The air hung still, thick with the kind of silence that usually precedes something really bad. But breaking that quiet was a sound that made my hair stand on end: the electric static crackle of Adelaide's arrow, growing louder and louder. She held her bow, the string gently pulled back, my head perfectly centered in her crosshairs. A beam of sunlight pierced through the thick, ancient canopy above, eerily like bullet holes through a wall. It was heroically picturesque, a scene worthy of a legend... if said legend wasn't about to get a lightning bolt to the face.
Print screen, I thought, a weird reflex from my gaming days. Picture taken. A prompt, of course, popped up in my vision. Gotta document the cool stuff, even if it's my imminent demise.
Heightened Awareness:
Attack: Lightning Arrow PowerShot
Attack Area: Marked with light red cone.
Suggestion: Be ready. Dead serious ready!
The ominous, light red cone appeared on the ground, placing me precisely in the center of its glowing target zone.
In my drooling, semi-paralyzed state, one thing was clear: I wasn't going down without a fight. Mimi, of all people, popped into my mind. I couldn't let her down, not now, when things between us were actually good. My game-simulated brain, usually reserved for dungeon raids and boss strategies, went into hyperdrive: 1. Deflect arrow (maybe?), 2. Throw throwing knives as a distraction, 3. Go hand-to-sword, draw it fast, 4. Zero the distance, 5. Do whatever it takes to take her down. Yeah, that sounds about right, I deduced. "Plan commencing in 3, 2, 1." I gulped, tasting fear more than drool.
"Oh, what am I thinking?" Adelaide said abruptly, her voice cutting through the tension like a broken sword. She lowered her aim, and the crackling lightning dissipated into thin air. "Sorry, silly me, you can't even defend yourself from bigbird with that rusty sword of yours." Her cheeks flushed with genuine embarrassment, which was almost as disarming as the arrow had been. "You can't be the Fallen One, can you?" She placed a hand on her chest, looking genuinely distressed.
A sigh of relief, so profound it nearly knocked me over, washed through me. I wiped the cold sweat from my forehead. "Well, I'm n—"
"I knew it!" she cut me off, her voice brightening. "I don't want to be tagged a hero killer anytime soon. According to the intel, Fallen Ones are blessed with rare abilities that can destroy an entire city and are likely to be completely deranged. You don't fit the description."
"Uh, thank y—"
"Anywho," she continued, steamrolling over my attempt at gratitude, "let's get out of here and find a good spot to camp before it gets dark. Don't worry, I won't let anything happen to you. As your senior, it's my responsibility to protect noobs and be a role model." She declared valiantly, both hands planted firmly on her hips, striking a pose that screamed "heroine of the week."
I chose not to respond. Experience had taught me: she'd just cut me off anyway. It was probably a good thing that she thought I was just some lost, drooling noob, a bubble-headed tourist with flies hovering over me. Better that than fighting a battle that could be avoided. But wait, my mind slammed on the brakes. Where was our destination? What was she planning to do with me?
"Uh, where are we going?" I blurted out while already walking.
"Good question! We're going to New Numbria, of course. I'll regroup with my party, and you, my friend, are going to the Adventurers' Guild." She skipped over a huge boulder, moving with surprising agility. "You need to go back to orientation. Looks like you skipped it."
Hey, she actually let me finish talking! "Can I—"
"As I told you before," she launched back into full lecture mode, "this place is dangerous, not just for newbies, but for high levels as well. In short, it's not a place for me and you, especially without a good party. Unlike my current party, with big-headed members that just go around blasting and announcing their presence." She spouted, a clear jab at her recent companions.
She cut me off while I was still talking again. Okay, new theory brewing: if I stopped talking, she'd eventually stop talking too. Let's test this. I waited a beat. "Now," I said, as fast as humanly possible, "I'm actually farming for goods, and I can't go back without good loots!"
"What? With the commotion made by my party, monsters here are, on high alert, getting enraged without provocation! AND the Fallen One is on the loose! You won't last a day!" she replied, her voice filled with incredulity.
Don't talk yet, I reminded myself, or she'll interrupt you. And, I survived for days, I thought, a defiant internal rebuttal. And I am the Fallen One, but definitely not deranged. Mostly.
"There!" She pointed dramatically. "Let's camp over there; that tower looks promising." It was the science lab she was pointing at, the crumbling tower from the background—an old, all-too-familiar sight.
"That tower..." Whoops, you and your big mouth, Kiko.
"Looks like a good spot. Overlooking, plenty of escape routes, and easily defensible if need be."
Wait for her to completely stop talking before you do your yapping! I scolded myself. A revelation of understanding this woman's unique communication style had just dawned on me, and honestly, it was a pain. I clamped my mouth shut. I thought about Mimi, who, though not a supermodel, thank God, actually listened when you talked without the complicated talking mechanics.
"Actually, what—" I started, but before I could continue, she covered my mouth with her hand, grabbed me by the shoulders, and pushed me sideways. "Mmm, mmm!" I tried to ask what the big idea was in protest, but then I stumbled on a rock, falling flat on my back with a sickening thud.
"Owww," I gasped, the wind knocked out of me. And then something heavy was on top of me. I looked down, and it was Adelaide, inches away from my face. I could hear and feel her breath, which smelled faintly of mint and milk. My face flushed instantly, and my heart raced like a marathoner sprinting for the finish line. You know those cheesy scenes in rom-coms where the two main characters accidentally fall on top of each other? That's exactly what this looked like, but we definitely didn't have any chemistry going on... Right? "What in—"
She covered my mouth again, this time with an urgent "Shush!" What in the actual Labyrinth was going on right now? There was a beautiful chick on top of me, telling me to shush. How was I supposed to react? I was not ready for this kind of situation. What should I do? Do I say, "Oh, hey, you come here often?"—a classic pick-up line, like in that skit by Parokya Ni Edgar? Where she'd say "no," and I'd follow up with a "well, that's one," and she'd ask "one what?", and I'd say "uhm, something in common." My brain was truly short-circuiting.
"There," she whispered softly, her voice barely audible. She slowly raised her left hand, pointing to the trees where we had been a moment ago. I looked slowly, and a balloon emerged. No, not a balloon. It was like Wheezing from Pokémon, floating. But instead of the Pokémon, there were three enormous eyes connected together, the biggest eye having a circular mouth surrounded by teeth that opened outwards as it hovered, looking around frantically. It had tentacles like an octopus that squiggled as it glided. Its eyes were reddened, like when you stare too long without blinking, and glistened menacingly in the afternoon sun.
General Awareness:
Ancient Labyrinth Beholder:
Definition: Floating fleshy eyes, rare and dangerous.
Heightened Awareness:
Status: Enraged.
"Of all creatures, why that ugly thing," Adelaide whispered in dismay, resting her head on my chest as if seeking comfort.