CHAPTER FIFTEEN

A Rushed Reunion

It had been a frustrating and sleepless night for Dawn. Aside from stopping for the barest of necessities, she quickly dove back into the Elseworlds, impatient to make up for lost time. Fortunately, with her uncle promising to find the Storm Siblings, she could redirect her attention back to the game.

As such, she immediately pushed on ahead with her job advancement, which was sure to go smoothly with the Fire Lord’s Insignia.

Of course, while she was thankful that the ring hadn’t dropped, she had still cried tears of blood upon noticing the loss of Crandor.

Nonetheless, after half a day of effort, she was feeling better about herself. As she hummed a mellow tune, her body was now faintly pulsing with the holy aura exclusive to Church classes. Although she still had to go through proper procedures at the Church of Mercy, such a task was but a formality.

Still, the loss of her sword stung, and though a replacement hung on her hip, its value was not even a fraction of what she had lost.

Her stomach churned a little when she thought back to how she lost the sword, but there was nothing she could currently do about it. She would just have to recover from her losses one step at a time. As there was a very convenient hunting ground nearby, she decided to make a quick expedition, not forgetting to load up on plenty of recovery items for the trip.

While she was focused on the numerous tasks at hand, she didn’t notice the eyes in the shadows whom were watching her every step.

It had not been ten minutes since she left the city when she noticed something was wrong. At first, there were only a few players here and there, which was not an uncommon sight. However, that trickle soon became a stream, and she quickly realized they were all headed towards her.

It had not been ten minutes since she left the city when they came. At first, she didn't notice as a few players here and there were not an uncommon sight. However, that trickle soon became a stream, as she was finally realized she was being followed.

She had just been about to inquire what was going on when the first arrow flew. Perhaps by an overeager raider. Like mad dogs released from their chains, dozens of newbies charged towards her, their eyes full of greed.

Panicking, Dawn felt the arrow bite into her shoulder plate as she began to back away hastily. In the Elseworlds, murder was not forbidden, but to attack someone first would lead to a rise in infamy. Should a players infamy rise too much, they would become 'wanted' within the area, suffering higher penalties upon death, in addition to having all the friendly NPCs become hostile. This essentially meant that Dawn would have to suffer one attack from each person before slaying them, which was not a luxury that she could afford.

Her heart lurched as more players appeared over the horizon, dead set in stopping her in her tracks. She clenched her teeth as she blew past the first wave without much effort, wishing desperately that she could still retreat back to the city. Although her attackers numbered few at first, more and more seemed to be joining the chase. As for those who were slain, so long as they were beneath lv 10, they would only respawn in the city instantly and would be rejoining the hunt soon after.

Although such an event was possible in theory, Dawn never believed that people would be organized enough to carry it through. What even more unbelievable was that she was the actual target.

"I won't die again!" She grunted, sending another group of users tumbling back with a divine charge. Although she normally would be elated at the ease of dispatch, she quickly realized that her infamy was rising steadily and any time she spent waiting on her opponents to hit her would just let the rest of the mob catch up.

"Stand Down!" She yelled, but was met with a flurry of blows. Gritting her teeth, she tried to take most of the strikes on her shield. Despite having higher base stats than everyone present, her plate armor was weighing her down significantly. Not only did this drain her stamina faster, but her speed was noticeably decreased.

Although the minute amounts of damage were also mitigated with her 'healing hands', her mana pools were not infinite. She needed a way to get out of this situation, but with all the confusion, she was hardly in a position to think logically.

She remembered the expensive teleportation scrolls in the shop. If only her assets were not completely depleted, she should've bought one. No, she should've bought one regardless. Even if such a scroll had a thirty-second cast time, she would've been confident in tanking for such a duration. So long as there was no crowd control, she would've just turtled against all harassment, before finally escaping.

She could feel tears begin to well up in her eyes. Was this destiny? Fate? To continuously be used, battered, and exploited? Indignation swelled in her heart, as she stopped running. No. If she was going to die, she would rather bite the bullet than die like a dog!

There were less than a hundred users who followed her here so far, but she wasn't so foolish to think there wouldn't be more on their way over. Seeing that she no longer moved, the players didn't attack immediately but made the moves to first surround her.

Although her health was at stable levels, her mana was already exhausted. She had already completely given up any hope of surviving, but she would not go down alone.

'Ha! I guess this is a hat trick’ Dawn chuckled to herself hollowly. Finally, a group of users differentiated themselves from the pack, stepping forward to parlay with her.

"Ha Har. Look, Chuck. She's crying. Isn't that pathetic?" A smokey eyed young girl with wavy locks jeered at Dawn.

"Don't be an ass Liddy" The one called Chuck stepped forward. "I'll be frank. You've seen the video, but I'm not like those people. Drop five hundred gold and we'll let you go."

'Video?' Dawn laughed hysterically and shook her head. Even if she wanted to pay, she wouldn't be able, and she knew the consequences of giving in to their demands. She also knew how this was going to end. She brandished her sword, wishing that it was still the Crandor that she held within her hands. She also wished she still had her holy scaled cuirass as well. Perhaps if she still had those, then she would have a chance against such numbers.

Seeing Dawn's obvious inclination to fight, Chuck's face turned ugly. "So be it. Take her." He knew he didn't have the charisma of Romlin from the video, but he had still wished to mimic his actions somewhat. After thinking about it briefly, he shrugged. Although their gains wouldn't be too good this time around, it wouldn't matter. After all, they could always just go hunt her down again.

Dawn screamed as she caught a rough stone spear upon the edge of her shield. Her blade flashed, resulting in removed appendages and screaming users, but she had barely a seconds respite before she was mobbed under the rush of bodies.

"Holy Prison!" She screamed. A radiant white screen soon appeared overtop of them, before pressing downwards, forcing all the users in a 2-meter radius onto their knees. The spell drained away the last of her mana, but it brought her a brief respite, allowing her to slash down at the immobilized players, quickly reducing them to a pile of grey bodies.

Any confidence that she might have gained with such a move was lost swiftly as a dozen sparkling pinpoints appeared in the sky. She raised her shield quickly to block them all, leaving her armor to those that bypassed her guard. As she turned towards the arrows though, she was completely unprepared when a single flying rock smacked into the back of her skull with a thunk.

Needless to say, it hurt like hell.

‘Why didn’t I wear a helmet.’ Dawn groaned as she nursed the back of her head. Having entered a dazed state, her vision had gone all blurry. This left her completely open as numerous users charged towards her, stone weapons in hand.

Her eyes cleared up, as her body glowed with the holy light of invincibility. Although her health and mana dropped to their minimum, it wasn't as if she had much of either at the moment anyway. While these sixty seconds would be her final death struggles, she planned to make each second count, swinging her shield in a vicious arc, smashing an unfortunate user into the ground.

“Die!”

Her pursuers screamed in terror as she tore through them like scraps of paper. Although her sudden ferocity had initially scattered a few of them, it was not enough. It was nowhere near enough.

Soon, the majority of the survivors had retreated in a panic, else they were hurling the remainder of their projectiles in an attempt to bring Dawn down.

Seeing that there were no more players who dared face her, she could only laugh bitterly as the skill eventually wore off. The final glimmers of Martyrdom dissipating from her body as she collapsed into an exhausted state.

Upon seeing her fall, the various players whooped in victory. The girl known as Liddy who had been hovering at the sidelines barked at the others, forcing them all to fall back. She would finish Dawn off herself!

With a wide smirk on her face, she leisurely walked over to the fallen Dawn. A short bronze spear was resting gently on her shoulder.

Dawn who hadn't overtaxed herself as much as the last time she used Martyrdom was still capable of looking up to see her would-be killer smiling devilishly at her. Her heart sunk as she realized that there were still around forty players left, and she had exhausted all of her options. If only she had the opportunity to take out a couple potions, perhaps she would've lasted longer.

Despite looking death in the face, Dawn met Liddy with an unwavering glare.

Liddy had wanted to taunt Dawn further, but upon meeting her stare, her lips curled up in derision. She raised her spear high overhead but still couldn't resist one parting comment before sending Dawn back to the mundane of reality.

"This is our world now, bitch!"

The spear stabbed downwards, but Dawn did not close her eyes.

*Shiiik*

“What?”

Both girls flinched in surprise upon seeing a long silver sword pierce the ground between them. Such a sudden entrance confused Liddy, but to Dawn, the sight caused her heart to soar. After spending so long to obtain it, she would recognize that brilliant blade anywhere. With a tempered steel that glistened like the morning dew, the sword handle seemed to fall into her hand, as her body exploded in one fluid motion to grab it.

Immediately upon touching it, she felt the comfort of meeting a lost friend once more as she activated its unique skill.

“BRING IT YE MIDGETS!” Dawn’s elation was drowned out by a piercing yell. A confused archer who had wanted to remain a bystander and leech benefits briefly noticed a red flash beside his cheek before being blown away. The offender grinned savagely, all the while marveling the power of her 'Flame Hand' skill. Immediately continuing her assault, she turned her sights to a drained spellcaster, who stared in horror as he was next on the list for beatings.

“Roari?” Dawn’s gaped. The burning light of the Crandor had already sent Liddy scurrying away, leaving Dawn all alone while she recovered from her exhausted state.

"She had a friend? Shield users, hold her off. The rest of you, finish the paladin" Chuck bellowed loudly. Despite the situation being outside of their predictions, the gathered players still rushed to obey. After so many losses, there was no way they could fail now.

"Babe, I'm coming for you!" Roari screamed as she was suddenly stonewalled by a party of warriors with bucklers. Although they were wary of Roari's burning hand, after locking shields together, they effectively suppressed Roari who sadly could not punch through wood.

'Why did you come back? And did you have to call me that way? People will get the wrong idea!' Dawn staggered to her feet. Her area of effect attack had already worn off, but there was no one in her way now, as she made a beeline for the whimsical martialist. Although Roari might have superior equipment, she would have no chance against multiple opponents.

Dawn's health was still dangerously low as well. Despite being healed slightly by the Crandor, she would not make it out of here alone. She ran up to a couple users who were currently being distracted by Roari. Not even caring about the infamy gained, her sword flashed, bisecting both of the users horizontally.

However, just as she finished her swing, an enraged Liddy came stabbing from her other side, dead set on finishing her off.

'Crap!' Dawn's eyes widened as she couldn't block a hit, but she soon found that her worries were unfounded.

"Bubblebeam!” (The fire version)

Liddy didn't even have a chance to scream before a volley of flame orbs splashed across her face. Having already been put into critical condition by the Crandor, she quickly succumbed to the damage, falling over in a smoldering heap.

“How can he fire so many?”

“Another ranker?”

The pursuers gasped as the sudden flurry of spells.

Dawn blinked at the sudden assistance but wasn't surprised as Pale appeared beside her. He stripped off a cloth mask covering his face, having already infiltrated the hunting party from the start. It seemed he was the one who threw her sword back over to her. Complex feelings welled in Dawn's heart while Pale raised the sword she lent him, covering her unguarded side.

"I'd drink a potion if I were you. Pale said cooly. As there were no immediate enemies for the moment, this would be the best time to get her wind back.

Somehow, the dread she felt from seeing them again soon warred greatly with the warm feelings of familiarity. It was an alien sensation, but she quickly set it to the side as she chugged down an entire flask of bitter tasting liquid.

Although potions and other consumables were useful for emergencies, their efficiency wasn't good and were normally quite expensive. Not to mention, a person could only drink so fast, making them useful while in the midst of combat. This was to prevent rich players from chugging potions like water. And even if they did they would soon feel uncomfortably queasy as the liquid filled up the stomach quickly.

Dawn sensed that her healing abilities had become accessible to her once again. Her hands curled up as strands of healing light shined through the cracks of her fist.

Meanwhile, Roari was being pressed hard. As soon as the warriors realized that she was not a ranker, they upped the aggression, smoothly surrounding her while she did her best to endure the onslaught of blows.

Bricks was one such warrior. Although he felt tense at first, now he was completely at ease as he casually jabbed with his sword, causing Roari to cry out in pain. Contrary to her explosive entry from earlier, this new fighter wasn't anything to write home about. Feeling confident, he shoved his shield forward, confident in landing the finishing blow. The moment he broke out of the formation, however, his eyes widened in horror as the invisible scythe of death made itself present.

*Clank*

A gloved palm had caught hold of the rim of his buckler, inciting a panic as he found he could not pull it out from its grip. Realizing that he couldn't retreat, he thrust his sword over his shield but was horrified to see a hand clamped down over his wrist as well. His stomach lurched as ever so slowly, he felt his arms being pried to either side of his body, revealing the girl's leering face.

"Why hello there."

"$#*!$%" He looked for his teammates. They should be stabbing her back. Why weren't they stabbing her? Somehow the buzz of battle had drowned out their screams, as his eyes caught his teammates flailing about as their bodies had somehow been set ablaze.

"No!" He no longer had time to protest as his face wound up being crushed with heavy blow from Roari’s forehead.

One of his still living companions who had managed to put out the flames glared at Roari menacingly. Her back was turned, and she was bleeding. His black eyes shone as he hurriedly charged, bringing his sword smashing down against Roari's head.

Blood sprayed out as Roari began to fall forward. A victorious expression appeared on her assailant's face, only to be replaced with horror as she stopped falling and instead turned to look at him with a bloodsoaked face.

"Impossible!" He cried. It was a direct hit. He slashed again and again, clumsily opening up more wounds on Roari's body, but it was no use as she reached over to grab his throat.

It was only then he noticed a gentle yellow stream of energy rushing into Roari. And as for its source?

His eyes widened as he screamed in resentment. Dawn who had already caught up was supplying a steady stream of healing towards Roari, mitigating all of the damage done so far. His breath caught as he felt stone cold fingers grip down around his jugular. The scenery soon flipped upside down, and with a feral growl, he found himself being slammed into the earth.

And such was the end for Roari's latest victim. She wiped the blood off her face, smiling at Dawn's approach.

"We've come to save the day! Aren't you glad to see us?" Roari teased, unabashed that she herself had been saved but a moment prior.

Dawn was at a loss for words. The remaining players had pretty much scattered in their wake, with what was left convening in a small group behind them.

"Don't let them get away!" Chuck, who found that his quarry was escaping, ground his teeth in frustration. Despite their diminished numbers, the remaining players miraculously obeyed, charging forward into the jaws of death.

"We should get out of here," Pale muttered, igniting another few of their pursuers. It was unfortunate that the grass didn't burn as well, else there would be a sea of fire which would make the extermination of everyone present but a formality.

"Just one moment." Dawn stopped him. She held out her replacement blade and motioned for Pale's own. "Let's trade."

Pale looked to see that the new weapon was far less shoddy than the one previously lent to him. Confused, he acquiesced to the trade, wondering why she wanted such a weapon when she had already had the Crandor.

“Heroic Sacrifice.”

The air around them changed, as the weapon in Dawn's hands shattered, revealing a glowing bar of light that crackled with electricity. Like Odin’s spear, the bar began to whirr like an engine motor, becoming brighter in the process. With a heavy yell, she hurled the tube, sending it streaking towards the leader of the pursuers, Chuck.

Chuck did not even register the danger in time. The tube had impaled him in the chest, sending him hurtling backward before exploding into a shower of sparks.

"Hmph. Now we can go." Dawn said. A red cross mark suddenly appeared across her chest and pupils, her infamy had risen so much in this last battle that she had catapulted straight into the 'wanted' list. Despite that, nobody made a move to stop her as she began to jog away. The onlookers, including the storm siblings, all stared her in shock, with many deciding that there would be no point following her any longer.

And just like that, they escaped.

Eventually they stopped before an old abandoned shack where they finally had a chance to sit down and catch their breaths.

Dawn stared at the two sheepish-looking siblings who had betrayed her just the day before, still at a loss for words. While running, she had come up with dozens of scenarios of how she would harangue them once she got a chance to talk to them, but now that they were in front of her, she had could not even manage a snarky rebuttal. Instead, she opted for the less eloquent approach.

"You came for me," Her voice was a monotone. Just how was she supposed to feel about all of this.

"Well, duh. Only we are allowed to use your body." Roari laughed drunkenly. It seemed the constant blows to the head had already taken their toll.

"..." As for Dawn, she wasn't quite as unsure of her feelings anymore.

"What she means to say is that she has really appreciated your company from back then. Due to the bond we've created spilling blood side by side, we really didn't want to see you being screwed over."

'Yeah' Dawn agreed silently, agitated. 'MY blood.'

"You should feel thankful! We spent like a whole day walking back and forth just to get here!"

"You're not helping Roari."

"Not to mention, we risked our lives for you. You're welcome."

"...God-Goddamit Sis"

As she stood there, a spectator to their playful bullshittery, Dawn couldn't help but feel relieved. To be frank, she had a nagging suspicion that the two of them had come to finish her off themselves. She was already at a loss as to why so many beginners would attack her, but she was glad that these two had not joined in. Their weapons were sheathed as well, but after remembering the circumstances that happened the last time they were together, she still couldn't help but remain on edge.

"I see...thank you." She managed hesitantly.

"You're welcome, but we didn't exactly do this for free."

'Here it comes.' Dawn's stomach churned painfully. People never do actions exclusively from the goodness of their hearts, they always had plans, some hidden agenda. She pursed her lips and remained silent. The least she could do is listen to their demands.

"We want you to become our bus!"

"I refuse! Wait...What?"

"Ooh. That instant rejection from Dawn. How does it feel? Does it burn?" Roari teased. Pale gently shoved her fat face to the side as he continued.

"We want you to help us with our quests and level. There was this one guy who started at the same time at us but has already long surpassed us. It is unforgivable."

"So instead of my life, you want me to actually give you my 'life'?" Dawn stressed on the second 'life'. She had expected them to ask for more gold or equipment, but such an activity could end up costing her far more in the long run.

Seeing that Dawn was slightly irritable, Pale raised his hands in a show of nonhostility. "I didn't mean it that way. Think of it as an investment. You help us for a bit, and we'll eventually be of great help to you down the line. Also, Roari likes you."

Dawn followed Pale's stare to Roari who was scratching her lip shyly. Fearing the implications of such an appearance, she hastily looked away.

"Yeah, if not for that tiny incident, I was actually hoping to see you a lot more," Roari said quietly. The massive contrast between this petite girl and the bloodthirsty murderess from before was too steep. As she slowly shied away to hide behind Pale's back, Dawn felt as if a lance had just pierced through her heart. How could such a despicable person be so cute.

“Roari!”

"Even if I were to agree to such one-sided conditions, parties are supposed to be built on trust. Do you really expect me to trust you, after murdering me in the dark?"

"Well, Pale gave your sword back, didn't he? He really didn't want to, but I convinced him." Roari stuck her tongue out, but rather than being vexing, it somehow made her all the more endearing.

‘No!' Dawn shook her head. Such thoughts were dangerous, but then Pale's next words were like a blast of iced water, snapping her back into reality.

“Aha, I won’t make excuses for killing you earlier, but rest assured. Roari’s feelings for you are genuine. We really do want you to join us.”

"Also, you look as though you are in dire need of friends. Why not give us a try."

“Roari!”

“Sorry.”

Dawn's stomach churned as she threatened to hack out blood. That comment hit sorely close to home. She wanted to reject them, but this could also be an opportunity. She bit down on her lip, tasting the bitter iron. Through the pain, her thoughts cleared as she looked down at Roari coldly.

"Find someone else."

Yes, that’s right. A cold firm refusal. She would not seek out vengeance. But neither will she play along with their little game. Despite everything, they did help her in the end, but she would have to be a fool to place any trust in them again.

“No! It has to be you!”

“I must insist. We have nothing between us.”

“No. You are mine!”

“Roari…”

“No!”

“...Okay--”

“Good!” Roari snorted as she pulled out her adventurer’s journal. “Friends right?”

Dawn hadn’t even had time to refuse once more when Roari took her words as confirmation. Immediately she found that received a friend request, and under the expectant eyes of Roari, she found she couldn’t raise her voice to clear up the misunderstanding.

"Friends huh?" She murmured, before giving up all semblance of resistance. She was probably a fool, but she could still hope, right?

"Great. Now that we're done with negotiations. Pale, take out the thing."

"The thing?"

"Yeah, the thing."

Before Dawn had a chance to question what ‘the thing’ was, Pale pulled out an all too familiar enchanted cuirass from his inventory space, setting it down on the ground with a thunk.

Dawn gaped, as she rushed over to pick it up. "How?"

"Long Story. But I hope you understand. We have helped you out far more than you know." Pale said sagely. He looked out the window with an expression of melancholy on his face, like some lonely expert, regretful of the sacrifices he had made to obtain such strength.

"Well, we were supposed to poison you to death."

"Roari! TMI!!" Pale huffed, but Dawn wasn’t listening. Her eyes were glued to the cuirass as she felt a faint moisture welling up in her eyes. What was this feeling? Elation? Over a simple gift?

Yes, she was elated and perhaps slightly touched. With her gear returned to her, the only loss these past few days were just a couple of levels, which were nothing compared to the rewards gained in the process. Of course, there was still some lingering trauma due to the Storm Siblings, but in time, she was sure she would come to appreciate them...hopefully.

"By the way," Dawn was curious. "Just how did you find me again? And what were those people from earlier."

She listened intently as the siblings recounted the events that transpired only yesterday night. Her expression soon becoming wide as she realized the disaster she had somehow avoided. Her heart was instantly warmed when she realized that the Storm Siblings immediately thought of her well being, rushing to save her like knights from the old faerie tales.

"We couldn't be sure if we could find you in time either, so I had Pale put up a picture of you on the hunting forums. After that, we just followed the main group, which led us right to you!" Roari said excitedly.

However even as Roari blabbed on, Pale froze. A cold sweat ran down his nape as he woodenly turned to look at Dawn.

"Oh, is that so?" Dawn said. She suddenly had an unbearable itch that she wanted to scratch desperately.

Pale stuttered as he tried to supplement his sister’s offhand comment. "It was the most efficient way to find you again. As you can see, the results speak for themselves.”

“Oh. I see.”

"But now that we're all together again. We can go treasure hunting!" Roari added on, bouncing excitedly on the balls of her feet.

Pale, however, grimaced at the thought of the multiple day trip to Baracus. Even with Dawn's arrival, there was still no guarantees that they'll be able to find the treasure anytime soon.

"...Can we not? I'm kind of want to take things a bit slower"

"Ahem. What was the saying again? Carpe Diem! You gotta seize the moment. Right Dawn?" Roari insisted as a ray of golden light washed over the two of them. "Oh, thanks for the heals."

Dawn was silent as she gently grabbed onto Pale's arm, making his eyebrows raise slightly in surprise.

“Yes. Thank you Roari. I believe I shall. I have some undue stress I need to vent off.”

"..."

"Wait, what are you..."

*Smack!*

An open-handed slap crashed against Pale's face while a stream of healing light was pouring into him from Dawn's other hand. The constant healing made it impossible for him to succumb to his wounds, making him feel every single blow as Dawn smacked him repeatedly, breath heavy as Pale's face soon began to resemble a squishy pastry. Upon seeing her brother's tribulation, Roari made no move to help, instead, cackling in delight.

"Gahahaha You sure fucked up big bro." Roari laughed, but the blood drained from Roari's face as her laughter had quickly dried up.

"..."

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“...”

“Babe?”

“...”

"Babe lets talk about this. Are you still mad?"

"..."

"Please! You know I love you, you're scaring me!"

Roari's emotional appeals became more vigorous, more unrestrained, but they all fell on deaf ears. Dawn was expressionless, her steps slow but mechanical, slowly cornering the whimpering Roari.

As her shadow cast over Roari, her lips widened as she flashed the widest, most heart-warming smile she could muster. Upon seeing such a look, Roari could only look down sullenly as she made one final request.

"Just...not the face."

Her hope, however, was crushed as Dawn jerked her head from side to side. Her hands glowed, and Roari sobbed.

"Noooooooooo"

(Remember kids. Violence isn’t funny)