Cecilia accepted the friend request, nodding slightly at Apollo's offer. Maybe this can be a weekly thing. Nothing wrong with getting more accustomed to PvP, after all. Monsters were savage, but the more dangerous ones were intelligent. And something something, most dangerous prey. The Lancer chuckled at how her thoughts wandered, before unequipping her weapons once more. She flicked out her Map again, confirmed that it wasn't just a bad joke that the third floor was blacked out, before drawing in a breath.

Jewelry? Check. Fancy clothes? Check. Posture? Check. Light's Bane Cloak? Check.

As the guards thinned out, dispersing to wherever they were positioned, Cecilia confidently strode through the door underneath the stands, nabbing herself a torch while she was at it. Firelight cast strong shadows within the hallways of the Arena, a nostalgic feeling seeping into her bones and sharpening her senses. A dungeon, wasn't it? The cages must have been for captured monsters. She suppressed a grimace; her job may be to kill monsters, but there was a difference between killing them and capturing them to die for entertainment. Nevermind though. Her back straightened further, her breathing steady and shallow, and for a moment, standing beside the doorway of the back of the area, Cecilia closed her eyes, listening for anything that might have been beyond.

1...2...3...4...5...

She didn't hear anything, anything loud enough to concern her. Momentarily, the Lancer considered suffocating her pilfered torch, but that thought too was discarded. Confidence, that's what she needed. There would be less suspicion if she simply strode in as if she belonged. And she did belong. What was an Arena except for a place for adventurers to congregate and mingle through?

With audible footsteps clickclacking against the stone floor, Cecilia strode through the doorway, continuing her delve into the inner recesses of the Arena.

---

"Heh, fair enough. Well, I'll pick up my line as well, then head back off to Troodon. Good luck, then." Aura said with a smile, and wandered off to find the subquest giver. Willow sounded like a tired and grumpy mother trying to corral her kids into some kind of order. Hopefully Aura wouldn't have to be in the same position if she did join Genesis. Now time for to find where to pick up her questline and take a straight line back to the inn.

Aura checked her menu briefly to make sure she got the right people, and then headed over to Dracion. "Good evening. I came to find a trainer for the battle cleric questline. Can you point me in the right direction?"

River finished up his business and turned to leave, a sudden exhaustion overwhelming his face. He gave Holly a weary smile and made his way back to the boat, paying for the pair of them. River was silent, clearly somewhere else as he watched the gentle waves brush against the boat and oars dip in and out of the dark water. The silence that lingered around him was comfortable and welcoming, the lack of noise and alertness that could come around in unfamiliar territory because a friend was close at hand.

The trainer led the pair back to the inn and disappeared into his room with a soft good night.

---

---

A long winding staircase greeted Cecelia, disappearing into further gloom. Spiderwebs lined the lightless crystals that lined the wall and dust only grew thicker as the lancer ascended. Faint, faint footsteps could be noticed if one paused long enough, barely peeking through another layer of dust. It seemed to go on for sometime before another dark archway rose up in Cecelia’s sight.

Around the edge of the stone arch, someone carved the Talraean language in large swooping letters. Looking past it, a waist high stone ring dominated the room. Small holes were evenly spaced around the top of the wall even three feet. Empty bookshelves and desks were scattered around the room, some toppled over and other in pieces as if they’d exploded. The room smelled stangant and all noise was immediately muffled, even the crackling of the lancer’s torch, despite the open ceiling. A view of the star riddled night sky was only obscured by a series of metal hoops affixed near the opening.

A notification pinged on Cecelia’s map. The same writing from the doorway now marked the dark space this room should occupy but the area stayed dark despite discovering it.

---

---

Dracion turned around at Aura’s question, giving the girl a once over. “Throwing your hat in with that bothrin, huh? Well if you really want to get roped into all that Godly nonsense, head to the backside of the market. You’ll find an old home that Cleric of Morrigan converted into a shrine. Bunch of nonsense if you ask me.”

This…well, it wasn’t treasure or a dungeon, but she knew at least one person that was interested in this. How many other Arena-goers had known about this? Probably not too much. The value of information was greatly increased by how fresh that information was. By tomorrow, more specialized guilds would have looked into this anomaly, and if there was hidden information here, they’d be able to capitalize on it first.

And Cecilia certainly couldn’t have that happen at all, hm?

Kneeling down, she examined the chamber carefully, noting how the dust had managed to accumulate so thickly, how the floor itself was completely dry despite the heavy storm that had just passed and the contents of the room itself. It was like a study, perhaps, or the site of a magical ritual, except it had somehow…been wholly emptied of any papers or reagents, leaving only curious rings of metal and stone behind. Was there an attack here? Or had someone, in the past, ransacked this place, taking everything except the furniture? Her map was checked next; the area remained blackened, blotted out, even after she had entered it.

So maybe she didn’t truly enter the area.

The arch at the entrance probably had something to do with it. Maybe a password that had to be spoken before entering, with the answer conveniently being those indecipherable texts inscribed in the stone. Or maybe the developers had been too busy designing the death-game portion of Talrae that they simply forgot to develop this area. Fucking chumps. Cecilia rolled her eyes, before snuffing out her torch.

The night sky was pleasant when her eyes adjusted to it, alien galaxies streaming overhead. It was quiet here, more so that the forests of Genesis at night. That was magic too, wasn’t it? She’ll go bug Willow about it in the morning. For now though…

This is Tonitrus, reporting in.

I’ve uncovered a curious black box within the third floor of the Arena. Enclosed within this message are screenshots of the area I’m currently in, as well as the Talraean script that was inscribed above the entrance of this room. To add in extra details: the dust within has accumulated for years, and the opening you see above does not appear to actually be an opening, as neither rain nor wind has entered this room. Sound here is muffled, and my map does not update this area despite myself being inside.

I advise tomorrow that we split up to investigate before leaving town. I presume no one has engaged with Valrene Vestrine yet about the Poison Gland request?

Regards,

Tonitrus

There was a ping as she sent the message, before Cecilia exited the curious room, heading back to the inn. Her more inquisitive side wondered what would happen if she had camped in that silent chamber for the night, but on the other hand, River already paid for the room, and she’d be remiss to refuse his generosity.

Well, she felt as if they were even though. After all, she was the one that located his subclass trainer for him.

---

Holly couldn’t help but yawn slightly, which she was grateful that River’s journey to get his subclass was finished. She gave River a smile similar to his since she couldn’t help but could feel the niggling of sleepiness get to her. The boat ride back to town was peaceful and quiet, which she didn’t really want to interrupt the silence. It made her think about all the happened and all that will happen in the future with her and her friends, however, she didn’t really want to focus on the past right now. Her entire thought pattern right now wanted to get to her room and fall asleep, since she was trying not to fall asleep on the boat. It would be slightly embarrassing to her.

Holly was happy to arrive back at the inn, which they picked to relax and rest. She heard River say goodnight quietly. ”Goodnight...” Holly said, quietly. She yawned afterwards, which she decided to go to her inn room. She shut the door afterwards, however, she noticed a blinking message in terms of the guild message. It was from Ceci, it was odd in what it was within the message and the screenshots in question. She did want to reply but she usually deals with mysteries better when she’s awake and not almost falling asleep standing up. ”That’s odd… but if it wasn’t for my constant not wanting to mess up my sleeping schedule I would reply… to that. I’ll talk to Ceci tomorrow about that oddity.” Holly said, with a slight wanting to reply to Ceci reporting in. She sighed a bit deeply in a bit of regret but she prepared herself for bed, by making herself comfortable while wanting to sleep. In terms she took off everything that wasn’t needed for bed, but kept on her fancy clothes as her equipment.

Holly walked to the door and locked it to make sure no one tries to enter her room. She yawns a bit deeply but she made sure to put her stuff she unequipped were at the foot of the bed. It’s how she usually gets ready for bed most of the times, in the mansion she lived in. Habits are very hard for her to get out of but she laid down for bed, but before she went to sleep. She decided to message the entire guild.

Goodnight friends, I hope you have a great night sleep. I will have a chat with you when I wake up tomorrow since I am exhausted, Ceci. About those oddities you found in the Arena anyway.

Love, Holly

Holly decided to leave it at that, however. It was nice they are finally on the next floor after the very first floor. She finally closed her eyes to fall asleep since she was too exhausted to do anything else. If it wasn’t for River’s optimism she might have not even learned about that flower in question for her trainer. She had a smile on her face while she slept.

---

---

River lay in a bath of warm water, soaking his bones and attempting to relax the days struggles away. He glanced over towards his gear that lay neatly folded to his right, his monster book atop it all with a slight sheen from the light catching the leather. He sat there and thought about how he would need to approach things from now on in this floor, stealthing up to monsters like usual to record his findings one them, while also having to slay them to add to his repetoire of transformations, of which he was allowed two at the moment. His head leaned back against the tub, body sinking lower into the water until it covered his mouth and soft bubbles formed from him pushing out air. Pepper lay at the foot of the bed, curled up and asleep while the genie rested snuggly in his lamp. What sort of creatures would he find on this floor? The botanical life suggested beings of massive size, the climate was hot and humid with steam rolling off the ground and sticking to ones skin while the coastal area was nice and cool.

He sunk further down, now fully submerged into the water as he lay there and thought about the climate, creatures, and plant life. A giant being who rules over lightning and storms huh? I wonder if i could take the form of that... His thoughts wandered away as the bubbles slowly made their way to the top, a bit of water splashing as he arose with them to get some more air. Godzilla huh? The climate does seem appropriate for reptilian-esque creatures. Perhaps dinosaurs or pre-man creations? Or maybe giants to dwarf over the goblins of the first. He could definitely see how the goblins green skin would blend nicely into these surroundings making them harder to hunt. The tall foliage would also help giants to hide behind until they need to strike. Too many possibilities with not enough answers. It was then that Cecilia had messaged the guild with some rather odd screenshots. He flicked through them curiously and noted the strange writing.

Hey Ceci, I’m sure we can take a look at those markings and room later. Maybe there’s a library or some location where we can pick up a book on the native language to manually translate it. Aside from that I’d like for you and I to stealth on the poison sac mission so i can gather some notes on them before we slay them to gather what’s needed. I need to delve into the forest anyways to find some suitable creatures whose form i can take. I’m about to turn in for the night but your room is number 4. I’ve left the key with the innkeep and instructed them what you look like as well as your name so that you can gain access to it.

The morning of the next day was met with a quiet murmuring in the Troodon, people suffering the consequences of their revelry and facing the sobering realization that the nightmare from before would eventually repeat if they continued. Everyone had gotten a message from the Astral Blade’s council representative that a memorial service would be held that evening and the names of any fallen should be forwarded to them for the service. A black cloud settled over most of the Players even as the sound of the market opening and the town springing to life with the calls of workers and neighbors alike contrasted their mood vividly.

Outside the Troodon, the market was a flurry of activity. Between the open stalls and shops, the day laborers hauling shipments back and forth from the docks, and the town guard making rounds, Reliquia was a flurry of activity early in the morning. Some eager Players were already stocking up for a foray into the forest just outside the city limits, eager to test out their new tricks.

Willow for her part, rose with the morning sun and immediately sent out a message to the guild.

Before everyone strikes out on anything, lets meet up for breakfast to figure everything out. Cece, I have a partial translation for you. I’ll be waiting in the Troodon tavern so find me when you can.

She pulled up her spells as she waited, munching on bread and fruit as she cried inside about the 3000 renn it cost her. But she would be better equipped to keep her allies alive on the field and that was all that mattered. Though her pocket book didn’t agree.

There was lots to do today, the top of the list unearthing another quest line and the Guild focusing on clearing the bonus boosted quest. Followed by figuring out who will take over their paper work responsibilities and who is the representative at the Council gatherings. Willow let her head plop down on the table and sigh.Why was this so complicated? Why did everything go so wrong?

Well, no need to dwell for now. She opened Ceceila’s message from last night to stare at the writing. The system automatically translated most of the words. Ascend upon a well of stars and then a few extra words but she wasn’t sure what they meant. Maybe they could talk to the Shamans and ask about it.

The inn room was serviceable. Cecilia had long become accustomed to substandard mattresses and a hard pillow, in a bedframe too small to comfortably stretch out, and by the time morning came, she was certain she had gotten enough sleep to last the day. Hopping off the bed, she cast her eyes towards the window, where the humid city was still shrouded by light fog. It'd vaporize once the sun rose higher, that much she was certain. Pulling out a length of string from her inventory, the Lancer began to tie her hair back, opting for a bun this time. Her eyes closed, she felt for the strands, braiding them together and bundling them up until there was no chance of it falling apart. Nothing more unpleasant than having your hair get stuck to sweaty skin, after all.

Moments later, she bounced downstairs, already fully-equipped for monster hunting. Plopping down at the table Willow was at, Cecilia ordered stew and bread for herself, aiming for a warm, hearty meal to start the day off. "Right-o," she said, one eye on the stairway in wait for the others, "So what's the plan for today? Y'all got 'em subclasses all nice n cleared up yet?"

Health: 2100/2100
Mana: 2000/2000

---

Prome was slowly awoke as the light of the sun reached his closed eyes "Ennhh" He mumbled as he rose, yawning and stretching. He took a few seconds to look around "Where...am I? I don't recognize this place." He got out of bed walked to the door "The last thing I remember is the boss fight...and even that's a little blurry. Oh well, I suppose it's not that big a deal. Now, to see where exactly I am." He walked out the door, and with a little wandering, found himself in what looked like a bar "Strange, just where am-Ah!" His sentence was cut short when he saw some familiar faces "Willow, Cecilia!" He waved to the two girls as he jogged over to them "It sure is nice to see some familiar faces" He told them as he took a seat "I must have been so tired last night that I was barely awake, since I can't remember anything after the boss fight. Boy wasn't that a close one. I certainly didn't expect it to rain magic like that. It's a miracle that nobody died." He trailed off as he began ordering something sweet for breakfast.

---

Aura woke up in her hot tub. More specifically, she groggily opened a sliver of her eye as the morning light filtered through the fog. She had fallen asleep as soon as she sunk in the warm caress of the water, and now her entire body looked paled and shriveled after staying in the water for too long. Not that Aura had the conciousness to be bothered by it - she was more bothered by the sun in her eye. Damn it. The water had lost its warmth, and it was a little too small for Aura's tall stature but she didn't want to leave her bath either way.
She half-heartedly tried to shift herself away from the sun, then lazily slapped her hair over her eyes, weighing it down by the water. Not perfect but it would do to catch the last precious drops of sleep. Aura 1, Sun 0.
Feeling vaguely smug at her improvisation, Aura sank lower into the water to enjoy her waning moments of lethargy. The world could wait.

---

Holly’s eyes were touched by sunlight, which was coming in from the window in the room. It caused her to wake up and slowly get up from the bed. It was a comfortable sleep for her, however, it wasn’t alike her bed she usually sleeps in at her mansion. She was grateful for the small things, however, better than that one time where she was sleeping on the ground or floor. She stretched her arms, which she usually does most of the time. It took her a bit to shape her hair to not be bed hair, to her usual hairstyle of straight since she usually doesn’t like any other hairstyle. She smiled when she felt her hair in the proper style of hair she enjoys, even though it was a bit of a hassle to have it this long though. ”I should really do something more with my hair than leaving it in a straight style, might as well do something different...” Holly thought to herself, with a slight smile on her face.

She decided to put all her long back hair into a ponytail, since it would be easier to handle. Its because it’s a start of a new day and she wanted to try something different. She slowly got her gear together, by putting it on the bed. It took her not that long to equip her equipment back onto her since she’s been pretty used to that part of the hassle of getting ready. However, she look at her ranger’s quiver before putting it on her back and it was completely empty. She sighed, however, she decided to look at the guild messages before wanting to get arrows for her bow. ”Oh, Willow put a message up. That sounds like a great idea, better to eat before doing anything excessive.” Holly thought to herself, with a smile on her face.

Holly sighed, however, remembering what happened exactly on the last floor, which ruined her good mood and smile. She shook her head, a bit. It’s like nothing she does ever keeps her from remembering all the horribleness in this game. Specifically what happened on the last floor. However, she couldn’t keep herself down or it would ruin everyone’s moods. She got out of her inn room by walking, which she walked down the stairs and noticed Prome, Cecilia and Willow sitting at a table. It took her a bit to wave towards her friends, however, she did notice Prome wasn’t acting like his usual self, the mad scientist planning and plotting. She walked over to the table, and sat down at the table. ”Hello, good morning everyone. Had a good sleep?” Holly questioned towards the three. However, she felt her stomach growl and decided to order some stew, bread and water for herself.

”I still have to get my subclass, but I got some information on how to win over Elwyn Gage. It was nice I did go with River to get his subclass after all the waiting he had to do, the Shaman’s Hut was pretty at night. It was peaceful boat ride to and from the Shaman’s Hut.” Holly said, with a nervous smile. Mostly because she said something pretty embarrassing to River since she can’t really do certain things with dice. She has never really tried to get better at something that she cannot win at most of the time. In her mind, she hopes that she never blurts out how bad she is at Yahtzee, it would be embarrassing if all her friends found out that is. However, she does want to be more open about her name since she has never told anyone her actual real name though. It took her a bit to put up the courage to say it by breathing in.

”Oh yeah, my real name is Patricia. I should’ve probably told you all sooner, but I was too embarrassed to say it.” Holly said, with her blushing slightly of embarrassment. She had never once ever said it to anyone she only said her in-game name to anyone, never her actual name. It felt good to say her real name for once, which felt like a great relief.

---

Aura felt the soreness slowly creeping through her knees, overpowering the numb morning fatigue. Aura let out a deep rumble. She should stop being lazy, huh? After a couple of near-slips and a longing look as she exited her little corner of peace, she woke herself up with a cold bucket of water and cursed after realizing she probably shouldn't have taken it THAT cold.

Aura went through a morning routine of checking to see if any of her equipment got stolen or lost (she was pretty sure inns were safe-zones for that, but it didn't hurt to take inventory). Armour, sword, shield, potions. It would have looked pretty impressive all laid out back in the real world, although Aura doubted it was anything above the normal arsenal in this one. She drummed her fingers on her kite shield, idly making a mental note to get a tower shield next time she had the chance. Her strategies and title were shield-focused after all. Aura didn't bother brushing her hair, only pulling them back and tying them into a simple and practical ponytail, with a loop so that it didn't catch her movements.

Aura changed out of her night clothes into her armour, and hit her breastplate with ritualistic determination, clanging the metal on metal. "Another day in hell. Let's make it count." She whispered, and checked the menu for her to-do list.
1. Check up on Cleric of Morrigan, back of the marketplace. I don't believe in divinity either, Mr. Cynical, but it's not like paladins have much else to pick from.
2. Search for Last Genesis. They should be in the inn, probably right outside the room. Feels like a job interview.
3. Get myself some damned coffee. I ran out 3 days ago and no-one stocks it anymore. Sheesh.

Aura made her way downstairs, squinting at every creak and checking to see if her heavy armour had broken through the floor or not. Alright. Alright. Phew. Aura surveyed the inn from the stairs. People were quietly milling about, looking forlorn and murmuring about last night. It was a lot more somber sight than yesterday. Perhaps it was the shock that numbed everyone from the pain of loss, and only now it was truly sinking in. Aura was a solo player the entire time, so she didn't really "lose" anyone, except for perhaps the people she dragged out of combat.

"Shut up and fight, damn it!"
"This isn't a video game, you don't get to give up!"
"Your teammates are out there! They need you!"

Aura searcehd for the faces of those she had tried to patch up, but she could spot none. "Would have been better if they made it, I guess." Aura said idly to herself. She shifted her shield arm, then came out to greet Willow with a tidied expression. "Morning, Willow. I'm guessing last night didn't work out for you?" Aura noticed the group surrounding Willow, and judged that they were most likely Last Genesis. Aura wasn't sure if Willow wanted to introduce Aura first or not, so she started with the formality.

“No, I haven’t. Probably won’t until tonight either. I dropped all my Renn on the rest of the body line and this.” She gestured ruefully to the food in front of her. Her eyebrows shot up as Prome joined them; she hadn’t been sure he would. She was about to greet him when she flinched violently at his words. It’s a miracle nobody died. The statement was almost a slap to the face but Willow kept her knee jerk reaction under control, nothing more than a sharp breath and a tightened grip on the mug she was drinking from slipping out. She smiled tightly at Prome but her attention was taken away by Holly.

“Good morning you two.That’s a lovely name but I hope you don’t mind I stick with Holly; it's been so long since I’ve called you anything else.” Willow smiled at the girl. Mostly, she’d rather not think about the outside world and real names reminded her of what she would be returning without. “Hopefully, the rest of them won’t be long so we can get some official business over with and get on with these quests we have. God knows I need the renn.” She sighed at the glaring zero she knew her dashboard would display. The rest of the body line had been murderous on the wallet but it was non negotiable. She wouldn’t walk into a fight without a full healing toolkit and anytime more spells came out, it would be her highest priority to obtain it. “Now all we need it…” She opened up her dashboard and pulled up a PM to River, the slow riser probably still asleep. Normally, it took all of them to phone bomb him repeatedly to either distract him from his job long enough to hop online or wake him up to hang out with them.

“Well speak of the devil.” Willow chuckled as the man himself made his way to the table. “Hopefully, the others will be joining us soon but for now we’ll jump into the thick of it. I’m sure we’re all eager to get a move on. Last night, a paladin approached me about possible joining the guild but we have-” Willow stopped as she saw Aura and returned the greeting.

“Not particularly. I gave up on everything but the spells.” Willow laughed with a shake of her head and gestured for Aura to join them. “Speaking of her, this is Aura. We spoke last night about her experience but she doesn’t have a ton of endgame experience so we’ll have to work on that. However, we need to discuss the position of guild leader. Karuu is....” Willow swallowed hard and tried to say it but she couldn’t. She couldn’t admit what happened so she just… didn’t. “Currently unavailable for the foreseeable future which means we need to put someone else in the position to handle paperwork, the Council, and whatever else we may encounter that demands an official representative. If you open the guild tab of your dashboard, you’ll notice a nominate guild leader slot. Just drag a name to it and it’ll add it to a ballot for us to vote on. If we all pick the same person, they auto become guild leader. Once we get that worked on, we can add Aura or take her out on a few quests to get a feel for how she fits with the group. And then we can discuss your images Cece, see what that other quests needs because if we can knock out two birds with one stone I’m all for it, and we can discuss what we want to do with the images you sent, Cece. All I got from it was Ascend upon a Well of Stars but there are some words that are outside my linguistics skill apparently.”

---

Holly was slightly still embarrassed in telling her real name to everyone at the table. However, her mood changed for the better with what Willow said to her. ”Willow, thanks for the compliment. I don’t mind at all really I just wanted to get it off my chest since I’ve been a little too shy up to this point. Wanted to be more open with everyone. I did embarrass myself in front of River...” Holly said, with a gentle smile towards Willow. She always was a bit shy in front of everyone anyways, but when things get tough she tries to be a helping hand with her guild. It didn’t take much time when she heard what Willow had said about her renn situation but did notice all the food on the table.

”That’s a lot of food you bought Willow.” Holly said, with a bit of a shocked look on her face. A small thought went through her head, mostly about Willow being basically a healer with River being an off healer, in terms of what Willow had said about her Renn situation. She shakes her head slightly only because she remembered she needs to stop being so stingy with her own money in this game. It doesn’t help she’s a rich girl in real life, which has most of her whole life planned out by her father Frank and mother Lana. Before this whole situation happened that is but she has to make the most of it.

”I should really stop being so stingy with my Renn. I have to put more into this guild so nothing like that will happen again.” Holly thought to herself. Certain parts of her body tense up slightly only because of the fact the guild leader. She couldn’t help but tear up slightly from what had happened, which it took Ceci, Kira and Willow to stop her from crying during the fact they were trapped within this game. Its the only thing she can really do when situations get so dire from what goes on in real life. She tried to stop her tears, however, what Willow said afterwards made her roll her eyes a bit. It’s mostly because it involves River’s antics of being a deep sleeper or working too much.

”I remember that fondly… I remember it took me about three hours to get in contact with River because of his sleeping habits.” Holly said, with a slight giggle about that. She did enjoy trying to get River’s attention all those times because her father says, friendship is one thing you’ll never forget. ”I wonder how my parents are doing while I am trapped within this game…” Holly thought to herself. She gave out a small sigh since she kinda hopeful to reconcile with her mother Lana, but it’ll take awhile to do so since this prison of a game. There’s many things on her mind but she was snapped out of it when Willow said speak of the devil about River and giggled slightly as well.

Holly looked directly towards River with a smile and definitely remember how embarrassed she was when River heard her say she’s terrible at Yahtzee. Because of that memory made her blush a slightly even though she was definitely still down. ”I have to say that sounds like a great idea. But River, you are one of the sleeping beauties in our group, I must say with how long you sleep. Oh yeah it would be nice to see what you can transform into as well.” Holly said, with a slight chuckle at what she said and with a smile on her face. This is usually what she says anyways but it’s something of an inside joke for the group of friends that River is indeed a sleeping beauty. However, with what Willow said about a Paladin approaching her to join the guild. It caused her to be intrigued at the same time a bit down at the same time, which caused her to tear up again.

Holly noticed the paladin in question approaching the table and saying morning to Willow. However, she couldn’t help but smile towards the Paladin, even though what Willow said afterwards reinforced her thoughts that their primary healer is broke. She heard what Willow said afterwards as well about the Paladin’s name and the sticking point in the guild, they have no guild leader. It was obvious that Willow swallowed and didn’t want to say he’s dead. The entire situation was a definite sour point since she cried much and is still crying because of what happened to Karuu. She decided to introduce herself, when Willow paused for a few seconds to say something else. ”Nice to meet you, Aura. My name is Holly or you can call me Patricia if you want. I don’t really mind on whatever you decide onto, but everyone in Lost Genesis calls me Holly anyways.” Holly said, with a smile on her face trying to fight the sense of loss in her heart and embarrassment on her cheeks too. Its a bit too hard for her to fight.

Holly had a real hard pill to swallow with what Willow continued with about assigning a new guild leader to Lost Genesis. It was obvious to everyone in the guild, she enjoyed the paperwork side of things but not really good with the leading part. She has failed a few times in a leadership position, in terms being a raid leader in one of the games they played together before this one. It’s always so easy for her to get flustered and miscall something and the entire party wipes; however, those types of mistakes are definitely harsher in this game than others. It was a bit of a relief when Willow suggested the other thing, about taking Aura out on quests before picking a new guild leader even though it should be done. ”W-Willow… that’s a bit much don’t you think? But…” Holly said, with a self-deserved but. She wanted to say something else but it was hard on her a bit much.

Holly decided on whom she would vote for if they needed someone to be a Guild Leader. She opened her guild tab and nominated Willow for the Guild Leader position. Willow has been the voice of reason and sarcastic at times throughout their gaming career, which she enjoys much. Out of everything, if it wasn’t for Willow and the other two she would’ve gave up on this game and never able to get enough courage to say her own name for that matter. ”You can probably tell on who I voted for...” Holly said, in tears at what she said, basically hinting that she picked Willow to be the new guild leader.

Health: 2100/2100
Mana: 2000/2000

---

Prome raised an eyebrow in confusion "Karuu? Who's that? Ohh, food!" His dialogue was interrupted when his order came and he started eating. As he looked around at everyone, he noticed that they all seemed kind of somber, and he had no idea. Putting eating on hold, he spoke up again "Also, why are we voting on a new Guild Master? Did-" And then he paused, suddenly realizing something "...actually, I can't remember who was Guild Master. Then again, I probably just didn't pay much attention. It happens sometimes."

He moved to resume eating, when another thought crossed his mind "Oh, that's right! I need to spend the points from my level up!" He opened his menu to do just that, when he found a couple of discrepancy "Wait...how did they get allocated already? And...do I have a Subclass now? How did that happen?" He started getting a headache that slowly grew in intensity, until "Oh! It must have been automatic. Probably because of my power armor or something. How convenient!" And just like that. his headache vanished and he resumed eating.

---

---

River took a seat at the table, and noticed the woman who was introduced to them as Aura. A paladin who wanted to enter their ranks, which truth be told was very needed. River listened to Willow as she explained that they needed to nominate a new leader, a sore subject that he was hoping to ignore for a while longer, after all denial is a powerful thing. She was, as usual, right; the guild needed a new leader and with the Blades and other guilds still pushing for these meeting for the coalition, it was important to have someone in a position of power to be able to attend and speak for the betterment of the group. He gave Prome a side glance, glaring at him for a moment before thinking that perhaps he had finally broken down, his mind creating pockets of safety for him to be able to function normally by excluding ill memories that may endanger that semblance of normality.

”It’s like Willow said, our previous guild leader is indisposed of at the moment, so just vote for a new leader in their absense so that we can continue to attend these crucial meetings that are held by all the leaders.” His voice was equal parts sympathetic and annoyed, wondering why he even needed to question something that was being put out for them to do. He opened up his menu and dragged Willow’s name into the slot, knowing she would most likely be fit for the job over the others. ”Done and done. I agree that we should hit up those quests as soon as we can, Holly also got a quest of her own while we are out in the wild doing the other two, it’s to help her unlock her subclass quest. As for the images...we’ll need to get that skill higher and soon if we want to beat out other players at this possible riddle. I’d hate to be the first to find it but the last to solve it.”

“Prome, vote at some point today please.” She worked her hardest to keep her tone even but there was still an edge to her words. What bliss, such idiotic igorance. But that wasn’t fair and she wasn’t going to let slip out anytime soon so she focused on finishing her food and chuckled at Holly’s comment. “What can I say, seven apples a day keeps the existential dread from sitting in.” She stood up as she finished, downing her water quickly, and slamming the tankard back on the table.

“I’m going to hunt down this second quest and then we’ll be heading out. Make sure your gear is in decent condition and you’re ready to take a few hits. Make sure you all eat enough. We should try and be beyond the walls as long as we can.” Willow grinned, excitement flaring up in her eyes. As horrible as the premise of the game was, Willow still loved fighting here. Sometimes she wished she picked a bit more of an aggressive class but she’d start picking up some damaging spells soon just get that sweet, sweet DPS going.

“Alright, I’m off! If anyone wants to join me, you’re more than welcome otherwise I’ll meet you down by the bridge in a bit and we’ll head off from there. Willow explained as she headed out with a wave.

---

Aura returned Holly's greeting, returning the courtesy of revealing true names. "Nice to meet you, Patricia. My real name's Ciara." Aura smiled back. Holly seemed rather meek, but at least she had the courtesy to greet people.

Aura slid into a seat, a little ways out the way of the group. Aura felt out of place, especially with a lack of greetings from other members besides Holly and Willow. Like she was getting into a group that was still reeling from shock, a crumpled and confused remainder that was still attempting to make sense of what happened and what should happen. There was a blanket of somberness over the guild members - clearly, the previous guild leader was quite a significant character.

At least for most of them. Aura thought as she glanced over to the one named Prome. She had a bad gut feeling about him. Someone so prominent as a guild leader and at the very least a guild consistuent in a small-scale guild could not be forgotten so easily and so entirely. So it was either he was also a new addition - which she highly doubted given his interactions- or he needed a therapist. Aura smiled internally with bitter snideness. Guess everyone would need therapy after this, though 'crazy' might be the norm for now.
Aura decided to take the passive approach, keeping an ambivalent openness to others but trying to keep out of any sort of judgement. Aura would work out her stance and role in the guild, but for the sensitive and bruised present, that would have to wait. Maybe after the voting of the guild leader was over (which was rather obvious to Aura as the third party who was going to come out on top), things would settle down. Meanwhile - Aura quickly chewed through a bunch of fruits, making sure to keep her energy up. Worst mistake for a paladin was to run out of energy; and she only needed to make that mistake once.

Aura was glad that Willow decided to get out of this uneasy presence. She couldn't punt her way through an awkward silence, but she sure could against a monster. "Well, I can use the practice." Aura took an apple from the table and stashed it, then bowing slightly to the other guild members, she tailed the soon-to-be guild leader. "Looking forward to working with you all, then." Aura said on her way out.

---

---

River may have been a busy body outside if this game, but he could still read his friends like one of his zoology books. Willows words flowed out smoothly and with what, to some outsiders, might seem like some edge. He could however see them for what they were, a sheathed blade just waiting to be released so as to remove the nearest head in sight. Luckily for both Willow and other players, this game offered many ways to decapitate without penalty in the form of monsters. Though River wasn't too fond of the idea of killing the more creature-esque critters, a goblin or two never seemed to hurt anyone. Pepper had plopped of his head as he sat there in thought, unaware as she crept closer and closer to Auras plate, sniffing the air around it and waiting for a chance to swipe some fruit. Alas, that opportunity never presented itself as Aura had finished her plate and went off to follow Willow. Pepper left to sniff at the plate and lick some of the left over honey before it was picked up by the waitress. "Dont worry Pepper, we'll find some nice and exotic fruits out there while we're questing. Oh and welcome to the group Aur...oh she left...uh I'm gonna go catch up to them real fast."

River lightly jogged out after the paladin, Pepper flying close behind as Ubi drifted behind the pair silently. "Aura! Hey Aura! Sorry I was a bit lost in thought in there and realized I never greeted you or welcomed you to our little group." There was a slight tiredness to his voice as he spoke, stretching lightly before a small yawn escaped him. "Oh man, I'm not used to being up so early yet. Though I do seem to be getting better sleep than usual. I dont have a house full of animals to wake me up in the middle of the night or a tight schedule to keep for feeding and care. I'm River by the way, dont really give out my real name and if you dont mind I probably wont use yours. No offense. So...what brings you to our merry little band of misfits?"