Syanic Earth: Worldwide Cataclysm

Chapter 5: Hour of Embroilment

Shien, Phoenicia, and Elysia arrived at Enshiron’s Kyyrhim Bistro, standing in front of the glass doors of the rectangular building that glowed with different colors.

“And!” Shien jumped through the doors, ringing the restaurant bell. “We’re here!”

“Ready to be acquainted with the rest of our group, Elysia?” Phoenicia turned to Elysia.

“Yeah,” Elysia’s Vulpi ears twitched.

“Your hesitation likely shows that you never met incomprehensible blockheads as both of us, correct?”

“I mean, I never had friends for a long time.”

“I see. Do you wish to communicate your thoughts?”

“It’s a long story,” Elysia kept her rough past with her friends of the Waxing Sickle to herself. “It’s nice of you two to invite me.”

“Of course! It’s our pleasure!”

“And, my well fashionable old friend!” A purple-haired Vulpi boy with green eyes spun his body around, serving a player his meal. “Your exquisite flank steak meal! Enjoy and savor the stunning power of flavor!”

“Yo, thanks!” The man with a cowboy hat replied. “Man, this looks awesome! You’re the best, Enshiron!”

“You are very welcome!” Enshiron jumped across the long counter towards the front. “And, who are our next extraordinary guests?”

He looked to find Shien, Phoenicia, and Elysia together.

“Well, well!” Enshiron walked towards Shien. “Isn’t my petite-sized friend! Quaint as always, little Shien!”

As a vein popped out of Shien’s forehead, the girls chuckled at Enshiron’s blunt truth of Shien’s height. 

“Aw, don’t give me that, my old pal!” The Vulpi boy elbowed Shien before giving him a hug followed by Dorian’s greeting.

“Dude, you know I get annoyed when you call me little,” Shien crossed his arms.

“Of course! That’s why I continue to ridicule you!”

Enshiron turned to Phoenicia.

“Ah, Phoenicia!” He greeted her, giving her a bear hug. “What a pleasure to see our favorite mechanized young lady! You’re always easy on the eyes!”

“Aw, Enshiron,” Phoenicia blushed. “You are too kind. Such endearing words.”

“Aren’t I always? And,” Enshiron walked to Elysia. “My dear Vulpi companion. What’s your wonderful name, fair maiden?”

“Oh,” Elysia felt her cheeks redden, surprised that Enshiron was a Vulpi. “My name is Elysia.”

“Elysia! Such a wondrous name! You may call me, Kiiros. Enshiron Kiiros.” 

The two Vulpi shook hands.

“Ah, the double o seven name intro?” Shien noticed. “Classic.”

“Thanks,” Elysia wagged her Vulpi tail.

“Looks to me that Shien and Phoenicia here have dragged you into our notorious g**g!”

“I guess so,” Elysia nodded, still surprised by the welcoming atmosphere the friends have displayed.

“Pleased to meet you, Elysia! Ahem! Have a seat, fine gentleman and dazzling damsels!”

“Dude! I’m hungry! Feed me!” Shien darted towards the long counter.

Enshiron is a Vulpi, Elysia thought. Shien’s group welcomes my race?

As the two girls sat beside Shien, Enshiron slid three menus to them. 

“Where did Naivern and Ritom go?” Shien looked for his other friends.

“Ah, you know. Ritom is as daring as he will ever be,” Enshiron described as he poured wine for a female player. “He ran off to gamble with the big boys.”

“Again? I thought I told him not to gamble too much. Magnus would slug him.”

“No worries. Our musical loudmouth, Naivern, is there to make certain that he does nothing, well, stupid. The usual beef stew special with grape juice?”

“Mm-hmm. Thanks, buddy.”

“And, my ladies?” Enshiron spoke to the girls. “What may I take the pleasure in serving you all on this fine day? Feeling like eating something scrumptious today, Phoenicia?”

“Hmm, I wish to experiment with the taste of masala chai Nashura told us about.”

“Oh! That’s an excellent choice!” Enshiron smiled. “You, Ms. Elysia?”

“Hmm,” Elysia browsed through the large menu. 

“I know, lots of magnificent choices! Wanna to try the masala chai as well? Nashura style?”

“Ooo, Elysia!” Shien spoke. “You should have it! It’s good!”

“Uh, sure,” Elysia accepted. “I can try it. But who’s Nashura?”

“Another friend of ours! She and Enshiron are cooking buddies. Nash is the master of tea and spices!”

“Indeed!” Enshiron said. “Want anything else with the tea? Dessert, perhaps?”

“Mmm, no thanks,” Elysia replied. “I ate stuff before logging in.”

“Alrighty then!” Enshiron spoke as he took the menus, flipping a frying pan in his hand. “Little Shien and his beef stew special with grape juice, and masala chai tea, Nash style for the beautiful ladies!”

“Little? Hey!” Shien shouted.

“Awesome!” Phoenicia said.

The three watched Enshiron and his sous chefs at work, throwing and catching cooking tools across the vast kitchen as their ovens and stoves roared with heat.

“Enshiron is the master of food!” Phoenicia elbowed Elysia.

The Vulpi girl smiled as she sat with her friends. 

Such a lively bunch, she thought. When I had friends at the Waxing Sickle, they demanded my loyalty. But these guys are just so welcoming, without cost, that they even welcome Vulpi. 

“Hey!” Shien poked the spaced-out Elysia. “What’s up?”

“Oh, Shien. I was, uh, just thinking.”

“About what?”

“Well-”

Elysia then looked at Shien. She could view his profile now that she befriended him. The Vulpi girl gasped.

Shien Niang

Level 97

HP: [73,990/73,990]

Trait 1: Contour Haze

Trait 2: Plasmodium Phalanxes

“Um, Elysia?” Shien stared at her blank face. “Are you okay?”

“Level, level, 97?” Elysia shuddered. “And, you’re, you’re, a Niang?”

“Yeah, what about it?”

“What do you mean, what about it? That’s why, why you’re so good at, uh, martial arts.”

“Uh, yes? My mom taught me. Why?”

“If only I could see your profile, I wouldn’t even have bothered to fight you!”

“Well, where’s the fun in that? Otherwise, people would avoid me all the time.”

“Hmm, that’s kinda true.”

“Also, we probably wouldn’t be friends that way, right?”

“Yeah, I might have run as fast as I could.”

“Ouch, that hurt, but hey, we’re buddies now, right?” Shien grinned with his eyes closed as he shouldered Elysia. 

Elysia nodded with a smile.

“Do not fear, Elysia,” Phoenicia chimed in, placing her arm around the Vulpi girl. “When Shien is friends with you, he’s mostly harmless! Unless you make fun of his adorable height!”

“I heard you, tin can!” Shien blared out.

“Tin can? Such a derogatory statement!” 

“Ladies, your Nash style masala chai!” Enshiron spun through the counter, bringing out the drinks. “Shien, your grape juice!”

“Nice! Thanks, bud! Hm? Hey, is it me? Or do I feel deep breathing on the back of my head?” Shien asked.

The g**g looked behind them to see a red-haired girl with orange eyes and a ponytail along with a red shirt and skirt. There stood Naivern, towering over Shien’s head with her hands on her hips. She was enjoying the moment.

“Yo, what up, short stack?” Naivern asked with a smirk.

Phoenicia held her laugh as Shien’s eyes twitched.

“Want me to throw this grape juice at you, Naivern?”

“If you want a food fight, sure, haha. I’ll make you feel the fiery forte!”

Shien then stood up. The two friends gave each other a hug. After all, Naivern was Shien’s very first friend.

“It’s good to see you again, short buddy!” Shien greeted.

“Likewise, shorter buddy!” Naivern replied.

Shien lightly punched Naivern on the shoulder as the two chuckled.

“Sup, people?” Naivern greeted the others. 

“Greetings, Naivern!” Phoenicia said as she and Naivern hugged each other.

“Ah, our musical maiden dressed in red!” Enshiron spoke. “What’s new? Want anything?”

“Nah. Thanks, Enshiron. Good to see you!”

Naivern then noticed Elysia.

“Ooo, Shien, you picked up another girl?” Naivern joked. “She’s cute!”

“Ugh, it’s not my fault that most of my friends end up being girls, Naivern!” Shien replied. “This is Elysia. Elysia, this is Naivern.”

“Elysia, hm? Cool name! Name’s Naivern! A pleasure to meet you!”

“Oh, nice to meet you too,” Elysia said with unease, puzzled to see that a human she just met was welcoming her.

The Waxing Sickle was most definitely not as welcoming as the goons Elysia was meeting.

This human is also just welcoming me like that, Elysia pondered. How is this human so comfortable with me? 

“How did you meet us screwballs, Elysia?”

“Eh?” Elysia scratched her head, still puzzled by Naivern’s open attitude towards her. “Well, I dueled Shien.”

“Really? Wish I could see that. How did that turn out?”

“I got my butt kicked by that shortie.”

As a vein popped out of Shien’s head once again, Enshiron laughed as he was preparing Shien’s beef stew.

“Nice one, Elysia! You learn fast!”

“Don’t encourage her!” Shien snapped.

“Oh, Shien,” Naivern spoke. “What did I tell you about being nice to girls?”

“It was a duel, Naivern.”

“How many times do we need to ramble on about this, little Shien? Why do I have to take Calice’s job in reminding you of sincerity towards ladies? We girls need to be loved! Elysia, Shien didn’t beat you up too hard, did he?”

Naivern placed her arm around Elysia.

“Kinda?” Elysia awkwardly said, unexpecting such a gesture. “But, I am fine.”

She’s touching me like a friend? Elysia continued to think about her past. When humans see me, they get scared. Naivern doesn’t know me well either, yet she still seems to consider me as a friend. I never experienced diverse friends like this group who welcome different people like Vulpi and NPCs. Will they ever demand me to prove myself to be a part of this group? I don’t want to kill innocent humans again.

“Aw, Shien, be nice to her!” Naivern squeezed Elysia closer. “She’s a girl!”

“I told you, it was a duel, Naivern! It’s different!” Shien replied as he crossed his arms. “Why do you girls do this to me?”

“We take limitless pleasure in seeing your face in an irritated state!” Phoenicia pointed out.

“Waaahhh!” Shien whined as he covered his face. “You girls are mean!”

The girls laughed as Shien placed his head down on the counter at the mercy of Phoenicia stroking his head.

“What seems to be the issue, Shien? Isn’t that how girls show affection?”

Shien answered with a whine.

“Ya see?” Naivern winked at Elysia. “By telling him to be nicer to girls, you can tick him off fast! I can tell you some more tricks to annoy our favorite shortie if you like!”

“Okay?” Elysia replied, still confused with the difference between Shien’s g**g and the Waxing Sickle. “Sure, I guess.”

“Alrighty, sad boi!” Enshiron came, placing an elegant white bowl full of delicious beef stew. “Come on, the savory taste of my beef stew special shall comfort you as you appreciate the hospitality of the fine young ladies!”

Shien then swatted at Phoenicia’s arm to stop her from stroking him.

“Ah-ha, finally. Thanks, Enshiron.”

He then took the moment to enjoy the wondrous taste of Enshiron’s beef stew.

“By the way, Naivern. Weren’t you supposed to be with Ritom?” Enshiron asked.

“Eh, no worries!” Naivern suggested. “He’s just fine!”

Right at that moment, they heard an obnoxious scream coming from the orange-haired Ritom flying out of the bistro’s mini-games section through its doors. He slid on the floor as the other players gasped. 

“As you were saying, Naivern?” Enshiron said. 

“That’s the last time I played poker with you, Ritom!” A huge African man with a mohawk and gray jacket roared, shaking his fist. “If I see you snooping kings and queens in your fat sleeves again, I’ll send you flying, you cheating dope!” The mohawk player slammed the doors. As Ritom lay on the floor with his tongue sticking out. Naivern and Shien ran to check on their friend.

“Ritom?” Shien asked, helping him up. “What happened?”

“Dude,” Naivern spoke. “I’ve only been out for like five minutes, and you already get kicked out?”

“Hey, it’s all good!” Ritom slowly stood up and adjusted his red jacket. “Won a lot of netium credits there!”

“By cheating?”

“Ah, well, it’s technically resourceful improvisation!”

“Ritom,” Shien said. “Just because you turned 21 doesn’t mean waste money on bets and get drunk! What if you’re in the real world? And dude, what did we say about cheating? Have you forgotten Dorian’s fuss about academic honesty?”

“Oh, hey shortie!” Ritom said as he stood up to hug Shien. “Good to see ya! Relax, it’s all under control. I just had to be assured that I’d win! And guess what?”

“What?” Naivern questioned with a raised eyebrow.

“Ya see?” Ritom held up some gray rectangular netium credit chips. “The dudes forgot to get their money back! Hehe.”

“Hey! I want my money back, you worthless hooligan!” The mohawk player boomed out the door.

“Meh!” A short old man waddled beside him, swinging his cane. “That dumbo sunny boy cheated my entire netium stash through that darn o blackjack! Slug him to the moon!”

“With pleasure, old-timer!”

As the two were stomping their way to Ritom, Shien and Naivern quickly went up towards the two men to calm them down and come up with a solution.

“I calculate that this is the 22nd time Ritom started trouble,” Phoenicia said as she sipped the masala chai. “Splendid tea, Enshiron! It would be wise for me to ease their minds.”

The android girl walked to the noisy commotion, leaving Elysia and Enshiron alone.

“Does this happen often?” The white-haired Vulpi asked.

“Most definitely, but bailing Ritom out has become quite a tradition for us. I guess it still hypes our firebrand mechanic to turn 21 a few days ago.”

“Mechanic?”

“Ah, yes! Believe it or not, Ritom’s hands are highly skilled, making him the unmatched engineering genius. He possesses the wish to become a brilliant UICA mechanic.”

“I see.”

Elysia looked at Enshiron washing some dishes as Ritom’s usual commission took place. 

“Hm. Hey, Enshiron.”

“Yes, my dear Vulpi companion! What do you need?”

“I was just wondering. How did you and Shien become friends?”

“Ah, now that,” Enshiron spoke as he finished the dishes, walking to Elysia. “That’s quite a story! Wanna hear an extraordinary tale?”

Elysia nodded.

“Shien saved my life.”

“Really?”

“Yes. He’s quite a unique human. That petite-sized human is just full of positive energy. Truly, I tell you, like a magnificent hero in grand shining armor, he will make a stand for those in need! I met that eccentric little dude when peers bullied me.”

“Bullied? What happened?”

“Well, when we were just high school students, I encountered quite a grim situation of these four guys going up to me, calling me things like fox freak, furry devil, and such.”

“That’s terrible!” Elysia stated, clenching her fist as she remembered how many people called her by those racist terms. “When would people accept us for who we are? I, I am so sorry about that.”

“Although they had the audacity to break my arm and gave me a black eye, that’s when little Shien arrived to protect me!”

“Wow!” Elysia replied, surprised by the story. “That’s amazing!”

“Yes, even though the petite-sized Shien crippled those four like a beast, I am still much indebted to him. The magnificent little human even visited me in the hospital every day until I healed.”

The two then looked at Shien, who was still with Naivern, Ritom, and Phoenicia, talking with the big mohawk man and the short old man. The g**g successfully handled the situation peacefully and bailed Ritom out once again. Ritom swiped the tab to return the netium credits he cheated the two men of.  

“I can’t believe that,” Elysia began. “Shien would defend a Vulpi.”

“I know, quite an intriguing young man,” Enshiron placed a dish away, twitching his purple Vulpi ears. “Despite all that Fanghui and those Kneapexists say about us, isn’t it wonderful that bright humans like Shien still accept us for who we are? I say we need more humans like Shien in this world.”

“Definitely. Oh.”

“What is it, dear Elysia?”

“Oh, no, I just realized that Master Fermato will be home shortly. I was going to have a snack with him.”

“Wait, Master Fermato? I know him!”

“You know the Vultau Order?”

“Of course! I am currently apprenticing under Master Oreic!”

“Woah! The Sensei Oreic and his flaming saxophone? That’s awesome!”

“Ah! We should tell our Vultau mentors! But, I believe you must go?”

“Yeah, I probably should spend time with that old geezer, but thank you so much for talking to me,” Elysia said as she opened her menu tab.

“Anytime, my lady! You may always talk to yours truly, Enshiron Kiiros.”

“And, tell Shien and the others that I say thanks.”

“I will do as you ask, fair maiden. I bid you farewell!”

As the two Vulpi waved to each other, Elysia scrolled down to press the log out button. However, when she pressed the button, nothing happened. Instead of disappearing back to therealworld, she was still in Enshiron’s Kyyrhim Bistro with her new friends. Puzzled, she kept on hitting the button.

“Elysia?” Enshiron noticed.

“Um, my log out button won’t budge.”

“That’s quite a phenomenon. Allow me to investigate.”

The purple-haired Vulpi scrolled through his menu as well, only to find pressing the log out button not doing anything just as Elysia said.

“My, you are correct. But is it just us, or is everyone in the same boiling pot as well?”

“Shien!” Elysia spoke.

“Elysia? Hey!” The black-haired young man skipped towards her as the old man and mohawk player walked to the mini-games section. “What’s up?”

“Is your log out button working?”

“It should, but I can check.”

Shien only checked to find the same phenomenon. 

“Eh, Phoenicia?”

“How may I be of service?” The android girl happily asked.

“Is the UICA having any bugs or that stuff?”

“Not that I am aware of, why?”

“The log out button doesn’t work.”

“Curious. This has never happened before.”

“Uh oh, guys? Are you all having the same problem?”

The g**g of friends went around the bistro to check with the other players, who also could not return to the real world. As players panicked, murmuring to each other ridiculous theories as they hopelessly pressed the log out button, Ritom noticed a notification from his news option on his menu.

“Holy crap!” Ritom shouted. “Enshiron, turn those TVs on! Go to the news, quick!”

“Okay?” The Vulpi young man said, turning on the little television screens on his bistro’s ceiling with his remote.

Everyone stared at the screens, hoping for answers. The entire bistro was silent to see the neat yet spiky red-haired, tall man with his left teal eye and right red eye. It was Fanghui, about to speak in front of the Arcane Phalange. Jin Feilong stood beside him. However, instead of the Reaper Squad and White Death droid guards standing alongside the two, five other powerful figures stood.