Episode 8: We Are Players (1)
“Ah, he’s gone……”
Meanwhile, left alone, Claire crossed her arms and scanned the path Aiden had taken with her eyes.
That woman named Sephirah had suddenly whistled for her horse and bolted, and the man she called “mister” had chased after her purely on foot. She’d never read about anyone catching up to a mounted escapee by sheer running in any book, but right now, there was no one beside her to chat about it with.
“Told him he could follow, but nooo.”
If she’d run alongside him, she was sure she’d have tired out fast. She could already picture him slowing down after a while, panting for breath. He’d always shown himself as someone who got winded just from his usual walks, so maybe this outcome was inevitable.
If only she’d matched a horse for him first, he might’ve kept up easily—but now they were too far gone to catch.
Claire pouted her lips.
She could’ve done something else, at least. Tracked where the horse was headed, or prayed for a blessing to let him catch up in a flash. That would’ve made things so much easier. What was so urgent that he had to rush off like that?
“…No matter how I look at it, they know each other. From their reactions.”
Her mysterious book opened. This time, from the very first page, methodically.
The contents didn’t follow any set theme or format. When talking about the book to others, she’d give vague prepared lines, but she’d never spilled everything. Even just yesterday with mister, it had been the same—she couldn’t say it all. There was just too much.
“Hmm.”
She flipped a few more pages before pausing at one spot.
She couldn’t just sit here doing nothing; she had to find something useful to do. The world had a way of sliding into the worst scenarios if you didn’t act. Mister was still chasing that woman. She’d thought he’d stop her with magic or teleportation since he said he’d catch her, but surprisingly, he was keeping up just by running.
Or so her book told her.
And one more thing.
“Could you please not hide so creepily and come out?”
Claire scowled at the largest, most conspicuous tree among the many. She’d almost forgotten amid the chaos, but those two weren’t just chasing Sephirah. There had been that thief she’d dragged off with her. Definitely.
“Loqi. Kinda weird name… Anyway, I figured you’d be somewhere else, but you’ve been hiding here the whole time?”
No reply came to her shout into the empty air. It was like yelling in an empty house for no reason—no one answered her uneasy call.
“I’m not just saying this……”
But Claire was still convinced. The book had never given her outright wrong info so far. It was telling her Loqi Mendacium was hiding nearby.
“Pretending you’re not there won’t do you any good. You could end up tied up and dragged off by me like yesterday.”
Pinpointing the hidden boy’s position, Claire jabbed her staff in that direction.
Maybe until just now, he’d thought it was mere suspicion. Anyone could babble into thin air.
But now, it was proven beyond doubt. And he was someone she’d already faced yesterday. He hadn’t dodged her gaze or tricked her then, but out of habit, she’d memorized his movements clearly.
And the Claire that Loqi had seen wasn’t someone with sharp eyes. She shouldn’t be. No idea how she’d figured it out, but he had to close in, subdue her, and get back up this tree—
“Think again. About what you were about to do.”
The sentence from Claire’s book materialized and floated in the air. Caught out, Loqi nearly froze mid-action without thinking, but he quickly realized she’d just read from the book aloud.
Seizing the moment she wasn’t looking, he darted between trees with agile leaps. Sephirah had warned him: “Always hold onto a tree.” She hadn’t specified which, so he gripped trunks while stepping on thick branches to keep balance. That should be fine.
“Hmm……”
Then, the spot Claire pointed at shifted slightly. It followed when he moved along the thick branch, and even when he jumped to another tree. No matter how silently he crept, the little nun’s gaze wouldn’t shake off.
“Keep moving if you want, but do you really think that helps?”
One more sentence circled her. Every word might seem like idle chatter born of immersion, but she never took her eyes off the book, even as she spoke.
“Watch out.”
Soon, a faint jingle of small bells rang out. Each light swing of her staff made the holy spirit at its tip chime. Light gathered around the staff, the blessing of a nun taking form—a long, thin spear.
Once the floating sentence seeped into the holy spear, it morphed into something even more dangerous.
“You really not coming out? This’ll hurt as bad as whatever mister’d dish out.”
“……”
“Guess that’s a no.”
In truth, Claire didn’t know the thief’s exact spot. “On the thickest, tallest tree nearby. Body shrouded in leaves, watching with both eyes.” That’s what the book said—no visual confirmation.
Claire gripped her right hand tight. The spear-like beam of light folded in half, shattering into countless fragments that enveloped the massive tree. She remembered needing to subdue him, so hitting hard enough to hurt plenty should do.
“Quit making this annoying and come down—now!”
Boom!
A massive thud shook the ground. Like something heavy crashing from on high, a roar to terrify anyone. It came from where Aiden and Sephirah should be.
“…Mister?”
Claire blinked wide, turning toward the sound. She’d stayed behind trusting he’d be fine, handling other tasks. She knew the one he chased wasn’t some ordinary thief, but still, she hadn’t thought much of it.
“What the hell.”
The view was grim: a barren forest—no, something that could no longer be called a forest. The sunny sky had clouded over instantly; trees along the path had vanished or withered.
“Mister, what the……”
Claire glanced back at where she’d unleashed her attack. Normally, the tree should be riddled with holy spear holes.
“What kinda people are you chasing for this to happen.”
Nothing there either.
Scenario Denial: 9%
Player: 8%
The ruined cabin held nothing special. Tattered books torn in places, toppled furniture scattered about—typical junk in an abandoned wreck. Even scouring from the entrance, no warm traces of the cabin remained, nothing worth a close look. As if the cabin itself had vanished, replaced by rubble.
“What did you do, Player.”
Aiden eyed Sephirah, gripped in his hand. She’d struggled to escape right after entering, but with her left arm still immobile, she stayed put. He wouldn’t let go unless he chose to—she couldn’t flee.
“What I did? Hmm… Doubt you’d get it even if I explained.”
“Answer.”
“Call me Sephirah instead of that first, yeah?”
“Why?”
“Your nun buddy’s following you. You’re the only one who knows what a Player is—sure that’s fine? Might be hard to drop the formal talk right away?”
“……”
“Heh, different actions, same personality.”
Sephirah grinned brightly, as if this situation was pure fun. With no immediate death threat, she had plenty of leisure.
But from here on, even she didn’t know how things would unfold.
“Mister? Mister?”
Claire peeked her head around the building’s exterior. No trouble on the way here, from the look of it. She’d surely noticed the forest’s total shift en route, but curiosity lit her eyes more than panic.
“Whoa! You really caught her. How’d you keep up?”
“…She let herself get caught.”
“She says that, but what do you think, mister?”
“No need to chat with this one, Claire.”
Claire’s curiosity aimed oddly. Plenty around to draw her gaze more than the captured Player, yet she fixated on Sephirah, tucked under Aiden’s arm.
“Want me to hold her?”
“I’m good. She’s just baggage.”
“…Not too heavy?”
“This much? Nah.”
“Eeeh……”
Claire still eyed the arm-hitched Sephirah.
“Anyway, what’d she do to wreck the place like this?”
Only after trivial banter could they share what happened. The moment Sephirah stepped inside, the bright forest turned horrific. Trees and grass withered or rotted; man-made structures crumbled to ruin; even birdsong vanished. All from a Player entering this building.
“So this one killed the forest, huh. Right?”
The accused Sephirah nodded eagerly, eyes sparkling twice.
“Yup, me! Just a little ‘prank’.”
“No need to talk to her more.”
“Aw, harsh on my new friend, Aiden.”
“If you’ve got words, save ’em for somewhere safe—tell me then, Sephirah.”
“Somewhere safe?”
Sephirah’s face darkened slightly. Her smile stayed playful, but shadows crept into her crinkled eyes.
“Doubt that’s happening anytime soon. Think I wrecked the forest for kicks?”
“What do you mean.”
“We’re trapped here. Can’t leave.”
“…In this forest?”
“Better to see for yourself, heh heh heh.”
Her deliberately ominous laugh echoed around. Such an anticipated moment. Aiden was hunting Players, so no instant death. Loqi hadn’t been caught—no worries there. Zero risks to bear.
The perfect chance for a Player to act without hesitation.
Grrrrr……
An eerie rumble came from outside the ruined cabin. Something swarming? Charging? Distant thunder? Maybe all three—an unknowable noise.
Shadows loomed in the thinned grass. The sign of Sephirah’s “prank” beginning.
Unable to use Fast Travel at this location.
And her words held no lie—we were trapped.
“Stop this. Now.”
“Kinda hard. Starting events is easy; ending ’em? Not so much, heh heh.”
Sephirah flashed a sinister grin. Enter at will, but exit? No dice. Such lessons applied everywhere.
Like canceling a game event on a whim.
“If you hadn’t followed, we wouldn’t be in this mess.”
“What’s happening?”
“Lotsa dangerous stuff.”
“…Why do this.”
“’Cause it’s fun! Why, regretting it a bit?”
Playful mockery at Aiden. To a Player, any NPC stunt was fine if amusing—but oddly, Sephirah wanted to see him grimace.
“No.”
But the story veered from her expectations.
“You pulled this to distract me, I see.”
A blue glyph appeared on Aiden’s hand-back. A nearby discarded spear flew to his grasp; in his mind, a voice only he heard rang out.
Scenario Denial: 10%
Player: 10%
Abilities Available for Unlock: 2
Those who saw beyond the world were Protagonists.
And Players too.
“It’ll be different from what you know.”