SilverPaw

Blood's Jewels (High Casual Fantasy Revolution)

Jandar Varan

(in the role of Johan Rentrick)

Eldra, Shalador

Jandar’s head snapped to the side, body stilling, eyes narrowing – Fatima had wandered off into a grimy side-street, drawn by something. The aristocrat stilled his ‘wife’, stopping her in her tracks as well, though it looked like she noticed the Queen’s reckless action already. Jandar was apprehensive, both because Fatima had strayed and because he, himself, had rather a bad premonition in regard to what could have possibly drawn the witch into the alleyway. Nothing for it though; he’d have to follow.

“Forgive my cousin, beloved,” he sighed out loud, making it sound as if eccentricity like this was to be expected. Frankly, in Fatima’s case, that was closer to a truth than a lie. “Her flights of fancy occasionally manifest in such oddities,” he claimed, tone mainly dismissive, only the slightest hint of his true exasperation bleeding through. “I am afraid we must follow, though I would prefer you did not have to gaze at this cesspool,” he practically spit out the word, suffusing it with contempt, “much less walk through it any longer,” he concluded. Jandar then gently led Dareen through the alley.

He strolled through the filthy narrow street, adopting a moue of distaste. Faking disgust was much better than the alternative, after all. As they progressed, a psychic scent made itself known, and it sent shivers up Jandar’s back. At this distance, he discerned only that there was a male with a darker jewel than his own ahead. Nonetheless, his step stuttered briefly, heart rate picking up, breaths becoming sharper and quicker. He had a sense that this unknown person might be as powerful as Xandar, if not–

Jandar shuddered, and urged Dareen to quicken their pace, though he took care that they were not hurrying unduly. Their pace was such that it was obvious they did not want to linger – nothing more. Subtly, the Warlord leaned down to ‘Ranina’, whispering in her ear. “Be careful,” was all that he muttered. Worst case scenario, she could take up arms alongside him. Though Jandar was uncertain if Mikhail had followed them into this obscure pathway already, he dearly hoped he had. The unfolding situation would likely call for the Prince’s unique expertise.

The Warlord’s hurried movements brought him and his partner near the dilapidated bookshop shortly. The scent, which is what had presumably drawn Fatima in the first place, was getting stronger, thicker. Jandar’s hold on Dareen tightened, though he did not notice. Nor was he aware that the fingers of his other hand had dug into his own palm, drawing blood. He was still breathing too harshly, pale, wide-eyed, and panicked. Jandar only distantly noted this, and it was with a tremendous effort that he was able to force himself back into rationality.

He was on edge of a realization, figurative micrometers away from grasping a certain understanding, but while his mind whirred and spun, Jandar also acted. His gaze strayed from Fatima, to the bookshop, and back, a cycle he repeated once more before he forced himself to remain fixed on his Queen. “Cousin,” he hissed with feeling, reproof and terror mixing into something akin to anger. Then again, maybe his utter dread was blatant - he couldn't rightly tell at the moment. Disentangling from Dareen, Jandar stepped in front of the Pruulish witch, partly to offer his body as a sort of cover to her, partly to get closer to the Queen. There was something…Someone. World-shattering. Wordless. Wonderful? Terrorizing? Ahead. They were just ahead. He felt it. The Queen obviously felt it too. But who wouldn't?

Blood's Jewels (High Casual Fantasy Revolution)

Jandar Varan

(in the role of Johan Rentrick)

Ruined town

Jandar strolled forward, confidence in every pore of his body, head held high, chin jutted slightly forward, gaze contemptuous. Oh, and it was true contempt that he felt, though unlike what the observers would surely assume, it was not due to the standard Aristo superiority. No, it was because here again were signs of misery and neglect, of the land and its people being drained, tortured. Witchblood bloomed, as it had in Dhemlan Terreille, gazes were wary and afraid – also a staple, apparently. A group of Landens had been sequestered off into what was now the pre-town ghetto. They passed it quickly, passing into the city proper, the guards’ inspection obvious. They hadn’t been stopped or asked any questions – yet.

As they moved past a local tavern, Jandar caught some loud rumors speculating where a certain “he” might have gone, if the Queen had even let him. The Kaeleeran Warlord frowned, working in a bit of a sneer for the sake of the drunks – let them think he was simply disapproving of them rather than considering what they’d discussed. Whoever they’d been talking about, Jandar had a bad feeling about it. The unknown male was allegedly someone eye-catching, notorious perhaps, yet someone under the Queen’s thumb (or someone whom the Queen believed to be under her control) and a person these people were willing to talk about, however slightly. Jandar did not think meeting this person would do them any good, but as their goal was to meet the Queen. Subtly, he tightened his left hand around Dareen’s, or rather, Ranina’s arm where he’d coached her to hold on to. While it would not seem like he was overly conscious of her, he was indeed aware of her posture, her gait, and expression. If needed, he could and would adjust her response or remind her to keep her persona in mind.

I, the Demon King, Will Summon My Own Damned Heroes!

Asteria

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Mother rat was healed, kind of, and Asteria’s mana depleted to zero. The dead hobgoblin provided almost none for her to replenish, unfortunately. He did have some interesting loot. Before venturing further, Asteria took the body and arm wraps, tying them to her forearms and lower torso. She took off the rest of its clothes and equipment, and bundled everything into its cloak, fashioning a primitive carry bag from it. She left the packed loot next to the hobgoblin and proceeded out into the open. However, by the time she arrived, the fight was over. She observed Ed and the mercenaries, saying nothing, only paying attention to the gathered people. If mother rat accompanied her, she’d stop her from takin unnecessary risks now that their goal was accomplished. When she saw the ratman leaving, she followed him, using Muffle II and her speed to catch up. She counted on Mother rat to follow the two of them on her own. Ed led them in some kind of a U turn, before they turned back in the direction of the barrow. Asteria wondered if the humans they’d just help out would truly leave so soon…

I, the Demon King, Will Summon My Own Damned Heroes!

Asteria

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The Hobgoblin died swiftly, only managing to cut Asteria’s cheek. She hoped it wasn’t poisoned. Mother rat got revenge on the mostly-if-not-already-dead greenskin by ravaging at him furiously, but once he was as lifeless as a ragdoll, she hurried to her offspring and licked her cheek. Asteria took the opportunity to gently touch the other’s injured shoulder – not directly on the wound, of course. Rather, she lay a paw around the stab wound. Activating Mana sense and concentrating on muscles and skin mending, she uttered, “Minor Heal!”.

If necessary, she would cast the weak healing spell up to two times more on Mother rat, then, still using Mana sense to try and discern how it worked, she used it on her own cheek. She was careful with her mana levels, but she didn’t yet know how much the minor heal used. As a precaution, she used Mana Drain on the recently killed hobgoblin. She turned the corpse around curiously, investigating its equipment. The bloodingfly stinger which she’d used to kill it was dislodged next to it, bloody and battered. Asteria picked it up, turning it over and checking whether she could still use it. If she could, she’d wipe it on the corpse’s clothing and take it with her; if not, she’d search for one of the hobgoblins arrows and take that instead.

She then peeked from behind the barrow, focused on her sense of sight, and tried to discern how the fight was going. It seemed…fairly chaotic. Asteria sighed, but could only hope that a duo of Dire rats joining the fray wouldn’t immediately make them the targets of the people they were supposed to be protecting. Ed seemed fine in that regard, but who knew what the merchants would do with an unknown factor. After briefly patting her biological mother in a gesture of solidarity, Asteri once again actively used Muffle and dashed from behind the burrow, attempting to stay low and out of sight of her enemies. Her target was a staff wielding bandit, if it hadn’t been killed already. She didn’t think so, but first, she had to find and ambush it…

Action summary

Uses Mana sense while trying out her new Minor Heal skill on Mother rat.
Uses Minor Heal up to a total of three times on MR’s injured shoulder (depending on the efficiency of the skill) and once on her own cheek.
Uses Mana Drain on the dead archer hobgoblin.
Investigates the archer’s corpse. Inspects whether her bloodingfly’s stinger is still usable. If it is, she wipes it off on the archer’s clothes and takes it with her. If it’s not, she replaces it with one of the dead hobgloblin’s arrows.
Uses Beast Senses III: Sight to get info on the unfolding battle on Ed’s side.
Attempts to locate the mage bandit.
Actively using muffle, rushes out from behind the burrow, staying low to the ground and trying to avoid being spotted by the enemy. Is on the way to ambush the bandit mage or, failing that, the nearest bandit enemy.

Blood's Jewels (High Casual Fantasy Revolution)

Jandar Varan

Ruined town

After his conversation with Fatima, Jandar felt somewhat tired due to the resignation that burdened him. True, the Queen’s thankfulness was just refreshing enough to keep him going, but it couldn’t keep tension from building within him. In his certainty that something would go wrong, quiet dread pooled in his stomach. Sighing and fussing with his hair, Jandar decided he needed to refresh himself. Not only would it help his guise as a rich merchant, it would also lift his mood. Now, if only he had the opportunity to indulge in some whiskey…

Heading to their carriage, Jandar asked the nearest available Eyrien brother for help finding a bucket, a full waterskin, and something to work as a clothesline. With the help of craft, he set the simple rope across their camping grounds, tying one part to their carriage and another to a tree. Then, he set a box next to the bucket, poured water in it and set the empty container aside, stripped down to his underwear, summoned a hand soap, and scrubbed his current clothing by hand. When the matter was done, he set it out to dry.

With a snap of his fingers, he applied a sight shield to himself, and set to washing his beige linen underpants. Then, his own body and hair, using a more luxurious soap than he had for his clothes, as well as a fancy shampoo. Though he was technically streaking, he wasn’t embarrassed – he had set himself to be invisible after all. If someone purposefully broke past his sight shields…well, he’d rather they didn’t, but the result would be on them. Still, he didn’t take more than ten minutes to finish up. He then summoned a fluffy white towel, dried off, then set it to dry on the clothesline.

What would be seen from his activity at the moment would be his footstep, the water dripping down from him and the towel and leaving a trail, and various items moving here and there as he used and moved them. He perched on the box he’d set out again, and got decent. This included clothing himself in a freshly summoned set of underwear, a pair of expensive dark slacks, and a burgundy dress shirt. Finally decent again, he removed the sight shields and set to cleaning his boots. He did have a vanished set of dress shoes, but it would be pointless to wear those when he was to pose as a travelling merchant. So, he wiped the boots and polished them as best as he could. After wiping of his yet-muddy feet and putting on soft cotton black socks, he was finally set to wear the almost shining leather boots. He did so, then summoned his whole backpack, rifling among his belongings for a few odds and ends.

First was a perfume, a sort of subtly heady scent that blended hints of citrus with a sort of woody fragrance that was overall light, but long lasting. A drop to each wrist was enough, which he then held gently to the base of his throat and behind the ear lobes to spread the scent. Next, he found an elegant black-silver cravat, thankfully not wrinkled, and tied it properly around his neck. A dark gray vest came over it, which matched his slacks in color. Then, a black leather jacket, which he put on but left opened at the front, the material of which was worn enough to lend credence to the travelling part of his story, yet obviously also well taken care of. A cherished, serviceable, sensible piece of outwear for a merchant. Lastly, he found the perfect piece of jewelry, a silver brooch that he could lodge his Blood Opal jewel into. When he did, he pinned the jewel-encasing brooch onto the breast of his vest, in plain view. He Vanished the rest of his belongings. As for his hairstyle – not that much could be done with it running just long enough to barely get into a short ponytail – and makeup, he’d need Fatima’s help with.

He stood up, stretched, and noticed Dareen, who’d apparently sought him out. He thought it might have been to discuss her role, but she simply asked him whether he’d be willing to die for Fatima, though it was obviously a rhetorical question. Nonetheless, Jandar turned to her. “Yes,” he confirmed, matter-of-factly. He could have said more, but there was no need to, as far as he was concerned. Quickly moving past the odd moment, the Warlord instead chose to discuss their guises. “Now, as to what role you’d like to play…Fatima suggested you could simply go as a fighter, though if you do, I prefer your idea of trying to pass as a male. If you’d like to attempt it, I believe you could still pass as my wife, but whether you’re capable of acting meek yet naively rich enough is for you to decide,” he commented. “I will act as a merchant, as discussed previously,” he added, just in case it was not clear yet.

“My Uncle is one, after all, and I know enough about business,” he offered. He’d heard Fatima’s suggestions, but really, what she’d said on how best to play a part, he already knew. He had already done so before, in fact. But it was advice that might benefit Dareen. If the warrior woman asked him, he’d advise the male-mercenary role for her. That way, he himself would need not fear to have to compensate for his ‘wife’ in case she did anything too odd. Mercenaries were often looked down upon – which wasn’t bad in this case, as it would allow Dareen to show some of her innate roughness – but their use was nonetheless recognized, and so pretending he was in employ of one would not be at all unusual.

I, the Demon King, Will Summon My Own Damned Heroes!

Asteria

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Soft flesh cushioned her impact, and Asteria swore she could hear the faint creaking of suffering bones from her enemy’s torso. Though they’d tackled it from behind, the bastard still managed to lash with an arrow at Mother Rat, harming her and causing her to back away. Still holding the arrow as if it were a dagger, the goblinoid twisted around, trying to grab at her with one hand and stab her with the other. Using her whole body weight, Asteria shifted to pin its torso down even more harshly, and intercepted the attack with her own paws, knocking the grabbing hand away with a clawed attack, while grabbing the arrow-armed one by the wrist. Instead of letting it come to a contest of strength, however, the dire rat tightened her tail around the Bloodingfly stinger she’d kept ahold of ever since 'equipping' it after her conversation with the gnome, and drove the pointy end swiftly towards the green-skinned archer's neck!

✲ Thalam Online ✲

Collab done with the GM in Adventurer's Guild tab Upon entering the city, one of the very first things Vesper saw was the adventurer's guild, which is exactly where she went. Getting to an empty counter was a bit of a struggle, but once she was in front of one of the free attendands, she immediately greeted them. "Hey! Do I need to register here or something?" ”Regist’ fa’ wa’?” The gray-haired dwarven barkeep shouted across his countertop over to the newly situated girl. The barking of the drunkard was quickly admonished a guild girl politely pulled a small leather container out from beneath the counter and placed it atop. “Register a Guild, or were you looking to formally join the Adventurer’s Guild?” Vesper blinked, bemused at the dwarf's minor outburst. Then, she turned to face the official employee. "What benefits are there for joining the Adventurer's guild formally? And what would it cost me?" the Fae ranger wondered, head cocked slightly to the side, a small polite smile playing about her lips. “The fee is 10 silver pieces, and the benefits are that you’ll have access to the Guild’s information channels at all times. As well as free harboring in our facilities and if you gain ranks, a retainer.” The guild girl said with a plastic smile, she was very professional. “Though, you will not be able to join another guild if you join ours. Which means you’ll be restricted in some ways, killing other adventurers is completely unacceptable for example.” "Whew, I don't even have the money for that, but once I do, I'll come around and ask more about the ranks, restrictions and other guilds. For now, is it possible to get some very basic information even though I'm not a member?" “Of course! I can answer any questions about the immediate region, and also the town!” "Hmm, well first things first...I've completed that Welcome to Thalam quest, you know, the collecting of five slime jellies for Tu Tauri Al? There's kind of a huge crowd of play-" Vesper suddenly cut herself off, coughed a bit, then continued "uh, adventurers gathered around where I'm supposed to go. It's actually kinda hard to find the right person because of that," she said, which was half-true. Even if she'd kept the arrow-pointer, there were just so many people, trying to blink through all of them to find the NPC would probably turn out to be a nightmare. “Tu is found in the barracks, though you’ll need someone to guide you inside as it is restricted to outsiders. We’ve had an influx of werewolf sightings in the area, so we are a bit on guard.” The guild girl nodded, shifting her weight forward to lean into her elbows and canting her head. “Anything else?” "Hm, I see. Just who that 'someone' who could guide me in could be? And where could I find them?" “A guard member of scout who works under Tu would work! Or one or the town guides that may be wandering around!” "Do they all have the same uniforms? I might have seen some by the entrance into the town, but I wasn't much paying attention, honestly..." Vesper trailed off, trying her hardest to remember what would obviously be a throw-away NPC in another game. No luck. How could she have known that it would be important? “Silver and Blue armor with a bell armband or engraving for the guards. Scouts are typically dressed in dark gray or brown, harder to differentiate them - though they’re undercover typically.” "Thanks! I'd tip you, but," the fae shrugged, long green hair swishing left and right as she did so, a brief wry smirk appearing before she smoothed her expression with a shake of her head. "Maybe next time I come around I'll have at least a few coppers to my name," she grinned. Vesper exited the adventurer’s guild, wandered around until she found one of the guards – which was fairly simple now that she knew what they looked like; even in such a crowd, a known uniform was easy to spot. She approached the guardswoman, a wiry blonde with her hair tied in a bun, sharp cheeked and with stormy grey eyes. However, the town’s peacekeeper was amiable enough to lead her and some other adventurer tagalongs towards the barracks. The fae couldn’t help but wonder how all the players would be able to fit into the building, considering the game was realistic enough that only one person could occupy a particular space.

Online Queue Class: Ranger Level: 3 104//104//110 Stats & Info Body: 4 Spirit: 4 Tech: 9 (+1) Equipment: >Basic Bow >Green Bandana Inventory: >Slime Jelly (5) >Green Bandana

Blood's Jewels (High Casual Fantasy Revolution)

Jandar Varan

Ruined town

“I know I must be the one to lead,” Jandar replied to Faeril with a bemused smile. He was one of Aristo, so he obviously could more easily pass as one, despite the differences between Kaeleer and Terreille. “I was simply commenting that I don’t possess the detailed knowledge of Terreille’s customs that one of this Realm’s natives does. Which is why we are having this in-depth discussion and consultation,” he clarified, hand gesturing in a wide circle as he encompassed the group he was talking to. Just then, Fatima stumbled her way over, as if in a daze, not looking at anyone as she made her way to him. A blink later, the Warlord felt a surprisingly strong grip around his left wrist, a weight leaning against his body as the Queen practically collapsed onto him.

“Hey,” Jandar murmured to her, mild confusion apparent in his tone – he’d still not quite gotten used to just how tactile his (future) Lady could be, despite the fact that he always returned the gestures freely. The Warlord put his right arm across Fatima’s shoulders, beginning to pet her head lightly and with a slight hesitation. It was kind of awkward, if he thought about it, which…he tried not to. I guess it’s what having a little sister might have been like. Though I really shouldn’t think of a Queen as that, he thought, lips thinning as he suppressed a wince.

Keeping the loose half-hug around Fatima, Jandar looked over her head, continuing the conversation and letting the Queen just be for now, right palm leisurely scratching at her scalp and brushing through her hair. He was secure in the knowledge that Fatima could easily leave the proximity whenever she tired of it. “A sight shield,” he commented, brows rising slightly upwards as he observed Mikhail’s demonstration. “Excellent,” he stated matter-of-factly. “That said, I’d rather not bring the whole coach. Just the horses, perhaps,” he said, frowning as he considered the pros and cons of the suggestion.

“The main reason against the coach is drawing attention. Especially because we'd have to make our way back here eventually," his emphasis made it obvious that being followed here would be bad for a variety of reasons. "Also, being rich is one thing, filthy rich and showing off quite another. We must be careful not to arouse too many questions,” though his remark countered Mikhail’s suggestion to bring the coach with them to town, the Warlord wasn’t addressing only him any longer, but rather Faeril and company as well.

“Even as it is, the nobility of this town may wonder why they haven’t heard of us before, if we are so well of and I the purported somewhat scandalous product of a shrewd, possibly Aristo Hayll, and,” he affixed a sneer on his face, injecting utmost revulsion into his tone as he continued “and uppity Dhemlan thief.” Then the Kaeleeran native huffed, easing his expression back to neutral. “That’s the kind of attitude you had in mind, correct?” the question was quite rhetorical in nature, however, since Jandar was confident in his acting abilities.

“In any case, if we are to be interacting with the upper class, we will need fake names. Just in case we unwittingly arouse suspicion despite our best attempts, I do not want our true names – or appearances – to reach the capital. Besides, I have already met one Lord in Dhemlan, and I still carry the Vanished corpse of one of his men with me,” he added dryly. That particular event had been pushed to the back of his mind due to the events in Askavi, but it wasn’t as if he’d forgotten about it.

Dareen spoke up next, and Jandar wryly smirked at her frankly peasant remarks. “Yes, you can be the daughter of a landlord and a businessman, whatever business might be most prosperous in your lands,” he replied evenly. Though he couldn’t quite his sarcasm completely under bay for his next statement; he chuckled without humor. “I realize it’s not in your nature, but just keep your head down, eyes averted, cling to my side, and only reply with a vague nod if I actively seek your confirmation on something,” he drawled. Then, he cocked his head lightly to the side as he considered fashion matters, disregarding Dareen’s joking attitude about it. “Wing slits and old fashioned might be rather a dead give-away, I’m afraid,” he murmured, considering. “Perhaps…” he added before trailing off, though pointedly looked at Fatima.

Not saying anything directly to the Queen just yet, he looked back to Dareen. “Speaking of makeup,” he glanced in Faeril’s direction, “I should have some applied to me as well. Both to make me unrecognizable and to make it seem more likely that I am part or wholly Hyllian.” He expected Faeril and Fatima to be able to help him with that. While he had a very basic knowledge in applying make-up – as one tended to gain as an Aristocrat, whether they were male or female – he was no expert. Moreover, the Hyllian race was exclusive to Terreille, so he could only guess at what kind of subtle differences he’d need to make to his face to pass as one of them.

Jandar groaned at Dareen’s next revelation. “No hood, no,” he asserted. “We can have your hair washed, then you braid it again, then we’ll cover it with a veil." The Warlord sighed silently at the ridiculous prospect of having to pass such an obvious peasant for a noble. “We’ll put you in a dress, don’t worry,” he waved a dismissive hand. Getting a proper dress in the first place was more of an issue. Speaking off…“Fatima, can you help us with the disguise and the fake names? You’re Hyllian, so I assume you have some knowledge of that culture?” he questioned her quietly, gripping her shoulder comfortingly. “Also, if you happen to have a spare dress and jewelry Vanished somewhere…?” he wondered. Jandar had given her some time to calm down from the bout of grief he suspected had taken ahold of her, but he really did need her cooperation for what they were about to attempt.

Kimetsu no Yaiba - Shingetsu

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Jun scoffed, then muttered quietly to herself, “So melodramatic.” With one swift move, she removed the overcoat she wore, revealing more practical clothes underneath – similar to the standard demon slayer uniform, just without the usual identifiers. Though, a demon was sure to find out even without that, especially given her sword. However, instead of drawing her weapon from its sheath, Jun untied it from her belt, then used the string attached to the sheath to wrap around the handle and the base of the weapon. She had a hunch she was about to fight humans rather than demons, so the warrior tightened the fastenings, ensuring the weapon would remain sheathed. Tch, I’ll have to tone down my power, or this will just fall apart. She could have attempted striking with the back of her sword, but that wasn’t a compromise she wanted to adopt just yet, so keeping the saw-edged katana in its scabbard would have to do.

Jun glanced around, taking note of the two girls, narrowing her gaze as she tried to catch sight of the enemies. She crouched, breathed in deeply, concentrating on her leg muscles momentarily, then pushed off. Third form: Shooting Star… she twirled as she shot off, keeping her eye on the whole of the alley wall, walls and roofs included, ascending at a slight angle until she landed with a muffled thump just by a rain gutter lining one of the roofs. ...Silent ascent, nonlethal version. She glanced down, at the girls, the alley’s entrance, the opposite end, the windows, balconies, nooks and crannies, and of course, the tops of the buildings. Whoever she was after, they’d be here somewhere, and she could get to them faster than they could to the girls – unless the opponent actually was a demon. Jun kept a hold on the sword’s handle with her both hands, body thrumming, ready to unleash the finisher of the third’s form – the multiple, heavy slashes – at a delay, as soon as her target was pinpointed.

Meanwhile, on the street level…

The blonde gasped at that weirdo’s moves, gripping the dagger tighter to her, shoulders and back growing ever tenser as she planted her legs firmly to the ground. Her gaze glanced nervously around, ears perking as she tried to locate the direction the presence that had tried to muffle their sounds was. A very mild tremor tried to get a hold of her hands, but she bit the inside of her cheek, and scratched at the backs of her palms while still holding onto her weapon, using the pain to center herself.

Her sister used the opportunity of the stranger’s wondrous ascent to back off, practically collapsing by a trashcan. She crawled backwards until her back hit the wall, and she squeezed herself by the trashcan and in between the nearby bags-full of trash. The stench made her grimace and cover her mouth with a hand. Her other hand still clutched the sharpened hairpin. If someone came near, she just had to stab them in the neck. Maybe pretend compliance or weakness first, then stab them in the neck. Knee their lower regions if they were a male. Slam an elbow into their jugular if her weapon was taken from her. Beg…No, no begging. Instead, she could drive the heeled part of her footwear into their toes. Use her fingers to stab at their eyes. Bite them. Struggle. Anything. As she ran through this advice, she affixed her gaze to the person who gave it to her – her sister. She knew she’d been told to escape, but…She was afraid to go alone. Where would she go? How could she even be alone, after all this time? She needed her sister, and if it meant being together, she’d rather go side-by-side into the afterlife. But maybe, just maybe, they could both make it out of here, alive and well. That would be nice.

✲ Thalam Online ✲

@Kinith Vesper got invited into the targeted group by Lothair, the mage, joining the fray somewhere in the middle. Fighting against the level three blue slime from that point was, in one word, grueling. Even with five – five! – people, they struggled greatly. After defeat followed a sense of relief, but also frustration. Wow, is this bow shitty or what? And my stamina burns so soon! No way could I solo even a level one slime. Urgh… That was Vesper’s realization; she’d have to stay in a party. Then, the mage and the healer of the party left, and the three were left, though the rogue was disconnected or fell asleep or something. Still, not about to give up now that she had gained one level and one slime jelly, Vesper and Lynir coordinated via the party chat to hunt lower level slimes. With a light feeling of embarrassment, Vesper accompanied the warrior back towards the beginning of the plains. Encounter 2: Green slime A green slime suddenly appeared before the ranger and warrior pair as they advanced closer to the town of Bellview. This one seems to have been angered by the two for some reason. Disregarding the pest’s pesky emotions, the warrior proceeded to slash the enemy with his sword, gradually chipping at its health, though each of the jelly-ball’s regular counter-attacks also damaged Lynir minorly. Meanwhile, Vesper used her Aimed Shot skill, and though one attempt failed, two were critical hits! When the enemy hurled those green sludge balls at her, her fellow party member blocked them diligently. The warrior once again performed a trio of slashes, reducing the slime’s health even further, but it reactively splatted out its body in fear of death, and dealt quite some significant damage to Lynir. However, after resorting to basic attacks, and even choosing to implement even their body parts as a weapon once their stamina ran out, the warrior and ranger finally killed the slime. Each member received one (1) slime jelly and 333 experience. A “Green Bandana” head piece was granted to Vesper. The duo made fairly easy work of their second enemy, though comparing a green slime to a blue one was likely unfair. The most amusing thing was, that once she ran out of stamina, and Lynir had managed to exhaust the slime’s hp to 1, Vesper had run in, and with a “Hah!” mightily kicked the green goop in its side, dealing exactly one damage, and finished it off. Each party member got some experience, and besides one more slime jelly, Vesper also gained a shiny new Green bandana. It was not visually appealing, but at least its color somewhat matched her hair. More importantly, it had the additional stat bonuses of plus two armor and plus one technique. So, even though she was saving that one point she could invest into any of her stats until later one, the head gear gave her one stat for free! Perfect. Now, three more for completing the quest. I wonder, should we try to kill more to grind? I don’t really want to with how tanky these slimes are, but what if all the in-game monsters are like this? Vesper shuddered as she considered that. Hopefully, her concerns would prove to be unfounded; else, she could never turn solo with a DPS class. While she considered her future in-game, her health, mana, and stamina were swiftly recovering, and soon, she was ready for another round. Encounter 3: Green slime Lynir and Vesper were able to get a long enough respite to recover, but before they even tried to head anywhere else to chase a slime, a green one rolled in their direction, outraged at its companion's miserly death. Who knew slimes had such a desire for vengeance? Though usually a ball-full of bouncy cuteness, this one had a heavy frown on its face, its jelly-like surface vibrating in warning. Entirely used seeing the slimes as an enemy, Lynir simply charged at it, proceeding to slash it in what was becoming an established tactic for the warrior. Similarly, Vesper used her Aimed Shot, though embarrassingly enough, she failed or dealt very minor damage more than once throughout the combat. Undeterred, the duo continued slowly but steadily damaging the slime, Lynir blocking the ranger from the slime’s disgusting projectiles. At one point during the combat, Vesper lost the grip on her bow, and barely saved the weapon from falling to the ground – not due to quick reflexes, but because her clumsy fumbling somehow or other caught the bow in time. When Lynir reduced it to low health, Vesper finally got a lucky break, and performed a critical attack dealing 32 damage to the slime, splitting it apart in half with the force of it, and killing it. Each member received one (1) slime jelly and 333 experience. A “Green Bandana” head piece was granted to Lynir. Oh goodness, can RNG be a bitch or what?! That had been an utter failure. Complete and utter failure, I said!! Vesper glared off into the distance moodily, gripping her bow so harshly that its durability may have been soon in danger, but then she huffed and relaxed her hold. At least the very last attack against the slime had vindicated her. Seeing her weapon deal the highest amount of damage it was capable of with the Aimed shot skill had been nice. Very nice. Nice enough for her to forgive this Basic Bow and not forsake it. …Besides, if she sold, lost, or otherwise got rid of this bow, what would she be left with? Her bare fists? Ha! Shaking her head at her own ridiculousness, Vesper re-focused on the task at hand: Slime-killing. Encounter 4: Green slime and Encounter 5: Green slime Lynir and Vesper had to actively seek out a lower leveled slime, but eventually, they were able to corner another green slime. The monster turned to face them reluctantly. Practices at disposing of green slimes, the duo attacked it at once. When their stamina ran out, the warrior and ranger both resorted to kicking and stomping the slime, eventually killing it. Having seen the duo's struggle against its compatriot, a fellow green slime roiled towards the warrior and ranger, its surface bubbling in rightful anger. However, this time it was practically murder on the side of our heroes, as the ranger managed to deal two high critical attacks, melting 5/7ths of its HP. Lynir and Vesper only had to let loose a few basic attacks, and the gelatinous substance was obliterated from the face of Thalam. “Wheew,” Vesper sighed, stashing her bow. With a glance at Lynir, she said, “It was good working with you. If you don’t mind, we can just stay in the party like this,” she shrugged, offering the warrior a pleased smile. “Anyhow, I’m off to the city~” her laughter rang clearly like wind chimes, voice higher-pitched in her amusement than the lower but no less pleasant sound she’d set for regular conversation during character creation. Giddy with success, and feeling lighter for being rid of the burden of the quest and the slog of getting through five measly slimes it had necessitated, Vesper twirled into the air, and proceeded to fly towards the town. Of course, even though she’d invested all her points into technique, that meant only one minute of complete freedom and dazzling airborne maneuvers. Then, it was back to the ground. Vesper sighed. Now that she was paying more attention to it, that yellow arrow pointing to the person who was presumably Tu Tauri Al. “Tsk,” she muttered, suddenly irritated, and with a couple of blinks, turned the guidance off. She could find who she needed on her own. Or rather, she could still very easily follow the throng of players heading that way, or even ask an NPC. Actually, some exploration didn’t sound like a half-bad idea.

Online Queue Class: Ranger Level: 3 104//104//110 Stats & Info Body: 4 Spirit: 4 Tech: 9 (+1) Equipment: >Basic Bow >Green Bandana Inventory: >Slime Jelly (5) >Green Bandana