Sitting in the middle of the Arena seeing sis standing beside May. I look away from them, as to not make any eye contact with her. Thinking to myself, the thing she says first.
(Why am I feeling so excited...)
When suddenly someone pokes me from behind making me squeal.
"Hiii, what? Who?" I ask in reflex.
Looking behind to see May looking a little irritated, with her left arms index finger poking me once more in the forehead.
"So you're not gonna say anything? Sova."
Confused, I reply with:
"H-huh, say what?"
May then suddenly poke me multiple times on my sensitive side and the back of the neck making me laugh uncontrollably and reflexively cover my sensitive part yet it's no use.
"HAHAHA, Ma- HAHAHA Ma-May ple hease sta HAHA." After trying my best to beg, she finally stops poking me.
"Geez, I can't believe you think nothing much of it," she says sounding a little sad.
"(It's not like I didn't think anything you know more like it's embarrassing...)"
When May suddenly hugs me, bringing her ears closer to my face asking:
"What, can you say that again Sova I can't hear it."
"What I didn't say anything."
After I said that, she then starts to snicker and tickle me again mercilessly.
"C'mon, what did you say, Sova,"
She asks while teasing me non-stop.
"HAHAHA no, wat HAHAHA."
"Tell me now, tell me now, tell me now," She asks, while still not stopping to tickle me.
"I HA HA Hi Sa HAHA I'm embarrassed." She finally stops when I said that. she then continues to say:
"Glad to hear that he he he," she giggles before backing away and sits beside me before leaning close.
We lay down in the middle of the arena, as I try to catch the breath I lost while laughing. I start to look around to see sis still standing there not budging an inch where she is just now, just observing us.
"Sis why didn't you save me?" Only to be replied with a giggle.
"Ha ha ha, that's because May told me to let her handle things. I mean you should be quite happy, I lost my sensitive tickling spot to permanent battle scars and the only way to laugh is by verbal jokes or actions," she says quite happily.
"I didn't need to know that," I said in a low voice.
Then I thought to my self now that we're Hunters what do we actually do... Doing a sit up to lift my self up then looks at May asking:
"So what do we do now?"
She gets up saying:
"Well, she said that we're Special Ranking Novices... Why don't we take some beginners job, after all, baby steps are very important," she answers confidently.
"Well from the name special ranking, I don't think we're still doing baby steps at all... Wait."
I look to sis I asking:
"Sis how does the ranking system works in the Guilds anyway?"
Only for May replying:
"Are you serious. You're telling me you forgot what I've been teaching you, I mean I already asked you. Do you truly understand? You said yes I do, only to forget now... Don't tell me you're asleep," she says sounding disappointed.
"So when did we study that again?" I ask.
May takes a deep breath and letting it out saying:
"We studied that a week ago remember, during the end of the training we study the book sis brought for us before you decided to go sleep all day and all week, besides what Angie said is already written in the book except the hunting giant chicken thing but you get my point. I guess I can explain Sova now listen ag-"
"Okay, I'm gonna have to stop you there."
Sis interjects, before continuing saying:
"We should get out first, after all, you're not Hunters yet, there are still more procedures."
"What more procedures seriously?" May says sounding disappointed.
"Don't worry it's just gonna take a little while. Just need to give them my card and Angie's approval. To tell you the truth somebody else is supposed to help me out but sadly he's too busy."
"Oh more of sis's friends, I'm curious~," May says sounding eager.
"Huh, what is so curious?" reply sis in confusion.
"I don't know, you just never really speak much about your "friends" or social life to us," May says in a peculiar manner.
"Do I really have to? Either way, I need to go change first so do you wish to follow or not. If not then you can just wait here until I'm done," sis reply.
"Wait I do want to follow after all, where is my equipment or gear?" I ask.
Thinking finally I get to be fully equipped now, well it's not like being in this thin clothing is bad or anything.
Sis looks to the right saying:
"It's with mine in the storage facility."
"Well if you're going so am I," May says, continuing after sis.
"So are we going to leave this place like this?" I ask.
"Yeah, just leave it like this the maintenance group will handle it," sis says softly.
"Okay then..."
When sis said that, she gets out of the room gesturing us to follow her. As I went outside and May followed suit. Looking left and right it's still empty as the first time we enter, seriously where is everybody I mean the lobby sure as heck filled with people. Sis then starts to walk deeper, I think this place all look quite the same to me. Silence filled the atmosphere, so much so that I could only hear the sound of my and May's footsteps too clearly, except Sis Rubeca... Her footsteps are not that silent, it's just that I need to concentrate clearly before I could hear it but it's still very faint.
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"Sis, when will we arrive?"
"Just a little while longer... Ah, we're here."
Stopping at a door different than the rest this one is humongous, big enough to fit more than 4 people going in at once.
"So is this where my equipment is sis?" I ask her.
"Well yes..." sis replied softly.
As sis opens the door, revealing giant darkness above and unending abyss beyond the limited floor in front of me. With multiple floating platforms with the size of 2x2 m floating around and no people around. Making the floating shelves, panels and even some other miscellaneous stuff like books, and pants... Why is it there? it Looks out of place. But as those thoughts come to my mind, before I knew it I was already running away only to be grabbed in the left hand by sis and stopped midway before I could even run a few meters.
I try to escape her saying:
"No I'm not going to go further you hear me!?"
Sis still holding my left arm tightly as to not let go. When May suddenly grabs sis and shakes her asking:
"Sis this is the storage room!?"
"Yes it is, why?" she asks softly.
"I mean to be more specific where are we?" she asks while shaking her once more.
"Okay okay, just stop shaking me. you've been doing this a lot when we're in Central. You remember the Reliquary I told you about where it becomes a full-blown labyrinth. This place is the highest level of the Reliquary the " Floating Floor" level."
"Explain more sis!" May asks sis while still shaking her.
Suddenly...
"Nay ya over spoiled brat," her green eyes starts to glow and her malicious aura starts to appear once more. Pulling me and May infront of her forcefully before I could pull harder making me and May fall on our knees.
Before continuing saying:
"Ye listen close ya brats, yar here cuz I'm letting ya. So listen to me know got-"
Before she could finish sis then starts to grab her mouth with both her hands stopping what she says before slamming her head to the wall causing a hole appears.
"Sorry Sova, May but can you please hold on a minute."
She walks away before continue saying:
"(Dammit Angie, you just have to make me let it out when I finally manage to keep it in for a year)," she says softly.
Before looking away from us. May then looks at me saying:
"Sorry, Sova looks like my bad habit got the better of me."
"I can't really say anything. I mean my fear get the better of me too."
When May suddenly holds my hand, feeling the warmth of her hands once more calms me down... Taking a deep breath in and out to calm my self over.
"Sova think back why do you wish to be a Hunter again. If you really wish to conquer it then you better overcome it with your dreams," says May confidently.
Then it makes me wonder where did May hear that from. Thinking back once more I remember my times with May, sis, aunt Palka and my parents...
"I... I want to travel the world with you and everyone else. Then I want to go to the Confederations world wonders outside the city walls, travel to see the beast of the northern monarch kingdoms, to be more precise the biggest nation in the north the Hyuran Empire, then I'm going to enter the Liberation Theocracy's Grand Libera Arena, and then Aologi's Locked Capital City of Anur. Also, all those places where the tomes and legends I heard in the books you gave me, and I might even etch my name in history like what the first Emperor did in his journey to be a Sovereign. Most Importantly I want to know what aunt Palka was about to tell me, about my parents. What truly happened to them or what happened to me after their death. I may be feeling fear now but I will conquer it someday," I said my conviction clearly feeling my fears and confidence clash each other inside of me.
"He he he, Good. see you're looking much better now," May says sounding happy. When she looks at sis once more.
She is still looking away from us, making it hard to see her face, feeling the tension rises. When the malicious aura finally gets thinner and disappear. Finally, she looks back at us, her eyes not glowing anymore but her face is pale and looks hurt before finally smiling at us saying:
"Looks like you two finally calm yourself down... I think I'm okay now just please don't try to irritate me anymore okay?" she asks in a melancholic manner.
"Okay sis, we're sorry," we said in unison.
"Good now please wait," Sis Rubeca replies in a small voice.
Sis pulling one of the floating panels nearby. Taking out a green emerald crystal similar to the one we've seen multiple times today to bringing it closer to the panel. The crystal shines and then starts to shake in Rubeca's hand, as she lets go of it the crystal then sticks into the panel and starts to glow, showing some weird writings, similar to the one Angie gave to sis Rubeca.
She then starts to tap the panel with her index finger, sliding her finger up and down before stopping and placing her thumb in the panel and lift her thumb up. Suddenly a platform that's 4 x 4 meter wide appear before her. Sis looking at us says:
"Alright, we'll be using this platform get on top of it. Unlike normal ones, this one can be used by the owls so it won't shake."
Still feeling the clash of feelings within me I stand up, with my knees shaking I took some small steps.
May holding my hand saying:
"C' mon Sova lets go, I'll be with you," pulling me closer before she then gets on the platform, pulling me up there.
Standing in this platform... Doesn't feel safe. Even if it's stable and doesn't shake I still have a bad feeling about this. Sis then gets on board with us last, as the panel followed her, she then presses it once more before the platform begins to shake and moves forward to the endless darkness beyond...
Moving for a few minutes, as the surrounding grows darker and only the yellow light from the panel, glowing yellow shelves, bookcase, drawers and the platform shines at us, turning this darkness looking like the night sky with shining stars. I look at May still holding my hands tight, feeling the warmness I calm my self down. She is now shaking, probably trying her best not to freak out and infuriate sis again. As I look at sis, she is now standing 2 meters away from us. Still looking beyond in the darkness with a blank face.
"Sis, what are this platform and glowing objects?" I ask. May then begins to stop shaking and leans closer to sis as she tries to listen.
"Huh... Oh, this? This is ancient magic during the Emperors time we don't know why or how it's created. with the exception of the West Liberation Theocracy, the Elves of the World Tree and the Northern Magnolia Kingdom," she says calmly sounding a bit worried.
"I don't think you can call that exception anymore sis," I reply.
"I guess you can. With hundreds of nations out there proclaiming there independence... Yeah, I can safe to say it is exceptional," she replies back softly.
"Wait, elves still exist?" May asks in bewilderment.
"Oh, I shouldn't have told you that," sis said finally sounded relaxed.
May then begins to let go of me. I hold both her hands with mine as tightly as possible saying:
"May calm your self down," she then looks at me with a face full of questions, before calming down still shaking.
She holds my hands tighter saying:
"Okay I'll try," she says sounding disappointed.
"We have arrived," as sis said that.
A certain glowing chest comes to view glowing like the others in this darkness, made with some kind of stones with runes that looks similar to the one in the panel carved everywhere.
"Hmm hmm," sis hums and pulls out the crystal in the panel making it stop glowing and place it on the chest. When the chest suddenly shakes and begun to deconstruct it self opening to reveal the armour she wears this morning and my equipment.
"May I think it's okay if you let go now." Walking beside sis to look at my equipment, as I was putting it on to inspect them...
A half breastplate with an uneven shoulders length, gauntlets with multiple layers of plating, my Survival bag with survival tools and some cheap salves, the leg guards from the knees to the toes, and finally the retractable spear a meter long. Extending it to become 2 meters, simple in design and pointy at the tip. All custom made as my birthday gift last year, by my precious friend.
Looking at May finally fully equipped to show her off my equipment. She then smiles, making a thumbs up and says, "Good for you," May says happily.
As I look at sis she is still wearing her robe, looking down staring at her equipment before plunging her hand deep into the chest, taking out a blanket, proceeding to wrap her equipment inside and put it down on the platform, when she takes the glaive and long cleaver with its handle wrap in bandages and holds it in her arms, she then loosen the bandages in the cleaver and hangs it on her back and decided to hold the glaive in her right hand. Pulling out the crystal in the chest and place it in the panel once more as it shines.
Sis then proceeds to tap on it once more sliding up and down before ending with the thumb. The platform begins to shake and move again, sis looking down in the endless abyss below begin to ask:
"Say, Sova are you still afraid?" in a weird voice
"Well yes, I may be afraid now. But I know I will conquer it someday," I say confidently with my knees still shaking.
Sis then tighten the grip on her glaive, feeling something weird I begin to draw my hand near my weapon when...
"Dat so? Then don't ned nay cowards"
It happened to fast, as my view of them goes farther away, suddenly I see sis and May both standing far away from me. Looking down I'm already not standing on anything. My body then gets wrapped around by some thin ropes. Now hanging in the darkness with yellow glowing objects around me.
"Sis what are you doing!?" May screams with the top of her lungs can muster.
Hanging in the darkness, slowly losing the feeling of my body, I could hear:
"Sis, let go off me. I'm helping Sova!" May screams.
"May precious, let loose of dis disgraceful coward," sis says in a weird high pitch voice I never heard before
"Dammit sis No! He is your brother, what are you thinking!?" May screams at her once more.
Only to reply with:
"Dats so precious, guess sis hav ta show ya de reel way," she says with a broken high pitch voice.
When suddenly the rope swings around and ended up flinging upwards. Flying above the platform and falling near the edge almost falling down nearly killing me. I stand up, removing the thin ropes around me while still shaking from the fear and pain. I see sis now has a long jet black messy hair raising above as it was lifted by something.
When she turns around and glares at me with her wide red eyes resembling the pupils of a hungry beast while holding both her glaive and cleaver. Seeing May scared and shaking on her knees, being cornered with her weapon broken.
"Sova get ready to fight if you want to live."