A light breeze brushed against Zein's hair, making it sway. Seated on a cold bench, he hugged himself to preserve his limited body heat. Clark stood by him, hovering over a trashcan with an ashtray. Scents of vanilla and tobacco disturbed Zein's nose, and yet he didn't move.
“You going to explain this plan of yours? Uploading the video.” Zein rocked on the bench.
“Yeah. Sorry. Hold on.” Clark took a puff, blowing away from Zein. “I…” he bit his lower lip. “I don’t know what to say. I just know it’s gonna go big, Zeizei. I just know it's gonna go big. Please Zeizei, we have to publish this.”
Zein played with his hangnail “Okay, are you just going to upload the video to your channel? Or the guild’s one?” he asked, confused
Clark stared into the ashtray, taking another hit. “That's where the plan, my plan, really kicks in.” he took a deep breath. “I want to make you a channel.”
“Excuse me!?”
“Zein.” Clark gripped the sides of the dustbin. “Trust me. You don't have to do anything. I'll handle getting an editor, an artist, someone to manage it. All I need is your recording.” he bobbed his head.
“But why me?” Zein questioned, scratching at his peeling skin.
“After that talk with Himmel,” Clark violently shook his leg. “I-I’m scared man. I don’t want a repeat of last time. I don’t want a repeat of last time, Zeizei.” he tried lifting the bolted-down dustbin; his cigarette crushed in his hands. “I don't want a repeat. I don't-”
“Hey hey, it’s alright. I understand.” Zein looked to his friend, hair now a mess. Their eyes met, calming Clark down.
“I- don’t you to be bullied around again, ‘cause I know those bastards will do it.” Clark threw his cigarette in the bin, breaking eye contact “I don't wanna lose you again man. I-I know we talk online and stuff from time to time but when we,” he gestured, not knowing how to continue “We like, raided Aria Mountain Ranges, I felt happy, man. It took me back- back to a time I truly fell in love with the game.”
“Clark, I am not going to leave this time.” Zein ensured.
“I remember you telling me that before.” Clark’s breathing quickened. “Before those bastards kept hunting you,” he lurched forward, face closer to the ashes. “Over, and over, and over, and over, and over, and-”
“Clark, relax.” Zein held his hand out. Clark’s dilated pupils shrunk, and his breathing steadied. He took Zein’s offer- grabbing his hand and sitting beside him.
“Yeah. Sorry. I’m sorry.”
“You’re alright. Thank you, for worrying so much. I'll send you the vid. Make sure it looks good.” Zein chuckled.
“I will. I won’t let you down, I promise.” Clark smiled.
“You feeling better then?” Zein released his hold on Clark’s hand.
“Yeah, I’m feeling better.” Clark released his hold on Zein’s hand. “My plan was, basically, to get eyes on you. My thinking was,” he leaned forward.”If you had more eyes on you, the guilds wouldn’t want to take action, I hope.”
“Oh? So it’s not cause the video would do well?” Zein smirked.
“That too! But, that’s something I want to see happen.” Clark puffed his chest. “Selfish ain’t it.” he glanced at Zein.
“Hasn’t that always been the case?” Zein raised his legs to his chest, resting them on the bench.
“Don’t be rude!” Clark wrapped his arm around Zein’s shoulder. “I’m trying to help, you rude rude man.” he brought Zein closer, driving and twisting his knuckle on his head. Zein tapped out. Clark released the spectacled man.
“Yeah, yeah. I’ll send you the file later.” Zein readjusted his bag.
“Thank you, Zeizei. It’d be funny if ya actually blow up.”
“I don’t know if I like the idea of so many people knowing about me.”
“You’ll get used to it ol’ buddy ol’ pal.” Clark laughed.
The two men sat in silence, taking in the moment. The faint smell of smoke and flowers. The birds surrounded by family. The dim white lights stationed around the park. They felt the flow of time.
.
.
.
“So, you want a ride ba-”
“No.”
“What! Why not! Ain’t we already almost there!”
“That’s why.” Zein stretched his legs. “I’m walking back.”
“What!? Come on!” Clark slapped the bench. “Please?” he dragged his appeal. “I thought we shared a moment!?”
“We did, but I still want to walk back.” Zein replied.
“But but but-”
“Anymore buts and I won't be sending you the video.”
Clark shot to his feet. “I will see you online in 40 minutes.” he paced to his car, leaving a trail of dust behind. Zein’s lips curled ever so slightly. He rested his elbows on his thighs, hunching over.
Once home, showered, and changed, Zein returned to Aria. He spawned in his little wood-plated inn room. Zein felt his fur and ears while deep in thought. “Do I need to start recording from now on? Open Camera: Start Recording.” His mind spun, cycling through his next steps. Aria Mountain Ranges, Alchemist, Weaponsmith, dodging the Skull Kidds, heading to-
Ding. A message. Zein returned to reality.
“Yo. Vids were fire, thanks. Where you at?”
“I’m in Aria City’s Inn. Are you in Babel?”
“Naw. Back in Aria too. Room no.?”
“102. Are you at the inn?”
Ding Dong. The bell rang. Zein leapt from his bed and walked to his door in confusion. Unlocking it, Jejj stood waiting, hands on their waist.
“Wha?” Zein’s tail formed a question mark.
“Yo!” Jejj raised their hand. “Let’s go.” they pointed to the stairs.
“Alright.” Zein loosened his body, jumping and twisting. “Do you want to join me at Aria Mountain Ranges?”
“Yee. Lessgo. Why you still speaking so formal still? What I tell you about that?” Jejj asked, punching Zein’s arm.
“You’re just bullying me for how I speak now!” Zein laughed.
Zein and Jejj headed towards the mountain ranges, eyes peeled for any adventurer with an agenda. Zein summoned Wu to his side, nuzzling his head and propping him on his shoulder.
The entrance to the mountain ranges breathed life once more. Adventurers formed parties without any Skull Kidds in their midst- A welcome change to the planet.
“So, we ready to climb?” Jejj squatted, studying the mountain.
“You want to go through the front?” Zein asked in shock.
“Yea? Ain’t we gon’ clear it?” Jejj folded their arms.
“I love the confidence but we'd get our ass beat.” Zein admitted.
“For real?” Jejj said, surprised.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.
“Yeah. I also don’t wanna deal with it.” Zein felt a shiver.
“The hell we doin' then!?”
Heh. “Follow me,” Zein swirled his finger. “Because we are going back to the village.”
Zein and Jejj jogged to a little opening on the side of the mountain. Standing guard, a miner covered in soot and annoyance.
“Halt. This is the entrance to the mine. Outsiders aren't allowed inside.” the miner directed their attention to a sign signalling no entry.
“Open Inventory.” Zein retrieved a Great Blue Vultre's feather and A Giant Mole's Claw.
Cleansed from his annoyance, “Oh! Oh?” the miner examined the feather and claw. He cleared his throat. “Head in, there'll be a cart you can ride up.” the miner returned the feather and claw.
“Thank you very much!” left his items back in his little subspace.
“Not bad.” Jejj said, impressed.
“Right?” Zein winked.
Zein, Jejj, and Wu entered the creak, leaving the miner behind. They boarded a cart and Wu, being the gentleman he was, offered to pull the lever. His offer was accepted with grace.
“Oogie oogie!” Wu clapped with joy. He pounced on the lever, hanging from it. “Oogieeeeee.” He exerted. The lever shifted, degree by degree, becoming more acute with each passing second.
“Come on Wu, you got this!” Zein cheered.
“Almost there lil’ man.” Jejj said, squatting.
“Oogieeeeee!” Wu's veins revealed themself, popping from his throat. Click. The lever fell to the ground, trapping the little monkey.
“Oogie oogie!” Wu attempted to push the lever off himself. A struggle ensued, but he didn't give up. With the slightest raise, Wu wriggled himself free. The cart began its ascent.
“Oogie!” The little monkey flexed his muscles. Zein and Jejj applauded his show of strength as he snickered. Wu returned to his seat on Zein's shoulder, observing the roughened rope and the patches of soot and dirt embedded into their wooden cart.
Heaps of iron ore sat scattered across the mountain, glistening under the torches. Accompanying the minerals were miners. The sound of their strikes echoed throughout the tunnel, growing louder the higher they climbed.
“Watch out for the flying bits!” the miners yelled anytime pieces of ore flew and landed in their cart. Wu pounced on the rocks, examining them with curiosity.
“That usable?” Jejj examined one of the pieces.
“Yeah, the pieces count for,” Zein paused. His thumb tapped each finger. “1/10th?” he answered. Confidence unseen in his response.
“We gon need a bit for a full one then.” Jejj tossed the piece back into Wu’s pile.
“We'll get enough for the both of us if I remember correctly.” Zein leaned against the cart.
Jejj crossed their arms and stared at Wu’s ever-growing mountain of shards, pondering. “Lemme look that shit up.”
“That’s a good idea.” Zein nodded in agreement.
The cart shuddered as Wu carefully laid down the last bit of rock on top of his pile. He patted it to ensure its sturdiness.
“Oogie!” Wu marvelled. Excitement in his heart, he waited for the next shard to arrive- and the next shard- and the next shard- and the next shard.
“It ain’t 1/10th.” Jejj scrolled a blue. “It’s 1/5th. Used to be 1/10th until it changed 2 years ago.”
“Ooh, that’s interesting.” Zein began tapping his thumb. “I wonder why? Was it to make it easier? To help newer players with the game? Or is it cause people don't do the Aria raid anymore so they changed it? Was there a problem with the drop rate? There have been complaints in past with parties and how they split the shards since it'd sometimes not be an equal amount.” he scratched at his thumper, fur falling out.
“We gotta bounce big guy. The exit’s close.” Jejj remarked.
“Eh? What?” Zein raised his head, watching the tunnel be enveloped in white. “Oh! Alright. It looks like we got 30 bits of ore.”
“3 each then, hell yeah. Think I can make some shit?” Jejj asked.
“Well, let’s find out.” Zein replied. The rope came to a sudden end, making the cart swing.
“Oogie!” Wu yelled in shock as his mountain collapsed.
“I’m sorry Wu, but it’s time to go alright. I’ll get you something better to rebuild with.” Zein stored the pieces of ore in his inventory.
“Oogie!” Wu climbed the cat's back while he knelt and attached himself to the back of Zein's head.
Jejj and Zein exited the cart, taking in their surroundings. The little huts in the distance, the blues and greys which made Zein instinctively shiver, the miners running back and forth with carts filled to the brim with ore. It felt nostalgic for Zein. It felt new for Jejj.
“Welcome back to Aria Mountain Village. Hope you enjoy your stay.” A woman with jet-black hair tied in a ponytail and soot-covered overalls greeted the adventurers, alternating between striking an ore and speaking.
“Oogie! Oogie!”
“Hm?”
Wu climbed down from Zein's head. He jumped up and down while pointing to the village.
“Ohh. Would you like to take us to the blacksmith then?” Zein asked with a smile as warm as a bonfire.
“Oogie!” Wu bobbed his, teeth on full display.
“We here for that?” Jejj enquired.
“That's right! And we have a little guide for us too.” Zein ruffled Wu’s hair.
“Oogie.” Wu puffed his chest and marched ahead. They twisted and turned through the traffic of children and adults until they came face to face with a store; it had a sign depicting an anvil and a hammer.
“Oogie! Oogie!” Wu pointed to the sign.
“Good job, Wu! Thank you for guiding us.” Zein held his hand out. Wu jumped onto his arm and climbed, returning to his spot on Zein’s shoulder.
“Not bad lil’ man.” Jejj high-fived Wu. “Oogie!”
Ding. Ding. The little bell rang on the inside. Zein, Jejj, and Wu peeked in, searching. Swords and shields and bows and staffs and armour and boots and wands and helmets decorated the walls. Weapons and wares with scratches and tears were bunched together in containers made of iron. Behind a counter made of wood- a man, sound asleep.
“Hello!..?” Zein called.
“...”
“Yo! Blacksmith! You got customers!” Jejj called.
“Wah-huh?” the blacksmith rubbed his eye, his grey beard and hair covered in dust. “Oh hello! Welcome to the Aria Mountain Village Smithy. What can I do for you?” he brightened up.
“I got you the stuff, for the boots. Open Inventory.” Zein retrieved 5 Great Blue Vulture Claws and Feathers.
“Ooh, yes, boots made from the Great Blue Vulture. It’s an honour.” the blacksmith examined the items.
“Wait, what boots? You getting boots?” Jejj asked perplexed.
“Yeah, I took a side quest. Do you want a pair?” Zein asked, grinning.
“Hmm…” Jejj pondered while the blacksmith took Zein’s items to the back of the store. “What’s it got?”
“It’ll increase your dexterity by a percentage instead of a raw stat.” Zein studied a pair of Mole Leather Boots. “Cool right?”
“That sounds op… Lemme in on one. Open Inventory.” Jejj dug around in their inventory.
“Hell yeah!” Zein said excitedly. “I'll hand you my extra, you have your 4 right!?”
“Yea.” Jejj placed the 8 items on the counter. Zein made it 10.
“Your boots will be ready in 5 minutes!” The blacksmith wiped a sweat from his brow.
“Thank you very much. Would you mind making another pair?” Zein asked. “We have the materials.” he pushed the items towards the blacksmith.
“To get to work on 2 pairs of these- it seems it’s my lucky day!” the blacksmith laughed.
“Hell yeah.” Jejj pumped their fist, discreetly.
The blacksmith returned to his smithy and began working on a second pair, striking his hammer with vigour.
“He ain’t takin’ money?” Jejj asked.
“No. He considers it a passion project.” Zein answered.
“I ain’t see too many people wear ‘em though.” Jejj remarked.
“Makes sense since not a lot of people know about it, even if there are multiple posts about it on the forums.” Zein explained.
“On god?” Jejj opened the forums to check. “Huh, you right. To be honest though, I ain’t look that shit up either.”
“Understandable.” Zein chuckled. “After all, the raid doesn’t require deep research, unless-”
“You a nerd.” Jejj finished his sentence.
“Is that right?”
“You know I ain’t wrong.”
“No you are not.” Zein said, defeated.
Jejj burst into laughter, followed by Zein. Wu, not knowing why his friends were cracking up, joined them as well. Then, there was silence. A silence they both found comfort in.
Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Slam.
“Two pairs of Great Vulture Boots. Thank you for letting me work on this.” the blacksmith smiled.
Two pairs of blue boots with an off-white, sturdy sole and two feathers attached on either side. The last feather seen on the inside- melded to the sole. The rest of the boot was made from mole leather.
“5% dex increase +10. Ain’t this much?” Jejj questioned, studying the shoes.
“It falls off a cliff the higher your dex stat gets. I, however, kept upgrading it.” Zein said with pride, holding his pair in his hand.
“You ain’t switch boots? There had to be better stuff.”
“What can I say, I like the colour.” Zein giggled. “In any case, thank you for the boots!” he equipped them.
“Of course. Maybe this will be the pair to get The Giver’s attention.” the blacksmith wondered.
Zein’s eyebrow raised. “The Giver?”
“Yes! There’s a legend which states The Giver would appear before any who hold the blood of their children. The Great Blue Vulture, when it was a weak and feeble creature, was given its strength by The Giver.”
“Is that right? Thank you for letting me know.” Zein tugged on Jejj’s hand, an elf confused by this gesture.
“Anytime, have a good day!” the blacksmith waved goodbye.
Zein ushered Jejj out the door, excitement in every step. He brought the elf into a huddle.
“You gon explain-”
“That was new dialogue.” Zein interrupted, hands shaking.
“New dialogue?” Jejj asked.
“Yeah! He’s never said that before. This is new! This is new!” Zein dragged them closer, almost making the elf lose balance.
“Aight it’s new, maybe they wanted to flesh out the world or some shit.” Jejj offered an answer.
“No.” Zein rejected. “No I don’t think that’s it, they’d never do something like this. There’s only one reason.”
“Aight, spill.” Jejj kept their arm around Zein’s shoulder as Wu rested on Zein’s head, leaning all the way over to listen in.
“It’s Babel. I don’t know much, but I’ve played enough of the game to understand its intentions. This “Giver” creature, has to be on Babel.” Zein concluded.
“That do sound cool, but whatchu gon’ do ‘bout it?” Jejj looked to Zein.
“Well first, I synthesise my eye,” Zein looked to Jejj. “and then, I’m off to become a cowboy.” he smiled.