As the birds were chirping and flying freely in the bright blue sky, two suns - both glowing a brilliant yellow began to rise above the Kingdom of Leviere and begin a brand new day for its citizens.
The day started just like any other within Leviere's gates. The royal family feared the arrival of the demon lord, and Parker was struggling to make ends meet, and the citizens awaited the day that James would return from his expedition with rumor-breaking information.
To their surprise, the day arrived sooner than expected. At the front gates, the black-haired messenger walked into the kingdom's capitol on horseback and headed straight towards the castle. While on his way there, several of Leviere's citizens and adventurers followed behind James with questions. All of which, James ignored.
He had a strong glare facing toward the castle and a menacing aura surrounding him. Nothing was going to stop him from getting to Zack. Parker happened to be a part of the crowd and watched in angst.
After parking his horse and tying its leash onto a fence post, he charged towards the paladin's office and busted the door open upon coming near.
James: [YOUR HIGHNESS!]
Upon opening the doors, he was greeted by King Didus and the Paladin sitting across from one another. They seemed to have been having a meeting, but that didn't stop James.
Zack immediately stood up when he noticed James entered and pointed to a seat he could take. The maid behind the king pulled back the seat for James and made way for him.
James: [I have important news regarding Penn!]
King Didus: [Penn? What about it?] James took a seat and slouched forward. He took a moment to catch his breath before continuing.
James: [The rumors... they're true!]
SLAM
Kicking the door open, King Didus, James, and Zack started storming down the castle halls.
King Didus, furiously: [So you're telling me that a kingdom as adept and powerful as Penn was completely demolished by three people?!]
James: [Yes, your highness. They're a group of psychopaths that have been at this sort of thing for months.]
King Didus: [How can I believe such wildish claims?!]
James stammering: [W-we saw the flag, sir. It was waving above Penn carrying their symbol.]
Zack seemed concerned.
Paladin Zack: [What he's saying about Hydra is true,]
Zack adding to the conversation lead the king on to James' statement.
Paladin Zack: [The Demon Lord's general that attacked a few days ago... there have been rumors about him being a part of their group. I'm the one that called James over, and wanted him to confirm things for me.]
The King turned his head and conspicuously thought about this.
King Didus with a sigh: [Did the king survive?]
James shook his head: [No, everyone but Princess Ruby was dead.]
King Didus: [Where is she? Did you take her with you?]
James: [She was kidnapped... by Hydra.]
King Didus stopped walking, which also caused the others to halt.
James: [It's just an estimate, but highly likely.]
King Didus: [That's a bold estimate, don't you think?]
James: [I don't come up with half-assed guesses.]
The king resumed his previous pace, but this time with his arms behind him.
James: [What's your course of action, your Highness?]
Paladin Zack: [I hope you don't mind if the king takes his time to think this through. A lot has been going on.]
James looked at Zack for a moment before turning back to the king with a curious glare.
King Didus: [Having one of the other kingdoms deal with this is the best course of action.]
James' eyes widened.
Kind Didus: [Right now, with the demon lord waging war on us, we really can't do anything about Hydra or their silly schemes.]
James furiously: [Killing hundreds of thousands of people isn't a–!]
Zack glared at James with narrow eyes, causing him to stop talking.
King Didus: [I cannot risk putting my troops into battle for most of them not to survive. With a weakened army, the Demon Lord will be able to take us out without breaking a sweat.]
They walked out to the castle garden where the scent of velvets and apricots greeted them. Trees similar to cherry blossom trees were evenly scattered across the light yellow walkway. Several maids and guards could be seen resting and working in the garden as the king and the others walked in.
King Didus: [My army is the greatest on this side of the planet, but even I can't risk putting them up against a kingdom-level threat back-to-back.]
James directed his eyes toward the ground.
King Didus: [If you really want to take Hydra down, get the other kingdoms involved. Jime would probably take your offer with open arms.]
With that response, James stormed out of the castle with guards following behind him. King Didus and Zack remained in the garden, watching as the Messenger ran off with his head down.
James couldn't believe what the king of the most prosperous kingdom had just told him. Stomping his way out of the castle, he passed by Princess Hilda in the middle of the corridor. He didn't notice her through his fury, but she watched as he ran off and created a scene.
The princess was wearing a long white and blue dress that had no sleeves and stopped by her ankles. The Leviere symbol was scattered across the bottom of the dress - knitted on the spaced intervals of the blue skirt.
As soon as Hilda figured out who that was, she quickly ran in the direction he came from, which brought her to the castle garden. There she saw her father standing beside the Paladin with their hands behind them and casually talking to one another. They were standing in front of a patch of cherry blossom flowers in the center of the garden.
Princess Hilda tempered: [Father!]
Her father turned in her direction, and so did Zack. They both seemed curious about what she had to say, but Zack had a hunch he already knew.
Princess Hilda: [Who was that person that stormed off?!]
The king let out a silent sigh.
King Didus: [It was the messenger of the North-Eastern Alliance. We actually just got finished with a meeting. You're wearing the dress I bought you! It looks nice.]
Hilda stood up straight and crossed her arms.
Hilda: [You're up to something!]
King Didus lost his smile and continued to stare at his daughter as she stood there.
Hilda: [Alright, then. Keep your secrets. I'll figure it out in no time.]
Zack looked at King Didus as he turned his head with a sigh. Hilda turned back to the door and walked back into the castle.
Paladin Zack: [Is there a reason you didn't tell her?]
King Didus: [Hilda was very close to the princess. Telling her anything would make things very problematic.]
This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.
Zack grinned as the king turned back to the cherry blossom flowers.
King Didus: [What?]
Zack: [If Hilda learns about this and becomes devastated, you'll be willing to do something?]
Didus: [Well, watching her cry because of something that I could control would destroy me inside.]
He lowered his tone and continued,
Didus: [More than I already am.]
Zack stopped grinning after hearing the king say that under his breath.
???: [You're too weak for a king.]
The deep voice of a young man could be heard coming from a bench sitting in between two trees. Sitting on the bench was a young man, his skin dark and fair, hair curly, and dressed casually. He was looking through an inventory that neither of the others could see.
Paladin Zack: [What are you doing here?]
Boy: [You guys are the ones that came to me.]
He closed his inventory and stood up.
Boy: [I heard everything.]
As soon as he finished his sentence, he vanished without a trace. King Didus palmed his face in disappointment, and Zack attempted to cheer him up.
*
After finding his way out of the Leviere castle and back to the main city, James decided he would make his way back home for the first time in months. He thought that maybe it would help cool his nerves, but on his way there he came across Sean Soukone and three other people walking beside him.
The five made no contact and went on with their lives.
Sean was walking with acquaintances he met during a quest queue. They consisted of a lizard man that had dark blue scales traveling across his entire body, a blonde elf boy far younger than the others, wearing a green priest's attire, and another human-esque man that had the average heavy armor equipped. Sean hadn't changed at all from the last time, but his financial status rose to a new high.
The three of them were joking as Sean walked ahead with his head in the clouds. It took the others several shouts to get his attention, but he eventually did end up responding. They had a feeling that something wasn't right with him, despite only knowing him for a day.
Omu, the elf: [Hey, why do you always look so dull?]
Sean curiously raised his head.
Sean: [Am I being dull?]
Troz, the lizard man, and Kunial, the other human, nodded their heads. Sean's eyes were lifeless, and he felt that way as well. He quickly forced a smile upon his face and it didn't look too pretty either.
Sean: [Oh, sorry guys. I just have a lot on my mind.]
Omu and Kunial looked at each other before looking back at him.
Troz: [Sean, If you don't feel like hanging out with us, don't bother showing up to our meetups.]
Confused by his statement, Sean attempted to clear things up but Troz hurried to make an exit.
Troz: [C'mon, guys. Let's go.]
They walked away.
With his head facing the ground, Sean seemed unfazed. When he turned to his chat box, he noticed that the three he had been with removed him from the party and as friends.
Sean: [This world is so fucking stupid!]
He fell back onto the brick wall of a house and stared at the sky.
Sean: [It's so beautiful, but so...]
Parker: [Shit?]
Shocked to hear his voice, Sean turned to the direction Parker's voice was coming from and saw the brown-haired healer holding two bags carrying a liquid inside. After tossing one to Sean, he took a seat beside him.
Parker: [It's a bottle of some berry juice I made last night.]
Parker already had his bag open, so Sean opened his and took a chug.
Parker: [Didn't cost me a dime and only takes two minutes. Tastes just like orange juice.]
Sean confused: [I thought you went to find Felix.]
Parker: [I don't know how the fucking map works, so I decided to find him later.]
Sean chuckled and took another sip.
Parker: [Besides, it's not like I'm leaving you behind.]
Sean watched Parker take a drink out of his brown bag.
Sean: [I already told you that I'm not going to help. I have my own financial situation to worry about.]
Parker seriously: [Let's be honest, Sean.]
He turned to the bright blue sky and watched the two suns floating like two fireflies.
Parker: [Your skills in this world are useless.]
Sean: [What do you mean?]
Parker lifted the bag of juice in his hands to block the two suns.
Parker: [This world isn't as economy-dependent as the last one. With the tools given to us, we could easily make our own stuff without having to buy them from other people. This juice, for example. All I had to do was go out for some berries in the wild. Not to mention the magic element adding a whole new twist to things.]
Sean: [What's your point?]
Parker: [We don't understand this world in the slightest, but we do know someone that does.]
Sean: [You're implying that we go find Felix, right?]
Parker lowered his head back to the ground and took another sip. Sean looked at the marketplace around them and saw guys and girls walking around with cat and dog ears and tails, a variety of colored hairs, snouts, and various other non-human feats. With a chuckle, he replied.
Sean: [I can definitely agree that this world is strange, but if I need help I can always contact Zack.]
He stood up and began to walk away.
Sean: [He spent more time in this world and even became a symbol people look up to. Finding Felix would only put a bounty on our heads for anyone looking to take him out.]
Parker got up and followed his friend. They began to walk around the marketplace and window-shopped
Parker: [Unlike Zack, he's trying to find the others, and possibly a way back home! He can't do that all on his own.]
Sean: [Then you go help him, alone.]
Parker: [You know damn well I can't do a fucking thing in this world! C'mon Sean!]
Sean turned and looked at Parker's desperate brown eyes. He had never seen this side of Parker before and didn't know how to act.
Parker: [Help me out here, man.]
Sean clicked his tongue and handed Parker his bag of juice. After inviting the healer to his party, he opened his map in search of Faith's name somewhere on the map. Everywhere outside of Leviere had been grayed out with nothing showing, not even a name tag.
Parker: [So, you wanna help find him?]
After accepting Sean's friend request, he closed his interface with both bags in a single hand. Parker began to smile as Sean nodded.
Sean: [We're gonna have to quit the guild.]
Parker: [I quit that piece of shit ages ago!]
Sean sighed and opened another interface.
Sean: [You better have an idea of where he is. He doesn't show up on my map, and I'm not going to search for days.]
They walked together to the city's exit gate and stared off into the plain ahead.
Parker: [I'll send him a quick message!]
Sean waited patiently as Parker typed on air. Moments later, he closed his interface and smiled.
Parker opened his inventory and equipped all of his gear, pulling out a white wooden healer's staff that had a levitating green spherical crystal in the dead center, along with a white robe and bright green hoodie that matched the crystal. Parker's robe came equipped with potions hanging around a belt on his waist.
After watching Parker, Sean decided to do the same. His wand appeared in his hand as a white flash only to form a dark wooden pointy and ragged wand with a pointed blue crystal levitating beneath it. It was much shorter than Parker's, being about the length of a ruler. As for his clothes, it was as if his clothes formed a magic line that moved down his body from head to toe. A pointy green and yellow robe formed as he stood still.
After a nod, they began their journey to find Faith and the others.
*
Far East from the kingdom of Leviere laid another kingdom, one identical but not as large in size. Surrounding the kingdom was a forest, one so vast and great it was nearly impossible to find one's way around.
Within the green forest, grunts and silent quakes could be heard from afar. It seemed that Faith had been in the forest with the guy that helped her out earlier, but they were engaging in a fight.
While breathing sharply and heavily, Faith shot out her hands in the direction of the blindfolded man, and black spikes grew out of the ground and attempted to pierce the man as he jumped around. Like the guy could see everything through his blindfold, Faith couldn't get a single hit in. She kept her eyes on the boy and didn't notice her mana depleting like water in a bottle.
Once she had run dry, she shot out another hand and nothing happened. The boy, which had been dodging her attacks from the beginning, charged toward her with a fist in the air. Faith was defenseless, and she knew it. With nothing else to do, she raised her hands over her face and turned her cheek. Now cowering in fear, she grew anxious about the strike, but nothing happened.
Faith opened her eyes and saw the blindfolded boy standing in front of her with his hand in the air, and as soon as Faith lowered her guard, he gently punched her on the forehead.
Boy laughing: [Get shit on.]
Faith caressed her forehead while breathing like she ran a mile.
Boy: [You have surprisingly abnormal amounts of mana, so learn how to take advantage of that.]
Faith: [I can't believe I lost to a blind man, again.]
Boy: [You're the one that asked for my help.]
Faith laughed in between breaths. Though he was jumping around for several minutes, the boy didn't seem at all exhausted, and that sort of got on Faith's nerves. She decided not to say anything about it and pulled out a glass bottle filled with some blue liquid.
Faith: [Oh, William. I never really asked. What do you do for a living?]
William: [I work at a restaurant in Jime. We're doing pretty well if I had to say so myself.]
Faith stopped drinking her blue liquid and stared at him for a moment.
William: [Blind men can work too, y'know?]
She grew even more confused.
Faith: [Right, of course.]
William: [I noticed something about your spike ability. It's a pretty basic ability, but you should be able to come up with a few combos with it. I'll take you to the magic library. You could use some information on how to improve.]
William turned back to the forest and began walking.
Faith excited: [Are we near the capital?!]
She finished the bottle and threw it aside. The bottle vaporized into the air as pixels that quickly faded away.
William: [Yeah. Only took two days, huh?]
Faith: [You're telling me! I can't believe they have a magic library! I hope they have things about Sorcery.]
She ran towards him. William smiled as they walked towards Jime's capital.
William: [We'll be splitting paths once you get comfortable, but don't hesitate to ask me to spar - if I'm not working.]
Faith nodded with a wide smile.
Faith excited: [Yeah!]