Open - Uneven Odds

• 90 / 100 HP
• 70/100 EN

_____The still air broke quickly, the growling as the gnoll quickly flew across the air over the tall grass before crashing into the ground as Gravity won over the force of the throw. The attacker of the dog creature slowly rolled his shoulders Morpheus was not sure how exactly he found himself in overgrown grass and getting attacked by weird dog creatures but here he was and not wanting to back down from a challenge. Moving to lower his frame slowly, arms reaching up to get the Kimono off his upper body before grinning slightly and charging forward.

”Come on, you started this pup now fight to finish it!”

_____His voice echoed in the silence, thunderous steps digging into the soft worked roads before the two once more locked into close combat. Morpheus’ fist clashing with the gnoll’s own hands as the two began trading blows and overall seeming to test the other’s resilience. Each did not seem to give up ground, and to some the way each fought was almost like a dance, The way the matched each other’s movements was something else that was almost hard to think possible. However the even fight was soon turned tables as an air whistled in the air finding itself refuge in Morpheus’ right shoulder.

”So you got some friends out here, a real dog fight! I have not had this much fun since my Brooklyn brawl in 1951! BRING IT ON!”

_____Morpheus voice resound again, the air filling with arrows as he seemed to provoke an entire tribe of gnoll with his loud voice and actions in their territory. Little was clear the old man had zero intentions of back away or stopping his fight with the current gnoll who mimicked his fighting style. Left hand reach to rib the arrow from his shoulder before lightly rolling the muscles in the arm and resuming his fight. To any outsides the old man either had nerves of steel, or a clear death wish. However only time could tell if that was honestly true.

 

A small Pormont village, probably sometime around mid-day.

"Excuse me miss."

"Hwah?"

Seraphy was currently taking a break on a stone bench in the village square after a rather long morning of gathering edible herbs and mushrooms. She'd been mulling over how best to turn them into a broth when she'd been approached by a nondescript middle-aged townsman. Slightly startled, she made that noise as she quickly swung her head in his direction.

"Did you mean me...?"

"Er, yeah. You're one of those adventurers right?"

"Uh well..."

"Right. So I happened to see this old guy pass through here a little while long ago. Not gonna lie, kinda concerned about the guy, but the wife's gone to town and I've got two young ones around so I need to watch the house. Old man didn't look like he's from around here, might be lost, ya know? I was thinking someone oughta check up on him. Ya never know what could happen out in the brush alone. Ya never go to the brush alone. Isn't safe."

"Uhmmm so is this a quest...?"

The gentlemen made a confused face.

"The heck's a quest? Look lady, we're talking about a potentially missing person here. He could be seriously hurt! But if that isn't enough for you, then I'll pay if only because you're setting my mind at ease alright? Is that good enough for you? You may be able to sleep with a dead person on your conscience but not me."

"...that's...not what i meant..."

"Are you gonna do it or not lady? I'm sure one kid can watch the other for a couple hours."

"...okay..."

"Huh?"

"I-I-I'll do it!"

"Say so in the first place, jeez! Kids these days...."


That conversation had occurred about an hour ago. Walking through the slightly beaten path, toward the bushier areas of the grasslands, Seraphy heaved a heavy sigh.

But how am I even supposed to find him? This looks recently tread upon but... Ah jeez... This trail is just as likely to be a Gnoll as a missing person... What am I going to do if it is? I'm no good at fighting so I might get eaten. Gnolls don't like to talk do they...?

Wait, before that, what if the old man is crazy? He could have an axe or something! If he screamed and charged at me in his skivvies, I don't know what I'd do...! I'm no good in that sort of situation!

Nonono! Before that! I have to hurry! He could be getting eaten right this moment! If that happens, then he might haunt me!!!

"OooOOooohhh..." The troubled elf slapped her cheeks to psych herself up. "If he's half-naked and dangerous, then I'll just deal with it then! Since he's old I can probably outrun him! And if he's a gnoll! Then I'll run even faster!!!"

As if to answer her squeaking shout, a Gnoll briefly appeared in the air over the tall-brush in the distance before disappearing with a thud. What followed, was an aged but none-the-less human-sounding battlecry.

"Whaaaa?!"

In the distance, the flying gnoll almost looked like a shark from Jaws to her. Like it was diving at some unseen prey.

Oh no! Old man is getting eaten! I have to hurry!!

Pushing the brush aside with her staff as quickly as she very well could, Seraphy made her way about two hundred yards or so in the direction of what she'd just seen. Popping out of the brush into a clearing she saw...

A half-naked crazy old guy?!?!?!?!

Wahhh?! He's wrestling gnolls?!

No! He said Brooklyn! So a PC?! Old guy PC?! He might still be crazy though! Wait! No! More importantly, he's injured! So I have to help!

Squinting her eyes, she activated investigation mode and studied the old ronin. What she saw was a hazy vision of a bearded, bushy-eyebrowed, cartoon soul floating within the samurai's center of person. The soul was blazing a fiery golden-orange like the color of sunset, but some of that spiritual blaze was leaking out of an arrow wound and a few bruises. This was Seraphy's soul-vision, a component of her spirit magic, but in the chaos, she didn't have the full amount of time she needed to provide a proper diagnosis.

Taking a deep breath, she muttered a spell, as she felt it drain her spirit.

• 100 / 100 HP
• 90/100 EN

"O' Spirit of The After~! Hear my call! Lifesurge!"

With a shimmer, a little will-o-wisp appeared. It was a little winged ball of light. It had always been there, hovering around the seriously haunted girl, unseen.

Fairy Wisp

"Just hang on Mr. Grandpa! I'll put you back together!"

At the sound of her shout, an arrow flew her way. Crouching with her hands over her head and holding her staff before her as a shield, the arrow whizzed right on over her.

"THIS IS REALLY SCARY!!!"

The little wisp went to work, circling the samurai's arrow wound testingly as if it study it, the, the wisp suddenly gave out a loud pop and PSHAAA sound like opening a can of soda or something. Just like that, the wound was gone and the broken arrowhead hit the floor. It was like it never happened. With that, the wisp slowly turned and faced Seraphy's direction as if asking if that were enough.

 

• 100/100 HP
• 60/100 EN

_____While Morpheus was about to thank the girl for the help, another Knoll tried to take him on. Spinning on his heel counter clockwise to dodge the attack and slam his elbow in the back of the cruretures skull with enough force to send it tumbling a few feet away from him. While Morpheus was still in his spin The old man slammed the ground and quickly reverse spun with extended leg to kick the other knoll away from his location with a small laugh. Jumping around in a mixed martial arts pose for a few moments before he spoke up.

Come on you pups, show me whatcha got!”

_____Pushing off the ground Morpheus gave chase for the archers, the only signs of his rushing in the rustling grass and randomly flying knolls that got flipped over his shoulder. While he was not exactly doing serious damage to them he was proving that he would not be such an easy pick as the knoll had assumed him to be, much less now that he seemed to have company. With a few howls the group of creatures began running away and Morpheus made his way back t the girl mumbling.

Now that was just borin, thanks for the back up little miss. Don’t suppose you know what direction the nearest town is from here, or where a town called… what was it… honeybun… emberhome… westmarch… I forgot…”

_____Morpheus looked down slightly to see the girl while pulling his kimono back over his shoulders now that he was done fighting. While it mostly was by accident, it was helpful in the fact he had less wind resistance. Looking the girl over Morpheus pinned her for like the same age as his own great grand daughter, maybe the two would get along if they met who knew. Moving to follow if the girl started to lead the way, keeping a few feet to the left side of her as he spoke again.

I’m Morpheus, you remind me of one of my great grand daughters, she loves magic tricks and acting like a wizard.”

@Seraphy

 

"hwaaaaaaa....?!"

Seraphy could only sigh in shock as @Morpheus continued to fight. It was like the gnolls were naughty children messing up his lawn. The old man was like a one-man reenactment of the entire spin-off series, Planet Hulk. Seraphy had no words. So she just blankly watched the old ronin go about his business. Was this the alternate ending to Moby Dick?

"...................."

There was absolutely nothing for her to do.

Actually... was I even needed in the first place...?

Seraphy shook her head as Old Man arrived before her once more. She was somewhat apprehensive until he fixed his state of dress. Cleaned up, here was the spitting image of a gentlemen hailing from the orient. He'd also gone easy on his assailants, showing restraint with their lives even after they had unleashed their weapons upon him. He was a good man. Seraphy forced her thoughts back to reality.

Ehhhh? Aren't all those places really far away? Don't tell me he really was lost?! But I can't correct him! I don't want to come across as rude to an older person!! Wh-what should I do....?

"Um... we're... pretty far out in the boonies. Or maybe we're not... I'm not as strong as you, so it takes me longer to get places. Yes... but Honeyhome should be... uhm..."

The materialized Fairy Wisp returned to her side and bobbed up and down as if it were speaking. Serpahy nodded.

"Westish. That way, more or less."

Seraphy pointed.

*****

They'd been walking for a little while now, Seraphy in a not very distant at all lead.

Ooooh, it's awkward, think of something to say Seraphy! Eh? What did he say? Ah- he's trying to break the silence, so mature!

"Aha~ Do I? No way! She's probably way better put together than me."

Seraphy laughed with a little sigh.

"Actually, you surprised me a little. If you had said 'Witch' instead of 'Wizard', I was going to be ready to say that I might know her. The girl i'm thinking of, though, is very insistent on the term witch. So, no dice."

Seraphy smiled, while looking over her shoulder. The Fairy Wisp was leading the way.

"She's my coworker in The Lion's Pride. It's a team of adventurer that work for the good of the people. We're sort of like super heroes or something, only, I'm not very much use. Even so, I want to do what I can!"

Seraphy shook her dainty fists to show her determination.

"Hehe, well, I think you'd like her. She's super gung-ho like you are. Actually, our boss---- his name is Zeus, isn't that neat? ----- is super gung-ho too. Huh? Ehhhhhhhh? Is everyone super gung-ho but me?!"

Seraphy stopped in her tracks at the sudden revelation. Her shoulders drooped. Quickly shaking her head, she turned on her heel and smiled an embarrassed smile at Morpheus.

"Ahaha, sorry I'm just talking about myself aren't I? But with this, I'd say we're about halfway there. I don't mean to decide your opinion, but I really think you'd like them! My coworkers, I mean. So, uhm... I don't mean to pry, but what brings you to Terasphere? It's okay if you'd rather not answer..."

 

_____Morphues would listen to the girl, while walking he seemed to at some point get his cane from his inventory and began to use it for walking despite having no need for it while within the game it was his nostalgy and reminder this was not a second life, but a game he still had limits in. The girl’s talking did not bother him, rather made him smile that some youth still shared without those silly he forgot what they called but tiny picture things.

They sound like a good group of people to be around. Everyone has their things they take on head first. I’m sure you have your thing, maybe it is to rush to your friend or a strangers aid. If not there is always time to find what you care to go full steam towards.

_____There was mot much Morpheus felt he could honestly say in reply to the girl outside the small part of wisdom. His focus was mostly still riled up for fighting and so far that seemed unlikely. Turning his focus to the small fairy and feeling nystagila wash over him, it reminded him so much of the Link games he used to play when he was in his early teens. Oh how he hated the puzzle parts of those games.

”Your little wisp reminds me of the fairy from the Link games when i was a kid, those puzzles used to take me so long to finish i just goggle video to get them out of the way half the time ha-ha.”

_____Moving to lightly tap the girl’s shoulder before he kept following the small creature that seemed to guide the way. His cane tapping the ground a few times as he began to hum the age old melody from one of the link puzzle soundtracks he could remember. While his tone was off key he seemed to know each bar warther well for his age and time since he last heard it.
@Seraphy

 

"Oh the triangle game, I know of it! Yes! The one with the boy in green named Zelda right?"

Seraphy beamed as they came in upon the outer reaches of Honeyhome. The village, which had once been originally quite small, had experienced a great outward expansion over the course of the "seasons" due to the amount of attention new-fangled adventurers tended to place upon the sleepy little hidey hole when starting their adventures. Thanks to its sprawl it hadn't quite become a town, because there simply was too much space to form a bustle in. As it were, the two adventurers were really on its outer-most reaches. Slowly but surely, the two happily made their way toward the town square. Thats was when...

"FUCK OFF DICKWAD, COME SAY THAT TO MY FACE SO I CAN FUCK YOUR MOTHER!"

"HAHAHA WHAT BITCH?! YOU WANNA DIE? SET YOUR PAIN MODS TO REAL MOTHERFUCKER AND COME ON OVER HERE, I'LL SHOVE THIS SWORD STRAIGHT UP YOUR ASS!"

"WHAT THE FUCK?! ARE YOU SERIOUS? I'LL MAKE YOU PISS BLOOD STRAIGHT OUT OF YOUR DICK BITCH!"

"HEY EVERYONE GET A LOOK AT THIS LITTLE CUNT! BABY DOG THINKS IF HE'S GOT A BARK THEN HE'S GOT A BIG COCK!"

Seraphy flinched. The sudden harsh language had thrown her for a jilt. Two adventurers were standing in the village square shouting obscenities at each other while their respective parties watched on, hands on their weapons, ready for a fight. They were four and four, making for eight total. Enough that it was about to be a brawl. One where lives would undoubtedly be lost and with a great deal of npc property damage besides. This simply was no good.

No NPCs could be seen on the streets, they'd all shut themselves up tight in their houses. This kind of thing had never happened before, or at least, as far as Seraphy could tell. Since more players were joining the game these days, it would seem that a greater number of bad apples would also come to pass. And when there were more jerks, they were also more likely to run into one another. This was simply one of the growing pains of a rapidly incresing player population.

Seraphy looked @Morpheus apologetically.

"Uhm! This place usually isn't so violent! I-I have to do something, the residents must be really scared!"

Without waiting, Serphy bravely charged between the two parties in order to try and mediate things.

"Uhm! We shouldn't fight! This is a peaceful village, so please take such rowdiness elsewher-----"

A brick struck Seraphy in the back, sending her to the ground. Though she were a higher average mastery level than these ruffians, and though her pain modiferes dulled the blow, it still hurt the sweet elf a great deal. Collapsed on the ground, that first attack was the starting bell, and the two parties charged at one another weapons drawn and ready to wound, if not kill, one another. Seraphy was crawling on the ground in the middle.

"No! You mustn---"

Her voice was lost in the dust as she was left coughing.

 

_____While brawling was part of youth there was, as the girl had said, better places for such. Tapping his cane to the ground as he approach, his frame slowly moving to avoid any stray or reckless swings as he moved to retrieve the girl who had sought to stop the fighting. Reaching for her hand carefully and pulling her out of the fray with a bit of strength to likely send her stumbling a bit away from the group. With the same relaxed nature Morphues made his way to roughly the center of the conflict and tapped his cane a few times as if testing the stone under it.

”About here should be good…”

_____Carefully bending down and moving his cane as the air around him began to stir, eyes closing as he focused everything he could in his next few movements. The soft grey glow around his hands as he threw his cane into the air, yet it remained strait. Leg muscles locking as he jumped higher than his cane and moved to flip, hands pressing the cane down as both him and his walking aid crack the stone with monstrous force of mixing all his masteries and over half his total energy pool.

Empowered shockwave

_____The wave of force knocking some of the fighters down while others lost their weapons. Morpheus carefully falling from his handstand to tap his cane against the stone remains as the dust wave blew away. Eyes slowly opening to glare at all the younger generation kids as he did everything within his power to look both imposing and not nearly as burnt out as the action had left him. Moving to slowly point towards Seraphy.

”First you will say sorry to that young miss, second you will solve this like ADULTS and talk it over, then you will leave. OR you can feel the blunt end of my cane until your out of this town and go fight in the forest somewhere so you do not trouble people of this town or harm those not wishing to be caught in you spat. Do i make myself perfectly clear!”

_____Seraphy would be able to see the strain Morpheus was under, the way he set almost all his weight to his cane from taking the shock of the impact so only the wind struck anyone. How he was barely able to keep his voice loud enough to be heard over any if they kept fighting. He was not only holding on by a shred of energy but his HP meter greatly disliked his action that was not for someone of his skill level to try and perform. But hopefully his display was enough to break the fight up one way or another.

• 10/100 HP
• 5/100 EN

@Seraphy

 

Wowzers...

Still a little dizzy from the blow, Seraphy looked up to see Mr. Old Guy standing over her. If this were a comic book, her newly acquainted assailants would have dispersed shouting something like "We'll get you next time!" but sadly it wasn't so. Pissed off, but a little bit cautious, the punks eyed @Morpheus, while still confident in their numbers. They were slowly, hesitantly, inching forward. Each team eyed their comrades, drawing out plans with their eyes. Those who had lost their main weapons, drew their knives.

Seraphy knew from @Morpheus' status that he had already laid everything he had on the line. Still, he was standing firm, and because he was, the enemy had no idea how he was fairing. In essence, it was a kind of bluff. Because of that bluff though, Seraphy didn't dare heal her new friend and savior. She was prepared to back him up if necessary, but for now, she let as much time pass as possible.

That was when human nature finally prevailed. The crowd dispersed to reveal some mid-level adventurers who had decided to follow the old ronin's example. It was back up that was a little late, but none the less welcome. With that, things ended in their in favor, the bad guys dispersed, and peace prevailed.

Seraphy shakily rose and began tending to @Morpheus' wounds for the second time that day.

"Eheheh, let's not make this pattern a habit, yes? But even so, thank you for saving my life. Maybe I really am a little more gung-ho than I thought, ahaha---" Seraphy's laugh was broken by some small coughs.

Slowly but surely, Morpheus' wounds erased from existence. "But wow you're super tough. I think I may have a little more experience in this game than you, Mr. Morpheus, but you're very much an example that I could stand to learn from. I mean, I have already... as it is..."

As the treatment concluded, Seraphy sighed. It'd been a long day. She was now attending to herself.

"I'm sorry your first impression of this village was so awful, it's really never ever like this. I really mean it, something like this has probably never happened before..."

Seraphy smiled.

"But even so, I'm really happy you were here with me today, everything ended peacefully..."

Suddenly, a look of horror flashed over Seraphy's features.

"Oh no! The Quest! That man must be worried sick or is thinking I skimped on the job. Ahhhh~ He's going to yell at me when I get back, isn't he~?! I don't want to go---but---ugh...."

Seraphy flinched while looking at the long road she had come from. She looked like she REALLY didn't want to go all the way back from whence she came.

Ohhhhhhhhh~! What a pain... Why did I forget something so simple?!

Slapping her cheeks Seraphy turned back towards Morpheus with a pained smile.

"I'm really sorry but I really have to be going! Actually, I've left a poor person waiting for some news and he might be really worried by this point! I was going to offer to make you lunch too as thanks! Ugh... but uhm... would you take a rain check!? My name's Seraphy by the way! It's a weird name, so I'm sure I'm very easy to look up in Astorea! Please take care of yourself until then!!!"

Yelling all of that in a panic, Seraphy took off running down the road. She looked something like an ostrich juggling 3 things as she proceed in apologetic fluster to someone who wasn't even there.

Stopping. She turned and waved at @Morpheus once more before taking off in a worried dash.