Lore Online [IC/Accepting]

[VCR_CAT]

The alarm function has been called many things: useful, intuitive, and well implemented. To the small girl with gray hair, wearing gray board shorts with a modest, blue top-piece that left quite a bit to the imagination, splayed out on the beach and making rather loud groans and whines; it was the devil incarnate. Flipping herself over like a hamburger being grilled, Aria lay face-down in the sand and practically yelled into the sand with her complaints.

 

"Why would ANYONE wake up this early?!" A muffled voice escaped from its desert-tomb. "THIS IS INHUMANE!!"

 

Flopping back around and looking around the beach as she hastily brushed the sand out of her hair and skin, Aria sat relieved that there at least didn't appear to be anyone around at this hour. Knowing the general population of the game, a lot of the female models would probably pick the more... scantily-clad outfits to accompany them on their day out to the beach. Aria never cared for that, and frankly found it a little on the gross side... especially when she reminded herself that there were often guys who made girl characters for themselves that had rather... gifted... and revealed figures. Either way, Aria felt much more comfortable with her jacket and pants than stupid shorts and stupid swimsuit. Too bad the jacket would mean sweat-central in this place...

 

"How'd they get this past CERO..." Aria muttered. Spotting another guy on the beach, Aria looked around. Was this the guy she was asked to wait for? "HEY YOU, WEIRDO WHO'S UP TO EARLY!" Aria called over, jogging up to the meet up with him. "You the guy I'm s'posed to wait for?"

[A Generic Person]

A loud shout snapped Aeritz from his HUD and shooting up to his feet, moving to grab his shield and hammer... Only to stop half-way when he saw a... really short girl running up to him. He relaxed himself and sighed softly, only just realizing that wearing swimming trunks and carrying a shield on his back wasn't exactly the most orthodox thing to do at the beach... In my defense, though, I thought I was alone... he thought to himself, his hand finding his hip again.

 

...Apparently, the girl was waiting on someone? Aeritz himself didn't recognize her from the guild he was waiting on, leading him to fold his arms and cock his head to the side curiously. "I'm... sorry?" Aeritz managed, his expression incredulous. "Uh... Depends on who you may be waiting for, miss..."

 

He gave her a once-over briefly, noting the swimwear she had on specifically, and wondered if players could even customize that... Despite the time he had already spent on the game - whether he wanted to or not - he often avoided anything that he didn't understand or recognize immediately. It was even his first time on the islands of Megrez, only coming along because of another guild he'd joined and left briefly, and, thus, one of the first times he'd actually been to a beach... virtual reality or not...

 

A blink brought him back to reality as he coughed awkwardly, followed by a shrug. "I'm waiting on some guild members - The Alexandria, they call themselves - and we were supposed to do some... sort of quest or mission, as an initiation to join, but... they don't seem to be here. I... you're not with them, are you, miss?" he added, as an afterthought. He... didn't recognize her from the guild meeting that he attended, and it was on the smaller side of guilds... Should've just joined Joshua Tree... he thought, in retrospect. Wouldn't have this problem getting in and I'd be able to just ping them whenever I wanted to... But that'd be a bit rude, just to ping them just because I was impatient...

[Ren✧]

Tadashi ran brought up his <Inventory> on his HUD, checking to make sure that he had everything that he needed. Bow, check. Arrows, check. A few potions, check. Everything seemed to be in order. He was just stepping out of the guildhouse when a cry from inside stopped him in his tracks. "Tada~shiiii~! Come back here! You haven't had breakfast yet!" Inali exclaimed. Tadashi turned around, watching the Tamer bounce towards him. 

 

"Inali, did you not...Yohta just...You can't be...-" Tadashi found himself stammering, completely taken by surprise by Inali's lack of clothes. He had never really been good with naked, or in this case nearly naked, women. Probably the reason he tended to find himself in bed with men more than anything else, but that was beside the point. Gathering his thoughts, he again attempted to address the less-than-fully-clothed Tamer. 

 

"Err-hum..." The archer cleared his throat. "I'm sure that what your breakfast would have been wonderful, Inali. But, didn't you hear Yohta? We gotta be on that ship to Megrez in less than half an hour!" 

[VCR_CAT]

Shit, wrong guild.

 

"Nah, sorry bud. A couple'o' guys told me they were lookin' for another to raid a quest. Some sorta LFG thing. Anyways, looks like I got the shaft on that one," Aria replied calmly, jamming her hands into her short's pockets. Frickin' shorts; already her legs were feeling cold. Who stands wearing anything but PANTS?! "If you were lookin' to do that quest I'd say we should totally do it up and knock some skulls; but with this whole 'permadeath' thing I don't feel like two-mannin' a quest or raid." For a brief moment, Aria's eyes seemed to lapse in and out of focus; swaying a bit on the spot. Blinking a couple times and shaking her head, she refocused herself. "I don't know why they always frickin' wanna start so early. Who wakes up this soon?" 

 

Being in a guild would make a lot of this easier, though. It really sucks trying to lone-wolf-it post-lock-down. Anyone who wasn't in a guild or taking refuge somewhere in some way was either stacked to the nines with equipment and stuff, or just dead... at least that's the way it looked. Joshua Tree was an option at one point, but they're just so dang big that it'd probably just be like not being in a guild but with a title. Too many people to really be appreciated as an individual too much or something. Who knows. Then there was the day-care guild. No thanks. And then there's that one that killed a lotta people. Again, no thanks. Maybe there was another? Really feels like there's another, but overall it slips Aria's mind.

[Sethera]

Matthias had never had trouble getting up in the morning. Back when he was in elementary school, he had had problems, but after getting his small garden he had had to learn to get up with the sun, and oftentimes even before it. Checking on plants took time, and fitting in enough time before getting ready for school had been a challenge. So the boy had gotten up earlier and earlier, and eventually, became a morning person.

 

That hadn't changed, even after entering the virtual world. No matter how late he went to bed, the small blond boy was always up before the sun's light had even touched the skies, in that shadowy hour between night and dawn, when dew stained the grass and everything seemed blurred, half-formed, and strange. That hour had soon become Matthias' favorite hour. So no matter when he went to bed the night before, like clockwork, he got up at the same time, sneaking outside to check on his small garden.

 

Plants were tricky things. Some required daily tending, others didn't need as much. They varied in their needs and behavior. Once, when he had mentioned that to his mother, she had said: "They're like people, then!" Matthias had thought it the other way around. People were like plants. After all, plants were here long before people were, he thought, before tilting his head. At least...I think? Oh well. The boy shrugged. When it came to anything other than plants or video games, the boy would freely admit his ignorance. A vision of multiple test papers came to mind, one with a 20, another with a 14, and a third with a glaring 0 written across the top in bold red pen, underscored twice.

 

But still, he liked to think that plants came before people. Whenever the boy looked up at old Japanese cedars, for instance, he always felt very young, and very small. Not that I don't spend most of my time looking up anyway, he thought with a pout, glancing at the red yucca he was tending. It was almost a meter tall, still shorter than him, but would probably outgrow him in a few weeks.

 

The boy sighed. He might have to uproot his little haven soon. Tiger Lily had been looking restless lately, and hadn't there been a trip to...somewhere planned? Oh well. He hadn't really been paying attention. Glancing around at the place, the boy sighed once more, reaching into his inventory for the small, expensive golden hourglass he knew he'd find there. Items like this applied a stasis effect on a small area in the vicinity of whatever it was used on. Handy against mobs but also useful for keeping plants in the same condition for long trips. The price varied depending on the amount of sand, which correlated to the amount of time the target was stopped for. Of course, on monsters, the length of time was a fraction of what it was on plants, since the monsters fought the effects, so it was really only useful for farmers or emergency battles.

 

Setting the hourglass down in midst of his small garden, Matthias watched a small timer appear and count down before he turned around and walked away, head bowed.

 

--

 

By the time Matthias had returned, everybody was still sleeping peacefully except for Jasmine, who was making something in the kitchen. The blond boy was careful not to wake anybody on the short trip to his room. Some of the guild members had...ahem, bad reactions to being woken up in the wee hours of the day, accident or not. When he reached the room he shared with Iris, the boy's eyes saddened at the sight before him.

 

The man was turning in his sleep, muttering nonsense syllables with a clear frown on his face. His arms seemed to be twitching the most, as if reaching for something.

 

The boy would freely admit that he had been intimidated, if not a little scared when he first saw the red-tinged icon that signified Iris' status as a killer. He had been wary, edging around the man, and making small "eep" sounds whenever they met face to face. But they had ended up being roommates, and little by little, Matthias had learned more about the other blond male in the group (with Jasmine that made three blonds total).

 

For instance, Iris had never acted in any way but kind since he met him. Sure, he had seemed a bit detached, but whenever engaged in actual conversation, slate blue eyes lit up with color and life like the flower he was named after. Not only this, but whenever Matthias couldn't reach something high up he needed, it was often Iris that came to the rescue, noticing his dilemma where others would not. It wasn't as if the others were actively ignoring him, far from that, but more like Iris was going out of his way to look after everybody else. Matthias had seen him help out the others in various chores around the guild when the man wasn't busy with his own matters, such as tending his arrows.

 

From that point on, Matthias focused on Iris instead of the red-tinged icon next to him. And it was then, that he learned, that Iris tied with White Lily for being the most moral, the most selfless of them all. Unlike most of the people Matthias had encountered in Lore, Iris went above and beyond to help others. And the way he did it...fluidly, automatically, without hesitation. He had never seen the like before in his life. There was a reason he had earned the name Iris for himself. "Noble Heart." Matthias couldn't think of anybody better suited to carry that title.

 

But noble or not, that had not stopped his nightmares.

 

Matthias was a small boy who was still learning how to interact with human beings instead of plants. Plants didn't recoil at loud bangs as if they were hearing their death knell. Plants didn't have dreams that made them cry out in the night. Plants didn't have moments where it seemed as if the sap had been leeched out of them, leaving nothing but a withered husk and empty gray eyes.

 

They did have insects that would eat away at their leaves and attempt to suck them dry, but that was different. Wasn't it? Or was Iris plagued by insects too?

 

Matthias latched on to the thought with a vice grip. Dealing with people was still scary, but dealing with plants...well, that was familiar territory. Years ago, his mother had compared plants to people, and he had carried her words in his heart since then. It had colored all of his interactions, and had worked to an extent. If he could just look at it the way he looked at a problem with his plants, then he could do something about it.

 

--

 

Matthias' fretting was interrupted by the sounds of somebody, probably Tiger Lily, running around like a cat on fire.

 

"Oh, it's time, I guess," the boy muttered. "Tadashi, time to wake up," he continued in his normal volume. But he's dreaming pretty fitfully...not sure if he'll wake... Matthias shook the man's shoulder, frowning when it didn't seem to work. All right...drastic times call for drastic measures. Climbing onto the bed, he crouched over the other blond, "Tadashi!"

 

That did the trick. The man immediately headbutted him, cursing soon after, the inevitable apology right at its heels. Matthias didn't wait for the mother-hen behavior that he knew would follow, choosing to instead continue with his point. "Yohta wants us t--"

 

“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!”

 

Matthias winced at the volume, before hopping off the bed, staring in slight shock at the afterimage where Iris had just been. "No fair...I'm the slowest one in the guild," he grumbled. Thankfully he was already prepared, so he wouldn't have to do much more than just walk out the door and head to the ship.

 

When the boy reached the exit, he had just enough time to see the last guild blond, Jasmine, wearing nothing but an apron and undergarments, flouncing after Iris, flashing her underside for all outside to see. "Tada~shiiii~! Come back here! You haven't had breakfast yet!"

 

Wh-what? Matthias' mind started gibbering in panic, "W-wait, Jas--no, Inali! Y-you! Your--!" the boy's mind froze when a small breeze lifted the hem of the apron, and collapsed to the ground in a twitching heap.

[Mr. Hyde]

Finn was laying on the couch when Inali surprised him yet again, her words as warm as ever.

 

"Hey now, it's no good to leave a girl hanging just like that, you know?  Even a goodnight is enough. "Goodnight!  Like that. See? Not too hard, right?"  Damnit!  Why did she have to be so cute!  Typical idol syndrome of course...but Finn couldn't help but like that about her.  So high-spirited and carefree...so cute.  He acknowledged her words, and rose halfway off the couch in a upwards seal pose, turning his head so one of his eyes could meet hers.  

 

"Goodnight Inali...sleep...tight?  How was that?"  He flashed a peace sign across his eye.  She tapped him lightly on the head and ran back to the girls room.  "Guess its about time to pack it in huh...shes got the right idea there...I feel like we have something important to do tomorrow....It's probably nothing though."  He got up from the couch and made his way towards the man room, his and Yohta's.  He played a mini violin for Tadashi as he walked past him.  He collapsed into his comfortable bed, happy to have all his guild mates safe and sound, back home.  This...this was home now huh?  The fuzzy thoughts were the last thoughts that passed through his head, along with glamour shots of Inali during the fight.

 

 

Finn was woken up, but by what?!  A sneak attack?  No...just a pillow.  The pillow stuck to his face for a longer time than usual, partly because of the thick layer of drool that had found it's way onto Finn's face.

 

“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!”

 

Oh yeah...Megrez...thats what was so important.  Finn wasn't the best about getting out of bed.  His sleeping clothes were that of a plain white t-shirt and a long pair of baggy pajama pants.  An aroma wafted into the room, could this be...it was!  Finn raced his way into the kitchen, but to his surprise, he was met with Inali, scantily dressed and making a pastime favorite meal.  An apron was all that covered her body as she was trying to set a meal up for the team.  His face turned red, so red it had to be labeled as a new red in the gaming system.  It was deemed, "Baboon butt".  Unfortunately, it seemed Tadashi and Yohta already had run out of the house, causing Inali to spill all the curry.  Finn shed a tear for the lost meal and clenched his fist.  

 

"I'm sure it would have been scrumptious...next time, I'm going to eat the hell out of that curry!" he said turning his face away from the chef, as to where she could not see him shedding more tears over the lost food.  "I guess there's no use crying over spilled curry..."  That's when he noticed the heap on the floor that was Matti, twitching out of control.  He turned his head to see what the cause was, of course, Inali.  This time the breeze created from her rushing to the door caused her apron to fly in all sorts of directions.  Finn's legs turned to jelly, as he collapsed on the floor next to Matti.

 

"Matti my boy...you are now a true man..." blood could be seen escaping the shaman's nose.  He found his composure and darted out the door, passing Inali and Tadashi.  "Come on you slowpokes!  It's time to hit the beach!"  Finn ran after Yohta, who had a pretty big lead on him already.  

[Ren✧]

Tadashi hadn't noticed Matti fall at the sight of Inali's exposed backside, if he had, he would have used the excuse to help the young cleric up to escape the moment of awkwardness that had arisen between himself and Inali. Fortunately, he was given a second chance when Finn ran pass, his nose leaking a bit of blood. Looking back the way the shaman had come, Tadashi saw Matti twitching on the ground. "Oh...um...excuse me...I'm just gonna...go and get..." Tadashi disentangled himself from the conversation, his face almost as red as the mark on his icon. 

 

Rushing over, Tadashi helped the healer up off the ground. "Come on, we don't have much time, Matthias." He urged, trying to coax him out of his stupor. Once Matti had regained his senses and was ready to book it to the beach, Tadashi took the opportunity of the trip there to talk privately with him. 

 

"Listen Matti, you haven't told anyone about my, uh, my nightmares, have you?" 

[A Generic Person]

...
 
Do it up?
 
...
 
Oh, she said "two-manning," so... 
 
...
 
"I'm... not too sure if I'm ready to quit the people I'm waiting for just yet. I'm not even sure which quest it was, to be honest..." Aeritz shrugged, his hand reaching to the back of his neck awkwardly. This person... She was really... gruff, was the word? In her speech pattern, at least, since she was, physically, really small. And thin. She even looked a bit cold and tired... Granted, it was... sort of early? But even with that in mind, the sharp contrast between her rough speech and her petite stature really put him off... "I-I mean, I don't... I'm not opposed to working with you, miss, or to, uh, to... 'knock some skulls,' but..."

 

...Well, to be fair, I'd probably end up flaking on them eventually... Wouldn't I? What with my track record and all... Still, I'm not sure if I want to be associated with this person... His thoughts drifted briefly to a prior guild he joined, his hand rubbing his neck in sore thought. Aeritz finally cleared his throat and said, "U-um, well, we know what the other is doing here, but we don't even... know each other..."

 

...Should I even be befriending someone like this? It... doesn't even feel like it's a good idea at all... What if she's trying to lure me into a trap? Those... Overstealers?... Undergrounders?.. That PK guild was... Well, actually, didn't... Joshua Tree hunt them down?... Doesn't mean that's the only PK group, though...

 

...For now, Aeritz simply flashed a smile, albeit a nervous one, and said, "I'm It... er, Aeritz, a Paladin."

[bury the year]

Yohta wasn’t in the mood for chatting, particularly since he wasn’t exactly keeping up with the schedule he had envisioned for the day. As he tumbled down the stairs, the rogue whipped around the banister into the kitchen, grabbing a breadroll to stuff into his mouth when-

He halted, coming face to… well, back with Inali. She had taken the opportunity to wake up early and cook up a curry, blissfully unaware of the fact that everyone in Osprey was on a pretty urgent timer. She was also unaware of the fact that she was letting the world see her underwear. Yohta had to admit, she could certainly work the apron look, but he wasn’t going to go any further than that. He was almost certain she was underage, so not being confident of the age protection systems in Lore meant Yohta wasn’t going to risk doing anything incredibly dumb.

“Inali, put some clothes on,” he said with a mock-chastizing voice. “You’ll have all the time to strut around like that once we reach Megrez.” With that, he pursued the rest of Osprey out of the little guildhouse.

The trip itself to the docks was uneventful, leaving Yohta enough time to digest the bread roll and the slice of cheese he had stopped briefly at a stall to buy. As the gangplank pulled up and the sails unfurled, letting the ferry drift down the river, he found himself a bench and laid back. Truth be told, if he could’ve slept in for a few hours more without disturbance, he would’ve. But that wasn’t going to happen. The mission wasn’t well-publicized, from what he gathered from the main mission board in the market square, but Yohta didn’t want to risk others getting in and sweeping the loot up. He popped the description up in his HUD and read it silently.

‘Celacea, Empress of the Sea, has been found terrorizing Three Saints’ Beach off of Megrez. Fishermen have came back with nets empty, their catches devoured by her. Our families will starve if nobody does anything!’

'And that means loot,’ Yohta thought, giving a faint grin. He kicked back once more and enjoyed the early morning heat, letting the hubbub pass him by as the ferry lazily drifted out to sea, on its way to Megrez. Life was good now.
 

The executive members of Joshua Tree, its “generals,” filtered into the opulent hall. A white dome stretched above them as the members took their seats on cushions around a low table.

A pink-haired samurai sat at the table's head, his lips pursed. Seven, eight… Where were the last two? This wasn’t a spontaneous meeting. They should know he was expecting them.

As if on cue, the last two figures burst into the hall, one blurting an excuse, the other stating it as if it were a fact of nature. Tengutake’s frown deepened, but vanished to be replaced by a neutral line. “Zaifer, I at least knew where you were. Training’s good, but keep an eye on your HUD next time. And Ko, I believe you withdrew from your position as a general because you, and I quote, ‘didn’t like the drama.’ That said, don’t come here all snippy. You’re a member of Joshua Tree, and as your guildmaster, I am within my rights to summon you at any time as counsel. And you aren’t within yours to argue.”

“With that said, all generals and other invitees are here, so we may begin. And I would like to keep this meeting short, so I’ll cut straight to the point.” The frown returned, accompanied by a faint predatory glint in his eye.

“Who was scheduled to organize guard duty at the market square around 9:30 last night? Because whomever they were, they didn’t. And we almost had three players die as a result, due to wandering off into the alluvial plains without an escort. If it weren’t for the actions of the guild that saved them, I’d have had to explain the blood on Joshua Tree’s hands. And we don’t want that.”

Now even his smile was predatory. “So, who was it? C’mon, guys, I don’t have all day.”

[Yosuke-kun]

The hard slap of the monks hand on Zaifer's back, while diminishing his HP a little, was somewhat comforting to him. He'd held a deep respect for the monk, given his stark kindness and overwhelming skill, but still Zaifer had always felt somewhat awkward around him. After Ko resigned from his role as a general, Zaifer was the one chosen to replace him. Even though he knew that Ko held no hard feelings and no longer wanted the position anyways, Zaifer always felt as if he'd stolen Ko's job.

 

As he followed the Monk into the the meeting room, he could tell his tardiness had annoyed not only Tengutake but several other generals as well. Just what Zaifer needed. Some of the generals already questioned his competence as a leader, and this probably wouldn't reflect well on him either. Still, he did his job just as well as the other generals, and took his job as a General more seriously than... well none of them actually. Attempting to look more professional, Zaifer stood straight and walked over to his seat as Ko apologized for his lateness.

 

“Zaifer, I at least knew where you were. Training’s good, but keep an eye on your HUD next time. And Ko, I believe you withdrew from your position as a general because you, and I quote, ‘didn’t like the drama.’ That said, don’t come here all snippy. You’re a member of Joshua Tree, and as your guildmaster, I am within my rights to summon you at any time as counsel. And you aren’t within yours to argue.”
 

"Hey I'll be honest commander, I was fantasizing about this girl, Haruka, I knew from Tokyo U while I was coming here. I was also fantasizing about the girl while training, so I probably shouldn't use any excuses there either, but it may have affected my speed in arrival. Seriously though, if you saw who I had to deal with this morning, well... You'd be thinking of cute girls too." Zaifer wasn't actually too sure about that last part. Tengutake's sexual orientations were something of a mystery to him, but one he'd rather not solve. In anycase, he'd hoped that his comment might take some of the heat off of Ko for a bit.

 

As the meeting continue, Zaifer rested his hands behind his head and listened as Tengutake mentioned the events of last night. Zaifer had guessed this was what the meeting was about, but he still felt as if this was a rather pointless thing to concern themselves with. So another guild got to play hero for once? Big deal. People wouldn't be able to protect themselves if Joshua Tree never gave anyone else a chance to play the game. Of course, Zaifer knew that not everyone had the same view on Lore as he did, but as far as basic survival went, this felt like an important thing for every play to learn. Particularly new players too.

 

“So, who was it? C’mon, guys, I don’t have all day.”

 

"Aww crap..." Zaifer said under his breath as he opened his HUD and checked his calender. Sure enough, it was his responsibility to do that. However, he knew that the problem didn't stem from him shirking his duty, but rather the guards on duty just left their post. In fact, this wasn't the first time they'd disobeyed orders from him either. It was starting to become a reoccurring problem with him now. Worst of all, he had to take responsibility every time. Trying to scoot the blame to his underlings only reflected poorly on him.

 

"My apologies. Seems I was not clear with my commands when I tried to organize the guard at that time. I'll accept full responsibility... again... for their actions and my own inability. To make up for it, I'll place myself on the 9:30 PM watch duty for the remaining week." 

In hindsight, Zaifer kind of thought that he should have done that from the start. He was better suited to fighting and actually playing the game than telling others to do so, but he wasn't going to squander the kindness Tengutake had shown him by accepting him into the guild and making him a general any time soon. He had managed to help people because of it too, so there was no reason for him to complain about it.

[Aix]

Akane was aboard the ferry when the others arrived. That morning she had woke at her usual 6 am to go for a scenic run upon the rooftops of daybreak Dubhe, something she certainly could not have done back in her old world. At the same time, unlike her old world, a morning run was unnecessary in the maintenance of her health, she simply enjoyed the routine and the quiet sights only she and the few other early-risers were able to see. At quarter to seven was time to go back for breakfast, but she had been lured by the delicious aroma of a food stall by the bazaar, one that she had visited a few times before, and sat down to enjoy a traditional Arab morning meal. Akane was not as spartan as she may first seem as an ice-cold warrior, and mornings were the times she relaxed by herself, untouched by the awkwardness of social interaction. She was also lucky to not have been back at the guild house where she would have had to deal with scolding Inali for indecency.
 
At around quarter after seven, she switched back to business mode and figured she could improve her form and precision by practicing against low-level monsters directly outside of Dubhe before it got too hot, while reading a new swordsmanship manual she picked up that morning at the bazaar.
 
Akane quietly remarked to herself the productivity she had achieved while other players crawled onto the ferry still half-asleep.
 
"Good morning, Yohta," she spoke in rudimentary greeting, as she caught him aboard. She proceeded to look around for the others, particularly Haruka who had seemed in a especially bad state the night before.

[Sethera]

Matthias blinked multiple times. All thought processes had frozen.

 

 "Come on, we don't have much time, Matthias."

 

Huh? Oh, somebody was helping him up. Oh, it was Iris. Wait, what? Didn't he leave? Yeah, he had woken Iris up, and then the man had sped out, and then Jasmine had shouted something, and then--?

 

It was as if somebody had whitewashed everything that happened after that. Blinking in confusion, the boy decided to just focus on Iris, who was currently standing there patiently. "Um...th-thanks," he mumbled, fighting down a wave of embarrassment. He hadn't meant to collapse, he just...did. Somehow. And then needed to be helped up. Like a child, he thought, slightly annoyed with himself.

 

They ran to the beach where the ship was docked. The whole time, Matthias had been focusing on running as fast as he could (which wasn't that much, compared to the others), and Iris had been kindly keeping pace beside him. It was while he was focusing on not tripping over himself in the shifting grains of sand that the blond archer spoke up. "Listen Matti, you haven't told anyone about my, uh, my nightmares, have you?"

 

"Huh?!" Matthias turned to look at the man, and in his distraction, tripped, falling flat on his chin. Thankfully, the sand was rather soft, if a bit sticky and...grainy. Blushing and picking himself back up, the boy tried to subtly wipe the sand off himself, and started to run again. Oh wait, Iris had asked a question, hadn't he? The boy looked up at Iris, eyes wide, "N-no, I haven't. I figured...well, you might not want the others to know." Well, if he were having nightmares, he wouldn't want the others to know, anyway. He wasn't a baby anymore. He didn't need people to coddle and worry over him. And...Iris wasn't a baby either. But...Matthias still worried.

 

Because Iris had invisible insects. And not the good, pollinating kind either, but the kind that ate away at the stems and leaves, that sucked the sap from a plant. Bugs. But what could he do? It wasn't like he could spray the bugs off. Plus, that stuff tended to be bad for the environment, anyway. But there were plants that could deter bugs, and other insects that preyed on bugs. Barriers to keep the bugs away could also work. But what's best for Iris?

 

Matthias didn't know, and that worried him too. But he continued running, because they still needed to be on that ship.

[VCR_CAT]

The weirdo with the white hair replied very timidly, saying that he should probably wait for the group that he was originally going to go with. "Yeah fair enough. The guys that asked me to go with'd probably be pretty cheesed off if I just ditched" you mean the guys you pretty much forced to drag you along Aria didn't even know what quest it was they wanted to do; she had just heard some people she kinda knew talking about doing something and then she wanted to get in. Heck, for all she knew they probably just got her to wake up this early and show up at the beach just to mess with her, and get her out of their hair. Wouldn't be the first time...

The weirdo-- I mean Aeritz, introduced himself as a paladin. Probably just one of those guys that thought of himself as a big, damn hero or something? Maybe; at least a lot of paladins were like that. "M'name's Aria; I'm a Corsair but like... pirates are kinda dumb so I don't really like callin' myself that. I just wanted the big guns, so I took the class and then the least piratey-armor. Anyways, nice meetin' ya, Aeritz!" Aria, at this point, basically plopped back down on the sand. It was still really early in the morning, so the water was still pretty cold. Damn programmers making realistic water temperatures... "Say, you wouldn't happen to know what quest it was you were goin' on though, wouldya? I mean just to make sure we really are gonna go on the same one," Aria said again, with a bit of a nervous laugh. Yeah, real subtle. Way to make it look like you weren't just ditched entirely.

[Ren✧]

Tadashi let out a sigh of relief upon hearing that Matthias had kept the news about his nightmares a secret. He didn't want the others to worry about it, and he especially didn't want them to begin to suspect he might not be able to handle the pressures of the game. Giving the cleric and appreciative smile, the two finished their way to the ferry in silence. Truthfully, Tadashi could have made it there much quicker if he had been running alone, but he wanted to make sure that Matthias got there safely. Plus, he enjoyed the company of the healer, it was refreshing to talk to someone that was so...sincere, so wide-eyed. 

 

Making their way on to the boat, he raised a hand in greeting to Yohta and Akane. "Morning!" He called. Looking around, he expected to see Finn. The shaman had left before them and should have made it to the ferry a few minutes ago. "Have either of you seen Finn? He should be here by now." 

[Mr. Hyde]

Finn ran through the streets of Dubhe, losing sight of everyone that had left either after, or before him.  He wondered how Matti was fairing in getting to where they were going.  He hadn't seen Haruka around either.  Akane had probably taken her morning stroll above the rooftops of the city, and made a detour towards the harbor.  What a strange routine she had.  Not thinking about the streets he was running on, he stuck out his staff on a reflex as it rubber banded him onto the straight path that led out to sea.  

 

He had made it to the boat, but was gasping for breath, not realising how far or how long he ran without thinking of the task at hand.  He hadn't used the wind spirits to give him that speed buff.  He did like flying through the air with wind spirits surrounding him, but he felt obnoxious doing it all the time, it being a high level shaman skill after all.  You'll make the other players jealous if you go shoving it in other people's faces all the time.  Strategically, maybe it was the better idea, but Finn was in chill mode, and not that of Strategy Mode.  

 

"Have either of you seen Finn? He should be here by now." 

 

Finn was right behind Tadashi.  "Speak of the devil," a gasp for breath took up spaced out his sentence, "and he will appear!  It seems you summoned a very handsome one at that!  Sorry...I would've been here sooner if i'd used the wind spirits to my advantage, at least i made it on time!"  He gave the archer a smack on the pack.  "Off to Megrez!"  

[Asriel Dreemurr]

Ko sighed inwardly as Tengutake went on something of a rant about why it was that he could call the monk into meetings like this in spite of the fact that he was no longer an executive in the guild.  It was simply getting old at this stage, being called into meetings that he no longer had business at.  Adding to his distaste for the unique sort of politics that came out during these meetings was the fact that their guild master had a tendency to blame all of the many small failings that came about in the guild on him.  That was an unfortunate shift in their relationship, especially in light of the fact that the original eleven of them had been so close when they'd first started.  That was one of the many reasons Ko believed the guild had grown too big.
 
"My apologies. Seems I was not clear with my commands when I tried to organize the guard at that time. I'll accept full responsibility... again... for their actions and my own inability. To make up for it, I'll place myself on the 9:30 PM watch duty for the remaining week."  And there was another one.  Out of some misguided sense of loyalty towards him, some of the guildies that had been under his administration were showing their distaste for his replacement.  It seemed that many of them thought that the young Samurai was unworthy of their loyalty.

 

"Hmph, typical of a weakling."  The words came from another of the generals seated there, a particular big, ugly, blue son of a bítch who was currently seated directly across from the monk.  His voice was was harsh as the desert wind, which unfortunately made it quite grating to listen to.  He knew that one, and he further knew that he was another fairly new addition to the leadership of the guild.  The replacement for the other general who had been present at the siege of Mizar, who had unfortunately not been as fortunate as Ko to escape.  "Unable to get your men to follow simple orders.  Were I to be wholly in charge of the defense of Dubhe-"

 

"Gorrok, no one is interested in entertaining your continued attempts at seizing control of more territory."  Ko interrupted the man, and stared at him intensely enough that he could see the man growing nervous.  "Understand this: there is more to a person's character than strength, and more to strength than level.  Furthermore you should remember that if level were the most important requirement for becoming a general, you would not be in an executive position either."  He spoke with far more venom in his words than he had intended, but managed to avoid striking the table.  His mood was arguably worse than Tengutake's at the moment, given the lack of sleep, and unfortunately it was showing.  He took a few moments to breath and get control of himself, exhaling for quite a long few moments as he got himself back under control.  It was not often he lost his temper, and he did not intend for the next instance of it to take place in that room.  "As for dealing with the matter at hand," he turned his attention back towards the guildmaster, "if the source of the trouble Zaifer had with organizing the guard is the group I think it is, then the solution is a relatively simple one.  Transfer them to one of the active fronts, say the paths leading into Mizar, and let them relieve some of the fighters stationed there.  That way we put the problem members in a scary, but not dangerous, position and give some of our fighters a much needed chance to rest.  I can think of a few that would jump at the chance to take guard duty back in the city."  The monk smiled, and flashed Tengutake a look that just said "well, you called me here to offer counsel."  In the back of his mind, he was already considering meeting with the man in private once they were done here.  There were things the two of them should discuss away from the eyes and ears of the rest of the guild.

[Astolfo]

Drowsily murmuring something unintelligble in her sleep, when the airhorn of an alarm blasted out from her HUD, she immediately burst out of bed, promptly slamming her head against the bottom of the top bunk-bed where Akane slept. "Yowza!" At that thought, Haruka peered upwards to see if her friend was still there only to see the bed empty. Sighing as she guessed that Akane had left early for a jog or tour or something of the sort, Haruka yelled back a quick "I'm coming in a flash!" Before bursting out the door and breaking into a mad sprint. Running along, she felt a tingling feeling as if she was being watched intently, and whipped around, her eyes locking onto what seemed to be a warrior from Joshua Tree. Grimacing as she thought of that massive guild that seemed to have militarized and made everything too boring and rule-based, it partially disappeared out of curiosity. Do I know him...? Does he know me...? E-Eh?! F-From where?

There was no time to think though, as Haruka couldn't afford to miss the boat. Tearing her gaze away and charging down the cobbled roads frantically, the sight soon came into view. As Haruka grew closer and closer, she saw the ladder bridge to get on the boat, but that would be too slow and boring. Seeing the hull edge just low enough for what she had in mind, Haruka poured on her speed to gain momentum as fast as possible. At fifteen feet from the edge of the boat, Haruka winded up while running into a crouching position before pushing off the rock with explosive force. Heading at the boat straight on, Haruka braced for impact, leading her to skid across the deck to the point she almost fell off the other side. After recovering, she laughed slightly abashedly when she noticed people were staring at her, before jogging off to find the rest of the guild.

Pulling out a strip of beef jerky, Haruka tossed it into her mouth, the flavor making her face break out in a wide grin. Strolling along, she soon found Akane and as usual, gave her a loud call. "Aka-cchin~!" Looking around to see if there was anything of interest, Haruka turned back again. "Sorry I was late, ehehe~" Straightening up into a half-serious posture now, Haruka asked about the schedule. "So, so, so?! Did I miss anything? [acronym="What are"]Water[/acronym] we gonna do?" Cheering slightly at that small pun she made, she waited for her friend's response.

[bury the year]

"Good morning, Yohta."

He woke from his nap to the sound of visitors. Two faces peered over Yohta’s prone form, one slick with sweat while the other was impeccably calm. Yohta pulled himself upright, shaking off the shackles of sleep as he peered over. The silhouette of Megrez’s buildings and fluttering banners hung just a bit off the horizon - by the looks of it, they were no more than a few minutes from the docks. How long was he asleep?

“Ugh… hello, Akane. Haruka. Seems like we’re almost there. I’d make your way below deck if I were you, I don’t think I’d want to be caught up in the rush off the boat-“

The rogue was interrupted by the sound of wood scraping against wood, and nearly fell off his bench from the shock in the process. “Speaking of the devil…” he said with a slight yawn, rubbing the back of his now-sore head. Without a word, he slipped past the two girls and headed down the ladder to lead off the boat, only nodding with his head to gesture for them to follow. The gesture may have been interpreted by others as rude, but they knew him too well. When not entirely conscious, Yohta was a man of few words.

It only took ten or so minutes to cross Megrez to reach Three Saints’ Beach, as the town was quite compact. However, a few quick detours were made, primarily since Yohta’s stomach started rumbling right as he got off the ferry and he’d need something to settle it down before the mission. He thus juggled an apple between his hands as the guild approached the area, which was set aside a distance from the town borders. As the guild approached a copse of large rocks, however, his HUD rung suddenly, though, forcing him to pop the apple out of his mouth before proceeding.

< WELCOME TO THREE SAINTS BEACH. AS THIS AREA IS AQUATIC AND YOU WILL BE IN AN UNDERWATER MISSION, PLEASE ACCEPT OUR GIFT OF A « SWIMSUIT ARMOR » IN YOUR CHOICE OF CUT AND COLOR. PLEASE NOTE THAT YOU WILL NEED TO WEAR THIS ARMOR FOR THE DURATION OF THE MISSION. >

Another pop-up revealed itself, showcasing the variety of styles that were available. Yohta flicked through the options, eyebrows cocked.

“This is certainly… interesting,” The guild leader gave a sphinx-like smile. “Well, hope people don’t mind that I revisit my high school swim team days." He turned on his heel and walked off as the little group began to dissipate, members heading behind the rocks to afford a bit of privacy as they changed.

[spoiler=WHERE TO GO]Current Osprey Members: Finish up on the boat, then follow Yohta and get changed!
Joshua Tree: Continue with the meeting. Tengutake’ll post in the next round.
Atelier Ichimatsu: someone post plz ;~;[/spoiler]

[A Generic Person]

"Ah... Aria...-san, is it? It's very nice to meet you," Aeritz said, bowing slightly to her. She was... an anti-pirate Corsair? He mentally shrugged to himself, watching her plop down again, and wondered what the deal was against pirates. They were still cool, right...?
 
...Where had she come from, anyways? He was certain that he had come when it was empty - though, it did look like the beach was waking up - and he would have definitely noticed if anyone else was coming - he was waiting on his guild, after all. So she was either really good at hiding (which, judging from her petite stature, wasn't too far-fetched) or...
 
...
 
No, I... don't think anyone would have slept here for the night... That would be a... an interesting person, though, to be certain... She already is, asking me which quest it was... I thought I just said I didn't know already.
 
...
 
To be fair, though, I could just look it up on the HUD... It's so inconvenient without the PM system... Did the beach HUD say... no, it didn't... Oh, wait.
 
He paused for a moment to take out a letter from one of his pockets (I did not know swimming shorts came with pockets... Wouldn't it still get wet, though...?) and glanced over it, reciting, "A-ah... Three Saints' Beach, the mission about Celacea, Empress of the Sea." He looked up from the letter and shoved it back into his pocket, then pulled it out again and put it in his inventory in retrospect. "I don't know the exact name of it - they didn't announce this mission as well as they could have - but is that the one you're going with, Aria-san? The guild I'm waiting on said they wanted to take this one because of how low-key it is, to see how we do and empress them into joining them..."
 
He coughed at his attempt at an ice-breaker, then glanced around. It looked like there was... at least one NPC on the beach now? And definitely a guild walking in, near the rocks... A squint told him that they weren't the ones he was waiting on, though, so he turned back to Aria and asked, "Excuse me, but are those people over there...?" He trailed off to gesture in that [acronym=Osprey]guild's[/acronym] general direction.

[Ren✧]

Once the ferry got underway, Tadashi began to recall the last time he had been on a boat. It had been about a week after he returned from the hospital, he had been on the road to recovering from his amputation. His sister had taken him on a boat ride to try and cheer him up. Tadashi felt a clenching in his gut as he was reminded of the fact that he had people out in the real world that cared about him. He tried to push those thoughts to the back of his mind, he couldn't let them distract him from the current task. Staying alive. 

 

As the boat made way to Megrez, he tried to make conversation with Matti and Finn. He enjoyed their company, Matthias' youth and Finnatas' humor always made things interesting. When they docked, he followed Yohta out on to the beach, jumping slightly in alarm as a message jumped onto his HUD. 

 

< WELCOME TO THREE SAINTS BEACH. AS THIS AREA IS AQUATIC AND YOU WILL BE IN AN UNDERWATER MISSION, PLEASE ACCEPT OUR GIFT OF A « SWIMSUIT ARMOR » IN YOUR CHOICE OF CUT AND COLOR. PLEASE NOTE THAT YOU WILL NEED TO WEAR THIS ARMOR FOR THE DURATION OF THE MISSION. >

 

A display menu appeared, allowing Tadashi to customize his new armor. His first priority were to check its stats, wary of donning anything he wasn't familiar with. Fortunately, as far as he could tell, the « SWIMSUIT ARMOR » mirrored the stats of his current choice of armor. Although, it didn't necessarily boast the same effects. He shrugged. It was necessary. Besides, with all the others in swimsuits, he would finally get to peak at what Yohta and Finn kept underneath their shirts.

 

Selecting a style and color, Tadashi noticed the new piece of armor had been added to his inventory. Ducking behind a nearby outcropping of rock, he unequipped his current garb and pulled on the swimwear. Stepping back out into view, Tadashi addressed the rest of the guild. "Let's get this mission underway."

 

 

Wing played a lighthearted tune on his flute, causing the cloud-shaped entity floating above him to dance around, its joy apparent. In fact, every member of their small guild seemed to be remarkably happy. And, why shouldn't they be? They had just bested a number of monstrous envoys and had received a large sum of offerings in return. The alter of Anshar would be decorated quite nicely tonight, Wing thought to himself. Briefly pausing his victory inspired song, he looked up the sky to see if Anshar had left him any messages. Unfortunately, there was not a cloud in the sky...well, except for Nym that was.

 

"They have been pretty quiet lately." Wing said aloud, a brief frown of concern appearing on his face. He, however, tried not to dwell on those thoughts. The gods would make contact when it was appropriate. He would just have to trust that they knew best. Even if it did cause him to feel uneasy. 

 

"We worked together quite well today!" He praised the rest of the guild, eager for some conversation that would take his mind off Anshar's silence.  

[iashiaya]

Iashi arrived at the Joshua Tree meeting hall, they had been called there for some reason she was not aware of.  She sat down in a vacant, but comfy-looking chair.  After scooting herself in, she opened her HUD, flicking through her stats menu to see how they were coming along. She realizes that two of the members are not there yet and begins to think about her life. She remembered when the lockdown happened and how afraid she was. Thankfully, Iashi had been a cleric so she was able to be of use to people but could not keep friends for very long. She decided a month in that it would be best to join a guild and though her level is lower than the other leaders she was still a good cleric and soon was granted a General rank. She felt honored that they would give her such a big responsibility.

 

“I am finally useful to someone”, she would commonly think and smile. She played with her stats a bit to make sure everything was up to date and gave her the best possible boosts she could get. “I wonder what this meeting is about and who else is mis”- her thoughts were suddenly interrupted by two men walking late into the room one saying "I apologize for my lateness, 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?"

 

“So this is about a small guild fighting in our place?” She thought to herself slightly confused. She looked back to Tengutake who then says “Zaifer, I at least knew where you were. Training’s good, but keep an eye on your HUD next time. And Ko, I believe you withdrew from your position as a general because you, and I quote, ‘didn’t like the drama.’ That said, don’t come here all snippy. You’re a member of Joshua Tree, and as your guildmaster, I am within my rights to summon you at any time as counsel. And you aren’t within yours to argue.”

“With that said, all generals and other invitees are here, so we may begin. And I would like to keep this meeting short, so I’ll cut straight to the point.”

She saw that the guild masters expression changed as he started to talk again about how no one was on shift last night at 9:30 and was curious if it was her turn to organize the guard duty. Having three people almost die seems terrifying and it was a good thing that the other guild had been there to save the players. Fear struck Iashi as Tengutake said “So, who was it? C’mon, guys, I don’t have all day.”

 

Iashi froze for a moment trying to remember if it was her turn when she heard the new general chime in "My apologies. Seems I was not clear with my commands when I tried to organize the guard at that time. I'll accept full responsibility... again... for their actions and my own inability. To make up for it, I'll place myself on the 9:30 PM watch duty for the remaining week." 

 

She felt bad for him as he was still new here, like she was, but people did not listen to him. She wanted to say something when all of a sudden someone else chimed in, a voice she wasn’t to familiar with, she looked up to see one of the newer generals who was across from the monk. He said "Hmph, typical of a weakling. Unable to get your men to follow simple orders.  Were I to be wholly in charge of the defense of Dubhe-"

She looked as someone interrupted again this time it was the monk Ko who said "Gorrok, no one is interested in entertaining your continued attempts at seizing control of more territory. Understand this: there is more to a person's character than strength, and more to strength than level.  Furthermore you should remember that if level were the most important requirement for becoming a general, you would not be in an executive position either.”

 

Iashi watched as he directed his attention to the guildmaster as he continued “As for dealing with the matter at hand, if the source of the trouble Zaifer had with organizing the guard is the group I think it is, then the solution is a relatively simple one.  Transfer them to one of the active fronts, say the paths leading into Mizar, and let them relieve some of the fighters stationed there.  That way we put the problem members in a scary, but not dangerous, position and give some of our fighters a much needed chance to rest.  I can think of a few that would jump at the chance to take guard duty back in the city."

 

Iashi thought to herself for a minute as everything was going on and closed her HUD looking up at Tengutake and shifting nervously before saying speaking quietly and nervously “Um i-if it would be alright I would like to request to join Zaifer’s team… I-I um feel that I could help him with his fighters and because I am a cleric I could offer more aid in battle i-if I am permitted to do so..” She looked up nervously at Zaifer not sure if she made a wise choice but stays determined, making up her mind.

[Sethera]

The boat ride had been nice. Matthias had spent most of it either admiring the sea or chatting with Iris and Pansy. It had been nice, peaceful. Neither of the two had the overwhelming exuberance that White Spider Lily or Jasmine had, which made it easier for the boy to interact with them. He wasn't used to dealing with outgoing people. Actually, he wasn't used to dealing with people, period.

 

As soon as the group approached a large group of rocks, the blond's HUD rang, and he scanned the proceeding message in curiosity.

 

< WELCOME TO THREE SAINTS BEACH. AS THIS AREA IS AQUATIC AND YOU WILL BE IN AN UNDERWATER MISSION, PLEASE ACCEPT OUR GIFT OF A « SWIMSUIT ARMOR » IN YOUR CHOICE OF CUT AND COLOR. PLEASE NOTE THAT YOU WILL NEED TO WEAR THIS ARMOR FOR THE DURATION OF THE MISSION. >

 

Matthias wasn't sure what to think of that. Swimsuits? Wouldn't something like scuba gear or a wetsuit be more appropriate? Not that he knew much about that stuff. He didn't even know how to swim. Wait...

 

He didn't know how to swim.

 

I hope that won't be a problem... Maybe the system will correct me on it so I won't have to worry about it? He hoped so, anyway. He didn't want to be a burden. Bad enough he was the slowest person in the group, now he had swimming to worry about too.

 

At least the stats are the same, he thought, pausing briefly to think about that. I wonder why that is...does the system detect the armor you're wearing and base it off that? If so, that's pretty neat! He grinned, and put in his choice. A modest piece the color of the dirt in his garden, which was mixed with red clay.

 

Now to change... the boy quickly huddled behind a rock and changed.

 

When he finished, he looked around at the others. So far, he and Iris were the first ones done. The blond looked down at the sand to cover the flare of panic in his eyes. Oh, I wish I had known I would need to learn to swim earlier. "Um...I'm done," he mumbled, holding his hands behind his back shyly.

[VCR_CAT]

It was still fairly early, but early enough for the first ferry to show up nearby, as well as another guild making its way over. Aeritz mentioned something about a mission on Three Saints Beach, which got Aria thinking for a moment. I've never heard of that mission. Those guys yesterday wanted to do something more inland, not on a beach... Oh well, at least there's a quest over here after all!
 

"Yeah, that's the one!" Aria lied. "Th-there were only a few of 'em, and they said they needed my expertise to take it on!" All she needed was either Aeritz's guild to show up so she wouldn't look like a loser, or...

 

 "Excuse me, but are those people over there...?"

 

Aria glanced over. "Yeah! Tha--!" Hold it right there! You've seen enough cartoons to know exactly where this is going! You need a change of plans! "Eehhh... my mistake... that's not them..." Aria saved herself as she breathed an internal sigh of relief. "BuuuUUUuuut, if they're lookin' for two more, I don't see the harm in jumpin' ship for a group that isn't late! Whaddya say, Aeritz-san?" The honorific came out just as awkward as Aria felt saying it; frickin' people sticking to the old habits of "politeness" or whatever. Either way, there was hope that this new group would take them in, at the very least so Aria wouldn't look like a loser in front of someone new...

[Yosuke-kun]

"Hmph, typical of a weakling. Unable to get your men to follow simple orders.  Were I to be wholly in charge of the defense of Dubhe-"

 

"Gorrok, no one is interested in entertaining your continued attempts at seizing control of more territory."

 

Figures that Gorrok would use Zaifer's mistake to try vying for further control. That man was about as cutthroat with his desires as the pkers were, only Gorrok was in a much higher seat of power. Sometimes Zaifer felt that Gorrok thought he was in charge of Joshua Tree and that Tengutake was merely a figurehead. What's more, Zaifer knew that he was stronger than Gorrok in every area but level. Fortunately Ko had about as much love for Gorrok as Zaifer did, else Zaifer might have lost his temper and further lowered the opinions of the other Generals.

 

"As for dealing with the matter at hand, if the source of the trouble Zaifer had with organizing the guard is the group I think it is, then the solution is a relatively simple one.  Transfer them to one of the active fronts, say the paths leading into Mizar, and let them relieve some of the fighters stationed there.  That way we put the problem members in a scary, but not dangerous, position and give some of our fighters a much needed chance to rest.  I can think of a few that would jump at the chance to take guard duty back in the city."

 

A transfer? Yeah that could work. In fact Zaifer would even be willing to make the transfer himself if Tengu would allow him to. Ever since he'd been promoted to General rank he was kept away from combat, with the exception of the raid against Undertakers on which he insisted he be a part of. In truth, Zaifer felt that he was getting lethargic and slow with his combat, and would much rather be out questing and playing the game than organizing guards that don't listen to him and training players that don't try.

 

"Yeah, I could go for a transfer." he said as a small smile spread across his face. "I'd like to know more about it, but it sounds like a good idea overall."

 

Just then, the smallest General, Iashi, spoke up.

 

“Um i-if it would be alright I would like to request to join Zaifer’s team… I-I um feel that I could help him with his fighters and because I am a cleric I could offer more aid in battle i-if I am permitted to do so..”

 

That was something Zaifer hadn't expected. The small Cleric girl rarely ever spoke up to anyone or anything, let alone Zaifer. It seemed strange that she was suddenly so willing to offer any aid to him now, but he was in no position to deny it.

 

"Hey, I won't say no to the help. It's not that I really need it, but no point in shirking help offered."

[Aix]

"Ah, the beach!" said Akane. She had only gone there three times as far as she could remember, including a high school class trip to Okinawa with Haruka. Her appreciation of the white sands was interrupted by the HUD that popped up before her.

< WELCOME TO THREE SAINTS BEACH. AS THIS AREA IS AQUATIC AND YOU WILL BE IN AN UNDERWATER MISSION, PLEASE ACCEPT OUR GIFT OF A « SWIMSUIT ARMOR » IN YOUR CHOICE OF CUT AND COLOR. PLEASE NOTE THAT YOU WILL NEED TO WEAR THIS ARMOR FOR THE DURATION OF THE MISSION. >

A rather elaborate customization menu came up, and Akane pondered the creators' decision to invest so much into swimsuit design before concluding that [acronym=Hello Rinne~!]the creator of this[/acronym] was probably a pervert. She was about to select a simple black one-piece when the expansive selection reminded her of when Haruka went with her to pick out a swimsuit for that Okinawa trip. Smiling slightly to herself in reminiscence, Akane shifted through the designs and colors until she got the frilled white bikini Haruka insisted she wear back then.
 
"Haruka, Inali, let's go find somewhere to change," said Akane. She called out loudly to the guys behind the rocks. "We'll be back in a bit."
 
Walking a bit further past the rocks, Akane spotted an empty cabin tucked behind a stone pillar and thanked the pervert creators that they had at least the decency to create a changeroom of sorts and not try to make the girls change in the open. "Over there," she said, pointing it out to the other two.