PFC Chapter 43: Never abandon your allies
Chapter 43: Never abandon your allies
Chapter 43: Never abandon your allies He could still remember it vividly.
"Hey, Alan, do you need a hand?!"
While the now ex-Shooting Stars laughed, mocked, and killed him repeatedly, one person stood out.
Walking among the crowd with light feet, she observed the scene from a distance, chuckling. Distracted like a child by the lion monument functioning as a checkpoint, she could suddenly be seen in the farthest corner of the hall, contemplating a silhouette engulfed in shadows.
She moved as if she were both there and not at the same time. When I noticed no one addressed her or glanced her way, I thought I was really dying. Maybe she was just the incarnation of the Angel of Death, coming to reclaim my soul, here, far away from Earth.
"Come on, Amelia, why don't you try it?"
I could barely hear their voices while I monitored that girl. I was going to tell her that if she was here to collect my soul, she'd have to come back later because I had a mission bigger than myself to fulfill, dammit!
"Is it a good way to relieve stress?"
And not even these assholes would stop me!
When she finally looked in Alan's direction, he froze—literally. I could feel time slowing down. Staring deep into her eyes made the rest of the world lose momentum.
"Th--e--b--est--w--ay--in--de--ed!"
She crouched in front of him, smirking. "What a pathetic, sad little thing you are," she said warmly, but her voice was undeniably condescending. "It seems I came for nothing. I'll report that there is nothing to report. And you..." She poked the tip of Alan's nose. "You're disgustingly weak."
The teen-looking stranger with straight black hair then turned around, sneering. "This new world is for the strong, silly. If after 22 months you did nothing to improve yourself and sat on your ass all day long, you deserve to be punished by these kids..."
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The scent of Amelia's perfume brought Alan back to the present. He looked down, having an eagle view of green fields and mountains. Her winged tiger flew smoothly with no turbulence, contrasting her sister's chaotic piloting.
"Another thing I love about The Novus is that once I attained Vitality Bronze A, I could wear high heels all day long without getting tired or feeling pain. Like, that's neat!" Amelia said joyfully through Party Chat. "Aw, man, I don't know what I'll do once we return to the real world. Trust me, if I could change my ankles and leg tendons, cyborg-style, so I can wear permanent high heels, I'd do it in a heartbeat!"
From cold and ruthless, to full-on chatty...
"It's also neat that pooping here isn't that messy," he commented, making her groan.
"Oh, shut up! By the way, I suppose you're already familiar with how the Novus 'improves' our physical appearance, right? Well, let me clarify something before you get the wrong idea. I've barely changed my avatar. 99 percent of what you see here is the real deal. The real ME! Keep that in mind from now on, okay? Which part is the other 1 percent is a secret though." She giggled.
I bet it's the boobs... Alan thought immediately. They're slightly bigger than Astrid's--Oh, crap... He shut his eyes just as Astrid's face flashed in his head. How would she react if she saw me holding this other gal's waist?
He glanced back, in the direction he thought the northeast and Londorus were, as if he could feel piercing blue eyes from miles away.
"Oh! Since you just logged in, let me show you something that'll blow your mind!" Amelia said cheerfully, manipulating her User Interface.
Seconds later, Alan got a notification, stating that she was streaming audio through the Party Chat. He tapped the Sound icon, and a song started playing inside his head.
Everyday, I'm thinking of you
Everything it's not the same without you
Everywhere I see your shadow, so nobody understands
That while you roam the stars, I'm here bound to paradise
* My he-aa-art goes boom-boom when you're not around! *
Through constellations, I
Seriously... Did she say g-g-guild?
Amelia offered Ashley a handshake, who scrutinized it for a couple of seconds before turning to Alan, looking for his approval.
Don't look at me and make this weirder than it already is! He exhaled and nodded to her.
"Nice to be on board, Amelia," Ashley said, shaking her hand.
"It's official then!" Amelia beamed and turned around, pushing Alan in her path. "I'll punish you later for this, you heard?" she whispered.
Ashley? Is there a way to log this girl out of the Novus for a couple of years, please?