West shrugged. He had already come to accept that the security of travelling with Brielle was going to involve the occasional polite conversation. Of course, he would still have preferred if they had walked from place to place in total silence, but he sighed and answered her question anyway.
"It's, uh, pretty much all I do." He admitted with a slight shrug "I guess its all I'm going to be doing for a while." Even though it wasn't really a joke, he laughed "I uh, played a lot of MMOs, I was so hyped for this one. I like the numbers." That was possibly the first time he had mentioned his fascination with the numerical side of video gaming to anyone, even though it was particularly evident from the way he played, he still assumed people would think differently of him for it. The way he crunched numbers in his head, it wasn't normal. He could understand that. He also vaguely understood that in regular society, abnormalities were shunned and so he kept it to himself. Part of him hoped that in this world, things would be different.

"I also wrote stuff." He added, after a slight awkward silence "Nothing much, on forums and things. I write down ideas for how to beat bosses and I challenge myself to take out bosses by myself." Something clicked inside his mind and a small concerned look appeared on his face "I doubt that'll be plausible in this game..." He admitted "To fight a boss by myself I need to see what it does first, and I can't really achieve that without dying first. And, of course, no respawns." As they turned a corner in the path, all of a sudden the walls of a town came into view. From where they stood, the town appeared to be deserted, excluding a couple of obviously NPC guards either side of the entrance. West assumed that he was right, that they were to be the first people to set foot inside the second town, which probably meant they were the highest leveled players in the game so far.

A small smirk played on West's lips but it soon vanished as they got closer to the town walls. All along the walls were what appeared to be small scratch marks, but as they got closer, West began to see that they were words. More importantly they were names. It didn't take a genius to realize what the names were, players who had already fallen in the game. West wasn't surprised that people had died, but the sheer number of names on the wall were astounding. As he stood, gawking at the wall, we wondered which name belonged to the boy in the woods.
"L-let's go." He mumbled, realizing he was staring. He didn't have time to get caught up on people he didn't know. It was his own life that mattered, above all else.

She nodded politely listening as he described his gaming hobby. When he mentioned numbers she tilted her head curiously. She hadn't heard anyone talk about numbers in respect to video games unless they were trying to build a video game. She thought it was intriguing but didn't push the subject. She got the feeling that he didn't ovey enjoy conversation so she decided to just listen and let him fall to silence when he was finished.

She was slightly surprised to see the town so empty. She had assumed that surely somebody would have leveled as much as they had. As they walked through the gate she noticed the odd scratches on the wall. She wandered over to get a closer look, and froze in her tracks when she realized what was etched into the wall. Tears immediately sprung to her eyes, she couldn't help it. She covered her mouth with one hand and with her other she slowly reached out and touched one of the hundreds of names on the wall.

She took a deep breath trying to overcome her sorrow for the fallen but she suddenly realized something. These names had been etched here by someone. She wondered if the player or players who had done this were still here. She cautiously looked around, "we shouldn't stay here long," she said quietly, roughly wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. She cleared her throat, "I've got a bad feeling about this."

West nodded and turned away from the wall and into the middle of town. A lot of people his age thought about death, about the inevitability of everything, but it was never something that West thought about until now. All of those people, they would never do anything again. They were gone and he was still here. He glanced at Brielle over his shoulder. The boy in the forest died in a wasp attack, she very well could have suffered a similar fate if he hadn't been lucky and seen her running in. It was such a phenomenally low chance that everything that had happened to him could have happened, and it was because of all these things that he was here and they were both alive. For the first time in his life, West wanted to have direction. This was a miracle, standing here on the cobbled street of the town walking towards an inn with a bag full of slaughtered boar. For once, he needed to be grateful for something.

"Hi there! Welcome to The Glory Arms inn! How may I help you?" West was ripped from his thoughts by a middle aged girl standing in the doorway of a building. Deep in thought, West had managed to wander straight though the center of town. Absent minded, West had managed to walk through the town and to the place where he needed to hand in the quest.
"Uh, I'm Lutwin, this is my Partner Brielle." West mumbled "We've collected twenty five boar meat." He took out a bundle of meat and handed it over to the lady in the doorway. There was a brief pause while the lady looked at the bundle of meat before it disappeared with a slight static shimmer.
"Thank you, brave adventurers! Please, food, drink and shelter are free tonight!" She beamed, waving them inside.

"Huh." West turned to Brielle "I guess this is an inn for people who complete that set quest. Pretty lucky that we stumbled on it, right?" He hesitated for a moment, wanting to walk inside but not wanting to do anything without knowing what Brielle wanted to do. "Uh, I don't know about you, but I'm starving..." He looked down at his feet "I might stop here and... You know... Get... Food?" His voice raised at the end, as if what he was saying were a question.

Brielle walked closely beside him continuously throwing wary glances over her shoulder. She completely ignored the NPC's speech looking around them. She couldn't help thinking about all those players who had died and how easily she could have been one of them. If West hadn't found her she very easily could've been killed by that wasp. She owed him her life but he seemed to think nothing of it. This realization hardened her resolve. She would stay with West until this game was over. She would do whatever she could to help him in order to repay him for his help.

When West turned to her she came out of her thoughts, "Hmm? Oh yes we should get some food," she agreed. "And maybe we can rest here for the night?" She suggested. "My stamina is kind of low," she said glancing at her characters stats in the corner of her vision.

"Spending the night here sounds like a good idea, we don't want to go out there too tired" West spoke, sliding into a wooden chair by a table located in the corner of the inn. Another thought flashed through his head, about the number of players who would push themselves too far tonight and die as a consequence. This time tomorrow, the number of names on the wall would have practically doubled. He shook his head, shaking the thoughts from his mind. He couldn't think about those things. Life and death were a concept most alien to him, he had never known anyone who had died or even came close. Now he had seen someone die, right before him. He had seen a memorial for people who had died around him and it made his stomach knot. He wanted to be sick, thinking that so many of the people in this world were already gone.

"I think..." West pondered what he was saying for a moment "I think... I'm going to try beat this game." He looked up, trying to gauge Brielle's reaction to this news. He barely knew her, but she was the only other person in this game that West knew and he needed to say it to someone, to make sure he wasn't mad. "I play a lot of games, I write guides online. I'm kinda good at it." He blushed slightly, not meaning to sound arrogant "I used to fight all these bosses by myself on those games, I can probably manage it here too. This is still a game and all games have exploits. I just need to find them."

He didn't expect Brielle to join him or anything, he just wanted to say the words out loud, it made the idea real. He wasn't sure what he was doing, this was the first time he ever decided to do... Anything really. All it took was other people dying to make him realize that he needed to do something. This was his only real skill, the ability to play games well and there was a chance that it would save lives, he had to try.
"I'm starting tomorrow. I'm going to find the first dungeon in the morning, figure out what I'll need to do to clear it."

Brielle sat down across from him and was surprised when he spoke first. She listened intently her face unreadable. She thought about the implications of his plan, the personal risk he was taking on but also the selfless nature from which this plan came. As he described his skills she slowly nodded. With a resume like that, she thought, he may be one of the few people who could actually succeed in completing this game.

Finally she thought about her own convictions, her sadness for the fallen players and her debt to West. She had decided that she would help him in anyway to repay him but this plan was dangerous to say the least. Was she really willing to risk her life for someone she barely knew? But then she realized that is exactly what he had done for her and that settled it.
As soon as he finished speaking she responded, "I'm coming with you." She paused for a moment, "I'm not as proficient as you are but I'm not a bad player. I know how to fight and I'm smart. I'm going to help you beat this game no matter what it takes." She held out her hand for him to shake as a symbol of loyalty, "I'll fight with you until the end."

West's face slowly cracked into a smile, as he took Brielle's hand in his and shook on it, sealing the foundations of their new deal. The pair of them would clear every dungeon in this world, West knew they could do it. She didn't need to do this, but West had seen the way she played and was convinced that she was as good a partner as any. In fact, West probably wouldn't have picked anyone else. She knew what she was doing and she seemed nice enough, that was all West really needed. Together, the two of them would do this together. West knew that they could do this.

"Excuse me." A voice came from behind West, he turned in his chair to find a woman clad in black robes standing there "Did I hear something about you attempting to clear this floor's dungeon?" She was tall and West couldn't see her face through her clothes, but there was something eerily familiar about her. West turned away, looking down at the table. He didn't want anyone getting in his way, not yet.
"I'm afraid you're mistaken." He growled. Ultimately, he was surprised anyone else had made it to this inn already, he was expecting it to take another few hours before any other players reached here "I don't mean to sound rude, but I'd appreciate if you left now."

West couldn't quite see her eyes, but he could feel her staring at him, like she was trying to see straight through him.
"I've read some of your work Lutwin. I know that you'll want to play this game." The woman reached into her robes and pulled out a tattered, leather bound book "You'll want this. Trust me. We'll meet again kid." She placed the book on the table before turning around and walking out the inn. West hesitated for a moment, before turning the book around, but not quite picking it up. It was old, or at least it was designed to look old. Of course, in reality, it wasn't really anything, it was just a bunch of pixels designed to look a certain way. He flipped the book open and froze, a look of combined interest and confusion on his face.
"Dungeon journal." He read the first two words out loud, before looking up at Brielle and sliding the book across the table "It's tactics for the first three dungeons." He explained "Why did that woman have this? How could she have this?"

Brielle smiled at his response to her words. With their handshake she felt as if their partnership was official. There was no turning back now. She had no intentions of leaving him and she knew he would respect her the same way. For a moment she had a vision of them clearing the game and going home. She had a feeling that they might be able to do this. At the very least they would give it everything they've got.

She looked up at this strange woman dressed in black. She put one hand on her staff, watching the woman warily. She didn't intend to trust anyone in this game. After all people do unexpected things under extenuating circumstances. This game would put everyone on edge and push everyone to their limits.

How did she know about Lutwin? She glanced at the book that she placed on the table but then looked up to watch her walk away. She looked back when West spoke and carefully picked up the book. She skimmed through the descriptions wide eyed. "This is incredible!" She paused, "But what if it's a fake? What if she's trying to get us killed?"

West looked at the book carefully, taking in every detail in the cover, every little scratch or tear before running through every conceivable circumstance in his mind.
"I... Don't think its fake." He finally spoke, slowly and still deep in thought "I could be wrong, but there are easier ways to get rid of us and if she truly wanted us dead, she would have tried to come with us, to make sure that we're offed. My guess is that she's either a beta tester or one of the developers of the game." He looked over his shoulder, double checking that she wasn't lingering around, still eavesdropping on them. Although West couldn't see her, he had the unsettling notion that they were being watched. He leaned across the table slightly and spoke in a hushed voice
"I don't think we can trust her, but I think we can trust the book. There's no logical reason to give us this if it were fake, we'd take a step into the dungeon and know it was false and turn around." He kept taking nervous glances over his shoulder, still evidently confused about the woman's presence here, trying his hardest to be constantly vigilant "For now, I say we proceed as planned. We find the dungeon entrance, take a look around and figure out what we need to do in order to beat it."

With that, he leaned back in his chair, trying to re-adopt the casual position he was once in. It was pretty obvious that he was still uncomfortable about the situation though, his motions were overly exaggerated, almost comically so. His poker face was atrocious and his attempts to appear casual made him look more out of place than before. People weren't to be trusted, West had always believed that and he was already breaking his rules on trust by trusting in Brielle. It seemed the further he plunged out of his safe zone, the more untrustworthy people became. The book itself would prove to be useful, but the lady who gave it to them knew a lot about the game, too much for West to be comfortable with it. If a book like this existed for the upcoming dungeon, he wondered how many of the other dungeons had similar guides. Regardless, West and Brielle would need to be cautious of the other players, keeping their distance for now and staying ahead of the curve in terms of levels.

Brielle nodded in agreement, "I suppose you're right. There are lots of easier ways to kill us." She thought about the suspicious woman and agreed she couldn't be trusted but if she was their enemy why would she help them? It just didn't make sense. She nodded again at his plan and noticed how uncomfortable he was. He seemed just as unnerved about the woman as she was. She knew that they would need to remain calm and collected if they were going to succeed in their mission. She tried to think of something to get his mind off things. After a moment she looked up and smiled, "Right! In the morning we'll get a fresh start and a good nights rest will clear our heads. For now let's get some food."

She waved over the waitress NPC and purchased two meals. The plates full of food and two cups of water appeared in front of them instantly. The meal was meager as she didn't have much money. On each plate there was a roll of bread and a slab of ham. It wasn't much but it was something. Suddenly Brielle realized how hungry she was and began eating with vigor. The food honestly had no flavor but she didn't care. She could feel her stamina building as she ate. She sighed satisfied taking a drink of water.

West laughed at how enthusiastically Brielle dove into her meager meal, before a loud grumble erupted from his stomach. He dove into his plate, filling his belly with the bread and meat before leaning back in his chair totally exhausted. Today, he had probably done more than he had ever done in his life, and none of it was real. He had saved a life, risked his own and butchered boars, but his real body hadn't moved a muscle. Lutwin flexed his hand in front of him. He was tired, so tired he could barely keep his eyes open, but in reality he wasn't anything. He was lying on his bed, plugged into a helmet that was tricking his brain into thinking he was tired. The concept both fascinated and scared him. For now, he told himself to forget about the real world and focus on this one, his new reality. It would only hold him back if he thought about the real world.

He looked over to Brielle who was still eating. She probably had a life back in the real world and West would do everything he could to get her there. She probably had family that cared, friends who wanted to see her and a whole load of other things going for her. West would do what he could to return her to all of that, she seemed like a nice person and it was the least he could do given she was risking her life to help him.
"It's getting late." West said, forcing himself to stand up "We should get a good nights sleep, tomorrow is going to be tough and we need to have all our wits about us."

Brielle sat back feeling full. She thought about how odd it was that this body was not real but she could feel things. Meanwhile in her bedroom at home her real body was probably starving and exhausted. She wondered if as she ate pixels of food here her real body was withering away. Her family would be worried... She shook her head she couldn't afford to think about that. If she started thinking about her family her emotions would be compromised and she wouldn't be able to focus. She needed to keep her head in this world if they were going to survive. She needed to dedicate her whole mind to this. She owed that much to West.

When he stood she looked up. She stood as well and nodded in agreement. "So first thing in the morning we'll take off?" She asked to confirm. She faintly wondered what sleep in this world would be like. Would she be able to dream? Would it just fade to black like most video games. She wasn't sure she just hoped she felt refreshed in the morning. She was nervous but she was also ready to jump in and really see what this game would throw at them. "Well I'm ready for anything," she said optimistically.

"First thing in the morning." West nodded in agreement "I'll be waiting right here." He patted the table with an open palm. There was an awkward moment of silence, before West turned away and disappeared deeper into the inn. He found a set of locked rooms in the back and tapped one with his hand which opened a menu, asking him how many nights he intended to stay. He opted for a single night and watched as a handful of his money vanished into the air. With that, the door clicked and unlocked. West stepped inside, shutting it behind him and making sure it was locked. The thought had crossed his mind that there were probably thief class players looking to take what they could from sleeping players. He decided it was probably a decent idea to set up some sort of defense, so West put a small bucket next to the door before removing his armor and collapsing onto the bed.

Part of him felt like if he were to fall asleep now, he would wake up in his bed at home and this all would have been some sort of weird fever dream. His mother would still be there, still disappointed in him and he would go back to his boring life. He looked at his sword, propped up against the desk beside his bed and a small smile crept onto his face. Despite the fact that everything in this world was a lie, today had been the greatest day of West's life. There was some guilt in this fact, given that so many had lost their lives in the game, but West was still here and so was Brielle, the closest thing West had ever had to a friend. He couldn't concentrate much more as fatigue took over, forcing him to close his eyes, still mostly dressed and still smiling.

Brielle nodded and called after him as he walked away, "Goodnight!" She shook her head slightly. She was beginning to realize that West was not one to partake in idle chit chat or social formalities. She found it odd and yet endearing. She had never met anyone like him. Perhaps because people like him would be too shy to talk to a busy overachiever like her.

She pondered these things as she walked down the hall. She purchased a room locking the door behind her. She laid on the bed staring up at the ceiling, her staff laying on the mattress beside her. She couldn't help but think about her younger sisters. They were only three and five years old. Her mother had remarried when she was thirteen years old. She had to get used to her stepfather but those girls... They were two of the best things that ever happened to her. Every night she would read bedtime stories to them. Laying in this small room she missed them.

She shook her head and exhaled slowly. She couldn't think about them. If she was going to have the best chance of seeing them again she couldn't afford to worry about them. She had to focus on the here and now. She had to focus on the plan she and West had. She trusted him and she believed that together they could do this. She slowly closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.

West awoke with the sun, blinking as he adjusted to his surroundings. As the simple wooden interior came into focus, he smiled slightly. So, this wasn't some strange dream, he was still here. That meant he still had things to do. He got to his feet and got dressed in a matter of seconds, grabbing his sword and swiftly moving into the main body of the inn. There were a few tired looking players scattered around, all looking heartbroken and alone. The first morning must be hardest for the people who wanted to go home West pondered as he strode towards the door. He was about to step out into the morning light when he remembered that he should be waiting for Brielle, but he didn't want to waste any time and didn't want to wake her either.

"Could you pass a message to my... Friend?" West approached one of the NPC bar staff, quickly writing Brielle a message telling her where to find him and leaving it in the shopkeep's hands. He was aware of people looking at him oddly, but West was used to it. These tired players were watching him, obviously confused at how easily he had already adapted to the new world, but West really didn't care. Instead, he took to the streets of the town, trying to find anything of interest.

The town was much busier than before, with players sleeping on streets and sitting in alleys begging for food. West turned the other way, having more important things to worry about. Eventually, he found what he was looking for, a town square of sorts. It wasn't a large town, not like the town they had started the game in, but it was decent in size. On his way here, West had stopped into a few shops, buying essentials like health potions for him and Brielle, but his objective had been to find a town square. Sure enough, West found what he was looking for. In the center of the square, a few players loitered around a large wooden board with scraps of paper nailed onto it. These were players like him, already forgetting about the other world and learning to play the game. He didn't approach any of them, but took a seat in the shade and watched from a distance. None of them seemed prepared to take out the dungeon, which meant he and Brielle would hopefully avoid company, but they all looked confident enough as players. Already there were people forming groups and guilds in order to get ahead of the competition, to become the strongest.

Brielle blinked as the morning sunlight filtered through the window shutters. She shot upright, disoriented, forgetting for a moment where she was. She quickly looked around the room then saw her staff and sighed. Everything that had happened the day before came flooding back to her. She exhaled running her hand through her hair. She had half wished that she would wake up in her own room in the real world. No such luck. She shook her head.

"Oh well, on with the day." She got up and walked to a wash basin with a mirror hanging above it. She washed her face and pulled her vibrant red hair back into a braid. She paused for a moment studying her too perfect character features in the mirror. She blinked at her large green eyes, her soft blush lips and her flawless skin. She couldn't help but appreciate the beauty this world afforded to her. She picked up her staff in one hand and walked out to the lobby. An NPC stopped her to deliver a message. From this message she learned that West had already left so she quickly headed out the door.

She kept glancing over her shoulder as she walked down the street. She felt pity for the players that were begging in the street but she tried to ignore them. She couldn't afford to worry about them. She had to focus on West and the plan. She was interrupted in front of an alley where a boy about her age stood in her path. "Hey you have any coins to spare?" He asked holding out his hand. She shook her head and quickly stepped around him, "Sorry, excuse me." He caught her arm jerking her back, "Hey come on! Just a few coins. We all gotta look out for each other." She glanced around not wanting to make a scene then glared at the punk, "I said no." She brought her staff down on his foot, hard, causing him to release her with a yelp.

She took off down the street and almost ran past where West was sitting. She skidded to a stop and walked over to him. "Hey!" She said with a cheerful smile, "Sleep well? Ready to get started? We should probat head out." She rambled glancing in the direction she had come from, gripping her staff with one hand.

"I slept fine." West mumbled, keeping his eyes on the board in the center of the square. People were streaming through, taking pages off as the accepted quests, but there were a handful of pages towards the top of the board that were completely untouched. West got to his feet and reached into his bag, pulling out a small parcel wrapped in brown cloth.
"Here. It's potions, antidotes and a teleport crystal. I set them to the inn we stayed at." He handed her the satchel, still looking at the board, watching the flow of people carefully. Suddenly, without a word, he darted forwards. Without so much as a misplaced foot, West swiped a couple of pieces of paper off the board,crammed them into his pocket and stepped away before anyone had time to see exactly what he was doing. He ran his fingers back through his hair as he made his way back to Brielle, not looking back but nervous in case anyone spotted him. When he was sure he had gotten away with it, he pulled the papers out of his pocket. He scanned over them and grinned, showing them to Brielle.

"Quests." He explained "They're for the dungeon we're going to, that's why no-one else has touched them yet." They were simple goals, like gathering moss from the cave walls or killing enough of the enemies inside, but they would generate income for the pair of them. West was starting to realize that if this was going to be their lives, they needed to treat it like an actual job. The two of them were adventurers now, that meant they would need money for potions and gear repairs, as well as shelter and food. That meant they would need to accept quests for money or else end up like the people begging on the streets. The boar quest had gave them both some money, but between the beds, food and today's supplies, the remaining pile of coins was pretty small.

"Anyway, let's get a move on." West stretched his arms and loaded up his map "The dungeon is in the North, above the forest. It's only about twenty minutes walk from here. We should be there in no time." He said, tracing out the route with his finger before quickly closing the map again so no-one else would see what they were up to. This was going to be dangerous, but with their combined skills they would be able to hold their own, the last thing West wanted to do was trick others into thinking that the dungeon was going to be easy. They also didn't want anyone to follow them when their health bars would probably drop pretty low multiple times getting through the dungeon itself. Still, the town was pretty quiet this early, so there was a very slim chance that they would get spotted. Lutwin began to stride towards the northern most gate of the town. Today was the first day of clearing the dungeon, the two of them were going to fight their way through. Together they would be able to take on this dungeon, a part of West even felt like they might be able to take the boss if everything went perfect.

Brielle took the satchel gratefully putting in her bag with great care. "Thank you!" She was impressed that he had already gathered so many items for their quest. She glanced towards the path she had come from but the player that tried to take her money didn't seem to be following her. Her shoulders relaxed a bit and she became distracted by West's actions. She noticed he was staring quite intently at the group of people near the board. Or was he staring at the papers on the board?

He was so focused on watching them that she was a bit stared when he suddenly got up and rushed to the board. He was back in an instant with a satisfied smile and a handful of papers. When he explained what they were she smiled impressed, "Wow! Good work! This will keep us busy for awhile." She briefly scanned over the papers seeing that they were for the dungeon they intended to enter today. Her heart jumped at the thought of the dungeon. She knew that they could succeed if they planned their moves and worked together. However the thought of entering a territory where the objective was to kill you in a game with no respawns still made her nervous.

When he said they should get going she nodded in agreement. "Right! Let's do this!" She said with a grin following West out of the town. They had just exited the city walls and entered the forest on the pathway when a voice called out behind them. "Hey bitch! I've got a bond to pick with you!" Brielle rolled her eyes and turned to see the punk that had tried to take her coins. Only this time he had two friends with him: one wielding a mace and one wielding a battered axe. She stepped forward shifting her staff to a two handed grip, purposefully placing herself between West and the three players. "What's wrong? Your foot a little tender?" She asked the ringleader. "Look I don't want any trouble so why don't you and your friends just leave and we'll be on our way." The thug sneered and took a step closer to her, "See I asked you nicely the first time and you disrespect me. So now I'm just gonna take what I want since asking didn't workout the first time," he drew from his sheath a sharp dagger. "And you," he gestured with his dagger over Brielle's shoulder at Lutwin, "I'd start walking if I were you. This is between me and the lady." "and your two henchmen," She couldn't help but smirk. These guys were thugs all brawn and no brain but still she didn't wanna put Lutwin in any danger.

West clicked his tongue against his teeth impatiently. Every second they spent with these imbeciles in his path was a second that West wasn't clearing the dungeon. He shot a glance at Brielle, he wouldn't have agreed to partnering up with her if he had known she was going to cause trouble this early on. He sighed, stepping to one side and swiping at the air in front of him. The names and levels of the three bandits hovered before him. The ringleader was level three, the patsys were only level two. His mind started to race. He could easily parry through the axe, disarm the dagger wielder and take out the guy with the mace in one swing. He would take a couple of blows from the back, but he could kill the...

Suddenly he froze a look of worry flashed across his face. That tactic would put his own life at risk in order to guarantee at least two kills, but this game didn't work like that. In any other virtual world, he would happily cleave through the thugs regardless of the outcome, but it was too risky here. West may not understand people too well, but he had no intentions to murder anyone. He had destroyed so many pixelated people before, but if he were to hit one of these people with his sword, they would actually cease to exist. They would actually die. He tried to calm himself, taking a deep breath and concentrating on the situation at hand. He could disarm the axe wielder and power strike the... His power strike could do some serious damage and if he made a critical hit then it could possibly kill the opponent.

West's eyes darted around the area, numbers racing through his mind. He couldn't see it, he couldn't figure out how to win the fight. He didn't have a plan that didn't involve lethal fighting styles and in this game that wouldn't work. West couldn't kill anyone, this situation needed the people skills that he had always lacked. Right now, he was nothing more than a mass of flesh and muscle. He couldn't talk his way out of anything. He kept his hand clutched on his sword, ready to fight if the circumstance arose, but apart from that, he was lost.

Brielle glanced the side at West. She could see him doing that strange analytical thing in his brain that he seemed to do whenever faced with an opponent. However this time was different. This time he seemed off. It was as if whatever he was figuring in his head wasn't working out correctly. This concerned Brielle because although she hadn't known him long she had never seen him look like this.

"Hold on one second boys," she said to the thugs before turning to Lutwin. "Hey why don't you go on ahead and I'll catch up with you in a minute, okay?" She said calmly, studying his expression. "And hold this for me," she added placing her staff in his hands. She smiled at him reassuringly, "It'll be okay. Just give me a minute," she said quietly.

She turned back to face the three thugs. Now she wasn't as confident as she appeared to be for West. In fact she wasn't at all sure of her actions. At best she was taking a huge gamble. But she didn't know what else to do. She didn't want to kill these guys and honestly she didn't think they wanted to kill her either. They appeared to her to be cowards and brainless thugs governed by fear with no real fighting strategy. Their stances and the way they held their weapons haphazardly told her that these were inexperienced players. But that was a risk she was taking not knowing what kind of people they were.

She stepped up to the ring leader, "Look do you really want to risk your life and the lives of your friends here over a few coins?" He sneered its three against two." "But you don't know our skill level. You also don't know if we're willing to kill players that cross us. It's a whole different game here. I might be willing to kill anyone to survive, are you?" She gave him a hard look and his cocky smirk faltered, his friends looked at each other uncertainly. "Why don't you and your friends go back to the quest board, pick a low level quest and come back to me later if you still feel the need to fight." He glanced up at her before scowling and walking away muttering something about how she's not worth it and his friends quickly followed.