Guilds are made in hopes of getting a simple title and recognition to its members as a symbol and identity for everyone to know them apart. It is a community where people can join and interact with one another.
Every user is equipped with an Elrios Communication Device (ECD). It is a simple device, programmed from the Nasod technology of its times, which makes communication possible for everyone in different modes. The device can show all the information you can know from other users and prompts are sent from the system regarding all announcement made in Solace Elrios. With the furtherance of its technological enhancements from Altera, guild members are now able to communicate with any of the guild members at any place, at any time. Every member of the guild that enters Solace Elrios will also be prompted and, without a doubt, announces the user's coming or going, which is all made possible through the ECD guild app. Their rank as guild members are easily set and changed with the use of this technology.
Being the new entitled guild leader of the KNightBerserkER, Alliexya toys with her ECD and checks the guild app from time to time, checking who was in the vicinity. She was thrilled with all the function and privileges she could do as a guild leader. Then suddenly, a prompt came up.
[Malware has logged in.]
Alliexya slightly frowned. She was not sure with how to deal with someone like him. There was one thing that she didn't like about people and it is their annoying, cheeky, self-concerning character. Apparently, this is how she sees Malware due to the incident that occurred in Klarck's wedding. She immediately looked at the ECD guild app and saw where the device picked up his log in and found out that he was in Velder Village. Knowing that he was there, she felt a slight relief as there was a smaller chance of having a face to face meeting... unless he uses Cobo Express Service to quickly travel to Hamel Capital. In all honestly, she is very shy with meeting new people, and even if Malware is under the same household as Spera, his circumstance changes everything. Still, she felt no harm in chatting though so she greeted, "hi! Welcome to the guild~"
Surprisingly, Malware quickly replies, "Heya!"
Alliexya blinked a few times. She definitely sees the quirks of a multiplayer. Malware is currently under the original household, which made her more relieved. "Umm, what quests are you doing right now?" She curiously asked by sending a message.
"Ohh, right now I'm... doing Sunken Resiam."
"Want to do that together?"
"Sure! Party with me."
Alliexya opened the guild app and sent a request for a party link. After receiving confirmation and appearing in the party list, they queued on the dungeon run and check if others could join and help their run.
It almost feels natural for Alliexya to be comfortable around Malware because she thought that he is now under Spera's household influence. Then at one point in time, Malware fell silent.
Alliexya smiled at the party view, trying to break the silence, "well, where to next Mal?"
"Huh?" He replied, sounding irritated to reply.
"Ohh, uhmm... Should we still continue in Resiam? I still have a quest there."
"Sure."
"Oh... kay..." She queued as the silence felt weird since the talkative Malware was no where to be found right now. "Umm... Is this... still Spera?" She finally asked as to confirm that gut feeling she has for a while now.
"Nope. I am taking over Malware since Spera has things to do."
"I see."
The silence lasted until they finished the quest for the run for Resiam.
"Thanks D." Alliexya thanked him since she felt that she had really bothered him of his time.
After a short while, Malware finally replied, "Mr. D" he corrected. "And you can just call me Mal, Bye."
"Okie." And with that, she left the party and closed the app. As she prepared to leave Elrios and retire for the day, she looked at the ECD one last time and looked at Malware's character information. After taking a second to meditate on today's events, she closed the device and left.
.
The next day came and Alliexya happily arrived first in Elrios from her household. And as though it was expected, she saw Malware online already.
"Morning~" she greeted as she always do when she arrives in Solace Elrios.
"Morning." Malware replied as quickly as possible. "Hey, come here to the field. Help me hunt these black birds."
Quickly, she opened the guild menu and saw that Malware was already two levels ahead of her since the last time they met. "Wow, that was quick! You leveled up so fast."
"Huh?... uh yeah, I quested until I passed out yesterday."
"What?!"
"Can you PLEASE just come here? The owner's being a lazy bum and I am stuck at these quests."
She immediately receives a party request, which she quickly accepts. With a quick glance at the guild app, she heads for Stricken City, as to where his location was registered. It was a bit of a stretch running to the fields of Stricken City when you are from the Hamel Capital. The road is always dangerous and filled with monsters that still roam freely. Arriving at the scene, she checks the map and field status if Malware was there. The fields has multiple and changing dimensions and no one is assured that they will enter to the same field where their party is. From the entrance of Stricken City, a set of grunts and monster cry echoes through the fields.
"So, we defeat the Black Ancient Cockatrigle?" Alliexya asks in one final confirmation since she does not receive a prompt to kill these monsters.
Malware sent his Dynamos to one final strike, finishing off one of the Cockatrigles and stared at it. "Uhh yeah, these black bird's what I said, right?"
The tone of irritation was clear in his voice. All she could do now is shrug her question off. "I was just making sure." She quickly casts a lightning spell that shot through three of those Black Ancient Cockatrigle to their demise and started chanting for another spell.
He then smiles at the progress as the prompt tells him that he had fulfilled eliminating the quested monsters via party link. "Alright, let's do this."
With a quick nod to him, she started memorizing a few more spells in case she quickly needs to cast them and started helping him in his quest.
As they kept killing Cockatrigles from the never ending quest of that level, Alliexya finally decided to ask. "Mal, uhmm... Can we go to Sunken?"
Malware froze in place as he heard her request. He breathed in and distantly looked at the ruins of the field and thought for a while.
Despite his standstill, she continued to do his quest. Truthfully, she never expects that he would approve of it. She knows how troublesome and hated the quest is for Sunken Resiam and he made his own efforts in finishing the quest in his own time. So now, she wasn't so sure why she even bothered asking.
As she decided to take back her suggestion for the quest, he finally started killing the monsters and said, "fine, let's go."
A queue notice came up and she was so sure that her heart stopped from this gesture. She couldn't help but smile and being conscious of it, she decided to go to the other stretch of the field to kill the roaming Black Ancient Cockatrigle to hide this fact.
"Just so you know," Malware loudly said for her to hear, "I am a very nice guy, so you should really thank me."
Alliexya quickly turned around and saw his smug face as he was declaring his own "nice" intentions. But despite all that, the thought of him helping her quests through the most hated dungeon of all was just too surreal. Her smile beamed with a blinding happiness and excitement flushed her face pink. "Thanks so much, Mal!"
For a moment, he froze from what he saw. He never thought that she'd actually thank him and he really felt like something really pierced his chest. Puzzled by that sudden feeling, he scratched his head and shrugged it off as he continued to do his quest while waiting for party queue.
.
After finishing the Sunken Resiam dungeon, they arrive back at the ruins of Stricken City and apparently, Alliexya was not feeling well. She messed up in their run and that Coral Sea Serpent poisoned her really badly. She tried her best to keep this fact to herself. Malware was kind enough to accompany her there and she ends up getting poisoned in the process. She was not going to embarrass herself and become a bother to him.
"Well, you sure that's the last time for you to go there?" Malware asked as he wrings his jacket dry.
"Yup!" Alliexya sat down on some rubble and opened her ECD and showed him that Taranvash will be her next target. "I was just informed that he went insane because of the El, and they need some people to help maintain his sanity."
"Ye, the watchdog gone crazy, the most ironic story ever." He said as he leaned forward to look at the familiar quest that he had done yesterday. He then noticed that her hands looked a bit green and quickly grabbed her arm for closer inspection.
"Wha... L-let go!" She panicked as she recoiled from him inspecting the infection. "I-it's just a stain from that Black Flower. It covered me with a lot of green powder."
"Green powder... under the water... ring any bells?" He tilted his head as he can't believe that they are having this conversation. "I mean, come on, did the poison go to your head too?"
She pouted at what he said. She knows so well that her excuses was not making any sense. But before she could do anything, Malware squatted in front of her and pushed back her drenched purple bangs while holding her chin up to face him.
He took a few seconds looking at her face as it slowly flushed from embarrassment. "Well, at least it hasn't gone to your head. Come on..."
"W-w-w-w-wait! I can stand on my own!" She quickly moved back and stood up from his obvious attempts of carrying her up.
"Hmm... Well, that's also good to know." He still reached to grab her hand and dragged her to the nearby rest area. "Sit and don't catch a cold." He threw his jacket over her as he walked over to Helen.
"H-hey..." She takes his jacket off her face and peeked at where he was going. There were many passersby in the rest area and she was glad that the jacket hid her infected hand from their eyes.
He comes back to her and hands over a bottle. "Here, for your immune system to fight the poison plus give me your hand, we'll wrap it like sushi so that it can absorb the rest of that poison spit from the wound.
Obediently, she drank that sour tasting potion and got her arm wrapped with some herbs. "I'm really sorry about this..." actually saying her sorry made her feel like crying. "I'm so pathetic right now."
"Uhhuh." he continues wrapping while not really listening to what she was saying. "There. Now... I'm sure you can still help me with the Black Ancient Chocobos..."
"Cockatrigle," she muttered to correct him.
"Yeah... whatever. Ca-cara... tigeru... thing. Can you?"
"Sure, all I have to do is cast spells. I can still help you."
"Okay, let's head back then."
.
A few days later, Alliexya bumped into Klarck and Spera as they were about to enter Sander. She waved at Spera as she told Klarck that she was going ahead of him.
"What's up?" Klarck asked as he went nearer to the shores of Noah's grave while Alliexya stood at the steps of Hamel Stones.
"Oh, nothing's really much happening... Which is why it is so weird."
"Oh? Care to explain?" He asked as he went nearer to the steps and placed the Destroyer down, offering a seat to his well loved sister.
She took the offer and sat with him. "I mean... recently, I haven't been dealing with Kritt and Claytte. Neykka isn't really over bothering people with her treats and I... haven't really been hearing about how you are... brother..."
"Hehe... Sorry about that Allie. I guess in my case, I am just enjoying the time I have with my waifu." He smiled and ruffled his hair out of embarrassment.
She felt really jealous of Spera, being able to make him smile like that. She knew that it was impossible for the same household to marry each other, but that didn't stop her for dreaming about it. As it seems the mood to confess came, she started feeling nervous for her true feelings. 'There is nothing wrong in telling your brother about your love and admiration for him.' She thought this line over and over until she calmed down and started, "Klarck... I..."
"Oh, hey Malware!" Klarck suddenly stood up and greeted as he approached him from the distance.
"Sup." Malware replied, feeling a bit lost on how to relieve his boredom. But as he saw Alliexya's flustered face along with her actions of knocking her head, his mood kinda lifted up.
"Man, you really do level up so fast." Klarck smiled as he saw him look past him, to the direction of Alliexya. "Ahh... thanks for taking care for Allie the other day."
"Huh.. Oh yeah. Sure. No problem."
"Well, I guess I need to find Spera. Come on Allie, I gotta take the Destroyer with me."
Alliexya stood up and gave Klarck a quick hug. "Take care."
He laughed and pats her head, "you too." Then with a quick swift movement, he carries the Destroyer and enters Sander.
Malware stood beside Alliexya as they both watched Klarck exit the last Hamel gate to get to Sander. "Wow, do I get a hug too if I head off to Sander?"
She sighed, "I really don't know what you mean by that... Anyway, you are heading to Sander already?"
He poked one of the hovering Dynamos as he thought of what to answer to her. "I guess I can stay to help you, since I'm a real gentleman." He shrugged his shoulders, playing it cool.
She laughed at his gesture, "haha, okay. Let's kill some Black Ancient Cockatrigles for my quest then." She grinned in plain expected annoyance that Malware is feeling for having to do his finished quest all over again because he went ahead to level up without her.
.
For the past weeks, Alliexya felt too drained and she finally decided to stay home for the day as Klarck went ahead to do his daily routines in Sander. Neykka was cleaning the common room shelves while Rupercht and Claytte were being good kids, helping Neykka with the cleaning she was doing. Xyhraen came in and handed them their share of breakfast as the drones balanced the plates on their heads.
"Oh, Allie," Xyhraen went nearer to where Alliexya was as she rests on the sofa. "You are home!"
"Yes, I am home and I am feeling tired right now." Alliexya turned to face the other direction.
"Aww... Allie," Xyhraen smiled and grabbed Alliexya's shoulders for a massage. "How about I help you get our energy back?"
"No thanks..." the exhaustion in her voice made Xyhraen stop whatever she was planning on doing. "Let me just sleep in a bit."
Xyhraen squished in to the little space left from the sofa provides and lied beside Alliexya and started to wriggle for space. "Meeep~"
"Aww Xyh, stahp." she laughed as she ends up giving her more space to lie on. "Why do you do this whenever I am on the sofa, there is practically no space."
"Yet you both fit there perfectly like Sardines!" Rupercht inserted as all of them were laughing in the room.
Xyhraen immediately sat up and turned to Alliexya. "Should I carry you to your bed? It's bigger there anyways."
"Ohh... uhh no thanks Xyh, just lie back down beside me for a few mins."
She squished right back to position, "Roger that... Meep~"
"Stop meeping, you sound hilarious. Why are you doing that?"
"Oh, Spera taught me to do it. We Eves will sound cuter when we do it, she said."
"Ohh." The mention of Spera reminds her of Malware.
"Do I really sound cuter?" Xyhraen asks, more towards Neykka, Rupercht and Claytte than to Alliexya
The two Adds from the cleaning group cheered in unison, "Hell yeah!" and Neykka could only smile and nod.
Suddenly, Kritt came in and looked for Alliexya. "Allie? Ahh! Sardines again? Uhh anyway, Xhelare was looking for you, she said that Mal became a DJ and well... they wanted you to come and see."
"What? Why do I have to go there... and what DJ?" Allie looked at Rupercht's direction since he is taking the same job class as Malware. Apparently, he doesn't know what skills he would get since his level was too small to know about it.
"Well, whatever, anyway, you should head down to Hamel, he said he'll meet you there." Kritt quickly exits the room and went upstairs to her room.
.
"Allie!" The sweet sounding voice of Neykka rang through the halls of Hamel.
"I told you not to call my name while running!" Alliexya sighed as this embarrassment had become a normal thing for her. "What do I owe this pleasure, Neykka?" She emphasized Neykka's name as a form of retort she has done shouting her name.
"Oh, you silly thing," Neykka mused as she clearly got annoyed by it, "you forgot this." She hands over a nicely wrapped packed lunch, apparently it was lunch for two.
"Ehh? I thought this wasn't mine. Was someone supposed to join me today?"
Neykka smiled. It's that sinister smile she does when she is meddling too much in people's affair. "You silly little child." She points forcefully at the lunch that she just handed over and said, "make SURE... you share THIS... with Malware, okay?"
With little say in the matter, Alliexya nodded. "G-got it, sis."
For a moment, Neykka's forceful mood swayed as the word "sis" echoed in her delight. Sweetly, she bids Alliexya farewell and headed back home.
"Wow. That is something you don't see everyday." Fiora, one of the most active member of the guild, extinguished the flames she was playing with as she leaned on the columns near Horatio's black smithing shop.
"Oh, it's you Fio." Alliexya went nearer to her and placed the packed lunch in front of her. "Do you know how in the world can I share this food with Mal?"
"Ehh... Heck will I know how you would do that."
"I know right? If she wanted to share this with him, she should just give it to him. Why do I have to do it."
"Dunno about that but you can think of it as bonding with the members? You know, like what Klarck and I always do in Velder Hallu." Fiora laughed at the memories of killing Klarck in their runs when Joaquin when given the chance that she gets the hallucination.
"You know, you are making him get too used to the deaths there. Brother is actually looking forward to it nowadays."
"Haha it's his fault for having Velder Hallu become his favorite Secret Dungeon run."
"Oh no, you are making him sound like Kritt." Alliexya face-palmed herself in disbelief.
"Then you'll find out that it's actually the other way around. Hahaha... Oops, I guess your date is here. I'll take my leave."
"D-date?! Fio, that's not what... this is..." Alliexya muttered as she went pass the crowds, headed towards the boards.
"Hey, Allie," Malware along with a person who was holding a camera approached her. "I got this awesome idea, you're coming to help me."
"Oh okay... Where are we headed?"
"Just follow me." He grabbed her wrist and started pulling her towards the port headed to Velder. After reaching the port terminal of Fluone and obtaining their tickets, they boarded the Battleship, destined to arrive at Velder's Port Lurensia, and immediately headed towards the deck.
"Uhh... yeah, what are we doing here?" Alliexya finally asked as there was really no need for them to head back to Lurensia.
Malware was busy talking to his companion and directed him to stay at the edge of the deck. "Like what I said, I have this awesome idea. Now, camera dude will film us wipe out the pesky crabs and merman that boards this ship and your role is to be my slave and kill them at my command."
"Ohh, so my role is a slave."
"Yes, MY slave" he corrected her. "Now, the film starts with me chilling out, then my queue for you is when I say, "Ready?." then you run forward and use your skills and ice balls to eliminate some of them then I will use my awesome DJ moves and wipe the rest with my Dynamos as we walk to reach the other side, feeling really awesome at what we had done, but still looking really cool, okay. Just walk and making it look swag. You got it?"
Feeling kinda dumbfounded, she just nodded.
"'Kay, let's try this. Ready?" he shouted towards the guy holding the camera and he responded with a nod. He then sits on his Dynamos at the top steps of the deck near the rear entrance.
Alliexya misunderstood that as the signal and ran forward attacked the monsters.
"Wait, no, no, no, no!" He stood up and pointed behind him. "Stay here first then I will stand up and walk until the mid-landing of the stairs, you just follow behind me. Then I will say "Ready?" and then that's the time you run off and do what you did then I will cast my DJ skill."
"Oh... okay, why didn't you say so?" she went to the middle landing steps of the stairs and pointed, "here, right? Just making sure..."
"Yes there, so come on. Back here and at the signal of go."
He then sits down and snaps at the camera man. After a while, he stood up and walked to the second landing. "Ready?"
With that, Alliexya ran forward and casts three spells when suddenly, Malware's Dynamo went into a frenzy and chased the other monsters. He then continues walking but apparently one of the Black Ancient Crabs still stands in their path and unfortunately, Alliexya reached the other side.
"No! You should try killing them all then uhh... Wait in this spot for me to arrive and make sure I reach the other side before you."
"Ohh... Okay. But you know, the crabs are hard to kill. Do you think I can throw in Glave's Hatchet as my final attack."
After thinking for a while he finds that as a good idea. "Nice, let's try going with that. Come on, again."
After five more times of filming that same scene over and over, he felt satisfied and checked the recording. As he did that, Alliexya opened the packed lunch and invited them to eat. "Come on, Neykka prepared a lot, we can all share this."
Apparently, the camera man had plans already and he had to excuse himself since Malware did kinda suddenly dragged him into it as well. Left all alone with Malware, she just placed all the food in front of her and waited. Finally, he smiled and kept the video recording device.
"Nice, that last one was specially good. We should have just decreased their health in the first place." He sat down with her and looked at the food set before him. "What's this about?"
"Well, I haven't eaten lunch and almost everyone at home knew that you called me out. So, Neykka prepared lunch. Y-you don't need to eat it if you don't want it." She shrugged her shoulders and waited if he did want to eat.
"Hmm... is that why they haven't called me..." He muttered and truthfully, he wouldn't have cared if there was a weird plot amidst all this. "Anyway, I am eating so let's make this all disappear."
She laughed and distributed the utensils. "You can have as much as you like."
"Hmm... so can I have YOU as much as I like, too?" He said with his usual nonsense.
Apparently, she just laughed and he immediately joined in as well since it was almost mutually understood that he said that as a joke, just to break the ice and awkwardness he felt. Eventually, Alliexya knew that being with Malware, whether the original household or the multiplayer's state of mind, he was an overall good guy. There was no denying that he cares behind that proud and smug face he puts on in front of everyone else. Unbeknownst to her, the wall she built between them slowly crumbled away, every second more they spent together, every second more they smiled.
Alright! Finally finished this chapter. I have to be honest, the more I write the longer it really gets. I was practically satisfied with it reaching the 1k words marker but the story just kept increasing! I mean, who knows what came into my mind to write more? Anyway, special thanks to Yuuko for encouraging me to make the progress slow. I mean, it might be weird but I had the idea that Allie did fall for Malware quite faster than the usual. I don't know, he's too... charming and he likes doing "da moves"
Disclaimer: Elsword is not mine. It is an awesome online game for anyone to play, but we may never meet if you play it on a different server XD.
Thanks for reading~!