Strongest Among the Heavens

"I hope you don't mind me asking but are you a former player or were you summoned for a second chance?" Dasha asked innocently.

"I'm a former player. Actually, I vas a part of ze very first Heavenly Game." Saint Hildegard bought a glass of non-alcoholic wine. Her cohorts did the same. "Hehe, back zen, zere vas only us and our wits. Ze bazaar vas barely functional und full of questionable characters. It vas amazing. I met so many people und learned so much."

Saint Hildegard smiled and gestured to her hooded friend. "And! I made a lot of friends!" The hooded woman beside her simply waved. She didn't speak. None of the saintess' so-called friends spoke. "Haha, zey don't talk. Don't worry about it, it's not you."

"Are they mute?" Dasha questioned.

"No, no, nuzzing like zat, it's like, er... bledge."

'A pledge to never speak? Could there be an underlying reason for that?'

"I see. I'll pretend I understand why."

The saintess giggled. "No vurries. Unless, of course, you vant to join us. Zen maybe I'll tell you vhy."

'Everyone appears tight-lipped about information. I doubt I will gain the answers I seek unless I join a guild.'

Dasha switched to a casual tone of talking; as casual as his deep, baritone voice could be. "Recruiting already?"

"It's in my job description."

"You would think a saintess' job would be higher class."

Staying out here with rookie players likely wasn't her real job. For a woman of her calibre, for a woman with such a wonderful smile, it would be a total waste. He did a cursory look at the people that went inside the bar. They were like her, decked out with equipment and carrying themselves with unquantifiable power. Dasha would have bluffed his way inside, if not for his lack of information on who or what went on in there. Without knowing the type of security there was—for example, mind reading—he did not want to risk it. It was better to stay anonymous. It was better to question the clueless, naive and experienced Saintess.

His remark got her to smile flatly. "I hope you haven't gone inside. Zere are casinos, betting, s-scantily men and vomen…" Her cheeks were flustered. "Ah-anyvay, it is not a place for ze devoted. I prefer to hang out here vith za people."

"Fair enough. The security is crazy too, isn't it?" Dasha said, leading her on.

"Very much so. You are required to pay fifty thousand points for entry, then be scanned for ze weapons. I feel bad for za Maenads. There are zome scary men." Saint Hildegard shuddered. "Every night, they are in my prayers."

'Maenads?' He flipped through the pages of his mind. 'I understand that they're followers of Dionysus, or something to that affect. Good to know.'

"Sounds almost as difficult as you scouting," Dasha quipped.

"Haha, almost, yes." The Saintess looked him up and down. "You said you read my books. Are you a doctor?"

"I took biology in university. Hopefully you know what that is?"

Her thin brows went wide as she laughed. "Of course, of course! A school, yes? We have many here. You should go to the Guild Sector sometime. Besides just guilds, there are schools and academies to help players learn."

"Oh? Like what?"

"How to use magic, for example. For modern humans, wielding magic without the assistance of the Game System is nearly impossible."

Modern humans…did that include her? She was from the twelfth century. From a certain point of view, she was also a modern human.

Dasha opened his mouth and went, "Really?"

"Yep!" Saint Hildegard's smiling lips were wet with wine. "Oh! I have an easy way to explain it! You know how you can learn skills in two ways, yes? By unlocking them in the skill tree or just doing it? Learning it? Well, when it comes to creating your own skills, it takes players weeks or months to do it. It's a really hard thing because your bodies are not programmed for it. To command the energies inside you requires discipline, talent, and hard work. It's not easy. For warriors, it's not an issue since they just swing their swords and strengthen it with their skills. But for people casting spells, at some point, it becomes a big deal."

"Oh yeah?" Dasha decided to lie a little, to test the waters. "I'm a mage. I could use the advice."

"Then you made the correct choice! Magic is the strongest thing in the Heavenly Games." Her smile was authentic. She truly believed that. Her flash of brilliance caused him to reconsider his future as a martial artist type fighter. "However, advice, advice…zere isn't all that much, to be honest. You just need to try und truly comprehend ze magic vithin you. Don't get too caught up in the skill tree on acquiring all the skills. The better your understanding, ze easier it vill be to grow stronger. It's like building a solid foundation, you see? But, ah, I suppose I'm not exactly the best teacher, you know. We have other people for that."

Wink. Her blue eyes fluttered. Dasha stared into his drink and acted like he would think about it. "Hmm…"

Her hooded friend tapped Saint Hildegard on the shoulder. Immediately, the saintess understood, nodded, and faced him with an apologetic smile. "It was great meeting you! I'll see you later, stranger!"

"Till we meet again," Dasha said, raising his glass. As she slipped off the stool, she raised her glasses and strutted over to another group of newbie players. She and her friends sat down, and she introduced herself like she did with him.

'So I wasn't special. Good.'