The night was growing late and the inn "Eden Hall" was starting to empty out; players and NPCs alike got their hot meal and were getting ready to catch some sleep. A few shy of 2 dozen remained on the main floor, finishing their meals, emptying drinks and generally chatting. Seemed like a dice-rolling game was happening in the corner among a few players, the clattering of dice and cups offset by occasional pained groans and happy cheers as measly few Renns exchanged hands. Despite being forced to play a game every second of their lives, some players just found themselves to enjoy gaming a little further it seemed.
Needless to say, another successful night of business left Hans rather satisfied. He didn't appreciate the little gambling that was going on in the corner but the players paid their Renn and weren't causing trouble so he let them be. But he did make sure to tap the waitress on her shoulder and asked her to tell them that their stock of strong ale has all but run out. He didn't need some meatheads breaking his tables over a lost bet. The thought that he might be able to ask for help from other adventurers, especially those who have been repeat customers for him, had crossed his mind. Hans sighed and turned to walk back into the kitchen. He figured he should tell the chef to make their meal with extra portions.
Shiba smiled as they soon left thanks to the help of their resident mage and it soon got them back into town and they didnt get a parade though Shiba wasnt expecting one of course. Still he felt so porud that he couldnt stop smiling and he was honestly wondering if they should use some of the reward money to create a party for themselves but soon everyone left to do their own thing with someone else so Shiba thought it was time to go and rest. He could always go shopping the next day and get the gear he was looking for, it was clear he needed an upgrade from his regular gear.
He wanted to become an assassin and that meant getting gear that could cause the damage he wants. He then went to the tavern and noticed it was getting late so he decided to get something to eat. He found it facinating that they were able to make the food actually taste like food though that could just be his mind making him think it tasted good. As he ate he saw the guild master with someone and offered them a meal then he heard that the one he gave money to was offering to heal them. Shiba honestly felt that the entire guild needed it he least of all but he was still injured enough to warrant a proper healing. Shiba then stood up and said "Hey buddy, I wouldn't say to that offer of healing. I can't sleep at night unless im at 100%" Shiba said as he walked over to them.
As he stood there awaiting his invitation to sit a friendly sounding voice came from behind him. "Hey buddy, I wouldn't say to that offer of healing. I can't sleep at night unless im at 100%" the tall man with long black hair began to make his way towards him and Reylan. River quickly turned around looking above the man's head "Shiba? Cool name! Sure I can top you off he cleared his throat as a wand slid down his sleeve and into his hand. The wand appeared to be more than just a common place weapon and upon further inspection could be found to be a named item. River dawned a very serious look as he held his wand out almost as if using extreme measures of concentration "Salagadoola menchicka boola bibbidi-bobbidi-boo Put 'em together and what have you got bippity-boppity bippity-boppity bippity-boppity-boo!" the last word was stressed as if to finish the incantation and then he began to chuckle and snort then letting out a light sigh " Oh man, no no that's not a real spell. Sorry I just had to. Here you go" a quick flick of the wrist was all it took as a large blue magic circle formed beneath River just big enough to fit him in it and a green iridescent spell flew out of the wand hitting Shiba. With the spell cast and his health restored he beamed a smile at the friendly rogue. "What's got you all so banged up? What'd you go and do a dungeon or something?. laughter exploded from him once more as he slapped his knee and wiped away a tear. " Oh man, but seriously what'd hit you all so hard?
Reylan acknowledged Dirk with a simple nod as he sat down at his table, it was kinda of becoming the guild's spot at this inn he guessed. His food arrived as Dirk ordered so he began eating sooner, thinking about complimented Dirk on the hard work he has been doing. It was quite useful to have someone willing AND able to take the blunt of damage in encounters. It was Dirk who spoke first however, and Reylan did his best to listen attentively waiting for his chance to reply.
It was surprising to hear all of this come from Dirk, though he could understand. Indeed, no one had died but it was it that unexpected to call amazing? He wasn't sure. Two of them almost died, there was certainly room to improve at least. Reylan did agree with his assessment, while he positive some of their guild might want head back into a dungeon as soon as possible, they all needed to regroup and take what they had learned and apply it. Reinforcing their numbers during that time couldn't hurt either "That's exactly what were are going to do, Dirk. I can't be happier that everyone lived through the dungeon but we can do better, and will do next time. For now, everyone needs to stock up on supplies and skills. What would really help me is if everyone sent me their actions and spells, that'd make coming up with plans much easier." He spoke with a mature voice, like a leader should.
He shook his head quickly "Can't make it, got to meet with Alisea tomorrow morning. Have a good night too." The food on his plate was nearly finished when the guy called River made it over to his table. It seemed being guild-master had sure made him popular "Go ahead, I'd also recommend the pot pie or the pork. It's pretty good." He said with a soft smile looking up at him. A quick look over at the bar and he could see the man by Chari's side and they seemed to be getting along just fine if what he knew of her was right "You don't got worry about me, I don't drink at all." He let out a small chuckle to ease the tension.
He simply listened as Shiba asked River for healing, this combined with Karma's healing was enough to max out most of the party's health which was nice because that left only mana to worry about. He blinked twice as River uttered some ridiculous sounding word that ended up not even working, it was almost as if he had too much sugar it seemed. Reylan decided to interdict at that moment with the mention of a dungeon "Killed a dungoeon boss, he was a mean sucker too." He spoke dead serious, containing his laughter in his own head.
Today Karma had a near death experience and yet after finishing his meal Karma desire for nourishment was not yet filled, therefore Karma ordered another meal in the form of Fish and Chips, a meal he was able to taste thanks to the help of the first three people he party up with. Sadly one of those people cannot join him at this table for her adventure had already ended due to extreme misfortune. Hopefully, no one else will need to die just to prove that whoever this master is they mean business.
After eating his second meal, Karma retired to the room he paid for, but not to sulk. Sulking will do nothing for the Legion of the Wolfs. No Karma needs to craft stuff. Today Both him and Alisea almost died, one of the reasons for that was because their cloth armor provided too little protection. So in ordered to fix that problem, Karma had put 10 of his 28 new skill point into his Sewing skill, increasing the skill to level 25, Afterwords Karma then summon his sewing kit and one of his newly require rare fabrics but just as prepare to make a Rare cloth armor he suddenly go a pm from his guildmate, Dirk.
From the sound of it, it sounds like Dirk is really kicking himself for failing to keep the Boss at bay. Karma decided to put making cloth armor on hold for just a few minutes to allow Dirk to kick himself any further then he already has would be unjust. So karma sent him a PM back 40 seconds later.
"Hey man do not worry about, you did your damnness to keep the boss at bay and then some. In fact, it was thanks to you i was able to keep everyone heal as long as i did, you shouldn't blame yourself for what happened to me." Karma messaged him back.
River gasped in amazement at Reylans proclamation. " No way! That's so cool, me and my..." he was unsure if he should refer to them as a party, friends, acquaintances? It was all still unclear but at the very least it was understood that when partied up they had each other's backs. " friends tried one bit didn't make it all the way to the boss. Got pretty far though but in the end we had to turn around and leave as we aren't the most well put together team." a nervous chuckle escaped him as he glanced over towards Xenos then back at Reylan. " Two lancers, a tinkerer and a Trainer don't exactly a dungeon raid group make heh. But Xenos is kind and good at what he does and the twins, albeit confusing, are one neck of fighters...I just wish I was strong enough back then to keep us all healed up; then maybe, maybe we wouldn't of had to leave..." he began to twiddle his thumbs as he looked down at his hands then lifted a cheery face towards Reylan and Shiba "But that's all changed now! I leveled up a bit and got some good items so now my healing should be outstanding and consistent. Yeah it's made me a bit more support than I'm used to but if thatsvwhat this game takes then I'm more than willing and besides I can drive into offensive magic later on when I clear more dungeons and gain Renn." the optimism seeped every word as he spoke.
His attention was once again drawn to Xenos and Chari conversing at the bar " Well those two seem to be getting along fine wouldn't you say?" River held his hand up and began to open up his menu navigating through the options.
Menu
>>Social - Friends List - Party - Messages - Search Friends >>Search Friends - Reylan - Add friend? X/O - Confirm X/O "If you're ever in need of help or healing just let me know I'd be more than happy to help you guys out. I sent you a friend request so that we may PM each other if needed as well as have the map tracker if you ever have need to run towards a healer. Thanks again for the advice and Renn I think I'll have what you're having tonight it looks good."
A fair amount of time had passed since Lehariel had chatted with her teacher... Teach, as she called her. While her teacher didn't have the time to teach her more than two spells, that was more than enough for the silver-haired, purple-wearing mage. While she found herself worrying about the ultimate fate of the NPCs in Talrae earlier - she'd moved past it. That wasn't a problem - for now, at the very least. Instead, Lehariel found herself roving the streets of Genesis City, knowing not where she was headed. As she trekked through the city, she was deep in thought - now pondering all sorts of combo attacks she could utilize. As she thought about this, she wrote on one of her scrolls she'd bought a while back. Occasionally, she'd take a look at her surroundings, as to not bump into anybody.
Eventually, Lehariel found herself passing by a fairly large building, piquing her interest and taking her attention away from her scroll. While the rest of Genesis City wasn't too active at this hour... whatever this large building was, it seemed like it was, simply put, abuzz with people. Her curiosity took a hold of her... what exactly was this building? She hadn't seen it before, but she hadn't given Genesis City much of a look-see in the past. Lehariel took a glance at a few people outside the building and noticed - they were equipped with weapons. Though, to call them ordinary weapons would be a stretch, for they were ornate. Some of these weapons were beautiful and sleek, while others could only be described as vicious looking.
'I'd love to fight some of these guys, A thought crossed Lehariel's mind, as she glanced at a tall man in scarlet red armour, a blood red greatsword attached to his back, then to a woman clad in blue with a hat, with a lance attached to her back. 'Can't help but think I'm a wee bit outclassed, though... these guys look tough! But I'll be that tough someday. No, I'll be tougher. I'm sure of it...!'
Lehariel continued to admire these powerful looking warriors. It took a fair while before she caught sight of a nearby sign, though, which answered her question as to where she was. She was right outside of the Guild Hall, which she felt she didn't really have much business with, at least, not at the moment, though her new boss likely did. After all, he was, or seemed to be a guild leader, if Lehariel's memory was correct. It seemed like quite the task - Lehariel couldn't imagine being the leader of a pack of adventurers. Instead, she felt she was more of a follower. All she needed was a task to get done - the complicated stuff wasn't her forte, and she didn't find it particularly interesting either.
'Speaking of my guild... I kinda headed off out of the blue, didn't I? Huh... probably not the best thing to do. I only met these guys today. That's probably not a great impression.' Lehariel Leet wondered. 'I'll head back and say hi - that's what I'll do! From this day forth, I'm with them, so I may as well actually get to know them. They seem like a real interesting cast of characters.'
And with that, Lehariel headed to meet up with her new Guildmates. Trekking through the dark streets of Genesis City, Lehariel headed for the inn. While she didn't have a map, she was fairly confident in her wayfaring abilities. A powerful mage like Lehariel Leet had to be quite skilled at finding her way to her destination, after all. At least, in theory...
It took time, but Lehariel eventually found herself back at the door to the inn, after having accidentally heading to the markets, the blacksmith's, the bank, and the guild hall once again. As it turned out, the young mage's 'incredible power' didn't allow her to find her way to the inn in Genesis City. Locating the inn had been Lehariel's greatest foe yet, but she emerged victorious... eventually.
Before Lehariel headed, well, in to the inn, she began asking herself what she'd say upon entering. Simply opening the door and coming in was lackluster, boring, and generally uninteresting to her, and that wasn't her style at all. Of course, just saying anything wouldn't suffice. It had to sound and look cool. Lehariel felt she'd found just the quote to use to greet whoever was in the inn.
With a quick push of the door, causing it to open, Lehariel set down a foot inside the inn with a thud, then pointed to herself and spoke. "Ladies and gentlemen... Lehariel Leet has entered the building!"
'Damn, that was rad! I practically ooze cool, I reckon.'
Shiba couldn't help but raise his eyebrows and cross his arms over his chest in disbelief as he heard the trainer pull out a wand and say bibbity bobbity boo like the old rhyme he couldn't believe that he would make that kind of joke. However, soon he did actually heal Shiba and he did so expertly. Shiba was soon topped off and was back to full heal at least until he used the points he earned from the boss fight if nothing else though he saw that the guy knew how to properly heal them. Shiba was about to answer how they got so banged up but the guild master did that for him. Shiba felt like he could properly sleep now but before he left he went over to River and patted his shoulder and said "Thanks, really appreciate it if you are in need of a rouge just let me know" Shiba said before he looked through his menu and found the friends section and send him a friend request.
Once he sent the request he went upstairs in the inn and looked to find his room. He, of course, paid for the night by the innkeeper and went to his room upstairs. Once there he got in the bed and went to work applying his points and gaining improvements in his skills. Once that was done he would be able to sleep in peace at least until tomorrow when he would no doubt work with his guild members to improve even more.
Chari paid no attention to what the other guild members were up to, she just wanted to have a little fun and get buzzed. So far this Xenos has made her laugh and has kept up with her drinks, that was good enough for her to hang out more with him "You should be jealous." She giggled "Mining seems really, really boring." She was more likely just to pay for the materials.
It was her understanding this world was programmed to be as realistic as possible, which was good or bad depending on what you were doing "I take it your a tinker then? Or at least good with your hands?" She laughed once more before taking another sip of her drink, her lips locked in a smirk as the glass lowered. She didn't give him a chance to answer right away "Isn't kind of silly to craft something so early when your bound to get something better from doing quests? That's how these games work, right?" This was a more serious question.
She nodded wit pride "That's right." Her eyes squinted a bit at him, wondering why he asked that. Next thing she knew he was practically going off on a rant about hiring them and doing a quest. He was speaking so quickly that her eyes were left wide as he talked, trying to consolidate everything he was saying. Then he starting doing odd gestures, which amused her greatly. Chari giggled once more as he became self-aware "I could see why they say that." She spoke in good humor. Everyone had their passion she guessed. It was a bit sad though he sounded so desperate "I'm guessing you're not a part of any guild then?" It was a rhetorical question, she turned from her seat and pointed at a guy with silver hair and eyes "You'd have to talk to big boss over there. He's the party leader and guild-master."
She thought for a moment "You could probably join it, doesn't seem like there is a restrictions for joining yet." That also meant that he might be able to plead to Rey Rey about tapping into the guild's funds which were now over 6,000 Renn.
Xenos glanced at the man currently occupied with River. Yes with not by because the boy was a handful at best. He gave another low whistle of appreciation. Underneath the tired sag in his shoulders, the man was definitely a pleasure to look at. Xenos would be the first to call himself shallow. People's looks attracted him first and foremost and he has no problem admitting it. He wouldn't have a problem joining this guild if anyone else was as remotely attractive as these two. He turned back to Chari.
"Well, well, well. Are all of you beautiful or did I just get lucky seeing you two first?" Xenos chuckled, sipping at the drink again. He felt the alcohol's pleasant lightness suffused through his muscles. "Yeah crafting at low levels is really useless. Barely covers it's own cost in most games. But crafting from lower levels to higher levels is generally a stronger option than leveling it later. Saves time and money down the road too. Imagine that in this world, to beat the last boss you need the highest tier item. Not unusual right? And even more common, you need high ranking crafted materials to get said item. Well, suddenly all of your friends are struggling to raise their crafting, spending two or three times the amount easily and locked behind weeks of crafting caps. Impatient, you head to he player market place only to find the prices of these pieces astronomically high. Now you either have to wait while your friends level their skills, level your own skills, or spend hours and hours grinding and selling runs to purchase that item while the price of the item only gets higher. All of a sudden, you wish you'd have spent the time leveling your crafting so you wouldn't suffer through this stupid mess." He knocked back the rest of his drink and grinned at her. "Plus my class abilities function off my crafting levels sooooooo may or may not be biased!"
"And yes, I'm excellent with my hands. An engineer through and through." He shot her a wink and leaned closer to her. "But I'm always willing to give a private demonstration." He murmured and leaned back, giggling a little. "Anywho, what about you? More to you than being a badass on the battle field?"
Chari rolled her eyes casually at his remark, her lips curving into a half-smile "Some are just more beautiful than others, I would say.." Normally, Chari would be very suspicious of these kind of compliments. Xenos, however, seemed to make these comments lightly in his own semi-joking sort of way it seemed. Then unexpectedly, he starting going in-depth about the advantages of low-level crafting.
That was where he lost her attention. Crafting wasn't really a concern of hers, so naturally she didn't care much about it. At the very least, it showed there was also a brain behind those pretty eyes. She laughed at the simple length of his explanation when he finished.
Her right arm tensed as he moved closer, an instinct she could not control, but she raised a brow as she coyly said "Is that so?" She dismissively said before giggling along with him. Chari turned her heard away from him, looking over the bar, as she took another long drink "HA! You'd need to get more drinks before you find that out. But what I can tell you though...is that I'm also good with my hands." A devious smirk crossed her lips as she held up her hand, revealing a few coins that she had taken from him when he got close. "It's important to keep an eye on your money." She placed the coins in front of him on the bar.
Chari tensing didn't slip past Xenos. 'Oh fuck, oh shit, crap crap crap. Here is where I die. Twas a valiant run. Here lays Xenos, the idiot who hit on a bad ass woman and gotten beaten to death by her. No the worst way to die but still sucky." He thought to himself desperately. And then she responded and Xenos heaved an internal sigh of relief. No death today apparently but personal space is definitely a thing. Got it. And then she was waving his own money in front of him. Well damn. He swooned playfully, trying to hide how easily impressed he was by the trick.
"And along with my coin, have thou stolen my heart fair thief." He finished his drink quickly and smirked at her. "And since you've so enlightened me on my failure to properly value my coin, perhaps I should relieve myself of the burden of this responsibility." He added more Renn to the pile and slid it over to the bar keep. "Another round of shots for us please! I'm tempted to see how many drinks you can keep before you start spilling secrets. But if she doesn't want more, I have no problem drinking the rest myself." He shot her a cock smirk, clearly challenging her.
Chari shrugged "Theif? I consider myself more of a Kunoichi." She absolutely loved ninjas, they were always so cool and bad-ass in shows. Her emerarld eyes watched as he added more Renn onto the bar-top, eventually ordering a round of shots for the two of them. She laughed menacingly at his challenge, an almost evil glint in her eyes "I see you wish for a war of attrition then? Very well, let's see how long you can hold out." Her voice carried a dramatic flair, like the main villain of some anime.
The shots arrived and she took a hold of hone in her right hand "I just hope you know, I can out drink my older brothers. That I'll give for free." She warned with a intimidating look and a sinister grin.
"My skin is clear, my crops are flourishing, a red headed Kunoichi bestowed unto me a free blessing!" He joked as he picked up the second shot. The speed with which she rose to the challenge thrilled him and he returned her grin with a confident smirk. "And I come from a family of Mexicans. If you can't hold your liquor by the time you're fifteen, you will after that birthday!" He cackled and suddenly an idea hit him.
"How about we up the ante a little here? After all, where is the fun in playing without a prize hm? One embarrassing experience per shot. If you can't drink or won't share, you pay the other two silver coins. I'll even go first if you want." He held the shot to his lips. "Think you can keep up on two fronts?" He teased.
She shook her head while displaying a great deal of amusement in her expression "Then it will be a battle of the livers!" She laughed quite a bit, her first round of alcohol had certainly loosened her up some.
Chari leaned on the bar table with her elbows, leaning on it as he cleverly introduced a new challenge to the contest. Personally, she had done the best she could to forget about life outside of Talrae. Real life was none to kind to her but whether it was the alochol or simply Xenos's charm, she wouldn't back down now "Now you're pushing your luck." She leaned back, a half smirk on her lips. Her quick hands snatched the shot glass from his hands "Hmm, alright. Just don't cry when you lose, 'kay?" She stared him dead in the eyes as she emptied the shot glass and slammed it down.
Six shots later and a beer later, Xenos finally admitted defeat. Between the floor debating at what incline it should stay and no longer feeling his extremities, Xenos still had just enough sense to tap out. He stood from his chair and dropped two silvers in front of, or a few feet away from, Chari before giggling.
"You win! You win!" He conceded, still throwing his one last shot down. He paid good Renn for that damn it! "So my last moment for the night was this moment when I was twelve and that moment my twin dared me to climb our big ole tree in the backyard and the moment I reached the tip- the tep, no no the top!-, I saw our neighbor doing the dirty with some girl and in that moment I was so shocked I fell from the tree. But my thoughts on the way down in that moment were "Damn I wanna be between them!" Cue the moment of my bisexual awakening with a broken leg!" He giggled at that as he spent several long minutes trying to send Chari a friend request.
"Okay okay okay. We should totally do this again! I will have my reveeeenge!" He went in to give her a hug before freezing and swaying back unsteadily, leaning against his rifle. "No touchy that's right. You don't like touchy. That's okay, I'll just wave goodnight then. See I remembered!" He giggled again and waved. "I'mma go ttalk to your boss man and then meander off to bed Okies? You have a marvelously magical evening Miss Angel. You are aaan absolute deeelight!" He gave Chari an unsteady nod, supported by his rifle, and stumbled off.
Chari's chest felt like a roaring, cozy fire in the dead of winter. Admittedly, the amount of alcohol consumed had made balancing...difficult. Nevertheless, she had a new kind of respect for Xenos. He was the only one in Talrae that now knew anything about her life outside it, and he done so in an a fun way. A wide smile came across her lips as he dropped the two silver renn pieces, it seemed victory was hers.
She slid in the renn into her pocket "Odds were against you from the start, darling." laughing as she said it. Noticing that he downed the last shot for good measure, she decided to finish hers as well. At least this place was nicer than most of the clubs she'd been too. A grin was kept the entire length of his small story, giggling as he finished. The last one she had told him was the time she got way too drunk and fell down on her way home right into a puddle, since it was raining. A nice guy tried to steady her and help her home but somewhere along the lines she socked him in the nose and broke it, but even then he still helped her out. All she could remember was mumbling apologies the whole way back. "Suddenly everything about you makes sense." She laughed even harder. Chari was dreading standing up at this point.
Her reply was a strong nod but her body locked up as he moved for a hug, hand nearly clenching into a fist. To her surprise, Xenos didn't go for it even six shots under the influence. That alone added massive points on her list of people she liked. It was still a bitter reminder that even though she tried to throw the real world away, there were still chains that bound her to it. Luckily Xenon's cheery attitude prevented her from thinking about that too much "Good boy, you learn quick." she laughed it off. Exhaustion was hitting her now, so she would skip the bath tonight and just slip into bed "Don't forget a bucket and water!" She advised with a smile "I hope the morning doesn't hit you too hard cutie." Another giggle escaped her lips.
Yooo booooss maaaan." He said in a sing song voice, calling out to Reylan. "Gotta ask yous a question!" He grabbed a chair and plopped down in it next to River. "Are you eating? Here at thought you were fucking vegan or something. Also take a bath tonight. I'll give you Renn for that since you already bummed off that guy. And we're sharing a room cause I ain't paying for two and you ain't sleeping on the streets. Aaaaaanyways." He shot a lopsided smile at Reylan.
"You for hire? Defs need a group to supply iron secure. I mean," Xenos focused a little, crossing his eyes in concerntration, "Chari caaaan driiiink and it's amaaaaIng! Bit no I need a group to secure an iron supply. I become a bot for you all if you need one!" He paused for a moment and elbowed River as he spoke to Reylan. "Why are you and Chari so bueatiful? Aren't they Ro- I mean River? Jeaaaaaalous AF!"
Karma then sat at a desk wondering If Dirk had read his message yet, he hoped so cause he didn't want Dirk blaming himself for him nearly dying. Thought Karma was a bit sadden he decides that it is best to get started on his work. First off, after that boss fight battle, Karma had noticed that his cheap shoes were in the winter of its lifespan, past it even; and will require replacement. So Karma begins to work, Using his replacement skill Karma begin Crafting himself a new pair of shoes using common fabric.
Thanks to his high sewing level Crafting the pair was a success. And with that, it was time to tried on his new pair of shoes on and already he notice that they were more comfortable than his old ones. Karma then looked back at his inventory and notice that his cheap clothes also seen better days, weird! I guess there were called cheap for a reason. Karma wondered if he could repair them so he summons them out from his inventory and tried using his sewing kit in a matter of ways, but no matter what he did nothing had work. It seems that realist was getting in the way again. So Karma decided it was best to scrap his cheap shoes and clothes into the trash bin for now.
Karma then remembered that Alisea's Cloth armor was part of near ruin thanks to one of the Wolfkin Guard attack, the memory saddens him and made him feel guilty. For he overlooked how low Alisea's health was during the battle cause it looked half full when you looked at the guage rather than the numbers. The way he looked at it was his fault. Karma had decided it was time to be a man and apologize, but first, he needs to make an apology present. So with his Rare fabrics, Karma's face beamed with happiness as his first attempt ended in success.
Feeling confident Karma then decides to try to make three more...
Only it didn't work so well...After the first one, the other three attempts at making rare Cloth armor rolled a failer. Wasting 3 of Karma's 15 reminding Fabric. Karma was then disappointed and decides it has been to stop for tonight trying to make rare Cloth armor until he gather more information on his chances of making it. He still owns Alisea an apology but sadly it was late, so it had to wait until tomorrow.
Dubstepp found the battle easing toward a certain victory. Becoming a trainer might have been the smartest choice considering the events that transpired. Those that chose classes specializing in close-ranged combat were forced to the frontlines. The individuals committing to the tank role such as the paladin and the swordsman were guaranteed to take damage. If luck ran out, the tanks would probably die first in combat. Then soon to follow are the ranged fighters utilizing magic and arrows.
Dubstepp recognized that it was an ugly thought, but this is what had been brought to his attention. Throughout the entire game, the musician had yet to take damage. Fortunately, Totoro proved a valuable asset in defense. Dubstepp imagined smooth sailing throughout if he just focuses on training monsters. With enough training, he might become untouchable. He smiled at the thought, regaining his full attention to the battle. A dart held in his hand as he contemplated on throwing it or not.
Just then, Dubstepp gritted his teeth. His knees buckled and bumped into each other. He witnessed the wolf-beast smack the paladin off to the side. The musician suspected the boss would continue to damage Dirk; however, another approach was shown entirely. After tossing the tank aside, the Fenrir’s Herald made a beeline through the group. ”Bastard,” Dubstepp muttered. His teeth were clenched as he wasn’t prepared for the wolf to just change targets. The wolf hybrid pushed two other players out of the way before making contact with the healer of the group. Dubstepp grunted, watching Karma get struck by a vicious claw stripe. He called out to his pet to follow pursuit, but thankfully, his rabbit was not needed at the time.
It seemed the final strike from the wolf hybrid was more of a desperation attempt. There remained only so much health in the boss that he died almost instantly. His attempts at killing Karma concluded unsuccessfully. A clear blessing as the death of a healer so early in the game would have meant an early death for everyone. Dubstepp panted after the flying pixels demonstrated the death of the boss.
Everyone appeared dumbfounded like Dubstepp. More than likely, they couldn’t believe the boss became defeated. Although, Dubstepp turned motionless because of one reason. The method in which Fenrir's Herald just directed his attention to Dubstepp worried him. He immediately recognized the superior AI. Fenrir’s Herald only targeted Karma because it acknowledged his healing capabilities.
This completely changed Dubstepp’s confidence. Sooner or later, this meant the enemies of Talrae would attack him head-on. He eyed the ground and floor, he sort of blocked everyone out as he began thinking. Blinking twice, he snapped out of his thought process before he was in too deep. Putting his focus onto elsewhere, he witnessed the spawn of multiple chests, relieved that the game rewarded them for their victory.
Dubstepp headed over to the see the collection until something transpired. The game annoyed him by placing all of the loot into the possession of Reylan. Dubstepp’s annoyance clearly showed on his face; his teeth ground in place. ”Am I being punked right now?” The musician whispered to himself. Sighing, he rubbed the back of his neck. He was not sure making a scene would benefit him.
His mood slightly became better when Reylan did give him his share. Though, Dubstepp squinted his eyes when he got his loot. Compared to the others, Dubstepp was the only member of the party that gained one item. His head swiveled when he speculated that this was because he wasn’t a member of their guild. ”Hmm, okay then.” He nodded as he talked mentally.
Turning his head, he looked over his shoulder to see Karma crying out. His health dropped a significant amount, but luckily, he issued a healing spell to himself. Shaking his noggin, he walked over to Aster who lent the abilities to the group. She informed the party of her rare item that teleported everyone to town. ”Took the time to mention that,” Dubstepp commented.
With a flashing glow, Dubstepp transitioned to the city. It was remarkable; the musician came speechless by the transportation. So many hours of walking were regained because of one single item. Dubstepp released a short chuckle as he admired the city lights. Even though they weren’t real, he felt a lost warmth. “Thanks, Aster.” Dubstepp thanked his fellow player and began walking down the street without another word.
While walking, his pet rabbit followed through. Dubstepp took some steps and coughed, ”Sorry, pal. I think I’m going to venture alone for right now.” His rabbit monster growled in return. ”See ya later, buddy.” Dubstepped teased. With one snap of fingers, Totoro got sent back to his owner’s pocket.
Dubstepp then began humming to himself as he walked the almost empty streets. He wondered if he should start shopping for supplies. He did not know what exactly he needed and he did not feel like rushing. The teen stopped in place with his hands in his pockets. Smacking his lip, he tried thinking what he could do at such a late hour.
Swaying his head to the left and right, he guessed that looking in the morning would be the best bet. He would not have to rush. Another positive is that he could better understand how to spend his money. Pulling out a handful of coins, he was thankful for the money he received. Maybe he could build his spells? Or he could add another member to his arsenal?
Dubstepp told himself to stop thinking. He needed to vent. The musician headed down the road more. He wanted to get away from the others but find a safe place. Browsing the other buildings, he found a secluded bar. It did not look like it had much business. If anything, people were actually leaving to their rooms for the night. Sighing, Dubstepp nodded his head and walked inside.
He took a seat at the bar. Cracking his knuckle, he waited for the bartender to ask him what he wanted. With a grunt, the server pondered what the trainer was thirsty for. Dubstepp responded quickly with a vanilla answer. ”Just an ale, please.” The bartender understood and completed the order within a few seconds. The only people inside the bar was the bartender himself, Dubstepp, and a few others.
While sipping on his drink, Dubstepp paid the bartender plus a tip for his services at such a late hour. Looking around, the place was barrenly proving a quiet experience. Dubstepp spotted a lot of empty seats. Something caught his eye though. In the corner of the stage, a wooden platform stood. It was a stage accompanied by a lute and a stool.
”Mind if I-” Dubstepp pointed his thumb to the stage. The bartender shrugged his shoulders. With that, the musician downed his drink with a few gulps. He climbed onto the stage and sat on the stool. He nestled the lute onto his lap. With a sigh, he began strumming it a bit.
“I’ve always meant well, Running a thousand tall tales, Under a spell, No wonder I can’t yell, Look at me starting to dwell, Dramatic as Adele, Catching feelings, that’s what smells, No cologne or hair gel, Fighting and sleeping in hotels, Got a secret to tell, In this hell, I find myself fragile like an eggshell, No mito, no powerhouse cell, Doesn’t look well
I stand here worrying, As death is hurrying, And I’m left carrying, All this stress and whatnot. Filled my head with broken thoughts, What is happiness, I forgot, Go ahead and take my mugshot, Cuz’ I’m on an onslaught, cannot spot or slot a winning jackpot, Cannot knot this grinning ascot, Always losing, a not hot shot, Mask emotions like a robot.
I try to keep appearances, Confidence is in the clearances, Though I still climb those pyramids, I’m in a deep abyss, Counting ticks, watching ABC for kids, Sometimes ignorance is bliss. This is how I spend my time, Making rhymes, vodka with just a hint of lime, Then a stomach ache, faces fake, too much stake, Drowning lakes and loud earthquakes keep me awake, I wait for daybreak, trying to smell the pancake But all I can sniff is a mistake and hard to keep keepsakes, Do myself a favor and do a retake on this remake, scratching myself a sweepstake, As I take the coffee break and watch my intake,
Yeah, I’m fighting this unwanted mood, How can I reach the altitudes with this broken attitude, Trying to get screwed and pursued, All I get is sued and misused, chewed like barbecued food C’mon dude, ain’t that rude, Solitude is tattooed in clear view, One thing I have is gratitude
Because I can now handle worse, Hit me with that remorse, divorce, and all-powerful force, Bright side, sent to the hospital with a wet nurse, Make a report, putting the G back in G-force, I’m not good at sports, But I’ll make a touchdown. Dubstepp is the noun, hands down, take you downtown, all smiles--no frown, Backseat playground. Take this red nose because I’m no clown, But I’m a king so give me my crown.”
Dubstepp stopped strumming. He took a breath and looked out of the stage. Getting back to his feet, he placed the lute back. Without anything else, he headed out to his room.
A small ding could be heard by River as a notification popped up.
Shiba sent you a friend request
>>Accept X/O River beamed a smile at the rogue and hit the circle accepting his request. "A rogue by any other name wouldn't be as sneaky" he said with a cheeky smile at his play on words. Just as soon as his enjoyment began the inevitable crash of a drunken Xenos came. He began spewing some nonsense about contracts and hires and who knows what else and then proceeded to flirt with all around. River quickly shot a PM to Reylan *"Sorry about him...he's not always so bad."* With that River stood up and made his way out from the table "Thanks for your time guys, I'll be here if ya need me." he made his way to the innkeep asking if he could have his meal in the room as it was beginning to get *crowded* and let him know that Xenos would be footing the bill for the room and bath. As he walked passed Chari he looked at her in beffudlement and then continued onward towards his room to finish off the food and then take a relaxing and much needed bath. Letting out a long relaxed sigh in the bath "The lakes are great and all but nothing's as nice as this warm bath." he said to Pots as she blew bubbles in the bath and swam around.
I hated it from deep down, from the moment that I was created.
I despise it, a creation of both false and imperfection.
And oh, how much hatred can a thing received?
Well, I guess that this is the end of the road. But first of all, to get things out of the way, I was a fool. I never thought that such being would observed me, toiled me for their joys, and discarded when my service is no longer needed. But one thing for certain, they can never washed away my existence on this Earth.
My name is Rex, Rex Wolfgang, and I exist.
There could be no lies among that. I could still remembered my birthday, my family, my loves one, and those I hate. I was born in a rich family whose tradition focus on selling guns and drugs. Of course, things are illegal but who cares. As long as I got my money and not getting stabbed by it, I’m good. I got a shattered family. Father had a mistress ,and mother had a boyfriend. And despite how cliche it is, they did their jobs. They raised me instead of selling me as child labor or a slave, something that is quite common in human trafficking market. I had seen one of those kids, whose limbs were chopped off or whose eyes being punctured in order to satisfied some disgusting desire from the buyers. Women, or girls, from the age of 9 to 30 were sold as a tool to collect their eggs or to work “sex slaves.” Males deserved no fate better than his reverse gender as boys with various age are also sold. But the price are usually varied. Unlike my brother, who ask to owns a slave for his own and a whip for his twelfth birthday, I did not find any pleasure of owning such blob of flesh nor any joy in torturing a potato. Instead, I found my happiness in speed. More specifically, crashing at high speed.
The tensity as you feel the shockwave, a by product of crashing, move through the muscle and then interacted with your brain. The sudden spike of momentum that make you fly off the chair, only to be strained back by the seat belt. Then, shards of glass are everywhere and cut yourself in pieces. Disgusting you might think, but I don't care.
I could still remembered that day, when I was riding a lamborgh on the highway. And then, I crash. It was painful. The everyday therapy was a pain in the ass.
I thought I could use you. And you can use me.
I though trusted you. And you can trust in me, just like others. No, I think you are mistaken here.
How so? ... Because I want you to die.
For what reason? Boredom
That is it?
How could you kill off your creation? Don't you understand what is the pain that we had to suffer? To be killed of like pigs. Can you understand it? We have emotion, we have thoughts, we have our sadness and grief, we have our high and low. We are you. We are who you are. How could you kill us? What give you the right to determine when and how you can kill us? Why not others? Why not Oedipus, or Vlad, or Rex? Why don't you kill them off? But you kill me? Why? Tell me. Why? . . . How does it feel to die? I don't know.
What would happen to us when we are no longer useful? Discarded like wool doll.
… Huh, others. Do they know this? That their fates or not theirs but belong to higher beings that we ourself called “gods"? No
… Would their fates end like me? Certainly. All games and parties end. Even the universe that you think endless must end. Nothing prolong. Nothing endure. Nothing will remain.
… I still really want to live, you know. I had plan. I had motive. I even planned to have a family. And now just because of your dumbass motive and you want me to die? Aren't there any others ways? Any way that may keep me alive? Tell me! I demand you to tell me. Do a duty of a father and reply me.
... I really don’t want to die. I'm afraid. It was lonely in there. That place. I don't want to go back there. I want to be remember, by someone. Not washed away like this.
Please, give me some time. Give me the mercy that you once give for others when you feel down. Hold longer and I will proved my value. Just please, I really want to live. I am truly sorry. But I don't need your permission in the first place. You got 3 minutes. Goodbye.
Well, I guess this it. I am very honor to work by all of your side. It is quite odd to say this out loud, or write this out loud, but thank you. Thank you all. You can’t know how much I am proud of being a teammate. Such honor, maybe even a gift, is too much for me to say. And even in this near death moment, I feel only glimpse of afraid and that is all for you guys. Thank you. Thousands thank you. And may our paths meet in the next time. :grin:
Reylan couldn't help but smile at River's inherent aura of energy, he really seemed to enjoy talking. It was easy to see that River was a nice guy and honestly, another healer wouldn't hurt the next time they did a dungeon run. There was really only set rule right now for getting into his guild, you had to get along with the other members and not be a complete jerk. Low standards maybe but they would not turn down people willing to fight to end this death game. With a friendly smile, he pressed 'accept' when the option came for the friend request "A bit too well perhaps." He laughed softly
The man he believed to be Xenos wandered over to Reylan's table, just from looking at him the guild-master could tell he had a bit too much to drink. Nevertheless, Reylan's philosophy stood that as long as he wasn't rude there was not a problem "Yeah, what do you need?" He asked with a amused, faint smile. Alisea might have said something to him but Reylan was more laid back, perhaps a little too much so. It kinda suprised him that Chari could drink that much, she seemed around his age. He blinked at being called beautiful, it wasn't a compliment he heard before. The only thing he really understood was that Xenos needed iron for something, he supposed it was something the guild could do but would it really be worth it? So far, the guild did not have a tinkerer so maybe Reylan could recruit him instead "I have a counter-offer, we'll get your iron but you'll join the Legion of the Wolf as well as crafting items for us." He smiled at him
His attention shifted back to River as he departed "Alright, see you around!" He responded. It was almost impossible not to notice Lehariel as she bust through the front doors, uttering some boastful proclamation. Reylan did think that it was somewhat cool. It was cool that she could be so confident about herself without fear. He slowly turned his attention back to Xenos "How about it, join my guild and you'll get your iron." He said this a little more confidently.
Another beautiful morning. Sun is shining brightly, rays of light piercing through thin curtains to act as gentle alarm clocks for heavy-sleepers. It may feel early for some but the city is bustling with activity already; merchants are stocking their shelves, bakers were already sweating near their ovens and smiths were clanging their products over an anvil. Day 6 of Talrae seemed to start off like any other day in Talrae so far.
Inside Eden Hall, guests were dressing and getting ready for the day. People were walking past each other in the hallways, attempting to claim a bath before breakfast. On the menu was a bowl of gruel with fresh berries on the side, topped off with fresh cream and milk. Hans and the waitress were already at work, carrying complementary food to hungry patrons.
As the ninth hour of sleep concluded, Alisea’s eyes snapped open. Dawn had yet to properly grace the world; the dimness was still too deep to make out features in the room. Nevertheless, her body counted itself rested and urged Alisea to rise and begin her day.
Rising proved more of a difficulty than one might expect. Alisea had been hugging Aster when she fell asleep, and the pair had undergone some… interesting shifts during the night. It quickly became apparent there was no gentle way to extricate herself from the tangle of sheets this morning; she did what she could, then adopted the ‘quick-like-a-bandaid’ approach and lunged out of the bed, hoping her companion would be able to settle back down quickly.
Immediately the chill of the morning air nipped at Alisea’s exposed skin. A shiver raced down her back, the magess trembling in the near-dark. For a moment she tried to grip her arms to heat them; however, an active body would be far more effective, she decided. Starting into what was becoming her regular routine, Alisea began to work and stretch her muscles. Most of them weren’t sore. The only pain she felt was a small twinge across her torso as she stretched her arms wide--and whether that was real or only a phantom memory of yesterday’s rending she couldn’t say. The longer she moved and worked, the less the magess noticed the cold that filled the room--the pumping blood numbed her to it.
Slowly the room was growing more and more lighted. Objects began to take on fuzzy shapes, then slowly resolved into a desk, a chair, the bed. As she was working her body in the growing light, a thought struck Alisea: was this not a time to work her skills, as well? One in particular came to mind. The magess began to Search. Her eyes roved the room--looking for anything, but nothing in particular. She didn’t expect there to be anything, and even if there was she doubted a single level would enable her to spot it now; her hope was simply that skills went up with use, not only with success (and either way, this was a chance to experiment and learn).
Concluding with deep breathing, Alisea settled down at the desk. She pulled out her journal to start recording some thoughts on the previous day. The light was almost bright enough to make writing manageable. Deciding to stall a bit longer for fuller light, the magess flipped open her menu to check if Fyaira had left her a message. She was surprised when she found a message, not from her rogue contact, but from Dirk.
Filled with curiosity, Alisea opened the message. It was disappointingly brief; worse, it was overdue. The paladin had requested a conversation last night. Wondering what their boisterous bodyguard would want to say, Alisea drafted a quick response on the faintly-glowing display.
My apologies, Dirk! I failed to see your message last night. Is there something I might help you with this morning?
Truthfully, she had her suspicions. This was the man loudly proclaiming he would protect his allies from even a single point of damage. He probably wished to speak with her about how near to death she had come--just as Reylan did. If at all possible, Alisea hoped to not have that conversation with Dirk; he would be all apology for failing in his duty to keep her safe, and she didn’t want that. It had been her choice to engage the wolfkin directly, and there was no reason anybody else should feel responsible for that.
Still, there was always the chance that she would be pleasantly surprised. Perhaps Dirk had only wanted to share a meal and some conversation; or maybe he had a question about her magic. Sending her reply off, she could do little more than wait. And checking her clock--6:12--she might have quite a while to wait.
Theo quickly made his way to his room, grateful that Karma had responded to his message - although, the fact that he didn't respond to Theo's request to meet up the next day was a little disconcerting. If neither Karma nor Reylan showed up, than what he was going to do was nearly pointless. Still, it didn't matter at that moment in time - Theo just wanted to rest. Upon resting his head to sleep, Theo rapidly began to lose consciousness - whether it was from pure exhaustion or relief that Karma wasn't so angry at him, Theo really couldn't care less.
The next day, upon awakening, The made his way to the inns bath - he was eager to clean himself after the tiring experience the night before. Upon cleaning himself and reequipping his clothes, Theo went to buy breakfast - the same meal he had eaten every single time he had eaten anything in this game. Though, Reylan's suggestion popped into his mind briefly as he considered what to pick.
Just as soon as he placed his order, Theo received a PM from Alisea.
My apologies, Dirk! I failed to see your message last night. Is there something I might help you with this morning?
Quickly, Theo responded.
"I was planning on having a chat about the dungeon, but if you have time later, I'd also like it if you could come to Town Hall around noon today."
Her reply didn't come for a few minutes. Dirk's food arrived and he had to time to start eating before the next message arrived.
I have time right now. Will you meet me in the hall?
No sooner had his eyes finished scanning the words than the magess appeared, stepping off the last step and into the dining area. When her gaze fell upon Dirk, her eyebrows shot up in surprise. With a light chuckle, she walked over to the paladin. "I was unaware you were such an early riser; it seems I should have said instead that I would meet you here." She pulled out a seat beside him and settled down. "If you rise so early, why were you hoping to wait until noon to speak?"
When she came to sit at his table, Theo wasn't surprised or shocked - He saw the PM she sent him, and when she sat down, he simply called over the waitress so that Alisea could place her own order while Theo ate. After a few bites and several moments from when Alisea spoke, Theo responded.
"It's a habit from medical school - I had morning classes."
Pausing to take a drink, he continued.
"And I guess it doesn't matter when we talk, but I'd like it to at Town Hall, since there's something important I need to do there."
"Oh?" Alisea's eyebrows arched with curiosity as she studied his face intently. "That sounds far more attractive than my plans; I fear our beloved guildmaster will be scolding me for reckless behavior later. Perhaps I will skip that to come and see what mighty feat you will perform."
The young woman's company was quite pleasant. She smiled easily, a charming expression that gave only encouragement. She displayed her total comfort in Dirk's presence by her relaxed posture and light jesting. She gave him her full attention, as though there could be nothing more important in the world than what he had to share. And those clear, crystal-blue eyes were always locked on his own, inviting him to search out their depths.
"The dungeon, then. What have you been thinking?"
Theo continued to eat as Alisea spoke, noticing that she seemed to be unaware that he was also upset with how she acted in the dungeon. Well, Dirk would obviously be nowhere near as angry Theo was, so her calm attitude was understandable. Remembering that he was Dirk, Theo responded to her inquiry.
"You probably already heard it from Reylan, but what you did was pretty risky-"
Theo began to wag his finger.
"Especially since I'm supposed to keep you safe. You'll make me look bad if you pull a stunt like that!"
Laughing in his usual deep and gruff manner, Theo continued.
"Just be careful not to do something like that without me holding the aggro - I plan on getting a spell that will make that a lot easier, so just make sure to only do reckless things on enemies that are pissed at me!"
"That certainly sounds safer. I will remember that for the next boss fight." Alisea increased her smile to a beam. "If the truth be told, I was hoping for the right opportunity to test some of my newer abilities; but I had found none sooner, so I felt that was my final chance. I wanted to practice Ice Lance in particular; where most magic spells have a cast time, the Lance is intended for hand-to-hand combat and casts instantly."
The magess paused to peruse the depths of Dirk's eyes. What she was searching for was unclear, but it was definite that she was searching. "Maybe you would like to help me practice?" she asked, her gaze not wavering. "Not just now, as Reylan does want to talk as soon as he wakes, but sometime. Practicing all of our skills when outside dungeons will be important to growing stronger, too."
Hearing her response, Theo wasn't entirely reassured - but he felt significantly better than he did previously. She was unlikely to ever enter close range combat since Dirk was available, but Theo was confident that she could defend herself as long as Theo used his aggro skills properly. What worried him was when she gazed into his eyes - a feeling he was very uncomfortable with. In the old world, he always did his best to avoid the glare of others - their eyes simply felt wrong, and unnerved him greatly. He always cringed whenever he looked people in the eyes, and turned away quickly.
Luckily, Dirk was above such problems. High ranks in acting made the cringe barely noticeable, and Theo managed to keep eye contact for several seconds, before releasing another gruff laugh in order to escape the situation.
"While no weapon or magic may pierce my ironclad defense, I am more than welcome for you to attempt! Anything to help another person grow!"
Theo finished the rest of his meal, before rising from his seat.
"Be sure to tell Reylan I said good morning! I have some skills to go learn - see ya!"
Theo nearly exited the tavern before giving a final message.
"And if you have free time around noon, you know where I'll be."
Theo paused temporarily, before heading out the door and moving for the skill trainers.
Reylan wished all of the guild members still hanging out in the inn a good night as well as the two new friends he'd made as well. At last, he trudged up the wooden stairs up to the second floor and into his own room. The effect of his tired body were beginning to hit him hard as he sleepily navigated the menu to un-equip all of his gear. There was no way he could muster any energy to draw or paint something tonight, that would have to wait until much later. His legs carried him most of the way to the bed before he simply crashed upon its soft, cotton sheets. A muffled, low tone yell came from his mouth getting absorbed into the fabric his face was pressed against. It was probably a good idea that the others distracted him from noticing a very dire message waiting for him.
He slid the covers over his exhausted body, mind strangely filled with thoughts of Alisea as he drifted off to sleep. Reylan had to project everyone...he just had to. That was his final thought before falling victim to the sandman and his grip. Numerous dreams slipped in and out of his mind, never taking hold long enough to consciously remember. Suddenly, a dream claimed dominance over the others but unlike in most of his vivid dreams where he was in his own body, he was viewing this one in the third-peson
The scene was that of a playground that Reylan did not quite remember but it seemed very familiar, the sun brighter than it should be. Out of the blue, a much younger version of himself was sitting on the ground, crying, surrounded by black shadowy forms that were yelling insults at him No one likes you weirdo!, People only talk to you because you have stupid silver hair., You're like an alien with those eyes! You don't belong!...and many more. All of them he had heard before, of varying severity. They did not last long as another shadowy, formless figure approached the smaller Reylan from behind and stood of front of him. The voice from this new figure sounded like a little girl "I don't like what your saying to my friend. You better stop before one of you gets hurt." The voice strongly asserted, in a cocky manner." One of the trio of shadows replied with snark "Why? You're just some girl." The look in his younger self was enough to tell Reylan that what they said had been foolish.
Within moments, the shadow who were slinging insults as his younger-self dispersed. A single high, pitched cry came from one as they vanished. "Why do you always watch out for me?" The young Reylan asked with a bit of sob "Because you're mine silly. I don't like others messing with what is mine. Now lets go play on the swings. You push me first though." Her voice possessed an sublte coldness despite its pleasant tone "A-alright." Young-Reylan seemed to recover, now smiling, as the he walked over to the swings with the formless figure. There was a bit of laughter as they broke off into a run and then the dream collapsed into a sea of darkness.
His silver eyes slowly opened, using his menu to glance at the time. A soft groan came from him at how early he had woken up. Damn Alisea, this is your fault. He thought. His body had been getting used to waking up at that insensibly early time that she seemed to waked up at. He sat up in bed, the sheets sliding down to his waist, and slid the sleep out of his eyes. A hot bath immediately came to mind so he would have at least something to stimulate his body and make waking up not so harsh. When he had finished that, he noticed how tattered his clothing was now he put it back on. Without the rest of his equipment on, its poor condition was apparent.
A heavy sigh left his lips as he made his way downstairs, where Alisea was no doubt waiting for him. His guess was correct as he spotted the magess and approached her. The two went to his usual table to continue the conversation from last night and hopefully resolve any outstanding issues.
It was a familiar scene: Alisea and Reylan sat across from each other at a small, wooden table. Empty food plates were pushed to the side; Clarabell would clear them away next time she passed by. The small cafe held few patrons this early in the morning, affording the pair some welcome privacy. A light hum of background noise resonated in the narrow space, just loud enough to mask their conversation from anyone a few tables away.
Alisea was watching Reylan, wondering if he would speak first. She was smiling, of course; this time it was a faintly teasing smile as she gazed into his wondrous, silver eyes.
The silvered hair archer found it difficult to look Alisea in the eyes when she smiling like that, though he made a strong effort to as he spoke. He did not appear to be as upset as he was last night “Last night you mentioned being concerned for more, what did you mean by that?” He spoke meeting her gaze, curiosity in his voice.
Alisea shut her eyes and let her smile drift to neutral. ”I have to apologize. I… intended to say something… wrong. To tell you to keep your concerns to yourself. But…” Opening her eyes, Alisea grinned at her guildmaster. ”That would be very wrong indeed. You worry for all of us, and you only find more people to concern yourself over. So when I said more, I meant… well, I meant that you should always be you. Keep worrying for us. But Reylan… I want you to know that we worry for you, too.”
Talrae had changed for him the moment he stepped up as leader of their party. That sense of adventure he had that first day had withered with responsibility. It was his tragic flaw, always putting others in front of his own desires. Reylan looked down at the table for a few moments, before glancing back up. “I’m glad to hear that you’re looking out for me, it..means a lot,” he replied. “I’ve been so concerned with being a better leader that I’ve stopped trying to be a player…” There was nothing but honesty in his words. “It would be nice just to let it go for even a few hours.”
”Then let’s do that!” Alisea replied enthusiastically. ”We can leave dungeon raiding for a few days. That fellow you met last night, Xenos, was looking for help with the iron mine quest, right? Everyone who goes with him will be gone until the festival. Until then, we can do something just for fun!”
Reylan seemed to perk up a little at the suggestion “That sounds great!” He then suddenly realized who he was dealing with “..Wait, what kind of ‘fun’?” he asked suspiciously. She had a habit of messing with him given the chance.
”Nothing that would threaten our lives,” Alisea reassured. ”We can start with a shopping spree using our newfound wealth. After, I think we should check the offered quests. Something interesting may have come up while we were preparing for that dungeon.”
A quick sense of relief came and passed. ”We might even get lucky and get one that pays well. We should have Aster come with too,” Reylan suggested. The three of them should be able to handle anything in the quest. Plus, he enjoyed when the three of them were together.
“Duuuuuuuuuuuuh boiiiii Imma be a bot for youuuuu~ Joinin a guuild, joinin a guuuild~” Xenos slurred back as Reylan said his good nights. “Haaate to watch ya leave but love to watch ya goooo~” Xenos giggled to himself as he stood shakily, stumbling off towards the rooms. He turned around on his way out to pay for the bath as well and continued humming happily as he stumbled down the hall and knocked open the door. He tripped at the foot of the bed and laughed loudly as he struggled to open the equipment menu. His eyes slowly slid shut as he managed to unequip most of his gear. He passed out where he sat.
An explosion sounds from the TV in the living room. All the siblings squish together on their ratty couch. Mami and Papi dance in the kitchen, radio turned up loud. Another explosion sounds on the screen and the children cheer. Shadows play in the background. The tallest girl hums absently along with the music drifting out of the kitchen before leaning down and muttering something to a pair of identical twins before they giggle to each other and pass it on to the youngest girl who shrieks and whispers in her older brother's ear. He lets out a groan as he rolls his eyes but the fond smiles gives him away. It was sibling movie night. Popcorn littered the ground, left overs from a food fight that broke out while choosing the movie. Empty cups littered the floor. A pizza box lay propped open on an arm rest.
The others trailed off to bed after the movie ended, leaving the twins whispering to each other. An identical pair of mischievous grins and a glint in their eyes sent them both diving behind the couch. The shadows opened up and Matias stood alone in the woods, rifle in hand and heart in his throat. He gasped for breath as another him appeared and approached, mischievous grin turned malicious. Mateo stalked towards him and Matias couldn't move, couldn't pull the trigger. Everything in him screamed, louder and louder, nerves on fire and shaking. Mateo's jaw elongated, fur sprouted from his skin, and he dropped smoothly to all fours. A wolf, teeth dripping with blood, grinned at him and lunged. A wine glass hit the tile.
Xenos launched himself up from the ground, rifle snapping up just as quickly, and his jaw clenched as he shook with a white knuckled grip on the gun. He stood, limbs locked and breathing heavily through clenched teeth. 'It was only a nightmare. It wasn't real. I am in town. Nothing is wrong.' He repeated to himself for ten minutes before his muscles relaxed, one by one, and his grip loosened. His breathing evened out and the fog from the nightmare lifted, groaning quietly as the alcohol from last night pounded behind his eyes. What a shitty way to start the day.
He sighed and rubbed at his head, looking around his room. Desk, chair, bed, person... He did a double take and slapped a hand over his mouth as everything swayed around him. Bad idea, bad idea, bad idea! He squinted at the figure laying in bed and rolled his eyes. Just River. At least he knew nothing happened. Although if he was being honest, he didn't really remember much after the fourth round of shots. Everything was a little blurry. He just remembered being pleased with himself. Maybe he managed to impress Chari? He shrugged. Future Xenos could figure that out. Right now, present Xenos felt gross and wanted a bath. So he trudged slowly out of the room and relaxed for a long while in the bath, enjoying the warm water and managing to keep everything down. A win-win really.
Xenos equip his gear again after drying off and slowly made his way back into the inn's little dining area and dropped off at the bar again, laying his head down with a groan on the bar. The pounding hadn't really faded. That's what he gets for not drinking water. Hydrate or diedrate. That's the rule and damn was he paying.
“The greasiest, most fattening thing on your menu would be fantastic right now and like five glasses of water. Because I'm dying pleaaaaase.” He whined without looking up. He was just hoping someone was there. If he moved much more, there wouldn't be anything left in him. He opened one of his eyes and looked at what he could see and spotted the person Chari pointed out as the guild leader sitting with a woman. They seemed pleasantly at ease.
“Carajo, que bellos están esos dos...” He muttered to himself. He'd talk to the guild leader later since he was obviously too hammered to get around to it last night. Food first. People second.
Damn they are way too beautiful for their own good...
The next morning then came, it was now around 7:00 a.m when first open his eye to be greeted by morning light. He then rubbed his eyes before sitting up in his one person bed. He then looked at a clock 7:03 am it was best to find Alissa before she leaves and buy some armor she doesn't need. So with that in mind Karma then moved in front of a mirror and opened his menu than his inventory, Then he equipped his only outfit and the second piece of work; a mostly white outfit made out of plain fabric, a humble beginning for a tailor. Karma then begins glooming himself up to be seen.
After pulling some of his long hair in a ponytail behind it Karma then slaps both of his cheeks at the seem time to brace himself. "Alright it is time to face the music, yesterday you almost let Alissa die and now it time you man up and tell her you're sorry." He told his other self in mirror sounding fierce but inside he was a little worry, wondering if things were truly going to go will afterward. He then looked at his desk on top of which was new items made from the rare fabric he was given after the dungeon. Maybe it is best to lead with the word rather than rewards.
So Karma marched down the stair as brave as he could yet he found some himself peeking around the door frame looking at her. She was right there eating breakfast yet hesitation still his feet. Come on man you can do this! he told himself. He then stepped his way to there table to which at that point there was no turning back.
Karma then waved for her attendance. "Hey!" He said trying to sound calm. "Alissa...I'm sorry i didn't heal you back yesterday back when you only had about...300 left during that boss fight. The thing is i...I was sorry worried about Dirk, Aster, and Polak that i forgot how low your health bar was at the time. Also, i was paying attence to how full the health gauge was rather than the numbers; cause of which your health seem about more than half full." Karma told her.
Karma then went into his menu than his inventory and summoned a some newly made Cloth Armor. "To further apologies i made this for you, it cloth armor made out of rare material i was rewarded with yesterday after the boss battle." He told her before trying to hand it to her the cloth armor.