12:03 a.m. 17th Peniel 1091.
Bang!
"Ow!" Kashi cried out in pain as he regained consciousness. He massaged his sore temple and pushed off the rusted cell gate that had broken loose and crashed on him as a result of the earthquake. As the daeben got to his feet, only one thought ran through his head. 'If I had come a little later, I might have lost the opportunity to rescue those vixens. Lady Luck has not completely abandoned me yet.'
Kashi used the dim moonlight streaming into the cells to search for something on the floor. Clink! The daeben grinned when his fingers clamped around a set of keys. The captain's room had been empty except for his armor, and there was nothing of value in the smelly fish room. Thus, the daeben surmised there could only be one more place bandits like those would stash their loot.
Kashi inspected each cell closely, searching for trap doors or false walls, but he was mortified to find that they were all empty. 'What kind of bandit has no loot?!'
Frustrated, Kashi turned to leave, but fortunately, halfway to the stairs, he stumbled over a catch on the floor. The daeben swore as he stood up and checked to see what had tripped him up. The lighting was poor, so the daeben resigned to feeling the ground with his hands. Kashi's initial search turned up nothing, and he would have left if he did not recall something seemingly redundant.
[Dark Eyes]. This was a skill which, for a little MP, would significantly improve his sight in the dark when activated. Kashi smacked his forehead for his forgetfulness and enabled the skill, pleased when his surroundings became just a tad bit brighter. He successfully made out a latch on the floor buried beneath some fish bones and grabbed it in excitement. He yanked the trapdoor open with the vigor of a ten-year-old, and his eyes glowed as he spotted a set of stairs leading to an even lower floor.
A small part of Kashi's mind wondered why fishermen would need a secret base such as this, but the majority rejoiced over the potential loot stashed away. An iron door blocked the way at the landing, but after a few tries with the captain's keys, the door opened before him to reveal a room lit up by several torches hanging from the walls.
Kashi's lips curled upward, revealing a toothy grin as he gazed upon the chests of gold, armor, weapons, and precious stones neatly piled away, alongside several parchments and other precious materials. Though every cell in his body wanted to claim it all for himself, he had two things going against him. A little part of his brain was shouting a different course of action, and even if he chose to ignore it, he could not possibly fit everything into his inventory.
Live No Evil used the 'physical loot' system. This meant that monster drops and items did not appear on screen like other games. Their full forms were actually right in front of you. The Summoned could shrink these items and place them in their inventory, but their individual Strength and inventory size determined what, and how much, they could carry.
Luckily, the game also had the Carry system. As its name implied, if a Summoned's inventory was full, they could still carry the rest of the items in their hands, a bag, on a cart, or through any other feasible method. Yet, even with all of these options, Kashi would never have been able to carry everything. So, to start with, he went to the piles of gold. Money had no weight, and a Summoned could hold as much as they wanted.
Kashi put his hand over the pile, and the system promptly informed him that the total sum of coin present was 50,000 Syros. "Holy barracuda's balls," Kashi exclaimed as he looked at the vast wealth that lay before him. He could have chosen to take it all for himself, but his conscience kept banging on about the bigger picture. "Okay, okay! I'll listen this one time."
Kashi pocketed 5,000 Syros as his commission and left the rest. He then walked around the room, inspecting the goods to see if he could find anything of use to him. The daeben's search yielded good results, some of which included improved sets of crafting and cooking tools and equipment, a pair of books on Gathering and Botany, and finally, a couple of rings he decided to identify later.
Kashi was disappointed in the weapons and armor as they were inferior to his current equipment. Though that shouldn't come as a surprise. His current gear's stats looked like they belonged to someone around level 50. It would be a while before he felt the need to switch up his equipment.
The last thing Kashi picked up was a detailed map of the Atled Delta with several lines drawn across it. He could not decipher it, but he guessed the villagers might be able to shed some light on it. Kashi folded the map and placed it in a storage tube, which he in turn placed in his inventory.
Satisfied with the haul, Kashi exited the room and locked the door behind him. He ascended the stairs, closed the trapdoor, and then made his way out of the building.
"Huaa. Nice breeze," Kashi exclaimed happily once he stepped outside. He surveyed the area and was not surprised to find no traces of the women. The daeben let out a wry smile as he realized the women would not have told their husbands who rescued them.
Kashi shook his head and called out for Kira. When there was no answer, he called out a few more times, each without reply. Kashi paled, and the joy drained away as fear began to set in. "Kira!" Kashi called as he ran along the coast. However, when he was sure she wasn't around, he sprinted towards the town, pissed off at his own stupidity.
As was to be expected, Ranad was alight with festivities, the villagers rejoicing over the return of the women and children. The villagers danced a happy tune, drinks flowed, and jokes cracked as every man, woman, and child shed all responsibilities for one night of endless fun.
Kashi tore through the town, upsetting the festivities, and came to a hard stop in front of the mayor.
"Kashi-dono!" Elecurb, chief of Ranad, greeted with a bright smile upon Kashi's return. "I have splendid—" His speech was cut short when Kashi gripped his shoulders, panic and fear in his eyes.
"My partner... The wolf," Kashi said between huffs of exhaustion. All pretense of polite speech was drowned out by urgency. "Have you seen her?!"
"C-calm down, Kashi-dono," Elecurb urged. "One of the boys said they saw her running north just over an hour or so ago. What's the matter?"
"I... I can't find her. I... Bandits... asked her... lure away. She isn't dead, right? She can't be!" Kashi implored as his grip tightened on Elecurb's shoulders.
"Stand proud, Kashi-dono. You helped my people. We will join in the search. It's the least we could do to repay your kindness," Elecurb said and turned to the townspeople who had gathered around, who were over what was going on. "That's enough celebration for tonight. Kashi-dono requires our help. What kind of people would we be if we did not assist?"
The women looked away in shame as they realized they had wrongly attacked the daeben. "As penance for our transgression, we shall search until we find her," a woman offered in apology, and the others nodded enthusiastically. The villagers dispersed, each grabbing a torch on their way out of the village, calling for the missing wolf.
Kashi searched on his own, feeling a slight pang of guilt for deceiving the villagers. His acting had been a little over the top, but he needed their help if he was to find Kira. 'You better be alright.'
Several minutes later, shouts of "Found her!" reached Kashi's ears and he took off in the direction of the voices. The screams led him to a meadow where several villagers were gathered around something, mumbling to each other.
Kashi squeezed through and stopped in disbelief.
Mish-mashed body parts were scattered around a small area, the field dyed in red from dried blood splattered all around. It was like someone had gathered several buckets of blood and tossed them all over. At the very center of the grotesque scene lay Kira, her fur also dyed red.
Kashi ran to Kira's side and placed his ear against her chest, smiling when he heard a heartbeat, faint as it was. He pulled out his first aid kit and began to treat her injuries, only releasing a sigh of relief when he heard her breathing stabilize.
"Here, let her drink this. It will speed up her recovery." Elecurb handed him a potion that temporarily increased the Rate of Health Regeneration.
"Thank you." Kashi accepted the potion and assisted the unconscious wolf in drinking it. Once her breathing settled into even intervals, he turned to Elecurb and bowed in a humble dogeza. "You have my gratitude, but I do not wish to damper your celebrations. If it pleases you, I shall stay by her side while you return to your festivities."
Elecurb waved his hands. "We could not pos—"
Kashi clasped his hands around the elder's. "I cannot possibly fathom the horrors the fair ladies and innocent children must have endured in that cage. But this has made me understand the haunting fear and pain that plagues those who lose their dear ones and blame themselves for their helplessness. Please, I implore you! Celebrate and cherish your reunion. It would shame me if I were to be the cause of a somber mood on a night as beautiful as this."
Elecurb paused, taken aback by the elf's pleas. He had seen the cruelty of the daeben during the Great War and still harbored a hatred for their kind in his heart. He had initially only planned on using the daeben, hoping he and the bandits killed each other. But not anymore; Kashi's sincerity had erased all of his hatred.
"I understand, Kashi-dono." Elecurb smiled and turned to the onlookers. "Our hero wishes that we celebrate tonight while he sits alone. What do the people of Ranad have to say to that?"
"Nay!"
"We celebrate together or not at all!"
Elecurb turned and smiled at the gobsmacked daeben. "And there you have it. If you wish for our happiness, then please grant us the permission to tend to her in our village while you join us."
Kashi looked from the chief to the villagers and sighed. "If you insist so, it would be rude of me to resist."
The villagers cheered as two men lifted Kashi onto their shoulders, chanting his name. He saw three more men place Kira on a stretcher, and the jubilating procession marched back to the town to continue the celebrations.
The festivities continued well into the early hours of the day, and minutes before sunrise, an exhausted Kashi stumbled into the house where Kira lay asleep. He sat down beside her, a sad smile on his face as he patted her head.
"Idiot," Kashi playfully condemned. "Don't you go doing anything that dangerous ever again." When he thought of the bodies, weapons, and blood scattered around the field, he was able to draw a rough estimate of what had transpired.
Several hours earlier...
'Humans are too slow,' Kira thought to herself as she controlled her pace to match those of the bandits chasing her. She ensured she remained just an inch away from their arrows, and on occasion, she would 'stumble,' allowing the swordsmen to try and get a strike in, but they would always miss by a close margin.
Kira did this to give the bandits false hope that she would run out of Stamina soon and be at their mercy while simultaneously whittling away at their Stamina. Once they were a fair distance from the village, she noticed the bandits had slowed down even more and realized they had run out of Stamina. Weak. If only the daeben were as weak as they were, she would have killed him long ago.
Kira swiftly lost them and doubled back to the harbor. She got there in time to see the two-legged females and little ones run off towards the village and waited for Kashi's signals. However, time passed, and the expected signal did not come.
Kira began to consider entering the building when familiar smells caught her attention, and she realized the bandits were returning. Luckily, there was a strong wind blowing towards the harbor, so their strong scent had traveled towards her.
Kira did not know what was keeping the daeben, but she knew that if the bandits saw the females, they would rush to the harbor to investigate. After a brief wait for the daeben, she left her hiding spot in the shrubs and ran back, cutting through the town to shave off time.
The smell grew stronger, and Kira knew she was getting close to them. Judging by the rate at which the smell drew nearer, the bandits were leisurely strolling back to base. 'You need patience if you're going to succeed.' The annoying daeben's advice played in her head, and she reluctantly did as instructed. 'Stay hidden...'
Kira searched for a place to hide, annoyed by the lack of trees in the surrounding region, but there were tall grass and shrubs a little ways off the roadside. She ran into one of these and crouched low. 'Take your time...'
Kira watched with bated breath as the bandits walked by her, one of them lagging a few steps behind from apparent exhaustion. She waited until the straggler passed, then exited her hiding spot. 'Approach carefully...'
Kira's paws made not the slightest sound against the earth as she trailed her target. 'Then wait. When your target is least prepared...' She struck!
Kira dashed forward and used her incredible body size to knock the straggler to the ground. She proceeded to bite down on his throat and rip out his jugular before he could make a sound.
The remaining five bandits whirled around, but Kira was able to dispatch the nearest in a similar fashion before the rest entered formation around her. Growling, she circled around the body of the Rogue she just dispatched, eyes trained on the men around her.
Four to go: three Archers and a Swordsman. 'Should have killed the Archers first.' She had seen the humans around Kerta adopt a similar formation. This was called a 'party' if she recalled correctly.
'Good. You'll all serve as practice.'
Kira lunged at the Swordsman but was forced to retreat because of his swing, which would have sliced her no matter how she tried to dodge. An arrow pierced through her left leg, but the strength of her muscles stopped the arrow from dealing any significant damage.
In retaliation, Kira alternated her attacks between the bandits to disperse them. Unfortunately for her, these bandits had fought by each other's sides for a long time and quickly covered for each other when one messed up.
So far, Kira had only managed to graze them, but in turn, none of their arrows had done any fatal damage. The stalemate continued until her claws struck against the bandit's sword, sending sparks flying. As Kira watched the sparks dance through the air, an image of the blasted daeben throwing himself at flames entered her mind, and she halted, teeth gnashing in rage.
Kira realized she was running. So far, she had not really put her all in her attacks because she had been too afraid of getting cut by the humans. How could she think of killing the daeben when she was too scared to face her own enemies in a fight to the death?
Back then, too. If she had left that tree trunk instead of cowering in fear, her mother would not have had to perish.
Kira's eyes burned with anger as her countenance completely changed, dark misty aura radiating off of her. Never again! She would never back down ever again! As if in agreement with her newfound burning resolve, the earth began to shake vigorously beneath her feet.
"St-stay back!" the Swordsman cried, waving his sword back and forth in front of him, terrified by the change in countenance. He really thought she was the one causing the earthquake.
'Pathetic. I was scared of that?!' Kira snarled and lunged at the bandit, ignoring the arrows that dug into her flesh and his sword that cleaved away her life. 'If I am stabbed twice...' Her fangs tore through the protective helmet and ripped away at his face. 'I will kill you once.'
Kira turned to the remaining Archers and growled, revealing a set of bloodied teeth. Her red eyes glowed with the color of blood, and as she stood amidst the quaking earth with the dense aura escaping her body, she evoked the image of a hellhound sent from the Underworld to capture their souls.
The Archers dropped their weapons in terror and attempted to flee. Unfortunately, the shaking earth greatly hindered their escape. Kira, on the other hand, easily maintained her balance and hunted each one down, granting them no mercy. Kira stumbled to the center of the massacre after slaughtering the last bandit and howled at the moon, swearing to never run away again.
"Kira... such a wonderful name," a familiar voice said, and Kira whirled around, tears in her eyes at the sight of her mother walking towards her. Her body seemed to fluctuate in and out of view, proving to Kira that this was just a spirit. "It would seem the Circle has been restored. Now, I and many others can return to the flow. Say, can you see them?"
Kira looked to the sky and noticed several petals floating towards a greenish stream of stars. She turned back to her mother and watched helplessly as she too slowly broke down into petals.
"I am proud of you, my child, and you have grown splendidly, both brave, strong, and kind. But never forget: there is a time to fight and a time to run. Watch over the daeben, for he needs you just as much as you need him."
Kira raised her head to the stars, howling a requiem for the thousands of souls returning to the circle. As the greenish stream disappeared from view, she succumbed to her injuries and collapsed.
Present time
Sunlight streamed into a house in Ranad, showering a sleeping wolf in its warm rays. Kira yawned as she woke up from her slumber. She felt a weight on her abdomen and looked down to see the elf she was to watch over. Sometime in the night he had fallen asleep and was using her as a pillow.
She noticed the bandages on her body and smiled in spite of herself. What kind of doctor uses his patients as a pillow? She settled in, deciding to sleep for just a little longer... at least till he woke up.
Restricted Sector,
Building 4, Level 4,
Administrative Offices.
9:24 a.m. Wednesday, 29th April 2043.
The office had been renovated to suit its new owner's tastes. Games crowded the room, and the walls were filled with either hoops or dartboards. The single table in the room was placed close to the main window overlooking the park outside. Akari stood, while Shouyou sat on the opposite side of the table, both engaged in a heated conversation.
"What are you planning?" Akira asked. His calm voice held an undercurrent of suspicion and anger.
"Whatever do you mean?" Shouyou asked, feigning ignorance.
"I mean this farce," Akira said as he slid an envelope across the table. It contained an invitation to a ball on Sunday.
"Do you not like the invitation, Seki-sempai?" Shouyou teased with a knowing smile. "I personally wanted to go with teal b—"
Veins popped on Akira's forehead. "Hey, just what do you think we are trying to do here? This is not your playground!"
Shouyou let out a smile as he rose to his feet. "I believe it is you who does not get what we're trying to do here." The younger man relaxed and patted his senior on the shoulder as he walked past him. "Well, just watch. I promise the results will be satisfactory."
Just as Shouyou reached the door, a shadow crossed Akira's face. "What is your true objective?"
Shouyou paused. "You already know that, don't you?"
Akira's eyes twitched. "No. I do not believe for a second what you told the boss."
Shouyou shrugged. "Why the suspicion? You already know who I am."
"But I do not know what you are, half-breed," Akari protested with an angry glare.
A shadow played across Shouyou's face, but it was gone as soon as it came. "Well, why don't you just watch and see?" He opened the door and smiled at the person at the other end. "Yuki-chan!"
"Shouyou," Yukino coldly replied without any of her usual buoyancy.
"Che. Why are you only so cold to me?" Shouyou protested with a sigh and shrugged as he walked past her.
Yukino watched him leave, eyes glaring menacingly at his back like it would spontaneously implode if she stared hard enough. Only after Shouyou rounded a corner and left her line of sight did she turn to Akari, who had stepped out of the room.
Yukino regarded Akari with concern in her eyes. "Are you alright, Seki?"
Akari sighed, then smiled as he patted Yukino on the head. "It's nothing. Just an argument between friends."
Yukino blinked, stunned by his words. "You're friends?"
Akari blankly stared at her like she had just asked the most ridiculous question. "Of course. There's no one I value higher than him. Why? We don't seem that way?"
'No... no matter who you ask, you're believed to be sworn enemies!' Yukino wanted to scream, but kept it to herself, instead opting to shake her head.
"Hmm... I guess that is my fault," Akari mused. "Anyway, what brings you here?"
Yukino's eyes brightened as she remembered her purpose for searching him out. "Did you hear about the ball on Sunday?"
"Yes. Shouyou and I were just discussing it earlier," Akari revealed. "I bet he's planning something underhanded again. What of it?"
Yukino hesitated, playing with her hair as she mumbled, "Um... that is... well... if you don't have anyone to go with... I... you... could... go together?"
"Sure, why not," Akari agreed, and she beamed with joy. "It'll allow me to keep a close eye on him."
Yukino froze, turning to stone as it felt like someone had tossed her right into the Atlantic Ocean. "Idiot," Yukino cursed under her breath and marched down the hallway before Akari could recover.