Zool

THE WAR FOR MYTHERIA - Isekai Adventure

Was reading the latest posts and...

MEME

@Teyao

lmao I think I went too far with her quick mastery of it. I got a bit happy while writing xD

THE WAR FOR MYTHERIA - Isekai Adventure

She stood between Joji and Adam, looking at the place that could only be what Adam had described, this morning, as The Mazy Hillocks. "Sacre bleu," she muttered in unison with the curse of the massive swordsman next to her. Mazy Hillocks was an apt name. It looked mind-boggling.

“Is there a way we can get around this thing?”

MacKensie looked hopefully at Adam, who would know best. The young Druid's answer was deflating. She turned her head sharply back at the maze below, angry at it. Ready. We can do this, she told herself, standing still a moment longer to steel herself as the two men beside her went down the hill, then walked after them. When Zell inquired about her grapplehook, it reignited the thought she had after she'd finished scouting: What in the world have I become?

"I have a magical gauntlet," she replied. "See?" she showed him her arm. "It is a grapple hook. I have had little practice, but I seem to be getting the hang of it okay." A humble understatement. She'd tried it out for a total of ten minutes and then - perhaps irresponsibly - took to the skies where she could've died for a second time had she made a single mistake. Zell's compliment warmed her insides but she tried to play it off with a cocky comeback. "I am full of surprises," she smirked as she shared his gaze.

Walking through the open-air corridors of cliff and boulders, MacKensie had her crossbow drawn and loaded to make herself feel better about the spooky atmosphere. She constantly checked behind her, above her and ahead - making sure the team stayed together and nothing was sneaking up on them. The place felt haunted with ghosts and magic. In her head, she imagined the last moments of unfortunate travellers who'd tried to come through here. It was all she could do not to strangle Zell, who's moaning was doing nothing to help matters. As if he was only one who was feeling the burn. Such an idiot.

At the gorge, she gasped when Adam casted the biggest spell he'd done yet. She was not the only one getting more and more familiar with these new abilities they'd been gifted. She looked at the trees he'd created, then at him. "Okay, so we can get across this way..." And he just carried on like it was nothing! MacKensie almost missed what he was saying, her gaze moving slowly back to the trees as she marvelled. "...I feel repetitive saying this, but please be careful."

She ended up going across with Zell, putting away her crossbow and giving him a curt nod before stepping onto the tree-trunks in tandem with him. Easy does it, Mac. Careful. Careful. Each footfall was precise, her graceful poise and posture drilled into her from a childhood of ballet. One step at a time. The rough sound of Zell's booted feet gave him away as soon as he lost his footing and she shot a glare his way, horrified to see him flailing. She threw herself at him, left hand firing her gauntlet behind her to secure herself and the swordsman as she wrapped her right arm around his back, holding him tight.

Yet another gasp, her breathing elevated from the difibrilation of fear that jolted her into action. For a moment they were frozen - a few seconds to gather herself, to make sure they were secure, to be relieved that he wasn't lost to them - then her gauntlet wire wound them both back into the safety of the middle of the tree-trunk platform. The magical blue beam disappeared and there they stood, before she realised with a blush that she was still holding him as tight as possible. With a knee-jerk reaction she let go and stepped slightly away from him, hiding her embaressment with anger. "Will you kindly watch your step, Zell Brooks?" it wasn't a question, but a command. "Hmph."

Paranoid that she was still blushing, she turned away and started moving, making sure to be slightly ahead of him to hide her face, but not so much that she couldn't save his rear end again if need be. When they were off the bridge, she walked straight past the others without delaying a step. "I will scout ahead a little."

Once she was alone, she rubbed her eyes with one stroke of her hand, to regain focus (although it looked suspiciously like a face-palm) then redrew her crossbow and followed the zig-zagging passage, eventually coming to a junction with three different ways to go from there. She took the right-side passage and made it less than fifty paces before the narrow passage opened up into a clearing that made heart palpitate.

"What in the world...!?" she whispered to stop herself shouting.

In front of her was a clearing littered with skeletal remains and what looked like half-eaten corpses too! Not only could she hear the loud buzzing of flies, but she could even see them, overgrown to the size of pebbles. The sight and smell made her want to vomit. She could only be happy that there was nothing else alive in there, no predator in sight. She backed away slowly, then turned and fled. Deciding against scouting any further and potentially getting lost, she retread her way back to the rest of them, informing the group of what she saw and advising that they should expect trouble ahead.

THE WAR FOR MYTHERIA - Isekai Adventure

Just because she had woken up in a better mood - more emotionally resilient after her talks with Fenna and Adam - it did not mean that everyone else had.

It took her a few minutes to realise this fact as she watched James give vacant replies to her, his demeanour distant. She'd took it for dismissiveness at first, wondering why the sudden change in his disposition towards her, seeing as they'd gotten along quite well during yesterday's travelling. Honestly, she was a little miffed at first, but shortly after she realised that she was being incredibley self-centered and spoiled to expect anything from the Cleric.

MacKensie Rosetta Trydant, you must be better than this, the scolding voice in her head was her mothers.

Who knew what was going through James' head. Who knew what he might have dreamt last night. It would take more than twenty-fours to adjust to this new life - this abduction - and perhaps some of the group would never get over it. And here MacKensie was, pestering him with questions, tugging his robe to point at some stupid deer, like a child.

A few minutes to realise herself... a few minutes too long. Be better.

She fell into silence as they walked, after that, feeling bad about her behaviour and feeling bad for her friend. Some time later, Fenna enlightened the party about potential problems ahead. Then Lillianna came forward to drop a bomb of her own. So much all at once. MacKensie's eyes widened as she gauged the reaction of everyone, unsure herself how to approach the situation. Lillianna was frighteningly pale, her forehead looking clammy with sweat. MacKensie stepped next to her, touching her elbow. "It's okay," she said softly to the wizard. "We will figure this out."

When Adam spoke, eventually putting the question to James, MacKensie hoped that the man would be okay enough to put his tactical mind to good use. The ranger was hopeful as Adam's question looked like it had flicked a switch inside James. He was back. And he made up his mind - they were to forge straight ahead. Qui n'avance pas recule, her father's voice this time - his favourite proverb. MacKensie nodded, happy with the decision. It was time for her to do something too, Fenna inspiring her with the tree climbing.

"I can be a look out," the Frenchwoman offered sharply, glancing over a few faces with a fire in her eyes. Perhaps she didn't know anything about scouting. It was time for some 'on the job' learning. "Our heading is that way?" she asked Adam, double-checking with him and his compass. "Okay, I will come back immediately if I see anything."

And with that, she went ahead in something of a jog, but keeping low and on alert. She'd only gone a hundred yards before she fired her gauntlet up at an extremely tall tree, then flew up to it, squatting on a sturdy branch as she kept a look-out. Her adrenaline was already starting to flow - a good job really, because it protected her from worrying about the dizzying, deathly height she'd ascended too. Still, she would see danger before danger caught sight of them.

If the party safely caught up to her, then she'd leap from the branch in a T-pose, instinctively faithful in her newfound ability. Then with a thrust of her left hand, the magical wire of blue light fired from her gauntlet, northbound to the next tree. It latched on and she quickly closed in on her target position - swinging low into an arc as she did, Indiana Jones-style, before zipping up to the next branch and flipping acrobatically onto it. If she could see herself, she'd marvel, but she was too busy looking for danger.

THE WAR FOR MYTHERIA - Isekai Adventure

lol yeah that was weird. Perhaps the site was being updated.

Behave xD

Have a good one, madlad!

THE WAR FOR MYTHERIA - Isekai Adventure

Awwww! I wish you the best of luck with that step xD

Wdym close? Zell and MacKensie haven't talked for like four pages lol. This is propaganda, I say!

THE WAR FOR MYTHERIA - Isekai Adventure

Uwu sounds fun xD lol @ 'obligation' smh men

No I actually didn't notice! lmao @Crusader Lord

Saiyan I blame you for this. Zell's existence has permanently smeared MacKensie's good name!

THE WAR FOR MYTHERIA - Isekai Adventure

G'mornin to ya, madlad. Funny; bumping into you at this time xD

Have a wonderful Easter weekend y'all! o7

@Saiyan

Thanks, and you too!

THE WAR FOR MYTHERIA - Isekai Adventure

Hearing Fenna's question to Adam, she stayed nearby to listen to the answer. When he was done, she asked Fenna, "Perhaps you might teach me some things about tracking and scouting in the future?" She assumed to be a Ranger (it sounded like 'Park Ranger') was to know about such things, so she felt like she was missing some knowledge about her Adventurer Class, if indeed Zell was correct and she was a Ranger. She'd also been addressed as 'Ranger' by one of the townsguard back in Hommas, so it was likely. But she suddenly held her hands up slightly in surrender. "Of course, when we not so busy with this important task," she chuckled awkwardly. "I would not want to bother you with this, today or anything."

Whatever Fenna's answer, MacKensie would smile and nod graciously, then go and make herself useful with other duties.

"How was your sleep James?" MacKensie asked brightly, able to ignore the frown on his face, realizing that it was just his resting expression.

She helped the wizard clean up the camp, rolling up bedrolls and taking any used plates or cutlery to the river to quickly wash them off. After they were done and everyone was ready to move, she pulled out some dried meat jerky to snack on for breakfast and started off north with the group, leaving the campsite behind..........

In spite of sleeping on the rough ground and having to take shift on watch, she felt surpisingly refreshed and was ready for the days walking. Having a good cry with Fenna yesterday, then having a nice chat with Adam in the early hours, had left her in a good mood, and she smiled at the sounds of woodland creatures, enjoying the sightings of deer and squirrels as she followed her friends at the front. Rembering Zell's battle formation, she decided to stick nearby James so she could quickly get into position if they were attacked.

"James, I must ask," she began, after a while, looking at him sidelong with a curious expression. "You said last night that; 'You were making sense of the magic in your head...' then you came back to camp quite wet. If you don't mind me asking, what was that about?"

THE WAR FOR MYTHERIA - Isekai Adventure

@xenonNow don't you be worrying yourself, brother. I can read your mind from all the way here lol. I'll post as soon as I get a second. Not sure when that'll be, but definitely before tonight, cross my heart xD

THE WAR FOR MYTHERIA - Isekai Adventure

I think I'm having withdrawal symptoms, SOMEBODY POST! lol xD