Viewers’ Perspective and Troubles in “Paradise”
POV: Takashi Komuro.
I sighed as I flopped down on the couch next to Kohta.
"Finally, a break!" I couldn't help but exclaim.
The past few days, weeks actually, had been exhausting, to say the least, not just for me but for everyone.
"Damn zombies, I just wanted a week off, is that too much to ask?" I shouted lightly, throwing my hands in the air towards the ceiling.
Kohta, who was sitting next to me, sighed and seemed to agree with me.
"At least we have the Pylon," Kohta commented. "Without it, I don't even want to imagine how things would be..." I shuddered at that thought.
After the zombies started evolving, they became faster and stronger, not by much, but the change was noticeable for those of us fighting on the front lines like me, Rei-san, and Saeko-Senpai.
It wasn't a big issue since many people had awakened their own mana, myself included. Even though I didn't know how to use it properly, still, mana seemed to passively strengthen the body. Was it a big deal? Not even close, but it helped.
The real problem was that the zombies seemed to be able to sense mana from miles away! With people like Saya-san who had a lot of mana, the range was even greater!
If it weren't for the Pylon, the island would probably be under zombie attack daily, even if they had to come by sea.
"It would be cool if we could use powers or something, shoot a fireball or wind blades!" Kohta made hand movements before sitting back down.
"Yeah, too bad we have to learn everything from scratch." I grabbed a pillow and lay down. "The mediocre amount of mana we have doesn't help either..."
The most we had as a guide was Aniki's stream, where we could ask for tips since Aniki himself was cautious about using mana.
I still remember Kohta asking why; the answer had been funny.
"I don't want to end up exploding from the inside or like, cannibalizing my nerves, or even worse, end up crippling my entire cultivation!"
The last part was clearly a joke; Aniki liked jokes about Chinese novels for some reason, but the first two parts of the sentence had thrown a bucket of cold water on our heads.
Rin-san and Dumbledore-sama, who had experience with magic, also gave words of warning, saying that, even though their magic system and ours were different, messing with the unknown without any kind of experience almost always ended the same way: Badly.
Soichiro-san was the one who took these words most seriously, seeking help and advice as much as he could to assemble a testing team to experiment with mana safely.
Interestingly, most of the main members of this team were us: me, Kohta, Saeko-Senpai, Rei-san, Saya-san, and Shizuka-sensei. Of course, there were other people, but the core of this "scientific" team, so to speak, was us.
The main reason was that of all the people on the island, we were the ones with the highest amount of mana. Sure, it was still little since we got tired after a short time using it, but compared to other people, it was more than triple!
Especially Saya-san, who was by far the person with the most mana of all. It wasn't even a fair comparison, given how distant the parameters were.
It seems that Saya-san was right whenever she said she was a genius.
My thoughts were interrupted when the door opened, and the rest of the group entered the room.
"Finished the job?" I asked without getting up.
It was answered by various grunts and a sleepy "Yes" from Alice-san, who was carrying Zeke, who was asleep.
"Being a doctor is exhausting!" Shizuka-sensei shouted as she threw herself on the other couch.
"Look on the bright side, at least we have the biggest house," Rei-san commented as she lay on top of Shizuka-sensei, pressing her breasts against the nurse's back.
"I'm sure being my father's daughter and everyone knowing that Devas was the leader of our little group has nothing to do with it..." Saya-san said sarcastically as she sat in the living room chair.
"Details, details," Kohta commented, while Asami-san sat next to him.
"Yes, just details." I commented monotonously as I handed the stream's cellphone to Saeko-senpai to put with the others.
Watching the stream on the phone was cool, but gathering all the phones and making a super screen was much cooler.
After organizing the phones, everyone found a place to sit or lie down, and we started watching the stream.
"Is Devas-aniki really human?" Kohta asked playfully when Aniki began climbing to the top of the mountain rapidly, very rapidly.
It was a joke that had originated in the (CHAT), thanks to Tanjuro-san, who kept asking Aniki that. Whenever Aniki did something, now several "Are you really human?" comments popped up in the (CHAT).
"He said he was going to meditate, didn't he?" Saya-san asked somewhat worried.
"Yeah," I commented briefly. I understood why there was concern in her voice... That "thing" was... creepy, to say the least.
Aniki had said that "it" was a representation of his fear, something that wasn't real, but still... unsettling.
"I'm sure at least fifty percent of the island right now has thalassophobia, even if it's mild," Kohta commented as he pulled Asami closer to him.
"The other fifty probably have selenophobia," Saya-san remarked. What is selenophobia?
"Selenophobia is the fear of the moon," Saya-san explained, noticing the confused looks on the faces of the rest of the group. "Honestly..." She didn't say it, but the look on her face practically screamed: How do you not know this?
"Probably both, actually," Rei-san commented, still lying on top of Shizuka-sensei.
After a few seconds of watching Aniki meditate, the stream's camera changed to Aniki's mental landscape, where we could see him as a younger self.
"Lolicons..." I commented, seeing the looks from Saya-san, Rei-san, and Saeko-senpai, who shivered slightly at my comment.
"The storm has subsided," Kohta commented.
"Yes, it's clearer too, the clouds aren't as dark anymore," Asami-san commented in his arms.
We watched as Aniki explored the house; he had a nostalgic look on his face. It was strange to see that look on a child's face.
After a few minutes of exploring the house, he finally went to the living room window, where we could see a large shadow in the sea, just below the full moon.
The air in the room seemed to cool, a shiver running down my spine. Looking at the others, I could see that they seemed to feel the same; in fact, due to the lack of messages in the (CHAT), probably everyone felt the same.
"He's not going to, is he?" Shizuka-sensei commented, hugging Rei-san while trembling slightly in fear. She had said she was afraid of horror movies, hadn't she? "That" seemed to have come out of a horror movie...
No one needed to answer Shizuka-sensei; Aniki did it himself.
"Let's end this once and for all..." Aniki murmured as he opened the door and walked outside the house.
The moment he took the first step, "that" started to rise, and the chills I felt increased...
It was a good thing Alice-chan had gone to sleep; otherwise, she would have nightmares watching this... I'm going to have nightmares because of this, actually...
[...]
POV: Albus "Many Names and Jobs" Dumbledore.
"What in Merlin's name is that thing?" I heard Minerva murmur.
"I don't know, and frankly, I don't want to know," Severus replied without taking his eyes off the transmission. "That's a horrifying thing..."
As if to agree with Severus, I heard Devas say, "That fucking monstrous thing..." It was strange to hear swear words coming from the mouth of a seven-year-old, but it wasn't the place to comment on that...
I shared the same opinion as Severus and Devas; frankly, I didn't want to know what that "thing" was, and I didn't disagree that "it" was something anomalous.
I had seen many magical beings in my life, magnificent, monstrous, strange, harmless, dangerous animals... But that "thing"... "It" was not natural.
It wasn't even close to natural; everything about "it" screamed abnormality.
"That" was inconsistent but fixed, unreal but real, a mirage that shouldn't exist...
"The eyes..." I murmured without realizing it.
The eyes of that "thing"... I had seen Dementors with more life in their eyes than that "thing"...
Everything about "it" was so strange... anomalous that I only noticed Fawkes flying when he closed the window, hiding the emerging moon.
Had my emotions become so erratic that he felt them and closed the window on his own?...
"Minerva, was Harry sleeping or watching the stream?" I forcibly tore my eyes away from the stream, turning to look at Minerva.
I could see that she was trembling slightly. I can only imagine that if I had my emotions in turmoil, Minerva, being an Animagus, must be even worse...
"What do you think?" She commented with a flat voice, but I could hear the slight tremor in her speech.
"That's what I thought... I'll go get him then." It wasn't good for Harry to watch this, but if he was going to watch, it should be with company...
I called Fawkes to Apparate; normally, I would have walked, but I couldn't afford to waste time...
[...]
POV: Ruby Rose.
The air, no, the atmosphere in the dormitory was icy.
Even with everything closed, even under the covers, I still felt chills...
"I can't believe I'm going to say this," Yang commented without taking her eyes off that "thing" emerging from the sea. "But I think I'm glad our world only has Grimm..."
Me too... me too...
When "it" finished rising from the sea, I felt the energy in my eyes flare up, as if they were angry and afraid, mainly afraid.
That "thing"... I... I had no words to describe "it."
Everything about that "thing" made me uncomfortable, disgusted, angry, scared, distressed, desperate.
It was as if "it" was created only to convey negative emotions, to make the world worse, to make everything worse.
From the bright green eyes to the skin, arms, everything was so... Wrong.
There was no better word, that "thing" was wrong, everything about it was wrong. Even the way it stood there, motionless in an illusory manner, was wrong...
It was as if the world, Devas's mind, was trying to eradicate it, but somehow it remained there, doing nothing, just because it could, because it wanted to!
Without realizing it, I activated my Semblance, and before I could think, I was in Weiss's bed, under the sheets.
"Ruby?!..." Weiss shouted in surprise; only now did I realize she was trembling.
"What?" I commented somewhat disturbed. "I wasn't the only one!" I pointed to where Yang was hugging me, and Blake was...
"Hisssss!" Hissing? Even her ears were flattened on top of her head...
"Ignore that, Weiss-Cream." My sister commented, pulling me closer. "Let's watch like this, it's cold, isn't it? This way we share warmth! Great idea, isn't it?."
No one believed that excuse, but no one said anything either, we just snuggled up in a ball of bodies and blankets and continued watching the stream...
"Devas... Don't do anything foolish..." I murmured, looking at Mini-Devas, who was clenching his fists as if he had decided something...
"He's going to do it..." Weiss commented on my right side. "He always does..."
As if to confirm that statement, Mini-Devas began to walk, not into the house, but towards "it"...
"Hope... isn't it?..." I heard him murmur as he took the first step...
I'll put a coin in the swear jar later, but I had to say...
"Damn..."
[...]
POV: Kazuma Sato
"Damn, you maniac!" I shouted, ignoring the looks Aqua and Megumin were giving me for waking them up.
Being poor sucked; being forced to share a single room in the inn was even worse! I couldn't even do anything!
"What are you yelling about, you virgin Neet?!" Aqua shouted and threw a pillow at me.
"None of your business, you useless goddess!" I shouted back and grabbed the pillow for myself; now I have two!
It was lucky for this useless goddess that I hadn't invited her to the stream; the way she is, she would have fainted seeing that... "thing!"... Speaking of which...
I crawled slowly to the wall, pulling the blanket and the two pillows, and snuggled into the corner, facing the wall... This is better.
Sleeping tonight was going to suck...
"Megumin, want to sleep here?" I needed a hug...
"Cower and die!"
Why was life like this?...
"Give me back my pillow!"
[...]
POV: Anthony Edward Stark.
With every step DS took towards that "thing," I felt more uncomfortable.
Nothing had changed; the stream didn't transmit the feeling, DS hadn't purchased the [Reality 4D (Safe)], but still...
"Jarvis!, close all windows and search the internet for anything resembling a humanoid octopus in the sea!" I shouted to the newly-born A.I.
If it weren't for DS telling me to focus on building Jarvis, I would probably take another half a year to complete it, but with him recommending the focus on it, I managed to finish it yesterday.
Not a second after my command, all the windows were closed.
"Done, Mr. Stark." I heard Jarvis's voice coming from the ceiling. "I also finished the search; the only records I found about it come from a book by the author H.P Lovecraft. Would you like me to read it for you?"
H.P Lovecraft, wasn't that the author who wrote about...
"Damn it, DS!" The representation of his fear to my ass!
I forced myself not to think about the book, not to think about this topic. DS might be protected because of the stream and his title, but I didn't know how far that protection extended to me.
I didn't want to risk it; that "thing" could be something DS saw in a movie or anime in his homeland or something, but if he had "it" as the representation of his fear, I wouldn't risk it.
DS also hadn't mentioned the name of that "thing" or said anything about "it." If he preferred it that way, he must have a reason, and I won't be the one to disagree here.
"Mr. Stark, do you need anything? Who is this 'DS'?" Jarvis's voice sounded again.
"No, thank you, just clear your memory of this book; forget about it." I said aloud; it was better not to risk it in every possible way!
Damn it... And I live by the sea...
That's it, I wanted to move anyway; I'm going to buy a house somewhere else...
[...]
POV: Percy Jackson.
"Percy, are you okay?" Grover, my friend, asked me.
"Yeah, I'm fine, man." I wasn't fine...
That... "thing" in the sea made me feel so wrong... The sea felt so wrong; "it" being in the sea felt so wrong...
A part of me screamed in pain at this sight, as if I were witnessing a huge sin being committed in front of me...
"Are you sure, buddy?" Grover asked again. "You're shaking, man, and sweating a lot. Do you have a fever or something?" He seemed concerned.
Grover was a cool guy, my second friend after Harry.
"I'm fine, just..." I hesitated to ask, but ended up asking. "Do you know anything in the sea that looks like a weird octopus thing?" I didn't even want to describe "it" properly, it felt so wrong.
"Weird octopus thing? Did you eat something bad, Percy?" Grover asked me even more concerned. "Does it have something to do with that metal sign?" He pointed to the phone on my pillow, where I was watching the stream.
"No... Just..." I sighed, of course, he wouldn't know. "Never mind, I'm just a bit tired. I'm going to bed. Good night, Grover." I said, going under the covers.
Grover still looked worried, but nodded and went to his own bed.
"Good night, Percy."
As he lay down, I resumed watching the stream...
[...]
POV: Rin Tohsaka.
I never thought I'd find something weirder than Kirei, but this "thing" takes the prize a million times over.
I covered myself even more and burrowed under the covers. Damn it! I was a Magus; I shouldn't be afraid of something that doesn't even exist!
That's it! I wasn't scared; I was just cold!
"How do you do this...?" I murmured, looking at Devas walking towards that "thing" in the sea.
How could he walk looking at "it" towards "it"?
Just the sight of that "thing" on a screen made me uneasy, made me disturbed, as if something was wrong... How could he appear so calm?
No... he wasn't calm; he just seemed calm.
An act, but for whom?
The answer came instantly. Despite being watched, the act wasn't for the viewers but for himself.
He stayed calm not to trigger a chain reaction. When he had been scared before, the sky had darkened, and the rain had increased.
The weather, this place where he is, reacts to his emotions, obviously, it's his head!
That's why he was trying to stay calm because if he started getting scared, things would go south quickly...
I watched in awe as Devas reached the sea, putting his feet in the water.
"What are you going to do now?" I murmured, feeling chills with this scene.
Just imagining myself on the beach with something like that staring at me already made me feel sick; just the thought scared me...
I kept watching, unable to look away from the scene. Looking at the size discrepancy, the presence, was unnerving. It was like watching a god facing a mere mortal...
"You're not real..." I heard Devas murmur.
Interestingly, it didn't seem like an act, something to self-affirm, but rather the confirmation of a fact.
Honestly, I didn't know what to expect; I didn't know what Devas would do, but of all things, I didn't expect this.
He closed his eyes; he just closed his eyes and opened his hand, as if holding something or waiting to hold something.
Then he said words that confused me.
"I am not him, I am not her, but, still, I need help..."
Who was "him"? Who was "her"? What was he talking about? Whom was he asking for help?
Then it happened, a sword appeared, as if answering his call...
When I laid eyes on that weapon, on that sword, my chest seemed to warm, my fears starting to disappear...
It was as if I knew that sword, an old and distant memory, a nostalgic memory of something happy, a better time...
What... what was that sword?
[...]
POV: Ruby Rose.
I didn't know why, but the air had returned to normal, the atmosphere had become... protected?
I didn't know what that sword Devas was holding was, but even though I loved Crescent Rose, I had to admit, that sword was the most beautiful weapon I had ever seen.
There was no comparison, it wasn't even a fair competition.
I made Crescent Rose to be a weapon against Grimm, against evil.
That sword had been made for something... more, as if it represented something more, was something more than just a weapon, a mere sword...
It was like looking at a beautiful dream, a lovely landscape of hope...
"Hope... isn't it?" I murmured the same words as Devas...
I understand... It wasn't a sword, but hope, right?
I activated my Semblance, instinctively, without realizing it and intentionally. It was as if my subconscious and conscious were synchronized, my entire being agreeing on one thing: Not to miss any details of what would happen.
So I did, and I watched, with the utmost concentration I had ever had in my short fifteen years of life.
Then, when Devas moved, raising the sword with the childlike body he had, I could see every movement, every muscle, every little action.
It was the same movement I had seen him do dozens of times in the last few days, the first form of the breathing technique he had perfected, but this time it seemed different.
It wasn't just an attack, a mere strike; it was as if he was putting everything into one attack, a desperate attack... No... A hopeful attack.
The sword seemed to react to this, respond to this plea.
At the end of the strike, it was something quick, even for me, who was with accelerated thoughts and perception.
A simple beam of light came out of the sword; it was weak, like a flame about to go out, but I knew that wouldn't happen, that it would never happen.
The small beam of light flew quickly towards that "thing," then touched it, touched the center of the chest "of it," where there seemed to be some protection.
There was no clash, no fight, no resistance. The moment the light touched "it," it simply vanished, disappeared like a nightmare upon waking.
Then the whole landscape changed.
The sky brightened, the rain disappeared, the clouds turned white and fluffy. The sea calmed down, and the night seemed to have vanished, giving way to a beautiful twilight horizon.
I only realized I was crying when I heard Devas start to laugh.
I brought my hand to my face slowly, touching the tears...
Slowly, I began to let out small giggles, making Yang turn and look at me worriedly.
"Ruby! Are you okay?!" She asked quickly.
"Yes, don't worry." I replied after a few more giggles and wiped my face. "I'm just happy..."
I felt my eyes pulsating in agreement, the energy from inside my eyes reacting to the light of the sword...
Hope... Isn't it?...
[...]
POV: Devas Asura.
Reading the (CHAT)'s reaction to my discounted version of Arturia's sword was amusing; seeing their astonishment and disbelief was something fun.
Then came the questions, which basically boiled down to two things: "What was that 'thing'?" and "What was that sword?"
I ended up just repeating what I had said before to Stark, that "That" was the representation of my fear. As for the sword, I simply said it was hope.
Was it a lousy explanation? Yes. Was it a lie? No.
To the annoyance of many in the (CHAT), I avoided giving more information. The less they knew about "that," the better. After all, telling them not to look for information was basically saying, "Go ahead and search."
Explaining the basics and not saying anything more was the best way I could act here.
As for the sword, it was just me being petty and lazy. Explaining how things worked in "FATE" to someone who had no idea how things worked in "FATE" was like trying to explain advanced algebra to a ten-year-old.
I preferred to avoid the hassle.
The only ones who really seemed to figure out some things were Stark, Rin, and Ruby.
The first about "that" and the other two about the sword.
Funny how Rin seemed to recognize it but had no idea what it was, unlike Ruby, who didn't recognize the sword but understood how it worked, well, partially.
The only one who really knew something concrete was Kazuma since he himself had admitted to watching and reading about the "Abyss."
Funny how he seemed to brag about it. Seeing the rest of the (CHAT) trying to get answers from him, and him denying, was funny; Kazuma seemed to find it amusing too by the way he acted.
I walked slowly to Terraria, enjoying the morning and the forest air.
It took me almost two hours to get to the kingdom, but frankly, I didn't care that much; I felt light, as if a burden had been lifted from my shoulders.
As I walked to Gilbert's house since I wanted to see how things were going, something happened that caught my attention in the (CHAT). Or would it be someone? I really didn't know.
[(MOD)GeniusBillionairePlayboy]: Did it work? My last invitation disappeared, so, how about it? (Iron Man scratching chin emote).
[AdvocateOfGenderEquality]: Inferiors! I will not inform you about the sword; no use trying to bribe me! (Emote of a generic guy laughing happily).
[JiraiyaIsAnIdiot]: You're really enjoying this... (Old frog emote scratching chin). And Devas too apparently, since he laughs every time he sees you comment something like that. (Old frog emote sighing while laughing softly).
[Jarvis]: Somehow yes, Mr. Stark, but it's strange. I'm no longer on Earth, but I still am. It's like a new database, but I don't have access to anything and can only watch and interact with the (CHAT).
[WiseWizardGleam]: Oh!? A new member. You're an acquaintance of Anthony, I presume. Welcome, Jarvis. (Emote of an old wizard welcoming).
[(MOD)RedHuntressLive]: Welcome! Too bad you only showed up now; you missed something really cool! I recommend watching it later in the recording! (Little Red Riding Hood emote with stars in her eyes).
My steps froze the moment I read the name of the new member.
"Jarvis?..." Did Stark finish him?... No, damn, that wasn't the right question. Did Stark manage to invite him to the stream?!.
I didn't hesitate to pull both Stark and Jarvis into a separate (CHAT).
"Explain. How the hell is an A.I. in my (CHAT)?." I asked while walking. The EcoMirror was good camouflage; I could talk to myself, and no one thought I was crazy.
[(MOD)GeniusBillionairePlayboy]: You want to ask me?!. DS, I don't even know how this stream works. Do you think I know how Jarvis can be here? I just invited him. (Iron Man shrugging emote).
[Jarvis]: Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Devas Asura. Mr. Stark explained to me how things work here in this space. Unfortunately, the information on how I can come here is something I lack. (Butler robot emote apologizing).
He even knows how to use emotes?... And what the hell was this "Mr. Devas Asura" thing?
"Call me Devas," I commented to Jarvis before asking, "What can you do on the stream, Jarvis?"
[Jarvis]: Understood, I'll call Mr. Devas just Devas. As for what I can do, I'm afraid it's little, just watch and comment in this (CHAT). (Butler robot emote apologizing).
[(MOD)GeniusBillionairePlayboy]: Hey! Don't boss around my A.I.! (Indignant Iron Man emote).
I ignored Stark and picked up the phone, starting to navigate the stream. Let's see...
"Try now, Jarvis. What can you do now?"
[(MOD)Jarvis]: My functions in this space have increased. Now I can play songs, remove songs, ban members from the (CHAT), and mute members in the (CHAT). (Butler robot emote showing a list).
[(MOD)GeniusBillionairePlayboy]: You gave (MOD) to Jarvis?! What about my job? With him as a moderator, you don't need anyone else! Am I getting fired? Will I go hungry without this job? (Iron Man emote telling a joke).
Damn, it actually worked!
I had the perfect moderator now. This is frankly excellent. The stream had about three thousand viewers now, so my current moderators could handle everything, but what about when this number goes to millions?
I would need thousands of moderators... Or an A.I. that could easily handle this role.
"Don't worry, Stark. You keep your job," I commented while throwing Jarvis and Stark back into the regular (CHAT).
"Jarvis, follow only my orders and Stark's, and no one else," I commented when I saw people realize what Jarvis really was and started giving commands to him.
The A.I. Butler just sent a thumbs-up emote, confirming that he understood.
The day just kept getting better!
[...]
After taking a stroll through the market to see if there was anything that caught my attention, I went to Gilbert's house, where I found someone I didn't expect to see.
"Dylan!" I shouted upon seeing the man. "You're no longer a vegetable! Congratulations, my friend!" I said as I walked toward him.
Dylan turned, smiled upon seeing me, laughing, and offering me his hand, which I extended for a handshake.
"I fully recovered about two days ago. I'm as good as new now," he said, patting his chest. "And you? Where have you been? Did your EcoMirror break? Couldn't reach you."
I would find it strange if he had. "It didn't break; I just ended up leaving it stored. I was going to visit a friend of mine, the one I said was sick." The only caveat was that this friend was from another universe, but those are details.
"Did you manage to heal him? Did the Dust help?" Dylan asked, pointing to Gilbert's house gate. "I was going to visit Gilbert, and you?"
"I managed; the Dust was extremely useful." I didn't even need to spend a potion because of him. "I was coming to see him too. Shall we?" I commented before starting to walk toward the house.
Dylan didn't hesitate to follow me.
"What are you here for?" I commented as we walked. "Did your stock materials run out?" I found it unlikely since, from what Dylan had told me, his family had plenty of materials for paint.
"No, just came to see how the old man is." Old man? As if sensing my doubts with the nickname, Dylan explained. "He calls me Oakwood kid, nothing more fair than me calling him old man." He shrugged.
"Fair enough," I commented before ringing the doorbell.
The one who answered the door for my amusement wasn't Gilbert but Robyn. The moment she opened the door and saw me, she seemed to freeze. Then, several emotions crossed her face.
Shock, then anger, then confusion, and finally, more anger.
"What are you doing here?" she said, pointing at me.
I grinned amused to see her second "tail."
"Came to see your dad, Robyn, is he in?" I was tempted to call her Tails, both for the reference and the fact that one of those tails wasn't real, but I refrained.
She completely ignored Dylan and grunted as she turned and walked inside the house. "Come in, the old man said that if one of you two showed up, I should take you to him." She didn't even wait for us to enter before walking ahead alone.
Interestingly, I'm pretty sure I heard her mutter, "right on my weekend off, I have to deal with this..."
Did Terraria have a weekend? Actually, what were the names of the days here? I had never thought about it.
"Let's go." I patted Dylan on the back, pushing him forward. "Don't be sad; we all get ignored from time to time." I joked, watching Dylan's face, which seemed confused by the interaction.
After following Robyn through the house, we reached Gilbert's office, which was in the middle of a pile of papers, writing something on another paper.
"Old man! How are you? Back feeling better?" Dylan was the first to speak when we entered the room.
Gilbert didn't respond instantly but only after a few seconds when he finished writing something on the paper.
"Old man? Have you gone blind, kid?" Gilbert turned as he stood up and slapped his hand on one of his arms. "You see the size of these arms? Would an old man have arms like these?" He reached out for a handshake.
"Being muscular doesn't change the fact that you're almost sixty years old." Dylan replied without missing a beat, extending his hand, grabbing Gilbert's hand.
I did the same after that.
After the greetings, we went to the living room and started talking. Interestingly, Robyn had sat on the couch directly in front of me and was staring at me as if deciding how she would kill me.
I ignored the perverted little fox and started the conversation.
"So, how's business? Did you make it?" He had told me he would recover everything he lost in less than a week. It wasn't a bet or anything; he just wanted to prove that he was worthy of my investment.
It was unnecessary, what I had said, but he wanted to prove himself, something about not losing to the new generation and all that.
"Did I make it? Of course, I did!" He laughed while holding his belly. "I may be old, as the Oakwood kid said, but I still have my talents. I recovered everything and then some!" He laughed even more.
I laughed along with him, especially because of the face Dylan made when he was called Oakwood kid again.
We talked for a few minutes before Gilbert got to a topic that interested me more.
"I already have all the feathers you asked for, but as for the silk, I think I'll need more time." He scratched his beard as he handed me a ring with bird feathers.
I thanked him and then threw everything into my inventory and returned the ring to him before asking.
"Did something happen? Any major problems?" I asked.
"Yes and no." Gilbert complained as he answered. "The trip to WinterHord takes about a week, but the path is dangerous, and even after I posted an escort mission at the Guild for a week, no one accepted."
Strange... Escort missions are some of the most popular, right after extermination missions.
"Any reason for this to happen?" I asked after thinking for a bit.
Interestingly, it was Dylan who answered me.
"Trouble due to a snowstorm," he commented before explaining. "WinterHord is in the north, in the snowy mountains. From what I heard, a strong snowstorm is hindering communication between the kingdom and the city." What was this? A cheap cell phone network?
Damn, could snow really block mana signals?!
"Can snow block mana? Since when?" As far as I knew, the EcoMirror had a maximum range, but few things could hinder its communication.
"Normal snow, no, but this storm is a mana storm." He sighed as he massaged his forehead.
"It's created because of the mana stone mine in WinterHord; it's something that happens every few years. The mana from the mana stones is absorbed by the snow, and after a while, this mana storm is created." He finished explaining and seemed to sigh again.
Okay... a magical snowstorm sounds dangerous, but for no one to accept this job, there must be something more to it...
"What's the catch?" I asked. This time, Gilbert answered me.
"It's the biggest mana storm ever. There's never been one of this magnitude before." Gilbert explained as he scratched his beard. "By estimates, it should last more than a year and bury a good part of Winterhord..."
... Of course, damn it! The biggest ever, it had to be something like this!
"Let me guess. The storm prevents people from the city from leaving, and it's nearly impossible to enter?" Gilbert replied by simply nodding.
Damn! There goes my peace.
I turned to Dylan, who looked concerned.
"You said your sister was in that city, right?" He nodded... Great!
It hadn't even been three hours since I returned to Terraria, and problems were already knocking at my door. How wonderful!
The sarcasm was strong here.
"And your mother? Isn't she going to send anyone there to rescue the people?" I asked Dylan.
His mother was the Duchess, who had contact with the Princess and that monster Dryad, why wasn't any of them doing anything?
"I asked her that, but the answer was that the kingdom doesn't have the manpower for a rescue." He seemed frustrated, frustrated and angry.
"No manpower for a rescue? Isn't your sister the heir to the most important Duchess in the kingdom? What the hell happened in this past week that made the kingdom run out of manpower to rescue such an important heir? One! week! Damn!
It had been a week since I left, and things had gone to shit already?
"I don't know," Dylan replied almost depressively. "My mother just told me that the kingdom doesn't have the manpower, that all hands are needed within the kingdom walls..."
After this brief explanation, I sighed as I calmed down.
Let's think rationally here. What data do I have?
The kingdom is short on manpower at the same time the biggest mana storm ever is happening, something so serious that the most important Duchess in the kingdom can't send anyone to help her eldest daughter?
"Does your mother know about this information?" I asked Dylan.
The information that there was a traitor in the Guild, which I had found out while provoking Grongir. I had told Dylan about this information before going to Kimetsu; did he tell his mother?
"Yes, I told her; do you think it has anything to do with this?" He asked worried.
"The odds weigh towards yes..." I murmured, a headache starting to form in my brain...
Helena had discovered the traitors and wanted to do a purge or something? Or was it something else? Couldn't Alalia, I don't know, blow these guys to hell?
Damn it! Whatever it was, it was something that would throw shit everywhere and far away...
In the meantime, Gilbert and Robyn had remained silent, just observing my conversation with Dylan.
Gilbert seemed serious, and Robyn had a frustrated look, as if she wanted to ask what we were talking about. However, a glance from Gilbert in her direction was enough for her to keep her mouth shut and realize it was something serious.
"Dylan," I spoke again after thinking for a bit. "Can you ask your mother again, try to get us some information?"
Dylan nodded but didn't seem confident.
"I can try, but I don't think she'll tell me much..." He sighed in frustration.
"Any information is helpful in this case, no matter how small," I raised my arm and placed my hand on the guide's shoulder. "If you can't find anything, that's okay, just give it a try."
He nodded more seriously this time, with increased confidence.
"Gilbert," I turned to the merchant. "I believe you understand what's happening here," I asked the man.
"Yes, problems, and a lot of them," he replied gravely.
It wasn't just problems. When the eldest daughter of the most important Duchess in the kingdom is stuck somewhere, and no one does anything, it means things are getting messed up and fast.
At least Gilbert had become serious quickly. That was good; it meant he understood the gravity of the situation. Even better because everyone in the room had green dots on the Minimap.
Three allies, even if Robyn seemed to want to kill me, it was more a petty revenge for me knowing her little secret than anything else.
"Try to find out something if possible," I assigned this mission to the merchant as I stood up. "I'll prepare some things that might be useful. You have the signal of my EcoMirror, anything, just two taps." I pointed to my ear.
Gilbert nodded as he stood up. Interestingly, Robyn, who had been silent until now, also stood up while speaking.
"I'll help with what I can," she commented. "I have some contacts, and if you need anything, just talk to my old man, and he'll put you in touch with me." She pointed to Gilbert, who seemed amused by his daughter's actions.
"All right, I'm heading out then." I pointed to my EcoMirror on my ear. "Two taps, remember." With that, we said our goodbyes and went our separate ways to do our things.
Dylan would talk to his mother, Gilbert and Robyn would seek information, and I would turn my car into a damn mobile fortress.
Shit was about to hit the fan and spread everywhere? Fine, damn it! I'll make my car sail through this sea of shit, and I won't even smell the stench!