Status Reading Ceremony

The 5000 or so assorted beings fell into silence as Opal stepped out to the dais. She stood with a presence of absolute authority, except for her eyes which darted nervously toward her sister standing over by Katya.

“As p-per usual we’ll start with the Regional Rankings:

Number one: Mime. No change in ranking.

Mumber two: Tungston Barrel. No change in ranking.

Number three: Deliverance Temperance, climbing three places.

Number four: Mia Goth, climbing one place.

Number five: Our very own Bellamy Stone, falling two places.”

A round of applause roared through the crowd. Bellamy awkwardly took a step forward and nodded then stepped back.

“At number six is Agregious Manon, falling two places.

Number seven: Castrates Calvert, climbing five places.

Number eight: Our own captain and chief Luna Livingston. No change in ranking.”

Katya tried to pick her out but it seemed as though she wasn’t in attendance. Nonetheless, the entire crowd began stomp their feet and clap in celebration of her achievement. It seemed as though everyone here had immense respect for the truant captain.

“In ninth place is Sequester Grundleplith falling two places.”

She pauses and breathes in and out to calm herself before proceeding to number 10. This ceremony seemed like a big deal and a heavy burden particularly for someone who couldn’t be more than 10 years old. It was a big responsibility to put on someone’s shoulders. Why did she have to be the one to do this?

“And in tenth place” a smile bloomed across Opal’s face, “my big sister, Everest Overhill!” She stood proudly as Everest came up behind her and gave her a hug. There was clapping and shouting and even a few “awws” after a few uncomfortable (for Katya) seconds, Opal continued, “Umm, we will not move on to the individual achievement categories.”

After that she called up people one by one for the most part, occasionally there were groups of three or four that only happened a couple of times. About two thirds of the gathering dispersed after the 50th person was called and it soon became clear that the people called up after that had much less showy achievements than those before them. They were things like, “Found Fala’s Missing Bowler Cat, reward: Bowler cat claws and 10 gold,” or, “Found unexplored area of the ship! Reward: 25 gold and uncommon item, Looking Glass” and other things like that. It was odd to say the least. It felt familiar. Katya was getting really frustrated about the things she couldn’t remember.

“Maximum Derrix, you have gained one level, putting you over level thirty. Congratulations, continue to fight with honor.” The man bowed and ran back down the stairs. The line was almost gone. The ceremony was almost done. It’d gone on for over two hours but it felt like so much longer. The desert heat wasn’t terrible since it was later in the day, it was still the desert though. She could feel the skin on her arms and neck reddening, but she remained still throughout, part of her thought that she might be permanently stuck like this. She might be the world’s first living statue. That aside, Opal was really impressive, she wasn’t exactly dressed for the heat and yet she remained standing and cordial in front of every last person.

“She surprisingly well composed up there.” Katya finally let the words out.

Everest giggled yet her eyes remained steadily fixed on Opal, “She – we’ve been aboard this ship for over eight months, so she’s had to do this a few times. Even before joining up she was doing status readings.”

“That’s a lot to put on a kid.”

“Hmm? No, she’s had these gifts for about five years. Actually, I think today marks the five year anniversary of the start of the Game Era. We’ve been put in a bunch of tight spots over the years, and being on our own we had to make do with what we were given. It’s really not that uncommon a story nowadays, unfortunately.”

Katya wasn’t sure what to make of that information, she felt like she’d stepped on a landmine even is Everest didn’t show it so she changed the subject, “You’ve got to be pretty strong if you got into the top 10.”

“I worked hard, it was all for Opal. Living on our own in an unfamiliar place was a difficult experience for us both. I promised to do my best to take care of her and reunite with our family. Everyone was in the same situation as us and it was difficult to tell who was trustworthy and who wasn’t, each day-”

“Your axe! It’s pretty cool! What the deal with…that?” Katya instinctually shunned any talk of supportive family and she felt bad about making her talk about such a painful time so she threw out the first thing that came to mind.

“Oh. I forgot I was holding it this entire time.”

“It glowed and grew large during the battle. Is it some sort of rare weapon?”

“I suppose it is. It’s actually a family heirloom. It’s made of Orilisium which conducts mana better than any other metal. You wanna try holding it.”

Katya nods and holds out her hands, “Brace yourself.”

Katya fell to the ground like an anchor dropped into the ocean. The axe grip was pinning her arm to the ground. It was so heavy she couldn’t move it at all. Katya screamed thinking her arm had been smashed to bits. Everest immediately picked it up in a panic, “Are you okay? Are you hurt?”

Madame Ginger ran over to Katya and scooped her off the ground, “It’s alright, Madame Ginger’s got you. I’ll get you to the infirmary, and patch you up, poor little pup.”

Katya kicked herself upright and out of Madame Ginger’s arms, “I’m fine! I’m fine! I’m fine?” Katya didn’t really understand it but nothing appeared to be broken or even bruised. That thing must’ve weighed a literal ton and yet she hadn’t suffered any injuries. She stared at her hands in a daze when someone cleared their throat.

The ceremony was still in progress, she apologized and ran back to Everest’s side. “I’m so sorry” they both said at the same time.

“Are you human?” Katya had just assumed that Everest and Opal were human since they both looked like normal girls but, unless the people of this world were made of different stuff than those on Earth there was no way a human could pick that thing up let alone swing it around. Maybe it was like Mjolnir and or Excalibur and only certain people could wield it. That would mean Everest did that knowing full well that Katya could get injured. But Katya wasn’t injured. She was completely fine, so was she completely human? Keep focused. Everest’s concern seemed genuine, and though Katya had only known her a short time, she never appeared hostile. Maybe it was a test?

“I’m not human, no. I’m a Warhawk. I’m not hiding it, it’s not a secret, but I don’t go around freely telling anyone either. I’m so sorry, I sometimes forget how heavy it is.” So she’s a birdbrain…Katya stored the pun away for later, “I was raised by my uncle and grandfather to be a warrior and I trained with this axe from the time I could walk. It’s like an extension of myself.” She looks over to Opal, “Our father and mother were human, and so’s Opal. I thank god every day for it. I want her to be kept away from the sorts of hardships that come with being a demi-human. I have to be strong and I have to be a warrior if we ever want to find a nice peaceful home for our family.”

A clap rang out from behind them pulling them out of their conversation. The person in front of Opal got down on his knees along with the three dozen-or-so people milling about below them. Opal looked about confused.

A slim woman in a dark felt dress with light green hair, a flawless, gentle face, and pointy ears silently slid past Everest. She walked up beside Opal, putting her hand warmly on her shoulder.

Katya started to drop down on her knees since everyone in front of her was doing it but Everest, Bellamy, and Madame Ginger weren’t moving. It was clear from their expression that they respected this woman immensely, despite not bowing or getting on the floor.

“Thank you, everyone. Today’s battle was small compared to what we will be facing in the future, but it was important. We had over a dozen people cross the level 30 threshold, which means we are much closer to crossing the region 3 barrier. Keep heart my friends, we have many miles left to sail but one day we will be reunited with those who have been taken. Raza Core!”

“Raza Core!” The small crowd cheered.

“This concludes the status reading ceremony. Thank you.” More cheering.

The woman and Opal turned around. She smiled at the small ground in front of her. Her cheeks were slightly rosy as if speaking in front of crowed had made her nervous or embarrassed, but she still carried herself and spoke with supreme grace.

All of that aside, there was one thought that kept spinning about in Katya’s mind. There was one detail that she was completely fixated on. It was something that she didn’t think would actually exist in a real fantasy world, as popular as they were. This woman had pointy ears. This woman was an ELF!