"𝕊𝕠𝕞𝕖𝕓𝕠𝕕𝕪 𝕠𝕟𝕔𝕖 𝕥𝕠𝕝𝕕 𝕞𝕖 𝕥𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕨𝕠𝕣𝕝𝕕 𝕨𝕒𝕤 𝕘𝕠𝕟𝕟𝕒" - 𝕨𝕒𝕚𝕥. That's the beginning to a song that turned into a meme now that Holly thought about it. She couldn't help but have the song stuck in her head, especially since she had no other way to get it unstuck. "What does it say about my life?"
"What do you mean?" Dylan asked as he looked up from the sword he was busy inspecting. Everyone seemed to be taking their new circumstances in stride, even Dylan. His outlook - if you asked Holly - was if business went on as usual, then he had enough reason not to act as if something strange just happened. His face, normally either ghostly pale or sun kissed enough to look healthy, now was covered in soot from fires of the forge.
(Meaning it was trial and error once a Ronin commissioned a sword to go out adventuring. Explosions occurred in spectacular fashion, and Holly cackled with mirth as everything Dylan did blew up in his face. Finally, the two found that, just as the menu and profile was voice activated, in their new situation, you don't press the "forge" button. Rather, you start the process as if you were doing it by hand to unlock what Dylan considered a minigame.)
Holly rolled her now purple eyes and shook her head. "Have you heard anything I just sang?"
"Sorry, Hol," a shade of crimson glowed beneath the soot. He went back to his inspection. "Show stats." No screen popped up. A groan of frustration escaped from his lips before he slumped down in his chair. "How am I supposed to inspect this goddamn sword? I need to see it's stats and-"
"Try tapping it."
"That won't work."
"How do you know?"
"Because -"
"Because nothing," Holly waved her hand dismissively. "Forging seems to be different from the actual menu. You needed to bang an ingot of iron before you could start the process, remember?"
Dylan nodded. His eyes showed he seemed to be considering the idea. "That's very true," he turned around and scrunched up his nose. "But where? and how will it know the difference between inspecting it and holding it?"
"Try saying something and tapping it, Genius."
Dylan didn't rise to her bait. His need to make good ironworks currently outweighing the banter of an eleven year friendship. Tapping the handle, Dylan said, "Inspect."
A screen popped into view.
[ɪɴsᴇʀᴛ ɴᴀᴍᴇ ʜᴇʀᴇ] sᴛᴀᴛs
ᴍᴀɴᴀ: 𝟹𝟶
ᴘᴏᴡᴇʀ: 𝟻𝟶
ᴡᴇɪɢʜᴛ: ʜᴇᴀᴠʏ
ᴅᴇғᴇɴsᴇ: 𝟼𝟶
ᴀᴛᴛᴀᴄᴋ: 74
sᴘᴇᴄɪᴀʟ ᴅᴇғᴇɴsᴇ: 𝟹𝟶
sᴘᴇᴄɪᴀʟ ᴀᴛᴛᴀᴄᴋ: 𝟺𝟻
sᴘᴇᴄɪᴀʟ ᴍᴏᴠᴇ: ᴅᴇᴠᴏᴜʀ (ᴡʜᴇɴ sʟᴀsʜᴇᴅ ᴅᴏᴡɴ ʜᴏʀɪᴢᴏɴᴛᴀʟʟʏ, ᴀ ᴅᴇᴍᴏɴ ᴄᴏᴍᴇs ᴛʜʀᴏᴜɢʜ ᴛʜᴇ ʜᴏʟᴇ ᴄʀᴇᴀᴛᴇᴅ ɪɴ sᴘᴀᴄᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴇᴀᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ɪɴᴛᴇɴᴅᴇᴅ ᴛᴀʀɢᴇᴛ)
"Whoa," Holly muttered after seeing the "special move" designation. "A bit dark, don't you think?"
Dylan shrugged, "It could be worse. After all, it was a Yokai who commissioned this. I was expecting something world ending."
"But can we die here?"
"Why does that matter?"
"If we can die, you just created a weapon that tears a hole in space-time to bring a demon to murder another play-er, I mean person in a brutal fashion. You are an accessory to murder."
"Remember, Yggdrasil's world has precautions so it never gets to that point."
"If they don't work in whatever we are in now?"
"Well, that's something we need to walk across when we get to it."
The next day marked a week in Yggdrasil's world. Holly crashed at Dylan's for the week, realizing that his constant obsession with the game will probably be their best chance of survival. They were low on food and the redhead growled in frustration. "Profile."
ᴀᴄᴄᴏᴜɴᴛ ᴜsᴇʀɴᴀᴍᴇ; ᴍ𝟷ss_ᴡ𝟷ᴛᴄʜ
sᴄʀᴇᴇɴ ɴᴀᴍᴇ; ʜᴏʟʟɪʀʏɴɴ
ʀᴀᴄᴇ; ᴇʟғ (ᴀʟғ sᴜʙᴛʏᴘᴇ)
ᴄʟᴀss; ᴘʀɪᴇsᴛᴇss/ʜᴇᴀʟᴇʀ
sᴛᴀᴛs; ɴ/ᴀ
ғʀɪᴇɴᴅ ʟɪsᴛ; 𝟷. ᴋᴀᴢᴜ𝟶-ᴍᴀᴍ𝟶ʀᴜ
"Stats."
"ɴᴏᴛ ᴀᴠᴀɪʟᴀʙʟᴇ, ᴍɪss," the menu replied.
"What do you mean that it's not available?"
"ɪ ᴍᴇᴀɴ ʏᴏᴜʀ sᴛᴀᴛs ᴀʀᴇ ᴜɴᴀᴠᴀɪʟᴀʙʟᴇ. sɪᴍᴘʟᴇ ᴇɴɢʟɪsʜ ʀᴇᴀʟʟʏ," the menu replied in a blasé tone. Holly growled at the voice that filled her head.
"How can I fix that then?"
"ɪ ᴅᴏɴ'ᴛ ᴋɴᴏᴡ. ɢᴇᴛ ᴏғғ ʏᴏᴜʀ ʙᴜᴛᴛ ᴀɴᴅ ɢᴇᴛ ᴀ ᴊᴏʙ ᴍᴀʏʙᴇ."
"A job?" Holly scratched her head before shutting down the menu system. Deciding to talk to Dylan about it, she floated down the stairs to his forge. The redhead felt awkward in this new body, so light and graceful and definitely not as she had been in the other world. Knocking on the door, she cleared her throat.
Smoke delicately flew up to the rafters and she inhaled on accident. Holly felt a coughing fit befall her, remembering the drawbacks of being an Alf type of Elf. The further away from the surface she was the weaker she became. If her level had been higher, assuming it stayed what it was the night before all this happened, perhaps the smoke would have only tickled her throat rather than sent her wheezing.
"What's up, Holly?"
"I was wondering if you think its a good idea for me to get a job. You know the game better than I do, only playing somewhat casually when I want to play with you. You gained a job and became well-respected for you job. You can survive here, but I can't and I can't even see my stats and -"
"You were talking to the menu again, huh?"
"Yes, and he suggested that I should get a job."
"I take it that you agree with him."
"But I want your input first," Holly quickly added. Part of her definitely wanted to be more active in her role in Yggdrasil, but she had no way of figuring out what she would be good at if she could not see her goddamn stats.
Dylan sighed, knowing that this would happen. A small smile graced his face. Covered in soot and sweat, but happy because he knew this would happen. Holly never sat still. Holly never did anything that would cause her to be a burden on him. He took the glowing rod out of the fires, with the forging minigame complete, and it took the shape of a simple staff. He tapped the top with the beautiful fiery crystallite, "Inspect, name."
The words were as follows:
[ᴇɴᴛᴇʀ ɴᴀᴍᴇ ʜᴇʀᴇ]
Dylan thought briefly before he glanced at his friend. She wanted to go out into this new world to do something with herself. She needed all the help she could get yet Dylan leaving his forge was out of the question. So, a sad smile graced his face as he typed the name in.
[ʜᴏʟʟʏ ʙᴇʀʀʏ]
[ʏᴇs] [ɴᴏ]
Clicking yes, he handed the staff to Holly. "I think it's an excellent idea."
Holly knew what he wasn't saying was more powerful than what he was. "You aren't going to come with me, are you?"
"No," his eyes told her all she needed to know. This was not goodbye - they physically could never say those words to one another. But this was a so long. A new beginning.
There weren't anymore jobs here in Aoi. She needed to venture off to find something in another town. Hollirynn took the staff and pulled Kazu0-Mam0ru into a tight hug. She whispered words into his ear and left the shop.
Staff in hand and the sun shone upon her face. Warmth filled her in equal parts alongside sadness. So, she hummed a new song. One she taught Dy-Mam0ru a long time ago because, after all, she was presented with a new beginning.