"Christmas in July or A Summer Romance in the Snow"
Episode 3
As Haseo and Alkaid engaged the final group of monsters in battle, they learned how powerful they really were. These vampires were not only fast, but they were able to heal themselves when they dealt damage. "Damn, these things just won't die!" said Haseo in anger. "Tell me about it! CHAOTIC STRIKE!" cried the Twin Blade, as she sent the vampire into the air and jammed her blades into its chest. "All right! I killed it!" said Alkaid with a smile. She then ran over to back up Haseo, who was being double-teamed by the other two vampires. "I got ya, Haseo! LEI ZAS!!!" Alkaid fired several arrows of light at the vampires. It didn't kill the blood-suckers, but it did get them off of Haseo. "Thanks, Alkaid," said Haseo, gratefully. "No prob. You heal yourself. I'll finish these monsters off." She then hit the Square button on her controller, causing the words "DEMON AWAKENING" to appear on screen. The vampires became frozen in place, as Alkaid unleashed a barrage of Lei Zas spells. By the time her Morale gauge was depleted, Alkaid had already killed both vampires.
-Obtained: "Myrrh Key" x1-
"All right. We got all three keys," said Haseo, "Now we can bring down the barrier around the workshop." An awkward silence began to grow between the two players as they made their way towards the workshop. "So, Haseo, how is everything?" Alkaid asked, hoping to break the silence. "Good, I guess," replied Haseo, "How about you?" "Pretty good, I guess... Say, Haseo, I was wondering, how old are you?" she asked with a slight blush. "17, you?" Haseo replied. "I'm 16. Where are you from? I live in Hokkaido" Alkaid said, her confidence about talking to Haseo about these things growing. "Tokyo", Haseo simply said. "What do you do when you don't play "The World"?" asked Alkaid. Her curiosity was growing. She knew nearly nothing about Haseo outside of "The World". "I usually go for a walk, or I'm working at my job" said Haseo. "Where do you work?" she asked. "Grocery store. Nothing special" Haseo answered. "How about you?" "Well," Alkaid said, "I guess I'm kinda a bookworm. I read a lot, especially books like "Lord of the Rings" and the "Dark Tower" series by Stephen King." "They any good?" Haseo asked. "I think so," said Alkaid. "Maybe I'll pick one up," said Haseo.
As they continued to the workshop, they kept talking about various things. "Well, I guess it's now or never," Alkaid thought. "Haseo, do you have a girlfriend?" she asked. "No, I have a habit of attracting pretty shallow girls," said Haseo. "I know Atoli likes me, but she isn't really my type." "Then, what is your type?" Alkaid asked, silently hoping she qualified. "I'm not sure," replied Haseo. "I guess I'll know when I find the right girl. How about you? You got a boyfriend?" Alkaid blushed furiously at that question. "N-N-No! I'm mean, I don't have a boyfriend, but there is a guy I think I like. He's smart, really cool, and he seems cold and arrogant sometimes, but I know he has a really good heart." "Alkaid, your face is all red," Haseo said. She quickly turned away and covered her face, her heart pounding. "Oh man, gotta keep in control," Alkaid thought. "At least he didn't realize I was talking about him." The two continued on until they reached the barrier surrounding the workshop. Haseo then used the Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh Keys, making the barrier come down. "Well, are you ready, Alkaid?" asked Haseo. "Yeah, let's finish this," she replied. With those words, Haseo opened the door and they entered the workshop, determined to finish this quest.