(Story Event) The Rescue Entourage | Page 2

[l]Wagon #1[/l]

It was... so... so... "...so soft!!!" For a few, initial, seconds Seigi had forgotten all that was around her. This was way better than any of the pillows, each one worth a small fortune, she owned in real. The fluffiness. The comforting heat. The texture. A Felis tail... Vina's tail... was perfection. Pure. Perfection. If Seigi wasn't busy being a Hero then clearly she would have started a Fluffy Tail Cult. Right here, right now.

Her face was full of joy, which could also been seen for a few seconds before she snuzzled her face into this fluffy heaven. If only the flow of time could halt in its tracks, for the world is a but a shade of this tails beauty.

Sooner or later however, Seigi was finished abusing @Vina Skysong's tail in a child-like manner. Nonetheless as she finally lifted her head she thanked the Felis. "Thankyouveryverymuch!" Seigi said in such a fast fashion that it was barely understandable. "I shall treasure this moment for eternity!" Putting her hand on her chest it made it seem like a vow. A unbreakable promise.

"C-Can I also touch your ears?!" How would they feel?! Just as fluffy? Seigi doubted it but she was curious beyond words! That said though, despite her childish behaviour, the girl had been more-or-less paying attention to what was going on around her too.

Overall, even with all the energy Seigi was radiating, the mood in the first wagon seemed rather grim. A survivor of the initial ambush and all. "Don't worry! It's all going to work out! We're gonna do great!" She more-or-less repeated what she had just said earlier ago. "If any baddies shows up I'll give them a taste of my heroic punch! HYA!" She punched demonstratively forward. Not even owning some gauntlets or similar safe a few bandages wrapped around her hands. "No reason to go all gloomy! What doesn't kill you only makes you stronger."

Looking outside now, to assess the other, other voice she had heard earlier Seigi nearly jumped up. "ANOTHER! Felis!" Weren't they like, super rare or something?! Seigi stared a hole into @Aria's face: Was her tail just as fluffy?

Tracker / Roll
81 + 0 = 81
726​

@Claire Thalassa @Zelrius

 

[l]Wagon #6[/l]

_____It would seem things would not be so busy for Kaedé or the wagon she was on so far, most things seemed to be happening up front and likely it was because the group there was more battle hungry. She herself was in no rush to waste anything on the road or without a real reason. Her focus getting forcefully moved as Phanta took hold of Kaedé's head and moved it to face the spirit who seemed very angry her voice had been muted by the astral mage. Waving her hand to give the spirit the chance to speak again before regretting that choice.

Phanta

”If you don’t give me my voice back I’m going to make out with you! ...Oh it’s back…”

_____Kaedé would hold her ears from the yelling at point blank. The vision over her mind scattering as she was forced back into reality and held her head to deal with the side effect of a forced booting from the astral link. She was honestly unsure if other mages had to deal with this sort of issue but moving to lay down on the wagon Kaedé chose to simply try and enjoy the night sky above them.

”As long as we don’t run into giant snakes or other larger animals I should be fine… Just stay calm Kaede… Try to go to your happy place and just relax until they need you… Let the others handle things that you have no reason to try and deal with…”

_____As more horses in the area made noise Kaedé could only shiver and cover her ears trying that much harder to go to a happy place in her mind. There was little else she wanted to do and trying to drift into a light coma was not exactly happening just yet as the girl set more focus to the sky above. Counting stars, trying to make out shapes or things, anything to avoid the reality around her. Why could they just walk there, it would have been so much better and she was sure the other adventurers could handle the longer rescue party.

Tracker / Roll
99 + 10 = 109
835​

 

[l]Wagon #6[/l]

While she'd tried to be quiet in the beginning, Solaria wasn't known for being the most patient of people. In fact, some would gladly opt to say she was the opposite- there were very few lacking as much impulse control as she often did. However, her impulses did have a drive- and in this case, it was to help others. It was simply for that reason she'd joined this journey, and it didn't require waiting until they got to their destination to do it.

A fellow Yladian with hair as red as fire seemed to be struggling from the noise a lot more than Solaria was. Not really troubled by her ears as much, she couldn't help noticing when others were. More importantly, she couldn't help but want to take care of people when they were in pain.

With a soft smile, she scooted over to sit next to the girl, smiling. @Kaede Hoshi was trying her best to talk herself down, but sometimes a little encouragement from a stranger went a long way. "No snakes'll be on this train. Just do your best to focus on relaxing for now. Rest is required for the weary, even in this kind of situation, don't you think? And if any harm attempts to come towards you, I'll be sure to cut it down....So rest easy. We're all in this together, hm?"

Roll | Tracker
37 + 15 = 52
887​

 

[l]Wagon #5[/l]

Horse-drawn wagons were known to be one of the earliest forms of man-made transportation. They were robust mobile constructs that allowed people to traverse vast distances with food and family in tow, and capable of withstanding all but the most trying of weather conditions. They made it possible for men to reach beyond where their feet could not go, breaking the limitations of trade and industry to innovate much of the modern day vehicles humankind now takes for granted.

Being the tough and reliable wooden transports of the olden days, Yuichi saw no issue in making use of the wagon's durable frame and construction for his own needs, turning the reliable carrier into something of his own playroom of sorts. The fifth wagon of the caravan had unofficially become his 'secret base', his unusual energy and excitement reverberating from within and without in blatant ignorance of the dull and dreary atmosphere they were traveling in. While others slept, Wagon Five partied; and when others preferred silent consolation, Wagon Five boasted a degree of youthful invincibility that allowed its inhabitants to fight off the gloom and doom with rousing songs and arias; a strange thing considering none of them had any Masteries related to the theatrical arts.

Or, rather, maybe it was just Yuichi.

...

Probably just Yuichi.

The hard wooden frame became the fighter's means to move around quickly; the canvass that protected its passengers from the elements became his bed; and the wide open sky dotted with thousands of shining stars became his ceiling. It was under this celestial backdrop did Yuichi express himself in ways only he could understand, gyrating his hips around and about as if dancing to an unknown tune; a wild one, from how it looked, but moderated with gentle portions and gestures that seemed to cajole frozen power from the biting cold winds that buffeted their caravan.

The driver's horse tried to ignore the strange goings on as best as he could, although the twin horses that drew the wagon seemed to be wary of the strange ritual conducted by an undoubtedly strange man.

"Let it go, let it go~," sang Yuichi in a high-pitched tone that seemed like he was mimicking a woman, waving his hands and twirling to and fro as if meaning to test the strength of the wagon and the crafters who built it. He seemed to be entranced within his own world and the wagon's top that had become his impromptu stage; the pretty-boy's movements complimenting the wind as it howled in a way that one could have mistaken it to sway to Yuichi's whims and his melodic treatments to the phrase 'let the storm range on'. It was like he was cursing the trip with bad luck; a fact that made the horses even more dodgy. Nevertheless, the fear served to increase their wagon's pace somewhat. Strange as his methods may be, it nevertheless worked.

"The cold never bothered me anyway~"

Tracker / Roll
86 + 10 = 96
983​

 

[l]Wagon #5[/l]

The boy hadn’t noticed him. It was probably for the best considering the…beautiful rendition of Frozen that Emil got to partake of. He was sitting mostly in the shadows, his lithe frame barely taking up any space. His legs were crossed Indian Style, a leather-bound book balanced precariously upon a sender thigh while a quill quickly scribbled along the yellowing paper. There was a smirk upon his lips, his left eye quickly bouncing up and over the young dancer before returning to the page. Young master Trevelyan was apparently taking notes.

Today was his first day logging into TerraSphere…well, first night. The day had been spent at the university, head in books, fingers to keyboard, lectures droning on and on while he barely managed to stay awake. And though that fatigue clawed at his thoughts on the way home from university, there was also a buzzing excitement in his stomach to try out this new VR mmo that had pinged his email the day before. And what a day to log in. The NPCs in the town had told him everything he needed to know and he was quick to find a place in the caravan before it had left.

And now…well, now he got a show. If only there was wine and ladyfingers to accompany it.

Gently, he cleared his throat, the book snapping closed and the quill finding a place behind his ear. His now free hand tugged at the eyepatch to resituate it before a single brilliant blue eye peered at the boy whom he shared the caravan with. A small smirk tugged at his thin lips.

Amazing performance, he murmured, his voice smooth and holding a cultured lilt. If you’re taking requests, I do so like the original soundtrack to The Nightmare Before Christmas. Maybe even Oogie Boogie’s song?
@Yuichi Ichinose

Tracker • Roll
88 + 0 = 88
• 1071 •​

 

[l]Wagon #6[/l]

Verity originally didn't want to get involved in this war or anything. However, his recent "changes" wasn't the only reason for joining the rescue. As what the NPC mercenary told him, there might be repercussions to this upcoming war against the players such as the casualties and the negative effects to Falderen itself. He was still aware of their artificial nature, but after the events that he had to go through, he knew he can't ignore this any longer. He was still unsure if this was his good decision, but he felt that he might not regret this now that he finally opened his eyes to this world's reality.

Of course, that means that he had to deal with some strangers in the wagon. While the "changes" affected his decisions about the game, he did manage to retain his cautious perspective on any strangers. At least that was one less trait to worry about. But as he was looking around the wagon, he noticed that @Solaria was also here as he saw her talking to a red-haired Yladian (@Kaede Hoshi). He already met her several times now, so he already knew how strong she was with her buffing spells and her blade. He might even try to team up with her once more if he could. But for now, all he had to do for now was to wait and watch the moving scenery outside of the wagon.

Tracker / Roll
47 + 10 (Mobility) = 57
1128 ​

 

[l]Wagon #5[/l]

In one corner inside the wooden wagon, away from the bulk of supplies and the anxious-looking people that either chattered their thoughts away or did obnoxious actions to save their sanities, the blonde Felis quietly sat while being confused about what was going to happen. She had little idea of the situation as she did not pay that much attention to the hall earlier since at that time she was pre-occupied with the thoughts of her nemesis. That was before she blindly followed the brown-haired pretty-boy who thought it was a good idea to hitch a free ride home with the princess' caravan. No one could blame him for the suggestion; it was free. There would be freebies such as supplies, and none of their legs would be sore. There might also be a chance that this caravan knew the fastest route home. It might sound like a good deal, yes, but there was something within the Felis that was nagging her that soon the decision would be nothing but regret.

Actually, the regret part was starting to happen.

Anabelle was not fond of people, especially after her freedom to live her life fully was snatched away from her by greedy hands. There was a fear that whatever was left in her would be taken away by interaction to strangers who could be potential attackers. This was one of the reasons why she preferred to stay close with Yuichi because he could easily ward off people, aside from an indescribable feeling of security whenever he was around. Sadly, the head of the idea to stay in this wagon was out of sight. The felis' heterochromatic eyes desperately searched for the man within the wagon. But, he was not around. She felt vulnerable to anything and everything that it made her unconsciously draw her tail to her lips and nibbled on its tip.

"Where is that guy?"

Out of the blue, she heard a familiar voice singing something out-of-tune. It could not be Yuichi but the similarity in voices could not be denied. Without batting an eyelash, the bodacious Felis found herself sneaking out of the wagon by passing by and ignoring the others, and from the door climbed up the wagon's roof. There, she found what she had been looking for doing the most out-of-character thing the Felis could imagine: @Yuichi Ichinose was gyrating his hips and singing an old Disney song. If only she was not too busy balancing herself, there would be no doubt her palm would land on her face.

"What the hell are you doing?" she asked. "If you're going to have a special song and dance number here, you should have told me so I can provide you with special effects."

Then, Anabelle attempted to beatbox, despite the fact that she has no Muse mastery. There was still sound, but mostly just saliva flying around.

Tracker / Roll
15 + 10 = 25
1153​

 

[l]Wagon #4[/l]

Lucia didn't exactly know how to feel on this quest. The burdens of leadership were heavy when it came to managing the living, in truth she wished she could somehow skip this stepping stone and proceed onto handling the affairs of the undead. She had the ability to reach out to the Goddess who favored her once more, but only once more. Whether or not she'll be able to find another means of communicating with them after this one is used up, she couldn't fathom. It was a trump card she didn't want to use here to support Astorea, if at all possible she wanted to use it to support her own kingdom when it did raise. It was the one thing that set her apart from the other players, she didn't want to lose it.

The wagon she found herself on though she could only hope would manage to take her farther faster. The sooner Astor was back, the sooner she could get back to what she was good at, researching and evolving the undead. She only hoped that this would have no major hiccups, the battle with azogg surprisingly went her way, she hoped to keep that momentum going a little at least. It didn't help that the wagon was too small to support the army she felt most comfortable carrying around. She would have kept to her subordinates instead but that might have been off putting for the other passengers. In the end she was forced to reluctantly come on her own.

"If this goes south, I'm totally blaming it all on him..." She complained, mumbling her frustrations while thinking about exactly how hard she would hit Astor when she saw him. With her meek and flimsy mage strength it wouldn't do any real damage, but it would be satisfying at least.

Tracker / Roll
53 + 0 = 53
1206​

 

[l]Wagon #4[/l]

Quinn's literally spent the entire time he's been on the wagon staring at the woman with the black hair as though he was reading her internal monologue, word for word. A few typo here and there, but hey, everyone's only human. Whatever was on her mind was not worth studying about though, the youth decided to himself.

A few hours prior, he had spotted the Princess of Melons gallop away on her horse after he had messaged his buddy, @Indra about it, so he did what any person would have done and chased after her. Though, he quickly realized that horses have four legs and he only had two, there was no way Quinn was going to be able to assume centaur speed like @Alonso Thorlion and catch up in time. So, he did what he could and stealthily attached himself to a farmer's wagon and used illusion magic to make it seem as though there was Nazi gold flying in front of the man and his family. The wife and children of course went into a frenzy, slapping the farmer to chase after the gold. Quinn used this to his advantage and direct the farmer to drive up to wagon #4, where he simply jumped aboard and found himself on this seat since.

"You must be the Duchess of Astorea," Quinn openly conversed with @Lucia Mierz. "Don't you own any clothes that aren't black? Or do you have a trademark on the series of edgy colors thing going on?" he said, obviously remarking about the fact that she's poor as fuck, even though she's a Duchess. If that was really the case, perhaps they can find commonality and solace in poverty.

When he spotted a scenic route ahead, the green-haired youth stood up and began to type furiously away at his chat. (Chat) The Rescue Entourage

Tracker / Roll
7 + 10 = 17
1223​

 

[l]Mounted[/l]

Logical word connections struggled to make sense within the processes of his brain. Having the title of Marquees kept screaming the responsibilities placed upon the man's shoulders, and with players captured by a crazed group of soldiers, Alonso was sure he was missing something. A fool proof plan was the surefire way to make sure the rescue attempts went smooth as butter. Yet, the best possible outcome failed to reach a proper conclusion. There were no geographical marks, no instances of being dragged off somewhere, and the scouts did not have much information for the Felis to ponder further.

His tired grunts formed into growls. The beast was annoyed beyond belief, a large hand grabbing a nearby stick and chucking it into the fire. Alonso placed his palm on his face, sighing as his massive frame crouched in defeat. He was not the powerhouse his title claimed to be. Real life concerns stopped him from bum rushing through the game at blinding speed, the experience grind a mere four year old's board game. It cost him. The lack of putting his past gaming expertise to use caused him to not bare the torment his comrades were suffering.

Alonso's eyes widened then, shifting his head to notice D'Vangelline taking a seat next to him. Odd. Even odder considering her sudden questions. The Felis paused, taking in the situation. "Well," the man started, clearing his throat and collecting his composure, "To be honest, I haven't spoken with Astor personally, so I can't say much other than us adventurers having to scold like a child just a bit here and there." A quick chuckle escaped his throat. Speaking ill of his king was not advised, but he had to let it out, "Really though, I'm not sure of him. As for our countries' relationship... it'll take work."

Fingers pinched the bridge of his nose, the complications of such a mess as it were, "I'll again admit that the start of Astorea felt more on a whim than anything. We made mistake, no point in denying that. Perhaps it'll take some forgiveness first before anything. Once we overcome our doubts, I for one am willing to fix the relationships. But it seems we're needed..."

---

Everything was in place. Esther's horse took some time adjusting to the Felis, but they were on mutual terms in the form of promised apples for the moment. Wind breezed past the cat man's mane like beard, almost leading the charge if it were not for wanting the rest of the group to keep up. Looking towards D'Vangelline, he pulled on the reigns to take things a bit slower, sighing again as he spoke up, "So, now I have to ask. Do you think it possible for our countries to reconcile and become mature neighbors? Rather, if we remove your father's insanity, do you believe it possible to come to terms with his actions?"

@Raid Master

Tracker / Roll
(100 + 10) x2 Critical = 220
1443 ​

 

[l]Wagon #3[/l]

Before the rescue convoy departed post haste when the Scout came back from his reconnaissance mission, Aiko was diligently training herself for the events that lay ahead. With the sheer exception of her Prism and Chaos Shards, Aiko was a complete newbie at every sense of the word.

Still, no matter how seemingly futile her efforts may be she was still determined to at least develop some sort of familiarity with the skills and techniques at her disposal. Forming some sort of muscle memory should make it increasingly easier to execute them. After all, fumbling with the commands while in the heat of battle would only serve to put her in unnecessary danger, if not outrightly getting her killed.

The camp packed up neatly just as quickly as it had been established after the messenger spilled the beans about the adventurer's location. The poor sap must have tirelessly ran all the way from there to the camp, going only on sheer adrenaline and now fatigue had hit him like a truck. Still, he should be commended for his efforts since now they had an idea where to go at the very least, not that she had any idea how far their destination was.

Since there really wasn't any time to get transportation assignments sorted out, Aiko opted to choose a wagon for herself. That said, with everyone in a hurry to get moving, Aiko didn't really have the time to properly choose a wagon, prompting her to pick one at random to ride on. In fact, she practically had to dive inside the wagon when she saw the convoy already moving without her.

"Phew... nailed it." Aiko said before lying on the floor out of exhaustion after running after the wagon when she had just finished her training regiment.

Now that the rescue caravan was on their way to rescue the captive adventurers, however, Aiko couldn't help but get a bit nervous about the dangers they were about to brave. Since she was fairly new, she needed to make sure that she contributes to her team instead of being a liability. After all, they were the rescue force, and it'd be quite embarrassing if she ends up the one to be needing rescue because of her carelessness.

With the masteries she chose for herself, however, that shouldn't be too critical of an issue. With Geomancy, she can create protection for her as well as her allies, even for a few seconds, from projectiles and the like. With Polearm, she can use her staff to attack at a fair distance without compromising safety. And with Guard, she can even block and parry attacks with her staff, or use it to vault and launch herself away to dodge attacks.

Tracker / Roll
55 + 0 = 55
1498 ​

 

[l]Wagon #4[/l]

Hearing the man comment on her style of dress, Lucia glanced downward at her cheongsam in thought. It was the new fancier equipment she'd gotten in order to deal with Azogg back then, as much as she felt being frugal would be helpful, in the end she buckled and purchased an outfit. It was a rather traditional cheongsam colored a dark ashy grey color with black accents in the shape of a peacock's tail. While it wasn't exactly the most vibrantly colored, she'd tried to avoid colorful styles of dress as a Priestess. "I don't think it's all that dark or edgy? Then again I could just be out of style, I've been told I like bland things in the past after all." Lucia couldn't help a bit of laughter, it was a foreign feeling to be picked out of a crowd for Lucia, being noticed was not something she was used to in the least-- People knowing her name even less so.

It was for that reason she wasn't really bothered, if anyone could remember her name and who she was, she wouldn't really be able to hate them or complain too much. As someone who struggled to stand out, it was a nice change of pace from the usual. Though after speaking her piece she could only heavily sigh and lament the fact that she couldn't do much to help the wagons move faster. She didn't specialize in speed at all, her skills were all heavily dependent on her endurance and slow and steady combat style. Perhaps that would change someday, but she didn't think it would be any time soon.

The commentary about the surroundings only made her chuckle though, not going to invest in the actual discussion herself, she turned her gaze to Quinn who seemed to be furiously typing his observations as she spoke. "If I were you I would try branding also, look for craftsman or celebs to give you a thumbs up or add to your fan base. It couldn't hurt right?" She asked with a mellow smile, it was a nice change of pace to see someone trying to go professional as she was in some way. All and all the rescue mission was turning out to be a nice adventure thus far.

Tracker / Roll
7 + 0 = 53
1505​

 

[l]Wagon #4[/l]

A while ago, Aerana saw a whole gathering of horses, carriages, army looking people and adventurers. Seeing that they seemed to be doing something important, and a touch curious herself, she stepped on board one of the wagons. No one questioned why she was there, or where she came from. For a while now, she had just been standing close to one of the walls, and no one in her wagon seemed to want to speak. It was a bit disappointing, in her opinion, but just as she was about to make her way to the young girl who seemed to be in a bit of a slump, someone finally spoke.

The person in question was a green haired man who dressed the other dark color wearing lady in the room. Duchess? Now that was interesting. Still, they had a pleasant back and forth going on, although she wasn't quite sure what the man was doing with his palm. Maybe some form of relaxation technique. It was certainly a very unique one, she had only seen it a few times before. The few adventurers she met who practiced this form of relaxation only seemed to get more stressed after the fact though, but maybe this man had found the key. It would be something to ask him later.

Even though the girl was brightly dressed and seemed to be going for a 'Paragon of Hope' look, she looked to be pretty sad. Maybe it was just one of those days, or she was leaving her friends behind. Come to think of it, she still didn't know what the wagons were doing. That was a question for another time though, there was someone to talk to. Someone who was oddly well armed and armored, she was no blacksmith but that was quality gear. She continued making her way across the wagon quietly, as to not disrupt the other conversation going on, and said to the girl (@Magi Heart),

"Hello."

Tracker / Roll
85 + 0 = 85
1590 ​

 

[l]Wagon #6[/l]

Why did he bother to come at all? Sure, Alric wanted to help Astorea in this war as much as the next guy, but realistically speaking what would he even be able to contribute to this mission? Sitting back of the sixth wagon now he silently glanced around at the fellow adventurers who decided to sign up. The only one he knew was @Solaria but that was bound to change given how long this trip was supposed to take. If they were going to be working together then they all at least had to be comfortable communicating.

“So uh… Pretty nice night, huh?” He started without direction toward anyone in particular. He just wanted to talk about something… Anything other than the impending war looming over all of their heads. Admittedly it wasn’t a very nice night at all and the cold winds only served to make things even more miserable. Alric tugged on the loose cowl around his neck, making it tighter after he spoke in an attempt to keep his neck warm. Were the others even being phased? He wasn’t sure, but if so it’d just make his statement from early seem even more foolish. Maybe it would be best to just stay quiet for the rest of the ride.

Tracker / Roll
40 + 0 = 40
1630​

 

[l]Wagon #5[/l]

He had mistakenly hitched a ride in the wagon that was meant to be sacrificed to the opposing army in hopes of a treaty. That had to be the answer. Otherwise, the fact that there was a player here singing the original soundtrack to Frozen and a cat-girl beatboxing to help said player stay on the beat was too much for his brain to comprehend. This was wartime, wasn’t it? They were heading out to save PRISONERS of war, were they not? And these two were…singing and beatboxing?!

Emil’s right eyebrow could only arch in…something between amazement and downright confusion. Perhaps this was just their defense mechanism. This was how they each, individually, dealt with stress. Or, they were both idiots and he would do better to find other people to fight alongside should there be any fighting to be had.

He sighed and, instead of engaging with either of them further, sat back down and withdrew his quill from behind his ear. The leather-bound tome appeared between his hands once more in a flash of purple and blue arcane energy and one his one good eye traveled from the pair of them to a crisp, clean page upon which he could write.

Don’t mind me, he told them both, a soft – though sardonic – smile anointing his lips. Just journaling.
@Anabelle Zhang @Yuichi Ichinose

Tracker / Roll
94 + 0 = 94
• 1724 • ​