It really is him. Van Arkride. The protagonist of the next game I had lined up to play before I was brought here into Zemuria. Daybreak! Seeing him before me like this, I sucked in a cold breath of air. I unfortunately did not experience Daybreak's lore. I guess Van also turned out to be a kidnapped kid, just like us. Things just got more interesting, didn't it?
Moreover, it sounds like he might have had the worst of it all. Well, maybe second to Renne's case. His own family sold him out. Or adoptive father, in this case? Knowing that he is an orphan. I know Daybreak was set to take place around this guy, but the promotional videos back then showed him much older than he is now. It showed him when he was in his twenties. It is S1195 right now, and Daybreak takes place all the way into the future around S1208-1209, meaning 14 years from now. That would make him twenty-four. By the time I reach that point, I will be twenty-two!
To think I would encounter yet another game protagonist like this...Now the only one missing is Lloyd Bannings. And honestly, I do not know when I will meet Lloyd. He is quite elusive until he enrolls in the Crossbell Police Academy. And even, I wouldn't be able to meet him, unless I pull some strings.
Still, I didn't let this newfound surprise overcome me. I simply smiled at Van.
"So you're Van.", I said, welcoming him.
"It's nice to meet you, Van. I noticed you mention this Elaine person. Would she happen to be your older sister?", Sherryl decided to ask.
"Tch. As if. That bastard simply had me on paper. Had me added into a family of two other bastards I hardly ever knew. It was only Elaine who comforted me during that time, only to have me find out she's the daughter of some bigwig. You can likely guess what happened after. They didn't want me smearing their name, so they got rid of me. Can't believe I fell for it.", Van said, cursing. "And to be honest, I'm glad you guys showed up. I don't know how much longer I could handle spending my time down here."
Hearing that, I nodded my head.
"I can see that. This Elaine person is Elaine Auclair right? Sole daughter of the Quincy Company's CEO. Their chocolate is quite famous in Erebonia.", I said. hearing that, Van raised his eyebrows.
"You're Erebonian, huh? How'd you manage to get sucked down here all the way into Calvard? Now that I'm getting a good look, you look like some fancy noble. Even more fancy than that bastard.", Van asked me, appearing confused this time. I mean his words hold true. I have the noble's look. I'm not your average joe. Definitely up a tier or two. Would I call that a blessing, or a curse? You know, being born as an Auslese, haha!
And I will point out having the Inventory from my Gamer System is such a convenience during this time. These new friends of mine haven't questioned it, and I'm thankful for that. If anyone asks, I can just blame it on magic~
"Haha, I'll get into that in a little bit. My circumstances are...special. Before that, you are correct to think that we do have a way out of here. But not without a goal. We have a destination, so I'll be going over the process with the girls. That is, unless you want to be on board with us.", I proposed, looking back at Van.
"Totally. I do not want to spend even a second more in these damned caves.", Van immediately answered with a nod.
"Glad to have you then. As you can see, we're currently a party of four. How we get out of here has yet to be finalized. Before I dive into that further, we need to get some introductions out of the way. You're Van, but you don't know our names yet.", I said.
"That makes sense to me. Since I already went, who is going next?", Van asked us. Sherryl's eyes sparkled.
"Then I'll go first! I'm Sherryl Sky. My family used to serve Remiferia's Royal Family before my parents decided to move into Crossbell State. I'm sure they must all be worried about me. We were on our way to Sunday School toward the Church outside the city before they found a blind spot to nab me. My family couldn't even react in time before I was no longer there...", Sherryl said, having a hint of sadness in her eyes.
"Those bastards seriously caught you in broad daylight? Have they no shame?", Van cursed hearing Sherryl's story. Sounds unrealistic if you ask me, but once the DG Cult picks out their targets, they know how to strike.
"Right? One piece of cloth was all that it took. They took me to the Sun Fort where I met Big Brother here. Looks like I got to meet him first out of you guys. Ennea came next, so why don't you go?", Sherryl asked, looking at Ennea. "Oh, and by the way, if we get out of this ordeal, I don't plan to become your maid in future, Big Brother~", Sherryl happily said to me, catching me off guard. I almost lost my balance hearing that.
"You're going to what?"
"Become your maid. I'm serious about this. Given your...stature, you should be lacking in personnel at the moment, right, Big Brother?", Sherryl asked me. "Our lineage goes quite a long ways back when it comes to servitude. My Grandmother served the previous Grand Prince."
"No kidding?"", I asked back, still surprised to hear that. Sherryl really does come from a family of maids, huh? Not that I'm against it. "Well, I'm not particularly against it, considering you know my real position and all. But are you sure about this?", I asked, only to see the determination in Sherryl's eyes.
"I am, Big Brother. The rest of you will surely be shocked to know who Big Brother really is, hehehe.", Sherryl said, grinning at everyone with a giggle.
"Now it's making me even more curious to know who you are.", Van said, musing to those words.
"Why don't we save me for last?", I replied with a chuckle. I then looked toward Ennea. You'd think Ennea would be closer to mine and Sherryl's age, but she's actually the oldest of the group. Considering I'm nine now, that makes her thirteen. She looked around eleven or so previously, but she was even older than that. We're actually four years apart. Ennea too was taken in three years ago, just like the two of us. That meant she was ten at the time. Ennea's already starting to look like how she does in the games.
"I'm Ennea. No last name. Ex-assassin of the Order of the Moonlight Horse. A pleasure.", Ennea said, keeping her introduction short. It was as if the cell came to a sudden halt the moment she introduced herself. She began to release a hidden pressure, containing a hint of bloodlust. Van felt his body start to scream, and his blood ran cold. A cold air stirred around us, causing Sherryl and Tio to quiver. I just stared at Ennea.
"Oi, how many times do I have to tell you not to do that, Ennea?", I said, wanting to smack her on the head. I didn't do that. Instead, I actually released my own bloodlust. I have started developing my own, courtesy of the fight I had with the Red Constellation. It may not be as strong as Father's, but Ennea tensed up the moment I released it. I wonder if my Stats had anything to do with what she felt. I did grow quite a bit in these three years, like I said. It wasn't just my new Superhuman Endurance and Perception Skills, I'll go over my Stat Preview and Status Window when I get a chance to. We're in the middle of getting out of here, so it's not the best time to go over that, haha!
"Sorry...", Ennea replied, quickly pulling in her bloodlust. She felt guilty now. I looked at Tio and Sherryl. "Are you two fine?"
Thankfully, Tio nodded her head. Her shivering already stopped. So did Sherryl.
"Yes. I know Ennea did not mean for this to happen on purpose. But as you can see, I'm more sensitive to this than others are...", Tio explained. A lot of her senses were heightened thanks to Gnosis. As a result she lost most feelings. Or more like, Gnosis is suppressing them. She can still feel and all that, it just takes more effort. After she said that, I reached my hand out, and flicked Ennea on the forehead. Ennea nodded, saying she was sorry. It was Tio's turn next.
"Tio Plato. I come from Remiferia. Unlike the other kids, I started to show quick results.", Tio said, introducing herself.
"Is that why you talk like this?", Van asked. This is his first interaction with Tio, so he wasn't used to Tio talking like this. Mostly deadpan, full monotone. She does get better, especially after she joins the SSS. Gnosis really took a lot out of her.
"Yes. I am sorry. This is not something I can fix easily. But in return, my senses were greatly sharpened. And this might be a surprise to you Naoto. I could see your flow of Mana when you created that sphere.", Tio said, smiling despite saying that in a flat tone.
"Truly?", I replied, raising my eyebrows at her. I didn't think her senses would grow this sharp so early.
"Yes. It gives off a warm feeling. If you weren't here, I do not think I could last much longer.", Tio said.
"Is that so? Perhaps we all got something out of this then. While the concept of this drug is solid, I just wish it was placed in an entirely different set of circumstances. It just had to be used by a radical organization.", I said, sighing.
"I concur.", Tio responded, nodding her head. The rest of us proceeded to nod our heads too.
"Speaking of which, what are you gonna do about that guard who is still alive?", Van asked, looking at the guard who hadn't moved an inch. He stood completely still with a blank look in his eyes.
"Oh I still have a use for him. You'll get to see it a little bit. Before that, It's my turn.", I said. Van watched on. "Anyway, you can call me Naoto. Recently turned nine. Ennea's the oldest of the bunch, while Tio is the youngest. I carry a few titles. Son of the fiercest Brigadier General of Erebonia. A Witch's disciple. Disciple of the Sword Fox. Duke Phoenix, to name a few. But this last one is my personal favorite.", I continued to say, causing Van's mind to stir. Each title he heard seemed more important than the last one.
"And what would that be?", Van asked, gulping some saliva down his throat.
"Naoto von Auslese. At your service.", I declared at the four. Van's eyes turned wide in shock once he heard that while Sherryl's face bloomed into a smile.