Zool

THE WAR FOR MYTHERIA - Isekai Adventure

"A loan?" Gildor repeated, to which, MacKensie nodded. "Do I look like a bank to you?"

After a long day, learning on the job to be a Captain, MacKensie had left the military centre and gone back to the Mended Drum. She'd changed out of her Ranger gear, took it to a tailor to be patched up, and was now back in the renowned shop of Gildor Hammerfist. As she had learned the day before; her lax spending habits had left her with not a lot of options, when it came to upgrading her weapon. Gildor had been nice enough to show her everything in the way of one-handed crossbows, from what she could afford, to what was possible. After considering her options, and with the mountainous task ahead, she'd come to the conclusion that 'a new option' was worth a try.

"It would literally be for the battle. All I can afford would be yours and I will return the weapon. You lose nothing in this agreement."

The weapons in question were extremely expensive. MacKensie didn't even have enough gold to purchase the cheaper of the two, let alone pay for the other. Two different types of crossbow - a one-handed crossbow based on the Heavy Repeater that was invented by Dark Elves long ago, but improved upon with new-age tech. The other; light enough to be held one-handed, once cocked, at least, but it could hardly be called a 'one-handed' crossbow. In fact, it could hardly pass as a 'crossbow' at all!

MacKensie would summon all she had in the art of persuasion to negotiate for both. First, she would try for the far more expensive weapon, then if that failed, haggle down to the cheaper, but still expensive, purchase.

The cheaper crossbow - which MacKensie would be able to afford if she earned another gold tier reward or borrowed some money from a friend. 60 gold pieces - something she would have been able to manage, had she been more conservative with her spending. It was a one-to-one upgrade on her current weapon - roughly the same size and weight, yet the enhanced cables and firing string made it more powerful. It also came with a thin magazine that was to be fitted along the length of the barrel, which was enchanted with a light version of the same kind of Source magic that made an Adventurer's inventory able to hold more space and weight than physically possible. What looked like it could hold an extra bolt - one could drop up to four bolts into mag and, once the crossbow had been initially cocked, the semi-automatic repeating action would make for quick and easy shooting.

It was a beautiful weapon and MacKensie wanted it quite badly. However, the other crossbow (if one could even call it that,) was truly something from another world. Priced at 8 Platinum chips, MacKensie would have to kill Aurok the Maneater twice over, on her own, to afford it and still require borrowing money from friends! She was under no illusions that Gildor would likely refuse to part with it, but desperate times caused for desperate measures. She had to try.

The other crossbow was a feat crafted with something approaching the limits of Gildor's famous talents. No expense spared, the finest materials, some of the rarest elemental stones, and a deluge of talent in engineering and enchantment that few could bring to bare. Named after a legendary Lightning Dragon from the Mythic Age, the blacksmith called the weapon...

Finsiraya

Finsiraya was a thirty-five inch long sniper's crossbow, which looked like some kind of magical assault rifle, until one held it with the intention of aiming, at which point the limbs, cables and firing string glowed into ethereal existence. It was much lighter than it looked, powerful enough to puncture most heavy armour, and added a lightning effect to any bolt fired, making it a viable match for any kind of enemy. There was no fancy Repeater-tech engineered into it - it was a regular bolt-action - with such power and range that it even had a sight-attachment.

"Absolutely not," Gildor said, shaking his head. "Even if I could trust you, what if you lose it?"

"I would guard it with my life," MacKensie retorted. "If it is lost, then it is likely that the battle is lost and you will be too dead to complain."

There was a moment of dead air as MacKensie held the blacksmith's gaze with a stubborn air and pursed lips. Gildor looked away first, shook his head again.

"Preposterous," was his eventual comment. "You would try to use the siege to lean on me."

MacKensie stepped forward and put her hands on the counter, insulted by the implication on her character. "I most certainly would not," she snapped back. Searching for the right words, she stalled before finding them. "I... I am simply being honest about the situation. I am not familiar with the laws of sale and purchase, here. I only wish to exhaust all possiblities, so that I might be in the best position to save this city." She hoped he understood, and tried to soften her tone, but there was still a residue of offence-taken in her voice. "I am not trying to gain an advantage over you. I am trying to gain an advantage over our enemy." Noticing that residue as she spoke, she stopped to take a breath and collect herself, then continued. "Whether you will do this for me or not, I intend to stand against the invaders and die before I let a single civilian come to harm. On this, there is no compromise. I just thought that maybe, some kind of contract might be a viability, seeing as I am an Adventurer, I might be bound by the Source Code or something..."

"A contract?" Gildor interrupted. "Through the Guild?"

"Hm?" MacKensie was thrown off her train of thought, which had nothing to do with actual Adventurer contracts but something more akin to criminal liability but... "Ummm, sure."

" 'Defend the walls of Valhiem,' " Gildor posited. "With the terms of the loan written into the contract. A special mission reserved for your party only to accept. With a zero-sum reward. I don't think it's ever been done, but... I don't see why it wouldn't be possible. Hmmmmm..."

THE WAR FOR MYTHERIA - Isekai Adventure

MacKensie stood and stared at her cohort, who were stood in salute, for what felt like far too long. While it didn't seem awkward to them, it certainly was for her. As her eyes scanned around, her attention caught the flag flying on the pole next to the regiment of one hundred - A white rabbit on a backdrop of navy blue. How fitting; the blue (her favourite colour,) the agility of the animal on the flag, (also the tendancy to be scared.)

So... we are the rabbits, she thought. Okay. Fine.

Coming from other blocks and other captains was talking, movement, general noises. But inside this vicinity was a sphere of deafening silence that engulfed The Rabbits. It was time to remedy this. She straightened her posture; squared shoulders, chin raised, then cleared her throat. "My name is MacKensie. MacKensie Trydant. Of Second Chance." There were a few murmurs of surprise. "How do you do?" she added politely before moving on, supressing the reflex to bob a quick curtsy. There was probably no room in the military for curtsies. "Please raise your hand if you hold any rank in the army." Four hands went up. "Come forward." Two men and two women emerged from the block. As they did, MacKensie observed them, one by one, holding each of their gazes for moment, guessing their ages, noting their disciplined body language but most of all, trying to project her own image of strength and fortitude. "Please state your names and ranks," she asked, nodding her head to the man on the very left of the four to start proceedings.

"Corporal Maviel Dima, Ma'am." Tiefling man. At a guess, he was young but it was really hard to tell.

"Gregory Grimes, Sergeant First Class, Ma'am." Human man. Couldn't have been older than thirty years.

"Punah Bruuzz, Corporal, Ma'am." Half Orc woman. Probably on the younger side.

"Jennah Aramayah. Staff Sergeant, Ma'am." Another human. Woman. Middle-aged. Valhiem seemed predominantly human, from her experience, so it made sense that there'd be more human representation in the ranks compared with the range of races in Mytheria.

"And the highest rank among you?"

"That would be me, Ma'am," Gregory said, taking a single step forward from the line.

"Thank you. Please," she gestured him to her side and he obliged, then she addressed the other three. "My experience is in battle but not in training. Can I trust you three to operate and oversee the continued development of our block for the rest of today, while I orient myself." She was met with affirmatives, with Staff Sergeant Aramayah taking initiative and command. "Very well. We will reconvene at the end of the day."

With them taking away The Rabbits for training, MacKensie was left with Sergeant Grimes, who was stood to attention until MacKensie gave him the "At ease," saying that she'd heard a few times in movies that featured soldiers or marines, or something of the sort. Honestly, her entire understanding of the military in Mytheria was currently based on fictional content from another world. It was hardly sufficient, but unfortunately all she had.

MacKensie took Grimes for a walk around the facility, asking him to summarize operations of The Military Centre and the garrison, inquiring for detail where she felt it was appropriate for her to know more. Grimes was more than helpful and seemed extremely knowledgeable, able to answer any and every question without any hesitation or doubt in his voice. She asked him about himself and, as she guessed, he was a distinguished soldier who had served as a squire in his youth, converted to soldier at the earliest available point and earned his promotions faster than average due to exceptional performance in the line of duty. She was glad to inform him that he would be her right-hand for the duration of her time as Captain.

Eventually, after a short stint observing The Rabbits in training, with Grimes explaining the discipline exercises her cohort were undertaking, MacKensie and her new right-hand left the Military Centre and went to the location on the city map where The Rabbits would converge when the alarm was raised for battle. There, they continued to talk and build a rapport.

THE WAR FOR MYTHERIA - Isekai Adventure

Right Xenon, I swear I'll be writing tonight lol xD

THE WAR FOR MYTHERIA - Isekai Adventure

I'll be posting tonight. I hope everyone's enjoying their weekend xD

THE WAR FOR MYTHERIA - Isekai Adventure

@xenonI stopped short of the GM update post, but I'll be sure to use the material you've given us, next round. So much to write with so little time, today. I need to start writing a little earlier in the week xD

THE WAR FOR MYTHERIA - Isekai Adventure

"What I am trying to say is... sorry Mac, I fucked up and forgot to warn you"

MacKensie gave James a soft touch on the arm. Her smile was small and did not reach her eyes, but it was heartfelt. "I accept your apology, James. Please... do not punish yourself. Everybody makes mistakes." Even if she felt like holding a grudge - which she did not - there was an existential threat outside the walls of Valhiem. If they were to overcome that, then there was no room for rifts amongst them. "As far as I'm concerned, the matter is resolved."

They parted ways, MacKensie going to her room. On her way, she saw a maid and asked the woman if she would relay a request of some dinner to Frederick, downstairs, to have sent to her room. The R&R of the spa could still be felt all through her body and she enjoyed lounging on her bed while she waited for her food. For the first time since coming to Mytheria, she actually missed her cell phone. This would have been a nice moment to browse her socials. Nonetheless, she was content to stare at the wall and think things through, this time with a more optimistic and resilient spin.

...................................................................................................................

Oh no, she thought, after James informed the group of their duties. She'd forgotten to get her Ranger gear repaired and while it was no bother really to go out, in the morning, and do her stretching exercises in the torn clothing, she really would have rathered be presentable when reporting to military officers. But what could she do? Turn up in her fancy casual olive and black? Or funnier yet; her ditzy floral sundress!? (It was still a mystery as to what on earth had made her buy that one.)

She would have to wear her damaged Ranger gear. So, when Fenna went to get her spear and Zell, his weapons and armour, MacKensie went and got ready herself.

On the way through the city, MacKensie was content to walk in relative silence with her friends. Zell had seemed out of sorts, all morning and she was concerned for him. After hearing the bit of conversation between him and James, two days ago, it was clear that something was wrong. She wondered if it was related, but didn't want to pry.

"Makes sense that they'd spread us out as Captain's of soldiers, rather than let us fight as a party."

As Zell glanced sidelong at her, she looked back with curiosity, waiting for an elaboration. Then, once he explained, she understood. "That is true," she agreed as she remembered the extremely short encounter outside the temple with George and his ambush squad. Since their Ascension, they'd been fighting like superheroes. The power of their weapons, the resilience of their bodies... She just hoped that their were plenty of Source Crystal users in the city. Just the sample size of enemies they'd seen so far told her that their were would be plethora of different powerful types of creatures in the army of Saladin.

"We'll be more useful to the defence, this way. And I know that we have the ability to lead. Each of us can do this job. I believe in you both."

"We can do this," Fenna added.

MacKensie nodded to them both. "We can and we will." Because we must.

She was not so confident in herself to lead as she was in Zell and Fenna. Both of them projected such a strong image, she just knew that soldiers would rally around them. She would have to dig deep and try to do the same. This was now her duty, after all. And she started by giving Zell a little elbow upon entering the Military Centre.

"If something is bothering you, you'll only make it worse by overthinking;" His own advice for her, one time. Now she was giving it him back. Her gaze lingered on his for a moment and she gave him a cocky smirk (a smile of reassurance but in his own language.) Once they had an understanding, she turned her attention to the crowd of gathered adventurers and Vice Commander Jeremiah, who addressed them all a short time later.

THE WAR FOR MYTHERIA - Isekai Adventure

At some point during their conversation, walking the streets of Valhiem, the topic of money and budgetary constraints came up, prompting MacKensie to come to a quick conclusion that she should probably spend some of her money on something that would be useful for the impending assault on the city. "Hmmm... Fenna, might I trouble you to prepare some more enchanted bolts for me? You said that you could make both fire and ice bolts for my crossbow. I still have the ten ice bolts you enchanted for me, but perhaps if I had some ammunition of both elements, I might be more effective in combat." Whatever Fenna's answer, there was a more pressing concern and that was the fact that her crossbow was not powerful enough to harm the larger and tougher foes they were starting to come across. She needed something that hit harder, no matter what ammunition she was firing. "I have just realised that I must double-back to the Bazaar. I will catch up with you later."

She gave Fenna a quick hug and air-kiss before saying her goodbye and turning back toward the market. She should really have thought of this earlier and Fenna could have just come with her - a short stop on the way back the Mended Drum - but now her change of course would mean that getting some dinner would be unnecessarily delayed, so she would not put upon the Ranger to join her.

At the Bazaar, she wasted her time with a slew of 2nd-rate shops and stalls, selling little in the way of enticing weaponry. After a couple of hours browsing, she happened upon Gildor Hammerfist's Shop. Now this looked like the place she ought to be. The shop was well-stocked, wares presented beautifully, prices ranging from affordable to sky-high and a shopkeeper who was in the middle of performing some kind of magical process that filled the very air inside the shop with the power of Source.

Gildor noticed and briefly acknowledged her but MacKensie stood patiently and politely until he'd put down his tools and turned to face her properly. "Greetings."

"And a Good Evening to you too, sir. I am a Ranger, looking to upgrade my current weapon in preparation for the upcoming battle. I was hoping to get some advice and prices on one-handed crossbows," she explained. "I have some questions. Namely; is there a way to measure the umm... caliber... or perhaps I should say; the general power and velocity of the crossbow string itself? I need something that packs a bigger punch than this."

She took out her current weapon from her bag and, with an idea of how much money she had left, the two talked business...

She didn't get back to the Mended Drum until late. Gildor had left her a lot to think about and she would make a decision tomorrow. So engrossed in her decision-making process was she, that she completely forgot about dinner and walked straight through the taproom of the Mended Drum without even noticing anyone. It was a big financial decision. As she went up the stairs, she would lament her lack of fiscal responsibility - shopping and spending money being one of her weaknesses, for sure, but what was done was done.

"James," she noticed as she turned the corner at the top of the stairs. Her friend was stood by the door of her room, looking rather apprehensive. "What's wrong?"

"Hey Mac, do you mind if we talk?"

How could she forget? She was mad at him. After spending the afternoon in the bliss of the Mountain Spa, she'd completely put her anger behind her, regarding the two terrorists that had almost sullied her reputation with The Adventurer's Guild. "Of course," she answered. "Co-" She froze in terror as she realised she was just about to invite him into her room to talk, but with all that was going on in her head, with Adam and Zell, she felt it quite possibly the worst idea in the world to have any man in her room. "Let us, ahh," she stalled, her hand recoiling from the doorknob. "Let us go sit at the windowsill on the top floor. I think that will be where we have less chance of being disturbed."

She suspected he was here to apologise. And she would forgive him, of course. They were friends. Close friends, who'd fought unimaginable dangers together and showed trust and care, each in their own way, to a level of family. In some ways they were more than family - uniquely bonded like no one else in this world or the last. They were willing to die for eachother. Kill for eachother. And take on wave upon wave of whatever danger this world could throw at them, and stand shoulder-to-shoulder to meet it.

How could she not forgive the man who'd led them with such care and calculation, for a silly mistake?

But, she would let him say his piece first and then respond.

THE WAR FOR MYTHERIA - Isekai Adventure

lmao Zell's so stupid. His best friend tells him that he's half Zigmund. A couple of drinks later: "Hey, you guys wanna hear a story about how we totally beat the crap out of a guy called Zigmund!"

smh Zell never change xD

THE WAR FOR MYTHERIA - Isekai Adventure

It felt very validating to hear Fenna's thoughts on the matter. To know that she wasn't alone or abnormal, to hear that she was not some horrible harlot for having these feelings... it was not a remedy for her problems or that knot in her stomach, but it did make everything feel a little less daunting, a little less like the end of the world.

MacKensie absently stared at her wiggling toes from the foot she had halfway protruding from the misty water, all the while considering Fenna's sister and the information she'd been given about her and projecting some of her own emotions onto her good friend's sister, trying to relate to how the woman might have felt. The uncertainty. The guilt. The bravery to make her decision and move forward through life and accept whatever came next.

Her wandering mind came back to the present moment to listen to Fenna talking about her own experience in romance, the older woman briefly touching on her first love before dreamily recounting anecdotes about her husband. MacKensie was captivated, enjoying this side of Fenna that she'd never seen before. What a difference some relaxation, pampering and privacy could make.

“What makes someone the one is different for everyone, we all look for different things in our partners." MacKensie nodded her understanding and admitted to herself that it was not for Fenna to give her some magical golden answer to her conundrum. She would have to decide what was important to herself and find her own answer from there. "For me, it was the things we could do together and the things we could laugh about.”

"I see," MacKensie acknowledged. Again she considered moments she'd had with Adam and Zell. Both privately and amongst the group. Ones that included interaction with her and ones where she was simply on the edge observing them. After a moment of silence she continued to Fenna. "I am grateful for your insights, Fenna. I believe you have helped me, at least, to get a handle on how to approach this situation." Then she smiled. "I am so glad to have another woman on the team to confide in. You are a rock for me, ma Soeur."

When their time was up, MacKensie begrudingly left the hotspring to go and get dressed. If only we could have booked another hour... or six, she thought bittersweetly.

The establishment-provided hairpins meant that she'd not need dry her hair, so it was simply a matter of a quick comb through and replacement of her headband. After giving herself a look in the mirror, she left the changing rooms.

"All set?" she asked the other Ranger.

“I know I already said this, but thanks for this. I needed it." MacKensie gave Fenna a hug and replied that it was her pleasure. "And you’re always welcome to talk about anything that is troubling you, okay?”

Releasing the other woman, MacKensie nodded gratefully. "Thank you. The same goes for you, from me. I will likely take you up on that offer, with the amount of troubles this world throws at me."

With a chuckle, the two women exited the area, thanked the attendants for their service and found their way back to the surface and the outside, met with a darkened sky. The afternoon had passed them by, but it was the best afternoon MacKensie had enjoyed since landing in Hommas and climbing out of the coffin. In fact, it may have been the best afternoon MacKensie had enjoyed for a long time, going back even further than that.

To the northeast, the fire in the sky was always that constant reminder of the siege, but it was not enough to remove all the good feeling from the Spa. "Shall we go back to The Mended Drum and see what Frederick is cooking for dinner, or if there was somewhere you wanted to go first, I would gladly tag along."

THE WAR FOR MYTHERIA - Isekai Adventure

I'm working on my post. I have an idea for what I want and if the words would come out the way I want them, that'd be great.

@Loksfjoer

I'll go straight afterwards.