SL Chapter 8 The Old Woman


    The craft, after a few minutes of cruising along the height of the building, finally reached its destination, a massive hanger, also serving as a port. Eric was somewhat taken back and also surprised by the scene before him. Flying vehicles, private and public alike were either taking off after being loaded with cargo and passengers, or dropping off those two into the hangar. Eric even managed to spot some luxurious models of private craft that he had only managed to glimpse within videos and the other minor virtual worlds.


    His craft, found an empty landing pad, whose occupant had just vacated, and let him off. For a moment, he simply stood at the edge, taking in everything within this place. There was a vibrancy that was distinctly absent from where he had come from. Children were smiling, the adults had that glow of ambition and looking forward to tomorrow within their eyes. Down below, frowns of worry were more prevalent, yet here, the people had the peace to look forward to the next day. Envy, an emotion he hadn''t been certain he could feel towards those who weren''t Spirit Lords, was born within his heart as he took all that in.


    When young, from the fragmented memories he could remember, he had been like these people, happy, with glowing eyes, coupled with the presence of both his parents...


    A deep breath was forced out of his lips as he cut off that trail of thought before the gloom could settle in. Today was a new day. A day he might awaken. It was better to be optimistic.


    While he was gathering himself, he felt a tap upon his back, prompting him to turn around with such alarm that he almost lost his balance, only managing to stop himself from falling by holding into the railing behind him.


    Then, a pleasant chuckle, one like the twinkling of wind chimes, entered his ears, eliciting a rise of heat to his cheeks.


    In front of him, stood a pair of people. Behind them, was a new craft, one which had clearly already replaced the one that had dropped him off. It seems that his musings had taken a lot of time. He hurriedly checked the time on his device, only breathing a sigh of relief when it read: 11:23AM.


    After that, he took in the sight before him. First, like any normal man who had taken a long time without seeing beauty, or even chatting with any of his female colleagues, his gaze was drawn to the vibrant youth first. A girl that was wearing blue denim shorts that were showing off her spring thighs and tall legs. Her feet were enclosed within flip-flops, and a short sleeved grey blouse with an etching he didn''t recognize adorned her upper half. Her chest was modest. That was something he took notice of.


    And it seems that after the initial laugh, her attention had shifted elsewhere, because, Eric could see certain images flashing within her deep black pupils. Meaning that she was online.


    She had a head full of black short hair, that only fell to the tips of her ears.


    A cough from the girl''s side finally attracted his attention towards the other person beside her. His embarrassment at being caught staring must have been blatantly displayed upon his face, because the old woman who had coughed chuckled.


    "If it had been 20 years before, I would have been giving you an earful right about now, maybe even beating you up." she said in amusement.


    This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    Looking at her seemingly frail form, Eric wondered how that would have happened. Even though he was weak for his age, there was no way he would have lost to this frail old woman!


    She had white long hair, which had been arranged into a single braid that was swaying behind her back with any small movement by her head. She wasn''t old to the point of needing a walking stick or any help, with the only telltale sign being the wrinkles on her face.


    "Tessa. Your job is completed. You can head out and enjoy yourself."


    "Granny! What are you really going to be doing here?"


    "Am an old woman who is going to finally have a chance at reacquainting myself with my hobby."


    "What hobby? I hope it''s not something dangerous or mom will give me an earful!"


    The teen, Tess, had her eyes narrowed at the old woman, who didn''t flinch back for even a moment, only keeping up her smile. Ultimately, she sighed before stalking off.


    "Will she be safe?" After a few minutes, Eric asked. She was dressed in such a highly provocative outfit. Wasn''t that just inviting those with raging hormones to her?


    "Nah! This place is safe. Besides, she isn''t exactly a flower vase."


    This place was safe?! Really?! Eric had never seen anyone with that kind of clothing walking alone from where he was from! They only wore like that if they were with their boyfriends, parents, or someone with some measure of relation to them. But even then, Eric could count the number of times he had ever seen a woman in a miniskirt on his fingers in his 9 years of work!


    A look around almost caused his heart rate to speed up and his lower half to almost bulge. The women here were too... Tantalizing to a virgin like himself.


    "I have to go, Madam." After regaining himself, he spoke.


    "Lad, do you know the way to this hall?" with that question, a holographic image was displayed before him.


    ''The number is familiar...'' that thought was birthed within his mind before it clicked. Wasn''t this the number of the hall marked upon the invitation?! For real! An old lady was participating?!


    No... That shouldn''t be the case. There should be some other explanation. Was this woman connected to the big shot who had invited everyone? He wondered.


    "I am also heading for the same destination. Let''s go together." He offered with a professionally amiable smile. If the old lady was connected to the bigshot, maybe she could put in a good word for him, increasing his chances of being chosen?


    Through the crowds they walked. Eric gawked at the stores, the people, the atmosphere, the luxurious brands of clothing, and many other things as they walked. Even though he was dressed to the nines in his suit, he still felt small among these people.


    "You should walk with a straight back."


    "Huh?"


    "What I am saying, is that you should project confidence even when you don''t feel it." spoke the old woman. Until now, he hadn''t worked up the courage to ask her name. That would be considered overstepping his bounds if she had any relation to the bigshot.


    "Confidence... Where I come from, that''s a very hard thing to project. These people have that glow in their eyes, just like you, madam. They feel that they can keep chasing after tomorrow with confidence! For me, many problems stand in the way, most of which are related to finance."


    "The world really has changed. Back in my time, there were atleast still those that loved to chase dreams. But now, money is the problem, not to mention the fact that short attention spans brought upon by social media is causing a lack of concrete dreams. Do you have a goal? A dream?"


    ''Should I tell her that I want become a Spirit Lord? Or would that be me kicking myself in the shin?''


    "A Spirit Lord." Ultimately, he answered with the truth. There was no point in lying, or trying to come up with something else.


    "A Spirit Lord..." she mumbled before trailing off.


    After many corridors, elevators and a lot of walking, which had started to make him feel winded, they both found themselves before a sealed door, with two others already there, a burly man in a yellow vest and green pants, plus another thin man, with a cigarette in his mouth.


    Their casual attires made Eric all the more conscious of how formal he had dolled himself up. The granny''s casual attire hadn''t alerted him as he had simply taken it as normal with her connection, but upon seeing these two, he was starting to feel that maybe, he had overdressed.


    "What are you waiting for, lads?" asked the granny. Eric had somewhat been scared of starting a conversation with the two. They looked like delinquents. Grown up delinquents.


    "Well... Apparently, we have to wait until five people gather before being allowed in."


    ''Oh! Why couldn''t each one be allowed in as they arrived? Why is this bigshot so cautious? Are they expecting an attack of some sort?'' wondered Eric, even as he surreptitiously stole glances at the granny.


    ''I wonder, is she also an invitee? Maybe my assumption was wrong? But then why would a woman of her age want to take on such a risk when she has children, plus such a beautiful teenage granddaughter? I remember her mentioning something about a hobby... But isn''t that peculiar?''


    Before his thoughts could go any further, a fifth person arrived, a woman, tall, and also clad in a business suit, with a pair of glasses resting upon the bridge of her nose. She had long black hair that was cascading down her back like a waterfall, coupled with an electric gaze, courtesy of her brown eyes. Her body language was one that was screaming at everyone that she didn''t want to speak with anyone.