Lore Online [IC/Accepting]

[Astolfo]

Rubbing her nose after having ended up slamming into the tree instead of managing to use it as a pivot to slow down, Haruka instantly snapped back to attention when she saw the massive Antlion Prince and its disgusting underlings crawling around madly. When Haruka's eyes found Akane in bare skin without any armor on, she was about to give a lecture when she realized she didn't have the time. Her eyes locking onto the cleric caught inside the sand, she bolted towards the pit along with Akane, rushing ahead of her slightly, Haruka's protective feelings towards Akane flaring slightly. She'd never forgive herself if Akane got seriously injured. Grasping her spear tightly, she spun it around so that the bottom of it faced out.

 

[font=lucida sans unicode,lucida grande,sans-serif][color=#FF66A6]"Blade Zone!"[/color][/font]

 

At her command, the spear shaft divided out into multiple segments, connected through the center by long lengths of incredibly strong metal chains. Haruka spun the elongated shaft above her head in a helicopter spin before letting it whip out in a long arc towards the captured cleric. The end hurtled out quickly, slamming into the sand beside Yui's body. Knowing the sand was unstable and it wouldn't give a good hold, Haruka shouted out at Yui loudly.

 

[font=lucida sans unicode,lucida grande,sans-serif][color=#FF66A6]"If you value your goddamned life, grab the chain and hold on tight!"[/color][/font]

 

The cleric down below flinched from the imperative tone before reaching out for the end which was buried in the sand, when the Antlion Prince screeched loudly. The monstrous creature repeatedly slammed its legs into the sand around it, making the sand jostle and shift wildly. Luckily, Yui had managed to grab on at the last second, but due to the rampant vibrations, it would become hard to hold on, as well as dangerous for Akane, especially since she had no armor. Haruka was torn inside, because despite the burning urge to rush to help Akane, yanking too hard on the chain would rip the part that Yui had managed to grab onto out of her hands, instead of pull her out. After watching the situation get worse for a few more seconds, Haruka yelled out to Yui.

 

[font=lucida sans unicode,lucida grande,sans-serif][color=#FF66A6]"Yui! Grab onto two segments, so it doesn't get ripped out of your hands!"[/color][/font]

 

After waiting several more agonizing seconds and calling out a second time, Haruka prayed that this would work. Violently ripping the rest of the weapon back towards her by yanking on the chain as hard as she could, Haruka hoped it would send her flying out of the funnel at least. Maybe to a crash-style landing, but compared to getting eaten and killed by a massive Antlion Prince, taking a fall might be preferable. When Haruka attempted that though, two things happened, one good, one bad. The good thing was that it freed the cleric from her trapped position buried inside the sand. The bad thing was that the cleric's grip ended up slipping off, sending her crashing. Luckily, she was relatively close to the edge and not buried, just precariously fallen inside the unsteady sand. Deciding that was good enough, Haruka took a running jump into the pit to join Akane, shouting out to Yui while flying through the air.

 

[font=lucida sans unicode,lucida grande,sans-serif][color=#FF66A6]"Climb the hell out of this pit if you don't want to die!"[/color][/font]

 

 She could already predict the reprimanding that she'd get from Yohta for abandoning her station, but she couldn't leave Akane behind. Haruka reasoned that the others nearby could help pull Yui out of the remainder of the funnel-style pit while she went to help Akane. Realizing that this wouldn't happen unless they all managed to get out safely and survive this, Haruka burst into action. Rapidly descending towards the mammoth of a monster inside of the pit, Haruka swung the spear around so that it was back to the normal position, before slinging the blade upwards, sending it shooting towards the sky. As she fell, Haruka jerked on the weapon roughly, sending the vicious spearhead rocketing back downwards, pulling Haruka with it.

 

[font=lucida sans unicode,lucida grande,sans-serif][color=#FF66A6]"Pierce thy enemy, Chain Zephyr!"[/color][/font]

 

Slamming the razor-sharp load between the section of where the head and body plate met, the momentum from the falling strike as well as Haruka falling and stabbing deeper, drove the weapon inside partially. Before Haruka could celebrate her victory though, the Antlion Prince let out an unearthly, horrendous scream, twisting and turning while gnashing its teeth. Despite fighting to try to maintain her position, the violent shaking of its body sent her slinging back and forth, only managing to stay out of the reach of its pincers and maw by holding onto her weapon. Despair struck Haruka when she realized the weapon was getting torn loose from its original entry, and with it constantly shaking, Haruka couldn't even try to get back into position let alone attack again. With a final snap of its head sideways, Chain Zephyr ripped loose, and with it, Haruka was sent hurtling back, slamming against a rock with an audible crunch.

 

Gasping in pain, Haruka struggled to get back up, but judging by the pain in her chest, several ribs had cracked. Thankfully, none of them had pierced the lungs yet, but even so, it  still was a hell of a pain to deal with. Coughing repeatedly, she grasped for her weapon, using it as a tool to prop herself up. Despite the moderate amount of damage it probably did, given her current end side as well as judging from the Antlion Prince's reaction, all it had done was rile the monster to an even more severe bloodlust.

 

Haruka muttered under her breath, [font=lucida sans unicode,lucida grande,sans-serif][color=#FF66A6][i]"Well, shit."[/i][/color][/font]

 

Despite how bad the situation seemed to be, Haruka sighed. She managed to get through the game for six months, the first one and a half with just Akane by her side, before meeting up with Yohta to form the Ospreys. She certainly wasn't about to give up now, not when she could still fight, and she had teammates and allies to protect. Pushing past the burning pain, Haruka made her way back to Akane and let out a fiery shout.

 

[font=lucida sans unicode,lucida grande,sans-serif][color=#FF66A6]"This isn't over yet, you pathetic insect! I've gotten through six months of this damn game, and you're not going to be the one that stops me, especially when I have the rest of the guild and Akane with me!"[/color][/font]

 

[b]< Haruka utilizes 「Blade Zone」 to send a length of her weapon at Yui to try to pull him out, but the Antlion gets angered and starts slamming the sand, making the area precarious for Akane and Yui.>

< Changing her plan, Haruka throws Yui [acronym="At around 1/4th to 1/5th out of the funnel point, not fully out, but better than before."]partially[/acronym] out of the way before rushing in to help Akane.>

< Haruka then proceeds to injure the Antlion Prince with a vicious attack but ends up getting thrown off and slamming into a rock, injuring her as well. She's still able to fight however, and has rejoined Akane. >[/b]

[Sethera]

A lot had happened after Matthias had recovered his wits.

 

First off, there was apparently a giant antlion trying to eat another cleric. However did she get into the front lines? he thought, We're generally supposed to stay in the back. He shrugged. That wasn't important. What was important was taking care of his guild and these new people.

 

Speaking of, and second off, was White Lily. Her suicidal battle style made him worry that she'd quickly become a Red Lily, or something along those lines. That would not be good. White Lily was like a garden stake. Something many plants needed to grow without collapsing on themselves. So if the stake fell...then what then? While it was Tiger Lily who had helped him to learn, it was White Lily who had made him feel safe and protected within Osprey. And now, without her armor, and coming from a battle that hadn't been that long ago, where she had gotten injured due to recklessness...

 

So when White Lily flew in-between the Antlion Prince and the cleric, Matthias winced. Yes, White Lily was one of their front liners, but she didn't even have armor now. Granted, her agility was above-average for a knight, but still...

 

He forced himself to turn his focus from her to the newcomers in range, chaining a [Wide Cure] on them both. Unlike a regular [Cure], [Wide Cure] restored not only health, but also mana and stamina. However, it had the major drawback of not actually healing much of each, and having that split up over multiple people...well Matthias had to cast this spell multiple times for it to actually have much of an effect. Maybe I should try and level this skill more... the boy thought. He generally didn't use it, but in this case it was probably the best choice.

 

When White Spider Lily tossed the cleric to the side, Matthias attempted to get as close as he could without getting in range of the swarm of larvae or the antlion prince. Casting a [Wide Cure] when he got close enough, the boy watched her turn up in surprise, and he gave her what he hoped to be a reassuring smile and not a grimace. To be frank, she was still within range of the Antlion Prince, and that worried him. "This way!" he gestured hurriedly, watching her scrabble madly up the slope as if galvanized by his words. The healing had probably helped too. He cast another [Wide Cure] on her while glancing around worriedly. I hope she makes it before she gets attacked...

 

<Matthias casts [Wide Cure] multiple times on Milly and Tokiwo>

<He also casts it a couple times on Yui and tells her to run toward him, away from the Antlion Prince>

[宇佐見 蓮子@C94]

In a sad twist of events, her day out was cut out short by a sudden call for a quest from Yohta. After begrudgingly getting dragged on-site by Haruka, she paused for a bit and recalibrated her brain for combat instead of fooling around. Looking around, it seems everyone else has already leapt into the fray in some way. Matthias is busy rescuing the other non-Guild combatants, Tadashi, Haruka and Akane try to damage the Antlion Prince directly. However, only Finn was left to fight the rest of the monsters, and no matter how he may make it seem, 1 versus all is not a viable strategy in Lore. For the time being, everyone seems to be doing well, but the ever-respawning Antlions will definitely be a problem.

 

Finn's lightning attack managed to fry them all, but it'll be for naught if the prince wasn't taken care of. And it seems like, despite combined efforts from the Archer, Lancer, and Hero, the prince survived and will keep spawning more and more. At the very least, the weaker NPCs seem to have been saved, for the time being. Having assessed the situation enough, she decided it's time to join the battle for herself.

 

Using Finn and Matthias as cover, Inali rushed backwards a few paces, just enough so that she is completely out of the enemy's reach, but not far enough to be counted as leaving the mission area. "Come to my aid, and vanquish all foes who stand before you! Ruby Lord Dragon, burn down the opposition!" For a brief moment, the ground beneath the tamer shook as a red magic circle appeared under her feet, her right arm extended forward carrying one of her signature fans, seemingly calling forth for something. Once the shaking stopped, she quickly pulled down the arm downwards in a swiping motion, and out comes her trusty pet, Ruby Lord Dragon.

 

Immediately upon being summoned, the small, diminutive let out a loud roar to indicate that despite its size, it's still a ferocious dragon and not one to underestimate. "Awwright! Now it's time to blaze it up! Get in there, Ruby Lord!" Pointing her fan toward the general direction of the Antlion mob, Ruby Lord dashed at the target at incredible speed, rivaling that of Rogue-type players, each step of his clawed paws kicking off a large amount of sad at Inali's general direction. "Ah! Hey! Be careful of the sand you dum- Wait, sand...?"

 

With each and every trail of dust he kicked off, the more flabbergasted Inali got. Of course, why didn't she think of it sooner? It would be the perfect plan, at least in her mind. Following her sudden clarity, she followed Ruby Lord back to the center of the battlefield to get a better view of her targets- The newly revived 6-insect mob of giant Antlions, Ruby Lord standing brave and proud before them, letting out small trails of flame from his mouth.

 

"Milly! You're a Monk, right? You can do one of those super-powerful Earth-shattering punches, right?"

 

The fiery dancer grabbed the newly-healed monk by her shoulders and started barking off orders at her without giving the poor girl a chance to reply. Judging by the look on her face, it seems that Milly might be too shocked to actually even understand what Inali's orders are.

 

"Got it? Okay, here we go~!"

"I umm... Er... Sure! Let's go!"

 

Inali shoved Milly back to the front lines to prepare for their strategy. Judging from both of their serious and focused looks, one would think they're preparing for a large attack, and that would be the correct assumption. The antlion mob drew closer in towards the two, unaware of the trap these ladies have in store for them. Upon entering their range, one of the Antlion mobs extended its mouth toward Milly, only to suddenly drop several feet down the Earth. "Buddha's Palm!" Milly shouted, planting her glowing palms on the ground, creating a 10 foot deep palm-like indentation on the sand in front of her, causing the Antlion mob to neatly fall in a pile before her.

 

"Our turn now! Ruby Lord, use Eternal Flame and burn them to crisps!"

"*Roar*"

 

On her command, Ruby Lord repositioned itself to stand beside Milly, before suddenly releasing a massive, flamethrower-like gust of fire toward the pile of Antlions. No, not at the Antlions themselves. But rather, the pit of sand that now surrounds them. A flaming furnace full of Antlions, being slowly cooked to death by Ruby Lord's Eternal Flames. All that's left to do is for Inali to make sure her pet doesn't run out of MP and Stamina before the Antlions can be turned to a crisp- or, more preferrably, have the area around them turn to glass and imprison them, preventing more from reappearing.

 

"A fiery dance from the energetic idol whose heart burns like the sun! Tee-hee!☆" Inali paused a bit from the heat of battle to strike a little pose. Nothing too extraordinary, just the usual "Asian peace sign across forehead, other hand on hip, and tongue slightly out" pose she's done numerous times in her idol training.

 

<Told Milly to use "Buddha's Palm" and create a pit of sand below the Antlion mobs>

<Used Eternal Flames to ignite said pit of sand, burning the Antlions slowly while also slowly turning the ground into glass, preventing their escape>

<Posed Fabulously, Darling>

[Aix]

"Haruka!"

Akane called out as her friend was violently thrown from the creature's back, her eyes widening as she watched Haruka slam into what was probably the only damn boulder in a hundred meter radius of this desert plain. She was inclined to rush over to help, but Haruka got up herself and pulled herself over. A tough girl, she was, Akane thought to herself, but that can't excuse her recklessness. There was no telling what could happen if one wasn't careful. What if she got critically damaged? What if... Akane grimaced. She was about to speak up to chastise her friend when--

"This isn't over yet, you pathetic insect! I've gotten through six months of this damn game, and you're not going to be the one that stops me, especially when I have the rest of the guild and Akane with me!"

And Akane could only inwardly sigh and smile at Haruka's flaming demeanor. There was no stopping for her for now. Biting her lip, the white-haired knight took a mental note to speak to Haruka later and then returned her focus to the enemy raging in front of her. Whether it understood Haruka's challenge or not, it charged... and Akane swung. Her sword infused with magical force hit the side of the Antlion's pincers, redirecting the insect's assault path and bashing the Antlion head to the side. The force of the blow disturbed Akane's footing in the sand, but she paid it no heed, immediately pulling her sword back and charging up the powerful stab move「Stinger」even on that unstable ground. Just as the Antlion was turning its head back, Akane dived forth, her sword plunging towards the Antlion's temporarily exposed neck.

<Hit the side of the Antlion's head and pincers doing relatively lower damage>
<Then, stabbed forwards for a critical and possibly fatal attack>

[bury the year]

It was a rule of thumb which could be applied to most things in life, but in Lore, if you didn’t pay attention to a battle it’d probably whirl right past you. And such was the case with Yohta. Even though he was moving at his quickest to get through the swarm of baby antlions, once he killed one, another would spawn in its place. He sighed, partly from exhaustion and partly from annoyance. He personally wasn’t getting too tired from the baby-killing - they were all a good 20 or so levels beneath him, after all, but Tokiwo was taking the brunt of it. The samurai’s stamina was depleting at a rapid clip, something that he should be avoiding if at all possible.

Sidestepping a lunging antlion and opening his HUD at the same time, Yohta materialized his last potion and judged its weight with one hand. ”Tokiwo, catch!” He lobbed it in a high arc overhead. Thankfully, Tokiwo noticed in time and caught it, albeit only barely. He uncorked the vial and drained it in a single gulp, dropping the now-dissolving bottle to the sands below.

“Thanks.” The samurai hadn’t spoken much during the battle, but his voice was deep and gruff, surprising for such a slight character model. Yohta nodded in agreement and turned his attention back to the flow of combat, noting his allies’ positions.

Haruka and Matthias successfully pulled Yui most of the way out of the sandpit, leaving her to scramble up the rest of the way and run around the field of combat to Milly’s side. However, Haruka took the brunt of the Antlion Prince’s counteroffensive and was thrown bodily into a rock. Yohta grimaced. He knew the lancer to take bigger hits than that before, but it always sounded like it hurt.

Meanwhile, Finn and Tadashi were aiding from afar, picking off babies that strayed too far with lightning and arrows, respectively. They were doing a not half bad job at crowd control, although Yohta hoped that one of them would realize the Prince was near death and turn their attention on finishing it off. The beast should be approaching 25% health now, which meant a few more attacks, and-

Earthquake? The ground rumbled before him, and both Tokiwo and the rogue wisely jumped backwards out of the way of a baby before the sand suddenly collapsed into a large pit. A large rush of fire suddenly covered the hole up, leaving behind a sheer pane of glass. Yohta gave an uncharacteristic grin. Inali must’ve coerced Milly into going along with another one of her hairbrained plans. He couldn’t help but admit that the tamer had a real head for tactics.

Suddenly, another rumble. This one wasn’t as promising, and it came from the center of the sandpit. With no enemies to focus upon at the moment, Yohta turned his attention to see Akane nearly swinging from the giant bug’s carcass, her sword embedded near the shoulder of the beast. Knowing Akane, it looked like she had went in for a critical shot but missed. The antlion looked in pain, and raised its head to the sky.

”SKREEEEEE!”

An earsplitting screech tore the sands, and the rogue flinched as it passed through him. A third rumble, the strongest yet, came from behind him, and this one was growing even more. Dreading what he expected to see, Yohta turned to see…

”Another goddamn Antlion Prince?! ...Should’ve expected something weird to happen.” He chuckled at the incredulity of it all, and sprinted at the new arrival. No need to wait, particularly when orders were waiting. He screamed as he ran, dagger flourished. "Finn, take on the new guy with me - use wood spells if you got them! Tadashi, you too! Matti, heal Haruka and-”

The first Antlion, now mortally wounded, seemed to want to give one last retort to its aggressors. It shook like the crack of a whip, sending Akane and her sword flying in opposite directions. The landing was gonna hurt.

He heard the “thwap!” of a body hitting the ground, cutting his words off. Yohta’s heart sank, but now was no time to go help. A swift and deep slash parted the second beast’s hide, melting through it like butter.

The fight was just beginning.

< Yui successfully escapes the sandpit with the help of Haruka and Matthias, making it back to where Milly is, out of danger. >
< The current batch of Baby Antlions are successfully destroyed with the other Osprey members' efforts. >
< The Antlion Prince is reduced to around 30% health, but its near-death cries has attracted another at full health. >
< Yohta shares a potion with Tokiwo. He moves to take on the new Prince, cutting into its side and dealing fair damage. >
< The first Antlion Prince shakes, dodging the brunt of Akane’s attack and sending her flying. She’ll probably be hurt on impact. >

[Mr. Hyde]

Finn and the crew had just got done dispatching the mob of baby antlion's when things started to get a little bumby.  Finn noticed that Haruka and Akane's HP had dropped lower than he would've liked...this was because they were so reckless with their fighting style.  If they had just listened to his plans before jumping into the fight, maybe they wouldn't have to regenerate limbs so often.  The girls were strong though, Finn knew that all to well.  They would be able to get rid of the first prince in no time at all. 

 

A violent rumbling shook Finn back into reality.  It wasn't like him to lose focus during a battle, but these stakes weren't as high now.  The kids were alright, that's really all that mattered.  His HUD flashed a new monster on the scene.  A second prince?!  The group must've not finished the first off before it called for backup.  Well with one Prince on the verge of death with the barbarian ladies, this next one would fall before the efforts of the others.

 

"Finn, take on the new guy with me - use wood spells if you got them! Tadashi, you too! Matti, heal Haruka and-”  Yohta had already scrambled off to agro the second prince when he was interrupted by a crashing sound.  Finn tried to reassure his friend.

 

"Yohta man, those girls are as tough as mythril!  You and i both know that!  Matti, get there on the double!  We need you there, we can handle this chump by ourselves!"  Finn had targeted the second Prince on his HUD.  "Tree of Life, i call upon you to thrash this creature!"  He casted the spell [Root Storm].  A rumbling beneath Finn's feat turned into a large system of roots that tore their way through the sand at rapid speeds.  The dense system of roots finally made it to its target and impacted the creature.  On contact, the roots grew barbs, impaling the creatures shell, and also binding him, preventing much movement.  Yohta had just destroyed part of the insects husk at the same time, his hits fueled by his emotion.  "You get 'em leader!"  He cheered the rogue on. 

 

<Finn casts Root Storm to impact and "root" the 2nd Antlion Prince>

[Ren✧]

Tadashi let out a groan of annoyance as the second Antlion Prince emerged. Just my luck... He thought to himself, keeping up the seemingly endless barrage of arrows on the dozen different targets that now checkered his line of sight. Fortunately, Inali had effectively bottle-necked the flow of Baby Antlions with the help of Milly and of course her little dragon. That made it much easier to focus on the real danger at hand. The damned Princes. Tadashi had just begun to pepper them both with arrows when the original Prince whipped about, sending Osprey's second in commanding reeling. Tadashi's eyes grew wide as he watched the female knight being hurled through the air and finishing her descent with an unpleasant 'thwap' not too far away.

 

Tadashi had to fight every instinct to stop himself from sprinting to help his fallen teammate. He knew that coming to her aid would be futile. For one thing, two Prince Antlions now stood in between Akane and the rest of the group. It would be foolish to risk sprinting between the two monsters to get to her. If she survived the fall, then there wasn't much that Tadashi could do for her. Unable to use healing spells, he would have to resort to using a potion, which Akane should have already anyway. No, it made the most sense to keep his position and finish the battle. He could worry about Akane after that.

 

Continuing his attack, Tadashi brought his bow back to full-draw, taking care to aim perfectly. Knocking a silver arrow, he shot at the weakened Antlion Prince, scoring what appeared to be a pretty significant, if not critical, hit. He didn't take time to check if the blow had been fatal, however, because Finn had just cast a powerful spell, [Root Storm] that provided Tadashi with a sparkling opportunity. Not only was the spell a powerful one, but it worked well to hinder the movements of the target. Drawing a second poisoned arrow, Tadashi took advantage of the Antlion's ensnared status and shot the arrow at a large hole that had opened up in its exoskeleton where the roots had struck at it. Staying true to course, the arrow landed securely into the flesh of the insect-like monster causing a small skull and crossbones to appear next to its name on the HUD. "Gotcha!"  Tadashi remarked, giving himself a mental high five for poisoning the monster.

 

<Tadashi scores a critical on the weakened Antlion Prince, possibly a fatal hit>

<Tadashi poisons the Antlion Prince that Finn ensnared with [Root Storm]>

[Sethera]

The trouble with being a healer, Matthias thought, is that you can't just keep track of your own foe, but you have to keep track of everybody. Though it was nice, not having to worry about monsters himself, but with the number of heart attacks White Lily had given him in this battle alone, let alone on a daily basis, the cleric wasn't sure if that was such a good exchange.

 

As soon as Matthias had finished healing Milly, Tokiwo, and Yui, Jasmine had, in a flash of brilliance, turned the ground beneath the Antlion mobs to glass, trapping them. Then White Lily had charged forward in a reckless attack, disregarding her own safety like usual. Not to mention White Spider Lily had managed to get herself injured and still was. It was always troubling, having to choose who to heal, which had the highest priority. At that point, White Spider Lily had been lower priority than the heavily injured, lower-leveled newcomers.

 

Now, however, the boy cleric thought, raising his mace high above his head, Now I can do my job of protecting my guildmates! His mind raced through the list of what needed to be done, eyeing the bars of his guildmates. When Tiger Lily shouted for him to help White Spider Lily, he rushed over, casting consecutive [Cure] and [Recover] consecutively. The first restored health and the second restored stamina.

 

His skill range was only so far, unfortunately. It differed depending on the skill, though. But at least White Spider Lily wasn't surrounded by mobs. Jasmine had taken care of that. Next were a couple buffs. [Pavise] and [Resist Earth], with [Pavise] increasing physical resistance, or defense, and [Resist Earth] increasing type resistance to earth-based attacks specifically. Next was White Lily. Thankfully, she had been sent flying, so she wasn't right on top of the Antlion Prince like before. After that, he would probably try and check on Tiger Lily, but for now...

 

The boy rushed to White Lily, starting the same spiel he had done with White Spider Lily. When he finished, he couldn't resist a quick, concerned look, and the "Be careful, please" that spilled from his mouth. Really, it would be so much better for his heart if she had at least worn some armor of some sort.

 

<Matthias casts [Cure] and [Recover] on Haruka to bring her up to full>

<He also casts [Pavise] and [Resist Earth] on Haruka to buff her up>

<Then he does the same with Akane>

[Aix]

The sand gave way beneath her and Akane misstepped in her lunge, failing to hit her intended target and instead her sword lodged itself into the Antlion's shoulder. It let out a piercing screech, stabbing into Akane's eardrums, but the iron-faced Knight merely narrowed her eyes and tugged on her sword. Just as she was about to make one large pull to slide it out, the berserk Antlion's near-death throes hit her from the side, knocking the breath out of her and sending her flying. Whilst she tumbled through the air, she saw her sword fly out in the opposite direction, falling unfortunately at the opposite edge of the pit.

Akane bounced across the sand, her landing clearing the antlion pit completely, and she ended up rolling a few times before coming to a halt. The initial impact had crushed a few of her ribs on the side, and the landing itself shook her injured insides, but, she was still too intent on fighting to stop, immediately trying to start herself up again. However, her first attempt to stand resulted in failure, a jolt of pain shook her body so intensely she barely caught herself on one knee from falling over again. Gritting her teeth and bracing herself against the pain, she finally pulled herself upright and was about to limp right over to collect her sword when Matthias rushed by to stop her.

She glanced at short boy, and calmed, understanding the necessity of healing and that she would be able to act more efficiently in a more optimal state. However, even while she was silently appreciating the warm feeling of her bones mending, her thoughts were directed towards the ongoing battle. Managing just a simple "thank you" and more or less disregarding his next words, she straightened herself and leaped back towards the fray.

It was the shortest route possible. Akane dashed across the sand at the very edge of the pit with「Windrunner」, her body slightly leaning over the pit with her curved path. This was hardly a desirable situation as they faced enemies on two fronts. Or they did. Out of the corner of her eye, it looked like Tadashi should have managed to score the kill on the injured Antlion Prince behind her. Keeping her momentum as she swiftly scooped up her sword, she ran straight towards the new Antlion Prince struggling with its magical constraints.

She approached it at a slight angle, then did a powerful stab with all her momentum behind it towards the neck area, before quickly jumping back as the Antlion turned its head to her.

"Haruka! Hit it from the other side to grab its attention again that way!" she called out, as she prepared to attack again once her enemy's attention was diverted.

<Grabbed her sword and hit the rooted Antlion.>
<Told Haruka to follow her example on the other side of the Antlion.>

[Astolfo]

When the Antlion Prince made an ear-piercing screaming noise at her challenge, Haruka winced slightly but stood strong, preparing to attack as it charged. When Akane's sword bashed into the side of its head and knocked it off course, Haruka cheered her on. She was about to cheer again when Akane leapt at its neck to deal a critical piercing blow when the Antlion Prince shook its head, causing the attack to miss and hit the shoulder instead. This time around, the creature let out an even more horrendous screech causing Haruka to struggle not to put her hands over her ears and open herself up to attack. Turning around when a massive rumble came from behind her, Haruka noticed it had called forth another Antlion Prince.

"Godda-!"

Haruka's brief yell of frustration was cut off when the original Antlion Prince started shaking like mad, causing Akane and her sword to fly off into completely opposite directions. Hearing a painful landing sound, she yelled out in desperation.

"AKANE!!"

About to sprint over to her friend's side, Matthias had stopped her to try and cast various spells to heal and buff her. Struggling, not wanting to lose any more time than necessary, she forced herself to calm down for her health points and stamina to be restored, but started struggling again when the cleric wanted to take time to add protective buffs. Haruka didn't need it, and it was costing her precious time away from the one person that was closest to her and in unknown condition and Haruka was only able to breathe calmly again when Matthias sprinted over to Akane's side and she was healed and buffed as well. The screeches of pain that the Antlion Prince made when Tadashi's arrow dealt what seemed to be a fatal blow on the first Antlion Prince brought a smile to her face now, knowing that Akane was safe.

There was no time to relax and have a happy celebration though, as one Antlion Prince was still very alive and quite infuriated. Akane rushed to grab her sword before lunging in for a mighty thrusting blow into its neck, and this time, she got away safely before it could retaliate. It certainly grabbed the monster's attention however, and as it swung to face Akane, Haruka was already on the move, moving in perfect harmony with Akane's movements. Now that Akane was healed, Haruka could divert the stress that had been plaguing her into pure battlelust.

"「Blade Zone」 ! Raze thine enemy under a firestorm!"

Her weapon spiraling out once more into its deadly whirling form, Haruka shouted out her second skill. "「Conqueror's Step」! " Blasting off explosively off the sand behind her hard enough to heat it to the point of glass, Haruka yanked on the chains to reel in her spear. Yelling out all the anger and frustration and worrying and stress that had built up, she drove the razor-sharp weapon into the Antlion Prince's neck, crushing the armor directly next to it like a tin can as the enormous momentum propelled the spearhead all the way inside.

"YOU GODDAMNED MONSTERS CAN BURN. IN. HELL!"

Ripping it back out with a vicious tug that sent blood spattering out of a fair-sized gash she tore through in its armor, Haruka jumped off the ground, flying backwards to reclaim her original position. Breathing heavily, the fire inside her was now a raging inferno unable to be quenched by anything.

< Haruka cheered on various attacks to the first Antlion, had gotten stressed over Akane until both of them were healed by Matthias. Afterwards, Haruka lunges in for a crushing-force blow to the second's neck immediately after Akane's attack. >

[bury the year]

The first Antlion Prince didn’t know what hit it. A barrage of arrows from Tadashi stunned the beast in mid-swing, so it didn’t notice the single shot aimed true into its eye. It was a glorified cherry tap, but the arrow did the job. Its head cracking back, the prince collapsed dead with a final ear-rending "SKREEE!”, swiftly dissolving into polygons. Amidst the sound of experience bars trickling up, Tadashi nodded calmly before turning his attention to the beast behind him, unleashing a poisoned arrow into its hide. It was the calm discipline of someone who was confident in their form enough to not get excited. A rare trait, for sure.

The second antlion was distracted by the death throes of its companion, so it didn’t notice the broadsword and lance coming from either side to pinion its neck. The weapons drove home and pierced its hide like massive scissors, dealing more than enough damage to off the beast. However, “more than enough” in this case wasn’t enough. Yohta checked his HUD and noticed the Antlion Prince’s health bar was a fractional sliver of what it was to start. He grinned manically, the smell of treasure virtually wafting into his nostrils. Perfect.

The end was in sight.

Taking a second to admire Haruka and Akane’s combined form - he had to admit, the two of them (apparently) being friends in real life definitely helped with teamwork in Lore - Yohta swung across the now-merged sand pits, «Razor’s Edge» increasing his agility to the point where he could dash across the quicksand like a strider on water. He’d have to be quick. «Trophy Hunt» would only work if it was the move that KO’d the monster in question, and killing an Antlion Prince like that was sure to drop some rare loot. Yohta wasn’t going to let such an opportunity pass him up, even in the heat of battle.

”Hey!” Yohta shouted, the echo of his voice on the desert momentarily attracting everyone’s attention. The Antlion Prince stopped struggling under its prison of roots long enough for the rogue to sprint up the network of wooden struts, until its vulnerable neck laid bare and in reach. He grinned again, the normally disaffected expression fully melted away to reveal someone in the thrall of bloodlust.

”Fuck you!”

Hunter’s Pride glowed bright blue as «Trophy Hunt» activated and Yohta slashed right through the bug’s neck. Eyes bulging, the Antlion choked out a rasping cry before its head separated from its shoulders, both pieces falling to pixels right before his eyes.

The guildleader landed with unusual grace as the affects of battle fell apart, idly checking the loot in his HUD. "...huh, «Fang of the Desert King». Gives Earth alignment to crafted weapons, boosts defense and repair time of armor… Anyone want it?”

He looked up to see the stunned expressions of Milly and Yui (and less so Tokiwo), as well as a few of his other guildmates, stopping midstride. Yohta’s expression grew incredulous. "What? This isn’t the first time you’ve seen me like this.”

<< MISSION COMPLETE >>

[spoiler=Where to Go]Head back towards Dubhe and decompress. We’ll introduce the next mission in the next day IC afterwards.[/spoiler]

< Finn binds the second Antlion Prince in place with roots. >
< Matti heals Haruka and Akane fully. >
< Tadashi kills the first Antlion Prince and inflicts «Poison» status on the second. Experience is distributed to all members. >
< Haruka and Akane attack the second prince with a tag-team attack. >
< Yohta uses «Razor’s Edge» to dodge the flailing second prince’s blow, and executes it with «Trophy Hunt». More experience is distributed. >

[Mr. Hyde]

Finn grew wide-eyed as the dance of the Lancer and the Knight steadily dropped the second antlion's health.  He came back to reality once he realized that his mana was draining rapidly as well, he wouldn't be able to hold the antlion down for much longer.  When casting [Root Storm], you can keep the roots in place by sparing mana each second, thorns shooting out costed some mana, but it was a one time cast.  

 

When his Mana Points were below one fourth, their glorious leader Yohta had raced on the root system to get a better hit on the monstrous insect.  "Ahhhhh that's why you're the leader, always coming up with stuff like this on the fly!"  Yohta had sliced through the prince like butter, executing [Trophy Hunt] at the perfect time.  "Ahhhh that's why you're the leader, always striking when it matters most, getting the party rarer items and more money!"  The monster's head flew off it's abdomen, and as it hit the floor, it shattered into experience points for all involved.  "Ahhhh that's why you're the leader, you're really good at pest control, you even use [Trophy Hunt] on the pesky cockroaches that manage their way into our guild house!...but alas, they don't drop items."  Finn admired Yohta.  He was everything Finntas wasn't, but that's what made him so cool.  He landed in the sand with grace, the dude even had to land cool!  

 

"...huh, «Fang of the Desert King». Gives Earth alignment to crafted weapons, boosts defense and repair time of armor… Anyone want it?”  He offered the item to anyone he might've needed it more.  

 

*Strategy mode Disengaged*

 

Finn's glasses dropped down a little on his nose, signaling his relaxed state.  "I'm no craftsman, so i couldn't really use that item to it's full potential.  It seems pretty rare though...i could add it to my specimen collection!"  He said with his smile.  He made his way over to Milly, Yui, and Tokiwo.  "Now let that be a lesson to you kids!  You shouldn't go out fighting at night, it's too risky at your level.  These monsters can get pretty tough as you just witnessed...and i "Ant(Ain't)Lion(Lying)""!  He chuckled at his masterpiece.  

 

He headed his way back towards the Dubhe city gate.  "If you guys need me, or would like an explanation for that masterfully crafted joke, I'll be at the guild house!"  It wasn't long before he reached the gate and traveled back into the city, an uproar as usual had erupted in the square.  It was probably some clearance sale for armor upgrades.  He shrugged and headed back to the Osprey Guild House.  

[Ren✧]

Tadashi nearly collapsed to the ground out of relief. That battle had been particularly stressful, not because their enemies were necessarily that difficult, but because of the number of things that nearly went disastrously wrong. What with the host of other players that nearly died, Akane being thrown from the battle, and the appearance of the second Antlion Prince, it was a wonder that somebody didn't die. Mentally, Tadashi berated himself. Had his first poisoned arrow hit its mark, then they would have been able to finish off the Antlion Prince much more quickly. Which meant that Akane probably wouldn't have been so severely hurt. He would have to apologize to her.

 

As the guild regrouped, Tadashi noted the rare item that Yohta had picked up from the Antlion Prince. Checking his HUD, he recalled that his crafting level was pretty abysmal. That item would be next to useless in his hands. "Not for me..." He dully noted. However, the item did renew a pressing issue that had been on his mind since he had joined Osprey. The key to success in a guild was teamwork and having a diverse cast of members. That meant having skills that complimented each other. It might prove beneficial if he carried a weapon that boasted an elemental attribute that covered the weaknesses of some of the other members. He made a mental note to speak with Yohta about the issue next time the opportunity presented itself. 

 

Drawn out of his thoughts, Tadashi returned to the scene just in time to catch the tail end of Finn's joke. Tadashi granted the strategist a hearty laugh, clapping him on the back. As the group began to separate, Tadashi made a point to talk with Akane. "I won't take up much of your time." Tadashi began. "I just wanted to apologize for not better covering you in the fight. Perhaps if I had, you wouldn't have sustained such serious injuries." Tadashi bowed his head, truly sorry that he had allowed the female knight to be so grievously hurt. He had a lot to prove...or at least, he thought he did. He could only hope that Akane would accept his apology. 

[Sethera]

Matthias felt his shoulders slump once the battle had finished. There was so much to keep track of in battle, so much to worry over. Mainly the twin Lilies, as he called them. One threw herself into battle with abandon, while the other would drop everything to be at her side. But now it was over, and he could relax. Glancing at the HMS bars, as he called them (Health, Mana, and Stamina), he relaxed. Everybody was near full on health, but some were a bit low on mana and stamina. Quickly casting a couple mass [Restore]s and [Recover]s, he sighed, glancing at his own HMS bar.

 

Low mana...good thing my <<Treant's Mace>> gives a passive boost to mana regeneration. That had been a lucky boss drop in one of their previous guild quests, and had gone to Matthias, him being the only one that used a mace in the group. It had served him well ever since, and was quite an upgrade from the White Mace he had been using before. Before, the small cleric had drunk mana pots like water in the midst of battle, but now he could actually go without for a lot of the smaller-scale battles. He still kept a good supply on hand, however. It never hurt to be too careful.

 

The shine of moonlight on the ground caught the boy's eye. Wonder if the sand will stay glass for a while...that'd be cool. Matthias glanced up again at Tiger Lily's voice. The man had been amazing! In fact, everybody had been! The boy still marveled at the display of teamwork. But this is what it means to be a guild... he thought, glowing with pride, and straightened himself unconsciously. I need to work harder to keep up...maybe more time spent training and less time spent gardening and mixing potions?

 

One thing Tiger Lily said stuck out to the boy. "...huh, «Fang of the Desert King». Gives Earth alignment to crafted weapons, boosts defense and repair time of armor… Anyone want it?” The man then seemed to notice the looks of awe he was getting. "What? This isn’t the first time you’ve seen me like this.”

 

Matthias smiled, but then eyed the accessory as Pansy and Iris, the blond marksman, turned it down. While White Lily didn't have crafting skills... Matthias glanced at the stiff-shouldered girl. Still, a boost to defense and repair time for armor...that sounds perfect for her. She had a tendency to crack her pots, and cracks weren't good for pots. Soil would spill out, water would leak...but this <<Fang of the Desert King>> would be the glaze that kept the pot together. This is perfect for her!

 

But whether to say tell her that or not...White Lily stood straighter than other lilies, as if imitating a tree. But this also made her more susceptible to high winds and storms. Ugh, I wish I knew how to talk to others better, the boy grimaced. "Uh...I don't think I can use this," he said, "It should, um, probably go to Akane though, I think." Oh well. Hopefully the girl wouldn't be offended or anything. That'd be bad.

 

Later, as they were separating, the boy looked up at the night sky, letting his thoughts float away with the desert wind. He picked up his pace happily, humming a small tune as he did so. Perhaps tomorrow he could buy the necessary ingredients for that mana potion...

[Astolfo]

As Haruka stood back and prepared to lunge in with Akane together for a final blow, she stopped mid-step when Yohta's voice rang out, his face wild with bloodlust. Sighing, she motioned to Akane that they might as well let Yohta have the final blow, no point in stopping him while he was like this. Watching the monster dissolve into multi-colored polygons, Haruka felt somewhat miffed by their leader's behavior, but didn't bother with speaking out and instead idly kicked at the nearby sand slightly. The loot didn't interest her either, as she found the Earth alignment to be dislikable for some reason, nor did she feel the need for more defense or a faster armor repair time.

Haruka's face twitched slightly with mirth when she heard Finntas' pun, and she resolved to herself she needed to up her comedic skills, considering her recent lack of good ideas. Shaking her head, Haruka ran over to rejoin Akane and overheard the end part of Tadashi's apology. Haruka's face settling back into a resolute calm, she observed Tadashi. While she was inclined to believe the best in everyone, the fact that dying in this game meant death in real life and the red beacon indicating Tadashi's player killer status, even with archer's kindness and a reasonable story, Haruka couldn't quite shake the feeling of being somewhat annoyed and distrustful of him. After having traveled with the archer for around six months or so by now, give or take a month or two, Haruka's trust in him had increased tremendously as compared to when she first had met him. And to be fair, if it wasn't for the beacon, he'd be a perfectly decent person. Looking up at Tadashi calmly, Haruka shook her head slightly.

"I don't think it's your fault, I mean, I was the one pretty much right next to her, if anything, it's my fault. So don't push yourself too hard." Giving a genuine smile, Haruka turned to Akane and leaned in slightly to whisper. "Hey Akane, are you alright? I got really worried when I saw you get thrown off that hard! I'm sorry I couldn't protect you better." Frowning slightly, Haruka's expression was now somewhat troubled. Despite her typical cheery attitude and expressions, having seen Akane in any sort of serious danger always got Haruka starting to stress out and start blaming herself for not having been a better protector.

The lancer sighed as she looked out towards the night sky, considering what she could've done to better protect Akane. Having slashed at the Antlion to distract it before it threw off Akane? No, Haruka couldn't risk accidentally hitting Akane, with this game having friendly fire enabled. She'd never forgive herself if she directly injured her best friend. Sighing, Haruka stretched out and shook her head to clear her mind. What's happened has happened and no point in worrying about the past, just means time to do better next time. And I definitely will, so it should be fine. Regaining her usual vibrance, Haruka turned around and bulldozed into Akane with a bear hug. "I'm guessing you had left your armor behind to get repairs or modifications or something, knowing you. Jeez, I got so worried when I saw you without any protective gear though!" Half-pouting playfully, she clapped her friend on the back lightly, smiling happily. "Wanna go get your armor back together?"

< Haruka calming down and unwinding, talked to Tadashi, interacts with Akane and offers to go pick up the armor that Akane had left behind together. >

[Aix]

Akane was going to go in for the finisher after Haruka struck, but Yohta rushed ahead of her. Seeing the Antlion safely shattered to pieces, Akane gave a light sigh, and put away her sword into her inventory. She had no crafting ability to speak of, and felt others could benefited from its magical properties, thus paid no heed when Yohta went asking about the item. Even when Matthias brought up that she might need it, she simply shook her head. "Keep it, Yohta. We can discuss how to put it to greatest use later. I think we should call it a night," she said. "I hope you all sleep well."

The red-marked archer approached her as the group dispersed. "I won't take up much of your time. I just wanted to apologize for not better covering you in the fight. Perhaps if I had, you wouldn't have sustained such serious injuries," he said, and he bowed his head.

"Please, there is no need to bow your head," said Akane. "You did your part in the hunt, as did we all. I thank you for your contribution."

Haruka piped in. "I don't think it's your fault, I mean, I was the one pretty much right next to her, if anything, it's my fault. So don't push yourself too hard." Then, the boisterous girl took on a more timid demeanor and leaned into the white-haired Knight. "Hey Akane, are you alright? I got really worried when I saw you get thrown off that hard! I'm sorry I couldn't protect you better."

"I-I am fine, you did well out there..." stammered Akane, backing slightly, struck by her friend's anxious tone. She made Haruka worry... oh, and she even backed herself away from her worried friend. She would always be doing things that could be off-putting to others, wouldn't she? How hopele-- However, the energetic lancer just bowled into her as usual with her overbearing affection.

"I'm guessing you had left your armor behind to get repairs or modifications or something, knowing you. Jeez, I got so worried when I saw you without any protective gear though! Wanna go get your armor back together?"

"Yes, let's go back, Haruka," said Akane. She quickly nodded to Tadashi and Yohta who remained. "We shall be going now. Goodnight."

With that, the two of them began to walk off. Staring straight ahead as they walked, but with her habitual straight-backed posture loosening slightly, Akane spoke again. "Haru, I was worried about you, you know... No matter how agitated you were, you should not attempt such a dangerous attack like that first one."

[宇佐見 蓮子@C94]

When the fight with the Antlion finished, Inali sighed a breath of relief along with the others. The fight hasn't been particularly difficult or teeth-grinding or stressful or whatever, but simply because of the overwhelming heat of the desert combined with Inali's own fire affinity and her pet's own sea of flames. Granted, it was a sea of flames that managed to take out several antlions, but still a particularly tiresome plan nevertheless. She sat at the very back of the group, gently petting Ruby Lord as it got nearer and nearer to breaking its level threshold, showing no signs of interest as the huge antlion prince dissipated away, leaving behind an apparently valuable item. However valuable it is has no meaning for her, since she already has a valuable item and companion in Ruby Lord.

 

"Good work, everyone~!" Inali shouted excitedly, clapping her hands as she walked towards the group, Ruby Lord safely stored away in the pocket nether dimension alternate reality thing pets stay when they aren't in battle. "That was a tiring one, wasn't it? Well, at least it all ended happily and safely~ Even everyone got to play their parts in this battle." She said, trying to rouse back the morale of the group like she usually does after every battle. As the group dispersed and everyone went their separate ways, Inali stayed behind and stood next to Yohta, waiting for everyone to leave before she does so too. Bowing her head in a somewhat over-exaggerated manner, she bid farewell to Yohta, heading back to the city to recuperate. "Well then captain, it seems I too must take my leave now. You shouldn't stay up too late either, tonight. Bye bye~" After taking her leave, she joyfully walked back to the city, her mind is filled with the many potential things she can do now that there's no more guild responsibilities to worry about.

 

[divider1]

 

Back at the City, Inali walked around the now deserted marketplace. The place which was bustling with people just a few hours ago is now mostly empty, and it's not a big surprise. It's not a common practice to stay open too late in the desert, where things can often get really cold really quick. Only a few, dedicated Player Character shops stayed open this late into the night, and the only reason they are open is due to the way they are programmed. The romantic view of the clear night sky, combined with the dimly lit center of the marketplace led Inali to be on a somewhat contemplative mood. Despite before accepting her fate to stay in Lore, she now started to show doubts once more. Of course, there's still her family, and friends, and fans back in the real world, but even in Lore she also has her guildmates which she treats as family, her friends, as well as fans, whether they be NPC or PC.

 

Inali herself doesn't know how long she stayed in that marketplace, but knowing how jumpy her thought train can be regarding depressing issues, probably not too long. She got herself back to her feet and walked back to the guild house, turning in for the night.

 

Of course, it seemed like she wasn't the first to get back home...

 

"Ah, good evening, Finn." Inali greeted the bespectacled member of Osprey, her face retaining the composed smile she usually has.

[Mr. Hyde]

On his way back from the battlefield, Finn made his way through the market, making sure to enjoy the walk back.  A scratch could not be seen anywhere on his body.  He sighed.  "Such is the life of a caster...always seeing your friends on the frontlines constantly in danger while you're taking it easy."  Finn sometimes wished he hadn't had picked a caster, so he could shed some sweat and blood along side his comrades in battle.  It just didn't suit his personality though.  He was much better in the back, he'd only be a burden if he were to pick up a sword.  It's not like he was slacking off though, he made sure to keep a close eye on the battlefield at all times, making sure his friends...no...his family...didn't turn out the same way as some of his less cooperative parties in the past.  

 

The air had gotten cooler, as the desert usually did at night.  People were taking leisurely strolls through Dubhe, living out their own carefree lives.  Some people liked it that way.  They weren't in any hurry to level up, they were content on at least owning a house and living peacefully in this world.  Finn pondered on why he was working so hard, instead of living out the rest of his days here.  Maybe deep down on the inside, he knew he could be the best that LORE online had to offer, and he had to protect people close to him.  He laughed.  "Aw man...i can't doubt myself like that...I'm in this with the guild...until the day i die...Hopefully that won't be anytime soon thought!  I gotta see if we can age in this world!  FOR SCIENCE!!!  HOHOHOHOHOOOO"  He said, his glasses gleaming with light and curiosity.  

 

 

He had finally made it back to the guild house.  He took a deep breath, familiar smells danced in his nose.  A lone cockroach skittered along a wall, critter creatures could sneak into these places, they weren't a threat though.  "Yohta's been skipping out on pest control has he...well he's going to get a stern talking to once he gets back!"  Probably not.  

 

"Ah, good evening, Finn."  The obviously harmless greeting made Finn jump.  He was frightened easily, and was glad this wasn't an MMO horror game...what kind of idea would that be anyways.  It was Inali, the "mascot" of the group.  He thought this because she was a very pretty and bubbly girl, who danced her way into people's hearts.  She was the most known in the group of course, and she stood in the back with Finn while in combat, casting alongside him.  He rubbed the back of his head with embarrassment.

 

"Oh!  Hey Inali, don't spook up on me like that!"  He said with his face still a little flushed.  He cleared his throat.  "I didn't get to say this back there, but great job in that fight!  Keeping those baby antlions away by turning the sand into glass, that was pretty sharp of you!  It's almost as if you were as smart as me for a few seconds!  If you were in my school, i'm sure you'd be top of the...glass!"  He coughed..that joke was terrible...it wasn't as punerific as his earlier masterpieces.  His nerves hadn't calmed down either, he was still jittery.  He didn't really have a history of keeping good conversations with Inali, It gave him the willies, as if he were talking to an actual idol from his old high school.  He awkwardly made his way to a futon in the main living area and sprawled out on his stomach.  "Keep it cool Finn...she's still a member of the guild...you're good at talking to everyone in the guild...."  It was strange that Finn could talk to everyone else, even the other girls, but Inali was still a challenge for him.  

[Astolfo]

After a cheerful bear hug, Haruka waved energetically to the remaining two members before rejoining Akane to find wherever she had left her armor behind. At Akane's words, Haruka laughed somewhat abashedly. Walking along, Haruka considered her own actions and realized they weren’t exactly the most conservative ones either. Haruka understood that her actions - which ended up getting her thrown into a rock - caused her best friend concern. She walked in front of Akane before turning around and lowering her head.

"Sorry! It's just... When the pit started shaking all around like that, I got scared that the Antlion Prince might've attacked you when you were off-balance, and I couldn't just stand back and watch!"

Akane paused, however only held back slightly in her words. "I'll tell you when I need help," she said, although that was probably a lie. "Otherwise, you need to follow orders, or our teamwork falls apart... Just remember that next time. Please." She creased her eyebrows in a slightly pleading expression.

Haruka hesitated, seeing her best friend’s face. "I..." She bit her lip, faltering, but then exploded. "I got Yui out of the pit, didn’t I? And aren’t we a team? A team supports each other when they’re in trouble! You always try to shoulder all of on yourself, even if it’s dangerous or nerve-wracking, and I don’t want that!" Her eyes shimmering slightly, Haruka turned away briefly to rub her eyes so that Akane wouldn’t see. "I… If… I guess you don’t like me nagging at you like this, heh… Sorry about that..." Looking away and taking a deep breath, Haruka dug her fingernails into her palms to try to keep her voice from cracking. "I’ll trust you." Turning around to face her friend again, Haruka put on a feigned smile for Akane.

Akane felt like she couldn't do anything as Haruka's words came pouring out. What could she do there? She couldn't quite deny what Haruka was saying, but... A bastion of inaction, Akane only inwardly sighed in relief when Haruka finally stopped. "Thank you, Haruka." She gave a weak smile before pulling Haruka into a hug who gasped surprisedly before relaxing slightly and returning it. "If you haven’t eaten yet, want to go get something together?" Akane was about to pull away when Haruka tightened her arms around her.

"I-If it’s okay… Can we just stay like this a little longer…?"

Akane smiled and complied. "Just a little longer."

[bury the year]

Post-mission dialogue filtered through Yohta’s ears as he stood idly, shivering slightly as the night dipped into its depths. As the members of Osprey dispersed across the sands to attend to their own business, only Tadashi and Yohta were left to address the little guild that had called them there in the first place. The five players stood in a loose semicircle. Osprey’s representatives were haggard but relatively healthy, and the same went for the other three. Only Tokiwo took much damage over the course of fighting the antlions, and the potion Yohta had chucked at him went a long way to restore his constitution.

Milly coughed, breaking the awkward silence. “Uhh… I don’t know exactly how to say this, but-“ She bowed deeply. “Thankyousomuchforhelpingusagain!” The tears that had just dried on the monk's cheeks threatened to well up again.

Yui bowed as well, although in a more controlled fashion than her friend. “Yes, thank you,” she said, her voice measured and restrained. “We haven’t gone much outside of the city walls until recently. None of us knew what we were getting into. We are in your debt.”

Tokiwo merely nodded.

Yohta returned the thanks with a bow of his own. The bloodlust had worn off by now, so his mind was already going back to opportunity cost and lost time versus reward, but that was all in the past now. He had to lighten up and actually acknowledge the fact that in Lore, not everything revolved around money. A tough pill to swallow. “It’s… fine,” he said finally. “Just don’t leave the gates at night.”

With that, the group silently dispersed. The rest of the evening was a blur to Yohta - he was dead tired, and things didn’t tend to register when that happened. All he could remember was following Tadashi back to the guildhouse above the tavern, wandering up the stairs, and falling asleep before his head hit the sheets.
 

CHAPTER 2: VS. CELACEA

And then-

The alarm blared from Yohta’s HUD, waking him with a start. A bit groggy at first, he didn’t remember what the alarm was for, but then the sudden realization hit him like a ton of bricks.

He threw a pillow on Finn, who was sleeping in the bed on the other side of the room, before dashing out and knocking on the doors of the guildhouse’s sleeping quarters, waking Osprey two at a time.

“Get up and moving, y’all! The boat to Megrez leaves in 30 minutes, and if we miss it, it’s coming out of your reward!”

[spoiler=WHERE TO GO]Osprey Members: Conclude your posts from the previous night, then get your asses moving and out. You’re in a rush. (Members are bunked two to a room, btw.)
Aeritz and Aria: You’re already at the beach area in Megrez, for unconnected reasons. The beach is deserted and you're in bathing suits. Feel free to chat amongst yourselves and poke around. You don’t necessarily have to know one another already
Ko and Zaifer: You’re being called to the carpet along with other guild executives by [acronym=NPC profile to come. He’s a samurai.]Tengutake[/acronym] at Joshua Tree headquarters. He’s displeased to hear how the incident with Milly was handled, as JT members should’ve been on watch. The meeting hasn’t started yet, so feel free to mill around.
Idris and Caelia: You’re returning from a loot gathering mission from Pilgrim’s Path, with [acronym=NPC profile to come. She’s an alchemist.]Ichimatsu[/acronym] in the lead. Spirits are high.[/spoiler]

[Ren✧]

After apologizing to Akane, Tadashi opted to stay behind with Yohta to make sure that everything got handled with Milly, Yui, and Tokiwo. The three thanked Yohta and the rest of Osprey, some more profusely than others. Tadashi was content to stand to the side and nod at the three less experienced players. He really hoped that they would listen to Yohta's warning. The next time they got into trouble, they may not be so lucky as to have a friendly guild nearby to help. 

 

He walked with the Guild Leader back into town. They were both exhausted so conversation between them was lacking. When they reached the Guildhouse, Tadashi bid the Rogue goodnight before throwing himself on his bed and closing his eyes, he fell into a deep sleep and didn't even hear Matthias when the young cleric made his way back to the room. 

 

[divider1]

 

The images flashed before Tadashi's eyes. Explosions. The sound of gunfire. Smoke saturated the air. He heard someone calling his name. His old name. His real name. He coughed, the smoke burning his lungs. He couldn't see who it was. Someone needed his help. He whirled about in panic. A high pitch whistling filled the air. It was out of instinct that he dove for the sand, a silent prayer going up to whomever or whatever could keep the mortar from finding its target. The world exploded. Tadashi was tossed through the air, his breath knocked from his lungs as he hit the ground with a dull 'thud'. 

 

As he regained his bearings, he now found himself in a barren expanse of desert. For all he knew, it could have been the exact spot that Osprey had fought the Antlions the night before. His bow lay splintered at his side and an odd, yet familiar, weight tugged at his hip.

 

Looking down, what he saw didn't make sense, not that his experiences in the last few minutes had made much sense anyway. Holstered at his waist was a sleek, jet-black pistol. Despite his protest, his hand went to draw the gun. It was cold and heavy. There was something...menacing...about it. As if it wanted to Tadashi to use it. It didn't care whether it was on someone else or himself, it just wanted to taste blood. It wanted de-

[divider1]

 

"Tadashi!" 

 

The archer's eyes snapped open. He shot upright in bed, his forehead smacking painfully against Matti's, who had been hovering over Tadashi's sleeping form, trying to wake him up. "Shit." Tadashi cursed, rubbing his head. "Sorry."  He apologized, looking to make sure that the young cleric was okay. 

 

"Yohta wants us t-" The cleric was interrupted from a shout from downstairs.

 

“Get up and moving, y’all! The boat to Megrez leaves in 30 minutes, and if we miss it, it’s coming out of your reward!”

 

Tadashi rushed to get out of bed, tripping in the process. "On our way!" Tadashi called down taking the steps two at a time.

[Yosuke-kun]

"Keep you're knees straight, and don't flail around so much. Monsters are programmed to take advantage of that and PKers will kill ya for it."

 

What a dull day already. The sun had barely come up and Zaifer was stuck here training the lower leveled members of Joshua Tree... Again. He supposed it must have meant that the others who he'd tutored showed better results, but that didn't mean he wanted to be signed up as a volunteer for an after school Lore study hall. Besides, the best teacher was experience after all, not whacking each other with a practice sword for several hours. That might help them know how to swing properly but it's not going to do anything to help them against monsters, and Zaifer wasn't allowed to go all out, so it wouldn't help them against PKers much either.

 

He let out a small inaudible sigh as he deflected the blade of the Knight he was currently instructing, Buchanan was his name, then reopened the stats screen to check on the boys health. It was already half gone in the few short minutes they'd been sparring. Wait, what the hell? Zaifer hadn't even really struck him yet, how was his HP already at half? Immediately looking to the Knights other stats, he found the problem.

 

"Hey, how come you have so little points in Vitality?"

Buchanan grinned proudly and stood up straight, trying to take a noble looking stance, but really just making himself look like a jackass. This was usually the part that annoyed Zaifer the most about new recruits. It was common knowledge to everyone in Lore that Knights played the role of the "tank" in party combat, which meant that they needed to put more points in Vitality and Strength than anything else. This was actually a problem he'd really only heard out of low level Knights, but the tank role was not a 'fun' or 'heroic' role for them. They all needed to be the 'Hero of Lore' and not just do their job.

"Vitality is nice and all, but if I can just obliterate my foe's in a single shot I won't really need to worry about getting hit!" Buchanan bragged. Zaifer looked at the Knight's stat screen again. He had a few points in Agility, so at least he wasn't completely hopeless, but there was way too much Strength and not enough in any other stat. It was silly to think you'd obliterate a monster in a single blow in Lore anyways, even Tengutake didn't have that kind of power. Sure it might work on low level Goblins or maybe Kobolds if he were lucky, but... Well, best to just show him.

"Alright, come at with your heaviest attack."

Buchanan grinned, clearly thinking this was his chance to show off. Not even considering the possibility of a counterattack, Buchanan rushed towards Zaifer with his sword held high. The blade of the Knights wooden sword started to a emit a faint blue light as he loaded up his skill. He must have been expecting Zaifer to be striken with fear at his valiant charge or something other than just yawning and trying to decide which opening to exploit. After a while, he decided to just go with the Samurai classes specialty.
 

"Mugen Circle." Zaifer said lazily as he drew the azure circle in the air before him, and swatted aside the Knights 'valiant blade'. As the skill took effect, Zaifer followed up the attack with a swift strike to the knights stomach and another to his back. With his current Vitality, it would have ended Buchanan's life, but as the swords they were using were incapable of this, it merely dropped him down to a single Health point. A few of the other trainee's oohed and awed, and a couple more of them clapped at what they'd seen.

"See the problem? High Strength is good, but you need Vitality too. Especially for a Knight. I know it's not the most glamorous role and that especially here it's more dangerous to play it, but people will be depending on you a lot of the time to take hits for them. Joshua Tree's big, so it's not like you'll always be forced into tanking, but you need to be ready for when you are in that role. You're not gonna be able to tank anything if you die instantly with a single blow. What's more, you'll let down your party if you do, and that could result in more deaths."

Zaifer's lecture went on for a little while longer, but was cut short when one of Tangutake's assistants made a light cough not far behind him.

"Zaifer, you and the other generals are to meet with Tengutake immediately to discuss a matter of importance regarding a-"

"Does it have anything to do with Osprey handling that job?" Zaifer asked tilting his head back slightly to look at the assistant. She nodded lightly and Zaifer sighed again. "Alright, somebody heal Buchanan, then pair up and start sparring. If I'm not back by the time the next instructor gets here then I'm probably still getting chewed out."

 

With that, Zaifer opened up his Inventory and replaced the Practice Boken he'd equipped with Tsukidachi, then pulled out a flask of water he'd grabbed before he left, took a sip, and handed the rest to Buchanan.

"Try to find a way to reallocate some of your Strength into Vit, okay? Otherwise start using levels to power that." he told the Knight as he walked off of the training area and into the large ornate castle the guild called it's home. Zaifer often times marveled at the animators skill to be able to craft such a realistic looking castle as this. It really did show talent in their field. Too bad most of them were probably never going to work in VRMMO animations again.

 

He continued to think about this as he walked the bright guild halls, occasionally greeting other members who passed by him, and started thinking back to before he'd gone to Lore. I wonder how many other people from Tokyo U are... or were at least, here... He knew at least two members had been playing when Lockdown Day went down, both girls too oddly enough. One whom he'd had classes with before. They didn't talk much outside of the occasional 'Hi how are you' but she was still cute. It was easy to spot her too, since she didn't really change her name or appearance much for the game.

His thoughts now on them, he had become somewhat lost in thought as he walked, causing him to walk headlong into the brick house of a Monk Ko, one of the other Generals along with Zaifer.

 

"Sorry about that, I kinda lost myself there." he said smiling lightly and scratching the back of his head.

[Asriel Dreemurr]

The sun was only just beginning to rise over the city of Dubhe, the sky stained a brilliant mix of orange and yellow, with a few deeper purples and violets towards the west where the moon had set just a few hours ago.  The morning breeze brought in the smells of the river washing over the desert, and even now the sounds of the city coming awake could be heard.  Arriving in this thriving city was a giant of a man, clad in robes of orange and gold with a string of massive prayer beads around his neck.  Judging by his facial expression he was quite tired, and judging by the depleted status of his health bar he had been running through the desert surrounding the Pilgrim's Path over the night.  Sighing as he made his way through the city gate, chest heaving with heavy breaths while he took a moment to collect himself.  Turning his head as if to look on his back, he spoke to the oddly shaped lump upon it.
 
"We're back in Dubhe, you can get down now."  His voice was firm with an obvious note of authority, yet it also bore a certain kind of gentleness.  In any case, the lump stirred and was soon revealed to be a little girl.  Not that her size should have let anyone underestimate her, given that as his HUD told him she was a level 48 marksman and a member of the very same guild as he.  Truth be told, she was the one who had carried the message for him to return to the city.  As she dropped to the ground and stretched herself out, it was revealed just how much smaller she was.  She practically looked like a child.
 
"Alright, now hurry up and get to the meeting!"  Her voice was far less gentle than his, almost piercing in its tone though that may have been to due with exhaustion and irritation.  "Tengutake's really pissed this time."  The girl giggled, and began making her way off elsewhere in the city.  "As for me, I'm gonna go get some rest.  You make a terrible bed, Ko."
 
"Just work on your speed skills when you get the chance."  The monk called after her, shaking his head as she walked away.  "I won't always be around to carry you if you aren't fast enough!"  He chuckled quietly, always enjoying a little light-hearted teasing.  His feet carried him into the city at a nice, relaxed pace and he soon enough found his way to a little restaurant that was just beginning to open for the day.  The meeting could wait until he'd had something to eat, and after the night he'd had he absolutely needed it.
 
[hr]
 
Some time later, while Ko was in the middle of a simple breakfast of rice and fish from the river, a group of three lower-level players consisting of a samurai, cleric, and monk entered the restaurant presumably to have breakfast themselves.  At first he was not going to pay much attention to them, but that was when he overheard the cleric saying something.
 
"I can't believe you couldn't find anyone from Joshua Tree.  I thought they were based here in the city."  That was when Ko's attention turned to the small group of players, an he felt that this was something he should involve himself in.
 
"You three," he called out to get their attention, and was rewarded with their faces turning towards him.  He made a beckoning gesture with his right hand, showing off that glinting chain wrapped around his forearm, and shifted to make room for them at the table he was seated at.  The three considered for a moment, before making their way over to sit at the same table as he.  Taking a moment to finish off a bit more of his breakfast, the monk swallowed a mouthful and turned his attention to his lower-level peers.  "I couldn't help but overhear that you had some trouble finding someone from my guild," he began with a smile, "why don't you tell me exactly what happened?"
 

[hr]

 

Ko was finally making his way through the palace of a headquarters that Joshua Tree occupied in Dubhe, feeling secure in his knowledge of the situation that had led to the meeting being called.  Along a particular stretch of that walk, where the exhaustion got the better of the monk and he let his eyes close, he found that someone had run headlong into him.  Stopping in place and looking about, he found none other than Zaifer, a man who had been something of a contentious choice of an executive thanks to his lower level in comparison to others, being the one to run into him.

 

"Sorry about that, I kinda lost myself there."  The monk chuckled as the little, but then everyone was little to him, Samurai apologized and did his shy little act.  Zaifer received a heavy clap on the back from the so-called Eleventh General, which may have been forceful enough to drop some of his HP.  The monk was notoriously bad at controlling his strength when exhausted or intoxicated.

 

"It's no problem," he began, before continuing along his path.  "Come on, we're late for the meeting as is.  I'd rather not see Tengutake sama go from irritated to pissed."  By the time the door finally opened before Ko into the meeting chamber, a truly cavernous place as was necessitated by the large number of executives in the guild's ranks, the monk was over an hour late and it was quite obvious that his tardiness had irritated a few of the generals.  Worst of all was that particular twitch that he could see in Tengutake's eye, even from this distance, that told him the guild master was far from happy with his late arrival.  In any case, the still tired but now somewhat less battered monk found his way to the seat that had been left open for him at the meeting.

 

"I apologise for my lateness,"  he began as he settled into the seat and got himself comfortable in preparation for what he expected would last until the sun was high above their heads, "but it could not be avoided.  I ran into some trouble on my way back from the Pilgrim's Path, and I needed to familiarize myself with the issue we've come here to discuss once I arrived in the city.  So, what about a small guild being caught up fighting an abnormally high level monster near the city is so important that you had to call a non-executive in to an executive meeting?"

[宇佐見 蓮子@C94]

Hearing Finn's little joke made her chuckle slightly. Not because it's a genuinely good joke, but because she feels it's funny that Finn himself poured so much energy into the joke. She could notice the nervousness in his voice slightly, which isn't surprising. He's always been like that when conversing with her for one a reason she never quite understood, since she never encountered that kind of problem with anyone else in the guild. One day, too, she can talk to him without worries, or at least that's what she hopes for. Finn is a teammate too, and if there's some kind of difficulty in communicating, that'd be no good both for the team morale, and field performance.

 

"Hey now, it's no good to leave a girl hanging just like that, you know?" Once Finn laid down on the futon, Inali stealthily followed him and stood in front of him, bending down with her arms behind her back. "Even a goodnight is enough. "Goodnight!"" Inali smiled and tilted her head slightly, closing her eyes in her usual charming way. "Like that. See? Not too hard, right?" After straightening herself back up, Inali gently tapped Finn's forehead with her index finger before retreating to her room in the guild. It's neither a particularly though, nor boring day today, so she thought while drifting off to sleep.

 

[divider1]

 

"Little bit more pepper... Hmm... Is there something I forgot? Oh, right! The best curry always has freshly cut potatoes!" Early in the morning, way before anyone actually woke up, Inali was already in the Guild House's kitchen, preparing breakfast. She's not the designated chef of the guild, but she does have some skills when it comes to cooking, both in the real world and in Lore. Today, the menu is mild Japanese-style beef curry with rice, a staple breakfast in most Japanese diets, though rarely for breakfast. But still, she's a girl on a mission and she won't let something as silly as that stop her.

 

Wearing only a custom-made pink apron that reads "いなり", (and her underwear, of course) she gleefully prepares the guild's morning meal. Curry stock is surprisingly non-existent in the world of Lore, but luckily Inali herself has experience with making curry from scratch. Back in the real world, her idol agency has tasked her and the others to perform promotional work in front of a fairly well-known grocery chain... By cooking curry without using a stock. Needless to say, it was difficult at first, and most chefs probably would groan at the sight of these untrained 14 year old girls fumbling around in an open kitchen, but in the end she picked up enough to make curry by herself.

 

"Alright, now time to see the results..." Licking off the curry sticking to her stirring ladle, Inali rolled the drop of curry in her mouth for a bit, tasting her cooking and making sure it tastes alright before serving it to the guild. "Un! Delish~!" Unbeknownst to her, the group is already in a rush. As she finished laying the plates in the dining room and moving the large pot of curry to serve it to everyone, she missed Yohta's shout for everyone to leave ASAP.

 

"Get up, everyone! Breakfast's all cooked and rea...dy..?" When she walked out of the kitchen, first thing she noticed was Tadashi running out of the guildhouse in an apparent hurry, ignoring her cooking. Casting common sense aside, she gently dumped the large pot of curry on the floor and began running off to chase Tadashi, apparently forgetting that she hasn't put on proper clothing. "Tada~shiiii~! Come back here! You haven't had breakfast yet!" She rushed out the front door of Osprey's guild house, her bottom almost fully exposed thanks to the apron she's wearing.

[A Generic Person]

"Y'know, this is sort of the stuff that happens in, well, video games, or anime, or manga, or... anything else. Not, uh, not something that'd actually, y'know... happen. To... actual people. I mean, don't get me wrong, this is an awesome concept, what with virtual reality and everything... even if it is an MMO... I mean, I can finally say that I've been to the beach instead of actually going there, and it's super realistic and everything... But isn't it a bit much when, er, when the idea for a virtual reality is to immerse you... and then they switch the armor out for swimsuits, of all things?"

 

The young man unconsciously put his left hand where his hip was and shielded his eyes with his other, stopping to stare around the beach. Pretty much deserted... On the one hand, it was early-ish... but on the other hand, didn't people go to the beach early for the sun? Not like I'd know... I'd still rather be at my desk than come out here... Even if I'm really... not here... except I am here... he thought to himself, kicking some sand on the ground in frustration. Six months already, geez. I didn't think playing a game would ever be problematic for anyone else, but... here we are, I guess... I still want to know how I even got here before anyone else...

 

He paused for a moment, then muttered to himself, "...That... Alexandria guild better not have stood me up. Er, again. ...Why do I hang out with them, exactly...?"

 

 

If anything, Aeritz was more surprised that there were players more flaky than he ever was. A combination of his habit to join (and leave) different guilds, his tendency to joke around, and quoting foreign sayings led to the title he was (that he may or may not have given himself) running: The Landsknecht... Which wasn't even the same language as the proverbs he often quoted, but fit well enough when explained: "The Mercenary," or "The foot-soldier," which fit his own description well enough...

 

...

 

"...but seriously I can only wait around for so long, where are they...? Don't tell me the time's finally come when the guild is the one to leave me..." he sighed and squatted down, facing the ocean. He was at least thankful that he wasn't wearing his armor - or his regular clothes, actually - in such an environment... But it did still weird him out when he checked his HUD and saw Splendid Leviathan equipped to him still.