Chapter 5:
The Six Fragments of the First Age
Support Characters Don’t Punch Their Friends… Right?! — Healing My Party One Punch at a Time
The King’s voice boomed across the throne room, cutting through the silence. His voice carried like overlapping echoes:
Massive doors swung open with a sound like grinding hard drives. Yuki followed the Hero and his strange companions down the wide corridor, every step taking her deeper into a world that felt less like a kingdom and more like a corrupted game file.
Food shimmered into being, plates spawning one after the other with a faint delay. A roasted boar appeared, then vanished, replaced by half-rendered platters of glowing fruit, then stabilized as a steaming stew that smelled like three different recipes fighting for dominance. Floating text occasionally hung above the dishes:
[ITEM: MEAT_ROAST}[RARITY: COMMON]
Yuki’s stomach twisted. Yep. Definitely going to need therapy after this.
The Hero, Kei, was the first to dig in, grabbing a fork and stabbing into… nothing. His utensil hit an invisible wall before food suddenly caught up and spawned under it. He grinned, chewing proudly as though this was normal.
Gorn the mighty set his massive spoon-weapon beside him like a knight sheathing a sword, then shoveled meat into his mouth with both hands like a savage. Jin, the rogue, only prodded his plate, a suspicious glare aimed directly at Yuki. Lyra, the mage, leaned back with one shoulder slightly exposed from under her robe, parchment already spread in front of her as she scribbled notes with an air of cruel amusement.
“Saint Yuki’s nervous face: 6.5 out of 10,” she said loudly, quill scratching.Yuki nearly dropped her fork.
The King raised his cup, which flickered between a jeweled goblet and a cheap red solo cup. His voice dropped into something solemn:
“Tonight, I give not only a toast to the Saint and the Hero’s party but a charge. The Demon King cannot be defeated by mortal blades or magic alone. Long ago, when the First Age fractured, six relics were forged–keys, codes, fragments of the world’s very being.”
Above the table, six shimmering shapes appeared, rotating slowly. They weren’t solid–just broken holograms, spitting error codes between frames.
The Hero practically bounced in his seat. “Relics! Legendary quest items, right? Do they glow? Do they sing? Please tell me one of them can sing.”
“Listen well. Each relic is part of a single grand design. Alone, they are dangerous if in the wrong hands. Together, they are…the world’s code, rewritten. Together, they are a weapon unlike any forged by mortal hands.”
The first appeared: The Chalice of Binding. It hovered, silver and impossible detailed, yet its liquid endlessly flowed upward, defying gravity. “The Chalice was created to contain the essence of eternity itself,” the King intoned. “It bound the first warlord who sought immortality and spilled corruption into the world when it broke. Only one pure of heart may wield it without being consumed by it.”
Next, The Crown of Dominion. Jagged and gleaming gold, then rusted, then gold again. Floating letters blinked around it: [AUTHORITY_OVERRIDE_PROTOCOL]. “The Crown allowed the First Monarch to command armies with one word. Without it, kingdoms crumbled. With it…. obedience is absolute.”
Third, The Staff of Continuum, crooked, redrawing itself into countless shapes mid-orbit. “The Staff preserves what must remain. It bends time, memory, and history itself to prevent collapse. Misuse can erase centuries in an instant.”
Fourth, The Shield of Null, massive and gleaming, then folding into nothingness. “The Shield protects against steel, fire, magic… even fate itself. Legends say many who sought it became shadows; lost to the very protection they sought.”
Fifth, The Gem of Reverie, a pulsating crystal flickering across colors too fast to see. “The Gem grants the wielder the ability to reshape reality into their dreams. But the line between dreams and nightmares is thin… and often fatal.”
Finally, The Boots of Traverse, unassuming leather shoes that jittered and teleported around their designated orbit. “The Boots allow one to step through the seams of the world itself. Walls, distance, and danger are meaningless. Yet each step drains the wearer’s soul if taken unwisely.”
Yuki stared at the holograms. The relics were magnificent, terrifying, and unstable. They orbited one another like a broken system menu, symbols flashing between them: [ERROR: ITEM_DESCRIPTION_NOT_AVAILABLE].
Massive doors swung open with a sound like grinding hard drives. Yuki followed the Hero and his strange companions down the wide corridor, every step taking her deeper into a world that felt less like a kingdom and more like a corrupted game file.
Food shimmered into being, plates spawning one after the other with a faint delay. A roasted boar appeared, then vanished, replaced by half-rendered platters of glowing fruit, then stabilized as a steaming stew that smelled like three different recipes fighting for dominance. Floating text occasionally hung above the dishes:
[ITEM: MEAT_ROAST}[RARITY: COMMON]
Yuki’s stomach twisted. Yep. Definitely going to need therapy after this.
The Hero, Kei, was the first to dig in, grabbing a fork and stabbing into… nothing. His utensil hit an invisible wall before food suddenly caught up and spawned under it. He grinned, chewing proudly as though this was normal.
Gorn the mighty set his massive spoon-weapon beside him like a knight sheathing a sword, then shoveled meat into his mouth with both hands like a savage. Jin, the rogue, only prodded his plate, a suspicious glare aimed directly at Yuki. Lyra, the mage, leaned back with one shoulder slightly exposed from under her robe, parchment already spread in front of her as she scribbled notes with an air of cruel amusement.
“Saint Yuki’s nervous face: 6.5 out of 10,” she said loudly, quill scratching.Yuki nearly dropped her fork.
The King raised his cup, which flickered between a jeweled goblet and a cheap red solo cup. His voice dropped into something solemn:
“Tonight, I give not only a toast to the Saint and the Hero’s party but a charge. The Demon King cannot be defeated by mortal blades or magic alone. Long ago, when the First Age fractured, six relics were forged–keys, codes, fragments of the world’s very being.”
Above the table, six shimmering shapes appeared, rotating slowly. They weren’t solid–just broken holograms, spitting error codes between frames.
The Hero practically bounced in his seat. “Relics! Legendary quest items, right? Do they glow? Do they sing? Please tell me one of them can sing.”
“Listen well. Each relic is part of a single grand design. Alone, they are dangerous if in the wrong hands. Together, they are…the world’s code, rewritten. Together, they are a weapon unlike any forged by mortal hands.”
The first appeared: The Chalice of Binding. It hovered, silver and impossible detailed, yet its liquid endlessly flowed upward, defying gravity. “The Chalice was created to contain the essence of eternity itself,” the King intoned. “It bound the first warlord who sought immortality and spilled corruption into the world when it broke. Only one pure of heart may wield it without being consumed by it.”
Next, The Crown of Dominion. Jagged and gleaming gold, then rusted, then gold again. Floating letters blinked around it: [AUTHORITY_OVERRIDE_PROTOCOL]. “The Crown allowed the First Monarch to command armies with one word. Without it, kingdoms crumbled. With it…. obedience is absolute.”
Third, The Staff of Continuum, crooked, redrawing itself into countless shapes mid-orbit. “The Staff preserves what must remain. It bends time, memory, and history itself to prevent collapse. Misuse can erase centuries in an instant.”
Fourth, The Shield of Null, massive and gleaming, then folding into nothingness. “The Shield protects against steel, fire, magic… even fate itself. Legends say many who sought it became shadows; lost to the very protection they sought.”
Fifth, The Gem of Reverie, a pulsating crystal flickering across colors too fast to see. “The Gem grants the wielder the ability to reshape reality into their dreams. But the line between dreams and nightmares is thin… and often fatal.”
Finally, The Boots of Traverse, unassuming leather shoes that jittered and teleported around their designated orbit. “The Boots allow one to step through the seams of the world itself. Walls, distance, and danger are meaningless. Yet each step drains the wearer’s soul if taken unwisely.”
Yuki stared at the holograms. The relics were magnificent, terrifying, and unstable. They orbited one another like a broken system menu, symbols flashing between them: [ERROR: ITEM_DESCRIPTION_NOT_AVAILABLE].
“Together,” the King said, voice layering and stretching, “these relics form the ultimate algorithm. A code to [DELETED] the Demon King. Only when united…only then…” His mouth froze mid-word for a fraction of a second before continuing. “...only then can the world be restored.”
Kei leaned forward, eyes shining. “Sweet! The boots must give insane speed buffs–dibs!”
Lyra smirked, raising her quill. “Hero’s childlike excitement: 4/10. Gron’s spoon obsession: still a mystery.”
Jin muttered under his breath. “Relics equal dungeons and dungeons equal traps. Classic setup. Smells like only death awaits us.”
The King’s head snapped toward him, glitching slightly, a smile stretching a frame too long. “...And yet…necessary. The first lies beneath this very city. The Catacombs of Veyra. There you will find the first relic. The Chalice of Binging.”
The King continued, his head snapping forward, arms spread wide. “This is my request. My command. Your… quest.”
The words hung in the air like a hammer blow.
And then—
[QUEST NOTICE! *]
Oh no. Oh no no no.
Yuki’s trembling fingers twitched towards the floating [YES].It pulsed brighter, as though the game itself already knew what her answer had to be.
QUEST ACCEPTED
The King’s glitching smile widened, the air normalized and everyone started to move again as if she had pressed play. “Good. Then the world begins again… with you. You all will start at first light tomorrow”
Yuki swallowed hard, trying to steady herself. So, this is my fate. Not a hero, not a warrior, but… a Saint. The one everyone believes can restore this broken world.
She glanced around at her companions, who all seemed entirely ordinary in their weirdness: a muscle-bound spoon-wielder, a suspicious rogue, a scorekeeping mage, and a golden-haired Hero oblivious to everything around them.
And now I have to guide… them?
Her stomach twisted again, but this time it was not just fear–it was the smallest, faintest spark of resolve.
The Hunt for the Relics had begun.
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