Chapter 13
Guidance

~*~

The world twists and bends until it becomes nothing more than a static screen of gray. Paralyzed but still conscious, I contemplate my fate as the music begins to fade out. If this is what dying feels like, I'd say it's pretty comforting. The pixelated gravel screen eventually disappears, leaving me all alone in eternal darkness.

Minutes past.

Then hours.

For all I know it's been years.

Any longer and I would consider this to be torture.

"Alex," a woman's voice whispers in the void.

Finally! I had a feeling Lady Vesuvia would show up eventually. Her eyes dance about in the darkness, almost sad to see me. "You're dying. Your destiny. Gone. The Zephyrion Sword. It's too late."

Really?

"She's dead."

Cassis? No...!

"The Shaekrin. It's her. Remember her. Your destiny. A girl in shining armor."

Stop speaking in riddles, dammit!

"I'm sorry. You're dying..."

The eyes shrink to nothingness.

I breathe in deep. Then out. Freeing my mind of all thoughts, I allow fate to take its course.

After some time, a single spot of light flickers in front of me. It expands to fill my field of view.

Colors seep back in.

And then, a familiar sight.

"Ah, you're awake." My eyes move from the hovering panel to Oren.

I'm not dead?

The last thing I remember is the monk meditating. What happened afterwards is now a blur to me. I look around to find myself in a room with wooden walls.

"We're at the tavern in Moaning. I cast Guidance. Asharia heard my voice and carried us away from danger. How are you feeling?"

I try to speak but remember I couldn't.

"I know you can't produce words, but at least give me some sort of sign you haven't suffered any brain damage."

I nod twice.

"That's a relief." He smacks me over the head. "That's for not listening to my advice. You and your friend should never have gone to the ruins. You're lucky to be alive. Your friend? She's probably dead."

Cassis is dead?

"Her, and all the reckless folks who went to look for a stupid sword. There's no sign of them anywhere. It's as if they vanished into thin air. The town's gone quiet. Dead."

I didn't expect him to be so tactless.

"I'm sorry, it must hurt. She was special to you, wasn't she?"

His words hit hard. I hadn't known Cassis for long, but we certainly formed a bond. My heart aches, but my mind rejects the possibility that she could be dead, even as a tear block fall from my cheek. She's crucial to the game's story, so there's no way she's gone. Holding on to that thought, I will myself to carry on.

"I can tell by the look on your face. You must get over her death. There's always a light at the end of the tunnel, no matter how faint. Trust me. Acceptance is the first step. And as a monk, it's my responsibility to guide you. Until you've rid yourself of the sorrow, I won't leave your side. That's a promise."

A cheerful tune plays, yet the mood is still solemn. I can already tell that there will be a lot of preaching coming out of the monk's mouth.

"Now, you have to decide on the next course of action. Let me make this easy for you. To the west are the Wildlands. Not much there except for forts and trade posts. Ah, and the tea festival in Mahegrab, of course, though I forget when it's held. East is the Aniraco Plains, where ocarina music can be heard all day long. Don't forget to return to the Tower of Destiny once in a while. There's still much you can learn there. And if you head south on the plains...actually, don't head south, thank you very much."

I may well head south, just to see how he'd react.

"To the north is the Sea of Seamen. Don't ask. From the port town of Shorea, we can take a ship to the mainland where the Kingdom of Asentus is located. Plenty to see and do. The folks there are a bit snobbish, though I haven't been back in years. Perhaps things have changed. And finally, don't even think about going back to the Moaning Valley. It's far too dangerous now. Alright, that's it. All clear?"

I shake my head for the fun of it.

"It's a lot to take in, I know. You'll get it eventually. Before we leave, I'm going to teach you sign language. It'll help us better communicate in battle. A little strategy won't hurt."

Oren shows me the hand gestures for the battle commands, how to specify ally and enemy positions, and a brief introduction to signs for common items.

"So, if you want me to use a Potion on you, place your left index finger on your forehead and point your right one at the ground. Easy, done."

I assume this will give me more control during battle. With Cassis, she always did her own thing or told me what to do. The question here is whether to use Oren's sign language and risk looking like a complete fool, or not have any strategy going forward and possibly die. I suppose the former is better.

"By the way, I picked this up as we were fleeing the ruins. I believe it belonged to Cassis. Thought you might want to hold on to it."

I check to see if I can equip Mother's Memento, but it's not possible. It must be linked to Cassis.

Come to think of it, she never mentioned where she's from. I'm assuming it's the Kingdom of Asentus, her being a princess and all. That seems to be the most obvious place to explore next. At the very least, her family would want to know of her disappearance, although I hate to be the bearer of bad news. No, Cassis is definitely not dead.

"Alright, let's go."

The streets of Moaning has become a ghost town after yesterday's incident, which is why Oren and I was able to stay at the tavern. My former mining co-workers are seated on the ground, bottle in hand, leaning against a building wall. I head over to make small talk.

"No work makes Gary very, very sad."

"After that fiasco, the chief canceled all current and future projects. What am I supposed to do now?"

"I'm actually kind of enjoying this. Here, take this. I don't need it anymore."

"And this."

Out of curiosity we head south to see if the Moaning Valley is still accessible. As expected, someone's there to prevent us from entering.

"Due to unforeseeable dangers, access to the valley is now prohibited," Jaxx tells us. "All mining projects have been canceled. If you have any concerns or complaints, raise them with the chief."

It seems they're walling off access to the valley altogether. I wonder if they found anything in the ruins or know who the woman in black is. The chief seems to be a character that would hide something like that. In any case, I suspect we haven't seen the end of things here.

A thought comes to mind, and I head over to the priestess's shop. She cocks her head and eyes me for a couple seconds, before recognizing me from before and pulling up a menu for me. To my delight, there are some new skills on sale, and it just so happens that my Level is high enough to learn them. I dish out 2000 Gold to buy the Deep Heal, Brighten, and Awaken scrolls.

"Great choices. You've figured out the Ancient Cipher, haven't you? Well, I bet there are things you still don't know. For 200 Gold, I'll impart you some valuable knowledge."

The priestess has a similar offer just days ago, but the cost has doubled. I agree to pay the price to hear what she has to say.

"Wise choice, child. Wise choice. I see you've become more intelligent. You still have a ways to go, though. Let me give you a tip. Smarts isn't everything. Don't neglect the other stats. That's all. Want some more tips? It'll cost you just 500 Gold."

Motherf...ather! She practically stole my money. I'm not falling for that again.

"Suit yourself. Now shop or get out!"

After exiting the shop, I take a moment to absorb the knowledge from the scrolls. Asharia's name enters my mind. I close my eyes to assess myself.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oren has also shared his details with me.

 

 

 

 

Oren has some amazing skills like Meditate and Contemplate that require no SP to cast, and Guidance, which consumes all his points but guarantees escape from battle. What I find strange is that his ATT is low yet he's able to deal massive damage. Could it be that the damage his skills inflict is determined by DEF? If that's the case, he seems like an overpowered character. The only downside is that he becomes practically useless when he runs out of SP or is Silenced.

As for myself, I'm developing nicely as a priest. With six skills, I feel like I can be useful in any battle. An attack skill would be nice though, if it even exists in this world. Maybe in the next town I'll find something.

We take the east exit past the only guard left at the gates to leave Moaning.

As we walk, the lush grass and trees of the Aniraco Plains come into view. Monsters here give so little experience that it's not worth fighting them anymore, except to collect Bunny Droppings. I quickly get used to communicating with Oren through sign language, though he doesn't always agree with my strategy. For regular battles this is alright, but I'm going to have to convince him that my way's best, specifically to prepare for those long, drawn-out boss fights.

Before reaching Fiddles, we turn and continue northeast through a forested area and then out to open land again. Some new monsters appear, but Oren easily takes care of them. He's not as strong as Cassis, but because his Repel skill cancels out the enemies' turns, I rarely take any damage. All I do is Defend and cast the occasional Heal. I did try to use Dig, but I couldn't because I didn't have the necessary tool.

To our east are the same mountains I saw during the climb up the Trail of Ascension. The Tower of Destiny is probably just on the other side. To our north, a body of water appears. It must be the Sea of Seamen. We continue along the only trail which leads to the tip of the peninsula we are on. When we reach the end, what looks like a town fades into view.

Colorful boats and houses make up Shorea. A ship pulls into the pier and begins to unload passengers. People flood into the streets, sending the hundreds of what look like seagulls on the cobblestone ground into the sky. They begin to explore the rather tiny town with concession stands all along the port. Actually, that's all there is, aside from a booth managed by a single person.

"This is my first time stepping foot on a foreign country."

"Does the crew really need a break? Sheesh, I paid good money for this."

"Wait, this isn't Port Stoney? Why the heck did the ship stop here then?"

"Who cares! Let's go shopping."

We check the stands for items of interest and end up buying a second Skill Ring for me. After getting rid of Sandals, Staff, and Priest Robes for some chump change, I put on the new gear. There's nothing of use to Oren. He's unable to equip swords or shields, and he prefers to go barefoot.

"I'm from Carmistan," a woman dressed in a steampunk-like outfit tells us. "You either know it or you don't. It's the fashion capital of the continent, dare I say. Where are you from?"

New York City. I bet she hasn't been there.

Another woman we talk to says, "When I get to Asentus, I'm going to stalk Prince Magnus. I don't know why I just told you that, but please keep it a secret, okay?"

"It took two days to get here from Port Hollicker," a man says. "I wonder how much longer it'll take to reach Port Stoney?"

I head over to the booth to talk to the ticket agent.

"Destination and number of riders?" the girl simply says. Realizing my communication difficulty, she pulls up a menu for me to peruse.

Super Adventure Island II sounds like fun, so I select it.

"Oh, uh, wow, I didn't expect anyone to pick that. Unfortunately, the Super Adventure Island II is currently under renovations. What happened to the first one, you ask? Nobody knows! But between you and me, I think one of the rides malfunctioned and...well...you know what happens when rides malfunction, don't you? I don't have to spell it out for you. D-E-A-T-H! Whoops, ignore what I said. Are you going to buy a ticket or not?"

It'd be a waste of money to go to Port Hollicker at the moment, so I select Port Stoney.

"I'll pay," Oren says.

"Going to the mainland, are we? Wise choice. It's chaos over in Carmistan right now. The ship leaves in thirty minutes. Boarding has already begun. If you miss it, you'll have to spend the night in Shorea. Trust me, you don't want to do that. Here are your tickets. No refunds. Safe travels. Next!"

We get in line, and before long, we've boarded the ship. With brown and light brown as its palette, the interior is no feast for the eyes. Oren and I identify our cabins, then head up to the deck to see the vessel sail off.

The clearness of the sea makes it looks like we're floating in the air. As soon as the ship begins to depart from Shorea, my knees become jelly. I suddenly remember my low tolerance for this mode of transportation in real life. However in this world, as I'm finding out right now, that fear seems to be non-existent. I relax and enjoy the ride.

Other passengers come up to take in the gorgeous view. A small group of people move from spot to spot, listening intently to the enthusiastic tour guide.

"And we are off, folks! Once again, we are sailing through the Sea of Seamen. Does anyone know why it's called the Sea of Seamen? Anybody? No? Well, I'm going to tell you. Once upon a time, a war was fought between the Kingdom of Asentus and the Kingdom of Ciprios. Asentus is surrounded by deserts and mountains, so there was no easy way for the enemy to attack by land. Knowing this, the Ciprians deployed their fleet of warships, believing they could conquer our kingdom by water. How wrong they were! Though we were vastly outnumbered, we made up for it in smarts. We set underwater traps, wreaking havoc on the enemy force. The Ciprians had no idea what hit them. But it wasn't easy. We lost thousands in the war. These very waters mark the graves of countless Asentian men--seamen--who served and sacrificed their lives so that we can still call this land home..."

I tune out and walk to the other side of the deck to stare at the horizon.

Oren joins me and begins to reminisce. "I met the woman of my dreams on this ship. By the time we got off, we were already madly in love. And...well, things happened and...let's just say it didn't work out in the end. I still think about her sometimes..."

I'm not really one for love stories. He seems to understand.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't be talking about myself when you're probably still mourning over your loss. It gets easier with time, I promise."

This guy isn't as good a mind reader as he thinks he is!

"I'll leave you to your thoughts," he says and disappears from the deck.

I stare blankly at the horizon, thinking about how I got here. So far, the game has kept me entertained. I wonder how long I'll be trapped in Zephyria. And what's happening to my body in real life? I hope it's not like one of those portal fantasies where my body is in comatose. Or maybe this whole thing is a dream. This world sure feels more and more real by the day, though.

The sea breeze suddenly turns into a gust. In the distance a black slit has appeared. Hovering ominously above the horizon, it looks like a rip in the sky. I feel my body freeze in fear. For the first time since arriving, I feel my heart tremble. I knew this peaceful boat ride would eventually come to an end.

~*~