Zapdos

THE WAR FOR MYTHERIA - Isekai Adventure

Lucy was very helpful to the new source mail user. Immediately taking the time to help and explaining the interface - similar to email, really - made the process incredibly simple, and Adam was sure to show his appreciation. One statement the Guild master said left the Druid slightly confused though.

"Here is where you enter the name of the Adventurer Party.  Ooo... True Grade," she realised.  "I see you've become familiar with one of the more famous Party Names of this era." She raised her eyebrows as she nosily inquired.  "Friends in high places?  Or just a fan?"

Lucy Bottrill

“A friend,” the man simply responded, “is he really that famous?” Glee certainly didn't come off that way, though maybe that explained the crush Fiona had on him. 

After listening to Lucy's answer and thanking her again before she left, Adam wrote his letter to his apparently famous friend.

-----

Hello Glee!

First, if this message is garbled or incomplete, it's the Witch Queen. It's far too much to explain here, though I'd be glad to do so the next time we meet. Suffice it to say, it happened once, so I'm writing all this in case it happens again. Hopefully not though!

That being said, I hope all is well with you. I wanted to thank you for your help with improving my casting, and for introducing me to Gilligan. He did teach me Shapeshifting like you said, which was useful during my last battle against a powerful water ninja. Druid magic is much more versatile than I could have imagined, and I feel my proficiency in it has grown (pun not intended) since our last meeting.

Adam thought for a second, then continued writing. It wasn't the purpose of the letter, but this could end up making a difference in something very important.

In much more unfortunate news, Valheim is currently under siege. I have been told by a reliable source that in nine days, the Witch Queen's forces will start their attack when the city's shields are worn out. If you happen to be nearby or know anyone who is, any help with the defense is appreciated. If not, I understand completely. In either case, I will do my best to defend this place and the people in it.

Come to think of it, are you from Valheim? One of my friends and teammates, our Paladin, is. He's a good guy. Everyone in Second Chance is, really. 

Anyway, I'll stop here. Thanks again for the help, and I wish you all the best.

Sincerely,

Adam Phillips

After he finished typing, the fisherman sent his letter. Glad to have done so, the fisherman left the Guildhouse, ready for whatever happened next.

THE WAR FOR MYTHERIA - Isekai Adventure

Zell's answer was completely unhelpful to Adam and made him wonder if the swordsman cared about his friend at all. So confusing. Then James responded and it suddenly all made sense. Well, enough of it, at least. The two of them had done something dumb and MacKensie was mad at them for it. Considering the Fighter was involved, it might have something to do with that “unbanning” business. Finishing his meal, thanking Frederick and giving him the dishes, the Druid responded to the Cleric's information, taking a measured approach.

“I see. Well, I won’t bug you two about it.” Whether or not he would ask the Ranger about this was an open question. She could more than handle herself, so Adam figured he would just be there to be supportive if needed. Whatever that meant would depend on how things proceed. “Considering everything…”

The red-eyed man trailed off. He was going to add “you may have done more harm than you realize” but he reconsidered. If these two did in fact cause MacKensie to be unfairly maligned somehow, Adam knew in her eyes it would be a stain on her honor, and that of her family. The Druid could relate, despite living on a different continent and social class than the Ranger. In his small town, people still talked about things that happened decades before he was born. Reputations were built on honorable behavior and crushed by the opposite.

That all would be very wordy though, and risked creating unnecessary tensions at a time when there were bigger things to worry about. Like an invading army, for instance. So instead, Adam skipped that part and finished his sentence with “if you both make things right, that's good.” Zell's approach to the situation seemed dumb to the fisherman, but he trusted James to get things patched up.

Now, what was he going to ask their group leader? Whatever idea it was, it was gone now. Maybe it would reappear sometime. Oh well, better to be honest. “I forgot what I was going to ask, sorry. I should probably get that letter sent though.”

Leaving the money for the meal on the table, Adam said his goodbyes to both teammates and proceeded to the Guildhouse. Trying to remember what he was going to ask, the Druid completely missed a certain French woman walking in the opposite direction. He did, however, see Lucy Bottrill talking to a bartender he did not know.

The fisherman walked up to them and when there was a pause in the conversation, he proceeded to ask the question he didn't forget. 

“Excuse me Lucy, could you please show me how to send a message using the Source Mail? I'd like to send something to my friend Glee and I've only used it to view the one from yesterday. Of course, if you're busy now, I can come back later.”

Adam mentally cringed as he remembered what he was going to ask. Of course it would pop back up in his mind when he was talking about the Emperor's message. This was something for the team leader to decide, though. 

The Druid was just contacting someone he cared about.

THE WAR FOR MYTHERIA - Isekai Adventure

"So Adam, how did your last Ascension go? Got anything fancy? since my last one I got some new spells"

James Sirius

The food and conversation was pleasant. James asking about the Ascension made sense, though Adam hadn't really thought about it. Searching his mind, he was able to respond completely. 

“No new spells, though I feel like my Druid “senses” are heightened, if that makes any sense. Like, take that painting,” he said, pointing to a cityscape of Valheim nearby reminiscent of Vincent Van Gogh's The Starry Night. “The frame is made of maple and the paint itself is derived from at least ten different types of seeds. Dunno how practical that'll be in combat though. I did get something else useful, at least.”

After searching through his bag, the Druid pulled out a certain wand and showed it to the Cleric. “The mustached guy - George, not the gnome - gave it to me. It has a wind blast spell, but only a limited amount before it has to be ‘recharged.’ If we ever see Lillianna again, I plan on giving it to her. How about you, what are your new spells?”

Listening to James as Zell joined them, Adam was grateful for the peace in the days before conflict would erupt. It felt like it was inevitable that he would be fighting once more, so the fisherman appreciated these moments more as a result. When Zell asked James about teaching him stuff, the Druid nodded. After the Cleric agreed, the non-weapon user indicated his agreement. “Good idea. I learned stuff from a few people and I'm not sure we would have made it this far without them.” An idea occurred to him, just now. “Actually, I should go to the Guildhouse and try that ‘source mail’ thing to send a message to one of them.” And another one. “James, do you think-”

Speaking of things he was grateful for, MacKensie Trydant was very high on that list, and she briefly appeared to say hi and bye to everyone (and he responded similarly, of course). It was strange, though. The Ranger was her usual radiant and cheery self around him, but harsh to the other two members of Second Chance.

“Huh, MacKensie seems upset. Would either of you know why?” 

THE WAR FOR MYTHERIA - Isekai Adventure

“You mean a lot to me too, Adam.”

Those words had made the man think he was blushing even more in that moment than he was. That and her smile made him over the moon. Such a shame that it couldn't have been in the context of a more positive story about his family. At least it seemed to help MacKensie though, and that was the whole point. She saw the battle for what it was, and thought that Second Chance would also. This was a nice thought. The Druid would fight that army alone if he had to, but he did not want to. Combat was not thrilling to him; it was a means to help people.

The following hug and the subsequent chatter between Adam and the Ranger brought his mind at ease, or something resembling that at least. If nothing else, he felt that MacKensie would be there for him, whether as a friend or something more. Would it be appropriate to ask someone out before an invasion, he wondered. Though he was not new to being in a relationship, the red-eyed man had never asked anyone out before. This was new territory for him, and in a new world to boot! Even if she said no though, he knew he would do his best to repay her kindness.

-----

The next morning started with a shower and clean clothes, followed by the return of his orb along with a short letter simply thanking the team. Not much help, but it didn't phase Adam much. Some instinctual, Druid part of his mind told him this item was uniquely his and its function was something he would have to find out on his own. This aspect of the man would have surprised him earlier in his time in Mytheria, had it been more apparent. Now though, it was becoming second nature - pun not intended. The wood the Mended Drum was built with is oak, he had observed last night when he walked into the place. Was it an Ascension, time spent in the class, or maybe something else entirely? 

There would be time to think about it later though. Right now, Adam was thinking about breakfast, and he saw the team's Cleric and leader ordering something. With that in mind, the Druid sat down and politely ordered whatever he was having, then turned to James and spoke to him.

“Good morning! How are you?”

It was a standard thing to ask, of course, though in this case they had received a not-so-standard letter yesterday. Therefore, the state of his healer friend and everyone else on the team was an important thing to enquire about.

THE WAR FOR MYTHERIA - Isekai Adventure

@EnduMakyr welcome to Roleplayerguild.com - like Zool said, our GM will probably contact you as soon as he can.

@Loksfjoer sorry you've been so busy, I know how that is. I look forward to your post!

THE WAR FOR MYTHERIA - Isekai Adventure

My Hider

Since at least my collab with Crusader Lord, I had been thinking about Adam's extended family in the back of my mind. At some point, the idea that he had a relative take their own life took shape, and that it would influence Adam's thinking some time (indirectly through his father). Zool's most recent post made me think David's life in the army would be a good contrast to the war in Mytheria and the actions of Second Chance, and it seemed like an interesting aspect of Adam's family to pursue.

Just wanted to share that, I suppose.

THE WAR FOR MYTHERIA - Isekai Adventure

What a puzzling development. Even the woman who was banned didn't know why? There was no way she was lying, so the Druid would have to ask her about it again later.

-----

So many questions. So much pain. Adam could hear it in her voice, even if MacKensie hadn't been blatantly asking him about it. He knew he would do his best to relieve her of those feelings.

“My heart is telling me a lot of things, including a reminder of some personal family history.” He glanced at Lucy; sure, she didn't seem like she was eavesdropping, but why risk anything? She seemed like a decent person, though for all he knew, the elf could have been subtly listening in on them the entire time. “We should discuss everything in a more private location.”

Guiding the Ranger to a bench in a quiet back alley near the Guild hall, the Druid motioned for her to sit down next to him. Once she did so, he looked into those beautiful blue eyes and spoke from the heart. “First, you are a wonderful person. You aren't killing for the fun of it, it's to help people. Hommas and Cherrad's citizens are alive in part because of that. And me personally, I'm not sure I would have made it this far without you. You mean a lot to me.” After the last part, Adam's cheeks turned a bright shade of red, as if he just realized that this might have been more forward than he intended. This isn't about you, tone it down, Adam.

“Anyway, that history.” The man sighed, then turned himself towards the front, staring into the distance as he told MacKensie everything. “My Uncle David was a great man. Honest, intelligent, could lighten up the mood anywhere. He wanted to serve his country, so he joined the army when he was 18.”

The sadness in Adam's voice was palpable. “He came back a completely different man. Just abrasive all around, to say the least. I'll spare you the gruesome imagery, but he saw atrocities overseas. Horrible things, caused major PTSD. And a year after he came home, he took his own life. Of course, this was all before I was born - my father was 13 at the time. I just can't imagine…”

The red-eyed man drifted off for a moment before resuming his focus, this time looking at his blond friend once more with conviction in his voice. “The point being, I think that this - our part in this war in Mytheria - isn't like that. Whatever the political stuff is that's going on here, we aren't bad people doing bad things. I don't enjoy killing people. And if the Emperor or whoever tries to get us to do evil things, we have the power to say no. This is going to sound super conceited, but we are special here, I think. The way Barracker spoke of us, and what Glee has told me, convince me of this. That means we have some latitude here. Whatever we were brought here for, we can choose our own path.”

Everything Adam said was true, yes. It was good to lead with that, because the next part might be tougher to accept. “That being said, I think the hacked letter is at least highly suspicious, and probably an attempt to kill us. Melina could have sent her own message with the source mail, or had Zigmund give us a letter instead of attacking us. Lillianna knew of the danger we were in and where it came from, and I trust her. Personally, I plan on defending this city, even if it kills me. I don't know everything here. I just know that if I do nothing, innocent people will die, and I couldn't live with myself that way. Then maybe I can go to Capital City and get some answers about all this. If the team feels differently, that's understandable. This is just what my heart is telling me to do.”

Adam smiled at MacKensie, then concluded with “and whatever does happen, I know you'll be okay.”

THE WAR FOR MYTHERIA - Isekai Adventure

@Teyao that sounds rough, sorry you're going through that.

THE WAR FOR MYTHERIA - Isekai Adventure

Sorry for the delays, heat broke our electrical transformer, been without since a couple hours ago

@Teyao

I hope you get power back soon!

You are due a string of good fortune, @Teyao, if there's any justice in this world.

@Zool

True! Hint hint @xenon nudge your dice rolls accordingly lol

THE WAR FOR MYTHERIA - Isekai Adventure

@Zool no kidding!

I figured the best route was to have Adam's reaction mostly internalized, so that everyone else can have a chance to write out their reactions without too much influence from me.