As Eisen and Blizz were both walking away, someone suddenly appeared in front of them. Well, he landed in front of them, for lack of a better word. "Whoops, looks like you've got yourself a visitor."
Eisen the Gemini could not help himself from sighing as soon as he saw who it was. "What do you want, Scorpio?" Eisen asked him in an annoyed manner.
The Scorpio was one of the Zodiacs. He had red, long auburn and viper-like green eyes, he stood a few inches taller than Eisen. He also had an ever-present mischievous look on his face that always told you to keep guard and to not trust everything that he says. The Scorpio was a trickster through and through.
"How rude, you should call me by my real name, my friend. We are in the real world now, after all." Scorpio replied to him. "Fine. What do you want, Gino?" Eisen uttered.
"I want to talk." The Scorpio said as he smirked. "Do we have to talk? I mean I am still trying to figure what the hell just happened…" Eisen said with a tired expression.
"Of course, my friend!" Gino replied with an emphatic nod of approval as he led both Eisen and Blizz to a tavern far away from the city that Eisen lived in.
As soon as they got inside the tavern, Gino tossed a gold coin to the bartender, who had a depressed look on his face. "I am sure you are quite aware of the plight of non-players in this world. They are reduced into becoming NPCs. Several of them have tried to escape their responsibilities, but once they are about ten meters away from their designated area for their character, they are pulled back. Much like in the game." Gino explained to Eisen about the tragedy of those who did not play Zodiac Ascension who have now been turned into NPCs doing the most menial of tasks.
"So, what are we players supposed to do? Do we go forth and charge right at Kael?" Eisen asked Gino who was more in the know of how things were run around here. "I am still a bit worried about my parents as well, they were away on a business trip which should last about two months." He added.
Gino downed the booze down his throat in one gulp. "Eh, they are probably NPCs now in whatever country they flew to. Anyway, I came here to ask you about which side you are on." The Scorpio asked him in a serious tone.
"S-Side? What are you talking about?" Eisen was confused. "The Twelve Zodiacs are now at a crossroads, Gemini. As far as I know, Leo is leading the opposition. He wants Zodiac Ascension's merge with the real world to remain permanent." Gino said to him.
Blizz listened intently as he nodded his head and absorbed the information of what it was that they were talking about. "Meanwhile, Sagittarius is leading the movement to revert Zodiac Ascension back into a game, they want to keep real life and this world separated. So, which side are you with?" Gino the Scorpio's question made Eisen sweat bullets.
"I-I…" He still had not made his mind up at all yet. "Before I answer your question, you should tell me which side you've taken first." Eisen hurled the question back to Gino.
Gino stood up from the table and grinned. "Are you kidding me? Of course, I am with Leo. Why should I go back to my life as a salesman when I can be a freaking Zodiac in real life?!" He said emphatically.