Ice opened her menu and hesitated over the stats. She didn't know what to do. She didn't know what to improve, maybe because she didn't exactly know her strength.
She pulled her hair in frustration but held back her tears.
Ora saw her and can't help but reach out to the teen. She knows how it is not knowing how to move forward. She had an idea about what Ice was thinking but decided to let the kid spill it out on her own.
She just pat the teen on the back to let her know that someone is there to count on. Ice looked at her gratefully but doubt still showed in her eyes.
"There is no wrong move as long as it is done with good intentions," Ora encouraged her and Ice nodded.
"...But it's not like I can make that excuse when a bad guy is coming at me," she said matter-of-factly that made Ora look at her differently.
"There is steel in this one despite her indecisions," she thought.
"Then you already know what to do…" Ora declared.
"You are right. There is no use second guessing," Ice said and put almost all her points on defense.
Ora raised her eyebrows at her but said nothing.
"I have to be able to stay standing long enough to heal you, guys," Ice said and Ora nodded.
"Wise choice," Ora simply said and she was rewarded with a shy but sincere smile.
One of the hooded people who followed them observed them a while longer before deciding to act.
John is in one of the rooms of the inn and the two girls are in the lobby waiting for the others to join them.
The hooded figure sent her two companions away and entered the inn.
Ice wanted to check in on John but Ora stopped her.
"I have something to ask John. Let me go to him first," she requested and Ice decided to let her. Besides, she still needs to check their supplies. Ice went to their bags while Ora stood to go to John's room.
Ice checked the party inventory and was satisfied that they have adequate supplies. It won't last long but it is enough for now should they decide to go levelling up.
She turned and was startled to discover that somebody is closely observing her.
"Hi, I'm Norak," said the girl in colorful clothes.
Ice judged her age to be almost the same as hers. The clothes screamed gaudy but there was something in the way they were put on and arranged that also denotes fun and positivity.
Ice immediately liked Norak.
"I'm Ice," she said simply and proceeded to take the bags back to the room.
"Let me help you," Norak said and took a bag from Ice. She did not wait for Ice's protest; she cheerfully hoisted the bag and gestured for Ice to take the lead.
"Listen, I am not supposed to, you know, take another person with me...we have a party," stammered Ice.
"Psh, I am just helping you carry a bag. Now, which way?" She said dismissively and Ice had no choice but to point vaguely in the direction of their rooms.
Norak surveyed the room and clicked her tongue.
"This won't do. Why did they give you this shabby room? They have better rooms, you know," she said conspiratorially.
"Uh...these are the only ones we could afford," Ice said almost apologetically.
"Oh, okay. I thought you were being had. This inn does that...make you pay high then give you lower quality rooms, I mean," Norak plopped to one of the beds.
"Ouch! There's not much meat in these animal carcasses," she grimaced as she wiggled and rubbed the low quality fur bedding.
Ice didn't know what to do so she also sat on one of the beds, waiting for her guest to speak again.
When Norak stayed still, looking at the ceiling, Ice decided to break the silence.
"Uhm, I'm sorry...are you an NPC?" Ice said tentatively.
"WHAT?! Am I a...what? Oh, come on. Can't you tell?" she stood and put her hands on her waist indignantly.
"Actually, I can't but since you mentioned it, my bad. The game could not have programmed a personality as realistic as yours," Ice bit her lip.
"Okay. You're forgiven. You just gave me a compliment, didn't you?" Norak said sunnily and that relieved Ice.
"Yes, I guess I did," Ice offered a smile.
"You are a healer, aren't you? Norak suddenly asked.
"Why did you ask?" Ice probed carefully.
"Don't be tight-assed. You just have the look of a healer," she explained but that got Ice into the defensive.
"Because I am small for a fighter?" her voice had a slight edge to it and Norak caught on immediately.
"No, silly. Size has nothing to do with it. I've seen tanks smaller than you. I guess you could say you have that responsible look that healers have, that's all," she assured Ice.
Ice pondered on that for a bit. Did she look responsible? A small voice wanted to say 'yes'.
"Yes, you do," Norak echoed her thoughts and that startled her.
"You are wondering whether I'm pulling your leg or not, right? Come on, have a little more faith in yourself. Here, I have a gift for you," Norak offered a small, ornate bottle with a purplish looking liquid inside.
Ice sniffed it lightly and attempted to open the lid but Norak stopped her.
"Be careful, that one can wake the dead up," she mockingly warned.
"So is this a revival potion?" Ice asked and put the bottle in her bag's pocket. Something crackled inside and she remembered Abagat's note.
"Sort of," Norak said vaguely.
"Then how would I be able to use it if you won't tell me?" Ice complained.
"Let's just say, use it in case of a real emergency. Just spill the contents out and you'll see."
"Ookay," Ice said dubiously.
"Fine, I was just teasing you. It is a revival potion," she said in a mock serious voice but with a funny face.
Ice giggled and the bottle is forgotten for now.
Norak noticed the mirror and went to it.
"Hey, your mirror looks funny," she turned to Ice.
"What do you mean?" Ice looked at the mirror.
Their reflection was indeed woozy and wobbly in some places. It made their faces stretched and pinched in strange ways.
Ice giggled again. Her chin looked impossibly long.
"Maybe it's just a cheap mirror," she said and shrugged.
"Oh well, this is a cheap room," Norak agreed.
"What do you say to a light snack? My treat?" Norak offered.
"Let me check on Ora and John first," Ice said.
"Okay. See what I told you? Responsible…" Norak said admiringly.
John's room was close but they could hear two voices discussing something. Ice turned without saying anything.
Norak chased after her after standing near the door a while longer.
Ash and Vince are now lounging on the lobby chairs.
Vince had his feet up on the table and Ash was trying to push his feet down. He was resisting and the two of them appeared to be playing a highly competitive game of 'who gets to have his way'.
"Oh, you adopted somebody," sneered Vince as he noticed them coming down the stairs.
"Hey, being handsome doesn't give you an excuse to be obnoxious," Norak admonished him.
"She called me handsome. I like her already," Vince grinned at Ash.
"She also called you obnoxious," Ash pointed out.
"I'm Norak, Ice's friend. Charmed, I'm sure," she talked mainly to Vince. For some reason, she seemed to be avoiding Ash.
"You talk like an adult. Wow, they programmed this one awesomely," gushed Vince.
"Again, with the NPC?" Norak looked at Vince flatly.
"You're not? I mean, wow, I am really sorry. So you are a player. Nice to meet you. I'm a player too," Vince winked at her.
"Innuendo? Really? You don't look like a player, though. You look like a...a…" she struggled for words.
"Wetpants?" Ash helpfully supplied.
"Yes! That's the word I was looking for!" Norak exclaimed.
"Great, another Ash…" Vince was dejected.
"Guys, I invited Ice for a snack. Care to join us?" Norak asked them.
"Would you tone down the 'attack Vince mode'? I won't come if you keep ganging up on me," he pleaded.
"Great, more for us," Ash got up to leave, pushing Vince down.
"Come on, Ash, let him come," Ice smiled at Ash.
"Alright. Take my bag, then, WP," Ash threw her bag at him.
They went to a tavern near the edge of the town and whatever misgivings anyone might have had about Norak eased a lot at that point.
She was absolutely hilarious that even the normally reserved Ash lightened up considerably.
"Shut up twerps! You are making my head hurt!" One customer slammed his beer mug on the table.
"It's like the stomach, it hurts when it's empty." Ash did not even look at the guy.
The thrown mug would have seriously injured anyone but Ash did not even flinch as it flew near her face. Vince frantically ducked even though he was farther away.
Norak looked at the man dangerously but controlled herself and surreptitiously signalled two men sitting near the corner to stay down.
They went back to eating.
"Now, you got Wetpant's pants wet," Ash looked amusingly at Vince and then at the fuming man at the next table.
"Now, now...kids, let's not get carried away. We are sorry sir, if we disturbed you. We will be quiet from now on," Norak said placatingly.
"I am not in the habit of getting patronized by kids!" The man flexed his considerable frame and looked menacingly at Ash and Vince.
Ash looked bored and raised her middle finger at him while Vince fumbled for his sword under the table.
"Just calm down for a minute, sir, and let's talk sensibly." Norak levelled a deadly gaze at the man and discreetly peeled back her collar to show a tattoo.
The man's eyes widened slightly and he grew visibly pale.
"We said we're sorry and we would be dialing it down. There is no need to resort to violence, is there?"
He immediately sat back down while murmuring some sort of apology to Norak.
"See? Everything can be settled with nice words!" she turned to them all smiles.
The man on the other table left soon after but not before throwing them a hateful look. Norak's back was turned so she didn't see it but Vince definitely saw it. It gave him the shivers and he held to the handle of his sword a little tighter.
After the light meal, Norak made some excuse of having some errands and left the group to return to the inn by themselves.
The two men followed her out after a few seconds.
They checked on John when they got back. Ora was still with him. Vince and Ash exchanged meaningful glances and they both laughed when Ora glared at them.
"Where have you been?" said John who was still on the bed.
"Out there, just grabbing some food, friends and enemies…" Vince said flippantly.
"You did what?"
"Don't look at me, I was just along for the ride. Ask these two," Vince pointed at Ice and Ash who glared at him.
"What happened?" asked Ora.
"It was nothing. Ice here met a friend and we all went out to eat when someone obviously didn't like teenagers enjoying themselves so he threw a beer mug at us. Don't worry, his aim was terrible," Ash explained.
"Oh my...don't you think it's too early to go out there picking fights?" Ora shook her head.
"Ora is right. We should find out more about this before we go offending people. It might be harder to move around while dodging angry mobs," John admonished.
"Lighten up, old man. It was just one person...and nothing bad really happened. Ice's new friend was really diplomatic," Ash kicked her boots loose and went to a bed.
"Tell me about this new friend," John said.
Ice was about to say something when she noticed the mirror beside John's bed. It swirled and distorted the reflected images much like the mirror in her room.
They all turned to look. The images blurred and dimmed and brightened and cleared alternately and as they all got closer, they saw glimpses of the Gate of Transformation where their bodies were standing with a light blue nimbus around them.
Two unidentified figures were approaching the rock. Their back was turned but they can all see that one was a girl and the other is a boy not much taller than Ice.
The boy approached Vince's body and tried to touch it.
"Hey! Watch it!" Vince shouted in alarm and the boy sharply turned to his companion.
"Grace, did you hear that?" he said.
The group clearly heard what he said.
Ice tried to touch the mirror but to her surprise, her fingers went straight through and they pushed the two persons inside the gate.
She gasped as she withdrew her hand but it was too late. The two were nowhere to be seen.