---

---

"Tornado!"

Yui began to brace herself to the ground as soon as Myrtle excitedly chanted a spell. Surprisingly, the wind wasn't as strong as she thought it would be, or rather, it was placed away that made them safe from its pull. When it dissipated, Yui remained speechless. Even when the Belva bid his farewells, Yui did not move. Only staring at the two, at at distance from her, a look of disbelief on her face. When she came to, Yui began muttering something under her breath while moving closer to the maid and her lady. "Very well... lead the way.", she sighed, following the two towards their home.

As they walked through the bustling city, full of confused life and raging conflicts, Yui stared at the bright pair in front of her. They stirred a deep feeling within her. Holding a hand to her heart, Yui took a deep breath in and sighed softly. "Not now...", she whispered to herself. It was too early to feel despair. There was an iceberg in these artic waters. Sooner or later, it will be found.

@Operator Luna@PKMNB0Y



"Goodbye! And thank you for everything!" Myrtle waved her hands at the Belvar, tiptoeing with excitement. She was completely oblivious to the scare she just gave to the people in the park, particularly the NPCs.

The maid's lips formed a half-scowl. She didn't say anything but she was clearly displeased by the flagrant show her mistress just gave.

Not that the mistress herself noticed.

"Oh, you're coming?" She grabbed the hands of the paladin after hearing her words. "That's wonderful! I promise, you won't regret it!" She shook her hands vigorously, smiling ear to ear in the process.

"Miss, should I go on ahead to prepare?" The maid interrupted the two, her hands placed all prim and proper on the front of her apron. "I shall bake you some snacks for your meeting."

"Oh, that's a great idea, Azure!" Myrtle released the paladin's hands, her dress twirling as she made a sharp turn to face her. "You do that! We'll take a scenic route around the city!"

"Very well then. Now, if you would excuse me…"

The maid gave a light bow, giving one last look towards the paladin before leaving the scene.

"Be careful on your way home!" Myrtle stood on her toes and waved her hand again.

She then twirled back to face the paladin, clasping her hands near her right chest. "Isn't she just the best?"

--------

Myrtle took the lead, walking just a few feet ahead of the paladin. She began bombarding her with questions regarding her character: how far she had gotten in the main quest, how many raid bosses she had defeated, what her other classes were, and so on, and so forth. All the while having her eyes wandering on her surroundings. enjoying the sight the city was giving her.

“Ahh, this place really is lovely! It’s nothing at all like the one in the game! We might be stuck here but at the very least, we can be part of this wonderful and exciting new world!” She twirled with a laugh, giggling towards the paladin.

Kokoma
Aluvera - City Streets
@VitaVitaAR@PKMNB0Y

---

"Yep yep, that's exactly how I got here." She'd reply, holding tightly to her mount as it'd swiftly move down the streets. What it lacked in speed, it made up for in great endurance. "No idea, but its great isn't it!" The Shenke would laugh. "No more nine to five life! I can do whatever the hell I want and no one tells me otherwise, ahah~!" Perhaps she should be taking this more...calmly? But really, how could she just not enjoy this? The wind as she ran through the street, the scents, the feeling of her spear having impaled that one harpy...ah.

It felt so good to just...feel so alive.

"Weh!"

Kokoma barely noticed the fact she had almost run into another person with her mount, causing them to swerve a bit to the left and likely causing Sefira to smoosh against her back as they'd skid to a halt just outside of the city walls. While there were certainly less monsters here, there definitely were some - and unfortunate guards and other overly eager adventurers...players? lurking about.

"Geheh, sorry. Was thinking about something super soft and cute." She'd grin, leaving that up to Sefira's interpretation. "Alright! Take the rear and blast 'em while I distract them, kay? I'll be countin' on ya to cover my cute tail"

Great. On top of everything else, this weirdo was into this. Sure, being able to cast magic was nice, but still! This was a lot to take in, and she had just embraced in just like that?!

Sefira opened her mouth to complain, and then let out a gasp as their mount suddenly lurched to the side, mashing her directly into Kokoma's back. It was awkward, made even more awkward by the fact she was now a girl and had just been squished directly into another girl. She had been trying to do her best to avoid thinking about that aspect, but actively being pressed up against Kokoma that closely made it once again quite difficult to ignore.

Kokoma's comment, whatever it meant, didn't help in the least.

"Ugh, fine!" the flustered elven Starlight Mage exclaimed as she glanced back over her shoulder, readying her staff. She wasn't sure what spells she could cast from the back of a moving beast like this, but she guessed that maybe her lowest level ones might be possible. They had short cast times back when Emerald Odyssey was a game. While they weren't as heavily-damaging, that didn't mean they wouldn't be effective at keeping enemies at bay.

@Rune_Alchemist@PKMNB0Y

---

Upon leaving the house, the observation put forward by Eunice was rather obvious. The ongoing chaos though being thinned out, was still not concluded. He had expected someone to take up command of the people who were willing to fight, and perhaps that may happen... Still, it did not make their new situation any less of an inconvenience. Five griffons, and they seemed to be moving like a pack. Was it just out of coincidence? Or was someone targeting Eunice? He could not quite tell, but all the same he drew his blade and prepared to fight.

"I can hold up the rear, we'll push through the front and put them at once side of us at the very least. We're not gonna spend all day cutting them down", he was rather sure of himself. If their objective was to leave, this was the logical course of action.

With consideration to their goal, Saito's suggestion seemed to be the most pragmatic, provided that they were given an opening to break through in the first place. Five griffins was not necessarily the most daunting set of enemies to have to face, sure, but their numbers coupled with the swarm of harpies did not make the task of slipping out of the city unnoticed any more possible.

"If you're heading the rear, I'll take the vanguard," Yu stated, flicking the blood from his sword as he glanced around. The griffins were almost upon them, but the adventurer was not of any mind to let them collapse upon the group so simply.

Running forward, Yu quickly closed the distance between himself and one of the creatures, who seemed to take his choice of action as a challenge. As it attempted to claw at his face as it drew ever closer, the swordsman slid underneath it, running his blade along the monster's stomach and through its body before swinging back around. With Eunice and Saito moving close behind, though, a pair of griffins seemed to fly around and attempt to strike from behind the group. Of course, that left three of the monsters approaching from the front and flanks, but with one of them injured, taking out at least one more would let them simply cut through the rest.

Of course, taking on all of them at once, even with the benefits that the transfer of his skills from the game unto his current form, was not something Yu had much confidence in either. But when the other two in front of him, uninjured as they were, seemed to dive after Eunice regardless of his aggressive position as the harpies harried away at them...

Well, it only made sense to double back and try to pull their attention away. If they were pursuing her, then it only made sense to keep her out of harm's way. The harpies, at least, he could cut down as he moved if they attempted to dive at him again—the bleeding monster lying off to the side from the last time one had attempted something like that proved how wise of an idea that would be to repeat.

@Sho Minazuki

---

As the battles continued on, Sefira would find that her initial volley of spells would provide a few of the people they happened to be aiding the openings they needed to either find more lethal blows or retreat to safety. Of course, with the thinning crowd of monsters, Kokoma's riding about would soon bring to attention another group—one that seemed to be harried by a few more than one or two monsters. The group of griffins and harpies was hard to ignore, especially when they were all apparently converging upon a single point. Whether or not they would intervene and lighten the burden upon them or finish up the rest of the monsters preying on the weak remained to be seen, though...

@VitaVitaAR@Rune_Alchemist

---

---

Once Myrtle's maid left to prepare ahead, both paladin and mage began a light stroll through the markets and the streets. They talked at length about everything, anything. Yui talked about her solitary, how she never settled in one place, was more of high-end mercenary for people who needed a tank or DPS.
"I was never good at healing." Yui chuckled, recounting about the time a group nearly died multiple times because she would refuse to heal until critical moments.
"What about you?, she asked, curious about Myrtle's own experiences.

When Myrtle commented about great it was to live in a game, Yui mulled about it. From her perspective, it wasn't fear or panic that stops her from enjoying the moment, but it was the sense of duty and tingling that kept her alert. Yui looked around. Physically, it was hard to differentiate between player and NPC. Besides the odd behaviour, and unnecessary sayings that spewed out their mouths, players were now 'citizens'. Of Usira. Of this world residing their most beloved game. It would stir many emotions for a lot of people, but not Yui. The sense of duty and foreboding prevented her from relaxing, even as they were walking, Yui was constantly surveying their surroundings.

After a time, they would arrive in front of Myrtle's mansion... it was magnificent to say the least. It would have taken a while to get to this point, and Yui was impressed by Myrtle's own achievements.

@Operator Luna



"Ooh, healing! I'm not good at that either!" Myrtle giggled. "The last time I tried to do it, I got all panicky and ended up killing the entire party!

"That's why my combat main is Weather Mage! It's an easy job to play where you can just sit back and blast the boss as much as you want!"

Weather Mage by many was considered to be one of the easiest classes to play in the game. You simply needed to press your buttons at the correct order, within a lenient time limit. The only difficult part was finding the ideal places to cast your spells, since some of them had cast times where you had to stand still for a second or two.

"So, why did you pick Paladin?" She leaned forward, asking with a smile. Curiosity had overtaken her. Why would someone pick such a stressful job? She had to tank for her party after all!

Their steps took them to the mansion straight away. Truthfully, now that she was here, in the flesh, not in front of a computer, she wished she had more than just a single maid. It would no doubt be really fun to have a full army of maids greeting her whenever she came back!

But, knowing how servants tend to come from in this world… yeesh.

"Here we are!" She declared once they entered the front door. "Feel free to look around as I text my friends."

As Myrtle sat down on the nearest leather couch, Azure popped up from the room to the right of the main hall. Quickly, she ran over to Agaue and greeted her with a bow.

"Oh, welcome back, Miss Myrtle." She gave a short glance towards the sitting girl. "And you too, Miss Selinofoto. Apologies for the rush. I am still busy preparing the snacks Miss Myrtle had requested. Please, if you would, I shall lead you to the guest room."

Myrtle on the other hand was busy messaging her friends. She had activated the option that allowed a conference call with someone on her friend list. That option wasn't there before but now it was.

"Aand… start!"

Click.

An hourglass symbol appeared on the floating screen, with a text that said, "Waiting for approval"

Ding.

An image appeared, showing a redheaded girl standing in the middle of a cobblestone road with old-looking buildings all over her.



Myrtle quickly recognized it as a place in Sen Rynta, bringing a smile on her face.

Good! This means she can come!

It was her friend, Anastasia. And also her loyal customer. And main supplier partner, as she had leveled up all the gathering classes.

"Hey! Anastasia! It's me, Myrtle! Yes, the player, not the character! You've been transported here too, right?"

"A-ah, Myrtle?! Is that really you?! You're here too?!"

"Yes, I'm here! I'm in my mansion actually." She grinned. "Why don't you come over? You know where it is, right?"

"Y-yes! Don't worry! I'll be there right away!"

The call ended with a blip. The video feed disappeared, revealing the friend list behind it once more.

Oh, that poor, timid girl. She took it a lot worse than me, no doubt about that. Guess it's up to me to cheer her up.

That was what Myrtle liked about her. She was so timid she wouldn't dare to jack up the price of her goods, consistently providing her with a good net income ratio.

The perfect business partner for the conniving alchemist.

Kokoma
Aluvera - City outskirts
@VitaVitaAR@PKMNB0Y

---

"Woah woah...!" Kokoma would slow the pace of her mount to a slow trot, glancing over the field. Numerous monsters. Sefira doing a fairly good job. Hmhm, ah, she wanted these monsters dead or gone already so she could tease Sefira more...but for now she supposed she should help these guys. They were getting fairly swarmed from the look of it - the group of harpies and griffins weren't letting up. "Hold on, we're gonna go right in the thick of it!" Kokoma would ready her banner lance, not giving Sefira much time to either regret her life choices or do much more than hang on for dear life.

"Here we go! Hup! Hey monsties! Over here ya unruly bastards!~" Kuja would respond in kind, letting out a fearsome roar as it would seem to mimic Kokoma's attitude. It would leap, spinning as it would allow the sharp whip-like appendages cutting briefly into any monster it would hit as Kokoma would follow it up with impaling whichever monster happened to be nearest her with her lance. "Ya'll should beat it before I beat ya, ya got it!"

---

The job of a rear guard was to ensure the backs of everyone in front was covered, so that they could retreat or advance without worry. Keeping with the group, he ensured all who would be a threat were at least within the corner of his vision, and as soon as they would make a move... He would cut them down in a flash. One such daring griffin had done so to it's detriment, fissures of blood erupted up it's arm so violently it fell over. Saito's blade had been drawn in that single instance striking with Setsuga, now lined with blood as he kept it at his side. Another would take that chance to strike while a harpy began to swoop overhead attempting to get past him.

Saito's response was immediate, a horizontal swing in front, a disrupting aura emitting, before he flourished and sheathed his blade. All at once, the harpy flying overhead, and the griffon in front suffered multiple lacerations, going down to Rekkugeki and Jigenzan, silver flashes like blades piercing them. As soon as they fell he continued to join the group, moving his line with them.

It was perhaps easier for him to take the rear guard, the slower but more powerful and precise strikes of the katana were well suited to cutting down enemies as they approached, like a stand-off, rather than rushing in blade borne and swinging.

Seeing that a pair of the griffins had managed to slip past Yu's initial assault, Eunice raised her staff in response before erecting a protective barrier around herself. It seemed that she had caught onto her current status as a priority target in the eyes of whatever foe it was that had sent the monsters after her in the first place. With a frown, the white-haired girl winced as the two monsters clashed against the shield and found herself pushed back from the force.

Though the rear was more than safe thanks to Saito's efforts, the group would have been hard-pressed to push past the wave of enemies without having to cut them all down—or, well, that might have been the case, had the arrival of a third party to help reduce the pressure placed on them in the first place. As Yu arrived back at the pair of griffins pressing down upon Eunice, the sound of another roar instinctively pulled the young man's attention towards it. Seeing a shadow flying overhead, the blademaster brought his blade up in preparation for an attack to come flying his way, only to see that it—or, rather, it's rider—swinging away at the monsters he was preparing to attack prior to their arrival. The scattered bolts of magic flying about overhead coupled with the monster's own attacks seemed to catch more than a few harpies and peppered away at the griffins, forcing both to draw back momentarily from the pain; one of the latter was soon run through with a lance, making clear that the duo who had arrived were almost certainly friendly.

Rather than immediately thank them for the help, though, Yu dashed towards the remaining griffin, who despite the attacks it was taking seemed fixated upon striking at Eunice, and summarily thrust his weapon into its eye. The monster reared back in pain too dire to ignore and brutally lashed back at the adventurer, only to find that its attack had all but missed the mark. As it swung wildly about in an attempt to find the opponent that had taked out its eye, though, Yu—who had used the sword lodged within the monster's head as a temporary platform—leaped further into the air before motioning with his hand. The blade seemed to shake for a moment before driving itself further into the griffin's skull, causing it to pause for a moment before falling to the ground.

With room to breathe again, Eunice soon turned her staff towards the remaining griffin in front of her and, after a brief pause, launched a silver bolt of magic from its tip. The spell quickly coalesced into the form of an ornate spear as it drove its way into the monster's body, leaving the others to finish it off.

"Are you two all right?" she asked, glancing towards the two swordsmen as she confirmed their health before nodding and breathing a sigh of relief. Of course, the timely arrival of the other two had turned a slightly problematic situation into more of a rote encounter, but she still felt obligated to thank them all the same.

"Ah... Thank you for your help," she said, bowing before looking at the other two again. "But we must be off; time is of the essence."

It did not cross Eunice's mind to think that her voice might be recognizable despite her outfit, but in what circumstances would that have been normal anyhow?

@Sho Minazuki@Rune_Alchemist@VitaVitaAR

---

It was no surprise that Anastasia found the appearance of Myrtle's residence rather overwhelming, especially given how it was multiple times larger than it already was in the game until then. The young woman's mouth was left agape, and as she was led inside, that awe simply left her dumbstruck.

The grandeur of the structure was undeniable, of course, but the real reason that she was here was that she at least had one other person that she knew in the game here now. Try as she might, Anastasia found herself simply unable to teleport to meet any of her other friends at the moment, scattered about the world as they were, and though the possibility of traveling with others to her destination was possible...

Well, being a stranger to all of them was not something she was entirely comfortable with, either.

@Hammerman@Operator Luna

Why?! Why was the first person she met who shared her fate like this?! Charging right into a big swarm of monsters was not Sefira's idea of effective combat! Still, they seemed distracted by their prior targets, so at least the elven Starlight Mage could take solace in that fact as she released scattered blasts from her staff, using her basic Star Arrow to ensure she was doing it at fast as possible, a plan which seemed to be working well. The sensation of magical energy flowing down through her arm, watching it erupt from the tip of her staff... the fact it was real was still incredibly surreal, but there was no denying any of this was happening anymore.

The people that they assisted were thankfully quite capable, and finished off the remainder of the monsters before anything particularly bad could happen.

Sefira lowered her staff with a sigh, dismissing it into a flurry of blue sparks before folding her arms across her chest.

"... You could have at least tried to be a little less gung ho," complained the blonde elf, leaning away from Kokoma as she sat up, "I'm a Starlight Mage, I'm much more effective at range."

When she heard the voice of one of the people whom they'd showed up to help, the petite elf was immediately distracted from the source of her complaints, blue eyes widening.

There was absolutely no missing that voice.

"Eunice?! You're Eunice, right?" she asked, "I... er, w-wait, nevermind."

Reacting like that was bound to raise questions, and Eunice wouldn't see what was strange with running into her, right? To her, they'd met in person plenty of times.

"G-glad we could help..."

@PKMNB0Y@Sho Minazuki@Rune_Alchemist

---

---

Yui followed Azure into a room of rooms. The mansion was grand, yes, but far too grand for Yui's tastes. Every couple meters or so, there would be staircases that seemed to lead high into the sky. The two finally stopped in front of a door. With a gentle twist of the knob, Azure opened the room. It was plain and bare, save for the necessary. "This is the room which you may rest in, Miss Selinofoto.", Azure explained. "If you need anything, please ask me anytime."
"I may need assistance getting back into this room." Yui looked behind her down the endless corridor. No way would she remember.
Azure merely smiled, "Of course. Ring the bell if you need me." With that, Azure left Yui with a bow.

Closing the door behind her, Yui walked into the expansive room. Since when was the last time she's felt a space so... free, open? The quality of the air felt better than the inn, and back at home. Home. Yui thought about it for a second. She didn't have one here, in-game. Not that she wasn't lacking in funds, merely that there was no point? It was a decorative 'achievement', in a sense. Nothing that Yui was interested in, but now she is living in the game itself, it felt like a good idea. Yui sat down on the bed, and opened her menu. She went through her list of friends, all of who were lit grey with a question mark. There was a possibility that there were inside the game, but Yui wouldn't know, she never had 'close' friends in-game and in real life. Maybe she will encounter them, someday. She sprawled across the bed, thinking about Myrtle's friends.
"How nice." Yui sighed. Turning her head a little to the left, Yui spotted the bell Azure mentioned on the dresser. "... Should rest my eyes." And so she did.

@Operator Luna@PKMNB0Y



It wouldn't take long until Anastasia arrived. And Myrtle knew that. So she stood there at the front gate, waiting until she arrived. She wouldn't want her to get into the wrong mansion after all!

"Ooi! Over here!"

The bubbly girl jumped and waved her hands the moment she saw her friend approaching from a distance.

Anastasia smiled. She was still the same as ever. Unlike a lot of people online, her persona in-game was exactly the same as her personality in real life. Or at least, she thought it looked that way.

Still, for her to have such a lavish mansion… Now that the game had become her new reality, she regretted so badly that she never saved her money to buy a place like this.

"Hehe! Welcome! Welcome! Oh I'm so glad you're here as well!" She shook her hands with infectious enthusiasm. "Come on in! Consider my estate your own home!" She giggled.

Anastasia giggled as well, while internally, she let out a big sigh of relief. Being stuck in this game… maybe it's not so bad after all. As long as I have her helping me…

----------

Entering the place, her jaw promptly dropped.

Wow, this place — it really is big! It looks so… expensive and lavish! Look at the floor! The white tiles are so clean it can reflect my face on it! But I guess it makes sense… in a video game world, you can just make your surroundings to always be clean, even if no one cleans it frequently. In fact, it should be easier that way…

In real life, she had delved her toes into programming. Just a hobby thing, not something she intended to make a career out of.

She had no idea how someone could transport a player’s consciousness into a game like this though. In her humble opinion, it could only either be magic or this was all a dream. And both were as unlikely as the other.

"Oh, there's someone I want you to meet!" Myrtle spoke.

"Someone?" Anastasia tilted her head.

"Yes! A Paladin! Azure!" She yelled. "Can you please bring Agaue here?"

"Right away, Miss!" The maid shouted back, the muffled voice showing she was somewhere else in the mansion.

Oh, so Myrtle had made a new friend.

...I guess it's only to be expected. She's always been good at that after all.

Gingerly, the red-headed girl took a seat on the nearby couch. Momentarily, her eyes glanced at the grandfather clock beside her before returning back towards Myrtle, who had taken the couch opposite of her.

"So? What do you think?" Myrtle asked with a grin. "Do you like it?"

"Like it? This place's amazing! If I had known I would be transported into the game like this—"

"Oh, it wouldn't be long until you can have a mansion of your own." Myrtle smirked, crossing her legs. "You just continue supplying me with the ingredients I need. I'll pay you handsomely."

"W-wait, Myrtle, I'm sorry, but I can't do that anymore!"

"Hmm?" Myrtle raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"We're—we're not in a game anymore! I can't go outside and gather your ingredients! Not with all those monsters lurking about!"

Myrtle burst into a laugh. "What are you talking about?! We haven't lost our combat class! Just kill them as usual!"

"No! Are you mad? Real life monsters are nothing like—"

"Alright, you know what? Let's go outside. Right now. I'll show you how to fight."

Anastasia was speechless. How could her friend be so brave?

Kokoma
Aluvera - City outskirts
@VitaVitaAR@PKMNB0Y

---

Of course, Kokoma would recognize it too. A voice was fairly easy to recognize if you've heard it so much. What was Eunice doing here of all things...? Well, maybe it wasn't too odd considering who the NPC was. Did she recognize them? Well...questions for later. Maybe she could figure out what was happening in full then.

"Yep me and the cute elf are glad to help." Kokoma would say with a grin. "Haaa, so many monsties to beat up...really whoever trained these guys needs to be taught a lesson in giving them manners." A little jovial complaint as she'd heft the banner spear she was wielding. "Anyone have any idea what's goin' on here?" She'd ask the others, in perhaps a rare moment of seriousness.

With the other two adventurers immediately identifying her and the scant few living harpies beating a hasty retreat, Eunice seemed to pause for a few seconds, half in shock about having her cover blown so quickly. She was wearing a robe meant to keep her from standing out, but—

"Voice," Sho responded simply, shrugging his shoulders as he flicked the blood off of his blade. "Yours is a bit distinct, after all. Hard to stay undercover if they can match your face to it, however briefly."

"...Right. I... Suppose that makes sense," the white-haired girl sighed, pausing for a moment as she pensively stared at the ground. "...No, no, I should have expected this after what you told me."

It was a bit embarrassing to admit that she hadn't foreseen something like this happening, but all things considered, making a mistake now when less people seemed to be aware of the situation (or of her location) was better than slipping up in the middle of town.

"Right. Well, then," she continued, taking a deep breath to calm herself before walking past Yu, "We'll continue south on foot for now. As much as I would prefer riding a horse or something similar, I do not own one."

"...A mount, was it?" Yu asked, pulling up his own mount listing... Only to find that a majority were seemingly unusable, and of the few that were, none were either low-profile enough to ride without causing a stir. "Never mind. Walking it is."

With that, he turned to the Shenke who had come to their aid and shrugged his shoulders.

"Honestly, it's hard to explain. I assume you saw the sky go red before all the monsters poured out? That's all we know on that front. If you're asking why we're here, though, I'm afraid none of us really have any answers to that question."

Seeing that Eunice and Saito were already heading off, though, the swordsman thanked the two again for the help before running after the pair—though, well, given the situation and who they were escorting, it wouldn't be surprising if the two followed them.

Not that he'd stop them if they did, though; who knew what else had changed in the world they had found themselves in?

...Maybe the more important monsters wouldn't just be vastly underleveled compared to them overall? That... Could prove to be an issue.

"Nice work back there," he called out towards the samurai, slowing his pace down to sheathe his weapon as the last of the blood dripped off of it. "So, path to Sen Rynta... I assume that crossing the Sunswept Plains and heading straight into the Iwen Forest is our route?"

"You missed a few towns in between, but yes, you have the right of it," Eunice responded without bothering to look back at the two for the moment. "The trip should take us a few days' time, I suppose?"

Nodding at the white-haired girl's response, Yu turned back towards Saito, pausing before snapping his fingers as if he remembered something else he wished to address.

"Right. Do you think we need to adjust the composition on this trip, or are we fine as we are now? I haven't attempted to change classes yet, but..." he trailed off, opening the menu to see that only two others were available to him—ones that he had on hand before the shift, yes, but it was better than nothing.

"...Might need to experiment once we find a place to relax, actually."

@Sho Minazuki@VitaVitaAR@Rune_Alchemist

---

As it turned out, the outside of the town was, in fact, far from dangerous; with no threat to distract the townsfolk or those loitering within, people were free to use the nearby wildlife as training dummies. There was a non-negligible amount of carnage, and the smarter animals (and monsters) had taken the opportunity to flee from the direct vicinity of the town out of fear for their lives. Of course, there were a few that seemed to be too aggressive for their own good striking out anyways, but the possibility of meaningfully injuring someone with so many people milling about seemed... Low.

Of course, picking any sort of herbs in the area out here would be easy, and though they would not regrow immediately, in a few minutes' time they would return to their full size. Would that they were more potent, though, as all of them seemed to be meant for beginners to use and learn with.

The more valuable reagents would require trips elsewhere, and with that came far more inherent problems—especially with teleportation unavailable to anywhere yet unvisited at the moment.

@Operator Luna@Hammerman

---

---

A room full of young girls. A bucket full of water. A knife. The stares. Somewhere in the distance, a bell rings, but nobody moves. They were all talking, but Yui, who sat in the middle, could only hear the deafening sound of static.
"You'll never amount to anything." "Useless." "Why are you still alive? Hahaha." "You're only great because of your big family!" "You must've slept with the teachers, no wonder you're so dirty!" "Just a doll." "She's not even crying, she must be a ghost!" "Nobody loves you."

"Just die."

All these words, Yui knew. She could read them from their poisonous lips, but could not listen. It was true, Yui did not shed a tear, not even a speck of emotion on her face. Something like this... it was nothing. Yui blankly stared at the open window, watching as a bird flew by; she could be that bird, even if for a second. In the reflection of the tiled walls, something glistens in one of the girl's hands - all that Yui could do was shut her eyes, hoping it would be over soon.

"M-... Miss... Miss Agaue!" Yui slowly opened her eyes, and turned to Azure, who evidently came to the room at behest of her master. "Sorry to disturb you, but Miss Myrtle requests your presence." Azure left the room, but Yui did not miss the worrying glance. Slowly rising from the bed, Yui came up to the dresser mirror to check herself. Indeed, she had awoken in a cold sweat, but that all it was - sweat, maybe stress. It was something of a normal occurrence, although it does irritate her slightly to see their faces in her sleep. After splashing and wiping her face, Yui came downstairs to join Myrtle and her friend.

Downstairs at last, give or take a half hour, Yui found her way to the lobby they currently sat in.
"Agaue Selinofoto. Pleasure to meet you." she would introduce herself to Anastasia. After hearing their plans to go outside to collect alchemy ingredients, Yui glanced at her own inventory. She might as well stack up, plus, it would be rude of her to not offer her protection as a tank. "I shall come." Yui nodded slightly. Together, they walked out towards the outskirts of Sen Rynata.

---

---

---

Yui took a proper look around the outside since she's been transported to this world. It was more vast than she could ever imagine, the bluey skies offered a sign of peace, and the wind that breezed around them was refreshing. Refreshing, if only the masses of obviously clown of players could reign it in. There was much shouting, bantering, and a couple of fist fights. Nevertheless, Yui wasn't impressed.
Yui spied the herbs that would regenerate through pixels, only to be snatched away by a fool in a matter of seconds. That also, would be stolen in the blink of an eye. Farming here would be impossible. It didn't matter though, Yui's creations needed higher quality. Myrtle was very obviously another alchemist like her, as Yui observed from her possessions in the mansion. Yui hadn't mentioned it to her yet, what her non-combatant classes were.

Inhaling slowly, Yui focused her mind to a particular herb in low supply in her inventory. It would be somewhere in the depths of the forest nearby, hiding under the roots of trees. This herb is an important catalyst for highly potent healing potions. Yui's eyes went in a particular direction. She could feel the tingling of her harvester's passive skill - 'Sixth Sense'. Yui would have to search in that general area, but, she turned towards the rest of the group.
"What would you like to do?" It wasn't important right now, she could gather it alone in her own time, so she rolled the ball in their court.

@Operator Luna@PKMNB0Y



The moment Agaue entered the room, Anastasia stood up. Myrtle smiled, walking up to the paladin and patting her on the shoulder.

"Here she is! Agaue! Hope you two get along!"

The paladin then introduced herself.

"A-Anastasia Westerwind. Pleased to meet you." She bowed in return.

So this is the new friend Myrtle has made… she's a paladin, huh? Looks like a high-level player too, judging by her armor…

I guess it makes sense… now that the game world has become real, as a DPS, she'll need a Tank more than ever.

"So, we're planning to take a trip outside town?" Myrtle continued. "You're in, Agaue?"

To Myrtle's pleasure, the paladin agreed.

"Great!" She clapped her hands together, grinning. "Let's go then! I'll lead the way!"

---------




Windy Plains. The very first area one would end up in once they left Sen Rynta.

An unending series of green fields as far as the eyes could see, with windmills all around the place, consuming the power given by Mother Nature herself. The city mostly used them to process their flour, however, unlike modern cities with their electricity.

And beyond them was the wilderness where monsters wandered. It was where Myrtle and co. were heading.

"Wow, look at this view! It's so much more wonderful when we see it in person like this, isn't it?!" Myrtle laughed, opening her arms wide open, letting the gentle wind caress her body.

Anastasia smiled. She had to agree with her friend. The view they had here was nothing like the view they had back home.

Still, she should really be more careful. With the wind being this… windy, she was showing something she probably shouldn't be showing to her and the paladin. They might all be girls but it was still improper. That was why she herself had been holding down her skirt for a while now.

It wasn't a problem back when the game was just a game. But now...

The trio walked further down the road, or whatever you call the dirt line they were following. Every day carriages would travel on it, ensuring that no new grass would grow and ruin the path. They saw other players in the area, either gathering the low-level herbs or fighting the low-level monsters in the area. Everything was nice and peaceful. Just like Myrtle predicted.

"See?" The weather mage gave Anastasia a victorious smirk. "Nothing to worry about!"

Of course, she ignored the banters and shouts and whatever. That was part of the peace she spoke of after all.

Suddenly, the paladin gave them a question.

"Hmm?" Myrtle pressed her index on her cheek and tilted her head. "What do I want to do? Isn't it obvious? Killing mobs, of course! We gotta get use to that if we're going to live in this world!" She smiled at her.

And as if in cue, a horned rabbit strolled into her sight.

"Ah! That rabbit! That's good target practice!"

Myrtle focused her mind and fired her weakest, most basic spell. She already had her staff out so there was no need to bring it out of her inventory.

"Crackle!"

A simple spell that attacked the enemy by charging the air around them with electricity, simulating thunderclouds.

However…

*CRASH*

A powerful jolt of electricity burst forth from the air surrounding the rabbit, disintegrating the poor creature in an instant, leaving the smell of burned flesh and grass, as well as making the skin of every person nearby tingle.

She forgot.

Her basic spell had been upgraded to its most destructive form over the course of her leveling.

She really didn't have any weak spells anymore.

“Oops, I… might have gone a little overboard there.” Myrtle scratched the back of her head with a nervous smile as she glanced at her friends.

---

The ensuing escape from the city was largely uneventful, aside from the ongoing attack. Aside from the flames and destroyed streets in some areas, the screaming and chaos had subsided. As the group relaxed, Saito simply stood just a little to the side as he made himself comfortable. Despite the state they left the town in, being outside of it and in a more open space put him at ease. From the way the conversation was going, it looks like they were in for almost a week of travel, assuming it's not a few days without rest. Which was strange, traversing from one part of the land to another should not take that long, given the towns that were cited. Such was another difference between this world and the game... Hmmm, for all they knew the world could be completely different. A question was directed at him as the conversation continued.

"Hmmmm, we're not out here to to tackle a dungeon or boss. If we're only travelling then this much is fine. We just need to avoid unnecessary challenges", it was true. While something like a healer may make things easier, there were other ways to keep oneself healthy in this game... Or rather, world he would wager. Potions and food and the like. There wasn't much reason to have a sustained form of healing.

Kokoma
Aluvera - City outskirts

---

Hmm...

Something was fishy here.

Kokoma didn't like it. Sure this whole thing was fishy - and exciting but she knew plot when she saw it! This was definitely plot of some sort, and not just the plot of the cute elf hugging to her for dear life. Still, if she had to ask whether she should be following these guys or have some alone time with said cute elf...hm.

"Hey hey, don't leave Kokoma behind~" She'd say! If its mounts you want," Kokoma would smile. "I got this guy...and uh, two others. Probably. One will probably only let me ride her." Kokoma said with a grin, as she'd make Kuja slow enough so she could keep pace with Eunice and the other two. "Oh yeah, and just call me Kokoma! beast tamer and all around tanky floof at your service." She'd jovially introduce herself. "And the cute one is Tak-ahem-Sefira. Don't suppose you mind if we tag along to wherever it is your heading if the monsters here are mostly cleaned up?"