Unseen, Unheard (Part 1)

[Laughing...crackling...the die is cast

Ashes to ashes, dust to dust

Writhe in glee...lie in wait

Stay with me, dance with Fate]

John was fiddling with his in-game menu when Ora came up to him. He offered a tentative smile but did not say anything.

Ora stared at him speculatively but also stayed silent.

She just watched him struggle with the modern interface, trying so many ineffectual gestures and constantly scratching his head.

She looked at her own menu and decided that she didn't know anything about it as well.

She walked a few steps away and let John figure it out on his own while also trying to understand the various images that hovered a few inches from her field of vision.

It was transparent enough not to totally obscure her sight but it dims the view like a tinted glass.

She looked at the others and saw Ice also deep in concentration to her own game interface.

They were all affected by Rai's statement of the fact that they inherently knew: they have to find out everything they can about their situation.

John was thinking of the same thing that was why he was trying his best to learn all that he can. This technology is alien to him but the basic premise is the same as any system he had encountered so far: input and output.

He glanced over Ice's direction and decided that he didn't want to disturb the young girl for the moment. She was probably doing the same thing.

Ash was out of the question. The mysterious teen was giving him a bad vibe; like she hated him.

Her coldness towards him might just be a general attitude she showed everyone but he could sense something else.

His attention turned towards Vince who was trying what probably were the basic color overlays for his clothes.

There wasn't that much to discover because their inventories were close to empty. His contain basic clothing and a special, non-usable item called 'Eye of Bathala'.

He decided to talk with the young man. There might be situations where better communication might serve them well.

"Where are you from, Vince?" he said conversationally.

"Why?" he replied suspiciously.

"Just curious. Me, I was originally from Texas but I moved to LA with my sister's family a few years back."

Going first might loosen the young man's guard.

"Uh-huh…" Vince nodded, noncommittal.

"So, I figured you play the guitar. Who's your influence? I mean, anyone who inspired you to play?" John nodded towards the guitar case.

His eyes lit up for a moment but turned a bit distant just as quickly. "No one," he replied.

"I played a little when I was younger. Can I try it?" He held out his hand but the young guy's eyes darted left and right as if unsure of what to say.

"Oh, right...I forgot, I was going to talk to Ice about something…" John didn't want to embarrass the kid by insisting. Maybe not today, he decided and turned towards Ice.

They were in a corner of the town square where benches are lined up along a cherry tree lined pathway going to the smaller stores.

Several groups have passed them but no one paid them any attention. It was obvious that they were a newbie party not worth anyone's time.

It was almost noon and his stomach grumbled. He glanced around and caught Ora watching him. His heart skipped a beat. There was something in that look that alarmed him though he can't quite put his fingers to it.

She was also watching him fiddle with the menu a while back and that made him terribly uncomfortable.

Among the group, she might be the second oldest next to him but not that much older than the others. Almost a teen herself.

He casually walked over while secretly observing every minor detail about her.

If there is what could be called a talent of his, it's his observation skills.

Ora has lustrous jet black hair that's almost to her waist. Her eyes were a rare deep violet.

Her lips, John didn't know if it was because of the game graphics enhancing it, were a red so inviting that he can't keep his thoughts straight once he started looking at them.

He wrenched his gaze away and forced them on her other features.

Her black leather jacket was still the same but gone are the splotches and blemishes. His eyes got drawn to a button near her collar. It looked like the head of a dragon.

When his eyes started roaming down, he heard a "Hrmmm…"

He knew he was caught. His face turned red.

"Uhm...hi. I'm John," he held out his hand to cover his embarrassment.

"Yeah, I already know." Her voice is as lustrous as her hair, he thought and blinked to clear his head.

"I am Aurora."

Her hand was the softest John had ever held and his knees started to buckle.

She laughed and the others looked sharply at them.

"Why do I keep hearing you being referred to as the Keeper of the Frozen Flame?" he asked more to cover his embarrassment than any real curiosity.

"It's just an honorary title in my clan. Sort of like a princess before her awakening. It's embarrassing, really," she smiled and dimples played at the corners of her lips.

"By the way, have you any idea about any of this?" He wondered why he was suddenly breathless.

He breathed deeply.

"I don't know. It is a little scary knowing we are in a game so real and so mysterious."

"I saw an announcement board when we came here. It was near the big gate. I suppose it is worth checking. I guess all we can do is play the game and look for our answers like Rai said."

"Yeah, that's all we can do for now," Ora agreed.

"Have you ever thought where our real body is at this moment?" he suddenly asked.

Her eyes showed that she did not, in fact, ask that question yet.

"My God, you are right!" she said, alarm was in her eyes.

She looked up and surprised John by saying, "Rai, are you there?"

A sprite that looked like Rai appeared in the empty air above them.

"Yes, Ora. I am here," she said formally but the voice was unmistakably Rai's.

"We have a question," Ora began.

"I heard you. Right now, your real bodies are still near the Gate of Transformation. It is safe. For the moment."

"For the moment?" John's gut turned at the grim possibilities.

"No one else is going to be able to do anything while you are there. Everything is suspended in that moment. Although we shall have to do something about that eventually. That pocket dimension will not be there forever."

"Can we ask, for how long?" John was suddenly afraid that the answer would not be the one he was hoping for.

"We have one week before the turning of the moon, so about that long."

"And then..?"

"Then it also goes to the River," she said matter-of-factly that irritated John a little.

"Those are our bodies. Does it mean we'll die in a week if we don't do anything about it?"

"Psh...we would have done something by then. Don't worry," she answered nonchalantly that did nothing to allay John's fears. He looked at Ora who shrugged.

"Okay, so what do we do for the moment?" he asked the sprite.

"Like I said, play the game."

"I feel hungry. What happens when I don't eat?"

"You get hungrier."

"That's not funny."

"Right now, your real bodies are in a suspended state, meaning the hunger you feel is more on your mind but I still suggest that you get something to eat. The mind is a funny little thing. It might turn against you if you keep ignoring its suggestions."

"Where would we get the money?" John was inwardly cringing that he has to ask this. The words of his sister echoed in his ears.

"You should each have enough money in your inventory to start but I don't suggest wasting it. Not being able to eat for a week might make you crazy," she warned and then vanished.

John sighed in exasperation at her abrupt manner but decided to just open his menu.

The upper right corner read: 1000 P.

'I wonder how much is that in dollars?' he thought.

He motioned for them to follow him to a nearby restaurant.

No one talked for a while. It seemed like they were also starving.

Vince kept tapping the utensils to the edge of the table that Ash had to kick him underneath the table.

"This all feels so real," the young man marveled as he continued tapping on the plate this time.

I wonder what would happen if I stabbed you with a fork, right now?" she asked.

His eyes bulged in horror as he remembered being poked in the nose with a sword.

"Who has experience playing this kind of game?" John asked them and everyone raised their hand.

He sighed.

"Everyone except me…"

"That's 'cause you're older than dirt," Ash said as she put the last of her food on her mouth.

Vince fist bumped her.

"Alright, I am older than you. That also makes me kinda your leader so shut up," John countered.

"Who died?" Ash answered in her deadpan manner.

John realized that in their eyes, he was nothing more than an older person. In their world, this wouldn't account for much. He would have to prove his value.

"For now, let's say that we need a temporary leader if only for appearances. We shall need to talk to people, negotiate and make deals and I figured they wouldn't even consider talking to a, what, teenager with a mask and an attitude, a pimply boy, a small young lady and a woman, no matter how beautiful she is," he coughed at that last one.

"And I say all they would see is an old, unimpressive guy," the pimply one said, John suspected, out of spite from being described as such. "Being older would not count for much in this game. Respect is only an illusion, if you ask me," Vince added.

"If you are talking about strength and power, then Ora or even Ash qualifies, not you," John said bluntly.

"But even if some things are just illusions, they still affect the way people treat others and a group led by a child or a woman would be apt to be underestimated from the get go," he explained.

"Alright, my vote goes to John," Ora said to cut the discussion short.

"But if you screw up, you're out," she said to him directly.

He swallowed hard and said nothing.

"That settles it, then," she said with finality.

"Wow, I wish she was my leader," Vince said to John mockingly which the latter decided to ignore.

"First, we find an inn and then we go to the market to shop for items, weapons and information," John declared and that marked his first attempt as their temporary leader.

He felt good about himself but he quickly hid his smile when he saw Ora looking at him with that speculative smile.

Their combined money did not really amount to anything good and they contented themselves with the usual beginner's stuff: a couple of low quality swords, basic armor and some healing items.

"We have to decide our roles..." John suggested before they set out for their first foray into the open world.

"Do we have to?" asked Ice timidly.

"Hmm...let me," Ash insisted.

"For now, I will be your frontline fighter. It is too early to need a tank but we might need one later. Ora will be our hybrid assassin/mage. We will choose more specific roles after we see what's out there," she said firmly.

"I thought I was your fighter…" sulked Vince trying mightily to swing his rusty sword.

Ash vanished from where she was standing and her sword was at Vince's throat before he could even blink.

"You were saying?"

"I wasn't ready…" he tried to cushion the blow to his pride.

"Take all the time you need," Ash said. She walked a couple of meters away from him and sheathed her sword.

Vince took a very awkward stance and levelled the tip of his sword to Ash's direction.

"Now, let's see you attack," he said smugly.

Ash didn't move.

"What, can't do that now that I am on to your every movement?" he said even as he tried swatting a very irritating insect from the back of his neck. It's sting was very itchy.

Ash's sword tip repeatedly poked the back of his neck but he kept swatting it without looking.

Ice was doubled over laughing and the rest of the group were trying hard to contain their laughter.

When Vince noticed, the back of his neck was beginning to form a small lump from the repeated sting.

"Ash - 50. Wetpants - 0," she declared.

"50?" Vince asked incredulously.

"You died 50 times," she simply said and wiped the tip of her sword with his shirt.

"Ice will be our resident healer, John will serve as a support/sniper and wetpants will carry our gears," Ash concluded their assignments.

"What?!" Vince was livid.

"Dead men have no say," she sheathed her sword.

They spent the better part of the afternoon killing harmless critters for chump change.

After two hours, they amassed a measly 100 P.

"This won't do," John scratched his head as he stood before the bulletin board. All the quests were taken and all they were doing was exchanging animal pelts for money.

Vince was excited because after all that, he levelled up twice. Although his stats did not change that much, he nonetheless bragged to Ash.

"How many level ups?" he showed his menu to her.

"None, you killed all the rabbits," she shot him an irritated look.

"There are no quests. If this goes on, we will starve within four days," John informed them.

A hooded person who looked like a child at first glance approached them. When he spoke, they were surprised to hear an adult underneath the hood.

"You will find no worthy quests here. You have to go elsewhere." His eyes seemed to glint under the hood.

"Where?" John asked, taken aback by the man's direct manner.

"They will not be where you usually look. These quests will come from the walkers."

"Where can we find them?" John tried to look hard under the hood but he couldn't see anything.

"They are unseen. They are unheard but with your eye, you might see them."

With that, he turned his back and started walking away.

"Wait, what is your name?" asked John.

"Tarayon."