For Hachi, after logging off he spent his night in the real world behind his computer screen. Aided with caffeine, he slaved away on research scanning hundreds of gaming blogs and forums. By morning time, he’d manage to finally locate a digital merchant that could free him from the burden adorning his neck. At the heart of the Capital City, a small merchant shop specialized in outdated game items. What’s more, from the real world’s internet, players could review the shop’s inventory before visiting and after a thorough review, Hachi was able to find four options that could replace the pendant. A guaranteed victory just long as one of them remained in stock.
He'd never been much of an explorer in the virtual world. He took pride in being a casual player, only keeping things local and on occasion wandering to a new city or town for a quest. It was never anything to the extent of the distance of The Capital. From his cottage to The Capital, the journey traversed several cities and small towns. Although players had the option of using a once per day Fast Travel, which instantaneously transported them to any previously visited locations, The Capital was a zone Hachi had never visited, and so the journey was to be on foot. What worsened the matter was the cause of the entire plight was a new player who couldn’t even differentiate between elixirs and poisons. The fact that the two’s lives were temporarily intertwined was a thought that rattled Hachi. It was because of this, he decided to tolerate the boy only until the pendant was removed. From then on he was no concern to him and could run amok as free as he desired.
*Loading*
*Entering World of Aleria*
*Welcome - Hachi Nokugoma*
Spawning into his digital cottage, Hachi scoffed at the unkempt bedside his unwanted guest had left behind. As he rose to his feet, he halted in place at the sound of his wooden cottage door slamming with a thud. “Crap,” he uttered, breaking into a jog to the main living space. Just outside the framed window above his pantry counter, he could make out Blu trudging along the dirt path splitting between the sea of greenery.
“Hey,” Hachi called, catching the boy’s attention as he emerged from his cottage and hustled down the dirt path. “Where are you going?” he demanded. This earned him an intrigued expression from Blu as he turned to face him.
“You never struck me as the controlling type,” said Blu.
“Enough with the jokes," Hachi growled, growing frustration evident in the narrowing of his eyes.
"Later," said Blu casually, Offering a two-fingered salute before turning to resume his walk down the path. His trek was abruptly halted when Hachi grasped his wrist.
"Wait," said Hachi. "I've figured out how to get rid of the pendant, and you're going to help."
Blu glanced down at his wrist, where Hachi's hand still held firm, then up to the pendant around his neck. After a moment, Hachi released his grip, stepping back awkwardly. Blu raised an eyebrow in mild confusion before turning away, continuing along the path.
"I’ll pass," he remarked casually over his shoulder.
“Pass?” Hachi repeated to himself before following behind the boy down the dirt path. “Listen here, I’ll be damned to die because some newb can’t identify the difference between a potion and poison.” This was enough to intrigue Blu who’d now stopped to turn and face Hachi? “
Newb?” Blu asked, confused.
“Like someone who's new to the game.” Hachi elaborated with an air as if having to explain such a thing was unusual.
“How’d you figure I was new?” asked Blu, turning and giving Hachi his full attention.
“Relax, it's not obvious. I just have a fair share of newb stereotypes I notice.”
“Let’s hear them,” said Blu, and as if this conversation was a burden, Hachi exhaled as he went into his explanation.
“Well for starters you’ve hidden your player level,” he said pointing just above Blu’s head where BLU read in digital wording. He looked over to see Hachi’s digital name displaying an unhidden digit. HACHI - LVL 251.
“Newbs usually hide their levels to prevent others with higher levels from bullying them or becoming victims of robbery.”
“What if I just want my level hidden?”
“Sure, but that brings me to my next clue, your outfit. That same outfit came as a reward to new players who joined with the new DLC a few weeks ago. My guess is you’re still within your first month.” Intrigued, Blu looked down at his brown tunic and trousers, amused at Hachi’s sound evaluation. “But what truly made it obvious was you poisoning yourself. And because of that, you’re coming with me until this pendant is removed and we’re now longer tied together. After that, feel free to drink all the poison you want.”
For a while Blu studied Hachi, and when it became clear that the boy wouldn’t back down, he sneered as he nodded.
“Fine.”
Back inside, Hachi scrambled about, cramming his inventory with supplies for the journey ahead. As he darted from one end to the other, Blu watched, sipping hibiscus tea that Hachi had earlier prepared for himself. “I thought we were in a rush,” Blu said.
“We are, but it’s far. I have to pack, obviously.”
“Where exactly is it?” asked Blu.
“The Capital. A merchant there has the items we need to replace the pendant,” Hachi replied, plucking leaves from his plants and herb collection.
“How long will that be?”
“I don’t know, a few days at most.”
“Why so long?”
“Because I’ve never been to The Capital, so fast travel is a no-go. Any more questions?” Hachi growled, a potion vial in his hand as he stopped and shot Blu a piercing stare. “Crap, I’m out of health potio—”
“What’s your type?” came Blu’s next question, catching Hachi off guard and sending him into flustered confusion.
“What?” Hachi’s face flushed with embarrassment. "What’s it matter to you who I date?"
For a moment, Blu remained silent. He scoffed and took another sip from the mug before responding, "you're pretty arrogant, y'know." Then he asked, "What type of magic do you use?" He observed Hachi, whose eyes widened in surprise as understanding dawned upon him.
“Oh,” Hachi stammered, caught off guard by the context of the initial question . “I’m a light ranger,” he said. As he gathered more materials on the small table before him, he was sure to keep his head down in shame as he asked, “You?”
“Electromancer,” Blu said. A rare affinity in the game, and before Hachi could comment on this, a notification chime echoed through the room. Poking the air out in front of him, Hachi read from the digital window displaying a message thread.
Player - Good news. I found a replacement and I’m going to the Capital. Bad news is I have to go on foot.
Guren - Ew, that far? I think I can be of assistance! Come see me!
“Change of plans, we’re heading into town before we head off.” Hachi informed, closing his digital window and stuffing a potion vial half filled with a green serum into his pack.
“What a nuisance.” sighed Blu, as he now slowly made his way towards the exit of the cottage.
“I want this sorted out just as fast as you do. Trust me.”
“Trust?” Blu scoffed, “I hardly know you.” A statement that failed to annoy Hachi, though intrigued him.
“Fair point,” he agreed as he shouldered his pack and stepped up to Blu. “Except the pendant you gave me implies otherwise.” He drove a pointed finger into the Blu’s chest as he spoke. Blu’s first sign of annoyance was subtle and in the form of an eye roll.
3.2
Although expected, the center plaza of Wilkerbrook was unusually bare this morning. Ridden free of the hundreds of merchants' stalls and display stands that brought about the usual daily bustle, now the only purpose it served was as a stronghold for the Alerian guard amid their investigations.
The sun gleamed proudly upon the golden armor that was scattered through the town. Along the streets, military tents sat as the town's residents were questioned on the sidelines. Few players weaved throughout the operation with haste, while at the heart of the town, just a few yards from grand fountain which had been barricaded, an outline of white chalk replaced the corpse of Moxis.
“Are we even supposed to be here?” asked Blu, his tone portraying a hushed annoyance that even within their small time together, Hachi had learned to tune out.
“I’m not sure,” Hachi said, his eyes glued up ahead where Guren chatted away with an elder of the town. It had taken some time for him to notice the pair, and when he did, he gave his farewells to the elder and made his way over.
“Your timing couldn’t have been any better.” he groaned. “I’ve been getting hounded for questions by the Alerian guard since everything happened. The elders of the town haven’t been any less aggressive either.”
“I imagine everyone is frightened,” said Hachi, taking in the scene.
“Yeah.” Guren exhaled. “The only peace of mind they have is that it was an actual player this time.” As he spoke, he peered back over his shoulder as if a troop of the Alerian guard, or even a town resident would approach him with a laundry list of new questions. And when he noticed both Hachi and Blu’s face contorted in odd expressions, “Oh, no offense,” he added with an awkward chuckle.
“Anything new?” Hachi asked, disregarding his friend’s unusual sense of humor. “Nothing but hearsay. Old man Yantu swore the killer was a female. Seen it with his own two hands he says.”
“Hands?” Hachi asked, face balled in confusion.
“Well he’s also the town’s drunk so there's that.” Guren shrugged. “In other news, the Capital? That’s a pretty far venture on foot.”
“Yeah, the item is there for certain so that’s the good part I suppose.” As Hachi spoke, Guren’s gaze found Blu.
“I don’t think we’ve met before, I’m Guren.” said he, with a firm hand out at Blu. “Are you the one who gave Hachi the pendant?” Before Blu could even answer, he was pulled from the handshake by Hachi.
“Oh no, she’s not logging on today.” Hachi fabricated. “Blu’s a new player. A friend of the real world I’m helping out and showing around.”
“Ah, I see.” awed Guren, “Well any friend of Hachi is a friend of mine.” As he reached out with a brotherly, firm pat on Blu’s shoulder, Hachi chuckled nervously as Blu shot him a glare.
“Anyway,” he said, breaking away from the boy’s gaze, “You wanted to see me?”
“Oh right,” said Guren right before digging into a small satchel at his waist and retrieving a collection of small potion vials.
Inside a yellow serum gleamed brightly, illuminating his hand even under the light of the sun. “I snagged a few of these from my old man’s shop. We were overstocked and figured you could use some on your journey.”
“What is it?”
“Try it, you won’t regret it.” The vial was warm to the touch, as if its contents had been boiled and sat to cool for a while before it was presented to them. There was a small pop that escaped as Hachi pulled away the wooden cork, and as he chugged its entirety down in a single gulp, a bitter taste caused his face to scrunch in dissatisfaction. “What is this,” he said, face torn and frowned.
“Just check your status, I find that you will be most satisfied with it.” said Guren with a delighted smile drawn upon his face.
In a series of taps to access his digital menu, Hachi selected the CHARACTER option. This page not only displayed a detailed, digital, full body model of him, but on the side of the page was a column listing his various stats. Number of Monsters Slain, Number of Quests Completed, Number of Elixirs Consumed, everything the boy had done in his gaming ventures to date held a numerical value to the right of it. It was just above this column that a smaller box listed the player’s status. Here, any information on buffs, boosts, or hindrances such as poisons the player was experiencing was listed. “Infatuation?” he muttered, confused by the first listing as it read :
If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.
10% Infatuation Boost - From Nexus Pendant of Binding.
“I’m sorry?” Guren asked, stepping up to take a peek at the digital window, but Hachi stepped back with a nervous chuckle avoiding his screen from being seen.
“Sorry I think I read that wrong.” he chortled. He gathered himself before reading off the other listed buffs. They read:
10% Infatuation Boost - From Nexus Pendant of Binding.
10% XP boost - From Nexus Pendant of Binding.
50% XP boost - From Aurous Elixir
The first two are from the pendant he thought, looking up to Guren with a scripted gasp.
“The serum gave me a fifty percent boost? No way.” Even with such little time together Blu had noticed the boy’s acting.
“Going on a journey that far with this is perfect. I’m sure you’ll come back levels higher.”
“Yeah, this is perfect,” said Hachi, closing his menu and smacking his mouth at the lingering aftertaste. “Not the taste so much though.” Guren chuckled at this.
“You’re welcome to one as well my friend. It would work wonders for someone new to the game.” he said, holding out a few of the glowing elixirs in Blu’s direction.
“I’m grateful,” said Blu, taking the elixirs.
“So, what’s you guys’ route of attack?” Guren added.
“We’re taking the main path North from Murkmire,” said Hachi. “It’s the farthest North I’ve been. And from there the Capital is about a three day journey.”
“I see.” nodded Guren, as Hachi returned a nod. “Well I should get going. Told my old man I’d get an update for him. Besides old man Yantu seeing the world through his hands, I’m a bit behind on that task. I look forward to your return and many adventurous tales.” he said, and with a hand motion from his temple, he saluted two fingers in his own odd way of saying goodbye and he was off, leaving the two at the town’s center.
“What now?” Blu asked, standing idly as Hachi poked away at the air, accessing his digital menu.
“We’re going to Murkmire. Have you been?”
“I have,”
“Perfect, I’ll meet you there.” In front of Hachi, a digital map was displayed. After a few taps, the menu vanished, and a cluster of pixels began to materialize at his feet. Gradually, they rose, enveloping him in a swirling mosaic of colors and shapes. The scene became a disorienting blur until he was completely obscured from view and left Blu alone.
With Hachi gone, only then was he finally able to acknowledge them.
They stood across the cemented plaza, still as statues and garbed in hooded cloaks. There were only two of them this time, and by the broad form of the taller one, and the feminine physique of the other, the cloaks did little as he was already aware of their identities. For a while he stood there, nonchalantly gazing into the darkened hole that hid their faces. With a slightly amused grin and a head nod, Blu accessed his digital menu and in no time, he too was enveloped in pixels before slowly spawning out of the area.
3.3
Hachi couldn’t help but ball his face in disgust as he spawned into the town of Murkmire. Known mostly because of its marshy biome, the small town made up of many hardened mud and clay huts resided upon a network of wooden platforms supported by oak beams emerging from the swampy waters underneath. The air was muggy, almost hard to breathe as the smell of dung, moss and seared reptiles wafted. The thick waters below them were verdant and murky, topped with lilies and twigs and home to much of the nearby wildlife. Around them, large trees, massive and ancient rivaled the skyscrapers back in the real world. Their canopies were lush and green making it almost impossible for sunlight to penetrate. They were all intertwined within a web of monstrous vines that draped like slithering serpents. As he spawned onto the main path that led into the town, the moist dirt under him squished as the bottom of his foot became an engraving upon the boggy grounds. He’d just taken a single step forward in the direction of the town when he was caught by the shoulder.
“What’re you doing?” he said, turning to Blu.
“You said north,” he said, nodding in the direction Hachi was going, “That way is south.”
“I’m well aware,” said Hachi, shaking free of his grip and turning back around. “I forgot to buy health serums in Wilkerbrook. I’m doing it here.”
“What a nuisance,” Blu scoffed, bringing Hachi to face him with an expression where one brow was higher than the other.
“Remind me again who was the mush brain that caused all of this?”
“Whatever snow bunny,”
“What’d you—“ Hachi started, before going silent at the sound of a yelp that reminded him of the night of Moxis’s murder.
“It’s back!” a man appeared up ahead, bellowing as he scrambled in the direction of the town. In their direction. “It’s returned to damn us all!”
As he closed the distance upon the dirt path, many of the residents of the town and other players stared on, watching as if it were a performance. But with the cracks in his voice, the speed in which he’d been running, his gleaming, bald head drenched with sweat and a face flushed in pure fright, it was clear to Hachi he was not. He was only a few yards away when he failed to notice a thick vine stretching across the path and went crashing down into the dirt path. Immediately nearby residents rushed to assist him.
“What has startled you this way, Denali?” an old man stepped at the forefront of the gathering assistance. He was a rather older looking man. Wider than most with a scruffy beard, there was a gentle nature about him despite his appearance. Like all the male residents of the town, he wore a waist covering crafted from leaves and thistles, paired with no shirt and adorned with tribal markings. The women, on the other hand, were dressed in bamboo fabric that covered their breasts but left their stomachs exposed, complemented by a long, flowing skirt made from the same thistles and leaves.
“High Leader, the Spirit of the Marsh, it has returned,”
At the mention of the ancient creature, gasps of the gathered NPCs filled the air. The one known as the High Leader fell silent for a while, stroking his gray matted beard almost as if pondering on what to do next. “Gather the men. We’ll rid our home of that—“
“No,” said Denali as he got to his feet. “You don’t understand. It’s way stronger than before. It wiped out our entire hunting party in seconds.”
“Then we’ll be sure to round up our strongest men.” said the High Leader, trying his best to stomp on the demoralization now brought on upon the residents.
“You’ll be gathering our strongest men to die.” rebutted Denali, “We have to—,”
“We’ll assist,” a calm voice spoke from the rear of the crowd that now seemed to disperse to let the speaker through. It wasn’t planned, nor was it expected, and as he stared on, Hachi could only watch flabbergasted as Blu slowly made his way to the front of the crowd. “What is he doing?” he thought to himself.
“A player,” groveled Denali as he approached Blu. “Are you sure?” he asked. Blu reassured with a nod.
“We’ll forever be grateful. Is there anything we can exchange for your bravery?” asked the High Leader.
“Health elixirs. Lots of them,”
“That’s manageable,” said the High Leader after a moment of pondering on Blu’s request. “But only after you return.”
“Please High Leader. I beg you to give them to them now. They’ll need them.” added Denali.
“It’s fine,” said Blu. With this, he cut back through the gathering crowd heading North along the path leaving Hachi to eventually follow behind, baffled and confused.
“What the hell was that?” he hissed once they were out of earshot from the gathered crowd of residents. “For someone in a rush to get this over with, that sure was a stupid thing to do.”
“I don’t think so,” said Blu, still trudging along nonchalantly. Something about his constant lukewarm persona seemed to bring Hachi’s blood to a boil.
“News flash, you’re a newb!” he ranted, “And it sounds like this marsh monster is a zone boss. We’ll be lucky if we survive with only us two.”
“Beats standing by your poor haggling skills,”
“What?” Hachi stopped trailing. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I seen your gold count. you barely could afford one health elixir,”
“Who asked you to mind my business?” Hachi said, bringing Blu to now stop and turn to face him. His gaze was fixed as he reached under his tunic, pulling out a pendant identical to the one around Hachi’s neck. “your business— is mine,” he said.
Hachi’s jaw tightened and for a moment, they stared each other down—Hachi’s face a mix of irritation and tension, while Blu remained composed and at ease. Only when a call and the sounds of feet pit patting against the moist dirt sounded did they both finally break their stare down. They turned to find Denali sauntering in their direction. Surrounding him was a group of four Murkmire warriors, spears in hand with water skins and small blades somehow tied to their waist coverings. Behind them, to Hachi’s displeasure, a pack of large monstrous lizards trailed. Upon their backs, saddles were positioned.
“Please let us assist you.” said Denali, catching his breath. As he poked to access Mounts from his digital menu, Hachi couldn’t help but to roll his eyes at the smug expression drawn upon Blu’s face.
3.4
With the squelching of his steed’s hooves pressing through the muddy terrain, Hachi watched, both fascinated and repelled, as the warrior’s mounts lumbered forward. The large, reptilian creatures waddled heavily, bearing their riders and leading the way. As they progressed, the beasts flicked their forked tongues frequently, licking their lips and hissing. “It’s called sampling the area,” Denali explained from atop his Marsh Lizard. “It helps them find food and understand their surroundings.” To Hachi, this explanation only heightened his unease. Either the creatures were exhausted and hungry, or they were lost, and no one wanted to admit it. Hachi preferred the latter.
It had been about an hour since they had left the main dirt path that cut through the swampy forest and veered onto a narrower trail bordered by towering sedge grass and overgrown hedges. As they delved deeper into the swamp, the air grew increasingly humid and oppressive, making Hachi’s clothes cling uncomfortably to his skin. He had just swatted another persistent mosquito when the group of Marsh Lizards carrying Denali and the other Murkmire Warriors came to a halt.
“Alright, now the real journey begins,” Denali announced, pointing to a small intersection where the two paths diverged in a Y-shape, leading into a clearing of life-sized blades of grass emerging from shallow waters.
“Are we lost?” Hachi asked, his voice tinged with concern.
“Of course not,” Denali replied, unmounting from his monstrous steed and directly stepping into the dense clearing of tall grass ahead, ignoring the side paths altogether.
“And we have to go through that?”
“This is the way,” Denali confirmed with a nod bringing Hachi’s dismay to the forefront as he sighed in resignation.
Leaning close to his own steed's ears, he murmured, “We’ll handle it from here, girl,” only to be reminded he wasn’t alone atop his mount.
“What’re you doing?” asked Blu from behind.
“Auburn’s not a fan of tall shallow water.” Hachi explained. “We’ll need to go on foot.”
“But it’s not that deep,”
“Well, if you prefer, we can ride on your back,” Hachi retorted, and after a few clicks on his digital menu, both Hachi and Blu dismounted, stepping into the tall grass behind their reptilian guides.
The blades of grass were stalky and treacherous. They leaned outwards making the way before them somewhat visible. They sloshed on for what seemed to be miles, slowly with the hums of cicadas and croaking of Murk Toads the only thing breaking the silence. It was an unexpected journey in which to Hachi, had begun to seem meaningless.
“What exactly is this Marsh Monster?” he asked, weaving free of a large web that had been spun and entangled with a clump of grass and emerged in the way of the path.
“We call it the Cursed One of the Marsh,” explained Denali. “It rises every few weeks to terrorize the swamp before going back into hibernation.”
“But why exactly?” asked Hachi, intrigued.
“If only we knew. The only thing we do know is it brings death. There was even a time it wandered from its home to terrorize our own. Had it not been for the players visiting that day, we’d surely all been dead." Detail said. Just like—” He inhaled, taking a calming breath with his eyes close to cope with the memory of what obviously was a tragic event.
“I’m sorry to hear that,” said Hachi, a sense of guilt for even asking now settling upon him as they ventured.
They’d arrived at a point in which the path widened so that the trees that were once in view, were like mountains in the distance surrounding the ocean of towering grass. There was no path before them now which left Hachi and Blu to manually push the grass as they followed behind their guides.
“Suppose it’s too late to bail,” grumbled Blu from behind just low enough so that only Hachi could hear him.
“Of course it is. You gave them your word.” hissed Hachi. “Besides, we need the potions.” It was then that a low hush sounded and Hachi turned to find that the warriors had come to a halt. At the forefront, Denali stood, crouched low, peaking through the blades of grass. His eyes were narrowed as he scanned the area up ahead.
“Is it here?” Hachi asked?
“No,” said Denali as the others now slowly clutched their spears with a fierce and stoic focus in their eyes. “But we’re not alone.”
At this, a faint rustle and the flight of a heron in the distance called Hachi’s attention to the right of him. He studied the area for a moment, wondering what exactly was it that startled the bird, and before his lips could form the question, a notification chimed prompting him to access his digital menu:
New Creature Discovered- Murkmire Troll the pixelated message in front of him read.
“A Murkmire Troll?” he read, and as if his words triggered it, a distant whistling sounded, mixing with whooshing air and growing louder with each millisecond. Without a moment to spare, Blu lunged forward, wrenching Hachi out of harm’s way as a wooden stake came crashing down and impaled the spot where Hachi had just been standing. They collapsed into the shallow water, splashing as the warriors surrounded them, all scanning the area for their attacker.
“We’re being hunted,” said Blu as he got to his feet.
“Yeah, by some kind of troll,” added Hachi, the more soaked of the two.
“Murkmire Trolls.” grumbled Denali as Hachi focused his gaze on the grass ahead where two yellow eyes watched from beyond before hastily vanishing.
“You’re familiar with them?” he asked.
“Very. We encounter them all the time. This is nothing new.”
“Good,” said Hachi, his bow pixelating in existence as he clutched onto a single arrow. “How do we lure them out?”
“Simple,” said Denali, "We don't" and without giving the boy any time to comprehend his words, he shot forward into a sprint along with the rest of the Murkmire Warriors and their entourage of monstrous lizards.
What the hell? Hachi thought. He turned to face Blu, the pair sharing an expression twisted in confusion. With a mental understanding, they both broke off into sprints, weaving through the grass to keep pace with the others. As he sprinted, Hachi became mindful of his footing as one minor misstep and he’d be sent face first into the marsh with a backside peppered with stakes. He could make out tiny shadows darting through the grass around them as whistling filled the air with a barrage of wooden stakes shooting out and one connecting, bringing an untimely demise to one of the Murkmire Warriors.
“Go!” the warrior desperately cried, hacking up crimson right before a second stake impaled his chest and silenced him permanently. There was a chorus of splashing and rustling grass, and as Hachi darted for safety, he could see the others crashing through a robust screen of shrubs and hedges up ahead before disappearing out of view entirely.
The way out he thought, a flame of relief sparking inside and in a moment of carelessness, his foot smashed into a buried root as he plunged into the water with a roll. Reacquainting himself with his feline reflexes, he leapt up just in time as a stake smashed into the swampy waters where he’d just fallen. He leapt to his feet, but it was all too late. He gasped as his heart sank at the sight of another stake already upon him. With a speed equal to that of light, the stake was deflected out of the air by something far quicker. Hachi turned to see Blu, his hand out as a black scepter found its way back in his clutches akin to that of a boomerang. He gave a nod before the pair continued their race forward and when they’d come to the hedges, Hachi dropped his head, covered his face and rammed himself through the hedges, praying for safety on the other side with Blu following not a second later. Though grateful for the boy’s quick actions, he found no joy in Blu’s rescue. He stood there casually, almost taunting Hachi to thank him. Atleast in Hachi’s mind.