Chapter 2: The Arrival
Blue.
The color of the vast sky above.
Blue.
The color of the sea that now lay until the horizon.
Blue. Blue. Blue.
I looked below the ocean whose calmness was broken by our passing ship. Every part of me is longing for the color of the land: the lush green grass and the dirty brown land.
The bangs I have grown since my 17th birthday last month hindered my vision. Along with my eyes, they too were deep blue like the sea. I sighed.
"You haven't tried a durian yet?"
A voice shrilled behind me. Nothing better to do but join the chat then. I turned to my two female companions walking towards me.
"No I haven't."
The girl with blonde hair tied in a ponytail had her cheeks blushed in pink. It made her look like a doll.
"Where the heck were you locked up all this years?"
The person in question shuddered for a moment. She casted her eyes down on the floor. She seemed sad.
Not noticing Ice's reaction, Mika continued to speak in a matter of fact tone.
"It's super yummy! But you have to ignore the smell. It's horrible. I guess nothing is perfect. BUT-" She crossed her arms and smirked. "It's a delicacy so you should try one once you reach Armoroad!"
"Of course."
Ice and I were of the same age, as I found out from our days of travel by sea, while Mika was two years older than us.
Somehow, since meeting Ice I've been going through some changes. I've become aware of my actions whenever she's near and I can't even look at other women! I can't find the spark that I used to have whenever a beautiful woman comes to my sight.
What is happening to me?
Is this perhaps… the so called [love at first sight]?
"I see the tree!"
Mika was pointing at the far horizon. There, I could certainly see something. An image of a tree.
"Is that the Yggdrasil tree?" Ice asked.
So she's never been to Armoroad?
"That's right Ice! The golden ticket of all adventurers! Around that tree is the labyrinth I have told you before. The one that leads to the undersea city that drowned a hundred years ago or so they say. Well anyhow, there are many items you can get from the labyrinth so even without the undersea city it's still keeping many treasures. "
Aside from being older than us, Mika has made debut as an adventurer of Yggdrasil a year earlier too. She's a veteran!
As Mika continued to spout random topics to Ice, a sudden squeal reached my ears. Looking at the source of the voice was a girl with short hair curled at the edge, it was colored like a pale yellow lemon and she was wearing a blue one-piece with a white apron.
She had her hands stretched out to me like a child wanting an embrace but her face was certainly frightened. In her blue eyes, I was reflected. A dumb look was there.
Mika and Ice turned their eyes to the sky. I followed. Just above me was a shadow of something falling? What was it?
Wait- is that- a mallet?
Why the hell was a mallet falling from the sky and heading towards me?
Before I could even run, I felt a sharp pain in the head. Before I lost consciousness I saw a glimmer of gold running towards me and a pair of sapphire blue eyes. They were so beautiful—just like hers.
As I opened my eyes, she was there right beside me.
Ice was looking to the sky through a window of the room. Her eyes, that seemed to capture the sky, then gazed down to me.
"Where am I?" I mumbled. This wasn't my room in the ship.
"In Armoroad. We already docked a day ago."
She answered quite bleakly.
"I'll get the doctor to get you checked."
Before she could stand up, I took her hand. She looked back at me, bewildered.
"Tell me something Ice… have you been to Armoroad before?"
She shook her head.
"I'm sure that this is my first but-"
She looked down again.
"I've heard of these lands from an acquaintance. She spoke quite highly of Armoroad."
"I see."
She left and soon came back with a middle aged man who seemed to be the doctor. Following them was Mika and another girl, the girl from before, the one with the blue one-piece.
"You seem to be all right. These are the medicine I want you to take just in case."
The doctor gave me a list and continued,
"If you happen encounter strange pains in your head just call for me again. Goodbye then."
I lowered my head as he left.
"I'm so glad you're fine Rune! You had us worried!" Mika exclaimed.
"Um…" A small voice called out. "I-I'm sorry. It was my mallet that hit you. I didn't mean too. I'm really sorry!"
The one-piece girl already had tears streaming down from her eyes! This is bad! Did I just make a girl cry?!
"No, it's okay really! I'm fine see?"
I jumped out of my bed and begun to do a push up. She seemed to stop crying.
"I'm glad you are okay. I'm Chelinka by the way, if you ever need any assistance in anything related to plants I'm the right person to call! I'm a farmer by career!"
Chelinka's face was flushed with pink as she talked. She seemed like a little child who just got a new toy as was bragging about it. I couldn't help but smirk.
"We sure will, Chelinka!" I said enthusiastically. "I'm sure you'll be a great help if we inquire something about the labyrinth's ecosystem!"
"Oh!" she suddenly gasped, from her smiling face; it suddenly turned to a frown. "I should have guessed you were adventurers. I'll help you in any way I can but the labyrinth… it's just so dangerous that I even wonder what drives people to venture it. Oh! Never mind me. You see, a friend of mine also is an adventurer of the labyrinth. He only comes back to restock his supplies and then goes off again! Sometimes I think he'd forgotten he had a life in town too."
"He must be hardcore." I said. But I guess I'd be just the same.
"I'm not sure what to describe him."
She began pondering as she fiddled with her hands. Ice, meanwhile, had been closing her eyes repeatedly. Now that I look at it, she seemed pale and she wasn't talking at all.
She seemed to notice that I was looking at her when she sat down and said, "I'm sorry but I think I need sleep. Would you mind if I rest for the day?"
"Sure."
"My room is just besides yours. Goodnight."
As Ice left the room, Mika suddenly slapped me from behind and said, "She has been looking out for since you collapsed. How could you let a pretty girl like her worry about you? You're not worth it!" And then she laughed out loud.
"What do you mean I'm not worth it- what?"
Did I just hear Mika correctly? Ice was looking keeping watch of me while I was unconscious?! She was worried about me! She was- losing sleep because of me…
No words could describe the sudden feelings that flooded me. I could feel my heart racing. Once again, my heart was beating for her.
"Oi." Mika said to my ear. "Take care of Ice all right? I have to leave to meet my brother so I'll see you again."
I nodded.
"I'll take my leave too. Take good care and say goodbye to Ice for me."
Chelinka said.
Left all alone in the room, I let out a huge grin and faced Ice's room silently wished her goodnight.