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Pariah Online: A Voyage into the Intangible Aether

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Pariah Online: A Voyage into the Intangible Aether

Location: City Sewers -- The City-State of Thorinn, Aetheria

---

"You know's well as I do that I wouldn't go anywhere without my sidekick." He joked, shooting her a shit-eating grin. Try as he might to deflect, though, she was right. Graves had every opportunity to leave the group and go off to do the work on his own. He'd been given plenty of excuses to slip out, too, with how often Kazuki got on his nerves. But here he was, drudging through sewer water with these idiots instead. "Meant what I said when this all started, though. We stick together. All of us."

It wasn't an outright lie when he talked about wanting to fight to protect people; he cared, just not nearly in the same way the others did. In the way Alja did. The only people he really felt obligated to watch over were this group of weirdos he'd gotten himself wrapped in. Other, better men could care about the fate of cities and countries. Graves was here for them.

He looked to Alja, and the way she was gripping at chain in her hands. Graves wasn't exactly the most in-tune with other people's emotions- not like Seele was- but it was obvious Alja's guilt was eating away at her. It was a virus that'd gone around, it seemed, and all the chest-beating in the world couldn't hide it. "Woe be unto the monster that gets in the iceberg's way."

"I think we oughtta talk to Benny boy 'bout when we're done here. Maybe we can't get everybody on board with raidin' the dungeon itself, but...there's gotta be somethin' they're all willin' to do."

Pariah Online: A Voyage into the Intangible Aether

Location: City Sewers -- The City-State of Thorinn, Aetheria

---

"It ain't about bein' bored, Kals." Graves responded to Kalie, lying through his teeth. It'd been weeks since he'd fought anything tougher than a training dummy, and these dire rats were lesser than even that. He'd barely drawn his sword throughout their sewer crawl- not that it was easy to swing that massive hunk of steel in these tight, stinking corridors. There was little satisfaction to be found in bodies so brittle and bites so shallow. It was nothing like the rush of that dungeon. Nothing was.

In his quiet moments he often found himself back there, despite the horror of it all. Back in the center of that gnoll horde, or on Arkaanus's back, or...

A flash of shame.

'The hell's wrong with you?'

He shook his head, returning his attention to Kalie after an awkward beat of silence. Best not to dwell on it.

"People are dyin' out there. How many outlyin' villages have gone up in smoke since that dungeon popped up? Two, three? N' here we are runnin' around, knee deep in muck, lookin' for god damned rats. We oughtta be out in the wild protectin' folks, at least. Don't just mean the eight of us, either." The frustration welled in his throat, though he'd learned to wrangle it. Kalie wouldn't take well to being yelled at, and it wasn't her fault.

Not all of it, anyway. She'd voted against him, but...everybody was scared to get back out there. She wasn't the only one with them that'd been against it, and Graves was perceptive enough to know they felt guilty about it. Nobody asked for this burden. They were just a bunch'a kids that'd gotten roped into this crazy shit. Was it fair to judge them? Was it fair to expect them to be the heroes the denizens thought them to be?

Some terrible little voice in the back of Graves mind whispered an answer, but he hated himself for thinking it.

Pariah Online: A Voyage into the Intangible Aether

Location: City Sewers -- The City-State of Thorinn, Aetheria

---

"We're goin' on a rat hunt," Graves sang to himself as he walked, a little off tune. He kept a few paces behind Rael to avoid getting thwacked- again- with the butt end of her spear every time she gutted a rat. It was dirty, mundane work, suited more for janitors than people like them; but almost nobody else was willin' to take on those monsters wandering the woodland outside Thorinn. It frustrated him just recalling those arguments again. Sure, it was dangerous now, but takin' on that dungeon had been a hell of a lot harder and they'd managed to get through it just fine! Somebody had to quell the tide soon or shit was going to get much, much worse for everybody.

"Gonna catch a big one," He continued, lifting his lantern higher to better illuminate the slick, stone path ahead of them. This work may not've been as important or exciting as what he'd like to be doing, but it was better than nothing. Better than running around topside, desperate for something of worth to do with himself...the last couple weeks hadn't been easy. The dreams had gotten worse with every day, unless he hit the sack so exhausted his brain couldn't even dredge up the effort to torment him.

"...What a shitty, terrible day."

Something came rushing at him from out of the dark. Fat and drenched in muck as it was, the dire rat was quick as lightning. It leapt. Two gargantuan teeth sunk into the armor on his arm, tearing through lacquered leather like it was copy paper. Graves bellowed, grabbing at the back of the rat's neck, grasping flesh and fur. He slammed its face into the nearby wall. And then he did it again, and again, and again, until its skull buckled and it stopped squirming.

After a moment of concentrating he drained its bulbous corpse dry, letting it repair the wound it'd just given him. "What a waste of time."

Pariah Online: A Voyage into the Intangible Aether

Location: Mystic Prophecy Chapterhouse -- Thorinn, Aetheria

---

His hand dropped from Kazuki's shoulder after the moment was over, and Graves gave a single clap, motioning as if he were wiping his hands after a day's work was done. It certainly felt that way, despite only waking up a little while ago to meet the day. There was still a great deal of sunlight left, and he hadn't the foggiest idea what they were going to do with it. Everyone talked of meeting up to make plans, figuring out how they'd survive this thing together, but thus far nobody actually seemed to have one.

A question as to why they'd come dragged Graves back to the moment. Rubbing the back of his head, he thought over how best to answer. "Figure after everything that happened they'd need a little help. Yesterday ain't somethin' you can just shrug off, even for tough sonsabitches like them. So I- we- offered to take some chores off their hands so they can focus on, y'know...grieving and processing and shit, I dunno." He shrugged, flustered with every word he rambled out. It was hard to put it into words because he hadn't really logic'd it all out in his head or anything like that. There was just a certain pang in his chest and he'd followed it up to their front door, and everything kind of slid into place on its own.

That was how he'd done most things. Not a lot of thinking, contemplating; just chasing intuitions and emotions wherever they led him.

"Did you two see Luci? Thought I heard her voice, earlier. Did she look alright?"

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Pariah Online: A Voyage into the Intangible Aether

Location: Mystic Prophecy Chapterhouse -- Thorinn, Aetheria

---

"Gonna be honest, didn't expect to see ya so soon." He stood stiff as a board just a couple feet out of the doorway, gaze flickering between all three of them. Soaking in their expressions, trying and failing to read them. Kazuki was awkward, distant- it was difficult to tell if he was cold or just struggled to show emotion. It was like Graves was trying to connect with a brick wall, or a lawyer. Seele and Rael were both silent; waiting for the conclusion to today's soap opera drama. Frustration made his muscles spasm, tense.

Something about the Glitch had heightened everything, and it was overwhelming, even in a situation as low stakes as this.

"I ain't mad at Ben. Guy's just...stickin' up for family. Get that." Every fist he'd ever thrown to protect Will when he didn't deserve it flashed through Andrew's mind.

He shared Kazuki's sigh. "N' I get what you're sayin', too. Only reason we got as far as we did is 'cause we..." he paused, looking over his shoulder to Rael, "...had each other's backs."

After a beat had passed Graves crossed the room in just a few, long steps. He stopped only a few feet from the bard, looking him in the eye. Searching them. They swam with an enigmatic grace that his insight couldn't penetrate. "You might annoy the shit out of me, n' I might still wanna kick your ass from time to time, but when I said I wanted everyone in," a hand moved up, grasping Kauzki's shoulder, "that included you."

"I said some things to you earlier that I didn't really mean. I can be, uh, difficult, sometimes. N' for that I wanted to say I'm-" The word caught in a lump in his throat, like a frog refusing to be vomited up. It wasn't something he wanted to get in the habit of saying, but it felt like one'a those few times where it might be justified. "-I'm sorry."

Pariah Online: A Voyage into the Intangible Aether

Location: Mystic Prophecy Chapterhouse -- Thorinn, Aetheria

---

It was strange. Even as Shev entered, addressing Graves directly, he never turned to face her. No word of acknowledgement, or even a tilt of the head- he just stared straight ahead, like the curtains were the most interesting thing in the world. None of what she said was lost on him, however. Memories of his fight with Kazuki came in bursts, like gunfire, interspliced with moments from the dungeon. Too quick to process any of it except for how it felt, and that was so intense it nearly overwhelmed him. That bubbling magma in his gullet, threatening to erupt at any moment. Its rapid coming was followed swiftly by a wave of shame. He oughtta be able to control it; other people could. But every time he tried it felt like Graves was wrestling a hurricane.

It would pass through, after a time. It would leave a wreckage behind but it would pass through nonetheless.

"Little shit just doesn't know when to quit." He sucked in air through his teeth, looking- finally- to Rael. Their conversation played through his mind much slower, like a tape at half speed. It felt more meaningful now than when they'd actually talked. He hung on every word, every movement of body language. Strange. He could never recall details so minute in his other life.

Without any other option he went to his feet. Couldn't ignore him. Couldn't tell Shev or Pris to turn him away. Had to face it. Better that way. Better to confront it now than bury it and let it spread like a rot. Knowing what he should do didn't make it any fucking easier, though. He looked to Pris. "Thanks. Sorry for...bringin' all this to your doorstep."

Then he was off.

It was a short walk back to the front entrance where they'd first encountered Shev, and the common area was just to the left. Shield on the wall, just like she said. Graves slowed to a near halt as he came up to it. 'Take a moment, gather your thoughts. Don't let him piss you off- don't piss him off. He's probably just here to apologize. N' you can do that too.'

He must've looked like a complete moron standing there, psyching himself up to talk to that little twinkish bastard. This was dumb. Just get in there and bury the hatchet like two, fully functional adults.

Two steps inside and he caught sight of Seele and Kazuki. Take a deep breath. Be casual. You're taking too long to speak. Just- say something! "...Hey."

Pariah Online: A Voyage into the Intangible Aether

Location: Mystic Prophecy Chapterhouse -- Thorinn, Aetheria

---

"Yeah, yeah. We can handle that, no problem." That was exactly the kind of request he'd been expecting. Pris wasn't going to be sitting on some major dilemma or epic quest or some shit like that. It was the dirty dishes left out over night. It was the garbage bag that needed to be taken to the curb. It was just the kind of mind-numbing, monotonous task that he needed to distract restless hands.

"Get us a write-up of everything you'll need for the next couple'a months n' we'll get it done. Think it'll be better to do now before everybody figures out how long we're gonna be stuck here n' the shelves get bare." Food and basic provisions were the first things to disappear from stores during natural disasters. People rushed to hoard as much as they could, and everybody that was too slow on the uptick was left in the dust. Andrew had never been a prepper or anything like that, but it just made sense. How was their situation any different from waitin' out a storm?

"And..." He paused, leaning forward against the desk. He was hesitant to get himself involved. It was why he was here, obviously, but it still felt intrusive- wrong. Like it wasn't really his problem. Graves watched Pris's face for some indication that he was overstepping his bounds. "If...there's anything you can think of to help, y'know, the others- if there's anything they might want, or, I'unno, anybody they might wanna contact..."

Pariah Online: A Voyage into the Intangible Aether

Location: Mystic Prophecy Chapterhouse - Thorinn, Aetheria

---

The concern was plain on his face. Luci being torn up was to be expected, but she'd fully isolated herself? That was dangerous. A mind alone with its grief was a terrible thing. She had nothing to anchor her. Nothing to stop her from sinking further underneath. Routine, human contact- these weren't just helpful in overcoming what Luci was going through, they were necessary. Andrew wasn't a therapist. He didn't know the Latin name for the exact phenomena she was experiencing.

But he'd been there.

He knew what it took to drag yourself out of the dark.

"Shit." Graves let out a sigh from the depths of his breast. What was he supposed to do, here? He wasn't just a stranger- he was the target of her loathing. She'd never let him in. It had to be one of her friends, but...none of them were up to it. Leaves sounded damn near catatonic. Pris was trying to hold it all together but, really, she was only human. The support beams had been knocked out and the structure was groaning under the stress. Something was going to break-- and soon-- if the situation didn't change.

The conversation shifted away from Mystic Prophecy and toward Graves' and Rael's team. 'Team.' They could barely stand each other. Just going over the bar argument again made his hand tense up- it took a moment's concentration to keep his choler from rising again.

"Uh, could be better, I guess." He gave a humorless chuckle, propping his head up with an open palm. "Alja drunk herself to sleep yesterday n' got up n' started drinking again. Been alternatin' between yellin' at people n' passin' out, which is...great. Kalie's a mess. The archer, Alex? He's weirdly okay, even more talkative now than when we started. And Seele?"

He shook his head in disbelief. "She's either a god damn superhero or a psychopath. Nothin' slows her down."

The rest went unspoken of.