Chapter X: Base of the Rainbow

Σ Server Root Town, Fort Ouph

When I logged in I was met with the faces of my friends. They crowded my avatar and took turns telling me how much they missed me and how worried they were. When I logged off after that battle with Miluda, I did not wake up for five days. Helba had been afraid I may have fallen comatose. But when Gardenia told them that I was fine and logging on this afternoon, everyone had to come and see.

"Navel, I got you a present!" screeched Mimiru, pulling out a large box about the length of my body. When I opened it I saw a new staff, a level 99 Ludicrous. I thanked her very kindly, embracing her. "It's a wand that I bought off Balmung! It's from the beta version, so I thought you'd like it, seeing as you came from there."

"Uh…thank you, Mimiru. I'm very thankful. It's so powerful," I said. "Had I anything for you, I would—"

"It's a gift, Navel. I got it for you because you were ill and I wanted to make you feel better."

"Ah…Well, thank you."

"Welcome back," said Bear, giving me a signature "Bear Hug". I smiled while struggling out of his grip, and shook his hand.

"I'm glad to be back," I said, sincere. "I'm not sure what happened, but I know for sure that your friend Tsukasa was not lying about how things felt and whatnot in The World…It was terrible."

"Why did you not ask for assistance!?" cried BT and Gardenia simultaneously. When they noticed, they chuckled.

"You could have been seriously injured, Navel!" shouted Gardenia.

Subaru stepped up—she and Tsukasa did not usually spend a lot of time with us—and bowed low. "It is wonderful to see you, and I want you to know that we were praying for you, Tsukasa and I…"

"Thank you, Lady Subaru," I said, bowing back.

And then, at once, we were all PMed by Helba. When everyone had finished reading, there were several rings of golden light appearing one after the other. We were being summoned to Net Slum.

Ω: Putrid, Geothermal, March

Miluda held her cheek, glaring up at Locke and Demosthenes. She sat on the floor, her outfit a tattered mess. Locke knelt down and grabbed her by the scruff of her collar, pulling her closer to his face. "You let him live?" he said, fuming with rage. "Why would you do such a stupid thing!?" She flinched as he gave her another lash across the face with his fist, forcing her back and letting go of her collar. She fell to the ground once more, whimpering.

"I…I am sorry, Master…You did not clarify that you wanted me to end his life or spare it…"
He struck her once more, kicking her in the ribs. "Your usefulness ends here, Miluda. You are now trash, useless data. I shall delete you now." He raised his wand, and scowled. "You disappoint me."

"Wait," interrupted Demosthenes, stepping forward, her arms folded. "No, she can still be of some use…Miluda, you will now be our frontline assault team when and if the time comes. I am sure that Helba is, no doubt, rallying an army to stop us as we speak. I expect nothing less." She paused briefly, and then continued. "Why did you not transform during battle? I am positive that the Wavemaster would have been no match for you then."

"I thought that it would be dishonorable to defeat the Wavemaster in an unfair battle…"

"Useless!" bellowed Locke, kicking her once more. "I designed you to kill, not to battle!" He kicked her again, this time stomping his boot onto her stomach. "Although," he said, removing his foot. "I did base her off of Beatrix, and she probably followed that model's description, as Biru had…"

"Sounds reasonable," stated Demosthenes, contemplating. "But it is no excuse."

"I should say so," boomed Morganna, stepping out from within the shadows, looming over Miluda. "Blaming an AI of your creation for your own mistakes…Disgusting. While that Wavemaster was there, someone elsewhere was recording what the Wavemaster saw and collecting data each minute he was there in Mac Anu. You ignorant fools; all of you! Fix her. I want that meddler destroyed! I want them all destroyed! If they get their hands on all of that information, they will use it against us and in Aura's favor."

"That's right," Demosthenes realized. "Locke, get to work on Miluda, and then send her to Net Slum. We've got to get rid of Helba, and quick. She could ruin all of our great plans."

"Use the prisoners," chimed Morganna, speaking in a sneaky seductive tone. "Their friends would give anything to see them again, no doubt. Use the prisoners to get to them, as I did long ago."

"And it never worked for you, Morganna. Everything you attempted utterly failed in the end," Locke was now typing on a transparent keyboard hovering over Miluda. "But, if you insist, we'll see what we can do."

"That Lawk character…he is the closest to Navel, isn't he?" Morganna had her hands together, grinding together evilly. "He is the key that will lead to that group's complete demise."

"Yes, Lawk…"

"Navel's best friend…"

"Interesting…"

The tower echoed with Morganna's evil cackle. Locke and Demosthenes grinned.

Net Slum

"I have deciphered the strands of data that encircled you during battle, Navel," said Helba, standing before us all. She hovered forward, handing to me a Virus Core. "You will know what to do with this when the time comes. What happened to you was something that has never happened before. The enemy has designed a tool that, when someone bearing it initiates combat, their opponent is blinded by a flash of light that would kill an epileptic. The effects would just make a person without this condition fall unconscious. And then, when you fell unconscious, it somehow anchored your mind right there, in that server, in The World."

"But how is this possible?" asked Bear, his arm over BT's shoulder. "I thought that the entity had to use that strange power, the Data Drain?"

"That is the old way," she stated matter-of-factly. "Now is the Age of the Twilight Twins, and they are far more experienced than The World. My resources have been investigating, and I have come to the realization that the enemy is planning on perfecting the object they used on Navel several days ago."

Mimiru's eyes widened, and she began shouting curses at no one in particular. "What, are they planning on putting everyone into a damn coma!? That is definitely not how the game is played!"

Helba smiled. "That is exactly what they are trying to do. My belief is that, when this mysterious power is completed, they will infect each monster with the ability. And then you know what will happen. Some foolish administrator shall set up another of those monster events in a root town, and all hell will break loose."

"Oh my god…" I looked around, staring at my friends who were all very scared.

"We must warn CC corp. of this then!" shouted Gardenia.

"Like they'll help hackers," said Nami, brushing off Gardenia's words like they were a disease. "CC corp. cares only about money. They do not give a damn what happens to their players or—"

"On the contrary," said Helba, smirking. "Lios of the System Administration has agreed to work with us on this matter for however long it may take. I have contacted two others that may be able to help us as well," she looked around, and then turned back. "But they will not be here for a while. Navel, it is time to come up with a plan of your own. Where and when shall we strike?"

Everyone turned to me, and I did not know what to say. "Well…first, I want to make sure that Lawk and the others are safe and all right. Then, I'm thinking, when we have confirmed that, we attack their base."

"And what if they use that power on you again?"

"I'll come up with something," I said, and gated out.

Θ Server Root Town, Dun Loireag

I headed over to the various shops, selling all of the useless weapons, items and armor that I had neglected to sell before. When that was finished I walked by the Lookout, where some of the juiciest gossip on this server could be found. I sat down and listened for a while, hearing nothing of interest. I was accosted by three separate incomplete parties, each looking for a Wavemaster or Pole Arm to assist them on a Dungeon Quest. I turned them all down, telling them that I was waiting for someone.

"Your loss, then," said one person, turning and shouting over to another Wavemaster, leaving me alone to my thoughts once more. I decided to log out and check out the BBS and maybe my email. The BBS was filled with posts pertaining to the Lambda and Delta servers, and wondering why the systems crashed. Some topics spoke of the people in comas, and more than any wanted to know how to defeat the dragon.

Idiots, I thought. But I had once been a normal player, just like them, before this all began, so I couldn't be too judgmental. I opened up my mailbox and deleted all of the System Administrative emails, and opened a message by someone named Albireo.

Albireo!? I had met this character way back when the beta version of The World was in progress. Before he went solo I tagged along in his party on more than one occasion. He became a good friend, but disappeared after some incident in The World years later. I had always wondered what happened to him. I opened my email to see what he wanted:

Subject: None

Navel,

I have been summoned back to The World by the hacker called Helba. She says that help is needed and that W.B. Yates and I are required. I would like to speak to you before I decide anything. What is going on in The World that the "dot hackers" can not fix this time? I will do whatever I can to help, but I am not planning on coming back to the game. Talk to Yates though, better known as Hokuto these days, and see what she says. I will contact you again, Navel. We shall speak at that time. Do not reply to this message.

May the Grace of the Twilight Dragon guide and protect you…

-Albireo

Hokuto? I recognized the name W.B. Yates. I had known him to be a notorious web poet that began playing back in Fragment. I met his character, a woman named Haruka Mizuhara, on the day we were brought to CC corp. to be beta testers. She was very smart, interesting, and good at what she did—in The World—not her real job. She had written some very astounding poems about the goings-on of daily life in The World and I enjoyed her company. But for some unknown reason she had mysteriously disappeared from The World too, like Albireo. I decided to write Hokuto, her new avatar, apparently, and then logged out for the day.

CC corp. Online Offices, Central Server

"And we are sure that Beatrix is actually a victim in all of this?" asked Lady Rain, an incredulous look about her face. "That is very difficult to believe, seeing as she refused to tell us what was going on and allowed those Guardians destroy the place. So forgive me if I do not want to risk the safety of the Emerald Knights to rescue her. She is a menace!"

At the center of the circular table a graceful, doll-like girl hovered above everyone, staring Lady Rain down. "Lady Rain, I am quite positive that Lady Beatrix is, in fact, a victim of the recent events taking place in The World. When I was attacked by the Twilight Twins, they took something very to The World's safety. They have the Morganna Program. And you said that you discovered the location of their bodies, but they were already deceased. That means that Locke and Demosthenes have entered the net and plan on using Morganna as a power source. When they have finished, they will most likely take her fragments into themselves and The World will enter a Dark Age."

Daybreak sat with his arms folded, whistling quietly. When he heard this, he shot forward, an angry look about his face. "Then why did you give them the opportunity, Aura!? Beatrix led you right into their hideout and they were able to gain that piece of their evil puzzle…Victim or no, Beatrix is responsible for whatever future is in store for The World. If and when she recovers from her coma, she will be charged."

"Now, now," said Dark Angel, drawing out his blade and poising it in Daybreak's direction. "They forced her into it, and you know it. She was vulnerable to charm!"

Persephone shot up, slamming her weapon on the ground. "Enough! We mustn't fight! This is not going to restore The World to its former state, is it…"

Aura turned to her and nodded, and then back to the others. "I have been in contact with the hacker Helba," there was a loud wave of angry voices, but she spoke over them. "She has rallied a small battalion of players to rally against the Twilight Twins. Their leader is a Wavemaster named Navel. He will be the key to The World's salvation, if we can help push him along. Morganna will stop at nothing to destroy me to gain omnipotence and control over this world once more, and Navel wishes to stop that."

"We will not side with hackers," snorted Lady Rain, raising her nose arrogantly. "I'm not an idiot,"

"Just a pig-head," said a familiar voice.

"And it's not me this time!" cried another.

Helba and Lios gated in on two separate corners of the room, and advanced upon the circle of people, bowing before Aura. "Whether you like it or not, Lady Rain, the new division of the dot hackers are desperately needed. You and the other Knights are not enough to save The World from this new threat. You five—especially you, Daybreak—have never faced Morganna head-on. Lios here will tell you, she is one entity that needs to be dealt with similar to fighting fire with fire. She uses illegal programs while contradicting herself, and the hackers create their own illegal programs, contradicting her. The system administration is not enough."

"Helba is right," said Lios gruffly. "I hate to admit it, but she's right. Even Aura knows this. The Twilight Twins and Morganna need to be stopped once and for all. If we do not work together, then we will ultimately fail."

"Yes, thank you both," said Aura, nodding and smiling. "I have also added a special faction to this battle. I have summoned back the Cobalt Knights, to do their honorable work once more. Helba has contacted their former master, Lord Albireo, who shall work in concert with Lady Kamui to begin cleaning up while the fight is ours. This is the biggest crisis The World has faced since the threat of the Abominable Wave, and we will take all the help we can find."

"Very well," said Lady Rain bitterly, leaving the meeting room in a huff. The others left as well, leaving only Helba, Lios and Aura together.

"The Cobalt Knights are doing their work in Mac Anu at the moment. Do you think you could keep an eye on them for us, Helba?"

"I will, and I shall also continue gathering my army."

"I shall speak to some of our older contacts. Perhaps they will assist us; they do owe me a favor or two."

"Very good, Lios. Take care, Aura."