Yankee

Expedition to Isekai

______________________________________________________________________

Masato kept his eyes fixed ahead of him. He stubbornly focused on this sense, trying to forget about the prickly, uncomfortable feeling of blood and dirt on his skin. The noise of the monsters they left behind wouldn't so easily be forgotten, and it caused his mind to start racing again. There in the middle of the group of students, he tried and failed to be optimistic about what the howl behind them all meant. It could be a signal to regroup and change tactics. Masato assumed that the creatures were intelligent enough for that kind of thing. Maybe the lasers weren't working, and a stampede would be better. It could also be a sign of retreat, but...

It just as easily could be a cry of victory.

The people they'd left back there were scattered and scared. Their teamwork was in shambles compared to the monsters, and of this Masato was no exception. Based on what Kunio told them as he brought up the rear, a victory howl was the most likely scenario wasn't it?

There were five Changed students back there, and six monsters. If the monsters won... he could imagine that they'd come looking for at least one more human to make a meal of. They'd come after the rest of them.

Fuck. He dragged a hand down his face. Fuck. Fuck. No, god...

He couldn't protect everyone from an entire group of monsters. Stewart was with them, but he was still a little out of it. There was no way they could fight. They had to keep running, since as far as he could see there was no place to hide. What else could they even do? Masato clenched and unclenched his fists, his breath becoming harsher.

"Masato!"

Akito. The other boy calling his name pulled Masato from what would have quickly become a spiral of thoughts. It had always been a bad habit of Masato's, to keep everything bottled up until he exploded. He was getting very close to his tipping point. He was just so overwhelmed with - everything. Fear, duty, anger, and trying to keep everyone alive.

You'll fail, said a voice in his head. You know you can't do it. They're already dying.

Masato slowed to a stop, coming to realize that his unbidden thoughts were true. None of them were doctors, they didn't have any life saving equipment, and help wouldn't be here in time. Not everyone was going to make it home. Endo hadn't woken up since yesterday. Bansen was in bad shape. And...

Masato's eyes slipped over to Akito and Okumura. She was barely conscious and still badly bleeding. If... if the monsters, whether the ones they left behind or new ones lurking within the forest were to come for them, they would be able to track them wherever they fled if they carried Okumura with them. He swallowed a lump in his throat, stamping down the part of him that was filled with growing horror at what he was about to do.

"Keep going," he told the whole group. "Straight ahead. We aren't turning around, the others will catch up to us. There's no danger ahead so just keep on. Ohta, let Stewart help you."

His voice was stronger than he thought it would be, especially since he wasn't optimistic about the others' chances. If they managed to drive the monsters off then they would definitely reunite, but he... he just couldn't rely on that chance. So with his tone as authoritative as he could make it, he ordered the others to move. They actually listened to him for once. He felt sick.

Then, he took Okumura's other side to help Akito carry her. The boy cut him a suspicious look, especially when Masato started to steer them away from the others. In the dark, no one would notice if they were gone for a couple of minutes. All of their heads were sure to be filled with worry, and blood rushing through their ears would stop them from hearing anything.

It was always the blood. Whether his own or someone else's, in his veins or outside of them, it was always the fucking blood.

"What the hell are you doing?" Akito asked him, and Masato just shook his head. When they got a little too far from the rest of the students, Akito and Masato started to struggle against each other - until Masato relented, shoving Okumura toward the other boy so that he had to scramble to catch her and keep his own footing.

"Seriously, what the fuck, Masato?"

"She's bleeding," was the reply. Masato's stare was hard, difficult to see in the dark with how dark his eyes were at the moment. "It's not stopping and she's not - changing. Not healing."

Ah, so even Akito could look remorseful. He also looked perplexed. He was really going to make Masato spell it out for him. Masato curled his fingers into fists.

"We can't take her with us."

"Wha... what? You want to just leave her to die?"

Do you really think I want to? Okumura Tsubaki was a good person. She had siblings, he knew, and she had been the one taking care of the sick and hurting after they crashed through that accursed portal. He would have definitely traded Akito for her. But she was already past the point of saving. Even now her head lolled and she couldn't stand on her own. She didn't resist any of the man handling. She was already half-gone. And still she bled, leaving a trail behind them. The smell of her blood made him feel even sicker now.

"We can't do anything for her. She's already... just take her a little further away and set her down before coming back. You're used to leaving people behind, aren't you?"

"Like you're one to fucking talk!"

Masato snapped forward and seized the other boy by his collar, dragging him in close. To Akito's credit he didn't drop Okumura, even with Masato snarling in his face. Like this, he resembled his brother. Akito didn't dare voice that thought aloud.

"Do it," he commanded. Up close, Masato's gaze was unfocused. He was straining to take control of this situation, listen for the rest of the group, or for any pursuers from the clearing. Straining to come to terms with what he was asking. He released Akito roughly. "...be quick. Unless you can pull a way to save her out of your ass, you know this is what we have to do too."

"...goddamn it," Akito breathed. He squeezed his eyes shut and turned away, complying with Masato's order. Neither boy felt good about it. They parted, Masato going back to the group first. He took up a position toward the rear like he'd hardly been gone at all.

Okumura's blood was on his hands, literally. Spilled onto his arm when he half-carried her. It felt hot, turned his stomach. He used his already ruined jacket to rub it off. Leaving her was awful, but this was what they had to do. He couldn't let anything lead the beasts right to them, couldn't use up manpower to protect those beyond help, couldn't... make it back from the Otherside without sacrifices.

World of Light

Word Count: 1012 (+2 exp)
Level: 4 - Total EXP: 158/40
Location: Dystopiascape - Midgar

After the debate broadcast cut out the Seekers in Penguin Sniper made their way to the venue to meet up with the other half of their team. Pit was glad to see everyone present and accounted for. Since no one looked hurt, he assumed a fight didn't end up breaking out. With Goldlewis making the decision to get somewhere safer before going over what happened, the angel hustled through Midna's twilight portal along with the others. Once through, Pit flitted around the space given it was the first time he was seeing their new hideout. He had no qualms with raiding the cupboards with some of the other Seekers, not quite sated by the bar peanuts. Though when Goldlewis and Raz started to explain what had gone down at the end of the debate and afterwards, Pit gave them his full attention.

So much information, so quickly! Since coming to the city, Pit felt his brain was working harder than it ever had in his life. What jumped out at him was the fact that they had a Consul's identity, and possible motive - and that Midgar's entire situation was precarious to say the least. Everything controlled by one maniac, under the president's nose.

That Goldlewis knew the Consul, Happy Chaos, on a deeper level than the rest of them surprised Pit. "He's that strong?" he asked, though he didn't sound disturbed by the revelation whatsoever. Instead, Geralt's follow-up made the angel shrink away slightly. Over the last couple days Pit had worked to get over what he'd accidentally done to the Witcher, especially since he wasn't actually dead, but he still felt awkward about it. And the reminder he could have torn apart a family wasn't a nice one.

Giovanna then returned, with a stranger in tow. Another one of Midgar's elites? When the man introduced himself, Pit jumped back into the conversation by returning the introduction with one of his own, complete with his full rank Captain of the Goddess of Light's Royal Bodyguard.

As they continued to discuss Happy Chaos and the Consuls as a whole (and the Organization, of which Pit didn't have a clue so he stayed quiet for once), the angel chimed in here or there with his agreements or disagreements. And of course the area's Guardian was brought up, which was one of the reasons they were even in the city to begin with. It was here. And now, they knew how to get to it.

When Roxas revealed the Keyblade's ability, Pit's face split into a grin. "That's great! Then we won't have to try and get through any weird codes or keys or anything like that! We can get to the Guardian whenever we're ready."

That they'd certainly have to fend off enemies on the way went without saying. Still, basically forcing their way through was a plan that Pit could definitely get behind. As for when to actually do so... well. Pit glanced at Karin when she declared that it was their top priority.

"At first I was thinking the same thing. That all we had to do was beat the Guardian and things would be fine." He turned his eyes from Karin to the group at large. "But now I'm worried about what will happen to the city if we do that without doing anything about the Ever Crisis. If everyone in Midgar is suddenly free, then won't the whole city go into a panic? And if that happens, what about when the Others or Chimeras attack? All the defense forces will be just as confused and disorganized, right?"

The Seekers had been able to handle one half of a machine invasion, and they'd battled against the extra-dimensional monsters before, but they couldn't be everywhere at once. "Maybe we should stop that Konoe guy first, and... ugh, I don't know."

He shared this opinion with Midna, but he didn't have a good answer. Giovanna mentioned the best person to lead the city wasn't up to it anymore. Working together with either Armstrong or Shinra just seemed wrong. Then again, they had Benedict, Zenkichi, and now Roland on their side. Maybe there were good people in the administration they could free and get to help? Pit folded his arms in front of him, annoyed that he couldn't pull the answer from thin air. Or from an all-knowing goddess.

During a lull in the discussion a thought slowly formed in Pit's mind. It wasn't grounded in any evidence, and it was more than a little hopeful, but eventually he gave voice to it.

"I don't know why they'd help Galeem, but they do choose to do it, right? That Happy Chaos guy wasn't under the light's control was he? Do you think the Consuls are so strong that they were never gleaming in the first place?" He paused. No, that couldn't be right. He was there when Galeem took over. When it subsumed everything. Not even the Goddess of Light escaped...

He tried again. "Or maybe they were able to break out of the mind control on their own?"

This was something he hoped might be the case. It meant a lot of very powerful villains might be out there right now, plotting their own take overs, but it also meant that Lady Palutena might have been able to free herself and she just hadn't been able to re-establish her telepathic connection. Regardless of what anyone else thought on the matter, Pit let the thought sink in for them.

Toward the end of the discussion the Seekers began filtering out. Some, like Tora, had left much earlier. As they disappeared, Pit bid them a, "Good night!" He himself lingered in the room, unsure of what to do with himself. He didn't feel up for a spar like the street fighters, but he was too antsy to go right to bed. So for the next couple of hours he familiarized himself with the building inside and out, perching on its roof and serving as lookout until he got tired enough to turn into bed himself.

World of Light

^{____________________________________________________}
Level: 8 - Total EXP: 184/80 ------ Level: 6 - Total EXP: 123/60
𝙱𝙿 ●●●●● ---------------------------- 𝙱𝙿 ●●●●●
Word Count: 926 (+2 exp)
Location: The Under

It was nice of some of the group to go about making pizzas for the trolls even when they had no need to. The Seekers could leave the tower any time they wanted, which Primrose had relayed to them via the Linkshell - and now that everyone was back she went over what she and Therion had learned in more detail, telling the group about the 210 doorway in the staff hall. Anyway, the trolls could make their own pizzas with the ingredients gathered. Neither Primrose nor Therion got in the way of the troll pizza experiments, but neither did they help. Instead they made their own, which turned out less like true pizzas and more like charcuterie boards with baked dough as the serving tray. Freshly cut fruits and cheeses, some with honey drizzled over them, sat on the plain crust. A delicious breakfast for sure. While packing some to-go, Therion added some slices of cured meat to them as well.

They shared their creation with any that wanted some, and they tasted the pizzas slices offered by others. After learning what a pizza was "supposed" to be, some of the slices they tasted were very... unique. But seeing as neither Traveler was picky like the trolls, they didn't mind.

Ms. Fortune brought up the suggestion of telling stories, about themselves or the things they'd seen. Primrose had revealed a little about herself last night and didn't feel the need to repeat herself for those that had been asleep. Instead she thought about the past couple of days after setting out from Alcamoth while others went ahead and talked.

Sectonia mentioned the guardian the previous "Yellow Team" had defeated in the desert, making Therion scoff. He nudged the moon-walking pineapple out of his way with one foot as he finished packing one of the preservation bags with boxes of food.

"You left out the part where we had to climb probably the world's biggest mountain to even get to the worm," he supplied. "Nearly got flattened and frozen, and then we had to get back down the mountain when the thing slid off and almost smashed that town."

Both parts of the journey had been to his consternation. It had happened immediately after Primrose and he had found each other in Tostarena and he'd joined up with the Seekers, so he didn't have any stories to tell that at least part of the group didn't already know. He didn't feel like talking about his past or his haunting dream either. He tolerated letting one of the queen's antillions groom his tail as the others went on to tell their own experiences.

After a surprising demonstration of the trolls' strength (Why didn't they try and stop use when we went to the staff only area...? Primrose thought), the Koopa King took them all the way back to the world's start. It was an interesting tale, including Ganondorf's comment that he'd been there when Galeem had started its destruction and recreation. Primrose, who had long since taken a seat, leaned forward and laced her fingers together, resting her chin on them.

"And that's everything you remember," she said, "but not everything that's happened. Isn't that right?"

That disgraced king, Asgore, had told them that Galeem's world of light had already existed for years at this point. And the people that had been there from the beginning had major gaps in their memories. She, too, didn't recall living in this world for years. In her mind she could remember that burning pain when he had betrayed her - not for the first time, she'd learned. Then a bright, white light. Awakening in the Land of Adventure. Ending up at Smash City Alcamoth, and being freed from the light after the Seekers had finished off the guardian nearby. It had been weeks at most.

"Getting our timeline correct is important. I suspect a visit to Asgore again after we defeat this area's guardian will reveal much to us."

If asked, she would mention the timeline discrepancy brought up by the old king, and his promise to tell all once they finished the job in the Under. As for what Jr. mentioned about Galeem altering time as well, she had to assume that was correct, in some part at least.

With that out of the way, Primrose filled them in on some additional details of the yellow team's adventure.

"After the sweets town, but before the mountain, we made it to a city called Al-Mamoon. That is where we acquired the railway gun. We met Jesse there as well." She glanced at the other woman, happy to let her talk about the art museum they'd broken into with the phantom thieves if she wanted. "The city was in the middle of a standoff between the Grimleal, the queen's advisors currently looking after the city, and rebels that opposed them... I suppose that man, Validar, has gotten comfortable after we left."

Ultimately their job in the Sandswept Sky was completed, so the loose threads were of no import. Would the city, and the area itself be alright with no left to oppose the Grimleal? Would really try to summon a fell dragon as Robin thought he would? And what of that area's Consuls and Flame Clock? The Seekers hadn't seen anything of the sort while in the desert. Primrose didn't say any of these thoughts aloud. Maybe if they wanted to visit that heavenly spa again she would find the answers to those questions in Al-Mamoon, but for now she left them alone.

What Are You Listening To?

World of Light

^{____________________________________________________}
Level: 8 - Total EXP: 182/80 ------ Level: 6 - Total EXP: 121/60
𝙱𝙿 ●●●●● ---------------------------- 𝙱𝙿 ●●●●●
Word Count: 1292 (+3 exp)
Location: The Under

It seemed that Therion wasn't the only Seeker that had a strange dream last night. The thief considered the implications of that while Primrose passed out linkpearls to those that she hadn't been able to prior: Rubick, Nadia, Sectonia, and after a brief moment of hesitation, Artorias.

The dreams - was it just a coincidence? The group had gone through some pretty horrific shit in the last few days. Therion's own dream hadn't reflected any of that though. In fact, now that he was awake, what he remembered of the dream's setting was totally unfamiliar to him save for a few "characters." As well as one other figure.

That woman in the red armor. Had to be one of those Consuls, he concluded. But he didn't remember seeing one with a mask like that. Were there more Consuls than just P and F down here with them? If so were they screwing with the Seekers via their dreams? Therion's tail began swishing back and forth, moving faster the longer he thought about it. It didn't feel like a normal dream, but it was so vivid and personal feeling that he hesitated to bring it up. Maybe he could just cut out the part where all his friends ended up dead if he talked about it before the details slipped away. ...thinking about it now, Cordelia was there but not Heathcote. No Tressa either... weird.

He tuned back in as Ms. Fortune was questioning the Pizza Trolls. Neither Therion nor Primrose could say that they really knew what a pizza was beyond some kind of food, but magic bags that they could preserve all kinds of food in seemed nice. It was a worthy reason to dive into the unknown perils of the tower, and the Seekers did just that with gusto.

Most of the Seekers anyway. The Orsterrans lingered behind. From what they'd gathered, the way out of the tower was through these trolls - namely through their stomachs. They'd mentioned they were particular about what toppings they liked, but didn't give so much as a hint as to what they were. Plus, if the trolls were blocking the exit somehow, wouldn't it be easier to just... go through them, rather than playing their game of guess the pizza?

"So..." Primrose began, casually looking over at the trio of wooden trolls. "What happens if we don't feed you?"

"Huh? Then... we'll be hungry."

"...I meant, is there no way through this tower otherwise?"

One of the trolls grinned and lifted its head high. "That's right! The only way out is through the boss. But if you give us pizzas we like, we'll show you where he is!"

Therion sighed, cracking his neck as he did some stretching. "If he's the boss, wouldn't he be in the staff area right there?"

He indicated the hall, making all three trolls turn to look at it. They seemed to be thinking something over, since they didn't turn back for several seconds. One of them piped up with, "Uh, w-well it's a good guess but, w-we told you to stay away from there!"

The Travelers shared a look, and a moment later Therion was headed toward the 'Staff Only 'area. The trolls didn't move to stop him, but they did start making a racket with their warnings until Primrose stomped her heel on the ground, shutting them up with the sound of it. When Therion peeked into the corridor, he found it much the same as the others: a hall with some doors that looked like they might lead to 'levels.' He relayed what he saw to Primrose, who then crossed her arms and gave the Pizza Trolls a hard stare.

"Which room is your boss in?" she asked. The stumpy creatures cowered until one finally broke under her gaze.

"D-definitely not the 210 door!"

The dancer nodded, walking away from the small group and bidding Therion to join her. The trolls sighed in relief. It hadn't been hard at all to get the information; they almost pitied the tower attendants.

"Well we can leave any time now. I'll let everyone know."

"Sure." Therion glanced at the other halls just before taking a bag of his own and heading towards the hallways. "We're going to have to wait for everyone else to get back anyway, so I'll grab some food too."

"Fruits and cheeses would be nice for breakfast."

Therion agreed, so he took her suggestion and headed for the very first of the levels provided. The dancer herself stayed behind to rest a little longer, though she did raise a hand to the linkpearl in her ear as her friend disappeared through the entrance to John Gutter.

"We've potentially found the way to the tower's exit, it doesn't appear to be guarded.
Once you've all gotten the foods you want we can go from there."

Meanwhile, Therion wasn't surprised at all to hear the door slam closed behind him once he'd stepped through it. Honestly it would have been more surprising if it hadn't happened. It was here for fruits, and it looks like he'd chosen the right place. He could already see some hanging from trees, and smell the sweetness even over the stale water. Those stump things said to make sure to be fast, right? He recalled. Alright, let's do this.

He didn't have much trouble traversing the level. He darted down slopes and up trees, making use of the tallest plants to get over the short but sheer cliffs. The area's monkeys didn't get in his way, save for the banana peels they tossed into his path. Annoying, but nothing more. Most other creatures he saw were living rocks of some sort, both shy and some not so much. Whenever fruit was in easy reach he stuff it into the sack he was carrying.

When he reached what must have been the end of this room he noticed a much larger statue covered in cracks and plasters. It wasn't aggressive, in fact it didn't seem to care at all that Therion was there. It glanced at him tiredly and merely sighed.

"Get on with it..." The statue said, sounding resigned to its fate, which... what? Therion's confusion must have been easy to pick up, as the Pillar John let out another sigh and said, "If you're new, I'm like the exit timer, I guess. Go on..."

It only took a second for what the stone was saying to click in Therion's head. Right, there was a time limit. So after he activated the timer, he had to escape before the exit closed again, was that it? He hadn't noticed any other doors on his way here, so he assumed the exit was the same one he'd entered from. With that in mind he slung the bag over his back and tied it to his clothes, preparing to take on his Beast Form again.

"If you insist," he told the Pillar John, which only looked at him with disinterested eyes. He shifted, leapt at the pillar man and sprung off in a feline kick that sent the statue to the ground. Therion heard a distinct shifting noise which must have been the timer starting, or the door opening. Either way he sprinted off the way he'd come. The path back seemed to have even more little angry rock people looking for a fight, but in his four legged body Therion could sail right over them. The exercise felt good, but he was more looking forward to eating and moving on.

He passed back through the doorway and into the tower's lobby, sporting a bounty of bananas, sweet peppers, cantaloupes, mangos, and pineapples; plus one strange walking fruit that had tagged along on the way back.

Tabletop peeps? Why just 5th edition?

AD&D is quite the far cry from the newer editions but we all have different experiences when it comes to our learning of games. I gave played everything from AD&D to 5th, Pathfinder, even more lesser known games like Dragon Quest, or Dragon Age the TTRPG, d20 Modern, Villains and Vigilantes. I've played em, not every one in existence but quite a few. So my experiences are different and I have always been a quick learner, I can remember more about rules than I can about my school learning. 🤣

@Dark Cloud

Oh yeah I have played quite a few systems out there; fantasy, cyberpunk, superhero games, fandom-based ones, call of cthulhu and its derivatives, nation-building games... stuff like Time Shredders too. I've tried literally dozens of TTRPGs. And I just find like Broken mentioned above, I get more enjoyment out of character creation and actually playing the role than keeping up with stats, feats, and how certain mechanics work. There are one-page RPGs out there that are a lot of fun 'cause they are extremely simple in how to play.

Tabletop peeps? Why just 5th edition?

I too have a friend who will not shut up about how great 3.5E is when compared to 5E. But the the thing is that my favorite part of role playing is the actual role playing. Fighting has never been my favorite part of D&D and regardless of edition the encounters seem to take forever. This is especially true when it comes to the less enthused among us that seem to forget what their character can do every session.

@BrokenPromise

This is the same for me. I do suffer through AD&D and other older, very restrictive and rules-heavy TTRPG systems because its what a lot of my friends like to play, and its fun because we get to joke around in person and help each other (read: help me lol) when we struggle with a part of the system. I probably wouldn't do rules and system heavy games over discord or forum. I mean just as an example I don't even play magic classes in 5E because I don't want the hassle of tracking spells.

It's why I've been trying out some of the more roleplay heavy systems lately, or trying to.

World of Light

Word Count: 2137 (+3 exp)
Level: 6 - Total EXP: 118/60
Location: The Under
𝙱𝙿 ●●●●●

When Therion laid down on the warm stone beside the oven, not even bothering to return to his human form and just curling up as a cat to let his fur dry, he neither intended nor expected to fall asleep. His head was laid across his front paws, and his eyes were closed but his ears were perked up and swiveling subtly towards the Seekers still awake as they talked in hushed tones. Eventually, their voices blended together into a low rumble. When the adrenaline in his system wore off it took all of his energy with it. The few hours he'd napped earlier were not enough to keep his mind awake.

His breathing evened out and he went slowly from dozing to dreaming.

* * *

A lot of the time it was easy for Therion to tell that he was in a dream. He didn't often have them in the first place, given his propensity for sleeping in short segments of time. Tonight he found himself walking a well worn path on a bright autumn day, and though he sensed that it wasn't real at first his consciousness gradually gave in to the illusion.

"Mr. Therion!"

He turned to see a woman hurrying up to him. She was dressed in a simple teal kimono and had a gentle, if somewhat nervous smile on her face. Therion himself had a similar outfit on, though it was a faded purple in color, and where the manacle usually hung on his wrist there was a woven bracelet instead. When she was close enough the woman held a small cloth parcel out to him.

"Here. I wanted to give you these. They are— o-oh, you're opening them now?"

Bundled up inside were a few pastries, delightfully golden brown and smelling faintly of apples. They were still slightly warm to the touch. Therion stared at them for what must have been a worryingly long amount of time, because the blonde woman fidgeted and asked, "Do they look alright...? I wasn't sure if they would be to your liking."

"They're fine - I mean, they look good. I'm just... wondering why you're giving them to me."

Because he knew this person, though her name slipped away from his mind. It wasn't something he would have expected her to do. She was a jailer, or a benefactor, or... no, she was a neighbor.

Right, she lived just down the road in the village. His lived experience and his dream bled together, and inside the dream he was none the wiser. Not only was she a neighbor, but she also purchased a lot of apples from him - she was probably his best local customer, as most of the other fruits form his small orchard were packed in barrels and sold to sea-faring merchants.

The woman smiled again. "I just thought you'd like a taste of what your apples are being used for. "

"That so? Then I'll be sure to eat them." He wrapped them back up and gave her a small smile in return, watching her cheeks turn pink. "Thank you."

"You're quite welcome Mr. Therion. Now, I should leave you to it..."

They said their goodbyes and Therion continued his walk. He'd just come from market, his baskets blessedly empty as he crested the hill that led to his home. It was a small house, one that would have been wholly unfamiliar to him in the waking world. Wooden with a sloping hip-and-gable roof, sliding reed doors and tatami mat floors. Behind the house was his pride and joy, the dozen or so apple trees that made up his grove.

He went inside and took to eating the pastries. After a short rest he'd be back to packing baskets to take to market for tomorrow while the ripening season lasted.

His days continued on like that, as they had for the past few years. If the off seasons he spent his time watching the village slowly expand - it was far from the largest town, but being close to the sea it made for an easy spot for travelers to visit, and sometimes to stay. Gradually the town gained other draws too, like the small dojo run by a stern, but kind man with salt and pepper hair. He hadn't been able to keep a grin from his face when Therion cracked a joke about their similar facial scars when they'd first met. A little further past the village into the mountains was even a shrine tended to by a miko and mysterious kagura dancer that saw regular visitors.

Once, when another autumn had come and gone and winter was cooling the area down with the first signs of frost, Therion had even discovered that the house opposite his own which had sat empty for years had finally been purchased. The young man dabbled in medicine of some kind, and they'd met when he was marveling at the trees just across the street.

"Ya gotta let me help with the crop," he'd told Therion with a bright, slightly lopsided smile, a sprig of grass hanging from his mouth. "I won't even ask for nothing, if we're gonna be neighbors its only right to lend a hand. But if ya felt like sharing some fruit, I sure wouldn't say no!"

And he had ended up helping the next harvest, and the ones after that. Market trips were a lot more lively, as the man would chat anyone up, including the woman that Therion would often trade with, fruit for meats, though he'd hardly spoken to her prior. On their way back from port the stately blonde, now their collective neighbor, took to baking extras and gifting it to the two men whenever she got the chance. She was a busy woman herself lately, funding a library in town and working to stock it together with the wise man she'd invited to manage the place.

It felt good to see the town grow. It felt like soon their village might even become a major business hub in the future, and wouldn't that be a sight? Today though had been a long one, and Therion was looking forward to turning in early.

"See you tomorrow," he said, waving a lazy goodbye to the other man.

"Yup, see ya Therion!"

It was a warmer autumn night, sure to make for a warm morning the next day. Therion would sleep well again.

...baked apples had a wonderfully pleasant smell. A rich, fruity, warm scent that invoked a feeling of comfort and familiarity. They were best made in a water bath, cooked long over a low flame so that the fruit's flesh slowly warmed until it was tender and sweet. Cooked too fast and the insides kept firmed, though no less delicious. Cooked too hot and the apples were likely to rupture and make a mess.

One needed to keep a close eye on them, for as with any food they could go from baked to burnt in no time at all. It was this smell that Therion awoke to: acrid and bitter as the watery skins caught fire, thick and choking as tree trunks turned to smoke and charcoal and ashes. He was up in a flash, sprinting from his bed and slamming the sliding door open.

The orchard was in flames. What trees weren't already on fire would be engulfed soon. Overhead dark storm clouds cast random bolts of lightning down onto the area, and judging by the damage to some of the plants they'd definitely been hit. He didn't stop to wonder how the fire had spread so fast from just a lightning strike, rushing from the veranda toward the small shed nearby - then changing direction to run around toward the front of the house. He needed to put the fire out, but there was no way he could do it alone. He had to find help.

A bright flash in the sky signaled another strike of lightning. It crashed into the home next door, followed shortly by a burst of thunder. Wood and stone flew apart where the lightning struck, showering the space between the houses, and Therion, with debris. What the hell is going on?! he thought, panicked and untangling himself from the rubble. He opened his mouth and called out for anyone nearby. He was stuck, his orchard was burning, help, but to his horror the only replies back he could hear echoed his own.

Help me!

I'm hurt!

Gods, why...!

The storm...!

Help me, please, help me!!

Therion was frozen; in fear, in despair, still caught in the debris that had rained down on him. It sounded like the entire town was being razed to the ground. Heat and dust rose up everywhere, lightning rang out above and signaled the crunch of stones falling, or buildings toppling over. The screams of men and women could only be heard in between peals of thunder. While his brain tried to process what was happening the damaged house next door buckled under its own weight and sloped toward him, trapping him completely when it collapsed.

It took a long time for Therion to free himself. He was bleeding, and he might have blacked out once or twice, but he made it - stubbornly pushing the rubble just enough out of the way so that he could move his limbs and wriggle through the slim spaces between wooden beams and roof tiles. He dragged himself from the ruined home, sore and gasping for breath. He forced himself to stand.

Everything around him was in ruins. From where he lived up on the hill he could see down towards the village proper - houses were leveled, business ripped apart, the ships in the small port aflame. His own home was a smoldering shell of its former self, and across the street the friendly medicine man's home wasn't much better. The roof was caved in, as well as the walls, though the framework still stood. At the front door of the veranda there was an oozing pool of blood.

Therion covered his mouth and ran. He didn't know where to go or what to do. The entire town, his friends, his whole life was just— gone. Destroyed. The storm still raged overhead, casting the area in a grizzly light. And in a flash of lightning, he saw her.

She'd blazed a trail of destruction throughout the village. She was dressed in crimson armor, and upon her face was a helmet that evoked a terrible villain from some kabuki play. She was ahead of him on the road, dragging the spearhead of her naginata through a man that'd been pleading for his life. When he was dead she flicked the weapon to rid it of blood before turning her gaze on Therion.

"You..." he breathed out. This person, wreathed in violet lightning, was the calamity that had brought ruin to the town. Why? He didn't ask, instead he turned and ran the other way. She was killing everyone, and she was going to kill him too if he didn't—

He felt the lightning well before he heard the thunder.

* * *

The phantom feeling of electrocution and his body on fire lingered after the nightmare ended. Therion woke up with a start, launching himself from his spot on the floor and all his fur standing on end. His claws were extended and his tail was double its size in fright. If he had been in his human form he might have cried out, but as it was he merely stared around the room wide-eyed and slowly coming back to himself.

Though he didn't dream often, when he did dream he sometimes dreamt of himself dying. He'd had a lot of near death experiences already. But that dream was... something else. It was weird. It was uncomfortable. He shifted out of his beast form and felt his chest where the lightning bolt had passed through him, but as expected there was no damage. He was in his usual clothes, and the fool's bangle was still there.

What the fuck was that about...? he questioned. He could feel beads of sweat form even now that he was awake and aware. It must have been close to morning since though most of the Seekers were still asleep there were some that were already awake, like that knight and Primrose. Or perhaps they hadn't slept at all, going by the circles beginning to form under the dancer's eyes. She glanced over at him, a questioning look in her eyes, but he shook his head. He spent the little while before the others rose leaning back against the tower's stone wall and getting his heart rate under control. By the time the entire group was awake he was back to normal, though a nagging, ominous feeling haunted a corner of his mind.

Ready to explore

Welcome to RPG!

Video Games: The General Discussion & Community Thread Number Two

I have such low expectations yet such high hopes for Starfield.

I'd love to see them turn it around and make RPGs again, but are they capable of it?

@BangoSkank

From what I saw of the "Starfield Direct" it has more actual RPG elements in it than, say, Skyrim. With skill trees and perks that affected dialogue like older Fallout games, stuff like that. Honestly I'm not really into space settings and probably won't even play Starfield but the game did look fun (though I didn't watch the entire Starfield showcase which they did right after the Xbox one).