Maple or Real Life?

Chapter 3 - Communication

Disclaimer: I do no own Maple Story or other people.

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I went outside to try to test the new device and see who else I could contact. "Is anyone awake? Can anyone hear me? Please reply fast!" I urgently talked into the mic. "Yes I do hear you" and a "Who is this?" responded. I quickly slapped the screen back on to see two people talking to me from my buddy list. Phantom and Derr, I jumped with joy as I saw their names. I had met these two online as well a long time ago, but at different times and places. I filled the two in on the current situation and they told me what was happening on their end. I rushed back to the now dissolved meeting, but the only ones left were Dances, the Student Council President, and the Principal. Explaining what I had just discovered, they brightened up a bit. I went to my first class that day feeling a bit relieved of our long distance communication.

I went to the auditorium a bit earlier after school. I figured out who were going to be my second-in-commands, Chess for the Warriors and a promising 9th grader, Kent for the whole works. The Spartan, Kin, and Mango also had theirs well picked. Another male buddy, Arc, was picked to be the 2nd-in-command for mages, and Spartan also picked Helene for our special Medic Squads (which were posted just outside the office, because of the rarity of good Clerics). Kin had picked Jade, and Mango had picked a bandit, Joey. Everything was ready, and people started to pool in to get the best seats.

The small ceremony for finding our 2nds went by quick fast, and everyone was really enthusiastic for the people chosen. After the ceremony was finished, a giant-sized meeting for Maplers only started right after. Explaining everything that happened, in detail but excluding some emotions, everyone roared with approval when I asked them if they wanted to do the Job Advancements now. The advancements were fast, and I was lucky that the main Job leaders had helped give them to show me how to do so. Spartan, Kin, Mango, and I quickly jotted down who had advancement to 1st or 2nd so we could make the parties. Everyone else who did not advance that day was dismissed so they wouldn't have to sit around doing nothing. Only the ones that did not have full parties were told to stay. The parties were more easily created since we just stuck 4 people together or 6 people together. We announced that we were going to test the groups in the Big Gym on Friday (tomorrow) so we could name them properly, and they have the rest of their free time to create their nickname and create strategies. "Remember to tell one of us if anything is wrong, see you guys tomorrow!" was how I dismissed them that day.

The next day, we printed out the new teams onto the cards and we set up a table in the Small Gym to keep our papers on. Viewers were allowed in the PE classroom to watch, and the untested teams were allowed chat amongst them and practice their strategies in the Big Gym until they are called. The testing went by slowly for they were told to tell us about themselves, tell us and demonstrate their strategies, and tell us which one they would excel in and why. The whole day was spent talking and watching individual teams.

At last the last one was beginning. Oddly, it was a team of 4, but one of their team-mates, the female archer who as assigned to this group, was missing. The other 3 just laughed and said that she wasn't feeling well. The archer in their group was "Rebecca." The males, warrior and the mage, were often either fighting each other or grouping against others. "Typical job stereotypes," I thought to myself. The female Sin was standing a meter away from the two looking around in boredom. When she realized that the two were planning on whacking away at each other, she walked in the usual thief calmness and slapped the two fast, and I mean really fast. She explained, "I'm Sophie. I had to shut Evan and Buck up, so I created 'Double Slap' from the original 'Double Stab." Mango chuckled and half-yelled, "Then those 2 ought to stop arguing before she learns Savage Blow." Causing the other 3 of us to chuckle and the 2 males to look confused at us. We continued with the test and a messenger came in. The messenger came in and whispered to Kin causing her to look worried. "Wait here," was all she said before she bolted out the gym.

We continued with the testing, but it was hard to keep a straight face as the trio argued and the 2 guys had gotten slapped by Sophie so many times while talking of their strategies and they tripped over each other while demonstrating them. Just before the 3 of us who were left to do the testing had began to discuss what they were good for (nothing other than floor scrubbers or cleaners maybe entertainment) Kin led a sinewy-muscled young archer partially in. The young girl's eyes were red from crying. An immediate glance at my friend's eyes told me something… The girl wasn't sick or nervous. I told the two guys to wait and look after the trio, 2 of which had red faces from getting slapped, and I went into the hallway with Kin and the trembling girl.

"It was the 2 guys in her group," she started explaining before the girl broke-down right in front of us. I bent down and put my hand on her shoulder to calm her when she looked up at me with tear-stained eyes. "You don't have to be with them if you don't want to…" was all I said before she nearly bulldozed me unexpectedly sobbing, "Thank you, thank you…" whenever she could. Kin helped the girl up as I started into the Small Gym to make my decision.

"Under my power, this group will be separated…" I said, "Evan and Buck will no longer be Fighters of our school." The 2 guys (yet again) looked at me with disgusted faces yelling at me, "Why?!" I became angry, a rage that I had felt since my childhood. I had been like the archer girl before, and I could not stand anyone with that type of attitude for long… My body became warmer, my hands began to clench themselves, and I began to see a bit of red in my vision. A hand made a good grab on my right shoulder and it reawakened me to the state I should be in. Looking to Kin, who was holding my right arm with a stable hand, I nodded my thanks and turned back to the 2 troublemakers.

I turned back not a moment too late. The duo charged to my right, I caught a glimpse of the Rebecca in the middle of the doorway with Kin right behind her. Neither of them would be able to respond fast enough, and Kin could not see the 2 charging figures. I was about to sidestep in the way and raise my left arm as a shield, like I have done in contact sports, when a black figure appeared where I was moving. It was Sophie with outstretched arms held in a way to protect Rebecca. Immediately I stopped, my running adrenaline helped. The 2 guys skidded to a stop right in front of her, both of them yelling, "Get out of the Fing way!" or similar meanings. Catching a nod from each of the two guys, instantly understanding their message, I stepped in front and bellow, "SHUT UP!" I would usually never say things like that to someone else, but my friends knew me in a way that I would under certain circumstances. Grabbing the 2 boys by the ears and yanking them to the office, the few passing people giggled at the sight. I dumped the 2 in the counselor's waiting room, and just on cue, some counselors came by. Explaining with a quick sentence, "These 2 were bullying." The principal came in. Explaining the whole main situation to him, the principal said a lesson at the boys. The duo now could try to pierce me with daggers only to find that they bounced right off as if they were leaves in the wind.

I made my way back to the gym. Sophie was holding and calming Rebecca in her arms. I went to check the Medical Squads' and Medical Helpers' lists (The Medical Helpers are people not in complete parties responsible for protecting, aiding, and helping Medical Squad members. They get to learn Cleric and other Medical stuff as well). From the Medical Helpers' list, I selected a warrior and a mage to be sent to be in a team with the 2 girls. Bringing the small list to the girls (Spartan and Mango left already), I let them pick who they wanted just in case. Making another card for them, I went to call down the 2 boys, James and Ben. Giving them quick introductions and scheduling them for the test on Monday, Kin and I walked down the gym hallway in silence.

I walked with my head bowed a bit, I watched the floor about half a meter from my feet, I know I had missed this small but near fatal flaw in our Defenses, and I thought about every single person in every single group to make sure that this wouldn't happen again. The walk was slow. Kin and I were just starting up the stairs when she smiled said, "Don't worry about it, the other groups doesn't have this problem." Her trust was comforting, I thanked her, and I looked forward as we went up the stairs (2 at a time for me).

"Is anyone there?" A matured male voice sounded on my earpiece. Checking my screen, it was Rock (just a random name). "I'm here, it's Ninja" I replied. Having another information conversation again, I checked his stats to see that he was a level 120 WK ('White Knight' for those who do not know). "There's something strange though," he said, "I've already been attacked by these black slime things, but they can't be cut or bashed. I had to run, but before I did there someone covered with what seemed like an armor of that slime came out from behind them. The layering wasn't very thick but the movements seemed… unnatural." I stopped and pondered what this meant. What startled me was his agonized scream, "AH!!..." I tried in vain to reestablish communication with him. I was helpless. I wrote down everything on a piece of paper to remember what to say in detail for another emergency meeting. Once I was done, a crying voice was on the earpiece, it was Derr. "It's Silver… The black slime things overwhelmed him and took him away." She broke down, it never had been easy for me to calm someone on a communication device, so I tried my best and I was lucky it worked. I notified the Job leaders and they were planning on getting to her ASAP in the morning. The trip to Derr was going to be very long, so it was about a week or 2's fast rush away. I went to my locker to stuff some of my papers in it, and then I went to the chief cook to start packing some provisions for their journey before I retired to my homeroom to sleep.

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