FVR

Chapter Eight.

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The best sleep a person can get is not reliant on whether they dream or not, it is subjectively measured by how they feel when they wake up. For Joel, the sound of distant jubilation and nearby eating reminded him of what he had seen through the doors in the chamber; his parents celebrating his absence, and the arrival of a new child. It was about as bad as a thought that he could wake up to, as it reminded him of his loneliness having recently separated from Fluffy, and the guilt he felt for leaving his parents. As his mind fluttered awake, however, the dream washed away by the chatter of two people, and the munching of a third.

"Seriously Thad, why you always eatin'?" Asked a female voice, her tone exuding a sense of boisterous familiarity.

"He thinks he's gonna end up like Roland," said a deeper, amused voice.

"You need exercise for that," the girl laughed, "it's not just food," she paused for a second and scoffed, "just food and you'll end up like Claycel."

As Joel opened his eyes to the sound of their conversation, he observed the trio before him. The one eating had a burly figure, his cheeks were flush and his hair cropped short. Next to him on a stool sat a leaner man with unkempt hair, his frame taut with muscle. Finally, there stood a robust woman, whose muscles put most men Joel knew to shame. With cascading locks of blonde hair around her shoulders, Joel found a strange sense of allure from her. Each of them wore fresh wraps and bandages, and Joel noticed that their visible skin appeared unmarked by blemishes, bruises, or scars, as they finished dressing themselves into casual attire.

Joel caught the eye of the person eating, who subtly motioned with a nod for the other two to look.

"Oh, look, the Hel child is up." The girl took two long strides towards him and placed a foot on the bed beside his head. "The heck you doing in my bunk?"

"I, uh," Joel awkwardly tapped her foot with his hand as he lifted himself up, noticing that his knuckles had fully healed. As he sat upright, his gaze met the hazel brown of her eyes as she leaned him. His heart raced with excitement of finding other people, but with trepidation of how they would view him. "You're players?" He asked with a brief hesitation.

"Players of what? We're not playing around; we had permission to train today." She looked back at the other two who both nodded; the burly figure picked up another loaf.

"No, I mean," what do I mean? "Players of the game? Part of the trial?" Joel stood up rather slowly, a familiar anxiety met him as he tried to talk to them.

Despite being nearly half a foot shorter than him, they exuded a presence that made Joel feel surprisingly small. It was rare for him to tower over others, and yet feel like the less imposing one.

"Have you been too close to the rocks recently?" The leaner guy asked.

"I had an uncle who had one as a memento from River's End. He died real young," said the burly one between bites of his bread.

"Thad, come on. You always have a story about an uncle, how many uncles could you possibly have?"

"Seriously, a skinny guy like you. You sure you're in the right place?" The girl asked.

The conversation between the other two drowned out over the sound of her voice and the thoughts in his head. He felt too tired and too confused to make sense of what was happening. If they're not players, what are they? Is this another room like before?

"Oi," she called out to Joel who had frozen in thought. "Why. Are. You. Here?" She poked him with each word.

"I don't know," he replied honestly.

The game had been leading him from place to place, without any clear reason or logic, so Joel truly had no clue why he was there.

"Well, you have a sword," she said, offering it passing glance, "let's see if you're meant to be here." She grabbed a wooden sword from a rack on the wall and walked outside.

Joel tried to object, but nothing came out; largely because he felt confused, but also because he was in a poor mood due to the dream he had woken up to. Does she mean to fight me? He tried to look to the other two for guidance, but they were still chatting away about foreign uncles when they followed her out, leaving Joel standing alone in the room. The game had thrown a lot at him in the last two days, but the last thing he expected to find were non-player characters. Maybe this is the main game? The thought troubled him slightly. If this were the main game, then why was he the only player here.

"Bed thief!" The girl called from the courtyard, "I don't have until the next Festival of Lights."

I guess, if this is part of the game, I'll have to see what happens. Joel picked up a wooden sword and followed the others.

The fading light of the evening sun yielded to a blissfully clear blue sky, and a cooler breeze which swept through the yard. An occasional shooting star streaked across the heavens, their brief, faint trails added a touch of serendipity to the hope Joel now felt in his heart, having found others to talk to.

Joel checked his HUD for the time until the next wave. 11.14.19. Again, he found himself with plenty of time. Won't be saved by the bell.

"Drop that fucking toothpick," the girl said, her jovial attitude had been replaced by a glare.

"Maybe he don't wanna hurt a woman?" The lean man said.

Lor gave a sharp look, "watch it Taffy."

"Sorry, Lor."

Joel's eyes darted back and forth between all of them, unsure of how to act. I can't see their levels or anything... Maybe that's just part of the game. The lack of knowing their strength made him feel a little cautious. I'll just make sure not to swing too hard. His thought seemed sincere for all of a second before he took one look at her. The girl stood in a poised stance, as if she were sculpted. Her eyes were unblinking, and every muscle in her body seemed ready to twitch on reflex at a moment's notice. She had a firm grip on the handle of the wooden sword, and her feet seemed to be rooted deep into the ground.

Or maybe I don't get myself hurt too badly and just defend.

Joel thought about drawing his blade, then remembered he had left it outside before going to sleep. Fuck! He looked for it briefly before noticing it still sheathed at his hip. Is that because it's equipped? Ah! He briefly recalled the dagger he used against the wolf, and how it had vanished. Was that because someone else had equipped it!? Fuck, there's no time to be thinking this. Thad and Taffy stared at him with a mild humor while Lor patiently waited.

Fuck.

Joel drew his blade and immediately heard it swish through the air and crash to the ground in a ring of metal on stone.

Huh? His arm was raised in the air from the force of the blow, and the sword had been knocked half way across the yard. He blinked as he tried to piece together what had happened. She moved in so fast and slashed upwards that I couldn't react?

She now stood with the tip of the wooden sword against his neck, and a disappointed furl on her forehead. Joel had seen some of her movements, but he simply couldn't react fast enough.

"Truly," Lor said mockingly, "what's the point of having something you can't hold on to?" Taffy gave a cheer and Thad laughed. "Pick it up," she said.

Joel hesitated. Not out of fear, for once, but out of uncertainty. While the possibility seemed remote, he didn't want to risk hurting someone.

"Pick. It. Up."

Her voice made him shiver. He wasn't used to anger or confrontation and intuitively made himself smaller. He walked towards his sword, and held out a hand which shook with indecision as it reached out for the hilt. All he could picture was the girl from the initial wave - the one against the ogre. Joel had a chance to use a bow, but he couldn't handle the pressure.

I need to be stronger! The thought ran counter to every other feeling in his body. He didn't want to hurt the person before him, nor anyone for that matter. But the desire to have strength - to have control over his actions and to know he could act when needed - led him to grab the hilt, and stand up.

Joel tried to match her stance, with his short sword in two hands, and a firm grip, he stood ready to defend her next strike. She readied herself, and waited. Seconds passed by but she didn't move an inch. I can strike from low, maybe? Where her guard is poor. As he stepped to swing low, Lor launched a rather high downward strike. It seemed slightly slower than before, giving Joel enough time to see the strike and prepare a defence. He twisted his sword down to fall across his body from above his head. However, in a swift movement, she changed the strike into a thrust and connected with Joel square in the chest.

"That's the third time you've died tonight," her tone seemed less angry now and more annoyed.

Third? He thought.

"First, was when you lost your sword due to your poor grip. Third, was when you decided to block when all you have is a short sword - thus giving up your only form of offence. And second, was when you took your eyes off your opponent to reach for your blade."

It's not even been thirty seconds and she could have killed me three different times already in three different ways. The feeling of helplessness shattered his expectations; he had known that he was weak and inexperienced, but he had not realized just how far behind he was until right now. I can't do anything. How am I meant to survive if I'm being played with so easily?

She sighed, "you're clearly not meant to be here. You should leave."

Leave? The game? "I can't," Joel repositioned himself for the strike he had practiced earlier. He held the sword across his body to the left, and prepared a backhanded slice. I hope this doesn't hurt you.

"Dash."

***

It had gone exactly how he had planned. A backward slash across the middle of the opponent's body, dashing through them to give them little chance to evade. Except, she had parried him; like a bull through a red cape. She now stood with her wooden sword to the back of his neck.

"Yield," whether it was or not, Joel believed it to be a question and not a demand.

"No," he replied. He turned around slowly, keeping his eyes fixed on hers. She walked around him, like a tiger might as it waited to strike. Joel shifted his feet, stepping with every move she made, then defended as she struck down. He felt shocked he reacted at all with how fast it moved. Fast, and hard. So hard, in fact, it pushed him to his knees when he lost his balance. He tried to slice at her feet as she stepped forward, but the swing had been so feeble and low that she simply stood on the blade.

"You've got fast legs, and your reactions aren't terrible - but you're an amateur and your movements are too easy to read." She had a hand outstretched for him. He took it. "You should give up on wanting to be a fighter. You've got no talent for it, and it's a world that kills those without talent." She turned and walked away.

Joel had been utterly defeated, all without a fight. My skill points. If i spent my points, then I'd... The thought stopped when he realized it wasn't about strength, or speed - he was simply outmatched by talent, and training. He stood completely still for a moment, but his mind ran rampant. The thought that dying here meant going home, going back to a life of pain and sadness, gave him the desire to do anything - no matter what. But the thought that he would have to learn how to fight, and be comfortable with hurting others - it conflicted so much in his heart that he couldn't bring himself to try again. But the further away she got, the more he realized it wouldn't matter. If he could survive - he would fight her again. Endlessly. Until he won.

"It wasn't enough," he spoke too quiet for them to hear what he had said, but they turned around regardless.

"What's that?" Lor asked.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

She isn't real. It's fine. "I'll continue to fight, so long as I have a sword."

"Yeah, you have one, but you don't know how to use it," she said bluntly.

"Yet. But I will. I'll keep trying..." He steadied himself, and lifted his sword again. He fought back the urge to cry, "I won't go home."

"I think he's serious, Lor," Taffy - the leaner one - said. "Don't he remind you of someone?" They each shared a look. Even Thad stopped eating for a moment. Lor shook her head and tussled her hair, scratching the back of her head as she walked back to Joel.

She had a distracted look in her eye as she approached, and her words were stammered, as if she were reciting a line from memory. "People are nothing without resolve. Resolve to fight, even if it means death. Resolve to fight, even if your friends are dead. Without resolve, people are cowards. They run, and they hide."

Joel thought back to the first wave and his instinct to run. But I tried to help first. With the bow and with the two groups. I just... Couldn't. Was it a lack of resolve?

She had walked back across the yard and now stood a swords length from him. "So," she said, her sword raised, "what kind of resolve do you have?"

Resolve? I don't want to die here. I want to keep going as long as I can. "Even if everyone else dies around me, I'll stay."

Thad whistled and Taffy smirked, "cold bastard," he laughed.

She paused a moment before replying. "My grandfather fought against Hel," she said, looking into the sky, "I am told he died bravely. Do you know what that means?" She looked deep into Joel's eyes. His confusion looked back.

Hel? Or that he died bravely? I don't get any of it. "No," he replied.

"I think you do," she paused again, "maybe just a little." She sighed, then stepped in slowly and casually grabbed Joel's wrist. "Here, look, your grip is all wrong. You have a short sword, not a long sword. It's one-handed, not two. Got it?"

Joel nodded, a little stunned of her sincere behavior.

She continued. "Usually, with a one-handed weapon, it's so you can carry something in your other hand." She took a step back and stood with a new stance, her right arm stretched out with the sword and her left arm crossed her body. "A shield, or another sword, something that can defend while the other attacks, it depends on whatever tickles your mana - just don't go holding a short sword with two hands." She studied Joel's body and reflected on the fight. "Next, you don't block with a sword like that. You dodge, or you parry. Blocking chips the blade and you only get so many chips before your blade is useless. That, and if you only have one weapon then it leaves you without a way to defend yourself from a second strike, or attack if you see an opening. So, you dodge, or you parry. But you do so with your next position and action in mind. With that said, your feet. Don't cross them. You'll put yourself off balance and you'll find yourself on your ass. Then there's your grip, your timing, your distance, your flow, your stance, the way you look at where you want to attack - it all needs work. But, if your footwork is off, it all comes undone. So, work on your footwork!"

Joel thought deeply about everything she said. She was right, and he knew it. He had hoped that his skills would do all the work, but without knowing how to fight - and without the resolve to fight - he knew it would only be a matter of time before the worst happened.

"Now," Lor continued, "fighting an opponent with a sword is one thing. But not every opponent will move how I do. The best advice I can give is to never jump into a fight. Wait. Study their movements - their weapon type, their footwork, their mana. Whatever it may be. The more information you have, the more you'll know what to do when an opportunity presents itself."

"Sounds like her dad," Thad said.

Lor smiled softly and scratched the back of her head again. She averted her gaze and her cheeks flushed with embarrassment. "Anyway, we're only recruits, so this can all wait until tomorrow. We were going to head to the Starfall Festival."

"First one since the dawn," Taffy interjected.

"Yeah, he knows," Lor said, "you're welcome to join us."

She had said a lot for him to process. Somewhere between the lessons and the conversation, however, he heard something that made the hairs on his neck stand up. "You're recruits?" He asked gingerly.

"Yeah, came in with the last batch a few weeks ago," Lor replied, "where'd you come from?"

They're recruits and they're this good? Fuck am I screwed.

Joel managed to evade the question when the guys walked over. The lean one threw an arm around Joel's neck and pulled him down to his level. "I'm Taffy. Pleasure."

"Oh! I'm Lor, and this is Thad," she gestured over to the bulky one.

"Joel," he smiled anxiously.

***

As Joel followed Lor, Thad, and Taffy out of the courtyard and down the street, the crescendo of jubilations built up around them. Colorful banners and ribbons fluttered in the breeze as they walked down the cobblestone streets, away from the wall and deeper into the city. Laughter and chatter blended in with the lively songs and dance of bards and the calls of vendors selling their wares. It looked like a melting pot of cultures; the likes Joel had never seen. Their stalls were filled with vibrant fabrics, gleaming trinkets, weapons and armors. Some were calling out offering fortune telling, while others offered mana-echo, and healing. Joel looked on in amazement, the stark contrast from the silent city he had seen before, and the cluttered and loud city before him was night and day. The energy inundated him with the chatter of the festival, which quickly bubbled up inside of him as he lived vicariously through the people in the streets.

As they walked further on, Joel felt captivated by every stall. His mouth salivated as the thick air filled his senses with the scents of roasting meats and fragrant fruits. Each stall had a hallmark of varying looks and materials, with their own banners and varying styles of carriages. One disheveled-looking stout man called out that he had exotic spices from the sweltering, desert kingdom in the East: The Naked Steppes of Torridlem, his sign read. Another was selling fruits from the lush, thriving kingdom of the South: The Tropical Highlands of Vivaxem. Besides them was an illustrious woman with rare stones from River's End, and the home of The Festival of Lights. There's so much here, Joel thought with utter excitement. His eyes widened and lingered briefly when a shield caught his eye, Lor said I need one. He wondered how much he could buy with his single gold coin, before being swept along by the pace of his companions.

"There's so much to see here, I don't know where to go first!" Joel said, caught up with the atmosphere.

"Just wait until we see The People of Samul!" Lor said with a nudge. Joel gave an absent look which Lor missed.

"This place really is amazing!" He exclaimed to Lor, trying to move on from her statement; his eyes wide with wonder.

Lor grinned back, her excitement palpable. "Yeah, right?"

"They're probably making up for the last one," Taffy said. The others silently agreed.

"What do you mean?" Joel asked. They gave him a bewildered, somewhat concerned look.

"You been living in Pinella's Pass your whole life?" Lor asked. Joel had nothing to say.

How do I play this? He wondered. They're not players, so this is the main game? But am I meant to act like one of them? I really don't get it.

"Oi," Lor hit him playfully on the arm, "stop spacing out. If you don't know something, just ask."

"Right. Sorry. Um..." He tried to think of the most important questions. What happens when I die. How do I meet other players. What else?

"Oi," she repeated, "if you do that in a fight, you're going to get something lopped off."

"Right. So, dying? What's that like?" It was not the way he intended to say it, but regardless, the look on their faces told him he had asked a highly sensitive question.

"Here I thought he was gonna ask about Hel or something," Taffy said with his head down, kicking a pebble as he walked, "but he goes and asks us something morbid. What a wacky guy."

Fuck. "Sorry, no I just... what's the festival for?"

Thad seemed unbothered - but he was distractedly looking at the food stalls. Both Taffy and Lor had a moment where they stood in silence and pondered answering. Joel couldn't tell if it had been another sensitive question, of if the last one still lingered on their minds.

"Well," Lor said, breaking the silence, "it used to be a festival to celebrate life and dead, the whole - Lumas and Samul - thing, you know." Taffy nodded but Joel hadn't the foggiest, he smiled and nodded nonetheless. "But since the battle of Durnovia, which ended on this day thirty-three years ago during the last festival of lights..."

"And brought the dawn," Taffy interjected.

"And brought the dawn," Lor continued, "it's become a day to remember those who died. From all over the continent, during their darkest day, people came together to fight a common enemy. And in the evening, as the sky filled with shooting stars - the battle came to an abrupt end." She delicately smiled and looked back to Joel. "My father told me the story every night as a child. He spoke of how the king fell, and how the armies were lost in disarray. He spoke of the brave friends he lost, and of his father... There was just nothing they could do against the new magic of Hel..."

The story enveloped Joel with baited breath, but he caught a slight tear in her eye at the mention of her grandfather. "What happened to him?" He asked softly.

"My grandfather?" Lor asked. Joel nodded softly. "He died, trying to protect the prince. It's odd," she smiled through her teary eyes, "I never met him, but the way my father speaks of him... I feel like I did."

Joel couldn't understand that feeling. Having lost someone she never got a chance to meet - it seemed like something so alien to him.

Thad held out his hand which held several sticks with meat on. "Where the heck did you get that!?" Taffy asked, having not noticed his brief disappearance.

"Ah!" Lor wiped away a tear and smiled, "that's exactly what I wanted, thanks Thad." She gave him a sweet smile then took a stick and started eating. Joel shook his head when offered, not feeling comfortable taking food from someone he had just met.

I haven't eaten since I got here actually, it was a passing thought before he shook it off, not like the food in the game would actually fill me anyway. His thoughts continued to linger on Lor's story. A large battle thirty-three years ago, against the new magic of hell? There's a hell in this game?

A little girl bumped into Joel and fell to the floor, causing something to slip from her grasp and tumble to the ground. "Ah! Sorry!" Joel said, he reached down to help her up, "are you okay?"

"Mmm mmm," the girl murmured with a delicate voice, "thanks." She avoided eye contact as she picked up the fallen object, then accepted Joel's help to stand back up.

Nestled in her palm sat a rock, which sat perfectly in her tiny hand. It had a claylike base, with jagged golden tips protruding from its surface like miniature mountain peaks. She held it tight, then scurried off through the dense crowd.

What a strange looking rock. "What was that?" Joel asked Lor.

"The Rock of Remembrance?" She replied with a bewildered tone. Her voice told Joel that he had asked a stupid question again, I really need to find a book or something, he thought. With a furl on her brow and the other guys distracted by the festival, Lor decided to ignore his ignorance. "I don't really know how it works to be honest, dad told me about it yonks ago but it was all a bit too magical for me," she paused and scrunched her mouth while she thought, then acted out the movements with her hands while she spoke. "It stores mana, kind of. How to say... people can leave a message in the rock with their mana. When planted, it releases the message... It's like a final will, or a chance to say goodbye. It doesn't require much mana either, so anybody can use it. We've supposedly had them for a hundred years, even before we knew about mana, which is a crazy thought." Her thoughts trailed off slightly before she brought herself back. "Usually, people plant them in private, but some have held onto them for the festival." She pointed up to the castle grounds, surrounded by a bed of grass. "They plant them outside of the castle at night. Listen to the message. Then the mana reacts with the air and releases a golden light that floats up into the sky real slow. Don't ask me why the mana does that, I'm still learning about it in class. But, I know it's meant to be beautiful."

"Meant to be?" Joel asked.

"Well, I've obviously seen one or two at a time, but nothing like what it'll be like tonight." She looked up at the sky and smiled, her eyes full of wonder. "The dark nights sky will act as a canvas as the lights from the rocks float upwards. They'll leave a faint trail before sprouting out and disappearing - like a golden tree reaching into the sky. It'll be beautiful... and sad... as the last traces of their loved ones fade away."

Joel didn't know what to say. It sounded beautiful, but also tragic. The only way to hear the final words of a loved one, is to plant them once, and then watch them disappear. He wondered if people ever held on to them - whether as a final memento, or out of a reluctance to say goodbye. He peered into the sky and imagined what it would look like, and silently felt excited to see it. A final goodbye... The spectacle of the golden lights made it sound like a last hurrah, and he thought about what he would say if given the chance, but nothing came to mind.

The conversation ran quiet as they navigated through a maze of streets before coming to a central plaza. At the heart of the plaza stood a grand stage, adorned with carvings of shooting stars, and the names of fallen soldiers. Jugglers performed acrobatics while people in robes used unseen magics to lift them into the air. Performers enthralled a large audience with dancing flames and animals made of water. The air crackled and hummed as the spells flew into the sky.

This is more like it! His eyes traced the graceful arcs of fire and water as they collided together in the air. The crowd cheered and the children all stared in disbelief. The city came alive with wonder and joy, bustling from song and chatter. Joel had a short daydream of using magic as he saw the fire twirl in the air. He wondered if he would ever learn any spells, and slightly regretted picking a class that may not give him any. Then, suddenly, and all at once, the plaza came to hushed silence. The jugglers stopped their performances, and the civilians pushed in their tracks - parting in the presence of a military procession.

An imposing group of large men and women walked through the plaza and toward the stage. Their boots rang against the floor, echoing with every step. Towering over the crowd as they walked, they filled the air around them with shock and awe. The procession walked onto the stage and bowed their heads low, with their weapons held high in reverence.

"The People of Samul," Lor whispered.

The People of Samul? The sheer gravity that they exuded made Joel feel so much more insignificant than he had done before. So, these are the people Lor admires?

They were imposing figures with their height towering nearly a foot above Joel's. With their broad shoulders and rippling muscles, they were the embodiment of strength. Their pale skin gleamed in the soft sunlight, which contrasted starkly with their long locks of golden hair. They finished bowing and stood, turning to face the crowd; their pristine white cloaks billowing behind them. They were clad in polished silver armor, intricately engraved with a pair of detailed eyes. They saluted the crowd; their still gaze overlooking the wall and piercing into the distance, their golden yellow eyes seemed to stare with anger. Joel turned to look, and once again saw the swirling, golden mass that fell to the backdrop of the most distant mountains.

"What is that?" Joel asked quietly.

Lor did not have to turn to know what Joel had meant. She kept her eyes on The People of Samul, and replied with a hushed whisper, "The Touched Lands."

In the corner of his eye, Joel noticed the wave timer decrease rapidly again, like it had before. 10.57.11. 3.01.57. 00.11.12. 00.00.06. Fuck! His eyes spun back to the threatening figures on the stage, don't fucking tell me... He grabbed Lor by the wrist, "we have to go!" He said with an overwhelming sense of fear, but she would not budge, no matter how hard he pulled.

"Shush," she said angrily, garnering the attention of Thad and Taffy, and a few nearby people, "what's wrong?" She asked.

But it was too late. As the seconds ticked down, Joel knew he had nowhere to run.

00.00.02 00.00.01. 00.00.00.

Fuck!

〘Relocating Player To: The Dawn〙

〘Commencing Prologue〙

With a sudden, bright light, Joel now found himself alone in the plaza; his outstretched hand holding nothing but air. The vendors and decorations which filled the city moments ago had been replaced by barricades and an eerie hum from far in the distance. Joel turned back around - the golden hue which had once scarred the distant sky had vanished, replaced by the cold darkness of night, and a sky filled with shooting stars.

What the fuck just happened?

He looked to the timer: 21.59.59. 21.59.58. 21.59.57.

〘FVR Prologue: Be Witness To The End〙