Artemisia leaped sideways, drawing back the string of her ornate bow Eolian Flare. A split second later, a silver arrow whizzed at the gigantic slime beast's heart—a pulsing, green blob that was visible through translucent flesh.
The beast dodged. Oh, c'mon.
The violent battle unfolded in a humongous cavern, where stalactites hung down like topsy-turvy spikes. A hole in the roof let in shafts of bluish light that illuminated the pool below, at the center of which was the fearsome Moridath.
This was the final boss in the dungeon, taking the form of a globular mass that towered stupendously high. The slimy flesh sparkled due to the subsurface scattering of light, and a network of muck green veins protruded out. The joy of playing with high graphics setting—the RAM upgrade was so worth it.
"Healer!" Croizar bellowed, swinging his mace at the beast's glistening blubber, while Santuin, the off tank, slashed away with his sword.
"I'm running out of mana!" The healer darted closer to cast a spell. "We need to end this now!"
A glowing cloud enveloped both lycans, and their health shot up.
The next second, Moridath stiffened, and Santuin yelled, "Everyone duck!"
All six players crouched down as globs of sizzling slime arced high into the air.
As soon as the slime attack ended, Serafina ran closer with the other mage at her heels. "Temi, we'll distract him. Take the final shot!"
Artemisia drew back a foot and raised her bow. "On it!"
While Serafina cast a misdirection spell to divert aggro to Croizar, Artemisia aimed her arrow at the beast's core. As power surged through the bow, white luminescence ebbed out, and the runes etched on its upper and lower limbs came alive.
At the same time, the two mages wove their spell, and sparks of golden light streaked into the air. Dwarfed by the monster's massive size, they were like tiny raptors facing a T-rex. Then they slapped their hands to the ground.
The spell zoomed towards the beast with lightning speed and erupted at the point of contact, water splashing and rippling from the force. A spasm went up the lower half of the beast, accompanied by myriad tendrils of light. As its health plummeted, it let out a howl that echoed off the walls of the cavern.
Artemisia's quivering bow, now ablaze with pent up energy, shot the arrow straight at Moridath's heart. It thrummed through the air like a swift shooting star, white light streaming in its wake—and hit the target, scoring a critical strike.
The almighty Moridath staggered as green blood spouted out. Then its monstrous bulk fell to the ground in slow-motion. The ground shook, the shockwave dislodging stalactites that pelted down.
The team whooped.
"Oh, yeah!" Santuin's meaty fists pumped in the air while Croizar broke into a victory dance.
The rest of the team laughed and sprinted towards the fallen mass to gather loot.
"That was a close call though," Croizar said to the healer. "I mean, if I took any more damage..."
"I was healing the mages," the healer retorted.
"Noob."
"Shut up or I report!"
"Now, guys, stop bickering." Serafina grinned. "We won."
"Nice ult," the other mage said to Artemisia.
"Yeah, that was so damn cool, Tem," Santuin chimed in and bent down to loot, his plate armor gleaming.
"Thanks!" A smile lit up Artemisia's face as she sifted through the loot items. "Hey, there's a rare helmet."
As the system initiated a roll, the healer spoke up, "Oh, made for auctioning."
Croizar let out a colorful expletive, which appeared as censored text on the chat bubble above his head. "It's made for me! I'm the tank! I mean, please, guys. Don't roll for it. I need it."
Santuin grinned. "I might go for Need."
"C'mon, man!"
Serafina and Artemisia laughed, their melodious voices carrying in the silence. The item was finally passed to Croizar.
"Well, I'm off then, GG." The healer waved and faded away, followed by the mage.
Santuin sighed. "Once upon a time, we didn't have to hunt for healers..."
"You guys played healers before?" Serafina asked, swigging down a potion to get her mana back up.
"Nah. Friends. They haven't played for a while."
"Good times." Croizar sat cross-legged while he waited to exit the instance. "You ladies going back to Anda Molad?"
"Yep," Artemisia replied. "By the way, what do your names mean? You use Croiz and Sant on Fizzy too."
"It's a secret!" Santuin winked. "Guess."
Before the two lunar elves could voice their guesses, however, they were teleported back to Sevanalla Inn. Noise and activity engulfed them, and they burst into laughter.
"That was fun," Serafina said.
"Yep!" Artemisia let out another laugh when she saw a drunken player passed out on the floor. "Must be the new lunar palm toddy."
"Probably."
"You still want to do the daily quest?" she asked, leading the way upstairs where there were less people. "I can't play much longer though."
"Not really. What were you going to tell me? You mentioned something in the message."
"Well, I sort of have a game I'm trying to figure out." Artemisia sat down in an alcove. "I'm supposed to find the whereabouts of this missing character. I went to his house and snooped around for clues—but I've made no progress."
"Oh?" Serafina sat down beside her. "What is this—some kind of first-person horror game?"
She brought up the needleworking tab. "Yeah, it's this indie game I'm playing."
"Is it any good? What's it called? Not a fan of first-person horror though."
"I'll let you know if it's good. I'm just stuck. You only get one shot at finding clues. And the house is, like, randomly generated, so online walkthroughs won't help."
"Sounds like a punishing game. What did you find in the house?"
Artemisia started making a tunic. "Well, inside the bedroom, there was what appeared to be a blood stain on the floor. I checked some papers and books scattered on a table, but those weren't helpful. I found random stuff in the nightstand. But there was no clue where he could've gone."
"Some clue must've been there. The blood stain suggests he might've been removed by force, and you're supposed to hunt down the perps, which would lead you to him. Did you get, like, screenshots?"
How come it never occurred to you to get photos, Ev? Artemisia stared at the other elf's face, delicate features outlined in the lamplight. She wanted to facepalm. It wasn't an ideal situation to think straight, but still...And this is pointless! Sef is only thinking in game terms—it's some crime, and I play cop.
"You didn't?" Serafina's head tilted—an automatic motion when idle. "It's not like I can help you without looking at it."
She sighed. I can't share the photos with you even if I had them, Sef—unless I tell you the whole insane story. And I can't send images in game. "Why are you not on Fizzy! I'm chatting with Croizar and Santuin on it now too."
"You can just email whatever to me. So, they still have no idea who you are?"
"No!" Artemisia grinned. "I told you they're super popular at school, and it'd be awkward if they know. Well, you've seen Obsidian online."
"Yep, I so have! When are you gonna tell me who you like the most?"
"Are you gonna tell me who you like the most?"
"Nope. You first." Serafina giggled. "Why won't you say it anyways?"
"It's complicated." Artemisia closed the needleworking tab. "Anyways, I think I'd better go, I have that game thing to think about too."
"Fine, fine. Later then."
She got up and hesitated. "And Sef?"
"Yeah?"
"Thanks for always being here." With a wave, Artemisia faded away.
Evanna sat eating her third banana, staring into space while one hand stroked Debu-chan.
It was Sunday morning, and she'd had no bright ideas since the night before. Her conversation with Serafina had highlighted the disturbing element of her excursion with Marilda. What if something bad had actually happened to him? Should I call the police? Don't be absurd, Ev. If he was really missing, his family and friends would've reported it.
"What do you think I should do, Debu-chan?" she murmured.
Debu-chan made no response, but she found the fluffy fur comforting, which inadvertently transported her down memory lane. She watched herself patting a furry head while Anukie giggled and held onto a leash. It was a wet day, but the grassy field glistened with dew under the arch of a rainbow. That joyful day, there wasn't a care in the world as she played with her two best friends in the world—both of whom were not in her life anymore.
Evanna drew in a shuddering breath while her chest tightened. It took a long minute to fight off the wave of sadness that almost overwhelmed her.
Finally, she shook her head and wolfed down the rest of the banana. "Okay, why don't you write down everything you remember, Ev."
Grabbing a notebook, she plonked down on the bed. Then she got up again to find a pen.
Describing the room turned out to be the easy part, since it meant browsing through visual memory. The contents of the notebook were hazy, and she only recalled snippets of writing. A heavy sigh escaped her.
Evanna's thoughts meandered to the comics Adam Rind had written about. The line with the word "nerd" popped up, and she jotted it down. Ev, you write it like he'd written it. She crossed the word and rewrote it as "nird". Then a superhero name that struck her as unusual surfaced up. Axolotl Man—with cool regenerative abilities.
She picked up the phone to look him up online. The next second, she stared at a muscly character in a pale pink bodysuit with frilly external undies. Argh, definitely a lesser known superhero. Wonder why. Stop wasting your time, Ev. It's not important.
It was impossible to remember the riddles.
Suddenly, the door opened. Mary strode in, followed by Manel, who had on a lilac tee with matching shorts.
"Unnie, I came to hang out with you!" Manel grinned.
"Hey!" Evanna tried to smile. "I'm a bit busy right now though."
Mary shot her a reproving look and smiled at the little girl. "You have fun, alright, Manel? Come downstairs if you need anything."
"Okay," the kid chirped.
Mary turned to go. "What are you wearing, Eva? Don't you have any decent clothes?"
"What? They're perfectly fine leggings, Mom." Evanna glanced down at her comfy leggings that had a few holes around the knees. "Just a hole or two—looks alright."
Her mom shook her head and walked away.
"Unnie!" The kid jumped onto the bed and proceeded to hug Debu-chan. "What are you up to?"
"Something important." Evanna turned back to her notebook.
Manel held up the banana peels lying next to her. "You snack on bananas a lot."
"No, that's my brekkie."
"You just had brekkie?"
"Yeah, it's Sunday, Nelly—I wake up after ten," Evanna muttered, trying to focus, but failing.
"What are you writing? Can I see?"
Just let the kid see, Ev. She'd eventually get bored and let you get back to it. She sighed and handed over the notebook.
"Ooh, you're writing some story?" Manel lay down on her back and held the notebook to her face. "Axolotl Man sounds cool."
A giggle escaped Evanna.
"I don't understand some of this," the kid went on, peering closer. "Oh, you've written nerd wrong! I know how to spell nerd!"
"Good." She pulled the book off Manel's hands with one swift motion. "It's boring, right?"
"Gimme back the book!"
They squabbled over it until Evanna distracted her with the promise of an animated movie. "We can watch it together, but I'm gonna need some alone time afterwards. How's that sound?"
"Okay!"
She sighed and plodded over to the computer to start streaming the movie.
That night, try as she might, no bright ideas dawned on her, and dread solidified in her gut at the prospect of Monday morning.
Evanna donned an oversized tee and drifted to her balcony like a restless ghost. She gazed up at the stars that she had studied on many a night as a child. Basking in their familiar glow, she inhaled a breath of cool air. The myriad pinpricks of light in the tapestry of the heavens brought no clarity to her earthly woes, but they ignited a glimmer of hope.
The next day, the prefects were more thorough that usual with daily inspections, causing long queues. Some students stood to the side and complied with commands. A bag full of confiscated items sat on the ground next to a senior prefect, who seemed to be overseeing the inspections.
Evanna's eyes latched onto a boy getting his hair snipped shorter and a girl using a seam ripper on the hem of her skirt that had not met the length requirement. Mondays are jinxed. As if to highlight this point, the sky was leaden, coupled with wind that ruffled clothes and sent hair flying.
The morning assembly dragged on with painful slowness, though the ordeal was made more tolerable by the overcast sky. No danger of getting scorched to death. Evanna had, in fact, come dangerously close to passing out on one sunny day and ended up with red skin.
She now stood staring at the pigtailed head in front for what felt like eons. A tiny movement caught her eye. She watched in fascination as a louse peeked out of the hair and started crawling over the fine hair strands. As she followed the insect's laborious trek over bumpy terrain, her mind wandered, mulling over the recent events of her life.
The puzzle of the missing physicist dominated her head again. Should I contact a coworker? Maybe Morken? Then again, he wouldn't know Rind's personal circumstances—unless he knew him pretty well. Her mind strayed to the notebook, and Manel's comments surfaced, making her smile. Then a hint of a thought settled into place and bothered her. She frowned, trying to grasp at it, but it was a wispy shadow that bobbed just beyond view.
During physics class, Inoue announced the names of the eight people who were to attend the upcoming seminar. Among them were Manik, Genelle, Ash, Shane and Evanna.
"As for those of you who don't get to attend," Inoue said, adjusting her glasses, "don't be too disappointed. There's always a next time, so work harder."
Her students didn't seem particularly disappointed. Evanna sneaked a glance at the boys' section in time to see Shane and Ash having a quiet laugh over something. She was momentarily dazzled by the sight.
The day wore on as uneventful as ever, marked by a thundery shower. After school, her tutor arrived for the two-hour physics class. The weather worsened into a downpour, dampening her spirits further. Gales blew with a howling sound and hurled flurries of rain against the windows.
When darkness fell, Evanna huddled up in bed and spent the night studying. A familiar nightmare tormented her sleep, dredging up fragments of memory from Oleanda's party—floundering in the pool, videos of the event and the laughter. Anukie's impassive face wasn't the worst anymore—her inner eye homed in on Shane's face, laughing with the rest. He's not the same, Ev. But what if he is? Or worse?
Tuesday crawled by, shedding no light on her problem. During Literature, they studied A Tale of Two Cities, and Mrs. Abare asked the class to write down a short analysis of the female protagonist, whom Evanna utterly disliked. When she boarded the bus to go home, she braced herself for two hours of math.
It was almost night-time when she sat down to tackle the problem of Adam Rind again. She finally admitted defeat and grabbed the phone to call Morken. Her finger hovered over his name, but in that moment of hesitation, she stared at the notebook one last time.
She skimmed over her scribbles on the silly superhero and halted on the word "nird". The inchoate thought that had haunted her consolidated into a more substantial form.
Rind had misspelled the word twice.
Manel's words echoed in her mind. A kid knows how to spell it, but he doesn't? Evanna twirled a lock of hair as she dwelled on the puzzling oddity.
Her eyes lit up. He must be used to writing it that way...or it's a deliberate quirk. It might be a word that has meaning only to him. He likes riddles!
She pulled up the web browser and ran a search for "nird".
The results were all of NIRD as an acronym for seemingly irrelevant companies and organizations. You'd have to refine the search, Ev. In her excitement, her mind raced ahead, and she grabbed the phone again to call Marilda.
"Mari-chan!" Evanna said the moment she picked up.
"Evie!"
"I wanna know something quick."
"Okay..."
"I wanna find out the name of this celeb—she has shoulder-length, brown hair, and she's really curvy with what looks like butt implants."
"Uh, that sorta describes quite a number of 'em," Marilda said matter-of-factly. "Is she in some movie?"
"Probably a TV person—I'm not sure really." Evanna leaped to her feet and started pacing the room. "I've seen her somewhere, and I gotta know her name."
"Hm...I'll text you a few suggestions maybe?"
"Thank you!"
As soon as she hung up, Evanna lunged at the computer and searched the web with the keywords "nird" and "Axolotl Man". She forgot to breathe as she scanned the results, clicking one link after another. Then she stumbled upon posts and comments from someone who went by the name Nird005.
She goggled at the username for a good minute. Holy cowsies, I've done it!
Adam Rind's online life opened up before her. She followed his unique footprint on social media and fan forums, though he was still secretive about his personal details. Marilda's text arrived with suggestions, and after another search, she identified the woman in Rind's magazine clippings. Soon after, she found his comments on her social media.
After extensive stalking, she found his comments on a rental website. Her heartbeat accelerated like a race car on nitrous.
He had been hunting for a place in Cape Valinia just over a month ago. The only thing she knew about the place was that it was a coastal city. The last comment he had made on the site seemed to be on a dilapidated-looking house, asking to visit. Why the heck would he move there?
She sat stock-still while her brain formulated a plan. Seizing her mouse again, she ran a search for Cape Valinia.
When she scrolled down, images of sunny beaches and tourist reviews met her eyes. The more candid footage revealed a metropolis with congested roads and gritty suburbs. It was a three-hour ride by train, but the house itself was located quite a distance from the city center. As if in answer to the problem of transport, she discovered a commuter train network. Yet, when she checked for stations and schedules, chaos jumped out at her.
The city's own taxi-hailing app was prohibitively expensive for longer journeys, unless she opted for a trishaw or tuk. However, using the rickety things to a possibly shady neighborhood didn't appeal to her. The plan to track down the physicist suddenly took on a wild dimension.
Evanna spent the next half hour calling Marilda, Genelle and even some people from Nuara, asking if they were familiar with Cape Valinia. Each call sapped away her energy, ounce by ounce.
Finally, she heaved a sigh and opened the door. "Mom! Aunt Jan!"
"Yes?" Janet's voice responded.
"Are you familiar with Cape Valinia?"
"Where?"
"Cape Valinia!"
"No, I've never been there."
Mary's voice called out with a tinge of annoyance, "Why can't you come out and talk, Eva?"
"Never mind!"
Throughout dinner, she racked her brain about the new hurdle. Think about it, Ev. Rind obviously wanted some alone time. Why else would he want a house in the middle of nowhere? Maybe he was so spooked by The Incident that he wanted to get away.
Back at the computer, her eyes gravitated to the notifications on Fizzy—unread messages from Junho and Max. She opened the group chat and found a few funny memes.
Ebony17: Are you guys online, by any chance?
She absent-mindedly traced the contours of her mouse. A minute elapsed.
Croiz921: Hey whaddup?
Ebony17: Yo!
Sant347: If you wanna play Arc, we're a bit too busy atm.
Ebony17: No lol. Not playing tonight.
Croiz921: Oh, you couldn't wait anymore. And you needed to know.
Ebony17: What?
Sant347: XD The meaning behind our names.
Ebony17: Oh that. Yeah! :3 Not now though! I wanted to ask you something else.
Croiz921: And if we answer, we get to see a pic of you?
Ebony17: Why would you wanna see a pic of me!
Sant347: To see if you're really a girl.
Ebony17: Wahahahhaa, I AM a girl!
Croiz921: Oh, you definitely seem like one. But who knows...
Ebony17: LOL just answer my question!
Croiz921: What's in it for us then?
Ebony17: Do it out of the goodness of your heart!!
Croiz921: Nope. We have no goodness in our hearts. XD Deal or no deal?
Sant347: What's the question anyways? XD
Ebony17: Do you guys happen to know Cape Valinia? As in, really know it?
Croiz921: We might.
Sant347: We don't.
Croiz921: Oh, c'mon, man.
Sant347: Well, we have the means of getting info. XD
Ebony17: You do?? How?
Sant347: A friend.
Croiz921: Our homie Shane's lived there. What do you wanna know, Tem?
Evanna straightened up and reread the message. What? That's his home city?
Ebony17: Um, it's hard to explain.
Croiz921: You can take your time and let us know. Now about the payment...
Ebony17: -____-
Sant347: Information ain't free.
Croiz921: Yep, so that'll be one pic.
Ebony17: -_________________- I'm off.
Sant347: So no deal? C'mon Tem.
Croiz921: We'll make it more affordable. How about half the price?
Ebony17: Which is what? Half my face? XD
Sant347: Yeah, it should be enough to verify...
Ebony17: I'm off. : P
Evanna logged out of Fizzy and marveled at her newfound piece of information. Did Shane grow up there? When did he move to Komoreby?
Late that night, when her eyelids drooped, jumbled thoughts and images swam about in her head. As if in slow-motion, her inner eye disintegrated a word.
A startling realization struck her—and she sat up straight. Nird was an anagram of the name Rind.
Wednesday dawned with a rejuvenating freshness, but a cloud of indecision followed Evanna all morning. You have to do it, Ev. It's totally cool. You just need some information. Her vacillation aside, how to go about getting hold of her source of information was an obstacle all on its own. Not like I can pull him into storage rooms.
The opportunity presented itself after math class. The chemistry teacher, Todd Trelowarn, turned out to be absent, and the class was blessed with a free period.
Only a dozen students were in the homeroom, chatting or doing homework. Evanna's eyes trailed to the back and rested on Ash, who appeared to be engaged in the latter, since the seat beside him was empty. Where has he disappeared to?
She drifted to the back of the classroom with an air of nonchalance and stopped before a chart, though its contents barely registered in her brain. She was only a few feet away from Ash, who looked up at her.
"Sorry for disturbing you," she began.
"You're talking to me?" he asked, amusement creeping into his voice.
"Well, yeah," she said and rushed on without waiting for him to respond, "I need to talk to Shane about something—like, alone. Can I please know where I can find him?"
An awkward silence dragged out between them. As if to mock her, a bird trilled a piercing melody outside the window. Wait, what makes you think he'd just tell you, Ev? Like, he wouldn't want to set a crazed fangirl on Shane, 'cause you could very well be one—
"He's at the library," Ash said, his amusement sounding more pronounced. "Check the self-help section."
"Huh?" she blurted out, taken aback.
A half-smile appeared on his face. "And he'd be alone."
Wait, self-help? The heck's he doing there? I can't make sense of any bloody thing he does. She gave her head a little shake. Just 'cause you don't read self-help books doesn't mean others don't, Ev. He's just so different...You probably have nothing in common with him. Well, other than Tsunokory and science classes—which you have in common with Mort.
Ash broke into her train of thought. "You seem...surprised."
Evanna stared at him a bit more. Oh...I see. Shane must've told him how I'd stomped on him and exhibited hostility. That's not fangirl behavior. If anything, Ash would be worried I'd cause bodily harm to his bestie.
"Well, thanks," she finally said and added in what she thought was a reassuring voice, "I just want to talk to him."
"Yeah, I didn't think you'd do anything else to him," he replied, his smile widening. "But don't hold back."
A frown creased her forehead as she processed his words, but her mind had already focused on her next step.
Bestowing a quick smile of gratitude on him, she turned on her heels and left.
There were many people in the library, including a few teachers. Evanna absorbed the scene and steadied her breathing. To her relief, the librarian, Ioma Poth, was engrossed in a book.
She marched past the hexagonal central space under the huge chandelier. Bookshelves loomed high in a staggered arrangement. Up ahead, the massive window wall formed a luminous backdrop, partially obscured by vertical blinds.
At the very back, right next to the window wall, she arrived at the section allocated for self-help books. A wave of trepidation rolled over her, spurring a desire to just turn around and leave. Ev! You're a strong woman, and you can talk to him. With one tentative step, she peeked around the shelf.
Shane sat cross-legged at the end of the aisle with his back to the charcoal gray wall. His dark brown hair was tinged with gold under shafts of light that slanted in through the blinds.
Evanna ignored the butterflies in her stomach and stepped forward into his line of vision. "Shane?"
He looked up, and his face registered surprise for a nanosecond before assuming its cool, inscrutable expression.
"Sorry for barging in on you. I just want to ask you something."
Her voice came out quieter than she expected. Not that I can talk loudly in the library. A long moment elapsed, and she shifted her weight, arms behind her back.
A hint of a smile tugged at his lips. He pushed away a book and patted the floor next to him.
Evanna squirmed, but it occurred to her that standing and whispering would've been even more awkward. Just great. It's too close for comfort. Her heart expressed a different opinion. Seriously, Ev! Stop going so gaga over the glossy plumage—or his talons are going to sink into you before you know it.
Slapping on what she hoped was an impassive face, she strode up to him and bent down.
Then her frayed hairband snapped.
Freed from its bonds, her voluminous hair cascaded down like a crimson waterfall—onto Shane.