Private - Back to School

On this day, along the edge of the Maithe Woodlands lie a platoon of armed men, solid and lined alongside eachother in orderly rows on the end of a series of hills known to the larger world as the Burrows. The men here were guards at the tail end of their training, having passed through trials and hardships only overcome by working together and trusting eachother. They had only one problem, and that was in their lack of actual experience with real combat, something readily apparent with the way that they shift anxiously on their heels, though this was to only be a simple trip through a forest. It's not as if they could help themselves, though- rumors of dire stags occupying the area have been rampant, even reaching the point of spreading to the wider world around the simple land.
Hence why Haru had arrived on this day- to give them a hand. He had not too much obligation to help these men out, though it always did feel good to help. He was here today because of the rumor. "Dire Stag..? Now there's a fine title for a beast. I do still need a companion..." He mumbles to himself, out of earshot of the guards ahead of him. He was assigned to oversee and assist these aspiring guardsmen, but he had come to find a friend not in them, but the beasts here said to be a danger.
Of course, that's not to say he's going there by himself. He may have a good head on his shoulders, but he was rather new to this game and so he naturally wouldn't trust himself alone to assist these fine men. So instead, he had sent out fliers, requesting "Player Assistance" in regards to this undertaking. Hopefully they would arrive soon. He had made chatter with most of the folk in the guard already, but it seemed like they simply wouldn't open up to him. Haru thinks he understands why- he was here as an overseer, of course the men would keep their work face on around him. The amount of times he's heard the word 'sir' is... well, he just hopes that someone else shows up soon, if only so he could have some people to assist in his request as much as the platoon's.

@Ilya @Iván Carl @Lili Rose

 

“These are guards?” Iván was not impressed. Most of them looked newer that him, way less experienced at their roles, which were vital to the survival of this town. Some of them even looked like they were just randomly plucked out of a town hall meeting, given armor to wear and arms to bear, and pushed out into the open, all in a span of hours. He wondered who trained them, if they were even trained at all, when one of them stumbled while marching, clumsily dropping his helmet to the ground before him. “Definitely not that woman who saved all of China.”

This was Iván’s first time at Tradepointe, a town in the center of Brisshal in the Burrows. If it hadn’t been for a flier another Player graciously gave him, he wouldn’t have been anywhere near this place. His palm menu, as well as Investigation Mode, made him aware of information he never thought he needed about this place. Apparently, it was a respite for many caravans, which made it a target for greedy bandits out for easy targets. You’d think that because of that they would have better security, but Iván guessed that the town didn’t have a lot of fighters. He wondered if a montage was in order. The residents of Tradepointe might not have the resources to train these new recruits but surely the Players’ party would have at least a physical fighter in tow? Maybe even a woman from East Asia? He started humming a tune, whispering to himself, “Let’s get down to business...”

It did not take long for Iván to spot the Player, someone who would be the odd man out in the scenario. All of the recruits, the soldiers, the townspeople, the NPCs, would at least have a partner, someone they would be having conversations with, as per their programming. Iván could’ve been wrong, there’s been an instance or two of an NPC just standing alone in the middle of a tavern, but in this scenario, there was only one guy most of the guards were avoiding. He didn’t look like a superior officer, not even a part of the militia, so Iván approached him first and with care.

“Hello,” he deadpanned, standing right in front of the man with the white hair. Iván procured the flier from within his coat. “I am here for this.”

At the very least, if his theory was incorrect, this guy would still have information on where he should go. Even the lack of information would help, as Iván could cross him out, off his list of oddballs to ask.

 

Lili had spawned in the town square of Brisshal and immediately went looking for work, there was always starter quests in these damn games and certainly enough she found a flier for someone looking for player assistance, the job was too train some greenhorn guards and she was so interested in that idea that she had snuck into the military unit disquised as a scout and made talk with the men as if they were equals rather than her Trainee's

"Listen guys, theres no damn need to be so scared of this bloke, I bet you hes not that much more stronger than us, We are supposed to be city guards and your all running around looking like scared little kittens. We are here to get battle experience NOT WET OUR DIAPERS" She cleared her throat and let her temper go down as the seemed to be more scared of her than anyone else right now. She walked up boldly to Haru and this other man and smiled at them, "Hello, Name is Lili, Lili Rose, i saw the Flyer and i was interested, These young men are about ready to Wet their grieves and hang up their weapons, You sure they can even handle a fight Mister, Uh. " She looked to the flyer for a name. "Haru, Right" She turned her head to the newcomer and streched her arms behind her head. "And i assume you will be joining us as well Mister ?" She queried the man in the green Jumpsuit.

 

Maithe Woodlands was a beautiful place indeed. It was the place that many players had spawned, including Ilya herself. The new world that had awaited her was even more beautiful. She had encountered so many adventures already, and it had been a rather short time period. Maithe Woodlands held home to the village that was most homey. The place was Honeyhome village, and that was the starting point of Ilya's journey on the clear and sunny day that was today. She had materialized like usual, and had been strolling through the town, reminiscing all of her adventures in Honeyhome.

It was on the clear day that Ilya had noticed a flyer fluttering in the nearly still breeze. It had caught her eye, leaving a feeling of impression. She clearly liked the appearance that the paper held, which was the main reason for her to pluck it from the hold it had on the posting board. Her eyes glanced over the paper, and upon reading all of the information her fingers folded the paper and stuffed it into her inventory. Her feet had then began to move.

Right before she was about to step out of Honeyhome she smelled a rich flavorful scent. Her feet turning around abruptly, she followed it. Her body had made its way to a small stand. With a chief bending over to examine something in a pot. Her eyes brightened as she realized what the smell was. Her fingers swiftly dipping into her gold stash. Pulling a bag of coins she set it on the counter. "Enough to fill a whole platoon please."

With eyebrows raised, the man had then given Ilya the food. As soon as she got it she pocketed each one in her inventory before turning back around and exiting the village. This time, heading for the destination in Maithe Woodlands.

Her feet made crunching sounds as she stepped over leaves and twigs until at last she reached the general area of where they were meeting.

The arrival of Ilya seemed flawless as her hair naturally fluttered in the light breeze. The gentle flick of her ears and weaving of her tail seemed almost too eye-catching. The only problem with how Ilya arrived on scene was the fact that she was very obviously late. She had taken note of the flyer that this Haru character had put up and was definitely looking for something to do. The time before her next concert was a great number of hours, which left plenty of playtime for Ilya.

With not a single hint of panting breath, Ilya entered into the area that everyone was in. Being the very last arrival, she did a small wave. Her fingers then tapping on her menu, she began to pull out the food she had previously bought. "Hello everyone! I am Ilya, on my way I could not help but notice this lovely smell... Which made me buy food for everyone!" Each serving was placed in a jar with a lid. Passing out the food, she managed to have enough for each individual person, and then some. "I hope you enjoy it, as it is one of my favorites here in Terrasphere"

Ilya then addressed the guardsmen, remembering what the flyer had said exactly. The details of the mission had been revealed to her rather thoroughly. "Oh deer, sorry for my tardiness. I am here to oversee and assist you, aspiring guardsmen. Now, no need to call me mam'. I want you guys to be comfortable around me."

Now turning to the three players, she smiled, "I am here to help with all of this." Her eyebrows raised at the girl dressed in some sort of outfit. As if she were to be disguised as a scout.. Yet something felt like she was not. Perhaps it was the way she talked... Ignoring it, Ilya turned away from them.

"What do you call a deer with no eyes?" Waiting a second for the guardsmen and the other fellow adventurers to think it over, she resumed. "I have no eye - deer.

Cracking up at her own joke was something she did rather often, this case was not out of the ordinary as her soft hearted laugh sounded in the area. The prospect of easily crumbling ground and dire deer that would attack left a great feeling on the shoulders of Ilya. We get to kill, take the meat and give it to those that need it.. And I might even find a small companion to take with me. Ilya was definitely looking forward to the adventure that was about to happen.

 

"Yes, that would be me. Thank you both for coming." The man in white smiles, bowing to the two who have approached him, appreciative at the arrival of help. Haru takes a moment to turn towards the platoon of guards, to find a rather cheery young woman approaching from their midst. It appeared they were in higher spirits than before, something he was grateful for. "Ok! As you all can see, my assistance had arrived, and we shall partake in the patrol post haste. Get yourselves ready, won't you?"

Seeing them prepare, he takes the time to turn to the now three people here. "Allow me an annendum. Thank you three for coming. I am Haru." He takes a moment to breathe, giving his acquaintances a pleasant smile before continuing, "You've no need to worry, miss Rose, for they aren't to go fighting anything they come across. They're here to patrol, group together upon finding a problem and take it out as a team. And they work extrordinarly as a team, despite their cold feet at the moment."

Jeez, he's been talking a lot today. Haru resists the urge to rub his throat, soreness from constant use kicking in. He'd been talking quite a while with the guards before anybody came, so there's been plenty of time for him to have overworked his voice. Still Haru continues, as he feels excited to talk to other players. Well, hopefully they are, anyway.

Haru decides to be quick about the gist to save his poor voicebox. "I hope we can fulfill our agendas today. You see, the guards aren't going to be going too hard into fights, but if they spot anything, we will be. That's what people expect of adventurers. That's why you you three I give an admission- I took this mission with my own agenda. I wish to find dire stags to have a chance to none with one of them. A companion, if you will." He shrugs rather nonchalantly for such a bold statement, something that may paint him in a light of confidence or foolishness or anything between.

"I do apologise if that sounds ridiculous, but try to think about it If any of us are able to afford a detour. Do any of you have a question, before we begin?" With that, he motions behind the other players towards the edge of the forest, where the guards now stood at attention and out of earshot. It seems as if they would begin soon.

 

"Iván," Iván nodded to the woman with pink hair. "Iván Carl, and you assume correctly."

Although Iván had not intended to say anything more, he still appreciated the timely arrival of another Player, seemingly saving him from anyone's unwanted attention. The Felis, which Iván had noted through her ears poking out from under all that blonde hair, carried with her some sort of food. Iván checked it out but did not take one. He found himself raising an eyebrow at the newcomer's joke.

Iván listened intently at what Haru had to say, marking him as their leader. He had no problem following someone else. In fact, Iván preferred it that way. He was more useful as the Sage of the group, never the Leader. Leaders always get saddled with unnecessary and uninteresting things like making sure everyone's accounted for, making sure no one's feelings get hurt, making sure there was enough equipment and stuff for everyone. Iván was more accustomed to being concerned with ideas, tactics, strategies. He was focused on winning with his mind, not concerned with physicality and socializing. He noted how Haru seemed to be soft but at the same time kind, the woman with the pink hair loud but critical, and the Felis cheerful and oblivious. All of them seem to be strong enough to carry out the mission successfully. Iván smirked at that hypothesis.

"You wish to capture a dire stag to be your companion?" Iván found it interesting. Although Haru's personal quest wouldn't contribute any benefit reward to his own, he did find himself curious regarding the dire stag's features. He had never seen one in the game, and this could be an opportunity to change that. Besides, there were four of them. Surely, it wouldn't be such a problem. Dire stags are dire stags, not evil boss monsters. They would make do. "I don't have any more questions except for that. Maybe introductions could be in order. That of abilities?"

Iván grinned under his hood.

 

And Haru grinned openly in the air. He had found just the people he needed, it seems. Noticing something quite important, he makes a request of his party, "Yes, that sounds like a wonderful idea. Perhaps, though, we should do our introductions as we go? Our friends are ready to begin." He gestures behind the three once more, and the guards had their supply equipment now on their persons and were ready to begin. Haru whistles sharply, pointing straight past them to the forest. The trainees responded immediately, turning to the expanse of trees before them and marching forward, splitting to cover forest grounds in teams of trained men.

Nodding silently, Haru can't help but approve of them. It's not like he had ever trained them a day in his life, but they still seemed fairly impressive to him. They must have had good training, he muses, his thoughts drifting. Were they really trained, or did they spawn like that? Does a training guard sit in a shack and load new data every day? NPCs always did make him curious in a setting as real as this.

He was so curious about it that he had already begun to follow them with his own footsteps, simply expecting the others to follow him. It would certainly be nice to learn about @Ilya and @Lili Rose , and so silently hopes that they would find his idea favorable and walk alongside while they introduced themselves. He would prefer to get this done as quick as possible, and so would not stand to wait any longer. Haru can't help but feel a little bit guilty about it though. Maybe he was being rude?

 

Taking note of the goals of the obvious leader of the group, Ilya gave a silent nod. Not understanding the reason behind the whole "deer" fetish he seemed to have, Ilya had plenty questions to ask Haru. Her tail flicked as she now began the journey, following in pursuit of Haru. As a fellow beast tamer, she understood his want of a companion by his side. Ilya, herself, had not found any animal she actually wanted to take up her side, apart from her lovely egg-pet, Mikró, the pink slime.

Mikró was actually set away for the time being, in the tavern that was home to the Lion's Pride. Ilya had taken note that Mikró was not that close with her. When poke, it laughed.. That was about the only interaction that Mikró would give Ilya. Her beast taming nature seemed to yearn for the amount of spunk that an actual companion would be. Yet, Ilya would never have wanted to become friends with a dire deer. Which left a rather large spot of curiosity for Haru in Ilya's whole being.

"Out of all the animals, why would you want a Dire Deer?" Her blunt nature seemed to ask the question, the confusion and utter "who the hell would actually do that" tone of voice laced in her question. Her face turned beet red as she realized how blunt she had been. "S-sorry.. I did not mean to be rude.." Her tail flicked up, hiding her cheeks with the brown tuft at the tip, resembling that of a lion tail. Her ears pinned to her head as she was ever more growing flustered with embarrassment.