"Wait, Rupert. Let me see his face," a youthful, feminine voice commanded, prompting Alan to glance at a girl adorned in a ruffle dress and ribbons in her silky, brunette hair. "Level five?" She scrutinized Alan, then gasped, her delicate hands covering her mouth. "It's really you! Rupert, please treat this gentleman as our special guest!"
Rupert bowed and stepped back, revealing Marco seated next to the girl.
"What brings you here?" Marco asked, his voice steady but his golden eyes burning with intensity. “How dare you interrupt our--”
"Calm down, my sweet prince," the girl soothed, clutching his wrist. "He's here to talk, that's all." She smiled at Alan. "Please, take a seat."
Alan eyed stared at the young lady. It’s her. The girl from that video call. I should’ve known! Of course Marco would be by her side! He then squited. How old is she? She looks no older than fourteen, but that can't be right.
"Excuse me, miss," Alan said, maintaining a formal posture, "but may I have a moment alone with him?"
"You and I have nothing to discuss..." Marco began, clenching his fists.
"I SAID SIT DOWN. It's rude to refuse a lady's hospitality," the girl interjected sharply.
Alan and Marco turned to her as her voice took on a stern tone.
"Do as she says," Rupert murmured, handing Alan a cushion.
A zabuton? Alan noted the room's Japanese décor, complete with paintings of cherry blossoms and NPC servants in kimonos. It feels like we're not in Londorus anymore.
Reluctantly, Alan sat down as a cat-eared NPC served him a drink.
"Drinking's better with company," the girl beamed.
Feels like I'm a hostage again, Alan thought, taking a cautious sip that seared his throat. "What's this?!"
"That's sake," the hostess chuckled. "Strong for a first-timer. Want some apple juice instead?"
"No, this is fine," Alan replied after another quick sip. "It's actually good."
"I own this place, so eat and drink all you want!" she said, gesturing to a table laden with treats.
Was this poisoned? Alan wondered, hesitating as his cup was refilled.
"Just enjoy," the girl urged gently.
"Why are you so kind to me? This is the first time we met, isn’t it?"
"Not exactly. I knew all about you since yesterday. We have a mutual friend... Lady Monique. Does that name ring a bell?"
"Oh, right, from that restaurant! She's lovely," Alan recalled, then frowned.
Does that mean that Monique told her everything about me? Oh, holy space crap...
"I'm Kathleen Maher, leader of The Death Bringers' Guild. Pleased to meet you, Alan Warden."
Alan stood, a bit flustered. "The pleasure's all mine!"
Marco just rolled his eyes.
(Oh, she's really here, huh?) Helen said through Party Chat.
(Do you know her?)
(Quite well! Don't be fooled by her little princess act. She's as strong as Astrid.)
(And she chose to look like this…)
(Geez, sir, don’t be such a snob about it! Some decide to increase their bust size, and others prefer to look young and cute. Got a problem with that?!)
(...What you’re saying is that… there is boob customization?)
There was a brief but notorious pause.
(Yep.)
"Would you like to try these breasts?"
“Pardon me?”
“These chicken breasts,” Kathleen offered him the plate, smiling warmly. "It's better than anything at The Dragon’s Belly. I can bet on it."
Guess I have to play along for now.
"If you insist!" Alan exclaimed, grabbing a piece. "Wow, this is fantastic! It's all in the seasoning!"
Kathleen beamed. "It's my family's recipe. Try the apple pie."
"Mmm, amazing! You'd make a wonderful wife!"
"Flattering, but my NPCs would do the cooking!"
"If I were the lucky one marrying you, I'd pretend you’re the one cooking. It's your recipe, after all!"
"Aww, that's sweet."
After a while of hearing them, Marco leaned toward Kathleen while gritting his teeth, "Are you really going to let this fool ruin our feast? This guy..."
"I know," she replied softly, before turning to Alan. "But I can't pass up the opportunity to express my gratitude to the man who helped me in destroying Shooting Stars."
(How interesting,) Alan blurted out telepathically. (Just a day ago, I firmly believed that all of the Novus Userbase had already gone through some sort of physical enhancement, but just by looking at Tamara and this brat, I can see that I was wrong.)
Helen replied, (Come again?)
(Don't mind me! I’m just so happy to see that despite the possibility of changing your appearance--and bust size--many have decided to still be themselves! Speaking of which, Astrid never needed any enhancement to begin with, you know what I me--)
(Sorry for crashing your train of thought, but shouldn’t you pay attention to the conversation in front of you instead?)
The ‘one that helped her destroy…’
Alan stared at Kathleen, dumbfounded. "You're not talking about me, are you?"
"Of course, silly! And for that, you have my eternal gratitude. Kasumi, show him the Guild Ranking list, please."
The NPC projected an image displaying the best guild in all the Novus. Death Bringers was in 5th place, but there was no sign of Shooting Stars.
"Watch where Shooting Stars is now," Kathleen chuckled. The list scrolled down to 110th place. She then burst into laughter, her childlike giggle filling the room. "Good luck climbing back up! It's just as hilarious every time I see it!"
Alan lowered his gaze to the reflection in his cup. So this is the game we're playing.
He took another gulp. "Hey, you two seem very close. And you…" He pointed at Marco with a half-eaten chicken leg, "you found a new guild quickly. It's as if you planned this all along."
Kathleen's smile widened. "I've known Marco since the very early Novus days."
"Is that right?" Alan smirked.
"That's correct," she replied, her expression playful. "Sadly, when I was ready to form my own guild, he was snatched away by that gorilla woman. But nothing will keep us apart now, right, my prince?"
"I'm glad I could help reunite you," Alan said, raising his cup. "To eternal friendship!"
"To eternal friendship!" Kathleen echoed, giggling.
They drank in unison, with Marco giving a more reserved sip.
(Um, Mr. Warden? Just a heads-up. I might be… unavailable for the next fifteen minutes. So I won’t be able to keep babysitting you. Don’t miss me in the meantime, okay?)
This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.
(Understood. I’m finally where I wanted to be, so thanks.)
(Oooh! The battle of wits against Marco is about to begin, huh? It’s a shame I won’t be present! Ah, and I almost forgot. I have some valuable info that might give you an edge against that asshole. It’s sure to tick—him—off~!)
(Go ahead then. Shoot.)
(This little tidbit is even better knowing you and Astrid used to be an item—so here it comes! That guy in front of you spent ages trying to hit on her and failed every single time. Miserably! What a clown!)
Alan spat out his drink, causing Marco to wince.
Helen Reed, you're chaos incarnate, just like Astrid told me…
* * * *
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* *
*
Meanwhile, 580 miles from Alan Warden’s location, a girl exited the Genesis Ordinance Commision, the wind messed with her blonde hair, getting in her face. Looking back, the towering structure loomed behind. This place always left her feeling drained.
Especially now that I’m keeping this from him. But… How could I even begin to reveal to him such a thing? Should I start with something like: ‘Hey! Remember that thing you signed some little form with me back in the day? Well, guess what? It’s been three years, and that little thing… Has… grown? Crazy, right?!’ Ha-ha… Ha-ha… Ha… I’m screwed.
Biting her lower lip, she embraced herself from the harsh freezing winds and strode forward until the strict regulations from the area had no effect on her User Interface. Two hundred feet away, before she could summon her Flying Mount, she finally received a barrage of messages, the notifications beeping insistently, but one in particular made her squint.
<
“Oh, bloody hell…”
***
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(This little tidbit is even better knowing you and Astrid used to be an item—so here it comes! That guy in front of you spent ages trying to hit on her and failed every single time. Miserably! What a clown!)
(Stop teasing me like that, Helen,) Alan said telepathically while Kathleen rose from her seat.
“Excuse me for a minute, gentlemen. I’ll be back in a minute. Please, Alan, keep enjoying yourself."
Kathleen exited the room, accompanied by one of her NPC maids, and Rupert, her bodyguard, who silently closed the sliding door.
(I’m not messing with you this time. I’m being dead serious. It was the talk of the guild back then. But hey, it’s not like they ever were a thing, so everything is fine, right? Whoops, I need to go now. Bye~!)
Only Alan, Marco, and the female NPC called Kasumi remained. The digital woman then rushed to fill their cups.
“That’s Kathleen’s way of saying that we can freely talk, at least for 5 minutes,” Marco said, before sipping.
I can’t… let that information deter me from my main mission... Alan felt his throat dry and gulped his cup. Focus, Alan, focus.
“So, what is it, Alan the Ghost?” Marco asked, loosening his tie. “What’s so important that you came all the way here just to talk?”
Alan looked down at his cup, already getting filled by Kasumi.
Come on, speak… I risked a lot coming here because I knew I couldn’t leave this unsolved. I endured Helen’s crazy flight, betrayed Tamara’s trust, and even confronted Amelia Laflamme! Don’t let that info get in the way!
Alan took a deep breath, opened his User Interface, and closed Helen’s Party Chat. He then wondered if it was okay to talk in front of the female NPC.
I’ll have to watch what I say, just in case.
“That nightmare spell you cast on me last earlier… How much did you see?”
“I saw everything.” Marco shrugged. “To others, it may have been a couple of seconds, but for me, it was like watching a one-hour video reel of your… secrets.”
“You know what this information may cause…”
Marco sneered. “Is that why you’re here? If I told anyone about your eight-month escapade, it would only make you look like a martyr or a hero, and I have no intention of doing that.”
“Fine. Keep it that way.” Alan straightened his posture. “But we must address the other subject.”
“I’d rather not…” Marco said, shaking his cup so that Kasumi could serve him more.
“You’re the only person I can talk with, so please, listen…”
“You want my help, don’t you?”
“It pains me to say it, but yes. Call it bad luck, or destiny, but you ended up getting involved in this, one way or another. So…”
“Destiny?” Marco snickered. “Do you believe in that crap?”
“It’s just a way of saying it…”
“Then I’d recommend that you choose your words wisely. I get bored easily. And just as a reminder, the clock is ticking.”
Alan showed his teeth, grunting. “This is a serious issue, Marco! The integrity of this ship and its population is at risk!”
“I’m struggling to see why that’s my problem. You’re the one that was selected by that computer.”
“This involves all of us!”
“And yet, you choose to maintain it a secret.”
Alan got over the table to grab Marco by the collar of his shirt, spilling their drinks. That coincided with an explosion from outside the building that shook the entire room, although he did not notice it, for his eyes were locked on Marco’s. “Are you fucking drunk?!”
“I wish! Since my Vitality increased to Silver rank, I can barely feel the effects of alcohol.”
“Can’t you see the implications of this?! This ship was sent to space so humanity could have another chance! If we don’t do something, everything will be in vain!”
“You’re Kathleen’s ‘special guest’, so I won’t retaliate, but if you don’t let go I’ll make sure that you get nightmares every single night for the rest of your pathetic life…”
Alan bit his lower lip and returned to his seat as Marco readjusted his clothes and said, “It’s been three years, Ghost. Three years since that event supposedly happened. And since your return, have you seen this world in shambles?” Marco asked, staring at Alan’s frown. “The answer is no. Because nothing has happened. I may even bet that nothing is lurking in here.”
“But--!”
“You wanted to talk? Let me finish. Let’s look at the facts first. If what that computer says it’s true, and that thing got inside, it may be hibernating, or it's incompatible with this system.”
“‘Computer’? Are you referring to Isabella?” Alan shook his head slightly. “Why would that thing be incompatible?”
“From what I’ve been told, The Novus mainframe it’s the most ‘organic’ machine humanity has ever developed. ‘Neural Symbiosis’, ‘Perpetual Rem State’... Would you relate those terms with what a regular fridge or toaster can do?”
“This is not a regular toaster we’re dealing with, and you know it.”
“And this is not a regular VR headset.” Marco raised his voice. “The fact that three years have passed and nothing has changed, it’s the best proof we have. The Novus it’s the most secure place on this ship.”
“So, do you want me to sit here, drink, and forget everything about it? Just like you?”
Marco sneered. “Oh, by all means, go! Run through all the Novus in search of this boogeyman. I bet you could do a better job than the Administrators, that can detect everything inside their System.”
“Do you know any of them? An Administrator?”
“No,” Marco replied, mildly smiling.
“Do you know how to contact one?”
“No, but I wish you good luck finding them.”
“I can't believe it… You're a moron.”
“And you're truly unfortunate. I wouldn't like to be in your shoes.”
At least I tried… Alan snickered, saying nothing more.
As he stood up and walked towards the exit, Marco followed him with his gaze. “Wait. There’s something else I’d like to discuss.”
“You said that this was my problem, right? So I’ll solve it myself.” Alan was about to open the door, but a phantasmagorical silhouette rose from the floor and blocked his path.
It was a black humanoid with the head of a crow, and without moving or making a noise, it told him to stay or else. When Alan saw its bottom, he noticed that a shadow stretched out all the way to Marco’s seat.
“I had to listen to your charade. It’s my turn now. Come, it’s something you need to learn, eventually.” Marco took a sip. “It relates to your beloved Astrid.”
Hearing that name coming out of his mouth made Alan form fists.