NPC Code: Red Riding Hood

"Nothing will happen even if we fight here, Red. As far as I am concerned, fighting won't solve this problem. And to answer your question, I know a lot and I know about your system. I am your ally, not your enemy," the dragonewt exclaimed, as he met my eyes. "That is why you saw me in front of the citadel. I already anticipated that since I am your merchant coded by the game. Some players have this. Unfortunately, Fenrir…. or Wolf does not have one. It's a matter of luck."

As I listened to the merchant's lengthy explanation, I lowered my weapon and continued lending my ear. Since starting a fight would be a wise decision, I kept myself calm and continued the conversation. 

"Why do you know all of these things? Why follow me when there are others out there in the world? And give me a reason to trust you, merchant. After what happened with Alice, my trust level plummeted on the ground.

"Very well," the Stormfly said, as he cleared his throat. "My name is not something known to all creatures, especially my kind. Those who know my name are only privileged beings who stepped foot inside my castle. I have saved you countless times and gave you the things you needed for your goals. If I hadn't done that, you won't reach your current destination. But do not worry, Red. Those assistance you received from me would not cost you anything but your trust in me. Now that you plan on taking the game developers head-on, you might need my….specialty."

This merchant knew how to convince me, especially when I was in dire need of help. Since Okami, Ryoshi, and Match were not here beside me, things would appear different from here and out. I had to rely on myself instead of putting others in my plan.

And besides, Stormy...or this merchant saved me from before. If Stormly wanted me dead, he could have done it from the very beginning.

"My humble apologies, Stormfly. It's like what you've said. You keep saving me when I need you the most. And now's the time that I need your strength to accomplish my goal," I remarked, while nodding at Stormfly's face. 

(Author's note: Red is acting formal since she's still an NPC and she's talking to one.)

A long silence filled the dead-air as the two of us performed a staring contest. I did not have anything to say, since I already told everything to Stormfly about my goal. And he probably knew those things first as soon as I arrived inside his castle.

But I finally crushed the silence when I remembered something before coming here. "About what I've said when you carried me to this kingdom….Forget about it, okay?"

"Very well, Red. Your rants have never existed inside my mind. I do not have any use for that information either. So do not worry yourself," Stormfly answered, which resumed the great indisturbance of this conversation.

"Is there anything else you'd like to add before we proceed?" Stormfly continued, with his eyes still glued into mine.

Stormfly did not utter a single word because he was waiting for me to say something! I did not have anything to share besides the meeting we would have to counteract the game developers.

I shook my head and replied, "Nothing. We should talk about our plans right now."

Stormfly gave me a nod and said, "Well said, Red. We could start by giving you the Ruby Obelisk, since you need it to unlock the quest system. You also have your Sapphire Obelisk inside your inventory. Alice gifted that stone to you if I am not mistaken. The only Obelisk that you need is the Diamond one."

After hearing those words, Stormfly motioned his fingers and continued, "Please follow me. I will take you to the treasure room to upgrade your weapon and give you the Ruby Obelisk."

The two of us went towards the throne seat's back area and spotted a concealed hatch. That door had some serious looking locks that kept the gates together, paired with some magic circles surrounding it. If I had to guess it right, that door would lead straight elsewhere below the ground.

I just did not know where exactly we would go, since Stormfly only mentioned the treasure room. 

"I have a question, King Stormfly."

"Stormfly would do. I hate those honorifics in times of war. I am more of a merchant than a king that runs this place, since they need little of my assistance."

I corrected myself and started over, "Then, Stormfly… why can't you transfer the Red Obelisk to my inventory like Alice did? You could have at least done that to save us some time."

After unlocking the door and those pesky magic circles, Stormfly looked at me and answered, "We are not like Alice. That girl...puppet is a supreme being above the game. She can tamper the codes written for this game. And the only thing stopping her were the spells Okami placed upon her. Those game developers also created some countermeasures against Alice. So we cannot do what Alice could do."

Upon saying his fill, Stormfly motioned his head for me to enter the door.

  "Ladies first," he said, as Stormfly extended his arms.

I heeded his instructions and entered the dimmed room with nothing but cobwebs. Every step my feet took squeaked a blaring high pitch sound, which made the atmosphere ancient-looking. Stormfly followed close behind and lit up a torch attached beside the wall.

When the torch kindled a blaze, the light uncovered our surroundings. My eyes gazed below and studied the obsidian shadows fillign the areas. The only light that we had inside this tunnel beloned to Stormfly's hand, which was insufficient enough to keep us sane. The door behind us also shut tight, leaving the two of us all alone inside.

"Are you sure we're safe inside here?" I asked, while moving downwards. 

I had faced countless monstrous foes and spooky areas in Code, but I had never encountered such a peculiar place before. This area had something else compared to the ones I visited before.

As we continued down the staircase, the wall's surfaces became crystal in my eyes. The spider webs hanging from above revealed a swarm of spiders inhabiting the area. It would only take one mishaft to alert all these bugs at once if we were not careful. 

It took us ten minutes before arriving at the bottomless pit filled with nothing but cracked stones. Despite the oddly-looking room, Stormfly continued onwards and suggested I should follow him close behind. He told me that we only needed one torch as our light inside the treasure room. If we used more than one luminance, an entity guarding this place would awaken itself and destroy the kingdom.

"Could we tame that beast and use it against the players? If that monster could destroy the kingdom, we could use its power against those pesky players!" I voiced my concerns.

Stormfly shook his head and answered, "I am afraid we cannot do that….yet. I will ask my subordinates if we could try that plan. But I doubt we would let this monster wreck havoc outside of our kingdom. The monster is only attracted by the scent of something burning. It means that the creature loves smoke. And it would do anything to secure that substance inside its nostrils."

The merchant opened another secret door and continued his story. "Before we could execute that idea, I should ask the villagers about its release. It only means one thing. My people would evacuate from this kingdom and head towards somewhere far from here. And once we finish that, we need to drag the battle near here or drag the monsters towards the battlefield. We cannot let this fiend attack our own allies, since we cannot tame this creature."

That explanation was enough to keep ourselves busy as we travelled through this unlit tunnel. I did not want to extend the topic about that beast, since it had nothing to do with me. And besides, Stormfly already gave me his answer.

We cannot use the beast as our distraction and weapon against those humans. The risk outweighed the result we wanted.

It was what Stormfly had mentioned. There were unblazed torches hanging around the walls. But Stormfly did not burn them up and used them as our guide. Upon reaching three different tunnels, we finally arrived at a titanic place.

Stormfly motioned his hand and warned, "Beyond that area is the place where that monster resigns. It is still currently sleeping in its den. As long as we watch our steps and keep the smoke to ourselves, we would reach the treasure room right past this site."

After listening to those words, the two of us proceeded onwards with caution. Despite Stormfly's message, there was nothing out of the ordinary on the other side of the place. It was pitch black and had no signs of entities living inside.

However, that thought got pushed towards the side when an eye glared in our direction.