Hey guys, I'm back with Log On! I'd like to thank all the very nice reviewers who have been very supportive in their comments towards the story. Thank you all for taking the time to review the story!
Someone left a review that related one bit part to another character in a television show. Actually, that was completely a mistake. (sweatdrop) A coincidence. I've actually seen the television show that you brought up; it's the one about the teen spy, right? Yeah…that was completely a coincidence. (sweatdrops again) Actually, I imagined Shiiko to have short white hair and a cute smile. (smiles) Ahh…I do love my bit parts. There aren't a lot of allusions in this story to other television shows, games, or anime shows.
Another person said they wanted to draw fanart! SQUEEEE! I'd be so honored! My e-mail is PrettySammyNAS at aol dot com. Just change the words to symbols! Yaaaay! Thanks so much!
Anyway, in this chapter, we've got what you've all been waiting for…a tap dancing penguin! Mwahah! Uhhh…actually no. Okay, bad joke. Let's move on, shall we?
But seriously, this chapter marks the half-way point in our story! Yaaay! Rejoice and be glad, right? Anyway, read, relax, and review, cause I'm ready to write!
Log On – Chapter 13 – The Final Ring Holders
"I think I finally understand it."
Souchirou and Mai were standing in the hall after their seventh period class talking to one another. Mai had found it odd that Souchirou had followed her after class, especially since he usually followed Ayumi to her locker, or went to his own. But, before she had time to question it, the two were stationed at her locker, and Souchirou had finally opened his mouth.
"Understand what?" Mai asked curiously to the black-haired boy behind her.
"Why Ayumi-sama is so infatuated with Mimura," Souchirou explained to Mai. Mai gave an internal sigh. It was common knowledge enough that Souchirou had a huge crush on Ayumi, and that Ayumi had a huge crush on Hiromi, but Mai currently wasn't looking forward to hearing another one of Souchirou's crazy schemes to win Ayumi's heart. "I think I finally understand why."
Mai didn't respond. She didn't want to open up this can of worms.
"Aren't you going to ask my opinion?" he asked her and she sighed.
"Why?"
"Because obviously, Ayumi-sama isn't impressed with my money, intelligence, or amazing good looks," Souchirou explained. Mai had to hold in a laugh. Souchirou was her friend, but he could seriously push the limit when it came to "dork-itude", as Ayumi put it. "She's obviously interested in Mimura because he has something I don't."
"Like brown hair?" Mai asked and Souchirou shook his head.
"I considered that, but, take this into account. There are many males in their first year of High School who have brown hair, and yet, Ayumi-sama has chosen Mimura over all of them. No, it is obviously for another reason."
"He's got blue eyes?"
"The previous argument follows for that reason as well," Souchirou sighed, adjusting his large coke-bottle glasses. "And Mimura isn't involved in any…how do you say…athletics either. He, in fact, is not involved in any school clubs or activities."
"Then why do you think Ayumi likes Hiromi?" Mai asked, closing her locker and placing her books in her backpack for her last class.
"I think it has something to do with 'The World'."
"'The World'?" Mai asked, skeptical. "What, you think Ayumi likes twin-blades? Impossible, she liked Hiromi before she knew he played the game."
"So she says…" Souchirou smirked. "But, I have a theory. I see no way that I can win her heart with my physical form, as I cannot change that…" he reasoned. "At least without spending many, many hours at a disgusting public gym or changing my beautiful face."
Mai snorted, but luckily, Souchirou didn't hear.
"But what if I were to become impressive on 'The World'?" he reasoned and Mai looked at him oddly.
"You're a Prism Hacker, how much more impressive can you get?" Mai asked.
"Yes, that is true; I am a ring holder. But so is Mimura," Souchirou reminded her. "I, instead, think that if I were to impress Ayumi-sama with a rare item or a rare event, then she would hold me in higher regard."
"Well, you have loads of rare items in your storage don't you?" Mai asked him, remembering how Souchirou's character, Zaiten, was a Rare Hunter. "Just give one of them to her."
"Alas, a normal rare item seems to be not rare enough for Ayumi-sama," Souchirou sighed. "When I offered my Golden Grunty, she simply scoffed at it. I'm going to have to find something even rarer then that."
"Well, good luck, I guess," said Mai, making her way into her class. "But you're going to be late if you don't get your books."
Souchirou glanced at the clock, gulped, then sped off towards his locker before he was late for eighth period. Mai couldn't help but let a giggle escape as she watched him run out of sight.
"What's so funny?" a voice from behind her asked. She turned around to see Ayumi staring at her oddly. "What were you talking to Souchi-dork about?"
"Ohh, nuttin'," Mai grinned. "He's just babbling as usual."
"I swear, his dork-itude is off the scale today!" Ayumi sighed, a light smile on her lips. "C'mon let's sit down! The faster we sit through Biology, the faster I can go home!"
"Yeah, yeah," Mai smiled at her friend, then sat down next to her as the bell rang.
"Hey Hiromi, what's up?"
"Nuttin' Pops," Hiromi looked up at his Uncle, brushing his brown bangs out of his eyes. Hiromi sat at Start Button, pouring over a Math textbook, his eyes slightly glazed over. "Just studying for a Math test."
"Heh, since when have you been such a scholar?" his Uncle asked curiously, walking behind the counter to arrange some merchandise.
"Well…Dad's working late tonight, and I didn't have anything better to do…" Hiromi mumbled, as if coming up with an excuse. "I just thought I might as well get above a 'C' on this next one."
"Your Dad's proud of you, Hiromi," his uncle smiled at Hiromi, and Hiromi looked up. His uncle grinned. "Really proud. Told me so himself. Said that you were an upright young man."
Hiromi didn't respond and he returned to his book, flipping pages absent-mindedly. "Sure…upright young man…"
"Sorry we're late, boss!" The door of the store flew open, the tiny bell at the top of the glass door giving a small "ring". Two figures dressed in light coats walked through the door: Sota and Fuko. They both looked flustered, as if they had run there.
"Sota's car wouldn't start so we were late coming here from the University!" Fuko told him, taking off her coat.
"Ahh, no problem," Hiromi's uncle smiled. "I'll be in the back. You two run the counter. Today's kind of a slow day, but the elementary and Junior High kids should be arriving any minute now."
"Hey Hiromi, what's up?" Sota asked, shaking his mane of dark brown hair away from his dark eyes.
"Nuttin much Sota," Hiromi sighed, giving Sota a casual "high-five" as he walked behind the counter.
"Where are Mai and the others?" Fuko asked.
"They went home after school. Big test tomorrow in math," Hiromi explained, pointing to his open math book.
"You may not believe me, but I'm taking college calculus right now," Sota boasted. "I could help you out."
"Thanks, but no thanks. I'm fine," Hiromi smiled. "So, what're you guys up to nowadays?"
"Nothing much," Fuko smiled. "Class of course. I've been pretty tied down with my Semester Project for computer programming too."
"What are you doing for your project Fuko?" Hiromi asked.
"Fuko here, although she has some personality problems, is pretty sweet with computers," Sota grinned, only to be greeted by a sharp whack on the head from Fuko. "Ow! I was just kidding!"
"I'm practicing with operating systems, Hiromi," Fuko explained.
"Operating systems?" Hiromi asked. "But Altimit is the only system that's allowed nowadays. Ever since Pluto's Kiss in 2005 and the .hackers event that happened five years ago."
"That was ten years ago," Fuko reminded him. "And ever since the new technology council was formed…"
"The United Technology Organization?" Hiromi asked and Fuko nodded.
"Yep. I've heard they're going to allow a new operating system on the market," Fuko smiled. "But Altimit is trying to convince the U.T.O that their system is the only one that could survive another Pluto's Kiss disaster."
"Money-mongrels," Sota murmured.
"I don't know…" Fuko smiled. "There was talk of a new system five years ago, but Altimit won out then as well. It could be many years before we return to the old days of competing OSes."
"And Fuko here wants to design one," Sota smiled to her.
"True, true," Fuko smiled. "What, you think it's like having a dream to be beauty queen or something?"
"Nah, with your looks, that's an impossibility!" Sota laughed, then ducked quickly as a large box came flying towards him. "Woah!"
"You deserved it, jerk!" Fuko snarled.
"Hey Sota, what are you doing in college?" Hiromi asked curiously.
"Me?" Sota asked, pointing to himself. "Well…Fuko and I are both first-years, so we don't technically have majors yet, even though Fuko's going to major in Computer Programming starting next year."
"What are you interested in?" Hiromi asked.
"Art," Sota told him. "I actually want to become a visual artist one day."
"That's really awesome that you both have dreams for the future," Hiromi smiled.
"What about you Hiromi?" Fuko asked and Hiromi looked up. "I mean, I know you're still just a first year in High School, but what do you want to do with your life?"
"Uhh…I'm not sure…"
"Well, what do you like to do?" Sota asked. "Like, what do you do at school?"
Hiromi paused and looked back down at his text-book. "Nothing. I don't do anything at school. I really don't like to do anything." With that, he shut his text book and walked over to the Parlor. "I'm going to play for a bit. Hope you don't mind."
"Uhh…'course not," Sota nodded, looking slightly worried. Hiromi didn't waste any time putting on his headset and logging in to the game. Sota shot a glance at Fuko and she returned it.
"Do you think something's wrong?" Fuko asked quietly, dragging Sota into the back of the store.
"Not sure. Funny, he doesn't usually act like this."
"I know…do you think something's going on?"
"How should I know?" Sota sighed, scratching his head. "I'm only nineteen. I'm not a Dad. I'm not responsible enough to be one."
"Damn straight," Fuko smirked, then frowned. "Speaking of responsibility, you stood me up last night!"
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"We were supposed to meet at that area last night to check to see if the rumor was true, but you never showed up!"
"That was last night? Oops! Sorry about that…"
"Seriously, Sota…"
"So…was the rumor true?"
"…Yep."
"Tight! Okay…so what day and time should we meet?"
"Check your e-mail tonight; I'll message you."
"So…exactly how many Prism Players have we got so far?"
"Eight. Exactly the same number of Ring Holders."
"But Kalen said there were ten of each of us, right?"
It was the next day, and Ayumi, Mai, and Ryoko all sat in Gym the next day, pouring over a notebook that Mai had brought out, containing notes and diagrams. It was a free day in Gym, and the girls had decided to take the day off to scour over strategy.
"That's right Ayumi," Mai nodded, opening her book. "So that means that two more of each group exist."
"But we haven't found our final Ring Holders, have we?" Ryoko asked, biting her thumb. "The last two have yet to be found."
"Well…so far we have…" Mai opened up a page in the notebook to reveal a two column chart. The tops of the columns read "IG" for "In Game" and "RL" for "Real Life". "Iam, that's me; Orizo, that's Hiromi; Chikoro, Ayumi; Zaiten, Souchirou in real life; Gabriella, that's you Ryoko; Achean, that's Sean; and Tiyra and Sersen who are unknown at the moment."
"Those two sure are mysterious…" Ayumi murmured, furrowing her brow. "They won't let on anything about who they really are or anything."
"I think they know one another in real life…" Mai suggested. "They deny it, but something tells me they have some sort of relationship."
"Maybe they're friends," Ryoko suggested.
"Or brother and sister!" Ayumi giggled. "Sersen does tease Tiyra a lot!"
"Maybe," Mai smiled, then turned slightly grave. "As for Prism Players…" She flipped the page to a chart of Prism Players. The "RL" column for the team was filled with question marks. "Circeca, the blue Werewolf."
"Izaile, the golden yellow Heavy Axeman…" Ayumi murmured.
"Then there's Koga," Mai reminded Ayumi. "The green clad Fighter kid."
"And then there was Ryuin, the violet Long Arm who Circeca saved awhile back," said Ryoko.
"That creepy Yusena, the orange-colored Twin Blade," Ayumi grimaced. "She was nuts."
"But more nuts was that white Wavemaster, Tikairo," Mai brought up, shivering. "He was sinister."
"How about that bi-polar girl you, Tiyra, and Sersen fought?" Ryoko asked Mai. Mai nodded to her.
"Garavarta was her name. She was in black, and a blade master," Mai frowned. "And…then there's their leader. The Red-Clad Heavy Blade, Moyotu."
"Not to mention the last two that have yet to show their ugly mugs," Ryoko growled, punching her fist into her other hand. "We can only guess what they hold up their sleeves."
"But I'm more concerned about our last two Prism Hackers," Ayumi remarked to her two comrades. "How can we be sure we'll even find them?"
"Well…in the past, they've all shown up sooner or later," Ryoko reminded Ayumi. "I guess all we can do is wait."
"Ryoko is right," Mai said, standing up from her spot on the bleachers. "As far as I can see, there's no other way to search for them. The Prism Players will come after us sooner or later."
"Let's just hope it's later…" Ayumi murmured, narrowing her eyebrows, staring at her two friends, all three looking anxious.
"You know…" Sota brought up the next morning at Start Button. All six were sitting in their usual seats, Hiromi now much more cheerful then before. "You guys come in here almost every other morning, yet we hardly ever sell you anything. The boss'll fire us if you guys don't start paying up."
"Oh yeah right," Mai scoffed. "You two are here every day. He'd never fire you."
"We just got a new shipment of that jewelry you liked so much, Mai…" Sota smirked at her bracelet that Hiromi had gotten her for Christmas. "Want to see it?"
"This bracelet cost 5,000 yen…your jewelry is way overpriced."
"Hey, hey, hey! That's special technological jewelry! Of course it's expensive!"
"Sota! Stop fooling around and help me arrange the merchandise!" Fuko called to Sota from the front wall of the store.
"I'm talking to Hiromi and the others," Sota drawled.
"You ought to be ashamed of yourself! Using High School students as an excuse to skip work?" Fuko asked, sighing. "I'm sorry kids, but you're a bad influence on Sota."
"Fuko, you're only angry because of what happened yesterday in class," Sota grinned, then frowned dramatically. " 'Kaji! Wake up! I can't believe you're not listening the lesson!'" He shouted, obviously impersonating his professor.
"Yeah! And then Professor Ikeda got mad at ME!" Fuko snarled. " 'Ikibana-san, keep Kaji in line, won't you? You're supposed to make sure he's paying attention!' How in the hell are you MY responsibility all of a sudden?"
"Fuko, you act like an old woman," Sota grinned, and Fuko glared daggers at him. "You're only nineteen! Lighten up!"
"THIS is what I mean! You're so weird!" Fuko sighed.
"Hey…guys…speaking of jewelry…" Sota murmured. The six looked over at him, and he pointed to Mai's right hand. She looked down and realized he was staring at her hand guard. "I've been wondering about those weird hand guards you've got on."
"Huh? These?" Mai asked, growing slightly worried. "Umm…" Sean was already placing his motorcycle gloves over his own hand-guard. "We uhh…"
"Didn't you have rings before?" Fuko asked. "Don't you think you're getting pretty flashy?"
"They've still got the rings," Sota grasped Hiromi's hand and looked at the blue ring on his pointer finger. "They're just attached to the hand guard."
"We…uhh…" Hiromi stumbled, looking for an answer.
"You didn't get these from another gamestore did you?" Sota asked, narrowing his eyes. "I can't believe you'd betray your own uncle Hiromi!"
"We didn't buy them at another gamestore!" Hiromi insisted, becoming slightly frustrated at Sota's persistence. "We…uhh…"
"We joined a club."
The group blinked, then turned their heads toward the speaker: Ryoko. Ryoko grinned. "Yep! We joined a special club. All members get a handguard."
"A club huh?" Fuko asked, smiling. "What kind of club?"
"Uhh…it's kind of one of those 'you have to know what it is to know what it is' things," Ayumi told them, catching on quick. "Just an exclusive club."
"Exclusive…I got it," Sota smirked. "Whatever; just kid's stuff, right Fuko?"
"Oh yeah Sota, THEY'RE the kids. You were the one throwing rubber duckies at me when we went shopping for a new mat for my bathroom."
"Well hey…you're such an ugly duckling," Sota smirked, only to be hit on the head with a large box thrown by Fuko. "HEY! I meant that in a nice way!"
The group turned to Ryoko, who smiled at them, then gave a wink. They smiled back, then gave a short laugh as Fuko and Sota continued to argue.
"Mai! Mai!"
It was the next day of school, and Mai had just gotten out of class. She turned around to see none other then Souchirou running towards her, his glasses askew, a wide grin spread across his face. "I'm glad I caught you!" he panted, holding his knees. "I have excellent news!"
"What's that?" Mai asked, smiling.
"I have finally found a way to impress to Ayumi-sama!" He grinned. "I've heard it on the rumor message boards on the "The World" official forum."
"What's that?" Mai asked, curious.
"It seems that today, at five o' clock, CC Corp is giving away a very special prize in a special event!" Souchirou grinned. "Only ten people will achieve the prize! I MUST win!"
"Heh, great! Do you want me to help?" Mai asked. Souchriou nodded.
"As far as the rumors go, it's a party event. I'll need a few friends to come along. I've decided to recruit the most level-headed members of the Prism Hackers. Mr. McGuire has already agreed to join me on my quest."
"You don't have to call Sean "Mr. McGuire"…"
"You're right. The American prefix is silly. We're in Japan, aren't we? McGuire-san has already agreed to join me on my quest."
"The prefix or suffix isn't the point I was trying to make…" Mai sweatdropped.
"Meet me on "The World" at three thirty today after school! Please be punctual!" Souchirou smiled, adjusted his glasses, then walked off, a certain spring in his step. Mai had wondered what exactly she had gotten herself into.
When Mai logged onto her computer, she noticed a five new e-mails in her box. "Woah…who sent me all this e-mail?" she wondered out loud. She opened up the box, then sighed to see that four were from Zaiten, all with the subject: "Please Be Punctual."
One was from Achean. She opened it and read the message:
Mai:
Hey…Souchirou roped you into this too? Oh well…we might get something cool.
-Sean
Mai giggled slightly, deleted Zaiten's e-mail, then clicked on "The World" icon. She noticed plenty of new board messages, most under the subject of "Rumor Event". She decided she didn't have time to read all forty-two responses, so she clicked the "Back" button on her browser, placed on her headset, and clicked on "The World".
As Iam materialized in Dun Loireag, she saw Achean waiting for her in front of the blue Chaos Gate. He was leaning against a pillar, looking as though he was about to fall asleep. "Hey there, Achean."
"Hi Iam," Achean grunted. "Is Zaiten here yet?"
"He sent me four e-mails reminding me to be on time…" Iam said, puzzled. "I doubt he'd be late."
"You got four? I got seven…"
"Heh? Really?"
"Yeah." (Bold text is English) "It sucked."
Iam didn't really understand what Achean had said, but she just gave a sigh and walked over to another pillar and leaned against it, waiting for their green-clad friend to make his appearance.
"Did you check out the board messages?" Achean asked her.
"No," Iam shook her head. "There were too many; I didn't want to be late."
"They were all about this rare event," Achean explained to her. "Seems loads of rumors have been going around."
"Rumors?"
"About the prize," Achean told her. "It's exclusive, that much is for sure. Only ten players are going to win. Only one person per party."
"So we don't get the prize?" Iam furrowed her brow. "Oh well. Zaiten might be able to sell it and split the GP with us."
Achean shook his head.
"No?"
"No. It seems that the prize isn't sellable. It was leaked from CC Corp that it won't be a sellable item."
"…So a lot of people are going to try to win this thing…" Iam murmured, looking worried. She paused, as if waiting for Achean to finish. He didn't, so she continued. "That means that the Prism Players might show up."
"Well…that'll be the first time we've used these…" He held up his hand guard that was attached to his orange thumb-ring.
"Yeah…" Iam gazed at her own, nodding.
"Friends! The Great and Powerful Zaiten has arrived!"
A series of golden rings appeared in front of the two, and Zaiten appeared, panting. Souchirou obviously was typing the /pant command over and over. Zaiten brushed his long brown bangs out of his eyes and stared at his two comrades. "Hello there! I apologize for making the two of you wait for me. I was digging up some information on the event today."
"Find anything?" Achean asked, standing up straight.
"Yes, as a matter of fact I did!" Zaiten grinned. "It seems that the event is taking place at Theta, Malevolent Nightmarish Poppy. The area won't be announced until 5:00 P.M, but all those who get this official scoop from CC Corp can go and start the event whenever they please!"
"Cool!" Iam grinned. "It's only 4:30. We should get a head start."
"Great minds think alike!" Zaiten smiled to Iam. "I was thinking exactly the same thing, Iam-san."
"All right…" Achean stepped forward to the Chaos Gate. "Zaiten, you be the leader of the party."
"Oh! Oh yes, let me send you invitations…" Zaiten paused, and Iam's screen lit up with a message of "Zaiten has requested you to join his party!". She clicked "Accept" and noticed Zaiten's face graphic and stats at the bottom of her screen. Achean soon joined the party as well, and the three were ready to go.
"Now, onward to Theta, Malevolent Nightmarish Poppy!" Zaiten shouted to the Chaos Gate, and the three were warped away in a flash of golden rings…
Despite its slightly foreboding name, the area that they had warped to was a pretty one. It had tall trees and bright green grass. Redwood surrounding them, and a few Piney Apples were squawking to the side of the party. Zaiten wasted no time in moving forward. "We must make haste, friends!"
"What's the big rush?" Iam asked, following Zaiten, her spear clutched in her hands. "I thought that we had special insider info."
"Yes, but others may have achieved this information," Zaiten told her. "I believe it is safe to say that at least twenty other people could have accessed this area name."
"Watch out!" Iam shouted as they hit a golden ring. A large moth emerged from it, and Achean wasted no time in drawing his sword and attacking. Iam followed him, hacking and slashing with her spear. Zaiten drew his sword and hit the moth for heavy damage.
"We must dispatch of this quickly!" Zaiten shouted over the sounds of battle. "We have no time to waste!"
"But this is a weird field area!" Iam told him. "It's made of rooms, just like the dungeons!"
"It obviously was made that way for a reason…" Achean murmured. "Vak Don!" He cast, and the moth fell to the ground, twitching, then finally disappearing. "We'll have to face monsters in order to get to the event. Everyone is in the same boat as us…don't sweat it."
"Fine!" Zaiten frowned. "Then onward!"
The field had been much larger then Iam had expected. Every section of forest had another portal in it, and they grew harder and harder as they moved along. "Wooth!" Iam sighed, wiping her brow as they finished off another portal. "That one was tough!"
"Yes…they're growing in difficulty as we move through this forest, are they not?" Zaiten inquired, stroking his chin thoughtfully.
"Yeah…I guess it's to make sure no newbs try to get the prize," Achean shrugged. "We're barely able to handle these."
"Well, at least the circles respawn every time you enter an area with a different party, so everyone else is in the same pickle as us," Iam smiled.
"Hey! Thanks for clearing away that portal!"
The three turned their heads only in time to see a brown blur and an indigo streak run by them and into the next area. "We owe you one, suckers!" shouted the brown blur just as they disappeared.
"Tail-gaiters!" Zaiten shrieked. "They were following us the entire time!"
"What jerks…" Iam frowned. "Oh well! Since they past us, that must mean that the dungeon is close."
"ONWARD! I refuse to have those two defeat us!" Zaiten growled, his face turning red from frustration.
"Fine, fine…" said Achean, walking through the stone gate and into the next area.
"Welcome to the "N.J.C"!"
The three arrived in the area to see a downwards staircase leading to the dungeon ahead of them. In front of them was a short girl with brown curls and golden armor. She was smiling shyly, a microphone in her hand. "My name is Ruta, and I'll be the administrator for this event."
"Hello Ruta-san," Zaiten smiled, stepping forward. "I hate to hurry you, but I was wondering if you could explain to us the rules of this event quickly."
"I understand," she smiled lightly. "The rules are simple. All you need to do is make it through the dungeon to the final level. The first ten parties to do so will win the special "N.J.C" prize."
"What does "N.J.C" stand for?" Iam asked.
Ruta smiled. "That's the other part of the event. You have to figure it out as you go down into the dungeon. Only those who correctly guess the prize will receive it."
"That seems simple enough. Thank you Ruta-san," Zaiten bowed, the sprinted down into the dungeon, his two party members following him.
Iam paused, turned around and looked at Ruta, who was smiling. She smiled back, then ran back down into the dungeon.
Ruta's face immediately changed to a frown. "That girl in red was one of the players that was trapped inside the closed-off area. I was sure that she would get herself killed in there…something…is very strange about her…" She smiled. "I shall have to inform Miss Emerika."
"Hah! These monsters are nothing!" Zaiten smirked as the group made their way down to the second level of the dungeon. "And I've made sure to check all the areas we've been in! Not a tail-gaiter in sight!"
"That's good," Iam nodded. "Who were those two that were following us?"
"Not sure…" Achean shrugged. "Whoever they were, they're gone now."
"Hey guys! We finally found you!"
The three turned around, and their jaws hit the floor. Following them were Orizo, Chikoro, Tiyra, Sersen, and Gabriella, all looking rather tired out. "Why you just run off like that?" asked Orizo.
"Run off…like what?" Iam asked, blushing the color of her armor. "W-we were doing the event with Zaiten."
"Back at the Chaos Gate!" Tiyra reminded them.
"I'm bored…" Sersen sighed, Tiyra leaning against his shoulder. They had met up with Orizo, Chikoro, and Gabriella, who had all logged on about an hour ago. "There's nothing to do, I swear."
"How about that event on the boards?" Tiyra suggested to her wolf-friend.
"Looks boring. I didn't even read all of the message," Sersen grinned. "And anyway, it's a limited prize event. Your legs are so fat, we'd never get there before everyone else."
"YOU!"
"OW! That HURT!"
"Will you two stop clowning around?" Gabriella demanded, her eyes narrowing.
"I don't mind just hanging around with you, Orizo-sama," Chikoro nuzzled into Orizo's neck, and Orizo quickly jumped off the stone he was sitting on to avoid her.
"Uhh…let's see if the others are on…" Orizo suggested, bringing up his friend's list. "Oh look! They are! I wonder where they are."
"Let's head over to the Chaos Gate and check it out to see if they've come through," Tiyra smiled. "We haven't seen cute lil Iam in a while, have we Sersen?"
"Yeah, let's head on over," Sersen agreed with his white-clad fighter friend. With that, the five got up and made their way over the bridges towards the Chaos Gate. With every step, the five got closer and closer towards what seemed to be three colored blurs.
"Hmmm…what's that?" Chikoro asked, pointing. "Oh wow! I think it's them!"
"Hey Iam!" Orizo raised his hand and waved, but the three paid them no mind.
"All right…" Achean stepped forward to the Chaos Gate. "Zaiten, you be the leader of the party."
"Oh! Oh yes, let me send you invitations…" Zaiten paused, then smiled as the three obviously formed a party. "Now, onward to Theta, Malevolent Nightmarish Poppy!" Zaiten shouted to the Chaos Gate, and the three were warped away in a flash of golden rings.
"Hey! They just ditched us!" Tiyra frowned. "How dare they ditch such a cute chick?"
"Yeah, Gabriella is looking fine today," Sersen smirked, only to be whacked over the head by Tiyra.
"I meant ME, and that's not the point!"
"Well, they're going to Theta, Malevolent Nightmarish Poppy," Orizo smiled. "Let's just follow them. They're probably leveling up."
"Sure!" Sersen nodded. "Let's go, shall we, kids?"
"And here we are," Sersen smiled, shrugging. "Although we were a bit surprised to find this was the area for the event."
"So let's do the event together!" Chikoro suggested. "It'll be more fun that way!"
"NO!" Zaiten screamed, and his seven comrades stepped back from surprise. "How am I ever supposed to prove my strength to you, Chikoro-sama, if you help me obtain this rare prize! I must go on with only Achean and Iam-san!"
"Huh…prove your strength?" Chikoro asked, narrowing her eyes. "What the heck?"
"Quickly! We are wasting time!" said Zaiten, waving his hand melodramatically and sprinting into the next room, leaving the other seven flabbergasted.
"Umm…how about you guys just follow at a distance?" Iam asked. "This is pretty important to Zaiten."
"Yeah, yeah, we get it," Sersen sighed. "We'll just follow you guys, shall we?"
"I guess I'm for that," Orizo shrugged. "Seems Zaiten is out to prove his manly pride."
"He's only being an idiot," Chikoro frowned, making the others turn their heads toward her. "Does he really think winning this stupid event will impress me? He's only acting stupid by not letting us help."
"He…tries really hard to get you to notice him, you know?" Iam asked her. "You should try to be nicer to him."
Chikoro paused. "Nuh uh."
Iam fell over. "WHAT? I thought you were going to regret your past actions and vow to be nicer or something!"
"What is this, a cliché fanfic?" Chikoro sighed. "No, I don't like Zaiten that way. He's a dork. I choose who I'm nice to."
"Fine, fine, whatever," Iam sighed. "Anyway, Achean and I have got to catch up with Zaiten before he gets into trouble. Just follow our lead, but stay out of Zaiten's way."
"Whatever," Chikoro shrugged. "I suppose we should follow the dork…"
They had made it to the fourth level of the dungeon, Chikoro and the others staying neatly to the side while the party of Iam, Zaiten, and Achean continued to fight their way through the monsters.
"JUK SLASH!" Zaiten shouted, bringing his katana down on the Golem Monster, destroying it. "Hah! Did you see that move Chikoro-sama?" he turned to face her, then stopped. "No! I must resist! I must act as though Chikoro-sama is not behind me."
"Uhh…why?" Iam asked.
"Because I might lose sight of my goal if I acknowledge such beauty standing behind me," Zaiten sighed dreamily and Chikoro stuck out her tongue at him. "Anyway! Onward and downward!"
"By the way, Zaiten, have you thought about the second part of the challenge?" Achean asked, stoic as usual. Zaiten stopped in his tracks and gave a small gulp.
"Ummm…actually, to tell the truth, I have not."
"We're supposed to figure out what 'N.J.C' stands for…" Iam told them. "It's the prize of the event."
"Never Joking Clowns?" Zaiten guessed, and Achean gave him a skeptic look. "What?"
"You're joking right?" Achean sighed. "How about… Northern Japanese Coast?"
"How can you 'win' the Northern Japanese Coast?" Iam asked. "And which island are you talking about? Honshu? Hokkaido?"
"Okay…then New Jersey City?" Achean guessed. "But there are a lot of cities in New Jersey."
"Speaking of New Jersey, where do you live in America, Sean?" Iam asked.
"San Francisco." (The Author is not from San Francisco)
"Umm…that's in…which state? Arizona?"
"California."
"Oh yeah! Have you ever seen the Golden Gate Bridge?"
"A million times…duh…I live there."
"Are sports popular in San Francisco? What about baseball?"
"I'm a Giants fan."
"You like the Yomomuri Giants? But you're an American."
"The San Francisco Giants, not the Yomomuri Giants." (The author is not a Yomomuri or San Francisco Giants fan. The author prefers the Chicago Cubs and the Hanshin Tigers.)
"Oh! I didn't know there was a Giants team in America!"
"WILL YOU TWO STAY ON TOPIC!" Zaiten shrieked, and Iam sweatdropped. Achean just shrugged.
"Whatever."
"Anyway!" Zaiten growled. "We have to figure out what the prize is later! We still have the last level of the dungeon to go through! We don't want to fall behind!"
"All right then," Iam nodded. "Let's go then!"
The three had made their way down to the fifth level of the dungeon, Chikoro and the others following them at a large distance as not to distract Zaiten. The party had just dispatched of another batch of enemies, and Zaiten was already ready to move onto the next room.
"Come! We have no time to waste!" Zaiten called to his teammates. "We're almost to the final room of the event! Just two more rooms to go!"
"Great! But we still haven't figured out the clue…" Iam frowned. " 'N.J.C'? What could it stand for?"
"…I'm…not sure," Achean admitted.
"If only we had a clue; that would be most beneficial," Zaiten bit his thumb.
"You want a clue?"
The party turned around to see two players near the door of the room. The other five had stepped to the side to let the two through.
The player that had spoken was the female member of the duo. She was a Wavemaster with a long staff in the shape of a cross. Her hair was black and was placed in two braids that fell to her mid back. She wore thick glasses and an indigo hat and dress, along with short indigo boots. Her skin was pale, and she had two circular markings on her legs.
Next to her was a tall blademaster with scruffy golden brown hair wearing brown leather armor and golden pants. His sword was attached to his belt, and his grin was wide.
"You want a clue to the event?" the woman asked again.
"Hey…wait!" Iam frowned. "I remember you two!"
"You do Iam-san?" Zaiten asked. "Funny, I don't remember seeing these players."
"You two were tail-gaiting us back in the field!" Iam accused. Zaiten and Achean looked at the two, and realized that the brown blur and the indigo streak were there in front of them. "How'd you get behind us?"
"We backtracked and followed you again," the man said. His voice wasn't as deep as Iam would have thought; it had a playful quality to it. He grinned. "We wanted to apologize for tail-gaiting you."
"He's lying," the woman sighed. "We just wanted to see if you all were after the prize."
"No," Zaiten shook his head, and stepped forward. "I am the only member of this group that is after the famed 'N.J.C.'."
"What about that clump?" the man asked, pointing to the other five now stuffed into a corner.
"We're not after the prize either," Orizo assured him. "We're just…uhh...watching them."
"So only one person…" the man smirked. "Well…what do you think of that Vizota?"
"Well, we can't be sure to trust them completely. And since only ten people are receiving the prize, we have to be careful," Vizota smiled. "But…they seem nice. Give them a hint, Barai."
"Okay…" Barai nodded, and stepped forward. "None of us are 'N.J.C.'s, that's for sure. In fact, were 'O.J.C.'s."
"More initials?" Iam asked. "I'm still confused."
"Hey, we gave you a hint," Barai grinned. "Now it's up to you to figure it out. Now, if you'll excuse us, we've got a prize to win." Barai turned to Vizota, nodded, and the two of them started to run off towards the door.
"Wait…" Achean stopped the two of them with his voice, and they turned to face him. "I thought only one person per party could win the prize."
Barai and Vizota smiled. "We're over level fifty," Vizota smiled. "We can handle these dungeons solo. We're not in a party."
"Then why'd you tail-gate us?" Achean asked again.
"Barai here was too lazy to fight the monsters himself, so he suggested we follow you!" Vizota growled. "You're always so lazy! I swear!"
"Hey! I'm tired!" Barai yawned. "Cut me some slack! Anyway, it was good experience for these newbies."
"Anyway, Barai, we've got no time to chat," Vizota told her partner and he nodded. "Nice talking to you guys! Hope you figure out the clue!"
With that, the two nodded to each other and sprinted through the door into the next room. Zaiten, Iam, and Achean stared after them, frowning. "Funny…" Iam muttered. "That clue they gave…I still don't get it."
"What did he mean that we're all 'O.J.C's'?" Achean asked. "Seems weird to me."
"We must concentrate on it in the next room!" Zaiten commanded his team. "I cannot let those two take the last two prizes! Quickly!"
The three filed out of the room, passing through the stone door. The five in the corner nodded to each other and started to follow them. Chikoro, however, did not follow. She just stood there, smiling to herself.
"You coming, Chikoro-sexy?" Sersen asked, only to be punched in the head by Tiyra.
"What's up Chikoro?" Gabriella asked.
"I figured it out."
There was a pause. "Figure what out?" Orizo asked, quirking an eyebrow.
"Their clue," Chikoro smiled. "The prize. I know what it is."
"Huh?" Orizo asked. "How'd you figure it out?"
"Don't you remember that event we did before, Orizo-sama?" Chikoro smiled. "When Izaile showed up? I told you how good I am at word puzzles and clue hunts. It was a simple deduction."
"We should hurry and tell Zaiten and the others!" Orizo smiled to her.
"No."
Orizo turned back to Chikoro just as she walked past him, her golden staff drawn. "If Zaiten is going to have such a big head that he won't ask me for help, then he won't get my help."
"But he might not win the prize if you don't tell him!" Tiyra told her.
"So? Not my problem," said Chikoro coldly before walking into the next room, leaving the other four alone.
"…what's her problem?" Sersen asked.
"No idea," Tiyra sighed.
"The last room, and there is not a portal in sight!" Zaiten grinned widely. "This truly is my lucky day! One more room and the prize is mine!"
Iam smiled at Zaiten, then turned her head to see the other five slowly moving into the room. She looked at Zaiten and then nodded again. "Let's go win your prize, shall we?"
"Thank you Iam-san," Zaiten gave her a smile. "But we still need to figure out the puzzle, don't we?"
"Yeah…" Achean nodded. " 'N.J.C." "O.J.C". What could they mean?"
Orizo paused, looked at Chikoro, who was remaining silent, then spoke up. "Chikoro knows the answer to the puzzle!"
The three turned around to Chikoro, who just shrugged. "You do, Chikoro?" Iam asked. "Tell us the answer! Then Zaiten can win the prize!"
Before Iam could finish, Zaiten had lifted his arm in front of her chest and had shaken his head. "No, Iam-san. I must do this without help from Chikoro-sama."
"But, Zaiten!" Orizo started to speak, only to be cut off by Zaiten.
"If I'm to prove my strength to Chikoro-sama, then accepting help from her is an impossibility," Zaiten explained, looking at his feet. "No, I must discover the answer myself."
"You might lose your chance at the prize though!" Iam told him. "Time's running out!"
"Not winning the prize is better then winning it with help from Chikoro-sama," Zaiten murmured. "I shall just have to wait until I discover the answer."
Chikoro sighed, then rolled her eyes. "You are such a dork!" Zaiten looked up at Chikoro, who had just walked over to him. "Do you really think that I'll see you as 'tough' or 'rugged' just because you win this stupid prize? All I'm thinking of you now is stupid and stubborn!"
Zaiten blinked. "B-but…I…"
"Why don't you ask for my help?" She asked. "I know that you're out to prove your whole 'manliness' thing, but being an idiot and giving up your prize before you ask me for help isn't impressing me!"
Zaiten looked at his feet. "I…just wanted to make you…"
"Zaiten, listen up!" Chikoro snapped Zaiten back to attention. "I can't fall in love with a guy who doesn't respect me as a comrade! If you don't take information from me, then you're not treating me as a comrade, do you understand that?"
Zaiten paused, and then smiled. "Yes, I understand. Chikoro-sama…I mean… Chikoro, will you help me with the answer?"
"You bet!" She giggled, then rose up on her toes and whispered something into Zaiten's ear. He nodded, and then grinned. "See how easy?"
"Yes! Yes I understand now! How simple!" He smiled widely. "Quickly everyone; it is time to receive my prize!"
"That's what we like to hear!" Sersen nodded.
"Ahh, love is a splendid thing," Tiyra winked.
"C'mon guys!" Iam cheered the group on. "Let's go and win this event!"
"Welcome to the 'N.J.C' event!" said an automatic NPC as they entered the room. Zaiten was practically jumping around from excitement. "To receive your prize, please type and say the password."
"Ready Zaiten?" Iam asked.
"Yes," Zaiten nodded to her. "Sir, I am ready to present the password."
"…confirmed. Please type and say password."
"The password is…" Zaiten smiled. "New Job Class!"
"That's the prize?" Iam gasped. "A new job class? How cool!"
"Yeah!" Chikoro nodded. "That's what Barai meant! We're not New Job Classes, we're Old Job Classes! Or "O.J.C"s!"
"So that means that Zaiten will win a new job class?" Sersen asked. "I wonder what'll be?"
"I'm really proud of you, Zaiten!" Iam told him.
"Yeah, you really came through," Orizo nodded, patting him on the back.
"Didn't let your pride swell your head," Achean added; Gabriella nodding in agreement.
"Thank you friends," Zaiten smiled widely. "Now, sir, as to my new Job Class…"
WAAAANNGGG! A huge sound echoed throughout the entire room, making all eight of the party cover their ears as it sounded. It was over quickly and they felt it safe to uncover their ears. "Wh-what the heck was that?" asked Iam.
"I'm sorry," the NPC announced. The group turned slowly towards it, their mouths slightly open. "CC Corp has just given away the last of the ten prizes exactly twenty eight point seven seconds ago."
"Twenty eight seconds?" Zaiten asked, his jaw wide open. "What foul luck! And after all the work we did!"
"Oh man Zaiten…I'm really sorry. You must be disappointed," Iam frowned. Zaiten sighed, then shook his head.
"Not really…" he shrugged and Iam looked at him, her eyes widened. "I like my job. The only reason I wanted this prize was to impress Chikoro-sama. But I learned that Chikoro-sama isn't impressed by material things," he smiled at Iam. "She is impressed by character. I guess I was wrong, Iam. Chikoro-sama must be infatuated with Orizo because he has a superior character to me."
"Maybe…" Iam shrugged. "But you showed some great character back there," she said, smiling.
"Yes, you are right. I shall just have to improve my character until I surpass Orizo. Then Chikoro-sama will finally notice me!" he nodded to her.
"By the way…" Achean murmured. "Do you think those two received the prize?"
The group looked at each other. "Barai and Vizota you mean?" Gabriella asked. "Maybe."
"You," Achean addressed the NPC. "Who were the last to receive the prize?"
The NPC paused. "Confirmed. One minute and two seconds – Player Vizota. Shortly followed by Player Barai fifty six seconds from this second."
"So they did get the new classes," Chikoro smiled. "What are the new classes by the way?"
"Why don't we just model them for you?"
The eight turned their heads to see none other then Barai and Vizota standing in front of them, decked out in new armor and sporting the new character classes.
Barai's golden brown short hair had stayed the same, but he now had on a brown and golden striped headband. He had on a dark brown leather chest plate, along with brown leather shoulder pads. He had on a cream white shirt underneath, and his pants were colored a lighter brown. He had on tall tree-bark brown boots with black soles, not to mention brown gloves. Over his shoulder was a bow, and strapped to his back was a quiver of arrows.
Vizota's black braided hair had been transformed into two black circular pigtails that clipped together at the back of her head. She had on a indigo floppy hat, and her glasses were now smaller and in an oval shape. She wore an indigo vest with off-white trim and long puffy off-white sleeves. Her breasts were held by a short white tube top. Her legs were decorated by indigo colored baggy pants that one might wear while traversing the desert. She wore indigo slip on shoes on her feet with a closed heel and toe. On her back was a long curved blade.
"Woah! What cool designs!" Iam gasped with delight.
"What are the classes?" Sersen asked curiously.
"I'm a 'Bowman'," Barai grinned. "My class uses arrows and a bow."
"And I'm a 'Thief"," smiled Vizota. "I use this long curved blade and can steal items from enemies."
"Did you get your prize?" Barai asked, stepping forward to Zaiten.
Zaiten shook his head. "You two were the last receivers of the prize."
"Too bad," Vizota smiled. "Don't worry; how about we help you get the next big event prize? We owe you after we tail-gated you."
"Hey! It'll be cool to have level fifties helping us out!" Chikoro cheered.
"Uhh…actually," Barai laughed slightly. "We're not in the fifties anymore. By accepting these new classes, our job level got cut in half. I'm only level 27, and Vizota is 28."
"Woah!" Iam gasped. "Too bad! But hey; now we can level together!"
"Yeah," Vizota nodded. "You guys are pretty cute. It would be a lot of fun to play with you guys. Want to exchange member addresses after we get out of here?"
"Sure!" Orizo nodded. "Exchanging member addresses sounds cool. We can brag that we have two of the rare new classes on our friend's list."
…chisc…chisc… A strange noise started to emanate from the walls. The group looked up to see where the odd noises were coming from; but saw nothing.
"That would be cool! Wouldn't it Ziutenko?"
"…I guess it would be cool, Nakar. It's too bad they'll never leave this place alive."
"Too bad! But hey, I DO like those new classes. Think we can use them? Or is that cheating?"
"Nahh…I like them too. I'm sure they won't mind if we program ourselves a pair. Do you want Thief or Bowman?"
"Ooo! Thief! You know I want Thief!"
"Good; cause I wanted Bowman. Let me just make a few adjustments…"
The room was crackling; data was being corrupted. The NPC immediately disappeared, and the environment around them started to drain away; revealing the same corrupted data that usually appeared when Data Bugs were infiltrating an area. "Who do those strange voices belong to?" Chikoro asked, obviously frightened.
"What's going on?" Barai asked, pulling out his bow. Vizota followed his lead and grasped her curved blade, pulling it from her back. "Why is the room becoming strange?"
"It must be them!" Gabriella turned to Chikoro and Iam. "It's gotta be them!"
"The last two!" Chikoro gasped.
Iam turned towards the front of the room, then narrowed her eyes as two figures suddenly materialized in front of them. "It's the last of the Prism Players."
There were two characters standing in front of the group. One was a man with indigo hair pulled back into a short ponytail. He had small black pupils, indigo colored irises, and large grinning teeth. His hair spiked out at odd places, and he had a white headband tied across his forehead. His chest had on a white top that reached the top of his neck yet had no sleeves. Long knee-length white shorts decorated his legs, and he had on long white boots. His hands were adorned with white fingerless gloves and his upper arms had white armbands with indigo gauze ribbons attached. On his back was a curved blade that resembled Vizota's. Every piece of his clothing was lined with indigo trim, and the white headband he wore had indigo colored triangle patterns covering it.
The woman, however, took a simpler design. Her hair was a mousey brown that was so long it reached her kneecaps. She kept it back with two white barrettes, and her neck had on at least three brown chokers. Her chest was decorated with a white crop top with long sleeves that exposed her navel. Her bottom half consisted of tight white pants with brown trim and symbols decorating them. She also had on short brown boots, and her shoulders were decorated by brown armor pieces that strapped across her bare stomach. Her gloves were long, reaching her elbows, and colored brown. On her shoulder was a brown colored bow and a quiver of arrows.
"Allow us to introduce ourselves," the man grinned maniacally and gave a low bow. "My name is Nakar, the Thief!"
"And I'm Ziutenko," the woman smirked. "The Bowman."
"And I assume you've been sent by Moyotu to get rid of us?" Iam asked savagely, drawing her spear.
"Of course, darling!" Nakar laughed, his high-pitched voice almost cracking. "You've become quite the nuisance. We can't have you collecting all ten Ring Holders, now can we?"
"So, we decided to nip the problem in the bud," Ziutenko smiled. "I've got business to attend to, and disposing of you is part of that business."
"And as for me…" Nakar grinned, showing his jutting canines once again. "I'd just like to see a little blood now and then…why not yours?"
"So, I assume you've got some Data Bugs lined up for us?" Gabriella snapped.
"Oh, you know us all too well," Ziutenko smirked. She turned to Nakar. "Nakar, bring out your Data Bug. I'll fuse it with mine. That'll make it twice as powerful."
"I don't need my Data Bug to fuse with yours," Nakar scoffed. "It's strong enough to rip their brains out without any help!"
"Nakar, we can't afford to mess up," Ziutenko narrowed her eyes. "I've got a promise to keep, and I intend to keep it."
"A promise…?" Iam whispered to Orizo. "What does she mean?"
"I'm not sure…" he whispered back.
"Your promise to Moyotu is no concern of mine," Nakar cackled. "But…if you insist, we can combine Data Bugs. All the better to crush them!"
"Right!" Ziutenko nodded, and raised her hand into the air. "Come forth, Data Bug!"
"Spill some blood, Data Bug!" Nakar raised his hand to match Ziutenko's, and green light started to form around each other their raised hands. 0's and 1's started to file into the green light, and with a swishing motion of their hands, two Data Bugs appeared. Nakar's was a gigantic ogre, while Ziutenko's was a large Harpy. Ziutenko smiled at the group, then raised her hand into the air once more.
"I call upon thee! Nakar's Data Bug and Ziutenko's! Join forces to crush your foes!" She pointed towards the Data Bugs. "NOW!"
The green data started to form around the two data bugs again, and soon, they were completely blocked from view by the shining numbers.
"Wh-what's going on?" Vizota shouted. "This is too weird!"
"What do they mean 'Data Bug'?" Barai asked Iam. "What the heck is going on?"
"They're viruses created by those hackers there!" Iam explained. "We've got to stop them before they destroy the entire game!"
"How can we help?" Vizota demanded. "We can't just sit here acting as dead weight!"
"Once the Data Bugs merge, help us attack them!" Orizo commanded. "They won't take damage, but their Data Shield will start to break! That's when we'll Data Drain them!"
The green light started to fade from the head of the Data Bug down to its feet. The group had to hold in a gasp as a gigantic beast covered with bright feathers and carrying a huge mace stepped forward, shaking the ground and giving a gigantic roar.
"This doesn't look good…" Gabriella cursed under breath. "Well…I guess we'll just have to move in!"
"Chikoro! Focus on healing!" Iam commanded. "That goes for you too Barai! But don't forget to shoot out those arrows from long range!"
"Right!" Barai nodded, drawing his bow out. "Vizota, you go in there and kick ass, all right?"
"You've got it Barai!" Vizota nodded. "Make sure that you stay alive, you idiot!"
"Same goes for you!" Barai grinned, and the two gave each other a high-five. With that, the group ran in towards the gargantuan Data Bug.
"HYAH!" Iam slashed at the Bug, making it step backwards and swing its mace towards her. She dodged just in time, and Vizota took the chance to move in and slice the Data Bug with her sword.
"No damage? What's with these weird numbers?" Vizota shouted over the noise of battle. "Are your arrows doing any damage, Barai?"
"Nope!" Barai shook his head. "Here, Orizo! Have a Healing Potion!" He tossed Orizo a potion after he took a hit from the Ogre, and Orizo downed it gratefully.
"Thanks!" Orizo stood to his feet and slashed at the Data Bug again with his knives. "They won't take damage directly! Just keep hitting!"
"RAI SMASH!" Gabriella screamed, slicing her axe down on the Data Bug's side, making it howl in pain, then recoil. It raised its fist, then hit Gabriella full force. "ARRGHH!"
"Oh no!" Iam gasped as Gabriella's health points reduced to zero. "Gabriella's down!"
"See?" Ziutenko smiled to Nakar. "This Data Bug is so strong it can knock out one of their strongest fighters with a single strong blow."
"I guess you were right, right?" Nakar smirked widely, his eyes wide, his pupils tiny. "You were right, Ziutenko!"
"Here! A resurrect!" Chikoro dug in her pack and ran over to Gabriella. She used the drink on her fallen comrade, and Gabriella rose, feeling her head.
"Oh man…that hurt. Watch out guys! This guy packs a punch!"
"Thanks!" Sersen grunted sarcastically, jumping out of the way of a large kick. "I noticed! ANI SWIPE!" He swiped at the Data Bug with his claws, make it reel back.
"FURY FIST!" Tiyra screamed, unleashing a fury of punches on the Data Bug after Sersen's claw attack.
"It's not working!" Chikoro called. "The barrier isn't breaking!"
"Just keep going!" Iam insisted. "VAK DON!" She cast the fire spell, and the Data Bug responded with a sharp kick to Iam; sending her reeling backwards in pain. "ARRRGH!"
"Repth!" Chikoro cast, and Iam was back on her feet, her Health now mostly returned. "Watch it Iam! I'm running out of SP and I hardly have any Mage's Souls!"
"Ten Prism Players sitting in a tree!" Nakar sang. "Eight little ring kids screaming 'why me?'! Ten Prism Players killing players too! Little rings dying, bloody players shoo!"
"You're off-key Nakar," Ziutenko smirked. "But other then that, I like it."
"Guys! We've got to unleash an all-out offensive!" Iam screamed. "Everyone! Unleash all you've got!"
"Right!" Orizo nodded. "On the count of three!"
"One!" Tiyra shouted.
"Two!" screamed Gabriella.
"ONE!" Iam finished. "VAK REPULSE!"
"ICE DANCE!"
"RAI DON!"
"JUK SLASH!"
"RAI SMASH!"
"SUN CHANT!"
"FURY FIST!"
"ANI SWIPE!"
Vizota turned to Barai and they nodded to one another. Barai took one of his arrows and Vizota readied her blade. They took a deep breath, and, in one fluid motion, yelled and bounded forward:
"GAN SHOT!"
"RUE SHOTEI SLASH!"
The attacks connected at almost exactly the same time, and the words "Protect Break" flashed over the wounded Ogre. The team grinned to one another, and then Iam nodded, raising her hand.
"Time to Data Drain!"
"Let's do this thing!" Chikoro cheered, running over to Iam and holding out her hand. One by one, the party sprinted over to Iam and all held out their rings. They all pointed towards the convulsing Data Bug, and felt energy gathering in their rings.
"Are we ready guys?" Iam called to her seven friends. They all nodded and Iam narrowed her eyes. "Then let's go!"
"Wait!" Vizota cried. Barai and she stood up from their positions and ran over to join the group. Barai stood on the far left, while Vizota made her way over to the far right. They too held out their hands toward the Data Bug. "We want to help too!"
"But you don't have rings!" Sersen told them. "You're useless!"
"Well…we may not have that weird jewelry…" Barai muttered. "But we have got a lot of heart for this game! If this thing is trying to screw it up, we want to get rid of it just as much as you do!"
"Barai is right!" Vizota nodded. "We're teammates! Barai and I are in on this too!"
"Heck!" Barai grinned. "We might as well have rings too!"
A bright light shone from the ceiling of the room, and all twelve people in the room shielded their eyes as the white light drifted slowly into the room. Slowly, Iam lifted her arm off her face and squinted into the light.
Coming down from the white cape of light was a small black pinprick that Iam knew all too well. The tiny figure soon revealed a small girl with short black hair wearing a black dress. She smiled as she drifted down. Nakar and Ziutenko looked stupefied.
"Hello…" she murmured, her voice soft. "…Barai…Vizota, please step forward."
The two looked at each other, then at the group. Iam smiled and nodded to them. They stepped forward towards Prisma and Prisma took their hands in her own. She lightly touched their small fingers with her smooth fingering, making the skin on their hands tingle slightly.
Light erupted silently from their fingers, and, when it cleared, an indigo ring was on Vizota's right pinky while a brown ring decorated Barai's left pinky. Handguards were attached to the rings.
"You two complete the Prism Hackers…" murmured Prisma. "Vizota…Barai…I entail you the power of the Key."
"Huh?" Vizota asked her.
"I-I'm not sure what's going on…" Barai muttered.
"Your true purpose shall be revealed to you soon…" Prisma told all ten of them, rising slowly into the air. "Find the Prism Ryu Books…all shall become clear soon…" She closed her eyes serenely, and, in a black cloud of mist and light, was gone…
"Guys! There's no time to waste!" Iam shouted to the two newest members of their team. "We've got to drain the Data Bug before its shield comes back up!"
"R-right!" Vizota and Barai nodded, then ran over to join the ten once more, their hands outstretched.
All ten stood there, Iam and Orizo in the middle, the other ranks branching out around them. Ten hands were stretched towards the Data Bug; ten rings were ready to drain the Bug of its corrupted Data.
"This is our team!" Iam shouted, narrowing her eyes. "And there's only one thing left to do!"
"I can feel the words coming!" Chikoro shouted. "Everyone; our rings are our power! Let's wipe this nuisance out!"
"Brown Prism Hacker: Barai!" screamed Barai. The others smiled and nodded, catching on quickly.
"Indigo Prism Hacker: Vizota!"
"Black Prism Hacker: Sersen!"
"White Prism Hacker: Tiyra!"
"Orange Prism Hacker: Achean!"
"Violet Prism Hacker: Gabriella!"
"Green Prism Hacker: Zaiten!"
"Yellow Prism Hacker: Chikoro!"
"Blue Prism Hacker," Orizo shouted, and Iam turned to face him. He turned to her and grinned. "Orizo!"
Iam smiled at her team, looked up at the monster, then declared her own title. "Red Prism Hacker: Iam! Ready guys?"
"Ready!" They all shouted as the tumultuous light began to grow around their hands, circling in and out, over and over, until it was almost a milky white stream of colors and energies. They all knew what to do, what to say, what to scream. With a deep breath, the Prism Hackers unleashed their attack.
"PRISM DATA DRAIN!" They screamed, and the light energy shot out like a cannon, bowling the Data Bug over and making it dissolve instantly into scraps of useless Data. The light faded as it hit the back wall, and the evil had been disposed of.
"Crap!" Ziutenko cursed, scuffing the dirt with her boot. "C'mon Nakar, let's blow this pop-stand!"
"I told you combining bugs was a bad idea!" Nakar snarled. "This is all YOUR fault, Ziutenko!"
"You can complain later; let's GO!" Ziutenko grasped Nakar's arm and turned towards the ten. "Seems the playing field has been leveled. But we still have the upper hand. Don't forget, Prism Hackers," Ziutenko frowned darkly, "we shall triumph. Dawn shall never come again. So says the Epitaph of the Prism."
With that, the two disappeared as suddenly as they had come, leaving the area in shambles. Iam gave a sigh of relief, and grasped her right hand. "Well guys…we won."
"Not only did we win; we found all ten hackers!" Chikoro cheered. "This is great! Now we can finally defeat the Prism Players!"
"What did she mean by 'the Epitaph of the Prism'?" Vizota asked, frowning. "I've never heard of that."
"It's a poem, of course."
The group turned their heads to see none other then the infamous Kalen standing behind them, his black goggles shining, as if they were his own eyes. "A poem that practically no one knows anything about, of course."
"Kalen!" Iam smiled. "There you are!"
"Hey, I came in just as those two freak-shows jetted," Kalen frowned. "I see you've met all the Prism Players."
Orizo nodded. "But we've also gathered all ten hackers. Kalen…Prisma said something…"
"What about?"
"She mentioned…" Gabriella searched for the words that Prisma had used. "Our 'true purpose'. What does she mean by that?"
Kalen, for once, seemed at a loss for words. He frowned, then smiled suddenly. "Looks like a mystery. But…I have a hunch. Tell you what, I'll do some digging. I know a friend who might just know."
"Great!" Iam grinned. "Meanwhile, we'll keep an eye on Protected Areas. With all ten hackers, the Prism Players won't be able to stop us."
"Right," Chikoro nodded. "C'mon everyone! I'm tired, and I've got homework to do! I'm logging out."
"Same here," Gabriella stretched and yawned. "I'll see you all later."
"See you around Vizota, Barai," Iam smiled, waving. "We'll see you all later!"
With that, all ten save for Barai and Vizota logged out, golden rings encircling their characters. Kalen gave the two a small bow, then gated out himself, leaving the two of them alone. Barai sighed. "Never thought we'd get into a situation like this, did you?"
"You can say that again," Vizota sighed, bringing up her right hand. "I mean, these funky rings…and…"
She paused and her brow furrowed. "Hey…Barai…"
"What's up Vizota?"
"Look at your handguard."
"Hmm? Oh…this? I hadn't really gotten to look at it before." He raised his hand, stared at it for a moment, then gaped. "Hey…these…!"
"Look familiar?"
"Well, all ten hackers are assembled!" Ayumi grinned the next day as the six of them walked along to school. "We've met all the Prism Players, and Souchirou lost four points off his dork-itude scale!"
"How many points do I have left Ayumi-sama?" Souchirou asked curiously.
"Umm…239."
"Wh-what a large number!"
Ayumi smiled at him, then linked her arm with his, making Souchirou blush a bright red. "C'mon! We're early guys! Let's stop in at Start Button!"
"Sure," Mai shrugged. "It'll be fun to bug Sota and Fuko a bit."
"Hey, here we are, if you guys want to stop in," Hiromi pointed upwards, and the group looked up to see the Start Button sign. They all smiled to one another and jogged up to the front door.
"Hey, Sota, Fuko, we're here!" Ryoko called as they entered the store to see Fuko and Sota standing behind the counter, attending to merchandise. The two employees did not answer. "Hey you two! We're talking to you!"
"What's wrong?" Achean asked.
"Got up on the wrong side of the bed?" Ayumi giggled, sitting down at one of the stools in front of the counter.
"No. But guess what?" Sota turned his head, his usual smile decorating his face.
"What?"
"No, you have to guess," Fuko joined in, smiling as well.
"Uhh…you got married?" Ayumi joked.
"Nuh uh."
"Sota didn't sleep in class?" Hiromi joked. Sota shook his head.
"Still haven't got it."
"Well…give us a hint!" Mai laughed. "We can't just guess!"
"Funny…we seem to be giving you a lot of 'hints' lately…" Sota frowned. "Don't you think, Fuko?"
"Yeah…we do…" Fuko narrowed her eyes. "Want a hint?"
"Umm…sure?" Ryoko asked, shrugging. "What's the hint?"
A huge "WHAM!" erupted inside the store as Fuko and Sota slammed their hands down on the counter. The six jumped back from shock, then slowly focused their vision to see what Fuko and Sota were showing them.
They were rings…and handguards…
"Here's your hint…" Sota smiled. "We joined a certain 'club'."
The End of the thirteenth chapter! HOLY CRUD THAT WAS LONG! My Lord! Okay…no one give me crud about "Bowman". I think it sounds a LOT cooler then "Archer". "Archer" is just weird.
Anyway! Sota and Fuko have finished off the team, as have Ziutenko and Nakar! We're really diving in now; there's no turning back! I'm so excited!
So PLEASE don't forget to review! This chapter took FOREVER and I would really appreciate a review! So press the button, my minions:D
Until then,
Ciao for now!
Page count: Full 35 Pages
Word Count: Over 11,000. OO