Reylan sheepishly spoke up "Uh guys?" as the twins seemed to ignore that he was there, but it only lasted for a moment. The whole double-speaking thing was giving him a slight headache, he wondered if they did it simply to mess with people or just did it subconsciously. It didn't help that they spoke pretty fast.
He had to blink twice as Kven made a bold flirt towards Aster, being a reserved kind of guy such statements stunned him. Aster, on the other hand, seemed to collapse at such words. Reylan watched as she acted very weirdly from her usual-self, not sure what to take from all that "Ah thank you too! See you later!" he stumbled to speak loudly as his sparring partner sped away leaving him with the twins. "It's fine. She's a little shy, so I wouldn't try to come on so hard next time!" he laughed lightheartedly and while friendly, he mentally intended it as a indirect warning in that moment "Well I gotta lot to do. Even if you are not interested in joining the guild just yet, you both should meet me and the rest of the group in the inn tonight. It was nice meeting you two!" He gave a half-hearted, lazy salute as he left towards the market.
The Market
As he entered the market, he wondered what had caused the brief anger he felt towards Kven. Perhaps it was that he didn't like someone blatantly hitting on his teammate...yeah, that was probably it. Well now he had to do his least favorite activity: Shopping. Learning from his past experience going on a dungeon raid, he decided to purchase some survival supplies for their next expedition. A smile shone on his lips as he walked through the streets and finally into his targeted store, the sight, and even the smells, of all the other players no longer moping around made him happy.
A bell chimed as the dark-stained wooden door opened, the shop's shelves and displays stocked with a wide array of camp supplies. He had already made a list of what he needed to get so he immediately set about collecting items off their shelves, however right after he picked up a canteen a voice rang out as a woman appeared at the counter:
"Hey silver-dude, hands off the display goods! You don't want that stuff anyway, didn't you read?.""
The suddness of the loud voice startled him and made him drop the metal container, a loud clanging noise as it settled on its flat surface. His shoulders tensed up but sure enough hanging above on of the display racks was a sign that read "For Display purposes only, Ask person at counter for assistance." and immediately Reylan had realized his mistake, he was in too much of a rush "My apologies, I am in a bit of a hurry I guess. But if you don't mind me asking, what's wrong with the stuff out here?" He was curious as to why she specifically said he wouldn't want the stuff out here. "Oh none of the stuff we put on display actually works. See that Canteen you dropped on my nice floor? It has tiny holes in so water spills out. If you put that back, that'd be grand then." Reylan did as the counter-lady said and placed the canteen back, but not before examining it for these said defects. Sure enough, little holes were just about visible all along the bottom of the canteen. It still wasn't entirely clear to him as he approached the counter "Why would you do that?" he asked confused and the girl simply laughed a little "To discourage thieves silly, you're less likely to steal something if it doesn't work right?. Now, what are you gonna buy?" She possessed an almost infectious energy and it was clear the thought of a sale was its cause. It was hard to argue logic like that he guessed.
Reylan had purchased a canteen(30r), a sleeping bag(30r), and a tent(60r) for a total of 120 Renn, the lady bringing out each item as he asked "Alrighty, that'd be 120 renn!" She cheerfully spoke, eagerly awaiting her payment "There you go. You must really like money, huh?" He had noticed that with every item he picked out, the smile she had seemed to get brighter to almost sinister levels as the money transferred over to her, and the items placed in his inventory "What kind of question is that? Of course! Money can buy anything! Nothing makes me happier than making a profit!" He believed her. It was kind of shame too because she was kinda cute...wait! She is an NPC! He forcefully flushed that thought from his head, recalling how that waitress flirted with Dirk last night. What a weird game "I wish you success in that then." he waved goodbye and began to walk out the store "Thanks, and don't die out there! It'd be bad for buisness! Name's Kanna by the way, don't forget it!" It almost sounded like she was showing kindness, so he simply nodded and exited the shop.
The major purchase he made was for fifty arrows costing him a grand total of 250 renn. Reylan could feel his heart being crushed as his Renn dropped lower and lower today, but the next things he bought would hopefully made him some profit. At one of the outside vendors, he purchased a set of brushes and paints(30r), 11 pieces of canvas(330r), a blank book(30r), and a ink & quill(20r). As those items appeared in his inventory, he suddenly remembered something "I still owe Alissea!" he almost yelled aloud. A few tears nearly spilled as he slumped over looking at the pitiful 17 renn he had left. Easy come, easy go. He picked himself up quickly, there was plenty of time before they were to go back to the dungeon so he made a promise to pay her back by then. Now that he taken care of his basic supplies, and since he couldn't buy any new skills, it was time to go to the town hall and finally get that guild treaty.
Town Hall
Reylan had to ask three NPCs on the way to the town hall for directions before he recalled he had a map. After being momentarily embarrassed, he found his way to the building that could issue adventurers guild treaties. The place was a bit more crowded than he expected, the distinction between NPCs and other players blurring among the numbers. Boldly he pushed open the doors, the interior well illuminated and decorated with the portraits of regal looking authority figures. What was the Astral Blades' guild-master like? he wondered following the bronze plaques on the walls for the guild registrar. "Ah here it is.." he spoke quietly to himself, opening a red-brown wooden door with a frosted window into a office like room. Seated at a heavy dark-colored wooden desk was a older genteman, about early 60s if Reylan had to guess, his head full of gray hair and a pair of thin glasses hanging on the edge of his nose. Reylan just stood there as the man shifted through papers quietly "I don't recognize you so I take it you are here to create a guild treaty?" The lack of emotion in his voice unsettled Reylan as the older man looked up at him from his lowered head, but he responded strongly nonetheless "You guessed right. So do I just pick one up or..." He admitted he wasn't sure how this was all to work out. "Why don't you take a seat?" The man's demeanor seemed to changed entirely, a smile greeted Reylan as he sat down in one of the chairs on the opposite side of the desk "Are you the guild-master for the guild you wish to create?" He asked casually. Reylan nodded first "Yes I am." he replied simply, feeling like he was applying for a job interviewed. "Excellent, well first let me explain some of the legalities and functions of a guild..."
"...and of course, you may create your own positions as you see fit. Do you understand everything I've said?" The gentleman had just explained the entire guild system to Reylan, who was struggling to wrap his head around everything "I think I got it." He spoke not entirely sure, there was more to a guild than he initially thought but he sure as hell did not want the man to repeat himself "Great, then please sign here..." Two nice pieces of parchment and a quill pen was handed to Reylan, the front was a general statement about guilds with a blank line for the guild-master to sign, and the back simply read "Those in favor of forming the guild proposed by the guild-master, stated on the first page, shall sign below:" leaving a large empty space for signatures. Reylan nearly signed his actual name, before signing his in-game one instead "Once you have at least six signatures, return here and we will authorize your guild. I wish you success!" Reylan departed the town hall after that, the treaty in his inventory, feeling his fingers tingle. The only thing left do for the guild was wait until tonight.
Back at Eden Hall
After finishing a quick meal of pork and water, he went upstairs to his room. The five tasks Reylan had given himself last night were pretty much completed which afforded him some time to paint but before he did that, he sent a PM to everyone sitting at his desk "Tonight at Edan Hall I will have the guild treaty for everyone to sign. It's time to show Malgoth what's coming for him! - Reylan". He leaned back heavily to relax, a piece of canvas rolled loosely on the surface next to the empty book. While he wanting to make something to actually sell, he felt the need to give Aster something as thanks for sparring with him. After five minutes of thinking what he should paint, he spread the extra piece of canvas and tore a piece from his blank book to mix his paint on. Art was where his passion and talent shined and his mind was pretty good at picturing things. The work took about over two hours, he even used his quill pen to flesh out some of the dark details but it was finished:
Reylan's Painting
He laid the freshly painted canvas on the bed to dry. The inspiration for it came from this morning's spar, she posed very similar to that right before one of their fights. Of course he might have made a few slight change simply for artistic flair. His only hope was that she would like it but he would have to wait to later to find out. With that settled, he moved onto to making paintings to sell to the NPCs since he doubted anyone was interested in a painting to spruce up their house.
Purchased supplies:
Canteen - 30 renn
Sleeping bag - 30 renn
Tent - 60 renn
50 arrows - 250 renn
Paint and brushes - 30 renn
Ink & Quill - 20 renn
Blank Book - 30 renn
Total - 750 renn
Obtained Guild Treaty from Town Hall Purchased Cooked Pork and Water at Edan's Hall - 6 renn Painted a portrait of Aster(gift) Sent PM to Everyone: Tonight at Edan Hall I will have the guild treaty for everyone to sign. It's time to show Malgoth what's coming for him! - Reylan"
Reylan tenderly rubbed his right hand as he finished the last painting of a set of three, the other two resting by Aster's portrait on his bed. The paintings were of beautiful landscapes he had seen on his trips outside of Genesis City, praying that that the work he put into them would net him some profit with his 15 points in Art. If the art skill somehow made him paint better, he didn't notice since the strokes were already natural to him before he arrived in this game. A quick look out the window confirmed that the sun had fallen and it was now late, he would have to wait til the morning to sell his paintings. He put Aster's portrait back into his inventory, the paint had dried and settled nicely, and headed downstairs to wait for the everyone to come and sign this treaty. Reylan found a seat in the corner, an old habit of his, and began to used sketch using his ink and quill in the blank book as he waited. Everyone had sort of went their own ways today with different objectives and he was eager to hear how everyone's day went.
Reyland silver eyes darted back and forth between the twins as the finished each other's sentences, resisting the urge to slam his fore-head into his hand. They just had to be THOSE kind of twins, didn't they? They seemed quite up-beat given the circumstances but at least they were friendly. That was the only requirement really to join the non-existent guild he had yet to create...maybe he should have stricter qualifications in place "Nice to meet you both! My name is Reylan, soon to be guild-leader." This confidence thing was kinda tiring, but he had to at give the impression he knew what he was doing "In a couple days, I'm going to be leading a raid on a dungeon to clear it. Like I said before, you two seem pretty capable. We could use you in our party. Of course, if you would like to join our guild that'd be great too. I think you'd fit right in!" His smile and friendly attitude hid his nervous.
A notification appeared in his vision, he was hoping that was Polak accepting his offer but he would need to confirm that later. Mentally he sighed, there was still much he had to take care of today...mostly revolving around forming this guild. He would have everyone sign the treaty at the inn tonight praying Dub would actually sign it when the time came.
Rath had sincerely hoped that Verena was being modest. A normal rookie would find herself struggling on this hell-scape to remain alive. It might not be a wrong assumption to say that among all the members here, Rath had the most experience out of any of them. The harshness of the front-lines had been a second home to him for a long time. Those of years of service showed in every movement he made against the BETA, the mobility of his TSF being pushed to its well-known limits. Nothing would stop him on his path to eliminate those laser-class.
His battlefield awareness was in top form today, which was needed to keep the unrelenting number of tank-class away, as his Su-27M2 sped forward. Boosters created lift allowing him to perform a short jump over a charging grappler-class, a short burst of 36mm rounds tearing into its vital points, and continued to the primary targets not missing a skip. Rath had survived this long by trusting his instincts and feeling the flow of battle, if his superiors hadn't stunted his advancement he may have been an elite pilot himself. When terrain was available, he used it to cover his advance otherwise relying on the presence of the other BETA to prevent the laser-class from targeting him. In the wake of this destruction and in defiance of death, he silenced his comms and began to softly sing an old song his mother sang to him passed down from his grandfather in his unrestricted polish accent:
The Legions are a soldiers' note, The Legions are a sacrifice pyre, The Legions are a soldier pride, The Legions are a soldier fate
A tank-class BETA's body was torn up by his blade motor, caught before it climb onto his TSF, as he continued the song without interruption. Already so many had been taken out by him and his allies, the laser-class were now with optical range.
We the First Brigade, a group of shooters, We've thrown on the pyre Our life's fate on the pyre, on the pyre.
How much suffering and toil, How much blood and tears have flowed, despite it all there's no doubt end of the journey gave us strength
The second verse, the words spoken in polish, began as the wolf entered the sheep's pen. A Laser-class's bulbous eyes began to glow, pointed at him, right before his blade motor cut cleanly through its form. His A-97 Assault Cannon firing burst into every laser-class he came that entered his vision, at this range the target-auto correcting was enough to ensure his hits.
We the First Brigade, a group of shooters, We've thrown on the pyre Our life's fate on the pyre, on the pyre.
They cried that we had gone stark mad Not believing us, that there's a way! Bereft of all, we've shed our blood With our dear leader at our side!
Rath would continue to sing the old war world 1 song as he moved onto the heavy laser-class, a far more resilient target to be sure. His harder-hitting 120mm rounds tore into the first and while heavily wounding it, was not enough to take it down. His TSF boosted into the air, his blade motor cutting across the lens of the monster and watched its body explode in his rear-camera. With every one taken down, he hoped that those off-shore would find an easier time landing on the beach. These conditions were all-too familar to that of Operation Ouka, he sincerely hoped that this operation would be more successful.
A bead of sweat found its way down his fore-head to his chin as their laserjagd completed, his blade motor's chain slowing to a stop after he pulled it from the corpse of a grappler-class that had gotten a little too close for comfort. His attention was focused on the mission so he didn't spend much time observing the others' personal situations, only monitoring the radar briefly to keep track of their position.
For the sake of posterity, We'll devote the rest of our days, To sow honor 'mid duplicity, Heedless both to blame and to praise. We are the First Brigade...
He chose not to sing the final refrain. Whenever he needed to be calm in a dire situation, he would sing that among many other polish songs his mother taught him. A reminder of what he has lost and a promise to reclaim the future. A final shot exploded a crippled tank-class, clearing the BETA from his near-vicinity and a quick look around told him that his pack had finished up as well. He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly and rolled his shoulders just to stretch relax those muscles. He read off every friendly blip and was relieved to see that not one was missing "Got it." he informally replied to the CO and took his place on the perimeter "Hey Tanizaki, what do you call a---" The rumbling cut him off from finishing what was going to be a great joke, his senses on high alert.
In a single moment, Kasteler was gone. Rath gritted his teeth so hard that he felt like they might shatter. By the time Rath turned his vision on the grappler-class, it was had already done its damage and been shot down by one pf the other pilots. There was nothing left he could do for his comrade "Śpij, kolego." he spoke in a somber voice, unknowing he had not turned off his comms. The phrase meant Sleep, Friend in English, the name of a polish song used for a military funeral before the BETA's invasion. Captain Mina was sending two back to Fabel with the dead? He shook his head at the decision, it didn't make much sense to him to remove two TSFs from combat over the death of a comrade "Don't get lost on your way there." He spoke to the returning wolves.
"Hold on a minute, We can't just leave when there is a Fort-class approaching!" Rath chuckled softly at the bold statement by the young cub. She said the word 'We' but she obviously meant herself, and take that as you would, that was the Captain's mess to deal with. A fresh clip was loaded in his weapon as he came to realization. Perhaps she was sending them back, in order to protect them. Rath could tell Mina was a good captain, her heart was in the right place. He could see himself giving her the same loyalty as his old CO when he was in the 211st.
Haley Anders - Wolf 7
A sharp scowl continued to grow on her face as they made their way to the BETA, these...lesser creatures had already taken the lives of many soldiers even as they moved to intercept them. Turmoil inside of her expressed as anger, and eventually rage, as she fulfilled her role trusting her training and personal instincts to not only survive this battle, but surpass expectations. She wanted, no needed, to be identified as an Elite pilot and she wanted to make it happen as fast as possible. The only thing that was stopping her, so she thought, was battlefield experience. Now was the time to bridge the gap between her and the seniors in the battalion.
She brought the might of her american cannons down on the passing BETA as she followed the Vanguard alongside the others bringing up the middle. Her blood ran hot as the battle grew fiercer on the way to the laser-class, the sight of blood exploding from her many targets exciting her. What the Vanguard didn't kill on their way to the laser-class, Haley was sure to eliminate in waves of gunfire...along with the others. The powerful duo of Mina and Elise did not go under her radar and in fact, she paid special attention to them. They were her competition of course but after seeing their skill, she couldn't deny there were techniques she could learn from them. She quickly intercepted a small force of grappler-class that had come in from the right side, her TSF stopping and all four guns pointing forwards as she unloaded her arsenal.
After the BETA had kissed the dirt, the Vanguard began to engage their primary targets and Anders moved to take out her share. Bullets shredded the bodies of the laser-class and Haley couldn't help but start to enjoy taking vengeance on the same creatures that took her brother "This is for Dominic, you bastards!" she shouted as she fired a volley of 120mm rounds from her guns into a Heavy-laser class, the flesh bubbling before exploding burning acid onto the area around it. Her mind forgetting those who had died during the start of this operation, after all it was easy to discard them when she couldn't see their faces.
Her chest rose up and down quickly as their mission completed and the area cleared of BETA, now the other forces lagging behind could finally contribute to the battle. Unlike a more experienced pilot, her adrenaline levels did not want to lower. She was ready for more. Waiting on the perimeter she kept scanning area for any signs of BETA approaching, wanting to get the first shot on them. The shaking of the ground startled her out of this state and she preparing to reply to Kasteler when the grappler-class sprung from the countless dead "NO!" she screamed as her weapon's locked onto the new target, and fired as quick as she could...the BETA dropped but not before the damage was done. Haley's jaw fell and her eyes widened to their fullest extent, as the twisted body of the TSF crashed to the ground. Reality had been knocking on her door since she rose from the bowels of the transport ship, and now it had kicked that door in.
Her expression of shock did not vanish, her hands cramping from the tight grip she had on her controls but she did not dare let them go. With fast, sporadic breathing she watched Poulsen open up the twisted metal of the compartment and reveal the mangled corpse of Kasteler. The announcement of his death over the comms solidified the moment, her body couldn't stop shaking as the image was burned into her mind. What if she was only a moment faster with her reaction? Could he have been saved? Was there anything more she could have done? Mina's orders snapped her out of that spiral of questions, she wanted her to leave the battlefield. No...she couldn't. She had to make those monsters pay, the battalion needed her out here. Kasteler...he was already dead.
"Hold on a minute, We can't just leave when there is a Fort-class approaching!" Haley spoke irrationally against the orders of her commanding officer. It might have come off as haughty but she had just witnessed her first teammate die, in pretty horrendous way. They needed her support in the upcoming fight or else someone could die as well. Wait, did Mina realize Haley was getting a little too hot-blooded? "Captain, surely we need everyone we can!" It was too late to save Kesteler and she would be more useful in the coming fight than back at the ship.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________ The man was being incredibly cooperative and outright nice to them, making Reylan feel a little guilty for his momentary lapse of consideration "Well...Thank you for understanding." The offer he gave no longer seemed like such a rash decision and after him tell Alisea that he was not a tinker, and in fact a Marauder...it only seemed more wise. They were in desperate need of another melee class to fill out the ranks, and this guy seemed pretty easy to get along with so why not? A look of hesitation filled his eyes, it was a very tempting offer he really needed to use his time wisely leading up to this dungeon run. He had just begun to shake his head and lips began to form the words Thanks, but.. when he saw a door swing wide open down the hall.
Reylan had not expected Aster to barge suddenly out of her room, and certainly not in the process of equipping the rest of her gear. The edges of his lips tugged into a grin at the humor of the scene, he had thought of Aster as have a sort of Silent Grace so seeing this was somewhat funny to him. What truly surprised him was how readily she accepted his offer by extending her hand, not wanting to be rude he clasped the hand in a firm handshake "Thanks, with the dueling system we can really go all out too!" He quickly released his hand after the handshake was concluded, feeling both excited and nervous for his first spar in this world. He didn't want to mention that he wasn't just look for just any sparring partner, he wanted her specifically. His reasoning was simply that she was a swordswoman and would be the best to try out his rapier against never considering that Dirk might have been just as viable.
A quick turn back to Paralyze and he could finally decline his offer "Thanks for the offer, but I got a lot to get done today. Like Alisea said, hopefully we can meet up tonight for dinner." Speaking of the devil herself, she mouthed two silent words towards him, which he barely caught, and then darted off leaving Aster behind without so much as a goodbye. She must be in a hurry but what exactly did she mean by Good Job? Not wanting to think about it too much, he decided just to move on "It was nice meeting you." He let his smile shine. This sparing session was probably not what Aster was expecting, since he planned on using his rapier...at least for most of it "If you're read to go, let's find a good spot for this." he was getting more excited by the minute, even though he knew he had a great disadvantage.
The tone of the voice possessed by the snoring demon caught him off-guard, he certainly sounded like someone who had gotten a good night's rest. As for the class of the man before him, he was not entirely sure what it was but it didn't seem to be a mage or an archer like him. That was the reason why he was here! No this person had denied him a beautiful sleep with sweet drea--- that was right, his vivid dreams had been more like vivid nightmares the past three nights. Nevertheless he had come this far as to knock on his door "Hi, I was sleeping in the room next over. First, let me say I'm amazed you can snore in this game.." he spoke the second sentence quick "And second, is there anyway you can make it quieter? I got that room for two more nights man." The irritability shone in his voice this time, coming off like an attack on his person with its rude tone.
After saying that, his right hand pushed up the front of his hair upwards as he realized the way he came off. Reylan doubted that his neighbor had specifically snored just to mess up with his sleep cycle, so it was unfair to be rude to him because of that "My apologies, I just came back from a dungeon last night and now I gotta draft a guild treaty. I mean you did keep me up for a bit, but that doesn't mean I should get on your case about it." Now he was rambling, the best solution would be to go purchase some kind of eaf-muffs if they even sold those in this game. A message-looking icon appeared and he pressed it, and alongside the pm from the admin was a message from Fortuna ""I'll join the guild. :)" it read. A smile appeared on his face and he did a little fist pump for victory, the smiley face indeed bringing a more friendly atmosphere to the words, despite Paralyze still standing there. That meant he could now officially make the guild, but he wouldn't submit the treaty until he had Dub's stance on it. It wouldn't seem right to make the guild without hearing his opinion.
His attention turned back to Paralyze, his mood improving now that a new member had decided to join their little band of misfit. This made him look at Paralyze in a different light, maybe he could get him to join the guild as well. He cleared his throat a bit "I should introduce myself properly, my name is Reylan. Soon to be guild-master and archer extraordinaire." This time was a bit easier than yesterday, talking to strangers had already been a weak point of his. It felt like sometimes he was simply talking on the fly and speaking whatever came to mind "In two days my guild is gonna clear the dungeon we already fought at, I welcome you to join us." Confidence came along with his words as hope filled his eyes, it didn't matter that he knew nothing about the guy. No one in the guild were best friends, save for Aster and Alisea who just kicked things off from the start. Now that Fortuna was joining, he hoped Polak was follow suit and unknown to him Paralyze was in that same party.
Finally, after a long and warm bath, Reylan flopped onto the bed which by his exhaustion felt like the softest one he ever laid on and simply screamed, completely without emotion, into the pillow "ahhhhhhhh....ahh" His arms and body laid out like a plank on the tidy sheets. There was not a single movement from him for several minutes wondering why he had complained about games 'not being realistic enough' on forums. Eventually his sore arms pushed up from the bed, sliding his feet off to the side to sit up on the very edge and his hands slowly but firmly drug over the surface of his face. Reylan was used to being carefree and without any real responsibilities but now he was going to be in charge of a guild in a freaking death game?
There are some people that say there comes a moment in every person's life in which they must adapt to change or be destroyed by it. Reylan's moment just so happened to take place locked in a death game with a some kind of lunatic GM with people that may rather this digital world than the real one (himself included) trying to do some anime bullshit using the power of friendship or whatever to beat the game, that his mother bought for his birthday mind you, and try to transition back to a reality that doesn't involve giant freaking wolves attacking at every corner you turn while trying to deal with the mental scars of caring for people and watching them die. Shit. He thought as that internal rant faded. Maybe I'm taking this harder than I thought?
The pressure not only to survive, but now to lead others and make sure they survive as well while also trying to clear the game...it was something he would simply have to learn to deal with. Nothing was going to just get easier on its own, he had to make the effort to make it better. That was a lesson he wished he learned in the real world or rather he listened to in the first place. He brought up the in-game menu and pressed the button combination that removed his armor and gear, perhaps it was the lack of sleep that was messing with his mind right now. However he couldn't just go to bed right now, he wanted to make a list of all the tasks he had to complete tomorrow.
Task 1: Ask Aster to Spar with him and try not to get beaten senseless to level up his sword skill Without any kinda points into that skill, he would probably harm himself trying to use it in actual combat. Aster seemed pretty good with a blade and even though she might totally kick his ass, it was needed for him to grow stronger.
Task 2: Draft a Guild Treaty and Force Convince Dub to join He would probably take care of that after the sparring session, the name he had been thinking about every since him, Karma, Aura, and Dub first grouped up. The team just wouldn't be the same without Dub almost like a piece of their team spirit would be lost.
Task 3: Sum Arrers fer da Killin' A stockpile of a 100 arrows would serve to keep his mind at ease and it wouldn't hurt having a few new skills to flesh out his combat abilities.
Task 4: Mo' Art, Mo' Money He really needed to start looking at making art and selling it to the NPCs, he wasn't sure how they would understand the value but he was sure that it would just work out.
Task 5: Select a sith apprentice guild vice-commander A guild was going to hard managing on his own so a second-in-command would help him out with all that. He had two people in mind for the position but he was definitely leaning towards the one.
It was going to be a long few days for him before the second dungeon run, there was much that needed to be done on his part. With a tired sigh, he pulled the cover up and tucked himself underneath them. Before trying to fall asleep, he decided to check the game's newsletter that he had noticed awhile ago. The current headlines made him wish he hadn't. Four employees of the game died trying to prove this was a hoax and now a total of 32 people had died. First Dungeon Clear?!? The news should have made him happy, it didn't matter who cleared the game right? The sinking feeling in his chest told otherwise and perhaps it was extremely selfish, but he wanted his guild to clear the game. The first guild had to be that same group, a team of pro e-sports players? That was difficult competition if only for their knowledge and experience, this was different than any e-sports game on the market. A slick grin crossed his lips as he closed the newsletters, they would not sit at the top for long.
5:00 A.M.
Reyland would soon curse the person sleeping in the room next to him, it had taken a hour to finally fall asleep with the constant snoring creeping through the wooden walls. He didn't want to begin to express the issues he had with the game developers for allowing people to be able to snore, it wasn't fair. After a few frustrated turns and rolls, he finished with pulling his pillow over his head and fell back asleep like that for the next three hours.
8:00 A.M.
What should have been a lovely, long rest after an exhausting day turned into a mediocre sleep at best. Reylan let a long groan birthed from his reluctance to get up and start the day. A hand flung the cover wildly off him as he slid his feet over the edge as he stretched his arms out with a silent yawn. He hoped the other's found far better conditions to sleep in and that's when he remembered that Aster and Alisea were to share a bed...He quickly slapped the side of his head, it was way to early for that train of thought. The snoring from the next room over had made him grumpy enough that he wanted to see who the culprit was. His legs tightened up as he stood and then relaxed, he felt a little stiff.
A quick shoot through the menu and his gear and clothes were on, and out the door he went to confront his nighttime terror. After a quick moment trying to figure out which direction it came from, he walked up to Paralyze's door and knocked three times on it "You've got to be in there..." He quietly spoke to himself, sleep was very important to him and this individual had ruined what was to be a glorious slumber. A little impatient and eager to go ask Aster to spar, he knocked four times on the door once more "Hey Snorlax, you in there?" He called for the owner of this room, trying to raise his voice but not wake those who might still be sleeping. Little did he know that the person inside had raided a dungeon with Polak and Fortuna, who he had asked the night before to join their guild.
The brief, personal satisfaction at everyone's support that overwhelmed him did not last long at the sight of Dub's disappearance. He had been so caught up in the moment he had failed to notice him exit the door, a pang of guilt coursed through him. The bright, seemingly unbreakable smile he possessed faded a bit that Dub seemed not to fond of the whole 'Guild' idea. But what did he know of him? What did he know about any of the people around him? That would need to change if he was to be the guild leader, he wanted to trust those here right now and Dub.
Reylan was glad to see Karma appear to drop the Dub issue, though he feared he might have to have a talk with him later friend-to-friend. The way to victory was through unity, not jumping on the opportunity to criticize someone you fought beside. He was glad to have Karma's support however, his chant making him a little embarrassed at such a dramatic comment as Reyland laughed nervously rubbing the back of his neck. He cleared his throat "I am honored that you have chosen me to lead this guild. However, since we only have 5 people in agreement...we need Dub in on this too. Tomorrow I will draft a treaty for everyone to sign so hopefully Dub changes his mind." Reylan didn't want Dubstep to go missing like Aura had, he would have to convince him the guild is a good thing. Perhaps he could even give him the title 'Captain Dubstep' as a bargaining tool. For now, everyone looked like they needed some sleep "I guess until then, let's get some food and sleep off a hard day's work."
He spent some time eating his food as everyone else went to sleep, bath, or eat as well. As he ate, The new duties of guild master started to come into reality in his mind, the first being that they would need to recruit more players to get stronger. Once the guild was made, he would give that ability to the original members of his party. Silver eyes observed a pair of players, one seemed to be trying to console the other. Did they lose someone already? He summoned the embers of his courage from the dungeon, exhausted as he was, and walked over to them to introduce himself. His chest felt the familiar pounding of his heart as the anticipation of speaking nearly turned him around, but he was determined to do this.
He took a seat next to Polak "Did you lose someone too?" He asked rather directly but with kindness, he didn't know how else to break the ice "Sorry, name's Reylan. My party just came back from a dungeon raid." His elbows leaned on the counter, his head turned towards both of them with a calm, somber look. From what he could see, they looked like a strong couple of people that he use in the guild. Initial assumptions were that Polak was a lancer and Fortuna was a rogue, but equipment didn't seem to have a locked-class in Talrae. "We lost two people before we even left the city, they vanished during the night. I didn't know both of them very well, but it still sucks y'know?" Now he was lamenting his own thoughts to these strangers, trying to find a middle-ground and releasing some of the stress he had been feeling about Aura's disappearance.
At the end of the conversation before leaving for his room and a hot bath, Reylan extended the offer to join him and the others in creating the guild. Numbers was strength, strength was power, so by adding them to their numbers they would increase their power to take on the dungeon and beat it when the time came. He didn't make them decide on the spot, giving the night to think it over and message him if they were interested.
Vocere smirked, his hand running through his thick black hair and giving it a small flick "Oh just a little, abstract sculpture. Something I know the people are going to love but alas, I can say no more." A flair for the dramatic was always his style along with an ego that no one else could touch. He seemed obsessed with gaining more and more recognition with the general populace. That being said, he was eager to get something done as fast as possible so he could return to his art.
He began to scratch the back of his neck as Valvius worked on the sword, the smith's plan for a bigger pay seemed to working "Listen Valvi, I really need this to be done as soon as possible. Start working on it now and I'll double your fee. Not a bad deal, right?" This sculpture seemed to be quite important to him, but it was not like he was without the funds. Vocere's worst paintings and sculptures often went for hundreds of zloty, and his best was enough to make someone very rich. That of course was excluding the expensive feasts he catered for the nobility and the exquisite clothing he designed and manufactured.
Emile's attention was focused on the Magister at work as Jacoby thought about the possible ramifications, surely he was thinking all of this over as well. His head turned to his friend as he spoke, a bit perplexed at the question he was asking. That was until he explained his thinking further and a light scowl appeared on his face as his right hand tightened in a fist "Abe could be the key to finding who our killer is...but you are right. Bradamante, if Abraham was brought back and went rogue...could you handle him?" His voice was kept low as well. Jacoby's sentinel stepped closer "I could stop Abraham but now without collateral. We will need at least three other Sentinels, along with their handlers, to properly contain him in the case he goes rouge." It was rare for more than two Sentinels and handlers to gather in one location, besides their dedicated barracks, as it was important that each Sentinel adhere to their designated district of the city. A gathering of these powerful defenders could cause quite a stir among the local populace.
Vey paced throughout the crime scene, making sporadic hand gestures to no one in particular. She appeared to be in deep concentration, likely going over what facts and information they had obtained so far. A lot of what they had were simply just assumptions based on the patterns, any evidence leading to the actual person responsible was non-existent. The sounds of carriage stopping just down the alley prefaced the arrival of the hood figures dressed in absolute black attire, a small part of the city's coroners "We have finished with our surveillance and examination of the crime scene. Treat our victim with care, will you?" You could hear Vey speak to the coroners, who lowered their hoods revealing a older gnome male and younger female orc, likely the apprentice. They laid down the tools they carried with him and began to carefully remove the body of Cyth from the wall.
Valtair smirked at the transparency of Assallya's intentions "If any information you give leads to the Blood Angel's capture, and subsequent execution, then I expect the nobility will owe you many favors." He lifted his right leg and rested the heal of his foot on the other. A number of the killer's victims have been petty criminals caught out in the night, easy pickings for the reaper of Volstryggr's streets. People have even gone as far as to believe the Blood Angel as a demon awakened to wreak havoc on the city.
A new development had come to you as well through your under-ground network, the Banshee was expected to arrive sometime this week in Volstryggr. It might have been expected as only a couple days prior you became aware of the youngest St. Claire sister, Helene, arrival in the city. Valtair scoffed a light laugh, nodding at your cooperation "That is much appreciated. Can I expect you to notify me should you come across anything worthwhile?" He rose from the comfort of his seat, looking down at her appearing ready to leave already.
Zykova Valerievna. The woman who saved him in Operation Ouka, and the one who nearly extinguished the last light of life inside him.
"On your knees, Second Lieutenant Drazkowski!" Her personal quarters were all to familiar to him, rather than the cozy little space it appeared it was nothing but a torture chamber to him. A low chuckle escaped his lips even as the sharp pain entered the back of his legs, bringing his defiant legs to the ground hard. It was not a struggle to grin up at her when he had won "I will ask you once more, what is this about a transfer?!?" The raging fire in her eyes was all too sweet. He had been her play-thing for so long but now he was leaving and there was nothing she could do "What's the matter, Czuła Matka? Afraid of losing me?" He chuckled as the metal baton smashed into his ribs and he felt the air rush out from his lungs. Coy eyes watched as his CO paced back and forth once, her free hand clawing into her scalp with unbridled frustration. She came back to him, no less angry with events she no longer had control over "I will not ask again!" The strain on her voice like an orchestra of delight to his ears.
Rath rose to his feet against Zykova's will, she attempted to swing once more but he had always been the better in close-quarters combat. The metal baton was thrown across the room after falling into his possession leaving her in a state of shock at his disobedience "I have been assigned to the 231st UN Tactical Armored Battalion, a battalion with pilots from across the world." Zykova was thrown off at his straight-forward answer, he could have been harsh but there was no way he would lower himself to her level. Not now "Effective immediately." he stated with a firm expression. A lamp was torn from its place on a table and tossed across the room, narrowing missing his head. She was taking it poorly, just as he hoped "You are not allowed to leave...I OWN YOU!" She yelled pushing beyond the boundary of normal human lungs. From the day she recovered him on the field, that statement had been true.
By her hand he was assigned to her completely Russian unit. Blackmail and manipulation had collared him to her whim, treating him lesser than a dog. She said bark, and he barked. His body bore the scars and bruises of many nights of her entertainment yet his face was never harmed, for appearance's sake. All this because she was a upper-class Russian officer and he was a mere Polish conscript. She made it impossible for him. Impossible for him to look past someone's Russian lineage. He came very close to ending his life to rejoin his true comrades but an high-ranking officer approached him and gave him an opportunity: Join this new international Battalion and Escape. The officer was not simply being a generous man, he understood that Rath's loyalty to the USSR had wavered to almost nothing.
His lips tugged to the right as he smirk, shaking his head "Perhaps once, you did. Now it is the UN that owns me." At that moment, the thought made him the happiest he had been since his old battalion "You are a disgrace to the great Soviet Union! You'll end up like the rest of your weak, pathetic friends!" A last ditched insult was almost expected, he turned his back as he retreated out the door. His new life awaited "Farewell, Zykova. Mam nadzieję, że zjedzą cię powoli." The pent up hatred inside shone in that final glare he gave before the door shut behind him. He had come close to giving up on his dream but through the fires of hell, he had seized it anew.
Like ants pouring out of their dirt hill, the BETA never ceased to keep coming. He could see the other members of his battalion make their way on the beach, which was quickly coming under their control. That was a temporary relief, the other parts of this operation were not going so smoothly. Gore splashed and blanketed the ground as his blade motor tore into the tank-class wishing to climb onto his TSF and tear it apart, his gunfire keep the approaching enemy away. 36mm rounds tore into countless enemies around him as fire from his other teammates came into play, they just couldn't keep out of the fun could they? Subconsciously he kept a monitor on the more green members of the battalion, just like the older members of the 211 did for him. On his radar, he could see two more friendly identifiers coming onto the beach. The heat of battle had left him ignoring the sound of the other members launching. Carnage had already been wrought on sea and now on land, the way of life under the threat of the BETA.
Major Kochenkov. He had avoided her like deadly disease since he arrived to join the 231st mostly for the benefit of them both. Zykova...that woman had distilled such hatred for Russians in him that he could hardly control it himself. However here on the battlefield, he could push that aside to complete their objective and listen to the Major, at least until the Captain arrived "You got it Major, a few thousand skewered BETA coming up." He lightly spoke just as his blade motor sank into the side of a grappler-class after making a side-wards dash, rending its flesh asunder. A glimpse of a Type-94 Shiranui came into view along with a message from its pilot before landing next to him, clearing a swath of tank-class. Rath smirked at the skill of his storm vanguard counter-part, at least he wouldn't have to worry about him falling behind "Roger, Wolf-3. Let's hope you are as skilled with a blade as your are with a gun." A light chuckle escaped him as he moved for the hill under Kseniya's orders.
He had been managing his ammo supply since he touched down on this beach. If that was an attempt at motivation, the 1st lieutenant failed greatly. As round after round was sent into the BETA mass, the laser-class continued their own battery assault. Suddenly a group of Tank-class were obliterated leaving Rath's momentarily stunned before he saw the designations on his radar. Wolf-1 and Wolf-2. The French-speaking angels, as he liked to think of them. Everyone's face appeared on his display as the captain relayed her orders, leaving the beachhead already? That could only mean one course of action and hearing those french accents was much preferred to the grating sound of the american, who had stayed silent thanks to his luck.
A laserjagd in these conditions? Well even with the increase in the metal cloud density, it was gonna be a wild ride "Roger." he confirmed his orders, moving into position. As expected, he was named for the front of the formation along with three others. Fighting alongside Kseniya did not bother him but he was concerned for Verena piloting a older model TSF, fighting up close required every edge you could get. The initial fighting had already covered his blade motor in a new coat of red. How many times had he engaged in operations like this on the front-lines? "Looks like we're gonna get to see what you can do in that Tornado, Wolf-9." He was surprised that such outdated TSFs hadn't been fully replaced yet, but if she was here then he expected she could hold her own.
The formation began its push towards the laser-class, Rath moving along the right side of Tanizaki. Zykova, I hope to see you in hell That thought warmed his heart as they came closer to their objective. His lungs exploded with laughter as Elise's mistake was broadcast over their comms, it was too golden to miss "Oh was that meant for private? Kochasz ptaki." he chuckled, hoping that they wouldn't understand him. They wouldn't get a moment to translate it anyway, as Holland called out the enemy. On Mina's orders, Rath moved forwards to engage the BETA blocking the path to the laser-class. 36mm rounds burst into the tank-class, then snapping to a grappler-class as it approached counting on his allies to reinforce him as the formation carved forward. This was not going to be the end for him.
Haley Anders - Wolf 7
Haley could only watch from the shore as transports erupted in explosions and flames, killing many soldiers along with them. She felt loss, she felt fear...she felt anger. These three emotions tore at each other while she continued to fire the two AMWS-21 cannons mounted on both her arms. Often she found her-self firing a couple more rounds than necessary into targets that were already dead. Dominic would never shown any kind of fear, she couldn't disgrace him by losing her nerves now. This beach would be taken by her efforts above anyone else, that was just how it had to be! That was why she kept maneuvering behind Rath, letting him death with fighting up close while she coated the BETA around him with hot lead.
Another set of TSFs from their battalion landed on the beach, the Russian Major and the Japanese 1st lieutenant. Kseniya didn't waste anytime issuing orders with the Captain yet to reach the beach, she would never take orders for a Russian! That didn't mean the others would follow her, no they were all moving on the hill to hold off the BETA's advance. Dammit! She grimaced and followed suit blowing apart a grappler-class as it tried to get close to Wolf-5 and Wolf-3. The captain was sure taking her sweet old time getting here, she hoped she wasn't getting all romantic with 1st lieutenant Allaire. The people of France did know how to attack, right? It seemed like her question would be answer with a loud, thunderous yes as twin Rafales made their appearance on the shore killing a multitude of BETA in the process.
The accuracy of the one was absolutely unacceptable, she would not have some Frenchie out-shoot her. Wait, did that order come through right? They had only just gotten the beachhead under control and now she wanted to abandon it. If they were firing AL warheads, then that meant they were going to be diving into the BETA's lines to perform a...laserjagd, her mind coming to the conclusion just as Mina announced it. She had only studied such an operation but had never been part of one, but it mattered not "Roger." Her part would be executed with precision and expertise flying low to the ground to move into position. "Don't fall apart before we get to the laser-class, Wolf-9." She spoke out, wondering why such a old model was even allowed on the field. Once more she was wished good luck by a commanding officer, what was with these UN forces?
The F-15C Eagle sped next to Elise's Rafale, weapon systems fully loaded and doing her best to maintain the strict altitude NOE flight required. It was no issue for a pilot of her talent, of course. She would not allow herself to crash and become food for those...monsters. The audacity of making romantic plans during a battle with the captain, was she so daft that she forgot to switch to a private line? Even she laughed a little along with the group, resisting the urge to smile. The battlefield was not someplace for such foolery, it would just get them killed. Her mind was taken off it by the massive horde of tank and grappler-class BETA ahead, one they need to cut through. The power of her F-15C was made to bear as all four guns fired, the initial shock of combat fading to allow her shot to hit to constantly connect and litter the ground with bits of BETA. The heavy rounds would be saved for the laser-class, they would taste her rage.
Oso,
Fetzen,
CitrusArms,
adncod,
princess,
The Otter,
SilverSpring,
Not a Sayan,
ppppppp,
Luluna
