Zelrius headed north for the first time since he had began playing this game. Up to this point, the Golden Haired man had stuck to Brisshal; his inner compassion, mixed with his insecurities of having no direction, he kept him confined there for sometime. All in all, his time in those rolling farm fields and grasslands hadn't come for naught. He had helped the locals there on and off, completing several tasks and even defending against some Goblin raiders here and there. While the man thought his contribution was minimal, it was still something he had prided himself on, having actually done something he could say was atleast semi-worthwhile in his time here so far.

However, Zelrius was a dreamer. His time in Brisshal had made him begin to understand the world, and he wanted to aim higher. His ambition was ever reaching, some even calling it greed. Though he was grateful to the locals and Adventurers of Brisshal of his success in the area, the golden haired man had his aims set far above helping some farmers or simply killing goblins. No, he was always one of those who felt the need to be "In the Room where it Happens" for turn of phrase. Meaning, he wanted to always have his hand in the greater dealings of whatever game or world he found himself in. In the real world, Zelrius felt left behind and helpless, and instead expressed his deepest desires through gaming. Terrasphere was the perfect catalyst for this way of thinking or atleast, so Zelrius thought.

So, on this day, Zelrius found himself in the city of Dormont. This was the Astorean Kingdom's golden gem, or thats what they say. However, he was severely disappointed upon arriving just outside of the city. In his mind, Players were supposed to be leagues above NPCs in every way, having a greater understanding of every corner of life to a far greater degree than these "Locals" should have. Yet, Dormont exemplified none of that. It was a ruined Village with a ruined Castle at its head. Zelrius couldn't bring himself to believe that this was the great Player Nation forged from war. Though he understood why it was in the state that it was in; He answered his own question, in the question. War was the reason it was the state it was in, and no amount of player knowledge could turn a pile of rubble into a bustling hub over night. No, he knew it would take quite a long time for it to ever recover, perhaps even the decades that it'd take in real life for a town to recover from such a situation.

Zelrius was reminded of the City of Alesia, specifically, its siege and downfall at the hands of Caesar in 55 B.C.E. Twenty Five thousand villagers caught between what to them would have been veritable gods; Vercingetorix and Caesar. Those two men sacrificed pretty much every at stake there on that battlefield, simply to gain an advantage. Leaving the villagers' whose city was being sieged, to starve outside the city, caught between the two armies. Nowadays, Alesia was rebuilt, and was a bustling Swiss city, but, it wasn't without centuries of heartache, caught in the middle of war after war. And now, Astorea was in the same position.

Because, Zelrius recalled correctly; the war with Falderen wasn't ever technically over. He had heard from various sources that while Astor and Yladia had successfully taken this forest that he now stood in, all that was ever reached was a temporary armistice. Which, from what the golden haired man understood from history; Rarely ended in White Peace. No, an armistice was basically an excuse for both sides to go home and regain their cores, then go back at it until one side ran out of resources. And from the looks of it, Astorea was likely to run out of resources first. They had a few advantages; the main being that players were the bulk of their fighting force. Their man disadvantage, Players being the bulk of their fighting force. See, it wasn't like players were exactly as populous as the NPCs were. No, the locals far outnumbered the adventurers. And while its true that the Adventurers can respawn, how long will the Adventurers take the economic Abuse of war before giving up? Only time will tell.

But beyond that, he knew nothing more of the current state of the war. Only rumors, that often times conflicted. He did know one thing; he intended to find out which side he was going to throw his lot in with. Though Zelrius had a pretty good idea already which side he wanted to help. He came here seeking a certain person; the Princess of Falderen. He had guessed that she'd be here in light of recent events. and it wasn't difficult to spot her; The Knights she traveled with being very easy to spot.

With a confident Swagger, Zelrius slowly approached the Entourage, undoing the clip for the belt that held both his weapons in their scabbard to his body, and clasping them tightly in one hand, an effort to show that he was not a threat as he approached them. Within an Instant, one of the Knights stopped him, lance pointed at the man. He held up his hands, scabbards still tightly in his grip. "I wish an audience with Princess uh.." it took him a moment to try and get the pronunciation right, having only heard the name from those in Stokbon once or twice. "D'Vangelline...?" He shook his head and nodded, saying it with more confidence "Yes, the Royal Lady D'Vangelline." The Knight seemed hesitant, calling out to the Princess, and having her come over from atop her own horse. Within moments, Zelrius was disarmed and face to face with the woman. His heart-rate picked up; not exactly expecting to make this far. "I uh.. Uh.." He shook his head again, closed his eyes and breathed in, then relifted his dark blue irises to meet hers. "Allow me to introduce myself; I am Zelrius, An Adventurer, I am sure you're familiar with them. While I have no titles, I have spent a great deal of time in Falderen, getting along with your subjects, and giving aid in Brisshal where needed. I have a few questions and things to go over, if you spare the time." When she gave the approval to continue he did so;

"I understand that Astorea and Falderen aren't on friendly terms. Firstly, I'd like to ask on where you stand on that? Do you wish for to settle this with blood and blade? Or perhaps a more peaceful solution can be reached? I know that war is never the option of rulers, but sometimes it is necessary. And I am of the hopeful mind that you will make the decision that is best for your Kingdom. I also understand that the King is still in power, but word floats around in the capital city that he may be... loosing his knockers, to put it politely. That being said, here is what I offer; Allow me to serve you in any capacity you may need an Adventurer for. In trade, you pay me how you deem fit for my services. Preferably in Land, Wealth or Items. As for what I can do; I have skills that I am improving. Hunting and Tracking being a specialty, along with some well defined skills in blade work, and an improving skill with Sword Dancer techniques, the use of two blades at once. I am well-spoken, and like to believe I am level-headed, perhaps that could be of some use. What I am getting at is; You may find me to be very well rounded, with the inherent advantage over any of the subjects in your Kingdom; I am of the same line as Astor. Not by blood, of course, but with the coming back to life and limitless Potential. Versatile, being the word. What do you think?"

Zelrius stopped there for now, a confident grin on his face. He could on, but the man was more than worried about overdoing it. And to be quite honest; he hadn't planned on much ahead of where he was at now. Not sure what to do in the face of rejection or even acceptance.

 

Zelrius listened intently at her words, his mind racing through a rollercoaster of emotions. She explained her stances, which made him slightly pull back, not quite expecting an answer. She certainly was a princess; Not just in the Graces or mannerisms, but also in that she was clearly a trained politician. Her words were succinct, yet not much was said even in a plethora of them being spewed. Once more, it made the man think to the game's developers; that unknown group of "shadow" people, who made this illegal game with such amazing grace as this. The NPCs were unbelievably realistic, with actual struggles and pleasures in life, their own developed personalities through complex interactions and even more complex behaviour.

Jeanne was the perfect example of that; her own ambitions, with her own emotions and stances on certain issues. With each passing day, Zelrius grew to love Terrasphere more and more. Her words were harsh, but not in such a way that it hurt the boy's feelings. He just felt lost as she turned away, not sure of what exactly to do with the information she had given him, other than what he already intended to do. He looked around him as she walked away, not sure exactly where to go from here.

That was, until she turned back and continued to speak, Zelrius flinching a little as she handed him the handkerchief, caught completely off guard. He took, examining the thing as she spoke. It was made of fine material; very soft to the touch, and the design of the initials was very intricate, even by his standards of the modern world.

He felt invigorated now, with a mission in mind. Zelrius was waiting for a chance like this, without even knowing it. She just gave him a purpose, and his brows furrowed in deep though, a real confident grin spreading across his face, as he gave a light bow of respect. Zelrius never though he'd be showing respect to a line of code in a video game, but this was different; She came off as a real person to him, weirdly enough.

The man had forgotten about his daily life struggles. His nagging parents demand that the man exceed like he used to. The constant memory of having lost someone dear to him. It was odd, most of his early life had gone without incident; an aspect he had been quite thankful for up until rather recently. Those things and more melted away as he had a new set of goals in mind. He spoke up, adding to her thoughts;

"I will do as you say, and I hope, that with enough effort on my part, you will be quite impressed with the result. As for the players, you're right; Death is not cheap. If we ever do end up speaking again, I think I have a solid plan for defeating other Players. But as you said, there are other things that need handled first. I just want you to keep this information; Players may not be as all-powerful as they seem now, with the right circumstances. That being said, I am off. Thank you for your time and considering, Princess de Falder. Until next time."

He added the De Falder part at the end, still not entirely sure of exactly what to refer to her as. His isecurities began to rise, wondering if his lack of customs influenced her a bit. Though he dismissed it, she seemed kind enough to atleast give him the time of day despite that, yet he still wanted to try and impress her, more so now. Even as the man turned away, he had more burning in his mind; She seemed to be in a semi hurry to get somewhere, and was fully escorted to where she was headed. It was odd; he didn't know where though, whether it be Stokbon or... somewhere else. He turned quickly and called out to her just to see if he could get an answer. but, by the time he turned around, she was on her horse and headed out once more. He let it go, deciding to just spin around and head toward Brisshal, a new plan in mind.

@Raid Master