Zapdos

THE WAR FOR MYTHERIA - Isekai Adventure

"Here, be easier if I just showed you,”

Alison Walker

“Okay, that makes sense,” Adam thought, nodding, “I wonder what she'll-”

And then she was gone.

Her disappearing like Houdini was not what he expected to happen there. Mytheria sure had a lot of new stuff to learn about. How long would it last? Was there a set number of times it could be used? And where did she-”

A hand appeared on the young man's shoulder, answering the question that was cut off. And the Rogue elaborated on what the cloak did, one more question was answered. “Impressive,” the red-eyed man said in response. And the demonstration gave him an idea; perhaps he would have to ask her about it later.

When Alison asked about the source mail and seemed almost ashamed at her lack of knowledge, Adam wanted to jump in. To say that it was okay, that everyone here was new to this world and that it was perfectly reasonable to not know things. However, James beat him to the punch with a solid explanation of what she was asking about. One part of it bothered the Druid though; the Cleric calling himself the current leader of Second Chance. Was that “pathological fear” worse than he expected? Or was the Mexican overwhelmed by the work of leadership? Perhaps he thought this new girl with her noticeable confidence wanted the job? Whatever it was, it did not sit well with the American, so he spoke up after James had said that.

“And you're doing a great job with it, too.”

Best not to lay it on too thick, so he left it at that. He then stayed quiet, happy to let MacKensie talk. She added context to what he had said earlier, then ended it with a pertinent question.

"Although, I am not sure if Alison will be authorised for this.  Do you think Lucy would allow it?"

MacKensie Trydant

Ah, yes. The message, and a question Adam knew about thanks to his screw up with the source mail. He did give his word to James that he would try not dwelling on that though, so his focus was on the facts at hand instead.

“Normally, I would say yes. I suspect it got sent to all of us when we arrived in this world. However, Source Mail use is blocked right now because the Witch Queen can read anything that is sent. Maybe if our leader or someone else on the team asked Lucy - the Guild master - about it and explained the circumstances, she would allow it?”

THE WAR FOR MYTHERIA - Isekai Adventure

I think by the end of the story most of the team will be tied for last on James' list :P

THE WAR FOR MYTHERIA - Isekai Adventure

@Loksfjoer enjoy your time away!

THE WAR FOR MYTHERIA - Isekai Adventure

<Snipped quote by Zool>

Yeah, I was originally going to major in Intelligence Analysis and work for one of the three-letter agencies before I switched majors to something I've always wanted to do. The big holdover for that is the knowledge of the field. I'm no expert. More like an "enthusiastic hobbyist" lol, but I've always had a passion for history, government, macroeconomics, etc.

I appreciate the compliment and I'm happy y'all are enjoying Alison! I've been trying to capture the energy of Josh Brolin's character in "Sicario" and Jason Hudson from Black Ops, but with a slightly more positive twist. Glad to see it's working out well enough.

@AvaP

That's cool, always nice to see a fellow history nerd. Less relevant for my character than yours though :P

THE WAR FOR MYTHERIA - Isekai Adventure

Alison sure seemed to have a tough and somewhat lonely path since her arrival in this new world, Adam thought. Not that she admitted it in precisely that way, even when Fenna suggested as such, or that anyone at the table had it easy here. He felt bad, though he would not push her to reveal more than she already had. Maybe another time, if it was needed, but not now. Instead, he responded to her when she spoke about her occupation.

“Data consultant, huh? Never heard of that. Is that like programming? My brother does that sort of thing.”

Whatever her response, the Druid would let her continue until she asked a very pertinent question:

"And so here I am, finally finding a piece to a very big puzzle." she then leaned in, eyes gleaming for the first time. "So tell me, do you have any more?"

Alison Walker

Adam drank a little of his pixie juice - not made from living creatures, just a beverage that tasted like Sprite that he learned about from the lumbermen - and then proceeded to answer her question as best he could.

“Kind of? Most of us died before getting here. Some of the officials here think we were summoned from Earth to help them win this war. Which makes sense, because of the Source Mail message, which is basically like email back home. Anyway, we had to do a gold tier mission from the Adventurer's Guild to access that, but it turns out the Witch Queen hacked the message from the Emperor so we don't know what it said. And she had tried sending a water ninja to kill us, so she clearly wants us gone. So we know where to go next and why we're here, we just need to know how to get home. That's important, obviously.” This last, he said while looking at the Dutch woman.

Adam thought for a few seconds, then added “oh, did you get a special item when you got here, like the rest of us? Like MacKensie's gauntlet, James’ holy symbol, or my orb.” Saying this, the red-eyed man took out the item, showing Alison and anyone else who was looking the object with the rainbow-colored leaf inside. “That's one more thing you have in common with us, if so.”

THE WAR FOR MYTHERIA - Isekai Adventure

Adam was quite surprised to see Barracker and Zell arrive downstairs looking quite beaten up and injured.  The Druid asked them if they were okay and what happened, obviously quite concerned. When he learned that they were apparently okay and the situation wasn't a big deal, the young man moved on. Zell had glossed over important things in the past, but Barracker wasn't that type of person. Whatever had happened, it wasn't concerning.

Now that this was resolved, Adam didn't expect any more surprises for the rest of the lunch. Just typical stuff like greeting and talking to MacKensie (who had been the first to talk to him) and everyone else on the team, not that this was a bad thing. Oh, how wrong he was! The revelation that Alison was from the US was big. Her accent had given it away, and the Ranger had confirmed it.

The Druid was curious about this new person. Judging by the way she sounded, she was probably from someplace on the eastern seaboard, but he would not assume that. He would first introduce himself - Adam, from Michigan and user of plant magic - then ask the following question when it was pertinent to do so:

“Have you been doing alright here in Mytheria?”

It was important to Adam that he get to know this new person, and he had several questions he wanted to ask. After all, based on their place of origin, it was very likely she would end up joining Second Chance. But she was new to this world like most of the people at the table, and did not have others like her to support her. Too much at once might be overwhelming, so the red-eyed man would try not to do that.

Instead, he would give Barracker his drink request and offer to answer any questions the Rogue had.

THE WAR FOR MYTHERIA - Isekai Adventure

@Jay009 that is appreciated! Also, it's funny how Adam is completely oblivious to the Baphomet stuff.

THE WAR FOR MYTHERIA - Isekai Adventure

@AvaP you're good, my Mazy Hillocks intro probably bored people with its length at some point :P I had Adam in the Drum alone for maximum flexibility for the set up for Alison's entrance, so I'm good with whatever set up works best.

@xenon it could be interesting for Barracker I think - the Hades connection could be something to work with, though that would be up to @Jay009 of course.

THE WAR FOR MYTHERIA - Isekai Adventure

@Zool I liked the Wulrick mention, I have a silly idea for a flashback post involving him and Xavier I might write someday.

THE WAR FOR MYTHERIA - Isekai Adventure

James’ adaptability was quite impressive to Adam. The latter had pushed all the blame onto himself in a likely foolish attempt to help his group, while the former was able to deflect and even potentially turn the situation into an advantage of sorts for Second Chance. Once more, the Druid was reminded why the Cleric was the best choice for team leader - not that he ever had any doubts about it.

After the two left the Mended Drum, the fisherman was content to walk in silence until just before they parted. That was when James imparted some advice upon Adam.

"Hey Adam, Tree-Man, look, this may have been a fuckup but it was a collective fuckup, any of us should have reported the entire thing the moment we found out about it, hell I doubt you are the only one who send messages, there are a lot of Adventurers around and I bet a couple of them have friends and family outside" He took a couple seconds to think the right words "Look what I am saying is don't beat yourself too much over it m'kay? I know you are your harshest critic and truthfully thoughts like that will just make you suffer for nothing. Better focus in what is to come"

James Sirius

All in all, it made sense, and the Druid said as much. “Right, I'll do my best to do that, thank you.” And more importantly…

“Oh, and considering our likely path in the future, if you ever want to talk about that ‘pathological fear’ you mentioned, you know where to find me.” Adam, having thought until today that the Blessing was a simple memory exchange, felt that there was more to James’ Lathop ability than he had said before. The red-eyed man would not pry though; he just wanted to be there for his friend. So with that said, the American said good night as well, returning the Mexican's shoulder-pat sentiment with a friendly wave.

-----

The next morning, Adam woke up early, ate a quick breakfast and went straight to Golden Tree Park. People were just starting to arrive, so the Druid was able to begin casting without too much conversation beforehand. No plants that could kill him this time, only normal trees to aid Valheim's defense.

By the time he was out of magic, it was just about time to head back to the Drum to meet MacKensie's new friend. Upon his return though, it seemed nobody from Second Chance was around! Adam was momentarily worried he missed everyone until Frederick informed him that the French woman had gone upstairs, easing his concerns. With no reason to follow, the fisherman sat down, waiting for his teammates to show up.