Chapter 14 – Log On!
Hey guys! I'm really appreciative of all the reviews I received for the last chapter, and I hope to get even more for this one! My highest reviewed story currently has 209 reviews, and I'd like this story to break that, even if the category isn't as popular:D
This chapter will really be something to see! Not as many fights, but you were probably getting bored of those anyway. I hope you'll all enjoy it!
Chapter 14 – The Prism Ryu Books
By Magical Girl Pretty Sammy-chan
"So all ten of our team are together," Mai told Hiromi, Ayumi and the rest of the Makuchei gang the next day in Homeroom.
"As are the Prism Players," Sean muttered, turning a page in his American Magazine.
"Sean's right," Ayumi nodded. "Now that they're all together, who knows what they could be planning?"
"Kalen said that once the Prism Players infect enough areas, they won't need CC Corp's protection barriers anymore to gain power over 'The World'," said Hiromi. "I wonder…what kind of power are they after?"
"Remember when we fought Yusena?" said Ryoko. "She told us that Moyotu was after revenge on CC Corp."
"It is curious," Souchirou nodded. "Very peculiar. We have no leads whatsoever."
"Souchirou's right," Mai sighed. "We have no leads…we should probably forget about asking Moyotu straight out."
"…So…what can we do?" Ryoko asked, biting her lip. "I'm feeling like a lamb at a slaughter right now!"
"Kalen said he'd do some digging on 'our true purpose'," Mai reminded her hot-headed friend. "…Maybe we should just wait for him to give us a signal of some sort."
"I don't like it!" Ryoko snapped. "Waiting around for someone else's signal just ain't my style!"
"Well…" Hiromi spoke up, and the group turned to face him, their eyes on what their brown-haired friend had to say. "We can…always find the Prism Ryu Books. Like Prism told us to."
"Huh?" Ryoko asked, quirking an eyebrow. Mai gave a small gasp and nodded.
"I remember!"
"Find the Prism Ryu Books…all shall become clear soon…"
"She told us to find them…" Ayumi murmured. "Oh, this is horrible! We have no idea where to start searching!"
"Maybe someone else might have an idea…" muttered Souchirou, and the group turned to him as he started to take out his trusty laptop from his black "Hibiki Games" bag. He quickly turned it on, and the group crowded around him as he double clicked "The World" boards and logged in to his name.
"Okay…I shall make a post on the boards regarding the books," Souchirou told the group huddled around him. He clicked "New Topic" and began to write:
Subject: Prism Ryu Books
Poster: Zaiten
Dear Patrons of "The World" –
This is Zaiten, a Heavy-Blade currently training on the Theta Server, imploring my fellow players for assistance.
The members of my party and I have been long since searching for an item called a "Prism Ryu Book". If any player has any information on where my party could locate this item, please post it on the message that I written here.
Sincerely,
Zaiten, Master Samurai
Souchirou hit the "submit" button at the bottom of the message, and the group soon saw his thread subject appear on the boards. "There!" Souchirou smiled. "This message will be sure to help us!"
"I hope someone knows something…" Mai sighed. "We'll check back at lunchtime!"
"Look, everyone!" It was lunchtime, and Souchirou had already taken the liberty of booting up his computer and navigating himself to the boards. Mai was huddled over him, looking at the screen. "There are replies to our message!"
"Really? Wow! Let's see!" The other four exclaimed, running over to join Mai and Souchirou. Souchirou clicked on the subject, and the group's faces fell as they saw the responses…
Subject: Re: Prism Ryu Books
Poster: Reginald
WTF? You actually type with tabs in your messages? OMG! lol
"Well…perhaps the others will be of more help…" Souchirou sweatdropped.
Subject: Re: Prism Ryu Books
Poster: Marie
The item isn't in the Strat Guide. Are you sure you're playing the right game?
"Umm…next?" Ayumi laughed.
Subject: Re: Re: Prism Ryu Books
Poster: Potpouri
Marie, I see it in the Strat Guide! It's on pg. 36
"Someone did find it! Sweet!" Ryoko pumped her fist.
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Prism Ryu Books
Poster Marie
Potpouri, that says "Pink Rhubarb Pie!" XD!111 lol!1
"…" Sean remained silent as the group facefaulted.
Subject: Re: Prism Ryu Books
Poster: Gregor-Francois
It might be in the new library update in eight months. I hear they're adding a library to Mac Anu.
"We can't wait eight months!" exclaimed Hiromi. "No way Prisma would make us wait eight months for this. Next!"
Subject: Re: Prism Ryu Books
Poster: Morop
Click here! www . prismryubooks . com
"Link!" Mai gasped. "Click it, click it!"
Souchirou did as he was told, and as the page came up, the group's jaws hit the floor.
"Obviously…Morop is a bit of a jokester…" Souchirou said, his lips pursed.
The link had taken them to a porn site. Obviously Morop was out to get their goat, and had no real information on the books. Souchirou, Hiromi and Sean leaned slightly forward.
"Disgusting," Souchirou sighed, his eyes still glued to the screen.
"Who'd actually look at this crud?" Hiromi agreed, also staring as Souchirou scrolled down.
"Beats me…" Sean shrugged, he too leaning forward to see.
"PERVERTS!" The three girls screamed, whacking the boys over their heads with their fists. All three fell to the ground, and the girls took no time in closing the window. Ryoko shoved Mai and Ayumi aside, logged into her name, and made her own post.
Subject: Re: Re: Prism Ryu Books
Poster: Gabriella
n00b.
And that was the end of that fiasco.
After school, the group parted their separate ways as usual, no closer to the Prism Ryu Books then before. Mai knew that she would have to go home and brainstorm ways to locate the books. She had yet to receive any sort of communication from Kalen, though…
Mai walked home that day, staring at her feet and thinking hard to herself. She was the holder of the Ryu books. Perhaps…Prisma would give her some sort of clue? She wasn't sure…and that made her anxious. These books were obviously important, and yet, they all knew that the chances of finding them were slim.
And what about their "true purpose"? Mai sighed, shaking her head. "I'm lost."
Mai rounded the corner and stepped into her yard in front of her house. She looked up, opened the door, and walked inside, putting her shoes on the rack next to her. "Mom! Dad! I'm home!"
"How was school, honey?" Mai heard her mother call from the kitchen.
"Fine!" she yelled back, walking into the house, ready to go upstairs, get changed, and start playing.
"Hey Mai!"
Mai stopped, sighing as she heard Shizuma calling to her from the living room. She turned around and stepped into the room where she saw her little brother sitting with three other boys his age. "Hi Mai!" Shizuma waved to her.
"Hi Shizuma," Mai sighed. "Who are these guys?"
She pointed to the three boys sitting down. One was wearing a soccer uniform and had straight, slicked back hair. Another had a wooden knife in his hand and had messy hair. He grinned at Mai and waved as well. The last was a boy with spiky black hair and forest green eyes. He had a pale face and was also smiling at Mai.
"Oh, this is Minoru," he pointed to the boy in the soccer uniform, "and this is Sora, and this is Kaoru!" He motioned to the boy with the wide grin and the black haired boy respectively. "They're my friends from school."
Mai sighed. Shizuma was in the sixth grade and was in his last year at his elementary school. These must have been his friends from elementary school. Maybe they were studying for entrance exams. She doubted it. Shizuma hated to study.
"Pleased to meet you," Mai smiled, kneeling down to face the boys. "I'm Mai, Shizuma's older sister."
"Pleased to meet you," Minoru bowed his head. He was pretty polite for being only twelve.
"Hiya!" Sora said, his voice rather raspy. He was pretty creepy for being only twelve.
"Hey there!" Kaoru smiled at Mai, and Mai returned the smile. Kaoru seemed like a nice kid.
"What are you guys all talking about?" Mai asked, sitting down.
"We were just talking 'bout 'The World'!" Shizuma told Mai. Mai's face fell. She knew exactly where this was going.
"No way am I letting you get a character."
"C'mon, Mai!" Shizuma whined. "Minoru, Sora, and Kaoru all have characters! Let me have one!"
"No way, little bro," Mai frowned, standing up and walking towards the stairs that led to the bedrooms. "And anyway, I've told you before. You need special software to make a second character."
With that, Mai ran upstairs and shut her door behind her, leaving the four boys alone in the living room. Sora stuck out his tongue as Mai left, and Minoru shook his head.
"Sorry you can't get a character," Kaoru frowned.
"Mai's so mean!" Shizuma frowned. "She wants to keep the game all to herself! If she'd just let me use her account to make a second character!"
"Don't worry," Sora grinned. "E-mail me her character name and I'll PK her!"
"Nah," Shizuma sighed. "It just really bites!"
Minoru suddenly stood up, grabbing his soccer bag, and smiling slightly. "C'mon. Let's go."
"Go?" Shizuma asked, his eyebrows raised. "Go where?"
"Yeah, what are you talking about Minoru?" Sora asked, frowning.
Minoru glanced at his watch and nodded to himself. "I've got exactly one hour until I have to meet a friend online. Let's go shopping."
"Shopping for what?" Kaoru asked, scratching his head.
"That…you'll find out once I take you to the store," Minoru smiled. "So c'mon. Let's go."
Golden rings appeared as Iam materialized in Dun Loireag. She looked around to see a good amount of players wandering the Root Town; feeding grunties, trading items, or just hanging out with friends.
Speaking of friends, Iam remembered her other party members and quickly went to her member address list.
"Hey! Orizo and Chikoro are on!" Iam whispered to herself, and she quickly sent them invites. They were accepted almost immediately, and Orizo and Chikoro soon appeared next to her through the same golden rings.
"Hey there guys," Iam smiled as they arrived. "What were you up to?"
"What else?" Orizo shrugged. "Looking for those books. But no word yet."
"Not even a single clue," Chikoro gave a long sigh. "This is horrible Orizo-sama!"
"Oh look," Orizo paused. "Zaiten and Achean just got on. Let's invite them too. I'm going to break from your party."
Orizo's name left the list and his character paused. The next thing Chikoro and Iam knew, Zaiten and Achean were running towards them from the weapon shop. "Hey there guys!" Iam waved to the two of them. Achean nodded, and Zaiten gave a low bow.
"Forgive our tardiness," Zaiten panted. "We were simply browsing at the local stores for a new weapon for myself and Sir Achean here."
"Anyway…" Achean interrupted. "Why'd you call us here, Iam?"
"Well…" Iam began, but was cut off as four sets of golden rings appeared behind her to reveal Tiyra, Sersen, Vizota, and Barai running up to them. "Hey guys! You're here!"
"Yeah, we're playing at work," Barai told them, winking. "Don't tell the boss, kay?"
"You guys know each other IRL?" Sersen asked Iam and she nodded.
"Anyway, when we saw that you guys were all gathered here we ran right over," Vizota smiled to Iam, walking up to her. "Are we having a strategy meeting or something?"
"Well…" Iam began, taking a deep breath. "So far, we haven't found any information on the Prisma, and Kalen has yet to give us any info on our 'true purpose'."
"Since we found we could do nothing to help either situation," Zaiten explained, "we instead decided to search for the Prism Ryu Books."
"I have one…" Iam reminded them. She closed her eyes, and a red light began to grow around her. She held out her hand, opened her eyes slightly, and the one Ryu book appeared in her palm. "This…"
The examined the book. It was about the size of an encyclopedia, but less thick. It had a red marking on its black cover. "Should…we…uhhh…" Orizo looked around at the group, "open it?"
"Right," Iam nodded. Her fingers grasped the clasp of the book gently, and, taking a deep breath, Iam threw open the book.
"The…pages are black," Gabriella announced.
"Thank you Captain Obvious," Chikoro muttered.
"Wanna say that again, blondie?"
Gabriella spoke the truth. The pages were completely black and there was no text written on them. Iam flipped through the book, but nothing came up.
"How…strange…" Iam frowned.
"Iam, look!" Orizo pointed to Iam's right hand and Iam lifted up her hand to see her ring glowing a bright red. She gasped as the ring began to levitate itself down to the book. Before Iam knew what was happening, her glowing palm was pressed against the book's blank pages.
Dun Loireag melted away, and the ten looked around in awe as a black sheet surrounded them. All was completely dark, but, luckily, they were able to see each other. There was seemingly no ground beneath them, but they were all still standing upright.
"Wh-where are we?" Chikoro whimpered. "This is so weird!"
"The entire room is black…" Barai muttered, arming his bow. "Almost as if someone spilled ink all over the place…"
"Wait…look!" Iam pointed to the book, and the ten looked at the pages. While in the normal "World" the pages could not be read, in this environment, bright white text could be seen obviously. Iam tried to turn the page, only to have it flip back to where it had opened. She looked around at the group. "Obviously…the book wants us to read this page."
She looked down at the page and read:
"Those who quest for the Twilight
Will only find pain and regret
But if thou quests for the Prism
Thou shall find it
In the altar of my daughter
And the streets where she once walked."
"And that's all it says," Iam said, closing the book. The blackness around them faded and they were back in Dun Loireag as if nothing happened. "What do you think it means 'the altar of my daughter'?"
"And what about 'the streets where she once walked'?" Chikoro added. "We don't even know who the daughter is."
"Well, if we find out who wrote the books, then we'll find out who the daughter is," Gabriella shrugged.
"Does it have an author?" Tiyra asked, looking at the cover.
"Nah," Iam shook her head. "We're just going to have to guess."
"How can we guess when these things are the only crappy clues we have?" Gabriella asked, grasping her hair. "Arrgh! This is frustrating me!"
"We should split up," Iam said. "Chikoro, Zaiten, you look around Mac Anu. The writer mentioned 'the streets'. Maybe they mean Mac Anu."
"Why can't I go with Orizo-sama?" Chikoro asked, throwing her arms around Orizo's neck, making him blush and try to pry her off.
"Cause if you do, you two won't get anything done," Iam muttered.
"Well, do I have to go with Zaidork?" Chikoro asked.
"Just go, doll face," Barai winked at Chikoro and she sighed.
"Okay, okay, whatever!" Chikoro grabbed Zaiten's happy arm and dragged him towards the Chaos Gate. "Let's go Dork!"
"Oh Chikoro-sama, I will endure whatever words you utter in order to be in your presence!" Zaiten said, crying waterfall tears as the two disappeared through the Chaos Gate.
"Now…Gabriella, Achean, you two should start going around through all the darkness areas," Iam instructed to the two.
"Huh?" Gabriella asked, raising an eyebrow. "Darkness Elemental areas? What for?"
"The book's completely black," Iam reminded them. "And I think perhaps the writer was referring to black and dark as well. So maybe the next Ryu Book might be in a Darkness Element Area. It's a long shot, but worth checking out anyway."
"Right," Achean nodded, grasping Gabriella's hand. She blushed crimson as Achean led her over to the Chaos Gate. He quickly selected keywords and looked to the back of the gang. "We're going."
With that, the two were gone in a flash of Golden Rings. Iam sighed after them and stared at the remaining six. "Vizota, Barai; you guys go and check out the Gott Statues in any areas that 'Daughter' as the last keyword. There is a keyword 'daughter' right?"
"Yeah," Barai nodded. "They added it in a recent upgrade. You're thinking about the 'altar' right?"
"Exactly," Iam nodded.
"We're on it, Iam," Vizota nodded, smiling. "Just leave it to the two of us." Barai and Vizota nodded to one another, then headed off towards the Chaos Gate to start searching. A pause. Then they were gone.
"So just us, huh?" Tiyra smiled warmly. "What's our job Iam?"
"You two…" Iam frowned, thinking. "You two…have a special job."
"Huh? What about?" Sersen asked.
"I need you to get into contact with the System Administrators," Iam told them. Sersen and Tiyra looked at her with wide eyes. "I sent them an e-mail awhile ago. No response. I need you to find the administrators and tell them to stop protecting areas. If need be, tell them about the Prism Players, but try to keep it a secret until you absolutely have to bring it out."
"Right," Tiyra nodded. "We're on it. Let's go, Sersen!"
"Right, Tiyra," Sersen smiled, swiping his claws. "Let's head to the Administrator Server! I bet we can get in since we're veteran players."
Tiyra and Sersen ran to the Chaos Gate and two golden rings appeared around them as they disappeared towards their destination.
"What about us, Iam?" Orizo asked his red clad companion. Now that only the two of them were left, Iam looked extremely serious. "Where are we going?"
"We're…headed to that area from before," Iam told him. "I waited to tell you…because…I think it might be dangerous."
"What do you mean? Which area?" Orizo asked.
"Delta, Hidden, Forbidden, Holy Ground." Orizo's eyes widened as Iam spoke. She looked over at him. "Last time we went, that statue of Prism appeared. I think…perhaps…what if Prisma is the daughter of this writer? What if that's her alter?"
"Prisma…the daughter of the writer?" Orizo asked. "That would explain a lot. But…why do you think it'll be dangerous?"
"Last time we went, a vagrant Data Bug attacked us," she explained. "Remember?"
"Yeah," Orizo nodded. "How could I forget? Ryo-Oki was there, too."
"I think that area has some ill-feelings," Iam told him, taking a step towards the Chaos Gate. "Something about it…didn't seem right. I…have no doubt that we might be attacked before we find the Ryu Book."
Orizo looked at Iam, frowning. "Iam. You're going…even though you know that if we're attacked we might not make it out."
"Yes," Iam smiled warmly at Orizo. "If you don't want to go…I understand. But," Iam looked solemnly at the Chaos Gate, "I have to go. There are people in danger. And I'm the only one who can help…"
Iam pressed her palm very slowly to the blue swirling Chaos Gate and watch the liquid swirl around her fingers. Her eyes were glazed, and she looked as though she were thinking deeply.
"When you're the only person who can help, you have to step up, despite the danger," Iam said. "Orizo, you gather information around here. I'll be back soon," Iam turned around and smiled at her Twin-Blade companion. "Bye Hiromi."
"Mai!"
Iam stopped halfway through the gate and stopped to face Orizo who was running towards her. "You really think I'd let you go alone? You're crazy!" Orizo grinned at her, showing a rack of virtual teeth. "We're doing this together! Together, we'll kick the ass of anything that comes our way!"
Iam paused, smiled, and nodded. "Let's go then! We don't have much time!"
With that, the two jumped through the Chaos Gate together and were gone.
"Sorry, I've never heard of the 'Prism Ryu Books'," a female player said, a worried expression on her face. "Umm…but if I see anything, I'll tell you!"
"Thanks," Chikoro sighed. "C'mon Zaiten, let's go."
Chikoro and Zaiten had been all over Mac Anu with little results to show. Not one person had heard of the Prism Ryu Books, and they were out of options. "What should we do now, Chikoro-sama?"
"You're asking me?" Chikoro asked, narrowing her eyes. "We've asked everybody! No book found!"
"…well, it seems we are rather…how do you say…?"
"Screwed?"
"Yes, in laymen's terms."
"I wish we had some place to lie down," Chikoro sighed, picking up her dress. "My feet, I mean, my thumbs are killing me from moving around so much."
"They do sell hide-outs and homes in "The World"," Zaiten sighed, and Chikoro's eyes flashed with interest. She grinned at him and begged him to go on.
"Houses? Where?"
"You have to buy them with quite a bit of GP," Zaiten explained to her. "You then gain access to the residential area of "The World"."
"We should get one! It's only fitting that the Prism Hackers have a hide-out!" Chikoro squealed, her eyes sparkling with anticipation. "And then we can decorate it with furniture and other fancy items!"
"B-but what about the Prism Ryu Books?" Zaiten asked. "Shouldn't we be gathering information on those first?"
"We haven't found anything, and I doubt we're going to!" Chikoro frowned, shaking her head. "C'mon, c'mon! Where do we buy them!"
"Near the Chaos Gate…" Zaiten said wearily. "Chikoro-sama, I must advise against this… Homes are expensive and…"
"C'mon!" Chikoro grabbed Zaiten's thick silk sleek and pulled him over the bridge of Mac Anu towards the Chaos Gate, dragging him along as she sprinted off towards their destination. The green-clad Samurai skidded across the ground as his Wavemaster companion skirted off.
"C-Chi-Chi-Chiko-ko-ro-sa-sa-ma!" Zaiten shouted between skids on the ground.
"We're here!" Chikoro cheered as the two reached the Chaos Gate. Chikoro frowned, then nodded as she saw a small passageway. The two hackers headed through the archway to see an NPC with a sign next to it that said " 'The World' Homes". "Oh! There he is! Let's go get a house from him!"
"Hello!" The NPC smiled. "Welcome to "The World" Homes. Would you care to purchase a home today? Or are you visiting an already purchased home?"
"Purchase!" Chikoro said, selecting the option on her screen.
The NPC paused and then another menu came up. "Would you like a Hide-Out or a Home?"
"Which is bigger?" Chikoro asked, grinning.
"A Home allows more space then a hideout."
"Then we'd like a Home!"
"How many rooms?"
"Umm…what's the maximum?" Chikoro asked. "Is it ten?" She went down the menu to the last option.
"Chikoro-sama, we don't need ten rooms!" Zaiten gasped. "That house will no doubt be extremely expensive!"
"I guess you're right," Chikoro sighed. "But we'll need a Living Room! And a Dining Room!"
"We can combine those, Chikoro-sama!" Zaiten suggested. "It will save money!"
"I guess you're right," Chikoro huffed. "And we'll need a bedroom too."
"What for Chikoro-sama?" Zaiten asked. "If we are tired, we can simply log out."
"Fine!" Chikoro frowned. "No bedroom! Jeez. But we WILL need a Kitchen and a Bathroom!"
"We don't cook food in "The World"," Zaiten reminded her. "And what will we need a bathroom for? Our characters never get dirty, and we don't have to use the other facility."
"Man! You're so cheap!" Chikoro frowned. "Okay, okay, OKAY! We'll have one room as a living room and dining room, and one for a meeting room!"
"A meeting room?" Zaiten asked.
"Yep! We can plan strategy there!" Chikoro smiled. "C'mon! At least let's have that!"
Zaiten smiled. "Whatever you wish Chikoro-sama. A two room Home sounds fine."
"Two rooms please!" Chikoro told the NPC. There was a pause, and the NPC nodded. "Now what?"
"Please assign the dimensions of the rooms," the NPC told her and a screen came up showing squares and diagrams.
"Uhh…crap! I don't know how to do this!" Chikoro frowned. "Umm…we need ten people to be able to move around comfortably! Can't you just do that?"
The NPC paused and the grid disappeared. "80x50 square feet for both rooms. Is that all right?"
"Eighty by fifty?" Chikoro asked. "Will that be big enough, Zaiten?"
"It should be Chikoro-sama," Zaiten nodded. "We might be slightly cramped if we put many furnishings in, but we should be all right."
"Make it one hundred by sixty!" Chikoro told the NPC and Zaiten facefaulted.
"Uhh…Chikoro-sama! This might be getting expensive!"
"What's the final cost?" Chikoro asked. The NPC paused, obviously calculating the final cost in its program. Another pause, then a small "clink!".
"The final cost is 1,000,000 GP."
"HUH!" Chikoro screamed, her eyes wide. "O-O-One million? Are you joking, dude?"
"It is because you made the rooms so large!" said Zaiten, his jaw practically on the ground. "We shall have to cut down!"
"No!" Chikoro shook her head. "This is my dream home! You can't just go around changing it!"
"Well, how many GP do you have in your possession?" Zaiten asked her, frowning. Chikoro sweatdropped and went into her inventory.
"Umm…10,000."
"…"
"WHAT?" Chikoro growled.
"This is hopeless, Chikoro-sama," Zaiten sighed. "You have not near enough money to afford this home. We should cancel our order."
"How much GP do YOU have?" Chikoro asked, her eyes narrowing at her companion. Zaiten gulped and paused.
"Ummm…" he smiled. "Only 700,000!"
"700,000?" Chikoro asked, her eyes wide. "You have that much money and you didn't share ANY of it with ME?"
"Forgive me Chikoro-sama! It is simply money I've earned from selling off extra rare items I have found on dungeon adventures! I meant to buy you a wonderful piece of equipment, but I never found the chance!"
"Enough sniveling!" Chikoro commanded, kicking Zaiten off her leg where he was currently groveling. "Together, we have almost enough money!"
"But sadly, still not enough," Zaiten laughed. "We'd have to sell an INCREDIBLY rare item in order to raise 290,000 GP so quickly!"
Chikoro stopped, paused, and then slowly turned around to Zaiten, a wicked grin on her face and the fires of hell burning in her eyes. Zaiten sweatdropped, growing very scared of Chikoro. "Chi-Chikoro-sama?"
"Heh, heh…"
Theta Grieving Pale Daughter
"Not this one either…" Barai sighed as he opened up the Gott Statue of the last room in the dungeon, only to find the usual trinkets and armor. "There's no Prism Ryu Books around here."
"We've been to three areas already," Vizota sighed. "It would take us forever to cycle through all of them."
"Don't be so wishy-washy," Barai told his partner, searching through his sack for his Sprite Ocarina. "We've got to keep searching, even if it's a futile effort, ya know?"
"You're sure into this," Vizota smiled, rolling her eyes. "What got you all into 'Save the Day' hero junk?"
"Heh, well, it beats work or class," Barai smiled. "And as n00bs, we've got to do our best, right? Win it over with our leader, Iam?"
"Iam's leader, huh?" Vizota smiled. "I guess. She and Orizo were the first ring holders after all. So I guess they're co-leaders."
"A co-leader romance, how cute!" Barai cooed, grinning at Vizota. "You can tell that Orizo is all over our dear leader."
"I must admit, it's pretty obvious they have a thing for each other," Vizota nodded. "But don't you dare go trying to play match maker on them."
"Jeez, jeez. What do you take me for? That's something I'd suspect of you!"
WHACK! Vizota had thrown a pair of boots they had gotten from the Gott Statue, knocking Barai to the floor. "That's a big fat lie and you know it!"
"No need to get so weirdo on me," Barai grinned. "C'mon, let's go." Barai used the Sprite Ocarina, and when the two had been warped back to the field, they Gated Out back to the Theta server to find a new area.
"Well," Barai sighed. "Next would be Theta Reflective Pale Daughter. Right?"
"And the list goes on and on," Vizota sighed as the two warped to the area. They found themselves in another Snow Area, since the keyword "pale" was locked with the snow layout. "Well, we're here. Let's head for the dungeon."
"Right!" Barai nodded. "Fairy's Orb!" The orb revealed all the portals on the map, and the two avoided them with ease as they were few and far between.
They quickly scampered into the Dungeon, and Barai smiled to his partner. "All right; that was pretty easy. Now, let's go on, shall we?"
"I'll use a Fairy's Orb," Vizota nodded, using a Fairy's Orb on the floor. Her character frowned and Barai looked at her oddly.
"What's up?"
"Th-there's…no enemies on the map."
"Woah! What a lucky break! Must be a glitch or something," Barai grinned. "Let's go, shall we?"
"Barai, you don't understand," Vizota told him. "Quick, use an orb too."
"Use two orbs? Waste of money," Barai frowned.
"Just do it! Don't argue," Vizota frowned at him. "Something's weird about this dungeon."
Barai obliged Vizota and threw a Fairy's Orb into the air. He paused and then gasped, his eyebrows raised in surprise.
The dungeon was made up of only three rooms. One was the room they were currently in, a small hall. The second was a huge hall that had to be at least ten of the hall they were currently in. The final room was a small square, obviously the Gott Statue room. No enemies and no extra floors…it was like being handed the Gott Treasure on a silver platter.
"Something's wrong Barai," Vizota frowned. "We should turn back now."
"Are you joking?" Barai asked. "This is the only break we've had in an hour. We should keep on going."
"Break?" Vizota asked, frowning. "This could be dangerous! C'mon!"
"I'm going ahead," Barai told her. "If you don't want to come along, then I'll see you back at work!" With a small grin, Barai took his bow and started to run forward to the next room.
"Wait!"
Barai was stopped by a firm hand grasping his leather jacket. He turned around to see his partner staring at him, smiling. "You really think that if I let you go alone, you'd ever let me live up to it at work?"
Barai paused, then smiled. "Nope. I guess I wouldn't be easy to live with."
"Damn straight," Vizota laughed, throwing her head back slightly. "C'mon! Let's go!"
"Right," Barai nodded. With that, the two bounded forward, eager to find what was on the other side of the door.
"So far…nuttin'," Gabriella sighed to Achean as the two destroyed another monster a Dark Elemental Dungeon. They too had been searching for hours, but had still found nothing that had led them to the truth. "This is pointless! A wild goose chase!"
Achean didn't respond and walked into the next room, Gabriella following him. Another golden portal appeared, revealing two snake like monsters.
Achean drew his blade and Gabriella likewise with her axe. The two ran forward and began to engage the two snakes who were, by this time, an easy match for them. So easy, in fact, that Gabriella found time to talk to Achean while the battle was still going on.
"I mean, there are hundreds of Darkness Elemental Areas! How are we supposed to find the right one?" she asked Achean, whacking the snake over the head with her large silver axe.
Again, Achean didn't bother to respond to Gabriella's complaint. He finished off the last monster and as the two collected the measly experience points they had received, Achean was already on the move to the next room.
"I bet Iam just sent us here to keep us busy!" Gabriella frowned, growling to herself. "Jeez! What a jerk! She's going to get a piece of my mind when we get back! I'll deck her one!"
"Don't worry," said Achean softly. Gabriella looked up at Achean, her brow furrowed. "Iam wouldn't do that."
"Oh yeah? You think?" Gabriella asked, sighing. "I guess you're right. She just needs to check everything. Just like her."
The typical silence from Achean followed, and Gabriella blushed with frustration. "Hey! You could at least say something, Yankee!"
"Why? You like talking enough for both of us," said Achean. Gabriella drew back. She could tell by his tone that it was supposed to be taken as an insult. On the contrary, it was as if Achean was paying her some sort of compliment.
"So you're saying that you don't have to talk since I do it for you?" Gabriella asked, grinning and acting offended. "Are you saying I have a big mouth? Don't think I'm going to take that from you Yankee!"
"No. I'm not saying you have a big mouth," Achean shook his head. "There's a difference between someone who talks a lot and someone who has a big mouth."
"Oh yeah?" Gabriella asked, smiling. "What's that, huh? Answer carefully or you might just find yourself on the other end of this axe here!"
"Well…a person with a big mouth talks a lot and still doesn't say anything," Achean told her. Gabriella looked up, her eyes wide. "And someone who talks a lot…simply wants to be a part of the conversation. A part of their conversation partner's life."
Gabriella smiled, strolling up next to Achean. "So…you're saying that I want to be a part of your life? Don't flatter yourself Yankee!"
"Well…if you didn't, you wouldn't be talking to me," Achean told her. Gabriella blushed a crimson red and looked the other way.
"Y-You're full of crap!"
"Maybe."
"Is that all you can say?"
"Guess so."
Gabriella stared at Achean and sighed, shaking her head. "But you don't talk much. Does that mean that you don't want to be a part of my life?"
"No."
"Then what does it mean?" Gabriella asked, growing slightly angry.
"I want you…" Achean turned to Gabriella and looked into her eyes, "to talk to me as much as possible."
Gabriella turned a shade of red brighter then Iam's armor and looked at the ground. "D-Don't think that acting all gushy like that is an excuse! Y-You've got to open your mouth once in awhile!"
"…" Achean remained silent and looked off towards the next door. "Let's go. We've got to explore the dungeon."
"Yeah, whatever," Gabriella shrugged, shaking off the blush. "Let's go, Romeo."
"If you'll do me the honor, Juliet," Achean said, taking her hand and kneeling.
"Oh! So Mr. Stone Cold does have a sense of humor!" Gabriella smirked playfully. "C'mon Achean! Let's get out of here!"
Mother…
…There…
…If only…
"Huh?" Gabriella looked up, her eyes wide. Achean jumped to his feet and looked around as well, his stoic expression still plastered on his face. "Did you hear that? What the hell's going on?"
If only…
"It's saying something…" Achean muttered.
"If only…" Gabriella repeated. "What does it mean?"
…If only she…
…she wasn't…
…If only she wasn't here…
"Who's she?" Gabriella asked. "Who the hell's saying this crap?"
"Shh…" Achean made a small noise to quiet his hot-headed companion. "Just listen…we might have found something after all."
"Well, we're here!" Sersen told Tiyra as the two landed in what seemed to be a model of ancient Greece. Marble pillars surrounded the platform where the Chaos Gate currently was. Due to the fact that Sersen and Tiyra were veteran players, they were able to visit the Administrator Server where special areas and players were located.
The server, the Alpha Server, as it were, was modeled after Ancient Greece with a coliseum for veteran Player vs. Player matches, a gigantic building with columns where Administrators worked, and other elaborate places with graphics far better then the usual servers.
"Yo! Tiyra, Sersen! What up guys?" The two turned around to see a Male Heavey Blade walking towards them. He had black hair and bright green eyes with small pupils. "Haven't seen you hanging around here for awhile."
"Hey there Yutaro," Tiyra giggled, waving. "What's up?"
"Not much," he smiled, looking them up and down. "I see you guys decided to pick up the advanced classes instead of doing B Level."
"Yeah," Sersen shrugged. "What's the point of just doing the same job over again? I was getting bored of Blademaster after eighty million levels or whatever."
"Anyway, we're in kind of a hurry Yutaro," Tiyra said, bowing in apology.
"Hmm, what for?" Yutaro asked, curious.
"Got to go see the administrators," Sersen explained. "We've got a bit of a problem, you see."
"Is it about that Defiant Giant event? I know! It's so hard, I bet it's a bug or something!"
"Nah, it's not about the event," Tiyra winked. "Something else. Just a little problem, nothing to worry about. No big, you know?"
"Oh, well, I won't keep you," Yutaro smiled, waving to his two companions. "See you later guys!"
"See ya," Sersen bid his friend goodbye as the threesome went their separate ways. Tiyra and Sersen started to make their way towards the large marble building where Administrators would be working.
"So…who should we talk to?" Tiyra asked, scratching her head. "What do you think, honey?"
"Honey? What are you doing?" Sersen grinned mischievously, putting his arm around her waist. "Trying to tease me or something?"
"Hey, let go of me gigolo!"
"Fat thighs!"
"GRRR! I should kill you right now!" Tiyra decked Sersen into a nearby wall. Quickly recovering, Sersen followed Tiyra up the stairs of the large marble building, still caressing his cheek.
"Ow! You pack a punch!"
"Damn straight," Tiyra winked at Sersen as she reached for the double golden doors that led into the building. She pushed them open to reveal dozens of players and administrators milling around in a large room with a wooden floor and many desks. Private offices were tucked behind doors upstairs and on the ground floor. An air of business filled the place, and Sersen and Tiyra had no need to feel awkward as they stepped into the heavily occupied area.
"May I help you?" The two players looked down to see the receptionist smiling at them. Tiyra stepped forward to answer the Administrator.
"Yes, hello. We're here to see an administrator."
The Receptionist frowned when she saw the girl talking to her. "I'm afraid Lord Balmung has refused any private appointments for the next seventeen years."
"Not Balmung!" Tiyra shouted, blushing red from frustration that this receptionist had thought she was a squabbling fan-girl. "Just any administrator will do. We have a problem to report with current policy."
"All complaints must be filled out on a special form," the receptionist told them, smiling and pulling out a clipboard. Tiyra looked at Sersen with a 'can you believe this' look and took the clipboard. "Fill that out, turn it in to me, and expect a response in about a week or so."
"A week?" Tiyra asked. "Look! This is important! You have to stop Protecting Areas!"
The receptionist looked at Tiyra and sighed, as if realizing exactly what she was after. "Miss, you don't seem to understand. The areas are protected for the players' safety. Just because your favorite area is now blocked is no reason to demand us to change our methods."
"It's not about that, dammit!" Sersen growled, punching the Receptionist's desk, making her jump back, startled. "There are hackers on the loose!"
"Sersen!" Tiyra rasped to him.
"That'll get their attention," Sersen whispered to Tiyra. Tiyra looked apprehensive, but nodded, deciding that the truth was the only way that they were going to get these people to agree with them.
"Hackers?" The receptionist asked, her eyes wide. "Are you sure?"
"Yes! And the Protection on the areas is increasing their power!" Sersen told her. "They're out to destroy 'The World'!"
"I-I…I shall contact someone about this right away!" The receptionist nodded to the two, quickly bringing up her laptop and typing.
"There's no need for that Uteni-san. I'll deal with these players here."
The three looked up to see none other then an austere looking administrator with long silver hair in a ponytail carrying a spear standing before them. She wore a blue and silver chest plate and a matching long blue skirt with a long slit. As she walked across the wooden floor, her silver boots made a small "clack" sound on the floor.
"E-Emerika-san!" The receptionist gasped and Tiyra and Sersen looked at the administrator with narrowed eyes. This woman was obviously some sort of big cheese at the company. "Y-Yes of course. Would you like your private office?"
"Yes," Emerika nodded. "Ruta should be in my office as well. Take us there." The receptionist pushed a few keys and then nodded.
"Off you go, Emerika-san." With a push of the enter key, golden rings appeared around all three players, and they were gone.
"…So…here we are again," Orizo smiled to Iam as the two found themselves once again standing in front of the great Church at Delta Hidden Forbidden Holy Ground. "Ready to do some investigating?"
"Yes," Iam nodded, smiling to Orizo and grasping her spear in her right hand. "Let's go, shall we?"
"Right!" Orizo nodded, grasping his blades and running with his partner towards the entrance of the grand Church.
They entered the structure and Iam and Orizo saw immediately what they had come to investigate: the statue of Aura and Prisma. Prisma still stood tall, rings floating in her hand, her eyes half closed. Aura held in her small hands a bracelet.
"Let's…go up to it," Iam told him. The two stepped up towards the statue and Iam looked at Orizo.
"Are you scared?" he asked. "I'll touch it if you want."
"No…I'm not scared," Iam shook her head. "More of…curious. Who is Prisma? Who's Aura? Who wrote these Prism Ryu Books? And what's the Epitaph of the Prism?"
"Do you think all of our questions could be answered just by touching this statue?" Orizo asked, raising an eyebrow.
"We can hope, can't we?" Iam asked, smiling lightly. "But…truthfully," she looked up at Prisma, "I wonder exactly why Prisma is helping us. Is it to achieve our 'true purpose'?"
"Which we're still not sure of," Orizo pointed out, frowning. "Exactly what does Prisma want us to do?"
"I'm not sure," Iam shook her head. "But…she must want to help us right? The Prism Players are obviously the enemies of Prisma, aren't they?"
"I'd assume so," Orizo told Iam, shrugging. "I mean…all their plans are foiled by our rings. Prisma has helped us out on more then one occasion."
"She's just so ambiguous that we're not even sure what she wants us to do," said Iam. "Sometimes, I wonder why she even chose us. Was it just because we had a chance encounter with Moyotu?"
Silence captured the room at the mention of Moyotu. She was a sore subject for the two, even more then the others. Iam remembered that her picture and member address were still listed under her Party Members…
"…She was…nice," Orizo muttered the thing that was both on their minds. "But that wasn't who she really was. We have to stop her, no matter who she is or was to us."
"I understand," Iam said truthfully. "I don't have a problem with it anymore. I'm just curious as to her reasons. What kind of revenge could she be after?"
"All these questions can be answered once we find the books," Orizo told Iam, holding up his left hand. His blue handguard and ring started to glow. "For now, I say we grasp this statue and see what happens to us."
Iam paused. Orizo was flashing her a defiant grin, and, for some reason, she completely trusted his word. There was no more time for asking questions. It was time to get some answers.
Iam lifted up her own ring, now glowing red and the two reached out simultaneously towards the statue. "Let's do this!" Iam told her partner. "On the count of three! One!"
"Two!"
"Three!" Iam shouted and the two grabbed the statue with their hands, ready to get some answers.
The streets of the Net Slums were practically empty that night. Scraps of data wandered as usual, and many rejected characters wandered aimlessly through the tall buildings and their meaningless existence. A girl with a broken angel wing and a gash on her throat was singing an Anime theme song. A man with a large swirling circle for a head was wandering around the city, bumping into the walls around him.
And, amongst the mishmash that was the Net Slums, a human being materialized amongst them. It was Kalen, his keyboard still floating in front of him. Many vagrant A.I. turned their heads to see their Prince arrive.
"Kalen!" the girl with the gashed neck said, flying cock-eyed over to Kalen. "You've returned to us! They said that the Prince wouldn't return, but this one can understand the Prince better then those around her!"
"Glad to know it," Kalen smiled. Other A.I. greeted him in the same way, and he bowed to them in greeting, just as he would to a normal person. "Glad to be back, everyone."
"Go, go! Leave the Prince to his duty!" A man missing a torso told the inhabitants of the Net Slums. They giggled and walked off to return to their aimless tasks, leaving Kalen near his destination to wait for his friend to arrive.
"Sorry to have kept you waiting."
Kalen looked over to see an old man with slicked back white hair and tan skin walking towards him. He had narrow, cold eyes and was wearing a red ensemble. He was a Wavemaster and carried a staff. "Wiseman," Kalen smiled. "You're late."
"I apologize. I was helping some friends in real life before I came to meet you," Wiseman explained, leaning against a wall of the Net Slums. "Now, Kalen. What exactly do you wish to discuss with me?"
"Found anything?" Kalen asked, smiling. "Anything since I sent you that e-mail?"
Wiseman paused, and then looked at Kalen with one eye. He nodded. "I found something. Did some digging and found some information."
"Care to explain Wiseman?" Kalen asked, smiling even wider. "I'd be obliged to hear it."
"Hold your horses," Wiseman chuckled. "I'll tell you soon."
"So…exactly what did you locate?"
Wiseman paused, stood up, and looked Kalen in the eye. "I've found…exactly what Prisma is. I have much to discuss with you."
Sorry guys! But I'm cutting you off there! Part II will be next time! Sorry for the cliffhanger! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Next chapter will wrap up the pair events and you'll get loads of answers about Prisma! I promise!
So, please don't forget to review! Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Holidays, and a Happy New Year!
REVIEW! THE RABID REINDEER COMMANDS YOU TO REVIEW!