Story Reader / Festival Event Story / Dumplings and Dragons / Story
Red... Blue... And here...
Are you done yet?
"Boom!" The distraction caused the runes in Karenina's hand to boil. When they finally break away from the constraint, Karenina is engulfed in the dust blown up by the explosion.
T-E-D-D-Y!
If magic really exists in the world, you will probably be the worst user.
I heard an explosion over there! Go check it out!
Tch... Let's go to the next place.
Karenina pulls Teddy up. Both of them have disappeared into the complex alleys in a corner of the capital.
After they left the artifact chamber, someone soon found out that the artifact component had been stolen.
The disappeared city guards were also found, making the situation even worse for the two of them.
We are getting cornered.
What can we do? Who would have thought all of the guards had come out to search after realizing the artifact was stolen?
We didn't steal it. We borrowed it! We are heroes!
...I heard someone break into the chamber of artifacts to steal again. Is that why they closed the gate?
When two of them walk around a corner, they happen to hear a conversation outside the tavern.
I heard after the expedition army went out, monsters had come south and infiltrated the defense. They began to appear outside the city in groups.
Oh gosh, my relative is still hunting outside the city. I have to go look for him.
Did you hear that?
The rendezvous point is Stagnant Valley, the only path toward where the Realm of Dragons is located.
I remember that name. There are hardly any living things near that valley, as if the world has stopped moving around it.
Usually, monsters would also follow certain rules during migration. They can't deal with human towns...
Since they cannot find enough food near Stagnant Valley, there is a high chance that...
The monsters will keep going south, bringing doom to anyone who attempts to search for the Realm of Dragons.
I think now is the time for some emotional plot. Like, somebody is going to sacrifice themselves.
Let's go stop the monsters then.
We hardly agree with each other.
Indeed. What do we do now? Shall we go somewhere else and keep trying your Explosion, I mean, Teleport spell?
...You have a point. Better do something I'm familiar with. Where did you put the red liquid?
Meanwhile, where Gray Raven and Strike Hawk are...
After teleporting away from Overlord's area, they feel like they have fallen into another world.
Contrary to the lively environment, they only see fallen leaves and withered plants with their branches desperately stretching toward the sky.
Um... Lee? Are you sure we are in a different space, not time?
Liv quickly flips through the pages of the Heroes' Journal.
According to this journal, the Realm of Dragons has very unique weather and climate. Some regions can be very different compared with the outside world.
Did we just accidentally get to the Realm of Dragons?
We should be in the outer area of the Stagnant Valley. Now we know how this place got its name.
...
What's wrong, Wanshi?
Did you hear those sounds...?
In the distance where the sky meets the mountains, the players can vaguely see a large patch of lush green color descending.
After a quick scout, Wanshi puts away the weapon stand and jumps off the rock.
Those things will arrive in approximately 30 minutes. We don't know the details, but based on the scale of falling plants, they will be in large size and quantity, and definitely won't be easy to deal with.
Are they from the same direction?
I didn't observe any other movement, but I cannot rule out the possibility that there may be some creatures that are good at disguising themselves in this world.
Gray Raven Commandant...
Sorry, Chrome, but I'm going to do what Ayla asked for now...
...I believe we should intercept and distract the targets here.
We can't let them run into Karenina and Teddy before the problem is solved.
Alright then. Just another daily mission to protect the Engineering Force. Let's roll.
Why are you still wasting time here?
Karenina suddenly shows up behind a rock and enters the communication.
Seeing Kamui is already geared up for battle, she just stands in front of everyone and throws you a box she took from the artifact chamber.
Here you go. What was the name of that thing...?
"Twin Souls." Anyway, we'll take over from here. You guys should continue moving toward the mission target.
Just two of you? Would it be better if you let us Task Force do it instead...
No, we need to save our main force for the key mission target. That increases our chance of success.
As Karenina turns down Chrome's suggestion, she starts to take out small bottles of explosives, laying them on the ground to count and refill. Teddy also moves over to help her.
Lee and Chrome also squat down at the same time. After exchanging a look, Lee decides to speak first.
Leaving more members here also increases the chance of success. If all of us can safely survive the attack, we can start our search with full strength, which will increase our odds of arriving at the Realm of Dragons.
If I recall correctly, the probability to observe the Realm of Dragons fluctuates over time. Now is the best opportunity. We cannot guarantee the probability will not rapidly decline later.
I believe we should focus on existing resources first before striving for things beyond our control. We should follow this principle to allocate manpower when the situation is still largely unknown.
But...
The argument continues. Neither side seems to want to give up on their plan.
Um, Commandant.
Lucia pulls your sleeve. She seems to want you to stop the imminent quarrel...
What?
Stop! Everybody stop!
After finishing the setup, Karenina bounces up impatiently.
Didn't Ayla say this game was supposed to be a movie script? Wouldn't it be nice to highlight the theme of sacrifice here?
No, I think it is more crucial to feature the team's collaboration here during a protection mission.
C'mon! I just can't talk sense into you. Protection mission? What do you think we are, useless weaklings? Stop excluding us! We are the Engineering Force! Engineering "Force"!
We are the Engineering Force! We are fully trained for combat and do not need your extra "protection"!
You are the one who's excluding us. Sacrificing yourselves for the sake of us? Are you insane?
!!!
!!!
With hands on her waist, Karenina confronts Kamui, who is leaning forward. You can almost see their ears and tails rising.
Oi...
Kamui...
Pfhahaha...
What?!
Both turn their heads to stare at the origin of the laughter. Ayla's shoulders are shaking as she is trying hard to control her volume.
Sorry, I couldn't help it. Karenina and Kamui, you are just too cute.
But we were almost fighting...
Then do it. I'll be the judge.
Better than all that politeness before, don't you think?
Her gentle smile smooths out the tension like the morning sun.
Kamui and Karenina breathe out at almost the same time. They look at each other and shrug.
No wonder I've been having a feeling that the story was going... out of control.
What could I do? I thought you were going to enjoy the game, but when you came together, you were not yourselves anymore. Just relax.
Play ourselves and do whatever we feel like?
Of course. We're family.
Family... I don't think we are that close yet.
You don't spend 8 hours fine-tuning weapons non-stop for non-family members.
Are you talking about that time when she forced me to stay in the lab and put new parts on all weapons?
I see, no wonder I felt the weapon's cooling efficiency improved for no reason. Um, I know this is a little late, but thank you, Karenina.
Karenina tilts her head but has not replied immediately. She suddenly thinks of something and looks around.
You guys sometimes piss me off too. Each time I went to a base on the surface, everything nearby was completely wiped out as if it just went through a saturation bombing.
Um...
When you are having a bad mood, anything can piss you off.
Oh, Wanshi just found out the targets weren't too far away from the Engineering Force, so he just went a little further to get rid of them.
See, you excluded us.
I don't really mind though. It's nice to have someone taking care of these troubles for us.
That's why you are a weakling, Teddy.
And her hot-blooded Captain Karenina? That sounds kinda tacky, but I'm sure it will get you famous in Babylonia as the movie's alternative title.
****!
Just when the argument is about to end, the thundering steps are drawing near, eager to trample the area.
The decision is made. Gray Raven will move on to look for the target location. The Engineering Force and Strike Hawk will stay here to distract the incoming enemies.
Just as you expected, the problem was resolved in no time once they had said it out. After all, you are comrades. The only thing is...
Wow, you're awake! I thought our renowned Gray Raven Commandant had fallen asleep. Should I tell others that you were just watching them argue while doing nothing?
Roll Intimidate.
Automatic success.
There you go. Don't forget to tell us what you see in the Realm of Dragons when you return. I'm quite curious.
Lee runs another check on the materials collected. He separates one portion and gives it to Chrome.
Once he has finished, the rest of the players watch Gray Raven disappear in the foggy valley.
Well, it's our showtime now... Wait, what are those cavalries? Are they our reinforcements?
He looks at the direction that Karenina came from and sees lots of dust. Knights in shiny armor are holding their weapons up and inspecting the surroundings.
They probably are now... Thanks to someone who blew a hole in the city gate, I won't be surprised if they come all the way here.
Great timing, isn't it? Now we can hold off the monsters together...
(Ding! Ding! Ding!)
The familiar tone interrupts Karenina. Teddy immediately opens her terminal and displays the message on the screen.
Unlike Ayla's description, this text is very short.
It tells the same message to all the troops still in the surface Conservation Area—the Holiday is over.
Okay, I guess we have to call it a day?
The players quickly check their own equipment and adjust their mindset. To them, this is not a rare experience.
Unlike the world in Ayla's script, they are about to plan and engage in real battle.
I think we just have to leave the Realm of Dragons to Gray Raven. As for the upcoming meeting... Captain Chrome, considering the lack of manpower in the Conservation Area, you shouldn't rule us out again.
Sure, it should be a lot easier with the Engineering Force joining us. Speaking of which, Teddy, can you take care of the heavy arms? We didn't have enough members to use them.
Sure, just some easy target shooting practice. I'm even thinking of writing them a simple program. With the CPF around us, there is no risk of contamination.
As for you, Karenina, the Scire frame will be our trump card. I will propose in the meeting that you come with us to the frontline.
No problem. We will fight shoulder to shoulder, just like always.
Yeah, just like always... Let's go.
