GambolMuse

Adelon: Steeling the Faith [Open!]

I'll get a post up tonight to keep us going :)

Dragon Ball: Legacy (Mogtaki and Vena Sera)

Normally nonviolent, Aito was wanting to harm Krom dearly right now. His selfishness was dooming who knows how many people to experimentation, tests and practices that none of them every likely asked for. Yes he had done the same with Viral, but that was one life, and it had been born that way; changing someone like Yumi who had known themselves to be a normal human or Saiyan all their lives wasn't right, there were risks and complications that came with it. "You mean you'll have them do as you demand! Again they're nothing but tools for you!" the doctor shouted back as his fist slammed into Krom's, gritting his teeth angrily in the process, "I would help them adapt or reverse it entirely, I'd let them live the lives they want! Not what someone else has decided for them!" As he wished to do with Viral, when he was healthy enough not to need a guiding hand. As his anger towards Krom continued to build so too did his Ki, to a point where his hair began to almost pulse, a light blond color changing his hair now and again. "Tell. Me. Where. It. Is."

Without knowing exactly what was going on outside it was difficult to say if they should be concerned or not. The amount of Ki being given off said they should be very worried, yet nothing was really coming of it. If anything this was more trying to intimidate one another, again something Takeshi couldn't explain. Whatever was going on outside had a very real chance of escalating, but until it did they were better off staying put and keeping out of it. Returning to where Shu was sat he dropped down into the couch, smiling at his brother as he kept going on about things to do. "In the house? Uh, sure, there's got to be something..." the older boy responded, a wistful smile crossing his face as he thought about him and Shu watching television back home. There had been some stuff his sibling really liked, and while he couldn't care much for it it made Shu happy. They don't have those channels here though, he was sure of that. "Uh... Anything you really want to do buddy?"

Dragon Ball: Legacy (Mogtaki and Vena Sera)

"You aren't, but you have the answers!" And he was going to get them dammit, he had to. Frustrated and impatient with Krom he stepped forward and grabbed the man's throat, intending to keep a firm grasp until he finally revealed what was wanted of him. Narrowing his gaze as the Elite grabbed at his arm he finally relented his grasp, his annoyance only building when he was continued to be denied. "What do you care of sacrificing the work, it's not yours!" the doctor shot back, stepping to the side and raising a hand to block the punch intended for his face, "There are other ways to do this without uprooting innocent lives! I will not allow you people to ruin others existences for the sake of your little projects!" Pushing Krom's fist out of the way he then tried for a punch of his own right into the man's gut, "I won't ask again, tell me!" In his rage towards the former Elite he became absentminded of Viral's presence, completely unaware of his son growing uneasy by the second by their fighting.

"Just wait here a second buddy, okay? Let me go check what it is..." Yumi and Vegeta were already pressed against the glass as it was, and peering between them he found he couldn't see anything at all. Even when Vegeta moved to the door he wasn't able to spot anyone, though it was fairly obvious that it was a fight by now no one could actually see it from here. So long as things weren't being blown up he supposed it wasn't that big of a problem. Damn it, and just when Shu was finally getting to be in a really good mood too. Rubbing at his head Takeshi tore himself from the window, heading back to his brother and dropping down on the couch beside him. "I'm sure it's nothing serious buddy, we don't have to worry about it," he lied, smiling to try and convince his sibling otherwise, "So uh... Should we get something to eat after this?" There was a brief pause as another slight spike in Ki was felt outside, someone was clearly agitated. "Er... Or should we just go right to training?"

Dragon Ball: Legacy (Mogtaki and Vena Sera)

Aito was losing his patience fast, this had been bothering him since he'd learned of it and he still barely knew any of the details. Krom was going to tell him what he wanted to know even if he had to force it. "I've learned my lesson and I'm paying the price, regardless of what my intentions were for his creation. Just because you can do something does not mean you should," the doctor said sternly, clenching his hands into fists as he continued to advance on Krom, "The difference is he was not born, he did not have a life before this. Viral is a Beastman, your subjects, or prisoners more precisely, they had their lives stolen, and for what? To develop weapons?" Yumi was changed because of their callous approach to these experiments, he wasn't going to allow anyone else to be victim to it as well. Exhaling through his nose silently Aito cracked his neck before suddenly darting forward, his movements not even visible as he reached out and grabbed Krom by the throat, lifting him off of his feet and slamming him back down into the ground. "I am not concerned with your petty politics or what may happen to you by telling me this, one way or another I will put an end to this project of yours. Those people will be freed and let to live the lives they want!"

"W-What? I can so hide things from you! In fact I might be hiding something from you right now and you wouldn't even know it, that's how good I am!" Yeah right, he had absolutely nothing to hide from Shu. Much as the little guy might want to go out and play more they had to wait, at least until Aito told them what they needed to know. Seriously, what was taking that guy so long? Getting somewhat impatient Takeshi almost considered going to the back yard to ask, but the sudden burst of Ki from outside convinced him otherwise. It wasn't energy he recognized right away, and while it definitely was intimidating it didn't feel bad. "I... I don't know... The hell is going on out there?" Takeshi asked as he got to his feet, gesturing for Shu to stay put as he started towards the windows. With Vegeta and Yumi in the way he couldn't quite see, and the few peeks he managed to get showed Aito was off somewhere else, though jeez it felt like the man was right next to them with how much Ki he was putting out.

There was nothing good happening if Aito was showing off his power like this. Krom was out there too, had he done something to cause this? Despite knowing the overwhelming Ki was coming from a friend and someone who would never harm them she still found herself slightly afraid, her body breaking out in goosebumps in fright. Was he always this powerful? He didn't seem like he had this much strength yet he was really up there, easily stronger than even someone like Korian. Swallowing back nerves she looked at Vegeta standing at the door, then exchanging an uncertain glance with Takeshi. Should they go out and try stopping this? Her real concern was that Viral was still outside and resting, no doubt this was going to bother him.

"What is everyone fussing about, what's going on?" Coming down the stairs June looked at the group confused, not able to detect the Ki like they were. She didn't need any sort of empathetic link like Yumi to notice how tense some of them were either, she picked up on that even before she made it to the landing. Seeing Vegeta, Yumi and Takeshi gathered at the back windows she furrowed her brow and went over to check as well, peering out and only seeing Viral asleep in the hammock. "What's the matter? Is Viral okay?" June asked with a hint of worry to her tone, "Should we go out and check on him?"

"Viral is fine mother, that's not the problem. Something has made dad angry and I think it was Krom." Vegeta explained, frowning as he tried to get a visual on what was going on. Now both of their powers were up, yet his father's still dwarfed the Elite's by a considerable amount. They were in a temporary home on a peaceful world and Viral was asleep in the back still, surely nothing drastic was going to happen... Right?

Dragon Ball: Legacy (Mogtaki and Vena Sera)

Still Krom refused to speak? He was no longer a subordinate of his King, he was in effect a prisoner in fact: answering these questions was no longer a question of if he wanted to, he needed to. Narrowing his eyes as the Elite continued to deny him he watched as Krom backed off, his mouth taught as he listened to more excuses. "It is only off limits because you refuse to answer me. You no longer answer to Yamate, realize that and tell me what I need to know. I will not ask again." His voice didn't raise in volume but it adopted a certain firmness to it, his eyes burning with anger. When Krom tried to turn it around on him Aito snapped slightly, his Ki rising where he stood and exuding almost a sort of pressure around the area. The ground at his feet cracked from the sheer force of it and as he slowly began to approach Krom each step created a small indent in the earth. "Viral was born like this, and he is stronger for it. You are forcing changes onto people, turning them into weapons to ensure your own survival. THAT is selfish and unethical, I will not allow it. Now answer me, where is the project being conducted?"

"If you don't want to get bored then keep bouncing, it's keeping me plenty entertained!" Takeshi laughed, watching his brother as he bounded about energetically, "And yeah back to the base. Unless they're using what I want to use we shouldn't have a problem getting it. You'll have fun with it buddy I'm sure." It would be something entirely new for the little guy and probably even a little intimidating at first, but he could see Shu having fun with it too. "And yeah, it'll be a bit buddy, but we'll get there. Just gotta be a little patient, you know?" Maybe he ought to come up with some back up plan just in case that didn't work out. But what else was there to do on Uuonoe anyways? He'd not seen a whole lot in the city, and doing the same old stuff wasn't going to cut it. Scratching at his head in thought Takeshi paused when he picked up a slight spike in energy, his eyes widening slightly as that spike turned into a sizable increase. What the heck was that?!

"Uh... Kind of? I mean there are some strong people who are small too," Haku mentioned with a nod towards the brothers, "But yeah, I guess the big ones are in charge. That could change though! Doesn't always have to be the big, mean ones." Wishful thinking that was, he didn't know how the heck anyone would take the King down. Even if he was supposedly a good guy, doing what he did to protect everyone, it still didn't make him very liked. "Glad you're healing though! And uh... Maybe you need some food too? A nice big lunch and then a nap would be great I'd bet. You could always go and ask-" He was about to say Aito or Vegeta, but the sudden sharp burst of power nearby made Haku clam up awfully quick. Paling slightly he looked towards the rear of the house and tried to guess what was going on, not recognizing it as Krom's power; if someone screwed up they were usually beaten or intimidated, he'd grown fairly used to experiencing what the Elites could do. But this wasn't an Elite, so who was it? The doctor? "Uh... What's going on out there?"

Kabocha just bit his tongue on that one, though he did cringe back slightly when Kai made the tentacle gesture. Easy for the twin to say all of this but he seriously doubted Kai would take it either, unless he was incredibly desperate. And as for new things he'd gone and defected from the military, that was a pretty new thing wasn't it? Rolling his eyes he tried to divert the conversation back to a change of power on Kortal, still believing they were better off with the King out of power. "I'll take the uncertainty, at least if I die now I know I died doing what I wanted, not what some egomaniac told me to do," Kabocha answered plainly, "And I know, and it's probably not up to us. But can we really do worse than Yamate? I mean come on, you're going to sit there and tell me you wouldn't want someone else in power? Heck it could even be one of us! With all the things we've seen we know a little bit about what makes a good leader, don't you think? We could do a better job!" Kind of crazy to imagine even as he said it, that someone in this very room could lead the Saiyans. Now that he thought about it maybe not. Like the others he soon picked up on a sudden power flux, his eyes darting right back to the rear of the house in surprise. Something was going on out there... Probably best they stayed put.

"Father...? What in the world...?" Why was Aito showing off his power? Just what in the hell was going on outside? What bothered Vegeta even more was first Krom had disappeared from view and then his father, now the power surge. Clearly whatever was being discussed wasn't going over well if this was happening now. Should they go out to help? No, if they were going to fight then throwing themselves into the mix was only going to cause problems. Exchanging a worried look with Yumi he moved to the back door, placing his hand on a handle but keeping where he was. "Viral's still out there... He's not going to do anything, right?"

Dragon Ball: Legacy (Mogtaki and Vena Sera)

Aito had asked for Krom's presence for one reason and one reason alone, to get the information he'd been denied before. The man had to know more about the project than he'd shared before and he was determined as anything to put an end to it. In order to do that though he needed more details, as it stood now he wouldn't even know where to go. "I don't care if its top secret, you're answering my questions." He wasn't going to be dodged this time, Krom clearly knew something and he was going to divulge it. Waiting impatiently for the Saiyan to reveal what he knew he clenched his jaw angrily when denied, a single vein in his forehead popping as he glared at Krom. "You don't seem to understand my question, so let me rephrase it..." Aito began as he stepped closer, stopping just barely a foot from the Elite. "Tell me what I want to know, now, or I'll make you speak. I don't give much of a damn how their politics work here, you harmed my family with your unethical, insane, outlandish practices. I've had it with this nonsense of yours, I'm putting an end to it."

"Aw jeez buddy... Now you wanna fight and play? You're going to run me ragged!" Takeshi whined playfully, plucking Shu's nose with a smirk, "We should wait until we know why we're here, you know? Don't want to go running off and get Aito mad at us." They still hadn't been told why they were called here or anything, kind of annoying honestly. Narrowing his eyes when he was accused of making things up his face reddened slightly, letting out a huff before he folded his arms in an indignant manner. "Of course I know what we're doing! We're going to go and do something really fun, it's back at the rebel base!" That was of course provided they would allow him and Shu to do it, he wasn't sure. It was something he'd noticed once or twice walking through the place though and he was interested in giving it a try himself. Smirking then at his brother the older boy stepped forward and pressed down on his head teasingly, giving his hair a ruffle in the process. "It's a kind of training, I think you'll enjoy it. But I won't tell you what it is till we get there, okay?"

"I guess... But when you're stuck working for a jerk like that you don't exactly like him much," Haku grumbled, laying his chin in one hand as he leaned forward, "I still don't like him. You say he's beaten but he still walks around like he's better than us, and every time he looks at me it seems like he's looking at something gross. I hate it, he isn't anything special out here and he still has some big ego." At least now he didn't need to take orders from the Elites anymore, he was more or less his own man now. Nice, but as he'd though over so many times before he had no idea what to do with himself now. "Oh well... So how are you feeling by the way?" Haku continued, pausing briefly to glance at T'charrl and smile, "You look better than the last time we talked, healed up yet?"

"Kai... Just... No, no tentacle arms," Kabocha muttered, shivering at the very thought of it. Those things even hugging him just bugged him out, never mind the other things they might do. If that was what Kai was okay with though then he now officially knew way too much about his friend. "I'll settle on something that isn't completely different from me, how's that? I'm okay with a little different, but there are limits man! I can only get with a girl who is so strange before it becomes too much!" Whatever, they had more time here on Uuonoe, he'd find someone to hang out with before they were on their way again. On the topic of Kortal's leadership he shared his piece with the twins, leaning back and letting out a sigh when Kai argued with him. "Someone else who is strong can take his place though, someone who isn't going to rule by scaring the shit out of everyone else," Kabocha pointed out, glancing sideways at his friends, "Come on, think about it honestly for a second. If you had someone leading the Saiyans, leading us, who wasn't treating us like crap, wouldn't you be willing to go back? We're here because our King sucks, I don't care what his reasons for what he does are. We're better off with someone else in power."

Dragon Ball: Legacy (Mogtaki and Vena Sera)

"Yes I'm sure the whole process is painful for you, but this can't wait. Or rather, I can't wait any longer," Aito corrected himself, meeting Krom's gaze with an annoyed one of his own, "At any rate I'd think you would be happy to be allowed off of the base grounds, unless you'd prefer to spend all your time there?" He didn't much care for the inner workings of the rebel forces either, he tried to steer clear of whatever they decided to do with the man. Much as he may not be favored around here however Krom may posses some invaluable information, information which could have a large impact on them. "When we last spoke you mentioned something like a Beastman project, yes? Turning people into what I assume you've turned Yumi into," Aito continued as he started pacing again, albeit far more slowly, "I want to know where this is being conducted, and who your subjects are. I can't imagine many people volunteering to have their entire physical being altered like that, unless they're zealous or insane. So tell me... You must know at least that much?"

Shu was going to bounce right out of his damn pants if he kept hopping around like that, what gives? Takeshi hadn't seen his brother this happy in over a year, and while nice it was kind of odd to see. "I did this... Really...?" he asked as if in disbelief, his eyebrows raising slightly. No way, he'd actually done something to cheer Shu up? It wasn't remotely what Vegeta or the doc probably had in mind but hell, if it worked then it worked. Chuckling at his brother's hyperness he nodded when asked about something later, reaching out and playfully plucking at his nose, "I do have something yeah, but its a surprise again! It's no fun if I tell you everything now is it?" he asked with a wink, "Besides, if I told you then you might go through the roof you'd be so excited, don't want to be breaking the house now do we?"

Being asked here was confusing, Haku didn't expect to be involved in much really. He was far more used to sitting in his quarters and leaving only when told, this new kind of freedom was unusual to him. Not that he minded it, he just didn't know much of what to do with it. To find that Krom was here as well didn't sit terribly well with him as he had no love for his former superior whatsoever. Just what was going on out there though? What did those men have to talk about that none of them could hear it? "I guess not, he had an escort and everything... And aren't you curious why he's here?" Haku asked as he returned to T'charrl, "That man's awful, I'm kind of hoping they lock him up and throw away the key. I don't care why they did what they did, it was miserable taking orders from them." No regard for most of their troops for one, or if they did have it then they never showed it. Plus being treated like crap was never a fun thing, he certainly didn't miss that.

"No way, she was completely into me! She was laughing and everything," Kabocha said defensively as his face reddened, "And do you know how hard it is to find a girl on this planet? Seriously, this place is packed and yet so many of them are..." he paused, shuddering before lowering his voice, "I met a girl with tentacle arms... I am NOT dating something with those!" At least if they were on Kortal or Earth he'd find a woman that was, well, more like him. Out here in a world where so many different races lived together there were plenty of people he just couldn't see himself getting on with; admittedly there wasn't a whole lot that deterred him from a girl, yet Uuonoe seemed to have just about everyone one of those things. "Oh right, aside from a crazy king waging war to protect everyone, nothing is wrong with Kortal at all," Kabocha remarked with a roll of his eyes, "Come on Kai, they need someone to straighten them out. I'm all for Saiyans taking charge, it makes sense because we're the strongest. But you think the way the King and everyone is doing it isn't wrong?" He might not have a method of his own, but clearly what was going on wasn't working.

Dragon Ball: Legacy (Mogtaki and Vena Sera)

It was good that Shu was having an absolute blast with this, as was Takeshi. He hadn't honestly expected much out of this and even thought his brother might be afraid of it, so having both of them enjoy it was a pleasant surprise. Laughing as they surged ahead they hit the water at the bottom with a splash, the older of the two boys falling back into the shallow pool as he let go of Shu. "Of course its fun! Glad you're having a blast buddy!" he said through chuckles, sitting up and grinning at Shu, "We do have it on Earth, somewhere. When we go back maybe we can look for something like it." Whenever that might be, they probably had a lot of stuff to do before they could even consider going back home. "Until we get home though let's go ahead and play here. No ideas when we'll get to do this again, you know?" He was positively soaked right now yet just didn't care, having much too much fun to be bothered by it. Getting to his feet he shook himself off and fetched their board, jumping out of the water and racing up the hill. "Come on buddy, let's go!"

"Oh... I mean that makes sense. And I guess we kind of look different depending on where we grew up. Just nothing as drastic as your kind, understand? And of course I'd miss the light, it's nice to be able to go out and into the sun." East City had just the right balance of sun and rain, you never got too accustomed to one or the other. There were the winters too of course which she couldn't much care for, and aside from that one world they went to Yumi didn't think T'charrl knew what snow was anyways. Trips aside they really should focus on their lesson here, goodness knows when they might have a chance to sit down and talk like this again. "Don't spoil the book silly, I want to know what happens too," Yumi teased, nudging T'charrl with her shoulder before beginning to read. She only got a few sentences in before the questions came again, unsurprisingly about things he'd probably never seen before in his life. "Oh... Well let's see... Horses are animals we ride on Earth. They are big, bigger than either of us, and they stand on four legs. They have long heads, a lot of hair on their necks and tails. Graze is how animals eat, they eat grass in fields and things like that. And drawn up... Uh..." Come to think of it she didn't quite know how to explain that one, oops.

---

Enough being led around like a horse by a carrot, he was sick and tired of not getting straight answers. Work denied him the chance to go and seek out Krom as he'd like, and the rebels were terribly strict about allowing the Saiyan off the premises. Only after a forceful conversation was Aito able to have the former general brought to their temporary home under supervision of some rebels. There were answers he needed, explanations concerning the Beastman project among other things. Waiting for Krom to decide to give him the details wasn't going to cut it any longer. Pacing about in the back yard Aito glanced briefly over at Viral's sleeping form, wondering if he might be able to get some insight into his son as well; Krom said he wasn't a scientist, and his knowledge proved as much, but he should still know something about what was done. "Assuming you have the answers..." the doctor mumbled, glancing over his shoulder as Krom entered the property, "Took you long enough to arrive. Your escort out front?"

After getting completely drenched from their games earlier Takeshi and Shu both desperately needed a change of clothing. With the former being chastised by June for soaking good clothes, and leaving them lying on the floor, they redressed and headed to the living room to relax. For a while both boys were still giggling and chattering away about what they had done earlier and making plans even now to do it again. How long had it been since he and Shu did something like that? Had they ever? Sure they played games now and again but that was for a few minutes here and there, often days if not weeks apart. Today though they spent a whole hour on those slides, coupled with their time swinging in the trees before that too. "How do you still have so much energy?" Takeshi laughed, grinning as he watched Shu, "Seriously buddy, you gotta wind it down a bit, you know? You'll have no energy left for later!" Then again if Shu was getting back to himself then he'd be all bouncy and giddy right up until they went to bed, and probably even while they were in bed too.

This was not very promising, why was Krom coming here? The fact that his father seemed so agitated by the man's presence worried Vegeta; he always recalled his father as relatively relaxed and casual, seeing him visibly annoyed by something was unusual. None of them were a huge fan of Krom's admittedly and wouldn't be for some time, but aside from stories and accounts of past encounters what did Aito have to go off of? Peering through the blinds into the back yard he watched his father pace back and forth for a bit, his breath catching slightly when Krom entered his view. "Father... What are you doing with him?" Vegeta mumbled, furrowing his brow as he tried to make heads of the situation.

"He's meeting with Krom obviously," Yumi interjected, peering over Vegeta's shoulder as she tried to see too. "I don't know why though, he should just stay back at the base, I don't like seeing him here." More importantly Viral was still out there asleep, was it really the best place for them to be doing whatever they were doing? She worried seeing that man would upset her friend, or even worse make everything that had gone right as of late go so terribly wrong. "I hope your dad knows what he's doing... He knows Krom isn't a great guy, I can't imagine they're having a friendly conversation." She might be able to even eavesdrop on their conversation from here but she refrained from doing so, almost afraid to and discover what they were discussing. Whatever it was they were doing it outside and away from them, if it was meant for their ears then they would be having the chat in here.

Haku didn't quite understand why they were so tense about what was going on outside, it wasn't like they were going to fight. The fact that a man like Krom had been reeled in and was being kept under watch struck him as funny, a man who would probably as well sent him to his death had he the chance. Funny how that was different now, to think that he wasn't just some little bug to be thrown at the nearest enemy anymore. Sure he might not be the most popular person here but hey, anything beat what he was doing before. "I'm surprised they even let Krom go out, you should see it at the base," he whispered to T'charrl, "Guards around him all the time, and Korian is constantly coming by to make sure he's not doing anything. He's basically a prisoner, hard to believe he just was let go." Or was he? Getting up from his seat Haku went to the window and peered out the front, frowning and immediately drawing back away from it. Nope, that massive man Leto was out front with that woman from before, whatever her name was. So he wasn't completely free then, kind of funny still.

"I don't understand why everyone was called here, this is a colossal waste of time so far," Kabocha grumbled irritably, leaning back on his spot on the stairs and folding his arms, "I was just chatting it up with some nice girl too, she was totally going to go for it and then we were asked to come here. Talk about lousy timing!" Sure maybe he wasn't super into the whole orange-skin, green hair deal anyways but a girl was a girl, he didn't much care right now. It would be one thing if they were being spoken to at the moment but instead Aito was outside chatting with Krom, leaving everyone else in here to sit and wait. "They should at least be involving me and my father if it's about Kortal, we have the power back home to make things change. At least once the king is out of the way..."

Far From Home

Prologue

"Nii-saaaaan... How much longer do we have to walk? My feet hurt!"

"Not much further Suto, and we haven't been walking for that long, please try to tough it out," Doku replied patiently, an amused smile on his lips. Since leaving the town earlier they spent all of an hour out in the fields, getting some training in before noon. While most other players saw fit to panic or remain in town he'd felt it necessary to embrace their situation; like many things in life you couldn't expect it, and the difference between those who succeeded and those who failed was initiative. Sure, comparing a death game to the education system of Japan wasn't really a fair comparison but the same ideas still worked.

Suto let out another sigh and folded his hands behind his head, his eyes drifting around the field to get a feel for what was going on. Not many players had done what they did and went out into the fields, most were too scared. Truth be told he'd probably have been among them had Doku not agreed to join him, though babysitting might be a better way of putting it.

"We didn't even do that much today! If we're going to go level up then we need to kill more boars," Suto complained again, his eyes drifting skyward with a huff, "We need to be the top levels to clear this thing! I still think being trapped is some freaky joke though. I mean they can't really do that right?"

"I don't know, if it's a hoax then its an elaborate one. We'll wait and see what tomorrow brings." When was tomorrow? For that matter how long had they actually been in the game? Time was not parallel between this world and their own, he couldn't recall how the cycle worked but he was certain it wasn't a 1:1 ratio. Unsettling in more way than one, they would have no real knowledge of what was transpiring outside of this game for some time. The way they had it explained to them it meant the game would have to be cleared, what an absurd notion. Single-player games were cleared, but an MMO? If this were truly some warped scheme to keep them prisoner here, a plot in of itself that seemed half-baked, Doku couldn't fathom how long it might take to free themselves.

Starting City loomed just before them now and players were beginning to come out in droves now. After the initial shock of the announcement it seemed many appreciated what this meant for them, that progression and leveling up was their only way to free themselves of this virtual prison. Parties were forming as well as groups of four or even more were heading into the Grasslands, taking up what few monster spawns there might be available. Sure, leveling may become everyone's priority, but with this sudden influx of players and so few beasts it was going to be a painfully slow process. That was unless you went a bit further out as they had done, take a chance further from the town to find more sparse hunting grounds; in time those too would become overrun, but if he and Suto could keep ahead of the frenzy then they'd be leveling far easier.

"H-Help! Somebody help me!"

Two hours into the game's launch and already panic had reached an all time high, the threat of actual death causing most of the player base to seriously consider staying put. Those who did sum up the courage to leave the safety of the town found themselves confronted with death, funnily enough in the form of creatures once though fodder. The notion of dying to a boar or wolf when just a game was humiliating, but you'd live another day. Now if you fell to one of these creatures, a very real possibility, you'd not only look like an idiot in the process but lose your life for it. Not exactly an illustrious carving on a tombstone, now was it?

Upon hearing someone's cries Suto looked in the direction of the sound, spotting a lone player being attacked by a pair of wolves. Gasping he drew his dagger from its sheath and took off from the road towards the player, ignoring his brother's calls to remain put. He couldn't just watch someone die, not if that was how the game worked now. Within striking distance of the wolves he activated his most basic skill, <<Vorpal Strike>>, dashing straightforward and leaving a purple particle trail behind him. Catching one of the wolves from behind he inflicted extra damage thanks to an inherent skill of his, enough to nearly kill it in one blow. On cooldown now however Suto was faced with both wolves turning on him, the other player far too panicked to help out. With both beasts growling at him Suto tried to force his body to move for another skill, finding it unwilling to do so. As both wolves let out a howl each lunged at him, shutting his eyes as he waited for them to strike and instead hearing the whimpers of both beasts.

Doku had to really push himself to reach his brother in time, managing to activate his <<Cleave>> skill before Suto was struck. An upward swing, his greatsword caught each wolf in the abdomen and launched it high in the air, killing the first and leaving the second critical. From playing earlier he'd managed to level up, and as the wolf came down he activated his second skill, <<Shoulder Charge>>. Leaning his body forward he took one step and drove his weight into the beast's side, sending it flying to the ground before shattering into a dozen shards. Breathing a sigh of relief Doku let his cooldowns refresh before standing upright, promptly admonishing the random player with an angry glare.

"Watch what you're doing, otherwise people are going to die because of you," he warned, walking over and pulling the other boy to his feet.

"S-Sorry! I didn't mean to, it was a mistake!" the boy stammered, bowing to Doku and Suto, "Thank you for saving me! T-Thank you!" Fighting back tears he then quickly turned and ran back towards the Starting City, clearly not prepared for this.

Doku watched the boy run off, pushing past others as he made a frantic dash for the safety of the town. "Tch... Trying to run solo is an idiotic move," he remarked, shaking his head as he eased his greatsword onto his back again.

"We saved him though! And I guess you saved me, so... Everything worked out, right?" Suto asked, chuckling as he rubbed the back of his head. His expression changed then to an amused one as he stepped closer to Doku, winking and nudging his side with an elbow. "I thought you didn't believe this was real, what's all this about getting killed, huh? Does that mean you were wrong?"

Doku narrowed his eyes at Suto before sighing, pinching his brow as he hung his head. "I'm just being safe. Until we know for sure we shouldn't take things lightly. Now come on, let's get back to town."

Far From Home

Yukio

Display Name: Suto

Real Name: Yukio Fukuyama

Age: 15

Appearance:


Background:
A resident of the small mountainous vale of Ichigawa, Yukio is an avid gamer and self-proclaimed prank master. Most of his time in school is spent with friends discussing games, thinking about games, planning his next practical joke on a classmate or daydreaming in some fashion. Arguably immature and too lax he has earned the ire of his parents on more than one occasion, used to being told to straighten out his behavior. Ever the deviant though he continues to have fun, always keeping his grades at "just good enough." He'll do as much as he can to make sure he gets through and nothing more, having no reason to really push himself academically. Besides, his older brother Arashi is already the pride of the family, he can afford to relax a little.

Player Build/Class:
Befitting his mischievous nature Suto took up the closest thing he could to an "assassin" class. Utilizing trick attacks and status effects, he makes up for in lack of health or defense for speed and striking power, essentially a glass cannon. He wields a tantō, wears light armor and has a set of kunai on his person at all times.

Arashi

Display Name: Doku

Real Name: Arashi Fukuyama

Age: 22

Appearance:


Background:
A resident of Ichigawa and older brother to Yukio. Arashi is the eldest child of the Fukuyama family and already accomplished despite his relatively young age. Having completed his education at the University of Tokyo at age 19 he is an exceptionally bright individual, if somewhat begrudging; taking up the family practice in a pharmaceutical company has ensured he has a comfortable future, yet one he cares little for. His heart isn't in it and he found himself often playing games with his younger brother as of late to avoid having to deal with his unsavory work. Immensely protective of Yukio, and arguably more patient with him than their parents, the two are quite close to one another.

Player Build/Class:
Somewhat unused to having so much choice and free reign Doku was a bit overwhelmed at first. Eventually though he settled on a two-handed greatsword and medium armor build. Cumbersome now that the game is literally their lives, but he thought it seemed fun at first.