Xiro Zean

Pariah Online | Season One

This is when I realize that this is the first post that Ochre's actually spoken in somewhat complete sentences. Huh.

Oh, btw, I posted.

Your Avatar Has A Kid With The Avatar Above

Some small child who has spoopy powers but likes to be in the light. Also, apparently a fan of big, billowing outfits such as coats and capes and the like.

Pariah Online | Season One

O c h r e

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• Tʜᴇ Dᴜɴɢᴇᴏɴ •

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@Superboy@Stern Algorithm

At Altissima's side, Ochre could already see the circumstances changing. With each player that rose from their despair, another would rise and answer the call. Graves had started the flame of determination, but everyone else had fanned it into a roaring fire, their hearts ablaze as they steadied themselves for what was to come. Of course, the fear and desperation wasn't entirely quenched, with each conflagration flickering with hesitation even as they poured out their embers to spark the others into ignition. But it did not matter. As long as they kept their spirits high, reliant on the experiences they've shared as strangers and friends banded together, he was sure it would turn out alright.

Despite the situation, the armorsmith couldn't help but snicker slightly under his breath, totally unbecoming of his usual self as he realized that his entire allegory was caused by a single glance in Redsky's direction when he was observing everyone's rise in morale. Maybe her fixation on fire magic had more bearing than he thought. But he digressed. He was thinking too much again, wasting energy he could be saving for the dungeon. Coming to this conclusion, he instead focused said energy on checking his gear, noting the current state of his armor, weaponry, and the current level of his mana pool, the later more of a feeling rather than something he could see. Everything was in good condition, for now, and thankfully his past self had conserved enough energy that his mana felt hardly dented.

As he finished his check-up, he eventually detected the change of subject, and as he looked up from his sword he caught sight of Graves locking him down with a serious gaze. "Orchid! You and 2Chainz watch our midsection. Keep your eyes peeled for any ambushed from above or below, got it this time?" As the words reached him from across the room, Ochre returned the Blood Knight's stare with his own, half-lidded one. But beneath his drooped eyelids were hints of understanding and determination, his slow, weighted nod caught by the acting commander before the pikesman turned away. Graves did well in this situation, almost as admirably as Rael, who seemed almost entirely unshaken by the event entirely. If it wasn't for the fact that they were all undoubtedly player characters, he would've believed that the latter wanted to be stuck in this death game.

With a shake of his head, he shed his thoughts once more, adjusting his breastplate slightly for maximum protection as the group seemed geared up for the continued exploration. That is... until a voice cut through the air like a knife. "WAIT!..." Ochre didn't think he could ever note a time that his business partner's voice had been as equally loud and forthright as it had been with that single request for a halt... and as equally filled with such distress. "This is suicide. We should stay here, by this gate. At least we'll have our backs to the wall. We can create a chokepoint and wait for the GM's to get their shit together. Sure, they can't log us out right now, but..." By this time, her words had faded into the background for him, merely a cover for what was truly being said. The person he had thought was prepared for whatever came... was just as afraid as the rest of them.

Honestly, despite the shock and fear that came with the administrator's declaration, Ochre had believed that the situation wouldn't have phased the enchanter. Throughout his playthrough of Pariah, Altissima had always been composed and unshakable each time they had met, capable of irritation and frustration when things went wrong, but never to a point of despair. Of course, he should have realized that the difficulties of running a fantasy business were an entirely different plane of field compared to the possibility of death, but before this moment the image of her aloof nature had overidden the signs of her fear. Now, as his mental pedestal of her had been pulled away, he could now see her actions as what they were. Her preparations weren't a sign of bravery, ready for the dangers to come with a stoic duty. They were actions to protect oneself from a world that had changed its meaning within seconds.

But even more surprising than that was to see Graves of all people approach them to console the enchanter. Once again, the social norms he had constructed over each of the members in the party were blindsiding him as they were stripped away by circumstance, leaving him scrambling to reorganize his stances towards each of them. Mentally thanking the Blood Knight for doing what he couldn't, Ochre closed his eyes as a soft, almost inaudible sigh released itself from his lips. There was too much effort being used in comparison to the diminishing returns of his understanding. He was going to have to relearn who everyone truly was before he could spend his time readjusting his ideas of them in his mind.

As his conscious thoughts resurfaced towards the world around him, the armorsmith sluggishly realized that the pikesman had apparently finished his piece, and had moved his attentions from Altissima to him. "Orchid. You keep her safe, okay? And she'll do the same for you." In response, Ochre merely sent him another, resounding nod, almost entirely similar to his agreement to the plan a few seconds before. "Now...we can't afford to stand around here too long, or another ambush is bound to come our way. You're going to be alright, Tess, right? You can do this?" Ochre's helmet creaked slightly as he turned his head towards the woman next to him, his drooped gaze searching her own as he placed a hand on the pommel of his sword, readiness visible underneath the perpetual lethargy in his eyes. "...He's right. Certain death or fight. Can you?" Unlike the concern clearly audible in Graves' question, his own was masked beneath a layer of professionalism, his inner thoughts pulling his inflections from every business deal the two of them had participated in. It was his subconscious way of trying to calm her down, to give her something recognizable in this harrowing situation, as if this was merely another transaction between them both rather than a task that could lead to their doom. He could only hope it worked.

Pariah Online | Season One

@Stern Algorithm

Oh, don't worry, I understood that completely when I was typing out my post. Ochre's fine for now, though her freaking out would definitely puncture his regained calm quite efficiently XD

Pariah Online | Season One

That extra post at the bottom there, below my actual post? That doesn't exist. You see nothing.

Pariah Online | Season One

O c h r e

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• Tʜᴇ Dᴜɴɢᴇᴏɴ •

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As the blue light of the administrator flickered away from the scene, Ochre quickly noted how symbolic the action seemed to be. Like the hopes of every person in the dungeon, it disappeared within an instant, as if it had never existed. He was also conscious of how calmly he seemed to be taking the situation, his body still with expression unflinching, gaze still locked upon the empty area where the announcer had once stood. Of course, it was highly likely that this was caused more by shock rather than by a stoic nature, frozen by his fear rather than weathering through it.

After all, it wasn't everyday that someone was told that they were stuck in a life or death situation.

It wasn't true. It couldn't be... could it? This sort of situation was only achieved within the realms of anime and fiction, weren't they? Games were meant for entertainment, allowing their consumers to distance themselves from the waking world, to escape from the troubles and conflicts that made up their day to day lives. They were meant to be a tool of escapism... Not a prison that promised one's demise should they fail in their task. Ochre knew it was abundantly clear he had not misheard, his senses acute in preparation of the dungeon's mechanics and traps that were surely set for their downfall, and the varying states of shock and desperation that fell across the other players. But... it was a hard pill to swallow. To understand that he was separated from his family in a decisive way that could end in his...

With a visible shake of his head, the virtual blacksmith pulled himself from his spiraling thoughts as a loud explosion brought his attention back to what was happening in the present. His gaze eventually swiveled towards the unmarred doors of the dungeon room, smoke drifting off of its pristine figure. Flat on his behind and visibly stunned by the lack of results for his efforts, Landon was the visual to Ochre- No, Maxwell's inner thoughts. Bewildered, desperate, and lost. He wasn't like Graves, who had a mask he could drop in order to reveal his true feelings, nor Ellian, who wore her heart on her sleeve yet could hold herself together in a trying situation. Ochre, Maxwell, could only be what he was. As his head drifted downwards, his eyes caught sight of the blood that caked his armor, placed there from the body he had carved for its materials. And in a fit of fear, he saw it to be his own. One mistake. That's all it took. A single misstep, and he'd die. No matter how careful he was, no matter how efficient he acted, with a single misjudgement he could end up just like the ogre he once stood above. Without his prompting, his breaths came faster, his hands shook with indecision. What could he do? He was just a single man in a sea of others, and with the stakes as high as they were he would be like any other in the throes of death-

"Ochre?" A calm voice cut through the notions that ruminated at the forefront of his mind, a soothing break in the dark thoughts that had taken hold of him. With a turn of his head, Ochre took in the sight of his business partner, her chains at the ready by her sides as the air around her seemed to be suffused with the mana of her auras. In that moment of clarity, she seemed like an anchor in the world around him, ready for the troubles ahead despite the weighty nature of the situation before them. Within seconds, his hands began to still, breath caught just before it could escalate any further. "Come here," Altissima spoke once more towards the blacksmith, and at her call he obeyed, his armor clanking with each step he took until he was within her sphere of influence, already feeling the weight of the auras she had activated as he made a move to her side. As he took the space right beside her, Ochre closed his eyes and rose his head, taking a deep breath as his heartbeat steadied within his chest. "...Thanks," he voiced out with a calm, even tone, his head once again set firmly on his shoulders as his ears picked up the beginnings of Graves' attempt at a rallying speech. He didn't expect the Enchanter to understand what he was thanking her for, yet he did so nonetheless. She didn't do much, really, but all he needed was something to anchor him down, something solid he could hold on to.

All she did was be that anchor, for a single moment in time. And for him, that was enough.

Pariah Online | Season One

And so it begins... Oh boy.

Pariah Online | Season One

@Stern Algorithm

Welcome back!

@Inkarnate

And you as well :D

Pariah Online | Season One

If I die, you'll be the first to know.

@Inkarnate

Here's to hoping the opposite...

...cause who would run this RP if you died? Shy? Hah, funny joke. _{ohdeargodshydontkillmeitsjustajoke}