End Online: Volume 3 (7 page)

“W-what did you just do!?”
I stammer at the man standing over me, almost speechless.

“What do you mean? I
imparted a fraction of my power into your body which I will mentally be aware
of and always know where you are. Although…” He seemed to frown a bit while
looking at the hand he used.

“It seems as if that power
has fused into you and formed some kind of bond between the two of us. It is a
little unexpected and I don’t think I will be able to reverse it, but it should
not matter. You are but a servant, after all.”

A servant? This guy really
looks down on others.

“Well, I received what I
came to get. I will leave now. But our relationship has just begun. I will call
for you when I need you next, and you 
will 
come.”

He gives me a cruel and
ruthless smile before turning around and walking back into the crowd.

I lie there for a while
and watch the sun through the small gaps in the canopy above the city. It
slowly sinks in the sky as the time to meet with Verde and Prince Charming. For
some reason I don’t even feel shocked at the new mana bar that I have below my
health, even if it says I have 913 mana points.

Standing up, I slowly read
back through the skills of this religion I have been forcefully conscripted to.
Based off his words, It doesn’t seem like it is a legitimate religion of any
kind, but that is how the system interpreted his action.

‘These NPC’s, like
Fen, are far too strange!’

I complain in my mind, how
can they do these things. And why am I the only target of them! Well, I can’t
instantly assume that there aren’t others who are attached to these abnormal
artificial intelligences.

“Lost, we are
currently at the Gold Run Inn waiting for you.”

Verde’s voice appears out
of nowhere, startling me for a moment.

“I am on my way now!
Hmm, where exactly is the inn?”

“Oh! it is in the
east side of Grenton, near where all the low level players purchase their
supplies. Head towards the nearest town exit and turn left. Follow that street
down and it is the sign which looks like a river of gold. Sorry, there are no
street names in this game apparently.”

“I will be there
shortly!”

I end the private chat
with Verde and open a new one with Mason.

“Mason! Can you come
meet me at the Gold Run Inn?”

“I can do that. When
did you want to meet?”

“I’m heading over
there now, make it in ten minutes?”

“Hah, okay. I will
meet you there.”

I go to leave the alley
way, but first I am curious about this new spell. Opening my main menu, I
access the information about my current skills.

I am shocked at the cost
of the spell. Opening up the information on it reveals that there is also no
chant for it. I only need to call out the name of the spell.

“Minor Dire Flame!”

The small fireball slowly
takes form in my right hand, the space crackling with a red lightning as flames
coalesce into a single point. The ball of fire is only about the size of my
fist, but it burns incredibly bright and gives off an enormous amount of heat.

I throw the small fireball
at the ground. It flies directly straight, unaffected by gravity, to hit the
dirt ground. The impact causes it to splash, almost as if the fire itself is
some kind of liquid.

All of a sudden a
considerable sized area in the alleyway is set alight by the fire. Panicking, I
flee back into the crowd before anyone sees what I did. As soon as I am gone
from the scene I hear voices shouting out behind me.

“Hey there is a fire in
this alley! Someone, quick, help me put it out!”

“I have the skill for
water magic! Allow me-” A faint chanting follows as he casts some kind of water
strike attack

“What kind of useless
skill is that, it evaporated before it could even touch it!”

“It must be some kind of
high class fire magic! Oh no, it’s spreading onto the houses!”

“Idiots! Let me, I know
much higher water based magic than that amateur spell you used. And I can do it
chantless.”

“That did nothing!”

“I don’t know what’s going
on, I submerged it in water and it still didn’t go out! What the hell kind of
fire is that!”

I don’t want to stick
around for them to start chasing down whoever started it, there is a chance
that someone witnessed me leaving the scene of the crime.

I hurry east, trying to
get to the Gold Run Inn as fast as possible.

About fifteen minutes
later, I arrive at the inn in question. It is in a small lane off one of the
main paths that lead to one of Grenton’s exits. The inn is made out of the same
dark wood as every other building, but it is about five times the size of any
other building in the area.

Walking in, the sound of
players slurping drinks and shouting enter my ears. I am surprised I didn’t
hear such a racket outside, before entering. The main room of the lobby
consists of simple wooden barrels for tables, stools placed around them for the
chairs.

Large candelabras light
the room as nearly a hundred players clamour about making an enormous racket.

At a stool in the corner,
I see a familiar hooded figure and knight in shining armour. I walk directly
over to the two.

“Verde, it is good to see
you again!” I know I should probably greet the other guy, but I just feel
awkward just thinking of it. Not that he cares, he only pays attention to girls
that could become his damsel in distress anyway.

“Ah, Lost! Yes, it is good
to see you too!” She shows a smile from under her hood as my eyes are drawn to
her rosy lips. My heart rate begins to climb as I feel a hand placed onto my
shoulder.

“Lost, we have been
waiting for you! I take it all of you are acquainted?”

The person behind me with
a hand on my shoulder is Mason, Matrix at his side. I forgot to tell him about
the others so naturally he is curious.

“Ah yes, allow me to
introduce you to Verde and Prince Charming. These two are Mason and Matrix,
brothers in real life.”

The prince’s face twitches
when I call his name, but nothing more. Verde seems to giggle a little and I
spot Matrix staring at her wide eyed. I feel a little pang of jealousy when she
smiles back at him.

“Lost,” Verde calls out,
“Where is Fen, isn’t she always with you?”

“Ah… She is sulking.”

“Oh! What did you do?”

“I didn’t do anything!
Anyway, how about we go see this bartender? I will send the party requests.”

“Changing the subject.”
She giggles while everyone listens to our exchange of words.

I send out the party invite
to everyone and within a minute we form a party of 5 people. The only one
missing is Fen, because she is currently back in my VL.

I walk up to the inn
keeper and take out the recommendation from the uncle back in Leaz. I start to
panic as I realize that I should not be in this room when handing it to him.
But before I can turn around, the owner is standing in front of me behind the
bar.

“W-What can I help ye
with?” Yep, my intimidation is definitely working.

“I was given this to hand
to you.”

As soon as he opens the
letter and reads it his eyes widen in surprise.

“Oh, I ‘ave been waiting
for someone like ye! Honestly, ye terrified me at first. But if me’ brother ‘as
given ‘is recommendation, then clearly ye must be trustworthy! I actually did’n
want to ask this o’ anyone else, tis quite a personal matter ye see. Lately, me
daughter ‘as been disappearing each mornin’ round sunrise, takin’ a ‘ole bunch
of food wit her. Does ye think ye can find out where she be going for me?”

“Oh! Yes!” I am shocked.
To finally receive a request directly, I can almost cry in joy.

-Lost-

I accept the quest from
the inn keeper, Rix, with the greatest pleasure. It has been such a long time
since I have accepted a request directly. I also don’t gain any infamy.

‘Could this be one of
those rare times where it is possible for me to gain fame!?’

I shout in my mind, recalling
the first effect of the ‘Intimidating Aura’ skill.

As time passed on, I
slowly forgot about this effect. The description of it did not pass on when the
skill upgraded to ‘Class Skill: White Warrior’. But, the effect itself still
seemed to pass on.

Looking over my shoulder at
the others. Verde, and even that prince, have looks of complete surprise on
their faces at me receiving a quest directly. Mason and Matrix, still not fully
unaware of my circumstances, give me a thumbs up.

“I’m sure you have all
already read the quest.” I speak to everyone as I return to the makeshift table
they are at. “All we need to do is follow his daughter without being seen.
Surely it cannot be that difficult.”

“I can probably do it
myself,” Mason puffs out his chest in pride. “I have never once been caught
before. I will follow her over the rooftops and discover where she goes.”

“I’m pretty sure you are
not supposed to be on the roofs. Last I heard, the guards will start chasing
you once they spot you.”

“That’s only if I am
spotted!”

I want to try and explain
to him the difference between hiding in a city and hiding in a jungle, but
Verde speaks up before I do.

“I think I should be the
one to do it. I can definitely follow the child without being seen.”

I look at her out of
curiosity, she seems extremely sure about herself, almost arrogant. Mason
however, refuses to back down.

“Hah! What can you do? I
can silently travel along the roofs and keep an eye on where she goes from
afar. I will not be spotted, nobody ever looks up.”

“I have a class skill
which allows me to cause everyone’s eyes in the area look anywhere except at
me. I can walk directly behind the girl and nobody will know, not even the
hundreds if not thousands of players I will walk past.”

She is now standing,
leaning forward with her hands on her hips as if trying to pressure Mason.
There is no need however, the knowledge of her having a class skill is more
than enough to damage his confidence. The knowledge of her special skill
crushing what remained.

“Tch. Fine, you do it.” He
flicks his head away, looking anywhere but at her.

I smile to myself, hoping
they will slowly get along better.

“Well,” I speak up,
clearing my throat to ensure I have all the party members attention, “it is
currently the beginning of night, and the innkeepers daughter does not leave
until sunrise. How about we log off for the three hours that we have to wait
and come back here?”

Everyone looks at each
other slowly, giving a slight shrug of agreement.

“We will see you in three
hours.” The brothers log off first, automatically leaving the party as they
disconnect.

“Umm… Bye, Lost.” Verde
says nervously before rushing to log off, Prince Charming silently following
suit after her.

‘I suppose it is time
for me to log off. Fen should be in the locker, probably mad by now.’

I open my main menu and
select the log off button, causing the world around me to instantly disperse
like an illusion.

I find myself standing
back in my locker, the classical decor theme called ‘China3′ is as
marvellous as ever. I mean, it looks good even with half the furniture turned
upside down. The only furnishings that are still where I left them are the
coffee table, wall mounted television, and the main sofa couch. On that sofa,
Fen is currently seated while facing the opposite way from me.

“… Fen.” I stand behind
her, pretending to ignore the situation around me. “You’re mad?”

“… Why… Why can’t I… be
with you?” She turns her face towards me, tears brimming up.

I am speechless. I don’t
exactly know why, but I have a guilt rising up inside of me. She just stares at
me, ready to break out into tears at any moment by the look of her.

“Umm. I…” I don’t know
what to say to her. I only wanted to walk through the town by myself. Maybe I
would have run into Verde, who Fen doesn’t get along with. Isn’t it better she
wasn’t there at the start.

That is a poor excuse, I
know it but I will not say it out loud.

“It’s all… I want… to be
with… you.” She looks like she could break out into tears any moment.

“…” I open my mouth, but
no words form.

“I have to go.” I don’t
know what else to do, so I go to log off. Opening the main menu to press the
log out button.

“NO!” Fen cries out,
pouncing at me.

It is unfortunate but she
is too late, I already press the button. Only, nothing happens.

As if I am clicking a
broken internet link, nothing happens. My mind starts to panic at the thought
of being trapped in virtual reality. Thinking back when I first started using
the VL, I recall the emergency shut down command.

“System command; Terminate
connection.” I speak the words out loud and everything slowly starts turning to
mist while an emergency shut down script is played out in front of me.

“Stop… Running away!” Fen
calls out, hitting me with her body and knocking us both to the ground.

Errors start flowing down
in front of my vision, the mist returning back to its previous state.
Eventually even the repetitive loop of errors stops by another unknown error
and they all vanish.

‘W-What is going on!’

The terror in my heart
starts to grow. I can’t form any words and stare at Fen now pinning me to the
ground.

A tear leaks out of one of
her eyes and drips onto my cheek, I feel the cold liquid drop run down my cheek
to my ear.

My heart quivers while I
look at her. Through my fear, I can somehow feel her fear and sorrow.

“Fen…” I utter her name.

“Stay… With me…” She
pleads to me, more tears form and her nose starts to sniffle.

“Okay.” I give in to her.

The fear of being trapped
in virtual reality starts to pale in my mind, but it cannot possibly disappear.

The wolf girl slowly gets
up off of me and looks down, not at me, but her feet. Standing up, I move to
the couch and sit down. Fen follow behind me.

I see the cup of coffee on
the table and look at the girl.

“You’ve… Been drinking
coffee?” I look at her dumbfounded.

“Mmm… It’s… Horrible… But
you… Drink it.” She sniffles throughout talking and stares at the half empty
cup of coffee, now stone cold.

She is strange, I have
rarely even drunk the coffee, let alone in front of her. I think she assumes I
must drink it based on the fact that it is here.

The situation grows oddly
quiet, so I pick up the remote to the television from the end of the table. Fen
eye’s me strangely as I point it at the device and press the power button.

I’m not particularly
interested in anything that is on, but the silence is causing the unrest in my
chest to steadily grow.

It is early evening in the
real world so the news is currently displayed. Fen immediately clings to me
nervously at seeing the strange sight in front of her.

On the news is currently a
story of a tidal wave that hit in one of the neighbouring cities. Thanks to
modern day technology it was detected early so everyone was successfully
evacuated, but it could not be stopped.

Up to twenty kilometers of
the coast is flooded up to ten meters deep by the force of nature. Houses and
cars can be seen flowing in the current.

“W-What… is that?” Fen
clearly has never seen much of the real world except for outside the single
window in my locker. And she is completely shocked by not only the destruction
but also something completely new to her.

“That is my world.” I say
to her quietly. “These sorts of things sometimes happen. Sometimes the entire
earth will quake, other times a devastating tornado of wind will form. They are
all terrible disasters, but they happen.”

I don’t know how else to
explain it to her.

She clings on to my arm
even tighter in sadness, so I change the channel. The second channel is also
currently playing the news. Thankfully, it is showing something more pleasant.

The reporter is discussing
the days events and all the valentine’s couples that have been seen around.
They even play footage of some big shot celebrities on a date that they thought
was secret.

Fen looks at the two
holding hands and walking through a public place in my city of Taile, her eyes
intently fixed on the two.

I can’t remember the names
of the two, but they apparently got together in a recent movie they filmed. I
try not to pay too much attention to the love life of celebrities, they seem to
change with every season.

The scene skips two the
two having lunch, the man feeding the woman with food off of his plate.

“I… I want… that!” Fen’s
eyes are glistening, still slightly red.

It is a complete
turnaround from how she was before.

“What?” I stare at Fen in
surprise.

What does she mean she
wants that?

“I want… that!” She
repeats herself, not looking away from the screen.

Suddenly staring at me,
she pleads with her eyes.

“F-fine. Let’s go back
t-to Grenton.” I cannot think of anything else to say. Somehow I can’t log out
and I know it has something to do with Fen.

I have no trouble logging
back into End Online, reappearing where I left. Looking around me, I cannot see
Fen.

‘Of course, she will
return to where she left.’

I now have Fen’s companion
status on the side of my vision so I know she is definitely here.

I walk towards where she
left from, at the entrance to the city. Before I can even reach there she comes
strolling up to me through the crowd.

She looks completely
refreshed as soon as she sees me.

Without a moment’s
hesitation, her hand clasps mine, sharing its warmth. With her fingers
intertwined with mind, she starts pulling on me.

“We… need to… eat.” She
has a charming smile while deciding what we will do.

With her holding my hand,
my heart feels like it is skipping every second beat. Only, it is not out of
nervousness, but fear for this girl. I can’t shake the feeling that I am
dancing with true death.

As we walk through the
crowd, countless players glance my way. I feel like a hundred jealous daggers
are pointed at my back from all the glares. I even hear a player murmur about
how did some guy like me get such a pretty girl.

Looking around, there are
currently a lot of valentine’s couples around. But, none of the ladies can
match Fen’s beauty. Some of the male partners glance at her only to receive
morbid stares from the females.

Fen stops suddenly and
turns to look at me, a slightly pouting look on her face.

“Why… do you have… that
hood on?.. That guy… didn’t have… A hood.”

“Sorry, but it doesn’t
come off.” I give a pained look, but it is difficult to see under the shadow of
the hood.

“No!.. It must… Come off!”
Starting to mope, she reaches up and grabs the hood before I can react

She exerts force to pull
it down, but the hood doesn’t budge an inch. After two tries, Fen gets
irritated by the fact that she can’t take it down.

“Why… Won’t it… Come off?”
She stops pouting and gives it another pull, more serious than ever.

She continues exerting
force on it, slowly getting stronger. Perspiration breaks out on her forehead
as she brings her other hand up to pull with both hands.

A cracking sound emits
from the hood, followed by a blistering pain inside my head. A light floods my
vision, temporarily blinding me.

The light fades, and I
glimpse a notification before it vanishes. Unfortunately, all I get to read is
the first line.

I wonder what it could
possibly be, but there is nothing I will be able to do about it now, I cannot
even leave virtual reality.

As the pain in my head
begins to fade, I Slowly touch around my head. Feeling for the hood, only to
find it is not there.