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osmw1 · 4 years

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Dimension Wave Chapter 34 — Limited Dimension Wave

“What’s with all the ruckus at this hour?”

Alto sleepily rubbed his eyes. Beside him stood Yamikage and Tsugumi, both of whom were asleep minutes ago as well. Yamikage had adjusted to living on the seas and has been sleeping properly too. Tsugumi was still half-asleep.

“The ship is being pulled along by something.” “Surely ‘tis but a wave.” “If it’s just a wave, then I don’t know why my Helmsmanship skill isn’t working at all.”

I was able to keep the ship from capsizing when the storm hit us, but I don’t know why it’s not doing anything now. Was it because I caught the Humongous Squid? That shouldn’t have anything to do with it. But if it is, then my fishing must’ve affected something. I mean, that doesn’t really make sense though. We should’ve only been jostled around a little by the drag of the squid. Maybe we simply triggered a flag for the Sea of No Return… but that would be awfully optimistic thinking.

“Be on gua—What?”

I turned around to see who tapped my shoulder. But there wasn’t anyone there. I mean, obviously not. Everybody on board is standing in front of me. To my right are Yamikage and Tsugumi. To my left are Alto and Sheryl. Ahead of me is Shouko. Who would be there to tap me on my shoulder?

“Kizuna, what if there were ghosts on the sea?” “Well, I’d expect you to be a little more scared…”

The lady standing right in front of me seemed as if she could see more than we could. I’m not scared enough to be shrieking out loud, but Shouko looked extremely serious considering the possibility of ghosts and stuff… Well, I know Dimension Wave is only a game, but I wish she would at least pretend to be scared. But someone else was.

“… phantom ships.” “S-S-Su-Surely you jest, miladies!” “Well, I s’pose ghost ships and pirate ships are nautical staples.”

Neither Sheryl nor Alto seemed surprised. It’s true that MMORPG’s usually have them as dungeons or events. Hell, it’d be more surprising if they didn’t show up on a nautical RPG. And why are you pissing your pants already, Yamikage?

“Yeah, you’re right… That would explain why the mist and the sudden chilliness too.”

Visibility had rapidly worsened. The fog, eerie and disturbing, was extremely well done on the developers’ part. Drowsy before, but Yamikage was now trembling. Was she that terrified?

“Hey, Yamikage. It’s a little clichéd, but would you let me scare you with a ‘boo!’?” “How! You would be such a knave!” “Figured you’d get mad.”

I don’t think my joke went over very well, but I also don’t think it made much of a difference that I warned her first.

“Thy mere suggestion has wrought me with fury!” “Fine… then how ‘bout you, Alto?” “No way, José! I’ve got the heebie-jeebies already!” “Heh, I never said I was actually gonna do it, but your guys’ reactions was amazing.”

It might’ve been more fun to push them, but the other three…

“Do tell why you are looking at me like that.” “… try me.” “You’re so oopy spoopy, big bro!”

Yikes. I don’t know what I expected out of my sister, but I really don’t want her to act all cutesy with me like that again.

“But in all seriousness, a ghost ship, huh? Sounds like it’ll be tough.” “Even during the day~!”

Well, the whole party’s leveled up a bit and even I’m at about half the Energy I used to have. I’ve also been using Transmutation to get some Energy out of the squid I fish up, but since the skill is only at rank I, it takes quite a bit of time to cast. Plus, since I get about 5-15 Energy per squid, that’s only about 700 Energy per hour. I’ll probably have to keep using the skill to level it up to II, but it’s yet to pop up even though I’ve been at it for a while now.

“I-I-Is that the ship, perchance?! Oh, but I am so frightened!” “What’s truly frightening is that you still haven’t acquired Night Vision.”

She probably sleeps through the night, but I’ve had it unlocked for so long already. More importantly, though, I looked over to the direction she was pointing. It was glowing in a ghostly white light, emitting a full body sense of dread. The realism of it all truly spoke to the beauty of VR.

The ghost ship was absolutely colossal. Our sailboat was only about 20 meters in length, but we were completely eclipsed in comparison. Sheryl explained that leisure watercraft over 25 feet (approximately 7.6 meters) are designated as cabin cruisers. But this was more like a yacht. It had the space for multiple living quarters and other facilities on board. It was probably, what, ten times bigger us and it had suddenly appeared in front of us. The sails were in tatters and its planks crumbling. If it weren’t for the mysterious white light that it’s emitting, you’d think this ghost ship is just some floating rotten junk. If this were a horror movie, there would be a theremin playing in the score right now.

“Yamikage.” “Gah!” “I… I just wanted to speak to you. No need to be shrieking or anything…”

And just for kicks, I turned to look at Alto and then gazed past his shoulders. He seemed out of it. Whatever it may be, their reactions are top notch. You’ve just gotta have at least one person in your squad like these two!

“I think I respect you a little less now, Kizuna.” “Whaaat? Just because there’s a ghost ship?” “But the look on your face!”

Haha! Oh, this guy. But I suppose there are more important matters at hand. Like the ghost ship.

“Like I was saying, let’s be on guard and prepare for combat. Something like this has gotta have enemies on board.” “Understood.” “‘kay.” “Mm-hmm!”

The three of them replied with confidence if not enthusiasm. The other two? Cowards. Especially that Yamikage. Get a grip! At least Alto’s got an excuse. He’s been busy trading up till now, so he might be a little underleveled. Yamikage, though, has the strongest stats out of all of us. With her Drain, her numbers are better than even Shouko. But, I mean, if she’s simply afraid of ghosts and spirits, then there’s nothing you can really do about it.

“If you two are that bad with ghosts and stuff, you wanna stay behind?” “… Stay behind? Here?” “Yeah.” “I shall follow you till the ends of the Earth!” “I mean, it’s probably safer if you stay here and wait for us.” “Hell to the no! It’s a billion times scarier to be here alone!” “I guess? I grew up watching a lot of this stuff, so I guess I’m used to it.”

My sisters and I used to always rent horror flicks and watch them together. There’s even new VR horrors where you watch in first-person. I’m not crazy about the genre as a whole though. But enough contemplating. Let’s charge on board.

Vrrt!

There was a crackling noise. It was a noise I’ve heard merely two weeks ago. It’s here… With a bright flash of light, time and space warped—

—Limited Dimension Wave.

Kizuna†Exceed (Captain)

Hakoniwa Shouko (Vice Captain)

Yamikage

Sheryl

Tsugumi†Exceed

Altorese

A menu popped up with a list of our names. Once past the blinding light, it looked like the dungeon was located below deck. There was no information on the minimap except for each of our locations. Everything else was pitch black. It’s probably one of those hidden dungeons that pop up in games all the time.

“Limited Dimension Wave?”

I muttered aloud to myself, but everyone else was similarly confused by what it meant. Shouko had already readied her weapon. It’s like she’s some sort of disciplined soldier, ready to engage in combat at the drop of the hat. Sheryl was simply looking around with her usual blank expression. Tsugumi had her battle scythe wielded in both hands. Her lower body trembled while her animal ears twitched agitatedly. Alto seemed out of it, just as before. And then there’s…

“Eeeeeeeeek! No, it’s too scary! Help meee!”

There was about one person who was almost repulsively afraid. But wait. Where did that verbal tic of her go? She’s actually that terrified? I mean, she was scared before, but… I don’t know, I feel bad for putting her through this now.

“Yamikage, it’s alright!” “… Kiz!” “… Who?” “… Miss Kizuna.”

I have so much to say about her correcting herself, but I can save that for later. I’m not about to ask her what she thinks about me though. But Yamikage. Just what is she? I’m sure if I got to know her, I’d understand her more and guess to how she is as a person. Not her character, but rather the actual player behind the ninja. I mean, of course, it’d be rude for me to pry. In online games like this, you never know who’s comfortable sharing what with whom. This is all just theory, but in my mind, Shouko is from old money, Sheryl… I’m not so sure about, Tsugumi is obvious, and Alto is probably… a little older. You know what they say about books and covers though.

“Chill, Yamikage. We’re in a game. Even if there were ghosts, it’s all just a game.” “… I understand, milady.”

From below her, I looked up straight into her eyes… And seemingly calmer now, she nodded in agreement. Alright, with her out of the way, I had to get a handle on the situation. I just had to pay no mind to Dark Shadow holding on to my sleeve.

“So, what’s does ‘limited’ mean?” “… With restrictions.” “I mean, if we look at it literally, then I suppose it’s a restricted Dimension Wave?” “I believe it to mean that it is limited to the current party listed in the information screen.” “Ooh, that makes sense…”

This was something I’ve seen more than once in MMO’s. It’s not dissimilar to instance dungeons and party quests. Tsugumi had played one that was all about co-op with your party members. It’s a total cliché, but I’ll bet that we’ll have to clear this dungeon and then defeat a boss. We’ll get quest rewards and boss drops at the end too. And we’re probably limited to doing this once a day or once a week or something. I get it now. That’s probably why it’s limited.

“Alrighty. No point to standing around like this. Shall we?”

contents: /prologue/ /ch001/ /ch002/ /ch003/ /ch004/ /ch005/ /ch006/ /ch007/ /ch008/ /ch009/ /ch010/ /ch011/ /ch012/ /ch013/ /ch014/ /ch015/ /ch016/ /ch017/ /ch018/ /ch019/ /ch020/ /ch021/ /ch022/ /ch023/ /ch024/ /ch025/ /ch026/ /ch027/ /ch028/ /ch029/ /ch030/ /ch031/ /ch032/ /ch033/ /ch034/ /next/

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not-in-wonderland-alice · 6 years

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Taipei for the first time

【Česky】

It’s already been a month since I packed up my life and moved to the other side of the world seeking adventures. I’ll be honest with you. It’s hard! But that’s life, there are ups and downs, good days and bad days. And even if there are bad days, I try my best to make the good ones out of them.

Although I don’t have many classes, I need to study hard in my free time. Chinese is still the most challenging class for me. What’s different from my home university is that we aren’t used to reading so much, here it is chapter or two per week.

On the other hand, free days are perfect for catching up with the school, doing nothing or finally some trips and adventures. On Saturday’s early morning we prepared for the first visit to the capital city. There are few travelling options. We’ve chosen the nearest bus stop, which is like 30-minute walk far from our dorm. There is ticket machine o if you prefer it the old way… a nice lady behind the small window. We’ve got a student discount so one-way trip cost us 105 TWD. The bus stopped on a few stops in the city and then straight on the highway and to the Taipei city centre, near to the main bus station, it was a 1-hour ride.

I don’t know how it is in city public transport but in the bus between cities is, of course, an AC, USB hole for charging phones, free Wi-fi and in some tv/tablet with some movies, music, games... In the Czech Republic, Regiojet buses and Trains use them too.

I was expecting a massive shock when I will come to almost 3 million cities. I don’t know why, but there was no wow effect. Might be, because I have already seen some big cities and I am kind of used on Taiwanese culture.

We’ve got off the bus near the main bus station which is right next to the main train station. Unfortunately, the first impression I got wasn’t so pleasant. The surroundings of the bus stop were just… ugly! Broken window of a now empty shop, dirty covers, garbage… The main station itself really improved my impression on Taipei so far. You know these parking houses with few floors. This was the same principle. You buy a ticket on the ground floor and then you go to one of the 5 floors to find your gate and you get on the bus. Strange thing for me that the ticket gets left right corner ripped off although there is perforated whole right part of the ticket. And when you get off the bus you need to return the ripped ticked to the driver.

After we walked a bit around the station we decided to walk into one of the 9 Taipei Districts. We walked past the National Museum, The President’s office, where they were preparing a huge stage with a speaker desk. I just found out it was because whole Taiwan will be celebrating "Double Ten Day“ in the other words Anniversary of founding Republic of China (Taiwan).

Political window

PRC = People’s Republic of China = the big, mainland China

ROC = Republic of China = Taiwan

Then we visited the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, former President of the Republic of China. This memorial hall is located in colossal areal of rectangular shape. On the west side you can see the main gate. If you wall through the gate you will find yourself on the Liberty Square. On the north and south side are placed National Theatre and National Concert Hall. And on the east side is erected the memorial hall itself. Do you remember how I said I wasn’t feeling the wow effect? Here it comes. Honestly… until this moment I thought how weirdly empty the streets of Taipei are. In this place, it changed. From above all the tourists seemed like ants... taking selfies.

On our way to the botanical garden, we as usual stopped for some bubble tea. If you don’t know what this phenomenon is, let me introduce it in a small cultural window.

Cultural window

Many of you might be surprised that these world-famous drinks formed in 80. years of 20. century right here in Taiwan. The classic version is black tea with milk and black „jelly“ or how Taiwanese say „QQ“ Tapioca balls (Tapioca is some kind of starch from some kind of plant, doesn’t matter, it tastes delicious.) Nowadays are popular fruity flavours, green tea, oolong and jellies in a wide range of flavours. You can find bubble tea vendors and shops almost on every corner in Taiwan.

We got a small break and relaxed in the botanical garden too. You can explore bamboos, water lilies, ferns or maybe some cactuses, have fun in the herbarium or look at the birds and squirrels fooling around. Botanical garden has free entry and if nothing it is a nice walk.

In the original itinerary, the almost last stop was the Museum of Contemporary Art. I haven’t got inside in the end because our plans unexpectedly changed, and we’ve headed to the MRT. I was so scared but using the MRT is soooo simple and easy. We are lucky because our school ID card in addition to the opening a variety of doors also works as a contactless credit card. You just simply put some money on it in the information booth (or if you are more experienced or brave you can use the machine), then you ta pit, get through the turnstile and you are free to enjoy your ride. When you are leaving the MRT you need to ta pit again and get through the turnstile out. Price is variable, it depends on how many stops did you ride through. We’ve went through almost half of the red line and paid only 20 TWD.

We’ve been standing in front of the Elephant mountain, which provides one of the best views on Taipei. Unfortunately, 400m separates you from the beautiful scenery. Now hear me out... 400m… which you must climb by stairs… very loooong and exhausting stairs. But I have to say... damn it is worth it. I think any time during the day. Up on the hill, there are a lot of spots to get the best glimpse on the sunset, sunrise or night city or whatever. There place is usually packed with tourist, but you can always look through the trees. We’ve been there for the sunset and night Taipei.

After two hours of chilling when it got quite cold (by that I mean it was 30°C and when the temperature drops to 24°C I am freezing... see... one month on Taiwan and my perception of temperature changed a lot., we’ve decided to go on diner with friends. We choose a smaller bistro. Boys decided to try a fried squid but we sticked to the beef with shallot.

Whereas the last bus leaves at 23 we’ve got back to MRT, and on the bus home. Positive is next Taipei adventures waits… just in a week!

And if you would think my life gets boring here… as I was lying down, writing this article I got feeling like I was in a train. I looked on my roommate and understood she is shaking too. I texted my friend in Taipei and asked him if I am going mad or…?

And that’s how I experienced my first earthquake ever!

#Tess in Taiwan #taiwan #taipei #Taipei101 #台灣 #捷克人在台灣 #台北 #台北101 #博客 #travelling #travelblog #english #mrt #chiangkai-shek #elephant mountain #象山

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