Chapter Ten
Inner light, Trust in Darkness
August 29, 2009
It's been a week since I last logged into "The World", for work has keep me busy, and after what I saw last week, almost nothing in the game can surprise me anymore. Helba know so much about me that I thought she was reading my mind, she truly is a great hacker to know so much about me. Dractaros is looking for a new lead, and Draconair is trying her best to keep the admins off our back, I worry though. She's risking a great deal for him, she must truly care about him to risk her job, I'm going to see if Drac has found anything out, maybe go through a dungeon today.
When I loaded in, the Sigma server Fort Ouph materialized before me, the fort in the sky is what this little place is, a morning light was shining to my left. I knew that it was late in Japan but felt that knowing how my best friend has been since his brother fell comatose that he may still be on. First thing I'm doing though is restocking on items, I turned to face the rising sun and headed towards the item shop. It was at the item shop that I heard that a blademaster in blue armor with wings was down at the Grunty ranch.
When I got down there, I saw Dractaros feeding his Aqua Grunty, it looked like a mix between a pig and a bull, but the aqua grunty was much more different from a normal grunty, it looked like water being held in the shape of a grunty. "Hey, Dractaros, what's up?" I asked him.
"Just feeding my grunty, aren't you up a bit late?" He asked back.
"No, it's you who's up late, it morning at my place"
"What? Where the hell did the time go, guess I should get some rest, if I can sleep" He looked very upset.
"What's wrong?" I asked.
He looked up at me and said, "I don't want to worry you"
"Dude, I've been worried about you since you told me what happened to your bro, so what's wrong?"
"…"
"It's your brother, isn't it?"
"I just can't sleep, I can't help but feel that there may have been something I could have done to keep him from going into a coma"
"There was nothing you could have done man, get over it, well get him back, I promise"
"… Thanks, man" he smiled weakly, and stood up, "Well, I should get some rest, later man"
"Ya, later"
He logged out, well, guess I have some free time, but what to do, I turned around and was about to head out when I heard someone behind me talking to me.
"PK Slayer Drako, it's been a long time"
That voice, it's cold and mysterious, it couldn't be, I turned around and sure enough, it was, Hiro the ninja Player Killer, his Blue kimono and cold eyes where unmistakable. "Hiro, what do you want, have you been hired to kill me again?" I said coldly to him.
"Not even close, for if I was, you'd already be dead"
"Then what are you doing here? I asked him.
"Asking you to join me on a dungeon adventure"
"What?" I asked back very puzzled, "Last time we met, you where trying to put my head on a pike, so why are you asking me to a dungeon?"
"I would rather not discuses it here, to crowded," He sent an invitation and said, "if you want to, then come to Sigma Quiet Soul New Truth". With that he disappeared, leaving me wondering.
What could he be up to, something tells me he isn't out to kill me, should I trust him, I started heading towards the Chaos Gate, still thinking. If he wanted to kill me, I think he would have already, he's a ninja, and ninja's don't ever revile themselves like that, maybe I should go. When I reached the Chaos Gate, I decided that I'll trust him for now, I accepted his invite and entered to keywords.
When the field loaded up, I immediately noticed that it was nighttime, it was a open plain with few structures.
"I'm glad you decided to come"
I turned around and saw him just standing there, "Alright Hiro, tell me why you're not trying to kill me? Now."
"I'm not a bad person Drako, I kill only those that others want dead, I make friends with whoever I want"
"Why would you wanna be my friend?"
"Let me ask you one thing, why did you want to find Helba?" He asked.
"… I was looking because my friend needs help, and we thought Helba could help"
"So you wanted to help your friend"
"Yes, but why are you asking?"
"…"
"Are you just going to ignore me?"
"Lets clear the dungeon first" He started heading northward.
"HEY! God, could work on your manners a bit" I mumbled and followed.
When we entered the dungeon, he didn't say a thing, the dungeon was in fact a dungeon, like in a castle, a red colored lit place. When we entered the next room, he finally said something, "Be careful, this dungeon is filled with Evil horns, Time Visitors, and Magatumkuros, you know what these monsters are like, don't you?"
"I know that Time Visitors can resurrect and that Evil horns are red and magic tolerant, but I've never seen a Magatumkuro"
"Their large creatures made from purple bones and appear in single groups, there high in attack strength and are easy targets"
"I figured"
"There are three floors to this dungeon, so this will not last long"
"You sure know a lot about this place, you come here often?"
"…"
"What's your problem "
"Lets get moving" He moved to the next room.
He's really starting to piss me off, in the next room was where three Evil Horns, He took one out and I quickly killed the other two.
After clearing the first two floors, Hiro finally decided to say something, "What are your ethics?"
"What?" I replied back.
"What are your ethics?"
"What do you mean?"
"What do you see as right and wrong, where do you draw the between the two?"
"Oh, well, even though in "The World", your free to do what you want, I feel it isn't right to pick on the helpless, for what honor do you get for defeating someone weaker then you, someone who is new to the game"
"So, that's why you started fighting Player Killers?"
"Exactly, why do you ask, or are you not going to answer me again?"
"… Lets finish the dungeon" he started to move forward.
"Hiro" He stopped, "If you ever want to talk to someone, you don't just walk away in the middle of a conversation, why have you asked me here?"
"…"
"Fine then, keep to yourself!" I walked forward into the last room between us and the dungeons treasure, a Magatumkuro stood in our way after the portal opened. I charged it planning to kill it in one blow, "Ralo Maxima" Electricity erupted from my sword and killed it, "Elemental strike, electricity beats darkness monster, now then, I'm out of here" I said to Hiro.
"You wanted to know why I asked about your ethics, didn't you?" He asked.
"Ya, are you finally going to tell me about time." I turned around and noticed, his eyes didn't look cold, he looked like a different person without cold eyes.
"Well then, here it is, I've made friends with someone who is like a brother to me, someone who understands me like no one ever has"
"Let me guess, someone wanted you to kill this person"
"Correct"
"So, I still don't understand why you asked me here"
"Why do you stick up for newbies when Pkers try to kill then for fun?"
"Because no one else will, when someone is killed in a root town in front of others, no one does a thing to stop them it's sick."
"So that's why you fight?"
"I fight for my friends too, you want to know the truth why I was looking for Helba"
"Truth?"
"Ya, there's a reason that I looked for Helba, not to gossip that I found the legendary hacker, but to help a dear friend to me"
"What do you mean?"
By this time, I was just upset so I didn't give a shit what I said, "My friends brother fell comatose"
"What?"
"While playing the game, he fell comatose, that was over a year ago, and he's still in a coma"
"…"
"I looked up to him and he treated me like my friend does, a brother, and I'm not going to sit aside and not do a thing"
"… So this is where you draw your strength from, your friends and your feelings, you're truly a great person. He then came up to me and said "Thank you"
I turned around and looked at him again, "for what?"
"Your ethics have changed the way I think, for I didn't kill my new friend, you showed me something I've never seen before, kindness to others that you've never met"
"You have changed, last time I saw you, you where a lone wolf"
"You are the one who showed me a new path, and your friendship"
I walked over to him, and said, "If you wanted a friend, all you have to do is ask"
He looked at me with a happy look in his eyes, he extended out his hand and said, "Friends?"
I reached out and shook his hand, "Friends"
"Should you ever need my help, don't hesitate to ask"
"I won't"
It was a hard lesson for me, but I learned that you truly judge someone by there actions. I'm proud of what has happened this day, maybe there is hope for Drac's brother, for what where the chances of me being friends with a player killer.