[F01-PP] [Ryoubai & Akatsu] Trapped!

[Akatsu 0]

Kat stared up at the sky after Kayaba’s announcement, and her mouth was just agape. There was a large part of her that wanted to scream. And many people around her began to do so, after the initial shock began to wear off. Kat felt people push her, and still she just stared at the sky. Wasn’t this just a game? How could we die in real life if this was just a game?

Kat knew nothing about technology. So the idea that something was projecting her thoughts into this virtual space was already awe inspiring. But for it to then be able to also kill her in the real world? It was almost beyond comprehension. I didn’t ask for this. Neither did Ryou. What have I done?

Her mind raced, and suddenly she remembered Ryou. Kat looked around frantically, realizing that she needed to find Ryou before the crowd swept her away. But in the panic, she couldn’t see her. Kat herself then began to panic. She couldn’t lose Ryou, she was the only thing Kat had in this world. “RYOU!!!” she screamed, and before she knew it, she was crying. It was too much, even for the optimistic Kat. The tears blurred her vision, and before she knew it someone had pushed her hard in the shoulder, and Kat fell on her side, her kimono tripping her up in the chaos.

Sobbing, she looked back up, scared and possibly alone. “Ryou please find me…”

Spoiler

Skills:

• 5 SP Total: 4 Spent | 1 Unspent
• Claw Skill - [Novice] - +3 DMG

Inventory:

Equipment

• Rare Claws
  • Slot 1: Accuracy [+1 BD]
  • Slot 2: Accuracy [+1 BD]
• Vanity Kimono (Cloth Armor)

Consumables

• 2500 Col
• 3 Starter Healing Potions [50 HP]

Stats:

• Level: 1
• XP Total: 0
• +3 DMG
• +2 BD

 

Edited June 2, 2022 by Akatsu

[Ryoubai 0]

Ryou was already gritting her teeth, the pain pulsing through her jaw. She clenched her fists. It was just a game, how could it have turned to this? She tried everything, she was pulling at her own hair trying to get the Nervegear off of herself. She let out shaky breaths, looking around at the crowd of people. There was sure to be a stampede if everyone was as panicked as she was. She was shoved to the ground by someone running to the entrance. She scrambled up, looking around. She couldn’t blame them, they were scared and so was she.

She began shoving people back through the crowd, looking for Kat. She couldn’t even imagine how she felt right now. The shock hadn’t quite set in yet, she was more worried about Kat than herself. She called out to her. “Aki?!” She kept pushing through the crowd, getting more aggressive the longer she went without finding her.

She felt something against her foot, she had accidentally kicked a crumpled form on the ground. Her eyes widened. She saw the blonde pigtails she was looking for. She shielded her with her body and wrapped her arms around her, slowly helping her up. They would both be shoved a couple of times. “I’m here, Aki… I’m here…” She said softly. Her voice broke as hot tears started to stream down her face. She was trying to be strong for the both of them, but it was so hard given the situation. Her tough façade was finally cracking.

Spoiler

 

Skills:

• 5 SP Total: 4 Spent | 1 Unspent
• Polearm Skill - [Novice] - +3 DMG

Inventory:

New Character Bundle: Basic Package

Equipment

• Uncommon Polearm
  • Slot 1: Accuracy [+1 BD]
• Uncommon Heavy Armor
  • Slot 1: Thorns [9 DMG when hit by Non-Crit]

Consumables

• 2500 Col
• 5 Starter Healing Potions [50 HP]

Stats:

• Level: 1
• XP Total: 0
• +3 DMG
• +1 BD
• 9 DMG when hit

 

 

Edited June 3, 2022 by Ryoubai

[Akatsu 0]

Kat hadn’t been expecting Ryou to swim through the crowd the way she had. Ryou hadn’t been paying attention and had accidentally kicked Kat, but in the moment she didn’t even care. She was happy to see her, and Ryou seemed equally as happy to see Kat. Kat felt herself picked up in Ryou’s arms, and she didn’t think she had ever felt as simultaneously safe and terrified in her life. Without thinking, she buried her face in Ryou’s chest, continuing to sob uncontrollably.

But it was when she felt the warm wetness of Ryou’s tears on her head that she started to get even more worried. Ryou was always the strong one of the two of them. But she was crying too. Kat sniffled and blinked away some tears, her face clearing up a bit. She hiccuped back her sadness, and then slowly turned her face up to Ryou’s. “Ryou… no tears. You never cry!” Kat said, lightly chiding her companion. Her hand moved from Ryou’s back to her cheek, and Kat found the strength to smile for Ryou. “Ryou I’m really sorry I got us into this. But! We have each other!”

Kat’s porcelain blue eyes began to shine as she looked at her friend, “I couldn’t ask for a better person to be stuck with. Think of all the fun we can have without stupid things like work and men who bully me!” Kat was doing this as much to reassure herself as she was Ryou. Her heart thudded in her chest, and she could feel Ryou’s heart racing just as fast. “We’ll be okay!” she reassured them both again, trying her best not to let the tears start flowing once more.

[Ryoubai 0]

Ryou gently rubbed her back, her eyes widened when she felt Kat move. She looked down at her, wiping away her own tears. She looked at Kat’s smile and how hard she was trying to be strong too. She just couldn’t help but break down again. She let out a quiet sob as her head bowed. Her mind was racing. What about her family? How was she going to send them money now? She had work tomorrow, they would surely fire her because she wouldn’t be showing up. The creator had said himself it wasn’t a joke, and with all of them at his mercy, she was sure he wasn’t lying. She would die alone in her apartment because how would she be able to take care of herself in this stupid game? 

 

“I-I’m so scared, Aki… what do I do about my family?! What if I die?!” She croaked. She took a few deep breaths. She had to keep trying to be strong. She wiped her tears again. “None of this is your fault but… this is horrible. This is a horrible place to be in. At least… at least we have each other. At least I’m not going to die alone…” She sighed. She was trying to see it from Kat’s point of view. Maybe they could have fun but with the weight of the situation, it would be hard for Ryou to have any. She hoped for their sake they would be okay, but she couldn’t wrap her head around what would happen to their bodies in the real world. She just had to take it one day at a time.

 

She gave Kat’s head a gentle pat. “You’re right… we’ll be okay…” She could at least lie to herself and keep saying it. Maybe someday she would believe it but she couldn’t right now. “I’ll still be here to protect you. I don’t trust that the men around here will be much better.” She cracked a smile, the corners of her lips quivering because she still felt like crying. “I’ll do my best to have as much fun as I can with you, Aki.”

[Akatsu 0]

As Kat looked into Ryou's eyes, for a moment she had hope. Hope that Ryou would be okay, that her words had gotten through to her. But then Ryou started crying again, and Kat's smile cracked. Kat put her other hand on Ryou's other cheek and pressed her hands together, squishing her face a bit. She could feel the wetness of the tears running through her fingers, and she tried her best not to lose her own composure. "Ryou, they said on the news that this is happening. We'll be okay! They'll find us in our homes and take care of us, I'm sure! The police will catch the man who did this and we'll all be okay! Your family will be okay, because they'll know you're okay!"

When Ryou finally seemed to come around, and patted Kat's head, Kat couldn't help but giggle. She released Ryou's face from her hands and then dove into her chest again with a big hug. "Yes!" she shouted, her eyes closed as she squeezed her friend. "Yes, it'll be so much fun! Just the two of us in this whole new world! It'll be a big adventure!" She could still feel Ryou's heart racing, but Kat had more than calmed down. This wasn't so bad, but Ryou was right. The men were probably also jerks here. Buuuuut, that may also mean that Kat could actually fleece them in this game too.

"Ryou! Do you think I can make us money here with my charms like I do the bar?" Kat asked, as she tilted her head up to look at Ryou's chin. "I bet they would fall for it just as easily here." She giggled again, "Just think if I make us tons of money we don't even have to go fight and we'll never run the risk of dying! We'll be rich and safe, and we can buy a nice house together instead of you living in that stupid tiny apartment!"

[Ryoubai 0]

She paused for a moment. "Oh, they did say that, didn't they? I was too busy panicking, I suppose..." She shut her eyes and sighed. Whoever would rescue them wouldn't know that the both of them personally had Nervegears, there was no record of their purchase either as they didn't buy them. The only one who would know was that shady man who gave Kat the Nervegears and even then, she didn't know if he was stuck here too. If he was, they didn't stand a chance. She opened her eyes, trying not to burst out crying again. It wouldn't do Kat any good if Ryou couldn't keep it together.

Ryou yelped a bit with the sudden hug and gently hugged her back. "We could start over fresh here. Maybe I can live the life I've always wanted to... a nice big house and lots of time to sleep in." She let herself smile again, but it faded quickly. She could feel her heartbeat pounding all the way up into her ears. The crowd was still making her nervous. "Maybe... we could go somewhere else. I don't want to be around all these people right now." She did look quite uncomfortable, shrinking and looking around frantically. 

She snapped out of her train of thought. She looked back at Kat. "Hasn't that gotten you into trouble before? Maybe we should try something else this time. If you think it'll work well then... just be careful, alright? I'll be by your side but people are actively carrying around weapons here. It would be nice to live comfortably, I'm just worried about your safety trying to do what you did before, is all."

[Akatsu 0]

As Kat looked up at Ryou, she saw her looking around a bit shifty eyed, and could feel her squirming lightly in her arms. She let go of her friend and backed up a bit as she offered the advice of trying something new. "I mean, if I'm being honest, fleecing men is about all I know how to do. But I can make drinks too. But making drinks probably wouldn't make as much money." Kat rubbed her chin in thought a bit, before registering that Ryou wanted to go somewhere else. With a nod, she grabbed Ryou's hand and began leading her away from the plaza.

As she pulled, and having no real clear direction besides "not here", she continued her musings, "Maybe I can be the owner of my very own bar, and I can teach the women how to fleece the men for me. If they do that, then I can just reap the benefits of their labor like the owner of my bar does to me. And I stay safe and they take on the danger of men always bullying them. It's perfect! Right Ryou?!" Kat giggled and looked back at her friend, before spotting a nearby cafe that seemed to be devoid of anyone but the waitress, as far as Kat could tell at least.

She quickly diverted into the cafe with Ryou in tow, and pulled her to a table. The waitress didn't stop them, and honestly barely even seemed to notice them. Kat wondered if that was one of the NPCs that she heard other players talking about. She certainly hoped so, if Ryou wanted to be alone. From what she understood of the game, NPCs weren't players, so they weren't real people. She was hoping she understood that concept correctly. After making Ryou sit down with her, she leaned forward, her eyes glittering excitedly, "I can teach you to be a bartender! You'll have way more fun doing that than stupid bookkeeping." Kat giggled, "And you'll make way more money too, if this is anything like the real world. It's so easyyyy, and fun! And most importantly safe! Besides, if the men bully you, you just beat them up. Right?!"

[Ryoubai 0]

Ryou raised an eyebrow and gripped Kat's hand tightly. She followed along closely as she was led out of the plaza. "I'm sure that's not true. I know that you could learn how to do anything." She bowed slightly, looking like she was going to wretch. "You're a good bartender... people will pay good money for drinks, especially in a place like this. I know I would." She sighed with relief as they were finally clear of some of the crowd. They didn't have anywhere else to go, she wasn't sure what their money would buy in a place like this, how much everything was worth but they would find out soon enough. She listened to Kat ramble on and was about to say something before she yelped, being pulled to go to the café. It seemed normal enough. A quaint one that looked like it fit the bill in a fantasy world.

She sighed, frowning a bit. "Yes, but do you really want to continue that cycle? You and I both don't like when you're in danger, and those women won't have someone to protect them unless I stay in the bar with you all." The café was calming her down. She didn't look quite so green around the gills and the color was coming back to her face. Her brows furrowed as they sat at a table. Hopefully they wouldn't get in trouble for randomly sitting down here. Ryou didn't quite understand the concept of what an NPC was. She thought it was a person who was here long before all of the players arrived. Working as a waitress in an empty world for the maniac who trapped them all there was a horrible fate. And for what? The waitress must have been so lonely. 

It was flattering that Kat thought Ryou could be a bartender right away. She thought so highly of her and she didn't think she deserved it. "You could teach me, but I wouldn't be any good at it. I'm not the charismatic type. That's your thing. Plus, what's that thing that guy you were fleecing a couple of weeks ago said? I look too mean and cold. I couldn't do what you do." She gave a weak smile, it again faded quickly. "I could beat them up, but now we all have weapons. I'm sure they wouldn't be afraid to fight me back, there doesn't seem to be any sort of guard. It would be wiser not to look for any trouble, Aki. For both of our sakes. We have no idea what any of these people are capable of. Though, I'm sure the same could be said for us as well."

[Akatsu 0]

Kat listened to Ryou's retort, it made enough sense, even when most of it went in one ear and out the other. Kat still registered the main points and nodded along as if she understood completely. "Hm... well, I think you're right. The problem with all the men is they have weapons too. It's not like in the real world where nobody has weapons." Kat leaned back in her chair, and then scooted back so that she could prop her feet up on the table. Her footie socks rested on the table as she put her arms behind her head and looked up to the ceiling. Her kimono dangled beneath her at the legs, having been cut down the side so that she had some mobility, and revealing her bare skin underneath the kimono.

"Weeeell. If the men are all dangerous, then perhaps we just have to be more dangerous than them?" Kat mused, thinking about what they could do to keep out of trouble. "So, we open a bar, but we also train to fight, and if we can fight better than they can, then they don't stand a chance!" Kat finished, before moving on to address Ryou's worries about being a bartender. Her eyes moved from the ceiling to her friend again, "I don't think you give yourself enough credit. Some patrons don't want to talk, they just want a good, stiff drink. Like you!" Kat giggled as she remembered spending the first few months of knowing Ryou trying to get her to talk to her, just once.

"Getting you to open up was like trying to open a clam to get a pearl. It was worth it in the end, but damn near impossible," Kat said with another giggle, before laughing uncontrollably, "and then, the first time you talked to me, as soon as you finished the sentence you threw up on my feet! It was so gross!" Kat couldn't help but smile as she remembered their time in the real world. And now, they had the chance to start over and make a whole new life for however long they were stuck here. Even if it was just a couple of days while the police arrested that stupid Kayaba guy, it would be the most fun couple of days she could imagine. "I really can't wait to go on this adventure with you..." Kat said as she trailed off, smiling at her friend.

[Ryoubai 0]

She got up a bit, worried that Kat might tip all the way backward. "Be careful! I don't want you to fall..." She sat back down, looking at her with the same furrowed brows. Ryou held her own hands and stared down at them. She sighed. Gauntlets looked unnatural on her, she thought. Now her hands would only hold polearms, potions, and other fantasy game items. Gone were the days of going through spreadsheets on a computer for hours on end. She wasn't sure what was worse. Her frame was covered head to toe in heavy armor. She picked the most menacing one she could as a beginner, so no one would even think about messing with her or Kat. She looked back up at Kat. "Hm? I suppose that's true as well. Everyone has something they can defend themselves with. We didn't just have monsters running around back home. At least, not like the kind in this game." She said. 

"I'm not sure it'll be that simple, Aki. It would be best to train, yes, but only to defend ourselves. We don't want to go picking fights with random people here. As much as I don't want to talk to random people, we'll need to work together to get through this, right? So we should be cautious for now. How will we even open a bar anyway? With what money? We have no idea what it's like here. Let's just... let's take it one step at a time. Please."  She listened to Kat compliment her and looked down again. "I know, I know. I was having some rough days, and I just kind of wanted to wallow but you wouldn't let me. It was for the best." She remembered Kat's attempts at trying to get her to socialize. Some of them were fuzzier than others. The first time, she remembered as clear as day. She kept her head down, not even bothering to look up at her, unless to order a drink. She kept her headphones in, as usually that was a good enough signal to others that she didn't want to talk, but Kat didn't get the hint. 

She smiled as her cheeks flushed. She remembered the embarrassment that she felt when she finally decided to talk to Kat, and how sick she felt. "Thank you for not giving up on me despite me vomiting on you. I really didn't mean to, I hope you know that."  Most people wouldn't bother with people like her, but Kat took the time to get to know her. It was something Ryou appreciated deeply. "I can't wait either. Even though I'm scared, I think we'll be able to make it though." Ryou kept her smile this time. Kat was doing what she did best, cheering Ryou up.

[Akatsu 0]

Kat tapped her chin in thought as she listened to Ryou, her eyes had drifted back up to the ceiling as her friend spoke. She was glad that Ryou was coming around, and was on board with the adventure, despite the fear that threatened to consume them both. Kat realistically had no clue how video games worked at all, let alone this entire virtual world in a video game. The world felt like it operated like the real one, but if that were the case, then Ryou was absolutely right. Where would they get the money? Supposedly, once they got the money it was like any other business. Buy or rent the shop, and then start the sales. But it all came back to how.

Kat had her chair on two legs, balancing precariously as she thought of all of this, and finally, she decided to ask the question to Ryou, who probably had no clue herself but it didn't hurt to ask. "Ryou! How do we make money in this world?!" she asked her friend, her balancing act teetering on disaster. "There has to be a way! There's always a way to make money!" she told her friend, "Maybe this game has a manual on money-making?!" It was a long shot, but it didn't hurt to look. She swiped at the air like she had been taught by one of the helpful strangers she had met before being teleported to the plaza. Kat had not gone outside of the city, she had no real intention of seeing what dangers lie in wait out there, even before she knew she could die in real life. And so some helpful strangers had given her some tips before she could meet up with Ryou in the game.

As her menu popped up in front of her, she navigated to the "help" section of it, and there she found what looked like a bunch of tutorials. But they were all text and pictures and looked incredibly boring. So she looked back to Ryou again, her voice as exasperated as possible, "Ryouuuuu, these tutorials are boring. Can you read them and tell me how to make money? Pretty please?"

[Ryoubai 0]

Ryou usually didn’t have time for games. She didn’t do much for fun in the real world besides go to the bar. The gears were turning in her head in regards to how they would make money. She remembered overhearing some other people talking about killing animals outside. Maybe they would both have to start hunting. She had never done anything like that before and she was fairly certain Kat had never done it either. The idea of killing something made her stomach turn. She went pale again as the thought about it. She looked at Kat.

”Ah— um… I’m not sure. I thought I heard someone say hunting was a way to get money. I’ve never hunted anything before, have you? Let me see…” She looked very confused as she tried to open her own menu. After a minute or so of trying, it finally opened up. She grumbled to herself, frustrated at how awkward it was. She went to the “help” section as well. She began to read from the very beginning. She heard Kat whine about having to read and raised an eyebrow.

She peeked out from behind the screen. Ryou usually gave her a look to signify her displeasure. Kat would know it well. Ryou sighed to herself. “Yes, fine, I’ll read it for you.” She continued to read through it. There wasn’t really a specific entry on making money. “It only says that doing quests and killing monsters will give you money and experience.” She explained. 

Edited May 31, 2022 by Ryoubai

[Akatsu 0]

Kat watched as Ryou fumbled through her menus. Kat was going to explain how to do it, but Ryou seemed to figure it out, so Kat just went back to lounging. She noticed Ryou's look of displeasure out of the corner of her eye and just stuck her tongue out at her for it. She didn't care if Ryou was displeased, Kat didn't want to read, and that was that. Besides, Ryou did it anyway, so the sass was unnecessary. She giggled to herself as she looked through the rest of the menus, inventory, character sheet, all that good stuff. Very little of it made a ton of sense to Kat, but at least the UI was pretty enough, in her mind.

When Ryou mentioned quests and killing stuff, Kat wondered if she would be able to kill things herself. This was just a game right? But what if it was really bloody and gross like in real life? She would probably not be able to handle it. But maybe the monsters just faded away like in Dragon Quest or something. When she was a kid she had watched her father play that game, and hoped that it was rather like that instead. Just a flash and then it was gone. That would be a lot easier to handle if it was just monsters. Although if people also died like that... no, probably best to not think of that.

"I think I could kill monsters if they died like in Dragon Quest!" she explained to Ryou, wanting her to be in on the thoughts swirling around in her head. She giggled again, and then got really excited about the idea of doing quests. "Ooh, do you think there are like, big bad monsters to kill?! What if we fought the really big ones like you see in anime or in game magazines?! That would be so cool!" Kat got a little too excited though, and the precarious balancing act that she had been relying on to stay stable finally tipped against her favor, and backwards she went.

Nothing but legs in the air, as Kat landed with a crash against the nearby table. But strangely enough, it didn't even hurt. She still winced naturally as if she were in pain, her kimono completely sprawled out around her. But no actual pain was registered. She blinked up at Ryou, who no doubt was ready to scold her for falling over, and quickly said, "Wow, that didn't hurt at all!" She quickly fixed her kimono so that her unmentionables weren't in full view of everyone, not that there was really anyone else around by Ryou. It still wasn't very ladylike. When that was sorted, she tapped her chin thoughtfully again, "Wait, does that mean it doesn't hurt to do things in this game? That almost feels dangerous...."

[Ryoubai 0]

Ryou's eyes widened when Kat stuck her tongue out at her. She really did act like a little kid sometimes, which didn't make sense in Ryou's mind given that Kat was older than her. She didn't mind reading it deep down, at least Kat was getting the information she needed somehow. It was better that she did this than Kat not knowing at all. She wondered how Kat would handle herself in this world. She hoped that her attitude wouldn't go away. Being in a world like this would be enough for anyone's positivity to be sucked out. It seemed like a hopeless situation, after all. She kept reading through the help menu and then was done. She closed out of it and stared at the exit icon for a good minute. She had already tried clicking on it a dozen times in the plaza, she sighed. She closed out of her menus entirely.

"What's Dragon Quest?" Ryou asked. She was clueless when it came to video games. She may have seen the cover for the game once at a store, she wasn't sure. "It's a fantasy game like this one, right? The title kind of gives that away, at least, I think it does." Her eyes widened at the idea of big, horrible monsters. "W-Well, there probably are, but... we shouldn't do any of that alone. Small monsters first. Then we can maybe fight a big one. We may need a group to do that though. Better to not take any chances." Images flashed in her mind of Kat being grievously wounded in battle. Her brows furrowed and she clenched her jaw. She gulped. Kat was so excited. Why did she have to keep thinking of the worst case scenarios? She wanted to be happy with Kat. 

Ryou yelped and got up, rushing over to help. "You looked like it hurt, are you sure...?" She looked confused. She helped her up and shielded her as she fixed her kimono. She sat back down and pinched herself. Her eyes widened. It really didn't hurt. She pinched herself again and again. "It really doesn't hurt... why?!" She pinched herself another time for good measure. "It does feel dangerous, what if you don't know you're hurt? This is so weird..." She didn't know what to feel about not feeling any pain. Was it better this way?

[Akatsu 0]

As Kat was helped up, she giggled at Ryou, “I’m surprised you never heard of Dragon Quest, living in Tokyo. It is basically all over the place. But then again, you do pretty much go straight from work to the bar and back home, so I guess I can understand.” Her tone was teasing, but in reality Kat always hated that routine of Ryou’s. She had tried so hard to get her to do anything, go see a concert, go shoot some pool, do some karaoke, anything! But Ryou was always working, drunk, or asleep.

But this was finally her chance to let go, and Kat got to do all the things she never could back home. She wondered if there would be people putting on concerts in this game, if that was even possible. If they could do karaoke with songs they remembered from the real world. Maybe they even had pool in this world! Kat’s eyes sparkled at the thoughts she was having and to anyone else she probably looked like a girl in love.

She was quickly brought back to reality by Ryou coming to the same conclusion as her about pain. “See?! It’s weird, right?!” Kat couldn’t decide if she loved the idea of no pain or hated it. Pain was supposed to drive fear, and cause the fight or flight reaction to start. But here, perhaps that was the point? “They don’t want us to feel pain… because they want us to get ourselves in trouble and not know to run away until it’s too late,” Kat said, as the realization dawned on her. It was a sensation she knew all too well, considering she has Ryou. She always knew Ryou would protect her, so she got herself too in over her head sometimes. Not necessarily on purpose, but at the very least without fear.

”Ryou…” Kat whimpered, “Do the creators of this game… want us to die?”

[Ryoubai 0]

Ryou smirked at Kat. “Yes, that was pretty much my routine. Maybe I’ll be able to have a change of pace here.” She looked away wistfully. Ryou didn’t like turning Kat down back home. She worked hard, at least in her mind, to get Ryou all of the nice things she had. She could never do anything during the weekdays. At her job, Ryou was the second to get there besides the people who unlocked the office, and one of the last to leave. Her position didn’t necessarily need her there that early or late, but since she was always taking projects, they allowed her to do so. She wasn’t sure if they would have time to rest. The creator of the game did say they’d be trapped unless they cleared every single floor. She raised an eyebrow at Kat’s dreamy expression.

She frowned when she heard the fear in Kat’s voice. They were on the same page, the lack of pain must have been done for a malicious reason. She looked like she was lost in thought. Perhaps they couldn’t feel pain because that would make them wake up. Too much stimulation was bound to do that, she thought. On the other hand, the emotional turmoil most people felt didn’t wake them up either. She wasn’t sure anymore. “You might need to help me if I get myself into too much trouble, Aki. Maybe if I don’t feel pain, I won’t stop and think…” She looked down nervously. She heard Kat’s whimper and looked up at her with wide eyes.

The creator didn’t seem to be bothered by the fact people had died. More excited that he had a bargaining chip against everyone else trapped here. She didn’t know what to say. “I-I’m not sure. I don’t know if they want us to, but the fact that we still can makes me think they’re fine with it.” 

[Akatsu 0]

Kat couldn’t help the shiver that ran down her spine as she continued to think about people wanting to kill her and everyone else. She tried so hard to make everyone she met not hate her, that the idea that someone just wanted to kill 10,000 people was almost incomprehensible to her. But there were clues to it popping up the more she thought about it.

With a heavy sigh, Kat steeled herself and her thoughts, and brought her smile back. There were plenty of things to do that weren’t dangerous, and even some that were dangerous but manageable. As long as they were careful and worked together. She knew Ryou had her back. And she would have hers.

Back to the topic of money then, “So we need to kill monsters or do quests? Where do we find quests? Did it have any in the tutorials?” Kat’s eyes lit up again, “I want to see what happens when we kill stuff, if it disappears like Dragon Quest! I think that would be cool. Boom! POW! And then poof, right out of existence!!” Kat giggled again and almost tumbled backwards again from laughing too hard, but managed to catch the table with a blush on her face.

”Don’t say anything,” she told Ryou, before motioning to the door, “Come on, let’s start the adventure!”

[Ryoubai 0]

Ryou tried not to think about it too much, if she did, she'd fall apart right at the seams. She shut her eyes to stop any more tears and took a deep breath. She opened her eyes again and cleared her throat. The tears were gone. She tried her best to think of how much fun they'd have together. She hoped she could keep it together until she was alone. She had a lot more tears to shed, but now wasn't the time.

"Either or, some are quests that have you kill a certain amount of monsters, I think. We'd have to go to a bounty board to get a quests because I didn't see any in the tutorial." Ryou explained. She looked a bit nervous when Kat said she actually wanted to see something die. "I hope it isn't too gross..." She said, frowning. She wasn't sure if it would be bloody, but assumed it would be and planned to puke accordingly.

Ryou gasped as Kat fell backwards, quickly standing before stopping in her tracks when Kat caught herself. She gave her an annoyed look, rolling her eyes and looking a bit unamused. "A-Alright, let's go then." She said, holding the door open for her. She hoped with all of her heart something good would come from this.

[Akatsu 0]

Kat was glad the adventure was finally starting. She was practically skipping as she left the cafe with her friend. The whole world was open, new and exciting, and all they had to do was reach out and grab it. Nothing in their way, the real world a whispered memory in her mind. As Kat skipped a long not a care entered her mind until she was forced to stop with an audible grunt from her.

She had been skipping with her eyes closed like the absolute ditz that she is, and ran straight into another player. She opened her eyes, and was trying to decide if she would apologize or scold them for getting in the way of a happy skipping girl, as she scanned the person in front of her. As she did, a coldness washed over her, very similar to all those times she got caught out at the bar.

”Well, what do we have here? The tavern wench,” the man looked over Kat’s shoulder, “and her friend in tow. How fortuitous, I had been looking all over for you two, my promised companions. I had so hoped you hadn’t gone and done something stupid like die. I need to blow off some steam after learning I’m stuck here for however long it takes for the authorities to get us out of here.”

Kat’s mouth hung open, of all the people for her to run into. She looked the man over, she never usually paid attention to the men she fleeced, but then again, not very many of them she ever saw again. Once they realized that they weren’t going to get anything out of Kat and their business was concluded, they never came back. But this man, tall, lanky, with greasy looking black hair, was the first repeat offender. Kat struggled to find words. But all that came out was a croak.

Edited June 1, 2022 by Akatsu

[Ryoubai 0]

Ryou followed her along closely, looking at her nervously as she tried to keep up. She wasn’t going to skip, but was trying to keep pace. She was looking at Kat, but when she glanced back at the road, there was a person in her way. “Aki, watch—!” 

It was too late, she had already bumped into him. “We’re very sorry, please, excuse us.” Ryou said with a bow. She helped Kat up then turned to him sharply. Her eyes widened and her jaw clenched as he spoke. This disgusting man dared to speak to Kat in that manner despite them all being in a horrible situation. She couldn’t stand it. She recognized him. Kat had introduced them, as he was the one giving them the Nervegears. He also had worked in the office space below the business she worked in. She had passed him by every so often, but never talked to him. Then it clicked. What did he mean by “promised companions”? Anger boiled up inside her and spilled over as he spoke. “I will not be the companion of someone who doesn’t have common decency! How dare you speak to her that way!” She yelled.

She gently moved Kat aside and looked at her. “What does he mean? Did you… promise us to him? Akiya, why would you do that? He’s expecting something horrible of us, isn’t he…?” She said in a hushed tone. She didn’t want to be anywhere near him, but if her gut was telling her anything, it was that they needed to run.