Megathread - (Story Event) Storm Preparation | Page 3

So. Astorea was where everyone was gathering again, it seemed. Leery of Ynglar portals after the entire experience with Azog, Claire made sure to remain at the square, waiting to make sure that everyone was safe and accounted for. It was quite a large crowd of people here, waiting to hear King Astor's words, however. Made it almost impossible to see what was going on over where people were being ejected from portals left and right, but it didn't look like anyone was panicking or severely upset.

Good. Likely meant that there weren't any seriously injured or dead people around. Claire had enough of dealing with that after their encounter with the frogs. It could have gone a lot worse than it did, but it also could have gone a lot better. The one death was quite the low point, in her opinion.

At any rate, it looked like they wouldn't have that much time to prepare. Teams were being assembled--she wasn't entirely sure what for, but it looked like there were a lot of volunteers. Fine by her. Hanging back for the defense of the city wasn't that unsavory a task.

She was even looking forward to it. Nothing like getting her frustrations out by cracking a few skulls here and there. Let the Falderen army come to her. She'd be ready for them.

Although... Bringing up her UI, Claire looked over her items and stored up funds. Perhaps there would be an armorsmith somewhere? She'd traded for some decent boots from the frog chief's offerings, but having more protection could never hurt. She'd have to replace some of her old leathers anyway, after all that acid.

Eugh. Even just the memory of the exploding frogs was almost enough to make her shudder.

Well, regardless. Looked like they had a bit of time. Claire slunk out of the crowd and headed a bit deeper towards the center of Astorea, looking for someone who had some armor to pawn off.

 

Gwyn nearly startled when @Aalam Abungu dropped to meet the eyes of the tame that had quietly joined them but restrained herself. This wasn't Nathair who took wicked pleasure in mock attacking, or actually attacking if she were honest, for the express purpose of scaring people. Nor was it the twin hounds she had rescued. They were still deep into their sensitivity training to acclimate them to the strangers and crowds that frequented Gwyn's day-to-day journeys through Terrasphere. Her lovely not so little mutant was still an unknown, but there was only one way to learn.

Snakes could strike with blinding speed and she didn't doubt this new one was at a minimum on par with Nathair's own attacks. Their fledgling bond, however, soothed her. It was still a weak and trembling thing between them, but all she felt curl across the empathetic connection was curiosity and caution. It wanted to know. Gwyn couldn't settle on what exactly it sought, but it met Aalam's eyes levelly with its own frosted gaze. Whatever eye color was behind the milky third eyelid she had yet to see. Like its eyes, its personality, its abilities, all would come in time. They would work together and she would get the measure of her companion in time.

When the other archer rose again, he was entirely untouched by the tame and Gwyn pressed her pride and thanks through the mental channel still settling between them. The snake itself settled with a warbling hiss.

"Our thanks for the well-wishes," she laughed and waved a hand dismissively. She grinned a vicious little smile back at his mentions of the alcohol. "I've got a plan. How about I see what vintage Falderen's got? After all this king slaying business is done with I'll snag some." The huntress lifted the flask up to shake, the snake below twisting to watch the light play on the sides of it. "I'll bring this back to you and we'll compare notes on my ill-gotten gains. See if it leaves a better taste in our mouths than all these politics do?"

 

"The tunnels are below the castle," She explained carefully. Her finger laid upon her chin as she tried to explain in a bit more detail. "This castle was a wreck, at one point. During reconstruction, some of us went into the tunnels below the castle to fight some monsters that were causing havoc. We went in small teams because there were a plethora of them...But the monsters were stronger than expected."

With a nervous laugh, her finger moved with the rest of her hand to scratch her neck, her other hand resting gently on her hip. It was a bit of a tale to tell, longer than she thought would fit the situation, but not one to hold back on with the man's thirst for understanding of the world they were in. It surely was an unusual situation, all in all...

"No need to think too hard. While death has a cost, we're lucky it's fairly mild. Well, I found it mild. Here, take a quick look-" She moved to check her settings before glancing to the man a bit more easily. "Do you know how to use inspection mode? Do a quick inspection of my health stats. You should see a thing that says 'Death Affliction' somewhere, right? I think it varies from person to person. In my case, I got one called 'martyr complex'... But actually, I've always had one of those, anyone that knows me- online, offline, before or now- would vouch for it. The difference is it's just more uncontrolled than before, because the game pushes it further."

It was a fitting issue, in her mind, however. If she'd gone into more detail, she'd likely cry from the memories- the memories of failing to protect her comrades, with only one of them managing to survive. she was proud, however, that even one person got out of that tunnel alive that day. Sadly, she hadn't seen that girl much since then, if more than once.

With a small stretch, she was able to smile a bit brighter. It had been a while since then, and she'd grown stronger. Sure, she was still an impulsive brat, but she'd also learned a bit more about teamwork- and, in time, she'd gotten a bit better at managing some of her emotional baggage, too. "The first major battle I took part in was during an exodus. The monsters we fought... Well, let's just say I avoided mushroom dishes for a while even though I survived."

As she stretched her back this time, leaning a bit farther back than she should likely be able to, she groaned from the slight jolt of pain. "Say, do you have your sensitivity module on lessened or realistic? Because let me tell you, I sometimes regret opting to keep it on realistic... And I don't know if I can change it- or if I would, because it reminds me not to do stupid things like nearly ruin my back with my stretches." She burst into a small fit of laughter, finishing her preparatory stretches and putting a hand on the hilt of her sword.

"Okay, I'm pretty much set. Should we go it alone or should we start a party? I mean, I think the tunnels should be safer than they were, but... Just two of us may or may not be a good idea, even if it's just a quick peek..." She was thinking, but she was excited. She just wasn't sure she was enough to protect the man if they met any danger- not when he was still in his early stages of finding his way.

"Well, I guess it should be fine either way. I'm probably just overthinking. Let's get going, shall we? Time waits for no man."


@Emerath Katou

 

“Worried. I have read about astramancy portals…” The blonde muttered to herself as she eyed the otherworldly magic capable of bending and shifting the plane to teleport people over long distances. Chaos and colors ensued inside in a randomized, but roughly spiral pattern. “Hesitant. The descriptions within the books weren’t very… Pleasing.” Her body trembled lightly in non-anticipation to the experience she would have to go through. One after another, tiny steps finally led her inside the portal. Stretching, bending, pain and confusion were one of the few awful symptoms her entire body experienced in the interplanar travel back home.

Relief settled in her body as the portal effects suddenly wore off and the tension and pain in her muscles and bones was finally gone. Much to her dismay, however, Indra had little time to realize she was fairly high above the ground and fell down with a monotone shriek into the thick blankets ready for the arrival of the rescue teams and the imprisoned adventurers. The blonde magecrafter laid there for a few moments contemplating life and damning the mage that developed portal magic to not even bother dealing with the side-effects of interplanar travel. Eventually, Indra stood up and moved away from the blankets with groggy and awkward steps.

She sat on a nearby chair, still trying to properly assess the situation. Apparently, she was the first of her team to reach the end of the portal and crash on the blankets, and thus there were mostly unknown faces to her. Her blue eyes noticed the more beaten up people that were probably the imprisoned players and ongoing negotiations between higher ranking people of Astorea. Feeling out of place, a monotone sigh escape her lips as she opened her message box. For now, she should try and contact that buffoon and see if he had anything he wanted to buy or prepare for the conflict in a few hours.

Indraneel

Groggy. @Quinn, I’m waiting for you here in the hall. Let me know when you’re back through messages, there are too many people in here.

With the message done, she realized that her party member likely wouldn’t notice her among so many other adventurers in the hall. Indra stood up once more with a annoyed,monotone sigh as she squished her way out of the bunch of people. Once she finally managed to reach a more calm and isolate spot, she’d start fiddling with her in-game menus… Only to stumble upon… Something? No, Someone probably. In any case — she didn’t have much time to think before acting. Her dizziness and pain from portal traveling didn’t help either, so Indra shifted her weight around and ended up falling back on her butt. At least she didn’t fall over the person she bumped into, whom was very short.

“Apologetic. Forgive me, I am not in the best shape right now. Portal travelling is not a pleasant experience.” She apologised, looking clearly dizzy. "Inquisitive. Do you happen to have seen someone with green, spiky hair? Just like grass.” Indra gestured with her hands above her head as she stood up again. “Apologetic, Mk II. Again, forgive me about bumping into you out of nowhere. Do you happen to know where is the exit? I am… Unfamiliar with this castle.”

 

Yea, the Lady Gwyn, was a bit odd but who in this world wasn’t if a person had managed to remain normal them they weren’t playing the game right. Terra was that type of society you learned to bend, or it would break you. Well he was a mess right now, and he just gave Gwyn the last of his drink, but it seemed that the good were smiling on him as someone just walked past with a cup of wine that was now his cup of wine. Well, hopefully, this wasn’t the king’s unique ale because whatever was in his cup was little better than watered down grape juice. Well if Lady @Gwyn ap Herne was able to make it back from killing a king maybe she would bring back something that wasn’t just made in poor taste. He might have gotten good enough at alchemy that he might have something new for her to try.

He had tried his hand at creating a brew before and at least if he were able to make something enjoyable they would have more than one drink. He might even get someone to design the bottle after her little companion down there it would make a fascinating look, and there was some snake venom if diluted with the proper exiles it could make for a potent drink. That was going to something to try when this was all over. It was then that he spotted @Claire Thalassa over Gwyn's shoulder. The girl had gotten out of the thing alive well damn that was something to see, he might as well invite her overseeing as Gwyn was looking for her earlier. Calling her over, shouting a little bit to get over the general noise of the crowd. However, it seemed that they would have a bit of time before she could work her way through the number of people that were packed in the room.

There was still a point he had to make, however. “Yea your right in that regarding politics is something that I would prefer to have never to get involved in; it doesn’t fit how I do things in any way shape or fashion.” Pointing to Claire over Gwyn’s shoulder, the girl was looking a bit lost the best they could do was help her out. “Also I do believe that the lady I just waved over is someone you were looking for.”

 

Having been there waiting for the return of the rescue teams, the violet-haired Faerin was startled swiftly when someone knocked into her and fell backwards, considering her small size could have easily led to being more of a faceplant if they rolled atop her small frame. Though knocked down herself, it was a slight bump to her- she hadn't far to fall, and she was fairly better with her dexterity than she was in the past, so she knew how to protect herself in the process.

Smiling awkwardly as she tried to get to her feet, she glanced upon the stranger's frame that had left them both upon the ground a moment before. "I-It's fine, I know I'm a bit on the small side." 'A bit' was likely not quite the right term, considering she was a least a foot smaller than the woman before her. However, she felt fairly comfortable for the moment... Well, if not for the fact her size made it hard to find her in a crowd- even with the purple hair.

"So you're trying to find someone too? I haven't seen anyone with hair quite like that, but I'm actually looking for someone myself... She should have returned with everyone else..."

Her eyes darted around, but the woman she sought was nowhere in sight. "I'm looking for a Yladian with really long, crimson hair. She's strong and kind of tall and usually sticks out to me easily, but I haven't been able to find her... You said you arrived via portal, though, right?" She stopped short as she asked her question. Something felt strange as she talked, as if the woman looked likely to fall- even if it was just from the way she spoke and wavered.

"If you're as off kilter as you seem, perhaps you should lay down a bit...? If you're dizzy, it's a good idea to try laying down with your legs raised. It helps get the blood flowing to your head more to stop the spinning. Also, I think the disorientation might be affecting your speech too... You're kind of talking choppy. Though that might just be me feeling frantic, too..."


@Indra

 

After rubbing her temples a bit, Indra listened intently to the faerin before her while patting her clothes to get rid of any dust left from her fall. Slowly, the effects of portal travel subsided and her senses returned to normal. “Troubled. I have to find him. We need to buy some things before the war happens in a few hours…” A monotone sigh escaped her lips, though her eyebrows perked up in response to Harveste. She had to buy some magicrafting reagents to use in battle after finding an old but precious grimoire while in the green rescue team quest. It contained valuable information about aeromancy, the elemental magic of wind, which Indra had previously unknown compatibility with it.

“Surprised. What a coincidence that you are looking for somebody as well.” Thanks to her observant nature she noticed the Faerin’s eyes scan the area. Indra crossed her left arm and rested her chin on her right hand as Harveste described the person she was looking for. If her memories served her correctly, she did catch a few glimpses of someone similar at the first stages of the entourage where they had to deal with bandits, flying gators and even dragons. “Apologetic. I think that I have seen the person you have described, but only during the first few hours within the entourage. I did not get the chance to talk with her; we were assigned to different entourage wagons and rescue teams .”

Perhaps it was because of the sudden and unlikely bump with the violet-haired faerin, or because her focus was now on someone rather than trying not to trip on her feet, but Indraneel barely noticed the dizziness subsided for the most part. “Affirmative. Yes, we did. Personally, I would suggest you never experience it yourself. I damn the astramancer that came up with the concept of interplanar magic and portal creation for not researching methods to decrease instability and symptoms…” She rubbed her eyes to clear the confusion on her mind and body from portal traveling. “Untroubled. Please, do not worry. It appears bumping into someone else helps with portal sickness, you know?” She attempted a joke, but given her monotone and robotic voice, it was unlikely anybody would get it.

Once she answered the Faerin’s questions and concerns, however, Harveste's last question was a bit… Hard to answer. Truth be told, Indra had never found the reason why she talks like this inside the game — the odd way she talks occurred just as naturally as with anyone else’s speech. Kaori, her in reality persona that used deep dive, never managed to formulate a proper answer. After all, there were too many possibilities to take account for and she couldn’t exactly return to reality anymore. The fact that she entered a vegetative state out of her own free will was a secret she hadn’t shared even with Quinn, thus… “Unsure. In case you are a newcomer“ she used the term in order to avoid any confusion in case the faerin before her was an NPC, “I probably have a few problems with my VR headset. Otherwise, this is just the result of a magical accident.” She could only hope the person before her was indeed a player.

“Affable. In any case, I take it is a bit troublesome to find the person you are looking for. What do you think of looking for them together? Optimistic. I am sure we will find them in no time that way. Introduction, I am Indraneel. Feel free to call me by Indra.” She extended her right hand for a handshake. Indra was (ironically) fortunate enough to bump onto someone in a similar situation as her — at least, they could help each other find their friends.

@Harveste

 

Though she did still find Indra's speech pattern unusual, she wouldn't complain when given an explanation- even if, to the smaller girl, it sounded fairly odd. "It seems that seeking someone out isn't that uncommon. I'm not surprised I got lost in the crowd... But I'm surprised I can't find her. The person you're looking for too, it sounds like he should be easy to spot, you know?"

With a giggle, the girl peeked around a bit more. She didn't see the green haired stranger, nor the woman she was hoping she'd find amidst the crowd. In the least, even if someone had seen Kaede earlier, it meant she surely had to have arrived as safely as possible from that fall, right?

"I'll not regret not experiencing that, then. I do regret not being nearer to the landing area... Though it seems like there were a lot of different areas for it to happen. I should've asked for more details... I've been trying to prepare on my own while the rescue entourage was away. I wanted to find a way to be helpful but..."

Shaking her head violently, the girl realized she was rambling to the poor stranger- though, stranger she realized wasn't the right word as the woman had clearly given her name. Accepting the extended hand with a smile, she shook it lightly and curtsied soon after. "I'm Harveste. I'm actually not a newcomer... I've been playing for a bit of a while now. But I see. I'm not very good with tech things, so I wouldn't know if it's from magic or not... But if you start to feel any effects offline, talk to a doctor, okay?"

Though she felt a bit weary making such a peculiar request, or she was sure it would seem such from a stranger, the girl only smiled as she spoke and stretched her arms behind her. "Now, let's find the two we're trying to. What was the name of your friend, again? I'm looking for Kaede, and you're trying to find..."

@Indra

 

Emerath's thirst for knowledge was endlessly insatiable, and he considered himself lucky that Solaria had been such a great host to such knowledge. She explained the death rules, and how they could be a detriment. It was interesting though that Solaria had gotten something that was already a part of her personality. Just one of those things that reminded him that this was game, with some element of randomness to it. In order to confirm what she was saying, he did as he bid and pressed his finger to his temple as he had read in order to open up Investigation Mode. He saw her Death Affliction alongside her stats. He turned the mode off, and nodded to Solaria to confirm that he understood, as she continued explaining things.

Solaria had turned out to be a great source of wisdom for the man. A veteran and perhaps the mentor he had needed. He listened intently to her story about the mushrooms, and couldn't help but let out a chuckle at the comment about avoiding those types of dishes. One of those things where they were reminded that the real world existed, but also how VRMMOs affected one's perception of the real world.

Emerath did end up answering her question about the pain setting, saying, "I ended up going with Realistic. Honestly, it's a detriment in certain areas, but it reminds me of my mortality in these games. Well, relative mortality. Perhaps if I die in a painful way, I'll be less likely to screw it up again so that I can avoid that. And as you said, pain prevents us from pushing us in unrealistic ways. Really, the one drawback, actual pain, somehow still tends to outweigh the benefits of feeling that pain. Flight or flight wouldn't kick in without it. Pain was developed in order to keep us out of danger, after all... and I'm rambling, I'm sorry. Long story short, I prefer realistic."

He sheepishly covered his mouth, resting his arm against his chest in such a way to try to make it less conspicuous that he was trying to keep himself from talking further. Emerath considered the final question of the conversation, and removed his mouth only to say, "I think we'll be fine just the two of us. Recon with more than two tends to get messy anyway. We're just checking out the danger, and we can always run if things get hairy. People aren't relying on you to clear it by yourself after all."

Emerath motioned for Solaria to lead the way, and would follow her to their destination. Idly, he wondered what they'd find there. Would the monsters have repopulated after being cleared out? Would new threats have taken their place? He supposed they'd have to get there and see. That was the point after all.

@Solaria

 

"If you would find Esther for me so I can return her whistle, and subsequently her horse, that'll be all I request of you for the moment," the lion stated, his cyan beard moving in tandem with the body's movements. The mission had been a... success? None of the teams had failed in their endeavors, aside from the losses garnered from the prison escapees. Reality was quite different from personal desires anyways. Alonso knew he should not get his hopes up. Yet, there were two people he knew of who had suffered in that prison, though he was unable to find one of the two. Personal messaging was a thing for the players, the man noting to check in on Eleanor later.

It was the sight of a fellow Felis in the distance that he made a recollection of his other goal. Wide girth shifted towards the young woman, though paused upon noticing the discussion between Astor and D'Vangelline. Oh, shit, almost forgot about their business together. Damnit. Guess I'll stay back this time and just listen, Alonso thought. A few steps forward should not hurt. The coalition between a princess and Astorea's king was just as vital to a Marquees's notes, after all.

Hidden passageways to Stokbon, that was good. Vampire Wurms continuing to live down there sounded like a problem that needed to be deal with in general regardless. A slight grunt escaped his throat, albeit, more of a slight chuckle to himself, Kill two birds with one stone. Perhaps three in this case. Oh, and the matter of what the rest of the high ranking crew had planned.

Reasonable enough, and, wait...

Did their king not -just- come back from a prison cell? Just how much of an idiot was this little punk who cared for nothing but a hot tub when fighting a fire giant! Was rest and resupplying their forces no longer common sense!

Now was not the time, however, the meeting having split and leaving everyone to his or her own bidding. Starting an argument was just going to raise blood pressure again. This game needed to stop doing that. Reaching a mighty hand towards the back of his neck, the Felis rubbed that spot for a moment to cool his head. The matter of trusting Astor with other responsibilities needed to be contained within his own head. Much as it pained Alonso to admit, his king had also just come back from a grievous event at the hands of a homicidal, crazed neighbor. The Marquees rolled his eyes, grateful he did not have to worry about such people in real life.

But then, there was Amane. Her posture was less refined after the talk between higher nobles. Right, keeping at least this young woman in check was the right way to soothe any panicked nerves. Moving past those who wandered the hall, from servants, nobles, and even other players, Alonso caught his looming frame towering over his fellow cat person. Relaxing himself, he spoke up, "I was starting to worry I wasn't gonna see you around here after, well, you know. To be honest I still feel like shit having left both you and Eleanor up there since I decided taking a break was a better choice after dealing with the so called raiders."

That was not right. Honest chit chat was not going to handle any wounds the poor girl might have suffered. Sighing, the giant of a man took a step closer, voice lowered as to keep their conversation to a manageable level, "Well, is something else bothering you? Much as I don't seem like the sort of guy to play school counselor, sometimes I gotta make sure there isn't another problem that needs to be addressed." The previous scowl he possessed during his king's discussion had faded, replaced with drooped lips, and the Felis's eyes showing signs of fatigue. Perhaps lack of sleep was the cause too.

@Amane Hirota @Raid Master

 

A bit of eavesdropping, asking and... was it really stalking if she was following someone because they had the same goal? It wasn't like Velka was interested in the guard she was following, but he had been saying something about missions and she wanted to know more. Luckily the crowd was thick and lively so she was able to follow him unnoticed. She crept closer still once he stopped to talk with someone. The conversation proved to be illuminating, there would be an expedition team to clear the path for some other team. While she was quite sure they wouldn't let her waltz into the mission proper, a few displays of power and she was pretty confident they would let her in on the path clearing.

She really had no name currently, having had practically no interaction with other players. And it would be a hell of a first impression considering how tightly knit some of the people here were. While she didn't actively seek out help most of the time, she did know her limits and it would be refreshing to work in a team again. Just like the time she and a few other newbies managed to take down a bear, although that wasn't really fair. It was more like they managed to trip the bear while running and it got hit by a falling tree but still. Now, to find the proper signup... Velka ducked back into the crowd and continued her search to find out where the recruiting for the whole thing was. It had to be somewhere around here, right?

[[Exit Thread]]

 

The faint smile tugging at her lips had an unknown origin as he quietly took in her explanations about certain 'laws of reality' for the virutal reality in which they were in. What really made the smile purify was his own words, explaining why he'd chosen 'realistic' pain sensory the same way she had. Though feeling worried it'd be a detriment to their newfound friendship, she didn't bother fighting the urge to hug him, glad someone understood her way of thinking, even if only slightly.

"Thank goodness! Someone understands the importance of pain in the world!" Her words were mused with a soft glow, as her eyes sparkled with the excitement of someone knowing something so vital. "Pain, as you said, is a sense dire to existence, to health. There are people who have never felt pain once in their life, and not due to lack of trying... Those people are always in such danger, you know- since they don't feel it when they break a bone or tear a tendon or any other major bodily harm. They'll see the blood if they're wounded, but not feel it- so if they don't see it, they wouldn't even know. It's a critical health condition..."

Tearing ever so slightly despite her likely insistence that there was no background in the topic personally for her, the girl wiped her eyes on her sleeve before continuing her rambling for a moment. "Even if it's not here in this world, it's a beauty when someone realizes that pain isn't a bad thing in life. It protects us, as you said. It teaches us what we can and can't do safely. There's so many people who see someone with CIPA in our world, and think, 'I wish I were them. I can't stand pain...' Those people, they don't know what it means, in the end. Just like, at first, I didn't know what death meant even if I saw it in a game. I've come to realize death is far more real because it was painful... Though I'd still do it again if it was for the sake of protecting someone, I think. I just wish I could've saved the rest of my team that time."

Her mouth shut and her form became somewhat more strict in it's pose, body not taunt but fairly tall in how she held herself, a false form of confidence exuding from her lightly paled cheeks despite her clear signs of distasteful memories and possible trauma. She was glad to be done with her rant and medical monologue, glad to be back to the topic at hand in the firt place.

"Sorry, medical things kinda drive my mind a lot. I'm a nursing student... So it kind of helps me study, too." With a laugh of embarrassment and a slight glimmer of a grimace taking her smile away, she tried to focus again, mentally berating herself for not keeping herself chipper. This is a game! Stop taking it so seriously!

With a stretch to let out a gasp of relief, she nodded when he asked for it to be just the two of them on their little mission to scout around. "Sure, two is fine too. If you feel safe with me alone, I'm more than happy to be the one to accompany you, and vice versa. You're nice, so it'll feel more fun going together. Shall we depart then, Emerath?" Holding a hand out, she opted it would help them get out of the crowd without getting separated, before her hope to drag him out of the scene would take any true effect.

@Emerath Katou

[[Exit Thread...For now?]]

 

Emerath was interested to see the woman's personal side show in their conversation, getting to know her a bit more in their shared interest and discussion of pain, of all things. The poor girl seemed distraught by something during the conversation, as Emerath caught a bit of wetness in her eyes, but decided it best to leave it be as she continued speaking, nodding at her explanation of how she viewed death and why. This woman had turned out to not only be a source of wisdom, but in her he could see someone he could trust to be a friend for a long time to come.

He knew that her death wouldn't be permanent, but he found himself hoping more and more that she would be okay on this tunnel expedition, and hoped that he could do what little bit he could in his power to keep her that much more safe before she left. A part of him also vowed to himself that he would join her on the next mission. Not because she was a healer, or because she taught him things, but because Terrasphere was the first VRMMO that had begun to make him care about more than just a simple loot bag at the end of a dungeon. Solaria had given him a reason to fight, outside of whatever this silly political conflict was and the loot bag it gave him at the end.

And so, as she held out her hand, he happily grasped it and let her pull him from the crowd so that they could get going on their recon mission. "I do feel safe, and I think that this will not just be an informative mission for game purposes, but also it will be a lot of fun. I'm glad to be by your side," Emerath explained, as he gave her a genuine smile from the experience she had given him so far.

@Solaria

[[Exit Thread]]