Through her weakened state, Yasu continued pacing trying to piece the fragments of her memory together. A wide-eyed, curious Assassin's gaze was glued to her as she walked back and forth in a frenzied manner.
"There's no way this is real. This couldn't have happened." She half snapped.
Slight amusement lit up in Kenko's red orbs as he fondly watched his friend trying to adjust to the phase he'd just gotten over.
"Nothing about this situation makes sense!" She ran her fingers through her hair in frustration, "I would never murder someone."
She paused in a brief moment of silence.
"If the story line was written so that we did kill them, how can I remember it in full detail- our plans, executions and escape. That was a story…not us."
She gave an exasperated sigh, unceremoniously plopping down onto her rear end, her dark hair splaying around her over the thin blades of grass. Her green orbs finally turned to return the stare that had been digging into her for the past few minutes.
"What are you staring at?"
He blinked a few times to process his thoughts.
"Your awakening is very…different than mine," He motioned to his chest and temple in a discreet manner, "Mine split me, but you…seem to be taking it better than I did."
An even more confused look swept across Yasu's face, "I don't remember everything. All I remember is how meticulously we planned. Is it possible we're becoming more attached to this world than the real one?"
In a heated moment of realization, she abruptly turned to face her friend. Kenko's eyes perked up to hers in curiosity.
"I mean…think about it: if Adventurers die enough in this game, we would theoretically lose all memory of the other world, wouldn't we? And now we're being attached to a part of the story line of Elder Tale with memories of actions we didn't even do…technically."
Her eyebrows furrowed together as she struggled to put the pieces of the puzzle together in a more cohesive explanation.
"Interesting theory but there's no way to prove that." Kenko interjected, "And even if that were true, that doesn't explain the other Adventurers here; they have no backstory like we do."
The Sorceress sighed deeply, pulling her knees to her chest to hug them, "We have to find a way to get home."
"It's the reason I stayed at Plant Hwyaden." The Assassin cut in flatly.
An incredulous look befell her expression as Yasu gaped at her friend, "You…what?"
"You honestly think they kept me there by force?" He scoffed, "I stayed of my own volition. I could have broken out of there by force if necessary."
He leaned back, easing his back onto the tree.
"My other half doesn't seem to understand that…though, I'm sure it'll sink in soon enough. These people at Minami are the most technologically advanced across this server. If anyone will find a way home, it'll be from there. Now, it's just a matter of if they'll share the information."
Yasu blinked a few times, "The Royal Guards may be under our jurisdiction but you can't shut them down alone. Fighting your way through them during your escape would probably kill you."
"You obviously haven't tried fighting one yet." He grinned impishly, tilting his crimson orbs in her direction, "It's quite fun when you're bored."
"Plant Hwyaden owns every building and shred of land in Minami. You couldn't get past any doors without Nureha's permission." She rebutted.
He smiled at his friend, slowly taking a seat next to her, "But I can."
"Okay, ninja-man." The Sorceress muttered under her breath, whipping her face in another direction.
The Assassin burst out laughing at her, causing her eyes to go as wide as dishes. His mirthful laughter was a sound to behold as it echoed off of the trees. Kenko…laughing? That's not something she's ever heard from him- further proof that it wasn't actually her friend, albeit it was nice to hear for once. She eyed him suspiciously, unable to hide a smile.
"Ahh, I'm sorry. You're more reserved than you were before but it's nice to know you still hold some sarcasm." He smiled broadly before mood took a more serious turn, "I don't know how this will affect me- or the other me, rather."
"I'll be here to take care of you." The Sorceress gave a gentle smile.
"Thank you." He returned the gesture, looking over his shoulder, "I didn't get far enough away for them to drop their search. They'll find us if we don't get moving soon."
"Okay, so we should get going then. You're the only reason I agreed to go to Minami. Now that I have you, shouldn't we go back to somewhere safe?" She shifted.
"Do you remember what happened before or after our heinous act?" His deep eyes bore into hers.
"…No."
"Don't you want to find out?" His velvet voice sent chills down her spine.
"Maybe just a little bit…"
She lied; the unknown was killing her from the inside, gnawing at her in frustration at not having the entire picture- not knowing what she did and what future problems may arise. He merely smirked at her response, obviously knowing her weak angle.
"It won't be a problem for us to go back there. We can basically leave anytime we want to."
Yasu chewed on her lower lip in temptation, "We can find another way home from Akihabara. I don't want to put you in any more danger than you've already been in. Progress may be slower but it's a safer bet with my friends."
"By the time your friends find a way home, we may already have lost ourselves." He retorted lazily.
The Sorceress narrowed her eyes at him at his tone. Sensing her displeasure, the Assassin sighed, getting up and dusting his pants off lazily. He towered over her, glancing around the area.
"Do you think you can break something? Anything." He motioned all around forest around them before offering Yasu a hand.
"Sure…" She said uncertainly, accepting his helping hand.
Producing her black, gemmed staff, she pointed towards a benign tree, "Orb of Lava."
A fiery red projection blazed at the end of her favorite weapon, burning menacingly. Yasu could immediately tell, there was something off about her attack. She glanced inquisitively at her friend who motioned her to launch her attack. With a simple flick of her forearm, she sent her attack out with ease, sending it sailing towards her target. Instead of destroying the targeted plant life as well as the ones around it as she expected, her projectile attack burned through not only the trees surrounding her target but many other as well, lighting up a decent portion of the forest in a blazing fire with a loud BOOM. The magnitude of her attack shocked her, making her eyes widen significantly at the destructive power she produced. Kenko stepped beside her with his arms crossed in front of his chest.
"You can't control your strength yet. It would be dangerous for you to go back."
"I…but…" Yasu stuttered, taking a step back, "What happened?"
"Look, we don't have much time. This is going to attract their attention. We need to go back and get as much information as we can to leave this game world." He shook her by the shoulders lightly to get her attention from her dazed state.
His blood red, ruby eyes bore into hers with an extreme sense of concentration and conviction, "Do you trust me?"
"Of course…" She replied implicitly.
"Then I have a plan."
He grinned as he easily back flipped away to avoid her wide attacks. Yasu stood her ground, holding up her staff offensively, twirling it downwards as her frosty attack came to an end.
"Come on, you can do better than that." He taunted.
Yasu clicked her tongue, resisting the temptation to bite his bait. Instead, she switched gears, pulling herself upright into a standing position. The aura around her took a sudden chilling as it faded into a ghastly shade of grey.
Servant Summon: Skeleton
Kenko narrowed his red orbs at the sight of his friend- she was up to something. The Sorceress smiled at his sudden change in demeanor, lifting her unarmed hand up slowly. It was subtle at first, the area around her became foggy and eerie, sending chills down the Assassin's spine. For self-preservation, he jumped several feet backward, out of the radius of her skill. Taking a deep breath with a bit of concentration, she instantaneously expanded her territory as far as the naked eye could see. Yasu couldn't help but smile gleefully at the sudden change in her abilities. With the sharp turn in her gaze towards her target, a slight rumbling erupted from the ground.
"Rise." The authority in her voice didn't go unnoticed, "Graveyard Walk."
A half decomposed arm burst up to grab Kenko by the ankle. Unfazed by the sudden arm, the Assassin kept his eyes on his friend, legs bent to spring into any kind of action. Drawing her weapon back, Yasu discreetly planted a purple spark of electricity before tapping the end of her staff down into the Earth. She'd need plans A, B, C and beyond for Kenkoe's tactics. He was watching her like a hawk, astutely studying her for any tells she may give up. Gently focusing her mind in an attempt not to overdo it, a small army of decaying corpses rose from the ground, their bones clattering together as they approached Kenko. Quickly using Accel Fang as a supplementary movement skill, he relocated onto the branch of a nearby tree, his keen vision still locked on her. Taking the initiative, her summons quickly climbed the tree, rapidly approaching their target. He easily knocked them back before jumping into the air and vanishing from her view. As she predicted, he would try for a quick win with Assassinate.
Summon Servant: Golem
A large, mossy rock creature formed from the broken boulders around them. Other than the boulders, rocks and pebbles also flew together with an invisible force, creating its body. Its lanky, uneven, jagged arms drooped down well below its thighs. The largest, flattest rocks became its feet as it finished piecing itself together as it loomed over its master in a protective manner. Two red lights gleamed to life, appearing on its oddly shaped head. The golem leaned over the ex-Game Master, completely encompassing her back side, right in time to guard against the very loud and abrasive noise of Kenko's dagger scraping against rock.
Scape-doll
The Assassin quickly regained his bearings by bouncing himself off of the golem before disappearing from sight again; Yasu narrowed her eyes, preparing for the impact. Kenko's Stealth Blade came crashing down onto the left side of her upper chest, sending her body crashing into the golem's legs. Her body snapped forward from the impact, sending her hair flying forward from the power behind his attack. As her back impacted the sharp stones, her image seeped away to form a decaying skeleton in her place. The Stealth Blade had so much strength behind it; the attack blew away the golem effortlessly, pulverizing rocks into dust and smaller stones in all directions. Yasu reappeared a safe distance away from menacing attack, narrowing her eyes at the amplitude of force he attacked with. She glanced back at him as his feet touched the ground, activating her trap.
"Lightning Chamber."
Lilac and lemon sparks burst into action, intertwining itself onto Kenko's feet. He grimaced in shock as the electricity ran its course through him, keeping him locked in place for the upcoming attack. Purple flashes of the high voltage attack reached up to form a dynamic bird cage of electricity around his form, locking him in. The Sorceress took a deep breath in, raising her left arm against an invisible force, pushing her mana into her attack, causing the Lightning Chamber to fluctuate slightly before a large discharge of electricity erupted from the bottom of the cage, volting through the Assassin, causing him to clench his teeth in pain. His dark hair flew in every direction as the currents zapped through them. His dark crimson orbs snapped opened as he spent no time trying to struggle out of his painful imprisonment. His green HP gauge was at a slow decline, just passing over the ninety percent mark. The Mage positioned her weapon upwards, condensing the water molecules into her attack.
"Frost Spear."
Yasu kept her gaze glued to her captive as she readied several attacks in preparation for his escape. He struggled against the jolts of electricity as he glowered fiercely at his captor, upper lip pulled up in a near snarl- that was the cue.
"Summon Servant: Reaper."
The silhouette of a black, hooded skeleton faded into existence. It held an enormous serrated scythe in both its hands. Its feet weren't visible as it was floating in midair; the dark cloth that covered it was went past his digits. Its summoning echoed a small hiss through the air as he fully materialized into the game world, ready to serve his master. Only its dark red gleam could be seen from under his dark hood that covered all of his face. A calm could be felt from this summon, similar to the moments before a large storm hits.
Hello, old friend.
She thought to herself as she glanced at the frightening figure. The Sorceress clicked her tongue in anxiety of her next move- it was a skill she didn't use since before the apocalypse...but she had to. This would mark the third time she ever used this horrible curse of hers. Steeling herself, she took a deep breath, focusing on her next planned move.
"Soul Repossession."
A strange tingling sensation came over her body that almost felt like chills. Her summon emitted a menacing charcoal aura that seeped over her body, encompassing her in its evil haze. Several seconds later, her grim reaper summon outstretched its lanky arms as its form was slowly lowered behind Yasu's petite body, resting there as though it was going to follow her on her back. She gasped as her body stiffened out of her control, losing the ability to stand up right. She fell to her knees, grasping at her staff in an attempt to support her own body weight. A horrible feeling of helplessness overcame her as her usually busy mind blanked out before being filled with a cold darkness she was unfamiliar with.
What…what's happening?
The Reaper's scythe vanished momentarily, reappearing in a smaller version to suit its hosts body better. It hovered in front of her horizontally, completely still in the air, almost daring her to reach out and grab it. Her staff dropped to the floor as she now fell on her hands to support her weight. Her vision blurred several times as she felt another presence brush her mind, filling it with rage, uncontrolled violence and death. The only thing she saw on the grass beneath her was her treasured staff that she'd dropped. A pulsing clang radiated from the floating object in front of her as though the weapon was calling for her.
Am I supposed to grab it…? But I'm afraid…I'll hurt him again...
It rang the same noise again but louder, creating a pounding headache in the middle of her head. She yelped internally, the strength in her arms nearly failing her from the sudden pain. She could feel another pulse about to emanate through her brain and she instinctively raised an arm to grab the scythe in front of her in self-preservation from the pain. Glowing red circles covered her once brilliant emerald eyes, dulling them to a more brownish color as she snapped her gaze up to her friend who was still inside her Lightning Chamber. The skill had all but almost run out and Kenko was standing much more comfortably in the remnants of it. Her once dazzling white wings erupted from her shoulder blades as more greyed feathers with several black patches in between as though she had dragged soot through them. The pain in her mind immediately vanished as her skin came in contact with the welcoming black metal of the scythe. The need to spread chaos and war seethed through her consciousness in an alarming manner, fogging her mind in the most peculiar way. Through her itching, gnawing longing to deceive and fight people, she felt oddly calm, as though she could tackle any obstacle that obstructed her path. She grinned wildly at the one who stared at her several meters away with worried eyes. The mage's black hair danced around her form uncontrollably from the amount of energy she was emitting. The Reaper that controlled her almost seemed to be laughing as he repositioned his arms, in turn repositioning his host; she stood upright in a fighting position, her legs spread wide for a sturdy stance with both her hands clutching the weapon as though she was about to lop someone's head off. The reason she'd chosen to be possessed was long forgotten as a manic laugh radiated from her throat. It felt like all of her problems were slowing being dropped one by one- she'd never felt so liberated in her life. The trees and skies seemed so much brighter than before and in detail she didn't remember them in. The cold metal in her hands was refreshing to the hot blood pumping through her veins in preparation for the destruction she was soon to unleash. The Reaper and Yasu stood in synchrony, waiting to leap into a fight, which they both saw in front of them.
"Yasu…" Kenko said slowly as though he was talking to an injured animal.
The concern in his eyes were more than evident as he noticed the crazed look in her eyes. Taking that as a warning, the possessed Sorceress leapt forward with incredible speed, arms poised to slice her target in half. Disregarding her safety and well-being, the Reaper launched her body to attacks in quick succession. The Assassin grunted as he narrowly avoided the attacks, defensively flipping and turning. This was fun, going all out with someone who she considered a close friend. She wanted to hurt him, watch his smooth face grimace in pain as she dug her blade into him. The idea of causing someone she loved pain was exhilarating to her to the point where she thought she would lose her mind.
Kill him.
"We need to get back into Minami without them being suspicious about why we ran out in the first place, right?"
"Yeah…I guess." Yasu crossed her arms, not liking where this was going.
"So you're going to have to lose control." He pointed to himself, "at me."
She gaped at him, her eyes wide and in disbelief. She had issues controlling her in-game character before the apocalypse ever happened and now he wanted her to do it deliberately? It was a last ditch effort that she didn't even use sometimes. It was too destructive in its power and too unpredictable in its target.
"Hear me out, I know you want to say no." He stopped her, "We need to make it look like you lost control because of your awakening! We have to put on a convincing or Nureha and Indicus won't believe it."
"You won't be able to stop me. We had to type a stop code to terminate my character's actions in the alpha. I can only imagine what it'll do here." The Sorceress half yelled at him, throwing her arms up into the air.
"Yasu, trust me, I will stop you. I promise. I won't let you hurt anyone again…but we need to do this. Indicus is extremely sharp. If anything seems off, she'll know it."
She chewed on her side of her inner lip, weighing the pros and cons of her current situation.
"We don't have the luxury to think about this. They'll be here soon." He said urgently.
"Fine." She conceded, uncrossing her arms and setting her bag down, "But don't blame me if you get hurt again."
He scoffed at her response.
"We'll need to start it off as a normal fight." He suggested, "…to make it look like you really lost control because of the ringing."
"Don't think I'll go easy on you." She muttered under her breath.
War certainly won't.