Chapter 32 Ariadne

Very few videos of Yuusha's gameplay exist. It is the main reason why her playstyle is almost impossible to copy due to its lack of content. Many would kill to have videos of her gameplay as she singlehandedly set the standards for the meta of dodging when she won the first Andartha Cup.

However, that does not apply to me since she was my mentor. 

Even back then, when she was still in our guild, I had always dreamt of being as good as her. She was my ultimate goal in this game. I recorded all of her moves in raids, analyzed her plays when the team paragon was practicing team sparring, and watched her intently when she played PvPs with other guild members. I even had help from our guild leader in getting her recordings for their team PvP practice.

I kept it all to myself, not even entertaining the thought of uploading it to cyberspace or sharing it with any of my acquaintances.

I treated it like a precious treasure, something I can claim as only mine. 

I truly idolized her back then. 

But they say love and hate are two sides of the same coin. Parents only scold their children because they genuinely care about their well-being. Apathy is the epitome of really disliking somebody. If someone is indifferent towards you, then it means they do not care about you at all.

My feelings started as anxiety when she disappeared without a word. It grew to longing and dread, then shifted to hate and injustice.

How could she simply leave us behind like we were nothing? Does our time spent together building up our guild from scratch means so little to her? Spending time with them was the first time I felt like I was part of something big… that I had irreplaceable comrades by my side. Defeating one guild after another, working together for one goal: to become the strongest guild in CoA. Those were the most memorable times for me after I started playing the game before it all changed when team Paragon won the 1st cup, and she disappeared. It became my duty and responsibility as her only apprentice to uphold the legacy of the guild that the strongest team that ever existed had built.

Does all of our time spent playing together really mean so little to her? 

But now, I am assured.

Those graceful moves, like a dance from the goddess of death herself. Those masterful dodges are akin to a blacksmith perfecting his craft through hard work and dedication. Everything she did back then when fighting the boss was impossible for anyone to imitate. A play style fine-tuned to her and her alone. It is something that even I, her protege, cannot replicate perfectly, no matter how hard I try.

Even if she lacks the proper speed and practice to replicate her past prime, it is still something only the real deal could perform. The real Yuusha, not just an imitation of one of her millions of fans who litter cyberspace with their mockery of her playstyle and then have the gal to annoyingly call themselves 'Yuusha's successor'.

"Are you Yuusha?" I asked, my voice cracking with emotion.

"....." she was shocked at first but stayed silent.

But silence is as good as admitting it.

"Please answer truthfully. Are you the owner of Yuusha's account?" I pleaded, just to confirm my doubts.

She broke off from my intense gaze before she regained her voice. "It's... a little bit more complicated than that...".

It made me irritated. She is dodging the question. Her personality was always the same as her playstyle, even back then.

"What is complicated about it!?" I raised my voice in annoyance.

Having her undivided attention with my emotional outburst, I continued.

"Are you the same person who helped build our guild from scratch?! Are you the same person who led the Paragons to victory in the Andartha Cup?! ....Are you the same person who spent her time training and sparring with me?" I murmured the last part, barely audible.

My feelings got to her. She made an expression of regret and a mix of anguish before hanging her head down.

"...Yes, I am... I'm sorry." she stared at the ground as if I had shamed her greatly.

There is a lot I want to say to her—all my frustrations, anger, and criticism. But when I heard her admit it, All of that vanished instantly with relief and happiness at her admission.

 She's back at last.

"I see..." I paused to try and regain my composure. 

A moment of solemn silence later, I continued.

"Do you even plan on going back to our guild?"

She stared at the ground again. I instantly knew what she was about to say even before she voiced it.

"...you are going to abandon us again, huh..." I stated, downcast.

"That's not wha-."

I hold out my hand to silence her.

"Let us make a bet," I interjected.

"...A bet?"

"Yes, let us settle this like true CoA players. Let our skills do the talking. The first one to hit the opponent wins." 

"If I win, you will return to the Paragons guild. If I lose, I will give up on recruiting you... you owe us this much at least," I made the suggestion not only because I wanted her back in our guild, but I also wanted her to see how strong I have become.

A bet for myself... a bet to surpass my ultimate goal, the person right in front of me.

I'm not so underhanded to leverage on my level and stats, so the constraint of being the first one to land a hit wins is there. We both prioritize our dodging skills, so the rules can only be considered fair for players like us.

Although I do have a considerable advantage, from what I can tell, she has no weapon skill on her daggers, while my weapon is something she would have no information of. It's a new weapon from a patch back then after she quit playing. A weapon skill that I am certain she has no knowledge of.

She seemed to somberly ponder for a while. Then, as if having found her determination, she obliged.

"...Understood. I accept." she stared at me resolutely.

Sometimes, a battle is settled even before it begins. Don't hate me for this. I won't let you go ever again, even if I have to throw away all aspects of fair play.

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

I created a lobby arena for both of us to fight to our heart's content without any interruptions, as this is a crucial fight that could determine the comeback of our guild. Even if we are currently not the strongest guild, with Yuusha on our side, we could return to our former glory. I have to win, not just for her and my sake but for our entire guild, too.

The lobby I created was dimly lit. No NPC spectators or distractions are to be found. Just the two of us in the vast space surrounded by walls that prevent anyone from escaping, not that it is needed.

The first one to land a hit wins. A rule we always use to prevent PK when we spar. An effective way to master our art. 

The art of dodging.

The tension is palpable for both of us. The silence is overbearing. I'm the first one to break it.

"Our guild can give you so much. Your potential is wasted on that guild." I tried to reason with her.

"...As I taught you before, let your skills do the talking," she replied unperturbed.

"Tsk! Get down on your high horse!" I exclaimed.

I will do whatever it takes to bring you back to us!

I will beat you in this duel, and I will drag you by force if I have to!

As the countdown ended and the duel began, I made my move. 

I lunged first, my dagger slicing through the air. But she was quick, her body tilting ever slightly, narrowly avoiding my attack before delivering one of her own. A masterful display of foresight and skill.

I dodged delivering a counter of my own as well. I had not been a guild vice leader of the Paragons for nothing. I had continued to improve while she was away. 

We continue the flawless exchange, our bodies moving in a deadly dance. I feint to the left, but she doesn't fall for it. She counters, her own blade flashing in the dim light. I ducked, the blade narrowly missing my head as I simultaneously threw in my own counter.

Our movements are a blur, too fast for the untrained eye to follow. We twist and turn, our blades sometimes clashing but never finding their mark. The tension rises with each near miss, the suspense building with every second.

Suddenly, she stumbles, a small, uncharacteristic misstep due to her lack of practice, but enough for me to seize the opportunity. I lunged, my blade aimed at her chest. But in a surprising move, she rolls on the ground, just in time to evade the attack. 

She disengaged for a bit, regaining her composure.

I didn't press the attack.

"I know all your movement patterns, and compared to your prime, you're much slower now whilst I have improved greatly. You are not as fast as you used to be!" I declared, more so to cement the mindset that I could win against her.

She stayed silent. Knowing the predicament she was in.

I can take her on. I can win this! I can win against Yuusha!

I rushed at her. Our dance of death continued for a while, neither of us landing the deciding blow as we both focused on dodging rather than playing aggressively. 

As time passed, I felt it. She was gaining ground. She is getting used to my speed more than I am to her, an adaptability only someone like her can exhibit.

She has drastically improved since we first clashed blades, so much so that I fear if we keep exchanging blows for any longer, I will be on the back foot. This won't do.

So, this is the true skill of a legend.

It seems the fake still cannot beat the original after all.

I have to do it after all. I know this seems unfair, but I know you will never hold it against me because I am just utilizing exactly what you taught me to use every possible advantage you can against your opponent to win!

While in the middle of our exchange, I retreated a bit, creating some space between us before throwing one of my daggers at her. Throwing two of my daggers will leave me defenseless and arouse suspicion from her. 

She always had a sharp battle instinct, so I cannot be complacent. Besides, I only need one hit to win.

She was caught off guard by the throw but narrowly evaded it by tilting her head ever so slightly, then rushed towards me, pressing my disadvantage of losing one dagger.

She overextended. Checkmate.

I activated my weapon skills. It is one of those skills that you don't need to say its name to trigger—a suitable skill for surprise attacks. Just as the dagger was on the cusp of its flight, it shimmered and then reversed its trajectory, aiming right at her head.

I won.

Just as it was about to hit, as I was mentally celebrating my victory of finally surpassing my mentor, she ducked, the dagger barely missing her by an inch.

"Wha-!"

Capitalizing on my stupefaction, she did a quick horizontal slash with her dagger that connected to my neck.

Ariadne

HP: 96%

I froze.

"I-I... I lost?" I said as tears began to well up inside.

"Yeah, looks like I won," she sighed in relief.

"But how! You shouldn't have known about my weapon skill! It was not even introduced back then! How could you know of its effect?!" I whined at the unfairness.

I know it is unbecoming of me, but this was hard to accept. Did she know what I was planning from the start and had already devised a counterplay?

"I didn't. That was actually quite surprising. You almost had me there. A lot has changed since I was gone, huh? There's a bunch of crazy new weapon skills I had never even seen or heard of."

Her admittance astonished me greatly.

"B-but... how did you dodge that? It's just not possible," I asked as if attempting to invalidate the duel—a denial on my part.

"Hmm," she pondered for a while, thinking of how to respond to my question. "I saw your muscles and body language relax for a bit and sensed something wrong. So I ducked since if you have a surprise attack that I didn't know of, you would probably aim for the head." She stated it is as if sensing your opponent's body language in an instant while in a do-or-die fight was normal, which was honestly a bit aggravating.

"...How did you even know where I would try to land my hit? My dagger was on your blind spot." I asked another question that has been bugging me.

She smiled as she answered my query. "Cause I just had the feeling you would aim for a critical hit. It's what I had always taught you when we used to spar, after all." 

She tapped her head a couple of times for emphasis. "Always aim for the head." 

She spoke out those exact same lines she did in all those times she taught me how to play PvP. All those times we played together... it all flooded me with a sense of nostalgia.

She's right. Subconsciously, I aimed for a critical blow even though all I needed was a hit on any part of her body to win. I could've done better in hindsight, but it doesn't change the fact that she outplayed me at that exact moment when a fast decision-making aptitude was crucial.

So this is what it feels like to fight a legend. Not only her skills but her processing speed, split-second decision, and capacity to outplay her opponents are outlandish. Witnessing it firsthand, I can now see why even the strongest of the pros call her a monster. She really is an unparalleled prodigy in the game.

"Pfftt... Heheh... Hahahahahahah." I laughed wholeheartedly at her absurdity.

She stared at me like I had a marble loose, though, to be fair, maybe I had lost it. Some might have already after fighting her. She defies common sense.

"You really are a monster, you know that," I said as I wiped the tears from my eyes.

"Hey, that's quite rude, you know! I'm a perfectly normal mature woman."

I smiled at her statement. I contemplated for a while before continuing.

"Fine, I never go back on my word. I won't recruit you again unless you want to join... but that doesn't mean I already forgave you for leaving us behind." I declared as I crossed my arms.

Deep down inside, I probably already did, but my pride won't let me admit the truth.

"Urk! T-that is understandable. Although..." she hesitated a bit before continuing. "I have a favor to ask of you.

"What is it?" I asked curiously.

As she stayed silent for a couple more seconds, I pondered what a legend in CoA needs from someone like me.

She stared at me intently. The intensity of her gaze caught me unawares. "Would you please keep this a secret between the two of us?" She said as I bore the weight of her solemn gaze.

My heart skipped a beat at that... this lady killer—an apt description for her as it can be taken both literally and figuratively.

"F-Fine, I'll keep it a secret to everyone. Except for Celeste, though, she deserves to know." I said as I broke eye contact.

"B-but!"

"That is non-negotiable." I declared firmly

"And also, you will help me practice when I ask you to in exchange for keeping your secret. Otherwise, there will be newscasters and crazy fans coming after you 24-7."

"W-wait! That is blackmail!" she exclaimed.

That made me smile again. I feel quite happy seeing this side of her. She acts differently now, more expressive than before. She was so very aloof and distant back then, not even mentioning anything about herself, as if she was keeping a secret she did not want to be found out. It is probably the same reason she stopped playing. I won't pry about her past and personal life as it is a huge taboo for us CoA players. I'm just glad that she seems to have sorted her issue, though.

It has been a long time, but it is worth the wait.

She's back at last.