Arc 1 Chapter 5 : Swirling Memory
Morning arrived at the Abraxas continent. But even before the sun rises, adventurers already busy preparing.
“Selling light swords for advanced players! Selling cheap!”
“Recruiting mages type! Healer are also invited!”
“Need party for level 24 dungeon!”
“Hey, having trouble finding your first class?”
Yep, full of life is the perfect description of the morning, with the usual morning patrol by the Skyriders and morning open market, adventurers getting ready to hunt and stuff. Basically the usual MMORPG things.
The commotion also happen on The Noire City Gate, but this one has a different kind of atmosphere.
“What is the meaning of this!?” a man with a red armor shouted. “Why are we not allowed to leave the city?!”
“Sorry sir, Government orders. Unless you are one of the high ranking members of the top three guild or a government approved adventurers. Leaving the city perimeter is not allowed at the moment.” Said a person that seems to be the gate guard, as their armor is covered with Noire City emblem colors.
The commotion became louder with the guard announcement, especially with the new players. The only known ways to getting level quickly is to defeat monsters, which is the main point of MMORPGs.
Among the still protesting player, three familiar figures leave the area looking dejected. The three of them are of course Anna, Lyka, and Aqua.
“So today is another lockdown. Even though we already anticipated it so much.” Said the depressed looking golden haired girl.
“Huh! The guards are so stingy!” said the pink-haired girl.
“It can’t be helped. The guards said Goblin hordes has been sighted near Gelsane Mountain Range. So precaution is taken.”
Gelsane Mountain Range is the border between Noire City or North Abraxas and the still unknown south Abraxas. Usually no one is allowed to go near the border because of Ancient Dragon sightings. But with curiosity and increase in high-level players since the official release, eventually the field near the mountain became a popular spot for hunting.
The three immortals walked through the city in a depressed state, only could imagine what it feels like to go hunting monster.
“I want to cleave a monster with an axe…” Anna murmured
“I want to try shooting fireball at monsters head…” This time it’s Aqua.
“I want to raise my level…” Lyka also joined the depressed choir.
And so on they keep murmuring and emitting negative aura, which also could be felt from some of the adventurers. The only energized ones are merchants and high-level adventurers.
“Hey! Suddenly I got an idea!” Anna face lighten up and began to drag her two still depressed friend.
“Where.. are… we going?” Aqua said.
“Are we going to fight monster?” Lyka asked.
“No, but the second best thing!”
With her newfound energy, she dragged the two other girls to a black building with blue neon lines. The building is shaped like a dojo, but of course, like every building in Noire City, it has a futuristic touch on it.
On the front sign is written ‘Training Area : Neo-style Sword Dojo’
“”What is this?”” Lyka and Aqua asked confusingly. As they don’t know about this particular area before.
Anna didn’t answer the question and instead open up her inventory and took out a pamphlet.
Looking for Sparing Members!From : Neo-sword Style Dojo MasterDifficulity : E Looking For Sparring Volunteer!
Reward Will Be Based On Performance!
JOIN NOW!
Penalty: -1 tier of relationship with all of Neo-sword Style Dojo Members.
Reward : ???, 100 coppers.
Lyka and Aqua scanned the rather direct pamphlet, before realizing something.
It’s a quest.
“Hey, where did you get this?” Lyka asked hurriedly, knowing the rarity of pamphlet.
“Garbage can!” Anna answered cheerfully.
Quest divided into several ranks, known ranks are F, E, D, C, B, A, AA, AAA, and S. although the only highest quest found so far is the C-rank. There even a rumor of a rank higher than S.
“Looks like fortune is on her side” Aqua commented. “But for someone to throw away a quest pamphlet like this. Even though it has E rank, it still very precious.”
“But the money rewards is a little bit low compared to the guild quests.” Lyka looked at the pamphlet, trying to find anything weird about it “Maybe because there aren’t any level requirement.”
“Let’s go! No more dallying or we can’t catch up to Sylver!” Anna proceed to drag the two to the dojo. While they only could smile wryly.
“Hello! Anyone here?!” Anna shout could be heard through the building, yet no answer could be heard.
“Hello!” Anna keep shouted and shouted, yet no sound other than the shoutings could be heard.
“Are you really sure this is the place? This place looks abandoned” Lyka looked around hoping to find signs of life, but ended up in failure “Beyond here is too dark, let’s go back bef…”
Whooooo’s thereeeee?! a deep sound filled the hallway
“What is that sound?” Lyka looked for the cause of the sound. The sound is coming from the front. She then looked behind, only to find her friends is nowhere to be seen.
“Aqua? Anna? Where are you?” Lyka couldn’t find her friends, but suddenly a familiar whisper could be heard.
“L-L-L-Ly-Lyka… H-h-here.” A girl whisper could be heard from near the entrance “L-l-let’s g-go b-b-back.”
After hearing the whispers, Lyka breathed a sigh of relief. From the source of the whispers she could see two familiar faces, each with their own scared expression.
“I knew Anna is scared of things like this, but Aqua reaction is surprising.” Lyka knew Anna is afraid of ghost, as they sometimes watch horror movies together. But Aqua who normally seems like the older one of the three also hid beside Anna.
“Come back here you two, there’s nothing scary here.” Lyka said.
“Th-then w-what i-i-is t-that b-b-behind you?” Anna said with a horrified appearance.
“You think I would fa…” Lyka then notice a huge shadow on the floor, so huge that it even covered herself “Classic... RUN!”
With the shout the trio quickly head to the entrance. Unfortunately just before they could open the door, a big arm grab ahold of their cloth’s neck.
“Please don’t eat me! please don’t eat me!” Anna screamed while crying.
“Help me god… Ouranos, Athena, Ares, Thor, Surt… even Tiamat is fine!” Lyka prayed desperately. While the two of them were panicked, Aqua already passed out because of the fear.
Because of the darkness, Lyka couldn’t see the owner of the big hand. The only thing she could see with her eyes was a huge figure wearing some kind of robe. The figure noticing trait is his glowing eyes, that only scared the three even more.
“Please don’t eat me!”
Suddenly, the giant in front of them screamed in pain and fell, releasing the giant’s hand from the three collars. Soon all the lights on the room turned on, revealing the identity of the giant, an old man with very big and muscular body around 3 meters high, with a white hair and facial hair on the face and a golden eye. He wore a white training suit that usually seen in martial arts movie behind his robe.
“That’s what you got for scaring away customers! You stupid old man!” the voice came from behind the giant old man. A young girl around Anna’s height with red hair and almond eyes. She is wearing a karate gi and her right hand is holding a tazer.
“W-w-w-what a-a-are y-y-you d-d-doing d-dear d-daughter?” The giant asked with an almost dead sound.
“You should ask that yourself you pervert!” The red haired young girl said while landing a vertical kick straight to the almost dead giant. After ‘killing’ the giant, she quickly bowed to the three customer in front of her “Ah, you three there, I’m very sorry for my father behavior. I will make sure that he will be punished severely!”
“A-a-h, thank you.” Lyka said while stuttering. The Aqua and Anna already passed out and she still recovering from the shock.
“You all must be tired, please rest in my place.”
“Y-you d-don’t have t-to.”
“Don’t worry. My room is spacious and customers rarely come.” The red haired girl walked to the two immortals that has passed out and carried both of them with ease. “Follow me”
“Umm, how about the giant?”
“You mean my father? He will be okay. Electric shock is not enough to kill him.”
“I see.”
The two walked to a lift located not far from the entrance. The red haired girl entered a series of number into her phone and the lift took off.
“By the way, my name is Miyu. The pervert before name is Ryuto.”
“Ah, my name is Lyka. The blue haired one is Aqua and the pink haired one is Anna. Nice to meet you Miyu.”
“Nice to meet you too.”
The lift is filled with only machine’s quiet noise for a several minute. Suddenly it stopped and a click sound could be heard. The door’s opened and revealing a room looked like a 5-star hotel.
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“Welcome to my room! Please wait here and make yourself comfortable.” She gestured toward a sofa in the room looked like a living room. Lyka then sat on the sofa while Miyu brought Aqua and Anna to the bedroom.
Not long after that. Miyu came back with two cups of tea. She put it on the table and then sat on the sofa.
“So, did you came here because of the pamphlet?”
“Eh? Oh yes. Anna found it.” Lyka refrained from mentioning where it was found, as it seems rude “But, if it’s okay to ask something?”
“Ah, of course. You want to ask why this place is deserted despite the quest difficulty right?” She then opened her phone and lightly touch the screen a few time, suddenly a hologram of 5 floating symbol appeared. “You see, in Noire City, there are 5 sword dojo in total, each with their own style and specialty. From the right there are Ragnarok-style, River-style, Aider-style, Gungnir-style, and lastly our own Neo-style.”
“Before the ‘Advent’ incident, many people…”
“I’m sorry to suddenly ask, but what is the ‘Advent’ incident?”
“Ah, of course. You are an adventurer so you wouldn’t knew. Basically, the Advent is when the first adventurers arrived and the revolution of technology. During the Ad vent many civilization fell and rise with adventurers help. Advent also caused many weird technology appeared like guns and light swords.”
“I see… so why did this affect the sword dojos? Could it be guns overpowered sword or something?”
“No, it even became more popular with the light sword. But our problem is not that… But the difficulty of the training.”
“What do you mean?”
“Compared to other style, our Neo-style is acknowledged as the most superior, also as the most difficult. It said that a beginner needs 2 weeks to learn the basic of other style, but 2 years for Neo-style.”
“What?! Really?!” the little Lyka jumped from the chair upon hearing the amount. 2 years just for the basic. If it’s real life it could be acceptable. But now they are in a virtual reality game. “What kind of sword style needs 2 years to learn the basic?!”
“Haha, that the reaction I got from most people visiting here. Although I said 2 years, it differs from people to people. For example father learned the basic in six months and me in 2 weeks.” She said with a proud expression.
Lyka didn’t knew whether she should be scared, amazed, or surprised. She just realized she just met two monster s geniuses.
“But because most adventurers didn’t stay here long. And others are more interested in easier sword style....” Miyu expression turned gloomy, tears started to gather in her eyes “We may be forced to close the dojo.”
“Eh?! Why?! Didn’t you said that the Neo-style is the strongest?!”
“Being the strongest doesn’t mean anything if we didn’t have follower. Noire city rules stated that dojos must at least have 20 follower or will be closed down on next inspection.” Miyu’s tears escaped her eyes, Lyka who seeing her could not help but to feel symphaty.
“Umm, is there any way for us to help?” Lyka couldn’t bear seeing the condition of her new friend. She and her father are about to be kicked out from their house if they didn’t have enough follower.
“Unless you can gather 20 follower in less than one week, I don’t think you can..” Miyu tried hard to hold her tears. ‘Don’t worry about it for now. Why don’t you get some rest? The bedroom is right from that hallway. The spar will begin tomorrow.”
“O-okay…” Lyka left the room heading toward the bedroom. She prepared to go to sleep and suddenly she thought she heard someone cried. She want to comfort her but she remember one of the god advice.
‘Those who sad didn’t need other’s comfort. As the best comfort come from themselves.’
And thus Lyka decided to leave her alone. She lied on her bad and somehow memory of the past flowed through her head.
“Somehow looking at her helplessly tried to protect her dojo reminds me of that times.”
Before Anna and Sylver came to Earth. The minor gods has prepared their best angels and demons as gift to win his trust, as it his trust is enough to make them a major god. At that time Lyka is only a fallen angel, an angel without master that somehow managed to sneak to the place Sylver and Anna arrived. She is interested in the alien being that about to arrive, and because of another reasons. She tried to enter the arrival place, but the arrival place is not allowed for non-invited.
As an angel without master. She is automatically a non-invited. But that doesn’t stop her from sneaking in. She passed through the guard without noticed.
But alas, her luck run out when she almost reach the arrival altar. One guard managed to saw her and quickly signaled others. Her chances to fulfill her promise is almost gone.
Until suddenly, a miracle happened.
Just before the guards could kill Lyka. Light burst from the altar, revealing a dark gray haired 17-years old boy and pink haired 15-years old girl.
In an instant blink, before any of the gods could started to offer their angels and demons like selling goods. The gray-haired boy’s eyes shine in many color, following it were a surge of aura that makes everyone on the vicinity felt the same thing.
Fear.
“I already knew something like this will happen. I suspect everyone here will start to offer their servant like some goods. Is that right?” The boy said with a serious, yet relaxed voice.
Everyone could only be silenced by fear. Except Lyka that has an expression of fear mixed with amazement.
‘Amazing, this person could scared the gods even though he is not one.’
“I take your silent as a yes. I will choose one…”
Before The gray-haired boy could finished her sentences. Expectant look appeared on the gods faces.
“But they won’t be my servant, but an assistant. I hate to own someone.”
The boy started to look around and examining the angels and the demons. Every time he checking an angel or a demon, expectant looks appeared on the owner god. But met with disappointment when he said no. Every time he said no, his answer was..
“I see in their hearts that they didn’t want to be my assistant.”
And that continue on, until suddenly Sylver saw an angel is pushed down by the guards. A golden haired angel that looks like a 14-years old girl. Sylver walked to her direction.
“Ah, immortal. This lowly angel is not an off..”
“Please be quiet, I chose my own assistant.” Sylver saw the golden haired angel thoroughly. With his eyes that can see things normally couldn’t be seen.
Suddenly, the aura of fear from the gray-haired boy lessened, but still could be felt. The gray-haired boy then extended his hands and said while smiling “Will you be my assis… No, will you be my friend short angel?”
Seeing the hand extended to her, Lyka was surprised. As she is a fallen angel, no one want to befriend her anymore, even her family. Being a fallen is a very disgraceful thing for an angel. So it’s natural she thought.
But now, a being able to rival major gods asked her to be a friend. Hearing the words she quickly replied.
“I’m not short!”
“Hehe, really? You look like a child from my viewpoint. So, the answer?”
Lyka then just nodded.
“So , it’s official. To all the other one please go home. I’m still tired so I will go straight to the next thing.”
Look of jealously could be showed in the faces of the minor gods
“How could that fallen is chosen?”
“What the immortal is thinking?”
“Huh! How could that lowly angel is better than my servant?!”
And lot of protest whisper could be heard. But no one dared to make a move against the one that scared them before.
“Now to the next meeting is with the major gods. Anna passed out again huh.. I suppose I make it up with an ice cream later.” He then lift his childhood friend and carried her with a princess carry. “Ok, let’s go short angel.”
“My name is Lyka!”
“And I’m Sylver. And this is Anna. Nice to meet you!”
Sylver then walked to the exit with Lyka and Anna. The minor gods just watching them, realizing just how stupid they are looking right now.
“Ah.. fun memories. I wonder what he is doing now.”
Lyka is now back from the trip to the memory lane and back to the dojo room. She then quickly fell asleep, dreaming about how she found her new family.
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Author Notes
So, long chapter this time (Not too long). Sorry about the errors, I have a lot of homework because of new rules and stupid curriculum (Believe me, if you live in my country you knew why.).
There’s a bit of flashback regarding Lyka’s past. If you have a question regarding the chapters, I will answer it without spoiling (I promised to try) because I think there many things will be need to be explained.
I’m also thinking about making a character profile. What do you think?
Look forward to next chapter!