I want to thank Greatazuredragon, Vagabond Soul, Vendelareader, krad09 and Guest (your reply is at the bottom of the chapter) for reviewing chapter 20 :) Cyberhugs and cookies for them, as well as this small bit of fame ;)
I have not answered all of you yet (Sorry! orz) but I'll get around to it as soon as I can, promise!
I am terribly, awfully, extremely sorry for this chapter being over a week late. I really, really, really didn't mean for this to happen. I blame the fact that this chapter had an additional approximate 13 or 14 pages that never made it here due to me rewriting the beginning about 7 times, and the end about 3 times, before I had a chapter that I was satisfied with... -_-" Also, Flight Rising happened. As an avid dragon fan I will be honest with you and say that that distracted quite a bit, too ^^"
I promise that the next chapter will be on time, though! So it will show up next Wednesday, the 9th of July :)
Also, I found a simple site which converts the metric system to the imperial one or vice versa. If I am confusing anyone with my metric terms (I know most people's imperial terms confuse me, so I figured that the opposite would also hold true), feel free to remove the spaces and refer to that site. Or whatever other, similar site you might prefer.
www. albireo. ch/imperialconverter/
WARNING: Wrath and Pan are still around each other, you know? Potty mouths.
Disclaimer: I do in no way, shape or form own ½ Prince; Yu Wo (and whatever publishing house she is working with, I guess) does. I write this story for fun and the only type of gain that I am making off of it are in the form of follows, favs, reviews and nice conversations with my readers :) Excellent ego boosters, all of them :3
Chapter 21:
Weapon
I found myself regretting my choice of weapon before we even entered the crowded blacksmith's shop. I was really only trained with a staff, but I had chosen spear on the basis of the Armour Penetration ability that I had gotten from the Archer NPC, as well as the thought that it would probably be nice to be able to utilize something other than blunt force sometimes. The laughing thought in the back of my mind (Amateur mistake, Kitten; a spear is not the same as a staff with a pointy end!) had woken me up from my foolish line of thought quite quickly, however, but still too late; the choice had already been made, there was no going back now.
All I could hope for was that my luck held and I received a short spear, and not some type of lance or pike or some other unwieldy or long spear type, since I did not think that I could handle anything that was much longer than 180 centimetres.
Considering the fact that spears very rarely were shorter than 140 centimetres, and not seldom exceeded the 7 meter mark, it was really no wonder that I was slightly dreading speaking to the clerk. After mine and Robin's earlier shopping, I was not sure whether I had enough money left for a decent weapon if this one turned out badly.
The noisy crowd inside the shop did not really improve on my state of mind, either. I did not need people bumping into me or shouting or dropping a pile of swords right beside me, especially with the strange tension I had been feeling ever since my "death". I was very glad that I had had Robin and Wrath stay outside, not only because this shop really did not need another pair of bodies in it, but also because that meant that I would not have to watch out for Robin in the crowd so that nothing happened.
After some effort, I finally discerned what was the queue and what was simply players milling about with no apparent task in mind and went to stand last in line. Before I got there, though, a conversation between what appeared to be more experienced players caught my ear, and with a quick scan by my Scouting, I confirmed that I indeed could not see their levels. Pausing, I tuned in to their conversation though the general noise in the shop.
"...distributed now."
"Really? I thought that they'd wait longer until they handed them all out."
"Well, apparently not. Either that, or-"
A sudden crash of a couple of shields falling to the floor behind me made me lose some of the dialogue, but I found the pair again soon.
"-azy, right? They barely had time to fix the issues with the last one before they introduce this, and from what I've heard, it's a massive one, and it's not even done yet."
"Yeah, my head aches just from hearing about it; imagine how many bugs will sneak in with this! Still, it's pretty neat, all things considering."
"'Pretty neat'? That's all you've got to say after we hiked all the way out here from Infinite City? Admit it, you're as hyped as everyone else for this."
"Nah, just seems problematic for me; you were the one to drag me out here, remember? I was all for staying in the city for the next concert. Though I must admit that I haven't seen this much life in the starter towns since SL's original launch..."
I frowned and contemplated moving, as they were headed out of the shop and away from me, but decided that it was better to just get my weapon and get out to get some sleep as soon as possible. I could not resist listening in on them for the last few metres towards the door, though.
"I haven't, either; all those new players must be pretty confused about all the..."
A shout blocked out the rest of the conversation, and then, just like that, they were gone. Frowning, I found the line and took my place last in it. That there was some kind of special event could explain why Cato had not been in the park at sunset, like he was supposed to have been. They had not given me all that much information, really, but it had helped connect a few more dots, especially since I already had some information. Second Life seemed to be undergoing a series of updates, partly because of the crown campaign and partly because of (or that is how it seemed to be, at least) my wish.
I really hoped that the latter was not true, though.
But if Cato's story about the Beast Warriors means what I think it does, then... no! It can't be. It can't. I mean...
Feeling that strange laughing feeling bubbling up inside me again, I pushed it down, containing the urge to growl and resolved not to think about it.
Whatever the cause for these updates were, one thing was for sure, and that is that they were luring players out into the starting towns, which would explain the strangely large crowds which had been here during our stay. I had wondered about it, as even with the campaign drawing in new people into the game, it could not account for that large of an influx, considering that most people who were inclined to play in the first place had already had accounts before the campaign, something that new consoles would not have affected, as the old accounts would just have been carried over.
I was startled out of my line of thought and reflexively drew my left dagger as a blue cockatoo glided overhead, skimming my scalp with its claws. I had to forcibly restrain myself from attacking as I saw the armour on it, as well as the fact that it landed on the padded shoulder guard of the player in front of me. Slipping the dagger back into its sheath as discreetly as possible (though I still saw an angel passing by my left side eyeing me suspiciously), I kept a wary eye on the cockatoo.
It did not take long until I had to restrain myself from once again drawing my dagger as the cockatoo turned its head to its owner and... spoke.
I blinked, half convinced that I had imagined the whole thing, before its owner... answered.
I stared blankly ahead of me for a good long minute, absent mindedly shuffling forward as queue moved, before I remembered and had to hold back that laughing feeling again.
Right. Pets above level 40 can talk. Had forgotten about that.
That problem sorted, it was not long before I reached the counter and could turn over the note I had received from Kelio. The NPC behind the counter scanned it, blinked, and then smiled amiably at me.
"Another new warrior? Alright, then. I will be right back with a spear for you."
I nodded, and despite knowing that the whole process would be random, I could not help but try to influence the weapon to be allotted to me after my earlier worries.
"Umm... could I please receive a fairly short spear?"
The NPC did not appear as if she had heard me, as she kept walking into the back room. She returned swiftly, though, a... scroll in hand?
Why? Was she not fetching my weapon?
Either she had noticed my confusion, or it was a part of her script, because as she returned to the counter, she said;
"We have been somewhat short on space lately, so we hired in a couple of mages knowledgeable in runework to seal some of the extras away. I hope that you do not mind?"
I shook my head silently and took the scroll from her.
"Great! Your weapon will automatically unseal itself once you open the scroll. Remember that you will not be able to re-seal the weapon into the scroll once you have unsealed it."
As she seemed to be waiting for a response, I nodded, and that seemed to have been what she was waiting for, as she continued.
"Well then, was there anything else you wanted?"
I shook my head again and thanked her, turning around to make my way out of the shop with the scroll.
Once I was out, it was not terribly difficult to find Wrath and Robin again; even if I had not had the Scouting ability, I would have been able to find them by simply following the commotion. Making my way over, I saw that Robin had once again attracted a crowd of overenthusiastic females, and that Wrath's awkward blustering did not help much with keeping them away from him. I felt a growl growing in my throat with every step I took towards them, my emotions and thoughts falling away one by one until there was only anger left.
I'll make sure that they learn to keep the fuck away from my kid.
Said kid, as oblivious and trusting as always, had not seemed to notice the predatory glint in the surrounding females' eyes, so while he appeared to be slightly uncomfortable with the situation, he did not take any measures to get out of there. Slipping through the crowd, I grabbed the wrist of one who was trying to drag the kid away and squeezed. The vapid bitch seemed to have some sort of self-preservation instinct, at least, because she yelped and let go, trying to yank her wrist away from me. Throwing her a look, I judged her as a non-threat due to her level and attitude, so I let her go, focusing on te kid instead to make sure that he had not come to any harm. He shone up at seeing me and stood from his seat on the lacquered bench that they had found, launching himself at me in a hug.
"Pan! You're back! Why did you take so long? We were waiting for ages!" Feeling my anger draining away, I gave him a tired smile.
"Sorry, kiddo; it was a bit hectic in there."
"Okay! So whe-" He was cut of by the brute's rumbling voice;
"How the fuck did you do that!? I've been trying to get them to mind their own business ever since you went in, and they just wouldn't listen. Then you come by, all casual-like, and the lot of them just scamper off with their tails between their legs!" I felt the growl building again and glared at the bumbling fool. Fortunately for him, he shut up and I turned my attention back to the kid, lifting an eyebrow to prompt him to go on. He blinked at me a couple of times from where he was wrapped around my waist before he remembered what it was he wanted to say before the brute interrupted.
"Oh, yeah! Where's your weapon? I wanna see! Can I? Please?" I smiled and nodded, showing him the scroll.
"It's in here."
I could have sworn that the kid started glittering at that, that glowing grin in place as he let me go and jumped back, wings quivering in excitement. I shook my head a bit at his excitement, but could not help but echo his grin in a smile of my own as I untied the red ribbon holding the scroll closed. Then, clenching my teeth and hoping for the best, I unrolled the scroll.
The scroll immediately dissolved into a great ball of light, which soon elongated and gained weight as it settled into my hands. I rapidly blinked away the black that danced across my vision from the sudden flash and gave a small sigh of relief as looked at the spear in my hands.
It was a fairly simple one, albeit sturdy-looking, and best of all? It was my height. I took it into my left hand and flipped it around, placing the weighted, metal-clad bottom on the wooden street beside me, inspecting the tip. It looked fairly normal, and the crossguard set before the metal gave way to black, glossy wood would surely be useful for deflecting weapons. Testing the edge and ignoring the HP bar blinking into existence warningly at the edge of my vision, I found it to be already sharpened to a razor's edge. I felt my lips tilting up into a smirk as I contained the urge to purr. Good.
Taking it into both my hands again and giving it a twirl, I found that the balance of it was surprisingly good, too, and while it would undoubtedly be a bit awkward to wield for a while, I would probably have my staff-techniques adjusted to it in no time.
I was interrupted from my appraising by the kid's exclamation;
"Whoa! It looks really awesome! Can I try?" I looked at him, and when I saw that he was serious, I quickly banished the spear to my inventory.
"Maybe some other time. We need to log off and get some real sleep, kiddo."
Like hell I would let him get close to any type of melee weapon. If I did, he would probably get ideas about fighting alongside me on the front lines in no time.
"But we just got our classes and weapons! We can't stop now!" The sad face of doom was in action, and in this instance, if never again, I would admit to being a bit happy about having that hulking brute there to back me up as the ruffled the kid's hair.
"Come on, brat, stop being such an idiot. The demon's right; we need to let our brains rest for a bit." ...even if he was an impolite piece of shit who I would happily strangle to death if he did not start being nicer to the kid soon.
"Just a little bit longer? Please?"
"No. Now shut up and log off, or I will go on ahead to call home to your parents so that they can confiscate your helmet from you."
At that, the kid blustered and retrieved his bow from his back in a blink, whacking the brute over his head. Hard.
Huh. Looks like he's getting stronger, isn't he, kitten?
"Meanie! System command! Log off!"
Then, just like that, he dissolved into light and faded away. As the last of his light went out, I looked over at the brute, giving him my best glare.
"You could have been nicer about it."
"Maybe. But I didn't feel like it. See you around, bitch. System command; log off."
Growling, I also logged off, and while I knew that others saw it just as I had seen the others', for me it felt like I was falling into darkness, the world fading to black around me as my senses failed me. I pressed down a panic that was quickly growing familiar as I once again found myself in that state of helplessness before my senses returned to me and I could open my eyes to the darkness of my room.
Pulling off the gaming console disguised as a headband, I winced against a very real headache.
I should have figured that it'd have consequences. Sorry kitten, I'll leave you to deal with this.
Adjusting myself into a slightly cooler spot on my cot, I let myself sink into sleep, knowing that the food bell would wake me soon enough.
There! The end of this short and very late chapter... sorry about that. But as I said, next chappie will be on time! No writer's block will be able to stop me! Cross my heart. So we'll "see" each other in a couple of days ;)
Unless you have read/watched One Piece feel like checking the flash-fic series I have written, of course. I'm publishing that at roughly the same time as I'm putting this chapter up.
Reviews make me very happy! But you might not want to leave just yet, as I have some very short omakes as an apology for the wait ;)
These are weapons that Pan might have received, had I felt like being a bit more mean to her ;)
Scythe:
The scroll immediately dissolved into a great ball of light, which soon elongated and gained weight as it settled into my hands. I rapidly blinked away the black that danced across my vision from the sudden flash and looked at the... thing in my hands.
What. The. Actual. Fuck. This isn't a weapon, it's a fucking harvesting tool! How the bloody hell am I supposed to use this?!
Trident:
The scroll immediately dissolved into a great ball of light, which soon elongated and gained weight as it settled into my hands. I rapidly blinked away the black that danced across my vision from the sudden flash and stared. The scroll had turned into a pitchfork. A pitchfork.
...am I really supposed to be able to kill with this thing?
Anti-cavalry pike:
The scroll immediately dissolved into a great ball of light, which soon elongated and gained weight as it settled into my hands. I rapidly blinked away the black that danced across my vision from the sudden flash and looked at what I had received. And looked. And looked. And...
Oh, there's the end.
Then I stood there for a couple of seconds, staring.
This bloody thing must be eight meters long! How the fuck am I supposed to fight with this?!
"You don't suppose that I could chop this thing off at a reasonable length without it becoming unusable, do you?"
And now for the reply to the review Guest left for chapter 20! Guest left this review:
good story! :D
but where is another crown? you say lolidragon already met other king/queen ist it? i really look for next update!
and many thank for fun story!
And now for my reply! :D
Thank you! :D I am very glad that you like my story! :D Some of the other crowns (I can't promise that I will show/use all of them) will show up at a later point, and yes, many of the new kings and queens have interacted with Lolidragon :) Here's the next update; I'm sorry for being late! ;_;