Chapter 7 – "Winter Wonderland"
Another week had passed. Knight 40 had spread out, returning to old dungeons to gather any valuable items they may have missed. Another safe zone was discovered – Libra. This town was built on the ridge of a volcano, using the natural heat's energy to sustain itself. Strings of lights hung above, bringing Libra a certain charm when visited at night. Reinforced metal gates around the town kept the skeletons and demonic rams at bay, but it also meant that venturing outside would prove dangerous. Sutahime had lead Battle Tendency there to procure more information, while the core members of Knight 40 explored elsewhere.
"These pants my sis made for us are lovely, but..." Yuuki ranted, looking over the stats of the platelegs they'd earned from Anukus. The next night, the group found themselves gathered around one of the dining tables in Moonlight Shore Inn, food and drink half-finished. "Why could I not find the top... the bonus they give when worn together is much stronger!"
Rance was editing the color scheme of his pair, half-listening to Yuuki's lament. "Yeah, they kick ass! Your sister's got a way with hammers... uhh..." his train of thought shifted, looking at Yuuki pleadingly. His puppy-dog eyes didn't look as endearing above his shark-toothed smile. "Soooo, Yuuki... it's been a while now. You should tell your sister all about how awesome I am. This harem ain't gonna build itself!"
Yuuki laughed a bit, still getting used to the insatiable desire for women that defined Rance as a person. "Were you not listening? She told you to try harder. She loves a good listener, I know that for sure!"
Mantine chuckled at Rance's display before getting back on track, nodding at Yuuki. "Fair point about the armor. I did notice there were several other chambers we didn't explore back in the Underground Graveyard, near Anukus' chamber. We were all so focused on taking him out, that we didn't take a look! I think a few more even opened after his defeat. I did poke around in there a little... found some gauntlets, but that was about it.
"Aww, I just need the toooo-oooop!" she whined with clear exaggeration, hoping it would coax them into delving back in there for another look.
Rance patted her on the back. "Hold your horses! It's a smart idea lookin' around there, we could find one for all of us – that set bonus kicks ass! Look at you, thinkin' all about our survival. I think it'll be no problem to head back down there for a little. All the enemies and bosses are, like, extra dead. No skin off my back."
"Spectres' Tower will be one helluva test of our skill..." Morana added. "We'll need all the supplies we can get to come out without casualties. I think it's in our best interests to take a look down there. The others are working their asses off right now, so why shouldn't we do the same?"
Everyone agreed to revisit the Underground Graveyard the next day, after a good night's sleep. When they awoke, Yuuki was nowhere to be found. Realizing she'd probably got too excited and went on ahead, the rest of Knight 40 were quick to follow... but something was dreadfully amiss...
They realized Yuuki hadn't been answering her private messages as they made their way back to the graveyard. It was quite unlike the Dragonkin to ingore them. They all hoped that she was simply too focused on the treasure to notice her message box, but a chill began to creep its way up their collective spines as they delved deeper into Anukus' chamber.
"Ah, jeez, boss... it's more of 'em! They're comin' outta the woodwork like cockroaches!" echoed a voice that was certainly not Yuuki's.
Mantine, Morana, and Rance had their suspicions confirmed when they reached the boss chamber – Yuuki found herself surrounded by a very sketchy looking group of players. None of them even had to think about what action to take – drawing their weapons as they rushed to their guildmate's aid.
These new enemies came in all sorts of classes, and their gear was notably tattered and rough in appearance – but they all bore the familiar white-and-yellow scheme of the Guardian Force. The sight struck a nerve with Mantine and Morana, especially considering every one of them sported a red player status.
Before her allies could process what was going on, Yuuki called out to the shady foes. "Y-you leave them out of this! Stay away, or it is you who will fall next!"
Inches from where she stood, a player's body lay slumped over, slowly succumbing to poison.
"Aww, look at the little baby... thinks she's hot shit for gettin' a lucky one off on us... you're gonna eat shit for killin' one of my boys!" shouted the largest of the group, a gladiator and likely the leader of this ugly group.
Mantine couldn't hold his tongue any longer. "You got a mouth on you, huh, boy?! What's your beef with Yuuki anyways?!"
The burly warrior rolled his neck. "I got a few problems with her, little fish! Firstly, this area is exclusive property of Dirgegun, and the Guardian Force, by order of our guild leader! Any loot found here is forfeit to us!"
Morana scowled at the man. "After we cleared the place out? I don't think that's very fair..."
"Life ain't fair!" he snapped back. "'Sides, we ain't never gonna let a disgusting thief like her take anything else, right boys?!"
The other invaders cheered in unison, while Knight 40 shot each other looks of confusion. "Thief? The hell are you smoking?" Mantine demanded answers.
Yuuki gritted her teeth in shame as Dirgegun elaborated. "This little lady and her boyfriend pulled a real sleazy move last month... they acted like they was gonna join the GF, got reeeeal close to us, y'feel me? Then they made off with a bunch of our gold! Took us a whole freakin' minute, but we finally pounded that rat bastard Lucas into dust... now all we gotta do is take care of his other half.
Yuuki's eyes welled with tears at the mention of her boyfriend's name as the group jeered and taunted her. "You will be the ones crying next! My guild will surpass the Guardian Force and make you kneel!"
Dirgegun crossed his bulky arms. "Mmm, now that I'd like ta see... to bad we won't get the chance."
Damn... there's one, two... ten of them in total. One's as good as dead. All around level 40. The leader's got a few levels on us, even. We'll have to make our shots count... thought Mantine. He looked over to Morana and Rance, who appeared to be sending messages to someone.
"Let's limit the casualties if we can. Just focus on getting Yuuki out of here." Morana stated.
Rance bared his teeth, holding his ornate blade tight. "Alright, but I might not be responsible for what happens to these freaks." he said, notably more serious than they'd ever heard him speak.
"What kinda two-bit heroics am I lookin' at here?" laughed Dirgegun. "In case ya' math skills ain't too sharp, you're outnumbered pretty bad... and my men ain't no slouches."
As if on cue, four pillars of light appeared behind Rance – Chammeng, Creme, Flann, and Orange had all been teleported to their location, fully prepared for combat!
"We heard every word, Morana! Dig those heels in, Battle Tendency!" Chammeng commanded. "We may be part of Knight 40 now, but you're still my men!"
Creme pushed a strand of hair out of his face. "Oh, my. I had many more important things to do than teach a few ruffians how to treat a lady, but if I must..."
"Bogartin' all the loot for yourselves? That ain't tight..." Flann remarked, nocking an arrow.
Orange slowly turned to face the opponents, dramatically drawing his katars. "You're the ones who woke me up?! Don't you realize how irritable that makes me?!"
Mantine realized what the other two had been doing a moment ago. "Good thinking... but where's Sutahime?!"
Morana shook her head. "My teleport ally spell only works on four players at the time, and they happened to be the closest together! I'll see if I can bring her in while it recharges!"
"Damn wannabe heroes... you're right, it was good thinkin' bringin' your buddies down here... cuz now ya can all die together!" Dirgegun continued to taunt Knight 40's efforts. "Ey, Prophet! Don't let 'em do that again, or you're outta here!"
From the furthest corner in the room, a warlock's voice echoed. "No problem, boss. Teleport Block level 4." a green aura surrounded the room.
"Good boy. Now all of you, get burnt!" Dirgegun was done talking, and charged toward Knight 40 with his men following suit!
For the first minute, the clash was breakeven. Swords sparked light in the dark tomb, spells exploded against themselves, shields narrowly deflected arrows, and Yuuki's summons assailed the brutish thugs! It would all come down to whoever made the first mistake!
...and that was Flann.
Growing tired of whittling his opponent down, the aloof archer had activated a bow skill – triple rapid fire! His target, a ninja, weaved himself through the shots as he closed the distance! Locked down until the volley of arrows ran its course, there was little Flann could do beyond accepting his untimely death.
Orange jumped on the claw-bearing foe like a wild animal, tearing into his gut with ghostly katars! "Rrrgh! How dare you! You'll never wake again!" he roared, tossing the body aside until it burst into light!
A dark orb spell assailed Orange through the room, but he ferociously deflected it away and pounced on its source – one of the warlocks, and activated one of his sword skills, shredding him to ribbons within seconds! "I'm ready! How 'bout you?!"
He looked around the chamber with a crazed visage, when an arrow struck him in his blind spot before he could swat it away! It had stunned the assassin long enough for an entire volley of arrows to rain down upon him! His body fading, Orange was the next to enter his final rest.
To make matters worse, the Guardian Force had slowly began forcing Knight 40 into the middle of the room, where Yuuki still stood her ground! Losing his patience, Dirgegun activated a sword skill, his blade glowing a sickly yellow. He swung the slab of metal around in wide, unpredictable arcs, cleanly hitting Chammeng and Creme! They survived, but found themselves crippled with paralysis!
"Y'like that, punks? I learned that one from the dragons!" growled the gang leader.
"Flann... Orange... damn it..." was all Chammeng managed to choke out.
Creme writhed in pain, wishing he could defend the other players for longer. He couldn't bring himself to say anything, sobbing to himself as his vision faded amid the chaos.
With Battle Tendency effectively out of the picture. The thugs shifted their focus to their initial target: Yuuki. Three of the ten had fallen, leaving three to keep Mantine, Morana, and Rance busy while the other four prepared to finish their job. The poor dragonkin was frozen with fear, clutching her gunstaff close to her body as the brutes closed in.
Rance was able to push an enemy knight away long enough to stand his ground in front of Yuuki, digging in his heels. "You won't lay a scratch on her, goddammit! We've wasted too much time with you worthless-"
Skkkssssshhhh
Without breaking stride, Dirgegun slapped the green paladin into the wall with his greatsword, paralyzing him as well. His stomps grew heavier as his men circled Yuuki, their faces stricken with malice.
Kchkkkk... One.
Her body tensing up, she barely managed to block the first swing with her gunstaff, knocking one of the thugs over with its sheer weight.
Kchngggg... Two.
A quick follow-up from one of the gladiators broke her guard with little effort. Losing her balance, she began to stumble back.
In that moment, Mantine, Morana, and the rest of Knight 40 were helpless. All they could do was watch... watch as Dirgegun struck his strongest blow.
KRSSSSHHHHHH... Three.
A blow that, as it crudely tore through the young woman's chest, proved more than enough to kill her.
Mantine and Morana screamed her name in agony as the blade found its mark. In her final moments, as her body collapsed into fleeting light particles, she looked Mantine in the eye and said something to him.
As Dirgegun and his group celebrated over the empty spot where Yuuki stood mere seconds ago, something broke within Mantine. Any shred of rational thought left his mind as he charged wildly at the murderous players, sword set ablaze. Right now, nothing else mattered to him – all he knew was that he wanted these people to die.
The seven remaining enemies scoffed at what they viewed as last-minute heroics, all charging him without second thought.
Of course, second thought was often the difference between life and death.
The warlock, the one Dirgegun referred to as Prophet, was the first to learn this lesson, as Mantine cleaved him in half without even stopping to make sure he was dead. He beheaded the gladiator behind him, then skewered the archer that had killed Orange.
...and that was where his streak ended. Mantine pinned Dirgegun to the ground for a second, piercing him with his gaze and his sword, but the others quickly overwhelmed the paladin, swarming him like a pack of starving wolves.
Mantine's armor was protecting him just as it had back in the sewer, but these players were leagues stronger than Belladonna's gang, easily able to outdamage his auto-recovery as they chipped away at his defenses. Even worse, Mantine was so focused on taking out Dirgegun that he didn't notice his health as it dropped to critical levels!
"Mantine, get outta there! If you die now, this will all be for nothing! I know you want this guy dead, I would too! But we'll get that chance later!" Morana begged her boyfriend to break away from the battle while he still could.
A twisted, sadistic smile decorated Mantine's face as he drove his sword deeper into Dirgegun's chest. "C'mon, Morana! Just a minute or two... I've almost got 'im!"
Morana growled with frustration, knowing she'd have to take this into her own hands! "Mantine, YOU IDIOT!" The curvaceous cleric cued up a spell that would preserve the future of Knight 40. Damn you, you hard-headed boy. This is going to destroy my staff but... "Triple maximize magic: Couple Warp! And Guild Warp!"
Six pillars of light materialized over the surviving members of Knight 40, and the next thing they knew, they were transported back to Moonlight Shore Village, fully healed by the safezone effect. Larell couldn't bear to look them in the eyes.
There were no more words for tonight. Only tears.
July 3rd, 2022
[[Mantine]]
[Paladin]]
[[Lv. 41]]
Mantine's Log: "On that day, we lost someone who could never be replaced."
I never had the heart to tell anyone, but I had gone back into the graveyard the night before that fateful battle, and I did find the armor she was looking for. I was planning on giving it to her when I met up with her as a surprise. I'll hold onto it forever, now.
Sutahime naturally took it the hardest. Her heart was utterly shattered. She blamed herself. She wished she could've been there for her. Seen her one last time, at the very least. When she lost her sister, she lost a big part of her whole world. We did everything in our power to console her, even though we were all still hurting immensely ourselves.
Rance, for a while, was drained of all his positivity. He never wanted to admit it, but he loved Yuuki. Not only did he love her, he respected her enough to back down on his advances when he knew she was spoken for. His regrets were immeasurable. It took him a long time to return to his old status as our guild's wellspring of happiness.
Two days later, Creme Brulee went missing. I found him on the highest tower in Port of the Winds. He couldn't bring himself to speak. Then, before I could stop him, he jumped. I was close enough to the hiscores board to see his name turn red. I broke this news to Chammeng once I built up the courage. He locked himself in his room in the inn, crying himself to sleep.
I told everyone I wouldn't let anyone else die. I guess that makes me a liar, then. I'm so sorry, everyone.
Knowing it was what they would've wanted, Knight 40 pressed on without Yuuki, and Creme, Orange, and Flann as well. Memorials were placed for them near the Graveyard's entrance – swords with red cloth tied around them. For many months, things simply weren't the same, but a slow process of recovery had begun among the group. Moving on would prove to be harder than any boss they'd ever faced, but they did it for Yuuki, Orange, and Flann.
December 21st, 2022
[[Mantine]]
[[Paladin]]
[[Lv. 50]]
Mantine's log:
The players of Knight 40 were closer to each other than most friends become in a lifetime. At least, I think so. About five months have passed since tragedy struck back at the Underground Graveyard. The five surviving members of Knight 40 have worked tirelessly to clear the furthest reaches of the Continent of Wind.
Valid Raeth's Chief Rocko – defeated.
Queen Vella of the Smoldering Swamp – defeated.
The artificial dragon, Lavalon – defeated.
The first of the two continents, Wind, had been cleared, thanks to Sutahime's work discovering the remaining bosses. Now, only Paris herself remained.
As the saying goes, 'time heals all wounds'. We had been able to collectively move past the deaths of our beloved allies... but around this time of year, I found myself a bit lost in my feelings. The holidays tend to bring memories of happier times back to the surface, and I hated wishing that I could go back... I began to get some very dangerous ideas.
Winter had fallen over Port of the Winds for the first time since Mantine was still with the Mudkips. A medley of Christmas music lightly played throughout the port town, which was now decorated from tip to toe with festive banners, a rainbow of lights strung along everything that could hold them, snowmen, and of course, Christmas trees.
As time passed, they'd established a basic-level guild hall there, incidentally the thing Yuuki had been saving her gold for. It was in this hall that the four of the five players gathered around a toasty hearth, watching a livestream of the first annual Winter Warriors PvP tournament. Chammeng, wanting to do his late friends proud, had elected to enter, representing Knight 40, and the others were ready to cheer on his victory.
Naturally, everyone had gotten stronger over the months clearing out the Continent of Wind. The entire group was caught up with one another, at level 50. Participating in the raid on Lavalon had granted them a wealth of experience and gold, with plenty of items left over to sell. Mantine himself was decked out in a full set of Templar armor, its helmet bearing three bronze crests, with the rest of the set in his signature shades of blue. His winter variant even had a white fur collar. Rance's setup wasn't too far off, save for his green-and-gold finish.
The warp spell had left Morana's Aqua Spiritual staff past its breaking point; repairing it was beyond even Sutahime's abilities. Thankfully, it, along with the weapons of Mantine and Rance, had been replaced with those strange ghostly variants they saw Battle Tendency carrying. They were known as the weapons of the Dark Soul. While Mantine and Morana were quick to associate the name with the infamously difficult game series, their power was a great step up, and there was a hidden ability listed in their descriptions that none of them had entirely figured out.
Everyone had their attention on Chammeng, as he danced around the other competitors, holding his own in the free-for-all better than they'd expected. Mantine was just as into it as the others, but his expression began to sink. Rance, noticing his friend's sudden change in mood, walked over to him and tilted his head. "Somethin' the matter, fam?"
"I mean... yeah." he said, matter-of-factly. "This time of year tends to dig up a lot of memories. Gets me in my feelings, I guess."
Rance frowned at the blue-clad warrior, slowly realizing what he meant. "This is... you're thinkin' about Yuuki, aren't you?"
Mantine silently nodded, surrendering what he felt.
"Look... Mantine. I know it hurts. To be honest with ya, I still think about her from time to time... but look at all we've done since then! It's what she and the others would've wanted! Besides, it's almost Christmas! So have a little cheer and... be happy. We'll clear this game just like Yuuki wanted. She'd deck you in the jaw if she saw you moping like this!" said Rance, punching the air.
Just then, the guild hall's door burst open, and a loud thud was heard as a gold fist slammed the wall, triggering the "immortal object" readout. "Fuck! Shit! Dicks! Second place?! Assassins are so broken! Get outta here with that stun-locking bullshit!" Chammeng, having narrowly lost the tournament, was swearing up a storm that would rival Ralphie's dad. He dropped the display when he noticed everyone staring at him, disturbed. "H-hey, guys... looks like I lost." he said, hanging his head in shame.
Sutahime laughed at his display. "Jeez, how old are we? Good thing we're in VR, or your controller would be smashed!"
"I'd like to see you do better, woman!" Chammeng snarked.
Suta crossed her arms. "I probably could. You ever seen a good Warlock throw down in PvP?"
"You did great out there." Mantine said warmly. "Hey, uhh, I'll be back later tonight. Someone wanted me to meet near the bank, said they had a good trade for me."
"Just don't get scammed, fam." warned Rance.
Mantine chuckled. "Don't worry, I wont let 'em trim my armor."
That evening, he met up with a woman named Ashlea. She gave off a shady aura, dressed entirely in black, with long, bushy hair to match. Despite this, she was mostly compliant with Mantine, handing over a sky-blue ticket in exchange for a modest bag of gold, and whispering something in his ear before the two parted ways.
Mantine returned to the guild hall and relaxed with his allies until night fell. Not wanting to wait any longer, he took a deep breath, psyching himself up to explain to everyone what he was about to do.
"Everything the info broker told me seems to check out. She's solid. Looks like my next destination is the holiday event quest." Mantine announced.
Rance looked confused. "Homie, you spent money on that? Everyone knows about that event, it was a public announcement!"
"Indeed, anyone could've told me it existed, but that woman told me more about the rumor I heard surrounding it. She had no real reason to lie to me, so I'm going for it."
"Rumor?" Morana inquired.
Mantine took another deep breath. "I'd heard that the quest's boss drops a very special item. A pet, kinda like the one Jin had back in the sewers. It's said to be a sheep... with the ability to revive a fallen player."
The others displayed a collective look of shock as their hearts dropped to their stomachs. They murmured among themselves, but none spoke up.
"That said", Mantine continued, straight faced, "I'm heading to the portal just outside. It'll take us to the Frozen Forest. It's a straightforward path, we plow through the enemies and take the boss down, just like we always do."
Knight 40 knew there was nothing they could do to stop their leader when he was like this. Everyone geared up and traveled through the portal, leading to starlit tundra with great pine trees as far as the eye could see. A rudimentary path was carved through the snow, marking the way forward. Knight 40, now stronger than ever, had little trouble tearing through the hordes of sensitive snowmen, yetis, ice golems, and charging reindeer. The cold air nipping at their bodies did nothing to deter them, and before long, they had reached the boss gate.
Everyone made sure to heal up and equip torches to cure freeze, and stepped toward the gate, when...
"Ey, step off, Mr. second place!" A rough voice called out angrily into the night.
Recognizing the voice, Chammeng jerked his body around, looking for its source. Among the snow, he spotted a man dressed in silvery-white leather, face covered by a wrap as he brandished a pair of katars. From behind the trees, three more assassins made their presence known.
Chammeng drew his greatsword angrily. "I was hoping for a rematch, big boy... but I didn't think it'd happen so soon! What is this all about, anyways?!"
The assassin laughed mockingly. "Seeing as how I won the tournament on behalf of the Divine Dragon Alliance, isn't it only fair that we get to take this boss on?"
Mantine quickly lost his patience as he watched the exchange unfold. "Look, I see where this is going... quit the theatrics and skip to the part where you leave!"
This only angered the assassins in white further, and Mantine shot a sharp gaze at his guildmates. "Sucks this had to happen, but... waste these clowns, would you kindly? They're all talk. Look at their levels and gear! They probably wanted this quest just so they could try to optimize their builds or somethin'. I'll handle the boss myself."
Rance put one hand on his leader's shoulder. "Fam, I, uhh... are you sure about this? Solo play ain't exactly your style! We can take these guys on real quick and-"
"Did I make myself clear?! I'm 'bout to lose what little patience I have, so let me have this one!" Mantine commanded.
As his faithful companions steeled themselves to take on the Divine Dragon Alliance, Mantine stepped through the boss gate alone and cast off his fears to face whatever waited for him on the other side.
[[Rage Snow Queen – Mistress Claus]]
The clash amid the snowfield felt like it would never end. Mantine pushed himself far past his limits as he hacked away at the grotesque, twisted corruption of a fairytale. The cold grew harsher as the battle raged on, nearly bringing him to faint. Through sheer force of will, his blade remained strong... and as both of them were down to their final sliver of health, Mantine channeled of all his hatred into one final swing.
"Ha-ha! That'll teach you Divine Dragon losers to step up to Knight 40! Go home and cry to momma!"
Rance was celebrating with the others over their relatively easy victory, this time without having to take a life. They all breathed sighs of relief as they saw the boss gate reopen, Mantine emerging alive and well.
"Mantine!" Rance grinned at the sight of his friend victorious as well. "Oh, fam, you shoulda seen it! We whipped those guys somethin' fierce! Morana set 'em on fire, and I don't even wanna talk about what Suta lit 'em up with! Brutal stuff! We were all like, shboom! How they ever thought they could... uhh, big guy...?"
...but something was wrong. Mantine remained utterly stone-faced as his greaves crushed the snow underneath. His eyes were dark and cold, devoid of emotion.
He opened his inventory screen and produced a baby-blue sheep; its sparkling wool appeared just like the snow. He crudely tossed the animal over to Morana, the cleric gasped as it bleated in mild pain upon impact.
"Read its description." said Mantine in a disturbingly monotone voice.
Morana did as he said, and upon doing so, came to realize why he appeared so hurt. "It only revives players who died within the last thirty seconds..."
"You take it, and make sure no one else dies. Live on til the end."
Everyone else looked at Mantine, overcome with sadness. None of them could find words to console his pain, and for the time, they remained silent as the falling snow.
Mantine found himself at his desk back at the guild headquarters, beer half-empty, head buried in his arms as he tried to clear his mind. As the clock struck midnight, a translucent prism materialized on the desk, apparently coming from Knight 40's guild inventory. It began to float above the desk's surface, and lit up in a sparkling teal shade.
From the crystal, a girl's voice began to speak.
"This is a message for Mantine, former member of the Mudkips and leader of Knight 40. If you are hearing this now, I have likely already died."
Yuuki.
"Mantine, many things happened during your three-month absence from the game. You were not the only one who had soured opinions on the Guardian Force. My boyfriend and I joined in an attempt to sabotage their ranks. An attempt that ultimately was ill-conceived. How do you think I got so strong by the time we had met? We stole from them in small increments, and used that money to get more powerful. However, we were eventually caught and fled the guild. By the time you found me, I was already on the run. Despite what I may have said, I already had little hope for Lucas' survival, and I knew they would catch up with me someday."
As the message played, Mantine shut his eyes tight, gritted his teeth, clenched his fists, and began to sob uncontrollably.
"The truth is, no matter how much I wanted to be the best player, I had already accepted my weakness. It hurt, but I came to terms with my limits long ago. Mantine. Morana. Rance, Chammeng. Creme. Orange. Flann... and especially you, sis. My request is that you all live on til the end. Live to see the end of this world, and why it was born. Live to see why a weak girl like me ended up here...and the reason we all met."
Teardrops slowly trickled over the message crystal.
"I left a little something that might get you in the spirit of the season, just in case you were feeling distraught."
Through the silence of Mantine's room, Yuuki's voice began to happily hum the Christmas carol, 'Winter Wonderland'. This brought the Texan teen to his most melancholy state. There was no way Yuuki could have known this, but 'Winter Wonderland' was the song his grandfather had played on saxophone at the mall concert he went to as a child. For that last minute before the message finished playing, he felt like the young woman from Germany was watching over him.
He continued to lightly sob to himself for the rest of the night, until he felt a tight, warm hug from behind. Morana had come upstairs to check on him after what happened. As he turned to face her, he was met with that endearing smile he couldn't possibly resist. "Dry your tears, honey."
Morana had decided to keep the sheep as her very own pet, christening it with the name 'Altoid' after her favorite candy. She vowed to use it to save a life, in the event that she ever needed to. Altoid curled up on the sofa near the main window and slumbered for the night. Mantine almost felt bad for manhandling the virtual pet earlier.
He told Morana about the message, and she understood the way he felt. "...but you need to stay strong for her. We're almost halfway done with this ordeal, so let's make her proud."
Mantine nodded, and smiled for the first time since his departure.
"Hey, it's that song you liked!" Morana's ears perked up, as the Port was greeted by the sounds of a slightly more recent Christmas tune – Meghan Trainor's 'I'll Be Home'.
Indeed, Mantine had grown fond of the song over the winter, as it reminded him of what he wanted to do when he finally returned to the real world, desiring to meet up with Morana for real.
Morana held her and out and smiled, requesting the 'waltz' emote to Mantine. He happily accepted, and the couple danced to the holiday tune, their eyes on one another through the length of the song. It was the happiest he'd been since their days back in Moonlight.
He thought long and hard about everything that had lead him to this point, and knew now what he had to do. Tonight, he realized that regrets over the past only wasted his time and held him back. Forward was the only way to go, and soon, it would be time to head back out to the front lines, as the Continent of Chaos loomed over them waiting to be explored. For tonight, however, it was time for our heroes to rest, and prepare to exchange gifts in the morning.
Knight 40 did not spend too much time on the festivities, knowing they had relaxed enough and that they were scheduled to head back out the next day. Over coffee and peppermint cake, they discussed their next move, when...
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Someone was pounding on the door of their guild hall. Shrugging, Mantine went to greet the visitor. Before he could ask any questions, the man on the other side began pleading with him in sheer desperation. His voice shook and quavered as he spoke.
"Knight 40... I... I'm a messenger for the Guardian Force. We began the assault on Spectres' Tower today, but our men are being slaughtered as I speak! On behalf of all the living players of Dragon Saga Online, I beg for your assistance! You're the only ones left besides us, and w-we... you need to clear the tower too, right?! For the sake of our survival... please, help us, Knight 40!"
Mantine furrowed his brow in disgust as soon as he laid his eyes on the white-gold armor the messenger wore. "Aww, the big bad prestigious Guardian Force? You need our help, do ya?"
Before he could respond, the man's head was met with a swift metal boot, sending him flat on his back. "Then crawl at my feet."