CHAPTER 8: “VOICE OF THE GIVER”

The dark haired player frowned. Now that Ai was close to him he could see the other player’s name.

CatastropheKing.

Ai inwardly sneered at the name and continued to glower at the other player. He knew what he looked like. A short elf with white hair and a dainty face wearing scholarly robes going against a tall and buff warrior with a giant axe on his back. It made for a ridiculous image. CatastropheKing seemed to think so too as he threw his head back and laughed hard. Behind him, his friend, Knockback102, also chuckled.

“You an NPC or something?” CatastropheKing said with his eyebrows raised. His gaze seemed to slither from the top of Ai’s head to the tip of his boots. 

“No you idiot,” Knockback102 snorted from behind him. “He’s obviously a player. How drunk are you?”

CatastropheKing eyed Ai one more time before sighing. “Damn, and you were quite pretty too.”

Ai pushed away from the inn front desk against his back and stood closer to the towering warrior, his eyes glaring up at him. He probably looked like a kitten meowing softly at a giant lazy lion, but he couldn’t stop now.

“What? You wanna fight or something?” CatastropheKing grinned, his beefy hands hovering over the hilt of his axe. “I’m down for a fight with a mage.”

Ai felt a little of his nerves coming back. Did he really want to duel this warrior? Informal Duels in [World Symphony] could be done anywhere, even in safe zones. Two players would fight each other and the winner would be entitled to loot from the loser. Most of the duels are done in good sport, between friends, but some people also used them to earn bragging rights and just plain bully someone.

A warrior class was specialized in dealing out big amounts of damage. It was a relatively easy class to play and was the embodiment of the saying “Offense is the best Defense.”. Going up against one when he was just a lowly mediator with no offensive skills to speak of was just him going into losing battle.

CatastropheKing seemed to recognize the hesitance in Ai because his already wide grin turned even uglier.

The brown haired player closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them, Ai received a notification in his own [Thought System].

Player CatastropheKing has challenged you to an informal duel.

Do you accept?

Ai carefully glanced at the two players. They were looking at him with mockery in their eyes, silently laughing at the dumb  low level player who thought he could win against mid level warriors.

He wanted to back off but his mind drifted towards Avra. They were just a bystander doing their job. Yes, they were also merely code but Ai felt a sincere empathy for them. Perhaps that was weird for a living breathing sentient being for him to do, but it didn’t change the fact that he thought of the NPC as another living breathing sentient thing. 

Ai’s mind drifted around the yes choice. He was going to have to surrender the Golden Suite key since that was the only valuable he had, but he was going to change class and race anyway, so it shouldn’t be too much of a loss. It would be bitter though.

Just as he prepared himself, another notification suddenly appeared.

Keygiver Avra has given you their blessing!

Learned [Biased Mediation]!

Learned [Mediation Session]!

Learned [Intervene]!

Ai’s head almost snapped as he swung his gaze back to look at Avra. It didn’t seem like they moved or changed, still standing stoically with their gaze burning into him. There was something in their eyes now, something shining and blazing. It felt like they were demanding something of him.

Ai turned back around at the players, his mind still around the [Thought System] and the duel challenge. He was about to accept but Avra’s gaze gave him a pause. It gave him a feeling that if he accepted this duel, then he would bring shame to the mediator class, to Aethera’s envoy. 

…

After a moment of nothing, Ai moved away from the accept option and declined. He smiled softly at the two players, his expression so much more calmer and serene that it was almost scary. He hadn’t looked at his own face so he didn’t know that when he smiled so gently, he looked eerily beautiful. The dark eyes contrast against the white eyelashes and hair and the beautiful face that looked almost cold in the light of the inn.

CatastropheKing’s smile faltered just a bit.

Ai cleared his throat. “I’m afraid I have to decline. I should correct you as well that I am in fact not a mage, I am a mediator and as such should be neutral.”

Both the warriors looked almost dumbfounded before descending into a fit of laughter. Their laughter was so loud and noisy that it sent a slight tremor through the walls. The corner of Ai’s lips twitched as he tried not to resend the duel request.

He didn’t need to think hard to know why they were laughing so much.

Knockback102 wiped a tear and finally walked closer to all of them, his equally tall and muscular body filling a spot next to CatastropheKing. It almost looked like a movie scene where a damsel was in distress. Two hulking muscled figures cornering and bullying a dainty looking elf. 

“And what are you going to do?” Knockback102 sneered. “Mediators can’t do shit anywhere, what makes you think we won’t just push you aside.”

Ai eyed one of his skills that he just earned and took a shaky breath. He didn’t know if it was going to work like he wanted it to and of course he didn’t feel good about it. His hands were trembling just a bit, his mind was thinking of the worst case scenario. In hindsight, it honestly wouldn’t be the end of the world. He was going to switch avatars anyway, so the most he’ll lose right now was his pride and dignity. He could just not meet the two warriors ever again or even if he did, pretend not to know them.

Ai selected the skill.

There was no obvious change. Nothing changed about him, or Avra or the other players. Knockback102 was slightly smarter than his friend and had a feeling that the white haired elf had activated one of his skills. He looked at his status and saw no debuffs. The elf seemed like he didn’t have a buff either. 

So what did he do?

Knockback102 was starting to feel more annoyed as the drunkenness that his character was experiencing started to dissipate. The maid was just another NPC. She was a bunch of written code and was made to interact with the players and that was it. Sure she might’ve had a sophisticated AI but really, AIs weren’t real people. He could do whatever they wanted to them, they didn’t have feelings or held real grudges. Why was this player trying so hard to defend a bunch of code? She wouldn’t even remember his efforts of saving her.

Just as he was about to mock the idiot little mediator again, Ai suddenly spoke in that gentle and soft demeanor that he’d been having ever since he played this game.

“You were bothering her, yes?” Ai said, his eyes staring straight into the warriors’ eyes.

Knockback102 stayed silent, there was something in those dark eyes that told him it was better to stay silent. Matter of fact, he would’ve won this...“duel” if he was alone, but unfortunately CatastropheKing was there, the blundering buffoon that he was. He leaned closer to look at the unflinching elf.

“Yeah, and so what?” CatastropheKing smirked. “She’s a game NPC.”

A flash in the [Thought System]. Knockback102 looked at the party menu on his own [Thought System] and saw that there was a little icon now just under both his and CatastropheKing’s name that looked to be an icon of a hand. Before he managed to read what the icon description, CatastropheKing already started speaking.

“Fine, if she agrees that I am in fact bothering her. We’ll leave the inn immediately and won’t return again.” CatastropheKing chuckled. He nudged the distracted Knockback102 with his elbow.

Knockback102 cleared his throat and though was slightly worried about the unknown icon, hummed his agreement anyway. He didn’t mind either way. The NPC wouldn’t be saying anything. She would stay silent and unmoving, so he had no clue what the elf was even trying to accomplish.

Ai didn’t say any more words to them. Instead he turned around and looked at Avra this time, who was still unmoving and didn’t make a single expression during that entire back and forth. They were so silent that it made Ai even more nervous than before.

Ai swallowed. “Avra. Do you agree that these two players were in fact bothering you?”

Ai really didn’t know what to expect. He didn’t know whether or not Avra would really answer, or whether they were just going to stand there and stay completely silent, not saying a single word at all.

After a moment of nothing, Ai sighed dejectedly and looked to see if he could turn off his skill. The whole conversation might’ve gone on for far too long and the AI had forgotten what had just happened.

Just as he was about to turn off his skill. A soft, gentle but hoarse voice could suddenly be heard.

“Y...es…”

Ai’s head snapped back once again to look at Avra. They were still stoic but their eyebrows were furrowed ever so slightly now. 

“Y...es, they were...bo...thering...me.”