(Story Event) The Rescue Entourage | Page 14

Zelrius finished eating his bowl of whatever-the-fuck-blithe-made, and cleaned up his small amount of mess, not sure what to do with his dishes, handing them back off to the girl before nodding and heading back to his wagon. Except here was the issue, the wagon the man had originally departed from whenever they came from on had been destroyed. That was unfortunate, even moreso as it reminded Zelrius of the rather stressful ride it had been for him.

One by one things had gone wrong for the man once things started getting going. At first it wasn't a problem, being more than willing to poke fun at a fellow Cart mate, one he would later come to know the name of as Claire. She was an interesting woman, and despite the golden haired man's words toward her, his thoughts were quite contradictory to those statements. She was completely right to be skeptical of what was little more than a ragtag team of people, who may or may not have been a hinderance or a help individually. Her words earlier before he had gone to the fruit grove pretty much confirmed his thoughts; she was cautious and intelligent. Still, she was rightfully worried, as the ensuing chase of bandits caused the destruction of their cart, endangered the lives of many and then the gators were released.

He quickly tried to break that train of thought, shuddering at the remembrance of his dearest friend, Hydrobro. Still, he decided it was time to get to a cart, and so he moved over to Claire, now conversing with her, but noticeably more friendliness in his tone.

 

The name @Alric Stalwart had been thrown into the wind and it had caused Vivian to turn on a dime as she looked over to where the voice had be heard from. The woman squinted her eyes and saw a small group of people forming. She had heard the buzzing of voices that they were to be pared up soon enough into new wagons.

Giving a low yawn, the woman had yet to find a proper time to do her feminine upkeep after her slumber, but that would have to wait till this little event passed. The female, with her roguish smile and sway of her hips, moved to the sound of where that cluster of people were stationed. Feeling somewhat refreshed, the purple haired Malefimancer threw her arm around a dark haired individual (@Kijin Shihaku ) shoulder and leaned into the budding circle of the party.

Wafting from the air was her usual perfume, a sultry mix that tangled up the tongues of men when eyes first catch the mysterious woman. Smiling wide, Vivian using one hand tossed a cute little wave to the individuals present. "Say, we should be teaming up right? I know that guy there." Vivian had pointed to Alric, it was safe to say whatever she had done to him in the past had left a lingering thought in his mind. It was cute the way he was so very uncomfortable around her. Nonetheless, Vivian disembarked the male's shoulder catching the introduction of his name.

"My name is Vivian. It is your pleasure to meet my acquaintance! I hope you don't mind me teaming with you guys, I am sure we will have the very, best. of. fun. The woman gave a wink to the dark haired male before folding her arms over her well developed chest and was ready to embark on this...whatever they were doing.

 

Well, it was about time that they get a move on. With the wagons repaired and everyone fully rested, Claire didn't see a reason why they would dawdle in the inhospitable forests of Crystallized Zalra. Some craftsman probably in Princess D'vangelline's employ worked wonders on the wagons, now ensuring that they had much more space than before. Still, there was one that remained broken beyond repair, but at least its parts had been salvaged for useful scrap to expand the other wagons with.

Her hands were doing much better now, after a good rest and the bandages from Alonso. He probably was right, about slowing down and not pushing herself. But every time she thought of how she left behind the others, she suddenly couldn't sit still anymore, anxiety and nervous energy flowing through her body.

Then it was just as well that they were setting off once more. Not particularly caring which wagon she found herself in, she started making her way to the gathered vehicles, intending on just sitting in whichever empty space she could find. They were getting ever so closer to the goal of freeing the others, and she didn't particularly care how they got there.

And that, unfortunately, brought her back into the orbit of @Zelrius. She sighed, resigning herself to a long journey.

...Huh. Well, his lack of needling was a pleasant surprise. It would certainly make the journey a lot more tolerable. She inclined her head to him and gave him a brief greeting before stepping into the cart. Time to see who else would be joining them.

 

Two sparkling fruits and a smile visited Comet that night, and were there the next morning. Venturing back to camp from the Fruit Grove reminded Comet of her failure to defend. On the inside disappointment brewed once more but a weariness overcome the feeling before it could consume her. Throughout the night Comet could be seen working herself to the bone. This night, she slept to escape with her promises of gold rather than spending time - moreso wasting time - to brood. Any area providing decent comfort would suffice. Morning crept up on Comet rather quickly but she felt a relief to get back on the move. She could prove herself this time around.

With lips curled up in a grin of practiced confidence, a sort of fire brewing within, Comet chose a Wagon and climbed atop. Groups hardly mattered to her though a choice few of players certainly had the potential bring forth her irritation faster than others. Trembling hands gripped the side of the Wagon, anxious eyes scanning groups and loners alike to get a chance to see who would be joining her for the next journey. Though she would love to stand everyone in a line and pick out the best of the best, she couldn't. It was far from her lack of any authority whatsoever, obviously. Her eyes lit up when spotting @Eileen Dover and a hand beckoned the other woman over. More of a command rather than invite but Comet held a friendly face and well-meaning intentions. Last night she could care less to acquaint herself with anyone. Only gold held her interest. Now that gathering a team was on the list she turned into an outgoing girl looking for a fun friend to keep her company. Their last, albeit extremely short, encounter left a positive impression that intrigued the pink-haired woman.

 

“Ugh…”

Alric was still groggy from the previous day as he was forced to get up this morning. Of course he understood the urgency of their mission, but he would have minded getting a little more sleep either… Oh well, there was no point in whining about it now. He'd just have to try his best today as well. Only five wagons remained despite everyone still being alive; he could only assume it was luck or some outside force driving the group forward like this and now it was time to form teams and get going again.

Glancing around it seemed the others had already began sorting themselves. What kind of team would he have? He didn't have to wonder for long as Solaria called out to him from across the camp. That woman really did have a talent for getting people to party with her it seemed and the swordsman couldn't help but smile as he walked over to the little group. Verity he had met on their last wagon, but this new man he hadn't seen before. That wasn't very surprising though, in all the commotion of yesterday's battle it would have been hard to keep track of everyone who wasn't in the immediate line of sight. At the very least this guy introduced himself as Kijin, so he was being friendly for now. That'd make working together much easier.

“Ah, I'm Alric. It's nice to-”

Of all people why was she here?! Alric couldn't help but physically recoil as @Vivian Cruz entered the scene and cut his introduction short. He looked to the others in turn before just shaking his head as he moved to hide behind @Solaria. What did he do to deserve this curse?

“W-When did you even get here?! I swear if you're stalking me… Well I-I don't know; stop I guess?”

 

Voices were heard fainlty a slight slowly filled Wendy's vision. Her eye lids were pretty heavy. It was such a long night... Oh no! Her eyes shot open. Was she late for school?! Wendy jumped to her feet fast and then slipped on the smooth surface, falling right back onto her butt with a painful thud. Ouch! Wait... what? Rubbing her eyes with her hands, Magi realize... she was still in this nightmare of a game. Oh right. She never logged out last night. Magi must have fallen asleep while singing. Looking embarrassed but not too much she hoped. Magi stood back up a lot more slowly now and took in what was going on.

"Everyone seems so busy. Um... gosh I'm usually the early bird...ha..ha."

Magi giggled even though it was more like a forced laugh to keep herself motivated and in the best mood she could for this. If all she did was wallow in grief, nothing was going to get better. Magi tried her best to look like she was confident and told herself yet again that it was just a game. It was now looking like everyone was getting into groups or something...

Gee whiz she needed to find one too then probably. Taking a moment to undo and redo her twin tails. A rare sight of Magi without her hair in it's almost iconic state could be seen. She was kinda surprised how, if you stay here long enough. The character you play as actually becomes a bit messy looking, like they actually need to brush theitr hair and stuff. That was weird but kinda cool beans too. If only this game was not such a chore like it was now.

 

Aria materialized into the virtual world of Terrasphere around five minutes after the loud horn announced the the morning call. What could she say? Mai (her real name) preferred to sleep on a comfy bed instead of tents and grasses, no matter how realistic they felt. In fact, it was because they were so realistic that sleeping in her own bed was comfier. "Oh, I'm not too late." The Felis sighed, she had anticipated the next event cycle would begin early, her guess wasn't far off.

Since everyone was getting ready, Aria spotted one of the NPC officers then heard his announcement, well that was... weird. She had a mount, why would she need to get into the wagons? Ah well, since most of the players didn't possess a horse, the exceptions being the Lion Marquis and herself, she supposed he was addressing the majority. Fair enough, Aria would just summon Artemis latter and ride beside the wagons as usual.

Now then, she had to pick her teams... hmmm, she was assigned to be Alonso's unit, no reason to change now. That'd mean she would join wherever the Marquis decided to pick. Thankfully, the blue-haired Felis was easy to spot due to his sheer size. Nimbly weaving through the crowd to his side, her ears perked and tail swished as she poked him, literally. "Hey there, Marquis, it should go without notice that I'd be going with you." She spoke rather casually now that they weren't in the thick of battle, "So, who else will be joining us?" Just to confirm, maybe her new friend, the Phantasmic Magus Emil would be interested.

Tagging Orange Team:
@Alonso Thorlion
@Emil Trevelyan
@Kaede Hoshi
@Aerana

 

As Verity opened his yellow eyes after logging back in, he noticed that most of the adventurers have woken up or logged in with most of the wagons fixed. As far he remembered from yesterday, he and @Solaria rotated on logging in and out of the game while they rested for the whole night to keep an eye on the ambushers. It was somehow necessary since their trip was interrupted by the bandits and flying crocodiles and taking turns sleeping in the game and logging out to go to the bathroom or hydrate was another way to refresh their real bodies at the same time.

Regarding them being grouped into one of the five wagons, he nodded to Solaria's offer, considering that his trust to her was growing. "That might be a wise idea. I do have some new potions I made yesterday along with new ones that may help with future fires. I can't rely on my magic to extinguish it forever." As he learned from his previous experiences, he knew that using too much magic will lead to his downfall, so he had to conserve it even outside the battle.

After that confirmation, Solaria turned her attention to the dark-clothed man and asked if he could join them for the trip. As the man introduced himself as @Kijin Shihaku, he cautiously stared at him suspiciously. Changes or no changes, he still has his cautious sight at strangers and he was very suspicious about his demeanour and his plans about this trip. And while he also stared at @Alric Stalwart after that, which was the same man that tagged along in the wagon along with the woman, his eyes widen to see a necromancer near them, which he didn't expect her appearance in this rescue entourage.

Either way, he knew that this trip might be more difficult as soon they set off to their destination. But whatever they are, he was mentally and physically prepared for what was coming for them.

@Lucia Mierz @Vivian Cruz

 

Magdalyn awoke to a shriek that curdled her blood, and sent her scrambling to her hands and knees. The rough dirt and rocks beneath her shifted, tearing at her skin, and nearly sending her off-balance as she comically looked about. Where was she? Who had screamed? And, perhaps most importantly, when in the world had she fallen asleep?

To demonstrate just how completely asleep she had been, the back of one dirty hand rubbed at her eyes, clearing the crust that had formed their. Another, unabashedly, wiped the drool from her chin. Only when her mind, and her eyes, focused, did she realize she was alone beside the remains of a dead fire. She climbed shakily to her knees, wincing a bit from the fallout of sleeping on the hard ground. Why had she resorted to resting here, when she could have logged out and climbed into her wonderfully comfy queen bed? Besides, hadn't she just washed the sheets? Had she ever moved them to the drier?

Head swimming with thoughts from two separate worlds, Mags slowly eased her arms wide, like a flower opening its petals to the sun. She reveled in the stretch it provided, savoring the feeling of her knotted muscles working themselves out. You missed out on flannel sheets, part of her scolded, but she shelved that particular fact aside. What if she had left the game, then overslept? That would not do. Since she had never logged out, she had never missed anything either.

Except, she realized with horror, she had. The camp was already alive with the bustle of players on a mission, well-rested individuals striding about with purpose. She, on the other hand, stifled a yawn with her palm, then coughed as she remembered the dirt that coated it. Good job, noob. This time, she could not argue with that pessimistic voice as she hiked up her pants, wiped her dirtied hands on them, and moved off toward the nearest player. Fortunately, the girl in the wagon appeared friendly enough, giving Magdalyn hope that she might not berated for her stupidity.

"Hi," she said, lapsing into her default, easy smile. "Do you know if there is room for one more on this wagon?" It was a stab in the dark, but odds were likely that the pink-haired girl had climbed aboard for a reason. If they were moving out, securing a seat would be the first step. Mags could learn more about their mission on the way.

@Comet

 

After the day he had had, Anthony was of the belief that the upcoming war in his new favorite mmo would be more relaxing than a beer on the porch with his friends. The devs had done the community a solid by hosting the entire thing on the weekend, meaning he could stay plugged in all 48 hours if he really wanted to. He wasn’t sure if he was ready for that kind of commitment yet, but the idea was frequently across his mind as he finished dinner and got ready to log in.

Upon materializing in the Crystallized Zalra, Emil immediately noticed that most of the wagons were getting ready to go and it seemed the caravan was separating itself into groups. He frowned at that and gave a small sigh. It was tough doing these massive events with no true friends or partners to do them with. He just had to hope for the best and look out for himself, he supposed.

That is until he spotted the familiar cat-girl that he had gone foraging with the other night. She was standing by a massive mountain of a man who – surprisingly – also had cat ears and a tail. Causally, he walked up to them both with a small smile hanging around his mouth. He inclined his head to both before opening his mouth to speak.

Might I inquire if you have room for another member of your squadron? I seem to be without a designated group of allies for the upcoming fray.

Tagging Orange Team:
@Alonso Thorlion
@Aria
@Kaede Hoshi
@Aerana​

 

After a refreshing night's sleep Vina woke up at the sound of a horn, the girl blinking sleepily before she remembered where she was and what she had been doing before falling asleep. She was still in Terrasphere, and she was here to help rescue the people up in the mountains. It felt a bit strange, to fall asleep inside of the game and wake up inside of it as well, but after quickly checking the time she felt reassured that she had in fact gotten a good night's rest. Especially with the fact that she was cuddled up with Blake, having been talking with her fellow Felis last night before first Blake and then she herself fell asleep.

Looking around Vina noticed that the camp was already becoming busier, with the soldiers notably being a lot more active. However the other players were also already getting up and about, leaving Vina a bit surprised as she herself had a bit of a tendency to take her time getting up. It didn't look like they were planning to move out just yet, so she could afford to take her time, especially since she didn't have a lot to... Do... Or maybe she did.

Yawning Vina noticed that someone was calling out to Blake, a lovely girl who was inviting the Felis to one of the teams that they were apparently forming for the remainder of the journey. Vina waved at @Solaria, being located right next to Blake, before shaking @Blake Elgis's shoulder in case her non-sexual partner for the night hadn't awoken yet. "I think we need to get up, the others look like they're planning to head out soon." The soldier that Vina had taken care of last evening had actually already joined the others, Vina pouting a little as she had been planning to check his wound one last time before giving up. At this point in time interrupting the ones who were busy wasn't going to do anything but delay, and beyond that she had to admit that she doubted the wound would cause any further issues, since she had poured a lot of magic into it. It was a good thing that she had been given a night to sleep afterwards.

Once Blake had either already awoken or Vina had successfully awoken the Felis the white-haired girl gave her a bright smile along with a good morning before politely and gently disentangling herself. She wouldn't have minded cuddling a bit longer, but this wasn't the time for it. Besides, Vina first had to take care of her fur and hair before they departed, and with the sheer volume of both she needed all the time she could get. One of the first things she had purchased once inside the game was a simple comb, and she was running it through the fur on her tail now while wondering which group to join. "Any idea which group you'll join? There was someone inviting you earlier."

 

Though Eileen found herself curled up near a tent when she woke, she found herself unbothered by the stones. She had hardly used any energy the day before, so even when logged off she had managed to recover what little she had lost. The comfort of her bed had been delightful and she mourned having to get herself gathered and ready for the upcoming mission, but the call of loot and exciting adventures had her rising and logging in.

Brushing off specks of dirt from her minimal attire, Eileen swept through the crowd, dodging busy adventurers and eager wannabe heroes. She wondered if they would cry when they died. So many of them seemed far too young to be playing a game like this, and now they had to group together? Eileen was quick to steer away from anybody under 18. Her height aided in keeping eye contact to a minimum, and also made spotting the waving @Comet an easier task.

She approached with a smirk, recognizing the girl from the day prior. "Yo, yo!" she chirped, easily sliding past @Magdalyn and pulling herself atop the wagon. She did not offer a hand.

"So, sports, we're making teams, yeah? Pick and choose your ideal members." Eileen pointed at the towering Felis of a man. "He looks like he packs a punch." But he was surrounded by a bunch of others, probably already whisked away into another team. Oh well.

Her eyes dropped to Magdalyn, a frown tugging on her lips.

"You can keep standing around and admiring us or you can climb up. What are you waiting for? Permission?"

 

Aiko would have been fine if nobody had seen the spectacle she performed when she miraculously harvested one of the crystallized fruits. But after demonstrating skills unexpected from a beginner, she received some surprising applause from a fellow adventurer, startling the Felis enough as evidenced when her tail stood on end after hearing someone clap behind her.

Glancing at her mysterious audience, Aiko offers a half-nervous, half-enthusiastic smile to @Comet in return for her endearing remarks.

"I wasn't really trying to show off or anything ehehe. You see, I thought it'd be a big waste of time and energy to climb that hunk of rock from the ground up so I tried improvising. Then I realized, I have this staff on me so and thought 'maybe I could use this stick like those poles used for pole vaulting?'." Aiko mused while proudly twirling her trusty mediocre staff with her right hand.

"The next thing I knew, I was sprinting towards the tree and I instantly regretted what I was doing. Like pee your trousers level of regret! But I was like, 'Dammit, I've gotten this far now.' so I just went with it and miraculously pulled it off." The caramel-haired catgirl continued seemingly without pause in her cheerful voice.

"I am a bit exhausted though. Haven't really gotten any rest since we arrived here because I got too excited about the idea of collecting these fruits for myself so I'm gonna catch you later!" Just as quickly as she said her words, Aiko was off, dashing back to the encampment in search of sleeping quarters to procure for herself.

--------

Not long after she logged back inside the game, AIko would hear a loud horn resounding throughout Cystallized Zalra. It was a telltale sign for everyone to prepare themselves for departure. That included sorting themselves to new wagon assignments after having lost one of the wagons during the ambush at the forest.

For Aiko's part, she chose to stick with the two people she was more familiar with until now, her wagon-buddies @Xavier Weissman and @Moonbunny . She was hoping @Comet would also join their wagon but it seems that wouldn't be the case. Regardless, the felis was already comfortable being in a wagon with two people she already knew. Even though there were plenty of chances for socialization, their main objective still remains.... Rescuing the imprisoned adventurers from enemy hands.

"'Sup! What do you say we get on to rescuing those adventurers and kicking some Faldereni ass while we're at it." chimed the brown haired girl while flashing a big grin to her two wagon #3 buddies. Although since they were being grouped by Wagon Color now, then it would be more apt to call themselves the Red Team. Does that make them s*th lords?

 

Rubbing the back of his head lightly Weissman rebooted back up to the sound of booted feet and shouts. The troop seemed to be ready to move out no doubt, this would me a lot of fun was about to go down for the rest of the night. Flexing his fingers he stretched out gently before grabbing his red patch. Looking around for the proper wagon color now, he was pleased to find @Moonbunny and @Aiko Yamauchi were apart of the same wagon of choice. It was a pity that @Jace Vale would not be apart of their wagon pick either.

A light smile crossed his face as Aiko approached, giving her a high five he chimed in with a smirk of his own. "Honestly I thought we might never leave, but now I am excited and sad to see this moment of peace go by so quickly." Observing his gear and the Widget that Moon had handed him, he tucked it back into his robes in a safe place. Stepping up he slid himself into the wagon with ease sitting off of the edge as to remain comfortable. Thankfully it would not just be the three of them alone in a wagon this time. Taking a moment to observe two more people approaching Weissman gave a smirk and thumbs up. "Yoo!! Welcome to the Wagon.. We ready to roll out and get business?" Xavier crossed his arms over his chest as he gazed at @Yuichi Ichinose and @Anabelle Zhang as they approached.

Moving himself back off of the ledge he back rolled further into the wagon to gain a comfortable spot to sit in. "I hope this ends rather swiftly and safely.. I would hate to see people die trying to rescue the captives.." Grimacing his expression dropped before he shifted subjects within his head. Now all there was to do was to wait and prepare for what may come.

 

In the end, Sophie ended up logging out from the game a bit to maintain her natural body cycle and basically fill her empty stomach. Turns out it was the right decision too, considering from all accounts the night before passed quietly without so much as an aggression from the environment, or mutiny as well as desertion from the inside. Considering what’s been going on it can be seen as a small victory for them.

However, even when the good night’s sleep and the healthy increase in the entourage’s morale and everything, their main task of being in this parade in the first place is still waiting in the horizon. All it takes is just one bad turn of events and everything will still turn out sour, not to mention that the defenders of the captive ones won’t just surrender without a fight. All in all, the horizon doesn’t look all that bright for the current ‘rescuers’ and the princess.

…But regardless, it seems that the spirit of the rescuers hasn’t yet been broken. Either because a majority of them sees all of these are just an event of a game that they can ride out without much repercussions – a point of view that Sophie herself partially shares, admittedly – or some of them are probably just that selfless. Even looking at some of their faces, it seems that socialization had done wonders with their overall outlook.

Makes her feel rather guilty for not socializing much for these few days. Which is why she’s trying to remedy that fact right now.

Looking at most of the available wagons, Elmyra quickly hauled her own supply of handmade potions in her own herbalist’s bag and made her way towards one of the wagons which still has space to spare. She looked around once more and noticed that the other wagons seemed to have their own supply of potions down pat – perks of having multiple alchemists in the entourage it seems – so she hoped that nobody would mind if she took her own numbers with them so supply her wagon.

Quietly, she took a couple of them for herself before still leaving a significant number of them for her would-be wagon mates. Mostly the healing and the regeneration ones. God knows that from the way things had been going they’ll probably need it.

Making her way towards the back of her intended wagon, she could actually tell that there’s already a couple of occupants already in the compartment. The back of the wagon itself isn’t even close to full and there’s still the unoccupied spaces of both the driver spot and the shotgun seat in the front, she thought no one would mind her storing the potions here…but she then figured it won’t hurt to ask.

“Ah, hello.” She said, seemingly taking the initiative in greeting, though partly because they’re chasing a schedule. “Here’s a number of supplies for the journey. If you all don’t mind, I’ll be sitting in the front as well.”

@Eileen Dover
@Magdalyn
@Comet