Episode 13: The Gift of Creation
July 2034 – The Real World
*RING*
"Ugh..." I shifted my head which was resting on my already numb arms. The vibrations coming from my phone started bugging me more and more until I reluctantly lifted my head and rubbed my eyes. My black hair was a mess since I didn't tie it up last night so it frizzled down to my neck. Slowly, I picked up the device and answered the call.
"Good morning, Albrecht-san." I heard a man's voice come out from the other end. It was light in tone, yet assertive in a way that was familiar.
"Oh, Nishikima. What's up?" I asked with a groan as I tried shaking my head to get myself to focus.
"I just wanted to inquire about the next update. The deadline is fast approaching, you know?" He reminded me once again. I glanced below my arms and found my drawing tablet below them. In front of me was a screen with an unfinished panel for the next volume.
'I guess I fell asleep at my desk…' I tended to do that every time I'd attempt an all-nighter. Sleep was just so tempting to me.
"Albrecht-san?" Nishikima's voice snapped me out of my thoughts as I felt a bit of annoyance well up inside of me.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm working on it." I said to shut him up so I could get back to work.
However, he sensed the slight aggression in my voice and replied sternly. "We've given you an ample amount of time. The writer is expecting the final draft in three days."
"I know, I know. Now stop nagging me, I want to enjoy my morning for once." Before he could utter another word, I ended the call and placed my phone back onto the table. Leaning back on my chair, I sighed. There was then a sudden knock on my door.
"Delivery for Dante Albrecht?" Someone outside called my name. I exhaled and got up with a groan. Stretching all of my limbs to their full extent, I opened the door. A lady in a brown uniform and cap enthusiastically greeted me with a cardboard box. She had the logo of Ymir Incorporated on the top right of her chest as well.
"Dante Albrecht?" She once again asked for my name.
"Yeah, that's me." I confirmed as I tried to hold back a yawn.
"Your pre-order has arrived! As well as the results from your beta test." She was obviously energetic about her job… maybe a little too energetic for me. I received the box from her and found that it was lighter than I expected. "Just sign here, please!"
After all the paperwork, I thanked her and plopped the package onto the mat I had on the floor. My apartment unit was extremely small so I had to make sacrifices when it came to furniture. Opening the box, I pulled out what was probably my most expensive buy ever, second only to my rent. Tearing open the bubble wrap revealed the word 'AuraSphere'. Stuck to it was a sheet of paper with a list made up of the data I accumulated when testing the thing out during the beta phase.
When this device was announced, I was thrilled. Of course, it was during my VR high when I couldn't get enough of the stuff. I'd use my old AmuSphere for hours and hours without stopping. Of course, I purchased both of them back when I actually had money. At least I had a reason to validate my purchase.
"Hello?" I heard her voice from the other end of the call as a smile formed on my face.
"Hey Ari-chan, I just got my AuraSphere. Did you get yours in the mail?" I asked as the deliveries to her place were usually faster than the deliveries to mine.
"Oh! Lemme check!" I could hear her ruffling out of bed. It was obvious that she just woke up. Thinking about that made me chuckle a bit. Hearing the door open, she finally let out a cry of joy. "Holy crap! It is! We need to play right away!"
She was talking about the game that came with the console. It was the launch title for the system: Aura Kingdom Online. She was so ecstatic about this, she signed up with me for the beta tests and everything. We had so much fun in the virtual world that we decided that we would play this game no matter what.
"Never thought I'd go back to VR." I said solemnly as I remembered the reason why I had quit the AmuSphere in the first place. But that didn't matter now.
"Hey, this is an excellent way to spend time together since we live far away." Ari echoed my thoughts perfectly. I was living in the province while she was in Tokyo, attending a prestigious university. Sometimes I wish I could be with her but unfortunately, I messed that chance up a long time ago.
"Hey, Dante-kun…?" Her voice got softer as my ear focused on it. "Just remember, I don't want you playing too much, okay?"
"Huh?" I paused before speaking, knowing that she was right. "I know, Ari-chan. I won't make that mistake again."
Never again. She deserved better than the person I was before. Hell, she deserved better than who I was right now. But no matter who I was, she chose to stick with me. I was one lucky guy.
"Okay. I've set a schedule when we can go online and when we should take breaks." Of course, leave it to her to do something so organized. "I'll go on ahead then. I love you."
I could listen to those words over and over again. "I love you too."
With the call ended, I opened the box and took out the device. "Huh? It's blue? How'd they know my favorite color?"
I presumed it was just a special pre-order skin so I moved on. Placing the device on my ears, I laid down comfortably on my bed. The fit wasn't bad. It was like I had earmuffs that didn't feel too tight.
'What about the manga panels?' I quickly glanced at my computer which reminded me of the work I had yet to do. I forgot when the deadline was but I knew I still had at least a few days. 'Eh, I can cram it tonight.'
"Link start!"
The bright virtual sun shone on my face as I breathed in the air. I found myself in a familiar port town. It was good to be back. I had made my avatar look similar to how I looked in real life: a pony tail and a goatee, just with additional blue streaks since I had always thought about dying my hair. I didn't stray too far from my real appearance since I wanted Ari to be able to recognize me, after all. She was going to do the same with her avatar as well.
For my class, I chose the Ronin since I thought the sword was badass, even if it was a challenging weapon to use. It was even similar to the sword used by the main character in the manga I was drawing. I wasn't writing the story, of course, but damn did it have me hooked. Glancing around, I noticed that everyone else had the same basic gear with random colors so it was hard to find Ari. All she mentioned was something green…
"Hey!" A girl with flowing green hair waved as she ran towards me. Behind her, a towering spiky haired guy was following. With a single leap, she managed to wrap her arms around my neck and hold me in a tight hug. "I see you kept true to our conditions. I have to say, you look more handsome in VR!"
"Are you saying I'm ugly in real life?" I joked and received a punch on the shoulder as a response. "Anyway, who's he?"
"Oh!" She turned around and smiled at the player behind her. He was an intimidating fella so I wondered who was behind the avatar. "I hope you don't mind if my little brother tags along. He got his own AuraSphere in the mail as well."
My eyes widened as I realized she meant the little brother that used to bug us every time I would come over to her house to hang out. I realized how much I missed the little rascal. Last time I saw him; he was as small as coffee table. "Oh! Little Akir-"
The tall dude interrupted me by clearing his throat. "I'd prefer it if we stuck to usernames."
"Oh he's right." Ari said while nodding in agreement. "Never know who's listening, after all!"
"Alright..." I swiped down for the menu and selected my profile. The controls were similar to the beta, after all. "My name's Jayce."
"Arryn!" She responded with glee as she raised her fist into the air. I noticed the dual swords on her back which told me that she was a Duelist.
"Did you actually put your first and last name together?" Her full name was Ari Rintaro. Get it?
My deduction made her flustered as she spoke in an annoyed tone. "I couldn't think of any good names, okay?! Where'd you get Jayce anyway?"
"Just popped up in my head." I lied. It was actually the name of the main character I had mentioned before. I was surprised to find out that the name wasn't taken since the manga I drew for was pretty popular.
"I am Kage. Ravager class." The brute spoke up since no one asked.
I laughed and tapped his arm since his shoulders were too high. "Well, where should we start?"
We spent the morning clearing some low level dungeons after we had finished our initial quests. The more we played, the better we got. It was around lunch time when we stumbled upon something that we never should have found. However, it would turn out to be more advantageous than we had anticipated.
"What's this portal?" Arryn tilted her head, curiously gazing at the red swirl. We had stumbled upon it while exploring the swamp area of Port Skandia. It was weird to find a portal so secluded from the rest of the map so I was a little suspicious of where it would lead us.
"Another dungeon?" Kage suggested as that was the most likely answer.
However, I noticed one small detail that caught my eye. "All the other dungeons we've been to were blue. Why's this one red?"
"Ooh! Maybe it's a secret boss!" Arryn immediately pulled my arm towards the portal as I hesitantly pulled back. "Come on! Let's go!"
"Aren't you getting a bit eager?" I laughed as the Ravager and I locked eyes, knowing that we had no choice in the end. The three of us entered the dungeon with high heads… until the portal behind us disappeared.
"Huh? Where'd it go?" Arryn asked as she felt around the rocks where the portal had once been.
"Guys, we've got company!" Kage immediately pulled out his battle-axe. In front of us, a couple of boulders shook and formed a giant golem with sunken red eyes. The five health bars formed above it and displayed its level.
"Level 100?!" Arryn wavered as soon as she saw the golem's eyes leer into her soul. "No way…"
The other two froze as a large boulder was sent hurdling towards us. Instinctively, I dashed forward and held my arms up in a futile attempt to protect them. I was sure we were going to die at that moment… until I felt a surge of energy flowing through me and exit my body, forming a giant translucent shield that shattered the rock upon impact. The shield itself was blue in color while what looked like blue flames were swirling around my body and illuminating my eyes.
'Go ahead. Bring your vision to life.'I heard a voice ring out. Without knowing how, I broke the shield and held my hand up. A giant sword formed in it as I brought it down on the monster. It grunted as the sword chipped part of its head and made it stumble back before disappearing.
"Jayce!" Arryn came to me and held onto my shoulders as I heaved. Somehow, whatever this ability was, it was wearing me down. "Are you okay?!"
"Yeah…" I knew I had to finish this as fast as I could before my heart rate increased. "Just leave it to me."
"Jayce!" She called out as I ran towards the giant before me. Screaming, I created a springboard below my feet which launched me into the air. I then proceeded to create multiple copies of my tachi and sent them flying towards the golem. It was doing enough damage but I still needed more.
'I need to use quality over quantity…' I thought to myself as I changed my tactics.
As I plummeted towards the beast, I formed a giant great sword between my hands which was even bigger than before. With one swing, I brought it down on the golem and shattered it into a million pieces. The impact of the attack knocked me out as I landed hard on to the ground. Arryn ran up to me and held me in her arms. I started to feel better as the blue energy disappeared from my body.
"Jayce?! How are you holding up?" Her voice was soft as she became concerned about me. Even it was a video game, I really felt like I was too exhausted to even stand up. What the hell just happened?
"How the hell did you do that…?" Kage gawked at the now dissolving boss as a congratulatory screen popped up in front of us and knocked us up a couple of levels. It made sense that a boss like that would give us a ton of EXP.
"Who cares… we just defeated a level 100 boss!" Arryn cheered as she grabbed my arms to help me up.
"Yeah..." As soon as my strength returned, I stood up with my legs wobbling thanks to the Duelist's assistance. Swiping through the rewards, I realized that an item we had before had unlocked. "Hey, we can unlock the Launch Day Bonus item."
Selecting it brought me up five more levels. I gasped at how much of a boost those items gave us. The two of them did the same as Arryn, in particular, jumped in joy once again.
"We're an even higher level now! It's all thanks to you, Jayce!" She hugged me tightly as I hugged her back. It had been a long time since I felt this happy. "Keep this up and we might just become the strongest players in the game!"
"With that weird skill of yours, I'd say you're already strong enough…" Kage crossed his arms, clearly jealous of what I could do.
"Yeah but I still want you two to stand with me. Hey, I know! Let's seal it with a pledge!" I raised my arm out in a fist as the two of them looked at each other in confusion.
"What the hell Jayce?" The Ravager chuckled for the first time since we met in this game.
"Just humor me, please?" I sheepishly pleaded as the other two smiled and added to the triple fist bump. "This is a promise; the three of us will become the best players in Aura Kingdom Online!"
"And that we are and always will be a team of equals." Arryn added as she gleefully grinned.
"That... that we won't give up on each other, no matter what." Kage spoke his part while blushing out of embarrassment. It was indeed a weird yet adorable sight.
"Awww!" The green Duelist giggled as I joined her in laughing.
"Don't embarrass me in game, big sis- I mean Arryn!" The Ravager corrected himself as I cleared my throat to finish up the pledge.
"It's settled then, this shall be our quest!"
After we left the dungeon, we settled outside the portal as I explained the idea that I had hatched in my mind. Studying the party system, I realized that the party leader received all the items dropped by the remaining party members should they die in master rated dungeons like the one we had just been to.
"If we can stack those Launch Day items, we can level up in no time!" I explained as the potions themselves increased our levels instead of our EXP.
"So you're saying we throw a couple of newbies into the level 100 dungeon and collect their potions?" Kage asked in a hesitant manner.
"Yeah. That's also why we should split up. Each of us can form different parties to speed things up." Since we would be the party leaders, we would be able to receive all the items we needed in no time.
"Isn't that being a bit too mean, Jayce?" Arryn asked with a concerned look on her face. She was usually sensitive in regards to how other people felt. "You're basically tricking people."
"It's just a game, Arryn. They'll just respawn safely in the town." I assured her as this was an actual video game and not a death game.
Even with my assurance, she wavered a bit. "I know but…"
I held her shoulders and gazed into her emerald eyes as I gave her a gentle smile. "I want us to have fun here, okay? If we're going to be the best players in the game, we have to level up faster than the rest, at any cost. We'll apologize if we have to but for now, we need to get stronger."
"I understand…" She giggled a bit. "It's like playing as a bandit who also happens to be the world's greatest spy!"
"Exactly." I laughed at her running imagination as we parted. "Now, we'll split up and meet back in Port Skandia after five hours so gather as many items as you can."
And so our plan was set in motion. We each had our own areas to survey for potential newbies. I patrolled the docks while the two of them searched elsewhere. While walking around the first forest area, I found a curious looking orange haired player getting knocked down by some bunnyhops. I wondered why he was struggling against such a basic enemy. Laughing, I approached him.
"Don't let a bunch of rabbits kick your ass!"
Present Day – Aura Kingdom Online
Ever since I met you, I was intrigued. I felt a connection between us so that's why I kept trying to reach you. Again and again, I tried to be nice. I tried to form a friendship with you. At the beginning, I disliked this game because of all the flaws it had but even then, you were the one who helped me learn to love it. You were the one who helped me give this game a second chance. I understood that you lost your trust in other people when Arryn took you to that dungeon but even if I tried to rekindle that trust, you didn't want that. Why? Why did you have to be so selfish?!
"Jayce!" Wairuzu struggled to break free from the chains I bound him in as I accessed my menu and selected the leave party option. After all, it was clear that I wasn't welcome in the first place.
"Thanks for leading me to this Gaia key, Wairuzu. Those ghost quests really come in handy. Apparently, mine is located in Blizzard Berg." I swiped through my quest log and showed him a similar quest which told me to venture to the said area. It was written in a bright blue text. I had received it at the same time Wairuzu received his. I didn't know what it was at first but thanks to the orange Ronin, I now knew it would lead me to a Gaia key. "It's only a matter of time before I get all of them. It turns out I'm the only one who can save this game, after all."
"You're insane!" The orange Ronin immediately spat in my direction. "You can't keep everyone else from becoming admins! It's supposed to be a council of eight not one!"
"Don't worry, Arryn and Kage will be by my side. Even if they won't receive administrative control, they will still be there to help me govern this world. At first, I thought you were capable of that responsibility as well but then you proved to me again and again that you only care about yourself!" My blue eyes glared at him in anger. His arrogance and short temper had always made me furious. They were what had been keeping him from becoming a decent friend. "You always want the last hit, you always want the best items, you always want to be the leader because you think you're so important!"
His eyes wavered, clearly affected by my statements. "That's not true! I…"
"Arryn…" I turned to glance at the Sorcerer who muttered Ari's username. "Arryn wouldn't agree to this!"
"And what makes you so sure she wouldn't?" I asked her as it was Arryn who had agreed that Wairuzu was too much of a problem for us. She had been uneasy around him ever since we met up back in Helonia.
"I see it in her face! I see that it hurts her whenever she hurts other people. The way I see it, you forced her to go with your plans!" What the hell did this bitch know about my girlfriend?! She thought that she knew enough to lecture me about her feelings.
"I did not force her!" Pausing, I exhaled. That was close; I almost completely lost my temper like that idiot in front of me. "She agreed willingly. You don't even know her like I do. She knows I'm doing this for her."
Finally finished with conversation, I walked towards the Gaia key. "That's enough. It's time for me to leave."
"I won't let you!" Wairuzu's eyes started glowing orange again. I knew it was only a matter of time before he broke free so I hurried to the Gaia key and grabbed it as fast as I could. However, I had no time to get away after I stuffed it into my inventory. Almost instantly, the orange Ronin slammed into me and knocked me back. Rising up, I found him covered in orange flames with his tachi held out.
"So you want to fight, huh?" I raised my hands to the side, ready for anything that was coming.
"You're not getting out of here with that key!" The rage in his eyes told me that he would do anything to see me lose. What a barbaric player…
"So be it…" With my own blue flames surrounding me I activated my Creation ability. Raising my hand, I created a dozen throwing knives and chucked them at him one by one. In reaction, he swung his sword from left to right and deflected each blade. With a downward swing, he brought it onto me. I blocked by creating a shield and countered with a pistol blast.
Wairuzu grunted as he stumbled back. He immediately charged up his sword again and began slashing at me. I dodged and weaved as much as I could, creating shields to block any attacks I could not avoid. I knew I had to reserve my energy unlike that raging idiot. With one swift motion, I made a hook that parried his tachi to the ground and with my other hand, a blade which sliced him across the neck. He stepped back, holding the affected area. His health bar was already that low? Sometimes, I couldn't gauge how much damage I was dealing with the weapons I created.
"Wairuzu!" Megumi opened her tome and prepared to heal him.
"Oh no you don't!" I extended the chains which bound her arms, keeping them from moving. She grunted as the chains themselves tightened.
"Don't touch her!" Wairuzu came at me once more with a familiar skill. "Crescent slice!"
A cloud of dust surrounded us as the attack hit. I safely jumped out of the way and landed behind him. Quickly, I snatched his sword with a chain coming from my hand and drove it through his stomach.
"You want to know why you can't beat me?" I whispered in his ear as he choked on his virtual blood. "You're too angry. You use up too much energy in your attacks. Without learning how to properly wield this gift, you'll never beat me."
Releasing his body, I watched as he slumped onto the ground with just a single health bar. I decided to leave him like this since I still had a shred of respect. It truly was a shame that the only other person to be given such a powerful skill was him. "What can I say? You really put up a fight. Maybe I'll give you one last chance to join me."
"Go to hell…" He groaned on his knees, holding his abdomen as I clicked my tongue.
"Alright then, if you'll excuse me, I need to get to the next Gaia key." Preparing a portable teleport crystal produced by our forge, I bid the members of the nameless guild farewell. "Goodbye."
"Hang in there!" Megumi stood over me as soon as the chains disappeared. I pulled my tachi out from my body as the Sorcerer started casting her healing spells. What a humiliating defeat. Not only had Jayce defeated me but he also managed to get away with a Gaia key thanks to my stupid decisions.
"We need to go after him!" Daize said in a tone that was just as furious. "Where did he say he was going? Blizzard Berg?"
"And what?" Soran nervously shuffled his feet, I could tell that he was saddened from Jayce's betrayal. "You saw what he could do. Fighting him in this state will only get us killed."
"Well, we have to do something!" The Archer raised his voice at the Guardian as he reeled back after realizing that we weren't in a state to move forward. We would have gone after him immediately if I wasn't so injured. Cursing under my breath, I stood up and sheathed my blade.
"Wairuzu?" Megumi had a sad tone in her voice.
"He's right…" I clenched my hands into fists as I recalled every word of what the blue Ronin had said. "He's right about me. Nothing's changed… noth-"
To my surprise, Daize smacked me across the face which was a first. "That… that's for all the chops you've given me!"
"What?" I was confused behind his reasoning.
"That was also for doubting yourself." The Archer had a stern look on his face like a parent who was scolding his child. "If you start kicking yourself while you're down, you'll never stand back up."
"Daize…" Feeling the slap on my cheek, I realized that he had a point. What he said was surprisingly inspirational.
"Yeah." Soran agreed with a nod since he knew himself what it was like to feel weak. "You said it yourself anyway, what Jayce described was not true. I choose to believe that he is wrong as well. I know you're a good person, Wairuzu."
"Why…?" My voice wavered as those two chose to back me up again despite my flaws. I couldn't understand why they would do such a thing.
Daize smiled but this time, I wasn't annoyed. "You think I'd take his word over yours? Not in a million years, dude. If we don't believe him, you shouldn't either."
"Wairuzu." Megumi walked up to me as she gave me a smile. "I'm only here because of you. I choose to believe in you just as you believed in me."
'What the hell? How could they say all those things?' I couldn't help but smile as I held onto the orange claw of luck tied around my neck. She gave this to me as a sign of her trust. She was now one of the people who chose to believe in a version of me I had yet to become, a version of me I wanted to become. At least I had my work cut out for me. Smiling, I faced them with my head held high.
"What's the game plan then?"
All of the heads in the hall turned as I entered my guild's headquarters. Arryn, in particular, was looking a bit worried as she saw me come back by myself.
"Jayce? Where's Megumi and the others?" She asked me immediately as I tried to think of what to tell her.
"I had no choice, Wairuzu was going to take the key for himself." I told her nothing but the truth. That selfish asshole would have done the same. Thank god that he wasn't as strong as I was.
Arryn gasped as I explained the situation to her. "You mean they found out about…"
"Yes. Now, we need to retrieve the rest of the keys before they become a pain in the ass. Where's Kage?" I swiped through the data I received from the multiple guild members around the server. It was certainly beneficial that the Cobalt Rangers had so many players to make use of.
"He's gone to sleep. It's getting late." She answered. Kage was still a kid, after all and their parents were strict when it came to bedtime.
"We'll have to go ourselves then. The next key's in Blizzard Berg. We can leave immediately." I turned to leave but was stopped by a hand on my shoulder. Turning around, I saw the look of concern on the Duelist's face.
"Jayce, have you been following my break schedule?" Arryn wanted to make sure that I haven't been playing this game too much.
"Of course I have! Now can we concentrate? If we don't move fast, the Gaia keys will fall into the wrong hands!" I had no choice but to raise my voice. If she didn't see the urgency in the current situation then I had to tell her.
"Jayce, answer me. How long have you been online?" She insisted despite my attempts to stay. "You say you're taking breaks but are you? It seems that every time Kage and I log in, you're already there."
"I'm taking breaks alright?!" I swiped her hand off my shoulder and sighed. She shouldn't have worried so much about me. I knew how to handle my time. "We just need to hurry and get all eight keys before anyone else does."
Her eyes shifted as she looked confused. "Why do we need all eight? Don't we just need one?"
"Because I don't trust anyone other than us to run this game." I realized the tone of my voice was a bit off and decided to calm down. I didn't want to hurt the person I loved, after all. "Arryn, I'm doing this for us. I can make this place a paradise where we can have all the fun we want. Once we achieve that goal, we can relax."
"Very well…" She looked down despite my assurance. "But I'm still worried about you, Jayce. You know what happened last-"
"Last time. Yes, I know. I told you, it won't happen again. I just need to…" I was interrupted by a sudden hug from her. Her embrace felt warm.
"Jayce, please. Take a break. For me." Arryn pleaded into my ear as I felt the tension within me disappear. "We can send Richter's squad to Blizzard Berg."
I paused before wrapping my arms around her. "Okay…"
"New bow, baby!" Daize held up a reinforced sandstone bow he found in one of the chests lying around the Minotaur chamber. There were four so we each decided to pick one and distribute the loot we received.
"Ooh! Magic amulets!" Megumi peered at the contents of her chest. "Soran, what did you get?"
"Just some potions…" He nervously laughed at the basic drop from the chest. "Wairuzu, how about you?"
I silently gazed at the item on my screen before putting it on. It was a Ravager class armor but luckily, there was no such thing as exclusive armor sets in this game. With one swipe, dark shoulder pads and gauntlets that were spiked with red outlining each of them appeared along with the rest of the armor pieces. The chest had a red pattern to it while the collar of the inner shirt was the same shade of orange as my hair. The trousers were black while the boots had this red flame motif to it. A belt of cloth was wrapped around my waist which was a similar color to the scarf from my last armor set. Standing proud, I turned to the others.
"Right. Let's get to Blizzard Berg."
Ending: Yume Sekai by Tomatsu Haruka
Next Episode: A Cold Reunion