Chapter 3: The Beast Takes The Stage
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"Speech"
'Thoughts'
{Game Characters}
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"Ummm, can I help you?"
Aruto was currently the one running the shop as Kaito was out to buy some food for them to have breakfast. The ingredients that Aruto had bought yesterday were more tailored towards making food items usually eaten in the afternoon or for dinner.
It was the next day and they had just opened up the shop for today, and Aruto hadn't expected for a customer to appear so quickly after the shop had opened. However, the customer that was now standing at the door was more than just interesting...
The person, if you could call it that, was a strange creature that resembled that of a crane but probably three times larger compared to a normal one. Aside from its size, the crane had features that really stood out. One thing is its icy blue coloration and crystalline green eyes.
The crane looked around with interest before locking eyes with Aruto, to which it titled its head curiously before walking on over towards the boy. Aruto didn't appear nervous, just confused as he silently watched as the creature stopped in front of him and looked down at him due to the height difference.
Despite this creature being that of a crane, Aruto could sense that this entity was very strong despite its rather elegant appearance. This was by no means a normal crane, it was far stronger than Reiss and the twins. Though, definitely not as strong as his brother and himself.
"Interesting, you are either ignorant or brave to stand in front of me like this with such informality." Despite the nature of the sentence, the crane didn't hold any anger or annoyance in its tone, just curiosity, and intrigue. The entity also appeared to be male considering the voice. "Nevermind that, though. May I inquire as to what this place is?"
"Okay..." Aruto just sweatdropped slightly as he heard the words. While he was majorly confused as to this talking crane, he wasn't shocked. He had already seen too many weird things at this point, with the god that sent them here being one of them. "Well, this shop of ours is called Boundless. It's a gaming cafe, a place where you can experience the unknown."
"Gaming cafe? Experience the unknown...?" The crane muttered with an interested and confused tone of voice he used one of his wings to rub beneath his beak in a curious manner. "This certainly sounds interesting. I've already read those warning labels and such, and I'm even more interested now. I'll be playing for an hour to test things out."
Aruto didn't need to say anything as the crane took out a bag of coins from who knows where before placing them down on the counter. When Aruto opened it up, he was greeted by the sight of many platinum coins, easily reaching up to sixty in this small bag alone.
Aruto didn't react too much to it as he casually picked out the total amount required, that being to activate the game itself and also for the one hour of playtime that the crane had wanted. After doing so, Aruto addressed the crane once more.
"Allow me to introduce myself properly. My name is Aruto Koji, one of the two owners of this establishment." Aruto gave a small polite bow as he then gestured for the crane to follow him. "Follow me, I'll help you get yourself comfortable and ready."
"Very well, I'll be in your care, young one. You may call me Kran Loa."
With that, Aruto quickly helped the crane, now known as Kran Loa, with getting himself familiar with the device in which he would be wearing and how to utilize the computer. Kran Loa was interestingly capable enough to easily use the keys and mouse with his wings... somehow.
While this was all happening, Aruto noticed a gathering of people outside the store that were a few meters away all trying to get a good look inside. He just rose an eyebrow in confusion before shrugging and continuing to help Kran Loa out.
If Aruto had actually decided to pay attention as to why the group of people were surrounding and trying to get a look inside without getting close, he would be able to perhaps understand who this crane in his shop truly was here in this kingdom.
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"Alright, that should be enough to last us for a few weeks." Kaito could be heard muttering to himself as he looked at the bags he was carrying in his arms. A small smile was present on his face as he walked past the number of people on the streets.
A good number of them were staring at him in curiosity, he did look to be a foreigner after all, and one that was pretty damn attractive. Kaito didn't mind the stares he was getting as he just continued on his way without worry.
He had bought a good variety of things, after all, having a variety of different meals was always good. No matter how good a particular kind of food may be, you will eventually get completely over it if you end up eating it enough.
As he was walking, he was curious to know if anything interesting had happened while he was gone from the shop. He knew that Aruto was more than enough to take care of the place while he was gone, though he was curious. He also wanted to get back into playing some more Bloodborne, he couldn't let his own customers get ahead of him now, could he?
"Kaito!"
Having heard his name being called, the young male blinked his eyes in confusion as he turned his head towards the voice that shouted over towards him. When he did, he saw that it was none other than Luna who was running towards him while waving her right arm, Leon was running behind her.
Kaito was pretty surprised to meet him here, though it did seem that he was passing by what looked to be a fancy school of sorts. He could deduce this due to the fact that a number of people were walking out, and they all were wearing similar uniforms to one another.
Luna and Leon were no different as the uniforms that they wore were colored black with golden accents, and similar to the outfits he had seen them wear the first time they met, Luna's had a skirt in replacement of the pants that Leon was wearing.
He had also noticed that a number of the other students walking out of the school were wearing white uniforms instead, why that was, he didn't quite know. Maybe it was to divide them due to certain circumstances, though that was only a quick guess.
"Oh, didn't expect to see the both of you here. How have you been?" Kaito decided to turn his body to face them as the twins stopped in front of him. He gave them a small smile as he ignored the number of stares they all got after Luna's shout had garnered quite a bit of attention.
"School was boring! Let's hurry up and go to the shop, I want to play more!" Luna seemed to whine as she dropped her shoulders. Kaito just sweatdropped as Leon deadpanned at his sister, though it wasn't like he could deny her words. School honestly is a very boring thing. "We need to catch up to Reiss!"
"I have to agree with her myself, we can't just let Reiss leave us in the dust." Leon decided to chime in as well as he gave a small smile along with it. Kaito just chuckled a bit due to their words as he heard them, that was pretty much the same as with how Reiss is trying to catch up with both Aruto and himself.
"Well, let's get going then. Reiss might already be there."
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It didn't take long for the group of three to arrive at the shop, it was actually pretty close by to the school that the twins attended. However, upon having gotten back to the shop, what they saw was an interesting sight to behold. One that even made Kaito blank out for a second.
When they entered the shop, they weren't surprised to be greeted by Aruto, but they WERE astonished when they saw a rather interesting individual sitting at one of the computers playing Bloodborne. From what they could see from the screen above, the CRANE was doing quite well, though not too far from the start of the game.
"Isn't that...?"
"Th-That is!" Both Leon and Luna seemed to utter words in surprise as they looked at the form of the crane that was seated. Aruto and Kaito exchanged confused looks with one another, was this crane a famous individual or something here in this land?
"You know Mr Kran Loa?" Aruto tilted his head in confusion. Judging by the reactions that they had given upon seeing the crane, he could only assume that this individual may have quite a big influence here, or is famous for some other reason he didn't know. Kaito was also curious to know.
"K-Kran Loa is one of the three major guardian figures that represent the kingdom we live in, he was given the title of D-Divine Avian Kran Loa." Leon was the one that took the initiative to explain. He figured since both Aruto and Kaito were foreigners, they probably didn't know. "He is no doubt one of the strongest beings here in Extarion..."
"Oh, I see. No wonder he felt way more powerful than any other person we've met before." Aruto gave a nod of understanding, Kaito doing the same as they looked at Kran Loa. Luna and Leon just gave them blank looks due to the rather dull reaction they had given after all that information. "I guess that's why he is this good at combat, being this powerful and all must come with experience."
"Young Aruto, how do I use these Blood Echoes?" Kran Loa's voice sounded as he paused the game and turned his head back. "Oh, other customers?"
"G-Greetings, Lord Kran Loa! My name is Leon Balltrosse, and this is my sister." Leon quickly introduced himself. Despite being a noble, Kran Loa is someone who is considered a god here in the kingdom, respected greatly by even the king himself. While Kran Loa isn't an actual god, people treat him as such.
"Luna Balltrosse, I-It's a pleasure to meet you!"
"Relax, young ones. There is no need for formalities." Kran Loa gave a chuckle as he stood up from his seat and walked over towards them. When the crane stopped in front of them, his eyes met with Kaito's as the 'god' widened his eyes. "Incredible, are you perhaps the other owner of this fine establishment? The power I feel from you is as vast as Young Aruto's."
"Yes, I am. A pleasure to meet you, my name is Kaito Koji." Kaito gave a small respectful bow as he introduced himself. Kran Loa gave a small bow of his head as well in response to the gesture. "I sure do hope you are enjoying our services here at the cafe."
"Oh, most certainly! These, computers, was it? They are truly miraculous artifacts indeed!" Kran Loa gave a hearty laugh. Kaito gave a small laugh of his own hearing this. "I will most certainly be coming back soon after I've used my hours for today. Everything here seems very interesting!"
Both Aruto and Kaito went ahead with helping Kran Loa understand everything he needed about the game and such, though Kaito did make sure to put all the groceries and such away first before doing so. Luna and Leon just staring with disbelief in their eyes as the two brothers were interacting with a supposed 'god' so casually.
While they were gawking, Reiss had only just stepped through the door. He rose an eyebrow in confusion as he saw both of the Balltrosse siblings standing still with their jaws hanging down, not having at all seemingly registered his presence.
"What's wrong with you two? Why aren't you playi- Is that Kran Loa?!"
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After the three nobles managed to get their emotions and such in check, they quickly got something to eat from Kaito before paying for their hours on the computers. It had probably been around two hours since they started playing.
Kran Loa had ended up using his six hours of playtime, he had ended up becoming quite addicted himself, just like the three nobles. Quite surprisingly, he had found out that even his own magic capacity was being increased. While not as much as the young nobles, any kind of increase was absolutely unbelievable for someone at his level.
Since he had used the hours up already, he had decided to watch the others play to see if there was anything that he could learn. He most certainly did as there were a few things he took note of to check out for anything that could help him out in the future in the game, along with some strategies and fighting techniques.
There were also some things that haven't changed, one main one being that Luna was still just as reckless as she had been when she played yesterday. Leon was always more careful and planned a whole lot more, and Reiss was more like the mix between both of the twins.
"Alright, bro. I'm wishing you the best of luck."
"Hm? Is Young Kaito doing something, Young Aruto?" Kran Loa asked curiously as he walked on over towards the computer that Kaito was currently playing at. Looking towards the big screen, Kran Loa could see that Kaito's character was walking calmly across a bridge of sorts within the city. "Is something the matter?"
"Kaito is about to face one of the many bosses in the game." Aruto stated as he smile while crossing his arms over his chest, his eyes focused on the screen as Kaito was still calmly walking across while slashing down the weaker enemies around him. "While optional, I recommend fighting it."
"A boss?"
"Yeah, it refers to an enemy far more powerful compared to anything prior. While this particular boss is only optional, Kaito is going to fight it." Aruto explained as Kran Loa became very much interested to see just what was going to happen.
"Is something going on?" Reiss's voice sounded as he took off his helmet. The other two also seemed to hear the small commotion happening as they looked over curiously towards where Kran Loa and the two brothers were at, which they all soon decided to walk on over to see what was happening.
Aruto didn't answer them as he continued watching, making the others do the same out of curiosity. Not too long after, Kaito suddenly stopped his advance as his character narrowed his eyes as the grip on his weapon became tighter as he got into stance.
They all flinched, aside from Kran Loa and Aruto, with the 'god' widening his eyes a bit instead when a large mass suddenly leaped from beyond the walls and landed right in front of where Kaito was standing. The landing causing a massive amount of shaking in response.
They all heard a massive loud roar of immense power being released from within the dust cloud that formed due to the entity's landing, the mere intensity of the roar caused Kaito to slightly skid back as he held his left arm up to shield his eyes as a large amount of dust was spread everywhere.
When that dust began to clear, they all gasped when the figure was finally revealed. What they saw was a hulking creature, far bigger compared to Kaito. It had disfigured horns and a grey silvery skeletal body with traces of crimson blood, its left arm is significantly larger due to a large mass of hair it had.
Just the mere appearance of this frightening creature made Reiss's and the twins' blood run cold, its bloodlust-filled gaze and overall horrifying appearance made them falter greatly. Just what kind of creature was this? Were they to fight it at some point? It was horrifying!
Despite all that though, Kaito didn't seem to falter at all as he stood tall and at the ready to face down the beast. His eyes were full of concentration as he wielded his weapons, his stance guarded and ready for any kind of attack that was to be sent at him.
"Wh-What is that...?" Luna was the one that managed to croak this out. They all looked towards Aruto for the explanation, he was simply looking on calmly at the screen. Kaito wasn't going to answer them as he was the one busy with the whole fight.
"That right there is the Cleric Beast. The first, but optional, boss in the game." Aruto gave a very simple explanation as he continued watching. "You should expect to run into him if you continue playing. You don't need to, but I highly recommend it. It will be a good fighting experience, and it is a good judge to tell you if you are prepared for future battles. Because it will only get harder from here on."
Hearing Aruto's calm yet serious tone, the three nobles gulped as they watched Kaito eye down the beast with a calculative look in his eyes. Kran Loa just narrowed his eyes as he could feel the power of the beast through the screen, and while it wasn't nearly as strong as he was, it would still be considered a very dangerous monster in this world.
The monsters in this world, along with the people, are all given specific ranks to determine their power. The rankings went as follows: Rookie ➙ Veteran ➙ Elite ➙ Champion ➙ Master ➙ Supreme ➙ Divine.
The rankings were pretty self-explanatory, and they were used to categorize people and monsters according to their estimated strength. Kran Loa would be considered to be at the level of a Master, with the two above ranks being only used for those who were truly remarkably powerful, and those of the divine themselves.
If Kran Loa were to estimate and place this Cleric Beast into one of those ranks, he would say that its power would already place it in the ranks of a very powerful Elite or lower Champion. What worried him the most was that Aruto said this Cleric Beast was one of the 'first' of the bosses, which meant that there are others.
Along with how the young man stated that it would only getter even harder from here on forward, that meant that this beast is most likely not even nearly the strongest entity they may face. He didn't know just how true that really was.
Reiss would be placed as someone in the High-Veteran rank, while both the Balltrosse would probably be in the Low-Veteran. The difference in power between one rank could be the same as the distance between heaven and earth, so the fear the nobles felt was justified.
In the case of both Aruto and Kaito, none of them really seemed affected by the presence of this beast. Kran Loa knew that both the males were no ordinary humans, the power he felt spoke volumes of that. He didn't know what category he would say they fit into, but he had no doubt in his mind that they both are stronger than he is.
"Is Kaito really going to fight this thing?" Leon had a grim expression on his face as he was quite certain that he would barely, if at all, even managed to move his legs if he were to be so up and close with such a beast. It was no different for Reiss, he wouldn't even want to be within fifty meters of this thing.
"It certainly looks like it. Watch carefully, young ones. We will most likely face this beast in the future as well, so learn as much as you can." Kran Loa gave them all advice as the three nobles nodded their heads in response. Aruto smiled at that as he returned to watching the screen, and he had only one thing to say.
"Here it comes."
Just as he said, the beast suddenly pounced after a few moments of silence. The mere force and power from the beast's legs caused the stone on the bridge to crack, Kaito just narrowing his eyes as he also kicked forwards with all his power.
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Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone