Server Lost - Chapter 30 the Wall

Padding fondly out the tavern door, she swayed with each step, her hands out from her sides to help her with her balance. Cassandra turned on her heel clumsily to look over at Jack as he was walking out behind her.

Her face was as rosy as a peach.

“How often do you come to a tavern and get hammered?” Jack wasn’t used to seeing drunk people, though they seemed easily manipulated.

Doing anything small could become something big, a single poke could turn into a brawl. A single piece of sympathy could equal a one night stand.

Giggling, Cassandra leaned forward a bit as she almost fell backward, thankfully stabilizing her footing. The last thing she needed was to fall over, especially on the street where lethal horse drawn carriages roamed.

“*Hicc* Hammered? That’s *Hicc* …That’s a funny word~” She stumbled over towards him, so much for making herself stable. “I…*Hicc* I’m not drunk.”

Jack placed his hand on her head, casting a spell known as Lesser Heal, eliminating the toxins from her body and purifying her blood.

Almost immediately her face and skin cleared up, no longer flushing a pinkish-red tinge. Blinking several times as the buzz of being intoxicated had left her be, she looked up to Jack.

“What’d you just do?”

“Your hiccups were annoying me,” Jack’s tone was monotonous as he would begin to run his fingers through her hair. It was soft, a bit greasy, but still soft.

“That… That didn’t answer my question,” She crossed her arms over her chest. It was clear she had drank alcohol in order to get drunk, rather than for the taste.

Jack saw that as a waste, considering the world he came from originally. Drinking for the effect, that was something he couldn’t agree with, not that he’d feel what being drunk was like anyway.

“I purified your blood and your mind,” he gave her skull a light squeeze causing her to wince, only to let go of her head, pocketing his middle three fingers. His pinky and thumbs sticking out of each one corner of his pockets.

Cassandra glared up at him, holding her head slightly. “This was supposed to be a good date!”

“It is a good date, when you’re not intoxicated.” Jack chastised her as while he wanted to be seen with her by the common people, he didn’t want her to be drunk around him in view of others.

Not only what she be looked down upon, but so would he, considering he was acting as her companion for the time being.

“Raaaah… You’re no fun,” Cassandra’s gaze traveled down to his shin, she was tempted to kick him as her rowdiness was coming back ten fold. Her eyes shifted back up to his face.

“We’re going to the wall now,” Jack would motion his head to the side, walking towards the massive doors to the outerwall. It was one of the few visible entrances to get to the top of the wall.

Groaning, clearly not wanting to go, Cassandra threw her arms in the air. “Do we really have to tour the wall? Can’t you like, wait until tomorrow?”

“Do you think the whole world revolves around you?”

“Yes, yes it does.” Cassandra replied blatantly, a spiteful tone.

Jack simply let his eyes rest on her as he was walking two paces behind her as they were both making their way towards the wall. “You’re not cold?”

“Heck no, I’m not cold.” She tugged on her cloak, it was likely she was feeling a bit warm now. Considering he had purified her blood, meant that her body was forced to expel the toxins through her sweat glands.

It was because of this, she smelled of honied barely, fruit and bread.

“Good to know,” Jack retorted as she was smirking up at him all smug.

His eyes would raise to the wall which was beginning to take over the horizon the closer they got. He hardly saw any guards on the walls, they seemed all grouped together in certain areas.

It was one thing to always be within eye shot of one another, but it was another to be inefficient in positioning one’s troops. A light frown decorated his lips, his eyes coming down to look at the armored figure approaching and readying to pass by them.

A man in blackened armor, with gold trim and red plumed helmet. He was large, mesomorphic, had a pair of military cleavers on his back. At least, Jack believed the individual was a he, the body type wasn’t necessarily that of a woman.

That or it could just be the design of the armor to throw off whoever was looking at them.
for visiting.

Jack causally watched as they passed from the corner of his eye. He couldn’t necessarily detect anything abnormal about them. Shrugging to himself, he dismissed them as an adventurer or some elite troop of a noble.

They were a mere level twenty five, their items being uncommon. It was likely they were someone who had gone into a dungeon and emerged alive.

Curiosity of the individual though, didn’t seem to last with Jack as he turned his attention back to the wall as they were approaching the entrance to the Southern Gate Garrison.

The Local Commander emerged from the entrance door after glancing out the stained glass window to see the two of them approaching.

“Lord Graham! Lady Cassandra!” The Commander stood before them, his hands folded over his waist. “How can I help the two of you?”

“We’ve come here to tour the wall, Sir Marius.” Jack responded without thought, “Would you kindly show us the way to the top?” He pointed towards the area above.

“There is plenty of damage up there, I’m afraid it isn’t safe for a casual stroll.”

“I’m aware…”

“Some of the interior of the wall is exposed along the walkway. You might fall.”

“We’ll be fine,” Jack didn’t seem to let him get in their way, or his way for that matter. He wanted up onto the wall and he was going to get there whether or not he had to take the stairs, or use his own powers to do so.

Rolling his jaw slightly, the commander nodded as he succumbed to Jack’s persistence after the next few minutes. “This way,” he said with a gesture of his arm, his hand open towards the door he had once come out of to meet them.

Cassandra and Jack followed Marius through the Garrison. The building was mostly made of stone, the same material as the wall which surrounded the place, as it was built into the super structure of the wall itself.

“Has the wall been infiltrated recently?” Jack asked as his eyes picked up the clutter along the ground. Not only was this place in disrepair, it was also a mess.

Pieces of loose stone lined the weathered interior. As they went up the stairs, making their way out the steps, he also noticed there were chunks of masonry missing.

He wasn’t kidding when he said they might fall, this caused Jack to chuckle rather discreetly.

Like before, he kept two steps behind Cassandra, though in this case it was to protect her from falling. His eyes were on her stockinged legs.

Just like in any world, the higher they went, the colder and gustier it got. So as they were closing in on the opening leading to the surface at the top of the wall, the easier it was to feel the wind.

The moment they emerged, Jack was slapped in the face by a heavy gust of air, causing him to briefly close his eyes from the suddenness of it. Though as he opened his eyes, he quickly noted that he wasn’t bothered at all by the toughness of the gale, as he alone was like a sharpened blade cutting through it.

Quickly he walked over towards the edge of the wall and looked over the forests and meadows, plains, in the distance. The sight was amazing, better than flying at night. Everything was so visible, vibrant, though still almost greyed out by winter’s lighting.

In the previous world, his world, he didn’t see anything like this before. Even in the virtual game, you could tell that it wasn’t real. Yet now, one couldn’t tell the difference between game and reality, whichever this was.

Though he was definitely liking the idea of staying here if this was all real. Why go back to a destroyed world when there was this fresh one here to exploit for his own happiness?

Start over in a world where his sister, his parents, his family had not been. A place with no true emotional ties, bedridden boundaries or laws that could affect him.

Laws that were enforced could be easily used to control others. It was the only way to enforce any real form of morality. Society couldn’t function without them, let alone an effective punishment system. If there was no working system, the society would ultimate consume itself at a faster rate and devolve.

Though Jack was raised to be kind, what did kindness ever get him?

People used him in the game world to get stronger, to get better gear. The company used him to get their quotas to promote their work. Hardly had Jack ever gotten what he wanted.

Jack’s emotional maturity took a crash when his family died off, though mostly his sister’s death affected him the most. It didn’t just stunt the growth of his emotions, but it nearly broke them.

Cassandra walked up beside him and rested her elbows on the wall as she brought her hood over her head. She leaned her chest against the half-wall and looked up at Jack as best she could from under the hood’s rim. “You really like trees or something big guy…?”

Jack looked to her from his peripheral vision, “Have you ever seen a Nymph?”

“Nope, but there are some expensive alchemic goods that are derived from their essence.” Cassandra huffed as she rested her chin between her wrists as she raised her hand slightly, her elbows still planted on the wall. “Have you seen any before?”

“A few, they tend to hide, rather than to stand out in the open.”

Nodding lightly as he had said this, Cassandra knew of their behavioral patterns. It was part of her mystical studies. Nymphs were spirits, which were obviously part of the well of magical knowledge, which most mages sought after.

With this little conversation, Jack was able to find that they existed in this world as well.

Since he had the power to find them, even if they were hiding, Jack knew that he could actually get around to learning more about the nymphs of this world. As well as using them to his own advantage.

Tree spirits were generally kind isolationists, as long as one respected nature and didn’t outright abuse it, they would pay a person no mind. Yet they’d do just about anything to protect their home tree, their true bodies.

A small smile was across his lips now as he backed away from the edge, and began to walk with his fingers in his pockets again.

Cassandra just watched him for a few seconds before following after him. Watching where he stepped as to make sure she didn’t fall into any cracks or exposed interior.

The last thing she wanted was to fall on her face, or get hurt. Pain wasn’t something she was so eager to feel, so she knew she couldn’t be reckless up here.

She was starting to feel rather grateful that he had cured her of her intoxication before coming up here. Otherwise it was likely she would have fallen quite a few times going up those steps…