The Calm Before the Storm

"What do you mean, 'Darius happened'?" I tapped my fingers on the desk nervously. Axel shifted in his seat and sighed.

"I believe Alexander was communicating with Darius as well. Darius wasn't a Lost Soul, but a criminal that was originally employed by the game. He was on Alexander's payroll. He grew continuously more reclusive and aggressive. He would start fights with guild members, go on power trips when it came to missions or punishments. He would disappear for days at a time and refuse to answer questions about where he was going." Axel took a sip of the glass of water on his desk before he continued.

"It was a few months in when he came back from a job one night. I was here in the office, finishing up some paperwork and plans for an upcoming training expedition into the goblin territories, past the outskirts of Mikado's forests. He was covered in grime and blood. His armour was damaged. He stormed past me into the gathering hall and as he walked past, a piece of paper fluttered to the ground in my doorway. I looked at it, of course, and what I saw shocked me. It was a list of names and locations. A few of the names were crossed out, some were starred. I quickly copied the list into my logbook and threw the scrap of paper into the fire." 

"A list of victims?" I asked. Noting this was the list Aine had seen when she glimpsed Axel's logbook. The two stories matched. Axel nodded.

"He had been hunting the Lost Souls, taking them out so they wouldn't be competition to get the prize. He's gone mad with the power, he wants to gain his freedom, have his record expunged. I followed him into the main hall, and found his clothes changed. He was drinking with various women from the guild, acting as if nothing had happened."

"You believe Alexander ordered him to take out those souls." I questioned.

"If he didn't directly order it, he put the idea in Darius' head." Axel responded.

"Where is he now?" My glance darted to the door leading to the rest of the guild hall. Axel held up a hand to stop me.

"He's on a scouting mission, gathering intel on the guardian of Mikado. He'll meet us at the battlefield in a day's time." I nodded, relaxing back into my seat, I crossed my arms over my chest.

"So, you want me to believe you have nothing to do with the killings going on? When all of these men are under your control?" The sharpness of my tone didn't go unnoticed. My mouth was set in a grim line. He clenched his fists once again on top of the desk.

"I am many things, Fayre, but I am not a murderer of the innocent. I have hurt, I have stolen, I've cheated, I've lied. I've done it all. I'm here for a purpose, to clear this game. Look into my eyes, do you think I could have done this?" His tone was pleading, a decibel I had never heard from him before. He opened his hands, so his palms were open to me, his eyes glimmered with indignation. 

"The only thing I care about is getting my daughter back." His eyes narrowed. "I'll kill anyone who jeopardizes that." I examined his face, the strong line of his jaw, the determined set of his eyes. I nibbled on my lower lip in thought, and finally nodded.

"It's only a matter of time before he turns on you. Only one can win." I pointed out. He nodded.

"So, where do we go from here?" I asked him. He folded his hands together.

"As a criminal, if we kill him, he will be forced to log out of the game. Our best chance of getting to him is during the battle with the Guardian." Axel said slowly. I blanched.

"You want us to kill him in the middle of a boss battle?" I asked incredulously. Axel nodded. I let out an exasperated sigh.

"I guess we have a plan." I pushed myself back and stood up from the chair. I adjusted my sword back onto my back. I felt slightly better about the situation knowing Darius was not a Lost Soul. I didn't want a death on my conscience, as harrowing as his evil was.

When I stepped out of Axel's office, Vane was lounging on one of the chaise lounges chairs in the guild hall. He was seated with his hands on his lap, his twin swords strapped on, his armor pristine. He stood and turned to face me as I came out of the room, he rushed toward me, and stopped a few feet away.

"Is everything alright?" Vane asked, concern lacing his tone. He crossed his arms over his chest. I nodded to him.

"There's a lot to fill you in on before the battle tomorrow." I said slowly and proceeded to fill Vane in on the discussion I'd had with Axel, about Darius and his mission to take out the competition of Lost Souls. Vane listened silently, nodding occasionally. When I finished, he rubbed his chin in thought and bit his lip.

"So, we have to act during the battle." He concluded. I nodded my agreement. He sighed and blew his hair out of his face. 

"Let's head out and start getting ready for tomorrow." I said. Vane held out a hand for me, I blushed and took it. I let it go as we head toward the door. I turned and nodded my farewell to Axel.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Fayre." He grunted. I saluted him and headed out the door.

As we exited the Spires, and strolled along the road toward the apartment, I admired the people who were lounging about enjoying their day. Jealousy filled me, I saw lovers picnicking by the riverside, friends gathered and discussing their next quest. Absent mindedly, I reached back and felt the hilt of my sword. It comforted me. These wealthy beta-players didn't need to worry about dying here. They could log out, go back to their normal lives. Their misery wasn't being broadcast across nations for amusement of the powerful.

I felt a touch on my elbow and turned to see Vane staring at my face. We paused in our stroll. Turning me to face him, he trailed his fingertips down the side of my cheek.

"Are you okay? Really?" He asked softly. I sighed, chewing on my lower lip. Finally, I nodded.

"Yes, I'm okay. It's just a lot to process. Everything that's happened lately, what's coming tomorrow." I looked at the people surrounding us. "I wish we had time to relax like that. That's all." He smiled at me sadly and gripped my hand as he started resuming walking. He interlocked his fingers with mine.

"We can take some time to enjoy the little things, once in a while. How about we grab some lunch and eat it here?" He asked. I thought for a moment, then beamed. I squeezed his hand and dragged him toward the center of the plaza, where the food carts were.

We spent the afternoon lounging around the city, admiring the views. We ate food and laughed by the river, we let plans for the upcoming battle fall to the wayside. For the first time since I came to Aether, I acted like a normal girl.