THE MOMENT
Olivia woke with a sudden, intense curiosity. She sat up in bed, but did not linger. She hopped to her feet and hurried to get dressed. She knew all about the bell at the center of town; but, despite that, the curiosity to go and see it burned hot in her mind. She stepped out the door as soon as she was dressed and realized she wasn't the only one. It seemed most of the small town was out of their houses and headed to the bell.
Olivia was only 24 and in her lifetime, she could not remember the bell ever ringing. The only thing she knew for sure was that it was bad if it did. She couldn't explain how she knew that, but she didn't have to explain it to others that felt the same way. As she approached the plaza, she noticed three strangers were already at the bell. They had to be strangers because Olivia knew everyone.
A teenage girl with dirty blonde hair stood between two younger girls with dark brown hair. The three of them stood patiently as the crowd of townsfolk approached; it was as if they expected an audience. Olivia realized that the two younger girls were twins as she arrived. The twin with green eyes wore silver and gold plate armor and it surprised Olivia. She did not know they sold suits that small. The brown-eyed twin wore casual clothes, Black pants with a blue top. The only thing that stood out about her was the small golden box attached to her left wrist.
The teenager between wore a long grey overcoat with a faded green bag on her back and strapped to her shoulders. It was hard for Olivia to make out the rest of the clothes beneath the coat, but the coat itself was more elegant than anything Olivia had ever seen. She imagined the girl to be a successful merchant, and it was surprising for her age.
"Hello, everyone!" the teenager said. "My name is Cassie, these are my friends, Six and 23," she gestured at the armored twin, then the brown-eyed one in order.
"We came by to ring the bell today, and I thought you all might like to watch," she said.
"WHAT!!?" Olivia was the first one to react, but discontented murmurs immediately ran through the crowd. She stepped forward. "You can't do that!" she said as the rest of the town agreed.
"Don't worry, it'll be okay," Cassie tried to reassure the crowd, but several men stepped forward with makeshift weapons.
"Whoa, okay," Cassie unintentionally took a step back. "Six?" she asked for help. As soon as Cassie called Six, a wave of calm drowned out Olivia's growing fear. The advancing men stopped and lowered their pitchforks and glass bottles.
"It's gonna be so cool you guys!" Six said with a broad, infectious grin. Olivia couldn't help but smile as she looked into Six's glowing green eyes. Maybe it would be kind of fun, Olivia was interested now.
"Yeah, it'll be amazing!" one of the men said.
"C'mon," Six encouraged the crowd to follow her and led them to one side of the plaza. "Let's get out of the way," she said. Olivia followed; but, not because she was told to. She just happened to agree with Six's assessment; it would be good to get out of the way and let them ring the bell.
"Got your favorite card picked out?" Cassie asked 23 as Olivia passed them. 23 nodded.
"Yep, Blazing Soul, just like you told me," she replied. Cassie nodded. She began to offer more advice, but Olivia was out of earshot. Six sat down once they got far enough and the rest of the villagers sat down behind her to watch.
Despite her eagerness to watch whatever was about to happen, Olivia was curious about the trio. She sat down next to Six hoping for more insight. She was surprised to see Cassie join them soon after, on the other side of her.
"Can she really beat the dragon by herself?" Six asked once Cassie was seated. The question left Olivia with sudden, significant worry for 23. In the back of her mind, she wondered if she should have been more worried about the mention of a dragon; but, she was quite concerned for 23's safety. Moreso than her own. She felt immense relief and even heard a few grateful sighs behind them when Cassie nodded with a smile.
"No sweat, it's not a real dragon, just an NPC. This is an old quest trigger that no one really uses anymore. I want her to get used to using her Unique Abilities while logged in, she's not in any real danger. If she gets in trouble, we'll help her," Cassie said.
"Okay!" Six grinned and Olivia couldn't help but smile along with her.
"But, don't forget, you're training too," Cassie added. She titled her head at the crowd of townsfolk behind her. "You have to learn to stay calm while your sister's in danger."
"YOU SAID SHE WASN'T!" Olivia clenched her fists as Six raised her voice. A pang of fear coursed through her.
"Calm down," Cassie giggled lightly as she nodded. "She isn't this time, but she will be when you challenge Oren. That's why we're practicing," she said.
"Okay...," Six sighed and Olivia felt calm again; calm, and a little hungry. "...can we go back to Mundo's Pizza after this?" Six asked. Cassie nodded.
"Sure," she said. "But, it's still going to be a while; we're going to do this quest a few times, then probably a few more after lunch."
"Okay....," Olivia felt a minor disappointment, but it was soon replaced with excitement.
"Get ready, she's gonna ring the bell," Cassie said.
"GO 23!!!!!!" Six and the crowd cheered as one. Olivia's excitement rose to a fever pitch; she couldn't wait to see her sister in action.