.hack//AI Buster - Volume 2 - Chapter 1.2

.: 2 :.

I felt like throwing up. I didn't want to return to reality and face all the work I had mistranslated. Anxiety gnawed at me.

I was plugging away on my fourth foreign novel, a book about terrorists in Northern Ireland. It wasn't a horrible mistranslation, really, but since I wasn't a terrorist and never had any aspi rations of becoming one, I wasn't as talented as the IRA and SAS guys were with weapons and explosives. In other words, I didn't know what the hell I was calking about. Or how to translate what I'd read into Japanese. Just because someone can [tad English, doesn't mean they can translate it well.

I felt depressed, or maybe I was just plaLn neurotic. But something was making me sick. I was nauseated, even though I hadn't eaten in days. Maybe I should eat something.

Instead, I went online.

I read through the BBS smngs about literature. I used to post anonymous comments before I became a professional translator. Now, I was the one being attacked as multi-lingual readers picked apart my mistranslations in excruciating detail, mercilessly mocking my efforts. Ah, karma.

Their verbal knives slashed at my delicate ego.

If a translated book was well received, the credit always went to the author. But if the book didn't sell, then it was always the translator's fault. Readers only recognize translators when they screw up.

I needed comfort. Real, warm, relaxing comfort. I wish I had a cat. Instead, I had the cold electronic filter of cyberspace to ward off loneliness and anxiety; I took to it like a junkie, constandy needing my fix.

While I surfed, I noticed that the proof sheets for a short novel translation (due in two days) were strewn in haphazard stacks around my desk. Even in the electronic age, the best editors still proofread with a ballpoint pen and good old-fashioned paper.

I needed to finish this gig and move on to the next novel, which was roughly five hundred pages. My deadline was in two months. I hadn't started. Of course I hadn't scarted, I'm a procrastinator first and a translator second.

I flipped through the scattered pages. There wasn't a single red mark on any of the proofs. I couldn't begin. I was scared, terrified that I might make more mistakes, mistranslate again. My biggest fear has always been failure.

After a while, my eyes glazed over.

At least I could forget my emotional pain when I role-played. I sought comfort by opening the door of The World ...

The Girl in Red

It took some convincing, but Albireo eventually let me in. H e actually ended up saving me from the goblins. Not only that, but he went on to challenge and defeat the boss monster in the Invasion event, which proved to me just how strong his character was.

When he fmished the fight- which was bloody by the way-I hurried back and waited for him outside his home. I practically forced him to form a patty with me. Once he did, I noticed he was holding hands with a little girl.

He had a child?

The girl wore a red dress with an adorable red cape clasped about her delicate shouldets. Her eyes were perpetually closed. It took me awhile to figure out she was blind, which was why Albireo had to lead her by the hand everywhere they went. Her name was Lycotis and she didn't speak, although Albireo seemed to be able to communicate with her somehow.

Since she only appeared when we formed a party, I knew she wasn't a normal player.

Albireo ignored my questions about her and said she was part of an event he was tied to and she would remain with him until the event had concluded.

No sooner had he explained that, then two more peculiar characters arrived: Orca and Balmung.

Orca was huge and barbaricMlooking, no two ways about it. Balmung, who wore gleaming silver armor, appeared more sophisticated, and what some might even call classically handsome. Neither of them could see Lycoris as we sat down together in a circle.

Albireo told me not to mention Lycoris. Of course, I agreed, but I had to wonder . .. Why did he want to hide her if she was just an event character?

Balmung and Orca had noticed Albireo while fighting the boss monster, and they were impressed with his skills. They came to invite him to their party to fight The One Sin.

In The World, The One Sin was known as the most difficult event ever created, and it quickly gained a reputation as being impossible to crack. Balmung and Orca came to request Albireo's help, but Albireo turned them down on the spot.

In the small talk. that followed, Balmung looked at Albireo and said, "We recognize most of the weapons in The World just by looking at them. But yours ..."

"You mean this?" Albireo held up his halberd, which was essentially a double-sided axe set on a long spear, adorned with beautiful decorative designs.

"Where did you get it?" Orca asked. "Is it a reward from an event? What's the name of the spear?"

I felt quite lucky; (his was why I had come here in the first place. T sat back on my elbows and listened quietly.

"I'm afraid I can't tell you."

"Why?" asked Orca.

Yeah, why? I thought.

"It's a secret." Albireo said softly.

"Secret?" Balmung sounded skeptical, and frankly, I couldn't blame him.

Albireo shrugged. "I won't tell you. Let's leave it at that."

"I hope ir's not a cheat item." Balmung murmured snidely.

Orca jumped in, "Balmung! Enough!" He turned toward Albireo. "I'm sorry, Albireo, he didn't mean to insult--"

"No," Albireo interrupted, waving his had. "It's a legitimate concern. I understand why you would think that, since I wasn't straight forward with you." He sighed and nodded to himself. "It's the Divine Spear of Wotan."

Everyone took a moment to process the information.

"The next question is," Balmung continued, "where did you get it?"

"He doesn't have to tell us that," Orca said.

I wished Orca would shut up. I'd been hoping that siding with Balmung would push Albireo for more information.

"No, it's all right." Albireo said. "I don't want there to be any misunderstandings between us. I'll be direct, but I trust I have your confidence with chis matter."

They both agreed. I kept still.

"This spear is from the era of Fragment."

"You mean the beta version?" Orca's voice volume turned up a notch. "Albireo, you were one of the original test players?"

"Yes." Albireo said simply.

The beta version of The World, called Fragment, had a small, select group of roughly a thousand original test players. If the spear was that old, then it was truly a rare and unique item.

"Awesome! That's totally awesome, isn't it, Balmung?" Orca continued excitedly, "Did you know Balmung was a test player, too?"

Albireo frowned. "You were a test player for the beta version?"

I could tell Alhireo was extremely surprised--in truth, so was I! Out of millions and millions of players, what were the odds of tbm original players meeting like this? I wished I could chime in and cell them that I'd also played Fragment, but I forced myself to scay in character, maintaining the fa}acle of a fresh-faced newbie.

"We're challenging The One Sin tomorrow morning at 9:00 a.m."

With a silent, somber nod, Albireo declined their invitation. I couldn't for the life of me figure out why. Even though he'd excused himself, claiming that he preferred playing solo, this was a rare oppottunity. But I suspected it had something to do with the little girl in red. I decided to stick around and see what else I could learn about the mysterious Albireo and his ancient spear.

As Orca was leaving, he switched to Whisper Mode and said, "Hey, Hokuto."

I switched as well so Albireo couldn't hear our conversation. It was one of the unigue aspects of gaming in cyberspace; you could have a private conversation in the middle of a crowd. It was almost like telepathy or something.

"What kind of relationship do you have with Albireo? He said the only reason you were in his party was because you were' special.'"

I blinked, shocked. "He said I was special?"

I had wondered what they had been saying to each other in Whisper Mode. Now I knew they were talking about me.

"If he said I'm special, I can't deny it." I said boldly, to mask my discomfort.

"Do you two know each other in real life?"

"Yes, we're old friends. We grew up together." I intentionally misled him.

Apparently, that was all he wanted to know, and so with casual goodbyes, the two warriors left. Once they were gone, Albireo said we could talk.

He chuckled. "I'm impressed. You were surprisingly quiet."

"Because I didn't understand a word you said," I lied. I had to keep up appearances, especially if I was going to convince Albireo to keep me around. His spear intrigued me, especially if it was from Fragment.

I recalled an anonymous web posting that mentioned that the system administrators used a spear as a debugging item. If this information was true, it must have come from someone on the inside.

I wondered about Albireo's occupation in the real world.

"It's about time I drop out;' Albireo said, then yawned.

I nodded, disappointed, but there was no reason I could think of for him to stay. Bur a few seconds later he srill hadn't left.

"I can't logout," he said.

I thought he was kidding. I joked that he should call the system administrator, but he took me seriously and replied, "It isn't proper to call the system administrator for a troubleshooting problem. Besides, it'll probably fix itself in a moment."

"Maybe it's the girl," I teased. "Maybe she doesn't want to let you go, Al."

"AI? Who's AI?"

"You. Your name's too long and complicated so I'm going to call you Al. And I think I'll call her Lyco."

Albireo seemed annoyed. It was hard to tell, really.

But before he left, I switched to first-person POV and, for the first time, noticed his eyes. They were two different colors: one blue and the other yellow. I found myself becoming more intrigued with each passing moment.