Fleeting Joy

Setagaya, Tokyo - 06/11/2022 - 12:50 PM

Varren leaned back in his chair and stretched out, extremely sore from hunching over his desk for the past few hours. Typing away on a subject which caught his interest seemed to distort time, minutes went by as fast as seconds. Once he finished jotting down the conclusive paragraph, his eyes wandered over to the digital clock, sitting on the back corner of his workspace. He narrowed his eyes in disbelief, having started his schoolwork at nine o’clock this morning. Being a second year student in high school was tiring, though he knew the proceeding cycle would decide his fate, where and how far he would get in life. After taking a sip from a cup of coffee, he made an annoyed expression at the beverage, which had unfortunately gone cold. The teen stuffed his laptop into a satchel and stood up from the desk, it dawned upon him what the time truly meant. He rushed over to the other side of his room and grabbed a grey helmet, the black visor which covered his eyes shined with luster. “Hey, mother! I’m going to play that game father bought me.” He called down the stairs, his mother responded with her allowance. Varren smiled and slipped the helmet onto his head, then laid back on his bed. He breathed in deeply, then exhaled.

”Link. Start.”

Floor 2: Urbas

Varren woke up with a start, the images of the dream still imprinted deeply in his mind. He was intaking sharp breaths, as if he was gasping for air. It took him a minute to calm down, he ran a hand through his hair, “Damn.” The player muttered repeatedly, trying to stabilize his mentality. Once he felt like it, he rose from the bed and dressed himself in his usual attire. “I need to go on a walk to clear my head.” Yinyues suggested to himself, departing from the inn after purchasing a cup of tea. Either than the rough start to his morning, he nonchalantly made his way through the city and ventured into the nearby forest. The highest level normal mobs which lurked on this floor were level sixes, only bosses which roamed the region would be attracted to him. When low level players ventured onto the higher floors, they attracted monsters like honey, especially those of the same rank as the floor number. As he made his way through the city, he noticed a certain notable individual. It was a beast tamer, which were uncommon in this game. Most players spent time padding their own stats, rather than developing an AI companion, which lacked a soul and individuality. As in depth as the AI system may be, it could never completely live up to actual beings. Its tamer was a short girl, who had hazel hair which went past her shoulders. She was draped in a trimmed yellow robe, which had a metal chestplate and shoulder-guards, bolted onto leather straps.

“Seems like she’s heading in the same direction as me. Probably going to try and grind for some EXP or col.” The distance between them was 100 meters, chances are they would stray into separate paths somewhere in the forest. He waited a bit until the person disappeared from his sight before entering the greenery. He took sips from the beverage at random intervals, finding its taste and the scenery relieving. Once in a while Varren committed himself to these stress-reducing walks, though it was hard to take a breather when monsters ambushed him at every turn. Though, the refreshing walk only last at least ten minutes, until he heard the clashing of metal in the distance. Though Varren’s stealth wasn’t that high, his natural physique wasn’t that noticeable. Being skinny and sleek, he was able to hide in between crevices, or take cover behind a tree. Normally, it would be sensible to walk away from the sound of a blade, but since it was only the second floor, its user probably wasn’t that high of a level. He found a small ridge to scale, and propped himself over its edge, peering down at the fight. The girl from earlier was fighting a «Wind Wasp», an oversized version of the ones from the real world, which possessed the ability to poison and freeze an individual if a hit is landed. Though, because of its ginormous body, it is relatively slow, making it easy to combat and dodge.

Varren studied the skills the tamer used, her dragon waited on standby as the fight went on. Though with a couple of skill activations, the monster was defeated with grace. He sighed out of relief, and intended to continue his walk. His eyes darted to his left when he felt breathing on his shoulder. The player was face to face with a bloodhound, bearing its teeth in frustration. Its red eyes stared directly into Varren’s, he glanced at the monster’s name. «Matriotic Lupian», it was a boss rated monster. A few meters behind it were two common wolves, probably the boss’ followers. “Shit!” Varren yelled as he activated his «Flat Edge» ability to parry the boss’ strike, the side of his blade collided with its claws. The mere force of the block sent him rolling down the hill, he stopped rolling once he reached the tamer’s level. He looked up at the mobs and readied his blade. One of the followers pounced down from the ridge, Varren instinctively raised his estoc and activated a different ability, «Piercing Strike». The blade gave off a magenta colored light, Yinyues lead the sword and jousted it towards the belly of the beast.

The wolf landed cleanly on the point, the blade then sank through its body, draining its life and causing it to burst into polygons. He backed up towards the other players and readied the estoc, “Um. Sorry, I was going for a walk and this thing snuck up on me.” The two other mobs slid down the ridgeside and brought themselves to a halt. A mass of blue light took form next to the pair, creating another minion. “We have to kill the boss, or else those followers will keep respawning.” Varren gripped the hilt of his sword tightly, making sure to keep his distance from the monster. “Even though it’s only level 10, it will be a hassle to take care of it. I’m surprised it hasn’t been killed for the past six months.” He took a battle stance, waiting for the mobs to make their next move.

<<Littrix>> <The Forest>

Aura was floating around the tree she was laying on. Tired, resting, she couldn't believe after sleeping until morning she would be tired as hell. She yawned seeing Aura, fly and land onto a branch. She smiled. For a few minutes she sat there but she got bored quickly. She stood up stretching doing almost nothing for half of the time. She thought about going back to town but she wanted to study more of the animals around the forest. She rolled around on the grass sometimes playing a game of "Catch the Stick" with Aura. She wanted to develop on the relationship of animals and sometimes players. But the people here are very..mean? Though sometimes she can hear people talking about the front lines or killing others and which scared the hell out of her. Only a few minutes passed by, Aura laying on a branch soundly. It was mundane the breeze was normal and the sounds were surreal. She felt human again. She didn't want to be in this virtual body anymore but at the same time didn't want to lose Aura. She frowned until she head noises.

Littrix heard the sounds of metal and clashing grounds. Hard stomps upon the ground until she noticed a high leveled man standing a few feet from her. She quickly stood up, Aura flying beside her as she picked up her Rapier which was laying on the ground. She noticed him fighting a creature, "Wolf?" she whispered to Aura, Aura responded with a nod as they both walked or flew closer. The man seemingly fought brutally. Kind of disgusting but then again it was just a virtual creature. The man spoke to her. She was in shock she noticed it was a area boss! She backed away from the man though she stood in her normal combat position.

Her body was at her side her blade slightly raised. She waited for only a few seconds until they attacked. Seeing minions forming around them Aura flew high watching over Lit as he positioned himself for battle. It was silent only the sound of breathing the leaves rustling and the growls of the wolfs. She frowned.

She was nervous, 'Why did I have to be here!' she asked herself as she almost began to tremble, trying to keep calm she breathed slowly and quietly her eyes seemed to be blank focusing on the ground. She grinned. She thought of a skill she learned at lvl 5. Though she could rarely use it since it had a long cool down! So she smirked. Thinking of a way she could use it!

An Idea burst to life in her mind, smirking as she yelled, " COVER YOUR EARS! " She activated a skill known as <<Flashing Penetrator>> Her blade began glowing bright yellow, twirling her rapier around her left hand until the blade faced down. Thus she stabbed the blade into the ground instead at the enemies causing a loud sonic boom and as well a crater of which she stabbed the blade in! The wolfs around them were stunned by the sound enough time to eradicate them! She began to fight! Here and there, sometimes aura would come in to breath in healing roars or maybe sometimes supporting the other players.

Izumi walked through the fields on floor two on her way to Urbas. She was planning on selling some information she got recently. However she was also interested about finding out more about this beast tamer which she had heard about. It was probably nothing but if it wasn't the information on how and where she acquired the skill and the beast from would be very valuable. It was such a nice day and since she was such a high level for the area none of the local mobs bothered her so her enjoyment was uninterrupted.

Arriving in town she went in to a lot of the inns, taverns and shops. She managed to earn some small amount of money by selling some information on a good levelling dungeon. Izumi didn't find any information that she could sell on so she decided to try and look for that beast tamer player. It took some searching but she managed to find out which inn she had stayed in. However it was much harder finding where she had gone from there. It took a while but she found the general direction.

It took some time searching for this so called beast tamer. Her imagination ran wild with what the person and creature might look like. She imagined the creature to be big and vicious and the tamer to be strong and tall. However her thoughts where cut sort after hearing a large boom. Izumi ran to see what was happening. She then ran into a mob attacking two players. Izumi imagined it was an area boss causing the mobs to spawn. As such she might be targeted and it was probably best to leave and keep searching she thought. Until she saw the little dragon like creature. This must be the trainer she couldn't believe it she was only a small kid but then she felt a bit annoyed thinking to herself that kid was only an inch or so sorter than her.

Izumi after considering all her options decided she should help them. After all she needed to know where the girl got her little friend from. She decided to attack from behind and try to split the area bosses mobs in to two smaller more manageable groups. Attacking from behind she managed to use her katars to do quick levels of damage the creatures as she should her katars were suited for dps. It worked some what as some of the mob creatures started to attack she tried to keep her damage out put but also used her acrobatics skill to dodge the serious blows. Thinking to herself she hoped this information was worth it and that the girl would tell her. I mean it would be rude if she didn't after all I'm saving her life she thought to herself.

Fenros woke up early, as was his habit from the real world. He stretched and groaned, he missed his own bed... and none of these beds in this world really felt....right. Course if he had his own place he could custom build a bed to his liking... Grumbling he got up and Equipped his armor and after thinking for a bit he decided to equip his Dagger and Tomahawk. Any chance to level up those would be good, he thought to himself before exiting his room and heading downstairs.

He ordered some breakfast and sat down in the corner of the room, as he ate he watched the room, listening for any leads on Pkers in the area. Not that there would be many, since everyone who stayed here were lower levels, and they wouldn't gain much since floor 35 was cleared, most were between 20 and 35. But you never know, Some just want to see the world burn. He ran into a few like that already... and people said the level bosses were scary. Nothing more scary than an Insane man killing as many people as he could before he himself was killed.

He finished his food, and as he did he noticed a girl walk down the stairs, a small dragon following her. His left eyebrow raised up in surprise, Beast tamers were rare. He heard rumors but never met one. He watched her leave as his head was cocked to the side. He hoped she stayed around the area, he would like to ask her about her dragon... IF Mia decided to wake up soon. She was a horrible morning person... and waking her up before she was ready was a sure way to get on her bad side.

He only waited a few minutes more before Mia walked down the stairs at which he said, "Good morning... I take it you slept well." As he placed a tea in front of her. He saw that she was going to say something but hesitated and quickly took the tea. He knew tea calmed her, What she didn't know is that he had his pack full of tea... just in case of emergencies.

As her eyes slowly opened he then said, "Hey just so you know I saw a Beast tamer walk out earlier. " She perked up at the mention of Beast tamer, he continued." I was hoping we could catch up to her and find out if it's an event that we missed or what. I think it would be awesome to have a Monkey... I mean come on who doesn't like monkeys?" He said with a big smile.

Mia was sitting straight up in her chair, perfect posture as always and sipping her tea. Her eyes opened just enough that he could see her staring right into his eyes, Then placing her tea down she then said, "Of course you would love a monkey, then you and your monkey can pick at each others lice." She gave a tiny smile that lasted a second before Fenros replied. " Ha Ha... Really funny."

She finished her tea and stood up, "Alright lets go." At which Fenros stood up as well and moved to the door.

---

After a while of asking around about any leads of pkers they decided to leave town and take it easy for the day. That's when they ran into a group of players fighting a boss monster. Compared to their levels the boss was nothing. But the group seemed to be holding their own. Obviously none of them were very high in levels, Among them was the Beast tamer! Fenros glanced at Mia who's expression did not change, when he did, but gave a slight nod. At which Fenros bolted towards the group.

Because of his level, suddenly more wolfs spawned, Some going after him, others going towards the other players. He pulled his Tomahawk and dagger out, and with out slowing, ran straight into the first one with his dagger at head level, burying it into the wolfs chest as it jumped at him, shattering the wolf to pieces, He swung his tomahawk to the left and caught another in the face. then ducking and spinning he raised his dagger up and caught the belly of a third that leaped over him as he had ducked.

He then noticed three arrows wiz by his head towards three more wolfs but it didn't faze him as he ran towards the boss. He wasn't going to kill it, but ALMOST kill it. He was going to give the points to who ever, As he ran past the Beast tamer and the other male player, he yelled "Ill wound it and one of you guys take it!" He didn't wait for an answer as rushed the boss, He dodged two of it's swipes, and rolling to it's side and slicing it's leg barely, He saw the HP bar go into the red and barely stop just at the middle of the red zone.He then continued to keep the attention of the Boss, by evading it's attacks.

Happenstance ::: Floor 35

Somewhere about mid-morning a rumpled, bleary-eyed Happenstance stumbled out of bed, yawning excessively. His previous night's sleep had been restless and full of bad dreams, he just wanted to get some breakfast and get on his way to somewhere less stressful. Imagine his disappointment when he arrived downstairs to find the common area flooded with guards from some police guild. He groaned and was about to return to his room when one of them apprehended him. "Sir, please remain where you are, we are in the middle of an investigation."

"Push off!" Happenstance said irritably, giving the man a shove, though not too aggressively. After a moment or two it registered, and he remembered the previous night's murder. Well they were too late to catch the woman now, but he supposed he at least needed to give them credit for trying. It was none of his business anyway, and with that in mind he slinked along the wall to the corner near the door, hoping to slip outside unnoticed. Fat chance, he doubted even air couldn't pass through that door right now, and any attempt of escape could possibly incriminate himself so he decided to stay put. Though he must have looked suspicious because two guards confronted him, and still not fully awake and with an empty stomach he hardly felt inclined to appeal to their better nature. Quite the opposite really, he strung together some pretty colorful words to express his distaste of the whole scenario.

Just when he was ready to lose his mind another guard arrived, apparently it was this someone the other guild members had been waiting on, and this player promptly ordered all the rest out of the tavern. MezmeriSin he read the username. He seemed to have some common sense so Happenstance decided that he liked him, and when MezmeriSin said he'd buy them all food and drink he decided that maybe he could forgive the guild's intrusion on his sad little virtual life.

He dashed to the bar, eager to fill his belly. He snatched up a mug and leaned on the counter, trying to appear casual. "You know I was really pissed off when I woke up to this," he addressed the head man himself and took a long drought of ale, "But you really know how to be a people pleaser. Bravo. Most people don't bother with that anymore. I'll have you know that I had a front row seat for last night's drama…" he went on, eager to make himself worthy of the offer of a free breakfast. "I'll be happy to answer all your questions over some bacon, eggs, and pancakes. Sausage too, with lots of maple syrup. Oooh, and a couple of those cinnamon buns…" His eyes rolled back at the thought of the steaming rolls covered in sweet cream-cheese icing. It was more than enough to make his mouth water. Happenstance snapped out of his babbling though, not wanting to miss this opportunity. "Where are my manners? Sorry, I always wake up hungry. The name's Happenstance, though most folks who come by me are too lazy to pronounce that mouthful, so you can call me Hap if you want." He offered his hand to shake, accompanying the gesture with a friendly grin. "Just tell me noble sir, what you would like to know."

As Fenros Rushed in, Mia slowly pulled her longbow from her back and knocked an Arrow. She then watched carefully for the most potential Danger. Quickly scanning the situations of the three other players, and Ignoring Fenros she noticed one flanking a female player behind the boss. She pulled the string back and let loose an arrow, skimming by Fenros's head and passed the boss, and into the side of the head of the wolf. Shattering it instantly. She then saw one leaping towards the male character, and she knocked and fired the second arrow within a second. Hitting the heart of the beast and sending it sideways, and it shattered once it hit the ground. Finally she shot another just in front of the Beast tamer.

Her attention then focused infront of her as a wolf raced towards her, she didnt have time to knock another arrow and fire, so she whipped her bow and slapped the wolf in the face while spinning to the left, knocking another arrow and shooting it in the neck. She sighed and looked to see Fenros attack the boss. Before Firing at another Wolf racing towards her.

~~Day Zero~~

Kilia smiled as she tore open the package which she bought a mere thirty minutes ago. It was wrapped up like a birthday present, despite her already knowing what it was, and even so it came as a surprise as to what lay within: Sword Art Online with a brand new, fully-functioning NerveGear! Excitement clouded her judgement like a wildfire in a burning forest, and the series of "thank you"'s and "I love you"'s that came out of her mouth were faster and more jumbled than her parents had ever received before. For all they knew, this was what Kilia loved. But deep inside, she knew that this was her one ticket to a new and prosperous life. One where she can become somebody instead of a nobody. Where she can make friends and be a part of a group with them, and finally have a happy place in life.

Dashing upstairs, she immediately set up the NerveGear beside her computer setup like so many others could be doing all across Japan. She completed all the given instructions to help the start-up of the NerveGear, such as the many stretching-like instructions to help the NerveGear link up with the bodily systems, and was soon ready to begin. Her excitement was almost dropped by the momentary thought process of why you'd need to do numerous physical activities for something that links up to the brain, though she quickly drained the thought with something technical that required it. She inserted the cartridge and without a moments hesitation she uttered the two fate-binding words...

"Link. Start!"

Present Day...

Kilia awoke with a start, the dream or even nightmare of when she was first taken into the virtual reality game spinning around in her head, constantly tugging her, telling her, that she needed to find a way out. A way back home. She lay there, unmoving, quietly staring at the cold, morning sky, as feelings of guilt and thoughts of the dead haunt her memories. The fear they expressed, the pain they shared...the tears and prayers that they spare their lives... The blood that was spilt by her very hands, and the way the crimson-blood-red symbol bobs above her head. It was a warning to all of who she was. A PKer. She felt inclined to turn herself in, but she knew her sentence would be instant death. Almost 100 murders committed, with many more accounts of thievery and public endangerment... And she feared death...

It was an endless cycle. She couldn't break it no matter what she did. If she stopped killing, she wouldn't be able to support herself any way else, aside from being a huntress. Even then, the it'd be a painful scrape for survival, as she's need to live in the wild's, away from any man, woman or child that came near. If she decided to hand herself in or commit suicide, she'd die. Death was something she'd rather not associate with, as the very concept frightened her... Bad tidings with history... It left no other option, really. She forced herself into this business, and now she can't escape.

She sighs as an icy chill passes through the house, seeping through her leather armour as though it were nothing and eventually making her quite cold. Kilia rose from her bed and immediately lit the fire, which, to her surprise, still had enough firewood and charcoal leftover to be reignited. She took the warm embrace of the fire for a few minutes, letting it heat up the insides of the house, before once again checking over her inventory. The man last night that she murdered had very little on him, and it was safe to assume most of his valuables were someplace else or with someone else. A new sword, though it wasn't as good as her own blades, as well as a couple thousand Col and some food and water. 'All I need...' she thinks to herself as she takes the food for breakfast. It was better than a cold soup...

She finishes her breakfast reasonably fast and adds the sword and the Col to her inventory. She'd probably need to get the blade fenced so to make sure nobody could figure out who it belonged to, though that could be done at a later date. She then pulls up her main menu and looks at her PM's, which still shown quite a few leftover contracts that were yet to be completed. Her previous client had payed up and the Col had been gifted to her account, and she deleted the message. 'Onto the next one...'

---

Username: Shvril
Title: Job = Slaughter
Message: Mistress Dark Arrow, or Mora, whichever you prefer, I have a job for you. I know that you're a very busy person so I'll cut right to the chase. We need you to help clear out the latest dungeon on floor 39. We believe the boss room is there, also, as it's one of the last remaining dungeons and we haven't been able to reach floor 40 yet. We have our own units stationed there and they've made some progress though we don't have any archers, a spot that you've been remarkably known for. All you need to do is cover the men, though if you really wish you could go in and fight alongside them, even go as far as killing the enemies single-handedly if you feel the need. Basically, help pave the way to where we think the boss is, as well as clearing the entire dungeon.

All loot spoils that you obtain will be yours to keep, on top of the money and EXP bonuses I'm offering. Oh, speaking of the offer, it's divided into two parts. Here's what I can get you:

For helping clear the dungeon: 250,000

Helping defeat the boss: 750,000

And keep in mind, that's two offers individually, meaning you can claim a maximum of 1,000,000 Col. It sounds like a lot, yes, but it accounts for damage repairs and any supplies or provisions you'll need for your trip. That's about it.

S.

---

Username: Dark Arrow Mora
Title: Job = Slaughter
Message: Do note that if this is an attempt to kill or capture me I'll be forced to kill you. Now, if that isn't the case, consider it done. I'll be claiming both of those offers, thank you...

DAM.

---

Username: Shvril
Title: Job = Slaughter
Message: Excellent! I expect your contributions to the battle to be quite admirable! Don't worry, if you really want to, I'll be there in case you decide the battle is a trap and feel I'm to blame. Just keep in mind, though the monsters are a little below your own level, they should be fought against with caution.

S.

---

The conversation ends there, and Kilia readies her equipment. Looking it over, she evaluates that her blades might need a little bit of sharpening and her arrows could do with a restock. 'Damn, looks like I'll need to head to town...'. Kilia quickly checks over her things one final time before heading back to town...

Floor: 39
Weather Set: Cloudy skies, rain.
Dungeon Name: Goblin King's Fortress

Hundreds of soldiers filled the barren grasslands. Up ahead was the latest dungeon: A massive fortress of clay and sand. The skies were grey, and a moderate rain came down. The raindrops made a chatter as they landed upon the soldiers' armor.

At least four different guilds were here. Among them were Knights of the Blood, lead by Heathcliff, and Vanguard, lead by a man named Darrus.

"Good morning, Thall." greeted Besil as Thall stepped up to the hill. From here, he could see all of the armies, poised to attack. Besil was a large man who used a greathammer. He was also the tactician of Vanguard, and Thall's mentor. "I take it you've slept well?" Besil added.

"I have, sir." Thall replied. He noticed Darrus, the leader of Vanguard, standing beside Besil. Thall immediately stood in attention and saluted.

"At ease, Thall." Darrus said. He seemed troubled, which was rare for a leader of his kind. "I've called you here for a special purpose."

Thall lowered his saluting hand, but remained standing in attention.

"There is a rumor that one of the other guilds has hired a mercenary." Darrus continued. "A female bow user. What troubles us is that she has a red mark on her player icon."

"They would hire such a person?" Thall asked in disbelief.

"It is only a rumor," Darrus continued. He turned to Besil, the tactician. "Besil has noted all of the places on this field that a skilled archer may use. If she's good, she'll be in one of them when the fight starts."

"I see. She will not live to see the light of tomorrow's morning." Thall stated clearly.

"Not so fast." Darrus spoke. "Your mission is not to kill her."

"This is the perfect opportunity to strike down an unclean one, sir. How can we-"

"Listen to your leader, Thall." Besil, Thall's mentor, interrupted. There was harshness in his tone. Thall quieted down.

"Our duty is to see this game end as quickly as possible." Darrus reminded. "If we hurt her now, she's bound to cause trouble for her contractors. Something like this could spark conflict between the guild that hired her, and us. If we are to clear this game, we must avoid such unnecessary conflict. Do you understand, Thall?"

"Yes, sir."

"And as much as it pains me to say it, the only archers here today are Heathcliff's own, along with a few other mercenaries. We could use an extra bow, even if the player is an unclean one." Darrus said. "She could help us finish this dungeon faster. She might even prevent some losses, if she's good enough."

"Then what is my mission?"

"You will accompany us to the front lines first." Darrus began explaining. "Once she has arrived, you will leave us and fight wherever she is. Keep an eye on her. Make sure she doesn't stab anyone on the back. If anything goes wrong, send us a message."

"I understand." Thall said.

Besil, Thall's mentor, placed a hand on his shoulder. "Do not let your anger get a hold of you." He said.

---

"It is better to bleed among brothers, than to heal alone!" A soldier's shout was heard amidst the chaos.

The muddy land between the hill and the Goblin fortress had turned into hell on earth. The four armies had clashed against the Goblin hordes, with each player giving it their all to advance further towards the fortress. Shouts, cries of pain, and the sounds of swords and axes hitting each other, were all too much for one's ears to handle. The rain had turned the land into mud, making it even more difficult for one to stand his ground.

Thall's shield smashed into the face of a goblin, sending its teeth flying out of its mouth. He followed this strike with a stab from his sword, digging the blade into the creature's throat. He pulled his blade out and delivered a kick into the goblin's gut to push him away.

As soon as it was dead, the goblin disappeared. But the fight was too hectic for Thall to bother looting it now. Although the fight was chaotic, Thall felt safe. He was standing with the other members of Vanguard, who had formed a tight wall as their fighting formation. So far, no one from Thall's guild had died.

The enemy came in endless swarms, filing out of the fortress up ahead. The goblins were tough, but their main strength came from their numbers. The players hadn't even reached the dungeon yet, and had already been fighting for hours.

The battle raged on. Within moments, Thall was already neck to neck with another foe.

Nevereverland

”COVER YOUR EARS!”

The girl behind Varren shouted as she activated a blade skill. A yellow light covered the rapier, which she stabbed into a ground. He quickly sheathed his sword and cuffed his ears, taking a step to the girl’s side. She stabbed the blade into the ground, and within an instant, a crater formed before the monsters, which did AoE damaged, along with stunning them. “Good job…” He glanced up at her nametag, Littrix, it read in bold lettering. “...Littrix? Alright, quickly accept this request so you get the experience points as well.” With a quick swipe with his right hand, the main menu popped up in front of him. Yinyues sent a request and readied his sword yet again. He planned to not let Lit’s ability go to waste and took a combat stance. As he was about to charge the wolf pack, another individual joined the fight. The woman was a katar user, she excelled at DPS, as she was extremely nimble and knew when to break off. “Hm, there seems to be activity on the second floor than I expected. Maybe they’re drawn to that dragon of yours’?” He asked, glancing back at the girl. Though she seemed to be a decent fighter, Varren easily noticed her shaking arms. The katar user seemed to be in the same level range as him, since she wore equipment found in the twenties.

Varren’s display was drawn to two more individual entering the scene, who were making their way through the forest, still residing in the trees. One took the initiative and bursted from the treeline, dual-wielding a dagger and a tomahawk. His shoulders, chest, legs and knees were protected by plates of shining metal, along with leather garments covering where the armor came short. A golden spear was attached to his back, judging by its appearance, it and its user were both high levels. He was unable to see the bow-user from this angle, but the two operated in sync, covering for each other. For the wolves which didn’t receive a blade to the chest, were pierced by arrowheads instead. “He looks a bit familiar. I’ll be right back, this will be dealt with shortly.” Varren spat out, “That dragon can heal, right? Hopefully there won’t be a need for it to use its abilitiy.” He steadied his grip around his sword and charged the group of canines. The spearman easily brought it down to the red zone, but had the decency to back off.

“Can’t a young man go on walk, with a cup of tea, and not be ambushed by a damn wolf!?” He yelled aloud as he charged the boss. A minion pounced into his path and swatted at him with its lethal paw. Varren activated his skill, «Flat Edge», and brought the blade up, then swiped at the beast’s side. He remembered the angle of the arrows and sent it flying towards the archer. The lupian was struck by an arrow midair and bursted into shards of blue light. Rather than finishing the wolf, he took time out of the battle to greet the player, who he vaguely remembered. The image of the hairstyle was blurred in his mind, he tried his best to recall the name. “Oh yeah, your name is… Fenr… Fenros?” He proposed, cocking his head, “I remember you, you helped out with the floor clearing. I fought alongside you until we reached the twenty-first floor, then I just called it quits. I take it that’s your friend up there as well?”

Oddly enough, Varren had his back towards the boss. He didn’t wait for a response, as the monster attempted to lob off his head with a massive paw. Normally, a player of his level would have been killed in an instant; but due to the fact Yinyues had dumped almost half of his skill points into the «Awareness» tree, it was child’s play to counteract and dodge the attack. “Wait a moment.” He took a step back as the lupian tried to take a bit out of him, its mouth slammed shut on thin air. Varren took this opportunity and leapt onto the matriarch’s head. His sword lit up with a magenta hue as he activated the ability, «Piercing Strike». The player jammed the blade’s tip in between its scapula, piercing the axis and axor. In reality, this would paralyze a wolf and force it to pass out. In-game, it was one of the few critical hit points, and along with Varren’s skill, the canine’s life was brought to a quick end.

Congratulations!

You earned:

«530 Col»

«1,000 EXP»

The earnings were split evenly between Lit and Varren. Since he never had the chance to invite the katar-user to the party, he would have to think of another way to thank her. “Thanks for the assistance.” Varren said to the person of similar level. He then spun around to face Fenros, “So, how’s it been? I see you’ve been leveling like crazy. I haven’t really been on the front lines for a couple of months, but a friend of mine has been keeping me up to date. How about we all get a snack at an in-” His train of speech was cut off when a message notification popped on his screen, the sender was FeliX. He was cautious whether to open it or not, as it was a voice message, and it was in Varren’s best interests to not expose the surrounding players to his contagious stupidity. He let out a sigh as he clicked the red, blinking light on the diamond.

”Hey what’s up man? Last night was a blast, I don’t think I’ve ever drank so much ale in my life and not have to go to the hospital! Anyways, I found these two level 30 chicks who need some new, stylish garments. Perhaps you can whip up something special, because god damn, they are smo-” Varren regretted every second he listened to the message, he quickly stabbed a knife into the device, rendering it useless. “Idiot… Anyways, shall we go and get out of this forest? I need a cup of coffee?” He asked as he scanned the expressions of the newcomers. They were most definitely listening to Varren, but he noticed their eyes slowly straying towards Lit. Though, upon further analysis, their line of sight was directed towards her companion. He shrugged and walked over to the girl, “You seem to have piqued the interest of a few individuals. Who would’ve guessed there’d be so many roamers on floor 2?” Varren whispered to Lit, then glanced to the dragon, oblivious of its rarity.

Thwonk!

As Thall moved on to his next opponent, he could see the creature fall to the ground all too suddenly. It may have taken a second or two to realize, though the Goblin bastard appears to have been shot! Not just by a regular arrow or at regular bow strength, either, or at least not as strong as the standard mercenaries nor the Knights of the Blood Oath's standard bows and arrows. No. Whoever shot this was an expert. The shot landed directly in the back of the creature's head, dealing critical damage for both sneak attack and by hitting a weak area. The arrow was made from a black material, and it seemed to have pieces almost through the skull entirely! You don't get that kind of power from a regular bow, even at the closest of ranges, that was for sure...

---

As Kilia reached the outskirts of town, she made sure to climb the rooftop of a nearby building and had her entire body concealed in her armour. Despite the fact that it was only really early morning, there was still enough daylight for her to be caught out in public for, and, considering last nights public display, as well as her red icon, she decided against just strolling into town towards the black market...

Crossing across the buildings was difficult at first, as many were more spaced out towards the edges of the city, though as she came closer to the city she found it easier to maneuver around the place whilst staying relatively unseen. Her footsteps were no more than a series of tapping to those that resided inside, NPC or player, and could easily be mistaken for something to do with the structure.

She passes by the Tavern that'd been the scene of last night's murder, though pays little attention to the guards whom were taking their leave from the place. Two stood guard just outside, and she thought about killing them just for the fun of it, though quickly slapped herself back to reason (and sanity) and kept hidden, avoiding any visionary areas the guards' had and keeping to their blind spots. She doubted they'd spotted her by the end of it all, though made sure to keep an eye out on her six as she made her way to the black market...

The place was disguised well enough. It appeared to be nothing more than a simple merchant shop on the outside, as well as the inside, though if you knew what to ask for, you would finding more than meets the eye. The place was commonly associated with the Theives Guild and, to be frank, still is to this day, though it's use had been steadily declining ever since they got their own personal Fence. Still, selling off things here was the best thing for a criminal...

As Night Arrow entered, she could see her usual order waiting on the counter: some weekly provisions, about 20 arrows, 5 throwing daggers and a repair tool: a hammer with seemingly magical properties that could be used to repair the durability of any item. This one had been upgraded to repair three things, as usual, and was used on her swords and bow commonly. She dropped the sack of Col on the counter and took the items, leaving the sword that she claimed earlier, attaching a simple note to it with her paper and ink:

'This needs to be appraised and fenced. PM me if it's useful. DAM.'

Without a moment's hesitation, Mora exits the building with her new-found equipment. No doubt the floor would soon be flooded with NPC's and players alike, and she didn't want to stick around to meet them...

---

Kilia had scaled the fortress from the side, avoiding direct conflict and any sniping positions from where one'd expect her to be, in case of ambush. The Goblins proved to be little match to her skill, and were soon slain by her dual blades. Someone from the attacking forces might've picked up why there wasn't any archers firing at them, and it appeared this was the reason. Perhaps if the goblin archers were still alive and fighting, they wouldn't have made as much progress as they did...

Although it took hours to eliminate every last Goblin defending the walls, it was eventually finished and Mora was free to reign hell on the opposing forces, which she did so by firing arrows at the Goblins as they neared the human forces, mostly focusing on helping anyone who appeared to be in danger. Her bow skills activated consistently, from firing triple arrows in a technique known as <<Tri-Shot>> to an almost automatic flurry of arrows in rapid succession in a skill known as <<Rapid Fire>>. Goblins fell left, right and center, and she felt confident that their numbers would diminish given time, though kept a level head and focused solely on the slaughterfest below...

With the coming of the dawn, Saraswati realized her "day" was done. Thieving was much easier at night, most people slept and accessing their inventories without their noticing was much simpler. Further, it was far easier to shake pursuit when one could disappear into the shadows. For the first hours after dawn she visited shops, selling her more common spoils and that was where the frustration came. In real life, selling an item typically garnered you one quarter to half its value. Here in this stupid game world, just like in most game worlds, one earned only ten percent. It definitely made thieving Col much more lucrative than candlesticks, snuff boxes and fine china.

Still, another evening and she had enough coin to survive her for a while. Actually, thanks to her savings from back when she was ambushing players and adventuring she had a significant overhead. She'd been slowly eating away at that overhead but it would last a year at this rate. If they hadn't escaped this infernal hell by then she rather imagined they'd all be dead anyways. If only someone could hack their way clear to the internet, find out what was going on outside. Had they been moved to hospitals? Maybe when the Nerve Gear self destructed they were able to resuscitate the victim? Were the police hunting down the game designer?

Then she headed towards the tavern. This early in the day there were few players. Mostly they were NPCs that would file out and disappear when PCs came into the tavern and took their place. That really didn't matter. Taking a seat in one of the rear booths were she could easily see those that entered through the front and possibly bolt for the back door in case of emergency Saraswati took a swig from the ale she ordered and pondered. Leaning back, stroking her long ebony braid, she considered again her situation. The last time she was here and so considered it she tried marrying a wealthy NPC. The idea was simple. She'd have access to his unlimited money, protection from his guards, and a cushy place to stay for free. That, unfortunately, hadn't worked. The game specifically seemed designed to avoid that particular tactic. She even once considered whoring for coin then she remembered how sick and disturbed some players could be and abandoned that idea as fast as it came to her.

No, she was pretty much in this for the long haul.

Raxacoricofallapatorius said
He dashed to the bar, eager to fill his belly. He snatched up a mug and leaned on the counter, trying to appear casual. "You know I was really pissed off when I woke up to this," he addressed the head man himself and took a long drought of ale, "But you really know how to be a people pleaser. Bravo. Most people don't bother with that anymore. I'll have you know that I had a front row seat for last night's drama…" he went on, eager to make himself worthy of the offer of a free breakfast. "I'll be happy to answer all your questions over some bacon, eggs, and pancakes. Sausage too, with lots of maple syrup. Oooh, and a couple of those cinnamon buns…" His eyes rolled back at the thought of the steaming rolls covered in sweet cream-cheese icing. It was more than enough to make his mouth water. Happenstance snapped out of his babbling though, not wanting to miss this opportunity. "Where are my manners? Sorry, I always wake up hungry. The name's Happenstance, though most folks who come by me are too lazy to pronounce that mouthful, so you can call me Hap if you want." He offered his hand to shake, accompanying the gesture with a friendly grin. "Just tell me noble sir, what you would like to know."

Mez stared at the young man who had just obnoxiously introduced himself, whilst drinking the ale he'd just bought for Virgil. A slight grin formed on his face, he didn't know why but he liked him already. And so, taking the player's hand in his own hardened grip and returning the gesture, he said, "Hap, is it? Well Hap, most people aren't so forthcoming when it comes to investigations like these. Some might even say you're acting far too eager..." He paused, mostly for effect, but partly because he wanted to weigh up the boy's reaction. "But then again, I find that food is the biggest motivator when it comes to getting people to talk." He ended the handshake with a laugh and took another mouthful of ale, he soon need to order another.

"Barkeep! I believe I'll need three pints this time around. Seems as if I've found my fish." He flipped the man behind the bar another gold coin. Mez then tuned back to Hap and asked, "Do you know who I am? And, if you do, what it is I'm here to achieve?"

Happenstance shrugged at Mez's suggestion that his eagerness could betray some ulterior motive. He took a seat beside the other player and said matter-of-factly, "Since I haven't done anything wrong I don't see why I ought to act all skittish like the rest of 'em. Besides, I have an alibi." He jabbed his thumb at the barkeep, "Just ask him where I was last night."

The barkeep, a grisly man with a big red beard, nodded as he brought Hap's requested breakfast. "Damn if I have to hear another one of his bad jokes," he grumbled, "It was all I could do to keep him stuffing his face so that he'd shut up."

"Hey now! They were funny!" Hap pretended to be hurt, but then giggled childishly. "Hey uh, Mr. MezmeriSin," he turned his attention back to his new friend, "What's blue and doesn't weight very much?" He paused dramatically, raising his eyebrows before answering his own question, "Light blue!" The barkeep groaned and went back to doing whatever it was barkeeps do, Hap didn't really pay much attention to those sorts of details.

As MezmeriSin ordered another round, Hap tried to hide his smile. Light blue, hah! He shook his head and tried to put on a more serious face. When the man began questioning him he said, "Allow me to demonstrate my powers of deduction on that one. If you mean 'do you know who I am?' in the literal sense, I'd say some cheeky fellow who goes by the name of MezermiSin who thinks he's kind of edgy. If you mean something more like have I heard of you and your grand exploits, nada. But since your first question relates greatly to your second question I'm thinking you meant something along the lines of 'I'm Batman and this city needs me' AKA some kind of self-imposed local law enforcement here to right a wrong and uphold justice. Go ahead and tell me to shut up if I'm wrong, but if not then I'll just keep talking."

He took a bite of scrambled eggs before continuing, gesturing with the fork in his hand. "You're here to get the details on a certain PKer who was at a certain tavern (that's here) last night and killed another certain player (I didn't catch his name, sorry) among other things." He went on to describe in vivid detail the events of the previous night, pausing every so often to eat and drink. He explained how the player Dark Arrow Mora showed up and forced the victim into a duel, and how she left, and how another person had followed her but Hap hadn't noticed him beforehand so he couldn't give much more information. "I think his username was something like 'Darrel Mountain' or something, I'm probably wrong so don't quote me on it." He then explained how most of the patrons skedaddled after that, so the majority of the people in the room had come after that happened and didn't know very much.

"So anyway," he polished off the last bite of pancake, "That's when you and your guild buddies showed up. That's all I got." Happenstance drained his cup and then wiped his mouth on his sleeve. "Thanks for breakfast by the way."

Bane sat at the edge of a lake, starring mindlessly into the water. A fishing rod was propped up next to him. He had set it up 2 hours ago, and so far had only caught two low level fish. "I swar the RNG in this game either hates me or I literally have caught more fish than the lake spawns." He uttered out loud to himself. This lake had become a favorite fishing spot of his, it had fish of different values, which made catching a variety and leveling fishing easy, not to mention it was right by a town, meaning lots of foot traffic, so little to fear in terms of PK or monsters above his level. Bored, he opened up his character info in the menu and stared at the fact he was level 20, a level he had been at for quite some time. "Not good enough to solo, so I can't go without a party, yet finding one seems to be proving difficult." He muttered to himself, a habit he picked up from all the alone time spent fishing.

Bane was ready to give up when he noticed the end of his fishing pole suddenly jerk. Finally had another bite, and hopefully a rare fish. Grabbing the rod, he began reeling and pulling as hard as he could. The fish put up a good resistance, nearly pulling him into the water more than once, but finally he managed to pull the fish onto land. He held it down until it finally stopped moving. Swiping his finger over the fish, his appraise window popped up, showing that the fish was worth a fair amount of money. "No point fishing after a catch like this." He said adding it to the other to fish in a nearby sack and removing a teleport crystal from his inventory.

Using the teleport crystal, he jumped to the main town on the second floor and went to some local NPC markets where other players also commonly set up. He managed to sell the fish at a good price to a local NPC. Now he had money to last him a couple days. "If memory serves, the town cross the forest as a player commonly selling ore, I could use some more to craft some weapons." He thought to himself, making his way into the forest towards the next town.

Littrix

Seeing as many high levels came she honestly wondered why they were coming. She was slightly intimidated but it really didn't matter. All she needed to do was kill the rest. She stood there a few feet behind 'Varren' she was still in her battle stance. Seeing that the wolves were waiting for her turn? She didn't know she was all new to the 2nd floor and didn't know much about the monsters. She retracted her left arm to the middle of her chest. Aiming her blade towards a wolf. <<Linear>> Her blade gleamed blue as she swiftly dashed towards the wolf like a ice skater but on grass. Once she hit the wolf she jumped up into the air her arm moving sideways as she dashed downwards towards the wolf slashing it with all her might. ((It was another Linear combo)) She standing in between two wolfs standing there as she once again jumped up dashing back down to the ground stabbing her sword into the ground as she activated <<Howl>>

The ground cracked around the blade as a loud screeching noise filled the area where the high levels were fighting. The wolves whined backing away and 5 damage points were taken from the mobs. She stood back up, grabbing the hilt of her rapier as she walked up behind Varren. Aura flew down beside her as she floated there. Smiling most of the wolves were gone and she was glad she got some Cold and EXP out of the fight.

Though a few minutes later she felt like everyone was staring at her and at her Little Aura. She backed away feeling 'trapped' ambushed by fake acting High Levels. Though she stood calm trying not to get notice. Standing there until someone responded.

“Oh yeah, your name is… Fenr… Fenros?” He proposed, cocking his head, “I remember you, you helped out with the floor clearing. I fought alongside you until we reached the twenty-first floor, then I just called it quits. I take it that’s your friend up there as well?” Said the male player to him, A strange time to start asking questions, Fenros raised his left eyebrow at the Question. Before he could even think about if he wanted to answer he heard, “Wait a moment.” H The player jammed the blade’s tip in between its scapula, piercing the axis and axor. The boss fell to the ground and shattered.

He then saw the congratulations screen pop up in front of the male player

“Thanks for the assistance.” The male said to the girl with black hair and glasses. He then spun around to face Fenros, “So, how’s it been? I see you’ve been leveling like crazy. I haven’t really been on the front lines for a couple of months, but a friend of mine has been keeping me up to date. How about we all get a snack at an in-” His train of speech was cut off when a message notification popped on his screen, He let out a sigh as he clicked the red, blinking light on the diamond.

While the message played Fenros looked at him...trying to remember the guys name. For the life of him he couldn't remember...There were alot of people at the boss raids, people tended to remember him or Mia but he seemed to forget....A LOT. He narrowed his eyes and tried to remember even harder, And while he did he could sense Mia walking up behind him. She patted his shoulder and said, "Don't hurt yourself there..." Fenros looked over at her as she gave a tiny smirk, They then both looked towards the Beast tamer when the man then said, “Idiot..Anyways, shall we go and get out of this forest? I need a cup of coffee?”

No one answered as they watched the dragon, Fenros then said, " So you are the Beast tamer the rumors are going around about." He walked forward as he sheathed his Tomahawk and Boot knife, His eyes on the little dragon. He came close, forgetting that he didn't introduce himself, at which was probably intimidating for the beast tamer as he towered over her. But suddenly a sharp pain in his ear nearly made him crumple to the ground. Mia, had pinched his ear and pulled him back at which she said, "Sorry about him, he can be an idiot sometimes." with a small smile on her face, which turned into a scowl at Fenros as she let go and he started rubbing his ear. "Forgive me..." Fenros said as he rubbed his ear more.

He sighed and then introduced himself. " My name Is Fenros, and this here is Mia." he glanced around at the others, "We were just taking a look around the area for any PKers... and happened upon you guys."

He glanced at the male character and paused for a moment, at which Mia sighed said, "Good to see you once again Varren" She emphasized with a quick poke to Fenros's side. at which it clicked for him as he remembered Varren now. "Oh yeah... " He gave a lazy salute, a way he always said hello or goodbye to anyone... "Good to see you again."

After Fenros said good to see you again, She turned towards the Beast tamer and girl with black hair and glasses and said, "Sorry for getting in your guys way.. We didn't really check if you needed help or not, just a habit we have on the front lines to help, better safe than sorry." She then finally placed her bow over her shoulder and moved towards the other girls with her hand out for a handshake. Once she shook their hands she then asked..." What are your names?"

Izumi looked managed to take out few more wolfs before backing off again. Looking around she saw the area boss destroyed shattering into pieces. She saw that two other players had arrived who where a much higher level than herself. They must have helped out during the fight when she wasn't looking or paying attention. Looking closer at there names she recognised them as bounty hunters however she had little information on them.

Suddenly Izumi was snapped out her trail of thought by the beast tamers freind thanking her. She smiled back at him she never really got thanked a lot well she never really did anything to deserve it. Before she could say anything back to him he was already talking to the higher level man that he appeared to know. She chose to step closer to the group however she smiled and giggled a bit when she heard the notification that guy had and watching him stab the device.

As people moved in closer she noticed that the beast tamer looked like she was intimidated by them. Izumi couldn't really blame her for being a bit nervous. She noticed the big high level player move closer before being stopped by his bow wielding companion. She found it a bit funny it was like they were a married couple seeing her remind him about things telling him what to do. She let out a few tears as it reminded her about her parents back home and how they must miss her. She then went back to listening to them introduce them selves it was a bit pointless with screen names but it was the gesture that mattered. She then heard them ask for there names "my screen name is blaze but my real name is Izumi" she responded. She hated being called by her screen name as it felt weird when someone called her by it.

Castles are built. Castles will fall.

Varren noticed Lit taking a step behind him, seeking refuge as the other players approached them. ”Eh? Guess she’s shy. I shouldn’t be surprised, I guess she isn’t used to going out of the city limits much, judging by her level. I will have to take this into account, such a sudden gathering of high level players must be surprising, to say the least. Wonder what’s going on in that head of her’s.” He paused, mentally repeating the last line in his mind. Irony struck him in an almost comedic way, the reality being that this was all literally in his mind, electronic signals taking over his brain’s senses. He managed to stifle a chuckle as the archer, a brunette draped in a snow-white kimono with a red obi tightly knitted around her stomach, holding the attire in place. ”There she is. Mia, I believe her name was.” The young man thought to himself, waiting for a reply to his early querry. Rather than responding, the three other individuals were silently captivated by the dragon, a reptilian with avian qualities, covered in a collage of light green scales and fur. The dragon hovered in place by Lit’s side, more preoccupied with its surroundings to care about the newcomers. Varren looked back at it as well, though he wasn’t as dazed as the others.

"So you are the Beast tamer the rumors are going around about?" Varren was faced with as he turned back to the trio. The ground which the armored man had covered without his notice was dauntingly frightening, Yinyues was half tempted to call him a wizard in the magicless game. He was basically standing right next to the scarf-wearer, trying to bypass the skinny individual. Though, before he could close the gap between the reptile and himself, Mia pinched the man’s ear with her index finger and thumb, yanking back the man with the brute force of one hundred maidens. “Dear god…” Varren mumbled as he watched the man flop back like a paper cutout. Mia quickly apologized for Fenros’ rudeness as the spearman dramatically writhed in pain. ”...He does know that the developers never actually coded in a pain simulation plug-in, right?” Varren smiled at the man as he regained his composure, ”Forgive me… My name is Fenros, and this here is Mia. We were just taking a look around the area for any PKers… and happened upon you guys.”

Varren winced at the mentioned of PKers, remembering how Fenros’ and Mia’s group consisted of a couple of more players the first time they had met. However, those lives were no longer present within the realm of Aincrad, nor the real world. [i]”I guess it isn’t surprising they have gone down this path. It’s a risky one, that I would hope to steer clear of. Unless if some individuals beckon for me.” He thought to himself aimlessly as Mia spoke up again, “Good to see you once again Varren.” She made a slight gesture to Fenros, bringing him to following up with a similar greeting. Where there were a lack of words, he easily compensated with a meager salute. Varren nodded in greeting and fixated his scarf, which had been loosened during combat. As the katar-user first introduced herself as Blaze, then as Izumi, the young man received another voice message. It was from Baron, the only rational and down-to-earth individual in the trio. The three drunks from the previous night were constantly on the front lines and did their part for the advancement towards freedom. “Wait a moment.” He quickly hushed everybody as he pressed the red button.

”Damn it, this shit is crazy.” The greeting played aloud, Varren quickly apologized to the others for his rude comrade. ”Look, Varren, we’re short on time here. We’re about to engage the goblin fortification which protects the pillar of ascension. Anyways, the higher-ups are employing the use of a PKer, some archer who’s extremely valuable. But they didn’t disclose her information for reasons we have yet to be told…” Commanders were issued in the background, shouts roared through what was probably the gathered soldiers. ”It’s time to go, look, things are getting weird. Anyways, that ends this update. I hope to see you back here soon.”

Varren clicked his tongue at the conclusive line, knowing that Baron was fully aware of his current opinions on frontline combat. “Well… That’s interesting, to say the least.” He let out a sigh and ran a hand through his hair, holding a coffee cup in the other. “Hm, this is quite the turn of even-” The player was cut off as he felt inhaling on his shoulder. His head slowly turned to see Aura perched on his shoulder, sniffing at his beverage. “No.” He said, pointing an index finger at the companion. “No, no, no. This is my god. This is my savior. Thou shant defile thy holy beverage.” Varren said, the last phrase was in a different language, completely different than Japanese. The reptile cocked its head slightly, then gave up on its hopes of the bitter drink. It lept off his shoulder, and gracefully landed on its owner’s.

As he was about to continue, yet another message popped up. Though, unlike the two recent voice message, this one was only in text. Varren lightly tapped the open key, a page popped up before him, which was quickly engulfed by his eyes. ”Floor 35. You will be able to find my location through the friends list. -Mez” He quickly closed it down and let out a sigh, “What, does he think I’m on his beck and call?” He skimmed through his menu and selected the friends list, “Let’s all keep in touch, shall we?” Varren send, sending everybody requests. Throughout this greeting session, the young man was still in a party with Lit, which wasn’t dissolved as of yet. He spun around and glanced at the dragon, then back at Lit. “I have to go to floor 35. Since that pet of your’s wants a beverage, I can buy one there. Gotta meet up with somebody there, but it’s your choice.” The invite was intended to get the girl out of her comfort zone, Varren had made the guess she had been cooped up for a while. He faced the remaining three and nodded, “Mia, Fenros, Izumi. I wish you all good luck. We can return to Urbas together, but I have to make my way to Floor 35 from there. I might have some leads which’ll intrigue you.” He began to walk at a slow pace, drinking his coffee as he proceeded, “Come on, let’s go. This cup is almost out.”

Raxacoricofallapatorius said
"So anyway," he polished off the last bite of pancake, "That's when you and your guild buddies showed up. That's all I got." Happenstance drained his cup and then wiped his mouth on his sleeve. "Thanks for breakfast by the way."

Mez smiled as the young man finished. He'd gone into pretty good detail about the whole affair. So much so that, half way through their conversation, Mez had told Virgil to inform everyone else that they could leave. "Well then." He began. "It seems as if I've got all the information I need. Dark Arrow Mora you say, huh? I've...heard of her past exploits." The truth is that he'd done more than just hear of her, he'd been on her tail for quite sometime now and she knew it. Kilia Fayne, as she is lesser known, is an extremely notorious mercenary who frequents in assassinations and probably one of the most dangerous PKers in the game. 'Trust her to be behind this.' He thought to himself. 'Maybe V would know more about her whereabouts.' Thinking back to the message he'd sent to an old friend from the frontlines earlier on, while he was making his way to the tavern.

Despite having left the frontlines a while back, V, or Varren as he is known to everyone else, had always managed to stay up to date on the news and the current goings on. Being a Guild Leader, Mez wasn't always privy to the chatter of the lower ranks. Which, in his experience, happened to be some of the most reliable info you could gather, Providing you were willing to sift through all of the bullshit and rumours of course. V was his man on the inside, so to speak, and always provided him with solid information. Especially more recently, since Mez had decided to take his focus off of the frontlines for a while.

His mind tracked back to the now, where he was still sitting with Happenstance. "I suppose I should thank you, really." He said, pushing away his plate that was still half-full of his breakfast and had since gone cold. "Your assistance has been extremely helpful." He smiled a genuine smile and stood up, finishing the remainder of his ale and placing the tankard on the bar. "If you'd excuse me, however, I need to find out where my body guard has gotten to. And send a message or two. Grab yourself another drink if you'd like, I'll be back soon enough. I have an offer that might interest you." Mez then walked off in the direction of the toilets. On his way, he opened up his menu and began writing another message to V.

It's bad news. Two words: Kilia Fayne.

"…An offer?"

Before Hap could ask what it was, Mez was gone. "Guess I'll sit tight…" he resigned himself to a cup of black coffee, for a change of taste. To pass the time while waiting, he opened the menu and selected his inventory, double-checking to see if he needed anything, or if there was anything he forgot to sell. As he scrolled through the miscellaneous items he casually swapped the white shirt he was wearing for his usual forest green tunic and light leather armor, having forgotten to do so earlier when he woke up. He guessed Mez's offer would be some sort of quest so he may as well be ready. He also donned the Cloak of Concealment, a quest drop he'd acquired early on in the game. It was fashioned like any other cloak, long and with a deep hood, though it's coloring was a sort of blotched dark green and gray and black mottled together. In wilderness settings the item's ability would completely hide him were he to crouch close the the ground, less so in city areas, but he thought it looked pretty neat regardless.

In addition to this he equipped the double-bladed battle axe, a custom-made item that he was especially fond of. The weapon was one-handed, but the grip could be extended to make it two-handed and give it a more powerful swing. The design was his own, given to the smith who crafted it for him, with its name Lucidus engraved on the shaft. The axe was slung across his back and he reached over his shoulder to tap the pommel for good luck.

As a final cosmetic measure, he combed his fingers through his wild ruddy hair before finishing his coffee and lastly slipping on a pair of gloves. Mez still hadn't returned and Hap took to spinning a coin on the countertop to relieve his boredom. He was particularly impatient, but he did like to keep himself busy.