Azimuth: The Elden Throne

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/JUMP!/

/Shua!!/

Suddenly, a small being jumped from the bushes, trying to latch onto Dale!

/... Step aside.../

Keeping his calm, Dale sidestepped, evading the pounce as he crossed his arms to face the mischievous newcomer.

/Thud!/

The creature fell on the ground, patting its arms and hair as it dusted off the dirt.

"Hey! I was sure this would be enough this time!" The creature, a young girl, protested as she looked up at Dale from the ground.

The girl wasn't very tall, and her figure was hidden underneath a few layers of leather armor, but it was evident she was no child.

The combination of her figure, golden hair, and youthful expression reminiscent of her Asian bloodline made her look like a princess who should've been in a castle and not in a dark forest.

For Dale, it was just another pretty girl he had to look after...

"You won't get me with such a sloppy ambush." He replied with a chuckle as he rested his back against a tree

"Humph, I'll make you eat your words!" She exclaimed, her voice filled with determination, as she sprang up from the ground, standing before him with a radiant smile

"..."

Dale merely smiled, however, he sighed internally, knowing full well what she was about to ask.

As unpredictable as she was, her desires were as long as a single line of text on a small note, it wasn't hard to read into her intentions.

Dale almost felt like he could see an exclamation mark above her head.

'She has a bit too much energy for me...' Dale thought, his internal sigh reflecting his mild exasperation

Out of everyone he knew, there was only one girl... Person who would try to pull such a stunt in the middle of a dangerous field full of monsters.

The girl he was tasked with protecting and helping, Roger's granddaughter, his little sun...

"Humm..."

The girl's eyes darted around while Dale remained focused on his Quests.

"Who are you waiting for here in the middle of nowhere?" She asked after she looked around

She saw how Dale had his sword and spear around.

With his clothes and the backpack on the ground, he was evidently planning to go somewhere...

"... A Guide."

"Ohhh!"

"... No."

"What?! I didn't even say anything!"

"I know what you'll say. Sorry, but I can't bring you to where I'm going, not this time."

Dale shook his head, his tone firm.

"Ahhh... Pretty please?" She asked as she clasped her hands together, her eyes blinking cutely as she tried to sway him

"Your Level is too low, and even though you're a Standard Mode Player, I can't let you lose levels for nothing."

"But then it wouldn't be an adventure! How can one explore the unknown without the dangers of it?" She retorted, showing her displeasure

"... You're persistent."

"My grandfather says the same! My father too, but he gave up trying to resist a few years ago." She shared with a chuckle, her persistence shining through

"Then... Am I going?" She asked, insisting on her goals

Her voice was full of expectation, and her body language was evident.

After ten days, whatever Dale had prepared for her had already turned stale.

No matter how many Quests he sent her to do, how many Dungeons he gave her, and how many rewards awaited her, she quickly grew bored as she dreamt of a challenge.

She now wanted something exciting, a new adventure into the unknown!

And lo and behold, not long ago, she saw her idol walking to the fields on his own...

With a sneaky pursuit, she soon found him waiting by the trees, so she laid her ambush...

'Hm... She's hard to handle sometimes... I knew it would be like this but things seem... Worse than in the past.'

'She's a girl who needs constant movement, always doing something entertaining to maintain herself... It's how she deals with stress.'

'She lacks patience and drive for anything that does not derive her fun. If something attracts her, she'll go after it to the ends of the earth.'

'Of course, she's not unreasonable nor unable to hold onto things; she'll still do things she doesn't like, studying if necessary; from what I heard from Roger, she takes her studies extremely seriously, but in consequence, whenever she's not studying, she just wants to play.'

'Roger lets her be because he feels it's her reward, but unfortunately, Azimuth isn't just a game she can just enjoy and be herself.'

'I heard from him that it took him quite some convincing and pulling of strings to get her interested in this game, and now she has deviated from his plans... I'm unsure how to mediate these changes, but she's now my responsibility.'

'She's a future ally... A talented person. I just need to set her on her path, and everything will settle itself.'

"... Fine, you can come." Dale said after some thinking, scratching his chin as he looked at the forest behind him

"YAY!"

She began happily kicking the air with her feet, like a child, but it was clear she was just goofing around.

Dale noticed this before; whenever she's in public, she'll usually act tame and 'sober', but when in private, she lets go, sometimes on purpose to annoy someone else. In this case, him...

Everyone aside from the agents that is, whom she refrained from annoying.

He and her brother were the only guys she could annoy in this place. Although he already noticed this "annoyance" was different for each of them...

The Agents were out of her boundaries because she saw them as workers, so annoying someone who was working was a little too much for her, but her brother and Dale were "gaming," so it was okay to be on their way.

At least on that front, she saw Dale as a "Pro" Gamer... And he knew she was his fan. Although she never showed it before.

And neither had he asked.

"I have some conditions, if you follow them, I won't stop you from following."

"Just say it and I'll comply!... Really I will..." She said in a low tone as a helpless smile formed on her face

"I'm not doubting you." He replied with a smile as he took something from his inventory, handing it down to her

"First, take these potions, they'll save your life in emergencies."

"There are many poisonous and venomous critters in the forest, so be careful where you step and touch."

"Aye, aye!"

"... Second, don't rush ahead; stay close to me, and I'll protect you."

"Awn... Like a knight in shining armor?" She teased as she smiled at him

"Yes, exactly like that... But cooler. I'm better than a knight."

"Pfft! Stop stroking your ego."

"... The monsters in the forest are pretty strong, unsuitable for standard players underneath Level 40 to face."

"Even then, if you wish to hunt properly, you'll need a party of Level 50 to 60 players, but if you wish to venture to its depths and see what the forest has to offer, then you'll need a raid party full of Level 60+ individuals."

"Is it that severe?" She asked as she scratched her chin, it seemed the details of it weren't something she was interested in, although she still listened as she wasn't someone to throw herself into a fire

"It's worse than you can imagine. The forest is beautiful and full of incredible sights, but as tall as the trees are here, so are the monsters' levels."

"Hardcore players can make do in those same Levels Solo, but everything is subjective to items, Skills, and whatnot."

"Just stay close, and everything will be fine."

"Kay~"

She replied with an excited leap, running to the side where Caldbolg rested, touching and inspecting the sword with interest.

It was almost as if she hadn't listened to him at all... Maybe that was the case.

But Dale knew looks could often deceive...

/Rest.../

He rested his head on the tree, waiting for his guide to arrive, and soon enough...

/Hustle.../

The tree leaves husted in the wind, and while Roger's granddaughter felt nothing was out of place, Dale turned to face the forest.

/Step.../

"Hm?"

The sound of a single footstep echoed in their ears, thiswas the sign Dale had been waiting for.

Standing behind the girl was a four-meter-tall monster in the woods with a giant cane in his hand, wide and thick enough to be used as a club. However, to the creature, it was nothing but a walking stick.

The muscular entity wore fur around it, covering much of its greenish skin.

A wooden mask hid its face; it could only be one thing...

A Karkavan.

/Turn.../

At that time, the girl turned around, and her stomach went cold as she saw the cold, glittering eyes watching her from amidst the treetops.

"...KYAAAA!"

She exclaimed, jumping to the side where Dale was.

She stood behind him as she watched the creature from afar.

"... Apologies... Bolbom thought not... Tofearlittle one." The Karkavan said as he took a step into the light

"We know Bolbom. Welcome to Resko. I am the one you shall guide, Dale." He said with a nod as he raised his fist to the Karkavan

A handshake was a bit too much given their difference in size, but a fist bump was enough of a gesture for the gentle giant.

"Bolbom... Glad... Met Great Warrior... Da-re!"

"..."

'Dare?... Is it because of the pronunciation?'

"Shall we?"

The Karkavan gestured towards the forest, but before they could move, something needed to be resolved first...

"Wh... What's going on here?"

"Oh... This is your first time seeing one, isn't it?" Dale asked as he turned around

"This is a Karkavan, a tribesman of the Horizon Woods forest. They can be seen as the original inhabitants of this land, the indigenous species of this land."

"They're a tall race of rather short-lived Humanoids; they're as intelligent as us but due to isolation, haven't learned our language."

"They used to trade with the inhabitants of this city in the past, but only recently did we build a connection again. I've also been trying to learn their language to facilitate this process, but it's complicated."

"This gentleman before us introduced himself as Bolbom. His wording may be a little rough, but do cut him some slack."

"Bolbom... Greets." The Karkavan said as he made a strange gesture, it wasn't anything explicit, merely a movement with his fingers and head as if he was about to do some magic trick but stopped midway through it

"Woah... Wait, I thought there were no other species in this game aside from Humans?"

"Well... That was only an assumption from the players, wasn't it?" Dale said with a smile as he held her by her shoulders

"Now, enoughhidding, introduce yourself. The Karkavan value manners and honor."

"Ehhhhhh..."

'Hm... He's intimidating but... This is quite cool...'

""...""

They stood there, watching each other awkwardly...

A small girl around 1.60 M and a green Orc around 4 M tall... It was a little overwhelming for the lady.

Like a chihuahua staring at its owner...

"Erm... I'm... H-Hina!"

"Hum..."

Bolbom exhaled loudly, causing the leaves around them to shake...

"Bolbom... Greets." He said amicably as he gestured to Hina

"Ah? Ah!"

Hina gestured back, and Bolbom hummed happily; it seemed everything went well...

It was time to start another adventure!

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Notes