Laughing a bit awkwardly upon the rather blatant surprise on Emerath's face, Solaria tried not to think too hard about whether what he was imagining might have happened could be an accurate depiction to minds of others. "Basically, think of it as a wormhole-type teleport spell... Only the other side of the wormhole was the sky, well above the ground. So, after I went through, I and a great deal of others plummeted about thirty-three or so yards to the ground."

It was, after all, what happened to a number of people. It had been an issue for everyone part of the convoy, whether a rescuer or rescued fellow- not that they'd actually been rescued by the ones that went to do so, of course. In the end, all she'd done was follow a flock to a dangerous area and arrive by the time the imprisoned had already set themselves free.

"Someone had set up a blanketed area for us to land on prior, at least. It wasn't as dangerous as it could be, but it damn hurt." Her little giggle fit continued to mask the ringing in her head. He was a nice fellow, so far, so she wanted to keep helping him. That meant it was best to ignore her more critical instincts. He was trying to help, after all- and they needed all the help they could get.

When the man mentioned his intent on joining the defense and thinking it'd be right to stand at her side for safety, the elf shook her head despite her faint smile, picking at the water she'd been given, sipping it idly for a moment to think of words to fit the explanation she needed to give. Unfortunately, tact wasn't really her forte. "I'm going with the tunnel team to clear a path for the ones doing the heaviest part. Or at least, that's my plan. After we're done, we'll all be coming back I bet to help as reinforcements. I just can't not go... I have a history with those tunnels, and when I couldn't protect anyone or help them during that rescue mission gone wrong... I decided I'd find another way to protect those people. Protecting them from anything in the tunnels will help, followed by aiding the defense when we're through."

Another sip of water later and she was resting against her chair, head leaning back with her neck cocked awkwardly against the headboard. "I may be the only healer you know now, but I know there are a plethora of people who will aid you. Illumancy isn't the only magic that can help heal people. There are many ways to help others... And, while I may be in the tunnels, I'll be able until then to help you prepare, if you'd like. What is your skill set? I think for the both of us, some training couldn't hurt... And it's more fun with friends, don't you think?"

@Emerath Katou

 

Emerath hadn't expected a mass teleport spell to have that much inherent danger to it. Though, this game had more realistic mechanics than most other VRMMOs on the market. More than any other, it could be argued. So as he listened, he mused that it could make sense for such a reaction. You could perhaps guarantee the safety of one or two people when teleporting, but not hundreds. Though, Emerath did wonder if there were plenty of other healers, why nobody had bothered to heal poor Solaria here. But he left that one alone.

His face couldn't help but fall a bit as Solaria explained that she would be participating in one of the high level groups, a tunnel expedition that Emerath had skipped over. But he couldn't fault her one bit. He was a newbie, and he was riding on a dream for a moment. But she was right, there would be plenty of other good people manning the walls, as it were. And the idea of training him so he didn't suck so bad seemed like a great idea.

Once Solaria threw the ball back in his court, Emerath rubbed his chin and said, "I went with Body Combat, Tinkering, and Alchemy. I've enjoyed fist fighting in other games, so I figured I'd enjoy it here. And who doesn't love science and robots?" Emerath chuckled, trying to lighten the mood a bit, "And really training would be great. It seems like this world is more robust than most, in that you can basically find a quest or monster to kill anywhere, and it's all free form. Like a simulation of real life closer than most. But in all your wisdom, is there a quest or area that you think would work best for training a newbie? And if you say Honeyhome I'm going to cry. I walked from there earlier today to join in this war." Emerath smiled, but gave her a wink, before leaning back in his chair.

He couldn't help the smile on his face. He had made a friend, and she was about to help him train. This couldn't have gone much better than he would have otherwise anticipated.

@Solaria

 

The ride in the cart was done and over with and the walk had been exhausting considering their wounds, but the portal was by far the worst of it. Gwyn was shunted out of the portal more than a few feet up and dropped like a rock into the thick blankets. It wasn't even close enough to soothe the ache of the half-healed wound in her shoulder or the fading bruises littering her body. It did nothing but give her burns carpet burn either. The silver lining in the mess was that it hadn't reminded her of the fall from the cliffs. It just hurt like hell and back.

"Motherfucker."

She was tempted to stay loose and lax in the nest of blankets until forced to move, but figured other people from the prison or the team that had escorted them out would warp through and a human being, or Felis or Yladian or Faerin or even a stiff breeze, falling on her would probably hurt even worse. The ranger pulled herself up and closed her eyes with a grimace as her stomach turned traitorous. It didn't appreciate the magic any more than she did. There was nothing for it but to withstand it like everything else. She carefully picked her away from the crowds gathering to talk about the coming invasion and steadied herself in the meantime as she eavesdropped. It wasn't particularly hard.

The huntress felt a bit more steady after her moment of weakness at the end. There was a king to slay and crown to pass on apparently, no more time for tears vanished into a linen-covered shoulder and soft hair. She hated herself a little for having it at all, but it wasn't healthy to keep bottling it all away for a rainy day when it was a monsoon season. What she should do was make sure everyone in her mountain team was alright, ensure Ashiore wasn't drinking herself into oblivion after Naixi's death, or checking on Kyupin after her abysmal track record so far in relation to the Felis. Every time they meant she'd ended up injured, though admittedly the half mauling from the wolven mother, trees, and briar patches of their first meeting happened before her and the snake had gotten there.

The choice came easily to her in the form of @Aalam Abungu walking a circuit through the gathering and she moved easily through the few people lingering in the way. She tapped at his elbow to catch his attention and stall his walk. "Aalam, right?" Gwyn pulled her bow from her back to bow with it across her chest lightly like he had done when they first met. Despite the tired set to her features, the expression was notably an easy jest. Less a joke and more a casual reminder. "So much for that short and sweet hike of ours. We were all split up in the prison so I figured I'd... make sure, yanno? I haven't run into Claire, but I didn't see her in the prisons. I hope she's alright, I'll have to send her a message in a bit. Alphabet's- Alpha's alive. There's that." A muscle in her jaw tensed at the thought, but she forced the tension to loosen as much as she was able. It was still a sore spot, but one shared with many present in the room. "How about you? You alright?"

 

Aalam was chasing down his latest drink for some reason the wine in his goblet was running out much too quickly for his liking, and he had to see a way to fix that. So he was running down one of the many servants that always seemed to pop out of the woodwork at one of these functions, but the man appeared to avoid him. Wither it was out of the fact that a person could see he was just on the tip of drunkenness; it was a shame because the alcohol was helping to settle his stomach. It also came with the added benefit of the more than he poured down his throat, the less he had to think of things and to remember anything that was unpleasant, and there was a lot of those thoughts wondering around his head for the last few minutes. Damnit he had lost the man in the crowd, and that sucked because now he would have to think about things. Seto had already given order not to take any action right up in now as he wanted the whole of his court to agree before they set out to do anything. SO for these brief days before action was taken he could try and forget what happened in that hell and just think of the positive. He had a new bow now one with much higher draw strength, and he was still alive to remember those that were lost under the ground.

Yea he just had to focus on the positive and ignore the negative, just think positive though…..and fuck that. Grabbing his emergency flask and down a large gulp from it at this point he wasn’t aware what was in it, a mixture of drink from now and then but it burnt, and that was wonderful. He was so focused on that burning that he didn’t feel when Lady Gwyn tapped his shoulder the first time. That was a bit inexcusable he had been raised better than then that, even if he was slightly tipsy. Damn, that was a good mixture he would have to try and remember what he had put in that flask. He had to focus clearing his head of the bit of fog that had started to collect there so that he could pay attention.

She was checking up on him that was odd it wasn’t like he had made any real impression on any of them in the group well as far as he knew. Maybe she wasn’t something and was using him to get it? However, that still didn’t make any sense she was a more experienced player than he so there wasn't anything he could get she couldn’t…. What was he doing she had helped them reach the meeting point undetected, and now he was having a problem trusting her after everything. Swallowing his shame before returning her bow, he was better than this at least he should be. “I thank you for checking up on me even after everything that you went through. As for Lady Claire, I cannot say, but I am hoping for the best and the fact that Lady Alphabet's alive is good news.” Taking a short sip from his flask feeling that wonderful burning in the back of his throat. “I’m still alive that alone is something, but well a strong drink is helping with the rest.” On that note he offered the flask towards @Gwyn ap Herne she had it just as bad as him and might need something strong. “Want a sip? “

 

Vivian's gaze continued on the dark haired woman. Her eyes glowing with a desire to speak with her. Should she be so bold as to interrupt her meeting? The woman sighed to herself, it would be a disaster to pull her away from such a thing. At the same time, Vivian appeared to be antsy about the ordeal as well. Perhaps if she just got closer?

The purplette smoothed the hair from her shoulder as she launched herself from her leaning position on the tree. She made her way towards the little group of people crowded around the important people. No doubt Lucia would be among them, how could she not? Vivian spe her pace, her eyes looking for the clear path towards her dark haired companion before catching herself and moving away a short distance. The woman rolled her eyes at her indecisiveness. Why was it so hard now? Vivian was the epitome of bluntness and she cared little for the rules of other people but now she was second guessing her nature by waiting at a distance for the one she wished to speak to.

The woman's back sank back into a shallow tree. She would wait until @Lucia Mierz would look her way. It would be the perfect opportunity to smile and wave at the younger woman. Even if it was just for a brief moment, the interaction between the two would sate her desire. But even if she did have the time, what would Vivian say? Her azure eyes widened from the thought, she had no clue what to say to the young Necromancer.

"Oh hey, Lucia! How are you? Wanna go romp somewhere?" Vivian palmed her face, giving it a light smack as she shook her head, the tendrils of purple coming off her shoulder as she mentally kicked herself in the ass. It had been one night, an intense one no doubt, but all these feelings that burned in her chest. Did Lucia feel the same? Perhaps it was just a one and done sort of thing. Perhaps...Vivian was just another passing thought.

Her mind made her upset. There was a clear grimace on her face, she was overthinking this. Just wait it out. Let Lucia decide with her own words. Then..."...you can go bat shit crazy if you like, Vivian." She said speaking to herself.

 

It’s been a few days, a few days when the entourage left to rescue the imprisoned players that went on that false hunt. A few days was more than enough for Stamp to prepare his traps and tricks, some of his hidden hideouts were rigged with his traps. Now all that is left is to wait for the storm to come. However as much as this would be nothing more than a bloodbath, Stampede can’t help but wonder that this may all as well be nothing more than a ruse or rather if King Theo was well aware of the existence of these players, what countermeasures will he use against? Stampede knows that the King isn't dumb enough to charge in without a plan, or could he?

Nevertheless the thought of abandoning Adecus forest lingered and it started to sound like a good idea. This simple charge was all to suspicious, while of course the Army of Falderen will overwhelm them in numbers, Stampede has his suspicions. Normally in game events, every conclusion of the battle has its twist at least that would definitely go in the last dive game he played, he can smell the stench that things will probably go south for all of them.

Stampede was never a confrontational type of guy and if things come to worst, he’s more than willing to abandon Astorea and leave everyone for dead.

The possibility of Falderen hiring mages was not farfetched, the only thing Stampede can think of was a magical boundary field that’s capable of inducing paralysis, however they would need maleficmancy to do so.

He’d be definitely surprised if King Theo had contact with any of them just for this moment. This storyline feels all too familiar.

Voice mail

“So how’s my sister’s little raid? Got anything good? I’ll trade yah for a piece of fine armor. Hope you aren’t gonna skip dinner just for this war, dad’s bringing home your favorite.”
From: @Stampede
To: @Megan Tritor

If things come to worst he can teleport himself to one of his bases that borders the Adecus forest and escape with a cart which he stole that contains his emergency and enough terraforming supplies to make a new base and a set of traps. It really wasn’t hard to make those but the problem is choosing a location as he only memorized the entire terrain within the woodlands. As of now, he’s currently using a scope to see what the royals were up to and how they plan to mobilize the defenses.

“What will you do now King Astor? Assuming this may or may not be your first skirmish” he put his scope away and drew a cigar, lighting it up and smoking a cloud as he sat comfortably on the high trees.

OCC: A Short summary in case people are too lazy to read. Stampede has used whatever time he had laying traps, having second thoughts of defending Astorea. He contacted his little sister in hopes to barter a trade for something good and now looks to King Astor how capable he is of leading his newly found kingdom's defense.

 

The cart stopped, people were instructed to proceed through the portal. Following the others, Corvella walked straight into the portal absent-minded and expected to step into something. Four seconds worth of free-falling indicated that she was wrong, as she was thrown several feet above the ground into piles of blankets. Even with the cushion, she was certain that if this wasn't a game she would have broken few ribs by now.

People of importance were speaking about the matters of war. It never been her type of talks, nor she was in a position to do so. Straying away, she went to grab something to eat around there before resting her body to heal.

And here she is now, finishing up a portion of meal that normally won't fit inside her stomach. When you let your mind loose, it was easy to lose track of the time. A woman had to ask if she was okay because she kept her stare straight for thirty minutes at her empty plate.

"I'm okay, thank you."

She looked around, some grown men were drinking excessively on the corner, drowning themselves in sadness about their lost sons. She can't help but to relate to their feeling, but the next thing that caught her attention was the drinks. She never ever ever touched alcoholic drinks (her parents were really strict). A study that she did for her resume was about depressed people that tends to drink alcohols because they claimed it helped them to cope.

"I guess this is will be my test case."

She made her mind and ordered one mug of what they drank. Drinking alcoholic-kinda drink in a virtual game, what could have gone wrong? She thought as she tried a sip at the mysterious, strong-scented drink.

It was some moment before she realized that she had never been this wrong.

 

It was to be expected that their time of celebration would get cut short; this country was in the midst of a war after all. Still, Alric couldn't help but feel somewhat annoyed at the idea of having to go back into battle so soon after being roughly thrown from his portal. Of course logging out was an option. Ideally one was able to just not play the game for a week or two and avoid this conflict all together. He probably would have chosen this route if not for the NPCs that inhabited this world. Though he hasn't played for long, the wannabe paladin has met countless people. Never once did anyone seem like a side character in this world. They had lives, families, and their own batch of issues to confront from one day to the next; this war was just another problem to add to the pile and whether they liked it or not the players were responsible. Was it really right to just meddle in the affairs of this world? He didn't have a definitive answer, but for now was leaning toward no. With that being the case, he couldn't just walk away from whatever comes next…

---

Alric chose to walk away from the crowd, forcing his palm menu open to mull over his statuses and equipment as he did. He knew there wasn't much to look at, despite the experience gained from the rescue mission. Heck, he barely had any practical skills to offer during a fight. But reviewing the information also meant he could drown out the people around him and focus on his own thoughts.

The bottom line was that to protect the people of this world he needed to be stronger. He couldn't fear death or his own lack of skill while in battle. For those who needed someone to look to for hope, he would slowly and surely become a guiding light.

 

Well, Velka had certainly missed a lot. Which made quite a bit of sense, while she had been playing for a while, she mostly stuck to the more isolated areas as those places tended to offer the more dangerous and interesting encounters. Crystallized Zalria, Esuilus, Norfova and the like. Still, when she came back, she wasn't expecting to find a whole new nation in the place of Adecus Forest. Interestingly, there appeared to be a mix of a celebration and war planning although she did seem to be joining the event late so who knew what happened before.

Well, it was obvious that something big was happening and she wanted in on it. But first, she would need to find out where to go and what was going. Unfortunately, it felt like she would need to put on all of her social airs and graces considering her unknown status. Straightening all the ruffles from her clothes and putting on a polite smile, she started to search for someone who looked like they knew what was happening but wasn't terribly busy. Which probably like looking for a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow but miracles do happen. Sometimes.

 

Gwyn hissed a breath in between her teeth at the man's jump and she was quick to bite out a small apology. Considering how likely she was to flip an internal switch if someone was stupid enough to grab for her bow or hold even one of her still sore wrists? She didn't blame him. Not to mention she was quiet unless barking out her intention for a fight or snarling like one of her war hounds. Even without the Stealth Mode, her Hunting had grown in such leaps and bounds it bled over beyond that. There was no near-supernatural blending with the environment and convincing the eyes of man and monster alike that there was nothing there, to simply pass her by, but there didn't need to be. Her boots were quieter when she stepped right. Her breathing, even when labored, was kept low.

The literal worst thing to do to anyone who had been with her in the prisons was likely to be dull enough to jump them only hours after it had happened. Well, the literal worst casual thing. Killing, torturing, and the like was still firmly at the top of the list and wow, she needed a fucking drink if only to shut her mind down a little.

As soon as he finished talking, she stared at the offered flask for a moment's pause before wrapping a hand firmly around it and knocking back a large swig. She couldn't tell what it was exactly and that should have worried her. Mixing alcohol was a tentative task, but the lick of fire down her throat sent a warm pulse through her thawing chest and it helped to unwind some of the ill-ease still coiled up around her heart. "That was the absolute best thing I've had in a week solid and it was fucking awful. That cannot be healthy. Ugh, I'm going to need to snag some mead off someone soon. Raid the 'King's' cellars or something." Gwyn handed the flask back over. She wasn't going to empty the poor thing out, but if she kept it in hand she'd end up doing just that. "Also probably shouldn't get wasted before a mission to unseat a king, huh?"

The ranger tensed and dropped her gaze to see the strange snake she had tamed in the stables of the prison come coiling and looping around both her boots. It was longer than Nathair, but far thinner. The fishtail was still a bizarre sight. It also wasn't a huge asshole apparently because when the slitted eyes looked up at @Aalam Abungu there wasn't even a whisper of wanting to eat him in their empathetic bond. It was a weak and fickle thing though. She'd have to improve their connection. "Ah, Aalam meet... well, meet my newest tame. I don't know who it belonged to, if anyone, but it was hiding in the stables before that last big fight. Seemed lonely. Would have been a shame to leave it." Gwyn held a palm out face down and the serpent twisted to look up at it, reaching to bump its snout against her for a second before flopping back down to rest.

"We don't have much time before the team heads out. It sounds like those clearing the tunnels will start in half a day's time. We'll go after them, though I'm not sure who all 'we' entails so far." She shifted her weight to another leg and studied the other player's face with a mild expression on her own. "You joining the fight with the defense? The tunnels? I'd rather not see you on the assassination mission. You look a bit more comfortable in your skin, but that shit'll be dangerous. Either way... you going to reap some revenge for the betrayal and the prison?" The dark 'I am' behind her eyes went unspoken.

 

His explanation of his choices made her giggle just a bit. She wasn't sure how well her training would help him with the one particular fighting skill he had compared to her's, but she also was intrigued by his choices in general. His reasons, especially, made her smile. He'd thought most about the fun he wanted to have when he made his character, and here he was about to join a war in day one. She couldn't fault him, but at the same time, she had to wonder. Well, she'd ask him those questions later, though.

"I'm not so sure you can make robots in this setting, but give it your all. We have alchemy in common, so aside from training, I can also help you learn some of the recipes in that. I'm not great, but I'm good enough to have a shop for the time being."

Moving a hand to her hip, she only lightly tugged at her prized possession- a katana she'd gotten a while back, one of a kind in that way. She only lightly let it out of it's sheath to let the sun gleam off it through a window, before returning it to it's holder with a grin. "I started with Slash, Alchemy and Illumancy. I'm not fully sure how body combat and slash would work in regards to training, but we'll find a way to manage it."

She sipped her water once more, pondering places to train. Honeyhome hadn't even come to mind, personally- but there were a lot of places, wild and not, that did. In fact, she had a few places buzzing around already, her mind wandering to which might be best for a beginner.

"There's a dojo- or rather, a training hall- in Stokbon I know about. I usually train in the woods myself, but considering our fight is with Falderen and my usual clearing I like to use is in their territory... Would it be plausible to go there to train? Actually, it's the same with Stokbon... Crap..."

Muttering a few extra curses under her breath, she realized that just because she was aligned with the player kingdom, it didn't mean she knew many places in the kingdom to train without leaving it's border. Was it necessary to hide in the kingdom? Perhaps, but perhaps not. Caution had never been her strong suit, but she had a newbie to tend to, making her martyr complex more active than her impulsive mind.

"I think I saw a training hall in the area, but to be honest, I'm not fully sure. If you want, we can check it out- but if I'm wrong, we'll have wasted a trip potentially... I just don't know if it's good or not to leave the area to prepare, when we'll be at war with the places we're going soon, y'know?"


@Emerath Katou

 

Emerath tapped his chin as Solaria spoke, his logical mind starting to kick in as the gears started to turn. She had made a few fair points about his skills, but he appreciated her support all the same. “I certainly would appreciate a mentor in Alchemy, though ultimately my plans are less economic. In lieu of general healing abilities like magic, I wanted to be able to assist using potions in combat.”

In all reality, Emerath’s mind rarely went to the economic, though he knew eventually he’d have to sit down and make money somehow. But his first thought always jumped to ridding the world of evil and all the sweet, sweet loot. But there was no clear evil in this world. Unless the King they were planning to kill was evil, but Emerath had no idea.

Finally, the wheels in Emerath’s head spin as Solaria listed off possibilities. Slowly, he started to lean less toward training and more towards information gathering. “How about... we worry less about teaching me the ropes, and more about what both of us are getting into?”

Emerath knew that might sound odd, so he held his hands out for reassurance. “I’m not entirely new to MMOs. This one, yes, but I have experience in playing them. If my tactical mind can understand the trials we face, the part of my mind that needs to execute will surely follow.”

Emerath stood after this slowly stretching to work out his kinks after a good sit, followed by a small yawn. After putting his body back into a neutral state, he followed up that point with, “It definitely seems like you have the more daunting task. How about we find some others aiding in the tunnel effort, or even just go check out the tunnel ourselves? A bit of scouting. No doubt if we really wanted to train then opportunities would present themselves. Once finished we can double back and survey the defense effort so I know what I’m getting into, provided we have the time.”

Emerath hope the proposition was a fair one. He knew he was new, but he didn’t want that to be a holding point. Perhaps failure would be the best way to learn, even if it came with a cost.

@Solaria

 

"You can definitely make healing potions if you do it right, but alchemy is actually pretty good for offense, too. I tend to experiment with it a lot, myself... Makes my shop smell pretty bad sometimes, though, when I fail."

Laughing a bit, she felt her hand unconsciously move to her neck, rubbing it to get a kink out of it that she'd noticed from her movements. "Sometimes I make medicine, sometimes poison- which is pretty handy against some monsters, actually- and then sometimes I just make unusual things that I don't really know what they are. Alchemy depends as much on it's user as pretty much any other craft. I still use illumancy a lot more for healing than I do my medicine, though."

In a way, alchemy was just her 'job'. She hadn't originally planned out much when she chose it- she just wanted to make medicine for people, but found it wasn't really useful unless she was there when it was needed half the time anyway. Her shop in the capital, however, was doing at least enough to give her some regular income now. That and the fact she had patients to help made her happy, even if she wished they weren't injured as often.

"Oh, an old-timer perhaps? I've played a lot of MMOs in my day, but to me, this one's pretty, uh... Complicated. But it's my first VR one, too. You've played a number, you said, but were they the same concept at least? With how open-ended Terra is, you'd be surprised how hard it can be getting your bearings. Skills just aren't as simple as most of us gamers are used to." At the very least, it had taken quite a bit for her to really adjust to spell-casting. She was much more at ease with a sword than with magic, but she'd always been that way, to be fair.

As he noted that their missions may be different but they could do similar things to prepare, the girl couldn't help a smile- this guy was thinking a few steps ahead of her! She hated admitting she tended to like that- likely because it let her loosen up in games more when she didn't have to be in charge of the strategy. Then again, with how impulsive she often was, most wouldn't let her near the strategy if they could help it- not ones that didn't know her well, anyway.

"A recon mission sounds like my cup of tea. I've been in the tunnels to an extent before myself- first death was there, hopefully only one. We shouldn't go too far, though. That's what the tunnel team is for, really... A quick look around and taking a peek at what our defense looks like so far is definitely a good plan, though. A little scouting, even if we only go a little bit in, never hurts a mission like this, you know?"

@Emerath Katou

 

What was wrong with him he knew lady Gywn hell she got him through the mountain range without a scratch he was still too jumpy after everything that had happened that would have to be worked on. Whatever was in his flask was making a difference, but it still had a long way to go, he should try and figure it out before he drained the thing though, it was a right mix there was enough burn to make a person feel good. It wasn’t as she wanted though if she did find some of this kings ale, he would have to bum some off of her, I fit wasn’t up to his standards it could go in the flask might make something else in their taste much better. Taking his flask back before taking another big swing feeling the liquid run like fire down his throat, it was terrific. However, that was all he could take for the moment Lady Gwyn as terrible as it was she was right it would be a horrible idea to get drunk right before they were about to raid a kingdom and kill a king. Well, that was a series of words that he never thought that he would have to put together, well what makes both strange bedfellow and thoughts. She was right. However, he should keep a clear head.

Well at least her snake… tiny wingless dragon just what in the world was that thing, it didn’t match and snake that he knew existed. Well at least it wasn’t trying to kill him, and that was a nice change of pace. He was interesting however even if Aalam could tell what exactly he was, kneeling down to get a closer look. Now he was sure he had no idea what that creature was in the slightest, but at least it seemed that Lady Gwyn had it in a state of trust if nothing else. Hopefully, the little guy would stay alive during the events that were to come. “Well at least you have a home little one; I wish you and your master health.” He almost touched it but then thought better of the action, the little guy trust @Gwyn ap Herne but he wasn’t Gwyn, and well she didn’t have to know that he had seen a group of animals keeps in cages that might have belonged to other players. It was something that the liquid fire was helping with.

He got back up when she started talking however what type of man he would be if he didn’t rise for a lady, even one with a freak snake thing as a companion. Well at least someone was looking for a fight, and with her level of skills, there was a good chance that the mission would be possible. Rolling his shoulder, he was looking for a fight, but there were times that knowledge outweighs revenge. “Your right I would feel well comfortable in the assassination mission but a man must know his limits, and if I were to go on this I would only be a hindrance. So I shall stay protect the Homefront make sure that everyone has someplace to come back to. That being said comes back now I have a want to taste this king’s ale, and you seemed to be able to handle your liquor. ” Tossing his flask at her. “and take this a person always needs to carry a drink with them when they decide on spelunk into hell.”

 

Emerath was glad that Solaria was on board with his plan. At the very least, it meant that he would be able to see what she would be up against and hope for his new friend's safe return. He did understand that death would not be permanent, but that didn't stop him from worrying. Though as these thoughts wandered through his mind, he couldn't help but feel an odd sense that he was acting odd. Had the reality of this world already begun to take its hold of the man? No, surely not. This was still just a game, and Solaria, even if she died, would ultimately be fine. Right?

Emerath shook his head to clear his thoughts as he returned himself to the present, and to his companion. "Well, then shall we? Unfortunately, I have no idea where the tunnel is, but you've said you were there before. Died there once. Man, that is an odd thing to say in an MMO as realistic as this." He chuckled and offered for her to lead the way to their destination with a gesture, before continuing with, "What's more dangerous about this tunnel? The monsters or the enemy nation? Like, is there a chance that they'll know you're coming?"

And then a thought struck him, "Also, why were you there the first time? Is this not the first attempt at this king's assassination? Man, I have so many questions about this world. The intrigue is certainly much more real than any other game I've played. In any case, don't bother with my prattling, we'll talk on the way."

@Solaria