[14:05 | May 12, 2035]
Ghast slammed their cane into the rubble they stood on, creating a shockwave that shook the room violently. The dust and cobwebs that covered the ceiling fell to the floor, covering the room in a thin layer of detritus. People began to gather outside of the building, gossiping amongst themselves.
"The hell was up with that explosion?"
"What was that?"
Inside, Ghast stared down the three adventurers before them.
"I'll give you one last chance to explain to me what happened to Mr. Cheng here."
Ghast glanced down at the rubble underneath themselves. A disfigured hand surrounded by a pool of blood stuck out from under a slab of stone.
"Who did this horrible act of violence!?" they said dramatically.
Ghast slowly pointed with their cane at Shin, Fuyumi, and Nightingale, one by one.
"Perhaps it was one of these villains…"
Ghast's tone of voice sank as their expression changed from playful to serious. Shin clicked his tongue as he lowered his hand to the hilt of his sword, ready to fight at a moment's notice.
"We're not looking to cause any trouble for you, Ghast." Shin said nervously.
"Oh, is that so? Then why did poor little Mr. Cheng here end up dead?"
"That's because you blew up the wall."
Fuyumi responded with a flat matter-of-fact tone that carried a level of disregard for the situation.
Shin and Nightingale's eyes widened as they gave her a glare that silently screamed "why did you phrase it like that?!"
"This isn't a fight that we can take." Shin whispered.
"I'm just trying and figure out their abilities first."
Ghast pointed their cane at the ceiling.
"Hmmm… I'd applaud you for tellin' the truth but there's still a casualty here. Anyhow…"
Ghast slowly lowered their cane. As it touched the ground, a thin white line shot out from the end of the cane that followed along the floor, separating Shin and Nightingale from Fuyumi. A brilliant white light shot out from the line, creating a wall of light energy that expanded upward. The wall dimly illuminated the dark room as the three adventurers drew their weapons.
Outside, the mob of adventurers gasped as the wall of light cleanly split a man in two. His body slumped to the floor, lifeless, creating a massive pool of blood before disappearing into radiant twinkles.
A trickle of blood emerged from the tip of Ghast's cane, covering their hand with blood. They shook off most of the blood with a flick of the wrist.
"Hoho? I suppose a little one got caught in the wall."
Ghast erotically licked the remaining blood off of their pointer finger as if it were leftover sauce.
"How delightful, I've been eager for a fight."
Ghast swiped their cane to the right. A small section of the white wall shot extended perpendicularly outward toward Fuyumi, slamming against her side.
"Fuyumi!"
Just before her body crashed against the wall, she snapped her fingers and created a cloud of smoke that dissipated outward as it cushioned her blow. The wall of light quickly snapped back to its original form after being manipulated.
"Tch, we can't fight Ghast right now!" Shin yelled out.
"We'll meet up with you later!"
Nightingale stuck his hand out and pointed it at the wall. His arm shook violently as an enormous ball of fire grew in size in the palm of his hand.
"[Hellfire]!"
The ball shot out from the palm of his hand and exploded as it collided with the wall, blowing a hole in the building. Shin and Nightingale ran out of the building before looking back to see if Fuyumi made it out.
"Running away already? What a shame!"
Fuyumi charged forward at Ghast with her dagger drawn. She slashed upward but it was parried by Ghast's cane.
"Fuyumi, let's get out of here!"
Sparks flew as their weapons clashed against each other.
"I am out!"
Fuyumi turned to Shin and Nightingale and winked. Understanding what she meant, they began running.
"Pay attention, honey!"
Ghast raised their knee, knocking Fuyumi's dagger out of her hand, and lodged it into the ceiling. They followed up with a swift swipe of their cane at the side of her head. A burst of light shattered outward on impact, like shards of broken glass. Fuyumi's body disappeared, collapsing into a cloud of black smoke.
"A clone, hmm?"
Shin and Nightingale pushed and shoved their way through the crowd of adventurers that flooded the streets of the marketplace. Some of them yelled at the two of them to watch where they were going. As they ran, Shin and Nightingale looked to the right at the massive wall of light that split the market in two. It stood tall, about twenty meters high.
Ghast slowly stepped out of the front door of the stall. The crowd of adventurers that swarmed the stall began to cheer. Ghast smiled devilishly as they greeted the crowd, bowing and tipping their hat.
"Now, now, settle down."
Ghast put the cane down and the wall of light collapsed back into a white line on the ground. The line retracted into the end of the cane.
"I have one task for you fine folks! Find the ones named Shin, Fuyumi, and Nightingale! Forget the rules of Dragonfall."
Ghast took out a pouch from their suit jacket and reached inside.
"In fact, I'll help y'all!"
Ghast took out a handful of Bloodshot Jewels and tossed them into the crowd. Eager adventurers caught them or rushed to pick them off the ground.
"Give me half of their bounty, and you'll rise in the ranks of Drakos far faster than anyone could ever imagine! Bring in anyone they're associated with and maybe you'll earn a little prize too."
The mob of players cheered and clapped. Some of them raised their weapons into the air with excitement.
"Those children are ruining our perfect operation! We're all profiting here, aren't we? Don't let them get away with it!"
Hearing this, Shin and Nightingale lowered their heads in an attempt to not draw any attention. They ran between the stalls, before reaching the end of an alleyway.
"Up?"
"Up."
Nightingale created a gust of wind that lifted them up into the air and atop the rooves of the adjacent buildings. Shin squatted down and peered over the ledge of the building.
"It's showtime!"
Ghast tipped their hat and disappeared with a shimmer of light. The crowd around Ghast began to disperse.
Shin opened his messaging panel and noticed an unread message from Fuyumi.
"Shin, Nightingale, I'll meet up with you two at the stairs. Shin, you should know. I'll be there in an hour or two. I assume you heard Ghast's speech as well? I'm going to check on Ayaka."
"What did she say?" Nightingale asked curiously.
Shin relayed her message to him before sending a message of acknowledgment back to Fuyumi.
---------
[14:13 | May 12, 2035]
Fuyumi was surprised at Ghast's strength. She knew that they were a formidable foe, but their abilities were nothing like anything she had encountered before. "Of the six classes in Mythos Online, which one would have the ability to manipulate light energy like that?" she thought. Fuyumi ran through many possibilities in her mind but she finally landed at the conclusion that Ghast could be at a high enough level to receive an advanced specialization.
She made it to the outside of her inn. She had to sneak into the inn to avoid potentially being spotted by the staff. After all, she was a wanted criminal in the eyes of the largest organization in the city. Fuyumi grabbed onto windowsills, climbed up to the second floor, and through her room's window. There, she quickly sat on her bed and logged off the game.
As if she was reliving her memories from just a few hours ago, Fuyumi ran down the halls of her home. Her hands trembled as she stood outside the door to her friend's room. She reached for the doorknob before pausing and knocking twice.
There was no reply. Unwilling to waste another second, Fuyumi opened the door. Inside, Ayaka sat at her computer desk with the Zero VR device on. She walked up to Ayaka to check on her. Everything seemed fine at first. However, she immediately noticed that Ayaka was straining. Her arms twitched slightly and she was gritting her teeth. Her body couldn't move fully since most of her motions were inhibited by the Zero VR device.
Fuyumi reached out, placing her hand on the device, wanting to take it off, but she knew the potential consequences. Not willing to take any chances, she ran back to her room and put her own headset back on.
Fuyumi leapt out the window, disappearing into a cloud of smoke, and slipped between the shadows in the streets of Dragonfall. Every few minutes, she had to wait in the alleyways for her energy to recover before being able to hide in the shadows again. She made her way down the familiar streets that she had memorized in the few weeks that they have been in Dragonfall. Fifteen minutes later, Fuyumi made it to her destination: Ayaka's restaurant.
Usually, there would be a queue outside at this time. However, it was eerily empty. She burst through the doors to find the staff panicking. Many of them gathered around a pool of spilled food, picking up the mess and mopping the ground. It was unusual for there to be any mishaps in their service.
"Ah, Miss Fuyumi. How may we help you?"
One of the staffers holding a clipboard got her attention.
"Do you happen to know where Ayaka is?" Fuyumi replied hastily.
"I'm afraid not. I last saw her right before she went on her lunch shift. However, the boss should be back in about five minutes. Is there a problem?"
"I need to find her immediately."
"Sounds urgent. I tried sending her a message earlier to discuss that."
The hostess pointed at the spill on the ground with a look of disappointment on her face.
"However, she hasn't responded to my messages yet."
Fuyumi ran back to the door and pushed it open.
"I'll search for her myself!"