Private - I Love It When a Plan Comes Together, Hehehe...

Majolica felt the time was now right. After taking Bradwynne's information into account, meeting the possible initiate archer, setting up the druid lady as a possible tutor for the nature magic users, and having seen how the Witch's Ops members powers had grown, it was now time to test their growth with real battle. She hadn't been sure of whether or not The Ops would be strong enough to deploy against the horrors born of Naryu Canyon, but with the power she gleaned from her scroll, and everyone's quickly rising strength, she felt the time was right.

Using her black magic, Majolica reached out to each of the Witch Ops members stickers.

Grand Witch Majolica

"Bound Prince, Guide, Titan, Rated R, Guillotine Priest, and others,

Hehehe, this is Majolica contacting you through the Witch Ops Sticky Sticker! Some of you may be aware of the monster lurking in Naryu Canyon. Guillotine Priest has made me aware of some new information, hehe, concerning the monster and the noble's plan to attack it! After thinking over it, hehe, I have decided that the Witch Ops will deploy to the battle the monster. Hehehe, this will be the first time the Witch Ops goes to battle as a unit, which means we need to have a meeting to go over all the information! Hehehe, return to the cottage as soon as possible! Hehehe, bring whatever you think you'll need for the fight ahead. I'll see all of you soon, hehe."

Majolica finished her message then sat down on her footstool. A thought came to her.

Hehehe, well, an archer would really round out the team. Hehe, we are probably going to need some backline support fire... hehe, maybe I can just make the first part a trial by fire.... hehehe...

Majolica began to write out a message to the archer that had shown interest at Ivan's curry shop.

Grand Witch Majolica

Dear Rias,

Hehehe, this is Grand Witch Majolica, Commander of the Witch Ops Battalion. You expressed interest in joining my team, hehe, and so I thought I would invite you to our deployment meeting. There will be some sensitive, members only, hehe, information discussed, and I will have to ask you to leave during that time. After that part's over, hehe, then you'll be free to take part in everything else. For the mission, hehe, you will be working as a part of the Witch Ops unit. Hehe, think of it as a sort of trial by fire, hehe, but even after we succeed in defeating the monster, you'll still have to go through the initiation to become a full member, hehehe.

If you decide you don't want to fight the monster, hehehe, that's fine. We'll still have our super fun beach camping and training trip later! Hehehe, which you're welcome to join! Hehe, but as it's the Witch Ops mission to destroy any evil threatening the world, hehehe, the monster has to come first!

I'll be waiting for your response. Hehehe.

-Grand Witch Majolica

@Corvella @Iván Carl @Bradwynne @Rias @Janet Reilly @Haru @Freja Sitka @Emerath

 

The Grand Witch hadn’t told her to bring anything before she sped off on her broomstick—now Janet was going to look like a terrible guest and a terrible Witch Ops member. That in mind, she turned her horse and took a slight detour to Honeyhome to collect her things, which of course weren’t in the same order she’d left them in and then she had to make a stop by the marketplace to pick up some carrots in case Nom Nom was there and some mushrooms for Majolica and she wished she had time to ride up to Stokbon and bring some curry for Corvella—oh, but Iván would probably bring that, if he was coming—come to think of it, one of those horrible frogs was probably the Witch Commander’s private chef already, of course they wouldn’t need extra snacks—

Well, she felt… frazzled! To say the least.

Her hair was a little messy from the wild ride over and she slid stiffly out of the saddle, tying Rebel up to one of the creepy-looking trees around Majolica’s cottage. No sign of Headwind yet, so Haru must not be here. Actually, Janet would be surprised if she wasn’t the first to arrive. Bradwynne will probably be here half an hour after everyone else, of course! she thought, reflecting sourly on the Guillotine Priest’s tardiness the first time they’d met. Majolica had said through the sticker he’d gathered some useful information, though, so Janet just hoped he’d arrive in a timely fashion this time.

Marching up to the door, Janet set down her basket of goodies (she’d brought them anyway, since she’d gone through the trouble to purchase them) and knocked firmly on the door to the cottage. “Hello, I’m here! Rated R, reporting in.” In one hand she held a sturdy branch practically the size of a baseball bat, a budding twig with a cluster of leaves the only indication it wasn’t just a club. She'd gone all the way back to Honeyhome to fetch it for the fight ahead.This will help me do nature magic, Janet thought with great confidence—a real witch wand, just like Hermione Granger from those satanic Potter books!

“I brought some mushrooms, I know you enjoy them. Y-you probably have some already,” Janet said once allowed access, offering the basket of fresh vegetables. “Are any others here yet?” She craned her head to look at the “war chamber,” aka Majolica’s living room.

 

Bradwynne was patrolling around the perimeter of the manor when he was suddenly stopped by someone speaking within his mind. As he only knew of one person who could do that, and that was Grand Witch Majolica, he intently listened on what she would say, while he was finishing his rounds before passing the patrol duties to another guard. Every plan from here on out would be crucial, as he had not yet entered the good graces of the Duke, and he would need potential allies if he wanted to proceed to every way that he could save all the people affected by the Dissonance, and ultimately confront the source itself. And so, he would need to bring together every player that was of the same mind as him in bringing down this threat. He knew that he could not do it all alone while every enemy would be converging on him, and so a lot of like-minded allies would be important to finish the job quickly...

Bradwynne then was struck with a realization: wait how did he became this cerebral? Most of the time he was just charging on without thinking of the consequences of his actions, and he would just improvise something on the fly if everything went wrong. Now he had been thinking through of everything that he would be planning to do from one point onward. Was it because he realized the immensity of the situation? Or was it the fruit of patience that the Star Maiden had imparted on him? But anyway, if he would face this whole situation in Terrasphere head-on, he should be careful in treading every step that he should take. There might be snakes on the way, or the favorable weather would turn into an unfavorable one. To remove the snakes on the way, or to weather the storm, every movement was crucial, to reach the destination he wanted to reach. And so, patience and preparation was needed in ample amounts to succeed in everything the malefic god would throw towards them.

Having analyzed everything the Grand Witch had imparted to his mind via telekinesis, it was evident that the Grand Witch had known of the implications of battling the Dissonance creature, yet, even knowing of the peril that it would entail, and even though she was almost killed by a Dissonance monster and should have given it a second thought to face a monster of the same source, she still would push through even when there was a chance that any person killed by the Dissonance would not be able to use their UIs, which naturally meant they could not log out without external intervention. Bradwynne silently admired the resolve of the leader of the Witch Ops; she was truly the leader the dark heroes would need at the time like this. She had called for every member of the Witch Ops to assemble at the same cottage, and so he would need to attend. And so, he prepared a letter to the guard captain, asking for a leave to "meet with prospective players who will join the fight against Titanius, and relay the plans to them." It was a statement of complete truth, although he did not say that he would meet with the Witch Ops, and since the number of players who would want to join the fight against Titanius would have dwindled following the threat to their own bodies, it would be a good development for Astorea and the rest of the players. And so, hitching a wagon, he then moved towards Brisshal, towards the abode of the Grand Witch.

When before he had reversed the coordinates of the region where he was supposed to look for the cottage that time, this time he made it to the cottage without any hitch, without even using any map. The cottage was still eerie the sane as he last saw it, and the sight of it would have frightened the townspeople in going towards it. Hell he had even seen braids of garlic hung on the trees nearby the cottage, and he was laughing on how superstitious the townfolk was. But even if her methods could be said to be uncalled-for or underhanded, and her frequent laughing and manner of doing it befits the stereotypical conception of witches that parents use to scare the pants off misbehaving children, the Grand Witch could be said to have her heart at the right place. After passing through the invisible barrier that protected the cottage, he then knocked at the door.

Hidden: When Bradwynne would be let in

Hidden: Bradwynne's clothes

As Bradwynne entered the living room, what could be noticed was his set of clothes. Instead of the white ensemble that he was always wearing, he wore a different one, an outfit much more befitting of a member of the Witch Ops. His katana, the same one as before, was sheathed with a white lacquered saya at his left connected to the loose belt that he was wearing for design purposes, and a new weapon, a dagger, was sheathed with a black one at the belt that accented his waist. The conspicuous ivory crucifix that he wore on his neck would tell any new person to the Witch Ops that he was the Guillotine Priest, Bradwynne Lambert. He had sent a lot of information towards the Grand Witch, but there was still more information needed to be sent her way. He then sat wherever he could sit, waiting for the others before telling everything.

 

Under the sea, all was calm. Tiny fishes swam past each other, through corals and underwater flora, while big fishes paid them no attention, preferring to swim each on their own. Down here, the sound you would hear was wonderful, calming, and peaceful. Down here, everything was wonderful, calming, and peaceful. This was a sanctuary in itself, a place where anyone would go to calm themselves.

A splinter of blue light broke wide, as a curtain of razor sharp teeth, a silhouette of which at least, welcomed stray creatures that found themselves at the onrush of the undersea world, right through them, right into them. No other sound could be heard but the rare and secret noises that only certain undersea species shared with each other. On the surface, a blinding flash pierced the fog, and something deep below moved on, forward, somewhere only it knew.

Nearby was a quaint little town, as quiet as quaint little towns could be. Some sort of ground fog rounded a corner, spreading out into the streets, filling them like some Biblical plague. A white beach was left untouched, however, untainted, its long straight stretch serving as the perfect view of the large expensive houses behind low dunes, which could only be seen as dark shapes from the beach. A low-hanging cloud of sorts pushed in from the sea.

Three people gathered around a blazing bonfire, all men, all sounded drunk. They were singing, as only drunk men could. One of them broke away from their trio, as the other two started dumping some clothes into the fire, setting it ablaze, enraged, more than it had been, more than it needed to be. A hundred yards away from the fire, the man that broke away from the other two started running up a steep dune. Once there, he paused to look at the ocean. He plodded up the dune behind him, grossly out of shape, laughing like he was having the best day of his life.

Running down a few steps, he darted towards the shore, in full flight. He went in, splashing wildly, surfacing in that cold ocean that was unusually placid. Pulling with his arms, he drew himself into deeper water, oblivious to the gentle bulge in the water, a ripple, that had passed him a dozen feet away. A wave of pressure lifted him up, only to ease him down again.

Suddenly, his face showed the beginning of fear. Slowly, carefully, he looked around him. He turned and started towards the shore. His expression froze. The water-bulge was racing for her. It bolted upright, out of the water, slamming him hard, whipping him in an upward arc of eight feet before he was jerked back down into the deep. One hand clawed the air, fingers trying to grasp something, one last hurrah at salvation, but then it, too, was sucked down below in a final and terrible jerking motion. What remained of him was the churning froth of a baby whirlpool.

Nightmare Fuel: Ancient Hai'Draz

(Illusion Magic) The Inverted Spire was one hell of an adventure. Literally and emphasis on the word "hell." It was cool, though. Iván had his first death there and now he's pretty much obsessed over that one masked god-thing he saw before he officially died. This wasn't that one masked god-thing. Rather, this thing was the first monster their group encountered and holy crap was this thing out for blood. It got both Iván and Bradwynne but at least they didn't get one ear cut off. GG EZ, Portia.

Iván yawned as he dragged the head of his hammer through the sand, walking as calmly as he could. There was fire burning behind him but there were no clothes to be found, only three unconscious men with not a single bruise on their head or anywhere else on their body. They were still wearing their clothes. I think that’s enough. He procured rope from inside his coat, one for each guy. Kneeling down on the sand and placing his hammer beside him, he began his work. These men were no ordinary men. They were outlaws who committed a crime far too heinous to ever mention again. To Iván, however, they were nothing more than---

Majolica? Was he also hallucinating? He was suddenly hearing the Grand Witch Majolica’s voice. Oh, right, the sticker. Iván sat down on the sand, as comfortably as he could, and listened intently to his commander’s words. Looks like the gang’s getting back together. As soon as Majolica wrapped it up, Iván got back to work. He was going to finish this job right away, so he could focus on the new job without any other distractions. You must, you must, you must.

Veil

(Illusion Magic) Now you see Iván, now you don't. Where did he go? No one knows. Well, he does. He probably didn't even move from where he was. Why aren't you seeing him? Because he has standards. He will never date you. He only dates curry.

“Hello,” Iván deadpanned, appearing right behind @Janet Reilly. He had been following her the entire time. Well, since she arrived in the area. It seemed that Iván was only a few minutes behind her. He decided to use his illusion magic to hide himself from Janet, just in case. What could’ve been the case? The case of keeping his mysterious vibe of course. It was his thing. He wasn’t going to stop doing it. “Bound Prince would love a mushroom or two, too.”

 

In an inn somewhere around Astorea, a blonde woman in a casual clothing could be seen entering her room, hauling what appears to be a sack of armor. Her last mission was so fierce it rendered her headgear and grips broken beyond repair. The job, ironically, did not pay enough to compensate the damage dealt to her armor pieces that she had to bought the piece of clothing with her payment, unless she wanted to walk in armor that barely holds itself and could break apart anytime. Sorry, she is not going to risk it. On the other hand, she really needed that casual clothes, since people had been eyeing her from time to time for walking in a black tin can everywhere.

Speak of the devil, as soon as she placed the sack of armor near her bed, the sound of chestplate crumbling apart could be heard. "Crap." Corvella sat on the edge of the bed in contempt before she noticed a glow from inside the sack. Opening it reveals that the Witch Ops sticker is faintly glowing with purple light, and as soon as she touched that broken back piece, Majolica's voice could be heard. Return to the cottage as soon as she can? But she's in Astorea right now and she couldn't afford to ride a carriage. The blonde sighed again before leaving the inn to walk straight to Majolica's cottage somewhere in the Brisshal forest, bringing that broken small piece of armor with the sticker on it should her commander try to contact her.

The Witch Ops were going to discuss the Naryu Canyon monster. Corvella remembered going with Magdalyn to investigate the Fade phenomenon somewhere near that area but never actually met or fought something like the others told her, other than meeting a strange girl that labeled her and Mags a yuri pairing. What is the name of that thing anyway? Titanius? Now she would sound like she ripped off the thing's name for her own codename. What a mess.

It's been an hour or so since she walked, and Corvella wondered why did she even play a VR game just to walk miles and experience exhaustion? Fortunately, the cottage began to appear on her view, prompting her to stop grumbling and walk faster so she could rest inside. It seems like the others are already here (Of course, she walked all the way here from Astorea!) So she helped herself and knocked on the door of the cottage. When the blonde got inside, the others would see that she wasn't in her usual dark tin-can attire, a quite rare sight. "Excuse me, Titan here." She made her presence know to the others. It seems that Bound Prince, Guillotine Priest, and Rated R are already here. "Pardon me, I'm going to rest for a while" she went into a corner to sit down.

 

Rias was surprised when she received a new message from the @Grand Witch Majolica so soon! The reason though was a little bit scary...clearing her throat she started writing back to the Commander.

Rias

Hello Miss~

Of course! I'd love to join you and fight alongside all of the members of the Witch Ops~ I think it would be a good opportunity to see what everyone are capable of and well...see how strong I have to become myself until I am at your level! Set my goals~
However I do hope you don't overestimate me >o< ! I am still new to my class and haven't put my bow to action...I also just bought one sooo...well trying to...>^> Fighting would be scary but I count on everyone!
Anyway...I am very glad you considered me and didn't let my request go to waste. I am anticipated until our meeting~

Rias (o . -)>

 

Majolica liked that the new archer called her 'miss'. It was a bit formal, but it also made her feel respected, which of course she loved.

Hehehe, she's a good girl. And an archer would really, really balance out the team! Hehehe.

After sending out the messages, she began cleaning up the cottage. The other's would be here soon and she wanted to make sure everyone had a place to sit. They had many things to go over, and she wanted to make sure everyone was comfortable.

"Hehehe, our first deployment!"

The members began arriving one by one. Majolica was pleased that they were using their witch ops code names. After all, this was now a war-effort so the code names would be used throughout the mission.

Noticing @Bradwynne had changed his attire to darker color, in a similar style to her own, Majolica complimented him.

"Hehehe, I like your new outfit! Hehehe, it's very fitting of the Witch Ops! Maybe other people would like to wear similar colors eventually! Hehehe, you've set the bar high as far as clothing is concerned! Hehehehe!"

Majolica was very happy as she complemented Bradwynne on their similarly colored attire. Soon, a knock on the door came. It was Corvella. As Corvella entered, Majolica noticed how she tiredly set down her things. From the Witch Ops Sticky Sticker, Majolica knew that she had walked the entire way.

"Hehehe, have you ever thought about getting a horse Corvella? Hehe, you wouldn't have to walk so far if a horse did the walking for you? A donkey could work too, but that might not fit your image, hehe. Or maybe it would, if you wanted to look fun. Hehehe, donkeys are more fun than horses."

Now that everyone except @Rias had arrived. Majolica decided to start. There were things that only the members should hear, and since Rias hadn't arrived yet, Majolica figured it would be better to get them out of the way.

"Hehehe, so welcome back! I'm glad to see everyone's looking well! Hehe, everyone's also looking much stronger than the last time we all got together like this! Hehe, good! Getting stronger should always be a primary goal, because, hehe, as we all know our job is fight evil! Hehehe, though we're dark heroes so we can be a little evil in order to fight the evil. And on that note, hehe, big announcement, Evil has arrived! Hehehe! Some of you may have ventured out to Naryu Canyon the same as I did with Janet and Haru. Whatever was in that canyon needs to be destroyed, so that's our job! Hehehe. We won't be the only one's taking part of in this mission though. Other forces from around the realm have decided to band together to fight the monster. To explain more... hehehe."

Majolica turned to @Bradwynne motioning for him to come stand up.

"Hehe, Guillotine Priest has passed on some important information that I would like him to share with you. The major points will do, but there is a catch to this battle. Hehe, after Guillotine Priest explains it, I will lay out my own thoughts on the information. Hehe, now Guillotine Priest, if you would..."


@Bradwynne @Corvella @Rias @Iván Carl @Haru @Janet Reilly

 

Haru has had a long, long walk today. He really did appreciate the chance to get in on the know of things, but when Majolica decided to call them all up for a meeting did it really have to be from halfway across the continent every time? It was starting to get just a little bit old. So he says, but really he could never truly get tired of walking like this for so long. It was presented to him as a freedom rather than any kind of burden weighing him down with the silly length of distance he had to cross just to reach the witch sometimes. In a way it let him appreciate Headwind even more, for the dire stag was simply too proud to let him ride it for even a minute.

On his way Haru had the presence of mind to at least compose a message for his Commander. He had nothing but time on his walk to spend so Majolica was just one of the many people he had decided to bug with messages.

Haru

Yo! It's good to hear from you, Commander. I happen to be a bit further away from our little meet up spot than I'd like, so do expect me to take a while. However, I'll be there soon enough. I'll chat with you about what I was doing when I get there.
-Guide

-It looked something like that. That was hours ago, and he was starting to feel a little bad for making her wait for so long if he were to be honest with himself.

Only another hour passes before he's finally at the cabin in the woods. Deciding that he might as well look the part for a member of the Witch Ops he leaves his robe hanging over Headwind who had flopped down onto the grass not a moment ago. He quietly makes his way into the door, now looking the part, and waves around the room to his coworkers. "Yo," he speaks plain and calm despite his situation, "Sorry for being so late. I was actually on my way to take care of that Boss myself, but the detour sounded nice. Better to deploy in a troupe, right? Ha ha ha."

 

As Bradwynne saw that almost everyone was here, he then materialized a scroll, and then passed it on to the Grand Witch. It should be her call if she would open it at the sight of all of the people in this cabin, as he would whisper to the Grand Witch, "This is the culmination of all of the data I have gathered from the manor of Duke Roland Rutledge about the Dissonance. But before anything, it should be your call if you will open it in the presence of all the people here, since the revelation might hurt them as I was also hurt when I first heard about it. As it would turn out, there was more to this problem about Dissonance than Titanius. Your call if I should reveal it to all."

Hidden: The contents of the scroll

The contents of the scroll was a hierarchical diagram of the problem of Dissonance in Terrasphere, as well as the important personages around these people. The personages and creatures related to Dissonance or affected by it was labeled with rectangles, while their related personages were labeled with oblongs around the diagram. Those which were doubtful were labeled with octagons. Of the rectangles, those which only might have been victims were labeled with a light red fill. In the hierarchy, it would seem that Titanius was at the lowest right of the diagram, together with something called as "Käse-laugh monster". In the second lowest layer, familiar names such as Alphabet Chocolate, Magi Heart/Tenebris Cordis/Das Ein Magia, Blank, and Celestine were spotted, all labeled with light red, and Celestine was labeled with an octagon. They were connected each with a solid black line to the second-highest in the hierarchy, to a box labeled "Vermilion", together with another name in the second lowest hierarchy, name "Trizzaldi". Another name was in the second highest hierarchy, name "Merkaba, the Dark Descender". The former was connected with a broken line, while the latter was connected with a solid line to the single rectangle in the top of the hierarchy: "Nyarleith the God of Madness and Sin". That rectangle was also connected with a solid black line each to the rectangles of Titanius and Käse, which was connected to the rectangle of Merkaba with broken lines. Within the ovals, there would be spotted the names of Bradwynne Lambert, Grand Witch Majolica, Iván Carl, Seigi Ling Ling, Cain Darlite, Duke Roland Rutledge, Duchess Lucia Mierz, Jack Anders, and even the King Astor Balthas himself. It would seem that Bradwynne got almost all information from Alphabet Chocolate, as a lot of green lines led from her rectangle to the names of Magi, Blank, Celestine, Bradwynne, Iván, Seigi, Cain, Roland and Lucia. Magi's rectangle was then connected to the names of Bradwynne, Seigi, Cain and Roland as well with the same green line. Bradwynne's oval was connected with those of Iván's and the Grand Witch's with the green line, as well as those two were also connected with the same color. As well as there are green lines, there was also red lines, and the Grand Witch's oval was connected to Blank's with that line.That was the same case with Seigi and Trizzaldi, and Merkaba with Lucia, Jack and the King. It also was evident that Vermilion had the most amount of red lines, being connected to Roland, Seigi, Bradwynne and - surprisingly - Magi in that way. It should be apparent to the Grand Witch what the colors of the lines meant.

Bradwynne then clapped his hands once, and then said, "All right, I have been in the meeting together with the Duke Roland Rutledge of Western Astorea, as well as other great heroes and heroines together with an embassy from the neighboring Kingdom of Tertoria, about the creature that we will be facing right now, the Titanius, as they called it. But first, I would have to inform you of the consequences of battling this creature." His face then became stark serious. "When you die against this creature, there is a high possibility that you can not use your UI anymore, which meant that you can not log out of the game, and you will need external intervention to remove yourself from the game. As for myself, I had prepared something to mitigate this circumstance, so I could break away from the game within a certain time. I would stay here to investigate more about this phenomenon, but I am worried about what would happen to you if you push through this and you died. Even if there's a chance that you can not log out of this game, would you still pursue this mission to kill Titanius?" He then took a long glance on each and every member of Witch Ops.

Hidden: If the Grand Witch allowed them to see the diagram

He then continued, "Even if it is not only the Titanius which possess the same power?" He then waited for the Grand Witch to present the diagram to every person in the living room.

 

"Eeeek!" Janet screamed like she'd seen a mouse in her kitchen and whipped around. She relaxed when she saw it was @Iván Carl and let out her breath. "Iván, do you have to do that?" The brunette passed the self-proclaimed Bound Prince a mushroom huffily once they were inside the cottage and Janet had taken a seat indoors, folding her hands nicely in her lap and crossing her legs to wait.

To her genuine surprise, @Bradwynne was the next to arrive, making up for his tardiness the first time they'd met. Well, he was off to a better start, anyway. @Haru was actually the last to arrive this time. Janet waved when the white-haired man entered, so relieved to see the Guide that she didn't even comment on his tardiness. "Haru! I'm so glad you're here!" She did a visible double-take at his new clothes, as she had with @Corvella when the out-of-armor knight had first entered. Was Janet the only one who hadn't worn black? Why hadn't anyone included her in the memo? She supposed she should have taken the dark heroes description a little more seriously.

At last, preparations could begin. Janet nodded along with Majolica's introduction as Bradwynne stepped up to make his report. "Oh! You were at Duke Rutledge's estate as well? I tried to get in, but I was too plebian." Janet gave a little sniff, crossing her arms. No mention of the fact she'd actually just gotten distracted by a television celebrity and had arrived so late she'd been embarrassed to try and force her way in. She leaned forward to try and look at the scroll and furrowed her brow, trying her best to make sense of its contents. The names and diagrams meant literally nothing to her. I'm confused.

She was still examining the puzzling names and figures when Bradwynne made his big announcement. Initially, those words skated just over her head as well. UI? What does that mean? She'd heard other players using the term, but had never quite understood what they meant. The color drained from the eighteen-year-old's face as Bradwynne went on to explain and she straightened up, chair scooting backwards with a loud sound as it scraped the floorboards of the cottage. "Excuse me?"

No logging out? Did that mean... trapped in Terrasphere?

Janet stood very still, struggling with the implications of that statement. Only if you die, she reminded herself. For others, perhaps that would not be so significant, but she and Haru had gone to that canyon with Majolica and been faced with the presence there, had felt it crush them as easily as ants. Death-- game-death, anyway-- was a very real possibility. He said external measures... someone to unplug the machine? That inspired new turmoil within Janet. That would mean I'd have to tell John. And what would her husband say when he found out about her illegal hobby... Her only other thought was Thank goodness Haru came back to hear this, if he was on his way to fight it.

A burning sense of urgency had been born within her, and it continued to grow. Janet's fingers tightened on the edge of the table until her knuckles turned white. What about all the other people going to fight it who hadn't been warned, who weren't privy to this selective knowledge gained from the Duke's manor? What was going to happen to them?

Janet turned to look at @Grand Witch Majolica, a desperate edge creeping into her voice. "Did you know about this?" Returning her attention to Bradwynne, her grip tensed a little more on the side of the table. The wood began to splinter under her fingertips. "I-it would be... irresponsible for us not to," she answered slowly, tone firming. The Witch Ops had been formed to protect Astorea. If they retreated now from Titanius, that would only leave more people unprepared for the real-life consequences of losing to the canyon's dark dweller.

 

Majolica came and gave her a tip, knowing that the blonde walked all the way to the cottage. "Well, that's exactly the problem, Majolica." She whispered to her commander's ear with red cheeks. "I don't have any money. The reason I'm wearing this winter-y outfit..." She pointed on the coat she is wearing "Is because my armor is severely damaged and I can't afford if it suddenly broke apart when I'm wearing it. This clothing is the only one on sale and right now I'm left penniless. I can only dream of buying a horse."

Looking at the Witch Ops members that came through the door. Coincidentally, all of them except @Janet Reilly, including Corvella herself, wore dark attire. Special ops outfit, eh? If she could be honest right now, the dark piece of attire that @Haru (the white-haired, devilishly handsome one) is wearing that shows his toned body is very hard to not look at. Must. not. get caught looking at it.

"What is exactly on that canyon though? I never really get to find out what exactly it is." The Witch Ops meeting does have its benefits, like sharing this important information on what they will facing soon. What she did not like, however, that the information is not exactly publicized to all of the people. Was it to prevent panic? As a player, she felt like she had to know everything about this Titanius, and not everybody went to the duke's residence, not if they are some people of importance. Fortunately the Guillontine Priest, @Bradwynne has some connection with duke Rutledge, allowing him to compile all the important information.

Then the very important piece dropped off; The ones that died while fighting that thing will no longer be able to use their UI, most importantly, they would not be able to log out from the game. "Really?! That's... that's really horrible." Corvella is really shocked to hear this information, and since she lived alone, no one would be able to tell something's wrong if she couldn't log out of the game. "I only know this from you just know, so that's reassuring that you cared for our well-being. If the thing caused that phenomenon, defeating it might be the key to re-enable UI for those who got it disabled." Smiling at Bradwynne, the blonde tried to sound strong optimistic but in reality she's as nervous as all of them could be.

Come to think of it. She acts as a tank on the frontline, the battle is nearing and her armor is currently in pieces. Corvella the knight actually is in the place with the most risk to dying. "Yeah, I think. As long as we kill it, everything should be fine."

 

Earlier ~

Majolica had said she understood when Haru said he would be late due to being in another area of the world. Majolica made a mental note to tell everyone that maybe making sure they had mounts would be a good thing. Or, maybe even having a discussion with their mount as to why it wouldn't let them ride it.

As Haru walked in she noticed the darker getup under his robe/shawl.

"Hehehe, yes! Now everyone' started to look at little more like dark heroes! Hehehe! Good, it's nice to look the part! Hehehe, and yes, if we deploy in a group, hehehe, we will be that much more effective!"

Being in a unit was definitely a good idea, thought Majolica. What if someone happened to get captured by a bunch of writhing tentacles or something? They would need the team's help to get them out. What were the chances of that happening though?

After Majolica had made a comment to @Corvella she responded about needed repairs.

"Hehehe, why don't you just ask the Witch Frogs to fix your things? Hehehe, some of them are blacksmiths? How do you think metal work gets done around here when something needs to be fixed? Hehehe."

Getting closer to Corvella, Majolica began to whisper.

"Hehe, if you really want to make money, you can work at Bon Bons De Majolica when I open back up again after this monster goes down! Hehe, it pays well."

Back up, Majolica gave the armor-damaged knight a wink.

After her talks, Majolica put out a spread of mushrooms, bread, cheese, and water for anyone who wanted a snack.



Now~

After, Guillotine Priest (@Bradwynne ) finished relating his initial information, Majolica took the scroll from him.

Hidden: Theme

For the Witch Ops.

"Hehehe, before we take everything into account, hehe, I want all the cards to be on the table. Everyone should know what we're getting into and the risks. Hehe, after everyone knows everything, we can decide what to do together. Hehehe, Witch Ops is a team, and everyone has a say, even though I'm the commander."

Majolica opened the scroll and looked through it. It was obvious how much effort the map had taken to produce, and Majolica looked at Guillotine Priest and nodded an acknowledgement. Then, she began to pass the scroll around.

"Hehehe, this map, painstakingly put together by Guillotine Priest, hehe, is a map detailing issues with dissonance in the world. Hehehe, if you remember, dissonance is a negative energy that spawns horrible monster. It is poisons, and causes great destruction. It is a problem to the people of the world, hehehe, and therefore, hehe, as defenders of this world, it is our job remove it.

This has a lot of information, hehehe, so I'll cut to the parts that are the most important right now. Hehehe, if you look on the diagram, you'll see Titanus. Hehe, that is the monster of the canyon that we are now setting out to defeat. Above that, hehehe, some of you may see some familiar names. Unfortunately, it would seem that the following people, hehe, are our enemies: Alphabet Chocolate, Magi Heart, Blank, Celestine, and this "Vermillion"

Majolica paused to let the information seep in.

"Hehe, now some of us may have made contact with these people. Some of us, hehe, may have even liked them and considered them a friend. Hehehe, that's fine, but you should know that sooner or later, hehe, we will meet these people on the battlefield.

Hehe, now some of us may have made contact with these people. Some of us, hehe, may have even liked them and considered them a friend. Hehehe, that's fine, but you should know that sooner or later, hehe, we will be forced to meet these people on the battlefield. We must do this not because we want to, but because, hehe, it necessary to save this world and its inhabitants.

That being said, hehe, perhaps these people can be cured of their taint. Curing should always be our top priority... but if it they can't, they must be neutralized. It's the only way. Hehe. Of course, this doesn't mean that we will battle them as soon as we meet them. Many of those listed are extremely powerful, more so than I even, hehe. So for now, we will ignore their dealings unless they are actively harming people. Hehe, that cannot be allowed. But until then, we bide our time, research possible cures, and strengthen ourselves for the coming war. Hehehe.

Now, on to the main reason we're here. Hehe, the trouble at Naryu. As Bradwynne stated, hehe, death in battle against the monster may have a real world effect. You may become trapped in the game. Hehe, I don't like talking about the real world in this world. Hehe, to me, this is this, and that is that. But now that each of our real selves could be harmed, hehehe, I think it should be brought up. So, I'll say this now, hehe. Anyone who doesn't want to come to Naryu, doesn't have to. You won't be thought of as 'lesser', hehe, in anyway. There will be no penalties or anything either,hehe. You should choose to come or not based on what you want, hehe.

As for me, I'll be going. Hehehe, I love this world. It's where I made many friends, and met all of you, hehe, so I wont' abandon it and its people to some monster. Hehehe. I'll be leaving now for the canyon. If you decide to come, hehehe, we will get into standard formation in the battle, hehe. Bound Prince and Titan in the lead. Myself and Guillotine Priest in the middle, hehehe and finally Rated R and Guide in the rear. If you decide to come, the frogs can patch up any equipment you need fixed. Hehe, and take whatever supplies you need."

The door to the cottage swung open. Outside, Broomstick was waiting.

"Hehehe, never put your trust in a prince. When you require a miracle, hehe, trust in a witch."

Hopping on her broom, Majolica flew off toward the canyon leaving the others to decide for themselves whether or not they would follow.


[EXIT THREAD]

@Haru @Corvella @Iván Carl @Bradwynne @Janet Reilly @Rias

 

Iván nodded at the other Witch Ops members to acknowledge their presence, starting with @Janet Reilly who reacted appropriately to his antics and even gave him a mushroom. It didn't really matter to him if they would nod back or not. It was just his way to let them know he sees them, knows they're there, without wasting saliva. Words weren't needed for that. He decided that words should be reserved for something much more important, like sharing information and alleviating inquiries.

Raising an eyebrow at @Bradwynne's darker outfit, he didn't look like Haru anymore so annoying the both of them might be harder now, Iván listened intently to him and @Grand Witch Majolica as they informed everyone of what was going on, what will go on. The presence of @Rias made him a little concerned. She was young and new and from the sound of things, whatever was going on, whatever will go on, she might be thrusting herself in more danger than she could handle. To be fair, it did sound like they were all going to face more danger than they could handle. Their real lives were being threatened now, after all.

Hmm... That canyon... Lightning Ironworks was there, and we failed." Iván sighed at the brief walk back down memory lane. Those tentacles, that tentacles, were too much for their trio. They were so-called geniuses, but they had failed to think of a way to prevent the coming storm. Was it his fault? Or were they just way in over their heads back then? They had gone there to study the place, focusing too much on research and observation, that they were caught offguard when they were suddenly attacked. Maybe if they had prepared themselves for an attack... Maybe if they considered getting attacked in the first place. So many maybes... Who was that girl, though?

Iván frowned when his commander said that his mother mentor was now their enemy. Alpha was insane, that was for sure, but could Iván actually take her down? That's not just an emotional thing. Alpha was way over his league. She was perhaps one of the strongest illusionists he has ever met, stronger than him and @Corvella combined. Maybe he didn't have to end Alpha, even if he could. Maybe all he needed to do was take her out and surrender her to his commander.

At the end of the day, this was a game and he was a member of Witch Ops. If it came down to bringing Alpha in, he would try, though he believed deep down that he would fail primarily because of her strength. She had always more than what she seemed. That idea has given Iván nightmares. But if Alpha really did end up going out of control, Iván would try his best to take her down. Not just for Witch Ops but also for the safety of everyone, including Alpha herself.

Iván heaved a sigh before taking the supplies he needed. If he was going to be in the lead of the formation, he wasn't going to be some sort of human meat shield. He was going to be useful, as useful as he could be. Looks like I'm dying for the third time... Maybe this time, I'll finally get to see him again.

 

Haru sits serene upon his chair, having pulled it to some wall of the room to keep out of the way. Not a few moments ago he had been staring at the doorway to watch his commander Majolica have her grand speech before taking off as fast as she could go. Ha... She just wanted to prove how they felt about working together with actions, didn't she?

He was digesting information as well as he tried to, but honestly... "It's as I thought. This stuff just goes way over my head." Haru laughs as if he found the entire situation to be a joke that he had nothing to do with. "This seems like something I could wrap my head around but also a pain in the hind to keep up with. If you all don't mind, just point me at a target and I'll determine whether I want to destroy it or not. Ok?"

With a heaving sigh the man rises from his seat, allowing his billowing locks to settle around his arms. He takes a lazy look around the remaining occupants of the house and wonders if these members of Witch Ops will all be able to steel themselves enough for this. It occurred to him that maybe Majolica had a good reason to walk out like that... It was horrible to watch the deliberation on his friend's faces.

Haru believes that he should follow in that witch's footsteps as soon as he could. He idly chats about things that would push the subject to a nice excuse for him to do so, not really thinking about what he says, "Ha ha ha. Really though... All that scare for the loss of a UI? My, now I'm even more invested than before. This place already is my world. I have nowhere that I could go in real life. If I were to be stranded here then I'd love to wander in this game until I die. I think I'll go see what this dissonant monster has to offer me." He says such with a happy smile on his face. Haru turns around to the door and waves his hand behind him as he leaves without a single look back behind him. "See you guys there! I hope nobody shows up late. Ha ha ha ha!"