Aurula, The Facilitator of Air, the one in charge of ensuring that the future Players of the Oceania Battle go through the process of Character Creation without a hitch, was now faced with the possibility of one of those said Players dying.
Yes, dying!
If anyone were to say later on that she was most likely just overreacting, she swore she would show them what she saw at that moment and dare them to say that this was the image of someone who was in good health!
For when she heard a loud and hideous cough and the sound of another liquid hitting the ocean's surface, she turned around to find that the Player who recently took up the name of "Wanderer" feel down on her knees with an anguished expression on her face and had vomited blood.
That last problem concerned her since it didn't seem like she was either suffering from a severe illness or had taken internal damage.
But what alarmed Aurula the most was that the smog covering Wanderer had gone from being pure black to being mixed with dark navy and purple colours. Not only that, but the Facilitator could've sworn she saw a set of vertical wavey lines appearing above said Player's head.
~What is that an advanced version of the "Depressed" state?!~, Aurula yelled internally, before shooting over to the downed(?) Player, before grasping her shoulders and shaking her frantically.
~Gabriella, please, snap out of it!~, Aurula screeched, not noticing in her panic that she reverted to using Gab's IRL name as opposed to her IG one, "I don't know what happened, but don't under any circumstance swim across that river for the field of flowers!!~
"What field of flowers?! I'm hardly pinning for the fjords!", Gab exclaimed, seemingly having been yanked back onto her mortal coil as a result of the Facilitator's uncharacteristically frantic shaking and screeching, "And isn't the "crossing the river" analogy somewhat redundant, considering that we're already on top of a massive body of water?!!"
Shocked by such a quick clap back from someone who seemed only seconds away from death, the stunned Facilitator could only blink rapidly for a few seconds before her mind fully registered what this ungrateful (?) Player just shouted!
~Well, EXCUSE ME for fearing that I, somehow, became the first Facilitator to streamline a Player's entry into the afterlife instead of a second life!!!~, she yelled back, shocking Gab with not only her uncharacteristic anger but also with how the wind that was still holding the Facilitator up in the air started to visibly pick up speed at a violent rate, causing both the water she was sitting on to start lifting around her and Aurula's previously still hair to whip around like neon-green cable wires
This magically and emotionally induced phenomena had the effect of making Aurula look like a primal goddess of the air around her, gentle one moment, and wrathful the next.
Strangely, an equally primal part of Gab that this display by the Facilitator was exceptionally hot.
But the Facilitator in question STILL wasn't done!
~And don't you dare think that a simple explanation like "It's not you, it's me" will serve in any shape or form as an acceptable one for what just occurred, or I swear that I'll give you a Title that's so embarrassing and disadvantageous for you that you'll WISH that you had died just now!~
~So, tell me, what on EARTH happened to make you react like that?!~, she said before pausing, ~Or on WATER, if you still feel the need to be pedantic.~, she amended with a raised eyebrow.
Not wanting either a terrible Title before she even started in Arbitrium proper or for the pissed off Aurula to blow her away, Gab's mouth started to go into overdrive.
"Ok ok, I'm sorry for scaring you like that!", Gab apologised, pausing to gather her thoughts, "It's just that you reminded me that I can only make one, single important choice before starting. I just didn't know beforehand that I only had two options to choose from.".
~Two?~, Aurula repeated, a confused frown form on her still angry face, ~Last time I checked, you have at least twenty options in this part of the Character Creation. Why have you divided that number by ten~.
Gab slightly chuckled at that, as knew that the Facilitator wasn't wrong. It was just that she had a different perspective regarding the number.
"For me, the choices are; pick a single Class, and never touch the others, or choose to not use a Class, and throw away the chance to get one along the way.".
As soon as she heard that strange reason for this Player almost carking it, Aurula was now officially unable to make sense of this whole situation.
Deciding that she requires more context, Aurula closed her eyes as she concentrated on forcibly reining in her currently fluctuating power over the wind.
As soon as she opened her eyelids to reveal her solid-green eyes, she stared straight into Gab's.
~I believe I need more of an explanation as to WHY that particular choice caused such an effect on you, so tell me.~
For a short while, Gab went on to explain how she was an RPG Class Otaku and how that was the main cause of her initially dismissing the notion of playing Arbitrium just to stick with only one Class.
Needless to say, Aurula herself felt like she was about to cough up blood after hearing all this.
~I've heard of incidences where beings force themselves to die on the spot from sheer grief, never over something as small as this!~, Aurula thought to herself, causing her to also wonder as to why Gab was so obsessed with Classes in the first place, but she decided to shelve that particular question for a later time.
Soon as Gab finished regaling her sad story (?), she let out a massive sigh whilst glancing at the Facilitator's now dumbfounded expression, and can pretty much guess what she was feeling. Hell, if she didn't place that much importance on Classes and she found someone else who did go through a similar experience as she did a short while ago, she would most likely be fighting the urge to beat them bloody!
"Haaah, maybe I should just pick a Style and Class at random and not worry about my hang-ups towards this game.", she said aloud, shocking Aurula, "Who knows, maybe I might come across a Class during the game that no one can get under normal circumstances, now wouldn't that be something…".
~Now look here, you little shit!!~, Aurula angrily blurted out, shocking Gab with her use of a phrase she often found in social media comments, ~I have already become a part of a memory where you almost died, and I'll be damned if I'm also involved in a one where you make a choice that you'll undoubtedly regret!~, she finished before rising to her full height and started to turn around.
"Where are you going?", Gab asked as Aurula started to move away.
~I need to make a call to my Mistress so that I can find out whether or not we could find a compromise that will make your choice a more bearable one~.
Leaving Gab with that bombshell, the Facilitator moved as fast as the element she represents.
Scratch that, maybe even faster, as Gab could've sworn she heard the telltale sound of something (or in this case, someone) breaking the sound barrier in the distance.
…
"…why does she give me the impression of a stereotypical anxious secretary calling her boss?", Gab mused, before dismissing the notion.
Little did Gab know at the time that her impression of Aurula's behaviour was very much on the mark.
Once she determined that she was a fair distance away from Gab, as well as her other projections that helping the Players that still need to create their IG avatars, Aurula reached into her own special storage space and pulled out what looked like a small, green pane of stained glass that shared similar dimensions to a large smartphone, with the Bagua on the Facilitator's forehead etched on its topmost part, acting as her symbol of ownership.
This strange piece of glass, which is generally found in the hands of special, high ranking beings being in Arbitrium, is known as a Dicit Speculo (Oracle Glass), a unique item that is ungraded due to its value being beyond what a mere item grade can imply.
It allows one to contact another being who owns a similar device without the need for a relay, essentially giving the caller a direct line of communication from Point A to B.
Due to this latter feature, very few beings can intercept a transmission made by these items and enact intelligence gathering, making this one of the safest and reliable means of communication in all of Arbitrium.
At this moment, Aurula was going through her own device's contact list, searching for the one she needed desperately.
Unlike a typical contact list of a smartphone, which uses names and numbers, the one on a Dicit Speculo instead only uses sigils that corresponds with a certain contact.
Unlike a typical contact list of a smartphone, which uses names and numbers, the one on a Dicit Speculo instead only uses sigils that corresponds with a certain contact.
After a few moments, the Facilitator found the one she was looking for; a blank, 3D card that was slowly turning on the screen.
If any normal inhabitants of Arbitrium's islands, continent's and various special zones were to see this digit, they would be shocked. Hell, even the very fortunate Players that were about to travel to the world in a short time would be gobsmacked, as this type of card would be typically filled in.
To make an overly long description short, it was a blank Class Card.
After tapping on the peculiar sigil, Aurula leaned down, held the Dicit Speculo to her right ear with her right hand whilst cupping her left one over both its receiver and her mouth.
Very much fitting the image that popped into Gab's head as Aurula left to make this call!
~Come on, come on, please pick up…~
TING!
"Why hello, my cute little Auru! I must admit that I haven't expected you to call so soon, so I'm curious as to why you're doing so?.
Blushing a little at her Mistress's pet name for her, Aurula gave a slight cough before reporting her problem.
~I'm sorry to disturb you, Mistress, but I'm having a problem with a Player I'm currently assisting that I have no idea how to solve. One that I'm certain that my fellow Facilitators would also have difficulty in rectifying.~.
"Hmm, a problem that neither you nor the other Facilitators can solve? This problem wouldn't happen to be one where a Player wanted a particularly offensive IG name, would it?", she asked in a now frosty tone, causing the listening Facilitator to shiver at the apparent hostile intent that she didn't doubt was aimed at the aforementioned Players.
~Oh, no no no, taking care of that particular breed of Players is easy! All I had to do was give them appropriate Titles that would make it particularly difficult for them to deal with a fair amount of the natives.", Aurula said quickly, trying to quell her Mistress's anger, "Besides, I'm pretty damn sure that several of my fellow Facilitators have unfortunately already dealt with far more of those Players than I have.~
"Well, that's a relief," the Mistress said in a far calmer voice, "but if that type of problem is easy for you and your sworn friends to handle, then exactly what is this problem that required you to ask for my assistance?".
~Weeellll,~, Aurula hesitated before deciding to just get straight to the point, ~she has a problem with how she can only select one Class to choose from, enough that she almost gave up on life when I reminded of that!!~.
"…Start from the beginning, and please don't spare any details.".
Without drawing a single breath, Aurula began to recount the events that led to her making this call at rapid-fire speed, from Wanderer's unusually slow pace in making her avatar compared to other Players, her lack of knowledge regarding Styles and the types of Classes that are associated with the first two, the horrifying near-death experience that particular Player had (which will undoubtedly haunt the Facilitator's dreams for some time) before relaying the reason as to why the aforementioned "near-death experience" occurred in the first place.
By the time Aurula finished this detailed report after not pausing at any point, she found herself gasping for breath!
"Breathe, my little Auru. I don't know about you, but I would be sad if I had to tell your peers that you died as a result of lacking the very element you are meant to represent.", her Mistress said with a slight teasing and amused tone, putting it at odds with her last statement.
Despite feeling her face warm up as a result of exertion and embarrassment, the Facilitator of Air took her Mistress's advice to heart and started to take slow and even breaths, calming her down before asking for an answer to the question that's been weighing on her for over 10 minutes;
~So Mistress…is there anything we can do to make her not regret her decision?~.
When her Mistress didn't respond to her inquiry for over a minute, Aurula thought with dread that the Player now known as Wanderer will most definitely look back on the moment she finally creates her avatar as one full of regrets.
What she didn't know was that on the other end of the line, her so-called "Mistress" had a smile on her face that was so wide that a well-known smiling cat would desperately want to learn from her how to improve his own!
"He he he, oh I DEFINITELY have a way to make it so that regret wouldn't even be the last thing she would feel when looking back on that moment! I would even go so far as to say that she'd be ecstatic that she almost died!!".
Hearing the confidence and assuredness in her Mistress's declaration, Aurula felt as if a heavyweight has been lifted off her shoulders.
~Really?! How are you going to make it happen? Are you going to give her a powerful Antique Class? Oh, or are you going to give her the ability to use multiple Classes straight off the bat?~.
"Nup, I'm not doing neither of those things.", the Mistress shot back without missing a beat, shocking the Facilitator.
~Wh..wh..why not?~, she asked, prompting a sigh to escape the Mistress's mouth before enlightening her subordinate.
"Tsk tsk tsk. My little Auru, think back on your report, was her problem related to either the quality of the Classes or the number she can hold at any one time?", she asked before continuing, knowing her subordinate immediately realised that neither of those points was the main problem here.
"No, her actual problem is that she wouldn't be able to explore any other Class aside from the one she chooses freely any time soon. Even if I were to allow her access to a far better Class or have more than one right from the start, it would be akin to sticking a single bandage wrap on a massive ocean trench!".
Mulling over the words she just heard, Aurula now knew that her suggestions were more akin to a quick once-over than proper solutions to the core problem.
~Then what is the solution you have envisioned for the Player in question?~, she asked in a meek voice, sounding properly chastised.
"Well, this issue can't simply be resolved in one go. Rather, it'll require a series of conditions to be met before I can give her something to make Arbitrium as enjoyable an experience for her as the other Players who are happy with straightforward paths for progression."
"And those first steps,", the Mistress paused for effect, "will require you, my little Auru, to directly assist with her Character Creation."
Before Aurula could protest the fact that the Facilitators can only streamline the creation process, not directly interfere with it, the Mistress quickly interjected, "Of course, I will give you the authorisation to do so this one time, so long as she agrees with our little hare-brained scheme.".
Ignoring that last spit-take worthy description, Aurula asked, ~What is specific actions do we both need to take?~.
For a few minutes, the Mistress gave the Facilitator instructions on how to proceed. But during that time, Aurula felt a layer of cold sweat develop on her back.
~W-w-w-wait a moment! The other steps were fine, but wouldn't the first one make her want to die?!!~, Aurula screeched in a panic, which only got an amused chuckle from her Mistress.
"Oh, relax. Tell her that these are only the steps to be done during Character Creation, not all of them. After all, there still a few more conditions she needs to fulfil that can only be done in Arbitrium proper.".
~…what exactly are the other conditions?~, the Facilitator asked timidly, after which she could've sworn she "heard" her Mistress smirk.
"Let just say that these final steps will require a more…personal touch on my part.".
Aurula reflexively sucked in the cold air as she realised the full implications of the last statement, for the Player she was acting on behalf of was going to subject to an event that even the great Heroes and Villains of Arbitrium's Ages of Antiquity never got to experience, much less any of the other Players that have already finished creating their avatars.
~Mistress… are you seriously telling me that you're going to directly involve yourself with her?!!!~, Aurula asked in a high pitch voice, whilst suppressing the urge to pinch herself to confirm whether or not she's dreaming.
" a matter of fact, yes, I am.", the Mistress confirmed, before cutting off any questions she was certain the Facilitator was going to ask, "Anyway, you should get to…Wanderer, was it? I'm sure she doesn't want to be kept waiting for too much longer. Besides, I need to start making preparations for her on my end, so I can't waste too much time.".
Biting her cheek to stop herself from inquiring further, she instead knelt on one knee despite the being it was meant for not being physically present, ~Yes, my Mistress, I understand. And thank you so much!!!~, she said before finally disconnecting her Dicit Speculo and racing back to the waiting Player, breaking the sound barrier at an even faster rate than before!
***
Location: Unknown, Unknown
After confirming that her "cute little Auru" finished the call, the Mistress laid her own Dicit Speculo on her bedside table as she lay in her bedroom on what seemed to be a large and luxurious bed. Strangely, there are a large number of thin, rectangular objects covering both the bed and almost every inch of the room, which itself is exponentially bigger in space than an entire mansion, much less an ordinary bedroom!
As she was pulling herself off her deliciously comfortable bed, she couldn't help but give a happy chuckle.
"Wanderer, huh? She most certainly sounds like an interesting woman.", she remarked to no one in particular before she started to search her bedroom for a few things.
"She doesn't sound like someone only interested in gaining a powerful Class that would allow her to dominate over others if she uses it right," she said, picking one of the rectangular objects from an elaborate but messy dressing table made of what looked to be extremely rare metals and encrusted jewels. Hell, even the faintly glowing mirror looked it could only be bought by exchange one or two continents.
"Nor does she seem content with simply sticking to one path, although I imagine she would admire those that do just that because it's something they're passionate about,", she grabs another one from her lingerie drawer, only to pause before grabbing a particular pair of crotchless panties as an afterthought
"Rather, she sounds someone who wants to explore the limits and capabilities of each Class to fullest, seeing what type of person would typically use them and what makes them so different from similar ones,", she crawls underneath her large bed to find another rectangular object she was looking for, not bothering to ask herself if her maids cleaned under the bed recently.
"All in all, she sounds like someone after my own heart," she strolls over to her ancient-looking bookshelf (which looked like it belonged to a large library rather than a bedroom) and plucks out another rectangular object that was embedded halfway through the shelf proper.
"That means I might need to put in a bit of effort for this venture. In the initial stages, at least.", she states before seeming to grab another one of those peculiar objects at random amongst the many that were floating on her indoor swimming pool, although she knew that she got exactly the one she needed.
Taking a cursory glance at the five objects in her hand and confirming she had everything she needed, she casually strutted to her bedroom door, only pausing when she put her hand on the handle, wearing a pensive expression on her face.
"…I do hope you're the one I have been waiting for so long, Wanderer. Otherwise, I may have to enact a special "punishment" on you.", she said, before a grin flashed upon her face and proceeded to throw the door open, letting in a light that can permanently blind an ordinary person in less than a second!
That being said, both natives of Arbitrium and Players would be more likely to have been blinded by greed were they to have seen even one of the five objects in her hand, whose identity and rarity were truly revealed by the light.
For the objects in her hand, and scattered across her room, was Class Cards. One of the highest rarity at that!!
***
Location: The Sea of Character Creation
If she was present at the end of Aurula's call to her Mistress, Gab probably would've asked if she was psychic, or something of the like.
Because she doesn't like to be kept waiting!
To stave off the boredom, the increasing amount of irritation and the already maxed out levels of anxiety she was feeling, she spent some time looking over all the Styles and Classes similarly to one reading a magazine whilst waiting at a General Practitioner's clinic.
After what seemed to be her ninth reread of all the options available to her, Gab's ears suddenly picked up the telltale sound of fast-approaching sonic booms in the distance.
"How have I not been hit by a shockwave yet? At the pace she's going, she may as well be a humanoid A-Bomb!!", Gab asked aloud with a sweat drop comically sliding down her forehead, "Could she be using magic to nullify the more destructive consequences of her speed? That may be one possibility.".
As she turned around, the Facilitator of Air suddenly appeared before Gab.
Compared to before, Aurula was in a sorry, yet unbelievably alluring state.
She must have been legging it hard when she both left and returned, for she seemed to be profusely sweating from every pore of her body and was gasping for breath as her life depended on it. This had the unintentional consequence of causing the previously flow material of the Facilitator's clothes to stick to her body like a second skin and allowed Gab to get a better idea of the proportional curves that hide underneath.
There was also her hair, which was now mussed up as opposed to straight and shiny.
If Gab didn't witness her breaking the sound barrier, she would have guessed that the neon-green hair was in a prominent "just fucked" state, given how much sexier it looked. Of course, Gab kept this salacious line of thought to herself.
~S-s-sorry, hah, to have, hoh, kept, cough, you waiting!~, Aurula apologised haltingly as she bent over, giving Gab an even more enticing view of the Facilitator's far more visible breasts.
"Ah, d-don't worry, it's fine.", Gab said whilst praying not to get a nosebleed (although she couldn't quite stop another type of "bleeding"), "So how did your meeting go?"
~Oh, it went well!~, Aurula professed loudly, seeming to have regained a good amount of energy, ~In fact, she even went as far as to plan out a series of steps that will lead to you getting the type of experience you want in Arbitrium!~.
"Really?!", Gab asked, stunned, "What's the result of these "steps"?".
~That, I'm afraid, I do not know,~, Aurula said apologetically, ~all I do know is that my assistance is required for the first few step since they can only be done during Character Creation. These particular steps require your permission to allow me to make some selections during the process.~.
"Okayyyy.", Gab replied in confusion, wondering why the Facilitator needs to add her input into a process that is typically only done by Players alone.
~However, before you agree to this,~, Aurula paused whilst donning a serious expression on her face, ~I need you to make a promise. To me personally.~.
"Hmm? What do you need me to promise you?".
~Promise me that you won't die.~
"…last time I checked, human beings eventually die, one or another", Gab stated a bleedingly obvious fact slowly, "But why do you make it sound like I'm going to want to die in the very near future?!".
~Because if what happened earlier was any indication, then one of the steps we need to complete here will make you want to do just that, so I need you to promise me that you won't!~, Aurula said whilst giving Gab puppy dog eyes.
"Ok, ok, I promise that I won't,", Gab gave her word, though not without feeling a sense of apprehension, "So, what's the step that'll make me want to cark it?".
Taking a deep breath, Aurula looked Gab dead in eye and uttered something that she definitely wouldn't have wanted to hear;
~… to make the Mistress's plan for you to work, you need to become a [Freestyler].~.
"…"
~…~
"..."
~...!~
"…are you SURE I'm not allowed to di.."
~NO YOU ARSEHOOLLEEE!!!~