Chapter 21

Who was Hellfang Teach?

This question had been bouncing around in Ryder's mind all day and night, it seemed like he wasn't the same character as in the beta test or even offline version of the game.

What could they expect, what differences would there be? Would the story still remain the same, was he truly unredeemable?

Could there be some big secret they were missing-

"Ryder, you alright?" Oto's calm voice spoke, causing the champion to look towards him.

"Yeah, why do you ask?" he replies without much thought, having easily been snapped out of his thoughts.

"No reason really, you just had a surprisingly serious look on your face." Oto replies, looking ahead again. "So, this merchant… she's already setting up?"

With a nod Ryder focused on the path ahead of them again, they'd been heading to the clearing south of Jules Village.

The trail was stamped flat from all the people who'd walked ahead of the duo, preparing for the brunt of the oncoming attack.

"Yeah, supposedly she's one of the more important NPCs according to Aranea." he pauses and pulls out his notebook. "Her name is… Delvia, she's a Northern Isen-"

Oto raises a hand. "All I needed was the name…" with a sigh he shakes his head. "I didn't expect to see that shorty so soon, if her supplies are as good as the beta then we're in good hands."

"What, is she that good of a vendor?" Ryder asks, his interest now piqued as he puts the book away.

"Best merchant in all of Terminus apparently, her shop had insane loot, like boss weapons and hard to find items." Oto crosses his arms, remembering all the items she sold. "Hell she'd even sell scrolls that could call down meteors!"

"Wait, seriously?! What the hell was a merchant like that doing in the beginning area now?!" Ryder nearly yells out of surprise, unable to believe what he was hearing.

Oto shrugs a bit, his focus now being on the nearby sounds of hammers banging away. "No clue, only thing I can think of is she'd have come looking for some of the more unique treasures, after all the NPCs do seem more alive now."

"True…" Ryder stops and looks towards the source of the noise, surprised to see barricades being built as quickly as possible.

Dozens of figures running back and forth as quickly as possible, trying to get defenses set up for the battle, cannons being hauled into position.

In the middle of everyone was a small purple haired girl yelling commands at the workers, eagerly getting everything ready.

Even Aranea and Regis seemed to be listening to her commands.

"That's probably her." Ryder comments, getting a sigh of confirmation from Oto who begins walking ahead.

It was surprising to Ryder, seeing all these forces grouped up in one place, preparing to deal with an all out war.

Were there really so many people willing to put their lives on the line for this?

Slowly he caught up to Oto who'd already begun his conversation with the small merchant, a less than pleasant look on his face.

"-so that's the plan? I'm just going to sit back until I'm needed?" Oto asks, disbelief and slight annoyance lingering in his voice. "I could help everyone else defend at least-"

"No can do, hot shot!" Deliva's voice was surprisingly sweet, yet held a small controlling tone in it. "We can't have you going and getting hurt, not before you're actually needed… that's if the knight in shining armor there can't handle it himself."

Both Oto and Delvia look at Ryder, catching him off guard. "What? Don't think I can handle a duel?"

"Oh no, I wasn't saying that… but you certainly don't seem like someone strong." The merchant looks him up and down before crossing her arms. "Are you really the one that scared off that Lord Hunter?"

"I wouldn't really say scared off, but he did back off after I landed a hit on him." Ryder explains, still unsure of why it occurred the way it did. "If I had to guess, he was judging us based on ability and potential."

Delvia shrugs, uncaring of the finer details. "Hey, it's not my head on the line here, just fight your hardest when it's time."

"I will but first, when do I challenge him to a duel?" as the words leave his mouth both Oto and Delvia look at him in disappointment.

"They seriously didn't tell you?" Oto asks, now reconsidering letting Ryder take the duel.

"No, all I know was I was supposed to challenge him." the champion sighs a bit, now feeling a bit more unsure of himself.

Delvia shakes her head before explaining. "Look, you're going to wait until he comes out into the open, as he won't feel the need to right away." She motions to the cannons and defensive barricades. "That's what these are for, we thin his army and he comes running to lead the advance!"

"Then you blast your way into his line of sight, challenging him to a duel." Oto continues, trying to wrap this up as quickly as possible. "Seeing a strong target, his Ferosian Honor won't let him refuse."

"Got it… so what, do we just wait then?" Ryder looks around, hoping to be of some help setting up.

"Yes, we can't have the two stars of the show tired or roughed up before the big moment!" Delvia happily says. "So just make yourselves comfortable and get ready!"

With that the small merchant speeds off, leaving Ryder and Oto to just find a spot out of the way to relax.

It didn't sit right with either one of them though, being forced to be on the sidelines like this, though there wasn't much point in arguing if the plan had already been figured out.

Oto quietly sits on the ground, back against a crate that Ryder was sitting on top of. Quietly he reaches into his pocket and pulls out a rusted looking coin, absentmindedly he begins to flip it up into the air, catching it as it comes back down.

The silence between the two was deafening, it only made their nerves rise more and more.

It needed to be broken, so Ryder did the only thing he could really think of.

"So, what was your life like before all this?" His voice was a bit quieter, clearly nervous, though it didn't lose any of its kindness.

"Huh? Where's this coming from?" Oto didn't bother looking back at him, instead focusing on the coin he was flipping, it seemed to help him relax somewhat.

"Just figured I'd break the ice, better than sitting in silence." he comments, now focusing on the coin as well.

Oto thought for a moment, debating what to tell him as he'd never really told anyone about his life before, it'd just never seemed important. "Well… I guess you could say it was uneventful? Sure I have a large family but for the most part nothing really happened."

"If you don't mind me asking, how large?" Ryder looks up towards the sky now, remembering his own family. "I only have my mother and father, so things get pretty boring at times."

"That's way smaller than mine, I'm an octuplet you see… and unfortunately the only boy as well, all my siblings are sisters." he sighs and shakes his head a bit. "Not only that but I'm also the shortest, so you can imagine how that goes."

Ryder lets out a tiny laugh. "I think so, but hey at least with that many siblings things never got boring I'd bet."

"Eh I wouldn't say that… but I have been told I got used to the chaos." Oto catches the coin and shrugs before putting his hands behind his head. "Say, what about you? What was your life like mr champion?"

Ryder just stares off into the sky for a moment, resting his hands on his lap. "If I'm honest? It was like living in limbo, every day feeling exactly the same, so I got into this hoping for something new." He motions to everything around them. "And it seems like I got what I wished for."

With a sad laugh Oto nods in agreement. "It does, but hey I'm sure we'll be out of here in no time, we just gotta find the asshole who trapped us and take them down."

"That's easier said than done." the champion replies, his voice losing a tiny bit of its hope. "All I can hope is that we get out soon, can't leave my parents alone forever."

"Yup, and I need to get out before my sisters start getting too worried." Oto stands up and stretches a little. "Not that they need to worry, I've always been capable of handling myself as is."

"I would hope so, you're my backup after all." he responds with a smile before noticing Aranea nearby. "Hey, I'll be right back, I've got something I want to discuss with Aranea."

With a wave Ryder stands up and walks over to the red haired paladin, her smile as bright as always as she tries to keep everyone calm.

As he approaches her eyes lock with his and he's offered the same kind smile.

"Good to see you Ryder, I hope you're feeling well… as well as can be right now." her caring voice soothes the ears as she rests her weapon against her shoulder.

A small smile forms on Ryder's face as nods. "I am for the most part, and though I hope you are also well, that's not what I came to talk to you about."

"Ohh?" Aranea raises an eyebrow curiously, now intrigued by this. "Well then, what did you want to talk about?"

"I came to ask you about Hellfang Teach… he's not the original boss of this place, is he?" he asks cautiously, unsure of the answer he'd get.

Sure he felt like it might've been different but he didn't know for sure, and he wanted to know before the fight.

"Yup, he's someone we'd never even heard of before… all we know is what the NPCs have relayed." she casually admits while looking off to the distance. "Honestly, there's no telling what he'll bring to the battle… or what his motives are, but all we can do now is Fight and Survive, isn't that right?"

A slight embarrassed look washes over Ryder as he sighs. "Can you please not bring that up?" he pinches the bridge of his nose before continuing. "Still so that means then this guy might not be as bad as we're expecting?"

"I doubt that." Aranea says, her gaze focusing on Ryder once more and getting a bit serious. "Remember, he's still the only cause for the husks around us after all."

"Right I know that, it's just… I think there's more to this story than we know." Ryder says while looking at the palm of his hand. "Ever since I've gotten this flame it's like my sense for this kind of thing has been heightened."

Aranea stops and thinks for a moment before sighing and patting him on the back. "Just take it easy, I'll trust whatever you decide is the best, alright?" She offers another kind smile. "Even if that means not killing the boss… I mean it did work out with Regis after all."

"Yeah that's true-" Ryder begins only to be cut off as Regis waves at him and Aranea from a distance. "Well speak of the devil…"

Her voice booms loudly over all the various noises and conversations as she approaches. "Alright you two! It's almost showtime, get ready!"

Ryder takes a deep breath to calm himself before standing up. "Showtime huh, guess there's no backing out now."

Mustering up as much confidence as he can, Ryder marches forward, Aranea moving to her position as well.

As they walked the conversations around them died down, everyone becoming alert to a deep rumbling in the distance.

It was the sign, the signal that the show was indeed about to begin. Ryder knew that this was it, as soon as the signal was given it'd be time.

He couldn't stop his hands from shaking though as his mind raced.

After all there were only two outcomes. This would either be the beginning of their adventure… or the beginning of the end.