Chapter 8 — Heart Connection
Heart Connection
Yunalesca never felt such direct and quick change of events like this before, even more, never when she was the focus of said events. She looked at him, directly, her eyes shining, sparkling, reminiscing, hurting.
She then blushed and tried to push him away, but such a soft touch on his chest could only make him want her more. He tightened the hug around here and breathed softly closer to her ear this time. She couldn't help but tremble slightly, ever so timidly but excited (?).
As her heart, breathing and emotions were growing ever restless; she had an epiphany to get out of her dilemma.
"I... I may know a way to help you out. About getting some possible weapons and skills, wanna go?" Yunalesca said as she was looking down slightly but the only thing she could in her field of visions was but the chest of a man, a man he was currently intimately in an embrace with. Her eyes narrowed, as she made her eyes into a slit mimicking a profound sleeper's she leaned her head towards the center of this man's chest.
"We'll have to move for a little bit in-between territories of LV10 mobs and even some hard to move terrains. A-are you willing, then?"
"Uhm." Nodded Tongqiu, slightly.
"..."
After what seemed like not enough time, they separated somewhat awkwardly as Tongqiu put the rest of the material on his bag. They then looked at each other before Yunalesca suddenly talked "Uhm... you don't realize you're wearing a mask, right?"
'Oh, so that was it!'
Of course he didn't, he never bothers to look at this own image. Yunalesca looked down to her feet as if she understood that fact.
He never even bothered about his rag clothes that didn't even give a single attribute, let alone his image. In fact, after such a battle, he may even be going full commando and the dumbfuck wouldn't even notice, that simple.
With her hands making knots between her fingers she giggled a little as she kept on moving. Now curious towards his mask, Tongqiu immediately deduced it was all about the GT he got from the CEO of Crestfallen Company himself. Which made him instantly move his hands right in front of his face as he kept walking, following Yunalesca.
He found out that the felt the same way they did when he put on the gauntlets back at his modest apartment. He thought about it for a second, trying to give a command for the gauntlets to show themselves and right away they did. The same comfortable gauntlets from before, with that unknown material seemingly like a type of steel but one that could even transform to the will of the user... truly magical. He assumed that if he wanted his 'mask' to go off he'll just have to want to.
Of course, considering who Tongqiu was, why in the fuck would he do something he dislikes? The gauntlets gave him the opportunity of hiding his face, something he finds extremely relaxing. Once again, these gauntlets seem perfectly to be a fit for him, him for them. He once more wondered why, but then threw away the thought and rather focused on an not so ample yet great-looking peach in front of him.
Even though it was barely visible at all with such a dress. Barely making it obvious that it's a person wearing it.
Yunalesca, with how clever she's behaved had obviously not being ignorant of this fact, but she kept leading the way. For him.
***
When they arrived to an area close to the shore of a large lake, the found a lot of reptilians wandering around. They were larger than the Alpha Ferocious Bull but much less slimmer and seemingly peaceful than the brute of a bull. If they passed a dozen meter away from one of them, they would stare at two of them silently, if they trespassed from 12 meters to 8 meters, they would grow alert. One could only imagine they'll attack once you reach 7 meter from their location you'd get spiked to death by their claws and tail before being munched little by little until you're bones in their tummies. So they went about carefully.
Shockingly, Tongqiu finally saw a Gold Chest! It had the probability of dropping Powerful or even Magical items! But, he didn't have the necessary skill to open, so he could only at her in wonder.
She didn't say anything and merely walked towards the Gold Chest, Tongqiu following her graceful and tempting -at least for him- figure as they arrived right next to it. She turned around, surprising Tongqiu as he looked at what she was holding in her hands, tons of lock picks.
'Aaaah, I see.'
"But, why would you give me such a chance? Surely you don't need it, but why give it for free? Aish, are you this smitten by me? How pitiful."
Yunalesca: "..."
Tongqiu: "..."
Yunalesca took a large step forwards, arriving with her 2 heads smaller than him body and looking straight into his eyes, as she poked his belly, when he reacted by raising his left hand she immediately put all the lock picks in it and turned around to dash away as she ignorantly kept waiting for him to open the damned Gold Chest for once.
Tongqiu: "..."
As he crouched to start working on the Gold Chest, Yunalesca layed down sideways with her back facing a huge boulder and facing the hard-working and butterfingers Tongqiu trying to even understand how to use the lock picks with her left had supporting her head.
Time passed, and extremely expensive items were wasted one by one until only 3 of them were left as the highly intelligent Tongqiu managed to not destroy- use on the Gold Chest.
*PING*... You've opened 'Gold Chest' and discovered:
[Long Silver Staff]: Type: Two-Handed Staff, Grade: Magical(Violet), Equipment Requirements: LV8 or higher, Attributes: Attack Power+100 STR+18, REC+7, DEX+4.
[Tempered Chestplate]: Type: Upper Garment, Grade: Powerful(Dark Blue), Equipment Requirements: LV 6 or higher, Attributes: Physical Defense+62, REC+13, DET+5.
[Golden Apple]: Type: Consumable, Grade: Magical(Violet), Effect: Consume it to obtain Physical and Magical Defense+15 and HP Regeneration+5 permanently.
Tongqiu: "..."
Yunalesca: (ง'̀-'́)ง
'Well, I can at least immediately use the Golden Apple'
"Do you think I can exchange this stuff for some Dual Swords, honey?" As Tongqiu disheartened and downcast, asked Yunalesca in a way that truly made her speechless towards his straightforward attention seeking whore manners, he ate the Golden Apple.
*PING*... You've eaten 'Golden Apple' successfully, Physical and Magical Defense+15 and HP Regeneration+5.
'Great, now I just need to deliver the quest and I'll be able to have another huge improvement.'
Next, Tongqiu and Yunalesca went towards an area in the middle of a forest with trees glowing an azure aura from within them.
On the way, they found a couple of wooden chest who just needed one to open them directly, they had quite a lot of material in which Tongqiu gave all of them to her. He didn't even cared about her thoughts and like a brute, he passed it onto her and kept waiting for her to give him his 'reward' -to keep walking a little in front of him-.
While Tongqiu was wondering how she is even happy to comply with him, they arrived at a location where a gigantic wolf-troll was habitually sleeping. This time there were two chests with a silver color on them.
Tongqiu retracted his head, taken aback and asked her "How do you know all these places? It's literally the first day of the damn game, are you the CEO's daughter, perhaps? Those are two Silver Chests, you know?"
"Of course not!" Yunalesca stuck out her little tongue and frowned in hate at him "A. Little. Bird. Told me."
'You were asking for it.'
As he intended to 'punish' this severely unruly and schemer evildoer, she as if prepared for retaliation, made a gesture then pointed towards the big ass fellow sleeping right a few tens of meters away from them.
Only the thought of causing the death of both innocent and clueless lives could stop him at this moment, and sure enough Tongqiu stopped playing around while looking directly at her.
'What are you waiting for? Didn't you see how bad I am at lock picking?'
'Oh right, sorry. I was too busy making sure I wouldn't be eaten up by a huge devil like you!'
As they each had their own thoughts, and as they each read each others'; they went together to one of the silver chests as she passed five more lock picks to the little dumbass of Tongqiu before retaking a position to watch him make a full fool of himself, for her.
Surprisingly, as if upgraded himself, Tongqiu proudly stood up to flex like an idiot in front of her as he opened the lid of the Silver Chest. To which Yunalesca only made a gesture with her little fingers as if she was rolling her eyes behind the mask.
*PING*... you've opened 'Silver Chest' and discovered:
Besides a few material that Tongqiu didn't care about.
[Relic for the Moon]: Type: Ring, Grade: ???, Equipment Requirements: Must equip with the correlated item with another entity at the same time, Attributes: ???, Effects: ???.
[Crosier of the Delegated]: Type: One-Handed Crosier, Grade: Powerful(Dark Blue), Equipment Requirements: LV7, Attributes: Magical Power+75 WIS+17, INT+6.
[Halberd of the Fallen]: Type: One-Handed/Two-Handed Halberd, Grade: Valuable(Light Blue), Equipment Requirements: LV3, Attributes: Attack Power+48, STR+14, DEX +8.
'Niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiice, now I can at least use a weapon once I level up, sigh.'
While checking on little Yunalesca playing with her chestnut-golden colored, curly hair. Ever so beautifully in his eyes. His perfect picture.
Obviously Yunalesca realized his dirty eyes on her, but, he couldn't tell so because he was too far away to notice her eyes and, as far as she is concerned, because of his stupidity as well.
Tongqiu moved to the second Silver Chest, and after only breaking one of them he successfully unlocked it.
*PING*... you've opened 'Silver Chest' and discovered:
[Relic of the Light]: Type: Ring, Grade: ???, Equipment Requirements: Must equip with the correlated item with another entity at the same time, Attributes: ???, Effects: ???.
[Unparalleled Angle]: Type: Skill Book, Use Requirements: LV5, Effects: Once you use this item, you'll instantly learn it.
[Precious Gift](x50): Type: Special Item, Effect: Use it on a friend to raise your friendship bar experience from +5 to +10. Nothing like presents to make someone's day shine.
[Mysterious Luxurious Box] Type: Special Item, Use Requirements: You can't use it now; Effects: ???.
After reading through the contents of such unique-like items, at least for the FIRST day of the game, Tongqiu was more than befuddled. This girl really knows her shit, no wonder, no wonder.
As he looked towards her, he thought about the peculiarity of the Relics obtained and suggested her politely "Should we use them together? You know, like how it is supposed to be used."
Yunalesca had her hands behind her back as she strode little step by little step, towards him. Then she extended her hand at him and opened her palm, she didn't need to say anything as Tongqiu softly took it and without naughtily playing around he was about to put it on her when she suddenly called out "Ah, wait! I-I-I... I have to put it in your finger at the same time... you know- like that."
As she said so, she took the other finger from one of his hands as she also started aiming towards her finger. Her manners, as she was so seriously trying to complete her task, while Tongqiu calmly enjoyed the sight. They both softly put a ring on each others one finger together.
Pshiiin~
Nothing really happened except two shining rays of light coming one each from the relics on their hands for a few seconds before it disappeared, nonetheless it appeared as if both of them were on a single dimension, where they could feel each other's own being.
As silence pervaded the area, unknowingly, Tongqiu was holding both her hands now, and she as if a lady, was accepting such gesture. When they realized their situation, they awkwardly but cutely- separated from each other.
At this moment, a notification appeared before Tongqiu.
*PING* 'Yunalesca' has asked you to become friends, would you like to accept?
"...Yes." He said, somewhat foolishly smiling.
"Should we go back?" Tongqiu asked the somewhat joyful Yunalesca. As she felt light-headed and completely content, she nodded contently at him "Uhm! Let's walk together then. Ah right, how should I call you, just Tongqiu?"
Tongqiu smiled, pity she couldn't see it, or could she? And said "Ah, call me Big Brother Tongqiu, that's a thousand times better!"
"No way, no way! We are barely the same age, if anything, you should only be months older than me! No fair!" Yunalesca shook her head in feigned, but cute, anger. This time her eyes were close enough to his so the craft Tongqiu caught side of her clear, smiling eyes.
"Mn, then let's go." He said as he no longer let her take the lead but slightly held her little hand with soft care.
"Yes..." she answered softly, then murmured at her best possible so as to not allow him to hear "Big Brother, heehee."
Hearing all of that as well as that foolish final giggle, Tongqiu could only feel his heart; that's right he could finally feel his heart beating no longer without a cause. And in full warmth, that he could fall asleep within her arms.
***
Their trekking lasted for about 15 minutes before they saw a hunting area of about dozens upon dozen of wolves LV4 to LV6, where they stopped to level a bit, until Tongqiu reached LV3 then went back to their path onwards Novice Village.
At some point Yunalesca speaks up "Big brother Tongqiu, I'll have to leave you for now, as you are a little intelligent then you must recognize that I got into some stuff early on and need to resolve them before reaching LV10, then we can finally play together again, how does that sound?"
"You call me Big brother, but then treat me like a kid, what are you aiming for?!" Tongqiu could only rebuke this schemer to the point where she would no longer be so conflictive towards his poor little dignity. Either way he held her hands hurriedly and placed them around his neck, closing in on her an embracing her waist.
"Later on, don't go cry on me because you missed me way too much, okay? Or else, I don't know how to treat with little girls that are way too dumb, I only like really, really, really smart good girls, okay?"
Yunalesca: "..."
Tongqiu: "。◕‿◕。"
She headbutted him, causing metallic noises all around their heads but not the two of them moved away from each other, contemplating each others' eyes as if even the most magnificent scenery in this magical wonderful world was but wasting time compared to this.
Tongqiu let go of her as he lightly tapped the lower half of his mask against the upper half of her mask. And gently blowed at her ear with his whispering words "If you're so worried about catching up to me then no matter what don't overdo yourself, we don't need to play a lot before we meet each other again; I know, you know. Understood?"
Yunalesca appeared somewhat downcast as she had to leave him for a while. But she firmly nodded her head obediently at the end of his words.
Then they departed as she left towards an icy area which was filled with mobs around LV9 and LV10. While he was about to go on his way to the Novice Village, he stopped for a second and once again looked back at her departing figure. He saw not only her, but someone else instead, or rather as well as someone else...
...