The beginning was very fuzzy. The most important thing was the Milk, which was associated with Mother and Warmth. As her perceptions developed alongside the size of her body, she took note of the loud squeaking, the crowded squirming heat and company of siblings, the steadily sharper vision of various coloured coats of fur, the strange and pungent but also familiar smell of Family and Mother, and the somewhat sweeter smell of her milk, which provided them all with nutrition. Though they were all well provided for, instinct drove them to struggle to be the one to feed first, the longest and from the best spot. Mother often had to prevent them from biting and scratching at each other too much, for they were vicious and base in their competition for survival, and perhaps just as importantly, to be the top of the pecking order among the brood of dire rat younglings.
The regaining of her memories and intelligence seemed sudden, though it most likely happened gradually and there simply existed a threshold when she became aware of the process. She knew she used to be Simone. She knew she died, and seemed to have existed in an eternity of confined whiteness. She remembered the self-proclaimed Demon King and his offer. And being here, being alive…well, apparently, he and his offer were the real deal. As she proceeded with her eating, sleeping and a more purposeful observation of her new environment, she pondered what to be called. Even if it ended being for her own sake only, she preferred to be Named. Eventually, she settled Asteria. Something from Earth’s mythology, something to serve as a keepsake alongside her soul if that’s what she could call it.
With her new awareness, she spent a day or so learning to better operate her body. Basic movements and perceptions. Walking, crawling, crouching. She examined her front paws and wondered if they would be sophisticated enough for any sort of tool use. She smelled the near and far away scents. From farther in the cave she sensed Strange, Foreign and something she just knew to be Predator. She did not appreciate the idea of being Prey for anyone, but if she wanted to change that, it would probably have to be on her own power.
All in all, if it weren’t for a rather peculiar sibling, who seemed to have already tried following Mother at least twice, Asteria might not have paid much attention to her fellow rat younglings whom she presumed to be lower life forms. However, she did have a building desire to explore and the idea of following their mother, obviously a competent Dire rat, was probably the better choice for now than striking it out on her own. And so, one day, when her female sibling somehow seemed more purposeful in tracking down their parent, Asteria followed after her. Ria’s seemingly greater innate speed allowed her to catch up to her sibling easily enough, and whether the latter would mind or not, she intended to get in on this expedition. If Mother allowed the pursuit and showed them around her hunting grounds, or whatever it was that she had, this could certainly prove to be a valuable experience.
Appearance: She is marginally smaller than the average dire rat and perhaps a tad faster for it. Her most notable characteristics are her soot grey coat of fur, her sharp and dangerous looking incisors, and her crystalline blue eyes. The shine of her coat almost makes her pretty. For a rat.
Goals: Explore this new world, amass Power, and climb up the proverbial sociobiological ladder.
Past Life: Born as Simone Raiford into an upper middle-class family with parents who had designs at more and an older brother Robert, who wouldn’t fulfil their expectations, Simone was groomed as a socialite. Although she did grow up to be an ambitious and gregarious woman, she always hated the pushiness and hypocrisy of her parents, who very much wanted to be considered nouveau riche even if it meant riding on the coat-tails of Simone and their own long-since eclipsed accomplishments.
Successful in school, she enrolled into a fairly prestigious law school and years of hard work got her into a position with enviable profits. Long since moved far away from her parents, the only thing she repaid their “generosity” with was a deposit the equivalent of the money they had spent raising her and a polite but firm letter not to attempt any further associations with her. Remembering her brother fondly, Simone tracked him down and found him in a rather sorry state as an impoverished artist and a bit of a druggie. Although he was understandably skeptical, she got him to accept her help and friendship, and – him being pretty much the only person she held genuine feelings of affection for – Simone remained in contact with him and kept him off the hard drugs at the very least.
Otherwise, she spent her life living in a luxurious flat, enjoying her job (how could screwing over opponents entirely lawfully and convincing everyone else you're right while at it not be amusing?) and her life. She had a lover with similar interests, a circle of people she went out with to various events and several hobbies to waste free time with. As fit and healthy of an individual as she was, she died quite early; in the beginning of her forties, due to indulging a vice of hers. She loved driving, dangerous roads or not, and speeding and racing were a thrill. She crashed and killed herself driving a beautiful beast of a motorcycle. Though she finds it a shame, she doesn’t particularly regret it.
Abilities:
Beast Senses III – a bundle skill applying to all physical senses. At rank 2: Passive sensory range increased. By actively focusing on one (1) sense, you can further increase that sense's sharpness. At rank 3: Senses are further sharpened. Passive senses are now equivalent to the enhanced sense of Rank II. Focusing on a single sense at a time will still enhance it, now to a level beyond that of Rank II. (Currently at 3.1).
Alert I - Though this skill is limited by the strength of your senses, and does not sharpen your senses on its own, it allows you to become more aware of your surroundings. Without conscious effort, you will pick up on signs in your environment more easily, especially if they present some form of danger to you. Essentially this is an anti-ambush skill. (Currently at 1.7).
Prehensile Tail (--) - Your tail has developed enough muscle and coordination that you can use it as if it were a fully functional limb--minus fingers and toes of course. Any stats, skills, items, spells, etc that could be used or applied by your limbs can, with a few exceptions, also be used by your tail.
Use Light Equipment (--) - The use of small tools, and lighter forms of armor, weaponry, and other items. --Due to your size and limbs as a Dire Rat, even some Small items may be too large or heavy for you to use effectively.--
Smash I - A Physical Skill that consumes Stamina instead of MP. One blunt type attack deals increased damage!
Slash I - Expend Stamina to increase the power of a Slashing physical attack.
Faster II - Your need for speed has granted you a perception that is used to the ground beneath your feet turning to a blur, and the feel of the wind through your hair. Your raw stats grant you slightly greater speed than normal. At rank 2: Further increase your base speed stats and movement rate. (Currently at 2.45).
Stronger II - You have grown stronger through tough training! Tear muscles down, and rebuild them anew! Your physical power stats have increased! By gaining at least one rank of Faster, Harder, and Better, Skill Synergy will occur and you will gain one rank of Physical Conditioning. At Rank 2: Further increase your base strength.
Monster Analysis II - Gain basic biological information about a monster by actively observing it. At rank 2: Gain more information about Monsters. Other analysis skills will further boost the information this skill provides, such as a creature’s capability with magic or its equipment. (Currently at 2.85).
Magic Analysis I - You may now analyze magical energies or objects to learn their most basic magical characteristics. Less effective on Materials and Monsters unless they are magical in nature. (Currently at 1.55).
Plant Analysis I - Basic field knowledge of botany. At this Rank, using this skill only grants you "generalized" information. (Currently at 1.7).
Dextrous II - Your practice with fine manipulation and using your forepaws, as well as the natural physical strength of a Dire Rat, has earned an unusual skill for your species! Your paws can now be used to manipulate small objects and tools, though you still aren’t strong enough yet to “wield” weapons or pick up very large things. RANK 2: Despite the limitations of your species, you have continued to develop skill and coordination in your digits! You can now manipulate small things, relative to your size, just as well as a human hand or comparable limb with opposable thumbs. Slightly larger objects can be manipulated the way small objects could at the previous rank, but only if you have high enough physical stats to do so. Learning Equipment skills with certain weapons or tools is now less difficult despite your species' limitations! (currently at 2.475)
Poison Resistance I - Take less damage from Poisonous spells or skills, and have a better chance to resist this particular status infliction. By gaining at least one rank of all other status resistances, Skill Synergy will occur and grant you one rank of Status Resistance. By gaining further ranks in this specific skill, you will gain a choice of Branch Skills related to it.
Crafting II - Your knowledge and understanding of mechanics, workmanship, and other such things enable you to craft better items. The process of creating regular sized items is still an unknown to you, and your current species doesn't support many smaller items, but if you ever succeed in such a creation its Sub-Stat Enhancements will be higher than normal. Currently you cannot use equipment, and attempting to craft it will be much more difficult. RANK 2: Crafting Complexity Increased. Stamina Requirement Decreased. (Currently at 2.25)
Muffle II - This skill grants you the ability to be just a little bit better at being stealthy, with a focus on reducing the sound of your movements. At Rank 2: You are now even more effective at remaining unseen passively. Activating this skill by using Stamina will noticeably reduce, but not eliminate, the sounds of your movement. (Currently at 2.15)
Suppress Presence I - Using your magical power, you subtly mask your presence from the senses of others around you. By comparison, it's a similar ability to those shy people who seem to disappear at the corner of the crowd's vision as they hover in the corner.
Mana Sense II - Though this sense is still limited by the strength of your other senses, and it still interpreted in some way similar to the other senses (seeing auras, smelling traits of elements, etc), it is now a full sense in and of itself--even if you are blinded or deafened by some circumstance, Mana Sense can be used. Touching an object or creature under the effect of magic, whether its own or from some other source, is no longer required to sense the presence of that magical effect so long as the target is within 5 feet of you. Touching the target will still grant a greater level of detail. (Currently at 2.35)
You have sharpened your mental and spiritual senses as well as your physical ones. By focusing upon a single creature or object, you will be able to sense its magical nature in some fashion. Different creatures may perceive this aura in different ways--some may see a colored aura, others may catch unique scents, etc. This is not an Analysis skill, though it may Synergize with some of them. The range of this skill is limited to that of your other physical senses, though in some cases a mana signature may become easier or more difficult to detect depending on factors such as strength, amount, etc. By touching an object or creature, even if they are somehow suppressing their magical power, you have a chance to learn whether or not magic is present. At this rank, you must activate this skill in order for it to take effect. While active it will consume MP.
Mana Drain I - You have experienced the flow of mana inside your own body, and felt the energy of other creatures being used upon you. Like siphoning water through a tube, this ability allows the user to draw the energies of others into themselves. By using Stamina, you will drain MP from an opponent and add it to your own. However, certain factors may come into play--you are not guaranteed to restore the exact same amount of MP that you drain. At this rank, in order to use this skill you must be touching the creature or object to be drained. While you are using this skill you cannot use any other spell or skill that is offensive in nature or requires complex movements. (Currently at 1.75).
Meditate I - By concentrating and calming oneself, increase the regeneration of Magic Power and Stamina. This skill cannot be used in battle. Any distractions in the environment will drastically decrease the effectiveness of this skill. This skill cannot be used in conjunction with other Active skills. (Currently at 1.05).
First Aid I - Skill in using Healing items such as herbs or bandages. Increase the amount of HP recovered by yourself or allies when consuming these items, so long as you properly apply your knowledge and experience. Does not apply to healing spells.
Minor Heal I - The most basic of healing spells. In most cases, only surface level wounds are affected. Cannot cure diseases. May even accelerate certain conditions not healed by the body's natural recovery. Cast upon a single target within eyesight.
Telepathy II - Channeling Mana through thoughts creates Psychic-type abilities. At Rank I, this skill can only be used when you are in physical contact with another creature. This skill can only send simple thoughts or emotions. This skill is currently only one-way transmission. This skill is an Active Non-Offensive Spell and consumes MP. At RANK 2: MP consumption slightly increased. More complex thoughts and stronger emotions can be sent. One-way messages can be sent to a creature you have made contact with before as long as they are within 5 feet. When making physical contact with a creature, if they are willing they can send you a single return message.
Soil Manipulation I - An Earth Elemental Magic Spell. At this Rank, you may move up to 5 pounds of loose soil (sand, dirt, and powdered minerals, but not gravel, pebbles, or anything made of larger fragments) freely within a 10 foot radius around your body. Using this soil to create a shape or exert a larger amount of force consumes more MP, and takes 30 seconds at minimum. At this rank, created shapes cannot consist of more than one part, or be more complex than quadrilateral structures. At this rank, created shapes cannot change the quality of the soil (sharper, harder, etc) nor its color or texture.
Charisma I - Your personality is almost a magical charm unto itself. You’ll have greater luck convincing others to go along with your suggestions, but only within their own natural reasoning. This skill may not work on those with stronger Wills. (Currently at 1.15)
<UNUSABLE SKILLS> Mental Resistance (0.1) Soil Manipulation (0.9) Overwork (0.9) Lesser Status Heal (0.1) Strengthen (0.3) Scribe (0.3) Spell Chant (0.15) Lesser Force (0.1) Stone Shot (0.3) Lucid Dream (0.4) Spiritual Awareness (0.5) Swift Swimmer (0.1) Alchemy (0.8) Tremor Sense (0.2) Throw Item (0.3) Stealth Kill (0.1) Material Analysis (0.4) Iron Gullet (0.35) Quicken (0.2) Skewer (0.7) Point Strike (0.4) Warcry (0.1) Mind Wave (0.2) Curse Word (0.1) Rabid Fit (0.2) Mana Gift (0.2) Blood Bead (0.1) Pierce Resistance (0.1) Counter (0.1) Slash Resistance (0.1) Charm (0.1) Dash Attack (0.3) Acrobatic (0.2) Breath Control (0.1)
Transformations:
Dire Rat -> Adult Dire Rat (currently lvl 9; 4 pts left over from last lvl up)
Inventory:
Metal knife. (Tied to tail with vine - Tailstrap knife) Vine belt. Green body wrap. Clay jar, full of: Hex cat eye. Four horned goat horn. Tanned leather (1sq foot). Bloodingfly proboscis (ends in a hollow, sharp needle). Shared with Ed and/or Mother rat (stored in grass packroll): Mysterious gold coin, which can conduct (earth) mana. Stone hatchet. Rabbit skull staff. Bone necklace. Green arm wraps. Healing herb. 3 Nullven cones. Myrmindor parts; 3 exoskeleton plates (one with a hole drilled into it). Mandibles. Two legs. Stinger.
Ineraz was sitting near the head of the table, though the head seat itself was empty, his brother nowhere in sight. His father still hadn’t arrived. Or he had, and was attending other business. Ineraz had no way of knowing just yet. The other Drakken present made the ambiance quite the rowdy and cheerful one, despite the still early morning. The Evrenarth heir had just begun his meal and was chatting with his nearby companions, when a puzzled looking Drakkan approached with a seemingly disgruntled servant following closely behind. The servant was of a reptilian race and was obviously one of the cooks.
“Heir Ineraz, this servant claims to have found one of your brides in the kitchen,” the male announced to him. He made no attempts to whisper, because even though he was standing right next to Ineraz, they barely heard each other what with the easily flowing conversation in the hall.
“Oh?” Ineraz asked, looking curiously at the reptilian female.
“Yesss, masster,” she hissed, her forked tongue peeking out swiftly between small but sharp teeth. “One of yourss is moving about. But sshe knowss nothin’ bout the sspices!” the female complained with an annoyed flick of her tail.
Apparently, the servants weren’t particularly pleased to have some unknown Gem loitering about. Ineraz sighed and looked at his guard. “Bring her here. And no need to be rough,” he gave him a narrow-eyed glare. Drakken were so quick to act upon a perceived slight, but he wouldn’t have others taking liberties with his property.
The Drakkan guard and the reptilian servant left, and Ineraz enjoyed his meal in peace for several moments. The male Drakkan soon returned with Zeldria in tow. The guard gently pushed the bride into the seat next to Ineraz, while he himself chewed on a sausage contemplatively.
“She made these, boss, wanted to give one to you, I think” he commented. “Not too bad for a foreigner, though I doubt the servants would like hearing that,” he chuckled.
Ineraz raised a brow as he watched the Drakkan continue eating part of a meal that his bride had supposedly made for him. “Oh, and you decided to be my food taster, did you?” he teased the Drakkan, though there was a hint of sharp reproof in his tone as well.
“Uh,” the other swallowed carefully. “Sorry. But there’s more back there,” he nodded towards the kitchen “if you want,” he then shrugged and left. Ineraz snorted as he watched the other walking away swiftly, probably thinking Ineraz wouldn’t act if he disappeared from sight quickly enough. But to Ineraz even a minor transgression such as this was worth a pay cut, at the very least.
Keeping that in mind, Ineraz turned towards Zeldria. He struggled to keep a grimace off his face at seeing her in the poorly fitting Drakkan clothing. As appealing as she was when taken on her own, her current apparel could be described as nothing but horrendous.
“After we eat, we will go shopping. You definitely need better clothes. Sera as well. How come you haven’t brought any with you? I though the Drakken gave you time enough to get some things from home,” he wondered.
He continued with his meal then, and urged Zeldria to eat as well. Sometime during their meal, Ineraz addressed an earlier issue. “I don’t mind if you like cooking,” he said. Truthfully, he thought such things should be left up to the servants, but encouraging his brides to find things they liked doing was not a bad idea. “The servants here just have some pride, you know. Doing well what they do is what keeps them alive and healthy after all,” he explained nonchalantly. “If you want to try again, just say so, and I’ll arrange the servants to leave you to it. They could even tutor you a bit if you wish, though I doubt they’ll be kind about it.”
Ineraz begins eating, but finds out Zeldria was up to something in the kitchens and has a guard fetch her and bring her to the hall. If she chose to bring some of what she made with her, she might be able to convince Ineraz to try it, but otherwise, he likely won't be trying her cooking today. Ineraz asks Zeldria why she hadn't taken any belongings from Gemmenia with her. Not quite as tactful today, is he? Anyways, if Sera makes it to the hall during this time, she'll see the breakfast is ending. Whether she shows up or not, Ineraz is making sure she eats. I guess he's kind of a mother-hen.
So, I read through the tabs and would like to give this a try.
Name:
Asteria, also goes by “Ria”
Gender:
Female
Species:
Dire rat
Appearance:
She is marginally smaller than the average dire rat and perhaps a tad faster for it. Her most notable characteristics are her soot grey coat of fur, her sharp and dangerous looking incisors, and her crystalline blue eyes. The shine of her coat almost makes her pretty. For a rat.
Goals: Explore this new world, amass Power, and climb up the proverbial sociobiological ladder.
Past Life:
Born as Simone Raiford into an upper middle-class family with parents who had designs at more and an older brother Robert, who wouldn’t fulfil their expectations, Simone was groomed as a socialite. Although she did grow up to be an ambitious and gregarious woman, she always hated the pushiness and hypocrisy of her parents, who very much wanted to be considered nouveau riche even if it meant riding on the coat-tails of Simone and their own long-since eclipsed accomplishments.
Successful in school, she enrolled into a fairly prestigious law school and years of hard work got her into a position with enviable profits. Long since moved far away from her parents, the only thing she repaid their “generosity” with was a deposit the equivalent of the money they had spent raising her a polite but firm letter not to attempt any further associations with her. Remembering her brother fondly, Simone tracked him down and found him in a rather sorry state as an impoverished artist and a bit of a druggie. Although he was understandably sceptical, she got him to accept her help and friendship, and – him being pretty much the only person she held genuine feelings of affection for – Simone remained in contact with him and kept him off the hard drugs at the very least.
Otherwise, she spent her life living in a luxurious flat, enjoying her job (how could screwing over opponents entirely lawfully and convincing everyone else you're right while at it not be amusing?) and her life. She had a lover with similar interests, a circle of people she went out with to various events and several hobbies to waste free time with. As fit and healthy of an individual as she was, she died quite early; in the beginning of her forties, due to indulging a vice of hers. She loved driving, dangerous roads or not, and speeding and racing were a thrill. She crashed and killed herself driving a beautiful beast of a motorcycle. Though she finds it a shame, she doesn’t particularly regret it.
Abilities:
Beast Senses I – a bundle skill applying to all physical senses.
"I will," Yssil said as he followed Aerta down into the lab. He marveled at the beauty of the room, even though it was small compared to the rooms the academy he occasionally visited in Hekaga had been. But having a laboratory like this in a personal home was impressive indeed. Curiously, he approached the various magical equipment and materials. Some of them he recognized by sight if not necessarily their function, but a few seemed rare and were probably very valuable and collected over Aerta's life. He wondered how many of the objects had an adventure and a story behind them. But even more, he was interested in learning all he did not yet know. Although he had come here to learn both the physical and magical arts, and still intended to do both, he was beginning to realize that he was a bit more drawn towards magic. He was sure, however, that he could make both work.
"Yes, I am aware that any kind of shape can be used. I don't think I've ever performed one without drawing any shape at all, but I've heard of them. I know the applications of rituals are...extensive, but so far I mostly used the magic which comes most naturally to me - my own, as a manifestation of my specific power, will and intent. I am looking forward to expand my practical knowledge though," he explained. "What kind of shape will we be using then? If any at all?" Yssil asked as Aerta pointed out the circle.
To Ineraz, waking seemed to involve simply becoming aware of his own breathing, usually when the first rays of sunshine teased at his eyelashes. He shifted in his bed and as his gaze landed on Zeldria, he realized she was awake already. “Morning,” he whispered in a greeting. Then he stood up, and unperturbed by the possibility of Zeldria getting an eye-full, shucked off his tunic and put on his usual leather armour. He frowned when he saw the still missing left vambrace, which had unfortunately been charred and destroyed in the tournament the day before. His left forearm still had obvious signs of being burned, but its state was already much better than it had been after his fight; it was now a pinkish soft red with scarring which would lessen but not completely disappear given time.
When he was done, he checked Sera’s corner, but she still seemed to be sleeping. This morning might be interesting for her, seeing as the previous night was her first time drinking. Dismissing her from his mind for the time being, he turned back to Zeldria. “You may wear the dress you brought with you yesterday. If you’d rather have something else, I can easily arrange a child Drakkan’s armour or day wear to be brought here.” He gave her some pause to think, while he went and picked up all his weapons, though having both the bow and crossbow (as well as the bolts and arrows, not to mention his melee weaponry) on him was slightly unwieldy. He’d put the ranged weaponry somewhere else, but for now, he had to remove such things from a room which would shortly be occupied by only one or two Gems.
He spoke to Zeldria again. “I’m going to spar. As long as you have one of the guards accompanying you – and I’ll soon send at least two here – you may explore the manor,” he didn’t even bother telling her not to try escaping or attacking anyone or destroying any property, she seemed smart enough (or at least, cautious enough) not to do that. “If you want a taste for what Drakkan combat practice is like, you should follow me though,” he offered the invitation with a smirk. Without particular care what she would decide to do, Ineraz left his bed chamber and found a pair of guards in one of the manor halls soon enough. He sent the two Drakken to stay outside of his room, but with instructions to accompany either Gem if any wished to go elsewhere.
As for himself, he went to the outside training ground, a simple circle of dirt in an otherwise grassy backyard. Some Drakken were already there – some could be found practicing combat (whether inside or out) at just about any time of the day. Ineraz greeted his fellows, deposited his weapons to one of the racks, and engaged one of them in a good, old fistfight. Knowing each other so well, they forewent with circling each other in an attempt to gauge the other’s skill, but simply clashed furiously in a swirl of fists, knees, elbows, feet, and horns. They weren’t shy about grappling and throwing and rolling, doing anything to gain a temporary advantage, which would be enough for a victory. Some minutes into the fight, Ineraz managed to elbow the other Drakkan to the nape of his neck, which staggered the male momentarily, and Ineraz pushed him to the ground easily, pulled his arms behind his back and held him there. The male Drakken on the ground nodded and they were done.
After several similar practice rounds, some with weaponry and element-use in addition, Ineraz worked up enough of a hunger to head back inside. He strolled the halls in a confident and satisfied manner, one which was generally a sign of either having had a good lay or a good fight. He walked to the manor’s great hall, since the hour was such that plenty of Drakken would be having their morning meal. If his Gems had been hungry during the hour or so that he was gone, this was where the guards would have led them. In case he didn’t find his brides here, Ineraz intended to eat first, then look for them to make sure they didn’t go hungry either. When they all ate, they could begin the day in earnest. And more importantly, he could introduce his brides to his hounds, after which he intended to take the Gems to the market, for they seemed to have no possessions of their own. It was now his responsibility to clothe them, and he preferred for them not to wear ill-fitting Drakkan hand-me-downs.
Nothing of consequence really happens. Ineraz wakes up, talks to Zeldria, gives her the option of following him or doing her own things, leaves Sera in her bed (presumably still asleep), goes to spar and eat breakfast, makes plans for the rest of the afternoon. Sera and Zeldria can interact with each other, or do their own thing. You have two NPC guards, so at least one stranger Drakkan will tail you if you decide to go outside of the bedroom. Have fun.
Akantha was in a very business-like part of their guild hall. This particular location was basically a medium sized meeting room, and functioned as the guild’s strategical and tactical core. Besides the front and back door both requiring approved access, the sparsely furnished rectangle room contained an ellipsoid table, black leather chairs arranged around it, and holographic data-pads and projectors adorning the room. The latter were used primarily for organizing guild group activities (such as raids) or watching them in-action (by way of an internal stream set-up). They linked the relevant data to a cloud storage, which was used to keep various in-game recordings, consisting mainly of their annual tournaments and other remarkable PvP matches. The entertainment material, unlike the other (more sensitive) contents of the room, was accessible to pretty much every guild member, through an externally provided link.
Overall, the room truly gave the impression of having been designed by someone who had extensive experience with corporations and had thus seen their fair share of offices, was familiar in such an environment, and knew what worked and what didn’t. It went without saying that the office’s designer hadn’t been Akantha, but rather one of her Lieutenants, though she and other key-members offered their opinion and approval for the final version of the design.
“Team alpha’s going after the marked targets. There’s a freaking crowd of hunters,” Akantha commented from the head of the table.
“Team eta and epsilon are still stocking up on potions,” offered one of the Executives after consulting another member.
“Those NPCs are hilarious! Have you seen how hard they’re trying? It’s out of their hands,” enthused one of the Lieutenants.
“Focus, Pooh,” sighed another, then continued with his own report. “Zeta’s patrolling and checking out the competition,” it was apparent he wanted to continue, but was suddenly interrupted by the fore-mentioned Lieutenant leaning closer with his own live-feed, eager to show off something.
“Oooh, look, Juggernaut’s been spotted during a charge! He’s knocking ‘em over like any pro bowler could! Aw, but these poor pins are getting wrecked,” he laughed heartily.
“That is only minorly useful, Pooh,” said the unamused Lieutenant in obvious exasperation. “And I wish you didn’t interrupt my assignment,” he stressed the word.
“You’re no fun, CatZ,” replied the other with an eye-roll.
“Guys.” Akantha interrupted them mildly. “It’s a clusterfuck with those explosions. Beta, Gamma and Delta are already on their way to engage the offenders, if they can single them out,” she gestured to a trio by her side, a Lieutenant and two Executives who oversaw the named teams and had debated over the details of the situation with her.
“It will take some time to sort out,” one of the Executives began “We should–”
The conversation in the meeting room was interfered with by a loud knock on the door. Since whoever decided to bother them most likely wanted her, Akantha stood up and opened the front door, facing a violet-skinned female humanoid avatar with glowing green eyes. She was looking at Akantha with something akin to affront mixed in with frustration.
“Yes?” the guild leader drawled out the question, staring down at the other member with faux calmness.
“There’s someone from PVP PLOX? here! Again! And I’m fine with them, leader, really, but you know how some others are,” she finished with making a poor attempt at excusing her initial outburst.
Akantha sighed. “Name?” The other girl blinked at her, puzzled. Akantha rolled her eyes and repeated “What’s the person’s name?”
“Um,” the violet girl stalled. “I don’t know.”
“Fine, I’ll go check out the situation,” Akantha said, exasperated. She turned back into the meeting room, looking over the members. “Can you handle this? It’s probably Vector.”
“Sure, go greet your boyfriend, leader,” shouted Pooh. Akantha only snorted in reply.
“We’ll manage the situation and keep you informed. Will you go to the new instance yourself?” asked CatZ.
“I might,” Akantha replied. “I’ll notify you. I may pick up the last of those who wanted to go there today. But maybe I’ll just go there on my own,” she shrugged. “I trust you can co-ordinate the teams without me here,” she looked at all the members in the meeting room, but her gaze lingered particularly on the three Lieutenants present; they were her seconds-in-command and could be most counted on to keep things running smoothly.
“You know we will.”
“Got it, boss.”
“You bet we can, Akantha.”
There were several other replies, all affirmatory. Akantha left the meeting room, closing the door behind her, and the guild member who had come to fetch her trailed after her.
The path she took led her to a narrow balcony overlooking the large open-to-the-public training square, where several members were doing their own thing, but a few of them were also staring at the visitor, muttering among themselves in a discontent manner.
“Fuck’s sake,” Akantha whispered to herself, then descended to the ground level of the guild’s hall bellow. The visitor was indeed Vector, as she had thought it might be.
“People,” she proclaimed loudly, getting the attention of most of the members. “You really should know by now that Vector is my friend and the guild he’s part of is our ally,” she stressed that last part. Most members were content with that, but some remained frowning at Vector, probably just jealous of his success. Akantha stared them down until they finally returned to whatever they had been doing before.
Akantha stepped closer to Vecor. “Hey,” she greeted happily. “Long time no see. I gather you’d rather we go somewhere more secluded,” she led him outside of the hall, to a stereotypical zen garden which was technically part of their territory, as it was still on the mountain, though a NPC took care of it.
“Have you been to the new zone yet? We made a bit of a guild event out of it,” she commented.
"I haven't often performed rituals, but I'm familiar with the basics. I may have further questions once you describe the procedure for this one, though," Yssil answered.
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