Location: City Sewers, The City-State of Thorinn, Aetheria

---

Why was he yelling? What was he yelling?

Rael’s palms pressed against the cold stone of the sewer floor as the tall American screeched at her about her playing hero. What? Did he prefer Kalie drown in the depths of the sewer because she had been about as caught off guard as most of them had been and didn’t stick the landing for once in her life? Did he want the healer, who Alja apparently knew to some inherent level? It didn’t make sense. Then it did.

Nobody cares about you. He’s yelling because you acted stupid again. Like with the bat.

A familiar whisper in the back of her mind. But her own anxieties, her own inner self didn’t make sense with what she was hearing. It confused her and she was still coughing up a good deal of water. Admittedly, it was a pretty stupid thing but he was glad she was okay? I mean, if she drowned the guy would be up Mt. Fuji without a parachute, or as the American expression went—up shit creek without a paddle. This group of theirs relied on her and it felt good. Seele tried to impart that she was a good person in the tavern in their conversation, a hero, but all she had done is dismiss it. What was heroism in a game of survival? If she was out there alone who knows how many people who didn’t like her would string a rope around a tree just for a little revenge? Sometimes Hanako didn’t even know how her own mind worked.

“What’s wrong? Jealous that I made sure this party didn’t drown?” She smirked, deflecting her own internal thoughts as she pushed herself to her feet.

“The elevator, huh?” She repeated as she channeled her magic as a gust of wind dried out her clothes and hair before she spat out some water from her mouth onto the ground before retying her hair into a loose ponytail.

“Shouldn’t be too hard to find.” She commented though as she went to say another remark a distant, distorted shriek could be heard in the likely direction they would be heading. Her brows narrowed as she looked to Valena. “With our luck, we got another dire rat at...”

Valena nodded. “The élévateur.”

Location: City Sewers -- The City-State of Thorinn, Aetheria

---

“What’s wrong? Jealous that I made sure this party didn’t drown?”

Rael gave a clever little retort just before walking away. She was good at deflecting. Good at hiding what was going on inside that thick skull of hers. It made Graves' blood boil. He could spill his guts to her and it could wash off her back like nothing at all. What was he supposed to get out of that? How was he supposed to interpret it? Maybe he hadn't expressed himself well. Maybe he didn't know how to turn the mayhem in his mind into words others could understand. What he'd actually said was almost cruel in its incoherence. Aggressive, contradictory, more a vomit of raw emotion than a conversation starter. But he meant it. He meant it, even if he didn't know how to say what he meant.

'Like you really know what you were even gettin' at,' he sneered. All he'd accomplished was pulling her closer with one hand while pushing her away with the other. It was like he'd forgotten how to be sincere. Like he'd woken up from a years long, narcissism-fueled haze that had stripped him of all memory of how to be a decent human being. Things were easier when he was on his own. Life was simple. Hard, perhaps, yet uncomplicated. Then he met seven idiots in a video game and everything went to hell. Graves had hoped things would be easier after that first week's...events...were behind them. They knew he cared about them, right? Maybe he hadn't said it to all of them, but he shouldn't have to. Not to her. Did his actions not make it clear enough?

"Fine," Graves drew Alja's knife from his belt and started toward the tunnel entrance, desperate for some way to blow off steam. "Let's go kill ourselves more rats."

Location: Drox Fraternity House - The City-State of Thorinn, Aetheria

---

The pipe smoke trailed as lazy ribbons a mere head's length from Alex, and he made a conscious effort to ignore both them and the odd team name Taasha had puffed out. She had been a hard woman to read, communicating entirely through her words rather than a face so calm and pale it was corpselike.

As she spoke it ocurred to Alex just how appropriate for the job an unaffected demeanor like that was. Hostile breakdowns, investigations, words that felt at home wrapped around dark smoke all permeated the air with dread. It was the sort of talk you'd hear on the news or a gruesome television show, now accompanied by a pipe instead of a cigarette. Thinking on the events from a different perspective, the confusion and disorder seemed to be a breeding ground for situations like this. He refused to say it out loud, but it seemed like things were only going to escalate from here on.

"Too much noise," he grumbled. The collective outburst of wayfarers had established a ever present fog that no previous investigator had been able to cut through. The kind that he struggled with even before the phrase Pariah Online had become a regular part of his lexicon, now amplified. One on one interviews would probably be worthless in a situation like this. They'd need some way to cover more ground, make bigger connections.

He let Seele gather the most useful of the papers before thumbing through and keeping a couple to himself. He focused on the initial insights, the kinds of thoughts investigators had jotted down before developing the tunnel vision that probably kept them from drawing any larger conclusions. Or at least, it was what he theorized.

"Mmph," he said, agreeing with Seele's compliments. "This is all good stuff. I think I'm getting some ideas already." He ventured a gaze into Taasha's eyes, only to be met with unmoving amber suns that drilled holes into his skull. He turned away reflexively. Baby steps.

"Extra hands, perfect. I think I know how we can take this on."

Location: Drox Fraternity House -- The City of Thorinn, Aetheria

---

Partway back to the inn, Seele spotted Kazuki; her memory and awareness were failing her again, she’d completely forgotten his house was around here. The timing was good, because she realized then that she hadn’t actually been walking towards the Laughing Warg at all. For minutes now she’d just been wandering forward in a haze she wasn’t even aware had settled upon her, and it was a blessing to her pride that Alex hadn’t said anything. At least now she could play it off like she’d meant to come here in search of the healer.
…mi…ssy…
“Ka~azuki~i!” she called in sing-song, waving at him. “Alex and I snagged a new mission for the group, very important stuff. Are you busy? You should come with us to the tavern, I’ll explain it there.”

Thankfully, Kazuki agreed, and with her mind at least a little more clear, she managed to steer them back to the Laughing Warg without incident. Being midday, the place was much more lively than earlier, but she managed to snag them a wide table off to the side, upon which she spread the papers Taasha had given them.

As she promised, Seele explained the situation to Kazuki as best she could. The disappearances had seemed random at first, but there was an undeniable pattern if one separated the denizens from the wayfarers. Members of Drox were the favored victims, and in that subset, spellcasters were favored. Cases had ramped up recently, and none who were taken had yet to be found.

“It’s terrible,” she said, and it was. She hoped with all of her heart that those people were alright, but mourning them was not only premature, but, frankly, a waste of time. “However, I don’t think we’re as blind as the fraternity believes. We know whoever is kidnapping people is specifically targeting Drox spellcasters, that tells us something. It tells us the kidnappers have information—or at least access to information—on the wayfarers in Thorinn.

“We can also assume they’re based in the city, I think. The fact that no one’s turned up yet means they’re either keeping them here, or shipping them out, and with security as high-strung as it is right now, I personally doubt anyone is running a trafficking operation through Thorinn.

“So that’s the rub. When the others get back we can fill them in too, but in the meantime, any thoughts? If we could just piece out why, that could help lead us to the who, but I suppose if it was easy, Drox or the city guard would have handled it by now.”

Location: The City-State of Thorinn, Aetheria

---

It would be hours before it became clear that the harmless busywork Kalie, Rael, Graves, and Alja set out for had turned into something far more dire. It wouldn’t be until the next day where the group returned to the Laughing Worg, smelling of sewer water and blood. The rat infestation in the sewers had been handled, but in the process Graves’ group had found themselves in a dungeon beneath the very city, ushering less experienced wayfarers alongside more experienced ones that had found themselves in the same situation. It was a new piece of news to tell Benkei and the rest, the ever-changing notion of dungeons. Everything could happen at a moment’s notice and that safety was never a guarantee. The red-haired Japanese girl supposed that was to be expected, the games lore hadn’t changed, the world just started to play by its own rules.

There was no time to rest, as they would soon learn as the urgency of Seele’s information would come soon. Not to mention Kazuki's knowledge of the changing expectations for wayfarers in the city given the audits and taxes that were being set on them. There was also Artemis, a lone wayfarer Graves and the others had met up with in the mess of rats and sewer water, who had been set upon the same initial mission to cleanse the infestation for the good of the city and their pockets. Their incorporation of the group could be long term, if permitted.

Hours would pass before the group met with Benkei and the others, after a good bath was had.

Location:The City of Thorinn, Aetheria

---

Missy was losing time, again. It had not been morning before she blinked; she had been kneeling on the floor of her room over a mess of papers, working by the uneasy marriage of moon and candlelight, jolting occasionally whenever she knocked against one of the many empty potion-flasks strewn around her. It had been going well, she made excellent progress, devised a good plan—but she’d lost the time. Her mind was fogged, she’d lapsed in her potions and now her body was feeling the familiar pangs of sleep deprivation—what was it now, six days? Seven? The magic and medicine gluing her together made it hard to be sure.

It was morning now. She crawled across the floor to her bag, and found within it one more phial. Her healer-friend from the other tavern was away—business with friends whose names he knew—but he’d left her this. High-level alchemy, something to quell fatigue, much like his own spells. Ought to work, he said, better than the brighteye-draughts the denizens sold, many of which lay drained and discarded behind her. Should keep her going another day or so. That’s all she needed. She’d sleep after this was done. A few hours. She could handle that much. Just a few little hours to reset herself. Trembling fingers popped the cork, her nose filled with the scent of petrichor.

Seele pushed the door to the Laughing Worg open with her back, arms full with papers folded, rolled, or stuffed into files. She dipped and snaked past the other early-risen patrons with only a few bumped shoulders and chirped “Sorry!”’s. No one seemed to mind. Between the sheets, she caught sight of Alja and gasped, nearly dropping the entirety of her night’s work onto the ground.

“Aljasweetieohmygoshyoureokay!” Seele cried, scrambling over to dump her papers on the table closest to them both, then throwing her arms around the giant of a woman. “You all never came back, and we heard all these rumors—and with the—oh, forget all that, you’re alright! You’re alright, aren’t you? You—”

She cut herself off, partly because she realized she was rambling again, and partly because she'd nearly talked herself out of breath, and needed a moment to ensure she could continue rambling. “I'm sorry, that was so rude of me. You’ve clearly been through a lot, I’m just glad you’re back. You did all make it back, right? Did you see Graves on your way in? I’ll need a word with him when he gets here—a word with everyone actually. There’s this thing with the Drox fraternity that Kazuki, Benkei, Alex and I were looking into, and I sort of took the work home with me last night. Oh, but listen to me, I’m babbling. That can all wait, tell me about the sewer! I have a feeling you ran into more than just a few little rats.”

Location: City Streets, The City-State of Thorinn, Aetheria

---

“Stupid dungeon. Stupid rats.”

Rael grumbled as she walked through the early morning streets of Thorinn, as her fingers tossed a red apple back and forth on her way to the Laughing Worg.

She had spent the entirety of a day and a half in the city sewers—no, beneath the city sewers, because apparently there was a pseudo-labyrinth underneath the city. A labyrinth that turned into a pseudo-dungeon. Graves’ leadership was fine enough and they had found some much needed help in the sewers and none of the newbies they had saved ended up dying. She figured it was a relief and it probably helped Alja’s morale. They didn’t need another Mystic Prophecy situation. The Rat King was a sight to behold, too, a twisted dark fantasy creature with a tiny crown on its oversized head. She wasn’t afraid of rats before, but she was pretty sure she didn’t want one of them to touch her ever again after that.

When they finally got themselves out of the sewers the sun hadn’t even risen. Fortunately, bath houses were open 24/7. Cleaning up and getting a change of clothes from her room in the innhouse room she had rented was nice, though she hadn’t actually gotten much sleep. She had spent the rest of the night sitting on the roof of the innhouse with her sketchbook by herself. Graves had told the archer person... Artemis, that she was welcome to join them at the Worg in the morning. If they were looking for work. Rael had rolled her eyes. The last thing they needed was more people to babysit, but whatever. Graves could be stupid if he wanted to be stupid. She hoped he still smelled like rats.

As Rael reached the tavern she could already hear the bustle of wayfarers and denizens inside. She could hear Seele, because of course Seele would be up at the tavern before most people had eaten breakfast. The red-haired girl sighed disparagingly, as she pushed the doors open with no regard. It did not take her long for her to find a seat near the others, listening idly until Seele asked about the sewer.

“We fell into a dungeon. Not much to tell.” She volunteered before Alja could more-or-less say the same thing as she took a big bite of the apple in her hand.

Location: ????

---

Graves' exhaustion didn't register until he opened the door to his room in the inn. All those hours of fighting to keep the group alive in the worst environment he could imagine hit at once. It battered him like a hurricane. His legs gave out before he could make it onto the bed. Best he could do was drag the blanket off the side and wrap it around his muck-slicked torso, his eyes fluttering shut despite his protests. Somehow, the dreams still found him here in the depths of unconsciousness.

He was standing in the middle of a warehouse packed with people spinning in time to the pounding music. Everything was slower than it should've been, like time was trapped in molasses. Andrew struggled forward. He pushed through the crowd of pressing bodies, desperation rising in his throat. Had to move. Had to hurry. He strained with every step, like he was trying to walk in waist-deep water. This wasn't the first time he'd been back here. Dread settled in his gut.

No matter how many times his mind brought him back to this moment the ending never changed. There was no changing the past. He kept marching onward irregardless.

'I'm coming, Will. Just hang in there a little longer.'

Something scurried between his legs. Andrew looked down, eyes going wide at the sight of furry bodies passing between over his feet. Hundreds of rats, fur stained with blood and sewage, were running in the same direction he was. Panic caused him to stumble. He reached out to catch himself, only to feel the crunch of tiny bones under his palm. Someone slammed their hip into his head and he went careening into the deluge of vermin. They raced over top of him, their tiny feet scratching at his skin, his face. Their chittering thundered in his ears. Opening his mouth to scream, he felt a discharge rise up and out of his throat.

Graves shot up from the floor, vomit and rat fur flying out of his mouth. He was sweating from every pore in his body. His hands were shaking. "What the hell?" His breathing was ragged as he dragged himself to his feet, still reeling from the nightmare.

He needed to wash off. Some hot water might do him some good. He took a steep toward the door and felt a sharp pain in his foot. Graves looked down. There was a needle embedded in his foot. Below that lay a syringe, discarded and dripping with a sickly orange fluid.

Location: The Innhouse -- The City-State of Thorinn, Aetheria

---

His eyes shot open for the second time. Every inch of his body ached. It screamed its protests at him for yesterday's excursion. Graves couldn't exactly blame it. Everything hurt, he smelled like shit, and his head was pounding. It was after he'd finally plied himself off the floorboards that he noticed the dried puke on his shirt. That part had happened, at least. He'd have to pay the innkeeper to grab him some new clothes while he went to wash up. As much as he'd like to wallow on the ground all morning, a hot bath sounded like heaven.

He let himself soak for a little over an hour. It was nice, and it gave him time to think.

For all the mistakes he'd made in his life, sticking with this pack of losers wasn't one of them. They weren't perfect- far from it. But they'd stuck by him through the worst couple weeks of his life; that had to count for something. It wasn't often Graves felt strongly about something one way or another, but...in that sewer, wading through the filth, he wanted all of them to get out of there alive. Wanted it more than anything he could imagine.

Nothing back in Westwood had stirred him like that. Not in years. All Graves had worried about since the Glitch was surviving to get back home. But as he sat, contemplating, he couldn't for the life of him figure out why. There was nothing for him there. Not anymore. Andrew's life had ended long ago, even if his body hadn't realized it.

'I got a second chance,' he realized, staring up at the ceiling. 'Best not fuck it up.'

He dried off and dressed himself in the simple clothes of a denizen before heading off to the Laughing Worg. Convenience had made it their watering hole of choice. It was only a hop, skip and a jump from the innhouse, yet Graves was somehow the fourth to arrive.

"Morning, rat-fuckers." He waved as he approached, sliding into the seat beside Rael. "Ya'll look like how I feel." He raised an eyebrow as he looked at Seele, curiosity and worry in his expression in equal measure.

Location: The Laughing Worg Tavern-- The City of Thorinn, Aetheria

---

Benkei had been busy after having his armor repaired. Sif had been a leading force for him, dragging him further out of his shell and into the goings-on of the city. And then, they’d reunited with Kazuki and Seele, trading more information with each other. “Right now, what we know is more valuable than gold,” Benkei told them, “though it seems gold is coming in at a close second. We need to start thinking about how much goodwill we have left with these people, especially when taxes come in.”

He’d spent his day in the Warg with maps and books on the table, going over inventories and properties; something that had once been easy to connect with a simple menu was now back to the world of analog. He grumbled, feeling like a giant fool that he hadn’t spent as much time delving into mercantilism or useful capital gaining skills. If they had a huge war chest, things would be different. Kazuki had the most capital, but how would he and his brother access anything now that traveling to the other apartments would be an investment of time?

There had to be a better way. Right now he’d cast his lot with his fellow adventurers, and they’d watched each other’s backs even when death bore its deadly fangs at them. Now, he’d need to count on them again, not as adventurers, but as partners. He’d already written down notes concerning his direct party; Sif had done well offering up her own bits of bobs of information about herself and her brother as well. “Smithing experience, musical and minstrel, craftsmen, and medicine…” he’d needed to quiz the other members of the group once they’d returned as well to get a better feeling of their own skills.

And speaking of the devil, they’d arrived. Benkei grinned as the group returned, looking worse for wear in spirit but at least they were all in one piece. That was something that eased his heart. He got up from his table and approached his returning comrades. ”It’s good to see you all are still in one piece. I assume things didn’t go quite as expected?” A sewer expedition wouldn’t take days to complete. He expected to hear the story from someone, at the very least. For now, he was glad they could all reconnoiter the plans together. Kazuki wanted to meet with the Queen, and Benkei wanted to consolidate what they could now in case talks with the royalty went south.

Location:The City of Thorinn, Aetheria

---

In combat Alja might have been a master of frigidity, but now at least she was much less like a glacier and more like the cozy warmth of a fire. It had been a long time since Seele had hugged someone, or been hugged in kind, but the feeling of protectiveness was quite familiar, if amplified. Given the circumstances, of course, that made perfect sense. Deep down she felt herself hoping that the others were feeling it too, just a little, just enough to keep them together; deeper still, she tried to ignore how selfish that was.

Rael snuck up on them—she could be quiet, for a tank—and Seele got her answer. So it was a dungeon then, that did no favors for her nerves. All that word meant to her now was danger, and death, but that was likely the case for many people. Alja, Rael and Graves were strong though, they’d made it back for a reason. So, suppressing the urge to burst into worry, Seele listened instead.

“I might have met them, yes,” Seele said, trying to mull the names over in her head. She’d met and played with so many people during her time in Pariah it was impossible to remember them all, but there were flickers of recognition in the names Alja gave, especially the last one, Artemis. Whether or not they’d grouped together, she couldn’t recall, but the name carried a bit of weight to it, certainly.

Alja hugged her a bit tighter and gave up an apology, but before she could rebuff it, Graves joined them. Another wave of relief hit her—that was the sewer crew safe. Seele wanted to chide him for the crass language, but stopped short when she caught the look he gave her.
She smiled at him instead. Oh well, he’d been through the ringer again after all, so maybe a few curse words weren’t the worst thing in the world. Besides, she was drawn in again when Alja whispered to her. Seele’s brow shot up, and she nodded immediately.

“Of course sweetheart,” she answered as quietly. “You come and get me whenever you’re ready, I’ll be available.”

With that, everything began to meld back to relative normality. High, or at least energetic spirits from most everyone, save for Rael, who was still doing her best in her own way. Benkei was there too, and he’d been roped into things at the tavern last night as well. Kazuki hadn’t arrived yet, and neither had Alex. Their new friend was allegedly inbound, which was exciting. Today, she hoped, would be a good day not just for them, but for Thorinn. The challenges ahead were complex and mighty, but they had good heads on their shoulders, and solid plans in their back pockets.
What could go wrong?

Location: The Laughing Worg Tavern -- The City-State of Thorinn, Aetheria

---

Rael raised a brow as Seele reacted to her remark rather… neutrally. No shrill “oh my god” or anything of the matter.

Perhaps it was due to things she had discovered herself that kept her mind occupied, or the suddent engagement of Graves and Benkei, or maybe Seele was used to Rael’s devil-may-care bluntness of retorts. It was a little amusing, but Rael was admittedly a bit tired. Staying up the entire night had its effects, certainly, and depending on the day itself she was going to have to find a way to adjust. A coffee from Iblenar would’ve solved a lot. Thorinn, or not, there had to be a coffee house somewhere to speak of.

As she considered the thought she looked at Graves, “You’re the one who went inside the Rat King, not me.”

Rael looked back to Benkei, “Yeah. Was a Dungeon underneath the City. So, it pretty much confirms our worst fears that dungeons can spawn anywhere. If we hadn’t cleared it, maybe the city would be having some kind of ratpocalypse right now. Dunno.” She shrugged, tempted to shiver at the thought, “But it’s dealt with.”

Location: The Laughing Worg Tavern-- The City of Thorinn, Aetheria

---

Everyone was arriving. Good. Benkei listened to Rael as she went further into the details. He grimaced when she revealed what they’d feared: these dungeons were going to keep coming, and places like cities weren’t even safe. Still; it gave them some leverage.

“Still, you all cleared it. So that keeps the city safe for now.” He smiled. “And, we can use this. When the leadership hears that they were moments from a crisis before you stepped in to stop it, maybe they’ll give us some more leeway while we set up shop.” Benkei motioned to the table full of maps and papers. “Kazuki got some awful news yesterday. Apparently, we’ve worn out our welcome with the locals, and those who own property will start to pay taxes. I didn’t think I’d have to worry about that until after college,” he muttered as an aside.

He pulled a paper with various numbers on it. “I’ve been putting together a sheet of everyone’s various skills and properties. We made a promise to stick together, and that means being ready to face dungeons and the nobles coming after us.”

Location: The Laughing Worg Tavern -- The City-State of Thorinn, Aetheria

---

Graves grunted, shifting his gaze away from Seele. It was obvious something was wrong with her, even if she didn't want to admit it. Fine by him. He wasn't about to press the issue in front of everyone, or maybe at all for that matter- who'd want to have that kind of conversation with him? Just the idea of it was embarrassing enough. Seele was alright. If something was truly wrong she'd tell them about it. She probably just slept poorly.

"Pretty sure I still got fur stuck in my throat," He grinned, looking from Alja to Rael. "Thems the lengths I gotta go to 'ta keep your scrawny ass alive. She's like a lemming, I swear to God. Y'turn around for one second and she's jumping off the nearest cliff."

He had to admit it was nice to have the gang back together without the sword of Damocles hanging over their heads. That dungeon crawl would hopefully keep his hunger satisfied, at least for a time. Graves was looking forward to a week or two of sleeping in and day drinking without a care in the world.

Their fearless leader had other ideas. Benkei apparently hadn't wasted a moment's time while the rest of them were stuck underneath the city. He had a full spread of maps, ledgers and notices full of useless information in front of him that he was far too excited to talk about. It was all about Thorinn's leadership and how they were adapting to the Glitch. Seemed they weren't too happy about their once-immortal protectors deciding to hide within their walls. It made sense from Graves' perspective, obviously, but it was hard to put himself in the shoes of a bunch of NPCs. They seemed plenty smart, now, but did that mean they understood why the players were running scared? Could they even be made to understand?

Difficult questions Graves didn't much care to ponder. "I trust you, Benkei. You got a good head for stuff like this." He motioned to the stacks upon stacks of books. "I just hope somebody in that castle's willing to fork over some cash for all the shit we went through. Dunno how much longer I can stay in that shitty innhouse without losing my mind."

“You can’t go out questing with gear that’s out of service.” The brown-haired girl commented.

Her brother had adapted well enough to the process of blacksmithing without toolkit pop-up menus, so she figured they had gear maintenance in the bag between him, Kazuki, and anyone else who took an interest in forging and crafting. Sif herself knew how basic potions could be crafted but not much else. It was amazing that she was almost inept at such a baseline function of the game.

“And that’s probably going to be our main way of getting money. Our profession skills can only do so much going forward, like, do we expect the same kind of revenue from denizens now that they basically think for themselves? And worst of all, think lowly of us? And that's without this whole missing wayfarer stuff that Seele mentioned...”

Sif mused as she wrote something down on the parchment paper in front of her. Another note to take.

Siegfried didn’t really want to adventure, and she knew that he knew that it was the best way to get back on the good graces of the common everyday denizens around them. The investigation, if it netted positive conclusions might help their personal anxiety but she didn’t see it helping their general reputation and to her, that was number one in terms of things that needed to be solved immediately.

Location: Wild Hunt Guildhouse -- The City of Thorinn, Aetheria || The Previous Day

The silence was the worst.

Somehow the complete lack of sound screamed louder than any amount of the typical chaos that usually roared through the halls. Every step echoed when it should've been washed out by the cacophony of the boys arguing back and forth. She could hear the boards making up the walls shifting, settling throughout the night. Every sound making her jump, every sound scarily reminiscent of a scream of pain. She could've sworn she heard their voices in those sounds. Begging for release, crying out in pain as they tumbled off this dreadful mortal coil. Throughout the night, these waking terrors plagued Artemis' mind. The girl tossing, turning, sweating in her bunk. Desperate to fall deep into a dreamless slumber, and never wake. Yet she could find no such mercy, perhaps a punishment for leaving all those so dear behind? Yet was there truly anything she could've done for them? Against such odds?

"Damn it all." She whispered to nobody in particular, rolling out of the hammock strung up in her room. Bare feet pressed to the cold wooden floor, sending a shock through her body and killing off any concept of sleep that had been riding in the girl's mind. Artemis trudged slowly through the empty halls, listening to the creaks and complaints of the old house as she went opening each of the guild member's rooms. Somehow, despite knowing they lay empty, Artemis felt her heart sink further and further into that black pit as she discovered each room to be empty. Memories of her friends played out before her eyes as if their specters hung around solely to remind her of what she had lost. The cost of her survival. Her vision blurred as she moved down the hall towards the last room, that of their guild leader, Odinson. Slowly, the door opened with a borderline-monstrous groan. The scene inside would no doubt be the typical neat, spartan layout he had favored. Yet to Artemis' tortured gaze, the room was non-existent. No, she was not that lucky.

The floor was covered with a horde of them, black shapes crawling about the floor as if it were a terrible midnight sea. Their screeching was unbearable, tearing at the walls of one's mind as it mixed into an unholy chorus with the moans, wails of pain from further within. The mass turned its collective attention on the remaining two, and the girl nocked another spell to fire at her endless foe. Yet, before she could loose the spell, Artemis was staggering back. With wide eyes, she stared up at Odinson, her remaining friend, after he had shoved her out of that hellish room. "RUN!" He shouted, voice strained from pain as the sea fell upon him. The door to that hellscape slammed shut with a resounding thud...

Then she was once more alone, sitting on her rear and staring at the closed door to her friend's room. Tears welling up in her eyes as she curled into a ball, feeling like the very house that had once brought her so much joy was closing in upon her. For what felt like an eternity, Artemis stayed in that hall. She cried, letting all the pain hidden within her mind free until she felt as if she could no longer breathe until her body hurt from the convulsions. Only then, in that strange state of numbness, did Artemis finally find the strength to move once more. This time she braved each of her friend's rooms, emotions muted as she had expended all the energy she could in that hallway. Her fingers traced along their favored possessions, collecting one small item that had been so important to each of them, and carrying it back to her own room. She'd never let them leave her mind, no matter what.

Four items, for the four friends she had lost so recently. From Apollo and Icarus, the twin brothers who had grown up down the street from her, she collected a sketchbook and homemade stuffed animal from each respectively. From Heimdall, the one who had gotten her into gaming, she collected a prized battleax hanging on his wall. He had been their smith and took great pride in the weapons he crafted. Finally, from Odinson, the one who had saved her... she took one of his many cloaks. On him, they had been short and only gone down to his midback, on herself the cloak passed her rear. He'd always be with her, always there to keep her safe.

From here she set about organizing the rest of their belongings into neat piles on their bunks, intending to find a way to pack them up for storage. No use letting them hang about in an empty room and haunt her memories, she'd rather they be somewhere safe. Somewhere she could ensure the belongings of those she loved so much would be untouched. She continued this work, letting her mind remain empty and hollow as she moved about her tasks until the harsh light of dawn started to cut through the windows. "Right, the others." She mumbled to herself, remembering a vague hint of where those who had previously saved her would be meeting up today. She should go, if not just to thank them for being there and letting her follow their group out of that dreadful place. First, however, a bath.

The small patter of feet across the floor caused her head to snap in the direction of the sound, dropping the towel she had been using to dry, and going immediately for the bow she left near the tub. Had they followed her? Some curse she didn't know about? She knew that damned sound. Patter-Patter. Squeak. Behind. She turned, firing once, twice, then three times from her bow, her a scream of fear and rage leaving her lips as she took aim at what she was certain to be the menace that had stolen her friends, back to finish the job. As the dust settled, Artemis' eyes went wide as she realized the truth. It had just been a simple mouse, now blown to bits amid the ruined remains of the shelf it had been scurrying towards. A mouse. A goddamned mouse had set her into a flurry of violence and fear. Shaking her head, Artemis returned to her attempts to dry and dress, deciding it better to get herself out of this house for a bit.

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Location: The Laughing Worg Tavern -- The City of Thorinn, Aetheria || Present Day

Making her way towards the entrance of the tavern, Artemis wondered if this was the right thing to be doing. If she'd be intruding on another group past her welcome. Still, she felt it was better than spending any more time in that house alone. She was certain that she would be spending plenty of time like that soon enough, and that was when she'd have to remember. Pulling Odinson's cloak tighter around herself, Artemis knew it was unusual for her to be heading to a tavern in a less flashy outfit but... this was so much safer. She needed that right now, safety. They don't need to see your weakness, it's not their problem. She mentally reminded herself as she approached, trying her damndest to force the darker, subdued tones from her features. Though there was no doubt they'd notice the lack of sleep in her eyes.

With a huff of determination, Artemis pushed open the door to the tavern. Quickly, her gaze drifted around until it fell upon some of the familiar faces from the dungeon. She forced a small smile onto her features, nothing overbearing, but enough to be pleasant as she pulled her hood down. No use approaching the group looking like she'd just crawled out of hell, she didn't want to deal with any questions about how she had spent her night. Nor about how she was feeling. No, Artemis was afraid she'd crumble under such questions. She wasn't ready to answer how she was handling the last couple of days. She didn't know if she would ever be ready. Once more, the girl shook her head as her gaze locked onto the group full of adventurers, many of whom she did not recognize. She should've known better than to assume it had been only the group in the dungeon. Guess I'll have to introduce myself to some as well... She thought for a brief moment, then started towards the assembled group but froze only two steps in. Hesitation gripped her, keeping her from going forward.

Did she really have a right to impose on this group? Was it fair? Even after she had left her friends to die?

No, I don't.