Finding herself at the entrance of the crystalline forest once more, Eleanor set her hands on her hips. With a sigh, she recalled vividly how poorly her previous experience within the confines of the Crystallized Zalra had gone. Those odd, mechanical contraptions, and her rather clumsy battle with one of them. The idea of it brought an embarrassing shiver up her own spine, though at the very least, she had become aware of the possible dangers.

It was unfortunate that she had yet to obtain her coat again, ever since the Azog incident. Her hat was another missing persons case as well. These two left the woman in blue looking rather void of the color. Instead, she wore only her usual dark pants, as well as her white, collared shirt. With this outfit change, she both appeared and felt as though she was very different. Things, after all, had seemed to change for her quite a bit since she had died. It was as if the colors of her universe had begin to take turns pretending to be one another. Everything looked... Different.

With those thoughts still stirring in the back of her mind, she made an attempt to set them aside, venturing into the crystalline wood with careful steps. Her arms rested at a slight angle, with forearms raised. The minimal bend in her knees indicated her attention to precaution, as she moved as stealthily as possible. Despite all this, it was as if her stealthy maneuvers fell on deaf ears... Literally. There seemed to be no life in her vicinity. Not any life that she could currently detect with the use of her senses, that is.

All of a sudden, she heard a vibration of some kind. Louder and more forceful, the vibration began to shake and rattle the cage of Eleanor's mind. With her brows lowering, and her eyes beginning to squint, she flickered her pupils about in an attempt to find the source of it all. The shaking, like a dense fog, swept around the corners of her brain, taking hold in each bend and crevice, creeping within the edges with fiery talons. Just above her, a glimmer caught her eye. Looking up, she saw the orb of Idna, floating just above her, lowering itself. In an instant, it plummeted into her chest, and she felt herself collapse forward into a free fall. Her eyes flashed into a shade of nothingness, before the shaky vision of Azog's fiery maw appeared before her, the feeling of fire burning away her flesh, then gone. Wincing, she raised a hand up to her face. Galaxies and worlds, distant and far, as stars stretched across the vast, spacial horizon of the universe. The vibration continued louder and heavier, like the echoes of a gong, before fading away in an instant.

She placed one foot forward, stomping to catch herself. It was a far more intense action than was necessary, yet she was still fluttering back into reality. Her hands that had shielded her face from the flash of memories that had assaulted her remained, just in front of her face. The vibration began to fade away, as her senses regained their sharpness. Looking around at her surroundings, she carefully reanalyzed, uncertain of exactly how long she had been... Out of commission.

"Hello?"

@Xavier Weissman

 

This was something new, a invite from a lass he had never met before. Or had he and did he just not remember who she was? The question baffled his mind ever so slightly yet Weissman would not keep the woman waiting. It was an open request which the orphans had taken a liking to the moment they saw the location. The Crystallized Zaira, an area they were unfamiliar with but wanted to hear stories about upon his return. "Come on come on! You have to go!! You never leave a lady alone remember?!"

A little orphan girls voice said as she tugged him to the door while handing him Mcstabberson. Rolling the blade within his left hand it quickly found its sheath. He still had his trash tier armor which should have been upgraded a while ago. Yet he found himself finally returning after an intense medical course and funeral of a loved one. It was amazing how well the NPC children had learned to survive in his absence for a month. "Yah! You taught us that one!" Another orphan chimed in while handing over a backpack full of rations and water supplies. A laugh left the mans lips to humor the children. Indeed this had to be one of the very few things that elicited emotion from the sociopath.

With a chief nod and thumbs up he left without saying a single word to them. Sure he should have contacted Steele to let his guild boss know of his whereabouts yet he would not disturb the man for such a simple task at hand. Rushing off towards the land of Yladia, Xavier hummed a rather dark tone to himself as he sauntered down the streets. Taking a keen left he soon found himself upon the Crystallized grounds, opening the map in his palm he sought out the location of this Eleanor Loan . Stepping inside he descended into the maw of the cave in silence, his eye glinted in the dim glowing hall ways. Having been a new person he found himself taking several turns at a time before stepping back to leave a marking on the wall. This way he would not get lost nor forget the way back.

"Hello?!" a voice called out somewhere deeper within, with haste Xavier spun upon his heel to follow the sound. Stepping lightly upon the ground he stepped around a few bends before popping up just behind the woman with a rather stoic resting bitch face. This woman looked completely out of her mind the way she seemed to be recovering. Not to mention the fact that she was stomping about would give her away to possible enemies. "Oi.. Quit being so loud.. You'll get us killed if you aren't careful.." Weissman said his deep voice was now a low rumble in order to prevent an echo off of the walls. Opening he party list he sent her the invite.

Invite

Xavier Weissman has invited you to their party. Accept?

@Eleanor Loan

 

Still regaining her balance after another of the mental mishaps that plagued her following her death. The static and vibration that shook within her mind, like static jumping from place to place lingered, causing Eleanor's response to the man speaking behind her to be less than hasty. She heard the voice, but her reaction was slow. Certainly, if he would have been hostile, she would have been struck down in an instant. Eleanor cursed herself for the incompetence. It was just trauma, and she would recover in due time, she reminded herself.

Squinting and tilted her head, she made an attempt to focus her often quite precise vision. While blurred, it was fading once more into sharpness. His words had caught her off guard, as well as his positioning. She became a bit confused on the terms of what he was referring to.

"Killed?" Eleanor rested a hand on her hip, in an attempt to disguise her returning posture and conscious stability. "This forest is mostly vacant, is it not?" Her other hand motioned towards the rest of the crystalline forest, a myriad of colors leaking from the forest's roof. "Well..." She corrected herself, "I suppose, last time I was here, it held dangers." Her mind shifted once more to the memories of that damn contraption. How foolish it had been to instigate combat with it without preparing. For a detective, she made a lot of mistakes, it seemed. Curiosity was a cruel mister.

Her mind came back into focus, renewing its wit, and spun through the list of possibilities. Suddenly, she was taken back by the sudden presence of the stranger. How long had he been there? Had he followed her through the forest? What were his intentions? With all of the unknown variables twisting and churning within her mind, her initial response to him was soon forgotten, pushed aside for a more cautious, readied verbal stance.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?" She kept her voice low as he had recommended, knowing that it was foolish to go making a racket in a home that was not her own. With her left hand hand lingering in front of her chest, the palm glowed purple with an arcane festering. Reaching into her back pocket with her right hand, she presented three red talismans. The slips of paper soon began to levitate. One floated just in front of her, while the other two floated with one on either side behind her.

While he had not seemed immediately hostile, Eleanor had spent much time brainstorming the possible dangers of a virtual world. There was much more horror to be experienced from a foe that wished for victims alive, than one that desired them dead. Caution was in her blood, constantly at war with her desire to poke fun and discover the unknown. These two traits wrestled with her mind, though when it came to moments like this, caution and care easily overtook the other. Her life, after all, was a top priority.

For the time being, she allowed the party invitation to remain unaccepted or denied, leaving the option open. She had no intention of joining a party with someone whose motives were less than pleasant, so until she discovered otherwise, so it would remain.

@Xavier Weissman

 

When the party invitation had been ignored, Weissman did not waste any more time with her. Keeping to himself for the time being he wasn’t worried about the creatures to come like she would be. Clearly she had been afflicted by this location specifically due to her reaction and explanation. Dropping the left hand down he held the knapsack over the right shoulder with ease; gingerly stepping around her floating arcane works he had no fear of them. He only feared druid magic which had killed him on a previous raid. Opening his left hand once more, Xavier glossed over his friends and guild list to check out the previous activity. It seemed in his absence the rest had perished onto other things in the real world.


He let it sink in slowly, this way he could process it later on during the exploration of this new location. ”Keep up..” Was all he said as he avoided her question completely, he had wanted her to be a victim Mcstabberson would have found her neck during her recoil. Xavier was not fond of wasting precious time taking people out as needed. Though from the looks of her magic ability it would have been a lost cause no doubt. Looking around the next corner Weissman quickly disappeared from sight as both feet walked forward. He would not venture backward until he had found the very core of this cavern. When that was found only then would there be a reason to speak to the hostile female which he was currently leaving behind. ”I’ve got bigger fish to fry than answering your pointless question. When such a question is relevant it will find answer. If I wanted a victim I wouldn’t pick a recovering victim.. Especially not out here.. There’d be no one to find the body..” Frowning slightly his deep voice carried the words back to the woman as he descended into the caverns ahead of her.

@Eleanor Loan

 

"Pointless questions?" Eleanor squinted her eyes as he seemed to be walking away from her. Tilting her head, she stood her ground, the distance between them growing. She had no qualms with the increasing of distance between them. As far as Eleanor was concerned, he was still easily within her magic's grasp, if she wished to attack him. Up to this point, the idea of conflict had not evaded her mind. She had to be prepared for a majority of possibilities, if she wished to survive the potentially dangerous confrontation.

Listening to him as he spoke further, the detective heard mention of victims. Squinting her eyes, the idea of strife positioned itself much closer to the front of her mind. The palpation of her heart quickened, and the virtual blood raced through her veins. An arcane swell vibrated within the nerves of her palm, and a low violet glow radiated from the extended limb. Reaching forward, and open palm seemed to place itself within a sort of magnetic barrier. The red paper talisman in front of her remained parallel to her palm.

"I believe that my questions are not pointless." She muttered. The man had a serious tone to him that rubbed her the wrong way. Perhaps it was something in how he walked, or the tone of his voice. She did not feel comfortable letting him just walk free. Releasing the talisman, she sent it through the air.

The soaring, arcane projectile flashed through at rapid speed, as if a flash of light. Whether it soared into a nearby crystal tree, splattering the ground with it's shards and causing a sound not so dissimilar to shattering glass, or whether it had flown through the crystal hallway and struck her target as intended, Eleanor was not certain. The attack had been sent, and she could prepare for the consequences after.

"I suggest you answer them. You haven't bigger fish than me right now."

@Xavier Weissman

 

Looking left and right he gently pressed his hands against the wall while listening for the woman's voice. Yet nothing was coming from her direction, but he did find himself a nice slip space to the right hand side. Unexplored spaces were where the real party was at! A silent smirk crossed his lips as he slipped into the space and out of sight; yet the raised hairs on his arms did not escape the feel of magic. With a bang the talisman struck the crystal wall missing its target completely and leaving behind nothing but shards and hiding the crawl space hold from palpating and view.

When the collision happened Wiessman remained as quiet as the graces of dead men and woman from before. His eyes adjusted to the lowly illuminated space that now held him in it's clutches. There was a lot of material here for him to work with in the future. Picking up a few herbal roots he also picked up some decently sized crystal shards for himself to sell. Keeping in mind that the walls permitted an echo he spoke plainly while listening for her foot steps. She wanted an explanation and he would give it to her.

"First off lass, careful where you aim that shit.. Secondly my children would not appreciate you trying to kill me... Thirdly nor would my clan we specialize in helping people and keeping people alive.. I dedicate my time to eliminate active PvP players to make safe the people.. I am by far weaker than you apparently.. That however has not changed my dream or desire to keep people safe." His words rang out as he continue to walk growing a bit fainter with each step.

There was yet more passage ways for him to follow and he surely would like to figure out the rest of this place. If the woman didn't accept his explanation she would have a jolly fun time finding the man. He moved like a Ghost with ease and he intended to keep it that way unless she wished to act on civil terms with him. Keeping quiet Wiessman ducked under a low hanging root that had grown through the walls. This place was incredible and somewhat breath taking. At some point he would like to bring all the orphans with him to this place in order for them to run around and pick up crystals to make into necklaces and so forth. Pulling Mcstabberson from its sheath Xavier's eyes flicked left and right as he crouched low to the floor.

Something did not feel right and he did not want to be left prone to the attack whether it was for him or for her. The result would be decided within the next few moments; and if there was no danger then the air of the building was not too friendly no doubt. Something was here..

@Eleanor Loan