"From inside the capital. That is when most of the deaths occur, from what I know. The King puts traps up all over the city and hires bands of mercenaries to kill the contestants. The last King was like that; I cant see why this one would be different, Maybe worse.
That was a disturbing thought, the idea of the King openly trying to kill the contestants, and yet people still joined with vigor and excitement. We would have to be very careful inside there, but I didn't want to waste our last free da talking about this. There would be time for all of that tomorrow.
Kyrina was still wearing the soft green dress that was only a bit dirty, but It didn't matter. She was gorgeous, and I watched her stand, turned away from me, looking out over the water. I walked up behind her, and she fell back against me as I got close.
I wrapped my arms around her and rested my chin softly on her shoulder. I looked out across the water with her resting against me. It was peaceful, something we had to bask in right now with the race and training. After standing for a while, we both walked back hand in hand to see what the others were doing.
We found them sitting near the man cooking at a table that had been set up for them. Tama and Mikota noticed us first and waved us down. I told Kyrina to got sit, and I would get us more food to snack on.
I went back over to the meat cooker and asked the man for six more and then reconsidered and ordered twenty, glancing at the almost cleared plater that was at the table. The man got the skewers ready and hand them to me. I was able to leave when I heard his voice call to stop me.
"Hey, are you going to be going outside any time soon?"
"I think we will be tomorrow, but I can't be sure. Why, what's up?"
"There are these things called Catsects, they are like a large spotted cat with a furry grotesques bug head. Now, they look horrible, but I'm sure you can agree that they taste pretty good." The cook nodded to the skewers in my hands.
Ahh! He is trying to get me to do a quest for him! Now, this was something I did know about!
"Yeah, If I find some, I'll bring them back without the heads!"
The man smiled and went back to his cooking like I wasn't there. It was so easy to get tied into these worlds and forget that these were all just programs, but not much different could be said about us. I guess we just had free will; this guy will continue making skewers even if the entire place was destroyed and he was the only one left.
I took the platter back to the table, and Tama and Mikota lit up at the sight of all the food. Iona and Tilly ate more as well, but I didn't talk to them much, and I felt like we were growing apart. I waste sure how to deal with these feelings, everything was so free before, and it wasn't like I wanted to go back to being so flippant.
Kyrina nudged me, and I looked over at her, and she was smiling.
"Worried about everyone again?"
"Am I so easy to read?"
"It was that or one of you twenty other worries."
"Hmm, I just want us all to get through this, and I'm scared that's not going to happen."
The fear was real, and denying it wasn't going to help. Saying it out loud helped; this point was starting to eat at me. The problem was there was nothing I could do about it, leaving me in a powerless state. I couldn't lose them; I know it's just a game, but that doesn't change the loss.
"I get it, but that's why we all have to work hard!"
"Yeah, Dave! Stop making me look like some prissy little girl that needs your protection!" Mikota pushed her chest out, and Tama copied her.
Jeez, they sure were getting along well. The two of the girls were like sisters, but maybe that was a good thing. Being with Kyrina now wouldn't let me forge that same bond, and I didn't want Tama to get lost. Maybe this would be a way to fix one of the problems with trying to help the girls get into the game.
"I hope you all try your best in training; I don't wanna lose anyone so let give this our all!"
Everyone cheered; our little group was getting stares from the people around us, but the girls ignored them. I wasn't going to stop them with the challenging days ahead. Soon, everyone had finished eating, and the chatter had died down to jokes and laughs. Everyone was looking tired, and we were directed to our own huts.
When we reached ours, I followed Krina inside, and we stripped down. There was still some sand stuck on me, and I brushed off before getting into the blanket on a thick mat. No five-star hotel, but I had Kyrina's body tucked in tight with mine.
I fell asleep with her in my arms.
Chapter 88: Jog In The Desert
When I woke up, I was disappointed to find Kyrina was already gone. The bed felt chilled, so I got up. I was really hoping to cuddle with her some and steal some kisses, but that was out of the question now; training lie waiting outside this door; I got my clothes on and headed outside, not wanting to make Dresnal wait.
When I got outside, Kyrina was talking with Iona and Tilly. I was unsure if I should go and interrupt them or just wait back, but Tilly saw me and waved me over. I walked over and joined them on the ground, and Tilly put her hand on my lap, smiling at me. She was so beautiful, even as an Xenophin, noting could mar the natural beauty of her facial structure or her smile.
"I know you have been working about how we are doing, and we want you to know that we understand and we both think it is better this way. There are many more lives we will live together, so we should enjoy each to the fullest, with our without you by our sides."
"Ya, but Tilly, Ill always be here with you guys!"
"Don't be stupid, Dave! You're so thick sometimes! She means about being in a relationship with you and spending an entire lifetime together!"
Jeez, leave it to Iona to shoot it straight, but it was for the best. I wasn't always so good at picking up on these kinds of things. I was about to sit down with them when a voice stopped me from moving.
"No point, let's go."
So much for enjoying the morning, though the time we got to rest was more than we expected. I turned to Dresnal, and he was dressed in hid warps of cloth, but this time he had a pair of suits. Both we different in style and size, respective to us, unlike the UW issue suits, these would not just make room for us. They were some kind of fabric that felt think like canvas but smoother.
Kyrina went into the tent and changed, but I stripped down and unzipped the front of the suit. It didn't take me long to figure out how to get into the suit, and I felt thick on me once I pulled it on. There was a hood with goggles attached to it, so I put it up and tried it out.
I was extremely surprised to find it had a heads-up display with a couple of different things on the lens. On top of that, the lens was so clear, and it was like they weren't even there. I looked over at Dresnal, and he gave me a big smile I could see through the cloth and then chuckled, so I walked over to him.
"Do I look silly?"
"Hehe, you just need to put some weight on you! What have they been feeding you?"
"Microwave dinners."
"A what? That doesn't sound healthy; I will fatten you up, Ha Ha!"
I knew it was coming this time and stepped forward, taking the blow but using my forward motion as a cushion. I was able to keep the air in my lung, but I still stumbled. This got more roaring laughter from Dresnal, and I just focused on my vow, no point in getting worked up.
I was saved by, Kyrina coming out of our hut, pressing down some velcro on her sides. Her suit was different because it was done up with a velcro strip that ran down both sides. My mind churned for a couple seconds, then I realized the purpose, duh. If she needed to shift then, this was a quick way in and out.
"Okay, what the plan for today?" I asked, turning back to Dresnal.
"Running in the desert."
"That sounds good."
But it wasn't.
Dresnal's Idea of a run thought the dessert was doing it away from monsters. Specifically, the ones that were chasing us. He said it was a good motivator because if they caught up, even he would be dead.
> By the time lunch came, I was a soggy mess inside my suit, but I was told to keep it on. I was allowed to open it up to air out, though, and Dresnal pulled out some fruit and meat skewers. He had brought us to a tall stone wall that gave shade and stopped most of the wind.
"What is this wall from?" Asked Kyrina.
"These storms only started to happen about sixty years ago. Before that, this planet was a beach like a paradise and the vacation destination for the entire galaxy. Storms happened before that, but when they started lasting three months, the city's started to crumble from the insides.
"How could the sand cause cities to crumble from inside?"
"No one was prepared. It happened so violently that we saw it coming. All cities were cut off, and all the people from outside of the bubbles flooded into the city centers. No food could get shipped, and they only had stock for the estimated city for three days."
"Oh no, so then," Kyrina's eye had gone big, and I felt the same way as I felt the hackles rise on my neck.
"Yeah, so then the cities started to tear themselves apart. They couldn't even drop anything in at that time from space because the entire planet becomes a sand storm. No visual means no way to send aid, you will see, this is like nothing you will have ever experienced."
Oh great, another one of those things; I think I could go without any more new experiences for now. I wanted to say that, but it was pointless, and there was no point in being flippant when Dresnal was sharing with me. That said, I was not looking forward to the race as much as I was before, but I just had to get through this day of training.
"I guess there is nothing to do but try to help by getting stronger!"
"Then eat more food! You're like a rack of bones! Monsters probably wouldn't even eat you!"
"Then that would be to my advantage, right?"
"Yeah, then they will just rip you to shreds and not eat."
Chapter 89: Morning Shower
After the meal, I felt stuffed and wanted nothing more than to take this suit off and find a nice place to sleep in. Instead, we started walking in the heat. Since all the water was in the ground, it was always clear and sunny outside, so it didn't take long for us to get back to the same detached feeling.
This time, there were no monsters. Instead, we were taken to an area not far from the village, and I was given a wooden sword. Dresnal pointed to a shed and asked Kyrina to go change and shift. Once she was back in her tiger form, Dresnal began to explain what he wanted us to do; it was simple, hit him.
Something nostalgic about the moment hit me, and it was a fresh burst of life into me. The memory was of the world we left behind for reborn. Now, because our lives were over there, there was way back, but that wasn't the point. It was a reminder that this was all just a game designed, and the idea was placed here by someone else. This world or game was one of the more intense maps that I had played on, and I kept slipping into the idea of this being real.
I looked to Kyrina, pushing back those thoughts; they were unneeded for something like this. Hopefully, something can be done about this guy, but I think this will be a learning experience. Kyrina nodded to me, and we ran around to come at him from both sides, trying to flank him, but he was too fast and nimble.
I had to roll to the side to prevent hitting Kyrina because Dresnal had jumped and spun in the air to avoid us, and now he was standing off to the side. I got up quickly and tried to go high this time, but he just ducked the stepped to the side to let Kyrina sail by harmlessly. This was getting us nowhere, but we weren't allowed to stop.
This went on until far after dark. Finally, we were able to sit down at nearly 22:00. Kyrina and I leaned into each other, trying to no fall asleep. We were exhausted, and it felt like we had got nowhere other they point out our flaws, and maybe that was the point.
Dresnal was a straight shooter, so if that's what it seems like, then that's what it probably is. He brought us over the rest of the food and forced us to eat and then walk back to the camp. By the time we got back and into bed, it was almost midnight, and we both fell into bed when our suits were off.
I wake in the morning feeling ran over and left for dead. Kyrina was beside me, but she was also groaning in pain, probably feeling just as bad as me. This was going to be something else today; how were we even supposed to get out of bed.
Our answer came with water, and far more water than one person alone should have been able to produce. Then I heard giggles between trying to gasp for breath and cover my face to stop the torrents gushing down on us. It turned out that Dresnal had enlisted the help of the other girls to all get large pails of water and drench us to the bone.
A cruel world we lived in! I stood up cold and shaking, soaking wet. I wanted to get mad, but it wasn't the girls' fault, but I was sure that they hadn't put up much of a fight.
Luckily the suit had smelled bad, so I had put them outside, and they wouldn't be wet. I helped Kyrina up, and she did not look impressed as she stormed out. When I got outside, Dresnal was there waiting with a broad smile on his face.
Maxine brought each of us over a towel to dry off. I took mine, and she gave me a warm smile. It was nice to see that smile, and I was reminded of my promise to her.
"Hey, is there one of the sand baths you were talking about around here? Or is that only in the Centra?"
"I think there is one out here, I will find out, and maybe we can all go as a group if you guys don't get back so late this time! He is really working you too hard!"
"Yeah, but we need the help; I think we spent six hours trying to hit him, but trying was the keyword because we couldn't do anything. We couldn't even touch the cloth surrounding him. It was getting a bit frustrating near the end, but he started to point out little things in the last hour. After that, we still couldn't hit him, but it felt like we had improved."
"This is his way to help you guys, I guess. Instead of trying to tell you all the wrong things, he waits until he thinks you will be able to best use it and absorb it. I don't think he is a bad teacher; you just have to keep focused and not get frustrated. Watch him, Dave, he is a master in the sea's of Xeno, Dresnal Thunder Crest, leads the fight against the Xenowraiths."
"No wonder Sasha is so invested in trying to help; her father is the leader of the cause. Though, I'm just not seeing why were are so special. Why doesn't he just deal with them?"
"You would have to ask him about that. Honestly, I'm not really sure why he doesn't just do it himself, but there has to be a good reason, or none of this would be necessary."
"Yeah, you make a good point."
"Yeah, she does."
Jeez! He snuck up on me again without me even noticing him! How was a guy as big as him so quiet?
"Okay, so if you got time to gossip, then you must have the time to do some extra running!"
"Don't we get to eat first? What about all this talk of making me big and strong?"
I was tossed three meat skewer, pulled from behind Dresnal's back, but he was wearing no pack.
Chapter 90: Your Not Coming?
"Where did you get those from?"
"Hehe, they are good still," Dresnal laughed as he tossed the skewers to me.
I caught them and handed one to Kyrina, but she shook her head in disgust. She grabbed her suit instead and stormed back inside the tent. Once we were both back suited up, Dresnal handed us a pair of weapons.
I was given a katana, similar to the naginata I used with Diamond Edge. Kyrina was handed a pair of what he called Katar, a type of fist hand blade. This would be a good fit for her style; I thought of the damage that would have been done to the guy that had tried to jump me. Scary!
"We are heading out to the sands today to find some monsters to get you used to fighting them. They are fast, as you know, but they have random movement. Most are insect type monsters that can burrow."
"How will we see them coming like that?"
"Let's go!"
Arsenal just ignored me! Well, that must mean he
will show us or just push us off the proverbial cliff. I looked at Kyrina, but she just looked pissed, so I started to follow him.
We ran for an hour until we reached an area with many monoliths standing out of the ground, spread around. Each was spaced out, but when we got close to one, I could see there were broken windows. On closer inspection, it showed that this was the top of some kind of building.
"What is this place?"
"Carvania, it was a city only 11 years ago, but another war claimed it overpowered when the wish was used for other means."
"What do you mean? Did someone use the wish to wage war?"
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