a point-eared gracile Sharpshooter passed the Academic by. A white-haired woman dressed in red was resting near a broken cart, recollecting herself. As the girl jumped from one destroyed building to another, she winced at the heavy cannon hitting her in the back.
"I have absolutely no idea who I have to find. What's this all about, I'm strong enough to handle things alone", she mumbled. "And I don't need any assistance!"
However, as she got closer to Autumn Shore, Sharon noticed a group of boys swarming around a tall man. Kids were arguing about something loudly, and the man was observing a long thin sword in his hands, looking down at the children from time to time. As the Engineer approached the commotion, boys rushed towards her, dragging their own wooden swords along; the most daring of then even tried to pull the cannon off her back, but she hurried to grab it and swung it so fiercely in the air that the children ran off, startled. The stranger with a sword came closer and waved his hand; kids surrounded him again, waiting for something magical, but he just thrust the sword into the ground and pointed at it. They pounced at it, trying to get the weapon out, and their older friend approached Sharon who still held the cannon readied.
"You must be an Engineer?" he asked. The girl looked up at him; his voice was muffled by a mask with five vertical strips. He wore glasses with lenses of strange muddy yellow color - how did he even manage to see anything through them?
"Yes, I am. I was told to look for an assistant; can I assume this to be you?"
"An assistant?" This came out both amazed and wounded. The stranger straightened up and crossed his hands. "Oddly enough, I was looking for a colleague. May there be a mistake in the messages?"
"I seriously doubt it", Sharon muttered. She couldn't even think of this when Jasmine mentioned imminent help. Some weird guy with half his face hidden and even more, is willing to be a colleague! Let the Clerics and Warriors be - they needed damage or support in the battle - but this?
"No? Then you must be the one I am looking for. What is your name?"
"Sharon." She hesitated a bit before giving a small hand that looked about two times bigger in a powerglove. The stranger shook it carefully, covering the whole glove with his palm and making the girl shrink.
"Alfredo."
The battlefield situation changed a bit. Now, as Sharon's new acquaintance followed her everywhere, just a few punches of his steel fists sent enemies flying. The Engineer's ego suffered from this: she used to get all the glory before and did not consider herself weak for such tasks. The only thing that soothed her was the summoning mechanism. As most of her future skills, Alfredo was made of steel, and the girl could summon him with a little bit of mana combined with science. The time of his battlefield performance depended fully on Sharon's will; sometimes she even called him off to finish the big boss on her own.
Anyway, Alfredo never appeared offended by this attitude. A pair of glasses and a mask or a scarf hid his face almost all the time, leaving the emotions underneath. He never spoke much, not asking but mostly answering questions. It irritated Sharon, especially when he needed to buy stuff in Calderock: the merchants never told him the right price, and May buried him under a pile of unnecessary gossip talking. Although quite independent, he remained a creature of technology, and being good at science didn't help Alfredo at communicative side.
On the opposite, Jasmine was proud of her sister's metal associate. She pointed out that social mastery was not required in his business, as talking to people is Sharon's task. Once again, Jasmine said a lot about her task in the past and how she needs to hurry it up. However, as the girl started talking about local environment, people fighting on her side and other social aspects, the elder sister listened with a faint interest. The Engineer understood that Jasmine is worried about the mission and not her new friends, but it bothered the girl deep inside. Her sister was the only one she could talk freely to, as the others would likely not understand her, but when it came to private problems... She just couldn't find a soulmate.
She looked after Alfredo. She watched him working on his battle suit which he used instead of the usual 'scientist' uniform; copying skill programs from the Academic station; attempting to get away from talking to people. Oddly enough, the only one in this timeline who could understand her easier was this giant mechanism. Sharon had surely made some friends - aside from the future Six Heroes, she met Clerics, Warriors, Archers... But no one connected her with the fifty years forward home like Alfredo did.
He never rushed forward.
This particular feature of her golem-like comrade was something she disliked the most. Aside from that, some of his skills did not require casting from the communicator, and he could spend a crucial skill on someone completely insignificant. Also he could stay in different places for quite some time, perhaps thinking about something way too urgent to continue fighting. In such situations Sharon clenched her teeth and used the 'recall' spell which fixed everything; if her colleague was disturbed by this, he never spoke up. But all his flaws faded for Sharon as she provoked all the enemies on the way forward because her associate always followed, losing time to protect her. Surely, there were the Mechaducks, representing sheer horror, but they sadly couldn't help.
They were pacing through a ruined monastery where only just enormous silence was enough to kill. This time, a young Priest named Clovis followed them; he was only about twenty years old but could already master skills of thirty-second level, when Sharon could only afford twenty-sixth. Clovis did not resemble Clerics of Mana Ridge: not only because both of his eyes being open but also because of his disclosed nature. No wonder he became friends with Sharon quite soon and helped her out on the missions from time to time – or she followed him, like this time.
"We're getting close", Clovis announced to his companions. Engineer nodded and grabbed her cannon tighter; Alfredo muttered something under his breath. Even on the battlefield his face remained covered with a mask; Sharon did not ask him about it and considered this feature to be somewhat permanent.
"Eh? What did you say, Alfred?"
"Nothing. And I'm Alfredo, it's about time to remember." His name was a difficulty for Priest from time to time, as there was a merchant named Alfred in the town. However, Alfredo just fixed this mistake each time it occurred, and nothing else.
"Ah yes, once again, I apologize. Hey, there it is! The main hall."
Clovis pointed at the opened entrance with his wand. Engineer sighed and stepped forward - ain't she the one so willing to fight? But this time her mechanical colleague advanced, ending up the first in the hall. She wanted to make a poisonous note about it, but at the same moment the stone floor began trembling, and an enormous light mass broke up from the ground right in the center of the hall. Alfredo was trapped and could only feel the substance dragging him in... frankly saying, with no will to escape at all.
"Back, back, get back!" Clovis yelped, grabbing Sharon's hand and pulling her back from the doors; she managed to throw his grip off but did not rush inside again. She pressed all buttons on the communicator in order to save her companion from hell knows what; the recalling skill did not work, and the Engineer used the last option - disassembling to resummon him at a safe zone.
The device on her hand wimped and fell apart. Sharon barely had the time to collect all the tin parts, and the worst thing followed.
"Goddess bless us, what is even happening", Priest whispered, watching the hall. Alfredo's mechanical body was dissolving very fast, as if an unknown power separated him part after part, leaving these details circling around one element - a tank containing bright blue liquid which used to be an energy source just few minutes ago. With the last outlines of a body disappeared, the weird light vanished, withdrawing the base of all flying objects. Metal details fell down, clanging; dropping the destroyed communicator, Sharon hurried to catch the tank. She caught it just before its fall, or it would've broken to pieces. Clovis lurked in, looking around cautiously.
"Sharon, we had to find some alchemic books. Seeing them anywhere?"
"Nice question, pal", the girl thought dryly. The luminous liquid glowed dimly, and the Engineer stared foolishly at a metal pile on the floor. She wondered sadly how she's going to return to Saint Haven and report to Jasmine about how she'd lost her gift. What will she answer? Nobody knew, but Sharon was frightened. Just in case.
They went through the city in silence. Priest carried a pile of ancient books for his mentor, and the only thing Academic held was the energy source, as the rest of details and screws lay still in her bag. Saint Haven watched them cautiously - as always.
"This has no sense at all, I think."
"Mmh?" Clovis glanced at her.
"Well, books found, this... idiot... lost", Sharon nodded at the blue tank. "And his bowtie as well."
"Excuse me, but is it that important?"
"Not very much, but he'll be upset as he finds out I've lost it. Bowties are one of his favorite things."
She throws her wrench down on the floor; it bounces from wooden planks and flies past a chair. Sharon wipes her forehead and sits down, dropping her hands helplessly. It amounted to nothing, still.
Second time, failed again. Detail after detail, with no mistake, she assembles her mechanical colleague, and second time in a row pressing the summon button ruins the construction. The communicating device ruins too, and it frustrates Sharon incredibly. But she will surely try again, relying on her engineering talent and instructions sent by Jasmine. And she will fail the third time, and she will throw everything again, furious and almost crying.
She'll be sure there's no chance left.
Next day she had to perform King Cassius' request about his replacement, and two members of Adventure Guild joined her - thanks Goddess Jasmine didn't know her sister joined a guild! A Swordsman of Sharon's level, Grain, and Priest Clovis made up a nice team overall. Alfredo's absence didn't bite, as the Engineer has already learned the Towers and Mechaduck skills; Grain rushed forward, provoking enemies, and Clovis' task was to keep the team healthy although he killed monsters as well. Quite soon the raggedy boy was found, the book Cassius wanted to give was given, and the three headed back to Saint Haven.
"You know, I might have an idea. About your comrade, Sharon", the Cleric said out of nothing.
"Huh?"
"There is an unusual person in our monastery. He'll be sure to help you somehow. Why didn't I think of him before?" He shook a clenched fist, and Grain chuckled. "And what are you laughing at?"
"Uh, I... ye, nothin'. Just rememb'd how that Orc flipped ya on a tree. Well heh, it was funny, wasn't it?"
Clovis turned away, frowning. Engineer sighed quietly; wasn't that him who couldn't remember Alfredo's name correct? What a memorable Priest you turn out to be.
The Swordsman escaped shortly after their return - probably to show off his trophies to merchant Kelly. Walking past crowds and guards, Clovis led Sharon to the castle, and then to monastery. They couldn't find the guy Priest spoke about, but a while later a group of Clerics entered the hall, sounding quite excited. Sharon caught a bit of their conversation.
"You saw how the Minotaur pinned him to the ground with its axe. And nothing happened to him!"
"I didn't see..."
"At least you know now. As he provoked that beast, it hit him more than seven times, but he stood still. Not a flinch!"
"Woah, that's tough."
"They're discussing that guy we need", Clovis said with a smile. Three Clerics passed them by, saying short greetings and blessings; another person followed them, quite beat-up and looking different from other Clerics - perhaps because of his longer hair. The Priest hurried to stop him, pulling the Engineer's hand.
"Wait a bit, will you? Someone needs your attention. Meet Coralin, one of the most famous Paladins in Haven. And this is Sharon, she's from the future and she builds weird awesome stuff." Engineer poked her friend for giving away so much information, but the Paladin must've missed that. He took a bow politely, shaking Sharon's hand, and she felt an unintended wave of appreciation. If they said he was able to endure Mino's heavy attacks and, most of all, was polite and discreet, there was no better colleague. Meanwhile Clovis started fussing.
"Ah, alright, Sharon... Explain your problem now, I've got to find someone. Tell Grain to leave the merchant ladies and find the guild master!" Then he literally flew; the girl shook her head and shouted something like "can't you go yourself?". Coralin waited patiently for the scene to end and only then spoke up.
"So, you have got a problem."
"Yes... I think you have to see that yourself. Come follow me to my flat."
"Sharon's living place in Saint Haven was a small two-storey house somewhere on the edge of city. It wasn't particularly cheap to rent it, but the Engineer could afford it easily. Small talks occurred on their way.
"Clovis mentioned that you build weird things. Are you a scientist?"
"No... eh, one could say yes. I only build mechanisms my sister teaches me."
"Your sister must be quite an intelligent lady."
"Well... y-yes." This was the first time someone spoke about Jasmine in such tone ever since she's found a cure for blood poisoning. Sharon blushed a little because of pride for her elder sister. "She says I'll be a good Engineer one day. Coralin, how did you find yourself to be a Paladin?"
"Me?.." He fell silent for a while, and Sharon glanced at him cautiously, seeing his face darken. But then he looked up and smiled softly. "You know, my parents died quite a long time ago. They were both poisoned by some unknown spell while our village was under attack. Thus I promised myself to train and become the one no spell will ever break. And here I am."
"Invincible?" she asked with a grain of disbelief, and Paladin laughed.
"Not quite, actually. That Minotaur would've ended me if the Sorceresses hadn't finished him. But I'm training continuously to withstand such attacks too, or I'll doubtfully become a good Paladin."
"That's really... brave of you."
"Is your problem connected to this somehow?"
"My problem?" Sharon stumbled upon a rock, and Coralin hurried to help. "Oh, frankly saying, I don't know. The one in need had suffered from a weird, eh... phenomenon."
"Ah, I see. Clovis must've remembered my experience in enduring spells and thought I'd help this way. By remembering."
"Yes, perhaps... here we are, by the way." The house stood aside from other buildings; the housekeeper was working somewhere back at the garden. Sharon's room was upstairs, and long gone were the times of tidiness in it; she didn't have time for cleaning, and Jasmine kept reminding about importance of her mission. A giant table ate up most place in the room; lots of details were placed according to their purpose on the wooden surface, and in its center half of a cyborg lay with its head, torso and right hand composed. Sharon lifted a canvas veil from it as Coralin made his way into the room.
"Well, here's the problem. This one", Engineer sighed and waved her hand over the table.
"So, this must be the one under a spell?" - Cleric touched the completed metal hand carefully. "And you've assembled all this back together? That's quite complicated, I should say."
"No, not at all... it's just a bit tedious. We were in a monastery, and there was... a force unknown to us. It dissected him to pieces just in half a minute, that's the only thing left." She pointed at the liquid tank; blue light hit Cleric's eyes. "This is called an energy source. Each time I assemble him, the body just falls apart. It seems that I'm wrong but I have no idea where."
"Falls apart, you say..." Coralin fell silent, turning memories over in his head. "I can only remember tearing off a part of body, but falling apart completely... I don't think I can help in this case. Especially a mechanical person."
Sharon sighed loudly, giving out her disappointment.
"I didn't have any hope, to be honest."
"You didn't?" Paladin's face changed. "Then why did you ask for my help?"
"Um... I thought you would do something, but the fact is you're not good in engineering, and waiting for something helpful was madness, really."
"Does that mean you hope for nothing? Losing heart?" Before the Engineer could respond, he continued. "You see, Sharon, hope is a good part of success. By losing it you lose the motivation. Why do you want your assistant back to life?"
"He's not... an assistant", she stuttered, remembering how Alfredo used to fix this 'mistake' before she began calling him a colleague. Now she couldn't even think about an assistant nickname. Cleric nodded, content.
"Eh, I see. Just remember, the main thing is not to lose heart. Hope helps people out in most extraordinary situations."
Sharon stood still in front of her table. Four days passed, and Jasmine has already told her by all means that without Alfredo she'd do just fine. Jasmine even gave her an additional skill course explaining how to build an ice shooting tower – to make her feel stronger this way.
"Sharon, listen to me. You have Mechaducks, you have bombs and shooting towers. You are strong enough to hold out on your own, and the time is running out", that's what she told her sister, and the younger one agreed at some point. Though she kept in mind Coralin's words about hope and its extraordinary power; that's why she stood at the table, contemplating. Then Sharon finally fixed the summoning device on her left hand and activated it; not a single screw left lying, whole Alfredo disappeared. The device did not fall apart - some kind of success that was. Double-checking her cannon and skills, the girl put a bag on her back and headed south to Hermalte Port. Passing by reward boards in the Saint Haven, Sharon spotted Clovis in a crowd; he was looking for someone, and Engineer increased her pace to stay unnoticed. However, on the board she saw some reward notes for the Priest that he always forgot to pick up; but she did not stop, reminding herself that things are getting too tough to waste time for this.
"Hope helps people out in most extraordinary situations."
Scared to death, she sat behind a stockade, reloading the cannon with shaking hands. Well, Coralin, if that was true, than it wasn't her case. Without her guild comrades she became extremely weak, even getting to drink health potions, repulsive red liquid. The gun-wielding pirates were fast, agile and not stupid at all; Sharon already wondered if she's going to get to the spitting flowers and slash them to receive the healing liquid.
Fate presented her with a small fortune, though. As captain Darlant escaped to his ship, releasing his henchmen, the girl noticed another person on the battlefield - a tall woman in dark slim clothes holding a book; but watching her, she missed a direct hit and fell unconscious.
"Are you alright, my child?"
The Engineer woke up after the woman shook her shoulder gently. Although she was disoriented, she picked up her cannon quickly and pointed it at her savior. The latter only smiled at that.
"Oh, that's how you thank for help? What is this thing?"
"A cannon", Sharon answered through her teeth, holding the weapon tight. The Sorceress politely moved the barrel away and gave her a hand, straightening up. The girl observed this hand cautiously, but grabbed it.
"Trust me, kid, I'm not going to harm you. I could actually assist you a bit."
"Assist how? And I'm not a kid."
"Right. You are an intelligent grown-up lady. I could help you in fighting Darlant. You must be here for that as well, not only the spitting flowers."
"How... do you know?"
"I followed you, sweetheart. I've never seen so many dead flowers around. However, Darlant is different at all costs. To help such a cute little gal in surviving is a pleasure."
Sharon glanced at her unused left glove with a sigh. This time someone different is going to help her out.
Boom! Boooom!
The cannon thunderous rumble echoed everywhere, mostly in her ears. Engineer couldn't separate the sound of her own cannons from the pirates' ones. As an unfortunate circumstance, the captain noticed her and not her companion, although the woman was attacked by pirates as well. Sharon heard their battle cries and Sorceress' resents but remained deaf to them, as Darlant followed her at once.
Mechaducks exploded, tower shells exploded, chemical bombs exploded... why didn't the ship explode because of them? No time to stop, think and drink a mana potion - staying in one piece was more crucial. The giant rhinoceros cornered the little girl, making her trip over a wooden plank and fall down among the chests. How much money ever was inside?..
The Sorceress yelled something, but Sharon couldn't figure out what. Soon, very soon Darlant's hook will hit her in the head, and goodbye, tiny Engineer... and Jasmine. She wondered how the elder sister would react to such misfortune. And how will she find out if no one reaches out for her?..
Except maybe for one creature.
At least Sharon could try to make it so.
Another direct hit knocked the weapon out of Sharon's hands, turning her into absolute despair. There was only one way. She curled up behind a chest and pressed the summon button on the left glove, hoping with her whole creature that it'll be alright. She didn't want to die, to lose, to fail her new friend... and to give up fighting for her mechanical colleague. A hundred of thoughts swarmed her mind before she heard a loud screeching sound, as if a huge hammer had hit a metal sheet. She got under a rain of sizzling sparks, and for a second silence fell.
And then, it exploded into a clanging metal whirlwind. Sharon opened her eyes, still in defensive stance. It was Alfredo, and he casted a hurricane skill; she couldn't believe her eyes as she spotted him. Darlant stepped back a bit; he obviously didn't expect someone new on the battlefield. The girl got up and rushed to the opposite side of the ship, casting a couple of bombs.
"Sharon. Sharon!"
What happened?
Deep inside a strange, dragging feeling started to fill her consciousness. It felt a lot like web, but not as spiders spat it: this feeling embraced her slowly, like a cocoon. Nothing remained around her except dark shadows and fading silhouettes.
"Sharon, I asked you to be careful. Now look what's happened to you..."
"Sharon, why didn't you call for us? You're a guild member, and you can both give and receive help..."
"Thank you, Sharon."
Whose voice was that? She shook her head, feeling dizzy, as if water filled her ears and the whole space around. Colors darkened, and the inky shadows ate away the human silhouettes, the last spots of light in Academic's mind. She didn't understand what was going on but imagined herself slowly floating away from the real world, disappearing in Goddess' inkpot.
Completely blind.
Long time passed before the fighters noticed that the youngest of them is absent. Only when Darlant turned away from Alfredo and sent a thunderous blow that way, the Sorceress yelped, seeing a small body flying out of the ship. She barely managed to put a timestopping spell on the girl and get her back. The blow became fatal for the rhino: before he turned back, his opponent - finally! - used a buff skill and downed him with a couple of hits. The Sorceress finished him while he was still incapacitated. Making sure Darlant is dead, both rushed to the Engineer who lay unconscious near the broken wooden stairs.
"Sharon." Alfredo said her name, and then shook her shoulder. "Sharon!"
"Hold on, hold on", the woman whispered, pushing him away from the girl, "she must be seriously wounded. We need to get her to Saint Haven or Lotus Marsh... no, not the Marsh, it's insanitary. Maybe you'd get a Cleric here?"
Her wish must've come true momentarily - or how else would a group of adventures end up here? One of them, resembling a cleric, ran forward, waving his hands.
"O hey, Alfred! We missed you so much", he exclaimed, making the returner squint.
"How wonderful. Alfredo, for Goddess' sake!"
"Yep, my fault again. Well, you haven't been around so long and I forgot your name already. Again", the Cleric responded in naive tone.
"Okay, Clovis, I don't care what name you call me by, just please don't forget how to help and heal."
"So how's she doing?"
"I have no idea."
"But you're her roommate!"
"Also not a doctor."
"And you don't care about her? Even a tiny bit?"
"Consider so if you want."
Sharon sat on her bed and listened to people talking behind the doors. Two days passed after their pirate ship crusade; from the small talks she found out that a group of her guild members came there, that Clovis was among them and that he saved her life. The weakness and the edge of death disappeared already but she was still afraid to go outside - partly because people wouldn't let her anywhere alone.
"Sharon, master Archer Ithilien is here. Are you able to talk?"
Or not completely alone. Something positive happened anyway.
"Sharon?"
Has hope really helped her? Or were her hands growing out of the right place this time, allowing her to build up the construction the right way?
"Maybe you need to rest a bit more?"
"No, my friend. No time to be squishy." Alfredo blinked at this line.
"Have I got this right? Not an 'assistant'?"
"Not an assistant. Well, if you don't want to be called a 'friend', then..."
He waved his hand lazily, although Sharon noticed an unusual, extrinsic expression on his face and hid a laugh.
Who am I being watched by?
She lost all understanding of the situation. People said they've seen her around but she never went there. She even felt someone's eyes upon herself. Also the local merchant girl gave her a strange object... a memory chip? Anyway, its content alarmed the Engineer a lot.
Now she stood in front of her copy which looked... sort of more experienced. The copy has been telling things Sharon would've never imagined; that Jasmine, her kind and clever Jasmine lied to her all time long and that she's not her sister at all, that the Academic herself is the twenty-sixth to be sent to the mission... had everyone else failed?
"You only need to find a couple of logs. Can you handle that?"
Sharon could. Sharon was dying, so she ran out of options.
"Are you all right?"
Engineer sat at the table in her hut and glared at the plate in front of her. Though local race didn't like people that much, Sharon got lucky with her housekeeper. The food she made could hardly be compared with Haven but consuming it was certainly a better option than teaching Alfredo how to cook. Now her appetite was gone; she flinched after the question and looked up from her soup.
"Yeah... all good. Just a bit stuck at the mission. I'll handle that", the Academic smiled awkwardly. Her companion shook his head.
"Perhaps I should change something in my coordination protocols? That would help."
"No, not at all... You're not being a problem, it's just... I need to concentrate. Don't worry."
"I only worry about the operation success", the cyborg responded flatly, making Sharon shiver. Moving the plate away, she stood up and escaped the hut, leaving Alfredo highly confused. She made a straightforward decision about the next day.
Was this really happening to her?
From the very morning Sharon did everything only comprehensible to her. Yesterday evening she decided to move out alone, although she took Alfredo's summoning device and never used it. Finding the logs wasn't hard. She did everything as her sister, the real one, said: activated the chips with the Academic station and agreed to teleport.
So what followed? Her twin who she trusted so much attacked her and her weapon was just as good as Sharon's! She got betrayed, betrayed once again, and this sick feeling of inability to trust anyone made her heart fall down and shiver in anger. This particular feeling kept her from calling her acquaintance for help.
"Why don't you summon him?" the other Academic smirked while Sharon reloaded her weapon. "That would end me up a lot easier."
"That's unfair", she whispered through her teeth. Partially that was the real reason.
"Much faster though. Would you please summon him for me? Just a couple of words to say."
If Seventh wanted to provoke Sharon, she did it right. How was the little Engineer even able to have such a distinguishing will to live - or to survive?
There was one single thing she miscalculated. While she talked to her twin sister, her cohabitant had been searching around Calderock Pass, finding out if someone has seen a thirteen years old girl wearing glasses. He sent Clovis to Mana Ridge, Grain - to Prairie Town, and Coralin went to Saint Haven on his own. Nothing helped. She wasn't seen at any location, no one would've thought to notice her - so tiny and invisible she was.
"Mister Alfredo, what are you doing here again?"
A high sonorous voice averted him from his thoughts, and he turned to face its owner. A little boy wearing a pilot hat... his name must've been Kevin?
"Why did you say 'again'?"
"You were here a month ago, asking if Nautilus is getting repaired. It's done!"
"I know, Kevin... but I was not here a month ago."
"How's that?" the boy made an upset grimace and looked at him with reproach. "I remember it clearly, or I ain't gonna be a famous pilot! There was a girl with you who wore glasses and talked to Uncle Hubert about some important stuff."
"Yes, but... it only happened a week ago." Alfredo fell silent at once. Could that be correct? Maybe a time paradox happened? "Kevin, have you seen that girl around here?"
"Maybe I have", he answered cagily, looking to the side. As the older man moved in closer, Kevin waved his hands. "Okay, alright! She said she'll go to the Prairie Town and that I'll have to keep it in secret. And I didn't! How am I gonna be a great pilot if I don't keep secrets, Uncle Alf?"
"Kevin", 'uncle' kneeled before him, "if you tell the truth, not only you will become a wonderful pilot, but also get a personal thank you. Not from her, then from me."
"Oh, really?" he jumped. "I think I remember her talking about a station. I asked - the birdhousy one? She agreed. Something like... Academic station. You know that for sure, don't you? You're so clever!"
"Clever? Me?"
"Yup! You've been telling us about dragon jades and ancient mechanisms. It was awesome!"
"I never did that", Alfredo grumbled to himself as he went back into town, to the yellow 'birdhouse'. He felt like he's missing an important part of the life around him, or perhaps the life itself is not alright. Anyway, talking to himself wouldn't help him a lot, unlike the Academic station; Alf found one and logged in using Sharon's data. When the system exposed her location, it surprised him - why would she leave for so long for training, especially taking his summoning device with her? After a minute of standby mode the station started to act in a weird way and spit out piles of information just like a naughty child refusing to eat celery. Skipping two chunks of it, Alfredo began reading from the third one; it was hard to say for sure if he was sorry about that or not, but the info he gained was crucial to the limits he forgot about Sharon for a while.
Maybe that was a success.
The girl dropped her cannon, as if its weight grew three times during the fight. Here she is, a tiny Engineer, and she survived, standing in front of her half-dead sister – and she feels nothing, not even pride. Was it really required to do?
"Huh, you... you're far better than I thought. Well done, twenty-six, one of your last remaining true sisters is dying before your eyes."
"You're not my sister. You're a betrayer", Sharon reacted, trying to stay numb. Only trying.
"Betrayer... Yeah, you could say so. We could make it out good... in the past. You'll get a piece of cake out of my death... although this jewel's running out you'll feel the real power for just a while."
Engineer stood still in front of Seventh who lied on the ground dying and mumbling something that Sharon didn't listen to. Her thoughts wandered around fifty years in the future when Jasmine was just instructing her about the mission. She sounded too tired. No wonder: telling the same thing over and over... Now the mission failed in the twenty-sixth time. What was going to happen to her?
Sharon didn't notice that the dying girl fell silent; she didn't remember her hands replacing her jewel with the dead sister's one, how a strange feeling fulfilled her. She only remembered escaping.
"She couldn't just dissolve into air!"
"If no great Sorceress helped her."
"Sorceresses don't often help people out of nowhere, Grainees."
"Then she'd been paid. That's easy!"
"Hey!" this voice sounded extremely offended. "Could you please stay out of stereotypes?"
"Iglecia, you are almost original in your selfless intentions."
"Well, thanks for compliment, Coralin!"
"Yet we still hadn't found Sharon."
"That's for the best", Academic thought, crawling through swamp grass to her hut. She heard her name a lot and guessed it to be her friends looking for her everywhere; they'd never know where she was. Except Alfredo, of course, but he was implied to be with her and didn't need to guess. In the hut its aboriginal houselady greeted her in especially warm way, as if she hadn't seen Sharon in a week.
"Oh, my child, everyone was looking for you! Where did you go?"
"Sorry, but... I only was away for one day. Who came looking for me?"
"A guild from Saint Haven. Even poor Johan asked where you could go. And your friend, of course."
"My..." Only by that time Sharon checked the summoning device, and she froze, finding the summoning icon in active state. Goddess, Alfredo was out there all time long and she was dumb enough to forget!
"Mother, could you remember the time he has gone?"
"In the morning. Haven't you two met?" The houselady asked about something else but the Engineer didn't listen. She could use the recall skill on Alfredo with but what if that harmed him? It was late to go anywhere but was something really enough to stop Sharon? Grabbing the cannon, she exited through the same grass field and ran straight to Liverwort Marina. She had to search around there, it's the most possible way!
Fortunately, a Sorceress who usually gave her daily tasks had good memory and remembered that a scarf-wearing gentleman asked her how to get to the meteorite crash site. Sharon knew where that road lead but was frightened to go there; she only heard about the meteor and didn't really read the logs... what could possibly lie ahead? Perhaps the same things that Alfredo expected, asking for a path. Then she'll risk.
On the way to the meteorite center she met no living soul; better said, bodies and dead plants laid around with nothing alive left. Frankly, there was nothing supernatural in the center except for the meteor itself. Bunches of goblins and one-eyed creatures were all she saw; the Engineer proceeded carefully to draw less attention. Basically two or three of them approached her just to be killed in a moment. Sharon was only surprised when she noticed a warrior surrounded by dark aura; he left through a crack. Sure thing, all the monsters rushed towards the girl looking at the stranger. A sad ending would've waited for her if at the same moment a hurricane hadn't flown past her, destroying everything on its way.
"Alfredo!" Academic yelped, launching a ping-pong bomb; he finished doing the skill and put out his hand to reflect the bomb to other direction. When all creatures were killed, she finally stepped down from the road and approached her comrade.
"Why, for Manticore? Why would you go down here?" she began shouting, and the latter waved his hands.
"Sharon, it is me who should ask this question! Where have you been the whole day?"
"I... was on a mission. I told you!"
"You know, I've checked the station four hours ago, and you were in the training hall. It is not a mission, Sharon, it is specialization. Have you not passed it already?"
"The other one!" she spat out. "And what about you? It's too dangerous in here, have you lost your mind?"
"Nice question", he answered grimly. Sharon shivered, thinking about how a strange subject walks around behind, and a storm is starting between the two of them. "I wanted to find out something about my memory. Perhaps even my past."
"So what, are you done? Was it connected to XD-07?"
"N... not only her."
"And you for sure won't tell me."
"Ahem. You are going to hate me for this, but... I abstain." Engineer already felt her face burning; a bit more and she'd explode like a Mechaduck.
"So, so that's it? That's it, huh?" she stepped forward, tightened the grip on her cannon. "Don't make me fight you, Alf. We were good comrades till now, and I don't want it to end like this."
The android made a deep sigh, took off his glasses and wiped the forehead tiredly. Strange enough, he was not dressed for fighting at all - just some working clothes and yellow glasses. How did he even manage to keep up?
"I do not challenge you, Sharon. The facts I found out were hard to accept for me and I do not know how shall they affect you... especially now, as you know who is XD-07. Also there is someone behind my back who keeps walking around and glaring at me, and I do not like him."
"I don't like the way you talk", Sharon cut off. A minute later she'd begin threatening him with some skills if the warrior didn't notice them. At the same moment he created a dark vortex with his sword which dragged her and Alfredo inside the meteor; as it calmed down, the Engineer got up, clenching her teeth.
"Now start praying to Goddess", she hissed.
One more reload, more bullets, reloading again... why did the chemical rocket consume two bullets? Sharon blinked forward, dodging the warrior's attacks and fallen creatures. She didn't pay attention to the location of Alfredo and her towers - they weren't much use since their opponent moved so fast. At one moment the dark warrior approached her again; she only raised her cannon showing that nothing was over, though she's been cornered.
Perhaps everything could happen if a tremendous lightning beam hasn't pierced the attacker's chest. He glared at Sharon for the last time, then gripped his sword and jumped high in the air. No one had the will and strength to follow him. When the darkness faded away, the Engineer glanced cautiously at the beam source that staggered and fixed his bowtie slowly.
"That was... extraordinary", was all he could say. Sharon shook her head; her eyelids grew heavy, and she understood that the best thing for her to do was probably sleeping. The healthiest thing it also was.
She opened her eyes lazily. The gamma of surroundings was different from the cold meteorite colors, and yellowish-green light illuminated the room. Sharon guessed it to be her hut in Lotus Marsh; judging by the sun, the time was probably a couple of hours past dinner. Sitting up and dangling her feet, Academic touched her chest. No heart was beating inside, and there was nothing to make it appear. The crystal worked, however, with the unknown power she was still unaware of. She knew something alien was injected into her mind, just like a new encyclopedia entry which she couldn't remember, but if something reminds her...
"Good morning. Do you feel better?" The girl flinched and hid under a blanket.
"I never felt bad. I ain't the one wandering around fallen meteors", she barked. Alfredo sighed and put down a glass with something healing and terrible-tasted on a small table.
"No, Sharon. You were the first one to leave. You took my summoning device and I had to find you. And I found something... unusual while looking for you."
"Then tell me. Or shall you abstain once again?" It sounded so arrogant that Alf could've given out a bitter answer, but he didn't.
"You were the first one to leave, you start talking then."
"Well, okay. Okay! Lucita gave me a log chip similar to mine. I found more logs in the armories. And I also met my exact copy. She told me so much! That Jasmine sent twenty-six girls like me here, that she lied to me all the time and the copy will help me survive because I'm living on a crystal energy which is soon to be depleted. I passed through everything she asked me for, and voila! She tried to kill me too. And now there's a crystal inside me which contains all the Academics' lives murdered by Seventh. I finished her, yes. I know I did a lot of terrible things yesterday. And so I stand inside today with no idea what to do. That's the end of my mission, Alf. Your turn."
He scratched his temple, fixed the glasses and sat on a chair near her bed.
"Well... As I searched for you in Calderock, a boy named Kevin recognized me and said I've asked him about something a while ago. I got interested in this time and space paradox and connected the Academic station, but of all the information it gave me... From a ton of rubbish I extracted an advice to go to the meteorite crash site not far from Marsh. Looking through the old chests, I found this." He drew out a small plate out of his vest pocket. "As I plugged it in, I realized it to be a memory chip of mine, although rather old one. During next few hours I've been analyzing the logs and concluded that... There could be twenty and more Academics but I remained the same all the time. But one of those girls stole my memory chip and left it as a treasure, hoping I'd figure it out someday. Jasmine must've been cutting the trails with your sisters, then sending me back, changing the chip and waiting for the Academic to achieve the required level. That is all, Sharon. Do you still want to fight me?"
She just sat still and looked through him, almost losing her gaze. She was about to cry because of her feebleness and insignificance, but there he is - someone who found out his unfortunate past as well and what is he doing? He keeps talking calmly about it to a person he trusts. She only just noticed how her thumbs are clenched and her teeth gripped. Was it worth worrying so much over that?
"Alfredo... promise me one thing, okay?"
"Yes?"
"Don't leave me behind. You're the only connection I got left with the real world, not this one in the past... It means a lot to me."
The android tried to smile most politely. Come think of it, it's not been long since they've almost killed each other, and now they're giving promises!
"By the way, Sharon. What was that unknown skill I used on the dark warrior?"
"Skill..." she remembered the crystal. "Those Academics must've got a higher level than mine, so they learned more skills. I remember... yes, that's it – a laser beam. Woah."
"Woah", Alfredo repeated significantly. "Training again?"
"It's not 'again', it's 'always'. We'll have to survive in the past somehow, my friend", the girl laughed. This time her colleague didn't react to being called a friend.
Good things are easy to get used to.
A/N
Dragon Nest was my first MMORPG to play. Sweet Heavens.
I fell in love with Academic character and went through her whole storyline. I used to play alone, so the only companion I had was Alfredo - Academic's robotic companion. Needless to say, I often treated him as a fellow child that I had to keep on the way and instruct on whom to attack, so on. I came up with a humanized version of him soon. And so, this story was created. Sharon is actually 'my' Academic since I chose Shooting Star, so... Yeah, let it be, I almost wrote about my experience in DN. The Darlant ship part is also true. Irine's quest was a b!tch.