Inside of the S-1 Mansion...
Akari walked back and forth across the living room, while Luca and Saori sat on the couch.
"This is bad, this is bad, this is bad..." Akari muttered, lost in her own thoughts.
Luca stuck some beef jerky in his mouth. "There should be a way to reopen the portal, right? Dachii managed to find a way to get it open."
Akari stopped pacing. "Are we sure about that, or was it just that guy doing it to pull him inside? Don't forget, their end goal is to get Dachii."
Saori looked at the ground, worried. "But why would they take Marachii too? Why do they want Dachii? Why did Hikari do such a dangerous thing?"
Luca slumped down off the couch. "That's a lot of questions. How about we save ourselves the time and someone call him?"
Akari shook her head. "Won't work."
"Have you TRIED?"
She sighed and pulled up her watch. As she attempted to contact Dachii, there was no response.
"Oh," Luca said. "Well, there goes that plan."
"I hope they're okay," Saori remarked. "That guy looked super scary!"
Akari thought for a moment before approaching Saori. "Wait, you saw that girl enter the portal, right?"
Saori nodded. "Yeah! She took the book and left!"
"If that's the case, we just have to figure out how she did it. It could be random, but I'm hoping there's a certain way to open a portal to their location."
Luca stood up. "If she had a book, why not try the library?"
"But I thought only Mr. Fujii was allowed in there!" Saori pointed out.
"This is a matter of utmost importance, Saori. I'll explain it to General Fujii when he gets here," Akari said.
She headed towards the library room, and Luca and Saori followed her. "Alright. We'll for anything that could explain how she disappeared."
She threw open the door, and she stopped in her tracks. "Oh!"
Behind it, they saw Fujii, who was searching the bookshelves. As soon as the door opened, he turned toward them.
"Guys! I see great minds think alike!"
"Mister! We're here to look for clues to open a portal!" Saori exclaimed. "Do you know how?"
Fujii shrugged. "No clue. Something in these halls should have an idea, though."
"Saori saw a girl in these halls open a portal, couldn't we do the same?" Akari asked.
Fujii immediately stopped, his eyes widening. "Wait, you saw WHAT?"
Saori nodded. "A girl with ponytails opened a portal! She's the one who took that book you were reading!"
Fujii stood still for a moment, composing himself. "I see. If that's the case, something big is happening. We need to find a way to follow them. Everyone spread out and start looking."
They all nodded and began to search the library. Fujii scanned a couple of shelves, looking for anything of note.
"Aoki..." he thought. "It's been a while."
Meanwhile, in Raijin City...
Dachii and Hikari got up, and they saw a smaller female orc standing in front of them, glaring at the first group of orcs.
"Oi' mate! Leave these fellas alone!"
The leader orc laughed. "Grishna? Shouldn't you be fishing in the south?"
She folded her arms. "And yer supposed to be waxing down the boats, Zok, so I guess that makes two of us!"
Zok cracked his neck, pointing at Hikari. "You'd defend one of these things? Even the most dull orcs wouldn't dare!"
Grishna looked back at Hikari. "She ain't done no harm, yet, so I think we'd best be fair to her, code of honor."
Zok spat next to her foot. "Lies. You don't care for a code of honor, you're kissing the ass of the special guest here."
He pointed at Dachii, who backed up.
"And? So what if I am?"
They faced off, staring each other down, and Zok held up a hand. "Let's go, fellas. I'd hate to send her back to Zarkara with some limbs missing."
He bumped into her and Hikari on the way, and the orcs behind him followed. Once they were out of sight, Grishna held out her hand to Dachii and Hikari.
"Heard you fellas were looking for an extra. I'm game."
Dachii scanned her for a moment, taking in her slim but muscle frame, her long black hair, and her barbaric dress and boots.
"Hikari," he whispered. "Are the female orcs strong?"
Hikari turned toward him. "Are you implying something, Dachii?"
He held up his hands and shook his head. "No, no! I was just asking!"
"Okay then. Yes, they are."
They refocused their attention back on Grishna, and Dachii took her hand. "We'll let you in! Though I don't know how our other teammate will feel about it."
Hikari rolled her eyes. "Forget her, she'll have to deal with it."
Grishna smiled. "Aye! I'll do my best to keep this ship straight!"
Dachii leaned in close to Hikari again. "What does that mean?"
"Just go with it."
Grishna gave Dachii and Hikari strong slaps to the back. "If we're a crew now, let's get better acquainted! I know all the good spots around here! Wanna come?"
They both shared a look.
"If it gets me away from that crazy swordswoman, then yes," Hikari said.
"What she said," Dachii added.
"Great! Follow me!"
As she strolled down the street, Dachii and Hikari followed.
"So, are orcs actually pirates? Dachii questioned. "I've read about them in books, but she seems a bit...modern."
"Some of them are, but I think they mostly are just a war tribe," Hikari replied. "They want glory, and they'll do anything to reclaim it."
Grishna stopped in front of a shop that read "Raijin's Steakhouse."
"Here we are! Best food in the entire city!"
Dachii looked inside the window, and he saw a bear monster looking behind the counter.
"That doesn't look safe."
Grishna grabbed the door handle. "Don't worry, lad! Food's as cheap and high quality as you can get!"
She opened the door, but accidentally ripped it off its hinges. "Oops."
She tossed it aside and walked inside, as onlookers began to watch.
"Let's go inside," Hikari suggested.
The interior smelled like steak and alcohol, and Dachii could smell a terrible odor of sweat as well.
"Yuck, what is this, a gym?"
Grishna slammed one arm on the counter. "Oi! Boulder!"
The bear stopped cooking and walked up to the counter. "Grishna! Always a pleasure!"
While they talked, Hikari and Dachii stood behind them, a bit out of place.
"That bear is talking..." Dachii muttered.
"You've already seen talking dogs, I don't think this is much different," Hikari noted.
"I don't like bears."
Grishna turned her attention to them. "Come on up and tell Boulder what you want, lads! Don't be shy!"
She stepped aside, and Boulder studied them with a curious gaze. "You must be that special human I've been hearing so much about, and a Voltian with you? Not a common sight, I'll tell you!"
Hikari shifted in place. "Yeah, I noticed."
Dachii looked over the menu. "Give me the best steak you guys have, ASAP."
After they had ordered their food, Grishna led them to a nearby booth, putting her feet up on the table.
"So, you're Dachii. What's your name, lad?"
"It's Hikari. Hikari Hisatomi," she said, eating bites of fish.
Grishna took a swig of beer. "Hisatomi? That name sounds kinda familiar."
Hikari immediately sat up. "It does? Have you seen my sister?"
Grishna set the beer down. "Heard some of them managers discussing a pink-haired girl. Called her by the same name."
Hikari gasped. "That must be her!"
Grishna burped. "Reckon she's a part of the games, but Voltians ain't too common in these events. And you know what's even less common?"
She stared right at Dachii. "A human wielding the Power of the Elements. How'd ya do it, lad?"
Dachii swallowed the steak in his mouth. "Me? I lost a fight, and then I just...absorbed a crown I found in my Grandfather's basement."
Grishna lifted an eyebrow. "A crown? What kind?"
Hikari also looked at him. "Yeah, you've never really elaborated on that, Dachii. I still can't believe a random crown gave you TWO Elemental abilities!"
He stopped eating. "Well, it called to me, and I was paralyzed, so I touched it. Afterwards, it healed my body."
Grishna chugged more beer. "Sounds like you're discussing an Elemental Artifact."
Dachii perked up. "What's that?"
"Power attracts power in this world. Some objects can store or activate Elemental abilities, but they've got to be made of an Element themselves."
Hikari rubbed her chin. "Huh, I've never thought of that. It should theoretically be possible to inherit two Elements if you get them at the same time, but the question remains: Why were there two Elements inside that crown? And who did they belong to?"
Before Dachii could open his mouth to speak, they heard the speaker outside.
"All participants, please head to your team's lodging at your earliest convenience."
"Venus," Grishna muttered. "Girl sticks to the rules, I'll give her that."
She got up. "It's getting dark. You fellas mind leading me to your place?"
They said goodbye to Boulder, and Dachii led them back to their house. "Here we are, sorry for the smell."
He opened the door, but as soon as he saw what was inside, he nearly fell over.
"Aoki!"
She was sitting on a bed, sharpening her blade with a kitchen knife. "Dachii."
She looked up, glaring at the two behind him. "Now do you mind explaining to me what's going on here?"
He got up, nervously smiling. "They're part of the team! I think we're pretty well-balanced!"
In the blink of an eye, she was standing in front of them, walking around.
"I see you've picked up an orc. Why are you here? No pirates to join?"
Grishna stretched and laughed. "I don't have many friends, so when I heard of that special fella looking for a team, what luck?"
Aoki lifted one of Grishna's arms. "Pretty dense. What tribe are you from?"
"Don't got one, lad. Orphan."
Aoki scoffed and moved over to Hikari. "You. Why are you still sniffing around here?"
"EXCUSE YOU?"
Aoki stepped in front of Dachii. "Listen, you can keep the orc, but the girl has got to go."
Hikari began fuming behind Dachii, and he looked between the two.
"She can heal things, so won't she be a big help to us? Anytime we get too hurt, she can fix us up!"
Aoki narrowed her eyes. "A Health welder...so she's a nurse?"
Hikari had to be held back by Dachii. "I am NOT a nurse!"
Aoki spun her blade in her hands. "Hmm, a nurse wouldn't be too bad, as long as you know your place."
As Hikari growled, Aoki sliced off her own arm.
"WHAT THE—-?" Dachii almost hurled.
"Heal that, girl."
Hikari tried to grab at Aoki. "I'll kill you, woman!"
Aoki grinned, holding up her katana with her other hand. Dachii leaned closer to Hikari.
"Please heal her before she stabs one of us next!"
After a few more moments of resistance, Hikari reluctantly grabbed Aoki's shoulder.
"Hmph!"
Her arm regenerated, good as new, and she flexed it. "Good."
She turned away, walking outside the back door without a word.
Dachii gave a small clap. "Isn't that great? She accepted you guys!"
Grishna smirked. "I like her."
Hikari plopped down onto a bed. How can a woman be so...insensitive and barbaric? She's supposed to be a VOLTIAN!"
Dachii yawned. "You should see how she fights. Gosh, she's scary."
Grishna opened the fridge, finding it empty. "Well, I'll be buying more beer, lads. Be back soon."
She walked outside, leaving Dachii and Hikari alone.
"So, any ideas where Marachii could be?" Hikari asked. "Wish he was here, instead of Ms. Katana."
Dachii shook his head. "All they told me was to play the Games, so I guess they have something to do with it."
Hikari began to close her eyes. "Fine, if that's what they want. Goodnight, Dachii."
As she fell asleep, Dachii sat on his bed, thinking.
"What do I do? Why me?"
He put his head down on the pillow, staring up at the ceiling. "Don't worry, Marachii. We're coming for you."
Outside of the house, Aoki was busy practicing with her katana, mimicking Fujii's moves.
"Damn, almost got it."
As she continued swinging her blade, she looked inside the house, noticing Dachii and Hikari lying down.
"Typical. How far we've fallen."
As she knelt on the ground and took a break, she heard a loud horn.
"YOU GUYS THOUGHT YOU'D GET TO SLEEP? SORRY! EVERYONE UP! LET THE GAMES BEGIN!"
The noise jolted Dachii and Hikari out of their beds, and Aoki grumbled.
"That witch..."
Hikari rubbed her head. "Are you kidding me?"
Venus, over the speakers, laughed. "Your first challenge? Make it to the arena, ALIVE."
Dachii got up. "Sounds easy enough, right?"
But immediately after, a shadowy figure kicked open the door, smiling eerily and holding a black greatsword.
"Sorry children, but it's not gonna be that kind of night."
And as soon as he stepped inside, one came out of the bathroom, and another came from the back door.
"LET THE GAMES BEGIN!"
—-