Vol. 1 Prologue: Tour Guide

“Sir!”

“Yes, what is it?”

“Sir, why don’t you tell us about the story of OyasumiSe7en?”

The class I was in-charge with in the tour of our Adventurers’ Agency branch chorused as they pleaded that I tell them the story that made the headlines years ago. I glanced at my watch; I got five minutes until the end of the tour. With a few minutes available, I sat on the table, and narrated the history of one of the famous adventuring parties ever known…

“OyasumiSe7en is an adventuring party that claimed the top spot when I was still in college.”

“Yes, sir, we know that!” one of the students grumbled. “You told us that part many times already!”

“Oh, am I?” I chuckled. “Silly me; I’ve been redundant!”

Another student brought up, “Isn’t OyasumiSe7en an adventuring party of pretty ladies?”

“Yes…” The memories filled my head. “I remember they were the talk of the town, similar to the idol groups you have nowadays. Their team leader, Temari, was a powerful mage—the youngest in history to ever achieve the ‘Sage’ rank. She was followed by her second-in-command, Kikyo, who was a wind elf, a rare talent among her people. The other members include Alice, a skilled automatic weapons specialist; stories tell that she wielded a pair of heavy machine guns with ease. Then, Lucille, and Rachelle, who functioned as ‘tanks,’ that is, they carried ballistic shields and their responsibility was to draw the attacks to them. Rico was their ‘scout;’ can you guess her weapon of choice?”

“Scout roles often carry sniper rifles, right, sir?”

“Yes, that’s correct. However, Rico also uses anti-materiel rifles, which she switches depending on the demands of the battlefield.”

Then, I stopped. Likewise, the students remained silent, as if expecting something else from me. A few moments passed, and someone said…

“Sir, you only told us about six of the OyasumiSe7en members.”

“Oh, did I?” I laughed at my ‘supposed’ mistake. Well, I tried to test their listening skills; a lot of talks like this often fall on deaf ears if I spoon-feed my audience. “Now, where was I?”

“Yukie, sir! You forgot Yukie.”

“Right, Yukie. She’s the last member of the party, and their porter/quartermaster. Her skills lie more on the logistical side of adventuring, ensuring the other members are well-supplied with food, medicines, and even camping luxuries.”

“Camping luxuries?”

“Well, you know…though they were adventurers, they still are ladies. And ladies have to take great care of their bodies, you know? Dungeons can get dirty and dusty.”

The students nodded at my words; others took it down on their notebooks, and smartphones. Were conditions this calm, I’d guide tours until retirement.

Then, I saw someone raising her hand. “Is it true they conquered the six dungeons?”

“Yes, it’s what made them famous. Before, no one has attempted the feat. Two, three, up to four, dungeons…records that spanned for about five years, then the adventuring party stopped. I think I saw some claims in our archives, but before OyasumiSe7en, no one cleared six dungeons in a span of three months. Come to think of it, the hype was even stronger because they were all ladies.”

“Oooh…”

“But Sir—”

“I know what you will ask; what really happened to them?”

The students nodded.

“When I was in college, they were on their way to clear the seventh and final dungeon. However, news came that they turned against each other, and simply disappeared. No one really knew what happened to the members. When other adventuring parties ventured to the Antarctic dungeon after weeks of no contact, they only found their belongings, scattered in a mile-wide area, but no bodies.”

A deafening silence came to the hallway. For such a legend as the OyasumiSe7en, their sudden demise brought shock to my charges. Heh, imagine back then, when we were expecting good news about their feat, only to be greeted by the news of their uncertain fates.

“How can they tell the OyasumiSe7en fought against each other?”

“Beats me,” I shrugged. “I thought of the same questions you asked now years ago. Honestly, I partly joined the Adventurers’ Agency as their employee for this. But no. Looking into our archives for any information about them gave me nothing.”

Then, the bell rang. After saying our thanks and goodbyes, the students grabbed their bags, and queued at the door. I gave them final reminders as they went home…

“Don’t forget to give us a like on Fesbook! We also have an online survival manual on our page; feel free to check it out! See you again at our agency!”

“Yes, Sir Junie! Byeeee!”