Hero

Pariah Online: A Voyage into the Intangible Aether

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Out of the frying pan and into the fire, as they said.

Kazuki wasn't sure why he wasn't surprised by the announcement. Was it having an answer to all the questions he had before? It explained the pain, the blood, the change in scent--but that wasn't exactly comforting. If anything, it made everything worse. Getting trapped in some game where you could die was something straight out of a horror movie. For all intents and purposes, this new world was now his reality, and it wasn't a kind one. Between Graves' initial injury and the result of Seele's magic affecting her body, Kazuki was sure the rest of the world was one huge hellscape now.

Having taken a seat after their escape of the puzzle room, Kazuki had to give himself a moment to catch his breath. The reactions among the group surprised him for different reasons, but he wondered if his own judgment was clouded. He didn't feel anything even as his heart raced in his chest, brain whirring with different thoughts. Among the confusion there was a single persistent thought, one idea that stood out: he wasn't going to die. Granted, it was big talk considering he had been delegated to probably the worst role in terms of survivability--flowing robes did little to stop a sword from plunging into his chest or even a monster's teeth from sinking into his flesh--but something in him refused to give in.

Looking over at his brother as he spoke, Kazuki agreed. They couldn't stay here even if it was safe, and judging from the giant slab of stone behind them, there was no going back, either. The only way to go was forward.

"Like hell I'm dying here," Kazuki stated, getting to his feet and immediately walking to the front of the group. Stopping in front of Kazuma, he made sure to make eye contact with him. He wasn't about to go embarrassing him in front of everyone, but it was obvious to him that Kazuma was barely holding back. He gave him a solid look, something that could only be communicated between the two of them.

After a few seconds, he looked ahead. "Gonna see how far this corridor goes. Maybe I can hear what's happening with the others or something," He said, continuing with torch in hand.

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Fire Emblem: The Slumbering Goddess

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Derec straightened up as Lienna sat in front of him, giving her a small smile. No need to mope around in the presence of company! He wondered if he should say anything, but as Lienna decided to focus on her meal, he chose to do the same. He was used to quiet meals, anyway, but he honestly didn't mind. What he didn't expect, though, was Kellen joining them, too. He tried not to laugh at the poor kid, noticing how nervous he was. It was charming in its own way, or at least relatable.

"It is good. Better than a lot of the stuff I've had," Derec outright admitted, trying to make a sincere attempt at conversation. He wanted to add more, but he sorta liked the quiet atmosphere. Was it awkward? He hoped not, he was having a good time so far. He did, however, straighten up a little as Auberon joined them. At least they were all together! He did have to hide a smile as Auberon noticed the same thing, though he wasn't entirely sure why he was staring so intently at Lienna's food. It looked great, maybe he was having second thoughts about what he had chosen?

"It's really nice to have company, I'm so used to eating alone," Derec admitted cheerfully, trying to keep the mood of the table high. "I still have to unpack, but exploring the Monastery was great. The sermon was, too. Think I'll make an effort to attend more of those."

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@Obscene Symphony@Scribe of Thoth@ThatCharacter

Pariah Online: A Voyage into the Intangible Aether

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When he was younger, Kazuki's parents used to push him towards getting a medical degree. It was typical for their culture and even their family; doctors earned well and he was bright enough that studying wasn't really a problem. For a while, he had definitely considered it--his piano career wasn't guaranteed and it was as decent a backup as any. As time passed, however, he couldn't help but shy away from it. On paper the job seemed noble but in practice it scared him. Seeing people getting hurt and suffering from illnesses wasn't for the faint of heart, and while he applauded those that took on the challenge, Kazuki wasn't sure he could handle doing that on a daily basis. The sight of blood in particular was something that bothered him deeply, and even if he didn't have any particular reason for it, seeing it always disturbed him deeply.

Graves' voice managed to snap Kazuki out of his thoughts, surprising him. He actually seemed sincere, too, and somehow the acknowledgement brought Kazuki back to reality. Right, this wasn't the time to panic or to lose his head, it was too early to just roll over and stop. If this was a sign of things to come then he couldn't afford to clam up. This room was just the beginning of the dungeon, after this there were still battles ahead. There wasn't anyone else to rely on--he had to make sure they all got through in one piece. Everyone else was doing their best to get out, it was about time he started pulling his weight as well.

After carefully lifting the torch from the cassinet and stuffing it back in his bag, Kazuki cautiously got up. He may as well put his brain to work if if it was needed. What were they working with? Levers, a door, a lowering ceiling, traps on the floor, and a riddle that would solve it all. It talked about stats in a certain order and finding a specific one, so putting them in order was probably the best bet. Kneeling down once again, Kazuki took advantage of the blood on his hand and scribbled a few abbreviations, staring intently at them. Strength was first for sure, Charisma and Dexterity had two between them, so one of those was definitely at the opposite end. Charisma? It was the 'foe', so it was a safe bet. Constitution and Dexterity together, and Intelligence next to Charisma...wait, he was missing one?

Tapping the empty spot, Kazuki looked over at Alex asking which level to pull. "The second from the left!" He called out to the brunet. He held his breath, watching anxiously as Alex pulled the lever, though he jumped as he heard what sounded like gears grinding. In a few seconds, however, the door opened, and he let out a massive sigh of relief. Cautiously approaching the tile, he slowly stepped on it and put his full weight down. Good, the floor spikes were disabled, too. Throwing his head back in relief, he stiffened as he realized that despite solving the puzzle, the ceiling was still getting closer!

"The floor's safe, but the spikes are still coming down," He yelled, making sure everyone heard him. Looking back at Seele, his voice was caught in his throat as he noticed something was off with her hands. Was everything suddenly changing now?! "Drop it! Your--We have to run!" He'd have to look at her hands once they were safe, but right now they needed to get out.

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Pariah Online: A Voyage into the Intangible Aether

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The closing of the door behind him wasn't particularly weird--he had definitely accidentally triggered some traps before while looking for minerals, much to Robin's exasperation--but Seele's scream had definitely cause Kazuki to jump unwillingly. He slowly turned towards the now giggling mage, a little exasperated that she had managed to completely spook him. Everyone was on edge as it was, they really needed to keep their heads on their shoulders. He took in a deep breath to slow down his racing heart, trying to look around. The one torch didn't really illuminate the room, unfortunately, so he was sure they'd have to do something to deal with whatever they needed to to get out of here.

Seele took care of the ceiling easily enough, her spell seemingly slowing down the spikes above them. Good, one less thing to worry about, even if they still had the floor to worry about. Truth be told, Kazuki was a little more worried about those than the ones above--at least they could see those. Maybe they could just step on the corners? He would have to see one pop out to judge, but being the torchbearer meant he was probably going to have to be the one to test things out.

Or at least he thought he would before Graves' howl of pain scared him.

Kazuki jumped again, giving the guy an incredulous look. What was with the overdramatic show? Maybe getting hit by the spike had frightened him, but geez, if another person randomly screamed, his blood pressure was probably going to shoot up. As Graves hopped back, however, Kazuki swore he saw something drop from his injured foot. He couldn't say for sure, but he had to temporarily pocket his book as he grabbed the guy by the arm, clumsily helping him as he knelt down. Moving the torch to his foot, Kazuki froze as he saw something he had never seen before in this game.

"Blood..." The word barely passed his lips, shock taking over for a moment. But since when did this sort of thing happen? Didn't the game usually numb effects like this? The blood had been the first thing he noticed but admittedly it was the last thing on his mind, Kazuki studying Graves' foot intensely. Pressure, he needed to apply pressure, but the next sound of ice cracking caught his attention.

Apparently Alja had tried to create a path of ice, but the floors weren't a fan of her clever plan. Every pressure plate activated and several spikes had cracked through. As much as he wanted to help with the riddle, he figured he was best doing what he was here to do.

Digging around in his bag with his free hand, he managed to pull out an odd-looking metal piece, though as he unfolded it, it became a cresset. Setting the torch on it, he rummaged through his bag again and pulled out a long bandana. First things first, stop the bleeding, he needed to get that foot out of there in case of infection. Because if there was bleeding now, he was willing to bet sliding in infection was probably something done by the sadist that decided to add pain to all this.

Without asking for permission, Kazuki hastily unstrung the boot, cautiously sliding it off. "Oh, shit," He couldn't stop himself from muttering as he saw the wound in full. No wonder Graves had yelled, that wound looked like it hurt. With both hands free, he went to pull out his book, but hesitated. No, Graves was right here, his Healing Touch would be best used right now. Placing his hand near the wound, a green glow came as he concentrated. His free hand traced the wound, working slowly. By the time he was done, Graves' wound was healed, and Kazuki was left with a bloodied hand. He couldn't believe what he was looking at, not realizing he was shaking until he formed a fist. He made sure to wipe his hand on a spare cloth, trying to get his head back in the game. Taking the bandana, he wrapped it around Graves' healed foot, making sure the bottom had the bulk of the material, and slid on his boot.

"Kazu--" His voice initially came out as choked, but he cleared his throat before trying again. "B-Benkei, guys, be careful, there's...something's different."

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Pariah Online: A Voyage into the Intangible Aether

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"Okay." Kazuki replied to...whatever Kalie said. This was the first time he had gotten crap from someone for not knowing new content, but he supposed it fit in line with the 'asshole' personality trait. At least he wasn't the only one who hadn't done their research on others--one look at his setup and it would be obvious he was a wind mage.

Instead he gave his attention to Seele, nodding. He had heard the game had a way of letting people come up with some real creative spells, and it looked like Seele was going to be entertaining to play aside. Chains, huh? He wouldn't know how to apply that to a fight, especially since she was a buff and debuff specialist apparently, but he actually liked to see that sort of creativity. Maybe he should have asked what other sort of things she could do. He only really had a general shield, but it was big and stationary. Still, he felt the two of them could figure things out as they went along.

As Benkei asked him about the torch, Kazuki gave him a nod as well. "Yeah. It'll be fine," Holding the torch was going to get old really quickly, but he could do it without issue. His tome was miniscule compared to most and easily held with one hand. He double checked that he could hold both easily, knowing that as soon as he started his incantation, it would open to the appropriate page. At the mention of questions, Kazuki shook his head. Strangely enough, he actually felt ready.

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Pariah Online: A Voyage into the Intangible Aether

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At least this time around things were interesting.

While there was the smallest sense of satisfaction to the dismissal he received from Rael, Kazuki was content to blend into the background. He'd be the first to admit he never really paid too much attention to strategies and studying party compositions; that wasn't to say he didn't know his own job (as Kazuma had repeatedly hammered it into his head that he at minimum really needed to know and develop his own spells) but he wasn't really savvy about what anyone else did. As far as he was concerned, so long as other people knew what they were doing and what they needed, he didn't need to know much more than that.

The departure from the other half of the raid was uneventful, though he could already hear boasts of victory from them and Kazuma's grumbling of 'we should have beat them to the finish line'. Oh well, it wasn't a race, and Kazuma really needed to stop taking things so seriously. Speaking of which, he wondered why the group was getting so freaked out by the dungeon. Weren't they always gloomy and foreboding? The smell was new, yeah, but otherwise everything looked the same to him. He figured maybe it was because they were all more experienced and could tell this dungeon might end up tougher than the others.

He didn't dwell on it long, especially after his fellow backline caster struck up a conversation. Seele seemed to know what she was doing, although he didn't entirely understand what she was asking. Oh, because her buffs could help? The few buffs he knew himself usually healed, though he did know one protection buff. Other than that, he figured it was best following her lead. He was glad Alex would be watching over him, though--it was easier to heal when he didn't have to constantly defend himself. He briefly heard something about light, but he hadn't been paying attention fully--he figured they needed his torch or something.

"It'll be my first time healing a new dungeon on my own," Kazuki admitted, rummaging through his bag. "But what you said sounds good. I'll be relying on both of you."

Pulling out the torch from his bag, he figured he should probably take advantage of the lit scones. Figuring they were early enough in the dungeon that it was safe to go ahead, Kazuki walked to the first lit scone in sight, popping out the torch inside and holding his to it until it began to light up. Placing the original back in its place, he gently blew onto the flame, holding it out as the flames got bigger.

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Of Blood and Magic

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Lilie wasn't really surprised Max declined, but she was surprised Salem did. Aside from Aaron, she thought Salem would be used to going to parties. But if he didn't want to, she wasn't going to push him, and they could hangout anytime anyway. Maybe it was for the better--that way she could spend more time with Aaron. No, that was mean, it wasn't for the better...but she wasn't going to deny it was convenient. But they'd be in a group setting so it didn't matter. Then again, the Revel had been a group setting, too.

Realizing her thoughts were scattered, she hummed to herself as Maddie made her comment, shaking her head lightly. It was wonderful, but she felt like she was getting ahead of herself. However, she frowned a little towards the end, confused. Aaron had mentioned he was busier than usual, but the way Maddie talked about it struck her as weird. How did she know about that? Well no, maybe he mentioned it to her? That wasn't weird, they seemed to get along. Or maybe she just meant being a Sinnenodel mage in general.

Before she could ask, Aaron returned to make an announcement. Her eyes widened at his expression--he looked like he had just been through the ringer! But he was gone for what, ten minutes? What could have happened in that time? Speaking of that, it was also time to go--so there really wasn't going to be any chance to ask what happened since he was in full butler mode again.

But she honestly couldn't stop herself, already standing up. "Are you okay?" She asked him, concerned.

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Pariah Online: A Voyage into the Intangible Aether

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Well, there was definitely one person that worried him more than Graves and Rael. The Augustine chick radiated the same energy a lot of his high school's mean girls' clique, and Kazuki immediately made a note to steer clear. Anyone that would willingly roleplay an asshole was usually bad news, anyway. Did that mean they now had three problem players? Well, he was sure Kazuma could handle it.

At the very least someone else demanded his attention right now: the red head saying things he understood in his native language. He still didn't know how the whole language thing worked, but anytime he found his fellow countrymen, it was always a nice surprise. It was also a good heads up to let him know Kazuma couldn't just scold him in Japanese without drawing more attention than usual. However, even that wasn't important: what was important was that Kazuki was presented with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, something that only ever happened once in a blue moon, like a shooting star, or a bully getting their comeuppance.

Outwardly, Kazuki wasn't any different than usual, though he did take a few steps to get as close to Rael as he could. Leaning in close, he made sure that she was the only one that could hear what he was saying: "はじめまして、ラエルちゃん." Even if he wasn't one hundred percent certain of its effectiveness, he was sure of one thing for sure: this was definitely going to do something.

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Pariah Online: A Voyage into the Intangible Aether

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Group B with Benkei in charge. Welp, he was going to have a field day and stress himself out so much he was gonna give himself an aneurysm. And of course they were stuck with the Dynamic Duo. This could get tricky on butting heads and clashing personalities alone, let alone whatever new stuff is happening. It was just a disaster waiting to happen, wasn't it? He supposed he should be ready to support his brother, but would that make things worse? Obviously he wouldn't be here if it wasn't for Kazuma, but maybe the group would see it as nepotism. Or worse, Kazuma would see it as Kazuki trying to show him up. How troublesome...

Kazuki finished up organizing everything he needed to, glad to hear that they were finally starting things up. One by one, the party members started to assemble, though he was a little disappointed that Priscilica left so quickly. He did give her a small wave before turning to the first one that had showed up. It wasn't often that he got to party up with a support caster, though it meant he was going to have to take care of all the healing. He could already feel Benkei's lecture incoming, much to his dismay.

Still, he offered Seele a small wave back, figuring he may as well introduce himself. "Kazuki. Healer. Nice to meet you," He didn't have much to say yet, but he figured that was as good a start as any.

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Of Blood and Magic

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Eris was so sure no one would hate Benson more than he did, but boy oh boy was Countess Marivaldi absolutely wringing the Eve. He was going to have an absolute field day tomorrow, there was so much to choose from he really considered just letting the rumors fly en masse. Honestly, he couldn't decide whose expression was his favorite, whether it was the Countess doing some weird mixture of pity and a sad attempt and anger, or the pure befuddlement from the count.

And then the other count whose existence he had nearly forgotten decided to pile onto it. He needed some sort of translator for this guy, he never understood a word he said nor did he understand his intentions. Well, that wasn't entirely true, he had a sneaking suspicion that Count Astorio had one thing in common with the countess: neither one of them could socialize their way out of a paper bag. It was actually fascinating to watch two polar opposites completely miss the tone of the room and make such pathetic efforts that if it wasn't for the fact that Varis had organized this, he would've honestly believed it was amateur hour. Count Salazar had his work cut out for him, and as for the Astorio...well, it was a good thing no one looked at him expecting to socialize.

The blond had to trace the rim of his cup, doing his damnest not to roll off his chair laughing. It was incredible in the absolute worst way, no matter how much Wells bitched at the pointlessness of the night, it had all been worth it to watch the absolute disaster of a conversation. The only thing that could top the night was a juicy secret revealed, but that wasn't happening. After getting better control of his clearly audible chuckling, Eris let himself indulge in the cup. Wow, Sunny tasted better than expected. Eris raised his eyebrows as he stopped drinking to look at the glass, letting out a small 'hmm' of approval and deciding to polish off the glass. Best of the night, clearly, though he couldn't help but muse the albino was a close second, if only because he had basically forgotten what the others were.

"Probably for the better; I don't think Plant Boy can top this," Eris outright told the table as he put his empty glass down. Yeah, yeah, he already knew Varis didn't want him defending the kid, but whatever, it was the truth.

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