[center][h2]Myrtle Bramblewood[/h2][/center] [center][h3]Sen Rynta — Windy Plains[/h3][/center] “Alright! Moving it is!” Myrtle gave an approving nod before turning to face Anastasia. “Anny, help me pack up, would you?” “A-alright, if we must…” Anastasia gulped, her own smile tinged with nervousness. She didn’t like the idea of walking in the dark where monsters could jump at them at any moment. It was fine when the game was just that, a game, but when it had become a reality like this… The two quickly packed up their tents and cooking utensils. Thankfully, unlike real life, all they had to do was to touch the item and it would automatically return to their inventory. "All done!" Esther announced to Agaue with a smile. "I-I'm ready too…" Anastasia nodded. Before they could depart, however, Myrtle suddenly froze. "Hmm?" She turned, facing the same direction Agaue did. "Is something coming?" Quickly, she readied her staff. Another round of hobgoblins perhaps? Well, whatever they were, they should be no match against a max level weather mage like her! ...Only to find out that it was a person. [i]Another player?![/i] He was dressed in armor that suggested he was a technomancer. Sporting a large moustache and a thin, lanky figure, he reminded her of those players who would have joke characters as their toons. Personally, she could never understand why you would want to play like that. The novelty would wear off soon and you'd be stuck with an ugly character. And, judging by his reply to Agaue’s question, he was still sticking with his roleplaying. Even though this world had now become their reality. How annoying. “Yeah, we are PCs alright,” Myrtle answered his question with a huff, putting her free hand on her waist. “And we weren’t hunting mats. We were being ambushed by those hobgoblins.” Suddenly, she realized something. “Wait, were you the one who riled the hobgoblins up?” Her eyebrows furrowed. “Maybe it was because of you that we got attacked!” She pointed with her left index finger. Truth be told, she was absolutely being biased against him here (and she knew it). But she was just so annoyed by his playstyle that she couldn’t in good faith welcome him to their party! She exchanged a short glance with Agaue. There, she gave her a firm head shake, signaling [b]not [/b]to trust him. As for Anastasia, she had made her way behind Myrtle once more. And, looking at her fearful expression, she wasn’t too fond of the man either. “Tch, you’re right,” Myrtle replied to Agaue’s declaration that they should move. “But don’t you dare try anything!” She glared at the man. “I might look like this but I’m a capable fighter! And I won’t hesitate to burn or freeze you if you do anything we don’t like!” Assuming her little spell experiment in the middle of the city early that day, PvP is now always on. Friendly fire too. She wouldn’t want to know what would happen if your HP reaches zero though. “Hmm, the village or the sanctuary… choices… choices…” Myrtle closed her eyes to think, though she still kept one eye on the man. “I’d say we go to the village. It’s too risky to camp outside.” “A-agreed!” Anastasia chimed in, her voice shaking. “I… I don’t want to sleep outside in the wilderness like this… in the dark… surrounded by monsters…” She gulped, glancing at her surroundings. “Sheesh, Anny! You’re such a worrywart!” Myrtle replied with a smile, patting her shoulder. “But I agree. I’d rather not camp outside myself. That means I’d have to take watch! And I don’t want to do that!” “As for you.” She sent a suspicious glare towards the technomage. “You better behave yourself if you want to come along! Or better yet, go off somewhere else!” —-------- And so it was that the group marched southward, with an addition of an unexpected new member at that. The night was dark, with only the dim light of the moon and the stars lighting their way through the grassy fields. The night wind began to pick up, sending chills to their skin and bones. Especially for Myrtle and Anastasia, who were more lightly dressed compared to their paladin companion. "Atchoooo!" Myrtle sneezed. Not having any tissue, she had to settle with using a handkerchief she had in her inventory. [i]Grrr, realism is good and all but I'd prefer not catching a cold inside my video game![/i] Anastasia, on the other hand, was busy fidgeting with her skirt as she walked behind Myrtle. Unlike her friend, who was more… cavalier about such a thing, she wanted to keep it down nicely, both for warmth and propriety. They now had a man with them after all. Thankfully, they didn't encounter any monsters on their way to the village. The plains were a low-level area after all so most of the monsters there weren't the type that actively hunted players. "Halt!" Their way through the village gates was blocked by what they could only assume was the village sentry. He was a shaggy-haired middle-aged man, wearing leather armor with brown trousers. He wielded a scythe, though it looked more like a farming tool than a weapon, thanks to its dull, rusted blade. It didn't help that he had a straw hat on top of his head. "What bus'ness ye have this late in the night?" No fear was drawn on his face. He wasn't intimidated at all by the four of them. "If ye' want lodgings, ye'r out of luck. The inn's all full. Ye's better camp out here instead." He laughed, showing off his yellow-toothed grin.