(Event) Reclamation of Pride | Page 2

It was cold.

For a born-and-raised Michigander, that was saying a lot. Lena had spent countless hours on the trail, on the road, on the slopes, hiking, riding, and skiing when temperatures were hovering in the single digits. She could recall, with perfect clarity, the excitement of throwing water into the air and watching it burst into crystals. She had not even batted an eye when the president of her university sent out a frostbite calculator, which deemed it impossible to cross campus without encountering certain death. This, she knew, was simply the reality of winter.

All that aside, she still decided, with unwavering certainty, that it was really freaking cold.

The wind whipped, battering her exposed skin like a sandblaster chipping away at old paint. She did not need a mirror to know that her round, abused cheeks now resembled two ripe tomatoes. And her nose? Well past Rudolph status.

But there was a pleasant heat coming from behind her, seeping through her thick coat. Comet's nearness as the pair rode double had helped to keep the worst edge of the chill away. She would be sure to thank her friend later, for the warmth that she had provided. Whether she would also tell Comet how much it had warmed her heart... well, the jury was still out on that one.

"How you doing down there?" Mags asked suddenly, glancing down to where her tame trotted beside Altivo. The mountain tiger stood in sharp contrast to the white snow, and though her ears swiveled, she gave no other answer. Typical moody female, Magdalyn thought with fierce admiration. But could she really fault the tigress? Dawon had been asked to trudge through chest-high snow, after all.

Next, she turned to glance over her shoulder toward Comet. "How about you?" she questioned. "Doing okay?"

It took only fifteen more minutes for the wayward travelers to reach their destination. With as much grace and caution as possible, Magdalyn swung her leg over Altivo's neck, and slid down his left shoulder. The snow-white stallion pranced in his typical annoyance, and she made a grab for his bridle before moving to help Comet dismount. Dawon paced a short distance off, digging a small trench for herself.

There were other horses tethered nearby, their breath rising in great plumes from their flaring, paper-thin nostrils. "Poor things," Mags cooed without thinking, immediately grabbing for one of the brushes tucked in her saddlebag. With horror, she realized that a nearby bay's sides heaved with exertion, his coat slicked with sweat. It was impossible for her to keep the disapproval, bordering on anger, from her voice. "Some eager adventurer probably galloped here, and left his poor mount to freeze." With expert hands, she began drying out the horse. She would prefer to walk him, and might have, had the brushing proved ineffective. "Pathetic."

@Comet

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Flints made her way through the mounds of snow that began to build around each step she took, it was annoying to say the least, but it wasn’t all that new to her. She was used to colder climates, infact she enjoyed them! Her body ran hot most of the time so the cold whipping of winds eased her. Her tail bristled as she stepped closer to the beginning crowd, this wasn’t something she was familiar with but @Emerath Katou seemed keen on dragging her here, remembering his email she slipped through the group, making her way to the front wagon, as per his suggestion.

Now following strange music she climbed in, her ears perking then flattening when she was greeted by the sight of non other than the crimson haired man himself. He was..entertaining? Himself? She shook her head before barking out loudly to him. “Hey! Maybe you should stay where I can at least find you next time!” A little blunt for a hello but she couldn’t help but be slightly excited for things to come. This was a whole new experience for her. Her tail began to wag slightly as her excitement grew

 

Called out by Roland, questioned by Corvella, and the offer of horseback with Magdalyn; out of the three it was obvious which Comet enjoyed the most out of what the week had given her. The tight hold on Mags’ waist remained more out of comfort in such harsh conditions rather than fear of falling or ensuring stability. They, she felt, were close friends despite hardly knowing one another deeply and could find a way to enjoy traveling together. Not that she was willing to reject Mags for anything at all, especially a chance to prove a willingness to keep their friendship active. And warm, so Comet was less lonely in the long run. Fighting the cold with a friend by her side felt much different than those who claimed to love her as Violet. Or anyone at all, really. The special bonding moment provided a lot of feeling and would even when ended for the day’s events had only just begun. Or so she assumed.


“You weren’t going to ask me if I’m okay first? I see how it is,” she grinned lopsidedly, shaking her head to dismiss the comment as a joke out of a subtle fear that perhaps Mags would take her tone the wrong way. The last thing the pink-haired woman would wish for is miscommunication or loss of respect or hurting her companion. A comfortable silence filled the atmosphere between the two, and ended with the gentle grab of a hand to leap from Mags’ mount. These first few steps would mark the beginning of a new adventure. Deep within hatred stirred for the group she recognized from the Rescue Entourage experience. As a player fresh from creation she hardly cared for anything other than completing the mission. Now, goals lay beside that one that were more complex. More emotionally based than much anything else. Comet’s emerald eyes gazed at her companion cooing over animals that she had sympathy for but didn’t care enough about to act in similar ways. She decided protecting her friend would be most important in front of these emotional desires should they become any stronger, and promised to commit to the thought.


“That’s... not very nice, is it? We could always beat up whoever did this if we find ‘em. I promise to help.” she patted Mags’ shoulder as a form of support for the sight of a mistreated animal. Even if Comet would rather hunt one than tend to it, she wasn’t heartless. And she wasn’t going to comment anything that may be too insensitive or selfish during the moment.

@Magdalyn

 

The silver-haired seer was not normally one for guilds, and thus this was her first time so close to the Lion's Pride current headquarters, or in so much as they could be called one. A mixture of rumor and a sense of brewing events brought her to the area, a drunk recruiter in particular drawing her to this organization whose very existence seemed little different from a dying flame eager for new logs to keep the kindling ablaze.

That was the opinion she had formed, at least up until she'd seen Zeus. No matter the weight he carried upon his back -- and it could be assured he was carrying it, both figuratively and literally -- he showed not a lick of the standard image of a man beyond his prime, a man whose glory only could exist in the past.

An example she could hardly condemn, let alone pass up. Even as her thick fur coat flapped in the wind, the woman maintained a steady rhythm helping out with supplies until eventually she noticed a certain purple haired girl handing out drinks. She then turned back, shouting, "Come on guys! Put your legs into it and show our good ol' leader the power of YOUTH!"

And then she was gone, off to secure beverages while they still lasted.

Approaching @Seraphy, she made an order for a few hot chocolates, taking a sip from one only to then widen her eyes, "Damn, this is good. You could be making a killing with this." She paused for a moment. "Er, thanks, I mean. Although, sinful as this may be to do to something so pure..."

Quickly making sure she wasn't blocking anyone else, Alkaid set two of the bottles on the counter and then brought out a habanero pepper and knife from her inventory. "Spice fiend that I am, I can't help myself. But I don't suppose you'd want some, would you?" Despite asking, the woman clearly had no intention of stopping. A few slices into one drink, then the other. "Must suck standing around in this weather with only a few chances to make a drink for yourself, after all."

With an all-too-innocent smile, the woman stirred one of the drinks and pushed it forward. "Enjoy! Remember to take a break and stay warm, okay?"

At long last the Astral Mage made her leave with a bounce to her step, her own taint touch still sitting on Seraphy's counter.

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Should've at least bought a leather cloak, she muttered all the way to tavern. Corvella looked like a walking refrigerator with all the heavy armor she wore. If it was not for the protection it offers, she would be off with leather or fur clothing. She didn't expect wintertime in Vinterguard would be this freezing. Note for the next adventure : wear at least thin clothing under the tin can. Luckily for her, a quite familiar savior was walking around people preparing for the quest. Is that the bagel girl from yesterday? Her mind cannot work properly inside this refrigerating helmet. @Seraphy, is it?

Finding out that the girl is distributing hot drinks, Corvella quickly made her way towards the purple-haired savior "Hello, may I have the tea please?" she said as she grabbed one thermos of tea. She quickly sips the tea, sending a relieving sensation through the cold body. It's like Corvella regained some of her lost life (and motivation) "I haven't thanked you properly for the bagel yesterday. Thank you for the hard work!" she bowed to the girl. She would like to sit around and finish the tea, but since everybody else is working and preparing, she brushed off the thoughts of slacking off.

"I still can't believe Zeus sent a letter to announce the assault though, wouldn't it be better if we ambush the bandits without them preparing?" She muttered to herself as she walked through the formation of wagons. Some familiar faces, but she's looking for her fellow Lion's Pride members. She walked up to the forthmost wagon, packed a box of things and peeked inside. Ah! Here they are. In the wagon number one, there's an unfamiliar, rather small caenis. Then there's Emerath, playing a very gloomy song with his magitek instrument. She wondered why before she noticed Majolica, then looked back at Emerath. Witch... Ops? Well, people (in highschool dramas) said that a bus ride will bring the whole class together. Nothing can go wrong with that. Also, this might be an opportunity to know Majolica better.

"Hello there." She greeted @Grand Witch Majolica, @Emerath Katou, and @Kaëda Flints after she climbed aboard the first wagon. "How are you guys?" she tried to ask out of courtesy, but ended up sounding like a pre-school teacher on a trip day.

Reclamation Tracker​

 

Having only a simple cloak over her armor to protect herself from the elements, Velka turned to her newly found pyromancy for warmth. It wasn't the most efficient solution, but it would keep her skills sharp. By all means, she wasn't an expert in magic, and probably would never be, but fire on demand was never a bad thing. Still, the horses would be vital for transportation and having them be an ice age museum piece wouldn't do. Looking around, she found a small pile of unused coats and various cloths just lying around. With a bit of struggling, she managed to make some sort of makeshift horse coat and went over to attach it onto one of the horses.

With the task done, she decided to pick the second wagon, lacking a mount. After climbing in, she found nobody inside. Not a problem for her. Putting both of her lances neatly in a corner, she sat down next to them and started to practice her pyromancy again, testing the limits of her control and keeping the cold at bay. Sure, the wagon was flammable and an errant spark could end the whole expedition before it began, but the harsh weather and her own confidence in her skills would keep any stray embers from getting too far.

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As he was trying to help out the people still suffering from the late war, Tetsunosuke heard of rumors from the north that bandits were pillaging and killing the citizens there. Thinking that he would gain a lot if he would move to a campaign against the bandits than he would gain from the mission here, he decided to move to the northern areas to help out defeat the bandits. He had everything sorted out in the area before he left so that his absence would never affect anything there. Also, the patients were already recovering so one person absent should not affect anything if ever.

His winter survival kit consisting of some of his smithing tools back at home with some new items and materials for fine-tuning already been prepared, Tetsunosuke set out towards Vintergard to look for the bandits that were rumored to be here. From the name of the place he expected a blizzard would sometimes ravage the place, and he had prepared well enough when the snow started to pour in greater and greater quantities. Pulling the red hood towards his head, and an iron lamp strongly blazing on his left hand while the large knife sheathed on his waist was being held by his right hand just in case some enemies or fallen trees should come his way, Tetsunosuke continued to trudge. Fortunately the modifications he made on the lamp was quite effective as it did not lose its fire until he reached what he thought was the base camp for those who will hunt the bandits, and so he, or at least his left side, was still quite warm when he had reached the area.

He then went inside the inn to warm up his other side, and espying a free hot drink notice board, he quickly took a cup of tea while thanking the woman (@Seraphy) with a wink and a small smile, and, cup in hand, watched the other bounty hunters load their things onto the wagons, and some of them were moving into the wagons, then he espied a lone person clearing the way of the wagon he would ride in. Deciding to help the person (@Kijin Shihaku), he materialized a shovel from his inventory and, having been sufficiently warmed up by the stay at the inn and the tea, pulled his hood again towards his head and moved towards the third wagon, clearing the wheels where the other person were not yet clearing.

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_____Kaede was not one for social matters as things stood. Her memory returning at odd moments often left her in bad situations and to help avoid them she tried her best to stick to herself. However she also knew that her goals remained the same and this was once chance she could not simply leave alone. So she joined the group of people but kept mostly to herself and her companion who slept on her lap.

_____Her location however, was simply sitting on the roof of a wagon, her fear of horses and fear of closed spaces preventing her from riding inside any of the wagons or sitting where she could see the horses. Without anyone to talk to she simply thought to herself, how things would likely go wrong and how badly things will end for most of the people here. It was a bad thing to think about but that was simply how Kaede saw things.

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Finally, after an obnoxiously long trek through freezing weather, Celestine caught sight of it: the mass of people crowding the streets of Vintergand. Kinda impossible to miss actually, it looked like some sorta convention. She sighed in relief. For once, she’d actually found her way somewhere without having to rely on her snarky little maid thingamjig.

As Cell got closer, she took a deep breath. Ah, fresh new eccentric personalities. Although it was more her ears that could pick them up. The smell was actually… chocolatey? Chocolatey?! Following her nose, she found her way to a little stand handing out free drinks. Nifty.

“I will do a taking of the hot chocolate,” Cel ordered, grabbing one from @Seraphy and taking a sip. The taste was good - she guessed - but it was more that warmth that she really cherished. It was nice all the way down, especially considering how long she’d been freezing.

Leaning on a nearby wall as several people around her decided to do real (boring) work and carry stuff around, Celestine’s eyes swept through the crowd, categorizing all the choice specimens...

Moe healer mage.
Witch.
Show magician.
“Zeus.”
A wannabe shounen protagonist?

Yep, there was lots to choose from. It was almost like an all-you-can-eat buffet of crazy people. If anything, it was harder this way… almost too much. How could she choose one to focus on when so many of ‘em looked so darn good. Ah well, time to settle this the old fashioned way.

“Eenie meenie minie… yep, that one will do.”

With a powerful gust of wind, Celestine launched high up into the sky and soft-landed right in front of @Seigi with another blast of wind that blew the snow all over the people nearby. Turning to the self-proclaimed hero, she thrust her hand out, offering it to shake, and shouted back in a voice that nearly mirrored her volume.

“If you are looking for the truest of the heroes of the justice, then you should not be doing any of the further lookings! Celestine is now here! To do the heroing, and the justicing!” She took a big, dramatic final swig of the hot chocolate and tried not to grimace as it scalded the inside of her mouth. “Who are all of the you peoples,” she asked, glacing at the (@Alphabet Chocolate) others (@Cain Darlite) nearby (@Valdrada) who had been blasted with snow?

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Vintergard. It was obvious by the name that the place would be a perpetual winter wonderland, and Bradwynne always liked snow, and so he was excited to go there when the leader of the Lion's Pride messaged all the members to eradicate the bandits there, as he heard of the new city that was introduced. Maybe after the mission was completed he would stay there for a vacation making snowmen and snow angels, but since it was an important mission he had to cool it off for a week or so before he would go there again. His current outfit being more fit for winter than anything he decided not to change it and just prepare some things for winter travel. He then tied the rosary from which he would be able to summon the angels' help at his right wrist, so that if his current outfit would not help much, he could summon the angels to shield him from the cold. Everything being ready, Bradwynne set out for the meeting place at Vintergard.

The travel towards the place was heavily taxing on his fortitude but he managed to reach the meeting place with no injuries. Although there were monsters blocking the way of his travel, he quickly dispatched them with his sword without much worry. The mild chill starting to enter his body, he then moved towards the fireplace with one cup of hot chocolate that he got from a fellow Lion and then started to warm himself up. Both because he was near the fireplace and so he became warm, and because he made it a point to exercise his joints which were getting stricken from the chill so that he could move them freely again. He needed to be ready so that if ever bandits would try to attack here, he would be ready for anything. And they would be given the justice they deserve. They pillage and kill people without mercy, and so they would be pillaged and killed without mercy; it would be their judgment. They should know the feeling of being hurt and penniless as they render other people hurt and penniless, if not more than that. They should face the consequences of their actions, and he would execute it without delay. And so he should be ready for anything that comes his way.

After the exercise, taking a page out of a person that he had met earlier, he then folded his legs and meditated. He should sense anything that would be happening around him, any movement, any sneak attack, any shouts of people that need help, everything that he should know and act on, He set his mind at peace, as if it was a calm before the storm that he was expecting.

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Today was the day that young cubs of the Lion’s Pride would be able to prove themselves in real combat, or so Zeus had promised. As expected of such an important time, the inn that served as the faction’s base of operations was bustling with excitement as members rushed back and forth in preparation. Yet somehow, the mood of the silver-haired male who stood outside, staring blankly into the horizon, was more aligned with the cold weather and dark sky rather than that of his piers. His eyes seemed to reflect loneliness, despite being with what would be his new family, and a depressing aura surrounded him.

It was fairly rare to see Yukisa in such a state. Usually he would be thrilled to be participating in something so exhilarating. But the circumstances of him having this opportunity didn’t allow him to be enthusiastic. To him, having a heated fight with a friend was devastating.

Though he was getting lashed by freezing winds and covered in snowfall, nothing seemed to cause him to move from his spot to warm up, as if he was literally being frozen. Only the incredibly loud (and masculine) shouting of the old man managed to snap him back into reality.

Let's go, let's go, we need to finish up and get going soon! Arugh! It's getting so COLD, dress WARMLY and work in shift. If you get a black foot, it's not my FAULT!!!

Yukisa couldn’t help but let a soft smile creep onto his face when he heard that. Ever since first arriving at the “guildhall” of the Lion’s Pride, he had taken a liking to Zeus, with his warm, caring, and (perhaps a little too) boisterous personality. It was impossible to not feel a little better seeing the massive, white-haired man hulking about in the snow and shouting excitedly.

Following the man’s orders, Yukisa tightened his fur coat around his body and did his best to make his way through the thick white blanket of snow without tripping. Of course being the clumsy guy he was, he failed to do so, however with enough effort he eventually made it to the wagons unharmed, save for a little snow that caught in his thick hair.

Once he was finally at his destination, he glanced around, looking to see if anyone was in need of assistance. Being a complete newbie, he had a gut feeling he wouldn’t be much good in the big fight, so for now he could at least do what he can to help those that can properly fight. With that in mind, he approached a girl who seemed to be carrying one too many crates, and offered her a hand.

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Upon noticing a number of people lazing inside the inn, Zeus came through the door with snow piled on his head and frost glazing his white beard and spoke up.

Where are the meat on your BONES, lad? Wear something WARM and get ready for your shift eh? Look at all of that heroic rage inside of that lass, the cold may beat us into submission, but HONOR and GLORY keeps us warm, haha!

Zeus addressed his favored children, @Alric Stalwart and @Seigi in an attempt to get them riled up for the trip. When went outside again and bumped into @Kijin Shihaku who was not a lion, but a hunter, he put his large hand on the youth's shoulder, squeezing perhaps too strongly that may elicit a painful response depending on Kijin's tolerance for it. He spoke to him in a loud voice, though a lot of it as muffled due to the strong winds.

This is about doing what's RIGHT, lad. The people of this country NEED our service, after all, it is the PEOPLE who the hunters sell to, bandits disrupt that trade and make a hunter's life more difficult.

So, you may not be the HEROIC sort, but you have seen how VICIOUS these cut throats are on your rescue mission with the Falderen princess, have you not? And besides, JUSTICE is blind to ONE missing contraband, it is, oho!

 

It hadn't taken very long before the Lion's Pride new recruits had been issued their first mission. Although knowing their leader Vina wasn't very surprised: as enthusiastic and boisterous as Zeus was she hadn't expected anything less than for him to immediately go out and find something to do, so he and the rest could restore the name of the Pride, which had been famous in the past before time and adventurers had resulted in decay. The task that they were given was also one she could get behind: the same mercenaries which had been trying to get in the way while they were travelling to the north to save the prisoners, the Black Wolves, were now raiding the villages far away from either capital and claiming territory for their own. Vina didn't know whether the mercenaries had been paid to attack the rescuers last time or not, but this time around it looked like it was just selfishness.

Regretfully they wouldn't be able to solve this without violence: the sellswords had already done so much damage that there was no reason to believe they'd ever listen to words alone, and even if Vina herself didn't care much for money it would be unrealistic and unreasonable to ask people to pay a bunch of thugs to leave them alone... especially since it almost certainly wouldn't work. The best Vina could do was try to minimize the violence and take care of any wounded, and anyone who got sick in this frigid weather.

"I hope the weather clears up soon." She said to her companion @Ilya, who she was travelling together with. Ilya had been the one who'd shown the most motivation to return the Lion's Pride to its former glory, so it hadn't taken much for Vina to meet up with the beautiful lioness and together head for their headquarters. Her white hair swirled through the air as the wind played with it, the druidess herself shivering before she moved closer to Ilya, her long lustrous tail curling around the woman's waist. "I don't mind sharing my body heat, but I don't think everyone is so eager~" She smiled, although admittedly even for her this weather was a bit much. She liked sun, she liked rain, she liked winds... most types of weather she was fine with. However the heart of winter was cruel and a direct drain on one's stamina.

"It's a good thing we've got Snøvær with us, or we'd be even colder." Next to Vina there was a white wolf, who with Vina's beckoning stayed close to them so its body heat also contributed to the group of three, keeping the three of them from freezing. Vina had already put on some extra clothes since showing as much skin as she usually did would have been a death sentence, but she still was happier having some friends and companions to help warm each other up. "I just hope they don't mind the state of the tavern."

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• 136 HP
• 112 EN
Wagon #3


Condition: Freezing

Savannah glanced up at the woman whom appeared in front of her, her countenance frosty and unwelcoming until the woman mentioned her name. Upon hearing that this was the Luna she had conversed with previous, she offered a large smile and stood up straighter. Though the other woman appeared slight of frame, Savannah was only mildly miffed to find that she had to look up into Luna’s features. Even though she had made this avatar taller, she hadn’t made it tall enough. Damnit all.

Hey there! she greeted, tossing the empty cup onto the ground. A dribble of milk infused with cocoa spilled out onto the alabaster snow at her feet. Yep, I’m Savannah. Nice to meet you in person. She looked down to the feline at the girl’s side and gave another smile, this one a little timid. The cat was…well, she was used to house cats and maybe a Maine Coon here or there. Natiri was much larger than either of those things and looked just as fierce as the big cats that she used to watch on the Discovery Channel. Nice to meet you as well Natiri.

Turning to glance over her shoulder, she sighed upon hearing the thunderous command from the Pride’s head honcho. Looks like we’re ready to go. Here, let me help you into the wagon. She held out her hand for Luna, her silver eyes coasting over some of the other players that might have rushed to be the first into the wagon. A low growl of warning was the only sound that came from her as she filed in after the white-haired female and, ultimately, sat down next to her.

Seeing her shiver as she was, Savannah opened her inventory with a practiced twisted of her fingers and plucked from her stash the bear cloak that she had had tanned and restored to its previous luster. The black cloak nearly shimmered as she laid it across their laps, the head of the beast resting in Savannah’s lap. It would hopefully keep them warm for the trip north, though the squeak of the wheel as they made their way was likely to drive Savannah insane.

For now, she looked over her traveling companion to make sure she was comfortable. The weather is gonna suck, she told her while smoothing a hand through the short fur of the black bear cloak. This should help, at least a little.

@Luna Avalbane

Hidden: cloak image

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