- Veena -
"Oh, a Myrmidon. It's very rare to see those in these parts of the world. I remember seeing them during my journey to the other continent." Roland said. "Very sharp swords, those guys. They are raised in battle from a young age and fight to earn and live. This lad is quite good too."
She watched the fight and he wasn't wrong.
Arthas' opponent had a very fast style of swordsmanship, reminiscent of a samurai.
"What do you think the result will be, Miss Veena?" Roland asked.
"Obviously, Arthas will win."
"Hmm… I can see that he is holding back. I just don't understand why." Regan asked, pushing his glasses up.
"Knowing him… he is probably… training. After all, it is rare to meet such a swordsmen. It would be a pity to not hone his skills against a master."
Arthas was probably grinding his skills in this match.
"Training? That's quite… brave of him." Regan said, taking a moment to select the word.
Unfortunately for him, he didn't understand how player's skills worked.
The two competitors showcased a great show of swordsmanship on the stage, increasing the anticipation of the audience until they clashed and separated a distance.
She observed that the Myrmidon was slightly out of breath, probably due to the heavy attacks of Arthas.
Arthas looked like he had enough and he bowed slightly before taking a stance again.
This time however, she could sense his seriousness.
His blade lit up with lightning as he kicked the ground, his figure almost blurring as he slashed down at the Myrmidon.
The myrmidon dodged to the side but Arthas followed with a quick attack, forcing him to defend himself with his sword. Unlike the previous times however, this time he was thrown away by the attack.
Arthas didn't let him go and followed up once more, going for another attack.
It was just like a fight between the Templar and the Lord Knight… except the difference was far more obvious.
Myrmidon's sword was flung from his hand on the fifth attack as Arthas put his blade against his neck.
The referee announced his victory.
"Seriously… it's ridiculous no matter how many times I see it. His strength and speed… it's really comparable to a Grand Knight." Roland commented.
She smiled and looked beside her at Rose who was looking at the fight attentively.
Poor girl had been unable to look Arthas in the eye since she woke up this morning. It was good to see her getting back to normal once more.
The fact that the fastest way to calm Rose down was to throw work at her was both hilarious and admirable.
Even she was greatly impressed by the work ethics of the girl.
With the first round of games over, all players were sent to rest and recover.
They waited for around half an hour before the next round of games began once more.
The next three rounds went on in a similar manner.
The players were all skilled, each getting stronger with each passing round.
Arthas however was a head higher in terms of strength and won the matches with relative ease.
Just like that, it was time for the semi finals.
Before that, there was an hour-long break.
During that break, a person looking like a Knight approached them.
"Are you with Knight Arthas?" He enquired.
"Yes?"
"Lord Arnold Straight has invited you to the VIP studios to watch the next two rounds with him. I was sent to guide you there."
"Lord Straight? I see. In that case please show the way." She turned towards Ronald and curtseyed slightly. "My apologies for parting ways suddenly like this."
The man however took no offence and just laughed it off.
"No, it's nothing. Please go on. I think they must be interested in Arthas after seeing his performance. It might be someone higher up communicating through Lord Straight. You shouldn't make them wait."
"Then please excuse us." She left the place with Rose, following the guy through a path behind the stadium leading to the vip rooms.
As they reached the stairs, another person was waiting there.
He looked at them and then at the guy leading them. "Lord Straight's guest?"
"Yes."
He looked at them closely, probably using some kind of skill like the Scan Skill of the Hunters. His eyes stopped on Rose for a moment and a frown came on his face.
"She has a slave mark on her body."
Rose winced slightly but she kept her expressions in control. "Yes. Will that be a problem?"
"For security reasons people with slave marks are not allowed in VIP Rooms without express permission of the Marquis. I am afraid I can't allow her inside unless I have permission."
She thought of the implications of the words. In case someone had the slave mark, they could be forced to attack someone against their will and the owner can deny the responsibility completely by stating it to be the action of the slave. It did make them a risk in such high profile places.
"I see."
"Umm… I can wait outside." Rose said.
The man thought for a moment and nodded. "Very well. Show her a place to stay in the meantime." He ordered the person who had escorted them till here.
The other man nodded and led Rose while she followed the new guy to the VIP Studios.
While walking, she was stopped by a voice.
"Miss Veena?"
Both of them paused and looked at the man who had called out to her.
"Sir Ralph." She bowed.
"What are you doing here?"
"I was told that Lord Arnold Straight has called for us at the VIP Studios?"
However the man frowned. "Arnold? But he has been with the Knight Academy's group the whole time."
It took her a moment to realise the words as several things happened simultaneously.
The man who was leading her drew a dagger and tried to hold her hostage.
Tried… being the word here as before he could even get the dagger near her throat, he was blown away by a punch from Sir Ralph who had appeared beside her without her even noticing.
It was only the next moment that a gust of wind followed him and blew her hair from the force of the attack.
She however had something else in mind and quickly opened the Guild Chat.
"Rose… where are you? Answer quickly."
She waited… and waited… but there was no reply.
- Kuroka -
"Woah… they are really strong, right, Kuroka-san?" Gaspy asked, from behind his mask as he watched the matches.
She kept quiet and watched the classes and their skills in preparations for the future, collecting information to see what could be of help to them.
Her main target however was to collect the information about the player named Arthas who was currently fighting in the arena.
The first round was him against a samurai type swordsman.
She could see that he was merely toying with the guy the whole time. The first hit made it obvious that he held a significant advantage in strength but he was holding back the whole time putting on a show for the audience here maybe?
Even in the next matches, he kept a similar performance, avoiding using too much of his strength and actually playing around with the opponent before beating them normally.
Some of the skills she observed however seemed useful.
Like the Skill of the Master Monk looked like Touki and had a similar function too. Then there was that guy with the Stalker Class.
It was the next step of her own Rogue Class and she got a lot of inspiration after seeing him fight. He was a skilled fighter and the combination of skills he was using seemed quite useful for her who didn't know much about the Class.
Finally it was time for a break so they decided to go out and eat something.
Gaspy wanted to avoid the crowd so they took a less crowded way.
"You should talk to him after the matches, Kuroka-san. You will be able to level up much faster if he agrees.."
"It won't be that easy, Gaspy. Someone who is that strong must have a good team. I don't know if he even needs someone from my class." She shook her head.
As they were going, she saw two people passing by in the distance.
"K-kuroka-san… that girl… she is a player." Gaspy whispered.
Another player?
She looked closer and it was a white haired, blue eyed girl wearing a dress suitable for nobles. From her dress, she looked more like an npc than a player. She used her Scan Skill and sure enough it was a player.
Level 8 Warrior.
A T4.
"Umm… do you think she is from… Arthas' team?" Gaspy asked.
"Maybe." She nodded, still in thought.
"Should we… maybe talk to her?"
"We can." It would help to see what kind of people they were.
And just talking to someone who was near her level was far better than directly talking to someone who was almost a tier and a half stronger than her.
"Let's go." She asked Gaspy as he followed her slowly.
However as soon as they were about to turn the alley to go behind the two people, she heard something and stopped Gaspy.
Using her blade as a mirror, she saw from the corner of the alley.
The man with the white haired girl… he attacked the girl, making her unconscious.
…what the hell, nyaa?
NPCs kidnap people too?
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Beta Note: The advance chapters are in order of what is updated, a first Tier will not get 2 advanced chapters for every story, only the next two to be released.
Author's Note:
I am back with another chapter of 'Soul Art Online'.
So, several things happened in this chapter.
Arthas had a celebration party.
Arnold is now a Grand Knight.
Rose got drunk and spilled the beans… and Veena jumped on the occasion to push Arthas forward.
The matches started however the twist…
How and most importantly, why did Rose get kidnapped?
Kuroka saw her getting kidnapped.
What will happen in the next chapter?
To know more… what the next episode of Dragonbal… cough cough… wait for the next chapter of Soul Art Online.
Enjoy the new chapter.
Good Day, Peace Out.