Arcayne: Journey to Ad Caelum

4.3 | Third Time's the Glitch

4.3 | Third Time's the Glitch

"Well, yeah. I can't help but feel that this isn't some typical "bringing justice to his death" scenario. Do you think there's more to this?" I asked, processing all that happened to me within the day. I meet an A.I., one of Arcayne's high beings and now three more people who knew Orion but won't speak of him so casually.

Miss Sylien looked down at me, flashing sympathy. "I can't tell yet, kid. Orion, for all the years we've known him, is nothing more than a good friend and the best listener/storyteller I've met. Maybe a little too serious and mischievous in playing Arcayne, but deep down, he's a good guy. I just didn't have any idea he would leave this way."

"Wait, how? How do you know he's dead? I never brought Orion up except when I told Laury of the names he asked for?" I backed a few steps away from Miss Sylien, cautious.

She only chuckled at me, putting up her hands in defense. "Whoa, calm down there, Nev. All three of us knew from Auxulia. She sent us the news on the very night of the accident."

After a minute of talking or two, two figures entered the smith shop. It was Laury and another large person, hooded in tattered cloth. So much discretion on everyone I've met connected to Orion. If he's the quiet and kind guy I knew and they say is, why the effort?

"Sy, please close your shop for today. We're gonna use one of the conference rooms beyond this room." Laury began to bar the main door and close every window, leaving the hanging lights to lit up the shop. He then looked to his companion, the hooded person. "D, give him the BP Debuff Pair but go easy on him. He knows Orion.".

D, if I'm right that's the D'raco, flicked his arms outward towards my direction. My instincts blared alarms in me. Miss Sylien was gone and I'm in between two display cases. I turned around to get away from whatever D threw but found myself slamming against a wall. Back arched forwards after feeling two things pierce my back. No, not again. Fight it, Reed.

I couldn't even if I wanted. For all I knew, I'm outnumbered, outclassed, and out leveled. No use fighting it. Everything to my eyes darkened until all became black. My body now turning stiff and immobilized. Despite being unable to move, I could still hear that 'thud' when I fell to the floor. Miss Sylien breathed a deep sigh

"Was it really necessary? We could've asked the kid politely..."

"Yes. It most definitely is. We have no further proof of this player's true connection to Orion and how he got his Arcayne disc. His story, for all we know, could be made up, faked by those who wanted Orion dead in the first place. They could be looking for us right now!"

"Laury." A new voice, gruff and deep, called in. D'raco. "We don't know that. Arcane promised every single of their users' sensitive and private information in hard lockdown. No one, even in the company themselves, can access our information. Plus, the Revs promised all of us protection should we be further dragged into Orion's mess."

Another sigh from Laury, "Fine, fine, fine! I'll try to look into this with more optimism. But now, we need to move Nevrym to our conference room, just for verification and nothing else. Also, stay quiet. Nevrym is blinded and paralyzed but he's not deaf."

I heard knuckles crack and Miss Sylein, along with Laury, shouting no. Then, all became turned quiet. As much as I wanted to scream my lounge out for help, I couldn't. They wouldn't try and kill me right? Wait, this is only a game, Reed. This isn't certainly one of those stories or series I've seen where the game is a literal death game. Relax, breath... You're gonna be fine.

For how long was I both paralyzed and blinded, I have no clue. I did felt someone straightening me out on to a sitting position. Footsteps scattered until I heard someone chanting. Then two more joined in. "Quis enim tam est caecus atque immobilis, Ederean causa est ordo: iam enim dabo vobis dimittere."