Parallel (A Virtual Gamer's Story) [Vol.1 - Vol.4 Complete]

Chapter 61: Desert Song

"rrrRRRAAA!" Hektor screamed out at the elements. Breathing heavily, he glared at the three suns above, which punished him with their unbearable heat. Beside him, Kashi trudged through the sand, stripped to a pair of pants and boots. His chest muscles glistened with sweat, which he wiped away with annoyed futility. Surprisingly, though Kira was the hairiest of them all, she was totally unfazed by the heat. Probably was a boon of being a lesser god or something.

Hektor arched his head back as he tried to squeeze the last drop of water from his goatskin flask. A single drop hung at the flask's rim. He shook it loose, but even that last drop evaporated on its descent. Hektor stared at the flask in raging disbelief, His body shook as he exploded into animated laughter, his voice echoing across the desert.

"Ah, he's finally lost it," Kashi mumbled.

They had been walking for over twelve hours, and the end was still nowhere in sight. To make matters worse, there was no nightfall in the burning valley as the artificial sun shone twenty-four hours every single day.

Kashi took out the last flask he had and tossed it to the warrior. Both their vitality had dropped dangerously low, and they had so many status penalties that after some time, the daeben just swatted away any prompts without looking at them. The only upside to the ordeal was that his resistance to heat magic and endurance also increased somewhat. A call came in as he watched Hektor take the smallest of sips and savor the taste like it was gold.

Chuckling to himself, he took out his rink. The call was from Lunette, and he mentally kicked himself for forgetting to contact their party. The heat must have fried his thought process. He accepted the call. "Hey, Lune."

"..."

"Hello?"

There was a sharp intake of breath, accompanied by the longest of sighs. "Wow, this is a first. I don't know whether to scream, kill, or be happy you're alive." Though her voice sounded calm, there was a distinctive sting in her tone that rendered the daeben silent. "Last time I saw you, you were falling into a bottomless pit, and last you saw us, we were chased by hell-bats. And the first thing you say is, Hey Lune!"

Kashi blinked, overwhelmed by the scolding. "I'm sorry?" He managed as he tried to figure out what exactly he had done wrong, "I knew from my friend log you were still alive so-"

"So you didn't think twice of it," Lunette interrupted. She sighed again. "You know what, it's fine. You did say you were originally a solo player, so basic etiquette like this might elude you. Next time, don't forget to call, okay?"

Kashi noticed the warmth return to her voice."So what was really eating you?"

"Excuse me?"

"Earlier. That whole outburst was just you venting your frustration at me, wasn't it?"

"..."

"What? Did I say something wrong again?"

"No, no, that's not it." Momentary pause. "Did anyone ever tell you you're too direct sometimes."

Well, not Kashi exactly, but Suzuki had gotten an earful from the Princess of Archery. "Not exactly. But it prevents misunderstandings, doesn't it? So, you going to tell me what the problem really was?" The daeben did not notice, but ever since he began his conversation, he had forgotten all about the heat.

"Well..." Lunette drew a deep breath, and then narrated the events leading up to her arrival at Lib Tahos, including the young men, Iggy and Diggs. "... And since my skills were still low, we've been upgrading all the skills I learned yesterday. Never thought I'd get tired of singing."