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Just when I thought I had a moment to catch my breath, this happens. It seems to be an ongoing pattern whenever I think danger has passed.

Thought Arishia was going to kill you? Boom, now you’re in the Dungeon Tower.

Thought you were safe after falling down a booby-trap? Fuck you, Zombie NPCs.

Thought things couldn’t get any worse? Ha, have fun killing the boss, Level 1.

And now this, just as my heart started to settle, the glint of an arrow’s tip narrowed my eyes towards the face of death once again.

But something was off about this one, the long thin wooden spine of the arrow would wobble and it would jitter... Movements unsteady.

Apprehension, uncertainty. Motions and emotions that NPCs didn’t have the capacity for. Whoever it was that pointed the bow at me was more than a mindless husk.

“Do you usually shoot first before asking any questions?” I asked upon realizing this fact.

The bow receded further into a strike.

“Who are you and how did you get here?”

It was a player, I was right.

Soft timid words empty of threats. A low, silky voice mustering all strength simply to be heard in a little more than a whimper. I heard a stifled gulping and I knew between the two of us, I wasn’t the one feeling most threatened.

I looked beyond the weapon and to its wielder. Darkness masking most, despite it, I was able to discern the long strands of hair falling to the waist-side.

No matter how much I strained to focus, I couldn’t see any player name nor level. It’s just like the case with NPCs. Do <> just not work out of bounds?

That might be the case if even she had to ask me to identify myself.

I saw the slight quiver of lips hidden beneath the darkness and I just had to ask.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m… I’m asking the questions! A-answer.”

Not a tinge of red, not a hint of contempt. I knew who this was.

“Honestly, I’ll take you with a bow to my face any day over Arishia,” I said, throwing caution to the wind. “Who knows what she’ll do?”

“Arishia, how do you know…?” An audible gasp was heard, then the bow gradually eased its tension. “Sora?”

The relief I felt right then was like a soothing waterfalling washing away my unease, “The one and only,” I placed a hand over my chest. “A little too confrontational for a greeting, don’t you think, Ayako? Shit, nearly got a heart attack.“

An audible clatter as the bow fell from her grip.

“But, you’re alive, how? You fell and I thought… Arishia was… three days!”

“Long story.”

I sat up with a heavy grunt, still aching from the fall. My eyes were starting to adjust, dark outlines were slowly taking form.

Dark, frazzled, black hair streaming down a weary expression. Wide, incredulous eyes accentuating the brownness of her pupils. Her pristine elegance blemished only slightly from fatigue and stress.

Even after all she’s been through, her appearance can still take breaths away. I could stare at her forever.

Yeah, that sounded creepy. Erase that thought. Shame! For shame, Sora, for shame!

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“What happened to you?” She asked almost breathlessly. “We looked practically everywhere - explain!”

“I fell. Then NPCs happened. Delightful little things.”

“Tell me about it. We got driven out of the room back then because of them. I think that was the only time I saw Arishia looked utterly grim about anything.”

“Fucking Arishia…” I tried to picture the scene, tried to picture her face full of fright. Couldn’t do it, it was like trying to think of a new color. “So I take it she didn’t know about the NPCs till later as well?”

She nodded her head, “Got ambushed minutes after you fell. Once Arishia dealt with the NPCs and realized what was going on, she jumped down right after you, only you were gone by the time she got there.”

Cleared of any danger, I began standing up, assessing the sight that fronted me. All around, plain and vacant, just four sturdy walls encasing us in a hollow shell of a room.

“It’s just you then?” I asked Ayako.

“Oh, Arishia will be back soon. One left with her to search for you… the other guy… he, uh… well, he left the group.”

I didn’t even have to ponder about it to understand why.

“Arishia?” I asked.

“Arishia… her, she’s kind of - uh…” Ayako funneled out a long breath. “It takes a bit of adjusting when it comes to being around her. Some aren’t just able to adjust as well as others, is all.”

“Surprise, surprise,” I shook my head. “How did you manage?”

She offered up a smile in jest, “I’ve dealt with trolls, dealt with creeps. Worst case, stalkers even. Arishia’s a walk in the park compared to the things I usually have to deal with.”

“Really?” I raised an eyebrow. “So how you were acting just then when I first arrived, that was you dealing with things? You usually scared out of your wits?”

Ayako gave a look, “To be fair, uncertain death is kind of a step above just plain harassment. Cut me some slack.”

“Ah well… you’ll get there soon enough.”

“Speaking of which,” Her once lax expression shifted again to one of inquiry, “Just how did you find this place? It’s not exactly a room you can just stumble upon by accident.”

“No accident,” I admitted. “I had help.”

“From?”

Her answer came in the form of a shrieking cry of terror. A sudden burst of sound that came plummeting from above before swiftly being silenced by a resonating boom, splattering to the ground like a wet sponge.

Spread out like the wings of an eagle, a sickly groan began to emit. Nearly forgotten Jin was still up there. He has great timing.

Poor unsuspecting Ayako, pale in the face, immediately drew her bow at the very instant of intrusion. Looking just as flustered as before.

Deciding to spare Jin of such a customary greeting, I lowered her bow with my hand and pointed at the rousing corpse on the ground.

“Don’t shoot the help please.”

What little doubt remained in her, dissipated at once, as Jin chose the perfect time to open his mouth.

“Dark as hell… Sora, you in here?” He said through sharp hisses of throbbing pain.

For an answer, I plucked his severed hand from the ground and threw it at his clambering figure. “There go fetch! Could have killed me, you dumbass.”

“No fall damage when you’re out of bounds,” He said, steadying himself upright. “I knew you’d be fine. Upset, but alive.”

Ayako turned to me, a peculiar expression on her face, “Why does he sound so familiar to me?”

I couldn’t help but derive a small chuckle from her utter cluelessness, still, I answered through a smirk, “It’d be stranger if he didn’t, trust me.”

My head nudged, diverting her gaze to his ambling figure gradually on approach. Watching her, those curious eyes of hers expanding in size, to bear witness to the signs of disbelief before she could even act on them, it was mildly amusing.

Jin followed suit, freezing in his tracks, the thunderstruck individual in front of him, leaving him at loss for a response.

A strange sort of friction was shared between their gazes, tangible enough to suffocate me in its intensity.

Ayako was first to tear herself away, recouping enough composure, to instill upon me a stare so immense in fury that I felt a cold shiver run down my spine.

“Help?” She jabbed a finger towards Jin’s direction, spitting out the word like it was poison to herself. “Help?!”

“I mean… He did help,” I muttered, coming up short for an answer.

That didn’t seem to appease her.

“Oh, he helped?!” Ayako bellowed. “He? You can joke, Sora, but I’m not laughing.”

"Okay, I realize he hasn't really painted a good image for himself here after what he did before."

“Can’t really repaint the color of trash now, can you?” She threw him a distasteful look. “Can’t get rid of the smell either, no matter how much you want to try and scrub it clean.”

“Look, Ayako -”

“Don’t even dare try to justify what he’s done, Sora! You’re gonna try and convince me, you want to make him appealing somehow?” Ayako gave a harsh derisive chuckle. “It’s too bad you’re too late. Twelve days too late.”

Slowly, I backed away, “Now… why don’t we just relax?”

“I am relaxed,” She said through pursed lips. “Why would you think otherwise?”

This wasn’t exactly the reunion I was expecting. She was bound to be upset, that I knew, but I anticipated the extent of it to be little more than a few stink eyes and small insults thrown his way, not this… not a burning resentment that had reared its ugly head within her. If she had looked at me, the way she did him, I’d have frozen into a statue.

I’m starting to miss the old Ayako now.