8 Quest Countdown 1

"Via, what do you think about the story of Rapunzel?"

Zash asked while scribbling in her tablet.

"Hmmm. It's about the chic with the long hair right? It's good I guess." I replied while I answered my homework and this girl's homework since I lost to a bet.

"You're not answering properly," Zash said with a pout.

"I'm busy with OUR homework, right? If you want, just tell me what you think about her first. I'll try to answer after you." I focused on my task again.

"Fine then. Rapunzel is indeed a good story but it didn't cover a lot of details ." Zash said.

"It's a short story after all."

"That's the point! It's a short story but do you want to know more about it?" Zash said. Her eyes were full of anticipation waiting for my response when I look at her.

*Sigh* "Sure. Tell me."

"First Rapunzel hides the fact that she is meeting with a man. The sorcerer would be really angry with that. She treated Rapunzel like her real daughter but she lied to her. The sorcerer did nothing wrong to her aside from keeping her locked in the tower. But she didn't know that it's for her own safety! The sorcerer even takes good care of her since she was a baby."

"But, it's more like she imprisoned Rapunzel and rob off her freedom. And don't forget she take her from her original family."

"That's because that's the deal her father made in exchange for the plant her mother craves. And just as I said, it's the safety of Rapunzel. The sorcerer didn't really plan to imprisoned Rapunzel in that tower forever. "

'And there it is again, she is speaking like she understands and personally knows the characters. But I didn't inquire now, since she will just reason, that it came from research or her imagination. I just ask other questions.'

"Hmmm. The sorceress abandoned Rapunzel in the forest and push the prince into the tower. That can't really be called good right?"

"She didn't push that prince. It's the prince who jumps himself out of frustration. The sorceress even tried to save him, but unluckily his eyes were caught by the thorns. Do you think anyone would be alive if they fell from a very high tower? It's only because he was saved! And do you think a girl whose ignorant of the world would really survive in that forest alone, if the sorceress didn't look out for her secretly? The reason the sorceress also cut Rapunzel's hair is that for her to live freely."

"Hmmm. And that's indeed another deep story analysis."

"You're not taking me seriously Via," Zash said with a pout again.

"I understand your point. Don't worry. The thing you want to imply is the story focuses more on the sufferings of Rapunzel and makes the sorceress looks bad." I said while turning my workbook to the next page.

"Yep. That's right! Even now, the sorceress is still looking after Rapunzel. You see the sorceress is indeed powerful and at the same time... She is really some lonely person. When Rapunzel comes into her life, she learned to be happy and at the same time becomes afraid as Rapunzel grows she might leave her someday. Then something happened when Rapunzel was 12. Because of that, she places her in the tower. In the end, she set her free in the means where she would be forever hated by Rapunzel."

"I see. Do you read that in some sort of reincarnated as a villainess theme in some novel?"

"Of course not! That's just what is there behind their story!"

"Yeah. Yeah. I heard you so don't shout." I said half-heartily since I'm used to these 'Zash antics' and conversations already.

---------------------

"You're Frea Beverly, the Ms. Student Body pres.?"

"Yes! It's me! Giselle"

A girl, wearing a loose stripe green shirt and white shorts held one of my left hands and squished it lightly.

Beside her, was another girl with short pink dyed hair. She was just wearing fitted ripped jeans partnered by a simple blue shirt with the text 'Laugh 'till you die!' printed on it.

Then a boy whom I almost got hit by my blade, stood up while maintaining his balance and fix his disarranged glasses.

He still wore our university red shirt which is a red polo shirt with the text 'Live today, with no regrets.' And a hand in fist fighting form printed on it.

I still didn't withdraw my blade but just put down my hand.

"What are you guys doing here and if you don't mind?" I looked at Frea's hands that were holding mine.

"Ah sorry! I just got happy seeing a fellow schoolmate here." She immediately withdrew and set a distance from us.

"That's not what it looks like to me." From my hand she touched, a black smoking fog emerged.

But I easily dispel it with an item I brought from the shop.

I poured the item into my hands and the black fog got washed by it.

"Whatever you do to me, it won't take any effect. Now, Please answer my question while I'm still being patient and nice."

The three of them looked shocked as nothing happened to me. But then they smiled at each other and nodded their heads together.

"Congrats Giselle, you're part of our team now. We just test you to see if you are capable of protecting yourself from simple tricks such as poison and will not be a liability to us. So we are going to stick together from now on!" Frea happily clasped her two hands.

"Cut the crap.".

"Ah. Actually. Frea and I are roommates here, living on the 10th floor. And just for the past few days, Paul was coming here to finish the preparations for the school festival. After what happened, we are all staying together here now. Then suddenly we heard multiple explosions. We came to look and check things out. Then we saw your fight with that guy." The pink hair girl said as she pointed Argaux.

"Well said, Dina!" Frea gave her a thumbs up.

"Then, why are you stealing that guy's sword?" I continued my interrogation.

"Ah. I thought we can use it to strengthen our offense. The cool, powerful weapons and items in the shop are too expensive after all. And that black sword looks powerful and awesome."

"Oh really."

The glasses guy, they called Paul avoided my doubting, piercing gaze. 'You just really wanted to have a cool weapon and look great don't you?' Tsk.

I glanced once again to Frea.

"One final thing, since you know me, why do you wait for me to be gone before stealing? You can just call out to me you know that? I'm not that bad to attack people out of impulse."

['You just did it with that dagger!'] I heard their thoughts. Oh, I did?

The three of them wanted to retort but kept their mouth shuts instead.

"It's because you are wearing a mask. I didn't recognize you until I heard you speak." Frea reasoned out.

"I see. Then the last question, when you already ascertain my identity, you tried to put that black fog which you said is 'poison' on my hands. Well, Why is that?" I played with my blade and they all gulp.

[Skill Insight has focused on the target]

Great! Though I can't deactivate it yet it is manageable now. It became like an audio speaker where I can lower or increase the volume of the voices around me. I can also focus it now on my selected targets very well.

"As I said earlier it is to test you!" Frea looked at me with a carefree smile.

<<Please believe us, we just really wanted to see something and mean no harm.>>

So you really intended to poison me whatever your reasons may be.

  <<It is not because of seeing whether you are strong or not. We already see it in the fight from before. And we knew will die that easily.>>

<<Besides that poison will only cause the target to be mentally disabled for a few minutes or maybe an hour I don't really know how long at all!>>

Oi! Oi! How can you not be sure about the time? If by chance, I almost became retarded right now!

<<Eeek. Why is she just staring at me?! Did I anger her?>> Frea then hid behind Dina.

But they seemed not bad people either so...

"Ok. I'll let this go. But if this happened again..." I made an action like slicing my neck.

Paul and Dina gulped more.

"Yes! We will never do it again!" They said simultaneously except Frea who said something different.

"You're going to slice your neck!!! Why?!" She said as she acted like going to hug me but I stop her with my hands.

"No. Don't do that! I promise I'll never do that again! Wahhh! Suicide is bad!"

<<Wahhh! It seems it scared her so much to the point she wanted slice neck!" I shouldn't really have done that!>>

What the...This girl is completely NUTS!!!

The 🎵coconut NUTS is... Brain, STOP singing. I frowned.

The other two take it as a sign that I'm starting to get annoyed again. So they immediately pulled Frea away from me.

"We're really sorry!" The both of them said in unison.

"Yeah! I'm sorry so don't kill yourself."

Frea said as she is on the verge of tears.

Sigh. Too tired to deal with any more of this nonsense. I walked past them and pulled out my other blade that was stuck on the ground. Then I grabbed the chains of Argaux and started pulling him over.

First, pull.

Second.

Third.

'Arghhh this man is so heavy, he won't even budge.'

Fourth.

'Bam!' As to the fourth pull, I used all of my force but he only budged a bit. That 'cause a small rock from the debris to fall on his head and 'cause a small bump. His closed eyes squirmed a little.

'Oops not so sorry, that's still not enough from earlier.'

Fifth pull

*bump*

Sixth pull

*boogsh*

*bump*

Seventh.

Hahaha. This was fun.

The trio, who weren't finally able to endure my actions, nodded their heads again to each other.

They ran and surrounded me. The pink hair girl held me in a tight back hug.

Frea tried to snatch the chain's handle but I can hold it still. Now she was trying to pull it away with me and it became a game of tag.

While Mr. Glasses carried Argaux effortless like a sack of rice on his shoulders.

"What are you doing?" I.am.really.getting.impatient.now!

"Sorry. Giselle." The pink hair girl held me more tightly.