"Recruitment?" Sato listened to the NPC's words attentively. "You heard that, Gray?"
"Yeah." Gray replied. "We should go and apply for it."
"Sounds like a plan. Let's go now then."
Gray and Sato left the diner, heading for the castle that belonged to the Dragoon's. There were a lot of people queuing up to sign up for this event. The crazy part was that there is no Level requirement as this was a contribution ranking event. The higher percentage of damage you do to the enemy, the larger your final rewards will be.
Players of all levels could be seen joining in on this expedition. The ambitious low leveled gamers are hoping to get something out of this by sticking around the higher leveled players.
"Hey big brother, do you mind me following you around?" A young female gamer spoke out to a higher leveled gamer.
"S.. SURE." The heated man immediately accepted. Why would anyone not accept that?
For Sato's and Gray's case, no one wanted them on their team. Their level was far too low for the big guild team's standards. This played to their favour as it would attract the attention of stronger gamers. Their mission this time was to scout and hopefully do some internal damage to the Dragoon Family. When the registration stopped a man wearing noble clothing walked out of his keep.
"Dear Adventurers!" The head of the Dragoon Family, Vack Dragoon, commanded out. "I call upon you today to recruit you for a conquest! A conquest to destroy a crucial city in the Human faction! In a week's time, we shall set out for war!"
"Rarghhhhh!" The crowd of players roared and was hyped up for the upcoming battle. ROL was so popular for this reason. The ability to physically and mentally feel and experience things that couldn't be done in real life, was addictive and stimulative.
Even Sato couldn't help, but chime in on this. It would be a good time to level up as he would gain experience points from killings both the undead and human faction members.
After the introduction, everyone present received the quest that starts tommorow night.
*Battle Of Paleta City
*Difficulty: B
*This will be a clash between the Human and Undead Factions. Fight to your death and earn contribution points by killing enemies.
*Time Limit: 1 in-game day
*No penalties will be given to the loser
*The higher the contribution points, the greater the reward.
"Gray, if we do well in this mission, we would be able to get closer to the Dragoon family. We must try our best to get up the contribution ranks." Sato looked at Gray with determination.
"Alright." Gray complied obediently. "However, you must go to sleep now. Tomorrow morning, you will be doing something with me."
"What is it?"
"A secret."
"Fine." Sato pouted slightly, yet he was rather excited. What did Gray plan to do tommorow?
Just as he was told, Sato went offline and prepared to go to bed. The past week had been packed with university work and yet, it was his most enjoyable time in the past few years. Especially today, when Gray had said those words to him. This will always be your home.
Sato went to sleep smiling. During his sleep, he had a dream. A very vivid one.
The dream was set in a warmly lit room. The curtains were not doing a very good job at blocking out the morning sun. Sato awoke from a beautiful slumber. A light breeze came in from a half-opened window. It felt ticklelish on his pale skin.
Then, there was a light knock on the wooden door. A man, lean and tall, came into the room holding a tray. Even though his facial features wasn't very visible, his smile was identifiable. It was one that could not be replicated. The way his dimples creased slightly, his firm red lips tilting upwards.
Sato looked at the tray that was presented to him in his bed. It was breakfast. Ham in an omelette with a cup of warm milk. The meal was simple, yet Sato could tell it was prepared with a lot of love.
"This will always be your home, Sato. Remember that." The voice sounded out before Sato broke out from his dream. The words. They were exactly the same as what Gray had said.
As Sato wakes up from his dream, it was already morning in real life. Yet, his head felt slightly heavy from that experience. The dream. It felt too real. It felt like I experienced this before. Was this actually a memory of my past?
The boy slid out of his bed as he went for a warm shower. Turning the water power to the highest, he let it pound on his body continuously. The steam could be seen floating up and around the whole bathroom. It made the whole place look like a steamroom. Sato was deep in thought, trying to recollect what he had dreamt off in his sleep.
Where was I in that dream? Who was that person that walked into the room? Was that perhaps... Gray? No no that is impossible. Why would he be there in the first place?
After thinking about it for a few more minutes, Sato finalised that the dream was most definitely a remnant of his loss memory. The experience was just too surreal and somemore, he had not forgotten one bit about every detail in that memory.
Sato changed into comfortable clothes before heading downstairs to make breakfast. The time was 7 in the morning. Gray has no woken up. Looking through the fridge, Sato found eggs. He then picked out an airtight packet of Ham. The boy had decided to replicate the same exact dish that was made in his memory.
The first try, the egg had been burnt slightly. The second try, the omelette was not folded properly. The third try, the amount of liquidness in the omelette wasn't there. He needed it to me perfect. He wanted to validate what happened in his dream.
It was then the door to the kitchen opened and a man wearing a casual black t-shirt in jogger pants entered.