[center][h1]~Assault On the Sanctum~[/h1][/center]

Perched up in the indoor balconies under the dark cover of the poorly lit room, the rangers, archers, snipers and hunters stretched out the string of their bows while keeping their gaze firmly set upon the tall door in spiderwebs that seemed to float just above the door's surface in places. Much like how the rest of the room seemed to have a decor of rust, broken stone and the vines that allowed on to pull themselves onto the balconies, beneath the webs the door was adorned with rusty gears seemingly tied to a mechanism of metal wires and a lever on each side of the door. Those levers allowed the door to be opened from the inside. To do the same from the outside, however, was a far trickier process, involving several levers that had to be turned in just the right order. The <Real Lit> guild members had already spread out to defend this base on several checkpoints, hoping to disrupt the timing and deal as much damage as possible. This being the guild's base, they had the edge of ambushes and spreading in just the right places and even sometimes secret escape routes! Even if they failed to stop the invaders from reaching the inner Sanctum, they could at least hurt them enough that they would be defeated once they did.

[color=#AC84B7]"How are they doing out there?"[/color] Inquired the dark elf Liana, for the 87th time in the past hour. In stark contrast to my own attire (a mess of twisted branches vaguely taking the shape of a suit of armor, with a dark hood for a helmet), Liana's clothes were much leaner, a light blue ending in leaf-like shapes on the tips, though one could definitely say she went overboard on those starlight cosmetics. Golias Grimwood sighed and his elaborate and refined clothes of purple and yellow shades fluttered as if blown by a wind spawned right from under him, and a holographic projection of the former dungeon turned guild base appeared among us. It displayed allies as dark blue dots and enemies as red dots, clashing with one another. While her robe's cosmetics shone so bright it made the hologram hard to see as she leaned on it, her proximity a part of it that were these four light-blue rectangles made it less than hard to guess where her sight might be going. She looked over to Golias Grimwood with her head tilted. [color=#AC84B7]"Hey, didn't you say they couldn't beat this trap? Why are they winning?"[/color]

[color=#9354A4]"I don't know."[/color] He growled in turn. [color=#9354A4]"They probably figured out the trick but even so! When the platform raises to make the people fall in love, the glitch made the lava appear above: Whether one chooses to fall on the now infinite loop hole, or jump to avoid it and right into lava, they should die instantly!"[/color]

[color=#AC84B7]"Maybe they got out of the way?"[/color]

[color=#9354A4]"A skill would have to let them move right in between the two parts of the hole. It would take the right skill, skills and timing. From what I understood from the chat reports, they survived the lava. Still, to have such a high fire resistance as to be able to withstand LAVA is just ridiculous!"[/color]

[color=#ED8E35]"They seem to be playing WSBCs left and right. They sure did their homework. Tch."[/color] Wildly unkept orange hair, with a long pirate cape and scavenger armor, as well as smitar resting on his shoulder while he himself sat with legs crossed on the stairs, that was the image of <Real Lit>'s guild leader, Keysmasher6. He tilted his head backwards, grunted after another look at the holographic projection. [color=#ED8E35]"C'mon, everyone get in position. It's only a matter of time before they get here."[/color]

We all nodded, and Golias Grimwood dismissed his hologram. The guardians and shielders kneeled in front of the first staircase, their respective shields covering their whole body except for the heads that still popped out. Right behind them was Keysmaher6, who had to be near enough to strike given he was a melee fighter, but was also the leader, it would be just silly if he died caught in the initial crossfire. Golias Grimwood joined the healers in the back, using the ability granted an item he had to dual-cast both an illusion and a barrier to hide himself along with the healers. As for Liana, she slipped through a bugged crack in a protective shell that used to belong to the boss of the dungeon, and yet had not disappeared, courtesy of the [color=#CA2EEA][Sealing Blade][/color] lodged on that spot. My final glance at the hologram before following Liana showed a number of blue dots converging upon two red dots coming in the direction of the sanctum's entrance.

Suddenly, light illuminated the cracks of the door as the gears started turning in the gate. The chains tied to the levers pulled on them, and and another avatar sprinted through the opening. His armor was like a mess of twisted branches, except for the dark hood that stood in place of his helmet. All of the archers readied their bows without a thought, causing him to stop in the middle of the sanctum hall, startled.

[color=#AED368]"Don't shoot, it's me, Kane, Tom! We've been overwhelmed!"[/color] He raised his hands. He was visibly out of breath, but his presence alone got heads turning and murmurs going. I smirked.

After all, his appearance was absolutely identical to mine.

Before anyone had time to think, three blades of light soared across the room, impaling Kane. The archers shot in the direction they came from immediately, however...

[color=#F6EF17]"Holy Guardian!"[/color] Waves of light appeared in the air, looking ripples a would-be-sphere of water. As the void-laced arrows hit the invisible sphere they simply dropped right off to the ground. The sound of a boot stomp reverberated across the sanctum. [color=#F6EF17]"Reith's retribution!"[/color]

A gold-illuminated spear stabbed into the sphere from the inside, cracking and releasing a large beam across the hall. 

[color=#C4C4C4]"Bullwark!"[/color] Shouted the guardians and shielders in unison as they clenched the handles of their shields. A green barrier formed in front of them and blocked the beam of light. As they all recovered their sight, however, the man in a full set of elaborate armor and spear raised in their direction wasn't the only newcomer to the room, but a row of previously invisible rogues stood on each side of the hall, right beneath the vines one used to climb to the balconies. Their hands had an ethereal, almost see-through dark color to them, the indicator of the temporary enchantment [Curse of Ghostly Crossing]. They tugged on the vines, which appeared to glitch, switching between their usual mellow green color and pure black. Next, the floor beneath the archers simply vanished, causing them all to fall to the ground and take massive damage as a result, so they were easily picked off by the rogues.

The others were still wide-eyed when the armored spearman addressed them with a smile.

[color=#F6EF17]"Invisibility and illusions skills are actually rather common. It is a common-sense precaution to double-check frequently you know? Like this. Revelation!"[/color] As he waved his arm, a cloud of golden dust flew out in all directions, making invisible rogues appear and even dispelling Golias Grimwood's illusions. Keysmasher6 was no exception, becoming visible again right behind the spearman. Giving up on subletly, he lept towards him, yet the other's hand suddenly began to glow and in the blink of an eye and without any word being spoken elbowed the guild leader and propelled him to the nearest wall.

[color=#ED8E35]"Damn paladin..."[/color] Keysmasher6 growled before the status set in.

[color=#F6EF17]"He is stunned, get him now comrades!"[/color] Ordered the spearman.

[color=#9354A4]"Those rogues are going to get him, STOP THEM KANE!"[/color] Golias Grimwood barked out. [color=#9354A4]"USE THE SET!"[/color]

Slowly rising with his health still very much in the red, Kane hesitated for a moment, but seeing his leader almost assassinated, he shook his head.

[color=#AED368]"Ancient root set!"[/color] The green jewels within the various tree-root shaped items in his body glowed, flowing an aura of green energy into the gauntlets, whose fingers began to rapidly expand. He shoved them into the grow, and they grew into roots that emerged from all over and grabbed hold of the various rogues and even the paladin. 

[color=#F6EF17]"Impressive."[/color] He commented. [color=#F6EF17]"But I doubt you can do this for very long."[/color]

[color=#AC84B7]"It doesn't have to! Arcaflame Nova!"[/color] Liana raised her hand up, and what appeared to be code bars with runes in them began to gather above it, spinning rapidly into a growing sphere. This was the crux of <Real Lit>'s victories. While hidden behind the immune status usually reserved for the boss, coupled with the massive mana regeneration of that very same state, she could unleash powerful spell after powerful spell.

[color=#9354A4]"Wait you idiot, you're going to get Keysmasher killed too!"[/color] Roared Grimwood. [color=#9354A4]"Plus, if that really was Kane, then this one-"[/color]

Of course, I didn't let him finish before acting. I pointed a finger at the blade beneath Liana, while my body appeared to melt down, thorny wood gradually replaced by my tiny, fluffy blue hoodie.

[color=#68BCDD]"Expell curse!"[/color] With that command, green lines appeared across the blade, glowing brighter and brighter until they almost seemed to explode, leaving behind an empty husk of a weapon. More importantly, however, a certain blue marble figure quickly emerged from the ground, eyes red like furious rubies. As it popped right from beneath Liana, her spell broke apart when she was flung into the air. That also triggered the boss to attack her: A set of ruby meteors chased Liana, so between that and the fall, she wasn't long for this world. The healers nonetheless tried their best, yet they simply couldn't keep up. Grimwood himself pulled out a short sword and charged at me, so it' was time for the final part.

[color=#68BCDD]"Frightful visage!"[/color] My form once again melted, this time revealing my "true" changeling form. Thanks to my [color=orange][Dominator][/color], I could then control any afflicted with the [Fear] status, including the boss herself. I made her leave her protective barrier and put me there instead, then rampage. Friend against friend, guildmate against guildmate, boss against players (well, I suppose that one is more normal). Having given the orders, I raised my arms up in the air and closed my eyes. [color=#68BCDD]"Summon lesser skeleton!"[/color] 

I continued to summon my forces safe from harm. Eventually, the shielders and guardians were forced to break line to attempt to defend their comrades from themselves, a fatal mistake since Bullwark's protection was minimal against attacks not coming from the front. The paladin, Shinkami, shook his head and wagged his finger.

[color=#F6EF17]"Now now, that was a pretty bad move you know? Don't break formation when fighting a summoner, otherwise look what happens!"[/color] He opened his arms as if to show them the room, not that the shield-users could see it as they already had skeletons and zombies and half-controlled comrades on every side.

As the halls devolved into our utter chaos, our victory was sealed.


[center][h1]~From There On Out~[/h1][/center]

[color=#C4C4C4]"Cheers!"[/color] Three beer jugs went [i]clink[/i] as they clashed together. The three muscle-covered elves wearing animal pelts began gulping them down with a smile on their face and ignoring all the foam flowing over their cheeks. One tasted like coke, another like orange juice and the last one like coffee, albeit all three were convinced they were the only ones "pussying out" of drinking beer, or Jellycream told us. She had been the one to introduce us to them, and also one of the bartenders of this place. Indeed if this game had one thing going for it, that was the variety of things one could do with it: It was so great that entire professions could actually be reproduced to a pretty realistic extent, and that was just the tip of the iceberg.

[color=orange]"Imperia? Are you even listening to me? Do you even understand how seldom we can acquire [color=#2E7CEA][Apparel Potions][/color]?"[/color] My hands were raised instinctively between myself and the leaning woman in glasses, Cathwind. She was holding a chalkboard tablet, naturally an enchanted one that functioned a lot more like a modern tablet. Fantasy was weird sometimes. Still, I had chosen to play such a fantasy game, much like I had chosen my avatar's height despite how frustrating it was to have this annoying person towering over me complaining about the potions I used in my mission. Ah, how much I would have rather been with Shinkami over there with the elves and their beer and snacks, negotiating the payment terms. It would still suck to have such a close conversation to my job there too, but at least I wouldn't be on the spot!

I backed off (internally and externally) when Cathwind growled and scoffed.

[color=orange]"Did your avatar choice melt your brains down too or was that a pre-existing condition? [color=#2E7CEA][Apparel Potions][/color] are a rare drop from a complex maze, it takes ages to do and is a relatively low-level item, so nobody even bothers farming it. Even those who sell them rarely get to make much of a profit because so few people use it. Do you understand? And yet you used SIX of them! Couldn't you have cut it down to four at least? I'm certain you could. If you're just going to drown in potions, what do we even need you for?"[/color]

I growled back.

[color=#68BCDD]"Fine, fine I get it! I'll pay for them, all of them, so please jus-"[/color] 

[color=orange]"Just paying for them isn't enough. We barely have any stock, you need to go get more!"[/color]

[color=#68BCDD]"Hey, I'm busy today! I have someone to meet. They are brand new to the game, so I'm sure I'll be with them for a while. I mean, even if they weren't knew it'd still be common sense to spend time with a friend of course, but even more so when they need someone to teach them the ropes!"[/color] 

[color=orange]"Just take them with you then. Just power le-"[/color]

[color=darkblue]"The chibi and the high secretary over there, do you want to drink anything else? Maybe some food? Made plenty of [color=#23C126][Salty Netherstark Buffet][/color] with the ingredients you threw at me this morning. There's no way I can sell all of this, so make sure to take some damn responsibility, alright?"[/color] Jellycream was leaning over the counter with her face supported by the hands on her cheeks. She had a long and lean blue body with a longer and leaner tail, as well as long ears that twisted in a spiral. Her fingers grew larger as the farther from the palm (like a toad's) and her fingernails were painted in a darker shade of blue, matching her deep mono-color azure eyes.

[color=orange]"S-secretary?!"[/color] Cathwind looked shocked and appalled.

[color=#68BCDD]"Pffft."[/color] I covered my mouth with my oversized sleeves. Her glare shifted back to me in an instant.

[color=orange]"What's so funny?"[/color] I shook my head, but her glare wouldn't stop pressing me. I gave out. 

[color=#68BCDD]"Sec- pfft- high secretary hahaha..." [/color]

[color=orange]"Can't you at least [i]pretend[/i] to take this seriously?"[/color] She sighed and held her forehead. [color=orange]"How does someone like you even manage to hold a job?"[/color]

Ah, here it was. This is why no one liked Cathwind all that much, guild leader aside that is. She immediately managed to sour the good mood that was kind of building up again, DESPITE her lecture.

[color=#68BCDD]"Even I'm not like this IRL. You really shouldn't bring that kind of stuff to the conversation here."[/color]

[color=orange]"Can't you be a little more that other way then? Some people really try you know!"[/color]

[color=#68BCDD]"What's the point of that? This is a game! And besides, I DO try to make an effort!"[/color] I crossed my arms. At that moment, a guy that could be taken for an athlete walked through the door. He carried a large semi-mechanical bow-harp hybrid, with several strings that played a melody and added a slightly different effect depending on how many he pulled on as he was using the weapon. His name was Raze, and the slick curly horns somewhat noticeable on the side of his large forehead, the ridiculous goatee and those rather hairy legs ending in hooves left no doubt to any who saw him that they were dealing with a Satyr, a close cousin to what Jellybean's race was, a neo-Satyr. I practically threw myself at his leg, hugging it.

[color=#68BCDD]"Aaah! Save me Raze! I have a meeting today and she wants to force me to farm potions!"[/color] 

He patted my back.

[color=green]"No, no, I'm sure she didn't mean it like that. We're celebrating, no one's going to be forced to do anything now, are we?"[/color]

[color=orange]"Do you have no shame, Imperia?"[/color] I looked over my shoulder and winked, earning myself a roll of her eyes. [color=orange]"Urgh, and you Raze, I don't think I have to remind you again, but you DO know he is a guy right?"[/color]

[color=green]"That somehow makes it better."[/color] My eyes shot open as he said that, and I slowly gulped and looked to his face. There was an almost sinister blobby grin in his expression (was he salivating?!), however, a glance back over my shoulder revealed an even more sinister grin from a ready-to-pounce Cathwind. I quickly looked back to Raze. [color=green]"Oh, Jelly! Can I have one of those [color=#23C126][Salty Netherstark Buffets][/color] by the way?"[/color]

[color=darkblue]"Absolutely! Buy a bunch and I'll even throw in a discount!"[/color]

[color=green]"Heh, you're in a pretty big hurry today I see."[/color]

[color=darkblue]"Well, I really want to catch the sale."[/color] She winked. [color=darkblue]"How about you guys? Are you going to the sale? Or the event?"[/color]

Raze raised his gaze to the ceiling.

[color=green]"[b]Master of the Banquet[/b], huh... That's kind of hard to choose to be honest. I probably have most of the stuff I would want from either already after all. You two?"[/color]

[color=#68BCDD]"I think I might go to the sale. I'm meeting up with a friend today, so doing some window shopping in which I might be able to get them some better gear for cheap sounds like a great opportunity."[/color]

Raze grinned, more playfully this time.

[color=green]"Is that so? Maybe I should go pay a visit then."[/color]

[color=#68BCDD]"Absolutely not!"[/color] I simply protested, crossing my arms.



[center][h1]~Meeting~[/h1][/center]
[table][row][/row][row][cell]Litopia was a bustling city almost completely surrounded by forest except for the garden gate (a built garden that led to a lake) and the barren gate (which led to an almost desert-like canyon). Of the eight gates that surrounded the town, four led to midtown, while hightown and lowtown each had a pair of gates each. As the name would imply, hightown had the greatest amount of commodities and was where the nobility and high-class merchants and clerics lived in Litopia. It was also physically the most elevated area, held up by a spiraling metal structure, and during the night it's building illuminated the rest of the city like a not-so-distant constellation. Lowtown was just the opposite, it's sheer lack of architecture, much less any effort put into construction, meant that it was practically sunk into the mud. Whereas the majority of the city had buildings averaging about two floors high, with that number varying up or down by a couple depending on having a third floor (usually in housing districts) or on whether a basement counted, lowtown was almost exclusively composed of shacks less than a story high, and rarely having a full four walls either. 

The place that was most definitely full of life, however, was unquestionably midtown. Huge and shaped like two glaives united by an hourglass, it was a gathering place for newcomers and veterans alike. Despite the crowds that continually littered the streets, a mixture of players and NPCs (both among the public and the shopkeepers), there was definitely quite a pleasing aesthetic to the white stone houses and the extensive use of glass, both in all the vitrine shops and the various charms and ornaments made from colored glass. There was little in the way of unpleasant smells anywhere in midtown, and even if there were any they'd surely be quickly drowned out by the sheer variety of excellent food stalls. After all, Dissonant Steel Online was still a game, no one could get fat nomatter what they ate here, so of coursethey would indulge! Anywhere you looked, sweets, excellent meals of all kinds and sizes, from drool-inducing stakes to collections of the finest arrangements of herbs and gracefully sliced fish. This wasn't without it's problems, after all people getting too used to eating this way in the game sometimes developed an eating disorder in real life as well, but most people weren't aware of that. Nor was I about to spoil the fun. We were instead focused in our own little lives and our own little game, as the conversations one-half picked up just by walking in the street no doubt corroborated:

[color=#C4C4C4]"(...) nah, nah, [color=#CA2EEA][Silverpine Slither][/color] does way more damage, I mean it (...)"[/color]

[color=#C4C4C4]"(...) -ean you haven't seen the sunrise in the Star Symposium? You gotta check (...)"[/color]

[color=#C4C4C4]"(...) beat the Glitch Castle (...)"[/color]

[color=#C4C4C4]"(...) what they'll have in the event (...)"[/color]

A quick beeping noise alerted me to a new message, and I could pretty much guess whose. I focused on the little dot in the corner of my vision in order to open the system menu, and go to private chat. I had given her my account contact rather than my character one. I shot her a message:

[quote=Usernames]Heyyyyyyyyy! :D Welcome to DSO! :D
Are you already past the tutorial? If you are, meet me in front of the Cathedral. It's the huge building with the five spiky towers covered in stained glass. It's three or four times taller than any of the other houses around, so it shouldn't be hard to spot. ;)

See you soon! :D[/quote]

I grinned to myself after sending the message, and closed the menu.

[color=#68BCDD]"It's almost ti-"[/color] I felt a push against my plated chest. 

[color=#F79330]"Ah, I'm sorry!"[/color] The woman that ran into me stepped a little backwards and raised her hands between us. Her arms were thin, extremely so, and her white nails seemed almost sharpened though their length was barely larger than those of someone who forgot to cut them for a couple weeks. She had a thick silken dress of almost transparent materials but wrapped in enough layers that she might as well be wearing a paper bag for all that could be seen, albeit the jewelry and visible softness of the material certainly showed it was much more valuable. Still, between that dress and her curly dark brown hair that reached all the way down to her waist, even from the front, it was hard to tell what race she was supposed to be. I couldn't help but be a bit curious, yet nonetheless I simply smiled and waved my gauntlet a bit.

[color=#68BCDD]"Ah, no worries, I was distracted too since I'm meeting someone."[/color] My laugh was bellowing and deep, beard raised like the hairs of a hissing cat.

[color=#F79330]"Is that so? Alright then. I'm in a bit of a hurry, so if you'll excuse me..."[/color] The woman practically slithered under me as she slided under my arm and rejoined the crowd. I looked up for a moment, processing what just happened, then adjusted the axe on my shoulder and began making my way to the cathedral, and it's shiny, polished, massive stairs.

 [/cell][cell][right][img]https://sv.bagoum.com/getRawImage/0/0/103221030/s[/img][/right][/cell][/row][/table]