I woke up in a cold sweat with a headache. I seemed to have a dream, or a nightmare, about the future. Something about an attack that killed everybody... I couldn't shake that fear and decided we should probably upgrade our gear, but first, we needed to meet with Tama.
I woke up, early in the morning after sleeping for four hours, and checked up on everybody. Soul and Ruby fell asleep leaning on each other, so I decided to put the blanket up higher on their bodies. They fell asleep while sitting up on the couch. Ken fell asleep in a sleeping bag, and Ipa was leaning against the window while asleep.
The house design this time around, like our original one in Dorrendale, was simple and put together nicely, with barely any divisions between rooms. I turned to the front door to go purchase some better gear, but as I put my hand on the doorknob, I realized they should probably choose their gear over me. I should also work on finding Ruby a proper class...
She was an empty class, or however she described it, but she couldn't stay like that forever. If I'm thinking about it, we have almost one of each. I'm sure Tama is a mage, and Soul is an attack mage. I'm a general mage, while Ipa is a melee-type class and Ken is an Ether class, so Ruby would probably work well if she was a ranger, wouldn't she? I would have to ask her when she wakes up.
"Oh, you're awake already?" I heard Tama's voice come out of the darkness of the night and she stood far away from me, still seeming like I should be talked to like I was a Lord of some kind.
"I don't need to sleep as often as other people. So, why are you here so early?" I asked her. It was hard to see her, as Tama's black hair and dark eyes were hiding in the night as well.
"I couldn't sleep. I've been thinking about what I can do to repay the destruction I caused... all of those people were afraid their lives were going to end, and we almost got caught by the police at the end of the day." Tama said, which was true. The police were on our tails when we got back to our house.
"You don't need to be hung up on that. It was only about twenty people, as far as I counted. I do have to ask, however, what did you come up with?" I asked her again. I sat on my porch and Tama decided to stand in the darkness.
"I was going to hand off all my money... but I instead told them the truth about Zeus. I don't know if they believed me, but if something goes wrong, they have the first pick to leave the city." Tama explained.
"I was just thinking about that too. Zeus won't go down without a fight, so will New Olympia turn into a warzone when we ask him to leave Ono? And will we have to kill Ono? I can't come up with a way to get Zeus out of Ono." I told Tama.
"Preferably... if you can preserve Ono's life... please. I don't want to see Souly cry over his death. I don't think I can handle that." Tama told me. Which I understood. I wouldn't want to see my sister cry over my death... but when I was reincarnated here, all she would know of me is that I died and probably went on to see Heaven instead of returning home.
"When I was reincarnated here as a Hero, I wanted to be the best one possible. I wanted to be one that served the people over all else. I made some dumb decisions, and I overlooked so many small details, so I wanted to process everything before making a decision again. I almost left Ruby to die in her destroyed village, and I'll never forgive myself for that. I've thought about it for a while, and I can't find a way to preserve Ono's life, so if you have any more information, please, share it with me. Anything at all will work, just something to boost my thoughts." I told Tama.
"I can't think of anything else... Ono had his memory wiped, so he won't even be the same person, but all I know is that if we can purposefully separate Zeus and Ono, that would be the best course of action. I will help any way I can." Tama bowed to me and I told her to knock it off.
"Please, I don't like that. I'm not better than you in any way, I've just made more mistakes. What are your traits, Tama? What can you do and contribute to our fighting force?" I asked her.
"Well, I can use the Fire Element and Ether skills, I'm the Mix-Mage, as some people call it. I can cancel abilities out with Ether and fire my own with Fire, so I'm a high-quality target here, considering Fire and Air mix into something ugly.
"Fire and Air... how did you learn your skills? Do Fire and Air combine into a deadly attack or something?" I asked her.
"It was complicated and involved terrible things. Torture, psychological and physical, and several friendship-ending schemes. It's called The Game of Hades. I learned every skill imaginable to the human brain and can manipulate Fire to any degree at all. Fire and Air are deadly because Air speeds up any skill it touches, while fire increases the power. When combined, it can make pretty deadly stuff." Tama explained to me.
"I'll keep that in mind. I can't use any Air Attacking skills, but I can enhance mine with Air and turn up the speed as well. The power increased, which doesn't line up with your explanation, but I hardly think that matters right now. No matter what, I need you on my team to work with us perfectly if we're going to enhance magic skills and take down Zeus. You said you'd agree to these terms, right?" I asked her again just to make sure. Tama nodded with a smile.
"I'm in your service, Anima! But, I have a few questions about being a Hero... if you don't mind?" Tama finally walked out of the darkness and sat up on the porch with me.
"What's it like? Like... knowing that your job isn't to just be some random person, but to be somebody to save everybody when they need it? Or help them in their most dire time?" Tama asked me.
"When I died on my planet, Earth, I was saving lives and died doing it. I was the same age as I currently am, and I was pulling out kids that were stuck in cars on collapsing bridges. I died doing that and it was a natural instinct for me, so it didn't really make a difference. The only thing I lack in this world that I needed was intelligence, so I vowed to become smarter for the sake of everybody else." I told her.
"What's a car? Sorry, I was just confused. And that's pretty noble of you, to be a Hero even in your past life." Tama told me.
"It's nothing... and a car is a big chunk of metal that has wheels and lets you go places fast," I explained to her. That was the most simple explanation I could think of.
"Hey, when this is all over, will you permanently join my team?" I asked Tama. Maybe it was impulsive, considering I didn't know what kind of person she was, but she had the Fire Element and could give me pointers on The Game of Hades, whatever that was. I wanted to be prepared, but she seemed to take it the wrong way.
"After my time in New Olympia, I have to go to Pretoria to solve conflicts with some Patriarchs. I know, I'm pretty important... but otherwise, I would join your team. You seem like the best Hero New Olympia and this continent has ever met. After I'm done, I'll come to find you." Tama told me.
"Don't rush it, solve your conflicts as efficiently as you can, and I'll be here with everybody," I told Tama.
"Well, what should we do until everybody wakes up? I don't need the sleep, so I'll be fine." Tama told me.
"In that case, do you want to help me gather materials for more potions? I completely ran out and have to get more for the fight against Zeus." I told her. Tama agreed and I went back inside to grab my backpack for the materials, just in case we needed to make a fire or wanted a snack.