016.4 | The Treasure Trove
2128 Words
Since only family members can only enter the archives, the others decided to gather some chairs and tables near the entrance. Leon, Shin, and Aries engaged in some mind games in their terminals while the twins watched them. The guild leaders have no desire to look around due to the slumbering dragon and just hang around them. Jase and Lexa have nothing to do, so they are checking their respective social media accounts.
While they dawdled around, the armed officers are also doing their stuff. Marshal Philippe did not slack off and defended the entrance of the archive. He didn't stand close, however, since it would be unappropriate. The two armed officers following them checked the entirety of the area to seek for safe places to hide or escape in the case of emergencies.
One of the armed officers is merely passing near the windows when he detected a sudden increase of temperature. He surmised that it because the area is near the windows where the sunlight is directly sprawled. A thought made the officer follow the ray of the sun and traced it to the sleek floors.
A sudden daze blurred his sights causing the officer to blink his eyes to clear the view. When his perception stabilized, he is greeted with a shiny golden coin. The officer tilted his head, looking at the foreign object. His thoughts are, "Was it there before?"
The curiosity enticed him and picked the golden coin. It feels smooth in his gloved hand, as if a real gold. He flung the coin in its two sides and is unable to recognize the currency of the object. It looks like a token but a very expensive one. He wondered if one of the kids dropped it.
He would have turned around to ask the children when a clinking metal made a sound that is followed by something rolling. The armed officer looked down once again and found another gold coin. However, instead of only seeing one, he saw another and another, as if just a puzzle piece separated from the whole picture. He trailed the source of the rolling coin and found a pile of them glittering in his eyes.
It would be considered as something wonderful. Who would not want to see a pile of gold coins?
But the presence of a monstrous amphibious creature distorted the fantasy. It should be slumbering, like what the players had expected, but instead it is wide awake. Its large green jade slit eyes watched the armed officer with a focus while breathing out warm air. He did not dare to work whilst maintaining eye contact as if afraid that he will be gone if he blinks.
The stiff muscled due to the sudden pause caused his hand to loosen his hold unto the coin. The golden object dropped instantly, creating a crisp sound ringing unto the silent corridors. It immediately seized the attention of the other people that were surprised by the sudden noise.
The first to look at him is the trio that is playing the game. Coincidentally, they are facing the direction of the slumbering. It must be due to their subconscious making them think that seeing the dragon will calm their nerves. It seems that such suggestion is true, but the problem is the dragon wasn't sleeping at all.
It had both of its eyes open and had totally awaken.
It must be due to the experience they obtained in the game that the three quickly reacted. Shin pulled the twins in his side while motioning the other guild leaders to be alert. Leon flipped the table in front of them sideways and utilized it to give them a hiding spot. Aries undertook a swift step forward to pull the officer away from the dragon.
The dragon snuffed the air and realized one of its treasures was touched by a stranger. The jaded eyes suddenly become reddish while it snorted out hot air. Anyone to be touched by that temperature will surely melt in one go. Aries luckily managed to get the officer from danger in the last second then forcedly pulled him to their side.
The hot surge cannot be prevented. They could merely hide behind objects while feeling the scalding wind lick their skin and clothes. The dragon sniffed the air and realized one of its treasures was touched by a stranger. Marshal Philippe saw them hiding behind the furniture and wanted to ask what is wrong when a full-throated roar almost deafened him.
Someone hauled him to hide behind a post. With ears half bleeding, Marshal looked at the person who grasped him to safety. He is surprised to see Adrian. The youth's hair is tangled with a part of his clothes charred in brown. Following him would be Frass and Xavier with the same state.
A visible confused face was painted out in the marshal's face. By just looking, anyone can tell he is asking about the states of their clothes, their hair, the loud sound, etc. It can be answered easily but none of them have the time to reply on his queries. Adrian merely surveyed the marshal's state and nodded.
"It seems that you are fine, sir," Adrian said.
"What is happening?" The marshal asked the general question.
"The dragon woke up," Adrian replied as a matter of fact.
"Wha-, huh? What woke up?"
"A dragon, sir."
"A dragon?"
"Yes, sir."
"..."
More questions roused in the marshal's mind. His general question is resolved generally. He wasn't able to assess the situation clearly since he was pulled out from the scenery before he knows. Though he is sure he did see the dragon Adrian is telling him.
Is that thing real?
Adrian sneaked forward and peaked from the corner of the post they are hiding. Though he is sure he did see the dragon Adrian is telling him. He found his team members properly tucked in behind chairs and overturned tables. Seeing that they are fine, Adrian shifted his attention to the farther distance where the dragon is noisily roaring.
It seems like they came out too late.
"Why is it awake?" Xavier asked.
He is sure that even though they were not deliberately causing a ruckus, they are loud enough for the creature's keen senses to notice. Why make trouble now?
"Someone must have touched its treasure," Adrian assumed. "Or, perhaps, we have crossed the time limit."
"Didn't Leon say that it would wake up in three days?" Frass asked.
"Have you forgotten?" Adrian gestured his hand as if signaling someone in a distance. "The day in the game is equal to one hour in the real life. Since we are in the game, three days is equivalent to three hours."
Frass performed a mental calculation. He frowned. "That is true. But shouldn't we need to enter a cycle?"
"As long as three hours had gone pass in the real world, it will convert to three days in this world. It is not necessary for this world to enter a cycle since not all parts in the game undergo a cycle."
The game's time is relative. If they are not conscious of the time, they will not notice the sudden change of day and night. This could also be the reason why time seems to be running fast. Adrian did not have the same frame since he had been sleeping for many days which are only a few hours in the real world.
Xavier thought of the Adrian words, and muttered, "It has been fifteen days we arrived here... that is fifteen hours... Ah!"
Hence, that's how it happened. The additional black boxes delivered to the archive have been recorded to be deposited yesterday. In the real world, that is just an hour ago. It must be the developers sending out information to recover them and hoarding it to the archive for future uses. Or, as what Adrian said, is their way to create a connection with them.
The dragon wasn't satisfied with people waking it up and stealing its stuff. It started moving its long tail around toppling a couple of gold coins and the walls. The standing people ducked to avoid the fatal attack. Even Adrian and the people beside him have to crouch down.
The building shook from the tremendous movement. The other officers assigned around the area felt the shake and seem to notice the source is coming from the building. They subconsciously looked up and discovered a very astounding thing. The building that should be standing erect has been replaced by an exceptionally large banyan tree!
They could not contain their shock.
Upon recognizing the tree, they also started noticing a lot of things. Palm sized leaves are scattered around the area accompanied by the large roots thriving on the ground. The texture of the buildings also becomes different - changing from the metal touch of the interstellar to the crumbling greeneries of the ancient.
It made them feel they had transported to another world!
However, before they could wonder the reality of things, another loud sound came from the building. This time, it is from a huge object knocking something. Large debris made up of large rocks and wood rained down indiscriminately trying to hit people.
Good news, the people promptly responded and ran away from danger. The armed officers are thankful that there is only the military present in the scenario or else there had been a lot of civilians killed by that explosion.
The bad news, however, the debris covered the front entrance of the building.
The officers directly reported a code alert due to the appearance of the vast tree. The status of the area should also be refreshed since a larger fluctuation is detected from the tree. They are now worried about the people who entered the building. The tree especially covered the whole building - eating it like a piece of paper!
Fortunately, the signal is there. They were able to contact the marshal.
"Sir, what is happening there?" the officer's subordinate asked.
"This... I also don't understand," the marshal answered in exasperation. He is also confused.
"The entrance of the building has been closed off, sir. I recommend immediate evacuation of everyone from the building. We will be taking out the debris, so you could go out."
"That..." Marshal Philippe looked at the situation. "... Seems to be impossible."
The dragon destroyed a great deal of objects when it lashed its tail around. It included a few of the floor's post foundations. It would be fine since the tree surrounding the building could support it to not fall but it closed off the stairs going down nearby. The other stairs can only be accessed if they could go through past the seething dragon.
"Sir? What do you mean?"
Marshal Philippe did not know how to explain it. Will they understand if he says they are trapped by a dragon? Will they believe him?
"Take the debris away first," the marshal responded. "I will contact you once we are almost away."
There is no explaining. Better to handle the situation first. Marshal Philippe put down his communicator and followed Adrian. The dragon just finished a raging wipe out, so it returned to wailing and howling. Adrian used this situation to traverse from the post they are hiding towards the nearby overturned table where a couple of people is taking refuge.
There is no enough space to contain people so when Adrian and the three joined in, it had become more cramped. The dragon just finished a raging wipe out, so it returned to wailing and howling.
However, Adrian said, "Who fortified the table?"
Leon pointed Shin beside him. The person is gripping the table with his palms. When the marshal took a look, he was taken aback by the strange luster of iron coming from Shin's hands. The others seem to be unsurprised at all as if it is a normal thing. Adrian crawled closer to Shin.
"Did you feel strange when you activated it?" He asked.
Shin swayed his head.
"How did you activate it?"
"I don't know," Shin shrugged his shoulders. "It suddenly just came about."
Shin could not explain it clearly. There is the sudden desire to use the ability - a reflex coming into action. He touched the table like what he typically does in the game and fortified it without rhyme or reason. Then, it happened. The ability in the game came out.
"They are doing it well," Adrian said with a small.
"What do you mean is doing well?" The other players asked him.
Adrian looked at them profoundly. With eyes that showed his excitement, Adrian revealed the answer without delay.
"This world is becoming a game."
- Writer
