Heroes of Nexus (Chapter 9) (Patreon)

Al retraced his way back through the shelves, an embroidered curtain slung over one shoulder. He’d found it after not much searching, covering a dusty old desk, stacked high with books and papers. He’d briefly taken a look at those, but didn’t find the contents to be of much interest. Mainly, they seemed like record-keepings, documenting the locations of various tomes.

Heading back and finding the little reading-hole, he saw Jesse sprawled out on the couch. Still in a sitting position, her eyes were closer, breathing softly. After everything the girl had been through in the past day or two, it was no surprise she was worn out.

Al sighed, shaking the curtain to get rid of some of the dust. When it was mostly clean, he walked over to Jesse, starting to dry her hair with it. She mumbled a little, her head lolling from one side to the next, but didn’t wake up.

Since her hair was short, coming roughly to the base of her neck, the job was over quickly. Al felt bad about her wet clothes, but since he didn’t have any spares, there was nothing he could do.

Now finished, he hesitated for a moment before putting his hand on her back, laying her down on the couch. He didn’t want her to hurt her neck, sitting upright like that.

When he was done, he turned around, heading back in-between the shelves. Before getting some shut-eye, he wanted to do a bit of reading.

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[User ‘LittleMissPerfect’ has logged in.]

When a short message appeared in his vision, typed in blue, electronic letters, Al’s eyes shot open. Like someone electrocuted, he suddenly sat upright, his sleepiness vanishing like mist under the morning sun.

It took him a moment to register his environment—sitting at a wooden desk, with books scattered around him. He remembered scrounging around, finding something to read before sitting down in the reception area, close enough to keep an eye on Jesse. Apparently, he’d dozed off at some point.

Glancing in that direction and finding the girl sleeping soundly, he stood up, heading toward the tower’s entrance. He didn’t want to cause a commotion and wake her up.

Quietly pushing the engraved, silver doors open and looking outside, he found it had stopped raining. However, the fog still lingered, giving the forest an ethereal, almost ghostly appearance.

Despite having a plan, Al couldn’t help but be nervous. The main source of his discomfort was the summoner’s identity: was ‘LittleMissPerfect’ really just a regular player, or was this some god messing with mortals like himself? If it was the latter, then he was screwed. His main advantage, namely his game-knowledge, would be worthless. How could he be more knowledgeable than a god?

After a moment’s hesitation, Al mentally called out to the system. There was no sense in agonizing. The only way he'd know for sure was communicating with the summoner directly.

However, as the seconds passed without any response, he couldn’t help sighing inwardly. He’d almost forgotten that the system didn’t belong to him, but ‘LittleMissPerfect’. He had no control over it. The only reason he even received prompts was his status as a summoned hero.

Fidgeting with his hands behind his back, Al raised his head, speaking toward the sky. Hopefully, his words would appear on ‘her’ screen in the form of a speech-bubble.

“Welcome back, summoner. We haven’t been formally introduced yet, but my name is Alistair. I’m only an ordinary person, so I won’t bore you with a long retelling of my life’s story. However, I do have some understanding of how this place—the Nexus—works. If you want my assistance, I suggest granting me the honorary title, ‘designated regent’. That way, I will have the authority to represent you while you’re away from the game. You can find the option in my character window.”

Standing out in the chilly fog, Al waited as the seconds ticked by. He couldn’t help being nervous. While he had been honest, his motives weren’t entirely pure. The position of ‘designated regent’ would give him an immense amount of power inside the Nexus.

[You have been awarded the honorary title ‘designated reagent’.]

[Upgrading hero ‘Alistair, the Novice’s’ authority…]

[Lifting system restraints…]

Holding his breath, Al saw a bunch of messages popping up. Everything in front of him blurred, almost like a screen glitching. Clarity returned soon after, presenting him with a sight that made relief surge in his chest. Around the edges of his vision, various electronic symbols, lines of text and images had suddenly appeared. They were immediately familiar to him.

‘This is the user-interface for Heroes of Nexus!’

Without hesitation, he moved his attention to the ‘Heroes’ button, opening the tab and immediately spotting himself.

Seeing his portrait, framed by a dull, iron border, he mentally tapped on it. The portrait enlarged, the grey border expanding to reveal, well… him, fully modeled in stylized, 3D graphics. Rows of text and numbers appeared on top, and to the right and left, framing him completely. There was even a small text-box at the bottom, giving a short character-summary.

[Name: ‘Alistair the Apprentice’]

[Rarity: Common]

[Class: Fighter]

[Race: Human]

[Gender: Male]

[Physical: …]

[Strength: 4]

[Dexterity: 5]

[Constitution: 4]

[Mental: …]

[Intelligence: 8]

[Wisdom: 9]

[Will: 11]

[Special: …]

[Magic: 0]

[Spirit: 1]

[Fate: 3]

[Skills: …]

[Swordsmanship: Apprentice]

[Background: …]

[‘Alistair the Apprentice’ is a sixteen-year-old orphan, hailing from a faraway land. Despite his social status, he received a good education. He was trained in swordsmanship, but has little combat experience.]

Al was neither relieved nor disappointed by his status. His rarity was common, and most of his stats were extremely low, but that was to be expected. He was only a plain human, after all.

Having checked it thoroughly, he mentally closed the window. If he remembered right, after finishing the tutorial mission, the player would be given ten white summoning crystals for free. They weren’t much, having abysmally low rates, but helped get them started after losing their first hero.

‘I have to go, if for no other reason than meeting my party-members.’

Glancing toward the tower’s ornate doors, Al hesitated. He didn’t want Jesse to wake up and find him gone. He had to take her with him.

Walking briskly to the entrance, he pulled on the handle, going back inside to fetch the girl.

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“What’s going on?”

Sleepily rubbing her eyes with one hand, Jesse clung onto Al’s back, swaddled in the embroidered curtain. She hadn’t wanted to wake up, so he had no choice but to carry her just like that, ‘blanket’ and all.

“The summoner is bringing in some new people.”

“Summoner…?”

“Oh yeah. I didn’t tell you, but they’re the person in charge of this place. They’re-...”

He hesitated briefly, not sure how he was supposed to explain the player’s identity.

“...like a wizard or something. I’m not really sure. Anyway, we won’t be meeting them.”

Despite his reassurances, Al felt her stiffening on his back.

He sighed, patting her hand reassuringly. If it were possible, he’d not have taken her to see a bunch of strangers, but there was no other way. This wasn’t something either of them could avoid.

“I’ll protect you, so don’t worry.”

Jesse wriggled on his back, pushing her face into his shoulder. She was silent for a moment before saying something in a grumbling tone.

“How? You don’t even have a weapon.”

“...”

Al unconsciously slowed his pace. She was right. Fortunately, that problem was easily rectified.

Glancing toward the side of his vision, he saw a square, translucent box, simply titled ‘chat’. He’d noticed it earlier, but hadn’t tested it out yet.

Focusing his attention, he started mentally ‘typed’ what he wanted to say, hoping it would be communicated to the player. Aside from them, he didn’t know who else it could be intended for.

[Summoner, before sending your heroes on missions, it’s important to provide them with equipment. I suggest you check the market. A ‘starter set’ should be purchasable for a small sum of silver.]

Al barely walked five paces, not having to wait long at all, before motes of blue light gathered in the air, materializing into a few different objects. They hovered there before dropping to the ground, hitting the cobblestone road with a metallic clang.

Jesse flinched like a startled cat, almost dislodging herself from her position.

“What the-...?!”

Al snorted. Bending down, he set her feet on the ground.

“Don’t be so twitchy. It’s just a gift from the summoner.”

Only when Jesse’d peered around his back, spotting a backpack, a pile of leather clothing and a sheathed sword did she relax, stepping out from behind him. Drawing closer, she peered curiously at the equipment.

“Magic sure is amazing.”

Al hummed in affirmation, bending over and picking up the sword by its wrapped handle. It was medium-length, the blade measuring from his elbow to the tips of his fingers.

Grabbing the worn scabbard in his other hand, he unsheathed it, examining the grey steel. It was scratched and nicked, showing signs of use. He extended his hand, testing its weight. It wasn’t very well balanced, feeling somewhat front-heavy.

“…”

Shoving his disappointment down, Al wondered what he’d been expecting. Stingy as ‘Heroes of Nexus’ was, there was no way the cheap beginner gear would be of good quality.

Checking the rest of it and finding a leather vest, leggings and bracers, stuffed in the backpack, he slung it over his shoulder. The sword was likewise sheathed, the scabbard tied to his waist. It wasn’t much, but it would have to do for now.

Jesse looked at him from the side. She appeared to be thinking about something.

Putting his hand on her shoulder, he pulled her closer, letting her walk next to him.

“Everything will be fine.”

Jesse’s head drooped, projecting an aura of gloom.

“Liar.”

“Heh, I might not be the be best swordsman, but I have a few tricks up my sleeve.”

The girl was quiet for a moment before glancing at him, the look in her eyes frustrated and overwhelmed.

“A day ago I was still, s-still-… With my family… m-my mom and dad, my brother, and grandma too…”

When big tears started rolling down her cheeks, she covered her eyes with one hand, sobbing quietly.

“I t-thought it was just a bad dream, but… when I woke up, nothing changed-…!”

Al didn’t say anything. There was nothing to say.

With how busy he’d been, he hadn’t had a chance to process things either. However, he didn’t think he’d find it nearly as difficult. As someone who’d died and been reborn once, he was somewhat used to absurdity.

Removing his hand from Jesse’s shoulder, he rhythmically patted her on the back. It was a useless gesture, but he hoped it would bring her a little bit of comfort.

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