"Are you sure this is the right place?" asked Artis concerned about this place as he followed Ray. Currently, they were in a dark alleyway with walls on both sides covered by strange graffiti and drawings like that of a strange fire with purple flame, some words drawn like, "DIE BITCH DIE!", a peculiar snake symbol, etc.
"Yup! Just trust me on this one...Oh, and ignore the graffiti on the walls, those guys wanna avoid the public for reasons!" Ray tried to placate Artis, but to no avail, it didn't work since Artis continued to frown watching the graffiti on the walls.
As they continued to walk, they came across a small black door. Ray came forward and knocked on the door in a strange pattern.
Two quick knocks, a pause, and another knock, another pause, then another two knocks and finally ending with a long pause and a single knock.
"Password?" said a hoarse voice.
Ray cleared his throat and said, "...We believe in The Shield!"
The door creaked open slightly, revealing a pair of sharp eyes peering out. After a moment, the door swung open fully, and they were met with a small, dimly lit room. The person behind the door was a burly man with tattoos covering his arms and neck. He stepped aside, allowing them to enter.
Ray led the way inside, with Artis following closely behind. The room was decorated fairly well. With red sofas and a table, a television, some snacks, pictures of some popular rockstars and bands, and a purple guitar completely contrasting from the outside view right now.
"What do you want, Ray?" asked a sharp voice coming from the darkness spread in the room.
"Vince?" asked Ray, "Where's Lexis?"
"She's not here currently. She went to meet Sarina and discuss a particular mission that I can't tell you about," answered Vince in a lazy voice.
'Sarina? A meeting with her? Oh, I know what meeting this guy is talking about!' thought Artis.
"What? Why didn't she tell me?"
"How am I supposed to know that!? You know that girl is never in the right head unless it's to deal with Amari!"
"Ugh!" Ray scratched his head, grumbling loudly, "That crazy lady always disappears when I need her! Did she tell you where she was going tho?"
Vincent remained silent, which spoke more words than anything could.
Ray sighed deeply, "Well, I guess I can't do anything about that. Would've been really helpful if she was here. Oh, and Vince, meet Artis, a newcomer! Artis, meet Vincent. We call him Vince for short. He's pretty friendly once you get over his snarky know-it-all attitude."
"Yeah right! Not my fault you dumbasses don't know basic knowledge!" Vince retorted glancing and eyeing Artis curiously.
"Ah! The guy who embarrassingly lost to Sienna and made you lose 50 Grands? It's that guy huh!?"
Artis immediately retorted, offended by that statement, "Huh? I put up a good fight you know! I almost won that, and what's with losing 50 Grands!?"
"...I prefer not to speak about it. Just speak to Ray if you want to know about it..."
Ray chuckled, clearly enjoying Artis's reaction. "Yeah, Vince here has a knack for pointing out all the embarrassing moments of my life. I think he keeps a scorecard just for that!"
Artis crossed his arms, clearly annoyed, "Not cool man! I thought we came here for serious business."
Vince leaned back in his chair, smirking. "Serious business? In this place? You've got to be kidding me. This is where we kick back and relax, not where you come for a seminar on adventuring."
Ray nodded, trying to steer the conversation back on track. "Alright, alright. But we need to talk to Lexis about the upcoming mission. It's important."
Vince shrugged. "She'll be back when she's back. Until then, why don't you two take a load off? I've got some games we can play, and I bet you'd love to see who can beat me at a round of 'Dragon's Reckoning.'"
Artis perked up hearing that name, "Huh? How do you have that game? Didn't this game servers shut down a few months ago?"
Vince smirked, "Well yeah...But once you get a genius like me and with my Unique Skill, I can create any server from scratch!"
Artis raised an eyebrow, intrigued, his pupils forming a orange halo. "Wait, you can just create servers? That's impressive! What kind of Unique Skill is that? What else can you do?"
Vince leaned back, a proud grin on his face. "Oh, I'm full of surprises. I can manipulate digital environments like they're clay in my hands. I can even redesign game mechanics on the fly. You guys are in for a real treat."
Ray chuckled, "Just don't let it go to your head, Vince. Remember what happened the last time you tried to show off your skills? The game crashed spectacularly, and we lost our progress."
Vince waved his hand dismissively. "Details, details! That was just a minor setback. Besides, who doesn't enjoy a little chaos now and then?"
Artis exchanged a glance with Ray, who shrugged, clearly used to Vince's antics. "Continuing on, how does it translate to actual fights? Can you manipulate real-world conditions, or is it just a game?"
Vince leaned back, contemplating. "That's the million-dollar question, isn't it? In the digital realm, I can create and modify rules, but reality doesn't work quite the same way. However, what I learn here can help us strategize better in real-life battles."
Ray interjected, "You mean, like understanding enemy patterns and adapting our tactics? That makes sense."
"Exactly!" Vince replied. "In the game, I can analyze how opponents behave and adapt our strategies accordingly. That knowledge can be applied in real situations. Plus, the mental training from these scenarios can enhance reflexes and decision-making in real fights."
Artis crossed his arms, considering this. "So, if we practice here and learn to work together, we might perform better when it counts in real life?"
"Bingo! The skills you develop—communication, quick thinking, teamwork—are all transferable. Just imagine how effective we could be if we know each other's strengths and weaknesses!" Vince exclaimed.
"...Interesting." Artis murmured, "So what is your Skill called?"
Vince leaned forward, "My Unique Skill is called [Digital Architect]. An evolved version of my previous Unique Skill [Mapping]."
Artis blinked his eyes and smiled softly, "A really useful ability. Not that useful in combat but works as a playmaker and to develop strategies if you know your enemies. Not bad at all."
Vince smirked, clearly pleased with Artis's acknowledgment. "Exactly! It's not always about brute strength; sometimes, strategy can turn the tide of battle. I may not be the one to take down the big bad, but I can sure make it easier for the guys to do the heavy lifting."
Artis said nothing, clearly lost in his own thoughts, 'My analyzing is complete. Now only to test it somewhere. I also have to test this knife I "borrowed" yesterday so this might be helpful...'
Snapping out of his thoughts, Artis said, "Well then, if we have nothing to go on with, let's play this 'Dragon's Reckoning'"
Ray nodded, "Yeah, we cannot move forward until she doesn't get here. I have already messaged her to get here so all we can do is wait until Lexis arrives."
Suddenly, the door knocked heavily diverting their attentions towards it.
Everyone's eyes turned to the door, suddenly alert. Vince narrowed his eyes, signaling Ray and Artis to stay quiet.
"Password!"
"We believe in The Shield!" called out a loud female voice which caused the door to automatically open.
There stood a familiar figure with long and straight purple hair, with fair skin and wearing a punk outfit, headphones covering her ears as she entered enthusiastically jumping all over the place.
"Lexis!" Ray exclaimed, breaking into a grin as she bounced into the room. "Took you long enough!"
Lexis waved him off, pulling her headphones down around her neck. "Yeah, yeah, keep your pants on, Ray. Sarina wanted to discuss some details with me regarding the activities about Black Wolf Crew , and it took longer than expected." She turned, her sharp eyes landing on Artis.
"And you must be the newcomer, what was your name again? Art? Arti? Artist?"
"Artis."
"Yeah that! Name's Lexis. A songwriter and welcome to my garage band where my band, Renegade Roses,
takes on any gig that pays," Lexis said with a wink, giving Artis an exaggeratedly cool pose. "But when we're not busy rocking out, we're digging up secrets and busting some heads, too. Sarina's little side hustle is just part of the whole gig."
Artis chuckled, trying to mask his amusement. "Sounds like you've got a full plate."
Lexis laughed, patting Artis on the shoulder. "You have no idea, new guy. But don't worry, you'll get the hang of it soon enough. Vince over here is your key to anything tech-related, Ray's the muscle—"
"Hey!" Ray interjected with a smirk. "I'm more than just muscle!"
Lexis rolled her eyes playfully. "Sure, Ray. And I'm a world-class chef."
Ray threw up his hands in mock exasperation. "I cooked dinner once!"
"And nearly poisoned us all," Vince cut in, grinning.
Lexis ignored him and continued, "Anyways, and I am the leader of this beautiful band, Lexis Alons! If you got any problems, hit me up! I'm your gal!"
Amused by the antics, Artis glanced at the group with a faint smile.
"Anyways..." She turned towards Ray, "You called me, right? What's up?"
Ray turned serious at once and said, "Right so...We need your help with some information..."
...
"So that careless Professor gave you the mission to scout the outskirts because...of the unusual activities...and you want my help to either give you information about it and go there with you?"
Ray nodded crossing his arms, "Uh huh, sounds about right...Sooo?"
Lexis stared at Ray with disgust like he was some sort of an idiot and sighed, "Alright...Since I already owe you one and since this busy gal is free tonight, I am willing to go with you."
Ray clapped his hands in excitement, "Awesome!"
"But!" Lexis raised her index finger, "If we get engage in any fight, you know what you must do right...?"
Ray's excitement was dampened by Lexis' raised finger, and he sighed, "Yeah, yeah… I know. Stick to the plan, keep my eyes peeled, and let you handle the tough stuff."
Lexis nodded approvingly. "Good. I'm not dragging your sorry self out of another mess if things go south."
"Yeah Yeah! C'mon now let's go."