6: "So basically, I’m an errand boy.”

Tanuki stood in the Citadel lobby, still catching his breath from the sparring match with Atlas. His daggers, faintly glowing from the last Tarot he’d used, dematerialized into starlight as his HUD flickered with new notifications: Level Up! Level 5 → Level 9.

He stared at the numbers for a long moment, then exhaled. “Four levels in one fight… guess I shouldn’t get used to this.”

Atlas clapped him on the back with a grin. “Not bad for a rookie. You’ve got instincts. You just need to sharpen them.”

NV, leaning against the wall with her arms crossed, gave a small shrug. “Or he just got lucky.”

Tanuki smirked. “Guess we’ll find out.”

Later that evening, the three of them stood at the edge of Luxiem’s docking bay. Beyond the shimmering barrier, dozens of ships hovered in orbit, their hulls reflecting the twin suns of Gemini. Tanuki’s own vessel, still battered from the scripted crash, sat in a repair dock.

Atlas gestured toward it. “You’ll need materials to fix ‘er up. That’s your first real quest. Once you’ve got her running, you can start traveling to other planets.”

Tanuki frowned. “And where exactly am I supposed to find these materials?”

NV pointed lazily toward a holographic board listing contracts. “Fetch quests. The lifeblood of every MMO. Better get used to it now rather than later.”

Tanuki scrolled through the listings. Obsidian Fragments from the Caves of Noctis. Crystalline Bark from the Forest of Luxiem. Iron Dust from the Rings of Veyra. Each one promised atomints and XP.

He sighed. “So basically, I’m an errand boy.”

Atlas chuckled. “For now. But without the seeds, a flower would never grow. You start small so that eventually the big things become the small things.”

Tanuki accepted the Crystalline Bark quest, and the three of them set out toward the outskirts of Luxiem. The marble streets gave way to winding paths lined with translucent trees, their leaves shimmering like glass.

The deeper they went, the quieter it became. The only sound was the crunch of their boots on the crystalline soil.

Tanuki reached out to touch one of the trees. The bark was cool, almost humming with energy. He pulled out a dagger and chipped at it, but the blade bounced off harmlessly.

“Not so easy,” Atlas said. “You’ll need to weaken the guardians first.”

“Guardians?” Tanuki asked.

As if on cue, the ground trembled. From the shadows of the trees emerged creatures made of jagged crystal, their bodies refracting the starlight into blinding shards. Their eyes glowed with a cold, alien light.

Tanuki instinctively drew a Tarot. The card shimmered, showing Atlas’s warhammer. His daggers flared, transforming into miniature hammers.

Atlas grinned. “Now you’re getting it.”

The battle erupted. Atlas swung wide arcs, shattering crystal limbs. NV darted between enemies, her gauntlet glowing with constellations as she struck pressure points. Tanuki mirrored their movements, his mimicry Tarots allowing him to copy their abilities in bursts.

But the guardians were relentless. One lunged at Tanuki, claws raised. He panicked, discarding a card for mana, and drew another, this one showing NV’s gauntlet. His dagger transformed into a glowing fist, and he punched forward. The crystal guardian shattered into fragments, scattering across the ground.

Tanuki stood frozen, staring at his hand. “I… I actually did that.”

NV smirked. “Beginner’s luck.”

Atlas laughed. “No, that was instinct. You’re learning.”

After the fight, Tanuki gathered shards of crystalline bark into his inventory. As he bent down to pick up the last piece, a voice called from the treeline.

“You’re reckless, you know that?”

He turned. Celeste stepped into view, her cloak brushing against the crystalline leaves. Her jade eyes glimmered in the dim light.

Tanuki blinked. “You again?”

She smiled faintly. “You’ll get yourself killed charging in like that. But… you fought well.”

Atlas narrowed his eyes. “What are you doing here, Celeste?”

“I was passing through,” she said softly. “And I thought he might need help.” Her gaze lingered on Tanuki.

Tanuki felt his chest tighten, though he wasn’t sure why. “I didn’t need saving.”

Celeste tilted her head. “Maybe not. But you’ll need allies if you want to survive what’s coming.”

Before Atlas could respond, she turned and vanished back into the forest, her cloak dissolving into starlight.

Tanuki stared after her, his hand unconsciously tightening around the shard of bark.

Back in Luxiem, Tanuki turned in the quest and watched his HUD flash: Quest Complete. Level Up! Level 9 → Level 12.

Atlas clapped him on the shoulder. “Not bad for your first outing.”

NV muttered, “Still alive. Credit where it’s due.”

But Tanuki wasn’t listening. His thoughts lingered on Celeste’s words, and the way her eyes had softened when she looked at him.

For the first time since logging into Constellarium, he felt something stir inside him that wasn’t cynicism or hunger.