For a moment, Ohta was mesmerized at the myriad of heavenly gems spread overhead. A tapestry possible only in a world where night meant an end to work. He drank deeply from the sight, and then blinked. And like that, the beauty was lost to him.
Sitting up immediately, the brunette rummaged through his pockets and pulled out his phone. 11:43 PM? Hadn’t he just left work five minutes ago? He rubbed his eyes a couple of times, tearing away the last bits of sleep out, then looked again. Still 11:43…no, 44 now. What happened? His body certainly felt magnitudes lighter than it used to; had he passed out and somehow regained all his strength from just a minutes long power nap? It’d be wonderful if it did, but something was still off about it…
Flashlight mode tapped on, a bright, fluorescent light surging out from his phone. Three others, all in differing states of awakening. A torii gate, standing starkly against the night sky. And a whole forest to be stuck in. Tomorrow was another early shift. He needed to find out where he was, and how to get to the nearest station so he could head to his shitty one-room home and pass out in his shitty sleeping bag. Ohta’s brow furrowed, before he pressed his thumb against the creases to smooth them out. He drew in a breath, tapped his passcode in, waited for his smartphone to pick up any signal at all, and then swore in his mind silently once more.
Garbage IPhone, primed to self-destruct with every mandatory iOS update. Should've grabbed a Nokia.
But the voice that slipped out between his pale lips didn’t hint as to any of this.
“Uhm, excuse me, but does anyone else have a signal?”
For a moment, as Octavia made that dumb animal look, Isidore wondered if he was truly losing his mind. Talking to animals and giving them complex instructions like this may seriously be a sign as to just how much his sense of reality had been disturbed over the past few days. But the demon dog took it in stride, and soon after, Ocavia was off, scampering towards the western peaks. He turned briefly to Augusta and Leuca, their bodies still entwinned with each other, and then said flatly, “It’ll be a hike. Let her walk on her own.”
It turned out he was right on both counts. The sun dipped dangerously close to the horizon, and Octavia had indeed lead them to the ones they were searching for. The situation though, was unfortunate. There was logic, of course, in the occurrences before him. Sorcha had been pursued by Apostles, who she evidently had a hand in killing. Railey had been out scouting for the Stieneter, meaning he was likely in the area when one or more of those killings happened. It was a miracle, really, that neither of them had continued to fight beyond that first clash Isidore heard.
And as for identity, Leuca confirmed Sorcha, and Railey’s armor confirmed his own standing.
His eyes examined them briefly, lingering on the exposed upper thighs of Sorcha’s own outfit. Strange girl, to be sporting such wear in these parts, but it was certainly eye-catching. Undoubtedly, the great ugliness present in the world was counteracted by equal beauty. What a boon it must be, to be a man. What pressure too, to ever be considered a fitting match for these women.
Isidore glanced over at Augusta, silencing the question that was about to seep out of his open mouth. He settled for pulling her hood over her head instead, before giving her a pat on the shoulder. “Hoods up, heads down,” the man murmured as he stood up. He wouldn’t die, so he would approach first.
And a ‘ladies first’ mentality didn’t make sense when walking into a battlefield anyhow.
With a nonchalance that did not betray the primal apprehension building in his spine, Isidore crested the hill, and allowed his body to be fully illuminated by the setting sun. He looked down at the two below, his gaze sweeping from Sorcha to Railey, before he called out, “Railey! Morgan requests your return immediately.”
All convenient truths. Sorcha would, if Leuca wasn’t lying, be on their side so long as the Sirithen child was safe, so all he had to do was rid her of Railey. By words, because even without blessed eyes, Isidore could tell that the best he could hope for was an exchange of lives if it came to a fight.
“It’s a matter of urgency, if he’s even asking strangers to relay such a message.”
No sign of the massive centipede Railey had been pursuing. Who had ran away first, man or monster?
Augusta raised her eyebrow at Octavia digging at the ground. “Did you find something?” She asked as she looked down. It was then that she noticed the ground was moving! That could be nothing good. She jumped back towards Isidore as best she could in this snow, which was more than enough to evade the insectine mandibles that now appeared where she was a few seconds ago. She frowned and pointed her hand at where she was and shot off a continued blast of flame to melt the snow around this creature and hopefully burn it to death.
Violence seemed to follow him no matter what path he took, hm? Isidore’s brow furrowed as he lowered his own stance. Another three apostles missing, but he hadn’t heard the commander mention anything like that during their brief encounter. Sucking in the mountain air to fuel the forge building up within, the man hefted up his dwarvish polearm and swung it down forcefully on the same spot that Augusta aimed her flames.
It was a kindness, to have such a heavy weapon; swords were certainly less useful against a carapace-armored creature.
“Leuca, stay between us.” Isidore said, eyes flickering from the other shapes burrowing out of the snow. “You know how to use a sword?”
The creature beneath Augusta’s feet shrieked as the fire burned its body, melting the snow around it. It would be silenced moments later by Isidore’s axe, the sound of something breaking as he met its target. It wouldn’t get a chance to get out of the grave it had dug itself. The others around them, however, were less than pacified by the display of strength.
Out of the snow burrowed what seemed to be large, dog sized insects resembling something like short centipedes. About four feet in total length, with powerful looking mandibles, and numerous eyes upon the front of their ‘head’. Their bodies were covered in what appeared to be tough, segmented plates of some sort of material with the hardness and consistency of stone. Small crystalline growths grew from various spots on their bodies.
“A-ah...” Leuca did as she was told, staying between Augusta and Isidore. “Y-yes...but I don’t think I’m very good at a direct fight...” Octavia was barking at the creatures, staying near Leuca.
Looking at the creatures gathered, there was around five of them that had dug themselves out of their hiding places.
Name: Crystal Eater Classification: Elder Beast-kin Physical Attributes: Similar to You Magic Attributes: Weaker than you Weakness: Their underbellies are particularly soft. Abilities: Beast Kin: As the offspring and kin of an Elder beast, they possess a certain awareness of the thing that created them, and it them. Whether it cares or not is questionable. Tunneler: Possesses an ability to rapidly dig through the earth regardless of what its made of, leaving a series and network of tunnels behind. Uses to ambush prey or flee other predators. Special attributes: N/A Offspring of the Stieneter, these centipede like creatures, have the ability to dig through the earth hunting for quality ores, gems, and rocks, to eat. When hunting living prey, they prefer to act as ambush predators by attacking from underground, burrowing in snow and rock to camouflage themselves. Their hides are tough, acting as decent armor against most other creatures attempting to eat or harm them.
Can vomit up undigested materials at high speeds.
Augusta soaked in the information quickly. Offspring and kin of an Elder beast, Stieneter in particular. She pushed this information to the back of her head. “Crystal Eaters, tough hide, undersides are the weakness.” Augusta quickly informed her party. “They can quickly tunnel so give care for your feet. There may be more of them.”
She frowned. Regardless of whether or not it cared, the Stieneter was definitely aware of them now possibly, depending on how it’s awareness of its offspring worked. The elf aimed her hand at the five Eaters since the one that she assumed was dead didn’t seem to like the flame. Perhaps in a worst case scenario she could attempt the lightning magic she had thought about. But had yet to put into practice. Regardless, she ignited the flames from her hand and jet a flame at the centipede creatures. She focused on the closest one to them, hoping that it’d just burn to death.
Drawing out the longsword, Isidore thrust it into the ground for the younger sirithen to pick up, and coiled his legs. He envisioned it in that moment, the energy that surged within his stomach now pushing into his legs, and the axe-wielder charged down the way they came. Tempered steel sliced a flurry of snow out of the ground as it swung upwards into a cleaving uppercut for the first creature to approach. He would serve as vanguard, and Augusta as rearguard.
And once they were out, it would be easier to face the monsters from only one direction, rather than all directions.
Augusta’s flames, if nothing else seemed to keep the creature at bay either from the flames themselves or the light they produced. They would skitter around, attempting to circumvent the flames, but Augusta could easily keep them pinned away from them. Leuca took the sword, somewhat hesitantly picking it up at Isidore’s request. It was heavy in her hands.
...she just had to remember the training Sorcha gave her, right?
The small elf would stay between her two protectors, following Isidore. Being surrounded would be no good indeed.
Isidore focused that fiery energy within his core, directing it to his legs. A powerful upward swing towards the nearest creature as he dashed in that direction. The axe hit a creature right in its side, sending it tumbling into the air, landing in the snow some distance away, but it hadn’t been done in quite yet, it was slowly scrambling back to its feet. The rest of the creatures now were only coming from one side.
They would finally not be deterred by Augusta’s flames, and one would leap towards her. Thankfully Octavia would intercept, slamming her own body into it and pinning it to the ground where the two creatures would tussle for a few moments before the centipede was able to toss the pup off. They had definitely been singed somewhat, but the flames didn’t seem to have seriously injured them.
“Thank you, Octavia.” Augusta mentioned. These things didn’t seem to be effected by her fire too much. She supposed it had something to do with their tough hide? Regardless, she needed to do something about this. Otherwise, she would be mostly useless. She had considered using Lightning Magic before but she hadn’t put it into practice. She frowned and considered what she would cause lightning magic. Electric charges… The body produced electricity on its own so it shouldn’t be too hard. Right?
She thought of tesla coils, magnetism, positively charged atoms and… She thought she was starting to understand it. Hopefully. She thought that, maybe, she could feel electricity under her fingers. With the thoughts of electricity escaping a tesla coil in her head, she aimed at the creature Octavia slammed out of the air and attempted to shock it with concentrated electricity. Supposing that failed, she’d quickly switch to the element she was more familiar with and concentrate a stream of flame on it.
She seemed to have the right idea, but the effect was lackluster in practice. The hairs on her arm stood on end as she ‘felt’ a mild shock of energy run through her body. She aimed towards the downed creature...and a small arc of energy ran from her finger tip to the creature. Perhaps a bit of a less showing than she was hoping for. She would quickly return to her fire, blasting it in the face with another stream of fire.
The creature hissed, rearing up on its hind legs as its body was burned...there was a ‘chnk’ noise as its ‘throat’ bulged as it launched a fist sized rock at Augusta from its maw, sending it crashing into Augusta’s chest, and at least temporarily saving it from the fire but not from Octavia. The pup quickly pounced on it, pinning it to the ground and attempting to rip its throat out.
The other four started to attempt circling the group again, making a move to attack Isidore.
Augusta staggers back a step or two. She made a loud “geh!” noise. She looked back at the beast that had shot the rock at her angrily as blood trickled slightly from her mouth. She made one of those magic arrows she had first created back in the prison but made it flaming. It hovered in front of her in the air for a second before, by looks alone, it got brighter and brighter. She packed more energy inside it, increasing its potency. She focused more and more energy into it as the point of it looked as sharp as an arrowhead. The arrow quickly shifted from aiming straight ahead at nothing to aiming straight at the creature, at least, at the part of it that Octavia wasn’t covering.
Settling her anger slightly, she realized just how dangerous misaiming this could be, so instead, she looked out of the corner of her eye and thought to aim it at one of the other creatures that were encircling them. She turned to it, and so did the arrow, quickly, before suddenly launching at a high speed at the creature. This attack pierced the creature and quite obviously did a lot of damage, though, perhaps not enough to kill it. Augusta raised her shield, expecting these things to attack en masse soon. “Octavia, finish that thing off. Leuca, you might need to help fight. Can you feel the ‘Flow’?” It felt like a stupid question to ask, but that’s what the goddess’ eye told her.
The meaty thunk of an impact caused Isidore to turn back, watching Augusta stagger and a fist-sized stone drop into the snow. His eyes widened, and he readjusted his plans. If they couldn’t all make it out, then he’d create two separate ‘threats’ for the centipedes to adjust to. Feeling still for the surging of energy in his legs, willing them to propel him at ever greater speeds, the dark-haired man charged straight for the insect that he had sent flying. The dwarvish halberd hissed out its killing cry as it arced through the air, smashing the monster down a second time.
Drawing heat into his heart next, Isidore kicked the halberd up with his feet and hefted it up to one side. Ranged attacks were dangerous, but so long as he kept mobile, it was fine. He would always be fine. He forced the flames of his internal forge to ignite his heart, to accelerate his blood. Faster and faster, granting the strength and speed he needed to crush these bugs. Waves of heat exuded from Isidore’s body, slowly melting the snow around him.
Time to kill them all.
Isidore drew in a sharp breath and rushed for the nearest of the monsters while Augusta’s flaming arrow struck for the one that his back now faced. If the four would surround the three ladies, he’ll run right around their encirclement, cutting them down one by one.
“T-the flow? W-well yes…! B-but I don’t think I should use it…!” She would reply, tightly gripping the blade. Augusta’s ‘Fire Arrow’ would have a bit more effectiveness as she condensed the flow of magic into a single point. It felt slightly dangerous, as though it might in fact explode if she would have done it any more, but she then launched it towards the centipede like creature. It attempted to evade, but it moved to fast for it, striking it right in its ‘neck’ area. The more solid ‘mass’ of fire pierced its flesh, causing it to shriek in pain and roll around in the snow briefly, before quickly being finished off by Octavia.
Isidore would focus on the ones that were attempting to encircle them. The first he met would lash out with its mandibles. It would keep its body low and attempt to go for his ankles. A second would swerve to attempt attacking him from the other side, standing up as straight as it could - a bulge in its throat as it was clearly getting ready for another ‘ranged’ attack. The last one would make a beeline for Augusta, attempting to get close before she could use another one of those flaming arrow spells.
“M-maybe I should...but...” Leuca looked like she was considering helping in some fashion, but she was clearly conflicted.
Isidore didn’t hesitate as the first creature lunged for him. The melting of the snow had created a depression around him no matter where he was, meaning that the centipede had to actually go down the shallow depression if it wanted to aim for his ankles. Utilitizing the momentum of his own charge, the man swung upwards with his halberd, catching the creature right in its mouth. The steel bit deep into the monster’s face, and he carried through with the swing, arresting the movement of his weapon to launch it towards the one that had stood up to shoot. They may have been as strong as he was, but that didn’t mean a thing; reach and mass were qualities that set two fighters apart, even if they could lift the same amount.
With his upward swing conveniently setting the hefty axe up to his shoulder once more, Isidore leapt forward and cleaved down with vicious intent. One kill would be expected, but two would be wonderful. In the absence of being able to predict their movements, he would settle for making every attack a killing blow.
Augusta aimed her free hand at the air and above and just ahead of her, another of her Fire Arrows appeared. It gathered power more quickly this time since she knew just about what she could handle. She was glad to be able to pierce the tough shell of this creature with this spell and since it was going in a straight line… She could predict easily where it’d be in the second or so it took for it’s weapon to launch. And she took the shot at the centipede creature rushing at her. “Leuca, help me finish this one off, Octavia, assist Isidore.” She was ready to either dodge or block the centipede creature if it somehow dodged her shot and continued on to retaliate.
“...A-alright.” Leuca replied hesitantly. She would hold the blade in front of her, exhaling and closing her eyes. “Ancestors, though this blade is unbaptised...please!” Augusta and Isidore both would feel what could only be described as a surge of power from the young elf. The snow around her feet would scatter lightly away. The next instant would be a display of surprising swordsmanship skill and speed.
The creature, sensing danger would attempt weaving to the side. Augusta’s arrow slamming into its lower half only mildly slowing it down. It however, did not account for Leuca. Augusta would be able to watch, but it would be difficult to see what exactly happened and to keep up. In fact, the only indication that Leuca had somehow walked from where she had been standing to the front of the creature was small footprints in the snow.
The centipede, the moment it had noticed Leuca was upon it, reared back in an attempt to defend itself...but Leuca had already seemingly accounted for that. A graceful, elegant movement as the creatures mandibles coming centimeters from tearing into her flesh...but indeed, they would miss by just as much, and in the same movement Leuca’s blade would bury itself deep within the underside of the creature's failed strike.
This all happened, within barely a handful of seconds. Quite literally blink, and Augusta would have missed it.
This same surge of power, however, would also noticeably cause Octavia to whimper, causing her to take a few steps away from Leuca, but would quickly focus on the task she had been given...though it was questionable if Isidore really needed it. The one that had lunged for his ankles was quickly subdued. The upward swing of the heavy weapon would crack and split the creature. Though it wouldn’t quite be dead, its legs would squirm and shriek as it was lifted into the air, impaled on Isidore’s halberd.
The next downward strike would see a brutal end to these creatures.The impaled one would slam down on the other one. It would barely get off its projectile as it made an attempt to escape, scurrying to the side, but it wouldn’t get far. It was nearly cleaved in half, shrieking and making a few more attempts to swipe at Isidore but Octavia would come in and finish it off.
Only the sound of wind and thunder rumbling overhead followed.
They had fended off the threat, for now.
…
A thud as something hit the snow. Leuca had lost her footing and was panting heavily as she fell to her knees.
Augusta loosed a sigh of relief as she saw the last of the bugs felled. Wonderful. They were safe for now at least. “Octavia, Isidore, good work.” The woman mentioned taking a peak. “Leuca, that wa--” As she spoke, she heard a thudding in the snow to her side. A quick turn of her head showed that it was in fact, an exhausted Leuca. “Ah! Leuca!” She exclaimed, rushing to the girl’s side. “Are you alright?” She asked, setting her hand on the girl’s shoulder. Truthfully, Augusta felt guilty. She asked Leuca to help. “I-I’m sorry.” She said, looking somewhat sadly at the girl.
Quickly enough, she had a look of resolve on her face. “You can take a rest.” Augusta added before scooping the smaller elven girl into her arms. A bridal carry, one might call it though it was used since she didn’t quite want to carry the girl around like a potato sack. Her body was much stronger than her original one on earth considering she could carry Leuca fairly easy. “You’re pretty light.” The woman added, “Good job. Thanks for the help.” She gave Leuca a smile before turning to Isidore. “Think it’d be worth trying to get anything off these guys?” The elf mentioned, nodding her head towards the insects they had slain. “Or should we get moving?”
Isidore let a breath hiss out of his body, extinguishing the furnace within his core. He recalled somewhere, that a Canadian survivalist made “you sweat, you die” his adage, and this could certainly be the case there. Wrenching his axe from the bisected remains of the two centipedes, he turned to see the state that Leuca was in. The Sirithen child had done something, and judging by the killing blow upon the centipede that had rushed for those three, it had been an augmented sword swing.
Something that Isidore had been seeking to attain himself, all this time.
“Your eyes tell you if they’re edible?” the man responded, kicking one of the corpses onto its back before cracking open its stomach contents. Fresh meat would help Leuca recover some of her energy, and that survivalist had certainly said something about how bugs were superfoods high in protein, but more than that, he needed to confirm. These monsters had likely killed those humans they stumbled upon, but were they also the ones that so neatly devoured their belongings, without touching the actual meat?
Augusta’s eyes wouldn’t be able to tell her much of the deceased insects, but it was safe to at least assume they were edible. It seemed similar to the one the Apostles had been dissecting earlier. Judging from the fact they ate metal and ore mostly too, they may also have indeed eaten some useful ore or other objects if they cut open their stomachs.
“Nnhn...y-yes I’m fine.” She sighed, frowning and groaning lightly. “U-using the flow just...exhausts me.” She would take a few moments to catch her breath while she was being carried by Augusta. “The Ancestors...don’t like me frivolously using it..unless its too...” She glanced over to Octavia. “...w-well...its a Geas of sorts. If I don’t follow it to the letter It just hurts a bit...” She looked up to the woman. “But, uhm, I’ll be fine. I just need a bit of rest.”
Isidore would find within one of the creature's stomach, the shattered and partially digested remains of a sword. Some silver and gold coins. Nothing inherently seemingly useful, but he would also find...ah, what was that? A raw chunk of some sort of metal it seemed. Though whether they did kill these men was still a mystery.
Item obtained: Raw silver A chunk of precious minerals, half digested by a Crystal Eater. Could probably be sold or traded for something of equally high value. This quality can usually only be found in dwarven mines.
Lecua’s eye would inform her that Leuca seemed nervous and evasive about that, but the group would be interrupted by the ground beneath their feet rumbling once more.
…
…
A few seconds would pass. Nothing further would happen as the ground settled.
“...Uhm...those might be the apostles that chased after Sorcha…” Leuca would suggest.
“Those might be.” Augusta thought for a few seconds after the words left her mouth. “Hmmmm." The tremors… they probably didn't want to stay here for long. What if it were the parent of these small things. They'd want to stay somewhere a bit more safe. Not that any place would be safe from something that can dig through the ground like that.
"Those things are probably edible. We should probably grab what we can and get moving. Tremors don't bode well in this kind of situation." She continued to carry Leuca and walked forward to look at the corpses of the Apostles. Perhaps there were some tracks they could follow if they were the ones that pursued Sorcha. And perished in pursuit.
Silver was silver, and Isidore didn’t hesitate to wipe the digestive juices off on the snow before jamming it into his backpack. It was getting full in there, but that was good. Without it, he’d have much less in terms of gear. He strung three of the centipedes together into a bundle and tied it to the pack as well after Augusta confirmed their edibility. Wouldn’t be the greatest meal he’s had, but a world like this didn’t promise anything amazing.
Perhaps the Urutha would have something more pleasant.
While Augusta carried Leuca, Isidore crouched down in front of Octavia instead. Looking into the demonic puppy’s eyes, he spoke slowly, surely. “There are many scents here. The men buried in the snow. The centipedes we’ve cut down. The four of us. Octavia, there is another human scent here. Find it.”
Despite the blizzard, the dead Apostles’ bodies were only partially buried. Perhaps there was a clue for Octavia to pick up. And if there wasn’t? Isidore stood up, listening for any other movement that the wind may whisper into his ears. There were still opportunities to seize come nightfall.
Though they certainly spent a fair amount of time deliberating, in the end, the party of five remained at the Keystone Plaza, uncertain still as to whether they were better off splitting up or sticking together, whether in the present or in the future. Horogi in general was the one nation that encouraged an all-in perspective, after all. Perhaps a different nation would have been more conductive to the differing playstyles and habits between the five of them. Perhaps it was simply the nature of being part of an online friend group, where there’s no real reason for them to stick together if they didn’t want to do the same thing. Raime wanted to fix his arm and would sell himself to the Ryoku-Jo for it. Magpie didn’t give a shit and just wanted to get herself a forge. Klein wanted to beat the shit out of his friends by outtanking them. Only Amulak and Ames wanted to stick together for the time being, and even then, neither of them offered any solution or response to the individual desires of their party mates. It was a stalemate then, really.
A stalemate broken not by any of the party members, but by the voice of a young woman, calling out their names in the Plaza. Not their names in-game, but rather, their usernames from the Discord channel they all organized their meet-ups in. Dressed in a fantasy-approximate of a Japanese shrine maiden’s outfit, with silvery ribbons woven into the white robes and her curly platinum hair done up in a ponytail, the dark-skinned woman looked a mixture of embarrassed but also desperate as she called out names such as “bear-amelia-flower” and “rayman”, and before any of the party could look away in shame and pretend they didn’t know who those names could belong to, she caught a glimpse of the mountain of a man that was Klein and marched right on over.
“Oh, thank the Goddess,” she breathed as she neared, leaning forward to catch her breath. “You are all allies of the honorable Lugh Dysphoria, yes? I’m Karan, an adherent of the Shin-Yu faith, and, oh, it’s just too terrible! Your friend is in grave danger, or dead, or both!” @Shovel@Searat@Psyker Landshark@OwO@Yankee Calace looked at Ari, the light of recognition in her eyes…and then she disappeared. Logged off. Just like that. Her form turned to a prismatic weave of pixels and snaked skywards into the aether above.
Bortz blinked slowly, then drawled, “Well shit, there goes the healer.”
Healer or not, however, Man Joji Zleto was a merchant with a schedule, and after some urging, the party simply had to keep going. The wagon proved to be an uncomfortable place to sit on if you sat anywhere except for the front, and it was determined that Droko, being their only ‘real’ magical support, would be the one to sit there. She passed her time beside the merchant, her eyes either scanning the horizon or scanning a chat window only visible to herself. Vatorious, miserable that the cuter of the newcomers had just up and left, was sent into the front of the group as their forward scout. His scorched footprints made it easy, during this time of day, to follow, and the mule that pulled the wagon along trudged at a comfortable, if off-putting, pace. Animals such as that didn’t actually go at such a breakneck pace in real life, after all, but Ari supposed that it was just normal. Other caravans passed them swiftly, pulled by much sleeker steeds: wingless drakes, glossy-coated horses, and even some disproportionately large chickens. Clearly, Man Joji had once again chose to invest in himself rather than his craft.
Thankfully, the relatively slower speed of the mule combined with Ari’s still-insane commitment to boosting the ever-loving shit out of her AGI meant that she could keep up with both the caravan and the marching speed that Bortz imposed. The heavily-armored warrior was definitely in a chipper mood, whistling a cheery tune as he stomped through the well-travelled roads leading out of Nyu-Taro. The sun was bright, the wind was brisk, and though the road wasn’t congested, it was common enough to encounter friendly (or at least neutral) faces. Immortals killing time while getting paid, Rien glad to start or end their journeys, the mood was certainly calming, a different adventure compared to the constantly-lethal risks that Ari had taken in the last few days. And even monsters were smart enough not to attack caravans when so many Immortals were nearby together. Safety with numbers and all.
After some time of just walking, however, Bortz broke the silence.
“So, Ari, ranger was what you were, yeah? Where’s the bow?” @GreenGoat
Ohta’s sallow skin and gray eyes give off the impression of someone who had aged beyond just the nineteen years he had lived so far, and that issue is compounded by how his eyes are perpetually half-open, bagged with dark circles. A heaviness clings onto his frame, grounding him to the earth even as he breaks into a sprint to catch the last train home. Deliberate in his movements, careful in his language, there’s a constant sense of slowness with him. His slender hands are often stained by pencil smudges or ink stains, while his brown hair gives off the impression that he’s just gotten out of bed, regardless of how long he actually spends in bed. At a height of 5’7, with a diminutive frame that naturally hunches into itself, Ohta’s just another face in the crowd, another file in the company’s folder.
The fingernails on his left hand are cut painfully short; the ones on his right feature deep crescents.
What Are They Like?
Ohta watches, listens, and keeps his thoughts to himself.
Introverted, he’s made it a habit to repress his emotions out of necessity, keeping people at a distance while he plugs along with his tasks. It’s convenient, to be thought of as a cold person, a distant person, so that’s what he leans into. Praise or encouragement for the work he does is strange, after all, and having coldness and distance be the norms for his attitude means that he can bow out of drinking parties without it being remarked upon. It’s good if people just think of him as naturally strange, an overly serious, boring anomaly of a youth. And if people begin thinking about him that way, that would create a Pygmalion effect. If he was perceived of as serious and hard-working, that’s what he could become. If he was perceived of as cold, he would not be hot. And if he was not hot, then he was not…
…passionate, desperate, and so, so, so furious. At the lost twilight of childhood. At the decisions others made. At the burdens he bore alone. At the costs of living for two, when only one brought in income. At the days that never seemed to end. At the assignments that he took so his managers kept him around. At unfairness, built into the very grain of the machine he served. At powerlessness, only able to fold inwards rather than lash outwards.
But when he finds the time to meet her, Ohta figures that he could remain cold, just a little longer.
He can’t meet her anymore.
What's Their Story?
Duty. Responsibility. Obligation.
At 18 years, on the cusp of graduation, Ohta came home to his family’s three room apartment suite to find it empty. The lock had not been broken. No sign of anyone rummaging through cabinets or shelves. The housewife next door saw the silhouette of his parents at 11:30 AM. They had left no letters, only taken what was theirs and disappeared. He was numb when he picked up Tamimi from school. He was lying when he told her they would be back. If he’d known what was coming, he’d have been a better student. Had picked up skills on his own time. Invested in crypto, started a Patreon, made a Soundcloud, done anything. But he hadn’t.
Strangers came two nights later. Loan sharks. He hid in the bathroom with his little sister. In the morning, it was obvious why they had come. As obvious as paint and pigs’ blood could make it.
Ohta missed out on his graduation. He pawned off most of what remained in the home. Sat on the money for a while. Considered his options. Decided that he didn’t trust his relatives more than he trusted the government. Had a chat with the men that his parents borrowed money from. Decided that it was better to lie again. Orphaned Tamimi.
Her parents were dead. He would work to pay off their inherited debts. After that, they should be able to live together again. Just four years, no, three. They can live together in three years. And then, once again, they can dream.
Office work with only a high school diploma was a miracle with a steep cost, but Ohta paid the cost regardless. Paid it with his body and his mind and did so willingly. Willingly? Out of necessity. Debts to pay. Costs to pay. Rent to pay. Utilities to pay. His cheap suit hung from his body; he was losing weight. His eyes could never focus and always itched; he was losing sleep. His life slipped away even as the days never seemed to end; he was losing time.
Sometimes, he found himself standing in front of the office of those loan sharks, a cheap lighter in hand.
Sometimes, he found himself alone with his boss, nails biting into the flesh of his palms.
But he had a duty to fulfill. A responsibility he could not abandon. An obligation to realize the dream he had spoken of.
The decision is no longer his to make.
Now, Ohta can only pray.
Why Did The Wish Choose Them?
Righteous and dedicated, a person who could endure the weight of the world, who could think to dream still, no matter how many times he had to rearrange, reimagine it. An idealist who would contort himself to whatever shape necessary to realize his goals. A man who would sacrifice what he loves for who he loves. A hero, perhaps, who would work within the boundaries of whatever society he existed in, no matter how much he hated it.
That was what the wish was drawn towards, a hero who could draw back his instincts and ruminate longer on the consequences of swift action. But…
What "Hero" Will They Embody? Why?
…the wish did not realize that such restraint was found in a sense of powerlessness. A sense that drove an earnest, crushing desire for power. For might. For the ability to break, rather than bend, to inherent unfairness, enforced bondage. Magma rages beneath the permafrost, willing, always willing to surge out and burn everything to ash.
Ohta is willing to sacrifice, but he’s just as willing to take, whether with words or with violence. So long as he can get away with it. So long as it gets him closer to his goals.
He does not want to endure. He wants to fight.
What Belongings Will They Take With Them?
A business suit. It does not fit well, and the tie is a boring blue-with-gray-stripes. A smartphone. The battery is at 53%, and it holds an agenda of meetings and deadlines that no longer matter. A Tupperware container and chopsticks. Barley rice, mixed with corn. A preserved plum sits in the center.
Talents & Abilities
Mundane Talents
Ohta was an acoustic guitarist, but now, he's just a run-of-the-mill office worker. Administrative tasks and note-taking have become second-nature to him, and he can enter data and make calculations with a swiftness expected of someone who's gotten accustomed to their job. He learned to sew on his own time, first to patch the holes in his clothing, then in hopes of making a gift for Tamimi.
He doesn't care for it, but he understands business etiquette.
Forest seems good enough to me...but what if we woke up on a wagon, headed for an execution? ;3
You mentioned that we're all set up to be at peak physical performance. Does that solve things like chronic illnesses or bad eyesight as well? And for 3/4ths of the Heroes, do they start off with a portion of their capabilities being beyond peak human? Might/Finesse, as an example, having flat out superhuman strength and reflexes? Or is that all based off of their potential for growth in those areas?
Aighto, to start with, I'd just like some confirmation...what exactly would be the experience of being transported to another world? Is it a 'blink and you're somewhere else' deal? Did they all go to the isekai at the same time? Did they actually die sudden deaths?
RisingRobin
mickilennial
Feyblue
Kronshi
Sky Blue
Majoraa
High Moon
Emberdawn2
VirgoDrago
