[IC] Overlords. (Sarpedon/Sanquin)

[sanquin]

It had been five years since Yggdrasil had launched. But finally this full body virtual reality mmorpg, one of the first of it's kind, was going to be shut down. Player count had dropped too much due to other games becoming more popular. And there just weren't enough players left for the game to remain profitable for the company behind it. The one huge selling point, player freedom, just wasn't enough to keep players from moving on to the next new shiny game to play. That is, of course, apart from the last 30,000 or so people that were still playing on the single remaining server. At least in the west. The tomb of Nazarick was one of the guilds that was still active. If you could still call it a guild that is. It only had a few active players left. And now that the server was shutting down, only two remained that stayed until the end. Everyone else had said their goodbyes and left. The great tomb of Nazarick. Both a famous and infamous PvP guild, being among the top 5 guilds on the server. But now it's halls were empty, it's custom npc's stood idly and silently, and only two players were there to witness it's last moments. One of them being the guild leader.

Sanguine sighed as she finally arrived at the throne hall again. A large throne stood at the far side, with two large wooden tables on the sides of the room. Chairs adorned with names of all the guild members lined the sides facing the walls. A large line of npc's was following the lady towards the throne as she walked. These were the npc's that had been created by the guild's generals and herself. Npc leaders, of sorts, that gave access to ingame commands to manage the guild's other npc's and functions. Sanguine herself had created 2 of them. Jeeves, a human male butler of middle age, whom was the head of the tomb's maids. And Daniëlle, a female elder vampire, and the head of all npc's. Though she looked like a teenager at best.

"It's so empty here now..." The woman softly spoke, remembering the great parties the guild used to have in this hall. She had brought all of the important custom npc's over, wanting to make the throne hall feel a little bit less empty. Though of course npc's couldn't really do that. They could only follow commands, and reply with a limited set of pre-determined responses. At least she wasn't completely alone, as there was still one other player with her. "You here?" She called, wondering if her friend was nearby. "The servers will shut down in half an hour, so...you know..." The main reason she wished her friend would join her was something she wanted to keep a secret. She had a huge crush on him ever since he had joined the guild. However they didn't even live in the same country. And an online relationship just wouldn't work. So she had never told anyone, feeling stupid for falling for a guy she hadn't even seen in real life yet. But at least she wanted to see him as his ingame avatar one last time, before they would likely never meet again.

[Sarpedon]

Oliver spun slowly, walking in tiny circles as he wove his way through the endless ranks of cabinets, racks, and shelves stacked floor-to-ceiling all throughout the marble room he'd found himself in. He was slowly meandering his way back to the door when he noticed Jan get up and take off. Frowning, the Paladin, glanced around, knowing he wouldn't see anything. There were very few people with the privileges to make Jan get up and walk off, and he was pretty sure only one of them was still kicking around. He didn't get a chance to say anything, though, before her voice rang through the halls.

"Of course I'm here." he replied, smiling weakly. "I'm down in the armoury. I'll be up in a second." he added with a sigh. As he reached the door, he gently scooped a massive greatsword off the wall, and slid it tenderly into its equally giant scabbard. The weapon was as tall as he was, and probably weighed at least half as much as he did. The warrior didn't bother to sling the behemoth over his shoulders, though, and instead he cradled it like a child all the way back to the throne room. When he got there, it was pretty well what he'd been expecting. Everyone left in the Guild was in the Throne Room, gathered together almost like someone was throwing a party. But the fact that they were all NPCs dampened the effect. It was all to obvious that this was closer to a wake than anything else.

Then he spotted his friend's avatar, right next to the throne. It was a spot she'd earned, he just wasn't sure why she wasn't sitting in it. "You're going to let me know if you find another game, right?" he knew it wouldn't be the same, but it was better than nothing. Their late-night sessions running around ganking hapless noobs had been fun, and he couldn't think of anyone else he'd rather tank for. He chuckled as that thought crossed his mind, and then he realized he'd been staring at Sanguine. He supposed it was hard to tell sometimes, if he was staring or not, so he hoped she hadn't noticed, and took a long glance around at everything they'd built. "I'm going to miss this place..." he muttered, but those weren't the words he'd been going for. He was going to miss the woman across from him. Her insistence on a vampire persona had been weird at first, but being a Paladin of Ockham, he got over it. Things had been weird while he levelled as a Cleric of Pelor, but once he started putting ranks into Rogue, the two of them had quickly developed into close friends. If she lived in the same country, he might have tried to track her down and take her for coffee or something, but as it was, he supposed this was it. Unless she emailed him with another game she wanted to conquer, he wasn't going to be seeing much, or really any, of the enchanting vampire.

"What should we do for our last half hour of shenanigans?" he asked, hoping she had an idea that could pull him back from the brink of tears. He was more upset than he liked to admit that the game was shutting down on him. It felt like a personal affront to him, and not just a smart economical decision...

[sanquin]

Sanguine had been absently staring in front of her while she waited for Oliver to arrive, wishing the game would just continue forever. Sadly the real world didn't work like that. Nothing lasted forever. Then finally he arrived, snapping her out of her thoughts when he spoke. "Hm? Oh...yea. I don't like any of the current virtual reality games though...but maybe something new will come out soon." She doubted it. Yggdrasil had an amount of freedom you didn't really find in other games. Which had been the main draw for her to play it in the first place. Every player avatar was different, every guild hall looked different, and you could do pretty much anything you wanted in this world. Well, except for things like sex...those were prohibited because they wanted to keep the game child friendly. But that was about it.

Finally the woman sat down in her throne. "Stand by." She spoke to the line of npc's. Whom in turn moved to one side of the throne and all lined up, awaiting further instructions. Even after several years of being a guild leader she still felt a little bit weird sitting at the head of such a large room. But at the same time it was exhilarating to have so many people looking to you as their leader. "You're not the only one...I wish more guild members had stayed until the end at least. It would have been fun to hold one last party with everyone, but there's nothing we can do about it now."

Oliver asked what they would do for the last minutes, but truthfully she didn't know either. She had already just finished her walk through the entire guild, and what could you really do in half an hour? Barely anything really. "I'm not sure...I could summon some undead and have them fight each other while we bet on who wins. As a special occasion, why not join me on the throne this time? It's big enough for two I think." Of course that was an excuse to sit right next to him for a little bit, but she wasn't going to tell him. Luckily your avatar didn't show things like blushing, as otherwise her face would have been bright red from daring to ask suggest it. This was the last chance she had though, so she had asked anyway.

[Sarpedon]

Oliver sighed when Sanguine confirmed his fears. She didn't have anything else lined up. He moved closer to the vampire when she finally took her seat, though the warrior continued at his meandering, unmotivated rate, so he didn't make much progress before he was invited to sit on the throne. "Oooh, I've never sat on the throne before..." he mused, setting his gigantic weapon down next to the glorious seat. "Not while anyone else was aware of it..." he added with a chuckle. He slipped into the overly large chair next to his friend and put his arm around her. He justified it to himself, thinking it would be more comfortable, but he knew deep down he'd just always wanted to.

He opened his mouth to say something, but no sound came out. They had half an hour left and he was still having trouble with words. He couldn't take it any more. "I really like you." he blurted out. He even managed to give the woman next to him a squeeze. Then he braced for impact. He hoped she didn't freak out too much. She only had to put up with him for half an hour, less than that since they'd wasted almost five minutes now, and then she didn't have to talk to him ever again. It was a depressing thought, but one he supposed he would have to live with. Now he was starting to wish he could have said something sooner. At least then, in a worst case scenario, he'd have a head start on getting over her. Now, here he was, possibly never going to hear from this woman again, and confessing his feelings to her. "That only took like three years... Fuck me..." he groaned quietly to himself...

[sanquin]

"I know I know...just about everyone has probably sat in this throne while I wasn't around." Sanguine replied, also chuckling a little. "Still, surely it's different when you get to share it with the guild master right?" The man sat down beside her, and then casually put his arm around her like it was the natural thing to do. Something that only made Sanguine more nervous. "Wait...is he hitting on me? That's usually what this means right? Couldn't be... Not just before the servers shut down right? But this can't just be a friendly gesture. What do I do? Should I say something?" Dozens of thoughts went through her mind as they sat there for what felt like minutes. Though it probably was no more than one. It felt rather awkward to just sit there in silence. Yet the vampiress couldn't get herself to say something either.

Finally it was Oliver that spoke first. "I really like you." Sanguine's eyes widened at his words. For just over three years she had prevented herself from confessing anything to him, knowing that they could never be a thing because of their distance apart. Yet now, in their last moments together, he was the one confessing to her. "I...um..." She stammered, trying to think of how to reply to him. "I...I've...kind of had a crush on you since before you joined... It was the main reason I pestered you so much to join the guild, actually..." A cleric of Pelor joining a 'dark guild' mostly consisting of non-humans and 'evil' creatures was rare to say the least. But back then Sanguine had insisted on it and kept on asking Oliver every day for a full week before he finally agreed. "It's just...we live so far apart. It would never work out, so...I never said anything."

Once again Sanguine was glad that things like blushing didn't carry through to their avatars. Or things would have been really awkward for her right now. But she was kind of glad that she finally managed to say it. And happy that her feelings weren't just one-sided. Even if nothing would ever come of it. The woman leaned against him, wanting to spend their last few minutes together like this. She couldn't really 'feel' him like you would a real person, but this was as close as she would ever get. So might as well make the best of it.

[Sarpedon]

Oliver definitely agreed that it was different, getting to share the seat of power with the Guild Master. When his companion started speaking, he couldn't help but reach over and loop his other arm around the woman. He didn't know what to do now. And being the quick-thinking warrior that he was, he adapted rapidly. "I... Honestly I didn't think I'd get this far... Now what do we do?" The exact opposite of what he'd been hoping for, but he supposed that was to balance out the fact that he'd already won Sanguine's affections. He sighed at that, and squeezed the vampire a little more firmly.

"This is bullshit..." he groaned to himself as the clock wound down silently in the background. "I'm sorry I didn't say anything earlier..." he added for Sanguine's benefit. "You're the nicest vampire anyone could ask for... I really am sorry for every time I tried to lay on hands you..." the Paladin didn't know what else to say, so he ended up sitting in silence, clinging to the woman next to him like that could stop someone from shutting off the server. It was the best he could do for now, though, until they found some other game to play. The part that really worried him, though, was that they might not find another game. He knew his companion was rather picky about that sort of thing, and she was right when she said that nothing else really measured up right now. And after only getting five years out of this game, he wasn't sure anyone would bother trying something similar. He could hope, though, and he supposed there was nothing else he could do...

[sanquin]

Sanguine smirked at his vampire comment. "I'm still just a normal human in real life you know. Even if I do like to roleplay a little every now and then. I don't know how nice I would be as an actual vampire. And hey, I told you. I've had a crush on you since forever. You should be sorry you only tried to lay your hands on me." She chuckled softly, wishing Oliver could keep on hugging her for hours. But the clock was ticking down rather fast. But at least for a little bit she could do what she had wanted to do since he had joined the guild. Sanguine lifted herself up a little, then moved over to sit on Oliver's lap instead. She used to think she'd only ever do something like this with her boyfriend. But Oliver was an exception. Heck, if they had lived closer together they would have been a couple already, most likely. "I want to sit like this until the server shuts down." She spoke, smiling slightly.

They spent the remaining 10 minutes sitting like that. Nothing much was said any more, but to her that wasn't needed either. They had played together for so long that pretty much everything had been said already by now. Then, in the last few seconds before the server shut down Sanguine spoke again. "I promise I'll contact you immediately if I find a new game to play. See you next time, hopefully." And a few seconds later, their sight went black. However, unlike usual, there was no 'disconnected' message. And two seconds later, the image of the guild hall returned to them. They were still sitting in the throne room.

Sanguine immediately stood, looking around in surprise. "What is this...the servers haven't shut down yet?" She spoke, turning towards Oliver. "What's more..." The vampiress hadn't noticed immediately, but she had felt his warmth, even heard his heartbeat. At this point, a familiar voice spoke up. One that shouldn't have been heard at this time. "Mistress, is something wrong?" The voice was that of Daniëlle, whom was standing closest to the throne. "You sound distressed." Sanguine turned around in shock, seeing Daniëlle looking directly at her, appearing alive like any normal person. She wanted to say something, but there were too many thoughts and questions going through her mind. What was going on? Why could she feel warmth in the game? How could an npc be so lifelike and speak normally? An the list went on.

[Sarpedon]

Oliver chuckled when Sanguine insisted that she was normal in real life. He wasn't sure she got what he meant about his healing spells, though, and let that bit go. It didn't seem to matter, though. Nothing did, really, not once the vampire climbed into his lap. "I'm all yours." he replied quietly when his companion insisted on claiming her rightful seat until the servers shut down on them. It wasn't like there was anything else they could do. The Paladin could feel the countdown ticking in the back of his mind when his friend spoke up one last time. She promised to let him know if she found another game, and he smiled at the thought.

"So long, space cowboy..." he managed, just before everything went dark. It wasn't the jolt he normally got when he played right up until server maintenance though. It was different. There was no message explaining his disconnection, no error code to look up on their website. And then everything snapped back to life. The bewildered Oliver started searching for his controls, only to find he didn't have a heads-up display, and there were no chat channels to pick from. Then he realized he hadn't just spawned as normal, he was still sitting on the throne, with Sanguine in his lap. "The... Fuck?" he managed as his friend hopped up. They seemed equally confused. He stood up slowly, glancing around. Everything felt so different. So real. He dashed to the nearest pillar and grabbed it, clawed at it, and then licked it, much to the confusion and amusement of several NPCs.

"What are you doing, Ser Oliver? Have you gone mad?" Jan clutched at his sabre with concern in his eyes as he watched the Paladin nervously. Oliver, meanwhile, was trying to get the taste of the pillar out of his mouth.

"I don't think I've gone mad." he offered the cavalry officer, "I'm just... Very confused... Could someone get me something to drink?" a servant who'd been happening by with a tray of beverages paused long enough for the general to help himself. He recognized the taste of ale, but couldn't place the brewery. He placed the tankard down after a couple more mouthfuls, and then got a crazy idea. Sanguine seemed to be lost in the confusion, and this seemed like the perfect time to strike. He wasn't sure if this was some kind of drug-fuelled delusion, or if the server shutting off had fried his brain, or what, but he intended to enjoy himself if things were going to be like this. The warrior strode over to his Guild Master and without missing a beat, he spun her around, brushed her hair out of the way, cupped her face, and kissed her. Hard and passionately...

[sanquin]

All of the npc's gasped when Oliver did the unthinkable. He kissed the guild master, right there, in front of everyone. Something he hadn't dared since they could remember. Sanguine, even more surprised than them, could feel her legs give out under her, both from the the surprise on top of the shock of was going on, and from how good it felt. Luckily Oliver had no intention of letting go. When the man finally pulled back, this time he could clearly see the effect it had on the vampire. Her face was bright red as she stared wide-eyed at him, still unsure of what the hell was going on. Though that only lasted another two seconds before she snapped back, and gained control of the rational part of her mind.

"I...uhm...thank you." She spoke, regaining her balance and turning to the npc's. Her thanks for both snapping her out of her daze, and kissing her though. "Servants, I have orders for you." She spoke now feeling a lot more calm, even if her cheeks were still very clearly quite red. It took them all a few seconds to reply as they were still surprised about the kiss. "At your command mistress!" They all answered in unison. "Something is wrong. Something major changed. Each of you return to your floor and inspect everything. Daniëlle, go outside and inspect our surroundings." "As you command." They all answered again, and all hurried away to follow Sanguine's orders.

As soon as they had all left out of sight, without allowing herself to think about it, she put her arms around Oliver's waist and hugged him tightly, followed by a long drawn out sigh. "I can't believe this... Everything telling me it's true, but this can't be true...right? Especially that...that kiss. It was way too real..." What other conclusion could you come to considering the evidence? It looked like somehow the game world had become real. But that was impossible outside of fiction stories, right? "Also, your taste a little chalky..." She added, trying to keep the mood at least a little light-hearted.

[Sarpedon]

Oliver wasn't paying attention, which is probably why he had the nerve to kiss Sanguine in front of everyone. He figured it out when they all started gasping, though. Apparently making out in front of people wasn't appropriate around here or something. He decided he didn't care. Plus, at this point, he had to hold up his friend, as her knees obviously weren't holding up too well. Only once she had her legs under her again, did the Paladin relinquish his affectionate grip on the vampire. He paused to give her a grin before she pulled away. She thanked him, which he thought was odd, but didn't question, and then she started ordering their NPCs around like something was wrong. He supposed that made sense, though. Things were more than a little strange now.

Of course, his companion was going a little over the top with it. By the time everyone else had left the room, she was freaking out about everything. "I dunno." he offered with a shrug when she started asking questions. He was pretty sure they were questions. Then she accused him of tasting "chalky". He frowned at that, and returned to the beer he'd left on one of the little tables that dotted the room. It was supposed to be decorative, but was holding up well so far. He rinsed out his mouth a little more thoroughly and then beckoned the Guild Master over as he moved toward her. "Let's try that again, shall we?" he suggested, "Gotta make sure we're not crazy." he added, in case she needed justification for some reason.

As soon as she got close enough, unless she came up with some excuse as to why she wouldn't want to kiss the man she'd been crushing on for several years, he planned to grab her and kiss her again, just like the first time. Oliver still didn't believe that any of this could be real, and he was focused on making the most of it. It was entirely possible that shutting down the servers had fried his brain, and this was all just some kind of fever dream while his body went through its death throes, in which case he was going to take full advantage. Such morbid thoughts were a little odd, all things considered, but right now his choices were "make out with the hot vampire" and "don't make out with the hot vampire", he didn't see much of a choice to make, and didn't want to waste time weighing the consequences...

[sanquin]

Oliver was clearly as clueless as she was. Though to her he looked a lot more calm about this whole situation. Then again, no matter what was going on it was probably a better idea than panicking like she had been doing. Oliver suggested a redo, offering the fake excuse of making sure they weren't crazy. She bit her lower lip, being reminded - quite vividly - of the kiss they had just shared. She certainly didn't mind the idea even without the excuse. Even so, she walked closer a little hesitantly. Back in real life she had always been a little shy. It was through the game that she had learned to be more social. But this situation definitely felt a lot more real than that...

Once again the man grabbed her, and without hesitation kissed her with just as much passion and forcefulness as the last time. Sanguine let out a soft moan of pleasure as their lips interlocked. And this time she even managed to keep standing on her own two legs. The kiss lasted quite a bit longer as well. Though the vampiress was too lost in the moment to really care. Even so, it had to come to and end some time. And when it did, Sanguine started thinking again.

"I'm...fairly certain I'm not crazy yet. And this doesn't feel like a dream." She spoke, one arm still firmly around Oliver's waist. With the other she tried accessing the ingame menu. Though of course nothing happened. This was followed by her trying to do what was the main purpose of your character. "Telekinesis." She spoke as she would have in the game, holding out her hand towards one of the cups on the table nearby. And to her surprise, the cup started floating towards her hand as she had willed it to. Once she took hold of it she looked at it for a moment before quickly downing about half of the ale it was filled with. "This is just...way too weird..."

[Sarpedon]

Oliver was pleased to see that Sanguine had no real objections. And while he'd never been fond of having to chase down women in real life, he found it almost easy now. It helped knowing that she wanted it, he supposed. Figuring out when to leave well enough alone was the real issue. Now wasn't that time, though, and he was thrilled. The vampire was delicious, and he decided that this was definitely a good way to spend his last moments. Except those moments never expired. Eventually he gave up, and let the woman go. Unlike her, he needed to breathe sometime. Of course, then she started thinking again. He didn't like all the effort she was putting into that. Thoughts always complicated things.

Then again, she was assuring him that she wasn't crazy. At the same time, given their current circumstances, that also sounded kinda crazy. She hadn't let go of him yet, though, and the Paladin counted that as a win, as he got to keep his own arm around his companion. "You still say your spells out loud?" he teased. "Don't you have all kinds of caster levels? You should be able to do magic without even blinking." he stuck his tongue out at the woman, hoping to see her pull off some real magic. "Summon a zombie or something, I wanna try out my magic." he encouraged, giving the vampire a squeeze. His magic wasn't usually safe to use too close to his other guild members, but there was no one else here, so he figured it would be okay. And things had improved a little since he'd discovered a less popular aspect of Pelor. Only a little, though. The undead, and all the various and sundry creatures of the night still disliked all the sunshine and fire he had to distribute, even if it was now forged only of the purest hatred. "Worst Healer Ever" had been his title for a long time after he accidentally wiped his whole party during a raid. He was pretty sure only Sanguine had forgiven him for that one.

While he waited for the Guild Master to do her thing, he began focusing on the magic he knew he was supposed to be able to use. It was only then that he realized things were going to be awfully difficult without the symbol of his deity to channel from. He had to rush back to the throne and heft the massive weapon he'd left there onto his back. It was the only reason he carried the thing any more. That, and it confused the hell out of people when he didn't use it. With the holy icon securely on his back, he felt a subtle rush of divine energy, and while he was convinced, now that he could use his powers, he still wanted to test them out. That was assuming Sanguine was willing to play along...

[sanquin]

Sanguine glared a little at Oliver, not liking being made fun of like that. "Oh sure, let me just pull up my spell menu and silently-- Oh wait, no game menu remember? How was I supposed to know spells even still work?" She looked at him seriously, wondering if he was even realizing what was going on. "Look, you might not read a lot of manga, but our current situation is exactly like one of those - As completely impossible as that might seem. In case you haven't noticed, this isn't the game any more. Npc's couldn't talk and act like that. And the VR device definitely does not have capabilities for conveying warmth. I mean, surely you feel it too right? This place feels a lot more real all of a sudden." She sighed, downing the rest of the ale as Oliver went to grab his sword. Then once he returned she continued. "I don't claim to know what's going on exactly, but it's clearly something serious. And for that matter...you're not using magic in here! The last time you did we had to replace one of the tables and half a dozen chairs. Let's go to the arena instead, at least."

Sanguine led the way, heading towards the exit. The arena was on the floor above them anyway, so it wasn't that far a walk. Though before she could even reach the stairs Daniëlle appeared, having just come from the surface. She quickly bowed before speaking. "Mistress, I have troubling news. It appears your suspicions were correct. The swamp that used to surround your sacred tomb has disappeared. We now appear to be in a small forest, surrounded by plains for at least a few miles." This made the vampiress change her idea immediately. Maybe seeing their situation in with his own eyes would help him understand a little more. "Forget the Arena. We're going outside. Testing anything in here might end up destroying parts of the tomb." "Please allow me to accompany you, my lady." Daniëlle spoke, at which Sanguine only replied with a "Sure, sure." Right now finding out what exactly was going on took priority over the npc's. Though at the very least she felt the need to kind of act as a leader in front of them, just in the impossible case that her suspicions were true.

[Sarpedon]

Oliver was a little surprised at Sanguine's reaction, but he supposed she did have a point. Of course, she followed it up by declaring that they were practically in some Japanese comic book, so he wasn't sure what to think. He decided the woman did have some valid points though. Things were definitely different now. "You're kinda cold, being undead and all, but yeah, I see what you're saying." He offered with a shrug. The Guild Master seemed to be getting a handle on things now, so he would let her lead. "I really like how real it feels when I kiss you..." he added with a grin.

She made more good points when she reminded him of the carnage he had unleashed the last time he tried out his powers in the throne room. Oliver decided not to push his luck and didn't try anything at all. Unfortunately, they didn't make it halfway to the arena before the second most important vampire showed up to report her findings. She said something about the swamp having disappeared. The Paladin had never liked the swamp, but he knew it was part of the reason this place was secure. Without it, anyone might wander in willy nilly.

"Where's Jan?" He grumbled, trying unsuccessfully to bring up a chat window of any kind. "Fuck. How are we supposed to get anything done when we can't just shout at people?" He was obviously a little frustrated by the idea that he couldn't just issue orders from anywhere, but this time it seemed he didn't have to.

Even as Sanguine led the way outside to see what was going on, a runner from each of the two most militant NPCs appeared as if from nowhere. He returned their salutes smartly and motioned the two to follow them while they spoke.

"The Siegemaster has already begun prepping the defenses. He also requests that someone track down the spymaster and get him to figure out where we've been teleported to." One of them spouted quickly.

"Find another runner and get back to your post." Oliver ordered in response. Then the second soldier sounded off.

"The Bannerlord is marshaling the troops. We are at your command." The man was even smart enough to not specify whose command they were at.

"At his discretion, then. The Guild Master and I are going to see if we can locate the threat." This was all very exciting, and Oliver enjoyed any opportunity to test his might and the might of their legion, but he still wasn't convinced this was real. "Got any theories on what this is all about, Glorious Leader?" He asked once it was just the three of them headed for the exit once more. Hopefully it was something his powers would be useful against. There had been far too many good adventurers in the last days of the game's life. Though obviously not nearly enough. That could all go and hang for all he cared, though. Especially if it meant he got to spend more time making out with his vampiric supervisor.

[sanquin]

Oliver did his thing commanding two runners that had come from the two surface generals, so Sanguine kept quiet for a moment. Then he asked her about her thoughts. Though it wasn't like she knew anything more than him at this point. "As I suggested before, it seems like the impossible has happened. We seem to have been brought to...a different world I think. There was no forest surrounded by plains in Yggdrasil, so I can only say that we're most likely not in Yggdrasil any more. I don't know anything else apart from that. Let's first go outside and see for ourselves."

Sanguine led the way, feeling it was her position to do so since she was the guild leader. Though she was pretty unsure of herself at this point. Once outside, it was immediately apparent that indeed, this wasn't the same land as the game. For one, the moment the vampiress took one step into the sunlight she started feeling her strength draining very quickly. So she quickly took a step back again. "I hadn't thought about that..." She muttered to herself, only now realizing that if all of this was happening, she was now a real vampire. And her weakness in the sunlight seemed to only confirm that notion. Though still kind of being in a gamer mindset, she reached for a small pouch on her belt, and put her hand inside. Without having to search, she pulled a pitch black gothic umbrella out, and opened it to shield her from the sun's light. And only then she realized what she had just done. Not just their avatars, or their magic, or the npc's. Even the items seemed to still work the same as before. She paused for a few seconds, contemplating how to even react to all of this. Though when Daniëlle spoke up she snapped out of it again. "Lady Sanguine, is everything all right?" The second vampiress had also taken out an umbrella, apparently. So surely this would work out, right? Once again Sanguine took a step into the sunlight. And while she could still feel it's effects, this time it was only minor. "No, everything's fine. Let's go."

Once they arrived at the gate, all they could see ahead of them was forest. It wasn't incredibly dense, but still large enough to not be able to see outside of it. "This certainly isn't the swamp any more..." She spoke softly, looking around in surprise. The woman then looked to her hand, not sure if she could even cast magic without so much as a word. In the game, you had eye-controlled menu's for that to emulate silent casting. But no such menu's here. "Time to put my magic to the test here..." She mused before stretching her hand out to a nearby tree. Then after concentrating for a moment, suddenly ice appeared at it's roots, and crept all the way up to the top in under a second. An entire tree frozen solid in a matter of seconds. "I guess you were right, Oliver. I can still silently cast magic without any problem. It feels, uhm...different though. Somehow."

[Sarpedon]

Oliver shrugged when Sanguine declared that the impossible had happened. That was a good thing, wasn't it? Now they had time to spend with one another instead of wasting away in their boring lives. He certainly didn't see anything wrong with it. Now he had magical powers, and he could actually feel the woman he'd been falling for. He had yet to encounter any downsides to this new reality. He followed his companion as he pondered the merits of actually seeking out downsides, and decided to take everything at face value. Right now his goal was to get the Guild Master somewhere safe, comfortable, and private, and maybe they could celebrate the fact that they weren't going to never see one another again. Of course, that didn't seem to be anyone else's priority, so he kept that to himself.

The Paladin chuckled when they got outside and Sanguine immediately encountered an issue. She solved it pretty quickly, though, and had her umbrella out and open before he could think of any other suggestions. The other vampire seemed concerned by their leader's pause, but Oliver was pretty sure she was just getting the hang of their new reality. He didn't know why he wasn't so worked up about everything, but he supposed it had something to do with the fact that he'd always wanted to be a larger-than-life hero. This was his opportunity. He just needed something to direct his heroics at. For now, he was left wondering what was going on. No one really knew, though, so he figured this would be his time to shine, assuming he could figure something out first.

They got to the gate to see what they could see, and sure enough, there was a forest waiting out there, instead of the much more menacing swamp that had been keeping wayward adventurers at bay for a very long time. "What do you mean, different?" he asked when Sanguine commented on her ability to cast silently. He followed up her frozen-tree trick with some magic of his own. Channelling divine power through his gigantic sword, he gestured at the tree, and with his arm outstretched, clenched his fist. Holy flames washed over the tree, freeing it from its icy prison, but charring it in the process. He switched hands, snapping his opposite fist open at the now-dead tree, and heavenly light restored life to the hardwood. It even grew several feet upward as Pelor's grace restored its vitality.

"It does feel kinda... Strange..." he agreed, having tested his powers. "I like it, though. It's a rush." he added, licking his lips as he revelled in the memory of the sensations. "So what now? We've moved, obviously, but I don't see anything hostile out there... Should we send out some scouts?" he figured that the next logical step would be to get a decent lay of the land. Ideally they'd need to find a cartographer or something, but a group of scouts could likely give them a decent idea of their new surroundings. Unless someone had managed to find the Spymaster and he'd worked some kind of magic. He was full of surprises at the strangest times...

[sanquin]

Now that Sanguine thought about it, actually using magic did feel like a rush. The game already made you feel powerful while playing. But using magic in real life, if this was real life, felt even better. She smiled a little bit and nodded at Oliver's suggestion. "You're right. We need more information. As much information as possible, in fact. The more we know, the better prepared we will be." Something or someone had sent them here, wherever here was. Which no doubt required a lot of power. More than anything they could do. So it was entirely possible that, despite this world's peaceful appearance so far, there were plenty of dangers out there. "Daniëlle. Find Ryltar immediately, and have him send out all of our spies in all directions. I want information on the first few miles around us by the end of the day." She ordered, turning around and heading back to the tomb. "Oliver, we're heading to the portal room. We can use the viewing mirror there to find out if there are any towns in this land." The mirror was basically a targeting device. You sought a location you wanted to go to with it, then used the portal device to create a portal to it. The downside was that it could only be used twice a day. Basically a device that allowed you to teleport your party to the entrance of a raid dungeon. But right now the viewing part of the mirror would prove to be very useful if it still worked the same way.

Sanguine was of course glad that she wouldn't be separated from Oliver now. That they could remain together for what was at the moment an undetermined amount of time. However she was too distracted by the sheer impossibility of what had happened to them, and what might lay beyond the plains surrounding their patch of forest.

Once inside again Daniëlle bowed to the both of them and quickly went on her way, giving the two of them some privacy again. The npc's were apparently loyal to the two of them, following orders and addressing them as their superiors. But that alone wasn't enough information to put her at ease. So for now she wanted to keep quiet about anything that might suggest that the tomb and everything in it was just some code in a game not too long ago. So as they walked Sanguine now felt she could speak a little more freely with Oliver. "I'm guessing you realise by now that this is really happening. I don't know how, or why, but somehow we've been transported to a different world. If us being able to use magic is anything to go by, a fantasy world at that. A large part of me sees this as a dream come true, to be honest. But at the same time, we don't know what's out there yet. That...and something has me worried a little. I stepped out in the sunlight, and immediately it started to hurt me. In other words..." She looked at her pale hands, frowning a little. "I'm an actual vampire now. But how much of a vampire? Will I have to start drinking blood?" And even more worrisome, what if she for instance attacked Oliver? They had been given a second chance, but he was human. Supposedly the main 'prey' of vampires in the game's lore. Though she kept that thought to herself as she didn't want to worry him when everything was still so uncertain.

[Sarpedon]

Oliver smiled when Sanguine liked his suggestion. She followed up on it by immediately dispatching her vampire subordinate to go get things done. Then he was informed that they were going to the portal room. The Paladin did his best to keep his smile to himself as the Guild Master nearly told him what to do. He wouldn't admit that he liked when she did that, mostly because he wasn't convinced she was that sort of person. He would admit to liking that she seemed to have a plan though. It meant less worrying for him, not that he did any worrying in the first place. It wasn't long before it was just the two of them once more.

Of course, now that they were alone, the vampire had to go spouting nonsense about how freaked out she was. Her faithful companion, in an act of solidarity, reached out and took her hand. "I don't know what to tell you." he offered, "It's pretty weird, I'll give you that. But whatever happens, we can get through it together. Teamwork and shit, right?" He couldn't fix her problems with his magic, as they'd already determined, but he was willing to help however he could. Of course, now she was worrying about being a vampire. The Paladin was very glad he didn't have much to worry about, or else the two of them would likely have dissolved into a pile on the ground while they cried about everything that wasn't normal.

Once she started asking serious questions, the warrior stopped, pulling his friend to a halt, as he was still holding onto her hand. "Do you need me to kiss you again?" he threatened with a smile. "I'm not scared of you." he added, slowly tugging her closer like he might kiss her regardless of her answer. "Whatever accommodations need to be made, we'll figure it out." he promised, like the fact that she might need to eat people wasn't a big deal. "What're you gunna do? Eat me?" he teased, trying to lighten things up a little. Turn undead didn't work very well on vampires, but he figured it would make her uncomfortable enough to get off him if she did decide he was good enough to eat without his permission...

[sanquin]

Sanguine's face turned red once again as Oliver 'threatened' to kiss her again. She had barely kissed any guy in her life, let alone the way he had kissed her. Sure, she liked it a lot. But it still made her feel really embarrassed when he talked about it so casually. "It feels like you're not taking this seriously enough." She spoke, smiling shyly. "I'm sure you'd have ample way to fend me off if need be, but yes I might try to eat you or something. I guess there's no point worrying about it as much as I am doing, but at least keep that in mind okay? We don't know how this world works yet..." The woman left it at that, not wanting to create a depressing mood. There were plenty of upsides as well, at least. They were still together and could touch each other now, using magic for real felt awesome, and at least for now they would most likely be safe considering the small army they apparently had at their command.

The portal room connected to the throne room, so it was quickly reached. The room was decorated in a style that you'd expect in a mage tower or something similar. Books, papers, tables, and all kinds of magical aids were scattered around the place. Not to mention the mirror standing on a table, and directly opposite of it a large metal arch almost against the wall. Faintly glowing magical glyphs lined the arch, while a single glowing line on the ground connected the portal and mirror. "Let's see if this thing still works the same..." Sanguine mused, sitting on the chair and holding her arms out towards the mirror. As soon as the did, the mirror started glowing with a blue light. And soon an image appeared on it's surface. It showed the forest with the tomb of Nazarick in it's center. By moving her hands in front of it, the woman could move the image or zoom in or out. It was basically a magical form of google maps, you could say. "Let's find the closest town first." She mused, zooming out until their patch of forest was only a tiny area in the entire image. Then, after only a bit of moving around, she already spotted what looked like a small town.

After zooming in on the location again she leaned back, letting the image stay stationary for now. The place looked like what you'd expect a medieval farming village to look like. About 30 houses in total with a more open area in it's center, and surrounded by farmland. They could even see people walking around in the village. The vampiress could barely make out two children whom were playing in the central area. "It looks rather peaceful and harmless at least. At first glance, it looks like it's around 10 kilometers away. Maybe less." The forest around them seemed to be around half a kilometer across, so she used that to judge the distance. "I think we should pay a visit there once we're settled in a little more. Maybe tomorrow." If this wasn't all some kind of dream at least. As then they wouldn't even be here tomorrow. But that was something she'd think about when that happened. "As for right now...I really feel like taking a bath for some reason..." Maybe because she had planned to take a long, relaxing bath right after being disconnected. Something she couldn't do any more. Or at least not in the house and bath she had planned to do it in.

[Sarpedon]

Oliver liked the colour Sanguine turned when he threatened to kiss her. It was a good look on the normally pale vampire. Obviously she didn't agree, though, as she quickly jumped on him for not taking things seriously. "Probably not." he agreed with a shrug. Maintaining a happy-go-lucky attitude was an important part of retaining one's sanity in the face of potentially horrifying reality. Then she suggested she might actually try to eat him, and the Paladin found himself smiling at the idea. Clearly he didn't get the gravity that his companion seemed to perceive in the situation.

He left it at that, though, and they made their way to the portal room so that the Guild Master could do some reconnaissance of her own. While she did her thing, the Paladin began browsing the other magical contents of the room. He did a bit of digging, and revealed the stash he'd made from a while back. Magical tomes dedicated to his deity, tucked away from the prying eyes of magic users more inclined toward the darker arts. He didn't exactly need anything from the books, but it was nice to know they were still properly hidden. The fact that the NPCs could move and think for themselves had him crafting a better spot, however. Tucked further behind more ominous volumes, the warrior ensured his tiny treasure trove would go undisturbed by anyone seeking dark knowledge. Being the only vaguely good-aligned cleric in the guild made for an interesting time, but no one had objected. Now, it seemed, there was no one to object, which made life even easier, in his opinion.

By the time Oliver was satisfied with his work, Sanguine had located the nearest settlement, and it sounded like a good place to begin asking questions. That was probably going to be up to him. Being the face of the guild had never really occurred to him, as they'd always dealt with other similarly aligned parties before this. That was when he was their secret weapon, his ability to channel positive energies a catastrophic threat to any ally that thought it was a good idea to turn on the guild. Now, he supposed it would be him doing the hiding. He wasn't going to start making decisions just yet, though. The vampire operating the fancy scrying mirror was still in charge. And right now she wanted a bath.

"You have fun with that." the warrior agreed. "I don't know what I'm going to do. Probably accidentally step into the most unpleasant situation I can." he sounded kind of proud of that eventuality. "Maybe you can come dig me out when you're done." he added with a chuckle. As much as he liked Sanguine and wanted to spend time with her, he didn't think their relationship had progressed to the point where he could invite himself into the bath with her. As nice as that would be, he decided to play it safe for now. He'd put on a bold front about not being scared of the vampire, but if she got pissed off enough, it was going to be awfully hard to keep her from hurting him...