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Volume 4

Chapter 31: Connection

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"Real world terrorist group? What are you talking about, Cassiopeia?"

[I'm sorry, master. I was held captive by the people who was looking for you and just now, I talked to a person named Thorn, the leader of the TOS Guild, and learned of the reasons why these people are after you, including the fact that you are looking for your baby brother.]

Siva's flight came to a stop as he heard it.

"Wait, I can't follow you. What do you mean a real world terrorist group is after my life? And who told you that information?"

On the other line, Cassiopeia's voice sounded shaking.

[I've learned everything, master, including the reason why we met in Maria and the reason why you thanked me for teleporting you in Anazon. Including the reason why you were always in such a hurry, and about your brother, about the people that kidnapped him to make you work for them.]

Siva's ears seemed to have panted as he felt anger rise into his chest.

"Who told you that?!"

Worry drew a line in his thoughts. His mind worked on the list of people who knows a thing or two to the reason why he was even inside this game.

But no matter how much he thought about it, the only people who knew about the circumstances with his brother are Volt's and Augustus' groups. The latter will never, in a million years, compromise his business so it leaves him...

"Is it Volt?"

Siva felt Cassiopeia's hesitation on the other line.

[Yes. But not only that. There are actually many people here right now who shared their reasons why they are looking for you. And someone in particular is the same person you talked to in the library.]

He bit his lip as he looked up to the sky. He was above a certain forest with a rocky hill here and there, a sky with no clouds and no monsters, and a nearby clearing with the waving green grass.

Flicking the info window on his panel, Siva deactivated the [Audio Only] function of the Communicator and so Cassiopeia on the other line saw his skull-masked face.

[Master.] she uttered, teary eyed. [I'm sorry.]

"Cassiopeia, it's not that I still like being called master but I trusted you. Did you tell them where I am headed right now?"

Cassiopeia nodded and the look of pain was evident in her expression.

Siva gritted his teeth but because there was the mask, it wasn't even the slightest visible. So when he gritted his teeth in frustration, the girl on the line could only close her eyes and let her tears fall.

[I'm sorry. But I don't want you to become a criminal so I had no choice but to tell them.]

When she broke into tears like a kid being scolded, a hand reached from her side into her shoulder and the beautiful features of Scion came into his view.

[Rex...]

Siva, upon seeing her, turned off his visual display at once and resumed back to [Audio Only] mode.

"Don't find me!" Siva shouted angrily.

[What are you talking about, Rex, a terrorist group is after you and they will try to get their hands on your Inventions no matter what! I can't let that happen! You will become a criminal!]

"Even so, you just can't! Please, listen to me!"

Siva's voice sounded pleading and it was shaking like the sounds of someone who can't do anything and just resorted to an honest plead.

That's because if he ever so much as to break the rules again, it gives no reason for Augustus to stop the deal right there and then.

[Rex, if Baron is missing, we can find him together!]

"He is not... missing! He... he's..."

[Mister Rex Kingsley. I am Thorn of the Tower Of Sol Guild. Do you still remember me?]

On Siva's panel, a man with robot-ish knight armor interrupted him and the face without the helmet and extravagant decorative gears came into vision.

His first thought of him was familiar. He was that man who went back to back with him in the Forest in Aarun.

"I know you." He said firmly. "And so let me be blunt with you. Following me will jeopardize my brother's safety. I don't care how you learned of my name or how much you know about my personal circumstances but I swear to God if you follow me, I will not hesitate to become a criminal to hunt you down."

As much as he wanted to regret the words he said, half of it was really meant while half of it was the result of his anger bursting out.

He knew that Amanda was there and he wouldn't even dare threaten her with those words under every normal circumstances. But everything he said is still true. His actions are somewhat being seen by Augustus and the fact that he had already warned him about breaching the rules of the deal, all the more his reason as to say all those hurtful and threatening words.

[I see. So you did have your circumstances.] Siva saw Thorn closed his eyes with an expression of understanding. [However, as much as I wanted to tell you that I really do understand your situation, please do also understand that my reason for meeting you is far too important. It may even be at the same scale as the fact that terrorists are after your life. Do you even have any idea just how much valuable your Invention is? No. Do you even have any idea how much important you really are?]

At his words, he suddenly remembered Samantha. But Siva's anger was rising on his chest and it escaped as a hiss on his words, killing the first thought before it even began to linger as a hunting premonition.

"You listen to me asshole. I don't fucking care what or who is after my life but what I do care about is my brother's safety...." Realizing the situation he was in, Siva's voice broke into sobs as he swallowed his anger and pride to plead for their understanding. "But please, try to understand. They know everything I'm doing. If they knew that other people know my mission, they will pull Baron's plug and abandon him. Please, I beg you, try to understand... he's the only family I have left."

Silence engulfed the room on the panel and familiar faces began to show up and peek one after another.

Then, from the corner of the video panel, Siva's sobs stopped when he saw Loni. When her face peeked into the panel, Siva suddenly saw this flash of memory.

He met him in the woods, at the same time as Thorn. Ah, no, it was much, much more earlier than that...

Siva took a pause and the other people looked at each other in wonder when Siva's silence had filled the audio only line. On the other side of it, however, Siva raised his left hand and covered Loni's upper part of the face.

"Shit."

Siva realized, he knew her!

In the underground city, the woman standing behind an old man that was treated as 'the' VIP... Loni. That's her name, like Augustus said.

"You... I know you."

Thorn's brows curled in confusion. [But haven't I already introduced myself?]

"No, not you. That girl behind you. I know her."

Thorn looked back to his right shoulder and saw Scion in there. He doubted that The Destroyer was talking about her so he switched to the other side and saw Loni with a puzzled expression and a finger to herself.

[You mean Loni?]

"Yes. I've seen her in the under..." But before Siva could say more, he realized that he was actually about to jeopardize his cover and so he shut his mouth and resumed to his former angry self.

[Master...]

"Cassiopeia, I beg of you. Do not tell them where I am headed. Please..."

[I'm sorry master, I...]

"God damn it! GOD DAMN IT!!!"

Siva's heart was full of fury. That Loni... she was a spy of Augustus, he was sure of it. Augustus was making sure that he was doing his part of the deal properly so he sent his spies to all potential followers that might also become obstacles to his goals.

The fear crept on his chest like weeds of roses, each thorn stabbed him painfully. If she reports that he let these people follow him, his greatest fear will happen.

"Please... please! Don't follow me!"

Siva cut the line and kicked the air. He turned off his communicator and put it back to his inventory. He even drank a vial of Yellow Potion to refill his almost in the blank Endurance (Stamina) pool.

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In the hotel room, the others were confused as to what had just happened and they were all looking at Loni as to explain at least her part. But before she could even say something, her honest display of confusion was all they need to know she had no idea.

As far as Cramer and the other TOS Guild members is concerned, they already know that Loni and that man they all called The Destroyer had at least met once.

So to them and the others, it was understandable.

But for Thorn, it meant something else. His eyes were locked with Loni as the she was also just confused. He then turned his attention to Cassiopeia and then to the crying Scion and spoke.

"Arch Mage, do you have an idea as to why he was in that desperate situation?"

Scion shook her head and FlowerLord replied.

"That ungrateful bastard. How dare he threaten us like that after all everything we've been doing for his sake!"

"It's understandable. The way he said those words is a clear fact that his circumstances are as true as to all the things Volt said."

The subject of the sentence turned to them as he was still busy talking to the rest of his team about the things he had learned. As if feeling that he was the subject of the topic in their circle, Volt walked on to them.

"What is it?"

"Don't you have any idea who those people are?"

Volt's brows twitched in annoyance on the question he heard from Thorn so he pointed a finger at him.

"Hey, I told you what you wanted to know, right? That is all I know about his circumstances! What else would I be hiding from you if we have the same goal in the very beginning?"

Despite the attitude, Thorn still answered him calmly.

"What I meant is about those people. You don't even recognize any of them?"

"..."

"At least one of them?"

"No I don't." As he replied, Thorn looked back to his companions and seeing that, he gestured aside. "They also don't know any of them."

"..."

"I wouldn't lie. Dex is... he's our friend and we care for him and his cause more than you do. If we should pick our side here, I'd rather pick the one where the Arch Mage is since she's more sincere of a person than you are and we care for him more than you do."

And now that the attention was thrown to her direction, FlowerLord spoke up again with her usual tone.

"No sides will be picked today. I don't know what was talked in here a little while ago but I do care for the things I heard from that guy. And frankly speaking, I'm pissed off right now so if we're going to follow him, I suggest we do it now and fast." But when she took a step, she immediately stopped and faced Cassiopeia. "So where is he anyway?"

Cassiopeia hesitated at first but Agatha was there to be her support, added that Scion made her way to her side, knowing that she was actually risking her relationship, whatever kind it is, with The Destroyer.

"Northern Continent, Alexandria."

She bit her lips and sunk down to the company of her arms. She lowered her head and trembled that made a teary eyed Agatha hug her and caress her back.

"Then what are we waiting for, let's go."

"Wait."

Their eyes were drawn to the source of the voice. In the corner of the improvised conference room, Kathleen Brew rushed, passing through them, and stood in front.

"What's the meaning of this?" FlowerLord asked a bit of hasty and annoyed.

"Just wait. Hear me out first."

"What? Some conspiracy theory of yours?"

"Not only that." When she replied to the sarcastic tone of the hot headed FlowerLord, she remained her stolid composure as if the sarcasm was a lame joke. "I think it's not wise to... ignore The Destroyer's warning. If we as much as risk his brother's life, not even the Arch Mage will be able to stop his wrath. Whatever it is that he is chasing after..."

"It's DNI Therapy."

"Excuse me?" FlowerLord turned to Thorn as Kathleen continued her speech.

"I think the reason you didn't understand the urgency on his voice earlier is because you are not aware of the DNI Therapy and its... effects and consequences."

"Care to enlighten us about it?"

To FlowerLord's question, Thorn took the opening to explain it.

"DNI Therapy is a modern, still debated way on curing the coma condition of a patient. Its development originated in the late 20th century and started progress in the 21st century. But only ten years ago was it really realized when the Kingsley Doctors released their thesis about the possibility of using modern Digital Technology to integrate Brain Waves and fix abnormal or injured, as well as malfunctioning parts of the brain that renders a patient in the state of Coma."

"..."

"In other words, although it was still an unproven way of actually curing coma patients, there was a time when the said therapy actually saved someone's life."

After the silence, FlowerLord, the voice of the unified bewildered and confused thoughts of the group, asked the obvious.

"What's the connection with that guy?"

"Everything since Rex Kingsley is the first and last man to prove his parents' work. Four years ago, he was in an accident that rendered him in a coma and with the right circumstance in their favor, his parents performed DNI Therapy to their son and succeeded. Knowing that Rex is searching for his brother in the game, we can only assume that the same situation is happening on his brother."

"I still don't get it. Why would a medical procedure be connected in this game? And why does it sounds very dangerous?"

Kathleen was the one who answered her.

"That's because as DNI-Therapy uses Brain Waves of the patient to force it into action to repair the physical side of the brain, the need for a container of that Brain Wave is inevitable."

Realization dawned on the faces of the people who did not understood the gravity of the words.

And until Kathleen Brew said, "The container needs to force the Brain Wave to perform activity so that the Brain Cells will move and repair itself. That container is Terroa. So imagine just how fragile that exposed Brain Wave is. Do you think he would waste time to talk about it when his brother is in the North?" No one else except for the esteemed Arch Mage had a thought to ask another question.

But she held the question to herself.

Taking the 'fragile brain wave' detail or in other words is a «Player Avatar», in Kathleen's words, other place could have been alright except the Northern Tundra.

Everyone knew just how dangerous the Northern Lands are for amateur adventurers.

And what more... Alexandria.

It was the center of criminal activities in the game. It was the place where many kinds of Guilds, preferably of the most powerful Pirate Crews, renowned and cruel Criminal Organizations that deals in Slavery of the NPCs, and not to mention the monsters that live there, are centered and focused.

What reason is there for The Destroyer not to rush out?

Knowing his circumstances is one thing but actually understanding the reason behind his actions is also yet another matter.

Earlier, they were all eager to depart and follow him but now, they were all on their feet, except maybe for Thorn who continued to give orders.

"Loni, you manage the Archangel's arrival in here and Cramer, you take care of contacting Henna."

"Didn't she quit already because of The Destroyer?"

"I know but we need her as a navigator. She was the only person I know who came from the North."

"Alright, I'll try my best."

"Thorn." from behind him, a girl's voice called.

"Miss Kathleen."

"Is the reason why you said to prepare for war because you immediately understood him?"

"We can't follow him with an obvious reason but if we are going to do so despite everything, then we at least must have a legitimate alibi for being in the North."

"But he already knows you were coming."

"No he don't." When he replied, Thorn looked at the slouched Cassiopeia. "He still trusts her."

"So are we going to Alexandria?"

"Not Alexandria but Dragona."

"Oh, the City of Light..."

"The City of Light."

As they talked about the plans that they set in motion, Volt's eyes remained fixed at Thorn.

He already heard those things earlier.

But knowing that information just proves of his real world connection. He is an executive in the department the same as his mother.

The VR-World Investigation Department, a new section that deals and investigates everything related to all Virtual Reality stuffs. His mother works there, a reason why he and his sister came to like RPG: Terroa. That's because they heard that it was an interesting game.

But now that they were unknowingly entangled in this mess, he now had doubts if this game was really meant to be enjoyed.

Was it just because of Rex Kingsley? Or...

Is there something else that needs to be resolved?

His gut feeling was telling him. There was an important detail that Thorn hasn't said. That detail might change the flow of Rex's fate exponentially. Alas, it can even mean life and death.

Just what is it, he had no idea.

Truth be told, he was still in shock.

Everything revolves around Rex Kingsley. Just who he was and how important he is, he still can't point out the reason for his doubts and anxiety in this situation.

But through it all and despite his questions, what remains true is the fact that he wanted to help a friend.