Episode 05 – Onward to Susanoo
Lantern in hand, we made our way through the night, resting whenever <Brilliance> went on cooldown. Once we had found our rhythm, wolves weren’t a problem anymore and my <Camping> skill was leveling up nicely, too.
“It looks like we’re not the only ones using this strategy,” I said.
The lantern had lost its effect and we were sitting in front of the bonfire. I casually scrolled through a thread called the “Survivalists’ Refuge” on the forum.
The people posting were players who, like us, chose the [Survivalist’s Pack], and were still wandering the areas around Susanoo.
“Oh, I see, it’s not like everyone fell into the Forest of the Beasts,” remarked Letty, who was peeking at my screen.
As a general rule, it’s not possible to see another player’s screen but, because we were currently in a party, she could see my [Mirror]’s display.
“Some players were also dropped in the ‘Meadow of the Beginning’, the area in front of Susanoo,” I said.
“Those lucky ones managed to reach Susanoo before sunset.”
It was mainly players like us who crashed in farther areas that livened up the thread. Each of them suggested various methods for survival, including the use of the <Camping> skill.
There were of course those who complained about not being able to even reach the first town, but I felt that the majority welcomed the challenge. As expected from players who went for the [Survivalist’s Pack], they were a bunch of rebellious and adventurous souls.
“The fire’s almost out, Ledge,” warned Letty.
“Got it. The lantern should be ready any time now.”
Our fuel stock was limited, and I wasn’t sure how much we’d need to reach Susanoo, so I made sure we only used one stove at a time and shared our fuel.
I got up, recovered the [Portable Stove] and, once our lanterns were lit, we went back on our way.
After a few minutes, I broke our silent march through the forest. “I know we’re taking breaks but not being tired after all this walking feels weird.”
“Well that would be because we’re airframes.” Letty gave me the most obvious answer.
We’ve been walking from the moment we crashed but I felt no muscle soreness nor pain in the back of my feet.
“But it still consumes a bit of LP of course,” she added.
“And we can recover by using the Portable Stove,” I continued.
“It really makes you feel like a machine, doesn’t it?”
On top of illuminating the surroundings, the <Bonfire> ability granted the player a slight LP recovery effect. Even though we burned through a few LPs every time we activated <Brilliance> or <Bonfire>, thanks to the recovering effect we were always close to full LP.
“It looks like we’ll be reaching the edge of the forest soon,” Letty pointed out.
“You can even tell stuff like that?”
“That’s right! Or I would like to, anyway”—She turned and tapped her own [Mirror]—”but I’m really just looking at the map.”
I, in turn, looked at my own map to see that we were indeed reaching the border between the forest and the meadow.
“We probably don’t have to worry about wolves from here,” Letty said, stretching her back.
“Careful, don’t let your guard down or you might actually become a hamburger this time.”
Fortunately, Letty’s instincts turned true and we safely stepped into the <Meadow of the Beginning>.
Now free from the forest’s grasp, our field of view expanded a hundredfold. “Ooh, we can even see Susanoo from here,” I said.
Empty of any tall vegetation, we could see the meadow stretching far and wide. What drew our eyes though was the gigantic steel tower that rose in the distance, surrounded by diverse steel-made facilities.
“So, this is Susanoo… It’s so imposing,” remarked Letty.
The Vanguard Base is dropped from the Commander Ship Amaterasu and serves as a supply base and safe point for us Investigation Units. It is surrounded by a tall protective wall mounted with heavy defence equipment.
Standing tall in a night sky free of pollution and illuminated by starlight, the huge silhouette gave off a strong presence that commanded the whole area.
“Looks like it’s only a short straight walk from here to Susanoo,” I said, “let’s go home and save, shall we?”
“Ah, yes, it would be a shame to lose all our progress.”
One of Susanoo’s main functions is to record player’s data. By using the terminal in town, players can send their progress to the database on Amaterasu. In the event of death, one can recover their past saved stats and won’t have to start from zero.
Letty and I had yet to save our data so if we died here it was back to square one.
Keeping our lanterns up and our wits about us, we started our walk across the meadow. I held my spear tight, ready to react to any monsters not intimidated by the lanterns’ <Brilliance>.
“There! Look at that, Ledge.” As we reached the middle of the meadow, Letty suddenly pointed at something in the distance.
I could make out several faint orange lights. “Are those… players?”
“Could those be survivors like us?” asked Letty.
“Might be, yeah.”
If all goes well, we should be reaching Susanoo along with the other survivors.
I waved my lantern around and as if answering my call, the light from another lantern wavered in the distance.
The first time I found Letty, I remember being relieved, and now, at the sight of other fellow wandering souls, I felt the same sense of security warming my heart.
Eventually, we reached the huge barrier that surrounded Susanoo and walked along it until a large gate appeared to reveal the bustling town.
“Ooh! Such a lively place!” I beamed, the excitement taking over.
The town bursted with players.
The whole place felt like a huge marketplace wrapped with enthusiasm, the sounds of rousing conversations flooding from left and right. Thousands of players with as many diverse appearances came and went, some of them even wore armour-like clothing already.
I felt the same as the first time I came to Tokyo from the countryside, barely holding the sense of exaltation and unable to completely hide the excitement.
Next to me, Letty let it all out, her ears taut with excitement and her voice a shrill. “Look at all those people, Ledge! It’s amazing!”
“Well, it’s an online game after all. Rather, this is pretty normal I’d say.”
We who crashed in the middle of nowhere were the minority after all.
“Yo.” Letty and I stood at the gate, still in awe at the bustling town when a voice came from behind. “Short time no see, eh?”
Panicked and torn from the ecstasy I quickly turned around to reveal a silver-faced figurine. The expressionless silver statuette carried a dark green camouflage [Backpack] on his back and held a [Lantern] in his hand—a refugee like us.
“Ah, you must be one the people we saw earlier, walking in the distance,” I deduced.
“Yeah. I’m Length”—he held out his right hand—”I was seriously relieved when I spotted fellow refugees back then.”
After we shook hands, Length turned to Letty who stood next to me.
“You got a companion I see, eh?”
“Yeah. We just happened to crash in the same area.” I turned to Letty, who was hiding behind me. She spied at Length with only half her face showing.
“Well, you’re lucky I have to say. I’ve been on my own from the beginning.”
“Yeah, Letty really helped me out a bunch,” I replied.
“Ah, I almost forgot, I’m Ledge. Meeting like this, I’m sure we were destined. Let’s be good friends.”
Letty managed a timid greeting. “N-Nice to meet you…”
Once introductions were out of the way, we decided to head to the central facility to make our first save together.
On the way, Length told us about how he also scrolled through the “Survivalists’ Refuge” where he learnt how to use the [Lantern].
“It seems like the right way to go about it is to alternate between the [Lantern] and the [Portable Stove],” Length explained. “I ran out of portable fuel right when I got to Susanoo.”
“Oh, so that’s how it was. They actually thought it through,” I observed.
It did say that the player would be dropped at a random point but it’s not like it was totally random. I didn’t really pay attention because we were sharing fuel but, even alone, it was possible to make it back to Susanoo with the right strategy.
“Do you have any plan for after you save?” I asked Length.
“I guess I’ll hit the inn and try to gather some info. I want to put together the information other players have collected.”
“Oh. You planning to join a team?”
“No, nothing like that,” he answered. “You know how this game has an official Wiki? Well, I’d like to try and become an editor. I just like that kind of work.”
I couldn’t really tell from his inexpressive silver face but if I had to guess, I’d say he was smiling.
“Sounds great. Plus, it’ll probably help me in the future.”
In response, Length tapped his chest as if to say, “Leave it to me!”.
“What are you two planning to do?” he asked.
“Not sure. It was just a temporary party until we reached Susanoo,” I explained. “I guess we’ll disban—”
“Eh?!”
Cut short by a high-pitched voice, I turned around.
Ears tense with shock, Letty extended a begging hand in my direction. For some reason, her crimson eyes were blurred with tears.
“Haha. Looks like your companion begs to differ.” Looking at the two of us, Length couldn’t help letting out a stifled laugh.
I did indeed say until we reached Susanoo but… if I go through with it now, it’ll just look like I’m bullying her…
“Right… er… I guess I’ll stick with you, Letty.”
“Thank you!!”
As if I just chanted a magic spell, uneasiness lifted from her expression and she happily hopped around.
Tips
◇Vanguard Base Susanoo
The base was built using the seed dropped by the Command Ship Amaterasu. It is responsible for the analysis of the surveyed data and for the storage of various materials.
Susanoo also acts as a support for the Investigation Units and is therefore considered one of the most vital elements of the Reclamation operation. Together with Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi, it is one of the Three Pillars of Heaven.
It’s main system, the arithmetic logic unit Kusanagi, is located at the control tower’s apex situated in the central control area. Kusanagi communicates with Amaterasu’s main computing system—Takamagahara—using Tsukuyomi—the satellite units overseeing communications— as a medium.
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