Ordinary

Flashback 3: So When it Crumbles

"A custom skill!?" Runa exclaimed in the middle of Camp Hope, surrounded from all sides by fellow survivors spraying her with confetti. "I mean, Princess, I'm flattered, but for me...?"

"Runa, it is tradition! Each who makes it past two months gets one." Yukihime put down the colorful cake she'd baked at the small dining table, barely big enough for four people. "Everyone around here contributed in collecting the resources required to craft you an elite custom skill: Mara, Amil, Lyrus, my guild, even the Clear King's party helped out. Congratulations on your second month here. Many who are forced into this game after the first couple waves struggle to survive for weeks. Few make it beyond the first month... But you," – The golden-eyed beauty ran up to hug her crimson-iris friend – "You're a beacon of hope for many of us in these trying times."

"Heheh," Unable to maintain composure, the giddy girl giggled, "Stop, Hime, you're making me blush!"

So Princess continued, "I know you've been anxious because I had told you we'd start looking for a proper group for you. After all, you were now comfortable around here. But, see, while the skill will be like a gift from all of us, I wanted to do something completely of my own."

Pulling away from the hug, Princess cleared her throat and extended her right hand. "Runa, would you please officially join my guild?"

A sudden gasp filled the area of celebration. Silence fell.

The blue-haired girl's mouth remained agape. "W-what?"

In eyes of any one of the hundred people around Runa, this was a true honor. Princess' consistent group was arguably the strongest and toughest out of all of them, even compared to the Clear King's Nebulers. The Golden Ones was the name of the guild. Specifically, they were the Golden Seven, together since the very beginning of the disaster. Their final member changed constantly. Those that always guided the new arrivals until it was time for them to settle down needed an empty slot to do so. The others never changed, forever shining paragons of dedication. Cadens, the wall of two shields. Heli and Selis, the twinspears. Trueshot Ashe. Baku, the potion maker. Enenra, the kill stealer. Lastly, of course, the raven rogue Princess...

"Hime, are you sure about this?" Runa couldn't help but recoil at the thought of being the Golden Eighth. "This is a bit much, and I–"

A gloved hand had planted itself roughly on her shoulder. Yukihime spoke with comforting confidence and conviction. "The flow of incoming new arrivals has stopped ever since your wave. Two months of no victims. The authorities and the people are on alert. I doubt there'll be any more newcomers. That means the Golden Ones need to start focusing harder on clearing the hardest dungeons they throw at us to gather better gear for everyone. We can't leave it all up to Indra. The King has the most skilled vanguard and support players. We have the best synergy. Runa, you have shown incredible adaptability in the last months. You're almost as good as me. That's saying something. I use custom skills, have nearly unmatched top-of-the-shelf gear that gets upgraded every other day, and years of RPG experience. You use a saber from two weeks ago."

For a moment Princess broke up the serious talk with a gentle chuckle. "Come on now, who mains saber-styled weapons in this game? Their armor-piercing value is terrible. Even with that crappy handicap you're incredible. I'm glad you're here, alive, still with us."

Somehow, it was the last comment that made Runa well up. Two months... Two months of this horrible world. Traps of nature and man, beetlekind, lizardmen, dragons, machines. And even worse was having to kill bandit AIs as they begged for mercy. Each wound received half as painful as in real life, but that's still... still... 

Now came the Eighth's turn to embrace the First. She desperately held on to the back of the leader – no, savior – who had taken the time to teach her everything. The Princess that gave her a reason to fight, to live.

Runa wept into the shoulder of Yukihime's black-and-blue attire. "It was so hard, it was so hard... Everything was so scary." The embrace tightened, the girl's voice cracked as she sniffed. "I don't know what I'm doing, I don't know... I don't know..."

"Shh..." Princess lovingly caressed her back. "We'll make it through this, okay?"

"Mm." The broken one nodded.

"Together." Yukihime smiled.

Runa just repeated the same thing, as if echoing the words of an elder sister. "Together."

Then, another person walked up. Amil. The boy had arrived just a day after Runa. He had become a fine man. 

Grooming a long ponytail of lustrous hair with his fingers, he leaned in to ask "So, um... you gonna show us how to create a custom skill or not?"

"Hah!" Yukihime playfully swung around the girl attached to her neck, gesturing to the spot behind her with an intensely intimidating stare of her devilish eyes. "Get in line, buddy."