by Nikita Thorn
He held his breath as he recognized the handwriting even before his brain could comprehend the sender’s name.
Fuyu of Ichikeya [1 minute ago]: Doesn’t Fuyu-chan always suggest the best gifts?
Letting out a groan whose meaning was unclear even to himself, Seiki handed the post message to Ippei.
“Of course, your girlfriend is mixed up in this,” said the samurai.
He and Ippei had only started War Games last week, and while it was no big secret, the fact that Fuyu already knew about this and had managed to procure the Cards for the White Crane Order meant that Ichikeya also had vested interest in them.
“It’s a gesture to say that we’re still watching you,” said Seiki.
“How could she know?” said Yamura.
“You just keep an eye on the loot log,” said Ippei.
Mairin frowned. “What does she want from you?”
Again, another pigeon fluttered in and the group exchanged apprehensive glances. Seiki grimaced as he grabbed it.
Fuyu of Ichikeya [1 minute ago]: Now… once you’re equipped with the Cards, you might want to know that Fuyu-chan happens to have something called a Potion of Divine Luck as well. Ask your friend what it is, Seiki-san. Imagine three lucky pops for your three cards. Simply for five minutes of your time. I know you’re interested.
“Oh, God.” Ippei’s reaction was even beyond what Seiki had expected. “So that’s her real play. The potion upgrades anything upgradeable to max.”
“We can do without three more Jade Cards, right?” said Seiki.
“No, that’s not even… Oh, God.” Ippei buried his head in his hands. “This is just ridiculous.”
“Okay, we’re not going to fall for this again,” said Seiki. Still, he could not help asking. “How much is this luck potion worth anyway?”
Ippei let out a long exhale. “The Divine Luck potion was also a Beta gift, and all these things I got, you know, the real-world pocket watch and the Jade and the set of Trade Skill charms. All that was Tier Three,” said the samurai. “The Divine Luck Potion was from Tier One. And, yes, for that, in accordance with the traditional Japanese numbering system, smaller numbers are better. Tier One was top-grade.”
“Oh,” was all Seiki could say.
Yamura’s jaw dropped. “Okay, sorry, man, but for something like this, you’ve gotta go.”
Even Ippei could not argue, and Seiki really wondered how strong his resolve against this was going to be after all.
“Oh, come on,” said Mairin. “It’s gonna be a trap again.”
“But it’s a Tier One luck potion, whatever that means,” said Yamura weakly.
“You are completely hopeless.” Mairin laughed. “Fortunately, while you guys were considering getting conned again, this arrived.” She held up a fresh post message, which must have been delivered when the rest of them were too absorbed in Fuyu’s offer. Her eyes sparkled in excitement. “Kentaro’s got it. It’s magical red headbands for everyone.”
CHAPTER TWO
Being right in the middle of the Pacchi Festival was a vastly different experience from observing it from a high window, although what surprised Seiki was that it was nowhere as daunting as he had first imagined. The streets, packed as they seemed from afar, had an almost organized flow to their natural pace: fast traffic rushed through in the middle, while slower crowds gathered on both sides to admire the new goods the street stalls had to offer. Extra space had been allocated between the stalls, and so players could squeeze themselves in to make a purchase without getting run over. The NPC festival-goers, Seiki soon noticed, never actually paused to buy anything, and after some observation he came to the conclusion that they were there to set the pace of the traffic and make sure that meanderers got off the middle of the road, with an unobtrusive nudge here and there to keep people moving.
Riding in such a crammed space, of course, was out of the question. Seiki had no doubt Fubuki would protest going through Trade Street in its current state, especially in tight crowds and so close to sparklers and street food grills. As he and his friends made their slow journey toward South City, he amused himself with people-watching. Slightly ahead of them, someone called Kesao of the Storm Traders [Level 26] was trying to lead his gigantic armored dark bay stallion through the crowd. He did not have much success, and the mount eventually made its unhappiness known by backtracking against the lead, almost kicking over a stall table and causing the nearby NPC merchant to yell at its helpless owner. The man eventually got the message that riding was not allowed and dismissed the poor beast, looking a bit lost.
“Why do we have to go all the way to his clan hall again?” Yamura grunted. Then he grunted again as a group of low-level players rushed past him, a collection of two men and three women in starter gear. Seiki followed the new players with his gaze and could not help chuckling when he saw that their destination was boasting ‘Premium Sake – Rare Flavors. Fifty-percent Discount!’
“Look at this traffic. It’s impossible.” The ryoushi sighed as another NPC in a bright blue kimono of a shop hand nearly crashed into him. “Shota’s gonna kill me. I swear it’s getting more crowded by the minute. Don’t tell me it’s gonna be like this all the way through South City.”
“I don’t mind it,” said Seiki. He could not imagine being in such an unpredictable crowd again in real life, and now he was finding it strangely entertaining, even as an NPC carrying a sack overflowing with yam rudely pushed past him.
“Well, you’re easy to please. You even like that shoes-off dungeon,” said Yamura.
“It’s a good dungeon,” said Mairin.
“Yeah, for you, because they all turn out to be kitsune at the end. Anyway, wouldn’t it be easier for Kentaro to come to us?”
The kitsune was not listening, as she was busy entertaining herself with reading clan names she had never seen out loud.
“Guindorin of the Kingdom of Girideon?” Mairin frowned as she inspected a tall girl who looked oddly out of place with her ankle-length murky yellow dress. Her weapon of choice appeared to be a frilly umbrella, which a quick inspect showed to have been altered from a long sword. Despite the outlandish appearance, the player was Level 29, so Seiki had no doubt she had a fairly good idea what she was doing.
Mairin did not look convinced. “Geez. Isn’t she in the wrong game? Where did these people come from?” She suddenly burst into giggles. “Oh, look, there’s someone called Goto of the Wrong Side of the Bed.”
The man in question was in a casual mismatch of armor pieces and was carrying a strange long pole for a weapon, and Seiki was surprised he could not immediately guess the man’s class.
“People are coming in from out the East Gate,” said Ippei. “Lots more freedom out there, and people get… well, creative.”
“Not always the good kind of creative,” said Yamura.
“There’s only one kind of creative,” said Mairin.
The festival had attracted more players from outside the capital city, as evident by quite a few unfamiliar clan names, plus a few armor sets Seiki had never seen before. Inspecting them was a fascinating attraction in itself. A smallish girl in front of him, who had stopped at a potions stall, Miura of the Eastfront Villa [Level 26], stood out from the crowd with several pieces of blue-green gear, all marked with the word ‘Fuhara’, which seemed to have at least +4 speed on every piece at the expense of both attack and defense.
Also rushing about in large numbers were very new players below Level 10, who looked as if they had just stepped out of South City for the first time, seemingly unaware of the potential danger of being in a PVP zone. Combat had not been disabled for the Festival, but at least more guards were present: the only ones still on horses, overseeing the traffic with their usual stern expression. Seiki wondered if the heightened security was needed. City brawls only ever happened when players were bored, and bored was the last word he would use to describe anyone around him at the moment.
&n
bsp; Yamura continued. “According to some law of fluid dynamics, one person instead of four will get across the city way faster, like… uh, like how water goes fast in smaller tubes or something.”
Ippei chuckled. “That’s not the kind of dynamics you’re looking for. But to answer your question, there’s no way the Society is going to let a unique disappear into a private territory.”
“Assuming he has the unique,” Mairin turned to say, looking a little doubtful. Kentaro had not specified in his post how exactly he was going to make the mysterious headbands, except that he now could.
“He’s got to have it,” said Ippei. “That’s the only way the recipe is possible. I have no idea how he managed that so quickly.”
“I know, maybe he robbed the Society and now he’s in hiding, like, in his clan territory,” said Yamura. “That’s why we have to go to him.”
Mairin laughed. “Kentaro robbing someone? Not in a million years.”
“Who knows?” The ryoushi shrugged. “The less you look like a thief, the better one you are. No one ever suspects a houshi.”
Seiki grimaced as he was suddenly reminded of an innocent-looking Level 9 houshi who had the appearance of being bullied by a high-level player. “Especially if your name is Akari,” he muttered under his breath.
His friends did not hear him. Mairin was giggling. “Okay, Yamura, why don’t you try to recruit Kentaro for your new clan, too? I’m sure you guys can do with an extra thief.”
Before Yamura could say anything in retaliation, the kitsune exclaimed “Ooooh!” and rushed to a nearby stall, where she grabbed a square teapot made of blue and white porcelain. “I swear I have this exact same pot at home. And I mean exact. What are the chances?”
Yamura sighed. “At this rate we’ll never get anywhere.”
As curious as he was about the mysterious headband recipe, Seiki could not deny enjoying the sights and sounds of the event. He watched in amusement as the kitsune tried to pay for the item with gold but was told she needed Festival Tokens. Seiki himself had earlier stopped at a stall selling territory upgrades, having spotted a black tea table set that would be a perfect replacement for the one that came with his Furuhashi South room. It was called a Simple Chabudai, and offered +8 health regeneration benefit for the owner of the room for half an hour if you spent at least ten minutes in the room. Unfortunately, it went for a small amount of Festival Tokens he did not currently have.
“It seems we’re in severe need of Festival Tokens,” said Mairin, coming to the same secret conclusion Seiki had made just a few moments ago.
Ippei laughed. “You can go sweep temple lawns with Yamura all you like later. But…” He frowned before nodding toward something in the street ahead. “Let’s get out of here before we’re caught in that parade.”
Seiki had unconsciously picked up the sound of approaching drums and wind instruments, and now after he turned his full attention to them, he guessed they were coming from one of those hourly parades that had been going by his window all afternoon. There was no direct view from where he and his friends were, as Trade Street was not visible behind the closest row of festival stalls, but the crowd around them was starting to stir in reaction to the incoming spectacle as they moved to get a better view.
Having watched parades go by several times now, Seiki knew well that traffic usually came to a standstill in such an occasion. The paraders often stopped to do short dance sequences along the way, and getting through those crowds once it happened was impossible.
“Okay, let’s take this next right.” He pointed ahead to a small alley that he had first discovered when exiting the East City Bandits’ underground territory. “It’s a longer route. But we avoid all main roads. It puts you near the South City post—”
Seiki almost ran into a slender girl in yellow as soon as he led his friend to the shortcut.
The Festival Volunteer [Level Unknown] did not appear to mind. Instead, she smiled brightly and thrust something into his hand. “Remember to drop by, ronin-san!” she said, almost too loudly for being so close.
Seiki glanced at the piece of paper. It was labeled a Hanabi Shop Flyer. The header had colorful splashes of paint all over it, and underneath was a neatly printed list of items:
Festival Sparklers [toy] – 1 Festival Token
Pack of eight sparklers. Requires a flint or a fire source to light.
Bamboo Tube – 10 Festival Tokens
Combine this with at least one pack of Black Powder and one pack of Stars to create your own fireworks. Has a 3% chance to attract the attention of the majestic White Dragon during the last night of the Festival. 3 Slots.
Black Powder – 10 Festival Tokens
Combine this with a Bamboo Tube and at least one pack of Stars to create your own fireworks. Adds a 2% chance to attract the attention of the majestic White Dragon during the last night of the Festival. 20-foot range. Takes 1 slot in a Bamboo Tube.
Common White Stars – 5 Festival Tokens
Combine this with a Bamboo Tube and at least one tube of Black Powder to create your own fireworks. Adds a 6% chance to attract the attention of the majestic White Dragon during the last night of the Festival. Takes 1 slot in a Bamboo Tube.
Other fireworks ingredients may be collected from various sources during the Festival.
Seiki looked up at her, not quite sure what it meant. He had heard of the Night of the White Dragon before, and he knew it was one of the Festival events, but with so many of them, and some with incredibly long titles, he was losing track of which was which. The approaching parade was drawing closer and Seiki tucked the flyer in his inventory. “Uh, thanks. I’ll look at it later?”
The NPC girl winked. “There are rumors of rare kinds of firework stars with amazing effects. Who knows? You might get a gift from the White Dragon!” Her eyes widened dramatically.
When an NPC was that excited about something, it usually meant people had better pay attention. “Uh, why would I want to make fireworks again? And this White Dragon…”
“World boss,” said Ippei as if it was common knowledge. “Now let’s get out of here.”
“World boss?” Seiki repeated.
Ippei looked surprised. “You know what happens at the end of the Festival before the patch goes live, right?”
“You get automatically logged out and if you log in it’s all… dark?”
The samurai laughed. “For a game that prides itself in never being down for maintenance, it’s guaranteed to be more impressive than that. You can still log in during the update, but they phase you somewhere else for a bit.”
“Like an alternate reality?” asked Mairin.
“No. More like… that building.” Ippei turned around to point at something across Trade Street.
Just visible around the corner, further away in the distance on the main street, was a six-storied structure made of dark wood, now covered from top to bottom with festival flags.
“That’s called the… Lord Shogun’s Banquet Tower?” Seiki searched his memory. He had passed by the building many times, and since it appeared to be permanently locked, he had always guessed it had something to do with Inner Palace Favors.
“Yeah,” said Ippei. “Our dear Lord Shogun is afraid you won’t be celebrating properly, so he forces everyone to attend his five-hour long banquet. They lock you in there until the update is over.”
“Oh, so basically a fancy prison.” Mairin giggled.
“Slightly better, I would say, since you have access to unlimited food and drink,” said Ippei. “The better you do with the Festival, the higher floor you can unlock at the end, and the better the quality of the consumables they give you. Nothing else really works, though. But anyway, instead of an update progress bar, you get to watch the White Dragon fly around in the sky out the window. The moment he lands in the city, the world comes back on and you can leave the building.”
“And straight into a world boss?” said Seiki.
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br /> “Yeah.”
Seiki looked at his friend. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. The Festival’s awesome.”
Ippei laughed. “The Rogami fan club’s right over there.”
“Maybe the dragon will be yellow and black this time, like, you have to kill a Rogami dragon?” Mairin guessed.
“You don’t kill the White Dragon, ojo-san,” the Festival Volunteer piped up in disapproval. “You attract his attention and when you’ve proven your strength and determination, you can present an offering, and he rewards you back manifold.”
“Attract his attention… with the fireworks?” Seiki wondered if it was going to be a public attempt. Perhaps the more fireworks players launched, the faster they could start the encounter.
“Yes.” The girl nodded, then she gave them a broad smile. “If you or your party manages to fully get his attention, the White Dragon might even grant you a private audience and set for you your own series of challenges.”
Ippei stared at her for a moment. “Oh,” he sounded surprised. “Okay, I see. You’re saying we can make it our own instance? That’s definitely new.”
Whether the guess was correct or not, the NPC said nothing to contradict it and gave them a wink. “So don’t forget to explore! Better materials for firework rockets exist elsewhere all around the world during the Festival!”
“Yep. So now we need even more Festival Tokens,” said Mairin.
Ippei chuckled. “All right. I guess I’ll do Rogami temple lawn for private boss instance.”
The samurai sounded almost serious as he nodded toward the main street, where the procession had caught up with them, the drumbeats thundering in rhythm, unsynchronized just enough to sound practiced but still amateurish. “Or… I heard there’s a quest where you join one of these, costume and all, and how many Tokens you get at the end depends on how well you—”
His sentence cut short, Ippei jumped back just in time to narrowly avoid a projectile shooting straight through the group. The arrow, gleaming black, thudded into a wood pole on the nearest stall. The startled scrawny middle-aged stall minder let out a cry.