[Chapter 31 part 2] Hope – Visiting The Shrines of the Lost

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With all my troubles, avatars are the least of my concerns. Glancing down, Hope found people worshiping again. More than Kongal but less than Saven.

Hope smirked. Petitioning despair… She finally gave in to the impulse, “So, what are those people ‘hoping’ for?”

“Kongal grants release from pain. Most below don’t have long to live.” Wise said somberly. And now I feel terrible. Hope was reminded, once again, who was her nemesis.

While they made for the exit, Free decided to be Free, “Why only three? What about greed, jealousy, envy, and the likes?”

“Because hate, fear, and despair, together with their opposites, are all there is.” Lily responded. “Other emotions are derived from those six. Greed is excess love for wealth or power. Jealousy and envy are just alternative forms of hate.”

Realizing this wasn’t satisfying anyone, Lily attempted a retreat, “It’s complicated, why don’t you ask Wise later?” It’s not that easy to placate Free.

“Fine,” Free said, “but answer me this: what about sadness? Where does that fit in?”

Lily sighed, “It’s unfocused hate. When something precious is lost, and there’s nothing to blame. With a target, that grief can turn into burning hatred in an instant. Saven is the god of loss and everything which flows from it.”

“Perspective determines how we handle setbacks. When your first love marries another, you can be dejected or jealous. If someone wins a prize you coveted, you can morn or you can envy. Emotions stemming from the same place are interchangeable.”

This might be accurate. Hope was familiar with disappointments. Instead of becoming depressed over losing to Wise, I chose to curse him. She considered a while. It’s too late to change at this point.

Calin’s Keep was build on a splintered piece of the Isle, with a deep fissure separating it from the surrounding crowd. Mist flowed from this chasm, cloaking the exterior in a sun-blocking haze.

On the far side, motionless figures stood ten feet apart. Skeletons in full armor. A shiver ran down her spine. She’d insisted on taking part in the training against the undead. I’m stupid stubborn sometimes.

“A single one of those could’ve killed us all.” Wise stated. Right, whatever they fought yesterday were nothing in comparison.

“I’ve never met Calin.” Lily admitted. “His villainous reign was before my time, and he was a recluse even then. He loathes humanity and made a decent attempt to wipe us out. Under other circumstances, he might’ve been the Necromancer of the End.”

“Wasn’t that what Sola was called?” Free asked.

“Yes, the title is a prerequisite for a Dark Age.” Lily explained. “We roughly know the details of the deal she was struck. Once a world-shaking catastrophe is carried out by Talras’s chosen champion, a Dark Age begins and persists until that necromancer’s death. Last time, it was the Black Banquet, and Sola was the Necromancer of the End.”

“So if the conditions are met again…” Free said.

“Another will result. Hence why I mentioned Calin. If Sola’s deal had been active eight hundred years earlier, he would’ve brought about the first Dark Age when he unleashed his scourges.”

“What exactly did Calin do?“ Hope asked. Might as well exploit this talkative Lily.

“Calin’s two diabolical creations were the devourers and the Ilsidy virus. Devourers were chimeras which multiplied exponentially by overrunning and consuming all life. The Ilsidy virus transformed people into frenzied zombies. He spread this plague in major cities while releasing the devourers into the wild. The outbreak was to distract while his chimeras grew into an unstoppable force.”

“The scheme might’ve succeeded save for the Tyrants. After building up their numbers in frontier regions, the devourer horde was stopped in its tracks upon reaching the Green Hell. A war for supremacy was waged deep in that jungle, with the devourers eventually routed. Hundreds of Tyrants then migrated out to hunt down survivors. This kept the threat in check until the Ilsidy contagion was contained. The losses from this conflict are why few tyrants participated against Sola.”

After this chaos, Calin was whisked away by the HEAVENLY DAO without facing justice and has been indirectly killing adventurers ever since. It was a little maddening. “So he’s in there, designing traps and monstrosities as we speak?” Hope asked.

“Yes——”

“Something’s happening down there.” Kate interrupted frantically. “Look!”

The skeletons were kneeling with one gauntlet on their chests. They’re showing… respect? Hope was bewildered but then understood Kate’s panic. They’re facing this way.

“It’s because of Free.” Wise exclaimed. “They’re welcoming Sola’s doppelganger!”

“Let’s get out of here.” Lily said, glancing down. Commotion was spreading, with some peering upwards as they sped away.

The gondola was quiet. That won’t be on the news… will it? It’d lasted less than a minute. If they were lucky, it’d remain on the level of a colorful anecdote.

“I wasn’t aware Sola and Calin knew each other.” Lily mused. “Though I should’ve guessed. Calin was Sola’s predecessor. It makes senses she would’ve wanted to consult with him, and that madman would’ve been only too happy to share his expertise. Thank god he could do little more since agents are forbidden from interfering in worldly affairs.”

“Stay clear of Calin’s Keep.” Lily ordered Free.

Hope watched the receding fortress. This satisfied my daily quota of excitement. Now for serious matters.

As everyone scattered at the Inner Palace, Hope headed down to prepare.

Competition at the Stone Colliseum got progressively fiercer throughout the day, finishing with saint-level confrontations in the evening. The ‘tourist bracket’ begins after. Since graduating from those late night sessions, Hope had bested two morning opponents, earning herself an early afternoon match. You’d think I’m moving up in the world, but… She took out her adventurer’s card and conjured the information screen.

Stone Coliseum: Rank 31054

I know it’s because fighters from all over visit the Isle, but still… She had far to go. That’s not all. Her eyes wandered up.

Adventure Rank: D

Miki had assigned them the rank when their cards were issued. This let them access the facilities. A bit of necessary nepotism.

The others had been promoted to C rank yesterday. Kate had even reached B rank, which she wasn’t sure she was ready for. They got a nice monetary rewards with the increased difficulty. Everyone had also graduated to afternoon matches. What’s more, they were at later time slots. It’s a bit galling… I’m at the bottom again, dang it.

It’s the fault of those loathsome assassins. That Laughing Man too. Hope fumed. I’ll become so strong that no one will dream of killing me. That meant winning this afternoon, which would be a challenge.

Two mornings ago, Wise had begun predicting and describing their opponents. It’s not cheating. It’s efficient intelligence gathering.

She faced Razor Hue, a summoner who could beastform. Instead of conjuring creatures, Razor fused himself directly with his summon, taking on its characteristics. Dragonforming in his case. He’d be covered in scales tougher than steel and would freely use fire magic. Sounds formidable. Razor was B rank. If he gets close, it’ll be over, Hope thought as she reached her firing range.

She’d long understood mobility was her greatest weakness. It was time to address the issue. At Earth’s end, I was too weak, but things are different now! On impulse, she jumped and flew up seven feet. I’m better than Wise used to be. Unfortunately, that bastard was also improving. I’ll catch up someday, just you wait! Hope already had a plan, something she’d stumbled on yesterday.

Agata had explained the basics behind magic bullets. Enchant the bullet and the casing and set spells to activate once they separate. The most common enhancement was increasing the weight. She’d quickly mastered making these.

Not satisfied, she’d played around and discovered enhancing the casing’s weight produced small improvements in velocity. While exploring this possibility, she’d sent herself tumbling backwards.

It’d taken her a while to piece together what’d gone wrong: she’d accidentally reversed the enchantments. It was the bullet’s weight that had been enhanced when she pulled the trigger. This had strengthened the recoil a dozen times. Then a fraction of a second later, the casing’s weight increased, multiplying its momentum another dozen fold. The kickback had knocked her across the room. Once recovered, she’d immediately seen the potential and had fashioned more such bullets.

First I must control the recoil. She carefully formed two metal arm braces which connected shoulder to shoulder. By hardening these before I shoot… She aimed at the ground and fired. Her body flew backwards, spinning to the right, and she barely landed on her feet. The acceleration had been uncomfortable, yet manageable. A few days ago, it would’ve dislocated my spine. She tried again, firing two in a row. She hit the wall ten feet up and thirty away. Success, she groaned dropping to the floor.

I’m sure there’s a more elegant solution, but three days wasn’t enough to work it out. Contemplating, she made an adjustment so she could activate the ‘recoil’ effect at will. She loaded two bullets, firing one normally and then sending herself backwards with the second. Perfect.

With a sigh, she sat down and began adding the feature to all her munition. At least this time isn’t wasted. While her siblings spent hours cultivating, she never did. This was all she needed.

…

Enough. After two hours of work, she rose and made her way to the Empty City’s tenth story pathways. For safety, she still traveled the Obsidian Cavern to the Stone Coliseum.

I need more dimensional pouches. Hope touched the leather sack at her waist. Agata had given it to her, and it was the most wondrous thing in the world. The inside was four times larger than the outside. Even better, objects within only weighed a quarter of what they should. It was filled with her creations. Carrying capacity is vital for enchanters. While improving her martial arts would help, she had to obtain more of these.

When Legonas returns, I’ll master other weapons. Sniper rifles, machine guns, shotguns… her metal could become anything she knew how to make. The only constraint was carrying the right caliber. Eventually I’ll assemble them on the fly. Options were good. Currently, she didn’t have the confidence and had pre-made two seven shot revolvers.

Acquiring explosives is a must too. With the proper primer and propellant, she would be able to assemble her own ammunitions. Legonas had been hesitant when asked. At her insistence, he’d referred the matter to her mother, who’d responded with a message: ‘Permission granted. If you blast off your hands, I’ll SEVERELY punish you.’

As expected. If she’d let Silver get himself eaten, then it was only fair to let Hope blow herself up. Which I won’t do because a ‘capitalized’ punishment from her sounds scary. Anyway, Legonas had promised to introduce her to someone.

Passing the halfway mark, Hope remembered Lily’s warning two days prior about the impact of their growing notoriety. Basically we’ll soon have to start dealing with people. Hope grimaced.

The press would hound them. Eight ninjas appearing out of nowhere and dominating their matches was a story the media wouldn’t be able to resist. It’ll be good and bad. On one hand, they wanted the power fame would bring. On the other, every contact brought risk.

Besides reporters, agents from nations big and small would approach to recruit them into their immortal programs. It’s not a simple matter of turning them down either. If they firmly refused, scouts might suspect they were already committed and dig into their background. Such a pain.

She’d been accosted by an agent of the Grey King yesterday. It only took three matches to catch his eye. Supposedly the Grey Kingdom was extremely active in pursuing talent. She’d politely turned down the offer, claiming she wouldn’t be making decisions before Arther’s Funeral. This was the lie they’d settled on before hand. It’s weird pretending to be comrades rather than siblings.

Finally, there are the ‘fans’. This notion inspired no small amount of dread. Hope had trouble imagining herself with admirers, let alone interacting with them. This’ll be a problem more for the others, especially Dawn. She knew this was was wishful thinking.

They were already becoming famous. She’d heard the mention of ‘mysterious ninjas’ in passing conversations. That was the plan after all. She’d yet to notice an impact. Perhaps if I win an afternoon match that’ll change. She remained uncertain how the strengthening from fame worked. Fortunately, we’re meeting Emerit again tomorrow.

Entering the private elevator, Hope took a deep breath. The Stone Coliseum was totally different during the day. People were everywhere, and the stadium was full. The arena was only divided in two, which meant more attention. I envy Silver’s fearlessness.

As she exited, a loud voiced boomed, “IN THE NORTH RING WEST CORNER…”

Right, there are announcers now. Both matches had a commentator which could only be heard on their side. Another factor upping the intimidation. Hope registered quickly and went to the South Ring’s East waiting area. She sat on a bench, stomach queasy. As if I needed stage fright on top of everything.

“Are you Hope?” A familiar voice asked.

“Yes?” Hope’s heart sank when she saw the well-dressed woman. Why’s she here?

“I’m Sarah Godspeed, Steward of the Isle.”

“How can I help you?” Hope said, attempting to stay calm.

“Who are you and where are from?” Sarah continued. “I know you’re one of the ninjas living in the Inner Palace. Lily told me not to concern myself, but it’s hard not to when you’re regularly crossing the Rose Palace. I haven’t been able to catch you there, so I figured I’d try here.”

(continued in part 3)