A Game Unlike Any Other

Kurai nodded, still not fully able to get over the shock, "What did you mean when you said you knew that I was going to do something like this if I found out?"

"Well, I was referring to Hozumi's capture…", Satoru's face became grim.

Kurai's body tensed, "I suspected it…but, has it been confirmed?"

Satoru briefly hesitated before he nodded and Kurai clenched his fists in frustration as the other man replied, "It has. Though I didn't know whether she was a player or not. You on the other hand were quite obvious so I thought that she had a good chance of being one, seeing that you seem so close."

Kurai shook his head, "I wouldn't know. When I found out about her, the Cathedral was using her for her powers, but if what you are saying is true, then everyone would be trying to fit into their characters as much as possible. Still, I don't want to simply abandon her even if this is just a game."

The older man nodded in understanding, "It is quite hard to separate yourself from it, seeing as we are currently stuck here and all, but would you really risk your actual life for a programmed being that could be retrieved at any moment?"

A growl sounded out low in Kurai's throat and Satoru lifted his hands in fake surrender, but with a very real smile, "Hey, I was just checking. As I said, I don't know if she is a player or simply an NPC, but if you are going to try and do something stupid," he held out his hand, "then I might as well accompany you."

Kurai eyed his hand before slowly holding out his own to shake it, "Why would you do that if you know what awaits?"

Satoru shrugged before releasing his hand after shaking it briefly, "Reality isn't all it's cracked up to be so I agreed to be uploaded into a game just for kicks. If you were looking for someone sane to try and talk you out of all this, you are really talking to the wrong guy."

A chuckle left him before Kurai turned to pack some additional supplies, but a hand on his shoulder stopped him, "It wasn't just me you know. A few of the other players also decided to join us after seeing how reckless you could be. Frankly, I think they've grown a tad bored with only playing their roles."

Kurai tilted his head in confusion, "You mean some of the others are actual players like you and me?"

Satoru rolled his eyes playfully, "You didn't really think that the two of us were the only players in the guild, did you? Sure some of the other guilds are completely filled with NPCs, but I doubt any game developer would be able to bring our brand of crazy misfits to life, no matter how innovative the game is."

Kurai silently motioned for him to reveal who they were, but then Taya and Reese as well as Sayra, Miyo, and three others that he hadn't even met yet, stepped into the tent.

For a moment, the atmosphere was quiet and tense, but then Taya abandoned her post by Reese's side and grabbed his arm with an extremely wide grin, having somehow cleared the space between them in barely a second, "I knew you were trouble the moment you dodged the paint!"

A few of the others frowned in confusion at her words and even Kurai glanced at Reese, hoping he would explain.

The man didn't disappoint as he effortlessly grabbed her by the back of her collar and yanked her away from Kurai while rolling his eyes fondly, "Save your chaos for our enemies, I'm sure Kurai has enough on his plate without you attracting even more trouble."

Having said that, Reese fully turned toward him, completely ignoring the pout Taya gave him and the way she playfully crossed her arms, much like a sulking three-year-old, "Sorry about that. I'm afraid that I might have spoiled my little sister a bit too much, given that it's mostly just been the two of us."

Kurai nodded in understanding, though he doubted that he fully understood, having had no siblings of his own.

There was only so much a person could understand when watching other people, yet he had been watching Lin interact with her brothers quite frequently so he at least had some insight into the close bond that Taya and Reese shared.

It was probably why they worked so fluently together, but it didn't stop the next question from leaving his lips, "So all of you entered the Beta hoping to win one of the 500 spots?"

Satoru, Taya, Reese, and even Sayra nodded, but Kurai had to forcefully stop himself from tensing as Miyo shook her head.

She didn't even seem bothered when everyone's attention turned toward her and she motioned toward the scars on her legs, just above the knee, the ones they thought had merely been a decoration to enhance her character, "I got into quite a bad accident just before the game launched and there was a large chance that they would have to amputate my legs since they had practically been crushed…"

No one commented as they heard her voice break slightly and Sayra grabbed her hand in a supportive grip, which caused Miyo to throw her a grateful smile before visibly steeling herself, "Someone from Zenomitec approached my parents with an offer that might save my legs while allowing me to spend time in their game without being in constant pain."

Miyo's expression went from wistful to frustrated in the blink of an eye, "As much as I love games though, if I'd known we'd be stuck in one, I would've told the guy to get lost."

Everyone nodded their understanding, even if a few didn't fully agree, before turning to Sayra, who had her hand up, somehow revealing that she was much younger than her Avatar looked.

The soft deviance in her eyes, as she spoke, didn't allow any of them to mention it though, and she spoke as soon as she realized that she had their attention, "My parents thought they'd surprise me for my birthday, because of my love for online games. I doubt they knew something like this was going to happen."

After that, everyone naturally skipped over Satoru, seeing as he was wearing an expression that spoke of unimaginable pain if they tried to make him reveal how he managed to get stuck in the game as well, so naturally they focused on Kurai instead.

He scratched at his cheek awkwardly, "My friend asked me to sign in for her while she saved her birthday snacks from burning, I've never played a game before this."

The room became deadly silent after his admission and Kurai was suddenly worried that they would realize how much he didn't fit in, but then someone released a snort of laughter and the rest couldn't help but follow, leaving a dumbstruck Kurai that glanced at each member of the group as if they were crazy.

Satoru was the first to clasp his shoulder with a wide grin, "Well, if you need help to understand anything else, we're here for you, but that does explain quite a bit."

Kurai frowned, but before he could question them, Reese motioned outside, "If we are going to do this, we need to do this now."

They looked outside to find that darkness had already set in deeply once more and Kurai didn't know whether it was simply later, or whether he'd already spent a day trying to get his head together, though the second thought scared him more than the first.

He paused and turned to the group, "If we are going to do this, we need to do it soon. I felt her energy earlier and it doesn't look good."

Satoru nodded and motioned to the three guildmates that hadn't introduced themselves yet, "Andrew, Xander, and Quill said they would be willing to guard the camp, though we can't all go, otherwise we'd easily be detected."

Sayra looked at Kurai for a moment before she turned to Satoru, "Miyo and I will stay. I saw earlier that Kurai could heal, so it would make more sense."

No one else voiced their thoughts though, and Kurai found himself surprised that Reese hadn't jumped to get his sister out of, what could be a dangerous situation.

Reese simply shrugged as if able to hear his thoughts, "You will find that there are only a few people here that would join you on your quest. But some of us aren't the types of people to back down from a challenge. My sister is also one of them."

Taya grinned as she crossed her arms, "You're just scared that I would put something in your bed agai-ouchy!"

Kurai grinned as Reese playfully pulled one of his sister's ears in retribution. It was nice to see that they were so close. He then turned to Satoru, who seemed to be watching him, "Is something wrong?"

Satoru shook his head, "I was simply wondering whether you had any tricks up your sleeve for this little excursion…"

Kurai nodded, knowing that even Satoru hadn't seen the full extent of his newest abilities combined. And then there was also Seraph's form, which he almost didn't want to reveal, but given that they were willing to risk their in-game lives for him, he knew he had to do something to set them at ease by revealing a bit more of himself to them, "As some of you may have noticed, I received Seraph's Blessing from Hozumi when I went to fetch her to help a friend of mine."

He took a deep breath, "It seems that my version of Seraph's Blessing, although I can still will it to heal normally, relies on draining the life of those classed as 'enemies' to become even stronger."

It sounded like the silence that usually required the sounds of crickets to fill, but then Sayra clapped her hands together, "So THAT's what happened! I thought someone on the opposite side was trying to jump ship."

Reese rolled his eyes, "Wouldn't surprise me. Rumors say the new guy is a complete tyrant."

No one refuted his statement and it made Kurai frown, "If there are deserters, ones that truly want to be on our side, how do we deal with them?"

Satoru shrugged, "They would need to be placed under observation before being accepted and they probably wouldn't be allowed to leave before the current war is over."

It made sense, so Kurai nodded his understanding and turned to the rest, "You know that this might not be the best decision to make? Hozumi may or may not be a player, but I am still going to save her…"

No one offered up any protests and Kurai nodded in acceptance, "Well then, I guess it's time to give the new ruler his coronation gift."

The rest of the group grinned at that before they quietly departed. Not knowing what secrets the mountains would hold.