Kapitel 92: Adrenaline Rush
"WOOOWW!"
Aletha screamed. Asahi sprinted to her, muffled her screams, and whispered in a concerned tone as people passed by.
"Shhhh, Sis, keep it down! There are people here. Do you any consideration for others?! Be mindful."
Aletha crossed her arms, made an aggressive pouty face, and mocked Asahi while doing impertinent hand gestures.
"Bla bla blah! I know I know, I KNOW! Stop being so BORING, Asahi!"
The overall tone of her voice was immature and piercing. Asahi had thought for a moment, then replied sarcastically as he lifted his chin and facepalmed.
"Pfft, whatever. I don't care. Just make sure you—
It was already too late. Aletha had already scampered off to the distance, with her long white hair waving 'goodbye' to him. Asahi bottled his rage, raised an eyebrow and sighed deeply, falling into disbelief of his sister's actions. Faint words traced from his pale lips.
"Sis, you're acting like a child…"
Though he was in utter shock of Aletha's rather childish attitudes, he recollected what he heard from Phthonus back in the ship.
("I think it has to do with some sort of side-effect. Entering Linuxinia's territory transforms you, apparently. Seriously, it does.")
Asahi scratched his chin and turned his head upward. There he saw statues, rooftops, and the tall green mountains towering over the prosperous city. He knew that this portion only, wasn't enough for him to muster. There was probably another portion of the city somewhere. Asahi mumbled to himself.
"Hmmm, I wonder when MY attitude will change. Oh well, might as well 'embrace' the monotonous attitude for a little longer. Not exactly 'embrace' but, you get what I mean— right?"
He squinted his eyes, and made a half-shrug. Asahi muttered while his gray eyes met with the ground.
"Why am I even talking to myself?!"
He shook the thoughts aside, smiled lightly, then tilted to his left.
The glistening ball of orange declined over the horizon of the sparkling crystalline waters. The waves crashed against the slopes and the pale shores. The clumps of stars popped out one by one like popcorn, sparkling, and lightning up the night sky.
The moonlight streamed from the wall of mountains and bathed the rooftops with its heavenly cyan glow.
Asahi and Aletha turned back to their right. Their gray eyes twinkled with astonishment.
From block to block they could see towers big and small, stone or wood stretching from one horizon to the next. The warm mellow hues of the streetlights and the windows sheltered the peaceful atmosphere, with children and adults emerging from the staircases up across the sidewalks; the cool evening breeze flowing through the creases.
A dozen carriages flew over from the streets, galloping and rolling up toward the wall of mountains that towered the docks below; the people walked near the sides of the streets, some had interfered with merchants and others just enjoying what the scenery had to offer.
The pulsating-joy from the heart of the city spewed out its essence toward the winding roots that trailed from the largest mountain all the way toward the lowest docks. Flower petals flew with the sweet aroma of blossoms sprinkling all over the ground, the moonlight reflected the leaves.
Asahi took a deep breath and turned backward toward the staircase.There he saw Kali, Drimi, Devlin, Phthonus, Sally, and The Crew all walking up carrying their personal belongings for the trip.
He saw thirteen more ships arriving and sailing from the archway of the docks that stretched with over-seeing watchtowers placed on all four corners. All with beautiful colors of the moonlight that glistened over the faint shadows.
As the cool wind blew against his long white hair, Asahi's ears bolted to the loud shouts from Drimi.
"Alright, crew… follow me!"
* * * * * * * *
After the departure, Drimi and everyone else from the crew gathered in a group and the captain ordered everyone to proceed further into the city. Kali stood near Asahi with a wide grin on her face, and Aletha was too focused on her surroundings, her vibrant gray eyes filled with wonder. Kali immediately departed as soon as she noticed something that caught her gaze, but eventually would return, but far behind the group.
. . .
The Crew reached the ramp, where it would be revealed that the rest of the city would be revealed. Despite the already grand size of what they saw, with taverns, markets, and apartments; there was still a lack of restaurants, hotels, and shops in the area.
Drimi, Asahi, Aletha, Devlin, Phthonus, and so on… stepped across the sidewalks, seeing a stream of people pass by. The variety of the color of people's hair were vastly distinct compared to Pladtioa. Bright maroon red, gray-magenta, dark aqua blue, silky-lavender…
"So many bright colors…" Asahi thought as his heart pounded.
Walking up the ramps, the distant fog that covered the rest of the city unveiled revealing the true beauty that lies over the railing.
"Ooo, it's so…long."
Asahi squinted his eyes and saw canals and waterfalls flowing from mountains that had overtaken some of the stone buildings above.
The clouds drifted behind the artistic scenery, arches stretched all around the markets through the ridges, and lastly, the borders. Large natural rock forms arched over tall rooftops, casting their shadows over the bustling streets below, with a tall, brown, and green tower stretching upward; projecting its faint but slightly luminescent green light. He closed his eyes and smelled the fresh scent of mildew fly through his nose. Asahi commented as he placed his hands over the railing.
"So different…"
Aletha sprinted over, the shape of her bottom showing. She was too focused and distracted from the view; afterall, she was always the 'sightseer' of the group. Her long white hair entangled over her tight dark attire and her warm soft hands grasped onto the cold railing.
The vivid fluctuating evening breeze pushed her long, silky white hair to the steady shimmering stars. Her eyes reflected the extensive panorama of buildings and roads under the sugary glaze of the moonlight.
She could see the entire second portion of the city of Linuxinia with a massive stone plate lying at the center of the city, and then she saw the tower that was positioned a little off from the center, monitoring the rooftops from above.
There were stone staircases that swirled and zig-zagged across through the line of trees, bridges spanning over several kilometers with clean lakes surrounding the exterior of the city like a moat. Aletha heard footsteps sound behind her, feeling a cold touch rubbing on her shoulders. She jumped up in shock, scratching her head and whining.
"Asahi, what was that for?!"
"S-Sorry… I just thought—
Aletha gritted her teeth and pinched both of them on Asahi's ear. His earlobe slowly started to turn pink. Flailing his arms back and forth in the air, Asahi whined from the stinging pain blistering on his ear.
"AHH! STOP IT!"
Devlin, Sally, Phthonus all gasped trying to stop the wanders, but the crowd were blocking their way.
(Do I really have to do everything by myself?!)
Drimi hurriedly pulled both of the wanderers away from each other while she heard the footsteps from strangers gradually get louder. Drimi could feel the sea of eyeballs glare at her a She impatiently stomped her foot on the ground, stared at the nervous Asahi and Aletha then growled as the crew froze in shock.
"Just what do you two think you were doing?!
Aletha bowed down and whimpered in fear.
"S-Sorry… Captain Drimi."
Her dark magenta eyes pivoted toward Asahi.
"And you…?!"
He immediately ducked down and covered his eye with one hand.
"I… I— My apologies."
The surreal feeling of anxiousness shrouded over Asahi once he realized how he acted. Drimi tightened her fists and gave a weak sigh, patting the two on the head as if they were doggies. She then slammed the crate down, alerted the rest of her crew to stand on this exact spot, and ignored the strangers that walked past them toward the staircase.
As the ambience continued, Drimi gave a chagrined expression.
"I can't believe that I am forced to do this…"
Kali Leila hastily sprinted out from nowhere, clutching onto Asahi's arms and blushing heavily. Drimi raised her eyebrow, the corner of mouth curled up, and she stuck her nose in the air. She yelled having no care what the others thought about her.
"Who the heck are you?!"
Kali's pupils dilated, involuntarily she sighed, then took a deep breath bowing her head to Drimi. She cowered as Asahi stood behind her.
"G-G-Greetings, m… my name is Ka-K…Ka-- K Kali…"
In a mocking tone, Drimi spat out a cheeky, derisive look and replied to Kali with a mocking tone.
"My uh— my name is uh— SPEAK GIRL! Stop wasting my time with your cowardly attitude! If you don't know Asahi or Aletha, then you have no business being here. Spit it out or leave, or I'll push you off the railing!"
Phthonus objected and raised his arms.
"No need to be mean to her, Drimi. What did she ever do to you?" He felt a cold chill of doubt creep up on him as he said that. "D-Do you even remember her?!"
His orange eyes saw the intimidating, peeved look shine over Drimi's purple eyes. But instead of a slap as what Phthonus expected, Drimi released a sigh of pity, rubbed her hand against her forehead, and apologized with a stressful stone on her face.
"Sigh, I'm sorry… stranger. It's just— I feel exhausted from all that sailing without sleep. I just want to get over this stuff a-and—
Sally patted Drimi's back, chuckled softly, and whispered as Asahi, Kali, and Aletha lay two meters away from the rail.
"Drimi, it's okay. We'll get some sleep soon. Just let the wanderers relax and roam around the city. No need to be worried about them. They deserved it after all the stuff that they had endured in Pladtioa. Come on, can't you cut them some slack? They're not even part of your crew."
Drimi took a deep breath and released her stress and anxiety aside.
"Alright, alright… fine. I'll let Asahi and Aletha roam on their own. Sigh…"
Just as Asahi and Aletha were about to reach up for joy, Drimi hastily interrupted, narrowed her dark purple eyes to the wanderers, and lifted her voice with a stern and strict tone.
"But make sure that you two come here at EXACTLY 9:00 P.M, understand? Do you two know how to keep track of time?"
Kali pointed to the large clocktower lying near the epicenter of the city.
"Yup!"
It was made of a mixture of gold, dark oak, and strangely, glass as well. Whatever it was, it didn't concern Asahi nor Aletha. They were excited more about what there was to offer in this city, but kept the time frame in their brain.
Strangely, as Asahi and Aletha were about to take off, they felt a wistful feeling course through them. As if they have acted like this before. Perhaps it was because of their childish-act? Or maybe it was their uncontrollable eagerness? No-matter, both of them disregarded that feeling and hastily dragged Kali down the stairs.
Sally led Drimi down the stairs, comforting her and rubbing her back, while Delvin, Phthonus, and the rest of the sailors carried the crates down the staircase.
* * * * * * * *
Asahi tilted to his right and saw bridges, roads, taverns, markets, stores, stretch toward over the steep elevated hill. His eyes widened, he turned back and forth as he heard random voices sprawl about.
"Greetings, welcome to Linuxinia City!"
"How about we get another drink?"
"Sorry, I have work today."
The noise and chatter were so overwhelming to Asahi that it made him incredibly dizzy.
"You have a great evening, okay?!"
Kids clutching their mother's arm from the dressing store.
"Mom, please… let us go home! We're tired!"
Sounds of coins scattering around a hard surface.
"And that will be fifty-six Gincoins! Have a wonderful day!"
Though the people here were a lot more cheerful, Asahi covered his ears and tried to calm down. He saw colorful carriages pass by through the streets, dogs roaming around, gold and silver bells jingled across the streets. Children ran and played over the sidewalks, with couples, and people walking all over the place.
The place sprawled with life, and at the same token, Asahi felt slight smidgens of happiness course through his veins. He couldn't understand why he felt this way, but knew it was outside of his control.
Drastic amounts of Adrenaline pumped up his blood, as the same for Aletha, and Kali. All three of them felt cheerfulness as they sprinted across the streets, from sword markets to potion breweries, they examined everything. Some looked modern while others looked plain ancient.
A merchant that stood behind what looked to be a trading place, waved his arm to the wanderers and alerted them of his position.
"Hey! Come here! I have some great goodies!"
Of course, Asahi and Aletha raced to the area, hurriedly slamming their fists on the wooden table.
The merchant didn't look too old or young, nor had he looked short either. There wasn't a single shred of hostility anywhere on him, from his raggy brown shirt to his nearly shredded jeans.
He looked like he was in his mid thirties, with a curly brown beard and strangely, gray hair? He had pale skin too. The color scheme hadn't matched, and so… Aletha questioned the man while looking as if she drank ten coffees.
Her mouth flew in spontaneous directions, not having a second to breathe. Just the overall way she spoke didn't match how Aletha acted back in Pladtioa.
"Hey hey hey! What do ya' got?! Do you have anything valuable. Anything at all?!"
A loud voice emerged from the crowd.
"Move move move!"
Asahi jumped in, with a fiddle-footed expression, his gray eyes glistening followed with a huge smile. The merchant slowly backed away, being precarious of his valuables. He shuddered in fear as Asahi hyperactively shrieked.
"I'll pay, Sis! Just stand behind me! Okay So What Do We Have Here?! We have goods, and we have…
Aletha placed her hand on her brother's shoulder and shoved him away; as if they were playing leap frog to try and speak to the merchant.
"Move, I was talking!"
Asahi erupted.
"NO, I was THE one who was talking first!"
Aletha pushed Asahi.
"No I was!"
"NO I WAS!"
"GRRR!"
They flail their arms at each other and slapped themselves in the face.
The merchant tried to move away but was interrupted from the loud hyper screaming from Asahi and Aletha.
"HEY, WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING?!"
He cowered in fear and dropped his staff, hoping to god that nothing would happen to him. Asahi and Aletha continued pinching and slapping each other in the face, fighting over a simple thing like speaking to the merchant. Kali caught eye on this and instantly felt a sense of threat emitting from the wanderers.
It's obvious to Kali that the 'Side-Effect' from this nation had gone effect from them. Yet, she simply couldn't handle herself laughing at their goofy acts.
Her laughs led Asahi and Aletha to stop. Kali was so loud, that her giggles bounced from block to block, forcing others to laugh with her. The merchant, himself, couldn't help but slip a slight chuckle.
After the laughing stock, Asahi and Aletha finally calmed down and collapsed onto the floor. The merchant hurriedly dragged both of them into the shock, while the others jumped up in shock. Kali tried to intervene but was stopped by a pink-haired boy, saying…
"Allow my master to handle this."
Kali tried to push the pink-haired boy away but was blocked by a brunette girl wearing a rather strange combination of attire. She had the eyes of silver-blue, and a gold-rope like thing was caressed around her neck. Her overall aura emitted a serious mood. Even her voice sounded shrill, monotonous, yet speed all at the same time.
"Please, allow us to settle this inquiry. Don't be a doze-off and interfere with what he had mishandled. Or… in this case, rather whom. Our excellency doesn't deserve to watch all of this present to us as if we were some measly person dodging our affairs."
"Excellency?!" Kali expressed with a genuine look of confusion.
The short girl nodded her head and clutched the pink-haired boy's wrist. He shrieked and wailed in pain.
"Couldn't you grab a little softer….?!"
The brunette girl shook her head and gave a squint that looked so menacing that it made Kali's heart plummet. Despite her rather short height, her look installed a look of uncertainty from her. That monotonous voice continued while she dragged the pink-haired boy through the wooden door.
"No, you deserve it. Master wouldn't even care anyways. She isn't our problem, it's those white-haired individuals. Those brats no little to nothing about the strange 'Adrenaline' that coursed through the loams of this nation. Sigh, I despite it entirely. Now move, and don't intervene or else I will pull out my pistol and use my last bullet on you."
Kali's cyan eyes widened.
"Woah woah! C-Calm down. Where—
The brunette girl squinted with her red lipstick beaming under the faint ceiling light.
"I said… MOVE! STOP QUESTIONING. Fine, if my pistol isn't enough to terrify you… maybe—
"O-Okay! Bye!" Kali said hurriedly as she sprinted out the door, not questioning anything and giving up on the wanderers.
The brunette girl nodded her head and made a 'confident' smile, while the pink-haired boy questioned her threatening act.
"Brunella, don't you think you're acting a little too harsh? We're not even capturing them."
The girl shook her head and stomped her foot on the ground, her necklace dangling back and forth. Her voice echoed over the solid walls of the stairway leading below.
"Silence, Katib. It's not our problem anymore. Let's just go to the basement and investigate whoever it was that we "captured." Actually, now that I think of it…. the primary sense of Adrenaline or rather Hyperactivity had bloomed and sprouted even more from the wanderers in direct comparison to the others…"
Katib shook his head and scratched his fingers over his bright pink hair.
"Okay, fine. Whatever you say, Brunella. Just don't hurt them, will you?"
Brunella shook her head and made a pitiful look.
"Pfft, as if that has anything to do with us. Pain doesn't get inflicted on us, remember?"
Katib took a deep sigh and walked over to the table, seeing Brunella, the merchant, and the wanderers all surrounding the corner with only one torch lighting up the room. As his footsteps resounded over the staircase toward the rectangular-room, Katib muttered.
"Of… course. I REMEMBER that… undoubtedly."
Geschenke
-- Geschenk
erhalten Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
-- Power-
Rangliste 
-- Power-
Stein