Reylan's silver eyes flashed constantly from one party member to the next, observing the damage they did and the amount they took. Chari had left him stunned a little with her bold move to jump onto the White Wolf's back. With the help of Alisea and Karma, they had contained the largest threat on the battlefield "Finish it off, Chari!" The order was less to Chari and more to the others, to let them know that the kill was hers. His vision turned to Paralyze and Polak, the newest members of the Legion of the Wolf. What Reylan witnessed Paralyze doing was enough to drive a small sense of fear into the guild-master. His actions were beyond what was necessary to eliminate his target, and the sinister smile he had while he did it...the sight sent a chill down his spine. This wasn't the time to focus on him alone, this fight was quite finished yet "Polak, finish off Wolf 6!" Once again this was more an announcement to the others "Aster and Dirk, take out the two wolves with Paralyze!" Dirk had hardly been scratched, making Reylan more keen to rely on his defense in the future. Both Karma and Alisea had make the right choice with their spells on the white wolf "Karma, Dub, and Alisea hold your fire! Everyone regroup on me when the last wolf is dead!" He ordered out
The creatures were their enemies and simply elaborate constructs of code, so why did Reylan feel a bit disturbed by Paralyze's actions? He shook it off, Paralyze'd had at least proven his effectiveness and as long as he listened to Reylan's orders in battle there would be no problem. He would wait until the rest of the party had finished with combat and joined him before announcing their next plan of action "Great work out there everyone! This was a awesome first victory for the Legion of the Wolf but there's much more to do." Reylan smiled wide with cheer in his voice, then his face slowly molded into a more serious expression "Alright. This dungeon is not the same as when we first came here, that much is fact. Whether it's our level or the number of people in the party, I don't know for sure. I do want to avoid any unnecessary surprises in areas we haven't been to." They had been to Area B before, so it shouldn't be too much to handle if something pops up "Chari." He turned towards her "I would like you to go to Area C and scout it out. If you run into trouble, meet back up with us alright?" He didn't like the idea of splitting the party but a little information could help him out majorly "As for the rest of us, we'll be going to Area B like last time." There may be more treasure if they were lucky.
____________________________ Summary: - Lets the other party members clean up - Orders to Regroup on his position - Splits the party, Chari going to scout Area C while the rest go to Area B
After giving the treaty for Dirk and Karma to sign, Reylan informed them all once more of the dungeon raid they were going to be doing tomorrow. He advised them to all get some sleep and in the morning buy any last-minute supplies for the journey before meeting back at the in at 9 a.m. so they could get to the dungeon in a reasonable time. Once he gotten Dirk and Karma's signatures, he walked over to the booth with Dub, Totoro, and the new girl with the treaty in hand. He introduced himself to Chari then turned to Dub, the one person who seemed not so crazy about the guild idea "It looks our guild, Legion of the Wolf, is going to be offical. We're just missing one last important signature." He spoke hopefully, extending the treaty and the quill pen for Dub. This was a guild and not a dictatorship, Reylan might be leading but that didn't mean the opinions of those around him did not matter. In fact, they were all too valuable to the silver-haired archer "Chari, we'll be heading to a dungeon tomorrow if you want to come along. Meet us at the front gate of Genesis City at 9 a.m., perhaps you'd be willing to join the guild after fighting alongside us!" He enthusiastically smiled. If Dub wasn't willing to sign the treaty at the moment, he would understand but it wouldn't stop him from trying to convince him tomorrow. Reylan spoke his goodbyes to everyone there, and headed up to his room to relax and think about everything that's happened today.
As the door closed and locked behind, he un-equipped everything save for his pants and walked towards the end of the bed. He sprung up from the hard-wooden floor backwards onto the bed, the spring mattress bouncing his body back into the air before settling down as he sprawled out on the covers. The weight of sleep was heavy in his eyes but he couldn't fall asleep just yet. Silver eyes stared up at the un-decorated ceiling letting all of the unresolved thoughts of the day flood his mind, draping his fore-arm over his forehead. The morning sparring session taught him how difficult it was going to be to get the skill level necessary to excuse rapier use in combat. That got him thinking of Aster, outside of combat she was sweet, quiet, and her shyness could be quite cute at times but once she drew that sword...it was like a lioness emerged along with it. Of course one couldn't picture Aster without Alisea, the two had formed a fast and unbelievably strong friendship already...in that regard he was a little jealous. Alisea was fearless, smart, and downright intimidating at times perhaps as a result of the previous two attributes. Secretly he admired those qualities of her.
Paralyze and Polak seemed to automatically assume they were a couple when she grabbed ahold of his arm, an action he was still unsure how to take but for now decided to ignore. Now he thought about his other teammates: Dub, Dirk, and Karma. Dub was the kind of guy Reylan hoped to become particularly good friends with, his humor and cleverness brought a lightness to almost every conversation. Dirk was like a paragon out of a story with a unyielding will to protect others above all else, the perfect mindset for a tank. Karma was an all-around good and enjoyable guy to have around but he sometimes said the wrong things at the wrong times. He hoped that he and Dub would be able to reconcile. For good or ill, they were all joined under the Legion of the Wolf and would have to look out for each other. A long, drawn out yawn told him that he should probably just go to sleep and think about all this tomorrow with a clearer head. With a bit of maneuvering, he slipped under the covers and drifted off to sleep.
Faster. Faster. Run Faster. Don't Stop Moving.
His mouth gasped for air as he ran without stopping, stepping over fallen logs as he darted through a dark forest with a fog-like mist along the ground. A dark figure was hunting him, using the shadows of the night to conceal themselves. Frantically he looked around as the sounds of twigs snapping and fast footsteps seemed to come all around him. Desperately he tried to open his menu and get of his bow, but it would not should up no matter how many times he tried. A knife barely missed his head right in front of him, lodging into a tree as he passed. His legs were already numb for how long and fast he was running, his heart and lungs overclocked just to keep him ahead of whatever wanted his blood. Terror wracked his mind against this unknown chaser, he didn't now why he was running from it but only that he must. The darkness disguised an exposed root which caught his foot, and he slammed into the coarse dirt. There was not even enough time to pick himself up before a black wolf cloaked in shadows tore into his calf, and then another bite down on his wrist. In moments, a pack of these shadow wolves were tearing into him amidst his increasingly desperate cries of help. The hooded figure he had spotted earlier came into view, shadows disguising the face as it looked down at him "Please..." Reylan mouthed the words. Scarred hands rose from the hooded figure, in one hand a hand-held crossbow, and pulled back the hood and the shadows along with it. Underneath that hood was Reylan, a cold death-glare in his eyes as he aimed the crossbow to the one being ripped apart. With an electronic 'ping', the bolt released and sunk deep into Reylan's forehead, his silver eyes frozen wide as everything faded to black...
6:00 A.M. - Day 5
Reylan jolted up straight breathing heavily as he took in his surroundings, the safety and familiarity of his room calming him down from a very vivid dream. Both hands pressed against his face and pulled it downwards as he let out a small groan, wiping the sleep from his eyes. The covers were twisted all over the place but what caught his attention was the small notification he spotted, a PM at this hour? He pulled up the time...6:10 in the morning? That explained why that crossbow made such a strange sound. He opened the message, eyes half-open:
Good morning, Mister Guildmaster! Don't forget we have a date this morning! Meet me downstairs for breakfast--my treat if you can be here in five minutes.
A date this early? The cogs in his brain finally awoke and with it his eyes opening fully. He didn't remember anything about a date but he did recall Alisea saying she would accompany him to the guild-hall. Against his desire to return to bed, Reylan got up and equipped his clothes and gear and made his way downstairs within the time-frame she gave. The adrenaline was still flowing through his body from that vicious nightmare so it offset his tiredness a bit. Even though he knew she had done it just to tease him, calling this a date had still made him just the tiniest bit nervous. His body was still recovering from waking up as he approached Alisea "Good morning Alisea, I didn't expect you to be up so early.." It was mostly a friendly greeting, but with a bit of disguised complaining along with it
"Hm? Is that so?" Alisea smiled and took up a space beside Reylan, grabbing his right arm with her left and guiding him toward the exit. "But I did not expect a leader of adventurers to sleep in so late. The sun is already out, you know."
Reylan looked suspiciously at her for that reply, only to have his arm surrendered to her once more. He felt nervous just like the night but did his best to hide it, she wouldn't get the best of him this time "Late? It's not even seven yet! I should be in bed for another hour at least, regardless of the sun." His eyes had to squint a little as they left the in at the brightness until his eyes adjusted. Regardless, he was awake now finally feeling free of that terrifying visage of his nightmare"So about that breakfast?" He asked hopefully, it would save him what little renn he has left.
"Are you hungry, Mister?" Alisea teased. "I doubt any diners are open right now, though. Not this early. We may have to turn in the paperwork first, and then eat afterward."
The muscles in his shoulders tightened at the tease, getting called Mister by Alisea made him uncomfortable. He knew that she was teasing him but it was difficult not to have that immediate reaction. There was the option of retaliating, but it could very well backfire "Then let's head to the Town hall, after the treaty is handed in surely something will be open." Alisea also made it difficult by teasing first then saying some reasonable afterwards. He shook his head with a small, nervous laugh at the situation, this was almost exactly a date. A morning stroll with arms connected and breakfast for two later? Reason told him otherwise of course, Alisea just liked to mess with him he'd learned so far
Alisea let some moments and a few streets pass in what was (for her) a comfortable silence. She smiled the entire time--not at Reylan, or anything else he could see, but she smiled. It was a peaceful look, not edged as it had been when she offered him the rapier. "You have been awfully accepting of this. Do you like me hanging on your arm?" she asked at length, her eyes surveying the quiet streets slowly coming to life.
Remarkably Reylan's heartbeat slowed down nearly to normal, perhaps thanks to the peaceful silence, as the two made their way through the city. Reylan only glanced at Alisea for moments along with other scenery, but took notice of the relaxed smile she had. When Alisea asked her question, his reaction wasn't for his whole body to jump but instead he simply looked forward as to limit his anxiety at the query "I didn't think I had a choice. It's not the worse thing I guess.." He did his best to tease her back. In the period of silence, Reylan decided to take this whole situation as a sign they were getting closer as friends, it wasn't like they were holding hands.
"This is Talrae, Reylan. You always have a choice." As she spoke, Alisea looked up at the sky. Her crystal blue eyes sparkled in the early light, viewing something far beyond what was physically there. Then it passed, her eyes turned back to the road ahead, and the magess made no move to explain her words any further.
Silence once again fell between them. Choice? Before Talrae, Reylan had let life make most of the choices for him and simply went with the flow of things. He had already made the choice to become guild-master but that was just the beginning. Deep inside he understood that many more choices were to made before Talrae was won and they were released. They arrived at the town hall rather quickly after that, the meeting with the guild registrar went rather smoothly and he was given a few books on operating a guild. Their treaty was stamped with a mark that stated it was approved, a unknown source of pride soared inside him. It was official now, Reylan was the guild-master of the Legion of the Wolf and he couldn't be more excited.
Afterwards, He went with Alisea to a bakery to buy some breakfast. The baker had mistakenly called them a couple, which Reylan nervously corrected, as he handed them two plates of hotcakes. Reylan spoke up as they ate a table "Alisea, I would like to make you the guild's vice-commander. You're someone I can trust to keep on top of things and of course, keep me line." He grinned, speaking those last three words as a semi-joke.
For what may have been the first time, Alisea looked surprised by Reylan's words. Then came a flash of hesitancy before finally she brought her expression back to neutral. Turning her eyes down to the center of the table, then choosing to simply shut them altogether, Alisea remained silent as she thought."I can do that," she answered at last. "But only if the rest of the guild approves," she added.
Reylan figured the silence was Alisea seriously considering the offer, she wasn't one to take matters lightly "Of course, I'll ask for everyone's opinion after the dungeon. I know at least one other person who'll have your back." He smiled referring to their swords-woman of course. They'd seemed to have each others backs no matter what, of which Reylan envied a little.
Alisea nodded her assent and began to eat. "These are nice," she commented after pair of bites. "I wonder... if I can have these for dinner as well." She glanced up at Reylan with a small, mischievous glint in her eye, then turned to wave over the baker as he passed nearby and order another plate. She continued to eat as she waited; then out of nowhere turned up to Reylan and asked, "So what was the picture you gave Aster? Was it like the flower you were sketching last night?"
He followed after Alisea, nodding as he chewed a piece in his mouth "Hey, if that's what you really want.." Reylan looked up only to see her look at him in that frightening way. He went back to eating for awhile and then quickly swallowed his next bite "Um, well not exactly. I, uh, painted her a portrait of herself. It's more like one of these." He opened up his inventory as retrieved on of the other paintings he did and held the ends with the scene towards Alisea "I wanted to thank her for sparring with me and I suppose I got a little inspired." he casually claimed.
"Hm." And that was all the magess had to say on the matter--aloud. She went into another bout of pondering, her eyes staring through the hotcakes as she ate. Soon the baker came back with a fresh plate, his appearance enough to bring Alisea back to the present so she could thank him. "Now. Shall we investigate a little more about how the inventory works?" Alisea asked the archer rhetorically. She reached out to the new plate and set her left hand atop the warm meal. And waited.
Alisea lack of a reply troubled him, there was no telling what she was thinking not that he was inclined to find out. Reylan was a fast eater so he had nearly finished when Alisea received her second round. Reylan watched with some intrigue as nothing seemed to happen "Are you sure you're not trying to absorb their power or something?" The sight was almost comical.
"Not yet," was her cryptic response. A few moments more passed without noticable effect. Alisea's smile was slowly turning down as she watched the cakes. "It should be working, but it doesn't feel cold," she muttered. The magess gripped the edge of the top cake, intending to carefully lift the flimsy food; to her surprise, it lifted like a hockey puck, hard clear through. She stared at it for some moments until a flash of understanding lit her eyes. "Reylan, is this cold?" she asked, tossing him the frozen hotcake and reaching for the next.
The hotcake came at him like a Frisbee and he caught it dexterously just in time, his eyes widened at its temperature. It was like a hotcake icicle "Yeah, its freezing. What did you just do?" He asked curiously with mild amazement, never-minding the fact she just threw food at him.
"I froze it. That was the third level ice spell. I think I could only feel warmth because I was pulling the heat out," Alisea explained. Sure enough, the remaining hotcakes were stiff, though not as frozen as the first. Alisea picked up the rest of the stack to hold, continuing to let it freeze. "This was spur-of-the-moment, but I had the thought that, if I froze these, they might stay frozen while in my inventory. It would be like having a refrigerator or a freezer." Confident they were cold enough to be preserved for the day, Alisea willed the spell to stop. The frostiness immediately began nipping at her bare palms, so she quickly stored the frozen food away. "Of course, the other possibility is that they thaw even in my inventory and I am left with soggy hotcakes. We can find out tonight."
Reylan knocked the solid hotcake on the table as she explained what she did, the sound a loud thud "Looks like magic can be pretty useful outside of combat." He replied tossing her back the frozen disc, watching as she did the same to the rest. If they stayed frozen, it would be a useful way of transporting food out into the field "I am eager to see the results of this little experiment. We should probably finish up here and perhaps hit the shops quick if you need anything, I might be able to find a buyer for my paintings while you get supplies." Reylan couldn't afford any more equipment at the moment, so it was pointless for him to shop.
"Alright. Lead the way, Mister artist. You should be able to find a good buyer for work so splendid; that was far too practiced to have been just the skill system's influence." As she spoke Alisea stood. Before they left, she waved a cheerful farewell to the wonderful baker who had been so helpful. "See you later, Mr. Josef! Thank you again!"
Reylan was starting to really dislike the word Mister, knowing the connotation Alisea was applying with it just to torment him. He instead decided to ignore it and focus on what she said afterwards "I hope so, I have been praticing my artistic skills for a few years now before this game." As Alisea thanked the baker, Reylan was painfully reminded that today his art was to be featured in a low-key art gallery in the real world. A semblance of remorse filled his normally cheery features as they left the bakery, before adopted a more neutral outlook, as they went on their way to the market
While Alisea went to go buy whatever she needed, Reylan went to any shops that seemed like they would be interested in buying his art and did his best to bargain for the best price possible not willing to accept anything less than one gold. After meeting back up with Alisea, they went back to the inn to meet up with others to head out towards the dungeon. The morning trip had been an...great experience he had to admit, Alisea wasn't too bad of company...when she wasn't teasing him of course. Once at the inn, He did a head-check of everyone who was supposed to be coming along. There was still no sign of Fortuna so he figured she must have changed her mind. After making sure everyone was good to go, he led his new guild to the dungeon they had left unfinished along with Chari.
The trek to the dungeon was less ardous than the first time and he felt confident about their odds of clearing it this time. They were higher level, had new people with them, and were better prepared for the dangers within. In preparation, Reylan went over multiple scenarios trying to take in consideration all of his teammates abilities he had seen beforehand. Polak, while a trainer, had plate armor and a large HP pool which made him viable for the the front of their formation. Chari had less health but he was sure she could maneuver around targets, especially if they were distracted. Paralyze was a definite and needed addition to their melee ranks, he had not seen a marauder in combat yet. He disliked sending people in danger so he would be paying extra attention to those in close-range combat.
His mind quickly took stock of the situation, there six small wolves and one big one. It was almost as if the game had accounted for their return and decided to kick things off with a bang. Reyland smirked at Dub's comment, Totoro was the one doing the hard work he humorously thought before nodding at his recommendation to attack. It was time to give his orders out, the wolves were out in front so first was to form an offensive line "The small wolves are 1 through 6 starting with the left! Dirk, intercept wolves 2, 3, and 4 in the center. Aster, kill wolf 1 then move to help Dirk. Paralyze and Polak, you two have wolves 5 and 6! After that, go after the white wolf! Chari, get in the white wolf's blindside and hit it hard!" As he shouted these order across the battefield, he loaded an arrow from his quiver but he wasn't finished just yet "Alisea, focus fire on the white wolf and use ice to slow it down! Keep your eyes on those health bars Karma and don't let anyone go below half! Fire a spell at the white wolf but don't use too much mana! Keep Totoro on the smaller wolves Dub and just keep it up!"
Now it was time for Reylan to contribute to the attack, he drew back the bowstring and aimed at the White Wolf and released a power shot intended for its chest area. His body tenses prepared to move at any given sign one of the wolves would be coming for him, just because they had the advantage didn't mean he could let his guard down nor take this lightly. A second arrow was retrieved from his quiver and he took aim at the wolf designated #1 and fired once again, hoping to clear up Aster's target so she could help clean up Dirk's assigned wolves. Some fancy new actions would surely have been helpful but there was no use thinking about that now, he would just have to stick with what's worked so far. He was too busy keeping track of everyone progress to worry about do more than what he already done.
___________________________________________ Summary: Before Dungeon: -Handed in Guild Treaty -Sold Art in Market At Dungeon: -Delivered orders to Team-mates -Loaded and fired a Power-shot at the White-Wolf -Loaded a second arrow and fired at Hill Wolf 1
________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Reylan turned his attention to Karma as their healer announced himself, he was glad that he showed up. That meant he wouldn't have to spend more time waiting for one of their crucial members "Yo!" he casually replied to Karma. After hearing him mixed up the two words, then the growling of his stomach...something told him he wasn't kidding about forgetting to eat "The treaty is there in front of Dirk and once he signs it, you can go ahead and read it and then sign it yourself. But first, get something to eat man." He advised shaking his head with a small grin "I at least hope you made some decent Renn." If he had forgotten to eat, surely that meant he made some serious dough today.
With his head turned in the direction of the entrance, he spotted Chari arrive like she was a regular and order two beers and immediately down the one. This wouldn't have grabbed his attention if not for the fact she walked boldly and simply began to chat, seemingly without reservation. They seemed to be getting along so that meant a possible recruit when he walked over to try and get Dub to sign the treaty. His attention turned to Aster as she got up to leave and then surprised him as she gave the new girl a bit of attitude "Yeah see you later Aster!" He tried to respond normally, though he couldn't help but think that was strange coming from Aster. It was possible that she simply had a long day and was exhausted from all the talking going on, at least he hoped so.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Reylan smiled at her thanks "I just thought it was the least I could do." He modestly said as the others began to sign the treaty. The thumbs up from Paralyze went unnoticed underneath the table, but even if Reylan did spot it he would have not understood its meaning. He jumped a little when she summoned it out into the open for everyone to see. Aster's reaction came totally unexpected for him, did she really think it was that good? A certain lightness flowed through his body, if it made her that happy then he was proud it accomplished that even if he didn't think he deserved such praise "I'm honored you think so much of it. That just means those couple hours were worth it." His eyes watched as she signed the treaty, the signature was pretty he thought.
A small look of confusion dawned on his face, was he forgetting something? Alisea then made it clear what that was "Of course!" he nervously replied, after getting lost in his painting he forgotten to sign the document himself. His signature was nothing great, but it was there. His head turned as Alisea rose from her chair, his gaze shifting towards Dub's position and the large, white rabbit at he was made aware of his presence. "A-alright, I'll get them to sign it once I see them. See you tomorrow then!" He didn't think he could go against those kind of orders, not that he wanted to. After a few moments, she was gone and he was left with the task he'd been given.
He rose up out of his chair "I guess we're all done here if you want to go do whatever you want." Reylan casually stated, letting them move out if they decided to before heading over to Dirk with a smile and the treaty in hand "Hey Dirk, I got the treaty if you want to sign it!" He stood next to his table, laying the paper down and bringing the ink and quill over "The Legion of the Wolf couldn't go on without our trusty paladin." He lightheartedly spoke, though it was honest through and through. Everyone was needed, no one was expendable. He sincerely hoped Dub wouldn't walk away while he was doing this, otherwise he'd have to yell for him. A few people had yet to even show up.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________ For reasons he didn't quite understand, Aster catching Alisea latched onto his arm made him panic a little. What did Aster think seeing them like this? "Y-yes of course!" He spoke out to her smiling, managing just barely to regain his composure. His spare hand reached behind his neck, rubbing gently, as he let out small chuckle "It's fine, I knew you must have had your reasons! As for the paperwork, I got it right here." The free hand slipped back down from his neck and retrieved the guild treaty, laying it done neatly on the table. In all this commotion, he had failed to see Dub walk in. Karma, Dirk, Fortuna, Kven, and Sven were not here either and as much as he wanted them all to sign it together, he didn't see a problem with doing it now.
Alisea still had control of his arm as Paralyze spoke, he had figured she would have done more to tease him but instead she seemed to be lost in thought. For now, he would simply accept the position he was in "A potential ally should never be turned away." Reylan said with assurance. Perhaps he was a bit naive for thinking so, but he firmly believed it. The weight of Alisea's grasp on his arm lifted, his eyes glancing towards her briefly expecting her to say some sort of clever remark. Instead, she addressed the signing of the treaty instead following the current conversation leaving Reylan confused. The soon-to-be guildmaster had no choice but to let the feeling go.
Reylan smiled happily at the question, he had been excited to reveal the name he had chosen "We will be known as the Legion of the Wolf!" These words he spoke with confidence, an eager glint in his silver eyes. He placed the ink and quill he had been using next to the treaty for the others to use "If you are all ready, write your signatures on the blank page." The top document was shifted out of the way to reveal the paper he spoke of. While he waited for everyone to sign it, he decided to give Aster her gift "Oh Aster! I realize after we sparred you probably didn't get much out of it..so I decided to make you something!" If he had only gotten one skill point, she must have not gotten any. In his eyes, it was the least he could do for taking up her time. A quick few hand-motions through his menu and he sent the portrait over to her, the item's description reading [Custom Artwork], and hoped that she would accept it.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Despite Alisea saying not to worry about all that stuff she talked about, Reylan began to do exactly that. Luckily, or perhaps unluckily, Paralyze walked towards their table. He was glad to see the man from this morning approach them, hoping that he was inclined to sign the guild treaty. His little corner of the inn was suddenly becoming more and more crowded, not that minded all that much. "Yeah, just take a seat!" Reylan returned a smile and seemed to ignore the fact he and Alisea were just called Mr. and Mrs. despite not being anywhere close to being married.
A small chuckle left his lungs as Polak joined them "Yeah we met this morning, I guess you two know each then?" He had taken Alisea moving her seat closer to him as simply making room, not understanding her sinister intentions "Wait, what?!?" Surprise filled his voice as Alisea called him her Mister, he was quite unaware that he was such a thing. Before he knew it, she had leaned on him while taking control of his one arm. A faint amount of color found its place on his cheeks and his heart pounded "Um..would you mind releasing my arm?" He asking politely, his voice quiet as to hide his nervousness which it did not. Alisea was definitely messing with him, and it was working.
Fetzen
CitrusArms
princess
The Otter
SilverSpring
Not a Sayan
Oso
Luluna
