Chapter 249: An Unexpected Conversation

{I want to let everyone know that I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with two new exclusive stories on it. One is The Aeternus Universe, and the other is a new story with a basketball system. I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://www.p-a-t-r-e-o-n.com/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.}

While Cera waits by the wall with the other few brave players, there is the situation with his sister. Hailey is having an internal debate right now, one that many players are going through themselves. Hailey is plenty strong enough to deal with monsters that'll come after her. She is a legendary class wielder, after all. With the storm moving in, she has a decision to make. Stay in the city for any monsters that come after her, or fight outside the city, not jeopardizing damage. It's a dilemma that she hasn't had before.

As I heard from the announcements earlier and the message from the system in my inbox. I'll be having powerful creatures come after me. Not only am I endangering the innocent lives that are here in The City of James, but I'm also putting Emerald at risk. If she's with me, there's a good chance she could get hurt. My main priority is keeping Emerald safe. If any NPC's lives are lost in the battles between monsters and players happen, then it's something I'll live with. I hear the thunder rumble, and a small shake goes through my body.

The storm and lightning would be beautiful if not for the looming threat of battle. I've encountered storms in my trips, but none of them have been filled with monsters. The fact this is a test bothers me too. What are we being tested for? The players are already helping fight in wars. We are adjusting to a society that we are unfamiliar with. The first trip alone without my family or Emerald was rough on me. There we so many times I'd reach for my pocket to see if I could text them on my phone, only to realize over and over I no longer have a phone.

I feel movement inside my backpack, and Emerald pops her head out to look towards the coming storm. Her ears curl back, and she growls in the direction of the storm. Emerald can sense when the monsters of Gaia are around. As a magical beast of a legacy grade, she has many interesting abilities, even as a cub. However, none of them are combative at this moment since she's still a cub. She's been my closest friend ever since I found her a little after getting battlemind. She's weak right now, but once she's done growing. She'll be unstoppable.

Well... Unstoppable may be an over-exaggeration, but she'll be damn powerful. She is still growling towards the storm and making a fuss. I pull her out of the backpack and let her sit on my shoulder. I jump onto a building and continue hopping around until I reach the wall. I look over into the storm-covered forest and see a writhing swarm of aquatic monsters. I look down, and I see a group of players that want to fight outside the city. I feel droplets of rain hit my face and armor from time to time, indicating the storm isn't that far away.

We still have about 40 to 45 minutes until the storm is over the city, and the monsters will be attacking when the storm is over the city. "It's okay, Emerald... We'll be okay... I'll not let anything happen to you..." I gently rub her head as she growls at the storm. The monsters are ranging in high numbers. The best estimate is between 150,000 and 300,000. I sigh and decide that I'll fight between the city and the outside lands. Basically, I'll be fighting on this wall. I'll do my best to keep monsters out from where I'm located, but they'll get in no matter what I do.

As Hailey waits for the monsters to come, unknown to her, her brother is with the group of players she looked at while standing on top of the wall. Cera is silently waiting for the monsters to arrive, waiting for the 40 or so minutes to be up. The time seems to move slower and slower, and it's making all the players anxious and jumpy in the small group of players. The group hasn't received any new arrivals, which means out of the potential million players in The City of James, only this handful of 15 or so are willing to fight outside the confines of the city.

My mind is at ease knowing Sally will be away from the battle and is safe. I've been going over possible ways to hide my full capabilities. When my skills activate, they are bright and showy. I've concluded that I can only use The Witness. It'll kill any monster I fight in the coming battle, but the only skills I'll be able to use are Slash and Double Strike since they aren't showy and don't give any bright light off. "You've been awfully quiet, kid. You're starting to worry me." The player that spoke to me earlier decides to talk.

I'm not nervous, but I can see how my strange silence can be interpreted as such. There are small conversations between the players in our small group. Talking about plans and helping each other. If any of the monsters coming after me get a misdirected hit on one of them, they're toast. "You should worry about yourself. Many of the stronger players are on their own in this battle." Once the monsters after me begin their attacks, I'll have to break away from the group and fight them a distance off. Enough as to not put them in harm's way.

It'll be nice not to be the sole and entire focus of a huge monster force this time around. The last time I fought like this, I was on my own, and it took me a full day to heal. With my current abilities, I'm nothing like I was when that happened. My health alone probably won't fall under 0.1 percent. Same for my mana. I'd be able to kill the entire monster horde with Divinity Pulse, but I'd be killing every NPC permanently, and every player would lose a level. Sally isn't out of range of the skill to. I hope to have the chance to use the skill one day.

The player beside me sighs and relaxes against his giant sword as the rain slowly gets heavier. "We players got it too easy. We don't have to worry about perma-death. It's the NPC's that suffer, and they suffer greatly because of us. Just take this event, for example." I don't know why this man wants to have a deep conversation with me about the topic of players interfering in the normal for the NPC's. If anything, he should be focusing on the upcoming fight, worrying about losing a level if he'll die. He is an older man in a young mid 20's version of himself.

So I can see the desire to talk and prattle on as most people do as they get older. I can entertain a conversation with the man. It might pass the time faster. "I haven't met a player who wanted to talk to a stranger so much." He grins slightly, knowing that I know he's older than he looks. "Your points are right, and no one will deny them, but we are on our own. More than half of humanity has been wiped out in the transition here. There are going to be problems after such an event" I watch a pained expression appear on his face. 

He must have lost a lot of loved ones in the event that brought us here. The Collison, that's what players call it, at least. "Did you lose anyone?" He asks me rather coldly, and he has probably deduced if I'm so open to talking about it, I either didn't lose anyone or didn't have anyone to lose. I shake my head in an indication that I didn't lose anyone important to me. "One of the lucky ones..." He sounds hollow now and isn't interested in talking. The conversation didn't last as long as I thought, and now there is an awkward tension. 

I have no desire to do anything. Making him feel better isn't my job. "Y'know... I'd give anything to have my family back... To see their faces... To talk to them... To be around them..." He begins to choke a little at the end. What am I? A therapist? I still stare into the storm and see the monsters, and the rain has soaked my clothes. It's done the same to the rest of the players around me. "You should cherish your family, kid... You never know when you might lose them..." He decides to pull his sword out of the ground and go stand next to some other players after that. I don't blame him.