[Cherry Heart] Cherry Heart Guild Main Hall Thread

[Kyng]

Dareios chuckled with delight as Angela played along, being sown into his silken web of seduction as he carefully listened to her flirtatious little whispers. He could hear a sense of lack in confidence in her physical appeal but her mind was sharp in that regard. Though, Dareios knew her disadvantage and was eager to play this game with such an obvious weakness exposed. If Angela believed her body wasn’t appealing, well, Dareios’d have to convince her otherwise.

 

After her little whispers Dareios chuckled and whispered sweet little nothings into her ear to entice and excite the beauty, but suddenly the robot of their guild took Angela’s attention for a moment. Smiling as he let her a moment, he was notably photographed and, glancing to the direction of it, found Io. it seemed most of the magazine models had arrived. With any luck that might mean Lily might show too - it was evident Dareios wanted to speak to her in great detail.

 

Now, for those who don’t know, Io’s magic worked based on the quality of the photo she took. A blurry, low quality shot would yield phew results, while one of good quality would hold many more secrets. While not magic, there was a knack Dareios held - his absurd photogenic nature. She could’ve accidentally taken the photo and it would still capture the ebony Adonis in a perfect pose reflecting his gorgeous visage. Naturally he worked absurdly well under the lens and so, the kitsune had a plethora of information to her disposal.

 

Io’s sheet told her his name was Dareios al-Aswad, son of Kematu al-Aswad and Laila al-Aswad, of the Rakibi Al-Dhadhahabi - or, Golden Riders - a nomadic mercantile clan known for legendary cavalry based combat from the distant desert land of Kaktos. It told her he was, in truth, in exile from a Sultanate for doing what he did best, enamouring and charming the pants off of the princess of the Sultan and, naturally, a price was put on his head. It also told her his magic was called Tamer Magic, and that he had tamed two creatures thus far.

 

Dareios chuckled softly as he waved to Io who greeted him quite kindly. Fortunately he knew her name as well - she was in the magazine as much as Angela was, so he had a faint idea on how important her camera was to her. “I do hope you caught my good side!” Letting out that sexy chuckle of pure charisma of his, he gave her his heart in greeting as he had with Angela. “It is my pleasure to meet you, Io. Unfortunately though, I’m taking up a different quest. Though I would be enchanted to find myself as a partner of yours on a quest someday.”

 

Gently floating her a cheeky smile, he unfortunately had to bid adieu to Angela and Io as he had his own quest to get to. Taking Angela’s hand tenderly and kissing it he whispered with that silver tongue of his a promise to her that when he returned he’d spoil her, before heading off to meet with his quest mates.

 

Seating himself with Mac he realized another fair maiden would be their companion. She looked quite new, perhaps she joined the guild yesterday when he wasn’t around? It didn’t matter, undoubtedly they’d get to know each other well on this mission at hand. Though given how she didn’t seem entirely thrilled to greet Mac it seemed she was a little less outgoing than the other ladies of the guild this far. No matter, Dareios kindly extended his hand to her and offered her his name in greeting. “Hello. My name is Dareios - given you’re seated with Mac I would wager you’d hunting this witch too?” He asked with that gorgeous smile of his - he was never without it.

[Wind Rider]

A sudden flash of light took Xia by surprise while she was prepping to leave for Nightvale. She looked to see that she had gotten her picture taken by what seemed to be another guild member. "A little warning next time would be nice..." Xia said with a little red on her cheeks. The girl who took the picture was studying the photoshoot for a bit before she spoke up. ”Oh cool, you’re a Dai-" she had stopped mid sentence, but Xia knew what she was about to say. "Wait, what were you about to say," Xia said with confusion, her head started to pound as her acquaintance wasn't liking this.

 

----!!!

 

"I swear, I never told anyone, just the guild master needs to know, calm down..." Xia's head soon stopped pounding and she realized Henry and Celica were leaving for the quest. "Listen we... I'd love to talk but I've got to get going." Xia ran off to join up with her group not letting thought of her identity being known escape her.

 

------------------------------------------------------

 

"Just don't do something too outlandish, ok?" Angel understood where Angela was coming with this, after what happened at the festival Angel couldn't afford to mess her systems up. "Don't worry about Angela, I've gotten everything taken care of and I didn't screw up any of my systems," Spark, "Ow... Ummm... Just ignore that."

 

”Yohoooooooo~! Angela! Angela! Angel! Sorry I’m late!" Angel looked and saw Io running over to them, "Oh it's no problem Io, we were just chatting about... Stuff," Angel wasn't surprised by the fact Io went over to the two men that were by the board and took snapshots of them. "Jeez, her and that camera," she looked and saw that Angela was still talking with the charming guy that was by the quest board, "Ok, just find me by the dorms and I'll show you what I've done," Spark. "Ow... Don't worry about that ok?" Angel made her way to the dorms of the guild, she needed to be prepared for the quest the guild master set up too.

[Maeriberii Haan]

---

 

”Yohoooooooo~! Angela! Angela! Angel! Sorry I’m late!"

"Ah, hello there Io! Pretty cheerful, aren't you today?"

 

Another person breaking her daze was Io, who cheerfully greeted her and Angel as she approached them. Angela had noticed that she had been...pretty interested in her in a way. Io was seemingly trying her best to get closer to Angela, and it felt odd, especially while she had been pretty friendly to her, they don't interact that much. Even they didn't get to take a dip together yesterday. Yet she definitely noticed that Io watched her session the most, compared to the rest. It's not like she disliked it, she'd welcome Io with anything in her mind anytime. It was just something odd that she observed. Perhaps she really did want her? Maybe she should also offer her some private time together, but not now.

 

She apparently had written her name under a quest, and it seemed to be the same one she and Angel entered too. It is pretty apparent that they ended up creating some sort of circle or clique, whether it's intentional or not. Seems like Lily wouldn't be here though. it's just a hunch she had, but perhaps the nurse was too busy to take any quests right now. Right now, Io seemingly was busy ogling Dareios too, and went on to greet him. She seemingly had printed a "photo" of him too. Whatever ended up printed there, Angela wasn't really keen on seeing it. it probably would reveal what kind of person Dareios was, and that was a kind of thing that she'd rather find out and figure by herself.

 

Soon, Dareios left however after greeting Io with a similar greeting he gave Angela, though somewhat considerably less flirty. He kissed Angela's hand, and bid farewell to the two.

 

"Don't worry about Angela, I've gotten everything taken care of and I didn't screw up any of my systems," A spark appeared just as Angel said that.

 

"Uh..."

 

"Ow... Ummm... Just ignore that."

 

"I'm keeping an eye on you."

 

"Ok, just find me by the dorms and I'll show you what I've done," Spark. "Ow... Don't worry about that ok?"

 

"Well, alright then. It's still pretty concerning, so if you need me to fix you back up, I'll show the other reason why I'm called the Heaven's Hole, ok?"

 

Angel seems to get the message, and started to leave towards her dormitory. Soon afterwards however, a voice called out towards the three of the girls, although perhaps Angel wouldn't hear it as she was getting back to her dorm. The call was from a woman, perhaps in her early thirties, wearing a foreign military attire of sort and a nice coat to go with it.

 

"You're the ones taking Tyson's quest, right? If that's the case, follow me."

 

It was more like an order than a suggestion, and while Angela wasn't aware on who was the woman actually, she decided to follow her regardless, perhaps with Io going with her. Not sure about Angel though, as she had left towards the dorms when she was called, but with how loud it was, hopefully she heard it. The woman scribbled something on the questboard regardless, apparently mentioning about where the takers of the quest should go, so Angela was pretty relieved that even if Angel missed this woman, she'd be able to notice where they're going.

 

She followed the woman towards a room, and she found the guildmaster was there, reclining on his seat. He looked like he hadn't slept for quite a while.

 

"Alright, this is who we get so far. It should be enough for what you're planning, right?"

 

---

[Wind Rider]

Angel worked for a bit in her room, tuning up a bit of her systems and putting a bit more into her "project" before putting it up in a hidden spot in her room. "There, that should do it... I should probably test it out, but now isn't the time... Right everything is set, time to head out," Angel left her dorm and headed back into the guild hall, but it was empty save for the minotaur who was still drunk on the floor. "Angela? Io? Where did they go?" Angel looked over the quest board and looked at quest 16, which had a note posted on it. "Huh, what's this... Oh crap! Now I'm the one who's late!" The note had said that the quest was starting and where it was taking place, Angel rushed to where the note was stating.

 

Angel ran into the room, her eyes glowing yellow stating her excitement and confusion. "I'm here... Don't start... Without me," even if she didn't need to breath like other people, she couldn't help but feel exhausted putting her motors on high speed. She looked around, her eyes returning to their usual blue hue, Io and Angela were here, along with the guild master and his assistant. The guild master seemed as if he hadn't sleeped in days. "Sorry I'm late, hey uhhh... Sir? I don't mean to sound rude, but you look terrible, you really should think about sleeping in, or relaxing, or... Something," Angel looked over to Io and Angela with a nervous smile, "Sorry I'm late."

[Super Chaos Sonic]

 

It wasn't long before the doors to the Cherry Heart guild opened wide. Back from their mission, in walked Myth, Eris, and of course...Kin. Tobias and Mary, however, were currently not with them. After sustaining the injuries they received from the beast, they were rushed immediately to get medical attention. Regardless, the Dragon Slayer had a smirk on his face and stride that basically said it all: their mission was a huge success.

 

"Yo! We've returned..." Kin said, still looking a bit green under the gills, due to his ride back here...but nevertheless, he was smirking. "That's one boar down...so chalk one up for us!" he laughed, before moving inside, slinging his back off his shoulder as he sat down.

 

It had been an eventful mission and not only this, he and Myth seemed to get along...somewhat. After the mission, before the ride back home, the two were almost at each other to try and pick up where they left off when Kin was challenged. However, Eris saw to it that this didn't happen... Spoil sport... he thought, still remembering this. The mission was a success nevertheless...and they got a hefty amount of reward for it...whiiiiiiich Kin was already helping himself to, well his portion anyway.

 

"Alright..." Kin said, muffled by the sound of crunch gold coins in his mouth. He spoke in between chews, not the best set of manners for a Dragon Slayer, but what could you expect? "Take it easy for a moment...then check the board for another job. I need another...challenge for my abilities."

[Maeriberii Haan]

---

 

The trip back to the guild was uneventful.

 

That pretty much was it. While Kin and Myth was understandably pretty uplifted since they managed to slay the beast, Eris in the meantime spent the trip not really looking that happy, though she often sneak a congratulatory smile to the two before she took a look towards Tobias and Mary again. Once again she managed to not do much at the cost of her allies, albeit thankfully they survived this time. Even then, cowardice brought shame to her, and to think that a member of the elite detachment of the proud Kingdom of Caeth like her could be in any way a coward that didn't do much to help was pathetic, to say the least. Probably it's something she could get off her mind after a little bit of thinking about something else, like tending to her guns or the next quest they'd take, but how little did she achieve in the battle was still a nerve-wracking fact she couldn't easily walk off from.

 

They arrived on the guild in the morning. Mary and Tobias were rushed to immediate care by the staffs once they noticed them. Meanwhile, Kin was already eager to take on their next quest.

 

Take it easy for a moment...then check the board for another job. I need another...challenge for my abilities."

 

"Hey hey, talk when you've swallowed your food. I can barely hear you.

 

Let's get some rest first. We literally just got off the ride. A nap or something, or anything really."

 

It was odd how he's eating gold in public like that. It kind of felt like a wasteful diet compared to all other more reasonable things, but since his magic was gold-themed, perhaps his food was what powering it. How he maintained that diet would be a mystery of the ages. Leaving the group for a bit, Eris tried to look around for other guildmembers, in a way just so she could find a little distraction. She noticed a blonde woman in the distance near the questboard, but she was in a terrible hurry so it wouldn't be wise to go to her.

 

The next one that took her attention was pretty close, however. It was apparently a minotaur, drunkenly singing a song in his drunken voice. A soldier, let alone a warrior mage, being exposed like this would be an unsightly behavior. Her king would not like something like this. She tried to tap the minotaur, but it didn't seem to do anything. So, Eris decided that she'd try getting him somewhat sober in her own way. Reciting a small spell, she pulled several of her feathers and threw them into the air around the minotaur - and they all turned into her muskets afterwards all aiming towards the minotaur. She gave a hand signal for them to start firing, and they followed that order.

 

The bang could be heard throughout the hall, but no bullets were fired. Looking somewhat unsatisfied, Eris pulled some other feathers, and repeated the process. And again.

 

It'd be too much of a bother to drag him somewhere and let him off to recover on his own, after all.

 

---

[LordCowCowCowCowCowCowCowCow]

Tegur was deep in his drunken stupor. On the outside he was semi-aware and singing. But inside was a much different story. He was in a strange state. Something caused from a combination of his lack of sleep, and the over-abundance of alcohol he had drank. Tegur was dreaming, still physically awake, but mentally gone.

The dream started out simply. Having a drinking party with a bunch of dancing bears, wearing slime hats. Everyone was having a good time and Tegur was at the center of it all, a flagon of ale in both hands.

 

Then it all stopped. Everyone vanished and Tegur found himself alone in an abandoned bar. He could feel shadowy specters rise up around him. And he knew who they were immediately. His former guild mates. Though he could not make out any features he knew exactly who they were. He started to run, and run, and continue to run. Heart gripped in fear as he was hunted like a wild beast through the strangely empty town.

 

The gunshots awoke him. Panic still gripping him, and adrenaline flowing through his body like a fire, Tegur quickly rolled over and snatched up his crossbow.

With reflexes and agility surprising for one so large Tegur moved into a crouch, holding out the large crossbow towards the source of the noise, letting loose a low, rumbling, growl. His eyes had a sharp, dangerous, edge to them as they settled on the girl standing there.

A moment passed as a dim recognition hit him. She was another guild member, wasn't she? And not of THAT guild, of...Cherry Heart.

Heart still pounding, hands shaking, Tegur carefully moved his hand from the trigger and lowered his weapon. "Whoa there lassie you best be careful, startled me, haha." Tegur said, attempting to speak in a whimsical tone but utterly failing.

[JessicaMuddy]

 

 

Mary was silent for the whole ride back, still unconscious from the hole in her leg. Her son, who had appeared to be in much more trouble in the form of getting smashed through a wall, was feeling better than her, sitting up clutching him abdomen for the whole ride home.

 

As the group got back to the guild hall, Mary was rushed away on a stretcher, and even though Tobias insisted on chasing after her, the medics got him to sit in a wheelchair and make his way to the hospital, which was luckily not too far. The doctors could tell that Toby had no life-threatening injuries, and as such was allowed to take his time to get the the hospital. When he got there, his mother was already feeling better, but Toby wasn't allowed to see her until he was examined.

 

"Well, boy, you're lucky. Hit that wall any harder and you'd have some cracked something. For now, it's just bruised ribs and a concussion." The doctor was an elderly fellow, his head bald barring the few strands popping up here and there. "Get some rest over the next few days and you'll be fine. No intensive movement, and definitely no quests. Young ones like you should risk your lives, even if it is for something like Cherry Heart." The words were wise, even if they were just some medical and logical advice. Tobias didn't know how to respond, his vigor drained from his body.

 

After he was let out of the room, Toby make his way to his mother's, and sat silently beside her as she lay silently before him.

"I'm sorry, mum. We weren't good enough..."

 

[Maeriberii Haan]

---

 

"Whoa there lassie you best be careful, startled me, haha."

 

The minotaur tried to sound friendly, but it was clear that he was failing. Was he feeling intimidated? Did he feel like Eris have just declared her opposition on him? While his first gesture of jolting back up and aiming his crossbow at her was probably just reflex, it's perhaps not entirely an innocent gesture itself. But well, it's not always easy living like this. Hard ones were everywhere after all.

 

"Don't worry about it much, they're just blanks. Really, I'm not even joking." She summoned another musket, and fired it right towards the side of her own head. Nothing came out of it outside of smoke and a loud bang, which would've caused issues on her hearing had it not already been kind of ruined already. "See, it's all fine.

 

Passing out drunk on the floor is pretty silly though, Did you spend all night on a bar or something?

 

I wonder how many bottles that would take...?"

 

Her tone was friendly, and she didn't really mean to cause any sort of conflict there anyway. Probably talking on a bench could help both of them to pass time and get some rest. Granted, Eris was not exactly that comfortable with being close with him, but...well...she wasn't really sure herself. Perhaps it's because he's a minotaur that she was somewhat more comfortable in interacting with him?

 

"Hey, think it'd be good if we talk on a bench over there? Still pretty tired after taking my quest, so figure a nice chitchat would be good for us. If you still feeling a bit drowsy I can get us both a cup of tea or something close.

What do you think?"

 

---

[Mr. Hyde]

 

The team had finally arrived back at the guild, and it was obvious that they would all go there separate ways for the time being.  They each had earned a well deserved rest.  

 

"That's one boar down...so chalk one up for us!"

 

"It was regrettable that we had to dispatch of such a strong forest guardian...I'll make sure to pay my respects from time to time."  Myth looked to Kin who was now chowing down on some gold.  "I would appreciate if you would tag along...not all the time, but whenever you can."  He smiled as the Dragon Slayer looked trained in thought.  No doubt the restless bugger would try and take on another quest automatically.  Myth would not tag along if that were the case...he needed his rest afterall.

 

"Take it easy for a moment...then check the board for another job. I need another...challenge for my abilities."

 

"Hey hey, talk when you've swallowed your food. I can barely hear you.

 

Let's get some rest first. We literally just got off the ride. A nap or something, or anything really."

 

"Must be fun to replenish your stamina by eating some money."  Myth wouldn't lie, but being a dragon slayer seemed to have some perks...along with renown.  However, Myth was in agreement with Eristhene.  "I'm going to head to the medical ward...see if the others are alright."  Myth dismissed himself and rushed over to the medical ward.  

 

Upon entering, he asked for to see the patients Tobias and Mary and was directed towards their room.  When he entered, Tobias was in a wheelchair next to the bedside of his unconscious mother.  Myth placed a hand on Tobias' shoulder.  

 

"You were brave...and strong.  I'm sure your mother is proud of you.  I know all of Cherry Heart will be too once they hear of your courage!"  Myth sat in a chair across from Tobias.  "This is the least I could do for you...I wasn't strong enough to protect everyone..."  Myth's fist curled.  If only he could control this...power.  

[Super Chaos Sonic]

 

"I would appreciate if you would tag along...not all the time, but whenever you can."

 

He knew Myth was obviously talking about the apparent guardian of the forest. Kin had to admit it was strange for the beast to even be out of control, but regardless, he was a worthy opponent. "To pay respects to the boar? Of course. I mean he did basically give me my first successful mission!" he chuckled, swallowing the gold shards in his mouth...before Eristhene spoke.

"Hey hey, talk when you've swallowed your food. I can barely hear you. Let's get some rest first. We literally just got off the ride. A nap or something, or anything really."

 

"Oh sooooo sorry, mom..." Kin rolled his eyes with a huff as Eristhene spoke this. He hadn't ever been scolded for eating like he had, then again, his father was a dragon who didn't necessarily teach him the proper table manners.

 

"Must be fun to replenish your stamina by eating some money."

 

Kin turned his attention to Myth before shrugging some. "It's just a normal occurrence for me. I've been around gold since I was young so it never even bothered me that I was doing it." he said, throwing his hands behind his head, smirking. "But then again, it is a little bit funny to watch people's reactions to me eating gold coins like that. Yours was pretty priceless out there."

 

The Dragon Slayer let out a snicker, before watching Myth head off to the medical ward, most likely to visit Mary and Tobias. He finally let out a soft sigh, shaking his head as he looked up at the ceiling, propping his feet up on a small table near him. Guy seemed to be beating himself up about those two. Buuuut we both knew, hell probably that girl knew too...this was gonna be a tough mission. he thought, closing his eyes slightly. Regardless, one job down...and it's one step up this ladder to prove to Tosz that I'm capable to do this.

[LordCowCowCowCowCowCowCowCow]

Tegur cringed as he saw the girl shoot herself, but not really, in the head. He had seen someone take their life before and it wasn't a pretty affair. But as she seemed fine, it looked like all was well. There was no danger to be had here. Of course there wasn't. This wasn't like that place. This was a safe guild.

Passing out drunk on the floor is pretty silly though, Did you spend all night on a bar or something?

 

I wonder how many bottles that would take...?"

 

"Haha, that I did lassie, that I did. I can't say no to free booze after all! He probably regretted it soon enough, with how much I drank." Tegur let out a raucous laughter that reverberated through the hall. He laughed, and laughed, until even he was almost convinced by it.

Wiping a tear from his face, he took in the girl again. She was a pretty lass, not the type that usually went up to talk to Tegur.

 

"Hey, think it'd be good if we talk on a bench over there? Still pretty tired after taking my quest, so figure a nice chitchat would be good for us. If you still feeling a bit drowsy I can get us both a cup of tea or something close.

What do you think?"

 

"Aye, that's fine by me. Don't need no tea though, I've got..." Tegur fished around for a flask, then took a drag from it. Smacking his lips he grinned. "There we go." With a grunt he got to his feet and, somewhat clumsily, made his way to the bench. He patted the spot beside him. "C'mere and let's have ourselves a talk. I can tell you about ol' Tegur's, that's me, adventures if you want. Or you can tell me about yerself. Not every day a lovely lady wants a chat with an old man like me." More laughter followed this statement as Tegur waited on the girl's response.

[JessicaMuddy]

 

 

The red-haired guy, Myth, walked in and placed a warm hand on Toby's shoulder, causing the boy to turn around and look at him with a face of solemn sadness.

"You were brave...and strong.  I'm sure your mother is proud of you.  I know all of Cherry Heart will be too once they hear of your courage!" Toby made up a weak smile, but remained silent as Myth sat down across from him.

 

Courage. Toby knew he didn't have courage! He got knocked out within minutes and lay doing nothing for the rest of the fight! The boy shook his head, but before he spouted any depressive nonsense his ally spoke.

 "This is the least I could do for you...I wasn't strong enough to protect everyone..."

 

"What are you talking about?" Tobias let out a little laugh before continuing. "I was the one that was supposed to protect my mum, and I couldn't even do that! Stop bashing yourself up, dude. You did something you didn't need to, something great, by rescuing her, the only one crying over their failure should be... Me..."

 

Noticing Myth's solid clenched fist, Toby rolled over to him with his wheelchair and placed one hand on the white knuckles. "Thank you. I... I'm going back to the hall now... To see everyone else..." Tobias wheeled over to the door, then turned back at Myth, motioning with one hand for him to follow. "You coming too? Or... Do you want to stay with her for a bit?"

 

[Maeriberii Haan]

---

 

 

"There we go."

 

Instead of taking the offering of tea that Eris suggested to him, the minotaur chose to drink something out of his flask instead, and it seemingly was able to cure what was left of his drunkenness. Good for both of them, perhaps, that means Eris didn't have to go back there to make some tea. The minotaur seemingly was quite a lot more jovial than what Eris expected from a minotaur. Was he the norm or an exception? An intriguing question, but it was not really something she could just ask to him, wasn't it? After a short time of awkward smiling, the minotaur decided to continue the conversation.

 

. "C'mere and let's have ourselves a talk. I can tell you about ol' Tegur's, that's me, adventures if you want. Or you can tell me about yerself. Not every day a lovely lady wants a chat with an old man like me."

 

"Tell yo about myself...I can do that, yeah." Eris stood up at that prompt, and started doing the proud gesture she always did when introducing herself, as if she had it down as a reflex. "I am Eristhene Claudia Tiberis, the member of the fortuitous Outer Border Patrol Joint Detachment, honorable and courageous!" She paused a bit before continuing, perhaps catching her breath a bit. "I am here on the order of my king, ruler of the wonderful kingdom of Caeth on the west, with the mission to-"

 

It was then she realized that she was getting somewhat overboard there, so Eris sheepishly returned to her seat, looking a little bit embarrassed but with the pride of her introduction remained in her expression. While the day didn't start of as well as she hope, the fact that she got to introduce herself properly like that was something that managed to life her mood. It brought her a little air of nostalgia, memories of her old homeland and comrades that she hadn't met in ages. Before she was deep in her own thoughts however, she realized that she was in a conversation, and promptly snapped into her senses.

 

"Er...yeah, that's who I am. Just an old but proud soldier seeking a new way of living. I haven't been doing much lately which would smear my king and my comrade's honor, so I decided to join this guild. Other than that, I'm quite a fan of firearms, whether firing them or tinkering with them. It's my hobby to the point of my magic being capable of transmuting my feathers into those muskets you saw earlier. They regrow pretty fast, so I can afford to spend them without worrying much.

 

How about you? Haven't seen a minotaur like you for ages, and you're pretty cheerful for one if I can say that. What brought you into this guild, I wonder?"

 

---

[LordCowCowCowCowCowCowCowCow]

"Tell you about myself...I can do that, yeah. I am Eristhene Claudia Tiberis, the member of the fortuitous Outer Border Patrol Joint Detachment, honorable and courageous! I am here on the order of my king, ruler of the wonderful kingdom of Caeth on the west, with the mission to-"

 

Tegur raised an eyebrow. Seems like he's not the only one prone to exaggerated introductions. Though this one seemed....sincere. Extremely so, very interesting. "A proud soldier, eh? Can't say I expected that one."

It was true. He hadn't thought that a soldier would join a guild. Mostly because the majority of soldier's he had met, who were still fit enough to fight, continued on as a soldier. He seemed to remember something about Caeth. Didn't they get beaten or something? Or, practically beaten. Tegur wasn't so good with history. That could explain it. Poor girl must feel lost.

 

"Er...yeah, that's who I am. Just an old but proud soldier seeking a new way of living. I haven't been doing much lately which would smear my king and my comrade's honor, so I decided to join this guild. Other than that, I'm quite a fan of firearms, whether firing them or tinkering with them. It's my hobby to the point of my magic being capable of transmuting my feathers into those muskets you saw earlier. They regrow pretty fast, so I can afford to spend them without worrying much.

 

How about you? Haven't seen a minotaur like you for ages, and you're pretty cheerful for one if I can say that. What brought you into this guild, I wonder?"

 

Tegur hadn't really thought she'd tell him so much, but he was glad to see that she was willing to speak so much to him. He figured he should give a decent response back.

"Joining to honor your king, eh? Well aren't you a dutiful lass, haha! Er, sorry bout that, don't mean ta laugh at ya. Not every day you see such pride, specially with the type that can be drawn to these guilds...Anyway. Firearms never did much for myself, fire plus arms with arms as hairy as these ain't such a good thing!" He laughed once more, before gesturing at his crossbow. "This lil lady never failed me yet anyway." Tegur thought about the girl's question for a moment. "Aye, my kind have a wee bit ove a...reputation. I'm just here cause I need to make meself some kind ove livin'. Drinking is an expensive hobby, that's for darn sure. And I've got some experience with fighting and the like so, here we are!" He swung his arms out, as if gesturing towards the entire guild. Usually at this point he'd go on about how he was once a heroic sailor, but for some reason he couldn't bring himself to that level of enthusiasm. The dream was still nagging at him.

As was something else. "Hey, uh, you happen ta see a horse anywhere?"

[Wind Rider]

"Heh, so this is that guild I've heard so much about," Elizabeth stood at the entrance of the Cherry Heart guild, taking in the view of the large building. "Beats that little "Haven" I've lived in, this place is huge compared to that refuge." She took a minute to think over her mentor's orders regarding Prunus. "Hmmm... If there is any Beast activity in or near the city, then this guild may be my best bet at info, though judging by the scent of this place... There may already be some beasts here and there... Well, time to do my part."

 

Elizabeth entered the building, if seemed there were a couple of guild members lounging around, perfect, Elizabeth just might get the info she... "Gag! My nose... What's that smell?" Even with her face mask covering her mouth and nose, Elizabeth could still smell a lingering stench, it was like a beast had drowned itself in alcohol, or something to that effect. Elizabeth looked to where the smell was originating from to see a large minotaur chatting with a girl with... Guns in her wings? "Ugh... Not the type of beast I'm hunting, but that stench is fowl..." She walked away from the two guild members hoping to get away from the stench, fortunetly she did. "Gah, that was a bit too much... At least I can barely smell it now." Elizabeth took off her face mask now that she was free of the Minotaur's stench.

 

She decided that she needed info from someone with a more, pleasant scent. Low and behold, she found a golden haired man relaxing in a seat eating... Gold? This guild just keeps getting weirder and weirder. Elizabeth walked up to the man intending to introduce herself. "Hello," she said with a bow, "I don't suppose you could spare a moment of your time? I've only just arrived here and I was wondering who is in charge of the guild as of now, the name's Elizabeth Bludwolfe, but you can just call me Liz."

[Maeriberii Haan]

---

 

 

"Joining to honor your king, eh? Well aren't you a dutiful lass, haha! Er, sorry bout that, don't mean ta laugh at ya. Not every day you see such pride, specially with the type that can be drawn to these guilds...Anyway. Firearms never did much for myself, fire plus arms with arms as hairy as these ain't such a good thing!"

 

"...I think, back in Caeth puns as bad as that would've been punishable harshly."

 

While Eris was saying it in the flattest way she could, her expression could not lie - she was clearly amused with the pun Tegur just made. She's pretty bad with words, especially since she hadn't been learning the language that everyone here used enough to make such wordplays consistently, so hearing those was quite nice as it expanded her knowledge of the language. Well, it's still the language of her enemy, but the war's been over for quite a while. Might as well do it for the sake of her king and her comrades.

 

"This lil lady never failed me yet anyway."

 

He pointed at his crossbow. Eris was at the verge of raising her voice to go on some of her rants about how guns are superior to a crossbow in almost any way according to herself, but she chose to be quiet as the minotaur continued to talk.

 

"Aye, my kind have a wee bit ove a...reputation. I'm just here cause I need to make meself some kind ove livin'. Drinking is an expensive hobby, that's for darn sure. And I've got some experience with fighting and the like so, here we are!"

 

A level of enthusiasm that was quite a lot merrier than what she'd consider proper. As Tegur swung his arms wildly, Eris thought about whether he was even sober or not, though she decided on a thought that probably would fit him better with how he acted so far instead.

 

"Hey, uh, you happen ta see a horse anywhere?"

 

"A...horse? Nah, I got here with a horseless carriage. Though, maybe it's outside? I think I might saw a glimpse of one when I disembarked earlier.

 

Anyway, I think i need to go now. I should pick my next quest, can't let myself be left behind.

 

Thanks for the talk." Eris paused for a bit. "And uh, if you have something to talk about that you're too shy about to say to anyone else, maybe we can talk about it together? Maybe over a cup of tea properly somewhere more pleasant?"

 

---

[Mr. Hyde]

 

"You coming too? Or... Do you want to stay with her for a bit?"

 

Myth looked up.  He waved his wand and smiled.

 

"I'll catch up...don't wait on me."  As soon as the boy had left, he looked towards Mary.  "You two must cause each other so much trouble and worry...you will grow stronger I promise."  With that, he rose up and walked out of the room.  He made sure to go straight back to the Guild Hall.  Even though he would like some rest and time to heal his wounds, he still needed to take another job before all the good ones were picked.  

 

When he arrived, he walked up to the board and scanned the posters for anything intriguing.  Nothing too difficult sounding, and something hopefully fun.

 

"Race to the Top?"  Myth pondered...running wasn't something he did all the time...it was more along the lines of strength training.  Maybe with strong legs, he would prove to be the fastest runner!  He signed up for it and looked around for Myth.  

 

It wasn't too hard to find him among the crowd.  A woman he hadn't seen before had approached him as well.  As he strode up to Kin, he made sure to keep one eye closed.  

 

"Kin you sly dog.  Ever the ladies man I see!"  He looked to the girl and bowed, as she had done to Kin.  "My name is Myth.  If the man hasn't introduced himself yet, his name is Kin, the Gold Dragon Slayer.  Together we form the....should we even have a team name yet?"  Myth shrugged.  He turned back to Kin.  "Have you by chance seen the one quest on the board, 'race to the top?'  I think we should tackle it together!  We are a pretty dynamic duo after all!"  

[Super Chaos Sonic]

 

BGM

 

"Hello. I don't suppose you could spare a moment of your time? I've only just arrived here and I was wondering who is in charge of the guild as of now, the name's Elizabeth Bludwolfe, but you can just call me Liz."

 

Now this was new for Kin...a random stranger walking into the guild and just up to him after apparently just walking around for a moment. His mouthful of gold at this point, he held up his hand for a moment, swallowing what he had, before clearing his throat.

 

"'Scuse me..." he said, with a satisfied smile. "Well...Liz...the old man in charge of this guild would be Tyson, buuuuuuuuut it doesn't look like he's in right at this very moment. Regardless, welcome to the guild." Kin said, flashing a small smile. "Kin Agham...pleasure to meet you." It was his thing, he had a knack for having women drawn to him...obviously not because of his appetite, but more along the lines of his devilishly handsome looks...

 

"Kin you sly dog.  Ever the ladies man I see!"

 

Kin laughed a bit, hearing Myth speaking to him and approaching him and Elizabeth. "What can I say...I'm irresistible." he joked with a smile, before hearing Myth introduce himself to the lady (along with reintroducing him).

 

"Together we form the....should we even have a team name yet?"

 

"Eh, who knows." Kin shrugged a bit, chuckling. "Sooner or later a name will come about...and it'll befit the two strongest wizards in this guild!" he said with such confidence...and possibly A LOOOOOOOT of pride.

 

"Have you by chance seen the one quest on the board, 'race to the top?'  I think we should tackle it together!  We are a pretty dynamic duo after all!"

 

Race to the Top? Kin quickly stepped up from his seat, and made his way towards the quest board, seeing the one in question. He rubbed his chin for a moment, before turning on his heel to face Myth with a wide grin on his face. "Sounds like a plan! This quest obviously won't know what hit it when we come through!" he chuckled, giving Myth a high-five.

[Wind Rider]

"Well...Liz...the old man in charge of this guild would be Tyson, buuuuuuuuut it doesn't look like he's in right at this very moment. Regardless, welcome to the guild. Kin Agham...pleasure to meet you." Kin... Right Liz could easily remember that, before Liz could question Kin more on the manner of the guildmaster another guild member had joined the conversation.

 

"Kin you sly dog.  Ever the ladies man I see!"

 

"What can I say...I'm irresistible."

 

This notion of Kin being a ladies man, made Liz give a bit of a confused and irritated look. "Rrrrright... Well, anyway it's nice to meet both of you," the new man introduced himself as Myth, quite an... unusual name to say the least.

 

"Together we form the....should we even have a team name yet?"

 

"Eh, who knows. Sooner or later a name will come about...and it'll befit the two strongest wizards in this guild!" This title peaked Liz's interest. "Strongest members... hmmm..." How would she fair in a fight with these two? Heh, it doesn't matter, Liz thought to herself, a beast pellet or two and she could over power them in seconds.

 

"Have you by chance seen the one quest on the board, 'race to the top?'  I think we should tackle it together!  We are a pretty dynamic duo after all!" A race?!? Now Liz was pumped, even if she came to investigate beast activity, she couldn't help but feel that this guild was perfect for her. "You can count me in on that race too. You two seem like a nice pair to tag along with, you know after I... we complete this quest, how does a few rounds of CQC sound to you guys?" Liz was determined to make an impression with the guild, was it just her way of joining the guild, or was it just her competitive attitude talking?

[Alaina]

Having just cleared their quest, Strio had strode through the town of Prunus with a rather proud air about her. They had managed to rid the world of a horrendous vampire creature, break a curse surrounding a haunted building, and got rewarded for it all the same. There was little reason for her not to feel a bit proud at the moment, and as such, this was reflected in how she carried herself. Though, curiously, she felt as though there wasn't much of a resolution to be had from there, but surely that feeling would wear off eventually. Surely. 

 

As the group had made it back to the guild hall, Strio proudly announced,"we have returned from our quest." The joy behind the statement was quite obvious, though because she had declared this as she walked in, she failed to realize something. The place was quite empty, hardly a soul around to be seen. Hm, well that was rather curious. Perhaps others had finished before her, or were still stuck doing their initial jobs. Either way didn't quite matter to the young crow person. No. All that mattered was that she was done. But not for long. 

 

While most people would use this reprieve as a moment to relax and mentally prepare themselves, quite like the sun she revered, Strio was a ball of energy raring and willing to do most anything right now. Turning to both of her scantly clad comrades, she proclaimed, "well, now that we've finished that up, why not strike while the iron's hot, so to speak. Who's ready to go on more quests, huh?" Her face was one that contained raw enthusiasm towards her suggestion. 

[JessicaMuddy]

 

 

"You two must cause each other so much trouble and worry...you will grow stronger I promise."

 

To Toby, nothing could be more true. Yes, he and his mother made each other panic more than anyone else they knew, and Toby's sister and father couldn't do much to help it. And doing things like fighting giant evil beasts certainly didn't help that, especially when Toby "let himself" get knocked out and blamed himself for his mother's pain. Growing stronger was another subject entirely. For years Toby had had control of his powers, and grew to know them quite well, but the moment he faced a real threat was the moment he blundered, and showed his true weakness.

 

 

Back at the guild hall, Toby slowly wheeled in on his wheelchair, exhausted from pushing the wheels there all the way from the hospital. He took a deep breath in before entering. He hadn't really been there much on recruitment day, so getting to see the inside was certainly interesting. A few people Toby didn't know walked over to him and spoke to him about what he did, to which he was astonished that people knew. The fact that people thought Toby actually did something during that quest made him feel horrible for unintentionally stealing the credit, and after awkwardly dismissing himself, he made his way to the quest board. Kin and Myth were already leaving, seemingly already having taken up another quest.

"That's it. If I want to become stronger, I'll just keep on taking on more quests." Toby scanned the board for anything he would be able to participate in. "Rescue Mission... Doesn't sound too intense on the body."

 

[Christian Exodia]

"Um... I guess this i-is the p-place." The shivering body of a young girl stood near the gates of Cherry Heart. A cold aura surrounds her, quite invisible in sight but not so much in touch. Her powers not well-utilized or controlled, they manifested as a permanence in frost towards her in all aspects. Kept tight towards her back, Erin's rucksack held what little she had. Rudimentary tools; enough money to survive for a few days; a teddy bear; a book or two; a small amount of food, recently-bought; and little else. Far from where she truly began, she now stood at her destiny in the city of Prunus. 

 

She opened the gates slowly, but this was just simply the start to her journey forward into Cherry Heart. She still had to traverse the courtyard... and the doors themselves! Each step, nervous tension rising within Erin, and combining with the cold feeling to create a difficult situation for herself. But she kept moving forward into hopefully what would become her new life. She put on a smile, teeth chattering under her tightly-closed lips. Shaking her head, she opened the doors into the guild known as Cherry Heart.

 

Noticing the chaos of the room made her cower behind the door for a few moments, but she took a gulp, still chattering from the cold that has overtaken herself. Clutching her rucksack, and keeping that smile despite the chattering and fear within her, she took more steps into the guild. Erin knew that it would be better to throw herself into what was to come than to chicken out now. If she chickened out, she would have few opportunities to keep trying at joining after this one.

 

"U-um, w-who do I talk to about joining?" Erin tried to say, but stopped herself. She then began to wander throughout the guild itself, aimlessly, looking for applications or something that would help her gain access into Cherry Heart. 

[LordCowCowCowCowCowCowCowCow]

"I'd love to talk with such an interestin' lassie!" Tegur said with a booming laugh. He watched the girl walk away and frowned. Something was wrong with that girl, but he wasn't sure what. He was starting to wonder if Cherry Heart was filled with people in some kind of pain.

Perhaps it was good he came here. If he could do something to make up for his prior actions...

"Guess I'd better actually complete a quest then." He said with a soft chuckle.

 

Standing up and stretching, Tegur moved to the quest board. One in particular stood out to him, one that had popped up not that long ago. A Rescue sounded like the perfect thing to start off his streak of good deeds. And maybe he could get a few drinks out of it! Accepting the mission he stepped outside...to see Jeeves eating right outside the door. "THERE YOU ARE!" He proclaimed happily. "We've got a quest m'boy, let's go!"

---

Nothing.

 

Well. That was unfortunate. Kasayee had looked everywhere she could but didn't find anything to give her a clue as to the fiance's whereabouts. It was annoying but she had to take things as they come. Things would work out over time. She didn't even have to put in much effort. As long as she didn't forget she would be able to pick up any clue she came across. Maybe she'd ask the leader of this guild at some point.

 

She stepped into the guild hall...and promptly stepped out. People were milling about, many seemed in some kind of hurry. She had just finished a quest she didn't want to deal with more work. Kasayee stepped passed a small girl as she left and wondered why someone so young would be here. It didn't really affect her though. She transformed into bird form in order to fly to the roof of the guild, directly above the doorway, and transformed back to her natural state to sit down.

She looked out towards the city. It wasn't anything like her forest, sadly, but there were hints here and there of nature's presence, and that soothed her. She kicked out her legs lazily and hummed a nondescript tune, idly passing her time away on the roof.

Kasayee had many things to ponder. Such as that bird girl. She had seemed fine with Kasayee leaving her to die. The druid smiled. Maybe she understood the way of the world better than most. That was certainly a pleasant thought.

[Maeriberii Haan]

---

 

Yelena rested as she had finished the arrangements for the workers meant to do the renovations to the guild's building. It was unnecessarily tiring, as the other side had the bright idea that since the guild was the legendary Cherry Heart guild, they could charge the guild a hefty sum and expected the guild to be able to pay it off. It took her a while to convince them to lower the price for their service rationally without degrading the guild before them, although the guild wasn't exactly in the best condition as of now anyway. She received a report that someone from the guild went missing on the city, and another managed to cause some issues with the authorities that ended up with the guild needing to bail her out from jail for a hefty sum. She would definitely address it to that guildmember later today, but right now she's too tired to deal with it.

 

Although, just sitting around didn't fit her at all. She's a hardworker, so it would fit her more if she went around and inspect the returning guildmembers to see whether any of them had issues, or whether any of them needed some help in choosing their next quest. From all the quests that had been taken yesterday, all except one of them already had been cleared, although two ended in failure. With the nature of failure from one of those quests, Yelena felt the need to review some of the quests' prestige requirement, and perhaps the need to check the capability of participating members to deal with the quest. Other than that, there was surprisingly little actual incidents, with only the Hunt the Beast quest ending up with someone being injured (due to the apparently misleading threat level of the target monster. More investigation on this should be necessary). She should visit the injured guildmember later, definitely. At the very least the son seems to be already eager to go on another quest despite also sustaining some injuries.

 

"U-um, w-who do I talk to about joining?"

 

Something broke her wandering thought as she walked around the hallway. It was a young-looking girl clutching her rucksack really tightly, as if she was afraid for it to be stolen. She seemed to be wondering about something, but too shy to ask any questions. The businesswomen side of Yelena smiled, and without wasting any beat, she went towards the girl, lightly tapping her back to gain her attention.

 

"Ah hello there, young lady. My name is Yelena, and you can say I'm one of the people that keeps this guild running. Are you perhaps one of the people interested in joining this guild? Then follow my lead. Don't be shy, we're all here eager to guide you if you need anything.

 

Registering is easy, there's no real requirement for a substantial benefit by joining. Just fill the form, and you can start picking a quest from the board nearby!"

 

Saying that with a satisfied smile on her usually strict face, she turned around and went towards the direction of the information board where all the active quests were pinned, and the nearby registration table. The girl would hopefully follow her lead and then pick an active quest. If this happens, that would be yet another good catch for her.

 

Gotta keep the wheel for the guild rolling, after all.

 

---