The others had gathered what they could, equipment they could muster from the outpost and then it was back off to the land of Dormont. But it would be an equally hard journey back. Vivian was equally tired if not, felt more tired than the rest. Not only did she not sleep at all most of the time, but she had spent a great deal of her magical essence on fighting that Earth Elemental. The woman sighed and fanned herself as she caught up with the group. There was a bandaged warrior who seemed to be in stride with the group despite his damaged and war beaten body. The woman smiled and made a small jog towards him. Her perfume would be noticed as the change of wind caused her hair to flick off her body like a flame. "Hello~" she would say with that sweet, innocent charming voice of hers. Her eyes would glance up at the stoic warrior as she examined his body, "You did an excellent job on keeping that Earth Elemental trained on you. Taking a blow for our team. Just a bunch of strangers." She emphasized. "Gosh it is hot out here, isn't it? You think it will rain any time soon to alleviate this hot air? Although, I wouldn't want it to feel muggy either. And my hair would be a mess..." the woman continued, she didn't even care if he was listening or not. Most of these people had other thoughts on their mind, like the upcoming war. Nope. Not Vivian. She was more concerned with her hair and her makeup rubbing off rather than some kids playing war. But this was a state affair they had been driven into and she kinda promised sword and shield to House of Kurama. But promises. She shrugged, she would deal with it when the time comes. Like a good little girl. "I don't have any healing magic, but if we can find some fresh water, I think I might be able to help dress your wounds better. They look a little gnarly. Up to you of course." She smiled that mischievous smile up at him. @Kijin Shihaku
He stopped for only a moment when the woman approached, more than adequate time for the swordsman to place voice, face, and name. From what little he remembered, Vivian was the sultry woman who seemed to delight in tempting and teasing the more virginal half of their ragtag band. The only thing that appeared to please her more was afflicting their enemies with baleful magicks and watching them suffer. She was an agent of chaos, put succinctly. Her praise appeared to fall on deaf ears as he glanced skyward considered the clouds. Duty was a simple enough impetus for any man. The thrill of Frontline combat my if nothing else, served to validate his utterly suicidal defensive effort. It was her next question, which aligned with his own interests, that he deigned to answer. Kijin slowly reached a hand out toward the open sky. The breeze whispered past his face and caressed his skin softly, the distant promise of storms evident in both atmospheric pressure and subtle temperature decline. He glanced to the woman intently. "A storm," he predicted "perhaps some half an hour out. We should feel the effects shortly." Truth to tell, Kijin played at this war simply to watch how it would unfold. Meeting other players, coming to understand their motivations, and watching how the world changed to cater to every whim was almost like playing god- only Kijin was a fickle god, and his amusements plenty. What caused the Lady Vivian to sell herself as he seductive sorceress, instead of nobility and constantly at court? What did this woman want that might ultimately resHape Terrasphere? Kijin angled himself to learn all that and more, simply by playing her game. "I would be obliged," the swordsman offered a stiff bow of his head. "I admit to some rudimentary knowledge of first aid, but self-administration is rarely well-done."
"Well, aren't you precious," she said with a bemused smile. Her hands had found their way to her side as she had less strut in her step only because she had to keep pace with everyone else. Surely a woman like herself didn't want to be left behind, not when she had other business to attend with some others. Since the fellow was so obliged to take in her services, he had forgot about the asking price. Nothing was for free. Her smirk was well placed, but she sighed and gave a mental shrug. The Tank did help them out when they needed him, that was enough to have her at least help him out a bit. The group continued their journey, the entourage giving the signal to stop and rest. Vivian gave out a sigh and patted her friend on the shoulder, "This way," she would gesture towards the water's edge. Now, if memory served, she knew how to staunch the bleeding of a wound. If this game had the same mechanics, then this should be a cake walk. The woman gestured for Kijin to sit on the rock, "Alright. Shirt and armor off..." Her tone was that of a demand rather than a request and somehow as the player had predicted some dark cloud began to roll on towards them. She had squinted her azure eyes only to shake her head. "You'll have to teach me that trick about an oncoming storm. I am sure it would be pretty useful. Ladies don't like to be stuck out in the rain especially late at night. We are such fragile and delicate creatures after all." Her voice was more sarcastic than anything else and her laugh was mixed in. She ran a hand down the smoothness of his shoulder after he had stripped down. "Some guts to be a tank for a bunch of strangers. Are you a glory seeking man? Fame? Honor? Looking to make the women swoon with your brave bravado, hmm?" She laughed and began to peel the blood soaked bandages from his wounds. Vivian could appreciate a man with a good physique. He looked stern and battle hardened that was for sure, but there was also a small gentleness she could see in the depth of his eyes. Vivian moved her hands gracefully around his body, undoing the knotted rolls of bandages that had been poorly wound around the damaged parts of his frame. He looked very bruised, she would slide her hands down over his back and she bit down on her lip lightly as she admired the many scars which lay over his form. "Right then." She said with some excitement in her voice. The fun part was washing off the dry and cracked blood from the wounds. She would scoop water from her hand then gingerly use a scrap of leather to help clean out some of the wounds. Was this a good time to socialize? She could take a peek into his mind if nothing else as she fixed him up. "Are you a new player? I don't generally look into the stats of people because I rather talk to them about it. And sometimes they are just hidden from view. People have such secrets ya know. You never know who is playing you for the fool. Don't worry about that from me, what you see is what you get." She had already began moving her hands along his chest making sure the bandages were tight so the wounds could close and heal properly. If there was any bleeding effect in the game, surely this would stop it so his endurance can recover at a quicker rate. "You are actually not in bad shape at all. You got pretty lucky even with all that mass on you. Once we reach Dormont though and you get a good night's rest, you'll be good as new. I just gotta tie this part up and you can get your armor back on."
She led him to the water away from the rest of the group, which suited him perfectly. If he was to speak freely, it would be best done away from the ears of prying NPCs, notably those royals who were at the forefront of this campaign. There were things even other players should not be made privy to, but Kijin kept those tightly wound and close to him at all times. Secrets came at a lofty cost, even to the kindest strangers. Cloth and leathers slouched off him at her behest, and Vivian treated and cleaned his still-fresh wounds with a hint of satisfaction at every grunt of pain. The damage he took and the experience he gained, both as a character and as a player, helped mold his character further into the archetype he intended. The pain was much like the damage, ephemeral, fleeting. Even the sting of clean water in open cuts seemed little more than a pinprick, despite his realistic pain settings. She barraged him with questions from behind as he sat patiently. Every touch was equal measures tantalizing and traumatic. His eyes seemed to staregurgitate vacant into oblivion. "New to Terrasphere," he admitted, "but these games, certain elements don't change no matter how long you search. Eventually you find what you're good at and you stick to it." What he did not mention was how different Terrasphere was. If she lacked the same appreciation he did, it was not worth mentioning to begin with. That was when she rounded his body and began to work at his chest, and even as her fingers glided over nodes of intense sensation, Kijin kept a tight grip on his psyche. "Trust is a currency, no different from coin," he answered plainly. "Whether you are or are really not what you seem at face value, I find more merit in actions than words. You offered to tend my wounds- a feat even our resident healers appeared incapable of- and here we are." He gestured to himself, then to Vivian. "I am a practical man," he added slowly. "And what I want tends to vary between who I'm speaking to. So let me ask you the more pressing question-" He turned to look her in the eyes as she finished dressing his wounds and tying off the bandages. "What is it that you want?" he asked.
"This is my first action game, I guess you can say." The woman said taking a seat in front of him on the rocks. Her body sat like a lady, one leg over the other as she looked away from him briefly and smiled faintly with a small tug on her bottom lip from the pristine teeth that she used to make her lip full and pouty. "I have dived into other somewhat morale questioning games. Sex with strangers; for money, for lust, for mystery and excitement. In different eras of gaming worlds, things have their differences. But this is truly my first action game and my first case of fighting in a digital world." The woman flicked her hair off her shoulder, slow rumbling overhead as she watched the dark clouds turn. His question, which she lead on a leash was something she was still searching for but she may have found some clues as to what she wanted or at least who she wanted. The familiar raven hair, the lavender eyes and the pale skin light the moonlight had pierced her mind's eye when she thought of the night before. Once more her red lips were gnawed on by her teeth. She looked to the Tank, "I want wealth and power of course. To have my own lands maybe? Perhaps even a title? Queen sounds befitting of a woman like myself. Perhaps I even want to rule over Terrasphere as a whole." The woman shrugged and sighed. "It's a complicated question and I honestly don't have many goals right now. I'm just working my way up and going with the flow. That's just how I am. Meeting some people here and there is nice as well, watching a little bit of chaos unfold." She was a talker, but she would never talk so much as to reveal her true intentions. That was just too easy, perhaps the way she carried herself, the way she moved made other suspect what she wanted was truth. Perhaps all she really wanted in this game was some attention and melodrama? Maybe she wanted to watch everything burn to the ground while drinking a glass of wine from a throne chair? But what she really wanted...deep inside, was to spend more time with that woman. More nights like that. More. More. Greedy Vivian. Lusting Vivian. Ambitious Vivian. She looked back to her Tank friend and gave him a sly wink, "Just some fun," she said in a teasing tone.
Her words quickly explained the way she carried herself. Whether man or woman behind the screen, the player had become comfortable setting aside their own sexual interests in order to fully realize the persona of Vivian. Of course she was an extroverted, flirty, seemingly carefree character at first glance. Kijin let out a quiet chuckle. "I confess, I'm a simple man," the swordsman uttered at last. "Crowns, lands, titles- material things bore me. Terrasphere offers a unique chance to witness things that other worlds simply do not offer- assuming higher risks, of course. The adrenaline that such dangers evoke is also addicting." Kijin pulled his cloth armor back into place and stood slowly. "Fun," he repeated icily. "That seems an apt word."
Standing up and sweeping both hands over her hair, only to have the tresses of hair fall back into place seamlessly from the move, Vivian's eyes glanced over at the male. She gave a sort of shrug, "So you like the adrenaline rush? Well, I guess this war is something right up your alley. There is gonna be some heart pumping action there no doubt. You could always fight some higher tiered monsters as well. That should get ya racing," The woman suggested only a few surface thoughts before moving around away from the blue, still waters. She reached back and placed a hand on her shoulder and neck rubbing the tender area softly with her digits. The malefimancer didn't experience an up close and personal call from the Elemental like Kijin did, but she was worn out from excessive use of casting spells. Her malefimancy was getting stronger though. She could feel the dark energies on her finger tips, the aura felt like it was constantly shifting around her. Azure eyes gleamed back towards her squad mate and she started to laugh a little for no apparent reason, but she placed her hands on her hips and stifled herself shaking her head. The thick purple locks of hair rolling around in breezy wind as the oncoming droplets from the sky began to soak the party. "Just as you predicted it seems. Looks like everyone is gonna be taking cover till this blows over. Might have to set up a small camp. I was actually enjoying the sunshine while it lasted." Vivian's hair started get to soaked, and she scrunched her nose and looked up into the drizzling sky, had she been a pyromancer, she wouldn't be having too much fun. But the woman giggled and looked to Kijin, the Tank. "I don't mind the rain so much. Are you up for a little exploring away from the camp? Perhaps we can find something to jump start your adrenaline or something?" A small, playful wink once more and a saucy grin. Her idea of fun was a wide open pasteur of imagination. Anything could happen under the grace of Vivian, the Chaotic.
"The war, eh?" he lingered on the thought of strife for only a moment after she tabled it. Of course it had occurred to him, watch until the end and do some profiteering off the victorious side. "The fighting could be worthwhile, I suppose." Only the prospect of bloodshed caused his blood to boil, and the chance to feel that exquisite, near mind numbing pain over and again. Unlike any other game, Terrasphere put things at stake. Kijin was more than willing to risk them all to slake his newfound thirst. When the firmament broke open, messy strands of black hair plastered to Kijin's face and illuminated his blood colored eyes even further. "You're interested in straying further from the encampment?" he asked. It just happened that he did have another idea. "Alright, then I have a proposition for you, as this is an Elven forest and strange things happen in its depths."
Vivian lifted her arms with a mild shrug, she cared little for the safety of the numbers. And after all she had gone through, she felt a little more hardy when it came to adventuring. She refined her smile to a wide toothy grin, "I don't see any problem with it. After all, I have a tank with me to mitigate the damage. I think we'll do just fine. Although I can offer very little in terms of healing magic. My Malefimancy is an anti-life sort of thing, I think..." the woman's azure eyes shielded briefly by the glistening mat of hair as she attempted to free her sight from the veil. She still had minor use of her own skills, the system had allowed for complexity but at the same time it allowed for great free form of disease and curses to be drawn out. Its as though her imagination was endless well of knowledge, all she had to do was drink from its waters. Her brows poised as she turned to the Tank, those blood red eyes seemed to stare into the depths of her soul. She was unsure if it was the breeze and water against her back that made her shiver or if it was the almost seemingly demonic eyes that looked down at her. With a bitten lip, the Gambler continued to smile and shook her head. "A proposition? I am listening."
He took the lead as they deviated course. No one from the caravan would miss them for a brief stint, and the forest offered rewards to those who dared to brave it. In particular, elven forests were known for incredible longevity and beauty. Gilded and silvery flora dripped dew into leafy fonts on either side of the pair. Kijin idly tugged at one of the wellsprings, and pristine water came cascading down toward the rocky path below. "It's said that creatures in elvish woods are blessed, to live in peace and prosperity all of their days." He let the water touch his flesh for an instant, and Vivian could see the horrific result. Blistering and bloody flesh stretched out from where it touched his arm, almost as if he had been cut. "The belief is that outsiders are tricked by the beauty and lured in, and the resulting curse takes their lives." He flicked his hand and blood trickled away from the wound. It stung, but barely. "You've heard it in stories, the tale of the White Stag," Kijin drawled. "Chief among protectors of the forest, and a Hunter's crowning achievement on top of that." "I think we should hunt down a stag," he explained, "and harvest the curse on it's blood for you to use in your Malefimancy. You know. Since we're to be thrust back into war again soon."
Arms behind her back, the woman's full red lips bent into a smile as she followed the Tank. Her eyes were on him most of the time, little did they deviate only to see the flourishing elven land mature and bloom in her vision. She had not been one of those scenic people who would stop and look at every little piece of foliage because it looked real and appealing. It was a game, digitally mastered for the human eyes to think that everything they saw was real. However, Vivian was a realist. She knew this was a game, knew everything was digital but also knew when to play along. So she kept her mouth shut from these things and admired it for what it was. Her hair and her armor were a contrast to the green out world as she stood there among the grass and the nature. She curled her lips when Kijin began to speak of something. Though she was not fond of nature or game beauty, she did enjoy a good book and the lore of the worlds she visited. So this was something she listened with great interest. As she peered down she saw the bubbling ooze of the wound from the water. Her eyes squinted to see that such clarity of water could cast such a wound upon a player. But then she thought about it, she herself was like this water. She mused the thought as she sighed lightly as he whipped the water away only to leave a mild irritation. Despite that, his voice had remained calm when he spoke of the lore. Such a brave fellow. She would not have done that to herself even to make a point about the lure. Then again, had she not known, she would have drank from the very waters and then...that would just be bad for her. Listening more about the current lore, he brought up a story about a White Stag and use it's cursed blood for aid of her malefimancy. "Now you are talking. Although I have to be front with you, I am not much of hunter. BUT, I can possibly lure it out. You said it was a Protector of the Forest right? What if the very essence of the forest was in jeopardy?" She smiled at Kijin as she took several paces back. Her azure eyes shimmered as she cleared her throat and a spell circle began to twist and circle around her before it was slipped ethereally into the ground. Revolving like a disc with many ruin like symbols a blaze in a glowing light, Vivian's hair began to dance in the wild winds. The blue in her eyes gave way to a vile purple. Then the words came like a mantra. A hushed tone that sounded like a stinging in the ear for those who tried to decipher the words. Her hands moved in fluid motion, "This will take some time, but I am casting a rot curse on the vegetation. If anyone is protecting anything, they'll come hunting for me pretty quick. I'll need you to engage if anything tries to interrupt my spell."
Kijin hobbled backward as the woman erected her wards and called the negative energies latent to the forest toward her. The action was perverse, such that the land itself twisted in pain and the once gentle breeze almost sounded like a scream. Get out, the forest bid them. Leave. Vivian, if she were even aware of the phenomenon just outside the scope of her power, remained visibly oblivious. As she suctioned off the rotten detritus and beckoned the ruinous powers to herself, the swordsman could not help but to admire the scene as it unfolded before him. Life and death stood as two equal, balanced halves of a scale. When tilted one way or the other, evidence poured through the cracks of reality and you could see pristine, immaculate beauty wipe away any afterthought of uncleanliness. On the opposite side of the spectrum, when corruption won out, the world took on aspects that brought to question everything one knew about reality. Pinks, purples, and blacks realigned the spectrum where once nature covered the riverbed in moss and slate rock. The warped sensation of wrongness slowly bled away, and primal urges, to hunt, to kill, to eat, and even to copulate ran rampant. Within the tether of her power, only one word came to mind. Her powers were sinful. Such that when the sound of hooves and incandescent shrieking in the distance came, it took longer than Kijin liked for him to realize it. "Company," he murmured, and gestured for Vivian to step back as he unsheathed his blade.
As the sound of hooves came, Vivian's vehement purple eyes looked onward as her red lips continued to move. She could not stop this ongoing curse, not even now since she felt the resistance of the forest fight her for life instead of death. Yet she smiled as she spoke in low, her hands moved in hypnotic waves. One would stop, while the other made a circle, then it would be vice versa, and the repetition would begin as if she were undoing the hands of time from the forest. She would sway with the wind, her body moving like a Pole Dancer as she used her youthful essence to spur on her sinful dance. The collected energies of good and evil had fought in their little space, but she was grinning and that was not good for Nature. She would lay a hand flat across the earth as the power of darkness pulsated in the palm of her hand, the wind howled like it was in pain as her fingers separated into the moist soil. Where there had been green vegetation, now turned almost black and crisp. The moisture in the air from the river had been sucked dry, leaving a dusty almost suffocating air around her. She heaved as she poured more dark power into the rot curse from her hand. She could sense the dizziness of her exertion, her eyes shifting from purple to azure as she was giving way to the power within her. A blanket of foul rot moved through the air to sting the senses. Plants began to wilt as the epitome of her power can to be as she lurched over and her own body began to pulsate sending forth a shockwave of sinful energy. Once the force of the wind collided, it had caused the immediate area to just darken as if the sun could not reach them. Even the small bit of rain had turned its cheek to them. The land had just died in a sense, leaving nothing but still, rotting air. Vivian moved to sit her hands on her knees as she looked to Kijin and their prize. She swept the ooze from her mouth that accumulated and the sweat from her brow. Her heaving was apparent, that busty chest of hers rising and falling as she attempted to suck in air to her lungs. "It-it's all you now. Although the forest is weakened, I don't know what powers this white stag will have." As if being called by name the massive creature stood before them, a pristine white coat and a golden like aura. Deep eyes that could still the soul and make peace, yet even with its white beauty there was a look in those eyes that spoke of tearing the flesh from their bones. It looked quite exquisite, even the land that it stood on was untouched by Vivian's curse which spoke volumes of its protective powers.
