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Fantasy Descension (C.DEX x Notorious)

After narrowly avoiding the golem once more, Gunnar spotted Orin grabbing the glass with one final push to take the beast out. He was playing his part, now Gunnar and Dio had to play theirs. As the golem was blinded once more, the glass dulling as its many eyes had their sight ripped away Gunnar began running back towards the middle of town. He would hold his ground there, safely away from Orin while also giving him enough room to maneuver. He had no idea how he was going to take out a beast but he had been able to hurt it if he focused hard enough on one area. With the glass losing its shimmer, Gunnar spotted one particular spot that looked vulnerable as the glass lost its luster.


"It's chest." Gunnar finally pinpointed, "It covers itself in glass to protect its main plates. Dio, look near the collarbone. We rip that piece off and it won't be able to regrow its armor." Gunnar usually just charged into an encounter head first and hope he came out the other end okay but he had been injured by glass too many times since he had woken up not even half an hour ago and he was looking after his new friend most importantly. They could see the sun rising in the distance, the other trailing behind as morning was coming. They had to finish this. "Bring me as many axes as you can give me..." On cue, several throwing axes entered Gunnar's hands. He placed one in his dominant right hand whilst kept the others tightly gripped in the other, ready to rapidly throw all of them at his target. "Hey... Jackass!"


The Golem turned, homing in on Gunnar and immediately charging at him. It fell right into the viking's trap as Gunnar threw axe after axe at the Golem, the majority of them hitting the creature right near the seam of its chest plate. As spectral steel met weakened, dull glass it cracked and bounced away. As the axes bounced away, more appeared in Gunnar's hands as Dio retrieved them. Gunnar rolled out of the way just in time for the golem to run into another building, this time with a weakened chest plate. When it turned to look at where Gunnar's last position was it was whining in pain, even this creature could feel fatigue. And if it wasn't for that massive crack on the front of its chest now Gunnar was going to be too tired to finish it.


"Sword, hatchet." Gunnar said, dropping the axes. They bounced on the ground a couple of times before dissipating into the ground as if they were never there. In hand, a much larger hatchet he had grown accustomed to using appeared in his right hand while in his left a sword that Dio had been providing appeared. As crazy as the viking was finishing this beast close quarters would be the only satisfying victory, the only one worth such pain and carnage. There had been too many close calls, too many times that Gunnar or Orin could have been killed. They weren't going to retreat, this golem was going to be put down. "Let's finish this!" Gunnar shouted, gaining the golem's attention once more. He seen the glass shimmering softly, its vision beginning to return slowly but surely. "Just a few more minutes Orin! Hang in there."


And then, the golem charged.


Gunnar charged back. The viking roared as he ran towards a massive creature that could easily run him over, intending on doing the same back to it regardless of the size difference. At just the precise time Gunnar jumped swinging his axe forward and latching it directly into the crack. The Golem kept running as fast as it could, Gunnar clinging on to its chest as it started to attempt to rip the viking off. Gunnar dug in the axe deep, causing blackened blood to shoot out of the golem's chest cavity. The wails and screams before had been nothing compared to what the golem just roared, it was the sound of a creature who had never experienced such pain before. Gunnar began digging his axe in deeper, peeling back the armored layer of the golem's body until with a mighty rip he tore the front of the golem completely off, the glass shattering as it hit the ground now that it had been dramatically weakened.


"Hey Orin!" Gunnar called out, "Watch this!" He then paused, realizing how terrible that had been. "Shit! Forget I said anything, one more minute!" And with that, he rammed his sword deep into the Golem's chest and straight into vital organs. The beast fell to its back as the sword cut through its soft underbelly like butter, almost passing through it easier than normal flesh. It had a hard outside but on the inside it was softer than anything Gunnar had faced before as he hacked and slashed the beast up. The thumping of the golem's hearts caused its leathery chest to vibrate rapidly, all the fight drained of it as it bleed out in the very same village it had slaughtered. "You shouldn't have killed these people..." Gunnar talked down to the golem, standing on its chest as it had been defeated. "If you hadn't, I wouldn't have to kill you." He paused, smirking at the beast as its vision began to restore more and more at the least opportune time. "I probably still would though... You are one ugly son of a bitch." Gunnar rammed his sword down directly into one of the beast's hearts causing it to groan almost breathlessly as it was dealt a fatal blow. Gunnar didn't stop however, stabbing it again and again until it stopped moving. His weapons turned to dust before he was finished, Dio deciding he had enough for him. Gunnar spat on the beast, shaking his head as he stumbled off of its disgusting body.


"Orin. You alright?" He said, looking over to his traveling partner. "Biggest beast I've ever slain, I can tell you that now. Damn... I could use a drink."
 
Orin was completely exhausted after the ordeal of fighting the golem. Upon hearing its haunting death wail, he collapsed, taking a moment to himself to simply sit on the ground and recover. It was amazing that they had even survived such a process, let alone came out of it without any broken bones. Cuts, sure; they had those aplenty, and if Sinna and Balor had known just what had happened they might have been sent into a panic. But the prime concept of that small time that they had to rest was that they were fine. Hurt, sure; bleeding, cut, nearly trampled and beat to oblivion, but they were fine. Then, Orin began to laugh.


It was an odd sight, but the Seer was more than happy to not only have survived the encounter, but he'd actually found a niche. Some way to help the cause, other than sitting quietly and not moving. To Gunnar's surprise, he raised his hands up to the air. "Holy shit!" he exclaimed. "Holy shit, that was ... awesome! And we're alive. I'm alive. Am I alive? Because I didn't envision the afterlife to be so dark. I thought I'd, like, gain sight or something. But ... I saw through the golem's eyes. I didn't even know I could do that, that was just panic!" he exclaimed, in disbelief. "I mean, everything hurts. And I think I was in the equivalent of Ceram-womb, and that was weird, but-"


He pumped his fist into the air again. "That was awesome!" he exclaimed, again, grinning. "Oh, shit. Bal would be so pissed about this. Which reminds me; we don't tell him that the first thing we did was wander into a Ceram-occupied city, smoke-signal its attention to us, and then murder it. Speaking of which, now that the town is freed, we could get supplies from here, right? I mean, it feels weird looting a dead city, but we need it more than they do." he said, climbing to his feet and bracing himself against the building to the side of him.


"We could stop by an enchanter's and alchemist and get healing supplies, and a clothing store and grab supplies for travelling. Hell, there's probably money throughout town, too, if others weren't able to take it. And you know, I mean, we kind of deserve something, since we killed the thing tat killed all of these people. Right?" he asked, looking for justification. "As far as alcohol goes, I think you've taken most of that on yourself. You smell horrible. But I'm sure there are other bars in town!" he exclaimed, cheerfully, bringing light to an otherwise grim situation.


"Are you okay, though? I wasn't really sure of what was happening inside of the ... glass. I saw you for a moment, through the golem's eyes, but it was confusing. You were behind the bar, right?" he asked, concern coming into his voice as the excitement and adrenaline ebbed away.
 
"Am I okay?" Gunnar asked after watching the Ifritian celebrate in front of him so joyfully. He had never seen such a response out of Orin, he recognized the adrenaline and excitement however. There was nothing quite like narrowly avoiding death and coming out on top, Gunnar craved that feeling and hadn't been too vocal about it around his new friends but now that he seen he wouldn't be treated poorly for liking such things he grinned too and shouted, "I AM BETTER THAN OKAY! OUR SECOND DAY OF ADVENTURING TOGETHER AND WE SLAYED A BEAST!" He then rushed over to Orin and picked him up against his will and ecstatically held him up as he embraced his battle brother. It was a short, quick and rather rough embrace but it was one from a proud viking. He dropped Orin and was still dumbfounded they pulled that off, especially with Orin being blind. "We will tell Balor and Sinna of this day... You showed a resourcefulness that they think you lack. You're fucking blind and what do you do? You face on a... what did you call it? A Ceram? You face one of the most vicious, territorial beasts I've ever seen and blinded it! WE WILL CELEBRATE THIS VICTORY!"


Gunnar's laughter was contagious, he began to lead the way deeper into town than they had dared travel before. The glass had begun to melt away and unfortunately that came at the cost of revealing preserved bodies that littered the grounds but he made no fuss of them, if Orin didn't see them than they weren't a problem.


"I could have not done that without you." Gunnar confessed, keeping his eyes peeled for an apothecary store in order to quickly treat their wounds. "And as for looting the dead town... My people shamelessly take from the living to survive. While it is not the most pure business I've taken part in those raids time and time again, mostly against our enemies alone. Looting a dead down for what its worth is not only a viking gold mine but... it's ideal. We can spend the morning taking what we wish but any longer and those who live around these parts may see the town isn't glassed any longer." He chuckled, "Have you ever had free reign to a town before? Not having to hide, taking everything you wish?... They didn't have time to evacuate, we should have enough money here to buy a ship if we wanted." The thought probably hadn't even crossed Orin's mind that he never had this amount of freedom before, that this victory could mean more better things than he had ever witnessed before.


"Tell Orin..." Dio began to speak, "That I am glad he is okay. I used most of my remaining power keeping that tomb from swallowing him whole."


"Dio... You must like Orin if you are talking like that." Gunnar said with a smirk, leading Orin inside the apothecary that he had finally found. The walls were dotted with old potions and brews, Balor would have fit in right at home.


"He is a remarkable young man. Through disability and all, he prevails and thinks creatively. I respect those who behave as such." Dio let out what sounded like a chuckle, "Much more than I respect a thieving viking of course."


"Sure you do, Dio." Gunnar eyed Orin as he took a seat, the viking looking for some bandages and disinfectant for their wounds. "Dio wanted me to tell you that he is glad you're okay, that he used most of his remaining power to keep you safe. Also got out of him he thinks you're 'remarkable' or some shit. I wasn't paying that close attention." He placed the supplies Orin needed next to him, "That vial is to disinfect your wounds in case that Cerum was carrying something nasty. The cloth is bandages, the good kind believe it or not. I haven't been in a store like this in a long time..." He grunted as he began to clean his own wounds, peeling off his bloodstained and liquor soaked shirt first and flinging it to the ground with a plop.
 
Orin grinned toward Dio. "Well, I haven't met a spirit like him, either." he said. "Once upon of time, I was afraid of death and ghosts. Before I even knew they existed. If that's not an offensive thing to call him. That's not like calling Ifrits devils, is it?" he asked, genuinely curious. Then the thought went away with a wave of his hand. "Well, I like you too, Dio, and not just because you've stopped me from dying like ... at least three times."


He chuckled, stripping fabric away from his arms with a small wince as it peeled from inside of his wounds. His eyes opened a slight bit more as he thought about Gunnar's wounds. "Oh, you were covered in alcohol after getting cut. That's got to sting like a motherfucker." he said, a little crass. Certainly with no tongue he would have used around Sinna and Balor, but that was a moot point, as they weren't there. He uncorked the bottle to the vial that Gunnar had given him and began to treat himself, pulling out small shards of intact black glass and dropping them to the floor with little care.


As he'd pulled off his own shirt, Gunnar was able to see familiar scarring across the surface of his back. Where Gunnar had been whipped and broken at the hand of his own particular brand of those who policed the skies, so had Orin. It was something he didn't give too much attention to, forging a silent but common link between the two of them.


"I don't think I've ever been able to walk into a town without worry of being spotted, let alone walking freely amongst the streets, able to take anything that I want. It's ... liberating. I mean, despite the grimness of like, a whole town dying. That sucks, but we kind of avenged them in some way, didn't we?" he asked, standing to his feet. He wandered toward the register of the apothecary, hitting a button on it and propping it open. Surely enough, the money was in droves. "Holy shit, I've never seen so many Sols in one place. This must have been a hell of a town before ... This happened."


Orin put what little was left of his bag onto the counter, filling it with old money. He looked back toward Gunnar and Dio.


"Maybe we'll just hit the clothing store and blacksmith?" he asked. "And grab whatever money you need to buy your airship. But I'm not sure how much those cost."
 
"Me neither! I've only stolen them." Gunnar replied almost too cheerfully as he continued to pick bits off glass out of his arms and luckily for him he had a wraith to push the other bits out of his back from within. He had taken note of Orin's scars, feeling a bit of sadness he couldn't shake after seeing the blind boy ordeal a similar fate. In fact, Orin had been through a lot more pain than Gunnar had thought at first. Potentially even more than the viking himself had endured. "We'll grab it all just in case. Might give thieves more inventive to steal from us if we end up walking through a populated town but it should be alright. Long as we don't flash what we got to anyone. I'm not sure if we can just buy an airship but maybe find a place that'll ferry us up there."


Gunnar then stood up, looking at Orin's raggedy bag he was carrying about. He smirked, although most of the town had been glassed over this meant that a lot of supplies and materials had been preserved underneath.


"Hold on to that for now but we're gonna get better bags, shoes definitely... Anything we can grab we're taking. This is our only chance to take what we want as looters will be around before too long. Let's make it count. Have fun with it. We just went through hell to free this place from that damned Cerum so let's celebrate properly! New clothing, new traveling gear. Whatever you've wanted to do in a town we can do.. The clothing shop and the blacksmith... You're thinking with your brain!" Gunnar said laughing, "Think with your heart. What did you always want to do as a kid when you could see these places?" Gunnar grinned, "Break things?" He spun around and kicked a shelf full of medicine, shattering the vials of liquid and it all spilling out onto the floor. "Steal things? Shout? Eat, drink... Hell, piss in the middle of the street? WE CAN DO THAT NOW!"


His enthusiasm was contagious, while most normal people would have advised on gathering the essentials and leaving Gunnar wanted to give Orin something he probably never gotten before. Pure unadulterated fun with no one whatsoever telling him what he could or couldn't do. They were free, for the first time ever they were able to do whatever they wanted without consequence. For miles people avoided this place because of the golem and it would be some time before someone even dared headed this way. While Dio disapproved of such a waste of time, Gunnar thought they definitely needed this.


"You have never been able to walk through town without getting spotted huh? Well, since you're blind and I've been wearing the same disgusting clothing since that quest Moira sent us on... I'm going in the buff. Haven't been able to do that myself! Be careful what you feel around for buddy I wouldn't want Nora getting jealous." And just like that, Gunnar dropped trou and was free to the world. Quickly he bandaged himself up the rest of the way, mostly along his torso and wrapped several pieces around his legs before walking out into the streets with nothing but his boots on which he had slipped back into to not step on glass. Before leaving he grabbed a bar of soap and left Orin to collect anything else. Gunnar then stood outside the apothecary with his hands on his hips, standing there looking over the town like a super hero observing the city. "Wind feels interesting down there. I like it! FREEDOM!" He shouted while Orin was laughing in the background, no one could have possibly contain their laughter at hearing or seeing what Gunnar was doing.


"Gunnar... Although no one should be around do you really think this is-"


"SILENCE! DO NOT RUIN MY FUN DIO! I WILL DO AS I PLEASE AS THE LORD OF THIS TOWN!" Gunnar shouted to Dio as he walked out into the corpse filled streets, completely ignoring the devastating surroundings and simply looking past them and seeing a brilliant ruined city with plenty of treasures. "Mayor Orin... If you can't find me shout. I am going to go bathe in this fountain in the center of town because I can. Next to this place is a clothing store, across the way to your right is the armory. That store is uhh... a bookstore, gross!" He exclaimed. "After the bookstore down the street I see... is that a brothel? Don't go in there. You won't find anyone there worth your time anyways. Go wild, I'm gonna go wash my ass."
 
"Dio's just mad because Necras had better plans for you!" Orin chided, grinning. He wiped tears away from his eyes, though this time they had simply been from laughing. The blind Seer hadn't had the same amount of fun in quite a long time, with Sinna having grown more and more serious as they both aged together. They had their moments, of course; those on the beach, with each other, and with Balor, but it was nothing quite like beating a massive beast and then marauding a town.


As Gunnar ran off to wash himself in the fountain, Orin had other plans. He'd taken Gunnar's direction into mind, walking toward the clothing store in order to situate himself properly. After all, the sun had newly risen; they would have to move soon, but not right then. The Seer walked into the clothing store, hands navigating the area for him. He found his way to the mannequins, hands feeling for the material that had dressed them. He was careful not to grab for anything feminine; while it didn't particularly matter to a blind man, he was certain that the Viking wouldn't let him live it down.


Instead, he opted for a nobleman's getup; a banded-waist robe with fairly intricate leatherwork that made him look comparatively regal. It had a hefty price tag, but they didn't have to worry about that, then. He'd felt for a traveller's pack, something to replace the dingy bag he'd stuffed the alchemical supplies with as well as the money. Then, he'd thrown it over his shoulder. His supplies were already getting heavy, but if that was the price that they had to pay to be stocked, then that was fine. He'd briefly considered finding a hat or hood, but quickly realized that the small horns jutting from his forehead would interfere with such a plan, and left the shop.


Saving the best for second, Orin crossed the street to get to the blacksmith, with a pep to his step. Either by chance or sense, he'd narrowly avoided the stock of bodies piled up near the streets of the armory, frozen in time after stepping in to defend their town. He'd found his way in, though most of the weaponry inside had been scattered to the floor. When his foot had kicked a weapon underfoot, he'd reached down in order to grab it. It was a small sword, more of a dirk than anything, with a worn hilt.


And it was perfect.


Orin left the weapons shop, taking the same route as beforehand. He cupped his hands around his mouth, yelling out to Gunnar, who had been taking a particularly enthusiastic bath in the town shower.


"GUNNAR! I need you to teach me how to swordfight!" he yelled out, half-serious, half-joking. "Gonna be a badass when I get back to Sinna and Balor! Blinding people, swordfighting, dropping mad shade..."
 
"UNLESS YOU WANT TO FIGHT A NAKED MAN I'D BE PATIENT!" Gunnar called out, revealing his location to Orin. In reality, he had kept an eye on him just for safety sake and he had never been too far away. Gunnar had turned the town's center fountain into a luxurious communal bath, one that had zero privacy but once the glass had melted away and either evaporated or was washed away the water began to pump through it once more. Gunnar had nearly even took out the bands that held his dreadlocked hair in place to wash it even more thoroughly but knew better than to do that without someone around to redo his hair for him. Soon the normally disgusting smelling viking smelled much better, the sweat, grime and blood washed away leaving a murky puddle of who knows what in the fountain mixed with soap suds. "And did you just say dropping mad shade?" He called out once more, laughing at what Orin had been saying. "This will be my hardest task, teaching a blind man to sword fight..." Gunnar shook his head with a chuckle, "We'll spar in a moment. I'm going to dry off in that clothing shop and find something up my alley you-..." He seen Orin as he walked up closer, "Look fancy! No person is going to question you when they see you about your sign, they're just gonna say 'Sir yes sir!' and 'Right away sir!' Beats the hell out of them dingy robes I met you in. I swore I was in hell when I seen that even the demons could dress worse than me!"


"Nobody could dress worse than you. Or your people."


"Even Dio joking? This must be a holiday." Gunnar chuckled as he stepped over a body to head to the clothing shop. Wet foot prints dotted his path as he hummed to himself, making his way over to the store and quickly browsing what they had to offer. It was more of a higher end store so he grumbled as he was anxious he was going to have to dress beyond his means, until he seen in the back there were more practical clothing for outdoors-men. He grabbed himself a dark sleeveless leather jerkin that looked like it had been crafted from some of the finest materials. It fit his personality while still being much greater than the raggedy viking clothing he had shown up in. He matched it with a pair of paints that looked to be of the same material, not caring if the colors matched but more concerned about the longevity of the clothing. He had seen where Orin had acquired a new traveling bag and grabbed a bigger one for himself, willing to pack most of their belongings due to his additional strength. Quickly sweeping the store, he grabbed the money from the drawer up front before leaving. He also grabbed a new pair of boots on his way out and then trotted in the buff over to Orin who was swinging his blade wildly in the middle of town.


"Easy now, the fight is already over." Gunnar said with a smirk. "I have an idea for cover. When people ask who we are you look regal enough to be the son of a lord or someone fairly important. I'm grabbing something more up my alley but... I'm aiming for the sophisticated body guard slash savage look. So no one will want to approach us necessarily but if they do you can command their respect. We're gonna be traveling for a while and we need to be willing to enter towns, we couldn't do that before looking like two homeless people. We'll have plenty of money to pay our way around anyways." He chuckled, "I'm going to hit the blacksmith shop then we can go break stuff and swing swords at eachother before we leave!"


The giddy Gunnar rushed to the store and grabbed some chain-mail armor to go underneath his jerkin. It was light weight but it would serve his purpose, allowing him to move as fast as possible whilst protecting from arrows and blades. He left his arms exposed as many vikings did for the intimidation factor, followed by grabbing an armored cloak from the blacksmith shop that was hooded to warm himself if the sleeveless armor and clothing was a bad idea. Before he left, Dio got his attention.


"If you want to look the part of his body guard, you must have a physical weapon for display. It may also be a good idea just in case we're ever separated that you have physical steel as well. If I were to be too far from you then I could not generate those weapons for you any longer so grab a blade. A fine one too... You may have to use it." Gunnar nodded in response, thinking it was a good idea. He had grown dependent on Dio's weaponry and they nearly had been separated against the golem, any further and Gunnar nor Orin would be celebrating right now. In fact, they'd be meeting Dio properly on the other side.


Gunnar came walking up to Orin, a nice long sword attached to his back over his cloak keeping it from flowing too far out of place. He looked like a brand new man with all the new additions to not only his armor but his clothing as well. He left his old gear up in the Inn, not bothering to retrieve it now. He smirked, "We look like real adventurers now, take my word for it. Gotta rough these clothes up a bit but by the time we run into people again we'll look the part of people you don't want to fuck with." Gunnar let out a long sigh, feeling refreshed. It was as if the battle with the golem hadn't even happened with how many rewards they had gotten in return. It was strange, looting a town filled with corpses littering the grounds but Gunnar had not said a word about them nor did Orin. "We should probably leave soon. Anything else you want to do before then?"
 
"Well, don't tell Bal you said those robes were dingy. He takes it personal. He took it personal that I wouldn't wear the pink ones, actually. I mean, I'm blind, but I know what I look like in pink." Orin replied, laughing. "That sounds good! Most see the third eye and wonder, since male Seers don't come about too often, but it'd make sense that I wouldn't be taken if I'm a lord's son. But then again, there aren't many Ifrit lords around. Perhaps I'm an ambassador's son? Travelling from Central. Ifritian ambassadors exist. After all, they have to. There's no good way to anger a whole race into revolting than not giving them a place within the government."


Orin adjusted his clothing. He'd temporarily disappeared back into the blacksmith's shop to find a sheathe for his dirk, and place it into his belt. There, he could sheathe the small blade. He'd still had a few slots on his belt for other things; ones that he hadn't filled yet, and wasn't sure exactly what to fill with. With their newly acquired money, he was sure he'd find something, though. "Not ready for ranged weapons, yet." he murmured to himself, grinning.


"I've got it, by the way. Iiii'm... Asher Wendelin. Once-removed son of Otor Wendelin. That's a real ambassador, by the way. Staying in that little cave gave me enough time to read about god-awful everything that was happening in Central, then. I'll teach you about it, too. It's all boring. The politics in Central are grim. Backstabbing, manipulative people with whispers of powers of control, but if they weren't powerful, all of this wouldn't be happening, would it?" he chided. "Well, anyways. You'll need to know it for the disguise, but if you ever plan on visiting us after we become super-Vikings, then you'll need to know some things, too."


Orin sniffed. "You don't smell like rotten blood anymore! And by how you sound, I assume you're clothed. As for as anything that we still want to do here..."


Sharp teeth showed through his mouth as he grinned a cocky smirk. One that might soon change, as the Seer hilariously took a badly-formed swordfighting stance. His hand gripped the dirk's handle, and he dramatically drew it back out of his sheathe. It wouldn't have been a surprise, then, that he'd simply gotten the sheath for dramatic appeal. Dressed in nobleman's clothes, the Seer looked particularly unversed. And by all means, he was. But that didn't stop him; with inhibitions low from stealing and fighting, Orin 'looked' toward Gunnar's form, only able to see him due to Dio's spirit underneath.


"Uhh... Repartee?" he said, vocabulary on the subject lacking. "Or - en garde!"
 
"Dio, disappear..." Gunnar said, knowing that Orin was going to use his sight to his advantage. As Dio faded away and moved away from Gunnar, Orin was in the dark once more. "If you want to repartee-en garde me you have to be able to fight anyone. That means not being able to see them. Use your senses, stand firm." Gunnar said, circling Orin and watching as he tracked him as he moved. "Stand up straighter, your arms not too outstretched. If you're already at your full range of motion you won't be able to swing properly, you aren't a fencer. You're a viking." Gunnar drew his sword and chuckled, "Now this is gonna take a lot of training but-" He swung the blunt side of his sword towards Orin only to tape him on top of the head gently. "-you have to listen for ques, listen to the sound of the blade moving. You're gonna have to work fast too as in a sword fight things go quick, people die fast."


Gunnar and Orin then dueled for the next hour in the town square, the same town square that's been littered with bodies and now bleeding corpses as the glass had been keeping them preserved perfectly until now. Orin actually managed to get Gunnar a few times from sheer luck, but predictably Gunnar had only let him win when he did to keep things light hearted. In the short impromptu training session Orin learned a thing or two, him ironically being a natural when it came to learning even if he couldn't see what he was doing.


"Alright, I'm tired of killing you over and over. Let's get moving. We're burning daylight and these bodies are starting to stink. You have no idea how many there are, do you?" Gunnar said, starting to laugh. He looked around and an entire town had been slaughtered all around them, this light hearted bonding moment between the two of them looking very differently in Orin's mind than it actually had been. Gunnar wasn't bothered in the slightest as Dio returned, leading the way for Orin as they continued to the Bridge of Fire. "We'll keep training you every day. Get some muscles built up on you before too long. If we sharpen your senses hell... I've never seen it done before but a blind warrior would be pretty badass. Everyone one underestimate you only to get stabbed in the gut." He smirked, "We'll make a warrior out of you yet, Orin."


End of Chapter 3 - Kicking Glass


Each second was a second too much. The minutes dragged by so slowly it was as if they were in some strange time paradox that caused time to pass by ten times slower than normal. It had been several days since the sanctuary had been sealed, leaving Gunnar and Orin out to fend for themselves in the wilds. The others however suffered a much more mundane fate. They had all been trapped in Moira's sanctuary for far too long. The longer they were down there the more stagnant the air felt, the suffocating sensation of them being trapped was enough to drive someone with all the knowledge in the world mad. Both Balor and Sinna were filled with worry while Amara sat alone, burning after being bested by Gunnar.


"I am going to kill him." She said to herself, alone and isolated in the armory. The room looked completely spotless, even the weapons categorized by their type perfectly. Amara had sorted the armor and weaponry over half a dozen times, going much more stir crazy than she thought she would have been originally. "I am going to kill him." The elf repeated as she looked down at her hand, making metal tendrils appear out of her finger tips as she looked at them. "I... am... going... to... KILL... him..." She hummed in a sing song voice, jumping up from her seat followed by kicking the chair behind her to the wall. It caved in on itself, causing a spark of excitement to overwhelm her. "SOMETHING TO DO!" She cheered, only to realize she had no idea how to fix a chair. Amara then screamed at the top of her lungs, luckily the armory had been sound proofed otherwise the entire sanctuary would have had a heart attack how loud the crazed woman shouted.


She stormed out of the armory, for the first time in a long while she craved human interaction. Whether it be another fight or listening to someone other than herself think it didn't matter. All that mattered was that this terrible boredom was cured. She stood in the middle of the sanctuary, the corpse of the guard captain long being taken care of as everyone went about their day peacefully. To them, this was heaven. They were securely locked away while who knows what was happening above them. They couldn't possibly be safer, more content, not bored in the slightest.


Amara was going crazy.
 
"Sinna, Sinna!" a small voice cried out, from behind the doorframe of Sinna's small, temporary abode. Her eyes drifted upwards to the girl who stood in her doorway, a Caelila beaming brightly at the Ifritian girl with an optimism that knew no bounds. Sinna gestured her in, closing up the book that was resting in her lap and patted the bedside beside her. The girl, whose eyes glowed with bioluminescence due to being cooped up in the small bunker for so long, vaulted herself onto the bed.


It was hard not to be optimistic around the little ones. Despite having been cooped up for quite a while, and going a little bit stir crazy herself, Sinna grinned down toward the little Caelilan girl. She placed her hand on her head and gave it a scruff, that of which the small girl had frowned at her for. "What's up, Lily?" she asked, not expecting such an intrusion, but from kids, one could never tell what was going to happen next.


"Well..." she started, eyes shifting toward the doorway. "Okay, so. Why is everyone mad at each other?" she asked, with a bluntness that only a child could stir. Sinna couldn't help but laugh, despite the fact that the situation they had all found themselves in was a difficult one.


"That's kind of complicated." Sinna said, with a small sigh. "Bal and Moira are mad at each other because ... they're - ..." she found herself at a loss of words. "Different people. Both good people, but they're different. They want to accomplish the same thing, but they want to do it different ways, and now they're mad at each other because Moira did it her way."


"Does that make Moirie bad?" she asked, cutely.


"No. I mean, neither of them are bad." Sinna replied. "And Amara is mad at Gunn-"


"The human!"


"-The human, right. She's mad at the human because she lost a contest with him."


"Wanna know how I make up with my friends?" Lily asked. Sinna pursed her lips. She'd wanted to go back to her book, but she knew better than to say no to the small child. Before Sinna could even answer, the Caelilan girl spoke out. "I play a game!" she exclaimed, taking Sinna's hand and pulling her out of her small pit of isolation and toward the exit of the room. Sinna didn't have time to protest, as they were soon flurrying down the hall to where Balor had been staying, with the small child rapping incessantly on Balor's door. From beyond, a small, frustrated clatter was heard as the Prismatic Alchemist begrudgingly came to the door of his room for the first time in a few days.


The wide eyes of a child who had only meant well were awaiting him, looking up to the Alchemist with a slightly fearful visage. He softened visibly, however, looking back up to Sinna. Lily spoke out. "I'm gonna go get Moira! And then you all are gonna play a game together!" she said, disappearing down the hall.


The Ifrit and Lamia shared an expression of slight confusion, before Sinna laughed.


"I'm not sure we have a choice." she said.
 
Lily raced through the sanctuary as her little feet propelled her through the halls. To her the sanctuary was a much bigger place, one that didn't feel cramped in the slightest but was one of the very few places that felt like home to her. Her enthusiasm to help them settle their differences was both a breath of fresh air while also being a little annoying being that she was butting into everyone's business but no one could quite say no to the cute little girl. She entered the main floor and passed by Amara who was standing in the middle of the room with her arms crossed.


"Hey! Mara!" The little girl said, giving the elvish woman before her a heartwarming grin. While Amara was frightening to most Lily found her fascinating, she was not like the other girls and with her childish enthusiasm even she could look past Amara's negativity. "I'm getting Sinna and Balor together to play a game with Mama Moirie to become frie-"


"Piss off."


"Hey!" Lily said, her eyes narrowing as she glared at Amara. "I'm being nice to you Mara. You be nice to me or you'll be sorry!"


"I said... piss... off.." The elvish woman said, glaring down at the little girl with no remorse for what she was saying.


"Kay." Lily replied before skipping off down the hall to Amara's confusion. Before long she had disappeared into Moira's office and the doors slammed shut behind her, the little girl sticking her tongue out at the elf as she did so. Amara went down to her level and did the same before going back to sulking, looking for anything to pass the time.


"A game... Pssh..." She grunted, "Only children play games. To think training bra and that pacifistic pussy are playing one makes me laugh. Even I'm not bored enough to-" As she was talking to herself she was interrupted by Moira's office doors slamming wide open revealing Moira stomping out with a crying Lily in tow. The Midas woman looked angry beyond words as her eyes burnt into Amara's as she closed the distance over to the elvish woman. "Oh... so we got a tattle tale huh?" The elf said, looking down to Lily who was hiding behind Moira while whimpering.


"YOU APOLOGIZE RIGHT... NOW!" Moira shouted, "POOR LILY HERE TOLD ME WHAT YOU SAID TO HER! THAT IS INAPPROPRIATE TO SAY TO A CHILD AND YOU HAVE NO... NO RIGHT AT ALL TO BE SPEAKING TO ANYONE HERE IN THE SANCTUARY LIKE THAT!"


"All I said was pis-"


"I DON'T GIVE A FLYING FU.... FLIP WHAT YOU SAID! YOU APOLOGIZE TO HER RIGHT NOW OR!..." Moira turned to see Lily still bawling, then turned back to Amara. As soon as she did, the Caelilian girl gave Amara an evil sneer as Moira exploded once more. "Lily has told me of a game to make us all be friends. To ease tensions among the sanctuary. No one else has approached me to ease tensions so little Lily here will make a fine politician in the free world or someone of great importance. With thinking like that at such a young age we need to look to her for guidance... So, Lily sweety... What do ye think we should do with Amara here?"


"She has to play with us!" Lily said, wiping her fake tears away causing Moira to smile brightly at her. "Mara was a real meanie... But I still will give her a chance. Because I'm nice!"


"That's right... Yew are nice dear. Really nice. And so is 'Mara too, when she's forced to be." Moira smiled and walked over to Amara and whispered, "I'll flay you limb from limb with my mind if you don't make this little girl happy and do right be her. Understood? You're playing whether you like it or not." She took a step back and beamed down at little Lily. "Okay, lead the way Lily girl. We'll play yer game and have a great day together."


"Yay!" Lily exclaimed, followed by Amara echoing the same words sarcastically.
 
Sinna and Balor saw Lily scrambling through the halls ahead of Amara and Moira, enthusiastically leaping into Sinna, who with bandaged arms and a sore body, tried her darndest to assure that the little one didn't topple her over and fall. "Ookay, Lily, you're getting too big for-" she started, soon interrupted by the loud, enthusiastic exclamations of the small girl.


"'Mara and Moirie said yes!" Lily said. "Okay, well, 'Mara said a bad word, and then Moirie made it okay." She admitted, casting further blame onto the begrudging elven woman. A small tongue had emanated from her mouth as she stuck it out at Amara, while Balor glared to the woman.


"Well, what are we going to play, Lily?" Sinna asked. Lily's mouth turned into a contemplative frown for a moment as she thought. After a few uncomfortable seconds in which it became clear that the child did not think her plan all the way through, the small girl shook her head and shrugged.


"I dunno. You could play hide and seek ... but we're in a bunker! So ... maybe not." she said, disappointed. They all shared a look with each other apart from Lily, who was lost deep in thought. For several moments, during which Balor and Amara had slowly started becoming impatient, the small child held her attention span on the fleeting thought. Then, she finally broke the silence. "I don't know!" she said, cutely.


With a laugh, Sinna patted her head again. "Em... We could play a game that Orin and I used to play back before we settled down in the church. It might be a bit ... nerdy for you all, but it helped him cope with losing his sight. Basically, I'll be the game master; you create a character, and then react appropriately to the situation. So if we were in a tomb, your character might, for instance, find himself needing to pass an acrobatics check in order to avoid a trap! Normmaalllyy, it takes some time to make characters, so I'll dumb it down for us." she said, passing a wink to Amara. "Kind of like playing a role, if you will. But it'll take us out of the bunker for the time being."


"I have more important things to do than roleplaying, Sinna." Balor said. Suddenly, the small Caelilan girl began to cry again, alerting Balor. He visibly cringed, eyes shifting back up to Moira. When he'd caught the look she had given him, he immediately conceded, unwanting to make the situation worse than it already had been. "Alright. Fine."


Sinna shifted her eyes to Moira. "That's two in. Moira, would you like to be the game master? Unlimited control over a world you create yourself. Sounds appealing, right?" she asked, happy to be the one that wasn't creating, for once.
 
"Oh Sinna... You have no idea what you have just done." Moira said, a sly smirk appearing on her face. "What most may find nerdy, I find very fascinating. I spend a lot of my time down here, entertaining children in particular. But... I have a game geared more towards adults, and smart little girls like Lily here, and luckily for you Sinna we have finally found something we both enjoy. One moment! I'll be right back." Moira said, a big smile appearing on her face as she disappeared out of the room. She then popped her head back in, "Amara, take them to the small planning room next to the armory. The one with the round table and those comfy chairs. Please, I will be there in just a moment!"


"Great." Amara said, shrugging. "First this nerd gets excited about a roleplaying game, now the boss is secretly into it too? I feel like I've been missing something here... This better be good." She said, beginning to lead the way to the small meeting room. Luckily they were close by, the elvish woman opening the doors for them and walking inside first. The room was well lit by a prisma crystal hanging from the ceiling while there were several chairs lining the table. They began to move the spare chairs to the corner of the room and they all took their seats, leaving the elevated chair for Moira at the end of the table. "Usually I'm not one for stupid games. What should I expect here? We trying to scale a mountain made of sweets? Perhaps we roll dice to see which one of us is the luckiest? Boring."


"No my dear Amara! This is the most immersive, interesting game you will ever play." Moira said, kicking in the door as she stumbled in with a plethora of cut outs, books, dice and little metal figures. She dropped all the objects in front of her only for them to suspend in the air then fly over to the table. She set the table, her game master folder and notes all appearing in pristine condition in front of where she would be sitting. A map oddly similar to their world unrolled out in the center of the table, a small bowl filled with the metal figures was placed next to the map as well as several character sheets she had prepared next to it. The dice all floated one by one behind the game master's screen and soon Moira had sat down at her chair and was slightly higher than the others not only to see over her screen but to command the room.


"So, Sinna. You seem like the type to be a game master yourself so I want you to enjoy this too the fullest. I'm so excited that you already know how to play!" They hadn't seen the Midas woman like this before, giddy with excitement as she held back the joy she had for actually getting a chance to play this game for once. "Now, you all will be given a character sheet. Each has a picture that one of our more talent shades have drawn and you will roleplay as them. Cast aside all your personal feelings and thoughts and become the character you are given. Really enjoy the role ye been given and escape from who you are for a bit. I'm going to pass out the sheets randomly so no favorites will be played here, you will be stuck with what ye get! So make the most of it."


Soon, the character sheets began to fly through the air in a randomized fashion until finally one sheet landed in front of each person. Moira smiled to herself, she had spent months making a massive stack of characters so she truly had no idea who was going to get what.


"Okay... Tell me, who all did you get and what do they do!" Moira asked with a grin. Amara was closest to her and couldn't believe what sort of character she had received.


"You have to be kidding me Moira..." Amara frowned, "How am I supposed to play someone I have no idea about? I am a warrior... not a..." She looked visibly bothered by the character she had received, her face pale as she tried to describe what she had received. "My character is... a 'mischievous bard named Barry. A Midas musician who loves the company of women, song and...' You can't be serious Moira." Amara glared at her, not believing the luck she had. "... his love for small woodland creatures. Barry is a... pacifist through and through and does not do battle EXCEPT with his ability to transform the world through song... I want a do over!"


"No one gets a do over, Barry!" Moira snapped, smiling at the others. "Well then... Who did you all get now?"
 
Upon Amara getting her character, Sinna grinned at her. While it was amusing to see the warrior woman in such a pacifistic situation, she was almost certain that the elven woman would at least come to enjoy it a little bit. After all, who didn't enjoy a little bit of escapism? Sinna certainly had. And so had Orin. A small wave of sadness and worry passed her, but she'd quickly gotten back to the root of everything.


She looked at her character sheet.


On it, the eerie visage of a brutish Sang'rok orc had been staring back at her. He was swept up in a cocky grin, with scars marking the front of his face. Primarily, his nose had been nearly cut in half. She imagined for a moment that he breathed heavy because of it, taking a more analytical view of her character. Two tusks jutted out of the front of his mouth, and she'd wondered if they'd grown any long if they'd pierce his eyes. The thoughts brought a chuckle to her, as Balor looked onto her with curiosity. He hadn't taken a look at his own card yet. She met his eyes, and then showed him the card as well. He laughed too, incredulous that Sinna could play such a role.


"I'm Gratkn the Heirkiller." she said, suddenly straightening out her shoulders. It was evident that she was more than happy to take on her own role, which was a satisfying change from the normally ever-so-serious Ifritian girl that was sitting in front of them. "I'm Sang'rok, a large intimidating brute infamous for the contracted killing of Prince Eror and Prince Hashid, heirs to the new Lamian throne. I'm the opposite of a pacifist. But really ... I'm more of a tank type. High HP, Strength, and Constitution. Low Intelligence and Wisdom, but not ... stupid low. That's good! I don't like playing overly stupid characters. But I do like the raw HP. That means if you get scared, Barry, you can stand behind me." Sinna said, with a wink to Amara.


"I see." Balor said. "It doesn't say anything about Heirkilling on your card, though, Sinna." he noted, confused.


"Okay. Well, I'm Gratkn Gotor, but I came up with the rest myself. Says I'm brutish, but I've got somewhat of a soft side. For children and small animals, mostly, but I think that Barry is my little buddy, too." she said, grinning again toward Amara. "What is your character, Balor?" she asked.


"It says here I'm Jayce Thickett. A ... hobgoblin rogue. I'm ... used to the sight of blood, often causing it myself. I'm a charming, cocky fellow, but I can't keep a coin to my name. Once I get it, I spend it instantaneously. Mostly on ..." he drifted off. "I don't know if this is appropriate."


Lily suddenly chimed in, after watching all of the adults in feigned joy. Now, she was bored. And now that her plan had worked, she could leave. "I'm out! But if I see you guys stopping after I leave ... I'm gonna get really, really sad!" she warned, stepping away from the table. Balor looked toward Sinna, still hesitant to say the contents of his card in front of the girl. Instead, she snatched it away from him.


"It says here that Balor likes women of the night, and ... what does that mean?" she asked.


"Nothing. Who made this card?" he asked, somewhat alarmed. "And something tells me that these weren't distributed randomly. They play too easily to our weaknesses. It would be like Moira to do so." he said.


"Never question the game master!" Sinna practically roared. "Lest you incur the wrath of the Random Number God. I think that falls under Tock, right?"
 
"I am insulted Balor... We may not see eye to eye but the sanctity of this game must be upheld to the highest regard. I would never force you to play as something I thought would suit you. That's no fun! The fun comes from the unknown, your imagination, what you choose to do with your character and let them come to life!" She paused, "I only did that to Amara because she was mean to little Lily." She said with an evil smirk, causing the elf girl to huff but she seemed to studying her card rather closely. "What are you doing Amara? Seeing how you can beat the system with Barry there?"


"No. I am learning who he is." She said, finding it amusing how Sinna had talked about her character as if they were a living being. "Sinna added things that were appropriate to her character while Balor here just revealed Jayce's love for prostitutes. If we're going to do something we're going to do it right, I will learn this... Barry the Bard's talents and history and win this contest." Amara said, her face red as she was growing increasingly irate about her character. "Barry's main talent is distracting enemies, plus chance to distract blah blah blah... Works well with Gratkn with a very friendly relationship. You gotta be fucking kidding me."


"You've been mean to Sinna as well. It's only fair that you are the orc's traveling bard, singing and praising tales of his accomplishments from town to town. Writing ballads and epic tales of adventure. Keep reading, Barry is quite the romantic and as such loves to profess his love to women in each town. Whether he truly means it or not is up to interpretation but because of his skills with a lute, he uhh..." Moira laughed, shaking her head at the absurdity of it all. "Lays with women of each town. He is overly friendly to all and while he does avoid fighting himself, read his combat abilities."


"It says here he can... buff the party he is traveling with as well as cast healing magics. So he's a fucking white mage? You gave me the one person I won't be good at!" She frowned, as high strung as she was she did seem to be very disappointed in her character. "How am I supposed to win this contest if he is something I am not?"


"That is the point, Amara. You are supposed to be something you're not... for fun! It says nothing of who you are or what you do, it is simply pure escapism. I will have a scenario in which the three of you may either join up together or go your separate ways and try and finish the quest I have for you all. Now listen up because we have a lot to go over." Moira smirked, she hadn't been able to start this campaign with anyone. It truly felt like the time to release into the wild the game she had been writing for so long. "If you see the map here, it is very similar to the world we live in currently. That's because... it is! Long ago, the world was much different than what we know today. The world was at war, but not with those born under certain signs being hunted down. No... This was a war between the very gods we worship today. No one knows quite what had happened but it was said that the gods were close to being ripped from the heavens from evil forces. Now, many adventurers and heroes traveled all over the world to find the answer to stopping this conflict."


"Did this... really happen? A massive war between gods?" Amara was practically foaming at the mouth about the idea.


"Yes. No one knows the whole story like I said, but it was told that there were great manipulators. Ones who played the gods into hating one another. Their mission nearly succeeded but that is a story for another time I'm just setting the scene. I call this 'The Maze of Mana.' It takes place around the ring of mana near the center. Rumor has it there is a maze, one filled with beasts of many kinds, puzzles that would drive many mad and even... riches to be had. Evil forces are currently in the maze, trying to unravel their secrets. The God-" Moira seen how intently Balor was listening in, so she made a small change, "-ddess Prisma has called upon several heroes in their sleep. Ones that are not the first the gods would choose, but ones that no one would ever imagine doing something so great. She calls to three heroes in the night. Gratkn the Heirkiller, Barry the Bard and Jayce Thickett. She appears before you in the form of a dove, carrying the news of the Maze of Mana. Although all knowing and wise, she does not know where the Maze entrance is located. However, she does know that the entrance is close by and the locals may know something of its whereabouts. You three both each awaken in the local inn you were staying at, Prisma had made sure to show you the identity of the two other heroes that can help you on your quest. She-"


"So... I know both that my friend Gratkn is one of the heroes as well as the stranger Jayce?" Amara asked.


"Yes!" Moira exclaimed, surprised to see Amara taking as much interest as she was showing. "Each of you will have a turn and can do with it what you may, within reason. Going counter clockwise so Gratkn you will go first, followed by Jayce, then the set ending with Barry. You may each communicate with one another without expending a turn, so if you would like to start us off Sinna. Let's begin the Maze of Mana!" Suddenly, the lights dimmed and the metal pieces in the bowl went flying out onto the board. Moira was going to give them a cinematic experience they didn't think was possible as not only were they able to imagine what was going on in their heads, she was manipulating the environment in the room with her abilities to enhance the immersion.
 
"Okey-doke! Let's begin." Sinna said cheerfully. "Or as Gratkn would say ... Let the blades fall as they may. Another drink! - I say, as I sidle up to my friend Barry. After having that fateful message delivered to me on the wings of a dove that previous night ... I had thought it over. If a message truly were to come from the Gods, dictating a wonderful maze, filled with puzzles, riches, and horrible beasts ... why would such a message come to me?" Sinna asked, voice gruff and low, in an actually good attempt at mimicking an orc. "I'm used to being swindled and tricked. But I know that. So, this message, on the wings of a dove, coming from the Goddess of Peace to perhaps the most bloodiest - brutiest -"


Sinna paused to giggle, her own poorly grammatized sentences causing her to stop.

"Well, not to toot my own horn, but the brashet Sang'rok in miles? So, I come to my friend, meeting at our usual spot in the bar. I retell my tale of the dove coming to give me this quest. 'Do you think it's a trick?' I ask Barry. 'It was saying something about a few other adventurers, but I got so flustered that I tried to grab the bird and it flew away before I could finish my sentence'." Sinna said, looking to Amara with genuine curiosity. She then looked back to Moira.


"Well, that's my turn. And by the way, I spoke of the Maze of Mana loud enough for everyone around me to hear." She said, with finality. Then, she looked to Balor.


"After the dove came to me, I trawled my way to the bar, as rogueish types are to do. I figure it would be a good place to scout for the others, being a local communication hub. And the dove said something about one of my traveling companions being a bard, so that makes sense too." Balor said, taking a more analytical approach to his character. This seemed to draw the ire of both Moira and Sinna, who cocked their respective brows to him.


"I see them chatting, then. Or I try to." He said. The dice in front of him floated. He had to roll, and that was Moira's way of signaling such a thing to him. With a huff, he grabbed them and then rolled them onto the table.


As the numbers hit high, it actually elicited a smile from the Lamian man.


"I see them." He said. "So I approach them, naturally... and then I attempt to steal something from the bard. Do I have to roll for that again?" He asked Moira.
 
"That you do! See, yer getting the hang of it already." As Balor rolled the dice bounced, only for it to land on exactly what he needed to be. "You were able to steal the bard's lute, Barry's most valuable possession. Jayce with his nimble fingers and his thirst for riches managed to do the impossible and steal the bard's lute without him nor his companion noticing miraculously.


"That's cheating!" Amara immediately slammed her hands down onto the table. "How is Barry supposed to be a bard without his lute? And who dares steal something from someone as prized as their very own instrument? It's not worth much... why would Jayce do this to Barry? TO ME?!"


"Well that's the game Amara, Barry doesn't know that it has happened yet so you have to act as if it never did happen. Once you find it you can be alarmed but you have to pass a perception roll in order to realize it." Moira replied, a devilish smirk on her lips. This was already off to a great start.


"Well then... I... I roll a perception check!" She rolled the dice, only for it to be low. "GOD DAMN IT!" She shouted, causing the others to laugh. Amara didn't find this funny one bit. "You dare laugh at my misfortune?... I will show you." She muttered, clenching her fists tightly as she continued her turn. She then let out a long sigh, then began her best dwarf impression. Her voice was lower and actually had some of Moira's accent in it. "'Ye had that same dream 'ave you?' I say, stunned that my... good friend... had the same dream." Amara was still fuming from having her lute stolen, trying to find a way to figure out how to get it back already. "I then reach to my back to begin a song of-"


"Nope!" Moira called out, "You failed the perception check, Barry. Try again!"


"I... turn to Gratkn, a fine foam of ale in my beard as I say, 'Such a maze must be real if a goddess approached us both. She spoke of another a... roguish type. A hobgoblin, rather sneaky bastard. Probably steals tings dat don't belong to em!' I then look around the room, scanning for said Hobgoblin-" The dice appeared in front of her again, miraculously finding a way to figure out where the goblin could be. And once again, she failed. "Yet... I see nothing." She said, defeated. "So, I turn to my friend once more and say, 'Do you think there'll be any fine maidens that I may sing my songs to there lad? As fine as this town may be, riches and winches go together like Barry's cock and me special sock!'"


"Gross!" Moira said, laughing, "I love it. Is that your turn?"


"That be my turn." Amara said, continuing her dwarf impression without realizing it.
 
Sinna grabbed the dice, knowing well that she would fail her perception check on account of her Intelligence. That mattered not, however, as a chance was a chance. She looked toward Amara, smirking more softly now at the sheer fact that she seemed to have started to enjoy herself. "No finer a maiden than that one." Sinna said, in her brutish Sang'rok accent, pointing a finger toward a massive she-hulking orc at the other side of the bar. Then, she burst into orc laughter. "If little Barry can serenade himself a fine woman such as that, then I, Gratkn the Heirkiller, will ..."


Sinna placed her thumb to her mouth. Whether she was feigning the low Intelligence required to muster an end to that sentence, or she genuinely couldn't find an end to it was up in the air. Then, she tapped her forehead, signalling she was ready to continue. "Well, I'll try my hand at seducing a dwarven woman. You would like to see that, wouldn't you? Yer always on about how it requires tact, well, I'd like to see you try seducing Sang'rek." she said.


The Ifritian girl, despite everything, was attempting to help Amara, surprising the woman. They had been friends in-character, so why not? So, she looked to her. "Get'cher lute out-" she said, stopping. Then, she rolled her perception. The dice seemed to fall in slow motion, and amazingly, just by a hair, she had made the roll. Sinna couldn't help but lift her hands over her head in joy. Then, she calmed herself down, and settled back into character.


"What in the - you came in with your lute, right?" she asked.


Suddenly, Balor cleared his voice. "I bring the lute to their attention." he said. "Lute in hand, I show the orc and the dwarf that I've taken it. I stole it to see if I could, in the first place, but seeing the two at the bar that matched the description that the dove had given me, I wanted to prove my worth. But I won't tell them that. For extra insult to injury, I strum a few chords on the instrument."


Sinna handed Balor the dice, to which he quirked his brow. "I have to roll on that?" he asked.


"Music-playing is a skill!" she exclaimed. "'Else there'd be a thousand Barrys."


Balor took the dice from her and rolled them. He wasn't sure what to make of the result, before Sinna had spoken up again. "See, now that would have succeeded, if you had any musical talent whatsoever. That's a failure." she said.


"Alright, well... I strum the instrument. Badly. To catch their attention. And by how bad it sounds, I imagine I succeed. But my instrument playing wasn't what I was trying to accentuate. I hop off of my stool and proffer the lute back to the dwarf. 'My name is Jayce', I say, 'Jayce Thickett. Took a while for you to notice, but that's okay. I didn't intend on keeping it. Say, last night, a dove came to my window. It gave me a proverb - one that I intend on believing. That you two would be my travelling partners, and I just thought that I'd express my sheer leadership qualities before we set off on our adventure.'"


"Who says we want to travel with a thief?" Sinna suddenly asked, jarring Balor.
 
"Are you daft?" Amara asked, shaking her head in surprise. "Ye come and take me lute without me noticing and expect me ta be your friend ye scoundrel!" No one wanted to say it but the rather frightening elf was much easier to listen to when she was having fun. She had long forgotten how bizarre this game was, she was legitimately starting to have fun. "Then you proclaim to have leadership qualities? What sorta backwards world do we live in? I att-..." She paused, knowing that Barry wouldn't do such a thing. "I advise ye not to approach people like that again... friend." It took her a bit of time to force those words out, doing her best to stay in character. "Yer lucky I recognize you from the dream! 'Ave a seat." Amara sent a reassuring smile to Sinna, in-character that was, but the gesture alone was worth more than Lily had originally intended with the game.


Amara then smirked, "Let me show you how to play the lute lad, it takes more than skilled fingers to do such a thing." Amara grabbed the floating dice and rolled a perfect roll. "That allows me to-" She said, out of character as she looked at her sheet. "The Dwarven Mating song? What in the hell-" She shook her head but committed to what she rolled. "I perform a ballad so great before Jayce and my orcish friend that suddenly many maidens and travelers alike gathered all around as I strum the lute with ease. My dwarfish voice bellowed out in a beautiful, yet Midas way that thankfully most in the tavern enjoyed. I finished with a bow, causing a roar of applause to overwhelm us. Soon, the spectators disappeared but now we had the respect and the attention of the bar."


"Good turn." Moira said with a smile, amused with how Amara used her turn to prove a point with the lute rather than just sticking to introductions as most players would. She had a creativity about her that was shocking, whether or not it was just being realized was to be seen. "After the dust had settled, the three of you were drinking merrily, introducing one another and poking fun at how Jayce had arrived. Soon however, the conversation went from friendly to the topic of the Maze of Mana. While you three talked about what you had seen, a man in a hooded robe swiftly walked over to you from speaking so loudly. Unfortunately you had the whole attention of the bar now so speaking on such subjects was actually the worst thing you could have done."


The room darkened and seemed to even get colder as Moira finished her words, her magic making the environment fit the tone.


"You best stop speaking of that cursed maze... Someone here might hear word of you looking for it and stop you." Moira spoke in a gruff voice, " 'There be many horrors within. Not just creatures, but men.' The mysterious hooded figure said, standing uncomfortably close to the three of you. He wore black robes and the closer you seen of his face you realized... the Ifritian was missing half of it. It was as if some beast or some... thing clawed off part of his face taking his eye with it. He was horribly disfigured and seemed to warn you of the dangers of going to such place. 'There is a dark secret of the maze, one that not even the three of you could uncover. You would be dead before then.' And with that, the hooded stranger disappears into the crowd." The lighting returned to normal as the stranger left, Moira really giving a theatrical experience. "You can attempt to roll to follow the stranger, but if what he said is true then others may know if its whereabouts. Regardless, Prisma destined you three with a mission. How you accomplish it is up to you!" The possibilities made Amara head spin, did Moira really plot out several different ways to get to the maze?
 
"That was weird." Sinna said, grinning. "Well, Barry, maybe you can use your ..." she waved a hand at Amara, as if to say, 'this', "...Use your mouth and get somewhere. And what'd you say your name was, thief?"


"Jayce." Balor said, with a fake curtsy. "And while I'm sure that playing the lute will get you somewhere in a bar, you need skilled hands to navigate a maze." he said, and the slightest hint of a smirk could be seen from him. Perhaps he was enjoying it too, despite the visage he'd wanted to put out that he was above such things.


"Well - Jayce. Dove didn't tell me 'bout no entrance to no maze. Use your tiny little goblin feet and pad after that ugly mug, would you?" she asked, doing a particularly convincing impression of a Sang'rok, teetering the lines between dim and intelligent. "Get on it." she demanded.


"I follow him." Balor said, suddenly intrigued by the half-faced Ifritian figure. Moira floated the dice to him, to which he rolled. He seemed disappointed as they came up low, perhaps not enjoying the game as much as the others. Still, he put on a determined face, looking to the rest of them. "Well, I couldn't catch him. But that doesn't mean that I can't make an attempt at looking around the crowd. Actually, I sidle up to the bartender. He's the fellow that knows who comes and who goes, and if he's got an observant eye, then perhaps he can help us on our quest."


"You're not talking like a hobgoblin, Bal." Sinna teased, sticking her tongue out. The alchemist huffed, but then went into thought.


"Well, what does a hobgoblin sound like? I've never met one, and I'm not even sure they exist, other than perhaps being mutated humans." he said, thinking on the matter. "Regardless, if they were in existence, I imagine they would be in the dregs of society due to their fascination with spending coin. So... What would a hobgoblin do, in this situation?" he mused, to himself, mostly. Then, he pushed his token up to another one that sat meandering inside of the bar. "I stick my hand in their pocket, attempting to grab stray coin from them. Well, I'll do that next turn, I mean. I intend on using the coin to 'tip' the bartender for information."


Before Balor could end his turn, Sinna spoke up. "Since I used my turn for talking, by the way, I want to look around for anyone who ... looks interested by us. We were talking pretty loud about the Maze, so I figure that not just the half-faced man took notice. I try to catch someone's eye."
 
"I'll let you get the roll now so you aren't stuck behind a turn, plus with you failing that last roll. Not sure how a master rogue could fuck that one up." Moira said with a smirk, teasing Balor as she rolled for him and sure enough he was able to complete his task. "Jayce swiftly darts his hand into the man's pocket, grabbing not one but a few stray coins with such precision the man didn't even notice. They would not be missed either as he was terribly drunk, an unfortunate consequence of living near a bar and day drinking." She smirked, "As for Gratkn, the massive Sang'rok warrior, caught the eye of a beautiful Midas woman. One with long red hair and-" She seen the look everyone gave her and started to laugh, "I'm a professional game master! I'm not self inserting-" The look didn't disappear, "FINE! A busty, elvish maiden sat across the room eyeing him. She had long blonde hair and pursed ruby lips, she was captivating but felt rather out of place in a dump like this. She, however, seemed a bit too interested in your conversation over what Gratkn and the others looked like so it seemed she had ulterior motives. She swiftly turned around when she caught your eye, a look of being compromised on her face."


"I will then move over to the woman!" Amara exclaimed, "And serenade here with-"


"Nope!" Moira called with a smirk, "She caught Gratkn's eyes, not Barry's."


"DAMN YOUR RULES!" Amara called out, frustrated with what Moira was doing to her. Moira smirked as she could literally see Amara's brain go into overdrive as she searched for the answer to her turn. She wanted to win desperately and finding the maze was the most important thing to her currently. "Then... I will use my turn to... Umm... Speak with my new found fans! They are around, yes?"


"That they are Barry. As you turn around in your seat you are greeted by the sight of several people wanting to speak to you about your work. Many are simply looking for autographs or for you to come up to their room, as Barry is one fine Midas specimen-" Amara smiled brightly at that, the first any of them had ever seen from her. "-and yet, something is peculiar about one of your spectators. A knight was in the back, keeping an eye on you as you spoke with all your new found fame. He looked to be battle hardened and curious about you. What do you do?"


"I wave the knight over and offer him a drink!"


"The knight complies, walking over and accepting your gracious offer of a drink. When he removes his helmet you find that it is actually a human, one that is rather handsome but grizzled. 'Hello my Midas friend. I enjoyed your performance, what I seemed to notice more is that you and your party are searching for the Maze... You should not speak loudly as this whole town is... well... being watched."


"I-"


"Your turn is now over, Amara. Think of what to say back to this night after Sinna and Balor complete their turns!" And just like that, Amara rubbed her chin deep in thought on what to say next.
 
Sinna grinned toward Moira, seeing that she was being particularly favored with her rolls for the time being. She briefly wondered if the dwarven woman had a hand in it, but then attributed it to karma. "I raise from my seat at the bar, seeing that my traveling companion has occupied himself, and approach the elven woman. My demeanor isn't alike to Barry or Jayce; I don't have an interest in courting her, since I prefer my women a little more ... durable." Sinna said, harboring a giggle. Balor shot an unappreciative look at her. "What? I'm in character!" She said, sharpened, grinning teeth forcing a sigh from him.


Then, she continued. "I approach, sitting at the table across from her, and signal the barwench over. Then, I say, 'My name is Gratkn. I've never been eyed up by an elf before'." She had to stop herself from laughing. "'But something tells me that you're not looking at me because I'm handsome.' I say."


The dice floated to her. "Reaction?" She asked, to which the Midas gamemaster have her a brief nod. Sinna took the dice in hand. Then she rolled them. "I get a negative for being Sang'rok, and a negative for scars, but... that's still _jussst_ a positive reaction. Woo! Okay. 'It looks like to me you're more interested in what I was saying. Do you have any info on the Maze?' I ask." She said. "That concludes my turn!"


"That's me, then." Balor affirmed. "Alright. With the coin in hand, I approach the bartender. I place the Sol on the counter. Before the bartender can ask me what I'm wanting to drink - I say, 'I'm sure ... ya heard my compatriots and I babbling on about the Maze. We're looking for info. Info for coin. That sound like a fair deal?' I ask, sure to keep his - er, my voice on the quiet side. Since that turn was just spent talking, as well ... I believe it says on my character sheet that I'm paranoid, so I look around for anyone that looks too threatening." Balor said, eyes on the relatively wonderful map in front of them.


"My hand is on my dagger. Just in case." He added.
 
" 'I suppose if I squinted really hard you'd be handsome.' The elvish woman says to you as she laughs at his joke. 'Well Gratkn, you folk should really be careful about that maze. The secret to this town is well...' She leans in close, her cleavage da-" Moira noticed how Balor reacted and shook her head, "Her chest was of no importance. The elvish woman whispers, 'You all are in incredible danger if you keep speaking of the maze so loudly. It is this town's dark secret, the locals will be more likely to protect those harnessing the mazes secrets than reveal them. The entrance is near, but I do not know where. I'd prefer not to either, after hearing the horrors of within that terrible place...' She however, smirked at Gratkn as she leaned even closer. 'I can however... Be persuaded to point you in the direction where to go... If you offer me something I'd want.'" Moira paused, taking a breath and looking at Sinna, "You have to pass a luck roll, if you hit it she'll point you in the general direction of the entrance. If you miss, she'll point you in the wrong direction! And poor Gratkn's intelligence isn't high enough to tell the difference so..." Moira smirked, "Good luck."


"How is that fair?" Amara asked, "You are telling her what would happen if she fails. What if she rolled wrong but still got pointed in a direction and thought she was going the right way but fell into a trap?"


"You're clever Amara, but that's exactly what I'm doing. She won't know if she rolled right because the answer is in here." She pointed to her head, "So I hope you others have worked hard to get the answers from the others!" This made Amara's heart drop as now the game was getting serious. Then, Moira turned to Balor. "The bartender notices your paranoia while sliding the sol into his pocket, he too now looking around before leaning in to speak to you. 'I'd advise you lot to leave town. But... if you persist, you can find the trail to the maze near the falls outside of town. If the Maze wants to be found, it'll be found that way." And with that the bartender stopped speaking and went to help another customer."


"How is that fair?" Amara asked again, "He just walked off without telling Balor the info-"


"Do you really think bribing the locals who was just revealed to protect the maze a wise idea?" Moira said with a devilish smirk. "The trick here is not to ask ME questions Barry, but for you to be asking those in the Inn and in town to decipher who is telling the truth and who is leading you to a trap!" The revelation from the game master's plot hit them like a ton of bricks. The idea that these characters were deep enough to lie and deceive the party with each having a backstory and personalities was mind boggling especially to Amara. "Alright then Barry, what do you say to the knight?"


"What do ye mean watched?" Amara blurted out. " 'I be use to being watched on account of me lute and me glutes but... Are ye saying we're in danger?"


" 'Yes' The knight replies with a grim look on his face. 'The more attention you all bring to yourselves the worse off you are. I suggest leaving town and whatever you do, do not go to the waterfalls. It's a trap, one that you will not come out alive from.' The Knight nods firmly at Barry before disappearing into the crowd, leaving as quickly as he went."


"What the hell?" Amara asked. "We're getting two differe-" She stopped, before smiling at Moira who gave her a knowing wink.
 
Sinna took the dice in hand. As they all waited in anticipation, she cupped them to her mouth, blowing on them for good luck. They were shape-faced; dice without numbers on them that the game master had a cheat sheet for, but no one else would see the result of. The Ifritian girl rolled them in her hand for a few seconds, before releasing them onto the table. They landed on three triangles, forcing an 'ooh' from Sinna. "That's either really good, really bad, or really, really neutral." She said, grinning. "Give me good things, Tock!" She exclaimed, soon after putting on her orc face.


"'What do you want, then?' I ask, leaning in close. I try to look particularly intimidating, placing my massive, meaty fists on the table. 'Also, keep in mind ... I've come back from worser things than death', I growl, 'but I can also be a good friend.'" Sinna said. She wasn't particularly intimidating, for those who knew Ifrit, but with sharpened teeth and claws, she wasn't doing a particularly bad job. "'They call me the Heirkiller. But that doesn't have to be bad.' I say." She said.


Her hand reached out for the dice; this time, the ones with actual numbers on them. She grasped them and then paused. "Intimate is based off Strength, right?" She asked Moira.


"Also, to be fair, Jayce doesn't know that the locals are protecting it. He cannot hear the results of the others' conversations while having his own, correct? All of Jayce's - or my - knowledge about it simply pertains to the ... marred Ifritian man and his diatribe. So, I see that the bartender is displaying the same paranoia as I am, and I'm relieved that I'm amongst my own kind. Still, I approach the dwarf - Barry, I found his name to be - and begin speaking to him." Balor said.


He cleared his throat. "'The 'tender says that the maze is beyond the waterfalls. I saw that you were talking to a knight. I don't trust those type. Too good. Looks like your bodyguard is still speaking to the stick.'" Balor said, eyes flitting up to Amara. "'What'd he say about the maze? Same deal about leaving town?' I ask."
 
Moira smirked as she seen the results of the dice and gave no hint whether Sinna had gotten lucky or not. In fact, she teased her about it.


"You're right. It's either really good, really bad or... really neutral." She said with a smirk, "Let's find out shall we? The elvish woman smiles at Heirkiller, pleased with his display. 'Oh, so you are proficient in killing is it? I can point you in the direction of the Maze if you do what you do best.' She now whispered at you, making sure that no one around them could hear her. 'Do you see that knight, leaving the bar?' she said as she points to the night Barry had just gotten done speaking to. 'I need you to kill him for me. He is my husband and... He hangs around this inn and flirts with the girls, I found red hair on our pillow the other night and well... It is obvious he no longer loves me. He is too busy slaying monsters and traveling for me now and I can not divorce him and keep my home. I know it sounds selfish but please... mighty Sang'rok... Do this for me and I will personally lead you to the maze.' The elf revealed, 'I will work on finding it, down to the very entrance if you promise to do this for me. In any way possible! I care not how the deed is done.' "


Moira finished speaking, smiling at the bombshell she revealed. Amara's mouth was wide open, wanting to warn the knight about what might happen but knew it would be breaking the rules so she kept silent with a very visible sad look on her face.


"I like that knight." She commented to Sinna. "The way Moira described him made him sound real... nice. And helpful." Amara said quietly.


"Like the humans huh? Can't say I blame you, I got a taste for them too!" Moira said, teasing Amara. "Shame we don't know one huh?"


Amara quickly shook her head and continued to play the game while Moira laughed. She turned her attention to Balor and replied, " 'The knight told me to avoid the falls, to get out of town as we bring too much attention to ourselves. I tink he be lying though to protect the maze...' " Amara decided, taking Moira's teasing as a hint. Plus she didn't want to give the Midas woman any more fuel to tease her with. " 'One ting I know fer sure is that these locals want us gone if we leave this here inn. We safe here I tink, I can entertain them again if need be but I tink its time we go. Once my pal is finished with that fair lass we should be going. Will you join us? It seems to be divine intention that we travel together!' Barry then, holds out his hand to shake the hobgoblin's to officially start their journey together."


"Once you leave the Inn the world is going to open up to you. Gratkn, I advise you finish your conversation with the elvish woman and make your decision. You all hear the thundering sound of a massive group of horses passing through town and heading south towards the river and potentially the falls everyone was speaking about. You can't recall seeing any walking into town originally so exploration will be..." She smirked, "Really fookin' fun! I have about 500 different paths this can take now planned out and several more I can spin off into different things. Let's continue. Sinna!"
 
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