[center][h2]Shokatsu Yu[/h2][h3]Sunswept Plains — Riverside[/h3][/center]
With there being general agreement that they could move to deliver the sword the next day (after assurances that the sword, damaged as it was now, would likely not be something that they had any reason to steal), the young boy who had come all this way to retrieve it was soon back on his way home. Of course, Yu was aware that a detour like this would delay their ability to reach the floating city by a day at minimum, but the curiosity of seeing what 'new' things had popped up after the world had changed was enough of a reason to explore in the interim. Of course, it was up to the others if they wanted to follow, but if it was somewhere close enough that even a boy like that could get home before too long, was it really all that problematic?

Or so he told himself, at least. Once the two girls had returned—one in a slightly more 'modern' outfit than when she had left—he had been promptly handed the now-dirty set of clothes to be washed. If it meant anything, washing what had gotten stuck to it wouldn't take [i]too[/i] long; it was the drying that was the problem.

Once all of the mud and gunk was removed (or at least removed to the best of his ability), the group promptly made their way back to camp, where Eunice and Kokoma's arachne had all but finished the preparations for their meal. As far as everyone could see, there were a bunch of fish on skewers around a fire, and the massive bird that the arachne had retrieved was being carved up..

"Ah, I see you've..." Eunice trailed off as she stared at Sefira, the pastel colors of her outfit a far cry from what she had been wearing before. "...Returned. What sort of outfit... Actually, let us save that question for later. The fish should be done cooking soon, at least."

Of course, whether or not anyone had remembered to give the pair any sort of seasoning was a question still left unanswered...

[@Sho Minazuki][@Rune_Alchemist][@VitaVitaAR]
[hr][h3][center]Sen Rynta — Sanctuary[/center][/h3]
The older man seemed a bit taken aback at Magnificus' introduction, and the oddity of the man's appearance and mannerisms seemed to throw him off, if only slightly. However, that passing surprised seemed to wane after a few seconds, and he gave a simple nod in return.

"My name is Liu Zhen; I'm a traveling monk from Wufeng," he said, giving a bow towards the odd man—and the woman who soon strode up to his side. "It is an honor to meet you. With regards to my worries... I suppose that if you're willing to listen to an old man's sudden outburst, I have no reason to hide what I'm looking into, hm?"

Of course, that name was not one so easily forgotten—not when the last expansion of the game was still so fresh upon players' minds. Though he was somewhat disguised now, the older man's voice and appearance would match up near-perfectly with what had been shown in the game—and now he was here in the flesh, though notably not aware of who those in front of him were.

"Over the past few months, I've been travelling around this continent here—Usira, was it?—because I wanted to... See the world for what it was," he began, his voice somewhat heavy for a moment as he lingered on those last few words. "And while I have been surprised at what I have seen, a few days ago a friend of mine asked me to investigate some place to the west of here. Something about an odd confluence of mana and a resurgence of undead, or something of the sort."

There was a bitter smile on the old monk's face as he finished his explanation, and for good reason. His daughter had been taken from him by the vengeful spirit of a hero betrayed and a demon sealed, and she had given her life in front of him to see them put to rest. It was only natural that he would have strong feeling about those bound of the past bound to the present, even if he was hiding it from these passing strangers.

"But, well, that's neither here nor there," he said, settling back down against the tree he had been resting against. "I'm sure you adventurers have more interesting things to worry about than an old man's worries, hm?"

[@A Lowly Wretch][@Operator Luna]