CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Dragon and Storm

There comes a time in life, where it is inevitable that one is forced into an awkward situation. Maybe you are asking out your first crush for the first time, or maybe you have to make a public speech about the superiority of beef to a bunch of vegans. Such situations are apart of the spice that makes life interesting, but if one was given the choice to experience such situations, the majority would answer with a no thank you.

That said, when one is forced to interact with the person who beat the crap out of his sister, or the person who humiliated her brother, there is little to be done aside from cast the grudges aside and have a drink.

...

The Wandering Eye was the biggest hub of vice and debauchery in the entire White City. With a massive building that took up an entire city block, it catered to whatever fancies and desires that its patrons might have. With beautiful dancing girls, gambling halls, and countless means of entertainment, it did not take long for the tavern to become a fan favorite of the more 'mature' crowd among the Elseworlders.

That said, they were also known for producing the most exotic of delicacies, with each dish meticulously refined by an army of chefs. It was for this reason that Roari and company found themselves crammed into a tiny booth, sitting directly across from two pleasant individuals whose strained smiles seemed all but genuine.

The group was resting casually, all the while Roari was taking quick, small bites from a rabbit leg. Having recently received a bit of extra income, it wasn’t amiss to have a little fun once in a while. The sounds of her chewing cluttered their surroundings, keeping the atmosphere just awkward enough that Pale took the initiative to speak first.

"Are you certain?"

The Corgin who now had twin tails bobbed her head. She had the odd habit of stroking her chin when she brooded, perhaps to appear wise or senior beyond her years. It might’ve worked too, if she were some seventy year old sage, but as she was merely an anthropomorphised Corgi girl without even the slightest tuft of facial hair, that image was ruined slightly.

Her name was Sunny Dragon, and true to her name, her personality was incredibly bright and peppy. After hounding them down with a squalling Supreme Dragon in tow, and after a series of twists and turns, the lot of them ended up having dinner together. Yep. That’s right. They had dinner. Imagine one of those awkward family dinners you have every Christmas and you might understand the scene that transpired.

Of course, after a round of pleasantries, the two groups actually got along swimmingly with the conversation eventually leading to the crisis in the White City.

"Of course. The players in this city have already discovered that Pastor Maximillian is the instigator of the kidnappings. But the strange thing is, nothing has happened! It seems as though the knight orders in this city refuse to attack him, which leave many players stuck with their questlines.

Well...I wouldn’t worry though. His time on this world is limited, as the Basilisk guild seems to be recruiting players for an assault tomorrow."

Pale's eyebrow twitched as he tried to acclimate to Sunny's enigmatic way of speaking. There was something profoundly odd about this girl, which caused a rather uncomfortable sensation to spring up from his gut.

He shot a long, smug look at Dawn, who was carrying Roari on her lap.

"Told you it was a Priest!"

"In the beginning, the number of leads we had was as numerous as the stars," Sunny continued, "But due to the unyielding efforts of the users, the true path was soon found."

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"So what's the plan now? Are you going to join the assault?" Dawn asked.

Surprisingly, it was Supreme Dragon who responded. For some odd reason, he couldn't quite look into the eyes of anyone present and was subdued for most of the conversation.

"We have no interest in aiding the glory of other organizations. At our current stage, we'd be nothing more than pawns and the Cordon Group would get all the credit."

"Still, it might be fun to watch." Roari piped up and wiped the sauce from her lips. As soon as she spoke, Supreme Dragon immediately shyed away, as if an introverted school girl hiding away from her crush.

'So it's like that?'

Roari raised an eyebrow, wondering where the domineering arse from the arena disappeared to. Who was this flowery punk who suddenly became too timid to look at her?

"Unfortunately, our current standing at this point of the game is very volatile. The Elseworlds have barely been out for a fortnight, but already a clear divide has appeared between casuals and the nolifers. Having experienced the game yourselves, you can understand that it’s only a matter of time before a real-life market is built around the game."

"And you plan on no lifing during the early stages until you can grind out a living for yourselves?" Pale cut Supreme Dragon off. Such a plan was typical as far as plans go, for who wouldn't want to be able to make money while playing a game.

Supreme Dragon, however, shook his head. "No. While some may be content to live on the barest necessities, we do not consider ourselves apart of that cliche. Rather, it is to prove that we are the greatest."

Although Pale was about to scoff at such a childish goal, Supreme Dragon didn't allow him to as he continued.

"Consider this. The Olympics come every four years. It is a special event where each country puts forward their own candidate to vie for athletic supremacy. However, once the event is over, does anyone even remember the gold medalists? Instead, it is the actors and singers that hold the adoration and worship of the masses, but without luck and connections, such a path is blocked off to most."

As he kept talking, Supreme Dragon grew more comfortable and bold.

"But then came online gaming, which enabled even those who constantly tap away on their keyboards to hold the worship of many. But for us..." Supreme Dragon looked over at Sunny, who was twirling her locks sheepishly. "All we're really good at is fighting. When you have no charisma, no connections, the only thing you can do to prove that you're the best is through some niche circles like MMA or boxing. For those who have dreamed of greater things, how can we be content? Thus when Elseworlds came out, we considered it a godsend."

Supreme Dragon suddenly quieted as he flushed, seemingly embarrassed by his own enthusiasm.

'The hell do you mean no charisma! This guy suddenly became so adorable.'

Pale and Dawn's eyes bugged out, but they were amused all the same.

"Your entire family is naturally good at fighting?"

Pale asked. It hadn't been too difficult to put together that Spicy Dragon whom they met at the beginning was also part of this group as well. Judging from the natural, fluid movements that were displayed so far, he quickly realized that such a force would be no joke if they were to mature further.

"Un! There's actually ten of us in total, with dad being some excommunicated Shaolin monastery elder turned MMA fighter."

"Big family. Must have been hard on the mom." Roari whistled.

"It really wasn’t. Dad wasn't exactly the most faithful type, but the extra family is still nice."

Sunny's face twisted into a sad smile. As if a dense cloud had blotted out her cheerful mood, her entire demeanor seemed quite pitiful.

If Roari wasn't seated firmly on her lap, Dawn had half a mind to reach over and give the girl a hug.

"So down to our proposition. Despite our abilities, it would be folly to think we could make it to the top with a mere ten people, and we were wondering if you would be interested in joining us."

"Like join a guild?"

"Something like that. Although I cannot offer any benefits at the moment, I feel it would be good to at least establish friendly relations."

Upon seeing Sunny's disarming smile, Dawn was slightly troubled. Inside her heart, she had rejected the notion of joining a group previously, and it was only recently that she decided to follow the Storm Siblings. Would she get pulled into a guild along with them? If so, there were currently much better options open to her at the moment.

Fortunately Pale, who was the acting spokesman of the group shook his head.

"While we appreciate the offer, there is no way my team can ever join a group whose leader is weaker than me." Pale looked pointedly at Supreme Dragon.

He looked as if he had swallowed a dried plum as he roared in indignation. "Don't get cocky. Just because of one fluke, you think you're stronger than me?"

"Oh? Then do you want to go again?"

His casual taunt instantly shut Supreme Dragon up. After all, even if Pale lied down on the ground and did nothing, it was still doubtful whether Supreme Dragon could break past his health fast enough before succumbing to the assault from the flames and the little black cat.

"Hmmph! I'd like to see you fight Sister Storm. Hell, you would even get floored by Sunny here."

"...Storm?"

"Storm Dragon." Sunny provided. "She's the eldest and the most vicious. Although I haven't seen her character yet, there's no doubt that it'll be a strong one."

"Ah." Pale nodded, before flashing a wicked smile" And how about you. You can floor me?"

"Indeed I can."

Sunny smiled in return.

The light snores of Roari began to echo through the room as the two of them smiled at each other. Imaginary sparks began flying between them as Pale was quickly beginning to feel that his promise with Roari to play this game with her, wasn't quite so bad after all.

"I believe there's only one way to put that statement to the test."

"No need. You won't win."

Sunny's expression didn't change at all. It was as she wasn't even provoking him, but merely stating a fact.

"Never tell me the odds."

"It's zero."

"I said to not tell me them!" Pale grinned as he stood up from the booth. His gnarled staff appeared in his hands and he gestured towards the tavern exit.

Seeing such a direct challenge, Sunny had no choice but to respond. She sighed as she pulled out a black iron bar that had a broken length of chain attached to the end. With but a glance, anyone would be able to tell that such a weapon was special, but in what way was anyone's guess.

"It looks like I, your father am going to have to teach you a lesson."

Pale blinked and stared at her blankly to which she merely smiled sweetly.

"And by lesson, I mean I'm going to beat the crap out of you!"