Lance watched in some shock as Colleen immediately ducked into the brush at mention of battle, he hadn't taken her for someone so...daring? That may actually be rude...He didn't think she wasn't brave, he just, was surprised she went so fast, and of her own volition

He didn't know what to do, follow her? She could end up in danger and need help, maybe staying back to guard her back was smart...He didn't know, he wasn't sure either of his skill to remain silent in such thick underbrush, he tossed caution into the wind and was about to begin trudging through the dense forest but his partner was already returning

"Uhm..."

was all he said at first to her, a bigger group, and one that looked trustworthy?

"S-sounds like a good idea..."

He hadn't seen them himself yet but it looked like he would soon. He nodded to Colleen and started to push his way into the clearing, he had put his weapon away and raised his hands above his head, he didn't want them to think he was trying to get the jump on them. That was also why he didn't even try to stay quiet, the loud rustling of all the branches he hit would be easily heard.

That was a bad idea,

as soon as he came out into the opening he opened his mouth to speak when the spider who Colleen had not noticed fell upon him, knocking him to the ground.

He was caught off guard and let out a sort of groan, he had managed to turn onto his back to see the dripping pincers jutting out at him.

"Sh*t" was all he said shakily, he fumbled through his inventory to try and equip his weapon but the thing was already lunging down to get him,

"Divide and conquer!"

He yelled desperately, a few inches above his head a familiar drone appeared, he threw a random punch at the beast, hitting it in the eye but getting his wrist caught in it's mandibles, the acid was burning through his gloves and fast, the punch registered as an attack and his drone fired, knocking the spider back a bit, he screamed in pain as it scraped cut and burned his hand more as it pulled away.

Sebastian heard branches snapping to his side, looking over only to see two figures emerge from the brush as a confirmation appeared on his HUD informing him the party invites had been accepted. Sliding the longsword back into the sheath he gripped the rapier and shot glances at the two, calling them hostile would've been something of an insult the female was rather skinny with very fair, lightly tanned skin and could easily been described as a beauty while the other was something less. His mouth began to form a word only to be cut off mid-sentence by a spider which leapt upon him, one that bore resemblance to the first. The man had engaged the creature unarmed foolishly which easily latched its mouth on him before he formed some turret in the air and blasted the creature back, tearing flesh off his hand in the process. Why would he do a thing like that? Poor kid.. Sebastian thought as he pulled his blade back, keeping his arm tight before speaking firmly "Impale!" his body lunged forward as the blade tip emitted a bright flash on contact with the spider's exposed back piercing it in a single fluid motion. Sebastian stood for a moment with the creature stuck on his blade. In a quick flick of the elbow Sebastian flung the creature across the dirt effortlessly and smiled before flicking the blade to his waist and into the sheath.

The sound of wind rustling through the leaves sent shivers down his spine, looking back and Tanika he nodded before he spoke "Yeah its starting to get dark we've lost too much time here. We need to get going now." He looked at the brand new arrivals and tossed an idea in his head before he noticed the robes which the girl was wearing, clearly a magic user and more possibly a healer. "Hey we're going off on a quest, if you're interested you can come tag along? We could use a magic user, we're all pretty physically based as of now." Sebastian began walking off in the direction he believed the path was before he decided to address to the new group. "So what's up everyone, we've got some time to kill before we get to the cave. Everyone should probably do some kind of stereotypical introduction or something. I guess.." He said, shooting a smile of reassurance back before he continued to walk on leading the party through the woods.

Colleen, after the spider was killed, was instantly with Lance, checking the acid-burned arm and starting her healing chant. She'd need to use her mana potions soon... she looked up at Sebastian as he spoke. "... that was what we were about to ask you. If we could join you, that is. You're right, I'm a magic user, and as you can see, I also possess healing abilities," she said.

The elf had finished with Lance's arm, and stood up, pulling her robes back into place. Checking to make sure Lance could follow, she started to follow Sebastian. Her assumption had been correct. Sebastian was the leader, and even better, the group needed a magic user. Colleen knew she was very basic and weak right now, but like everyone, she would get better with time and experience.

It seemed that people were coming out of the woodwork. Literally. Travis tried to nod at each one in turn, while his grip on his sword tightened. This was the biggest group he had ever accompanied outside the wall. He must keep his wits about him, he shouldn’t be so trusting of everyone. Still, that was no reason to be flat out rude. A few of the faces he recognized from the chaos of the bar earlier.

Before introductions could be made, a spider dropped in on one of the new arrivals, the character had taken a feeble swing in a panic. Most likely forgetting to equip his weapon. Travis cried out as the fangs of the spider sunk into the player’s hand. Sebastian had leapt into action, cutting the creature down without a second thought. The small elfish girl fell to the ground with the man, chanting quietly to replenish his health.

At the very least he could breathe a little more uninhibited knowing that their party had now obtained a healer. “To everyone who doesn’t know, the name is Travis. I’m pleased to make your acquaintance.” He spoke to the inhabitants of the clearing. Sebastian commented on the time, and Travis nodded in agreement. “Yes, I agree. Our welcome here is obviously running out.” The tank fell into step with the leader of the party.

The woods darkened and Travis felt his eyes begin to strain to see. For the most part he relied on the sounds of the other party members to guide him, occasionally stumbling a little bit over a obstacles that he couldn’t see.

Breljorn stood in awe. He didn't make it to do anything after accepting the party request but to watch his new party take care of a foul creature as if it was just another rat to squash. Of course, someone got hurt, as it is used to in this ga... In this world... But who's to blame? It's their fault they made noise. Watching his new friends take care of that spider was actually quite surprising for the thief. He was not certain he tried to rob the right people, since they did not kill him. And they also mentioned something about a quest, which seemed intriguing.

It was already getting dark as they took care of the monster, and the leader, Sebastian, figured it would be a good idea to introduce ourselves. Especially when there's two more people in the party now. A magic elvish looking girl and a person who resembled the soul of a hunter. He wasn't much better equipped than Brel was, but he knew that the hunter could do more damage than a silly thief. Why did I even make this character? It sucks. All I can do is stab stuff from behind, and slash them with my dagger. I need to get more abilities soon. he thought to himself while also thinking of a proper introduction.

"I guess I should introduce myself, since I caused trouble." Brel said standing up normally, and sheathing his dagger into his waistbelt. "The name's Breljorn. Breljorn Sunfray, but you can call me Brel." He introduced him self once again, because there were people who didn't hear his introduction the first time. "I'm a thief, but I don't do it for money. My stupid class that I picked makes me want to steal, and I can't resist the urge. Even if I get caught and have to give it back, as long as I get to steal stuff, I am good..." He said in shame.

Tanika glanced around the darkness as they walked. One spider had attacked her, one spider had attacked the new player and she still had the feeling that they were being watched. How many more will jump out before we get in the clear? She shivered at the thought. She felt skittish, every shadow a potential threat. She wasn't certain if she felt that way because she really was frightened for her life or if it was a response programmed into her character to keep her on her feet. Either way, every little snap of a branch or gust of wind scared her and the constant rush of adrenaline kept her on edge. It was hard for her to keep a steady pace with the rest of the group with all this energy bursting within her. There was too much to be aware of, from the trees to her party, everything was new and unsteady. She knew being in a group was the ticket to survival in a brawl but she didn't know these people. Sure, Sebastian seemed honorable enough and the others she didn't truly feel were any danger to her, but what did she know? If they got into a situation where it was them or her, she wouldn't blame them for sacrificing her. Hell, I might do the same to them given the situation. She couldn't expect them to give their lives for a stranger. The only reason she, or anyone for that matter, bothered to join a group was through self-preservation. If she became a conflict of interest, who wouldn't leave her in the lions den?

Her heart was thumping against her chest. God, she needed air. "Hey," she whispered loud enough to get the party's attention but no one elses "I'm sorry guys but I gotta move. Y'all are just too slow for me, its literally drivin' me nuts." she smiled a little awkwardly. "I was thinkin' I'd go run ahead, see what we're walking into. I won't go too far, mind, if I get into trouble I'll holler for ya'." Without waiting for an answer she bounded off, scarred they might try to talk her into staying with them. Only when she was out of sight did she realize that she wasn't quite sure what they were looking for in the first place. A place to sleep for the night? This quest thing? A second later she realized she didn't really care and continued jogging. Every now and then she would double back to make sure her group was alright and then bound away again before anyone got a chance to beckon her over.

Colleen nodded at each introduction. She decided not to say anything, not really feeling the need to. She was the kind that only spoke when she felt like it. She didn't chatter meaninglessly. Awkward silences also didn't seem to bother her either.

She seemed to scarcely notice Tanika bounding ahead like a frightened deer, or the fact that she seemed to be the only real healer here. However, she was wise enough, due to her lack of powerful melee attacks and real defense, to walk between the other players instead of off to the side, as much as she really wanted to. Colleen wasn't a loner, really. She was an observer. One that saw things from the outside.

"So what quest are we doing now?" Brel asked, in hopes of getting an answer. He didn't really join the party the easy way, and sure as hell not the friendly way. He tried to steal from them. They were bound not to trust him. But hey, if they don't, then who will? Going out there alone as a small for can prove dangerous, and he didn't really have much skill in melee combat yet, he had just started. Several days inside the walls didn't help him practice, and he only knew how to use his three abilities that weren't all agressive. There was one ability he had picked at the beginning of character creation. Backthrust?.. Backslash?.. Backstab?.. Yes, Backstab... He remembered. It was "Backstab." He accidentally muttered it out loud, and wasn't sure if anyone heard it. They could take it the wrong way if it was heard. Not to mention the current situation. His bandana from his face was about to slip off, so right before it did, Brel pulled it up again, making sure his scar was not visible.

Tanika was making another trip back to the group from her scouting. In the couple of hours they'd been walking back through the forest, she had come to appreciate it a little more. Maybe not appreciate, maybe more like....accept. It isn't as frightening anymore. I know what to expect now. And the dark silence isn't so hard to get used to. When she neared the group she realized right away that the group was exhausted. Members were lagging, some had either disappeared or were lagging even farther off in the group. She imagined that probably just about everyone was starving. Her stomach gurgled in response and she scowled. If she had been smarter she would have conserved her energy a little more. Her class kept her from tiring so easily but despite this, constant movement still ate up calories. Calories she didn't exactly have in excess these days.
"Hey, guys." she said, squeezing between some bushes. "Maybe we should take a break. Camp for the night. There is a cave up ahead a couple a' miles. I'm thinking its that rat cave. We could walk a bit more then camp nearby. Recharge before we kill the rats, or something. Hell, if you don't want to sleep you could probably go ahead into the early stages of the cave and kill a couple low levels. Maybe we can eat 'em."

[b]"I'll go on ahead into the cave, and attempt to slay a rat or two. I mean, we're all hungry, and since my reputation here is tragic, I might aswell." Brel said as he gazed at Tanika who had just ran back from the trip. She was scouting the area, but Breljorn wasn't sure if she went far enough. What if there was something more to this forest than just the rat cave? he thought to himself, walking further into the forest, and looking back if anyone is coming with him. He wouldn't blame anyone if they'd stay there for the night and wait for Brel to come back, but strength is in numbers, and he might get ambushed or slain by rats, so company is always a good thing.

Even though this group was supposed to be based on trust, he didn't think anyone trusted him there due to the fact that he was about to steal some money. He was thinking of turning into a fox, but then changed his mind when he realized that he might be held for a low level monster or critter and slain like the other monsters around here. At least in human form he's a little intimidating with the bandana and his looks.

"I'll go with you. I'm not much for sitting around on my hands. I don't do waiting well." She smiled, trying to be forthcoming, make the thief feel a little more at ease. But the truth was she herself was uneasy. It seemed like they'd lost half their party somewhere in the forest, and why she didn't know. Maybe they'd been attacked and were laying dead somewhere, their blood dripping from pincers. Or maybe they simply opted out, feeling nervous in their growing group. Well its certainly small now. It was a little crazy when she thought about it. First they'd been three and within moment three had swollen into six. The most worrisome was that they'd lost the charismatic party leader. He'd seemed like good company to keep. Safe. But he was gone. Perhaps to go check on the others, or perhaps something in the forest was picking them off, one by one. Maybe he'd come through the underbrush any moment now, safe and slightly pissed that they'd left him behind. She didn't know. There wasn't any use speculating in this game. Anything could happen.

"Here, follow me. It was through this way. I didn't really give myself much of a chance to really look around but I can get you to the cave. Do you think the others will be okay without us, or maybe we should all stay together. We were bigger a moment ago, but now..."

Run. RUN. Run as if your life depends on it.

Except that this time, her life did indeed depend on it.

She paid no attention to the path in front of her, not like she could see anything in the vast darkness. Again and again she bumped into the cold stone wall. The constant growling behind her prompted her not to stop but keep on running. Farther. Faster. It was wonderful that the game world allowed her to run like this without quickly depleting her stamina. In real life she would’ve been long ago laid down on the floor face first, frantically gasping for air.

…back to the topic at hand, where was the exit? Would she found it if she kept on charging head first to the unknown like this? The growling started to go louder and louder. It had caught up! She shook anything else off her mind and focused her entirety to the run. Farther. Faster.

Was that a light?

Tears started to well up on her eyes, both from the sudden sunlight and the joy of finally being able to escape the hell hole which was the cave. She made out a huge leap toward the outer world. It was no longer darkness. The feeling of grass beneath her feet was overwhelming. She kept on running into the bushes, longing to go as far away as she could from the cave.

“…together. We were bigger a moment ago, but now..."

Was that people’s voice she’d heard?

In her eyes the image of two people flashed in an instant; one was a guy dressed like an assassin or a thief, and another one a woman in light clothing. They were obviously walking toward the cave’s entrance, which was the exact opposite of Ein’s current trajectory. She couldn’t hope to stop her stride, resulting in her small body charging head-on to the woman. The resulting force brought the two down after a few seconds of tumbling around like bouncing ball.

“Ugh…I…I’m sorry!!!”

Ein tried to get up, but the shock of so many things happening at once was too much, her body slid down again to the ground.

Breljorn was very surprised when he saw a woman jump out of nowhere and bump into the runner lady. It surprised him, but he did follow his manly instincts and attempted to help her. "Are you okay?" He asked as he held her in his arms. She wasn't much of a fighter from the first glance. Plain robes covered her body, she had a staff, and more importantly - was a woman. He never thought of women as the fighting type, unless they'd be super buff. He prefers them to leave this part of life for men and men only. He is always very feminist about women characters in games, but they're usually played by male people on the other side of the screen.

After he picked her up he realized that the running lady was still on the ground and was probably pissed now that he didn't pick jher up first. Although, she wasn't terrified as the other girl was, and he followed the "more important" rule, rather than "hey, save your friend first, asshole". The only thing left to do now was hope that she wouldn't get too mad at him.

"...a moment ago, but now..." Tanika saw a blur out of the corner of her eye. She was caught unawares and with her feet down, not enough time to hop out of the way. She made a move for her knife but barely had the flap of her bag open before the thing crashed into her. "Shit!" She tumbled to the ground, up and down blending together. She couldn't find the creature, much less her own bearings. I'm dead. I'm so so dead." When she stopped rolling she made a move to scamper away but barely got her hands off the ground before she hit the ground again, dizzy. She flinched in anticipation for teeth or pincers to dig into her, but nothing came. When the world stopped spinning and she caught her breath again she looked around, hands moving towards her knives, eyes darting around for the attacker.

"Are you okay?" Breljorn asked. At first she was confused, then she saw the girl. Brel was helping her up and Tanika noticed a staff within arms reach off her. She snatched it. Still unsure if she should offer it to the girl or break it. Instead, she stood there watching, knees bent, a low whirling sound coming from the cave ahead.

Ein felt her body lifted up from the ground. It was the thief guy who did it. Realizing the close contact with each other, she slapped his hand away and jumped back.

“Ah! uh…Sorry, I didn’t …I mean, thank you for your help, I’m okay now.”

That reaction embarrassed her. She felt no hostility from him, but her body reacted on her own. Silly that she would call the avatar in the game her “body”, but at the moment she really did felt that way. Her hand felt the ground for her staff. It was not there. Weird, she was holding tight to it moment before crashing, it shouldn’t have fallen that far away…

Oh, the girl she’d crashed to have it. Suspicion obviously lingered on her eyes, which Ein found understandable. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to attack you or anything, I was just from this cave and I…I…”

Suddenly she remembered something she shouldn’t have forgotten. Why she had run out from the cave like mad man? It was…

“...RUN! IT'S COMING!”

The bushes behind her split open as an entity barged through. It was a rat. Not just a normal rat, but a giant rat as tall as human being. Its front teeth were sharpened like blades, with claws jutting out from its fingers. It was half-erect, standing on its two feet, with two eyes glowing in crimson color. The text Rat General in red blinked on Ein’s HUD. That thing had chased her throughout the cave, and even into the outside field.

And it was clearly pissed off.

The forest was dark, and before he knew it he had become separated from the others. Afraid to call out for fear that he would alert a monster, he trudged as quietly as possible through the forest. He remembered that Tanika said something about scouting ahead, and so he had begun walking in her general direction. His plate boots clanked slightly as he struggled through the thick underbrush. It seemed as if he walked for ages, though he couldn’t exactly be sure since he had a habit of neglecting to look at the time.

Just as Travis was sure that it was hopeless, and that all was lost he heard faint voices. Too far away to hear exactly what was being said he frantically began working his way towards them. As he drew closer he began hearing fragments of conversation. Someone was apologizing profusely. The voice was unfamiliar, but definitely belonged to a woman. As he burst from the woods into the clearing that contained the entrance to the dungeon they had been previously discussing, he viewed the sight of the thief from earlier helping what appeared to be another mage.

Tanika was laying on the ground as well, with an unpleasant look plastered on her face. It was acceptable, no one liked being knocked to the ground. The runner grabbed up the new comer’s, as though debating whether to give it back or not.

”…RUN IT’S COMING”

Travis’ HUD flashed red indicating that he had entered combat. From the mouth of the cave a large grotesque looking rodent charged. What happened next surprised even himself. Without thinking he had charged the rat, raising his shield to block a glancing blow intended for the mage. “Sorry guys, I seemed to have lagged behind.” He shouted as the Rat General’s claws scraped against the shield, making in eerie sound.

“I’d still like to be a part of this, if you would have me.” Travis commented, narrowly dodging another swipe from the boss.

For a while there Brel thought the warrior was dead because he wasn't with them, but it seems that Brel was very wrong. When the mage shunned him off, Breljorn pulled out his dagger after she yelled that something's coming. Of course, it was plain instinct in this game to be careful. It's very dangerous to stay off guard. The warrior said something about apologizing, and lagging, but Brel didn't pay much attention to it. He was focused on the giant gosh darn rat instead. Breljorn heard a screetching sound as the giant rat's claws swiped across the warrior's shield. He wanted to help, but there was not much Breljorn could do, really. He switched to fox form right as the rat's claws turned to him to avoid getting hit right in the head. In fox form, he circled around the rat before turning back into a human right behind the so called boss monster, and he used BackStab to hit it in the back. The rat king made a sound similar to screaming, but it was far from death. "Guys, we can settle our apologies after this guy's down!"

When the Rat charged out of the cave Tanika's eyes went wide with surprise, her cheeks drained of color and she just barely had time to roll out of the way from getting trampled. The thing was just a head taller than she herself was, but it's girth...she was unsure if it was a rat or a short bear. She immediately found her running stance and activated HERMES, so she could dart and dodge more easily. Running wasn't an option here, she couldn't leave her comrades. Her eyes searched for the mage-like girl who had been in the line of attack a moment ago, but where she expected a mangled and bloody corpse she saw Travis heroically shielding the mage-girl from a most probably deadly blow. She gushed with relief at the sight of Travis, glad that he hadn't been killed in their separation, and glad that his presence increased their fire power for the giant Rat. "Travis! She jumped toward them and slid in behind his shield, the Rat's claws making a sound akin to nails on a chalkboard. "Good to see you." she said quickly and turned her attention to the girl.

She dug her hand into the girl's robes and drug her back towards tree cover, moving too quickly to give the girl a chance to stand. Once safely behind the tree she gruffly yanked the girl upright and shoved her staff into her hand. "Hold onto this. Are you an offensive or defensive player?" She made a mental note to apologize for being so rough to the girl later, her eyes following the battle unfolding through the leaves. The Rat was rearing up, lengthening its body. For a moment her brows furrowed in confusion before realization hit her. It was going to throw its weight down on Travis. "Look out!" she shrieked.

Ein could feel the claw of the rat monster coming down on her in slow motion. In the last moment, however, another person appeared out of nowhere with shield on hand. The clashing of claw and steel produced a shrilling sound. Once again someone else had helped her avoided death; this time it was a heavy-armored warrior. No…from the look of his bearing, he seemed to be more of the shield rather than the sword of the group.

She was watching the thief changing into fox when the girl she’d rammed into yanked her away from the battlefield into the sea of leaves behind them, covered from the monster’s vision. The two guys were engaging it, the warrior blocking its attacks while the thief sneaked attack one after another.

So much had happened that Ein couldn’t respond at all when her staff was shoved to her hands, followed by the girls’ question. Not that she had to answer it quickly; the girl was clearly occupied with the battle at hand. Now the rat had assumed different stance. No longer was its claws slashing the warrior’s shield, rather it had stood on its two feet, seemingly trying to pounce the warrior. Rather than futilely attempt to break the shield, it tried to destroy him with sheer force.

Reinforce Armor: Wind! light flashed out from the tip of Ein’s staff. Gust of wind started to envelop the runner girl’s body, making it feel light and agile. “I…don’t know which player I am, but this is what I can do…” she waved the staff once more and this time flame appeared on the girls’ dagger, spiraling from the handle to its edge.

Tanika's eyes flashed, the feeling overwhelming her body made her feel giddy, like she was full of bubbles. Then a flame burst in her palm and coiled around her throwing knife. She didn't hear what the girl had said, her focus was entirely on Travis and the giant creature about to throw itself on top of him. Without thinking she sprinted out across the clearing, darting around and over logs and limbs in her path. She was almost to him. Ahead of her the creature twitched, time seemed to slow. She saw the creature coming down, Travis still obliviously holding up his shield, and a moment of panic overcame her.

"Beanstalk!" With lightening speed she rammed her full body weight into Travis, knocking him out of the way but leaving herself in his place. She spun away, tripping on her own two feet and dropped to the dirt with a hard thud next to Travis. The creature hit the ground less than half a second later with a boom, only inches from her. She watched a glimmer of confusion in its eyes before it turned to rage, searching half-blind for its missing target. The weightless feeling the mage-girl bequeathed had abandoned her and she was suddenly pitifully aware of her empty hand. I dropped my knife. There was a vastly growing pit in her stomach.

Terrified she shuffled backwards in a panic, her entire body shaking from fear. The rat's head whipped around in her direction. Travis was still down by her side, she didn't know how quickly he would react or if he could possibly do anything. She knew she was about to die. She didn't think anyone could move fast enough, not even the runner.