38 - A Princess, A Game

Seijuro Aston's Apartment

…You've got to move.

…You've been through this before.

…You'll feel better after brushing and showering.

…You're Seijuro Aston. What would they think if they saw you like this?

…Just one more time…

Just another day, and…

Seijuro clenches her teeth, forcing her body to answer her commands and rise, one limb at a time, until she has pushed her blanket away and sat on the edge of her stupidly large bed.

Grabbing onto her head as she stares toward her bare feet in the darkness of her closed-off suit, the princess groans.

"…Time?"

 '01:23:06 pm, Miss Aston. Shall I order lunch?'

…Oh. Right, she skipped school again.

Seijuro briefly considers ordering her curtains opened, though she immediately discards the thought.

Now what?

She stinks.

Her stomach growls, but she doesn't feel like eating.

Speaking of which, when was even the last time she…?

Seijuro's gaze lands upon the headgear discarded over her kitchen table, having finally arrived the previous night.

The headgear she should've spent the last fifteen hours exploring, rather than avoiding.

This is it… She's going insane…

A chance to help her mother is finally here, and she wastes her time mopping around?

Seijuro rises, ignoring the way her vision sways briefly as she forces herself to put one step ahead of the other and approach the damn toy.

Still, her hand stops just short of reaching it, shaking heavily, as a soft knocking noise crosses her apartment once, and then twice.

"…Seijuro?"

There's no reason to ponder as to whom the voice might pertain to when only one person has access to her apartment's door.

"I brought lunch."

Seijuro closes her eyes, taking a deep breath. Perhaps, if she pretends to be asleep, he'll go away…?

"I know you're awake by now."

…Or not.

"…Leave it on the floor outside. I'll grab it later."

A sigh, followed by, "Fine, but I'll come to check it later, so you better grab it."

…Of course he will.

"Melinda passed by, by the way. She wanted to know how you're doing with your… cold." Kuro snorts. "When I told her you're still indisposed, she threatened to punch me if I was lying."

…Sounds like Melinda, all right.

"Look, Seijuro, I don't think taking a break is necessarily a bad thing, considering… what happened. But you don't have to carry the burden all by yourself. Think about it, okay?"

A pause, followed by another sigh. "I'll come again later."

At last, Seijuro releases a sigh of her own as she allows her gaze to fall upon the piece of paper resting near the headgear.

Warning, caution warranted: This product places the user in a state of unconsciousness. Though the user may feel as if rested after use, a minimum of four hours of sleep is still recommended either before or after its use. Please make sure to maintain hydration and nutrition near optimal levels at all times during use, so as to not warrant forced session termination.

"…Forced session termination?"

Of course.

Containing a sigh, Seijuro walks up to her door with large steps as she swings her hand in order to will it open, stopping as she stares at the food delivery package lying on the floor.

A glance down the corridor reveals it empty. A second glance downward reveals she's still very much in her underwear.

Oh, well.

Seijuro grabs the package and heads back inside, quickly unpacking it after reaching her table.

…Chicken soup? Does he realize she's not actually sick?

Rolling her eyes, Seijuro grabs a cup of water, sits, and shoves large spoons of soup down her throat in between gulps of water.

Finishing her water, but not the soup, she finally allows her gaze to settle over the headgear once more.

Since the idea of returning to bed churns her stomach, Seijuro heads toward the couch instead, sighing as she sits and stares at the alien-looking helmet upon her lap.

"We suspect it might have worked, if not for certain… Complications."

"What… What do you mean?"

"Well, simply put, we weren't able to find her. Which is to say, she didn't appear in any of the spawn points or their immediate vicinity."

"How do you… How do you even know she's in there…? And how aren't you able to find her?!"

"We have strong reasons to believe she has, in fact, entered the world of Eden. As for finding her… I'm afraid Mr. Dave is better equipped to explain the problem."

Seijuro takes a deep breath.

…So, she'll enter the game, find her mother's avatar in it, and report back to Ouroboros.

And then, they'll find a way to help her.

Simple.

…Right?

"System, connect me to Eden."

'Command accepted… Creating link. Please, make sure to remain comfortable and still while the dive happens, Miss Aston. Connection may be terminated at any moment.'

Now under the helmet, Seijuro stares into its darkness as she attempts to find a comfortable position.

'Link ready. Diving…'

…Seijuro opens her eyes as she finds herself standing in a large, gray room of gigantic proportions.

She blinks.

Though she's still in her underwear, the fog covering her mind until moments prior seems to have abruptly disappeared, leaving in its wake painful clarity in regards to her own actions during days prior… Or rather, her lack thereof.

Grabbing the bridge of her nose, Seijuro releases a long sigh.

How many unread messages…?

"Welcome!"

Having expected something similar, Seijuro turns as she finds herself faced by a mostly human-looking creature, if not for its fishtail lower half, the gills, and the fact it floats mid-air as though swimming in it, seemingly without gravity-related issues.

The half-fish female creature points at itself, smiling toothily. "I'm Tutorial, the one and only! And you're the seven-thousandth, six-hundredth-"

"Spare me. Get to it," Seijuro cuts in, lest the creature waste any more time than she already has.

Tutorial pouts. "Someone is in a bad mood. Okay, fine. Seijuro Aston, welcome to Eden. Per Elysium law, I'm compelled to explain the possible-"

"Skip."

Tutorial frowns. "Do you consent to-"

"Yes."

"…You do realize explaining these things is the entire point of my existence, yes? Would it kill you to show some patience, girl?"

An AI with attitude. Great, exactly what she needed.

Tutorial sighs. "Fine, fine, only one of us is a mortal, after all. I suppose I can't blame one for having haste when their existence is but a handful of years."

Seijuro frowns.

"Since you insist, I shall skip any unnecessary parts and keep the flourish to a minimum... Am I not the greatest Tutorial to have ever existed?"

"Get to it!"

"Fine, fine! I'll start, so let's keep the threats to a minimum, yes?" Tutorial blinks seductively, flashing Seijuro another toothy smile, before taking a long breath and regaining somewhat of a series expression. "Long, long ago, there existed many worlds, and many Gods."

Clenching her teeth, Seijuro contains her urge to ask for another skip; After all, the creature's explanation might hold relevant information for finding her mother.

"To say there was harmony would be a lie… To say there was chaos, an understatement. Still, life flourished across the cosmos, its forms varied; often beautiful, often terrifying, often incomprehensible..." Tutorial opens its palms theatrically as it hovers higher and higher, only to close them abruptly once it stops. "Until Xiaris."

Tutorial stares at Seijuro expectantly.

Less than amused, Seijuro simply stares back at it.

"…Tough crowd. Anyway, instead of a God, Xiaris would be better described as a force of nature ravaging through the cosmos and leaving little in its wake other than ruins, until the remaining Gods, Goddesses, and Horrors finally sought to put their differences aside and join forces against it."

"However, their strength was rather diminished, for their inaction and indecisiveness so far had cost them, and the battle was fierce; Countless civilizations, lost in the blink of an eye; Entire worlds, devoured, or destroyed in the wake of battle."

"Still, they couldn't stop its advance, for Xiaris seemed to grow stronger after every battle… All hope was lost. Despair overcame those unfortunate enough to have survived through the eons of endless defeats. Xiaris was simply unstoppable, and, after having devoured most of their armies, a being far surpassing the Gods at their prime... Care to take a guess at what happened next?"

"…Do you take pleasure in testing my patience?"

Tutorial clears its throat. "One last battle. One last stand against the unstoppable. Their numbers once countless, now a mere one hundred and seven Gods, Goddess, and Horrors, standing as ants against the tide of destruction encroaching, endless and unrelenting…"

Tutorial smiles. "Well, we wouldn't be here had they lost. They were the most powerful one hundred, after all, having survived so far and absorbed much of their fallen brethren power's."

…Just a stupid game. Had she not needed to waste time with this…

"Annnnd… I see you grow impatient again. Very well, I shall skip to the end: Out of a hundred and seven, exactly seven managed to survive the final battle, as well as the planet they risked everything to defend. The battle for the fate of the universe was somewhat of a close call; In case that wasn't already clear. And even then, the surviving divine beings used most of their powers to defeat Xiaris, whose influence remained even after its downfall."

"Renamed Eden, the nearby planet became a new battlefield, where the weakened Gods now struggled to stop Xiaris from resurging to finish what it started. And they might have finally succeeded, had not one of their own become tainted by its influence."

Tutorial smiles sadly, and for a moment, the emotion contained in its azure eyes might have even led Seijuro to believe the creature was there... Or that the events it narrates actually happened.

"They were then so close… Only to find themselves betrayed by one of their own. It was too much. Far, far too much for the Gods to handle. And so, they slumbered, forcing their corrupted brethren to do the same."

"Xiaris' influence, however, once nearly extinguished, now grows unchallenged in the Gods' absence. Something must be done… And that's where you come in, the player. Sorry, does it bother you if I break the fourth wall?"

Seijuro rolls her eyes. Who even wrote this bullshit?

"I'll take that as a no. Anyway, lore-wise, the reason for the summoning of heroes from another universe is their alleged immunity to Xiaris' influence. In practice, you're essentially immortal, relentless, and expendable, making for perfect soldiers. Any questions?"

Seijuro releases a deep breath. "I'm looking for a place called the Abyss. How do I find it?"

Tutorial smiles, saying nothing.

"…I'm looking for a woman named Aiko Tanaka Aston. Is she one of the players to have been through you?"

Tutorial blinks. "I'm afraid revealing player information to another player is against my purpose."

"…And what about my previous question?" Seijuro manages to force through her clenched teeth.

"Tsk, tsk… Now, what sort of Tutorial would I be if I spoiled the game for a player? The Abyss is, indeed, an accessible location within Eden, but revealing anything else would be explicitly against my purpose."

…Because of fucking course it would.

"Any more questions?"

"I was informed to select a specific spawn point, yet I don't see anything of the sort around."

Tutorial sighs. "Do you not wish to know about Skills? Experience points? Gear? Dungeons? Death penalties?"

"I don't care."

The creature raises its eyebrow as it places a hand against its chin and swims in a quick circle around Seijuro as if inspecting a strange specimen. "For the life of me, I can't understand why you'd bother playing the game if you care about it so little… In fact, had I not known otherwise, I'd say somebody forced your head in that headgear."

"…I already told you why I'm here."

"Yes. Aiko Tanako, the Abyss. I heard you."

"Tanaka. Aiko, Tanaka, Aston. Now, how do I select my stupid spawn point?"

Tutorial stops, tilting its head. "In my role as adviser, I feel I should warn you: Your chances of reaching the Abyss without playing the game are null."

"I'll fucking manage."

It chuckles. "Well, I'll be here for when you change your mind, girl."

With a smile, Tutorial waves its hand in a midair bow, signaling a group of glass basins at its back Seijuro swears weren't there a second prior.

"Your spawn point selection."

Placed upon thin poles of the same translucid material, each basin seems to contain a different substance, and Seijuro counts seven of them as she walks in their direction, starting from the leftmost.

The first basin, Seijuro realizes as she stops in front of it, contains a clear liquid she can only assume is supposed to represent water.

"That's my favorite!" Tutorial supplies worthlessly from the back.

The second basin seems to contain dry dirt.

The third, pebbles.

The fourth, many round spheres of steaming coal pieces, which, Seijuro confirms by placing her hand atop them, do indeed seem to exert heat.

The fifth basin is filled with red liquid, which, upon close inspection, Seijuro identifies as…

"…Blood?"

The sixth basin, disgustingly enough, is filled by insects, or, more precisely, white centipedes crawling over one another.

Containing a grimace, Seijuro glances toward the last basin, empty and cracked, as she stands by the one filled with insects and faces Tutorial once more.

"I've made my choice."

"Is that so?"

"Yes. I choose the insect one."

Tutorial nods sagely. "I see you've been well informed. In this case, go ahead, and excuse me if I avert my gaze."

And it does exactly that, closing its eyes as if expecting something to happen.

Seijuro clenches her teeth. "I said that I chose the insect one!"

Tutorial opens a single eye filled with confusion. "…Perhaps not as well informed as I assumed?"

"What does that fucking mean!?"

"Oh. Well, how do I put this… The game has already started. Since you seemed to have outside information, I assumed you knew what you were doing?"

Barely containing herself from smashing the nearest basin, something she was told explicitly not to do, Seijuro levels Tutorial with enough murderous intention to shake the air.

The creature smiles warily. "Look, girl, Tutorial is here to help you, remember? It is to my knowledge other players have been forbidden from spreading information about the game through the Community, so… Why don't you tell me where you got your information from? A friend?"

"Dave."

"…Oh. And would I be correct in assuming our alleged God only revealed what information he deemed strictly necessary?"

"'Don't break any of them. Choose the one with insects in it, they're probably your best chance…' Those were his exact fucking words!" Seijuro screams, "After I shoved him against a fucking wall!"

Tutorial rolls its eyes. "I'm not exactly surprised. Well, I'll offer you the same information I offered every other player: The basins are a challenge, and you're supposed to figure them out on your own."

"What?!"

"I'd get used to it, if I were you. Dave has never been a particularly merciful God."

"System, disconnect!"

…Seijuro abruptly removes the headgear as she finds herself reconnected to her real body, panting in the darkness of her dimly lit room and a strand of hair away from throwing the object across it.

"System, connect me to Dave!"

'…Mr. Dave does not wish to be bothered at the moment.'

Seijuro screams wordlessly.

SHE'LL FUCKING KILL HIM! SHE'LL BEAT HIS STUPID, IDIOTIC GAME, FORCE THEM TO FIX HER MOTHER, AND THEN SHE'LL STRUGGLE THE LIFE OUT OF THOSE STUPID SQUIRREL EYES WITH HER OWN, BARE HANDS!

…Panting heavily, Seijuro forces her shaking hands to place the headgear back in place.

"S-System, connect me to Eden."

'Command accepted… Creating link. Please, make sure to remain comfortable and still while the dive happens, Miss Aston. Connection may be terminated at any moment.'

…Tutorial blinks at her.

"Welcome back… Did you have a sudden urge to use the bathroom?"

Seijuro clenches her teeth. "Tell me… Please, tell me about skills."

Tutorial's azure eyes widen exaderatly. "Of course, it'll be my pleasure!"

Somehow, Seijuro manages to contain herself from screaming as the creature swims excitedly around her.

"How to put it? You'd think after nearly eight thousand explanations, I'd have figured out the best way to… Oh, I know!"

Tutorial abruptly stops, clapping her hands while Seijuro can't happen but to wonder if she puts on the show for every player.

…Speaking of nightmarish states of being.

"Water Barrier!"

To Seijuro's shock, upon Tutorial's shout, a geyser of water materializes itself under the creature, covering it from tail to head in an instant and remaining in place for nearly five seconds before dissipating in a rain of water particles.

"…And that, Miss Aston, was a skill. A Siren one, in specific. Did it manage to pick your interest?"

Tutorial's smile is savage, the glean in its eyes, nearly predatory as it stares down toward Seijuro, water slowly dripping from its half-scaled body.

"…Am I to assume they aren't all this useless?"

"Usele- I'll have you know a fully leveled Water Barrier can stop the charge of a-!"

Catching itself, Tutorial coughs softly against its closed fist, before leveling Seijuro with a cool gaze filled with badly contained indignation.

"The world of Eden contains two skill types: Racial skills, and Hidden skills. While the first pertains to your starting species, unlocked as the player reaches higher levels, the second is a broad category containing skills acquired through any other means: Quests, items, dungeons, proficiency… And more. You'll find that all Eden skills serve the specific purpose of furthering the goal of stopping Xiaris' advance, given they were created by the Gods in their attempt at defeating it. Questions?"

Dreading the answer, Seijuro releases a sigh while bringing herself to ask, "Shouting their name is necessary in order to activate a skill, isn't it?"

"…Yes. Don't look at me like that, it wasn't my decision to have our battlefields filled by warriors constantly shouting the name of their next attack."

"Dare I…?"

"Dave," the creature reveals immediately, shrugging. "Lore-wise, given you're taking from the Gods' power, it is necessary to let them know what you want. Clearly."

She should've known.

"…Is there something more I should know about skills?"

Tutorial smiles. "Nothing you won't learn through playing the game."

More surprises… Great.

"Fine. Tell me how experience points work, then."

Tutorial tilts its head. "I thought those were fairly self-explanatory…?"

"I thought the stupid purpose of your stupid fucking existence was to explain things…?"

"That's a good point… Sorry, that was a bad joke."

Clenching her teeth, it takes Seijuro a considerable amount of self-control not to shout as she forces herself to smile at the creature instead.

"Anyway, experience points are conceded by killing things and stealing their life force, completing quests, clearing dungeons, or… Well, that's it, actually. They're used to level, duh, and you need more of them the higher level you become. As I've said, fairly self-explanatory."

"Dungeons?"

"Dens of Xiaris' influence. You'll gain the Gods' favor by clearing them, usually in the form of experience, magical items, or Hidden Skills… They are, however, always guarded by a boss- Er, particularly strong creature under the direct influence of Xiaris, and dying inside of them means a greater death penalty, since the Gods' will have to fight said influence in order to revive you."

"Magical items? Death penalty?"

"Magical items are fairly rare and vary in strength greatly, having once been common items that were modified by a God's will. They'll not revive with you, save for a couple of exceptions, so I'd be careful not to lose your legendary sword by jumping into a chasm in the name of fun. As for the death penalty, it's what it sounds like; You die, you receive a penalty, usually in experience points as well as being barred from reentering the game for a specific amount of time, scaling with repeated deaths… Any more questions?"

"Am I to assume you were already as specific as you're allowed to be?"

"Pretty much, yes."

"Am I going to see you again after entering the game?"

"Every time you die, girl. Don't worry, considering your destination choice, we'll never have enough time to miss each other in between encounters."

We'll see about that.

"Is there something else I should know?"

Tutorial smiles. "Of course."

"…Aren't you going to tell me?"

"Nope. I'm Tutorial, after all, and not Glossary."

Seijuro sighs. And people wonder why she hates video games.

"Fine then. Show me the basins, I'm ready to start."

Tutorial does so, producing another flourish which is an almost exact replica of the first time.

This time, Seijuro doesn't hesitate before heading toward the insect basin. After all, the thing's previous reaction was almost a dead giveaway as to what she was supposed to do with them.

Grabbing one of the centipedes before she has time to ponder upon what she's about to do, Seijuro shoves the still-moving creature in her mouth and swallows.

"Ew! You know, I'm impressed you figured it out so fast, but a warning would've been nice!"

Seijuro gives Tutorial a narrowed stare, forcing herself not to think about what, exactly, she has just done.

"What now?"

"Well, your summoning should start rightttttt… about… now."

Seijuro abruptly doubles over herself, clenching her head as it becomes suddenly filled with whispered gibberish; as if a thousand spiders decided to hold a conversation inside her brain at the same time.

A scream grows in her gullet, though it is stopped by a sudden urge to vomit companied by a splitting headache.

And, just as Seijuro decides she can't take it anymore, realizing she could disconnect in order to escape the pain, she catches Tutorial waving at her with its finned fingers.

"See you in a couple of minutes! I hope you don't mind dark places and scary monsters!"

Fucking bitc-!