11. Link

…Master the chain

Seek the lost heirloom…

…The star watches over us all.

Answer not the lies of the wicked…

…But assure of their safety.

Remember the Past, do live in the present, to prepare for the Future.

Against the odds, call upon the many…

…But face the ordeal alone.

***

I’ve been checking on my rings for some time.

It seems the rings only appear when I think about it. The moment I think of something else, the rings disappear immediately… Before reappearing again, because I think about it again.

As I’ve mentioned before, the ring on my index finger has these shiny effects, compared to other rings. Upon closer look, these rings are plain gold, and have a metallic touch to it. These non-bright rings seem to have no feel of weight on them.

No matter what I do, these rings do not budge at all. It clenches tightly on my fingers, but it does not feel uncomfortable either.

The gold threads coming from my wrist are strangely transparent. I cannot touch these threads at all.

Jevannah said earlier that this ‘Control Ring’ can allow me to register up to three followers. If I deduce it, the bright ring is registered for myself…

Just to be clear, I am not a follower…

Or am I?

Jevannah’s explanations are rather vague. Why do torchbearers relinquish their light… What does it mean, actually?

Is it by throwing my tablet away?

…I hope not.

***

-v3-

In front of a signboard, Regan and Oskar stand there, clearly waiting for me. They look well equipped, with pouches on their belt, and weapons ready. Beside them lies a bunch of small bags, and an Aider.

Regan: “Hey, Ann. You ready for your first assignment?”

…Jevannah totally planned for this.

This is my second time going to dark places. I’m still feeling anxious.

Ann: “Yeah… I suppose so.”

Regan: “What’s with that answer? You afraid?”

Ann: “...We’re going back to that place again, right?”

Regan: “Well, not this time. Look at the back of the signboard.”

Ann: “Signboard? I only saw chapped election poster paper…”

Regan: “I said on the back…”

I walk to the back of the signboard and find many papers with signal symbols on them. Beside those symbols there outline writings I can understand. Almost all of these symbols have been crossed out, with one exception on the top right corner.

[ o o o - - ] NWE, L6, 14 Libe, 36V, OSD - Is written there.

Regan: “The book you brought… I assume you know this symbol already.”

Ann: “The symbol means ‘Hurry’ or ‘Rescue’... But what’s the writing on the left?

Regan: “From left to right, NWE means the info comes from the northwest entrance. L6 means sixth layer. 18 Libe is the distance from here, and 36V means it is found at 36 VINES time.”

I can understand it until the second part…

Ann: “What is Libe?”

Regan: “Libe is the length of 8 Liba. One Liba is 100 Lin, and a Lin is the length of an Aider.”

An Aider’s length is about the height of mine. For reference, Regan’s height is a quarter higher than mine.

Hopefully they don’t put me as a length measurement.

Regan: “36V is when the signal was received. It's 37 VINES now so it’s quite recent.”

Ann: “37 VINES now? Isn’t that weird? The history of this place would go far back than 37 VINES.”

Regan: “History? You mean the timeline or such?”

The timeline used in this place doesn't make sense. Regan and Oskar arrived here about 40 VINES ago, so to sum it up, it would go -3 VINES… Or am I missing something?

Regan: “We don’t really need to write until hundreds, that’s unnecessary. History goes as far as thousands of VINES. If now it is 2 VINES and a signal is recorded 3 VINES ago, we just write 99 VINES here. Get it?”

Seems reasonable… But, do people here not care much about history?

…

I nod and ask the last question, the OSD.

Regan: “OSD is the acronym of torchbearer group. What was it again…-”

Oskar: “...Organization of Shady Deals, a bunch of looters.”

Wait, what?

Ann: “Looters you say?”

Oskar: “...Treasures of the past, they make a living from it.”

Their group name already hints of their involvement with Herith… Considering Herith does collect these kinds of things too.

Ann: “Are there any groups other than OSD?”

Oskar: “...There are three notable groups in this sector. OSD I just mentioned earlier, FPT, Fallen Petals, and TWC, The Wandering Compatriots.”

Ann: “Do we have a name for ourselves?”

Oskar: “...We don’t have one.”

Eh?

Does that mean we need to make our name? What would be the great name for ours?

Ann: “When you were with Jevannah, what group name did you use?”

Oskar: “...Jevannah never really cared about group names.”

Regan: “Most torchbearers here work together for a long time and share their earnings, unlike Jevannah who prefers to hire us with payments.”

Ann: “...And you guys are mercenaries?”

Regan: “I suppose so? You’re the torchbearer so you are our leader.”

Ann: “Eh? Me?”

Regan: “Yeah!”

No way!

Ann: “But, I’ve never done this before… I-”

Regan: “What are you blabbing about? You got the rings, yes? Then you’re our leader. Besides, you’ve made a deal with that bald guy.”

Leader? An inexperienced person like me? Is this how things work from now on?

Does that mean that they are my followers?

Ann: “...I’ve been meaning to ask, why do you relinquish your light?”

Regan: “Huh? We’re mercenaries, we jumped from one guy to another.”

Oskar: “...Me too.”

When I ask this question, their eyes seem to look away… They probably take the meaning of ‘mercenary’ seriously…

Ann: “Then… Can I relinquish my light to you?”

Regan: “No… Look, you’ll be fine with us, okay?”

If Regan says so, then I’ll do it then. Regan’s my mentor after all, so Regan knows what’s best.

We return back to the meeting point and grab our belongings. Each of us carry our own weapon, a bottle of matoto extract, a drinking bottle, a green bandage, three signal tools, and a small pouch.

Regan: “Now, you’ll need to bind us.”

Ann: “Bind?”

Regan: “Yes. Extend your hands towards us.”

I do as Regan says, but nothing happens.

Ann: “Then?”

Regan: “You summon your ring.”

I summon the ring by thinking of it, yet nothing happens.

Ann: “Uhh?”

Regan: “Look at me.”

As soon as I saw Regan’s eyes, a thin golden string shoots from my right little finger, piercing into Regan’s chest.

The ring at my little finger now glows bright, showing a pattern of a strange face, possibly not a person. The ring also gains a ‘weight’.

Ann: “I-I did it! You didn’t feel anything strange?”

Regan: “No I did not. Now you do the same for Oskar.”

Oskar: “...I am yours.”

I look into Oskar’s weary eyes, then another string shoots from my left middle finger, binding Oskar’s body.

The ring at my middle finger also glows bright, showing many tiny dots in an uniform pattern.

Ann: “Then what? How do I share my light?”

Regan: “You don’t do that here. In a city, a torchbearer cannot share their light to others.”

And with that, a group made of three people is formed.

There’s just one more ring left.

Regan: “Preparations done, we’re going to meet the MUTE.”

***

(x37)

We then walked through the masses of houses in the city outskirts, taking a different direction than when I arrived here.

Along the way, I saw some people, hiding inside dark houses, some with tattered clothes, some with blackened wounds, and all of them wearing a black cloak. I felt pity for them, but there’s nothing I can do for now, since they are not followers. A task is on my hand.

Then, a flash of light shines from above a building far away.

[ x x x I I ]

Ann: “Let’s see… It means work.”

Regan: “Go meet that MUTE.”

Ann: “Huh?”

Regan: “Did you forget? Thorne does not like a bunch of people.”

Ann: “Ah, ok-”

Regan: “Before you go, you need to signal them for confirmation.”

Let’s see, I grab my Flash Coder, I hold it in my hand, I point the lens at Thorne’s location, and I press the top button to send this signal:

[ - - o I I ]

That means OK.

Ann: “Like that?”

Regan: “Yes. You learn fast. You’ll do this every time a signal comes at you during communication.”

I nodded at Regan before running towards two separated houses that I think I could climb. Using what I’ve learned from Thorne, I jumped from wall to wall, propelling myself upwards. This time, I barely made it to the roof.

After that, I carefully jump over many houses to meet Thorne, who seems to be waiting.

Ann: “...Hi.”

Thorne turned around, and looked at my eyes with their hunter gaze.

Thorne: “Give me your light.”

Ann: “Eh?”

This is the first time I had a real conversation with Thorne. The serious tone hits my ears. I glanced away for a moment. What is this feeling?

Thorne: “I said give me your light.”

Ann: “Eh, ah right.”

I stretch my hand to Thorne and look into Thone’s eyes, then a golden string shoots into Thorne’s chest, causing the last ring to shine bright, creating a pattern of four tears.

Thorne: “Do it already.”

Ann: “But I’ve just-”

Thorne: “Your damn light, give it to me!”

How do I share a light? And why do I have to do it in this city?

Wait.

This is the city outskirts. If I remember correctly, the outskirts are not part of the city, which means I can share my light.

I also remember when Jevannah made Oskar’s robe glow brighter.

The golden thread that linked to Thorne’s chest seems to be glowing bright. If I can imagine myself transferring my light to Thorne, perhaps I can do that.

As I imagine the process, the golden thread begins to show a pulsing light that moves from my fingertips to Thorne’s body, gradually brightening Thorne’s cloak. This process lasts for a while before…

Thorne: “Alright, that’s enough. I’ll use this light to scout ahead. In the meantime, I want to show you this.”

Thorne grabs a pouch that looks wet.

Thorne: “This is ‘Liquid Mark’. Only you and I can see the drops. Use it to find me.”

Thorne puts the pouch back then turns around before saying another word.

Thorne: “You wanted to save those people, huh?”

Those people? I think Thorne means the one who cannot be saved, the one I punched for my selfish reason.

Still, I nodded.

Thorne: “Then prove it.”

Thorne then leaps away quickly before disappearing.

The meaning of ‘prove it’... I’ll have to make sure that we can rescue Seco safely.

With four rings glowing, each with their distinct patterns, and a thin line of thread stretching to their positions like a puppet, I have the ability to share my light, to brighten the path.

I’ll have to make this work.

***

(x37)

The three of us marched together crossing the masses of giant rubbles, following an available path forward. The brightness from the firestone is now gone. Now, every single thing around me is engulfed by darkness, and only the light which radiates from my body lights the surroundings.

Here, the temperature becomes colder, and the silence accompanies us. The thing we hear aloud is our footsteps.

According to Regan, we are about 10 Libe(s) away from our destination, which is about 80 Liba(s), which is also about 8000 Lin(s), which is also about 8000 of me stacking together making a path. Now that I think about it, that’s pretty far in my opinion. Probably not so for the others who make a living traversing these places.

The silence, combined with footsteps allows Regan to deduct how far we’ve gone. According to Regan, a Lin is about two steps… But to count that many steps requires real skill.

There’s a bugging question though.

Ann: “Hey, about those signals… Why won’t the one who records it go for the rescue?”

Regan: “Various reasons. Since the one who records it is a looter group, it could be because they don’t want to get into danger against the Undeaths.”

Oskar: “...The terrain might also be a consideration.”

Regan: “And looters are usually poorly equipped.”

These reasons make sense, since what they are looking for is goodies to bring back to the city, not trouble. I suppose looking at where we are now, we seem to be suited for more dangerous tasks.

But if so, do these looters actually know where to find things in actual darkness? If they find goodies lying in darkness, there is no reason for them to ‘tell the others where the treasure is”.

Ann: “So, how do these looters know where to find goodies?”

It might sound unwise for them to look for treasures without prior information, otherwise the word ‘poorly equipped’ doesn't fit them well.

Oskar: “...They work for Fervil in exchange for more drinks.”

Ann: “Fervil knows where the treasures hid in these dark places?”

Oskar: “...Probably? I don’t know how Fervil gets that information, though. Only those who work for Fervil do.”

To sum it up, the looters gather information from Fervil, the looters bring back the goodies to Herith… And what does Herith actually do with the goodies?

I remember that Herith promised me to give me more certs when I bring back goodies… I should consider it next time.

Speaking of terrain…

Ann: “Do we know where we are going?”

Regan: “It’s north-west from Masapas, so we are heading towards the factory, just across the bridge ahead.”

As we left the giant rubbles area, we crossed a large bridge that stretched over the massive dark abyss underneath. I could hear the eerie howling sounds coming from there.

After we crossed the bridge, what lies in front of me is a massive complex of dirty maroonish buildings, with many pipes and small bridges connecting between them. The walls are intricately designed, despite being dirty.

Dirty, huh? More like rust.

They don’t seem to be made of stone or rocks… The floor we stepped on does not sound ‘tap’ anymore, but is replaced with ‘clank’ noises.

Ann: “Is this… the factory?”

Oskar: “...Abandoned factory, the outer layer of it.”

These must be the constructions made by ancient people, and they seem to like to build massive things.

Their world scale is too big compared to the few of us.

Ann: “...So, where do we go from here?”

Regan: “You look for ‘Liquid Mark’.”

The thing Thorne just showed before… As I look to the floor, I can see a reflecting blue drop that makes a trail.

Ann: “I’ve seen the mark, so we’ll follow it, right?”

Regan: “Yeah… Except, we can’t see it.”

Ann: “Eh? Why?”

Oskar: “...Only you and Thorne can see it.”

Ann: “Then, you can follow my step-”

Regan: “No. It’s not wise for a torchbearer to stay at the front.”

Ann: “But, aren’t you my follower?”

Followers are supposed to follow me, isn’t it? This looks to be the reverse of it.

Regan: “You took it too literally. You stay at the back so you can assess the situation as a leader.”

Ann: “Then how can I make sure you can see the mark?”

Wait.

The light that I gave to Thorne, does that allow me to see the mark that is otherwise invisible?

It’s probably not the light I ‘give’, but more like a light I ‘share’.

Does that mean the light I share with someone else also allows them to see the marks too?

I should give this a try. I summon the rings, and I imagine sharing my light to Oskar, as I remembered that Jevannah used to share light to Oskar to show the way forward.

The thread pulses with bright light, moving towards Oskar’s body, brightening their robe.

Ann: “There. Can you see the mark?”

Oskar: “...Yes, I do.”

With that, our rescue journey continues. Oskar in the front, Regan in the middle, and I’m at the back, following them into the deeper region of the factory. Despite being able to see everyone, I still feel rather uneasy, particularly on my back.

I wish there’s someone trusty that watches over my shoulder.

***

(x37)1/4

We have walked approximately 6 Libe(s) to our destination. As we go deeper, the factory becomes denser, with many walls and pipes blocking our field of vision, making navigation difficult.

I wonder… With these confusing paths, how does one find where to go? These marks we follow, this better not lead us to nowhere.

Ann: “I hope we don’t get lost.”

Regan: “That MUTE never let us down when it comes to scouting.”

Ann: “Is that so?”

Regan: “The sign we’ve seen before is actually incomplete.”

Incomplete? Now that I think about it, the relevant information we have here is the distance from the destination, and which direction it comes, which is the northwest entrance, but does it really narrow down to the exact place of this signal?

Regan: “Have I told you about Thorne working for Fervil?”

Ann: “I think you do… Wait-”

Regan: “There you have it.”

I see, as expected from the best scout of this city!

That means Fervil really does know a lot of things outside of the city. Being a bartender, how come Fervil able to get such information without needing to go outside?

An answered question gives birth to another question… Suddenly,

Oskar: “Stop!”

Oskar halts our movement to alert something…

Oskar: “Look over there!”

In the small hall, a single blurry darkness stands in our path.

The faceless, the shapeless, black Undeath!

I readied my Aider, but my grip was shaky, and sweat began to pour from my forehead.

Anxiety kicks in.

The two of them also pull their weapons, but instead, they step aside, leaving me alone face to face against this Undeath.

Ann: “Eh? W-wait! What are you guys doing??”

Regan: “It’s time for you to face the Undeath! Ready your weapon!”

Eh?

Eeeeeeehhhhhh??

> [ - - x - - ] W.A.P.