Hero

Pariah Online: A Voyage into the Intangible Aether

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"Okay." Kazuki replied to...whatever Kalie said. This was the first time he had gotten crap from someone for not knowing new content, but he supposed it fit in line with the 'asshole' personality trait. At least he wasn't the only one who hadn't done their research on others--one look at his setup and it would be obvious he was a wind mage.

Instead he gave his attention to Seele, nodding. He had heard the game had a way of letting people come up with some real creative spells, and it looked like Seele was going to be entertaining to play aside. Chains, huh? He wouldn't know how to apply that to a fight, especially since she was a buff and debuff specialist apparently, but he actually liked to see that sort of creativity. Maybe he should have asked what other sort of things she could do. He only really had a general shield, but it was big and stationary. Still, he felt the two of them could figure things out as they went along.

As Benkei asked him about the torch, Kazuki gave him a nod as well. "Yeah. It'll be fine," Holding the torch was going to get old really quickly, but he could do it without issue. His tome was miniscule compared to most and easily held with one hand. He double checked that he could hold both easily, knowing that as soon as he started his incantation, it would open to the appropriate page. At the mention of questions, Kazuki shook his head. Strangely enough, he actually felt ready.

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Pariah Online: A Voyage into the Intangible Aether

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At least this time around things were interesting.

While there was the smallest sense of satisfaction to the dismissal he received from Rael, Kazuki was content to blend into the background. He'd be the first to admit he never really paid too much attention to strategies and studying party compositions; that wasn't to say he didn't know his own job (as Kazuma had repeatedly hammered it into his head that he at minimum really needed to know and develop his own spells) but he wasn't really savvy about what anyone else did. As far as he was concerned, so long as other people knew what they were doing and what they needed, he didn't need to know much more than that.

The departure from the other half of the raid was uneventful, though he could already hear boasts of victory from them and Kazuma's grumbling of 'we should have beat them to the finish line'. Oh well, it wasn't a race, and Kazuma really needed to stop taking things so seriously. Speaking of which, he wondered why the group was getting so freaked out by the dungeon. Weren't they always gloomy and foreboding? The smell was new, yeah, but otherwise everything looked the same to him. He figured maybe it was because they were all more experienced and could tell this dungeon might end up tougher than the others.

He didn't dwell on it long, especially after his fellow backline caster struck up a conversation. Seele seemed to know what she was doing, although he didn't entirely understand what she was asking. Oh, because her buffs could help? The few buffs he knew himself usually healed, though he did know one protection buff. Other than that, he figured it was best following her lead. He was glad Alex would be watching over him, though--it was easier to heal when he didn't have to constantly defend himself. He briefly heard something about light, but he hadn't been paying attention fully--he figured they needed his torch or something.

"It'll be my first time healing a new dungeon on my own," Kazuki admitted, rummaging through his bag. "But what you said sounds good. I'll be relying on both of you."

Pulling out the torch from his bag, he figured he should probably take advantage of the lit scones. Figuring they were early enough in the dungeon that it was safe to go ahead, Kazuki walked to the first lit scone in sight, popping out the torch inside and holding his to it until it began to light up. Placing the original back in its place, he gently blew onto the flame, holding it out as the flames got bigger.

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Of Blood and Magic

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Lilie wasn't really surprised Max declined, but she was surprised Salem did. Aside from Aaron, she thought Salem would be used to going to parties. But if he didn't want to, she wasn't going to push him, and they could hangout anytime anyway. Maybe it was for the better--that way she could spend more time with Aaron. No, that was mean, it wasn't for the better...but she wasn't going to deny it was convenient. But they'd be in a group setting so it didn't matter. Then again, the Revel had been a group setting, too.

Realizing her thoughts were scattered, she hummed to herself as Maddie made her comment, shaking her head lightly. It was wonderful, but she felt like she was getting ahead of herself. However, she frowned a little towards the end, confused. Aaron had mentioned he was busier than usual, but the way Maddie talked about it struck her as weird. How did she know about that? Well no, maybe he mentioned it to her? That wasn't weird, they seemed to get along. Or maybe she just meant being a Sinnenodel mage in general.

Before she could ask, Aaron returned to make an announcement. Her eyes widened at his expression--he looked like he had just been through the ringer! But he was gone for what, ten minutes? What could have happened in that time? Speaking of that, it was also time to go--so there really wasn't going to be any chance to ask what happened since he was in full butler mode again.

But she honestly couldn't stop herself, already standing up. "Are you okay?" She asked him, concerned.

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Pariah Online: A Voyage into the Intangible Aether

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Well, there was definitely one person that worried him more than Graves and Rael. The Augustine chick radiated the same energy a lot of his high school's mean girls' clique, and Kazuki immediately made a note to steer clear. Anyone that would willingly roleplay an asshole was usually bad news, anyway. Did that mean they now had three problem players? Well, he was sure Kazuma could handle it.

At the very least someone else demanded his attention right now: the red head saying things he understood in his native language. He still didn't know how the whole language thing worked, but anytime he found his fellow countrymen, it was always a nice surprise. It was also a good heads up to let him know Kazuma couldn't just scold him in Japanese without drawing more attention than usual. However, even that wasn't important: what was important was that Kazuki was presented with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, something that only ever happened once in a blue moon, like a shooting star, or a bully getting their comeuppance.

Outwardly, Kazuki wasn't any different than usual, though he did take a few steps to get as close to Rael as he could. Leaning in close, he made sure that she was the only one that could hear what he was saying: "はじめまして、ラエルちゃん." Even if he wasn't one hundred percent certain of its effectiveness, he was sure of one thing for sure: this was definitely going to do something.

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Pariah Online: A Voyage into the Intangible Aether

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Group B with Benkei in charge. Welp, he was going to have a field day and stress himself out so much he was gonna give himself an aneurysm. And of course they were stuck with the Dynamic Duo. This could get tricky on butting heads and clashing personalities alone, let alone whatever new stuff is happening. It was just a disaster waiting to happen, wasn't it? He supposed he should be ready to support his brother, but would that make things worse? Obviously he wouldn't be here if it wasn't for Kazuma, but maybe the group would see it as nepotism. Or worse, Kazuma would see it as Kazuki trying to show him up. How troublesome...

Kazuki finished up organizing everything he needed to, glad to hear that they were finally starting things up. One by one, the party members started to assemble, though he was a little disappointed that Priscilica left so quickly. He did give her a small wave before turning to the first one that had showed up. It wasn't often that he got to party up with a support caster, though it meant he was going to have to take care of all the healing. He could already feel Benkei's lecture incoming, much to his dismay.

Still, he offered Seele a small wave back, figuring he may as well introduce himself. "Kazuki. Healer. Nice to meet you," He didn't have much to say yet, but he figured that was as good a start as any.

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Of Blood and Magic

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Eris was so sure no one would hate Benson more than he did, but boy oh boy was Countess Marivaldi absolutely wringing the Eve. He was going to have an absolute field day tomorrow, there was so much to choose from he really considered just letting the rumors fly en masse. Honestly, he couldn't decide whose expression was his favorite, whether it was the Countess doing some weird mixture of pity and a sad attempt and anger, or the pure befuddlement from the count.

And then the other count whose existence he had nearly forgotten decided to pile onto it. He needed some sort of translator for this guy, he never understood a word he said nor did he understand his intentions. Well, that wasn't entirely true, he had a sneaking suspicion that Count Astorio had one thing in common with the countess: neither one of them could socialize their way out of a paper bag. It was actually fascinating to watch two polar opposites completely miss the tone of the room and make such pathetic efforts that if it wasn't for the fact that Varis had organized this, he would've honestly believed it was amateur hour. Count Salazar had his work cut out for him, and as for the Astorio...well, it was a good thing no one looked at him expecting to socialize.

The blond had to trace the rim of his cup, doing his damnest not to roll off his chair laughing. It was incredible in the absolute worst way, no matter how much Wells bitched at the pointlessness of the night, it had all been worth it to watch the absolute disaster of a conversation. The only thing that could top the night was a juicy secret revealed, but that wasn't happening. After getting better control of his clearly audible chuckling, Eris let himself indulge in the cup. Wow, Sunny tasted better than expected. Eris raised his eyebrows as he stopped drinking to look at the glass, letting out a small 'hmm' of approval and deciding to polish off the glass. Best of the night, clearly, though he couldn't help but muse the albino was a close second, if only because he had basically forgotten what the others were.

"Probably for the better; I don't think Plant Boy can top this," Eris outright told the table as he put his empty glass down. Yeah, yeah, he already knew Varis didn't want him defending the kid, but whatever, it was the truth.

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Pariah Online: A Voyage into the Intangible Aether

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The only community Kazuki was involved in was the artisan community--and even then he was only active there because of his smithery. Other than that, none of the names Kazuma rattled off rung any bells, except maybe the Enos one considering anytime his name came up in a conversation it was usually followed by a comment stating that he should study him. It wasn't that Kazuki never did, but there was something about the way the guy played that didn't really match up with how Kazuki wanted to play. Enos was fine, yeah, but Kazuki felt like if he played the way this guy did he'd end up messing up or something.

But again, Kazuki kept his thoughts to himself. At hearing Kazuma compare himself to another tank, however, Kazuki couldn't help his concern. He was brushed off as usual, but he felt like he should say something. Then again, it'd likely lead to another argument, and even if Kazuki couldn't care less how people saw him, clearly Kazuma had some sort of reputation, so it wouldn't do to cause any unneeded tension.

"Okay," was all Kazuki offered, bringing up his inventory and focusing on that for a moment instead.

The silence didn't linger long as someone joined them, but what surprised Kazuki was that they looked familiar. Wow, he actually recognized someone, Kazuma would be proud. She confirmed her name as much, and after a brief realization that this was the one Kazuma mentioned earlier, gave her a small nod. Not like he had anything of value to add to the conversation. He did, however, decide to double check his inventory at her suggestion.

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①⑨⑥⑧

S T A R F I R E

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What is insurance?

It was strange that the first question that came to mind for Koriand'r was the mention of it. It seemed the idioms of this planet still left some holes in translation, although the blue one made it clear that this was not his home. Good, she now had a clear conscience and was no longer concerned at potentially damage property belonging to a (now) friendly face. More importantly, she was more than glad to hear he would help her! Until he decided to put on his shell once again. Even he seemed surprised; perhaps he too was an adolescent of this world still learning what he could and could not do. This planet started late on honing their natural abilities, it seemed.

What really got her curious, however, was that now that she could understand what he was saying, she noticed that he talked to himself a lot. Perhaps vocalizing their thoughts was a common practice here, but that would mean any potential enemies would be able to use that information to turn it against them. It could be some code of honor for them?

Koriand'r watched him with mild amusement (and a touch of confusion), though she was very interested in how his arm had morphed. Fascinating, he could change the shape of his shell on a whim! And into a weapon to boot! She definitely approved, albeit she was just a little worried at the mention of a threat. She should have figured the Psions would follow her here, but she had no intentions of going back peacefully. Just the thought was enough to put her on edge, immediately clenching her fists as she looked around for them.

But there weren't any Gordanians in the sky, instead one sole person clad in green. She found it very interesting that the people on this planet had an affinity for one color each. Still, a threat was a threat, and Koriand'r was more than eager to fight if need be. The symbol on his chest looked vaguely familiar, but it wasn't until the man spoke that it clicked in her mind. It was a long time ago, but she definitely knew that he did not belong. It was possible that things have changed during her imprisonment, but she was certain that news would have reached the Citadel immediately.

"I believe it is you that cannot 'park there'," Koriand'r told the newcomer. "The Green Lantern Corps is expressly forbidden from entering the Vega star system. What business have you here?"

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_{@Asura@DocTachyon}

Pariah Online: A Voyage into the Intangible Aether

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New content. Raid. Parasites--no, that had nothing to do with what he was talking about. More people were pouring in, and by the sounds of it, making some noise. For whatever reason the game had a tendency to attract the kind of people that were better off getting some anger management. Not that it surprised him; if they couldn't get what they needed from reality, obviously they would turn to fantasy to fulfill their wishes. The game had a way of stirring competitiveness, too, which he was sure didn't help things. Ultimately, however, it wasn't any of his business nor did he really care, so he ignored it for the most part.

Kazuki stared at Kazuma as he spoke, not really getting any of it but nodding to avoid another lecture. He supposed he didn't have much else to do since he had finished his previous commissions, but something about dungeons really bothered Kazuki. The try-hards were usually up his ass and the randoms they got grouped with were annoying as all hell, and the times Kazuma ended up getting into fights with them never went well.

At his last comment, Kazuki realized he was right--he could see a little of the fight with some short red haired girl and a bulky samurai. He really hoped neither of the pair ended up in their party, but with his luck, they'd end up with at least one of them. If he had to choose, the samurai seemed like the lesser of two evils; that chick was giving him the worst warning flags and he had a tendency to anger her type by doing nothing, so he would rather avoid the trouble.

"Here's hoping for a conflict-free party," He indulged Kazuma's comment with one of his own, even if he was acutely aware any conflict he'd be dealing with would be from Kazuma-Benkei. "Things should start before we end up losing members, though..."

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Pariah Online: A Voyage into the Intangible Aether

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The strum of the lute came naturally to Kazuki, the hum on his lips leading to a quaint melody. It was a small song and dance, but one that had drawn in the attention of nearly everyone on the road. In hindsight, perhaps he should have had more appropriate clothing, but as always it was less about what he looked like and more about the results. It was an old folk song, one of the first he had ever learned to play, but the difference between strumming keys and strumming strings were two completely different experiences. That said, the result was the same: music.

At the last note, there was a polite applause from the few that had stuck around to watch, finishing up as Kazuki came up from his bow. The sound of a few coins (or whatever the currency was called, he always forgot) entering his inventory nearly muted the tone indicating he had a message and took a second to fiddle around with the console. Whoops, he had definitely lost track of time. If it was up to him, he'd use all of his free time to perform--there was nothing like piecing together notes to pass the hours--but unfortunately the main focus of the game was dungeons and battle, which meant that he was usually dragged along whenever his brother called for him.

After mistakenly striking up a conversation with a nonplayer character and ending up at the wrong place, Kazuki had done as Benkei suggested and actually followed the waypoint. He was surprised to see a lot of people gathered already, openly looking around as he walked through the place. Was everyone here for the...what were they going to do? Explore? Scouting. Something, who knows. Eventually the familiar face stood out from the crowd, and Kazuki openly approached him.

"I'm here," Kazuki said as he tapped Benkei's shoulder, taking a look around. "It looks like I'm in time for...what are we doing here again?"

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