When the emergency broadcast finally cut off, there was a general commotion in the mess hall, as guild members discussed the contents with those closest to them. Ark noted that Jenson and Rex were talking animated with one another, while Naomi and Ran just stood up and walked out, leaving while everyone where distracted.
“We should go,” Ark said, nudging Mino.
Mino nodded, and they said goodbye to Matthews, who had involved himself in conversation with some of the regulars.
Moving out of the mess hall, Ark said, “So, what do you think?”
“Sammie was right,” Mino said, voice serious, “This is gonna be big.”
“Yeah, The Fingers really kicked the hornet’s nest this time,” Ark agreed, “But what do you think about what Miss Leen said?”
Shrugging, Mino said, “It sounded like she meant it.”
“You don’t believe her?”
“Do you?” Mino eyed Ark, his face inscrutable, even if Ark thought he detected some hints of sadness in his voice.
“I want to,” Ark admitted, “If anyone could do the right thing here, I believe it would be her.”
“Me too,” Mino said, and they both fell silent. They both admired the woman who had taught them so much, but considering how they had parted ways, it was difficult to trust her as they once had.
They went back to their room to quickly change into training clothes, then they walked to training room 5, which was still booked to them during their one-day break. Standing in the tiled room, Ark had the feeling that things were about to change—that their trials until now were about to pay off.
With a grin, he turned to Mino and said, “Alright, so spill it, what skill did you get?”
A slight smile cracked Mino’s lips and he rolled his massive shoulder before answering. “It will be easier to show you. Wanna test it?”
“Sure,” Ark said, calling up the rooms settings with his netlink, “The usual setting?”
“Go up one rank,” Mino said, a confident grin on his face, “The one we haven’t been able to beat, yet.”
“Alright, done.” Ark picked the setting and called upon the virtual dummy. It materialized before them as a faceless marionette, with a sword as standard. “You want me to help?”
“Just stay there,” Mino said, picking up his hammer and shield, “I want to see if it can get past me.”
Knowing he would be the one in pain if Mino slipped up, Ark prepared his training gun, but did not take aim. He wanted to see what Mino could do as well.
Initializing combat, the dummy sprang into action, charging at Mino and Ark. It recognized Ark as the easier target, immediately, and made to circle around Mino. Moving to intercept, Mino was much too slow, as per usual. Ark thought he was a tad bit faster, but it was not enough to stop the dummy.
Just as it was about to bypass Mino, though, red light erupted from Mino’s eyes, and Ark’s skin began to crawl with unease. The dummy stopped in its tracks, its head slowly pivoting toward Mino, as if it was being forced to do so. Reluctantly, the dummy turned its body and engaged Mino, who took its initial attack with the shield and countered with his hammer.
The dummy was quick enough to dodge out of the way, and actively tried to turn away and attack Ark, but kept being forced back by some inexplicable compulsion to attack Mino.
Astonished, Ark watched with awe as Mino slowly but surely cornered the dummy, finally smashing its head in with a violent blow of his hammer, shattering the virtual construction all over the tiled floor.
Breathing hard, Mino looked down at his accomplishment with a mixture of emotions.
Ark erupted into a cheer, clapping his hands with amazed joy. “That was amazing, Mino! What was that?”
His friend turned and gave Ark a tired smile, scratching at his cheek. “It’s called [Evil Eye]. Apparently it combines light and infrasonic sound to compel every one around to attack me. Weird, right? I can actually feel the vibrations from the sound when I use it.”
Ark blinked, taking in the name of the skill that was diametrically opposed to his image of Mino. Shaking his head, he laughed and said, “The name’s weird, but the skill is perfect. How about your physical form—any changes?”
Mino raised his hammer, studying his arm, as if he could see some imperceptible change in it. “A bit,” he admitted, “It feels like my body moves more like I want it to. Maybe I’m imagining it.”
“No, I think that’s what it would do,” Ark said, also studying Mino’s arm, “Its supposed to boost your control of your motor functions. I’m guessing the results will become clearer with training, making you improve more quickly.”
Nodding, Mino lowered his arm. “That makes sense. So, your turn, what did you get?”
Holding up his hand, Ark stopped his friend. “Before I show you, what’s the cost of your skill?”
Grimacing, Mino mumbled something imperceptible.
“What was that?” Ark stepped closer, trying to hear.
Mino looked visibly discomforted, as he repeated his words. “I have to accept blindness to charge up the skill.”
“Oh…” Ark’s eyes furrowed, “That’s not so bad, is it? I mean, you get to choose when to charge it, right?”
“Yeah… up to five minutes for a full charge,” Mino said, his voice quiet.
“So, what’s the problem?”
“Ark, I…” Mino’s voice cracked a little bit, and he looked away with shame, “I don’t like the dark.”
“What?” Ark looked at his friend with a baffled expression on his face. He had never heard this before. “But… you can see in the dark.”
Shrugging, as if to make Ark’s confusion go away, Mino said, “Normally, sure… But, you know the realm I’m summoned to, right?”
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Ark nodded. They rarely talked about their birthrealms, since it brought up bad memories for them both. Mino’s realm was apparently a literal maze, full of monsters and pitch-black… “…Oh,” Ark said, dumbly realizing why Mino might be less than willing to talk about this.
“Yeah… My eyes don’t work there.”
“So… going blind is like…”
“Like being back there,” Mino said, voice barely a whisper.
“Whoa,” Ark looked at Mino with eyes wide. If the cost of his skill was having to relive what it was like to wake up in Ashland and survive, Ark was pretty sure he would have picked something else. “Then, why did you pick that skill?”
“Because it’s what I need,” Mino said with a shrug.
“Damn… I’m sorry, Bud.”
“I’ll live,” Mino said, smiling slightly, “So, your turn.”
----------------------------------------
Once Ark had shown his skill, Mino stroked his chin with a contemplative expression. “That’s… interesting,” he said, at last, giving Ark a raised eyebrow.
Thinking back on the reason why he had picked it, Ark could not help feeling a little foolish. It had been a moment of inspiration, and spite, but it had felt right. “It’s not powerful, in and of itself,” he admitted, “But in the right circumstances, it will allows us to turn the tables in a fight.”
“Oh, I think it’s very powerful,” Mino said, nodding appreciatively, “I just didn’t expect it. What’s the cost?”
“It depends on the circumstances,” Ark said, grimacing, “I get to relive the experience before it can be used again.”
“Ah…” Mino saw the implications immediately and shook his head. “That’s going to hurt.”
“It’s just pain,” Ark said with a shrug.
“Maybe,” Mino said, eying Ark, “Unless an enemy learns about it. We both know there are ways to inflict pain that can make life unbearable.”
“Yeah.” Ark knew his friend had a point. Living through The Maze had given them insight into the many possible ways to make life into a hell. “So we tell no one else about this, agreed?”
“Agreed,” Mino said solemnly.
They went through a few more tests, before their time in the training room expired, then they went to the showers and the evening meal in the mess hall. Here, conversation was still dominated by the emergency message, and the tables were filled more speculation than food at times. Doug joined their table and tried talking them into revealing where they had been all day, but Ark gently dissembled.
“Aww,” Doug said, blue eyes looking at Ark with feigned hurt, “It’s like you don’t trust me at all! Who told you about old Mallis, huh? You could give me a hint about where you’ve been.”
“You’re right, I don’t trust you,” Ark said with a slight smile on his face, “And we both know what you’d do with the information if I did tell you.”
“You’re so cynical. What about you, Big Guy? Want to share what you’ve been doing?” Doug grinned at Ark before turning to Mino.
With a shake of his head, Mino stopped eating for a moment to say, “I don’t like spies.” Then he continued eating, ignoring Doug.
Sighing, Doug leaned back and held up his hands. “Alright, Alright, I’m sorry. I’ve got money riding on the two of ya, so it’s not like I’m your enemy.”
Aiming his fork at Doug, Ark said, “But you’re not our friend either. Until we’re sure we can even go on the riftrun, we can’t share anything with you.”
They bickered on in a friendly manner for the rest of the meal, Ark parrying Doug’s probing questions as they went. He rather liked Doug, but Ark kept his priorities straight. They needed to prove they could be an asset to the team.
A key part of that proof lay safely in Ark’s pocket, where he kept the coin that Alistor had given him. While he kept up with the conversation, his mind kept drifting back to it. Now that they had found a way forward, through the job system, he could focus on figuring it out. With the deadline only being the day after tomorrow, Ark knew he was cutting it short.
After their meal, Ark made an excuse to go on his own, walking down the corridors of the guild while fingering the coin in his pocket. Unsure of where he was going, he let his feet decide the way forward as his mind wandered, trying to hold the threads of clues that he had gained together.
It was a token from the past, a token given to every riftwalker who had assaulted the Red Moon in the final battle that had sealed Vanguard’s fate. Mallis had told him only very few of these existed, as there had been few survivors from the battle—many of which had been wounded and brought back for treatment.
The history was part of it, he knew, but it could not be all that Alistor wanted from him. Jenson had hinted that there was a secret to it; “Something to do with blood,” Ark murmured to himself, as he came to a stop before a hallway he vaguely remembered. Looking down it, he realized he was back at the Hall of Memory, the long walkway that held images and sculptures from the past.
Finding it a fitting place to continue his contemplation, Ark walked down the path, head swiveling back and forth to take in all the artifacts from the past. Through the inscriptions and plaques, he recognized the names of many famous riftwalkers, seeing them in their prime as they fought across Terra during the decades after the World Break had changed everything.
Of course, there was no one like Avalanche. Ark stopped in front of the image he had seen on their first day in the guild, the albino commander of the riftwalkers who would assault the Red Moon, standing with Serah Milldew—the woman who would go on to create the Explorers Guild.
Through his education in The Maze, Ark knew that Avalanche had been the first riftborn to survive the summons from his birthrealm and awaken his power, and the inspiration for the very program itself. With a scoff, Ark realized he had this hero to thank for everything that had happened to him, wondering what Avalanche would have thought about The Maze, if he had survived the battle.
“No, if not through you, they would have figure it out some other way,” Ark said, dismissing the accusation he wanted to level against the dead man. Sighing, he turned to walk when his eye caught another picture. Again, it had Avalanche and his wife, but this one had one more face he recognized.
Blinking, he approached, seeing the features of a young man with laughter in his eyes, before they had been taken away. Standing between Avalanche and Serah, Alistor grinned at the camera, wearing the armor of a riftwalker and with sunglasses holding back his hair atop his head.
Studying the picture, Ark noted the face of one more person, standing a little to the side with a shy smile on his face, dark hair and gaunt eyes. Upon his left temple, a wired mess of technology extended out over one eye, blinking with lights. It looked like an old version of the netlink, one of the first models before implanting the tech directly into the skull had been possible.
Below the image, a plaque announced the names of the people in the image, under the title: Team Ouroboros.
Helgir Orvason, Serah Milldew, Liam Alistor, and Ethan Night, Ark read in his head, pointing each out with a finger as he read. He had only heard of Avalanche before coming to the guild, and could not help the awe rising in his chest. Alistor had not only fought on the Red Moon, but had been in the same riftwalker team as Avalanche.
“What was it like?” Ark said quietly, asking the still images for their life’s story.
A jolt to his fingers brought him back to reality, jerking his hand out of his pocket. Surprised, Ark slowly opened his pocket to find the coin pulsing within, the psionic gem burning with inner light. Licking his lips, Ark carefully picked up the coin from within his pocket and stared at it. Eyes wide, he looked from the coin to the image on the wall and back.
Is that it?
Carefully, he bit his lip hard enough to draw blood and used his thumb to gather it. Slowly, he put the blood against the gem, hoping he was not doing something incredibly foolish. When the liquid life touched the gem, this time, the light within responded by intensifying, blinding Ark completely.
The moment his blood touched the gem, a blinding light erupted, overwhelming his senses. He staggered backward, his mind struggling to make sense of the abrupt change. Below his feet, the cold, sleek walls of the Hall of Memory vanished, replaced by rough, red dirt. Panic surged as he tried to make sense of the transition. Desperate, he tried to focus on his breath and center himself, like he had been trained to do.
Just as he felt panic receding, he saw his hands and feet moving on their own, wearing armor rather than his guild clothes. The sudden loss of control made Ark fight to assert himself, but he felt something holding him back—or rather, someone. Screaming soundlessly, Ark fought the oppressor, but it brushed him off like a fly, asserting its dominance of his experience. In moments, Ark was lost, forced to be what this place intended. He was here for a reason. He had chosen to come here.
“You alright, Watcher?”
Someone spoke to his side, and Liam Alistor turned his head to look back at his friend and commanding officer, Helgir Orvason, the legendary Avalanche.