Chapter 18: Bitter memories

Chapter 18: Bitter memories A Creeping Memory Emerges...

Back then, our guild was nearly fifty members strong, and the Developers had just released a new patch introducing World Bosses—powerful monsters that required an army to defeat. I definitely underestimated their strength...

We were utterly defeated by Duxweaver in our first encounter. By the time we regrouped for another attempt, someone had beaten us to the boss' lair.

It was Kathleen Maher and her crew, already engaged in battle with it. Reluctantly, I had to admit, her guild was as formidable as ours.

We watched as they lost a dozen members and struggled through the boss' Second Phase—just like we had. Driven by desperation, I approached her with a strategy. Initially hostile, she finally snapped, "Fine!"

Yet, even united, we couldn't defeat the colossal dark mage.

It seemed destined for failure, with both guilds poised to blame each other. That's when a man intervened, a stranger with no guild emblem, who chastised us, "Close to twenty people here, and every single one of you is as blind as a bat!"

Kathleen restrained herself from attacking him only because they were old acquaintances from their early days in Portduo.

"The boss applies a debuff called 'Paranoid Pact' to anyone who attacks it, draining HP dramatically, right? You've been too focused on cleansing it, ignoring that it also increases resistance to Dark Element—which covers all his attacks!"

I was furious at myself for not noticing sooner.

Re-energized, we focused solely on supporting our front line, which proved even harder than anticipated.

The HP drain from Paranoid Pact was severe, compounded by the boss's direct damage. Our White Mages quickly depleted their mana, and Duxweaver clung to life tenaciously. Then, unexpectedly, the Dark Mage stepped forward.

It was ludicrous—a Dark Mage taking on a boss that thrived on dark magic!

But he wasn't aiming to kill. Searᴄh the Nôvel(F)ire.nёt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

"Chains of Purgatory," he invoked, and chains sprang from summoning circles, shackling Duxweaver. The boss then vanished into his shadow.

Later, we learned he had turned the boss into his Familiar, a feat possible only when a monster is near death.

We all gained XP and celebrated our first victory over the fiend—Shooting Stars and Death Bringers parting ways, enemies once more. But...

"Can I have a word with you, Ms. Bradford?" the Dark Mage, causing Helen to chuckle. I turned to see him kneeling like a knight.

Listening to him seemed only fair after his crucial role in our victory. Sometimes I wonder why I agreed...

"I wish to join your guild," he declared boldly, which made me laugh.

"I thought you and Kathleen were close."

He gave a half-smile. "We are. But I've watched both guilds, and I believe I can achieve my dreams with yours."

"And what is this dream?"

"To reach the top of this world..."

His talent was undeniable, and the chance to one-up Kathleen was too good to pass.

"Do as you wish," I told him, meeting his ambitious gaze before turning away and continuing home.

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Astrid snapped awake before the memory could continue and clicked her teeth in annoyance.

If I'd known he'd be nothing but trouble, I should've just shut him down on the spot.

(Someone looks ready to tear down a mountain,) her companion remarked, chuckling.

Astrid turned to Helen who rode her winged puma.

(Mind your business,) Astrid snapped through Party Chat.

(Come on, Bradford, show some enthusiasm. You're about to dine with an old friend—just the two of you. Aren't you excited to catch up?)

Astrid scoffed. (There's nothing to catch up on.)

Helen frowned. (Don't keep me in the dark! I know the coma story is a cover. Do you think I'm stupid?)

(If you hate feeling stupid, drop it,) Astrid snapped.

Helen sighed. (How many New Moontain have you downed today? They always make you cranky.)

Astrid was about to retort when a call from Tamara came through: (Guild Master! Are you coming back?)

(I am. Why?)

(Check your Guild Tab. It's easier if you see for yourself.)

Astrid did and was bombarded with notifications. So they really quit, huh? And nothing of value was lost... Wait a minute...

Her confusion turned to shock, then anger. (Helen, go to HQ immediately and check the vault,) Astrid instructed, her expression composed yet stern. (I need you to make sure that Jason Foreman... hasn't stolen all the guild's gold!)

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After kicking Tamara out of the bar, Kathleen's Co-Leader instructed a pair of Death Bringers to stand guard at the entrance. To pass the time, the two guys smoked, cursed their luck, and watched the last stream of Miss Cosmica, from hours ago.

They nodded in unison while watching the idol dance and shake her hips.

"Although she only sings girly stuff, she sure is hot."

"Tell me about it!" his companion chuckled. "When I'm in the mood, I just get comfy, enlarge the video screen, freaking mute it, and just--"

They heard a sonic boom, followed by an explosion that made the ground shake a 100-feet away in front of them. Squinting, the two strolled towards the newly formed crater, ignoring someone behind them, asking what had happened.

From the smoke stepped out a blonde girl, wearing a blue-colored battle suit, who glared at them. They snickered once they recognized her. It was one of the most famous faces in all The Novus.

"Look what we have here, the Golden Comet. Or was it 'The Golden Bitch'? Like her ex-guilders call her."

"Are you lost, miss? This is a private party."

"Death Bringers," Astrid said after glancing at the emblems in their armors. "So it was true that some cockroaches were hiding in my territory. You're the ones that lose their way home, fellas. Fleurella is far away from here."

The two guards armed themselves with lances that appeared in their hands out of thin air.

"Are you sure you want to do this? We may be on the edge of this city, but this is still considered a Safe Zone."

"In this place, we're equally matched." The other smirked.

"'We're equally matched', says the dead man," Astrid mumbled, strolling towards him.

The guy grunted. "What did you--?"

Astrid punched him in the gut so hard that he bent his body forward. If the Safe Zone's restrictions had not lowered all of Astrid's stats, that hit alone could have killed him easily. So, I'll have to hit him again...

Only a second had passed, and Astrid performed a roundhouse kick to the guy's head, knocking him out for good. The second guilder thrust his spear forward, trying to pierce her in the back, but she moved aside at the last moment, grabbed the spear so he could not use it again, and punched him in the face, breaking his nose.

The Death Bringer fell backward, covering his bloodied face, whimpering. "YOU BITCH!"

"I bet you hadn't felt pain like that in a while," Astrid said, throwing the spear away. "The 'Pain Endurance' Passive Skill also gets nerfed inside your beloved Safe Zone, moron. Remember that pain well."

People quickly gathered at the building's entrance, among them, some ex-Shooting Stars.

"What are you doing here?!" Karen Svensson cried, red-faced. "We're finally free of the damn mess you call a guild, and you dare to come here?!"

"Don't do it, Karen," William whispered to her, holding her by the shoulders, but she brushed him off. "Oh, dear..." he sighed, watching her stroll forward.

"Where is Jason Foreman?" Astrid asked, calmly.

Karen replied to Astrid, spitting at every word: "I don't have to answer that! Hell, I don't have to speak with you ever again!"

From one of the building's windows, Faiza Khalil chuckled and glanced at Jason. "She's looking for youuu! What did you do?"

Jason Foreman did not dare to peek outside. "Shut up, shut up!" he cried, covering his head while crouching.

Outside, Karen manifested magic circles above her head, channeling. "Your fucking tantrum cost me 800,000 gold! I wonder how much you'll lose after this!"

"Karen!" William warned her once more, but the magic circles around her increased in number.

"Gold... Is this why you all quit?" Astrid asked at the increasing crowd around William. Dozens of glares coming from known faces stared back at her. "I see..." Astrid snickered. "Have you forgotten what I told you?! 'What use could a cannon have if you don't know how to'--" She shook her head, and met Karen's eyes. "Whatever! This will be my last lesson for all of you!"

"See?! This is the best part about not being under your command anymore!" Karen shouted. "We won't have to hear your fucking charades ever again! Multi-Elemental--!"

"...Never interrupt an enemy when they're making a mistake," Astrid said before shortening the distance between them in a second. Karen instinctively rushed her spell, being able to launch a third of the magic attacks, but it was too late. The bolts of lightning, ice lances, and orbs of fire were thrown randomly through all of the Drinking Banshee's courtyard, while Astrid grabbed Karen by the face and threw her to the ground. A cracking sound came out of Karen's neck and column. "Safe Zones suck especially for mages. It turns them into glorified slugs..."

"F-fuck y-you..." Karen hissed, immobilized, while tears ran down her cheeks.

Astrid then turned her attention towards the crowd, from where William stepped forward.

"Are you going to be in my way too, Stoic?" she asked.

"Come on, Comet, give me a break," William responded, folding his arms. "There are at least fifty people here."

"EXACTLY!" Astrid suddenly giggled. Her blue eyes glowed like a pair of aquamarine gemstones. "Isn't it sad that you all have to attack me at once to take me down?"

William gritted her teeth. "Are you saying I'm we--?!"

"What's the matter, sweetheart? Is someone bothering you?" a girl said behind William, tapping his back. He moved aside to let Kathleen Maher take center stage. "Oh, I see! Someone must have lost their hound. It's running freely like a wild beast." Kathleen's smile faded for a second to whisper in William's ear: "Help your friend quickly. This is going to get ugly..."

Astrid exhaled. "Hi, 'Whoreleen'. I see you opened a new establishment here. But I don't see your regular clientele. You know, forty-year-olds?"

"Oh, Assford! It's so sad to see that you're still running that potty mouth of yours. But this time I can let it go. After all, I would also feel upset if a third of my guild suddenly quit." Kathleen paused so that their allies could snicker. "It's a good thing that I'd never let that happen to me. Tee-hee."

Astrid remained unfazed and just sighed. "You're talking as if you had earned a great victory over me. But is it truly a win if you pick up someone else's trash?"

"Watch your mouth, Assford..." Kathleen said, stepping forward, and the ground beneath her started to freeze. "Your stupidity caused a diamond to fall off your hands."

"Weird! I can't recall having something that valuable before." Astrid sneered, advancing too, and her every step left burned footprints. "And even if I had, it surely lost its value so much that it escapes me! But whatever it is, I'm glad that you found it. After all, we've already established that you like second-hand stuff, right?"

Both stared at each other, maintaining a 10-feet distance. One more word, from any of them, would open the gates from hell.

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(I don't know what kind of relationship you and Astrid had, but... That guy in front of you tried to hit on her for ages and failed every time! Miserably! What a clown!)

(Is this another one of your jokes?) Alan asked Marissa privately, while Kathleen stood up from her seat.

"Excuse me for a minute, gentlemen. I'll be back in a minute. Please, Alan, keep enjoying yourself."

Kathleen exited the room, accompanied by one of her NPC maids, and Rupert, her bodyguard, who silently closed the sliding door.

(No, Five. It's true. It was the talk of the guild back then. But hey, it's not like they ever were a thing, so everything is fine, right? Whoops, I need to go now. Bye~!)

Only Alan, Marco, and the female NPC called Kasumi remained, who rushed to fill their cups.

"That's Kathleen's way of saying that we can freely talk, at least for 5 minutes," Marco said, before sipping.

I can't... let that information deter me from my main mission... Alan felt his throat dry and gulped his cup. Focus, Alan, focus.

"So, what is it, Alan the Ghost?" Marco asked, loosening his tie. "What's so important that you came all the way here just to talk?"

Alan looked down at his cup, already getting filled by Kasumi.

Come on, speak... I risked a lot coming here because I knew I couldn't leave this unsolved. I endured Marissas's crazy flight, lied to Tamara, and even confronted Amelia Laflamme! Don't let that info get in the way!

Alan took a deep breath, opened his User Interface, and closed Marissa's Party Chat. He then wondered if it was okay to talk in front of the female NPC.

I'll have to watch what I say, just in case.

"That nightmare spell you cast on me last night... How much did you see?"

"I saw everything." Marco shrugged. "To others, it may have been a couple of seconds, but for me, it was like watching a one-hour video reel of your... secrets."

"You know what this information may cause..."

Marco sneered. "Is that why you're here? If I told anyone about your eight-month escapade, it would only make you look like a martyr or a hero, and I have no intention of doing that."

"Fine. Keep it that way." Alan straightened his posture. "But we must address the other subject."

"I'd rather not..." Marco said, shaking his cup so that Kasumi could serve him more.

"You're the only person I can talk with, so please, listen..."

"You want my help, don't you?"

"It pains me to say it, but yes. Call it bad luck, or destiny, but you ended up getting involved in this, one way or another. So..."

"Destiny?" He snickered. "Do you believe in that crap?"

"It's just a way of saying it..."

"Then I'd recommend that you choose your words wisely. I get bored easily. And just as a reminder, the clock is ticking."

Alan showed his teeth, grunting. "This is a serious issue, Marco! The integrity of this ship and its population is at risk!"

"I'm struggling to see why that's my problem. You're the one that was selected by that computer."

"This involves all of us!"

"And yet, you choose to maintain it a secret."

Alan got over the table to grab Marco by the collar of his shirt, spilling their drinks. "Are you fucking drunk?!"

"I wish! Since my Vitality increased to Silver rank, I can barely feel the effects of alcohol."

"Can't you see the implications of this?! This ship was sent to space so humanity could have another chance! If we don't do something, everything will be in vain!"

"You're Kathleen's 'special guest', so I won't retaliate, but touch me again and I'll make sure that you get nightmares every single night for the rest of your pathetic life..."

Alan bit his lower lip and returned to his seat as Marco readjusted his clothes.

"It's been three years, Ghost. Three years since that event supposedly happened. And since your return, have you seen this world in shambles?" Marco asked, staring at Alan's frown. "The answer is no. Because nothing has happened. I may even bet that nothing is lurking in here."

"But--!"

"You wanted to talk? Let me finish. Let's look at the facts first. If what that computer says it's true, and that thing got inside, it may be hibernating, or it's incompatible with this system."

"'Computer'? Are you referring to Isabella?" Alan shook his head slightly. "Why would that thing be incompatible?"

"From what I have been told, The Novus mainframe it's the most 'organic' machine humanity has ever developed. 'Neural Symbiosis', 'Perpetual Rem State'... Would you relate those terms with what a regular fridge or toaster can do?"

"This is not a regular toaster we're dealing with, and you know it."

"And this is not a regular VR headset." Marco raised his voice. "The fact that three years have passed and nothing has changed, it's the best proof we have. The Novus it's the most secure place on this ship."

"So, do you want me to sit here, drink, and forget everything about it? Just like you?"

Marco sneered. "Oh, by all means, go! Run through all the Novus in search of this boogeyman. I bet you could do a better job than the Administrators, that can detect everything inside their System."

"Do you know any of them? An Administrator?"

"No," Marco replied, mildly smiling.

"Do you know how to contact one?"

"No, but I wish you good luck finding them."

"I can't believe it... You're a moron."

"And you're truly unfortunate. I wouldn't like to be in your shoes."

At least I tried... Alan snickered, saying nothing more.

As he stood up and walked towards the exit, Marco followed him with his gaze. "Wait. There's something else I'd like to discuss."

"You said that this was my problem, right? So I'll solve it myself." Alan was about to open the door, but a phantasmagorical silhouette rose from the floor and blocked his path.

It was a black humanoid with the head of a crow, and without moving or making a noise, it told him to stay or else. When Alan saw its bottom, he noticed that a shadow stretched out all the way to Marco's seat.

"I had to listen to your charade. It's my turn now. Come, it's something you need to learn, eventually." Marco took a sip. "It relates to your beloved Astrid."

Hearing that name coming out of his mouth made Alan form fists.

Meanwhile, unbeknownst to them, a long-haired redhead sitting at the farthest, most secluded table of the Drinking Banshee set her bottle of beer aside and snickered bitterly. "Ghost's 'eight-month escapade outside'? 'Digital Boogeyman'?" She shook her head slightly, the corners of her mouth twitching into a cynical smile. "What the hell are they even talking about?"