Private - The Sky After the Rain

Autumnal showers had ceased, leaving only lingering raindrops dripping from bare branches. Above the skeletal canopy, a breathtakingly blue sky breathed life into the limbs of the midnight haired muse as he strode with purpose up the mountainous path. A crisp breeze, cleansed by rain, pulled at his long hair, while early morning birds chirped, prancing about on the dark branches. The critters of the forest bounced about in the undergrowth, hiding caches of nuts in preparation for winter, while wily predators darted off at the edge of one’s vision, stalking out a meal at daybreak. The ground, dappled with orange and red leaves, was slick still, Cain clutching onto his flagpole as he ascended.

It had been a whim, really, to fulfill the dying wish of an executioner. There was no reward, the old man too poor to even afford a proper house after preparing for his own burial rites, and it depended solely on the kindness of the adventurers to fulfil the task, but perhaps that’s how one was to weed out those in it for the profit, and those who did it out of sympathy and kindness. Bitter and cynical as it sounded, he could easily imagine many players that would have chosen to deface the monument that the executioner spoke of, after all. Destroyed it, even. It did sound like something that was meaningless, after all. A gravestone for those who were erased from history and denied a proper burial because of their heinous crimes. Who would have thought that it was an executioner that would extend that sort of kindness towards their ‘clients’, even knowing the weight of the sin each of them carried?

It was definitely a strange thing to think about, considering how adventurers such as himself had slain many, many others in the name of quests, self defense, or simply training. To be bothered by the death of scum, to seek some sort of retribution in taking their lives, it was a perspective on life that Cain couldn’t understand, and one that he wanted to understand.

The worn chisel and hammer, low quality tools that even an unskilled individual such as himself could use, thumped against the back of his legs as he ascended further and further, the rhythm of his heart and his breathing being the only instruments necessary to empower his hike with a smidgen of magic. Even without Mobility or Wellness, the magic of music enabled him to pick up a brisk pace while enjoying the scenery simultaneously.

But should he be enjoying it?

Stopping on top of a jutting rock that provided a mercifully flat platform, the lithe gentleman turned to his companion, the only other aberrant adventurer willing to take on such a pointless task. With hair of sunset and eyes of dawn, the Archer, Comet, certainly did look more at home fighting someone else’s war than hiking up an unreasonably step mountain this early in the morning.

“Doing alright?” Cain asked, less out of concern and more out of a desire to break this silence that evoked too much thought.
@Comet

 

With an innate greed to guide her like a personal North Star the young woman set out on a journey that only she could turn into personal gain. If not for money, or for glory, or for training of masteries; then let the work be for pride. The tedious task felt akin to sitting upon a throne and being praised for that and that only. An ability to be above others through subtle bragging and through endeavors - no matter how out of the way these things seemed - became Comet's driving force to assist the old man and his pitiful wish. Truly, a part of her felt the need to help those who asked for it. When exploring this foreign feeling, however, selfishness trumped anything else that dare rival against this controlling and demanding and unfortunate trait. With soft, azure eyes and pink lips forming a frown not many or perhaps no one at all would be able to detect this aggressiveness within. Unless Comet spoke of money or her intentions she seemed a sincere, innocent girl working hard out of kindness to get the job done.

Long legs worked themselves on the long hike ahead of the two adventurers. She hardly minded, despite being winded, for the harder things were the more bragging could be done without creating filler or lies that had to be proven. Anything to cure the body-wracking insecurity of her poor soul. Not to mention that persistence had a strong hold over the pink-haired woman; enough so that she could push herself extremely far to get things done. A hike, therefore, felt like little effort compared to what lay ahead. Chiseling into a monument? Comet had no idea how to work the tools held with lithe fingers nor where to begin. Things would hopefully work themselves out, she thought with a bit of worry, and especially alongside someone else. Speaking of the devil a voice had her ears perked and eyes shifting to a peculiarly dressed man. "It isn't so bad with motivation to push me," she shrugged and offered a grin of warmth to provide comfort and possibly distraction. "It's surprising that no one but us would help. And at the same time it's really not since the old man's "career choice" usually isn't loved by the crowd. Or loved at all, really, unless justice is served. Which sucks since someone might admire us while another could be angry for what he's done." she voiced her thoughts freely with the stranger deciding she had no need to be anxious in his presence seeing as the task required a decently kind heart (or ulterior motives of no immediate dangers). Frankly, she could care less about anyone who disliked her. Comet would pluck the hatred from anyone who opposed her actions and turn it on them, negatively of course.

@Cain Darlite

 

Motivation, was it? Intrinsic sympathy for a dying man’s last request then? The midnight haired muse wasn’t wholly certain what sort of motivation would empower one to be interested in such a task to begin with, but perhaps that was just cynicism coloring his thoughts. The red headed huntress could just as easily be here for the same reason as himself, after all. Understanding and empathy, pushed forward by a dreary boredom that saw him wake up alongside the sun in order to complete the task.

Hah, or maybe Comet was like Aria, someone who only tagged along because Cain’s character design was that of a suave hunk that walked straight out of a sappy romance novel.

That warranted a smile from him at least, as he turned away to continue the trek up the mountain.

“It’s not even a matter of career choice, is it?” Cain questioned, enjoying the crinkling of dead leaves beneath his shoes. “I can imagine plenty of others who would jump to the chance of putting themselves in the good graces of someone of ill repute, if power and wealth were involved. The greatest deterrent here is the lack of a physical reward, wouldn’t you think? For work as simple as this, involving none of our usual fare of killing monsters or hunting down criminals or crawling through the sewers, I’d think that something as comfy as this would be a premium quest for anyone who’s new…except there’s no reward at the end of this particular job.”

He was rambling, wasn’t he? But without music to fill up the silence, and with a long hike ahead, striking up conversation with a stranger wasn’t a bad thing at all. Taking the roots of an off-angle tree in his hands, Cain pulled himself up onto a ledge, offering a hand to Comet.

“And yeah, it does suck to a messenger. One can’t be judge, jury, and executioner even in this world ruled by authoritative monarchs, but when death is involved, it’s always the one who acts last that the ‘blame’ is ascribed to. Justice is a construct of the victors and the majority, ultimately. There’s never going to be an end that makes everyone happy.”

He paused for a break then, uncorking a metal flask to take a sip of well water.

“You were there during the defense of Eastwatch, weren’t you, Comet? You saw how that flame haired swordswoman fly into a rage when we slew the Lunatic Princess, even when the wolf was clearly our enemy. Matters of life and death are gray like that. Even demons have family, annoyingly enough.”

It was time to march on.

“Makes me wonder how many enemies I’ve made as a murderhobo myself.”

 

Her smile followed her companion's. His words touched her heart mostly driven by greed. Anyone, including herself, certainly would've taken up the quest had it given a decent reward. In fact she hardly if ever picked up a job unless gold would be slipped into her inventory at some point in return. Of course her hidden goal was on the brink of whole-hearted selfishness, and therefore Comet knew more than anything that Cain wasn't wrong at all. Especially as a wealthy young woman in the real world surrounded by those who failed to conceal their money-controlled passion or ambition or prejudice without shame. Unlike herself, who worked hard from day to day to be a good, disciplined girl when observed through the eyes of outsiders. Or at least naturally beautiful and mostly kind. So long as she kept people on her side, and anyone from working against her, Comet would remain satisfied and continue to play the game with a fake smile. "But with a bad reputation you won't get anywhere in the end. Unless that power is endless... which it wouldn't be without followers to back you up," she shrugged. "You're not wrong, I'll admit that. Material reward is much more satisfying and can make someone feel more accomplished if they get some sort of special title for their work," she paused, thinking of herself, before continuing. "Purpose can be the power and wealth eventually given, right? Isn't that what controls opinion? Maybe helping that ill-reputed person wouldn't seem like a quest anyone would pick up until they convince others that it was a good thing to do. Then the riches and praise can turn into reward that the quest lacked."

She nodded graciously after taking Cain's hand. Being able to share her reasoning to back up the statement given would've been nice but they were strangers. Acquaintances at best. Besides, the pink-haired woman decided to keep her persona strongly built throughout the entirety of the time spent in Terrasphere no matter how close it could possibly come to falling apart. Too much time spent investing in the effort to keep herself together with an amount strength that resembled duct tape gave Comet the will-power to persevere. A fear of losing the trust of others and becoming a lone players without "allies" or real friends would result in a failure on her part; the real world colliding with the virtual to create an unpleasant reality in-game and out. Unless solace could be found, Comet would remain this way for quite some time. Forever, even.

"It's easier to blame anyone other than yourself," she knew more than anything that the stress of putting every single thing that could and did go wrong on oneself wasn't healthy or pleasant whatsoever. After all, the pink-haired woman went through that every day of her life. The silence had her hands fiddling with the long, loose locks with awkward and trembling hands as they continued the surprisingly long journey. Things were probably going faster, she assumed, with Cain by her side to talk to. He proved to be a mildly entertaining man so far. "Yeah," Comet mumbled in response at first, but then cleared her throat and continued when Cain finished speaking. "I'll defend what I believe in and that's that. It's hard to see any other way, isn't it? Especially when convinced. I know that's a problem of mine.