[hr] [hr] [centre][b][u][h2][color=D4F0FF]Uno Uno[/color][/h2][/u][/b] [h2]Caught in the Headlights[/h2] [hr] [hr][/centre] DAMN DAMN DAMN DAMN DAMN! Katie really screwed the pooch this time. The small sliver of hope that she was holding onto died abruptly as one of the trio pulled up his dukes and began searching around. He seemed way too eager to fight...not a good sign. But maybe her laughing just spooked him? Hell, she wouldn’t feel right if she suddenly heard creepy laughter. And judging by the way he was looking about, he wasn’t quite sure where she was. That good. Perhaps she could play it off as a...as a… John Cena’s medieval twin was staring right at her. And with that, her hopes which had just started to crawl back from the icy grip of death were swiftly and brutally crushed beneath the Superstar’s greaves. He drew out a rather nasty looking sword and shoved it into the ground. It uh...looked much less terrifying in the game. And she had a suspicion that maybe, JUST MAYBE, it wasn’t just used for shaving… The final member of the trio, the busty pirate chick, seemed utterly lost at first, but after muttering something to the others, she stepped away from the group and called out, [b]“If you’re friendly, come out. More the merrier, right? If you’re not then…”[/b] Katie could have swore that she said something else, but the woman’s voice seemingly cut out. This was uh...less than ideal. That much was certain. Think, Katie, think. Alright...so the situation was...iffy. She was close enough to at least inspect the three. She was looking at a level 90 Monk, a level 90 Guardian, and a level 73 Swashbuckler. At least according to the...screen-like thingies that appeared when she focused on them. If this was a dream, it was hella detailed...but something deep inside the girl was screaming at her that it was TOO detailed. She was TOO aware of what was going on. ...alright then, new plan. Assuming this WASN’T a dream and that she was...what, IN Elder Tales...assuming that was all true, what would be her next move? … Attacking wouldn’t be a smart move. At least not upfront. Three-on-two certainly was possible but...that comp would be just too sturdy. Especially the Guardian. A quick look at his...stats...showed that he had just an insane amount of health. An HP-build then. Not particularly dangerous, but annoying as all get out. Then there was the Monk. Usually pretty beefy themselves, with a little extra umph behind their hits. The Swashbuckler should be the easiest target, but the girls would need to put her out of commission REAL quick if they were going to have a shot...and even then where would they be? Two squishies against two tanks? That rarely turned out well. If they still had the element of surprise, then this might be a different story but... Wait… The girl barely resisted the urge to look over at Zoe. Gears were starting to turn in her head. They obviously had heard Katie laughing but...she was the only one that had made a sound. And the big lug might be looking in her direction but...but she doubted if he could really make out both of them in the foliage they were hiding in. If she was right then… [i][color=D4F0FF]“Stay silent and be ready to cover me…”[/color][/i] she whispered. She didn’t dare glance at Zoe. She could feel her heart starting to pound wildly in her chest. This was...different than in the game. It felt so real...but… But the concept was the same, no? She just had to give her performance. No biggie. The girl gulped then stood up straight, revealing herself. She began to walk forward towards the trio, forcing herself to laugh softly, trying to appear every bit a deer caught in the headlights. She just had to don her mask. It was just like any other time… [color=D4F0FF]“Whoa, whoa heeey...easy now! Just chill out, guys!”[/color] [hr] [hr] [centre][b][u][color=F1C9D8][h2]ZeeThree[/h2][/color][/u][/b] [h3]What Could Possibly Go Wrong?[/h3] [hr] [hr][/centre] no no no No No NO NO NO NO NONON ONONONONONONONONONONONONO! Zoe’s hand shot out like lightning and covered her friend’s mouth, muffling her sudden outburst. This was not good. This was bad news bears. BAD BAD BAD. Katie suddenly stopped laughing, the reality of the situation having finally hit her. Once she did, Zoe dropped from her crouching position and slowly crawled away. She had to quietly distance herself. If they were spotted then...then… Well, Zoe wasn’t sure WHAT would happen, but it probably wouldn’t be good. Nobody that carries a sword THAT large is good. Like, what does he even fight with that thing? The hopes and dreams of innocent, scared little girls? As she gained some distance, she looked over at Katie who was staring into the clearing, her mouth hanging slightly open. It was a face she was all too familiar with. A face that caused WAAAY too much trouble… She was thinking. [b]“If you’re friendly, come out. More the merrier, right? If you’re not then…”[/b] Zoe felt goosebumps sprouting up everywhere. She had never been this frightened. Oh, why did Katie have to choose NOW of all times to lose her mind? It felt like an eternity (actually just a moment or two, but fear can fuck with one’s perception, man), but Zoe finally heard something out of Katie. Her heart sank. Stay silent? Be ready to cover her? SURE! WHAT COULD POSSIBLY GO WRONG?!! What the actual hell was she planning?! As if hearing her thought, Katie stood up and...walked out laughing? Zoe’s eyes nearly bugged out of her head. She was going to just straight up get herself killed here. And Zoe too, probably. Cursing under her breath, Zoe crawled towards the nearest tree and pulled herself up into a crouch. She instinctively reached for her bow, and despite having never actually touched one of the damn things in her life, it felt comfortable and familiar. That was even more odd than the fact that it was an exact copy of ZeeThree’s bow from Elder Tale. That part made sense at least. The scenery looked like a much more crisp version of her favorite game. Katie looked identical to Uno Uno. She had thought that maybe it was just a strangely vivid dream at first but...no. That didn’t seem to fit. Whatever was going on, she would question it later. For now, the only thing she COULD do was...well...be ready to cover Katie. Zoe waited a moment. [color=D4F0FF]“Whoa, whoa heeey...easy now! Just chill out, guys!”[/color] Zoe cringed. Katie was using her ‘sweet voice’. She had to hand it to the girl, if she hadn’t known any better, she might have even fell for it. She sounded somewhat meek and gentle, and then you learn that she’s a cold-hearted bitch that revels in the torment of others… Why was she her best friend again? Zoe shook her head then carefully peeked out from around the tree. Just enough to get a glimpse of what was going on. Katie had been approaching the pirate woman, but she stopped a decent distance away. The girl had both of her arms in the air. [color=D4F0FF]“Look, I didn’t mean to startle y’all. I just happened to be passing by and I heard some voices. To tell the truth, I’m a little bit uh...lost.”[/color] Zoe scanned the trio. As from early, they all had plates by them. A Guardian, a Monk, and a Swashbuckler. If that didn’t scream Elder Tale, she didn’t know what did. They were well leveled as well. Not that it would matter. If Katie tried to pull something as stupid as picking a fight here, she’d put an arrow in the jackass herself. The girl continued. [color=D4F0FF]“Sorry, I’m a little fuzzy. Must have been something I drank...would any of you happen to know where this is? I don’t really remember how I got here. I guess I can be a bit of a ditz sometimes haha...”[/color] She finished her sentence by placing both hands behind her head and shifting her weight onto one foot. Zoe couldn’t see, but she would bet that the girl was smiling her happy little ass off too. She played the part of helpless damsel a bit too well at times. Hopefully the trio really was friendly. The Swashbuckler had given Zoe some hope but...well, the Guardian still had her on edge. Also...didn’t he look a bit familiar? ...hmm… Nope. She couldn’t place it. In anycase, the girl remained in the shadows, awaiting her friend’s next order and silently praying that she wouldn’t have to dig a grave today.