[WARNING] This thread contains actual combat with a fairly weak companion against some stronger than normal opponents. Entry discretion is advised How long had it been? A while. A very long while. Wendy never did bring the game back. Nor did she completely get over her trauma. In fact she barely spoke still. Although she had spent some time figuring things out. Spending time shooting and shooting. Casting magical girl white magic, among other things. She continued to try and help others in the game. More and more the ugly head of reality even when it was shown in the virtual world was becoming apparent to her. The death she had experienced. It had troubled her. It still troubled her how people could actually experience that and not return... ever. It was going to some kind of miracle to save people from death. It really was not possible was it? People have to die of old age right? It was her birthday in a few days. She made a promise to herself. That on that day. When she became a teenager. Wendy and Magi Heart would decide. Whether it was still worth it. If being a hero was for her. Was it what she would really would do anything for? Is it possible to help others without hurting others at the same time? Magi Heart stood far out into the Astorea forests. She had ventured here regardless how much it scared her to push forward so much. Her body was tired some but if the location on the map was real. The statue was out here. A statue that was built long ago by some ancient group of people. No one knows if it was the Yladians, Falderens or someone else. It was said to be a beautiful statue of a girl. Not just any girl but a powerful magical girl that fought to protect whoever lived here that long ago. It was said that it inspired many female heroes even to this day. Especially those of the magical variety. Maybe this would give her the strength she needed to continue. It was said the spirit of the girl spoke to you if your heart was pure. Would experiencing death take away that purity? Magi was not sure. She still did her best to draw her power from such purity though. She kept clicking her pane and trying to figure out how much farther east it could possibly be. The monsters were getting stronger and she was not the best equipped. She would have tried to bring a friend but truly she had yet to make any real ones. Magi used to do her best to befriend everyone but recently it just seemed harder. Probably because she felt silly to say anything these days. She wanted to just get over things and be strong, but for some reason it was just so hard to do. She continued on her way. No matter how far. She had to find this statue, she just had too.
Gwyn had taken a break from the more upbeat and excitable work of hunts, combat quests, and dealing with the general fuckery of Astorea for a moment of peace to perhaps mentally rest while not dying of boredom while trying to physically rest. The thing about the game was that sleeping in it was all well and good, but she laid around back in the real world enough as is. Here she didn't want to lay around however mentally or emotionally taxed she was. And so, after asking around and pestering some of the Yladian healers as to how they could help, she had found herself a quest. Find a herb. No regular herb either. The man had explained in great detail about a herb that had once been common in the north, but had faded away into near extinction. Apparently it had been seen far enough south that he believed it might still grow in what was no longer Adecus Forest. It was a gentle flower with a scent somewhere between rosemary and lavender and a taste he swore matching the feeling of a beach before a storm. She was tempted to call him out on it, but he'd also had a book with a few sketches of it. A pale purple, lavender fittingly, with pale blue spotting in the middle of the orchid-like leaves. The stalks were a green so pale it looked gray. The Wraith's Bloom had a fitting name. Hard to find, pale to see, and deadly by its lonesome. Some other combination of plants and boiling it down could apparently produce a powerful tincture that a few drops could be used to clear up even the worst coughs. He wanted it before the seasons passed into a colder nature in preparation for fall and winter. She had assumed the task easy until she accepted it and realized the difficulty of it. His rare flower must have been incredibly rare if a fucking fetch quest looked about on par with fist fighting a mini-boss in the buff. It had given her a large swathe of forest as the zone it was located it and left her hanging after that. Gwyn could track men and monsters all day and night, but you couldn't track something that didn't move and she was not Alchemist or Naturamancer. All there was for it was to explore. That she didn't mind. A nice, calm walk sounded fine. She was hopefully high enough level that if she did run into fight it would be fine, so long as she avoided any quest or spawn areas with tougher enemies. With that in mind the huntress began her hunt for a flower of all things. After two hours of wandering through dense undergrowth, climbing over fallen logs, avoided roaming creatures, taking in the sights, and noting interesting locations to revisit? She found something. It certainly wasn't the plant variety of a flower though. She'd crossed a path and glanced to the side at the sight of movement and another player caught her eye farther down the way. That fucking Wraith Bloom could wait, it certainly wasn't going anywhere anyway. "Hey!" she called out toward the girl's back to catch her attention as she jogged closer to avoid having to yell more. "You're a bit far off the beaten path. I didn't think there were a lot of quests this far out, unless you're lost?"
For once he might enjoy an actual wander around the game world without anything to ruin the peace. Quest here, kill this, gather that and the other a few times over with a low drop rate, all on top of the random mobs that decided their aggro table was going to add him to the list for no reason. Checking on the server status at work proved to be a real pain the past week on top of that back in reality. Something or other about connection drops from people trying to connect within a short distance. Alonso forced that memory into the recesses of his mind. He did not want to deal with work, or anything in real life for that matter. Terrasphere mattered right now. The sameness of the tress and vegetation were pushed aside by his metaphorical blinders, focusing on the rough path ahead. He did not wander through this area in detail yet. Last time he payed attention to this region, a massive siege and turnaround was taking place. Curse that timing, since his day had been scheduled by force to help out. The Felis was not aligned with the current ruler of this land, nor against him for that matter, but figured as long as he did nothing wrong there was not a single reason to worry. Rumors of the region's inner workings were spread, but most of those devolved into a mob with a specific name he found easy to ignore. A somewhat muffled voice called out, a disturbance of life noticed by the muscled bear of a man. His eyes scanned the area about him, stepping near a tree for sake of trying to remain hidden. Rogue was not on his build list though, so results may vary. Nearby was a woman catching up to a young looking girls, both players by the looks of it, and the option of intervening cropped up in Alonso's mind. One or the other could well be a player killer, and if real life matched up with in game avatar then the little girl was in trouble. No, being paranoid was not the best way to relax the tension in his body. Today was his day to remain out of sight and continue the calming nature of silence as his massive frame turned away. Then it turned back and ordered his legs to move towards the pair. Damn paternal instincts kicking in again. Last time he was indecisive and opted for the choice of keeping a little girl company was back at the first world boss. But then, perhaps he could use this opportunity to satisfy his need to keep a child safe instead of harassing his own daughter with yet another phone call. Alonso had already been threatened with being grounded by his own children for the constant checking in. He did not try hiding himself at this point, knowing his body was too obvious to mistake for one of the trees. Once his eyes focused on the child, however, he continued to predict a matter of naivety. "Good day to both of you, I suppose," Alonso said, bringing himself to a stop a couple feet away, "Didn't expect to see anyone out here, considering most tend to stick around the castle and not some random spot in Astorea." That was how conversations with new people worked, right? He was not growing too old for small talk and new acquaintances? Tags: @Magi Heart @Gwyn ap Herne
[OOC: We can keep posting but will give some time for a 3rd person to join.] Magi Heart could not find it. Nothing. no statue. No chance to speak to the spirit. She would not give up though. Wendy still had hope that things were on the right track. No monsters or traps or giant killer spider ladies... no one was going to stop her. Love and justice can do this! She kept her head up and trudged on. A small break in the trees would bring a sense or relief from the dense and lonely forest. A deer was in the center of clearing but ran into the woods the instant it saw Magi approach. Magi could not help but frown at that. Even if she had to resist a desire to shoot at it. She had become pretty crazy about shooting things. It was the only way she ever felt like she was getting better and it kind of worked. If only she did not have to fight for strength and could get it from the strength of friends or something like in the anime.... "Hey!" Hmmmm? Magi generated her bow and quickly aimed it at the voice. Who was this far out here but a creepy bandit or something? The voice belonged to a very tall woman. Magi lowered her bow as the women spoke her concern about Magi Heart going so far out of the way. Oh okay.... maybe she was not a bad person. Most people were not bad after all. Wendy had to keep that in mind no matter how brutal the world was getting. Magi made a quick bow as she normally did. She was not Japanese at all but her character's theme was based on mahou shoujo and her expressions and mannerisms would probably make many think she was, or just a otaku which was basically correct. "O-oh... sorry for aiming my bow at you.... I was cautious of bandits." he girl spoke softly and without the old enthusiasm she used to have. At least she spoke now. It took awhile but she was getting back together. Especially with the hop of this possible meeting with a legend. Almost immediately after the quick exchange. A even bigger man, gee whiz, was there a village of giants around here? Showed up. He had a really nice and kind expression on his face and also seemed to be concerned about her coming out here. That was nice of them. It's good to show care and want to help maybe but... Magi Heart really did come off that helpless didn't she? Sigh.... "Hello, hello. I'm Magi Heart, a hero of justice and stuff.... you probably... never heard of me though..." Another quick bow and then she would continue now needing to explain herself or else they might try and drag her back to a town and she'll never find the statue! "Well... I know it looks strange but... I'm out here to find a statue.... it's important. Really important. It's of a legendary magical girl...." Wendy was not going to give anyone a chance to stop her or try and say there was no statue out here. She turned and continued into the clearing looking around as she reached the center. Some butterflies flew by but she did not care. Where was the statue? Why was it so hard to find if other pure hearted people could visit it? "Sigh...... I-I just want..... to be a good magical girl. That's all..... please." She fell to her knees and sighed again. A shadow of a bird flew over the clearing before vanishing. Maybe there was no statue and it was all a lie? Please don't be true. It had to be true! "Do you guys.... do you guys know why there is so little love in the world? Why it is so hard to spread it? That's what a magical girl does..... I-I ...." She stood back up and turned to look at them. "Never mind. You guys wouldn't know much about me. ... I haven't been having much luck hahaha." She did not notice the bushes across the way behind her shaking and rustling...... @Gwyn ap Herne @Alonso Thorlion
Gwyn lifted her hands up in a placating gesture as the girl turned with her bow. A first glance showed she likely wasn't too massive of a danger to the archer, but she didn't care to turn into a pin cushion whether it would kill her or not. She would much rather sink her own arrows into things than be on the returning end. A painful, if poetic, turn of the tables. "No, no, sorry for startling you," she responded as the girl relaxed. Before she could speak, she felt the faint push of awareness through the animal empathy with her hidden companion. Someone else? She turned to see a rather large Felis join them. Nathair, still slipping through the shadows of the thick woods, eyed @Alonso Thorlion but made no move and contented itself by remaining apart from her. It was still poorly socialized with strangers and she couldn't find it in herself to blame the anaconda. It would join them when it was ready or it would continue shadowing her until danger arrived, fangs and coils readied alike to take up the fight. The ranger focused on the girl as she spoke after the man's arrival. "Hah, I try to avoid the castle, actually. Ranger, you know? I'd rather be out here than anywhere. And it's nice to meet you then, Miss Magi. Name's Gwyn and my partner Nathair is... around. I haven't heard anything about a statue of a sorceress or anything around here, but I'm happy to help." The term magical girl was a little odd, but she wasn't used to these game worlds and the like so maybe it was slang for some form of caster? Oh well. She was already on a quest with no real tracks, trail, or the like so she might as well explore with some form of purpose. She tagged along as the girl kept moving forward into a clearing and looked around with a rather crushing expression, ultimately collapsing. She jerked forward, but didn't touch the girl. Like Kyupin once before, she never knew what some people needed when upset. She didn't want to assume and crowd or baby her. Gwyn tended to lash out, had once decked a buddy when he'd tried to console her over a real shit show of a send attempt. She had fucked up and had to restart twice. It had turned out all well and fine besides his bruise. She had hate-yarded her way up and finally finished it in the end. Still, they'd all learned a good lesson on personal space and assumptions. "I think there's plenty of love in the world, it's just easy not to see it. Most bad things, no matter how small, tend to show a lot louder than the good in things." She shrugged helplessly as let the young player gather herself back together. "Just a matter of knowing where to look and appreciating the little things, I guess. Can't say for other people though." Before she could say more in response to either of them, a nearby sound caught the attention of the ranger and her tamed companion. Nathair was too far and too low to the ground to catch sight of whatever it was, but she could sense the vague intent and the snake moved closer to the disturbance. Either to strike or to simply see remained... well, seen. Gwyn for her part tensed, drawing the dark longbow to her hand with a smooth movement. Her Hunting mastery was well enough to notice, but not to preemptively tell who or what it was. "Head's up. Looks like someone else might have found you too, @Magi Heart," she said calmly. There was no guarantee it wasn't someone else... and if it was something else she'd slot an arrow in it where Magi hadn't done so earlier to her.
The conversation's focus was the petite girl, and by the sheer tone she was in some form of need. It was not one of physical danger, at the moment, but enough for the man to determine the true nature of this occurrence. Naive words circled about the group. These notes provided further evidence of the young girl's age, a brow raised at the concept of magical girls, but Alonso refused to ruin the fantasy. Flashbacks reared into his mind of his kin running around, dressed as a princess for Halloween. Sort of the same concept here, despite the concerns of a child playing Terrasphere. Out of the way paths and hidden statues were not the appropriate designations for lack of adult supervision. Alonso gave a quick smile once he focused attention on Magi Heart. Damn, kids just had to be adorable beyond belief. "My name is Alonso Thorlion here, although my first name is fine if it worries you too much to use the proper terms for an adult you don't know," the hulking cat man said. He was assuming the girl's real age too much, but he could not help it. Until she proved otherwise, the human in front of him was a little kid. In that regard everyone was little compared to his mass, and so far the guy had not met someone of his age group. Gaming had started with his generation, so there just had to be another out there who held a veteran title. For now, he had to deal with following Magi Heart and Gwyn through the woods. Something was wrong. Dad senses tingled, and few child related emotions rushed over his head. Upon Magi Heart falling to her knees did instinct take over. Bending on one knee himself, grateful he had not developed joint issues yet at his age, his hands reached out to prevent the girl from falling over and getting hurt. The bearish Felis's hands returned to his being, resting an arm over his propped up thigh. No, the poor thing had taken a dive into depression. If this statue was just some creature that made contracts with young girls in exchange for power, the huge factor of 'nope' was going to set in. The man had seen enough of a certain, Japanese developed cartoon in the past, meaning he knew where that was going. Hell no. Yet, wild fantasies needed to be pushed aside. This was a game with real life people dwelling inside. Conversational subjects were fragile, as was the inquiry of love. Alonso's ears shot up, eyes wide at the sheer thought, glancing away in some form of embarrassment. He was overreacting. No, the man was acting as he did regardless when the mention of a loved one was brought up. Lessons were learned, and consequences already settled. His sonorous vocals removed any sense of hostility, a gentle swerve of words leaving his throat, "Some... sometimes, it's hard for someone to display love for another they care about. It's not that there's little of it, but a lot of the time it's frightening to even think about confessing such a thing." Alonso's eyes shifted away again, a drawn out sigh escaping into the air, "People don't want to hurt someone. Even love can be hurtful, and nobody wants to make a someone they love feel any sort of pain. You just... need to have some faith and courage if you want to display love to everyone. It won't always turn out the way you want, but there will always be those grateful that you tried, and are more than willing to accept your compassion." Delivering a response of that caliber was not on the bucket list for today. It was uncomfortable, but a weight had been lifted off the chest. Or at least, the man felt so himself. Alonso rose to his feet once the magical girl decided that kneeling in the dirt was no longer an option. The bare chested Felis furrowed his brow, keeping a close eye on the girl's emotional state. She was doubting herself far too quick. While thoughts continued to toil about that mess of a thought process, a rustle in the vegetation caused the man's ears to shoot up again, the alert that something else was wrong again. Making assumptions was not a good idea, but the man knew he was going to anyways. A snarl rushed through his system, eyes focused on the disturbed plant life, and rushed his body between the group and potential enemy. He crouched over, arms in a pseudo wrestling stance in preparation to slam the poor fool into the ground. Dad Mode had activated in the worst of ways. @Magi Heart @Gwyn ap Herne
They both were trying to make her feel better. Magi remembered when the big armored lady at Dormont did something similar. Gwyn's words about how bad things were louder and more obvious than good things really explained a lot. If that was true though. How could Magi do enough good to beat the bad completely and create a wonderful happy ending for everyone? Then the big scarier guy came over and... Wendy felt a sense of comfort from him. He kinda reminded her of her dad a few years ago, before he got absorbed by his work. Faith and courage? Yeah that sounded like a good thing for a magical girl to abide by. Wendy tried to as well. Sigh... but... The sudden rustling and aggressive stances of Gwyn and Alonso made Magi quickly join them in preparing for what might be a monster attack. Gwyn's arrow flew just as a bunny burst from the bushes scared out of it's wits. It hopped right past the group before they could respond. Phew... it was nothing bad. Although Magi hopped the bunny was not scared from the arrow. "Awww.... we're sorry bunny rabbit... I think so anyway." Then another sound was heard from the same direction! A strange person came rushing out with a weird look on their face. They looked weird and seemed to be hurt. One of there arms were all bandaged up. Magi would take a few steps forward to ask if they needed help, but then stopped. Why was this person drooling a little? "Mmmm....awwwww maaaan. Where did it go? I just wanted a nibble...." The weirdly dressed teen looked like she came from a region Magi had never been to with her oriental looking outfit. She also had a really pretty flower pinned to her chest. The girl bit her lip as she saw the trio. Then she wiped the drool from her mouth with her non bandaged hand. Her skin had a sick looking purplish tinge to it. "Oh... s-sorry did you see a rabbit hop by? It's my snack." Magi Heart was not sure if she wanted the poor bunny to be found by this girl but she had to help. It was what magical girls did. "Um... it went past us but I don't think you will catch it now...." Magi said a bit confused how she should feel about that. Another voice then called out from nearby. Another girl around the same age as the purplish came over and slapped a stick in her hand menacingly. She promptly moved on to take said stick and smash it into the first teen's head. "URGH! How many times are you going to do this to me? Misha, I have got to find a new partner... you are just too much!" The girl was over dressed in magical looking attire. The various symbols and stereo typical magician's cape were hard to ignore. This girl had a ego and obviously thought herself to be a magic user of some type. She looked to Magi and the other two and made a 'wadda you looking at' look. Magi was thinking this one may be a dark mage.... then they were evil! No no Wendy... don't judge. A magical girl should always see the good first. She convinced herself. "Tizzy I'm sorry. I really need to learn self control... but hungerrrrrrrrrr." The blonde named Tizzy stomped her foot angrily. 'Shut up! I told you I'm through with your CRAP!' Suddenly a cracking sound could be heard all around the huddle of people. It grew... and grew.... and grew.... until it was obvious what was happening. The earth itself gave out as Magi, Gwyn, Alonso, and the two other girls all fell into the abyss below... @Gwyn ap Herne @Alonso Thorlion
Gwyn watched and listened idly as the Felis, who introduced himself as @Alonso Thorlion, spoke in an effort with her to soothe the odd girl. She seemed to be troubled deeper than just the statue's lacking, but what it was eluded her. Gwyn was better at baring her teeth and throwing herself into a fight or conversation with heedless abandon rather than the more delicate work of comforting people or discovering their hidden intents or feelings on different matters. Her conversation with Kyupin had been an anomaly in that. For that, Gwyn had her own personal experience to draw from. Magic certainly wasn't and she never found herself struggling with things like love and goodness. The innate nature of humanity didn't concern her really. It was what it was. They had more pressing concerns, however, when it wasn't an upset little girl to be worried about. The rabbit's blazing trail cut across their path didn't draw her eye from the woods. If the thing was running then it was running from something. Nathair across the bond pushed back the feeling of warning. Of wariness. It was unsettled. She bade it closer with a low whistle to the side as the woman followed the hare's path. The bandages were odd. Tattered and useless from wear as best she could tell. They weren't well kept and there was an air of a more feral nature from the new human. Assuming human, that was. Her eyes flickered white immediately in an attempt to use her Investigation Mode as soon as she heard rustling from behind her as well. Another then. She didn't need to have the enhanced UI active to see something she didn't care for though. The moment the other woman struck her 'partner' with the stick Gwyn's lip twitched up in a half-snarl. "Hey! I don't know what your problem is, but-" She cut off with a start as the rumbling started. Her summoned tame made it just in time to be included when it all gave under them. The huntress desperately kicked off the shattering stone and crumbling soil to try and reach out an arm to haul around @Magi Heart's waist as Nathair struck toward her with open jaws. The world collapsed beneath her feet before she could tell if her hold on Magi was solid or not. She felt Nathair latch onto the armor around her torso and haul itself closer to try and coil around her as best free fall allowed. It was a small weight off her shoulders to feel the tame join her despite her worries. Even the darkness below couldn't banish the steady 'we're here, we're fine, we'll survive, we're eternal so long as it is us' shared without words between the tamer and her partner.
Waiting, patience, and observation were the keys to condemning the wretched swine who dared to rustle about in the bushes. Nobody was going to ruin this moment, and a small child did not need anymore negativity in her life. Piercing eyes meant more than a warning, a promise with full intents of being kept. Yet, the first strike was not caused by the fiend trying to ambush the group, as Magi Heart's arrow flew past the large man's shoulder and sliced into the supposed attacker. Odd though, how no sounds of pain were released. Perhaps the monster was more hardy than first imagined. No, that was not it. Hopping out of the vegetation was nothing more than a rabbit. Alonso's guard lowered, feeling more than silly about this whole predicament, "Huh... well then." As soon as he began lowering his fists, however, another person showed up out of the bushes. The Felis raised a brow, questioning the nature of this new girl asking about the rabbit. Explains the tense aura resonating from before. Despite the uncouth nature of the stranger, no harm was being done to anybody but the supposed prey. Sighing, Alonso lowered his fists again and stood to his full height. He let Magi Heart do the talking since there was no need for the man to interfere. Just as soon as the hungry little girl got her response, another, more impatient girl walked out and smacked the other with a stick. Of course. Then the arguing. And the whining. So much that the middle aged beast man was starting to having flashbacks of his own children in their youth. He preferred changing diapers over his two daughters squabbling over the smallest thing. It bothered Alonso to no end, a vein pulsing in his head. Goddamnit these children needed to be taught a lesson. Right after Gwyn said her part, the immense brawler said, "Both of you knock it off, you aren't three year olds!" The pounding of his deep voice resorted to his less than gentle side. Enough so that he swore it could shake mountains, crumbling them beneath their oversized peaks. Or was that the ground? An earthquake in the distance perhaps, or the dirt and gravel beginning to collapse between everyone's feet, which did not look pleasant in the slightest. Instinct kicked in, the man's heavyset body pushing itself towards @Gwyn ap Herne and @Magi Heart. Alonso knew little about these two. They were just some other players, one a grown woman and the other who looked like a twelve year old. Yet, that slim chance remained they were the ages in real life their avatars represented. He could not take that risk. No more disappointments. Wide arms reached out, attempting to encompass the woman and girl to shield them from the brutal fall. He was tough, and this was not going to be the thing that killed him nor these two strangers.
