[IC] Side Quest - Sword Art Online

[Tracyarmav]

Day 17, Evening.
Edgar_Walther
@BlackPanther@DestinyStar

Many minutes later, Edgar managed to regain control of himself. He dried his eyes and headed back into town. He had work to do, and all of his gear was still in the vault. He pulled out the items he needed, and found a space to get to work. Several other players and NPC's were at work, busy making arms and armor for the small army of individuals playing the game. Most of them made better gear than Edgar could, but they also seemed to ruin their materials more often. The price of moving on, before achieving mastery it seemed, was an occasional failure and some wasted mats. It didn't seem like much, unless you were looking at the long view, and though everything was here limited quantities... then it was wasteful, but still the best players were leveling faster than their smithing supporters, forced to rely on quest drops and NPC gear until the crafting guilds caught up.

Edgar pushed those thoughts aside and sent a short PM to his two party members, asking if they needed or wanted anything he could craft, most of it would be below their level, but if they hadn't been able to find a particular piece of armor in a long time, he might be able to improve their gear somewhat. He mostly focused on making new gear for himself, he needed it badly. It didn't take him long, and he didn't waste anything, which a few players noticed, though his materials were all beginner mats, he managed to forge some decent gear, it certainly looked cool. One of the other players asked him for a decorative helm and shield, In exchange he offered a weapon of the next tier. Edgar agreed, and got lucky. The spear he got was a critical success, and gave an extra bonus to his critical chance and damage, on top of the flat agility bonus. It's head also glowed a deep red when not being used in a skill, which would make it fun to play with, but it required a minimum player level of 12 to be equipped, so Edgar stored it in his inventory, saying he wanted keep it as a surprise for now.

His trading partner smiled, thanked Edgar for his work, and went back to his own work. Edgar checked his messages and set to work on whatever requests had been made if any, before making a few more spare sets to sell for spare cash. This took most of the afternoon to finish, and he would focus on getting these done before allowing himself to be pulled away for anything else. Once he's done he heads back to the inn for supper, sending a second message, alerting his party members to his new location, and his readiness to travel and do whatever he had to, to catch up. On his way to the inn, he saw a PC selling throwing spears, a bundle of single use spears that debuffed a target. Thinking that a bit of range could help him close the level gap with some speed, he invested in two stacks of fifty throwing spears, though it just about cleaned him out of spare change. Edgar didn't worry about it since he knew he could just earn the cash back with a few hours at a forge.

Entering the Inn, Edgar found an empty seat at the bar, not knowing if he'd find anyone to dine with or be pulled away to do something as soon as he finished his meal. He looked around the room after ordering, to see who else might here, planning to grab his order and join his friends if he saw them, or just eat at the bar if he didn't.

"One Shepherd's Pie, and a large Cider please."

[Zelosse]

Day 17 / Afternoon / LVL 16

[]HP[]100%//////////[]

Indominus just smiled at the scene of everyone getting along comfortably, except maybe Edgar but that wasn't up to anyone here to confront the lad. He would open up to someone eventually of his own choice to seek help. Dom made a mental note to try and be that person, a role model in the sense that he understood and could be trusted with that kind of information. A quick glance at the carnage told him he wasn't off to a good start though what with having attacked the two boys over an epic misunderstanding.

He turned to Scarlet and tossed her a sly wink. Just before Uncle Dan unleashed hell.
The chair shattered beneath his weight and Dom simply followed along with the beating, not really feeling any pain, but fully aware he was going to be sore. The first strike hurt his jaw more than anything but when the Tonfa connected it was a whole new world of stars as his mind failed to perceive the amount of force put behind the blow. The only thing he would remember later was the sound of glass shattering as he was launched bodily through the nearby window like a sack of bricks to lay in the street.

His head swooned and failed to come into proper view for the second time in under 10 minutes. With a grunt Dom gave up trying and simply collapsed on the street unconscious.

----------------------------------------

-Delcastle-
-Afternoon / day 17 / LvL 12-

Interesting evening this is turning out to be He mused while rubbing his eyes to get the last of the sleep out of them, the result of a stressful night that he would not have changed for all the gold he could carry. Business and profit were fine but what separated him from the real life men of business was a code of morality that would not be shaken easily. Life was precious and now that it was the final payment every player had left it was up to Delcastle to see as many lights as possible make it to the end. So many graves already lined the hearts of all and the fear was beginning to set in like a black cloud over Bulls run as more and more players made their way from the town of beginnings to make a frighteningly slow crawl forward.

"Poor lads," Delcastle lamented as he stared out a nearby window at the shuffling figures wandering outside the tavern, "You will all find your courage.. Or you will crumble under your own self loathing." He placed both hands together and bowed his head to not the people outside, but to the idealism of spirit and will. Praying silently that the courage bestowed to the young and old alike would find a way to cut through the haze of the unknown.

A ping noise alerted him to more news and as was customary, drew him from his own thoughts into the world of information and secrets. Few of the player base knew things better than the hardcore beta players, even Delcastle was not privy to that knowledge just yet, but he had made friends once upon a time with someone who eat, slept, and breathed this game in the trial days. It had been a longshot but after waiting for weeks he had his reply back it seemed.

DELCASTLE,
BEEN A LONG TIME SINCE WE SPOKE
LONGER STILL SINCE I BOTHERED TO REPLY
I GOT YOUR MESSAGE. YOU KNOW THE PRICE.
WHAT DO YOU NEED ANSWERED

-MOLLY

Delcastles sigh could have blown a grown man over, exasperated that this woman always refused to give up answers without demanding payment. So much like each other and yet so completely different. The woman would cost a fortune for a simple damn answer, a REAL answer, not the magic of lies and half-rumored truths spread by desperation some of the playerbase clung to from the info brokers. Admittably Del was fond of going to them, excited really, for any scrap of lie and rumor. His father had always told him, "Every lie has a kernel of truth. Just gotta figure it out for yourself."

ALWAYS THE HARD BARGAIN WITH YOU
FINE. CREDITS WILL BE SENT BY MAIL
I NEED TO KNOW HOW TO REMOVE 'PERMANENT DAMAGE' PENALTIES
YOU LEARNED A THING ABOUT IT YET
OR WAS THERE ANYTHING LIKE IT IN BETA

-DELCASTLE

A few minutes went by as he leaned on the banister of the Inn watching the interaction between the group below. Old fellers cause trouble, young fellows blamed for being male, young girl has instability due to poor home life, old men and girl make up, older bearded fellow booted from window by yoga pants. Life goes on. The events of it all didn't even cause him to blink, let alone act surprised. This kind of tom foolerly happened constantly in games like this.

Another ping came and he wasted no time devouring the information

PERMANENT DAMAGE IS TREATABLE
TOP RIGHT OF THE MAP, CRYSTAL TOWERS
LARGE WHIRLPOOL IN THE CENTER THAT FLOWS UP, NOT DOWN
MY GUESS IS WHERE THE WATER GOES DOWN
IS WHERE THE HEALING WATER STARTS
WAS A DUNGEON IN THE GORGE DURING BETA THAT HOUSED IT
PROBABLY STILL THERE. BUT FAIR WARNING, SWEETHEART
YOU WILL NEED A TEAM OF 10 OR MORE TO ENTER
IT'S A MINIATURE RAID WITH NO PLAYER CAP
MORE PEOPLE, MORE DIFFICULTY, MORE LOOT
SOFT-CAP AT LEVEL 10 BUT WITH 10+ PEOPLE IT WILL SPIKE TO 12
SO ON AND SO-FORTH.
TA-TA

-MOLLY

Delcatle grimaced at the know-it all attitude of the girl. Took her nearly two weeks to reply to a friend invite? Bull crap. She was waiting for something important. Some trigger to make her interest peak and get the most out of him. That was how this girl worked and it would continue on. Questions came to mind of why people like her hadn't bothered selling info the moment the game went live, make a killing at the start but then it hit him. She wasn't selling info till now because she wasn't sure.. Molly had to be past the gorge by now. At the next town, even. Molly could very well be the head of the info brokers market!
The horrible feeling of dread echoed all the way into his wallet as he sent the required credits to cyber-space.

His musings were interrupted by the sound of an interruptive little fox girl. He turned to glance at her and smiled before turning around to stand tall in front of her, the image of pride and chivalry, he dropped to a low bow. Until the comment about the panties came to the open air.
A nervous chuckle escaped him as he tried to regain composure. "Yeah.. that." He brought up the screen and unequipped his own shirt, snug and warm on him but also a lot bigger than Sapphira was by a wide margin. He opened a trade and sent it to her as he stood there with nothing but a thin white shirt on.

"The answer you need is right in front of you." The moment she tried to put it on, the outfit would resize to fit the new recipient. Games were tedious but not to the point where he needed exact measurements to have clothes fit. What a headache that would be. "As for the uh... Underwear issue, I.. Had to find a female tailor." The memory of the womans glare he remembered so vividly expressed her not so subtle thoughts of calling him a pervert, as the last two tailors had. "They are.. uncooperative sometimes." Rubbing the back of his head he tried to change the topic.

"The armor I gave you. I trust it is functional? I wasn't sure if you wanted to hide it or not. Ultimately that is your decision though, so I tried to get both sides of the coin so to speak rather than guess an unfamiliar girls feelings on such a touchy matter." His thoughts careened back to Cinera and the odd feelings of the day as he mentioned the touchy matter. The thoughts then went back to the literal touchy matter he had walked in on and a very slight blush came to his cheeks.

"I should mention before we continue, I found someone with information on the ear topic. Permanent damage has a way of being restored by a healing pool in the gorge lower levels.. the problem is its a dungeon." He glanced down at the rowdy party below and the gears started turning as he formulated a plan on the spot. "Say.." He noticed the girl with the eyepatch touch her face and cringe and realized that she must have suffered a similar permanence. A grin came to his face as he turned back to Sapphira. Maybe with a bit of persuasion he could solve this issue without much of a fuss.

"Could I have my shirt back by the way.."

[Ookawa]

The tiny fox-girl was quite overwhelmed by suddenly wearing Del's shirt and was only brought out of it when Del mentioned having to go to female tailors for the underwear. At first, a little red formed in Sapphira's face, but then that turned to amusement as she noticed the thoughts probably going through Delcastle's head being reflected on his face. A high pitched giggle escaped Sapphira as she noticed the embarrassment in his features.
"Yeah, the armour is fine. I like skirts more anyway, since they allow me a lot more freedom of movement.", she answered with a smirk.

Then things got interesting. "A dungeon that can fix me you say? I don't think my problem is worth risking lives over. If I lost an eye or something, yeah, sure." She tried to dismiss his friendliness not even knowing about the girl who lost an eye, just one story down. "But it's not hurting anymore and... I kinda see some sort of appeal with it. I look a bit bad ass with this nicked ear, don't I? A bit of a change from just looking 'cute' and so on."

When Del mentioned his shirt, Sapphira blushed and quickly traded it back. "Uhm, sorry... here ya go..."

[LucasSkylight]

At The Beginning

As the bright colors faded away they left an aftercolor effect on my vision, if I focused hard enough I could just barely see the vibrant streaks living an afterimage in black and white. I blinked my eyes as they adjusted to the light much faster than the average person. As I process this I realize just how groundbreaking the NerveGear system truly is as the reason I adjust to the light so quickly is because of my slightly larger than normal pupils which allows me to in real life adjust from light to dark and vice versa with just a couple blinks…and the NerveGear reads even that. I am simply astonished and that is only a small fraction of what the Nerve Gear is truly capable of.

Alright well there has to be limits unless NG is using beyond military grade super computers there has to be a limit to the data quantity. As I think this to myself I start to look around and when I really focused in on a specific point, like a blade of grass or limbs on a tree I could see it! It is exactly as I predicted the engine, Cardinal was it?, is simply not capable of rendering data with the same efficiency as our own minds can, so the game has a bit of a focus system in order to save data, while you look over vast terrain, fields and structure the world seems so vast but the resolution was not that high, but if you focus in on a specific point the object becomes almost vividly realistic just enough to be noticed by those that are paying attention. *shakes my head* Alright you are in a videogame, don’t get too excited, even though wow everything looks so real! *Shakes head again resolving to stay focused* Ok you read the starter manual, the print one that was extremely detailed, so first menu diagnostics check. *Pinches two finger together and pulls my hand in a downward motion and like a scene out of one of those scifi animes there appeared the menu signified by a rather pleasant if loud bell tone. *Goes through each of the menu’s making sure I was fully equipped had my first two skills, Piercing, and Precision selected, potions at the top of the items list and any other housekeeping stuff.

Finally, I looked around, it seemed that most people are already out to start playing the game and who can blame them this game is incredible! I run out towards the fields opposite where everyone else went not intentionally just reflexively. To call myself a solo player would be unfair, it is not like I intentionally strive to play by myself, I am just severely shy and quite a bit naïve so I tend to avoid groups of people accomplishing everything I can on my own. I strike out into the fields polygons coming together with a hum to form….boars! hmm well at least they start us off easy as I move in to practice my standard combat moveset on the boar, slashing, blocking, evading, parrying, counterslashing, over and over till finally it bursts in a cloud of polygons and a window pops up before me with loot and exp gained and then I move on to the next boar and so on and so forth till the sun starts heading in the evening direction. I take a brief breather sitting down on a pile of stones, There has got to be a faster way I mean the combat system is smooth alright but there is no power in the swing, it’s almost as if *Ding*.

I literally hear the menu tone go off in my head as I recall the title of the game, Sword Art Online! Duh, Sword Skills *shakes my head in embarrassment glad no one could see the utter look on my face as I stand up determined and approach another boar this time faces in its direction and focusing on it but not moving as I draw my sword bending and twisting slightly drawing the sword parallel to my body as I focus…suddenly I hear a power up sound my blade glows electric blue and I am accelerated forward not as if I was pulled but as if my body knew where to go and how to maximize on maximum traction and operated at max efficiency the landscape briefly blurs past….suddenly I am not moving, there is a window open in front of me as the rush dissipates my body and muscles still feeling like they were on fire as a side effect. I remember hearing the dying bleat of the boar and the crashing sounds of its polygons exploding into data and then….the game changed.

16 Player Levels Later...

“Bulls Run, it has been awhile since I have been around so many people…” I say to myself as I walk into town towards the nearest tavern. “Well I still need a place to sleep and some food and drink would be good too.” I walk into the tavern doing my best to appear unnoticeable as I walk up to the NPC Tavern Keep. “Two Spring Waters please and one of those biscuits and a room for the night would be much appreciated.” It takes only a moment before the requested items are on the counter as the Tavern Keep replies in a cheery bright voice “Here you go sir, enjoy your stay.” “thank you” I say politely the expression not necessary for an NPC most would say, but I can’t help myself. Finally, I start to cast my eyes around the tavern examining and studying my surrounding and the people around me with a critical eye...

[DestinyStar]

Cinera
Day 17 - Afternoon - Lvl 13
@PyroDash888@Zelosse

Cinera finished brushing her hair with a final, painful yank and began cleaning up the room. It was much too like a real hotel, where the condition of the room actually mattered. It made her wonder why trivial details mattered to Kayaba, or if they even did? It must have taken some work programming even the little things, such as this. Then again, what could possibly have gone through the mind of someone who created a death game to trap thousands of people in? She didn't want to even think about the answer to that - there was no sense in trying to understand a lunatic's mind.

It didn't take long to clean up, and once it was done she walked out of the room to join Sapphira and Delcastle. The inn was already being repaired, huh? Figures. With as much power as people had in this game, buildings couldn't stay destroyed for too long. Cinera gave her friends a brief smile before noticing the expressions on her friends' faces; Sapphira was flushed a bright shade of red and Delcastle had his signature "I've-got-a-plan" grin on his face. I don't even want to know what they were talking about. Sometimes it was better not to know.

"I finished cleaning up the room. Where should we go?" Shifting her clothes again, still a bit uncomfortable with her girly appearance, Cinera walked over to the railing to look down at the people slowly making their way back inside. It looked like the chaos was over, at least. "We could probably try to find some information about that group you mentioned..." Her gaze turned warily to Sapphira. The last thing she wanted was to bring up painful thoughts by mentioning the Glitch Fixers by name. Who were they, anyway? And how had they managed to inflict so much damage on her friend? A bit of anger rose up in Cinera as she thought about the people who were cruel enough to mangle a defenseless girl, and she turned to look back at the inn (partially to hide her anger from Sapphira). This situation needed to be handled delicately, but she was still trying to process how anyone would even think of hurting another person in a game like this. It made her hands tremble with the thought of bashing their heads straight. This world is deadly enough, as it is... We don't need to be killing each other, too...

---

ScarletRain
Day 17 - Afternoon - Lvl 15
@Zelosse@Haeo@BlackPanther

Scarlet rolled her eyes at the two old men as they began to fight, again. Even after a moment like that, full of all the traditional warm and happy feelings, they went back to clobbering each other? What a couple of idiots... Still, she couldn't help but to smile a bit at the two of them. They had been joined at the hip longer than she had been alive, and it was incredible that they were still in such good spirits with each other after all this time... even if their way of bonding was a bit strange. As soon as her eyepatch was adjusted, she went over to Reaper and accepted the trade for the belt. Once again, she was surprised by the quality and the stats. He must have worked on this ability a lot. Not only that, but he seemed to be keenly aware of the current strengths and weaknesses of each player he interacted with. Surely a leader at heart; she admired that about him.

After the belt was equipped, which gave a great accent to her outfit that she actually really liked, Scarlet went to the window to check on her grandfather. He had fallen unconscious in the bout of things. "That might have been a bit much just for a hug," She commented, glancing at Smart. He seemed unapologetic, but she didn't care either way. Her grandfather would surely wake up at one point or another. Honestly, the day was already wearing on her, as well. What with her aching body and the emotional turmoil, she relished this moment of actual peace in the day. And she did feel happy, that was sure; for the first time in awhile, her heart was at ease and there was nothing to worry about.

Except her eye, of course.

The burning sensation only seemed to get worse as time went on, but Scarlet did her best not to let it show. The pain was bearable, at this point, and she didn't want to give the old geezers anything else to freak out over. They would need to get to the end of that gorge, though... and soon. Nobody would find their way to the end in two days, right? She couldn't help but to worry about getting there and the potion or whatever being gone, already. Without the top-secret information, she was unaware that the source of the healing was flowing water, so it made her stress about getting there first. Had any players already made it through the gorge? They could already be too late.

There's no point thinking about 'what ifs'... Feeling completely drained, Scarlet sat down at one of the unbroken tables and laid her head down, tiredly. Earlier she had complained about not wanting to wait around before going to the dungeon, but her head felt so heavy that she couldn't help taking a moment to rest. As she began to doze off just a little bit, her mind filled with thoughts and memories of her parents, wondering where they were now or how they might be doing... and then to her grandfather and honorary "uncle", who had looked after her all these years. Her heart was filled with warmth, and her eyes drifted closed as she allowed herself to indulge in this moment of peace, not even acknowledging the other players filing back into the inn and the NPCs already at work repairing the building.

[BlackPanther]

Reaper
Day 17, afternoon
@Zelosse@Haeo@DestinyStar

Ikanus looks up in time to see the two guys fighting again. He feels the eyeball before actually committing to it. His focus then goes to scarlett. He could tell the eye was bothering her...he actually wishes he could create something to ease the pain. No reason to dwell on it..he can help in the ways that are possible for him. His focus gets pulled to the grandfather as he notices the guy is passed out. Not wanting to leave him in the street he walks out to him. He grumbles a bit before grabbing him and picking him up with a grunt.

Once he had grandfather Dom he slowly made his way back inside and manages to find an undisturbed seat. He lightly half throws the guy into it...knowing that that small of a throw shouldn't hurt or wake him. He then spots Scarlet at her seat and lightly sits across from her....trying to make as little noise as possible since she is sleeping. Figuring he has nothing else to do, he starts cranking out bandages. Finding that the hand movements are soothing for him.

[Zelosse]

-Delcastle-

-Afternoon / day 17 / LvL 12-

Delcastle continued to grin as he turned and walked down the stairs to the dining area as one of the old men was promptly placed on a chair without breaking it this time. The atmosphere had gone from combat to quiet time deceptively quickly. Odds are these people were burnt out from the days events already. Terrible shame that was but business didn't wait on the slow or lazy. If he wanted to do this and earn the rewards for himself and his group then signing on with another group was needed. But how to proceed.
Del approached in a slow but confident manner, hands at his sides with a calm expression on his face as he approached the last remaining table. A mental note to be wary of property damage in the future with these folks came to mind. Especially the older folks. He stopped a respectful distance from the table and dipped a shallow but respectful bow to the masked fellow and the girl with the eyepatch in turn.

"Apologies for my intrusion. My name is Delcastle, guild leader of World Walkers. Couldn't help but notice," He motioned at the state of the inn and then focused briefly on the eye patch. "That you and your group could benefit from my teams assistance." At a motion from Scarlet he took a seat and addressed both seated players. "I have it on good information that a mini-dungeon in the gorge holds a restorative item to those who complete it. I do not have the strength or the numbers to go it alone, so I ask for a partnership. What say you and your team? Including mine we have enough players to enter and complete it."

--------------------------------------

Day 17 / Afternoon / LVL 16

[]HP[]100%//////////[]

Dom swooned in and out of consciousness and vaguely remembered being lifted off the ground and carried. Another memory was the feel of hardwood goin' up his crack uncomfortably as he was dumped into a seat rather unceremoniously. All this on the backburner of his mind as memories of past experiences came to the fore front. Going to highschool with Smart, graduating and going to college, both had the fortune to attend the same school but Dom had eventually veered from the path and went to a police academy. They had been friends for years after that, found love, Dom had sired a son, Dan had found love to last. Years of experiences blurred into nothingness as his eyes fluttered open to see a smooth talking young man talking about dungeons or something (he hadn't been listening) and noticed the sly wink directed towards his granddaughter. (Not realizing it was a mention of her eye patch)
With a grunt, Dom reacted the only way he knew how. He stood up unsteadily and punched the newcomer square in the jaw before falling flat on his face, still dizzy. He would later blame Smarter for this, something about how he mistook the lad for the yoga pants old man.

As oblivion seeped in on the peripheral vision, Dom managed to squeak our a "sorry.." before fading back out entirely.

---------------------------------

The moment the fist struck him in the face, Delcastles eyes took a very unfamiliar glint. Very few things could upset his usually calm demeanor but a sucker punch when he was offering help was one of them. But the glint faded as fast as it had come and was replaced by a soft chuckle as he rubbed his red cheek. Having seen the old man literally just attack two men over a misunderstanding it was quite obvious that another such accident might occur. "Apology accepted. No harm done." He whispered to the fallen bearded fellow, turning back to the two at the table and waiting for a response to his request.

[Ookawa]

Sapphira followed Delcastle into the main room and stood behind him for most of his address to the people there. When he was finished, she poked out her head from behind Del's back and moved out of his shadow to look at the people he was talking to. Her ears flicked sending a little weird feeling through her as she had also flicked her damaged ear. She had also seen the red haired girl sporting an eyepatch.
"You damaged your eye, like I did my ears?", she blurted out. Quickly she pressed her hands to her mouth and went red in shame and a little bit of fear. "Sorry... sorry... sorry...sorry. Didn't want to hurt you..." Her ears flattened to her head and her fox tail wrapped itself around her legs.

[DestinyStar]

@PyroDash888@Zelosse@BlackPanther@Tracyarmav@Haeo

Cinera
Day 17 - Afternoon - Lvl 13
It came as a bit of a surprise when Delcastle simply walked down the stairs without an answer, but the look on his face served as plenty of explanation. He had something planned, and it was important. Her guess was that it involved the group of people downstairs; after all, it was just like him to get involved with the strange ones. Not only that, but even she could see the young redhead was obviously struggling with her eye in a way similar to how Sapphira was suffering. As was like a child though, she was very clearly in pain from the injury, as much as she might try to hide it. I wonder if Sapphira is in that much pain...?

In all honesty, Cinera didn't want to get involved with the group. The terrible gut feeling from before had returned, and something inside told her not to get involved with these people. They not only seemed volatile, but strong - especially the old man who was swooning. There was an aura about him that seemed to have more strength than he was making visible. She opted to watch her teammates from above, standing on guard in case anything were to happen. It was better for them not to see just how many party members they had here... just in case, right?

Because she couldn't hear what they were saying, it came as a bit of a shock when the barely-conscious old man stood and clocked Delcastle right in the jaw. Her instincts immediately kicked into gear as she leaped over the railing to land smoothly on the ground beneath her. "Hey, are you..." She couldn't even get the words out to check on her comrade before she froze, seeing the unusual look in his eye. It was... to say the least, something she had never seen before. Something about his gaze looked almost murderous, and she felt a chill run down her spine. It lasted only moments before she saw him gain his composure once more, but her body felt stiff from fear. I don't think I've ever seen him angry...

That wasn't important, at the moment. Shaking it off, she calmly walked over to him, her eyes filled with a curious concern... and a bit of caution. "Are you okay...?" Once she noticed the mark on his cheek, any thought of his dangerous expression faded into an aching concern. Cinera quickly pulled a washcloth from her inventory and wet it with one of the waters she had stored. As he waited for an answer, she reached up to wipe away the bit of blood he probably hadn't noticed. He hits harder than it looks...

---

ScarletRain
Day 17 - Afternoon - Lvl 15
At the sound of a ding in her inbox, Scarlet opened the menu to see a PM from Edgar. Was he trying to apologize? She was surprised to see such a calm message after he had walked off in a huff, but he seemed to be trying to make up for it. Not in the mood to pick another fight, she sent him a quick reply.

WHAT DO YOU KNOW HOW TO MAKE?
NOT REALLY IN NEED OF ANYTHING SPECIFIC.
COULD YOU MAKE A STRONG SET OF BRACERS?
BY THE WAY, WHERE ARE YOU?
MIGHT WANNA LET YOUR TEAM KNOW BEFORE RUNNING OFF...

... HOPE YOU'RE OK.

The last part she added just because before closing her inbox. Now, it was quite annoying to have her rest interrupted by this new, unusual fellow. When she finally had a chance to relax and process one of the most emotional things to happen in her life, this shmuck wanted to bother her? A bit annoyed already, she lifted her head up from the table, propping herself on one arm as she listened to him speak. By the way he spoke, he had some sort of proposition in mind for them. It's not like they were an entirely formed group, anyhow - her grandpa was even a leader of a different guild, to which she assumed her uncle was a member (or even another leader; she hadn't cared to learn details such as this before). The very public fight before should have shown just how separated they were as a group, yet this man had still approached them. And he had a smooth way of speaking that made her want to hear him out... if he spoke quickly, anyhow. With a bit of an annoyed glare, she gave a little wave of her hand toward a nearby chair, offering for him to sit.

She wasn't dumb enough to leave his little glance to her eyepatch unnoticed. He obviously understood where she was, and the mention of a dungeon which could heal this type of injury only confirmed that he was aware of her predicament. Scarlet knew exactly what he wanted. He's here for manpower, so they can get through the dungeon... She had noticed the fox's scratched ear the moment she approached with him. After all, not many players had physical scars such as this. They wanted more people to help them push through the dungeon safely.

Scarlet paid her grandfather's actions almost no mind as she thought this over. Honestly, they would probably need help getting through the dungeon, as well. With the disarray they were in, she wasn't sure they would actually be ready in two days. However, the way he spoke to them made her angry; it was as if he expected them to have no option except to say yes. Did he think he had cornered them? Was he planning to use the prize at the end of the dungeon to blackmail them? He kind of deserved to get punched, she thought. The young lady hated these kind of men more than anything - the ones who thought they could use people however they wanted to achieve their own goals. What if the item is only for one person? That was her main concern, and there was no way they would allow her to use it with one of their own injured, as well.

"I'm gonna have to say no," She blurted out before any of her teammates could respond (aside from grandpa, obviously), her expression uncaring as she laid her head back on the table. "We're just fine getting through the dungeon on our own. And we already knew about it, by the way. But best of luck to you." Scarlet hoped they would just walk away and find some other random people to bother, but they didn't leave. In fact, the young fox lady blurted out something surprising, making her sit up to face Sapphira. Her own face had become bright red with embarrassment, thinking back to her accident in the gorge. Her tough demeanor would be ruined if they knew how stupid her accident had been, and that it had been right at the base of the very dungeon they were discussing.

She felt her anger revive her a bit from her exhaustion as she stood, fists clenched angrily. "I-I didn't injure anything!" Scarlet blurted out, defiantly. It's not like anyone was fighting her, but her stubborn instincts made her want to deny that anything had actually happened. "My eye is... f...ine..." Suddenly, a sort of dizziness rushed to her head as she stood, a sharp pain exuding from her eye. With her body as weak as it was, she felt herself collapsing under its weight as she suddenly staggered, accidentially falling against Delcastle's chest. Her hand reached up to touch the patch once more, the burning becoming a bit more unbearable as she slumped to the ground. "A... Agh..." The world felt like it was spinning. Okay, something's... wrong... Her eye shouldn't hurt this badly. The little fox girl didn't seem to be in any pain from her injury. Weakly, she pulled the eyepatch off again, opening her injured eye as best she could. There was no outward change to it, aside from its usual foggy contrast. It's... hot... Her vision was hazy as she thought she saw a glimpse of some sort of shadowy figure in the doorway of the inn, behind Delcastle. What... What is that...? But nothing was there. Slowly, she shut her eyes and slipped into unconsciousness.

[BlackPanther]

@Zelosse@PyroDash888@DestinyStar@Tracyarmav
Ikanus tilted his head and stared at Decastle. Blue eyes boring into the player. That is until he heard the ping of a private message. That called for at least half his attention as he typed out a short response.

I cannot think of any items as of now, but I would like to know your location.
I think we all need a relaxation time before training...

Man he is terrible at text conversations. He hoped the message didn't come across as uncaring, but Decastle seemed like he strongly wanted to bother them. He managed not to give an eye roll at decastle, and remained quiet....even when he got punched.

In any normal circumstance he would have given the proposal a bit more thought, but with his party member needing the reward he could not accept it. His mouth opened to decline, but Scarlett beat him to it. So he settled for giving a nod in agreement as he stood up. H e was all set just to walk out with scarlett, but apparently her eye acted up. He acted fast and caught her now unconscious self before she hit the floor. He stood once more, now with the unconscious scarlett and looked at the fox girl and decastle. "We are declining your offer" He turned, then looked back. "However, I wish you luck in your goal....and suggest you get a healer." He then walked out with Scarlett in his arms and Anubis beside him. Hopefully edgar would respond soon so he would know where exactly he is going.

[Tracyarmav]

Day 17, Evening.
Edgar_Walther
@BlackPanther@DestinyStar@LucasSkylight

Edgar, didn't see his friends in the tavern, which worried him. He'd brushed off their concerned responses earlier, though he had made several sets of bracers for Scarlet. They were visually identical, but the stats were very different. He hoped one would suit her purposes in the game. Now he wondered if they had started without him... He considered sending them a response, when a face he hadn't seen before entered the tavern, and ordered two Spring Waters, a biscuit, and a room for the night. And an idea struck Edgar, they were going to go get him leveled, and help Scarlet figure out how to fight with just the one eye, and then there was the dungeon. He still wanted those rare ores, and rumors in town suggested it also held a special reward, that might be of particular interest to Scarlet. What if this new guy needed something to do? An extra blade would certainly be nice to have. And besides, it looked like Edgar was going to need an escort to get him safely caught up to Reaper and Scarlet, especially if the two old geezers were still hanging around. Rolling the dice, proverbially, Edgar called to the new arrival, walking down the bar to him.

"Greetings friend, got time for a proposition? Join me for a quick bite and I'll elaborate."

I sit down at a nearby table, and quickly set out our position, careful not mention my two friends by name, or give any specific details about them. Mostly just that my group needed another hand to help with a difficult dungeon in the gorge. Loot would be shared as fairly as possible, at least until the final reward, and then compensation would be provided if necessary, assuming of course that a second run was not feasible. I eat quickly, talking between bites, and doing my best to present myself as a decent fellow throughout the presentation. I know there are red players, even red guilds out there, and I really didn't want to scare the guy off. At the same time, I wasn't certain how to do that, except to be polite and sincere. As I finished my spiel, and supper, I open my main menu, and then the PM's sub-menu. There I rapidly type a quick response to the previously ignored questions, and hinted a potential bonus member for the raid team, when we got to it. I send the finished message to both Reaper and Scarlet, since they'd both asked for my location previously.

Hey, Sorry I'm late in responding, I'm back at the Inn now. I was in the crafting hall in the south western section of town, the crafting work is ... relaxing for me. Also for future reference, so long as we're all in a group, we can use the map feature to find each other. That said, where are y'all now? I don't see either of you in the Inn. But I did find someone else, trying convince them to help us out for a bit. *fingers crossed I don't just piss them off, like gramps and his side kick, no offense Scarlet* Anyway, I hope we can meet up again soon. Sorry for ditching y'all earlier, I just needed some time to myself.

[LucasSkylight]

Day 17 Evening
LucasSkylight
@Tracyarmav

Lucas is quietly eating his meal listening to the conversations carrying on around the inn mostly of a bizarre attack, something about two older men beating up on a couple of younger players. Lucas thought to himself how surprising there was even older gentleman actively taking part in the game but then he considered the implications of such a fight as ludicrous as it was. If in fact some elderly folk even had the capability to fight that sort of game design carries much farther then just playing inside a game... Lucas continues thinking along these thoughts imagining the medical and engineering ramifications of such an implication...

"Greetings friend, got time for a proposition? Join me for a quick bite and I'll elaborate."

It is while I am embroiled in the middle of my thoughts that I come to the realization that not only am I no longer eating by myself but also that this person is talking to me. Stupid stupid stupid Lucas, you can't afford to get distracted in a game like this! Thankfully Lucas comes to the realization that he is in a safe zone an should therefore have no reason to be worried but that doesn't stop his hand from reaching into his cloak towards the pommel of his blade before relaxing as he realizes the newcomer means no harm... for now.

Lucas nods in the direction of the newcomer his nameplate identifying him as Edgar_Walther, a good strong name, Lucas wonders where the name came from as he responds, "I may be interested." He replies in a voice that is obviously seldom used.

Lucas listens as, Edgar was it?, explains to him about the group wanting to do a dungeon run in the Gorge. He must be quite strong if he thinks he can clear THAT dungeon. Lucas thinks to himself as Edgar explains the usual, fair loot, extra blade, and compensation. I nod politely occasionally so as to appear interested as well as to show my respect for how polite Edgar was being about it. When he is fisnished I briefly consider the proposal... This is a complete stranger, it could be a trap, *eyes Edgar's gear critically and sighs to himself* They want help and they dont realize just how much help they will need the least he can do is join their crusade, and if it is a trap, I will make them rue the day we met.

"Your terms are more then fair, I would be honored to join a quest such as your party's, if they would have me," he says feeling slightly excited yet nervous as it has been so long since he formally worked with anyone.

[Haeo]

@BlackPanther@DestinyStar@PyroDash888@Zelosse

Smarter'n'me
Lvl 15/Day 17/Afternoon
[HP]100%//////////[]

Smart had remained quiet after his dominating defenestration demonstration. He had listened and watched. He had hauled the unconscious poundage of his good friend back inside and planted his bones in a chair before finding one himself, with a little dignity. He couldn't manage much dignity in snake skin tights, but he tried. Watching and listening could teach a lot more than causing a ruckus. Skilled lawyers know how to listen to the details. It's not all about what they say, it's about how they say it.

Having seen Dom behave dazed like he used to when drunk didn't surprise Smart at all. He just walked over again and put the old man on the chair again, bent over the seat sideways on his back with his head and feet touching the floor on either side. He'd cramp up pretty quick when he tried to get up from there. He deserved that much for sucker punching someone when he wasn't up for a fight. His eyes turned to this guild leader who had made such an interestingly worded offer and he spoke up calmly, his words laced with professionalism and experience born of long years gaming and reading people.

"Now that everyone's decided to reject this boy's offer on gut feelings alone, I hope that nobody minds an old man with a few questions." He sat down on his chair again and steepled his fingers under his chin. "Mr. Delcastle, my friend and I aren't members of that little group there but we have a strong and very personal vested interest in the well being of one of their members. So, with that in mind, please indulge me for a few minutes." He motioned to another miraculously intact chair. Actually, it had just been replaced by an npc. He waited a few moments for Delcastle to either sit or reject the offer. It didn't matter much to him either way, just a matter of courtesy.

"I go by Smarter'n'me here but you can call me Smart or something else respectful if you'd like. It's been a long day already for someone my age so I'd appreciate it if you let me ask my few questions and hear me out before answering as I don't want to forget anything important in the conversation shuffle." He took a slow breath before beginning.

"I noticed that you mentioned your group being too low on both strength and numbers. Specifically, I noticed that you mentioned the two issues as separate and distinct. Is it accurate for me to believe, then, that this dungeon is a raid only dungeon with a zone barrier at the entrance to enforce that restriction? If so, what number of members is required for entry?"

"On a related subject, how large is your guild and what percentage of your members will you be committing to this raid that you propose?"

"How do you plan to deal with the possibility of multiple persistent injuries in the raid force and the possibility of a single use restorative item as a reward?"

"How do you plan to deal with the likelihood of monsters in the dungeon being capable of creating persistent injuries? If you enter with two raid members already looking for a restorative and then gain three more like them on the way due to battles, how are you balancing that kind of risk?"

"And, lastly, what are the core philosophy and objective of your guild? What did you create it to accomplish? In short, stranger, guild leader, and bringer of opportunity, who are you people?"

[Zelosse]

-Delcastle-

-Afternoon / day 17 / LvL 12-

Delcastle kept his composure at the brisk, outright disrespectful, dismissal of his offer. Neither had even bothered to hear him out despite the obvious need for the attempt. Nobody was going to get anywhere with this kind of petulant lay-about attitude and it bothered him to no end that these people hadn't even done a simple follow up! Time was money and these folks likely had neither. It was only when Smarter'n'me spoke up that Delcastles chances seemed to brighten. Even if it was only one, it was better than what he had now. Delcastle continued to sit and listened intently to the questions and took his time responding, formulating his responses.

"Delcastle. Leader of World Walkers. Ordinarily a guild dedicated to gathering materials and crafting components. I sport a small team so far, with Myself, Cinera here," He motioned to the lightly dressed woman standing behind him who had gently wiped away the blood from Doms sucker punch earlier, to which he had thanked her. "My brother Bulwar whom is our main tank, a skilled archer the name of Tailpin. There are 2 other players joining us. In total I have about five members."

"We have damage, but we lack the numbers required. As you guessed it is a raid dungeon meant for ten or more players, with the difficulty raising minimally per additional fighter but keeping the loot roughly the same as I was told. Persistent injury will not be an issue if everyone sticks to my formations, my group and I have been hunting elites in the upper forest for the last few days so familiarity with 'advanced' monsters is not a new experience. As for monsters creating persistent injuries there is no way to prevent it. Vigilance is the only option."

Delcastle arched an eyebrow at the mention of a singular use restorative item. Was that what the others problem was? They didn't want to compete for the drop? A very slight and knowing little grin creeped up on his face. No sense hiding what he knew.

"The restorative item is not an actual consumable item. From the words of a much more experienced player, the healing source is a whirlpool after the final boss. Step into it and persistent injuries are cured. Given that fact, I imagine persistent injuries to be a common theme to the careless. With this knowledge I failed to see an issue with a temporary partnership for the mutual benefit of our respective party members."

Delcastle kept a straight posture and never broke his gaze with Smart, feeling the mans eyes never so much as flicker. The old man might be a bit outlandishly dressed but it was obvious now he had history in very serious matters of some sort, requiring patience and understanding entirely. Why else for all the questions?

The mention of his guilds objective had his chest swell out ever so slightly with pride as a fierce glint came to his eyes.

"World Walkers is aimed to push the front line forward. Materials are tedious things, requiring patience and dedication to amass them sufficiently. Items break, items are made, items are bought and sold. We supply merchants with the means to do so in the protection of the city, and in turn they will sell their superior goods to those with the drive to fight on the front and free us from this game. Now," Delcastle relaxed back into his chair. "I have questions for you too."

Delcastle glanced at the slumbering form of Dom and subconsciously rubbed his chin before turning back to smart with the same mirrored look the old lawyer was giving.

"As the leader of this raid to be, I am willing to accommodate any requests they might have. Choice pick of loot, more gold from monsters, claim to any materials or rares that drop. Whatever it takes.." He glanced at Sapphira and her damaged ear. "Whatever it takes to help my friends."

Delcastle rose up from the chair and offered his hand to Smart. "If you and your friend come with us, and we beat this thing, I will make sure we find a way to bring some of the restorative back with us."

@haeo@LucasSkylight

[Ookawa]

Sapphira sighed and moved away from everybody. It really seemed like they were going to risk their lives to get her ear fixed. Shockingly she didn't even want anybody to fix her ear, she didn't need it. The red haired girl needed it, for sure, but not Sapphira.
After that train of thought, she went up to Delcastle, poked him and quietly said:
"Del... I'm moved you want to do this for me and all... but you don't need to do it. I can still hear fine and all, it doesn't hurt. Just an optical thing and I rather not endanger anybody in your guild for an optical adjustment. The red haired girl needed it, but not I. That's all..."
She made a quick bow and moved to a table a bit farther away and sat down lying her head on said table.

[DestinyStar]

@PyroDash888@Zelosse@Haeo@BlackPanther

Cinera
Day 17 - Afternoon - Lvl 13

Cinera tried not to be angry when she saw the two brats walk out. She couldn't be too upset, seeing the state the child was in, but it was still frustrating that they were not even giving Delcastle a chance. I knew there was something wrong about doing this... Just when she thought they might walk off though, the other older man pounded her guild leader with questions. It was a good thing that he was so curious, she figured, but something in her stomach still twisted up tight and uncomfortable. They were dangerous folk, and meeting anyone for the first time always involved some sort of risk. All that she could do was trust that he knew what he was doing - he was their guild leader, after all. If there was any kind of threat like that punch from before, though, she would not hesitate to protect him.

Her eyes gazed at the oddly-dressed man warily as Delcastle introduced her, to which she gave a brief nod. She wondered just why he wanted the information, if he was not a member of that group. Considering his age (and the shouting match from earlier), she could guess that the injured child was probably the one to which he had a 'vested interest.' Even if he did decide that the World Walkers would be the best way to help her get healed, would he even be able to convince their group to think about this more thoroughly? They seemed like a bunch of hard-headed, stubborn fools; that would be something difficult to overcome. And if they did not join, would they be left without any additional help or would the old men still want to join them? Delcastle did well in articulating their group's goals and abilities thoroughly, so she had no doubt the old men were wise enough to understand how valuable their skills, experience, and teamwork were.

The knot in her stomach shifted when Delcastle mentioned the possible casualties; he didn't really give an answer, but more so assured that injuries would be kept as minimal as possible. But there was a chance. This was something Cinera hadn't thought about, so she was even more surprised when Sapphira spoke up with her concerns about the whole thing. She didn't want them to risk themselves? Even if it meant healing her ear? Honestly, Cinera felt a bit of relief when she heard that. Not going would be the safest option, especially as they were not a typically front-line team. However, one glance at Sapphira set her resolve straight.

"Sapphira..." When her friend walked away, she followed, going to sit across from her as she gave Delcastle a glance to say, I'll take care of this. A still silence fell between them for a moment before she spoke again. "You're such a terrible liar." A gentle smile crossed her expression as she reached over to grab the fox lady's hand. "Look, we may not have known each other long... but I know how much you loved your ears and tail. I mean, you got to keep them even after the whole mirror fiasco at the beginning! I know that was important to you." Smoothly, she eased around the table so that she was now beside her friend, her arm comfortingly around her shoulder. "It doesn't matter that you can still hear, or that it doesn't hurt. You like your ear, right? And it hurt, what happened to you? As your friends, we can't just ignore something like that." Her expression became really serious then - almost somber, as she thought about what had happened to Sapphira. "If anything, I don't want you to have to live with the reminder that people could... well..."

Cinera gave a brief sigh. "I'm really bad at this, I guess... But please don't think of it as troubling us, okay? This sort of thing is what we're here for. We care about you, and we want to help, even with the little things." She smiled once more, looking her friend in the eyes. "That was what I loved about World Walkers when I joined. Even if I felt like I was a bother to everyone around me, they always assured me that everything is okay. That it will be okay. And then they did everything they could to help me, even though I didn't mean anything to them. This isn't an either-or situation, hon - we don't have to choose between you, our friend, and that stranger child. We want to help both of you." Seeing how upset Sapphira seemed to be, Cinera pulled her close into a comforting hug. "Sometimes we just need to hear this... Sapphira, it's going to be okay. Everything is going to be okay." She closed her eyes, burying her face a bit in the fox's hair. "Even if it's not that big a deal, or if it is... We're going to fix your ear. And everything will be okay. I promise."

---

ScarletRain
Day 17 - Evening - Lvl 15

The sun shone orange, fading beams of light through the window as Scarlet's eyes finally began to open, once again. Her whole body felt heavy, her head ached. It was similar to how her grandfather had exaggeratedly described hangovers, to scare her off from drinking as a child. A soft groan escaped through her soft, pink lips as she slowly came to. The room was rather dim, with the curtains drawn and the door locked. Reaper was sitting in the chair beside her - the first thing she noticed. His gaze rested naturally on her as she awoke, though not hinting at any sort of worry or fear that might make her concerned for what had happened before she fell asleep. Wait... What did happen...?

Her movements were slow as she went to sit up, barely able to push herself up with how weak her arms felt. It had only been an hour or two since her collapse, so her body was not yet rested. But her eye... it burned. Intensely. It was dull compared to the fire which had caused her to pass out, but it still ached. Her head was heaviest of all, and her gaze was unfocused and dizzy with the strange sensation of it. Wearily, she lifted her hand to cover her foggy eye, hoping to block out the harsh light of the sunset outside. That figure I saw... it... Slowly, she turned to look at Reaper, looking as exhausted as she felt. Her mind couldn't quite focus as she struggled to wake up. She didn't know what to ask, so as her brain scrambled back into consciousness, she instinctively said, "Where's Grandpa...?"

[BlackPanther]

@DestinyStar@Tracyarmav
----before scarlet awoke-----
Ikanus bought a room at the inn, having decided that her resting is just as important as meeting up with edgar and whoever he found. He lightly placed her on the bed and types up a PM to edgar.
Scarlet passed out so we are in a room. Once she wakes up, we should meet up for that training.

Ikanus then settled in to wait for her to wake up. For her to pass out like that meant her eye was in worse condition then he thought. Now he wishes his medical training was more human instead of animal. Making sure she is sound asleep he carefully removed his mask and rubed his face. For the first time actually feeling all the stress. He inhaled steeling his nerves and puts the mask back in place. He would make it through...and he will take them with him.

-----Scarlett awakens----
Ikanus shook his head. "Last I saw him was at the table after punching Decastle." He studied her. "How is your eye? Are you up for training?" as in he wants to take her and start that training, but he doesnt want to push her if she feels she can't do anything. He expects her to possibly lie to him and say that her eye is fine....in which case he will train as normal, but make sure she doesnt get herself more injured...that would probably be bad.

[Tracyarmav]

Day 17, Evening.
Edgar_Walther
@BlackPanther@DestinyStar@LucasSkylight

Edgar nodded in response to Lucas's assent, maybe being less of an ass could be useful... sometimes.

"Excellent! I don't think there will be any issues. We're going to go get some practice a little later this evening, might be out late, but we'll be safe enough. Do you have any plans for the evening?"

I read the response from Reaper and frown, she'd passed out? I'd really have to stop ignoring these PM's. I offer Lucas a friend request, so he can keep in touch, in case he has other plans for the evening. I consider going upstairs to check on Reaper and Scarlet, and maybe let Reaper come down and get dinner if he's been upstairs with her the entire time. But then, Scarlet would probably be hungry too, so I might as well get dinner for both of them... would it be wrong to get them the dinner for two special? Yes, it would, bother my mischievousness. Okay, but what would they want? {Scarlet awakens}... Yep got nothing, Russian Roulette it is, via the dinner menu. Samplers should be safe, three different samplers and two simple plates of rice, steamed vegetables, and broiled fish, plus two large tankards of cool apple cider later, I ask the server to take it to the room registered to the player Reaper. Turning back to Lucas as the NPC server leaves, I ask him a bit about himself, to better get an idea of what he's good at.

"Sorry about that, it's been a bit of long day for us. But you don't want to hear our woes I'm sure. Tell me some about yourself. What are you strengths in game? Do you have preferred fighting style, do you usually work in groups? are they large, small, or are you a loner? I'm a craftsman myself, specializing in heavy armors, and medium armors that are mostly or entirely metal in construction."

[DestinyStar]

ScarletRain
Day 17 - Evening - Lvl 15
@BlackPanther

Scarlet slowly sat up, trying hard not to make herself any dizzier than she already felt. The actual stinging was pretty dull now, so she hoped it was getting better. Training should be fine, if she could just work through the weariness. There was no time to waste on this. "I'm fine," She lied, glancing at Reaper. He had a concerned look in her eye that, for some reason, made her feel a bit guilty. So grandpa is still passed out, huh? I bet Uncle is with him... Sighing, she glanced through her PMs. No return from Edgar. Was he even alright? Something in her worried a bit, but she decided not to focus on it.

Instead, she slowly made her way to her feet and stretched, ignoring the slight nausea she felt. Moving around would surely help her feel better, right? Scarlet then noticed her eyepatch wasn't equipped and went to do so. It still made her feel more comfortable. "It's been a couple of hours, right? I don't want to waste anymore time... Still, she couldn't get the image of that dark figure out of her mind. I'm sure I saw him standing there...

... Kayaba...

[Haeo]

@Zelosse@PyroDash888@LucasSkylight

Smarter'n'me
Lvl 15/Day 17/Afternoon
[HP]100%//////////[]

Smart stayed quiet for a little while after Delcastle finished speaking. That little spiel had reminded the old man of conversations long since past. After all, businessmen and lawyers tend to have a lot to do with each other. And that applied whatever field either found themselves in. However, there was one small thing that raised an eyebrow for a second. He spoke again, freeing up a hand but not taking Delcastle's just yet.

"So your guild specializes in keeping the players alive with an eye toward boosting the power players and keeping them intact long enough to finish this game. That I can understand." He said carefully. "Risking your life for friends, family, funds, and final victory, I can understand and admire. Compromising secondary profits for the sake of an extremely valuable prize and doing everything you can to make the most of it by bringing it back with you, I can understand." His gaze tightened a little. "But, you expect me to believe that you found a specialized archer, in a game almost exclusively geared for close combat, who is not only a full guild member but is strong enough to go on a raid? I have a little trouble with that one. Most of the crowd here are just kids and I seriously doubt that some kid could pull off solo hunting with a bow long enough to be worth your attention, too much patience and luck involved for the conditions. I did see one player trying to pull it off a ways south of here. Judging by the gear he had before he died, he didn't make it to level ten. The price for range is usually damage per second in games. I'm sure you can understand why I would have a hard time swallowing that one without a little more explanation."

Then the old man smiled and his hand came up to grip Delcastle's forearm with an iron grip. "Provided you can explain that story with a bit more detail, hold up your end of the deal, and provided my partner here doesn't object too strenuously when he wakes up, then I think we can help each other."

Smart hadn't missed the exchange between the injured player and both Cinera and Delcastle. But, the girl had valid points, however irrelevant to the bigger picture they turned out to be. And, her feelings should be taken into account. The thing was, Smart didn't really care too much about this stranger's feelings. He had a little brat to help and he wasn't going to let her down.