Fandom Overlord: Who Said Craftsmen Could Not PK?

[Kokurai Gaisgeach]

Adventure awaits! Huzza- wait. Who are you people?
Creator_san & AK-12|200
HighSanguinaryPriest Azure Sky​

Right... gotta keep up with this facade of a haughty and lively adventurer... I need to find out where am I and where are the others.

Creator_san's lively strut and deep thought grinded to a halt when Iota grabs her by the back of her collar.

"Somethings up Io-chan?" She said as she looks at her Automata companion.

"Yes. I am detecting one. No. two contacts approaching us." Iota said as she looks around like a watchdog protecting her Master.

Ah shit.
I guess crashing down to the ground attracted some inquisitive people...
Come on Oryou... think! think!
Actually you know what, screw it.

"Hoho! Let's go greet them!" Creator_san said as she grabs Iota's hand.

"Master we don't know if theyre hostile or not." Iota said with a worried tone.

"Ah geez you're strating to sound like her. Don't worry about it. Besides we need information and if they're from another guild I'll just always do what I do best. Being a Liason!" Creator_san said as she happily struts about towards the direction of the two contacts.

 

[Haze-]

“The Wandering Swordsman’s Lack of Strive… And his insipid jokes.”


Josuke was taken aback for a moment there. Sagging shoulders starting to stiffen up, his stance straightening as he stood rooted to the floor, he could only try to connect dots and make sense of that stuttering feeling of pause; a wash of cold spreading all-throughout as he began processing such a simple yet surreal situation. Even after all this time, he wasn’t prepared whatsoever to face that absence, that lack of motive. He’d been marching along, that sweet guise of direction propelling him forward through each day, lured wherever by a single thought, more of a sweetened pretense of direction. The notion that, all that really mattered was finding one of his own, someone whose existence would prove he at least wasn’t entirely alone.

But what then?

He’d completed this self-made endless endeavor of finding a player, but never did he stop to think what came after finishing this one quest. After the entire burgundy, the rewards seemed… lukewarm. This half-assed motivation had only left him with an even bigger void to fill; he couldn’t help but tut in pure annoyance at the sensation, only taking a beat and softening his frown when he realized there could be another misunderstanding born from this.

He remained with a thousand yard stare, though still feeling a catch at his throat, he forced himself to ignore his train of thought and respond – “Well, if that’s the case, then I better get my act together for the mistress.” – He slicked his hair back, taking in a huff of air and lowering himself to the fox’s level, rustling his fur as he patted him; getting a sniffle from him as his hand slid of the creature’s head. The fox read his partner’s intention, now standing beside Josuke with a dignified posture, his tail brought in front of him as he tried to look as stoic as he could.

“If you’re willing to forget that pitiful act of mine and allow me into your group, then,” – Arc returned to his position at the table, moving his right hand over to his side, a [Soul: Greatsword] manifested out of thin air. Radiant, royal blue brooding from a rift in the ceiling and aiming to pierce soil, being caught by his wielder before it dented private property. The swordsman mimicked the fox this time, bringing a fist to his chest as his words came out with uncharacteristic seriousness. Mirroring that of the venerable presence of a proper cavalier; making a solemn vow –“This here knight shall be your sword.” – For once in the entirety of his stay in this world, he was genuinely shocked that both the orb and the ring had fallen completely silent to the sound of his voice rising in a few decibels.

Feeling a kick at the side of his pant leg, he cleared his throat –“WE shall be your sword.”- The fox let out a victorious huff as the swordsman could only stare in stupefaction at such bloated ego.

"I will repay your kindness with everlasting labor– yada, yada….” – He returned to his regular pattern of speech, never was much of a roleplayer to begin with –“Or something like that.” – Quoth he, a hint of lethargy in his voice, punching in a yawn in the middle of it all. As always, passive-aggressiveness proved to be his forte.

Whether these words were breeds of his usual sarcasm or genuine thankfulness was a mystery even to himself. Alas, that nauseating feel of not knowing what to do next was still pestering him –“Jokes aside, It’d be really helpful to have a place to stay. Not really for me, rather for this fluffy guy right here.” – His voice swung back to a lighter tone as he gave the fox a playful shove, the creature bickering back by smacking the swordsman with his tail. –“So if you would allow us to stay for a while then we wouldn’t really have anything against doing a couple of tasks for ya. You know, I'm not just going to leech off of you, gotta curry those favors somehow.” He stretched.

“And as for the Q&A, I was actually hoping you’d introduce yourse-“– Arc’s spiel was cut short by the acute sound of a thundering explosion.

“Woah there.” – As it rang loud in his ears, his gaze remained fixated on the cave’s entrance, struggling to figure out if he actually needed his blade drawn for this one or not. Loosening his grip on the hilt at Fabian’s exhausted response.

He couldn’t help but crack a chuckle; poor guy seemed to be a trouble magnet –“If you don’t mind me chiming in, I’m curious to know how you even came to know of these terms. Is this just common knowledge where you’re from, or have I been missing out on something?” – As Fabian’s exchange with the dragonoids went on, he honestly had not much to add onto the conversation. Only a small shadow of a doubt, as the average stereotypical adventurer, at least the ones he knew, wouldn’t even spend half a neuron trying to strike up banter about such themes.

“And I would also like to know who gave you that equipment. That thing’s way beyond your skill level. I can already envision you getting overconfident and mauled to death by a horde of undead with above-average the amount of brain cells…” A morbid delivery over a made up, but perhaps very real, scenario, followed by a calm sip of tea – “But I digress… Whoever forged that for you must have quite the sense of humor, though.”

“Would’ve at least had something to munch on to compensate for the lack of taste…” – The revenant contemplated in his wisdom, unadulterated disappointment in those eyes as he stirred the liquid in his cup, longing for an actual glass of water with a leaf floating in it instead; a momentary shiver as the cup of tea reminded him of that unsettling once over Acles had given him a few moments ago.

________

Mentions/Interactions: HighSanguinaryPriest Azure Sky Damafaud Kokurai Gaisgeach

 

[Azure Sky]

Thomas- The Fabulous, Yet Menacing Blue Cat​

"Oh my, call me Thomas." the cat said, as it morphed into a muscular, demihuman appearance.


"You are a bit off mark. Briar did not send me here. I am accompanying you out of my own will. Although both Briat and I agreed that you are new around here and a cute girl, thus I am merely here to deter... the Casanova wannabes." With that said he, shifted his attention to some young boys outside a nearby shop that where eyeing Niche. He looked at them menacingly.


They instantly gulped and looked away, whistling.

But what Thomas was actually looking at was not them, it was a shadowy figure near them. The figure remained immobile for a while, before disipating in thin air.

"Where were we? Ah yes. I will not deny your hard work, but the quality of what you produce. You are quite literally... built different."

Wandering Grim Hollow

Briar and the Newbie Adventurers​

"Ah yes, I know your companions." Briar said looking at the two in a rather intense fashion. "Did you run all the way here? I will get you something to drink." He then turned to Alishia and flashed another million-dollar smile. "Most fascinating. I do indeed collect rare and unusual items. You can take your time to present them to me. Please, make yourselves comfortable while I prepare some drinks and snacks."



"Fox and Rabbit, initiate Guest Mode." He ordered to the Kitsune and bunny-like golems. They imediately prepared some comfortable chairs and stood beside the trio. Zefir and Aaron where in awe, especially Aaron who wanted to explore the house, but Zefir managed to convince him to sit down.

Damafaud

Ergo and the New Arrivals, ft. Newbie Adventurers​

Ergo had sensed two entities crushing into the ground while he was in the forest, thus he came to investigate. By using [Nature's Stride], [Green Attunement], and [Herbivore's Aura], amplified by some buffs and self-made potions, he was able to reach them within a couple of minutes, while also hidding his presence, not making a sound, and hidding his true stats to appear weak.

"Most unusual." Was all he had to say as he revealed himself and approached the duo a few seconds later than Fabian's familiars. He used his special item that functioned as eyes to get a better grasp on what he was looking at: a woman in military attire and... a maid.

"Are you here to declare war?" Ergo was straight to the point.

Meanwhile...

"Eh?"

Both Zenryu and Fionna where confused at the ghost's sudden remarks. Sudden crashing sound from outside also caught them off-guard, so they initially did not know how to respond to Arc. Too much information, too many remarks, too many mosters, and too many events. Eventually,, Zenryu recoverd from the daze first.

"These where given to us by sir Fabian." He replied. That was the main cause of their confusion. Was Fabian wrong in giving them those items? They eventually chalked it down to a difference in perspectives among beings way above their understanding. "I am terribly sorry. I do not understand this concept of levels you speak of. Although, after meeting beings such as yourselves, I doubt I will ever have the gall to get arrogant." He said, respectfully.

"As for the terms I just enumerated... They are not exactly common knowledge. In the past decade, I heard them from a few individuals: subordinates of the new leaders of Carpe Diem, a mysterious sage living in the nearby forest named Ergo, and the other ones were from..." Zenryu started shaking. The words wouldn't come out. Fionna simply put her hand on his shoulder. "It's ok Zenryu. It's ok." She then turned to Arc.

"All these people brought significant changes when they appeared. I belive Zenryu was wondering if it is a coincidence, or if you are all originary from the same lands." She explained. Zenryu nodded.

Haze- Kokurai Gaisgeach HighSanguinaryPriest

 

[DrabberRogue]

Quest Get!
Visit The Adventurer's Guild

Arcturus continued to idly twirl the Yggdrasil, now Imperial, coin between his fingers while he soaked up the information on the adventurer's guild. It sounded more organized than the adventurer's guild of the game he'd known. More bureaucratic, with a little more red tape than he'd like in a guild supposedly about adventuring. Although he supposed it made sense. Of course an actual guild in an actual world would have more rules than he was used to, especially one so large and influential as this adventurer's guild seemed to be.

While he'd asked out of simple curiosity, the magician couldn't help an idle fancy creeping into his head. A decision that lingered in his imagination and pushed him to take a more active interest in the matter. Did he want to join the guild? The adventurer's guild back in Yggdrasil had been a favorite haunt of his after all. A perfect place for a chronically solo player like him to find parties or listen for intriguing leads. He hadn't really done much other than wander since he'd been isekai'd anyways, maybe he could use a bit of questing.

Arcturus might even cross paths with those others from an unknown land Mr. Bones had seemingly gone out of his way to mention. The adventurer's guild certainly seemed like the perfect place to meet unusual characters like that, although that may have just been his fantasy genre instincts acting up.

The young man allowed his gaze to drift down the street as the explanation concluded, the original cause of his inquiry once more slipping into his thoughts. That peculiar woman. She hadn't been wearing an adamantite dog-tag, had she? No, he didn't remember seeing one. If she was an adventurer, and a legendarily powerful one at that, it seemed she didn't want to show it. How curious.

"Interesting..." Arcturus mused, his inquisitive eyes shifting back to meet the aristocrat's. "I think I should like to see the guild in person. Though I've been in E-Rantel for a few days, I have yet to actually set foot there." He then announced, once more flipping his coin. It twirled up into the air, glinting in the light of the sun, before he deftly caught it and returned it to a pocket within his coat. "Seems like something a traveler like myself ought to see while I'm here, wouldn't you say?" The magician chuckled, offering the men a slight albeit regal bow. Very similar to that which he had shown the Silent Beauty minutes before. "Thank you for your time."

Before he went on his way, however, the young man had one more urgent matter to settle. He'd yet to introduce himself! "Ah... In case the rumors did not tell, my name is Arcturus. It has been a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

Azure Sky

 

[Kokurai Gaisgeach]

A Familiar yet Mysterious Stranger approaches!
Creator_san & AK-12|200
HighSanguinaryPriest Azure Sky Haze-​

Eh?
Declare war?
Is it because of my outfit?
Maybe... he thinks I am some sort of General or a Commander? Then again I always thought that Military Outfits are cool!
Sheesh...
He does look familiar but I can't get a grasp on it...

Creator_san could only give the mysterious stranger a confused look, in a millisecond lots of possible dialogues played in her head, she knew that she needs to deliver her line properly or risk accidentally setting something up. However this line of thinking was interrupted by Iota who immediately jumped in front of her and assumed a defensive position as she gazes towards the mysterious stranger without emotions and pointing what appears to be a magic gun towards him, realizing this and the possibility of showing aggression towards the stranger there was only one thing she could do.

BONK!

Iota let out a squeak of pain as Creator_san chopped her on the head with her hand, making her clutch her head as she turns around to look at Creator_san with a pained expression

"Don't act without thinking!" Creator_san said in a hushed tone.

"I am very sorry." said Iota who looks at Creator_san with a apologetic look as she steps back to her side and assumed the maid position.

"Ahem... Sorry for that as that was unintentional. You seem straight to the point so... to answer your question... No. we're not here to declare war or anything of that caliber." said Creator_san as she tilts her hat. As she activates [Anti-Information Magic Wall] at herself and Iota.

"With that said. I come in peace. My name is Creator-san and this is my maid, Iota." Creator_san happily extends her hands for a handshake. "Technically... I shouldn't be saying this but in order to make you trust the two of us, I might as well be open. I serve as Harvest's Liaison Officers!" She said as she raises her arms before bowing.

"though... I do not know where we are nor I can contact the other Guild members... so Technically... I have no connections whatsoever or rather... I am not part of the group at the moment so... uhuhuh..." she added with a fake crying expression.

"Ah ah ah! Before you ask. No. I am not going to PK or anything like that. I do not care about that unless I am provoked! But If you want me to repair your items or stuff like that you have to pay me... Because I don't know where are the fellow members are and I need money since I have no idea of this place!" She said as she puts her arms on her hips while looking upwards to the sky with a crying expression.

"Master. We shouldn't casually give out our information to anyone." Iota said with a concerned look.

"True... then again that Is why they made me the Liaison Officer. I got to be friendly towards other people." Creator_san replied.

 

[Damafaud]

Another Uninvited and Unwanted Guests...

Acles ​

Arc would not be a liability in the future, nor would he pose an immediate danger to the mistress.

His playful act, attachment to his fox, and how elaborative his speech had been contributed to the conclusion. In no way was he hiding his intention and was only too eager to rectify his unsatisfying first impression. Acles gave the revenant a nod of approval. Mistress Alishia would certainly not mind another pretty face either, so it seemed their alliance had expanded.

Unfortunately, their peace was short-lived. Mere seconds afterwards, yet another booming sound came from the mouth of the cave. Acles inwardly agreed to Arc; Fabian met too many troubles since he settled in the cave. Not that he would mention it. With a tired sigh, he went up to join the rest in greeting the new guests.

Immediately at the door, Acles found a problem with this batch of guests. His [Terrain Map] failed to represent the mistress and her servant. His first instinct was to grab his wand to hold a spell. The woman's words only caused him to frown further. Harvest. Several times in the past, Mistress Alishia and he had forfeited some treasures when coming into conflict with the guild. However, Creator-san's situation did not sound simple either.

Acles turned to Fabian and Arc and stated, "My mistress and I have no needs nor motivation to deal with another guild at the moment."

He was very clear on his mistress' purpose in this world. Living peacefully and happily as much as possible, as she stated so clumsily. She certainly had no intention to be embroiled in guild politics or world domination

Interaction: Haze- HighSanguinaryPriest Azure Sky Kokurai Gaisgeach

 

[Damafaud]

I'm Selling Something Because I'm Broke!

Alishia​

The many knick-knacks around the house reminded Alishia of certain rooms in the Tall Tree Guild. The tinker room, to be precise, with its haphazard placements of miscellaneous magic items. Still, this was the first time the scent of copper and iron could enter her nose and the mahogany table felt smooth and slick under her touch. Alishia (as gracefully as possible) got seated on a chair.

"Present!" She snapped her finger for effect and eight silver rings, each fitted with different gemstones, dropped out of her inventory to the table. "These rings are all imbued with unusual enchantments. Charm and charm resistance improvement, bull's strength... none very powerful, but they are still a rare specimen, seeing that they look to be a set."

She lied. They looked to be a set because she designed them to look the same. How the enchantments didn't overlap and seem to complement each other wasn't a coincidence either. While Alishia put on a sweet smile, her mind still wandered to the many strange things in the house and how, like Aaron, she'd love to look around.
Azure Sky

 

[Azure Sky]

The Sometimes Forgetful Slime
​

As soon as Iota took out her gun, Ergo calmly looked at her as trees and grass started growing at an exponential rate from the ground.

Allies of those cursed ones, it seems. They chose to start their assault faster than expected...



Ergo was about to unleash his skill, but as Creator_san stopped the maid from attacking, he did so as well. A few moments later, his expression would shift to a rare one of surprise.

As a slime, Ergo naturally had no eyes and based his "sight" on a racial radar sense. His special "eyes" were only deployed in battle. As such, he had a more or less accurate image of the Lords of Harvest's shapes, as wel as their voice, and manner of speech, but never actually saw them. It was only when Creator_san uttered her first word towards him that he realised who she was. She also later confirmed it herself. Almost all NPCs of Harvest would have bowed and asked for forgiveness, but Ergo was... different.

"It has been a while. It has been years since I last heard your voice Creator_san. It is I, Ergo, former Vice Guardian of the 4th Area." He said as he carefully shook her hand and deactivated his passive inner body heat.

With the arrival of Acles, he also understood who the familliars may have belonged to.

"Ah, we meet again. Rather soon." Ergo said as he greeted Acles.

Kokurai Gaisgeach Haze- Damafaud HighSanguinaryPriest

 

[HighSanguinaryPriest]

Meanwhile Hiding In The Dark Sky....

​

Alma circled overhead, her dark scales and small size allowing her to blend in the the dark moonless night sky as she spied on the group. Stanley was hidden away below the group, awaiting her psychic order to burst from beneath them and begin the carnage. All the while, she sent a live psychic feed of what she was currently observing directly to her loving master. "Master. The one known as Ergo has already made contact with the two intruders. what should We do? Wait Is that Acles?!" She asked telepathically, her confusion made clear in her psychic voice.

Receiving the psychic feed from his familiar, Fabian once more let out an annoyed sigh. "Forgive me, It appears my companions have found the cause of the tremors. I shall return in a bit. Please make yourselves at home, and if any of you touch my tools.... I'll fucking kill ya..." He growled before rising from his seat and making his way towards the surface. "I'm on my way my love. keep me up to date and let Acles know i'm coming." He replied to his familiar, as he activated the Wings of Daedalus and quickly took the air, rocketing towards the group.

Honoring her master's wishes, Alma relayed his message towards the automaton. "Master is coming, be ready for anything. Badger is underneath you ready to kill" She sent towards the manservant of Alishia.

Moments later, Fabian lighted to the ground behind said android. "Good to see you again Creator_san. But did you really have to ruin my lawn?"

Azure Sky Damafaud Kokurai Gaisgeach Haze-

 

[Kokurai Gaisgeach]

Re:UNION
Creator_san & AK-12|200
HighSanguinaryPriest Damafaud Azure Sky Haze-
​

​

Creator_san's eyes widen, she couldn't believe that the person she was speaking to was none other than the Vice-Guardian of the 4th Area, Ergo.

"Ergo... Is that you!? Wait you're an NPC how are you able to... Hang on a minute." said Creator_san as she looks back and forth to both Iota and Ergo. Trying to put two and two together, an Unknown world, NPCs becoming sentient and everything becoming void until the event that happened just a few moments later, this wasn't the game world she knew anymore this is a different world. However her thought processing has been interrupted by Iota.

"Master. We're not the only ones here the two other contacts I've detected has arrived. Master what are your orders?" Iota said as she looks at the direction of the tangos that she has detected.

"Iota. Don't engage for now and just resume on your maid-like appearance but keep your guard up to assist Ergo but only engage when I say so." Creator_san said as she dispels [Anti-Information Magic Wall] as there's allies that can help.

"Understood."

Hearing something behind them She looked behind and saw a very familiar sight. The sudden arrival of Fabian had shocked her down to the core, an old friend from another guild that she worked closely with was also here in the mysterious world that she has never seen before. Breaking character, She spoke.

"F-Fabian!?" Creator_san was astonished to see him again alongside with Ergo.

She couldn't believe her eyes as she looked at them. She tried to speak but was unable to put out any words as she felt slightly overwhelmed from seeing both an old friend and one of the NPC of her Guild. A lot of voices in her head starts speaking and creating what if scenarios to the point it builds up the anxiety and shyness, realizing this this problem building up in her head she shook her head to get herself back to on her usual self and spoke.

"Nice to see you again Fabian, Sorry about the Lawn but I can't control myself in a middle of falling a few stories up in the sky after feeling like I woke up from a deep sleep of sorts."

"Ergo, Iota, this is Fabian from Hammerdeep, a Guild I was working with until Ignis had to call me. Actually Iota he was the one responsible for your maid armor, well the materials that is."

"Ah. Thank you very much Mister Fabian. If you are a Friend of my Master then I shall consider you as friend." Iota curtseys.

"Well anyway... You said this is your lawn so Im guessing that I landed in Hammerdeep? Sorry I'm confused right now since all of a sudden NPCs are sentient and I just came back from some sort of Hibernation thing before I got dropped to the ground." She said as she puts her Magic Gun away.

 

[Azure Sky]

Ergo​

"I will now return to my research." Considering there was no further reason to stay around, Ergo simply turned back and started walking towards the forest again. Announcing what he would do was quite the polite reaction from Ergo, who would usually not bother to tell others his intentions. It was likely related to the fact that he still had a level of respect for Creator_san. But as he said before... he was the former Vice Guardian of the 4th Area.

Briar​

"Ah, excuse me, I did not know what you would like for food so I prepared a moderate variety." Briar said as he brought a few dishes and put them on the table next to his guests.



"Z-Zefir, I don't think I ever saw food so beautiful." Aron said while he was drooling.
"Aron..." Zefir looked like he was about to say something about his comerade's reaction. "Me neither." But he merely looked the same way as Aron did.

"Please help yourselves." As Briar invited them to eat, he checked out what Alishia had to offer.

"My, they look quite..." His eyes widened in surprise. "These items..." He took out a magnifing glass and analysed them with great interest. "These are a marvel of alchemical engineering." He said as he smiled dazzingly. "That being said, my offer is this one." He said as he took out a bag of gold and put it on the table. Aron almost choked on his food. There was so much gold in the bag that it was overflowing, like a donut overfilled with Nutella®.


But was it a fair amount? Zefir and Aron could not give an estimate themselves because both the amount of money and the quality of Alishia's items were beyond their understanding, in more ways than one. As for Alishia, she would likely not understand the how the market worked in this new world. It was basically Alishia offering very high quality items and Briar offering a very high amount of money for them. But how high?

Ein Hoffer & Co, ft. Dolce & Fried Wings​

"It is a pleasure to meet you, sir Arcturus. I am Ein, member of the Re-Estize bourgeoisie, and these are my companions." Ein proceeded to present his friends one by one. Afterwards he wanted to give Arcturus some advice before he'd walk away. "Do be careful, though. You strike me as an erudite, well-educated and well-mannered man. Adventurers can be... anything but that." It might have been a harsh remark but subtlety and manners were not aspects shared by a fair amount of adventurers. "Trying to communicate and reason with some of them might prove difficult." Ein was trying to convey that Arcturus might not find it easy to have a pleasant conversation or find out information from those "barbarians."

"Not all of them are like that of course, but please keep in mind." Ein was slightly biased, but for good reason, as far as he and other uper class individuals were concerned. He smiled politely.

Boom!

A loud roar disturbed the relaxed athmosphere and smoke could be seen in the distance

"H-hey." One of Ein's companions spoke up. "Isn't that in the direction of the Guild?"

"No way..."

Indeed, the Adventurer's Guild had been incinerated by a mysterious force. Everyone inside was incinerated to dust except...

"Are you alright, lady Sweater and lady Mache?" Dolce asked. Then her eyes widened as she realised something. Sweater was completely fine, of course, but...

"Lady Mache?" The high-level angel chef disappeared.

Dolce tried to process the situation. The skill used was enough to make her feel pain, but nothing major. It was at least 7th tier, and an AoE attack. It seemed like a fire attribute spell, and the first spell that came to her mind was the 8th tier [Hellfire Smite]. But something was off, as her complex senses where overwhelmed enough for Dolce not to notice Mache had disappeared...

"I..." The ground crumbled as mana violently danced around Dolce's body. "Will purge." Her reaction was not necessarily because Mache disappeared, or for her respect for the Lords of Harvest. It was because... she did not know. She did not understand the situation. She was not in control of the situation. What happened, how it happened, why Mache disappeared, and most importantly... did it bring balance or the opposite? The unknown bothered Dolce.

PlusUltra Damafaud HighSanguinaryPriest DrabberRogue Haze-

 

[Haze-]

"Such is life."



"-I'll fucking kill ya..." Just as Fabian and Acles rushed out of the cave, the white fox couldn't control his urges to knock down a couple of rather expensive looking gizmos and tools lying around the room as he made himself at home. Woefully, such parting words would make one unwind enough to not take notice of the surroundings.

The ring cried a lament full of sorrow to the dull thud every goodie made as it crashed with the ground, the orb did it's utmost to imitate the fox's behaviour, bumping once again into cave walls in a wholehearted attempt to take down some of the crystals; the swordsman sighed, clutching one side of his face and restlessly tapping his forehead with his thumb, a slight furrow in his brow as he summoned nothing short of herculean force of will in attempts to ward off an aneurism. Josuke's back fell against the chair, balancing himself with his feet on the table, giving the jesters in the room a signal with the snap of his fingers. Letting them know that the circus was closed, their act was in vain.

The fox riposted with a hyena-like laughter, only feeding the seething fires of Josuke's annoyance, before picking every item he'd dropped and returning them to their respective spot.

"Man, that was rough." - Josuke spoke to himself - "Tough crowd, huh...?" - He muttered the last, pondering over Fabian's and Acles overall response to his intrusion. He hadn't been trying to ingratiate nor sugarcoat his mannerisms yet received a somewhat welcoming response from the duo nonetheless. It made him sick to his stomach, to think this one prejudice over this world would make him act like such a reckless, insufferable bastard. He began to feel shame starting to creep up his spine once again.

What he felt was a hard hit from reality, if he were to dumb it down. Yet he also felt an obligation to make repairs for causing such a hassle. He viewed it as more of a job application rather than a 'I will pay my rent with the blood of your enemies' type of deal. Though going from your everyday office worker to a dignified knight in shining armor seemed like too far of a stretch for him.

"....." - But perhaps he could make it work, it was only a matter of crowd pleasing. Acles seemed to be just about fine with anything up to mass murder for as long as his mistress availed herself of all the commodities this world had to offer, and Fabian was just the stern, stereotypical blacksmith dedicated to his work. It would be easy to deal with, all he had to do was find out what Alishia was all about, right?

".........Nah." - He was almost certain they would kick him out of the group after a night spent with a horde of shrieking zombies and skeletons lurking outside.

Yet, in spite of his pessimism, he remained with a discrete grin as he thought of it all. He was willing to stay up all night slaughtering undead to make it work. Perhaps this would give him the purpose he desperately craved. If he managed to do it right, that is...

Not like he had any other choice, anyways.

He did not linger in thought for long, the half-dragon duo was still there and he was starting to look like a dumbass with that gaze-at-the-stars stare.

"I apologize if I touched upon a heavy subject, friend." - He shot the half-dragon an apologetic glance, nodding before returning to a less vulgar seated position, berating himself deep inside for the incoming surge of thoughts. It was rather ironic for someone with a title revolving around beating dragons to a pulp with one's bare hands to act all understanding and concerned with them, after all - "Regarding our place of origin. Well, I... I really don't know what information I can disclose about that. Information you would understand, that is."

"All I can say is that we come from a land beyond your understanding, I suppose. Don't get too nitpicky about anything else, you'll just end up with a migrain instead of any answers."

"If you learned these terms from the individuals you speak of, then it is most likely that we come from the same land as theirs." - He explained, strong air quotes on those last few words - "Hell," Arc spaced-out, his eyes lost in thought once more - "They themselves might've learned them from other playe-" He took a brief pause, giving Zenryu a quick look of exhaustion. Not breaking anyone's immersion was getting hard. - "Gods? That's what you call us, right? Dunno, been called a demon, a spirit, an asshole; just a genuine question."

"Anyways," He blurted out, "If they are from our place of origin, then I'm curious to know about these 'changes' they brought. Judging by the way you stuttered, those bastards must've already gotten hooked on all that power." He said with a quip, a look of tire crossed over his face, a look of tire that slowly built up into cynicism in the form of a small chuckle. It was quite disturbing to ponder over all the havoc a handful of shut-ins could cause given the god-like powers and authority, yet so moronic at the same time.

"But that is a conversation we can have after the tea party resumes it's course..." Arc stood up from the chair, tears gathering in his eyes as he yawned and stretched, summoning his trademark sword once again with the flick of a wrist - "I'm sure you're as curious as I am to know what the hell is going on outside." All this talk was starting to put a mental strain on him, he somehow began feeling tired.

[Soul: Detach] Specks of cobalt blue began amalgamating around Arc, cascading like droplets of rain in erratic directions, sporadic as the beat of an agonizing heart while they danced around the swordsman in unison. Arc leaned to one side, the radiant particles unable to follow, becoming a trail that slowly spread out until it started taking form. The form of a pulsating blue flame- more of a human figure, the only trails recognizable being that of two white orbs in what seemed to be it's head - "Hold this for me." - He said nonchalantly, holding out the sword to the figure, who held it with a vacant, disoriented gaze.

As his soul began wandering around the room, as if in the search for something, the sword hanging low to the ground, making a loud, scraping sound with each unenthusiastic step it took in it's stride, the swordsman walked over to it, placing one hand on his shoulder and another on the sword's hilt. The soul looked up to him with confusion prancing in it's eyes, Arc returned with his usual deadpan stare and a forced, very over the top, smile.

And before the soul knew it... It was already flying around the room, merging with the sword as Arc spun it around violently with ease; letting go of it, flinging it across the cave in the form of a blue flash that phased through everything in it’s path. The soul hovered above Alma, hidden to the naked eye, confused as hell.

“[Unclear Phantasm]” Arc whipped around and with a downwards motion of his hand, chanted the spell out loud. As if his hand had traversed through a body of water, the space in front of him rippled like waves that broke into what seemed to be tiny fragments of glass, where a blurred mess of bright colours poured out of. Bright enough to make one squint their eyes at the sight. As the colours lost their intensity, the image became a lot more clearer, until what stood in front of them was some sort of broken window, one that looked out into whatever the soul was witnessing.

“Now,” He spoke out, sitting back down as he analyzed the images as best as he could, his eyes narrowing “Do any of you know how to read lips?”

As the fox jumped on his shoulders to get a better look at things, he remained with a blank sheet of paper for a face, crossing his arms and watching attentively “God I hate this spell….” He simply couldn’t make much out of what was going on if he couldn't hear any of the conversation to begin with. He instead opted for monitoring both of the dragonoids from the corner of his eye, expecting them to add something, anything that could clear up some fog in the story.

____________________________________

Mentions/Interactions: Azure Sky HighSanguinaryPriest Damafaud Kokurai Gaisgeach

 

[Wandering Grim Hollow]

Oh What a Day, What a Lovely Day?
Niche & ■■■■
Carpe Diem​

"Hah. I was right on the feline being demihuman. As if I would ever doubt myself." ■■■■ scoffed, their body twitching slightly as they relaxed from their perch hidden under Niche's bonnet. Much to the poor girl's discomfort but she was already used to it by then. After all, its nothing but a pleasant (?) reminder that her Master is still there. Despite the teasing, the pain, the scolding. Her beloved Master was there, literally a part of her. And they will always be together. Always.

"As you say, Master... You are right." Niche muttered to herself, smiling as her Master basically fell asleep. A side effect of their Possessor Form is a reversed circadian cycle, something that only started to seriously effect her Master after their arrival to this strange, new world. But Niche is happy if it means her Master is getting the rest they deserve. Turning her attention to Thomas, who is now an absolutely ripped demihuman with sharp features, two things became apparent. The first, she's as hard to surprise as always. Second, she's apparently attractive to boys? Niche always had a low self-esteem about herself but she could never imagine anyone other than her Master ever giving her the time of day. If anything she just feels more embarrassed now. Slowly shuffling closer to Thomas, she sought to hide herself behind him until he mentioned her being "built different". A comment that made her panic slightly.

"D-Different? Mr Ca- I mean, Mr Thomas? W-What do you mean by that? I'm quite normal, thank you very much!"

Azure Sky

 

[HighSanguinaryPriest]

An Old Friend Joins Us
​

With but a telepathic command, Fabian called Stanley to join them from his subterranean hiding spot. With a rumble of earth, the ground rose up and soon a burrow formed, followed by a slightly irate War Badger. Climbing up Fabian's leg, the furry death dealer took up his usual spot on his shoulder across from the Alma. Smiling at his favorite trade partner, Fabian wrapped her in a hug. "We have much to discuss my friend. But first thing's first; Welcome to the New World. We are no longer in a VRDMMORPG, and as of right now, Hammerdeep is but a shadow of it's former strength. I'm not sure if the rest of the mighty fortress will return along with the many denizens, or not. Right now, all we have is a small outpost that me and another former player named Alishia have carved out, and a few of the locals now serving us. Oh, and our abilities and spells are apparently godly here." He said dropping the more important highlights of their situation. Waving the two to follow, he lead the liaison officer and android maid back towards his current home.

Leading them inside a dimly lit cave, the sight of enchanted crystal lamps marked the route towards a set of carved steps leading into the depths of the caves and into the small outpost/home. "In all honesty, your arrival couldn't have been any better timed. I have a couple of low leveled locals that have sworn service to Hammerdeep and are in need of training in the use of firearms. If you're up to the task, I could set ya up with a few goodies." Fabian said with a conspiratorial smirk, as he led her into the main hall where the three newest member sat in rapped attention watching a live feed of them just entering. "Ladies and gentleman, might i introduce Creator_San and her companion AK12|200 Iota." He said gesturing to the two women before offering them a seat before sitting down himself.

Azure Sky Damafaud Haze- Kokurai Gaisgeach

 

[Kokurai Gaisgeach]

Re:Creator_san
Creator_san & AK-12|200
HighSanguinaryPriest Damafaud Azure Sky Haze-
​

Creator_san sat down and motioned Iota to follow suit, sinking down to the seat she felt comfortable knowing that she's with a old friend that she used to collaborate with, yet despite of the comfort and the friendly atmosphere something in the back of her mind kept gnawing at her. A New World where the players of the old VRDMMORPG are considered Gods? Hammerdeep is but a former shadow of itself... Would it mean Harvest is also a former shadow of itself as well? What happened to the others? What happened to... Her...
Creator_san paused her thoughts for a bit as she looked straight at the ground before Fabian's words of introducing her and Iota to the others snapped her out of it.

"Ah. Hello there." Creator_san waved at the three newest members of Hammerdeep.

"If you have heard that loud explosion outside you can blame me for that. Trying to land perfectly isn't done in a day ya know." Naturally. Creator_san lied as she breath to save face from her rahter sudden and explosive arrival into the New World.

"Anywho..." Creator_san 's eyes scan the three before crossing her legs and resting her head on her hand to give off a dominating vibe.

"I have been debriefed by my old friend here that you guys need some training in these." With a finger snap, Creator_san activates her [Conjure Magic Gun] skill and a line of magic guns appears behind her and form up behind her like a pair of wings.

"I may not be a part of Hammerdeep but I am their long time old friend from another group which may or may not be around anymore so... consider me as a strong and Independent freelancer with strong connections with Hammerdeep for now. And well. its been a long time since I've hung out with good ole' Fabian here that I owe him some helping hand. Oh and this Automaton Maid here, Iota, will assist you in your training." Creator_san nonchalantly says as she snaps her fingers again to dispell [Conjure Magic Gun] to hide them away.

 

[Azure Sky]

Zenryu and Fionna​

The dragonoid took a deep breath and calmed down as Arc gave a basic explanation about the origin of the godlike individuals. So, as he thought, they were from a different land, all of them incredibly powerful beyond his imagination. The fact that Fabian, despite his manerism, decided to take them in as minions was a blessing in a way. If a war were to break out between individuals of such power...

"Hold this for me."

"Whoa-"

His though process was interrupted by the sight of magic he had never seen before. Both he and Fionna were stunned they watched him perform some sort of ritual that tore the space in his vicinity, making them able to see what was going on outside.

"Now then... Do any of you know how to read lips?"

Zenryu and Fionna were still temporarily dumbfounded, so their response time was slightly delayed.

"Ah no... But." Fionna exchanged glances with Zenryu.
"There's no need to read lips, sir." The dragonoid replied.

[Greater Sense]

The skill he had previously used to hear Fabian and Arc's conversation, which greatly increased both his hearing and seismic sense. A skill he had acquired and cultivated after he had read a mysterious tome as a child. Only know he could also see what was happening.

"Ah, the white haired man is Ergo. One of the individuals I was telling you about earlier. He is asking if the two unknown women dressed eccentrically came to start a war. Goodness..." Zenryu got anxious when Ergo made trees grow out of the ground in an instant.
...

"Oh, he calmed down." Zenryu and Fionna sighed in relief. The dragonoid then proceeded to keep Arc informed on all the conversations that transpired afterwards.

Not long afterwards, Creator_san and Iota were introduced to them. They listened to her and simply nodded but got surprised yet again when she brought out some peculiar items for display.

"Hey, Zenryu... ?"
"Yes, Fionna?"
"I have no idea what those items are..."
...
"Me neither."

More importantly, with yet another godlike individual in the fray, this would surely upset the power balance, was what Zenryu thought. The specifics of how greatly depended on who they chose to ally with.

HighSanguinaryPriest Haze- Kokurai Gaisgeach

Thomas​

"Heh." Thomas smiled as he saw Niche slightly lose composure. "Being different from others doesn't make you abnormal. I never claimed such." The catkin demihuman chuckled. "This here is Carpe Diem. The most inclusive nation you will ever find. When everyone is abnormal, no one is." He realised what he said might have sounded confusing. "In other words, young miss, you fit right in."

A few meters away from them, an argument was taking place.

"Hey, old man. Mighty fine fruits you are selling there..."


An overconfident and rude traveller was harassing a local fruit seller. The old man was of the dogfolk. The traveller simply took some fruits and ate them.

"Mhmmm, tasty."

"That will be 5 copper coins."

"Pfft... hahaha. Sure." He said as he took some more fruits and was about to leave. But as soon as he turned away he realised that plenty of townspeople had already gathered near him. All of different races.

"Not paying is not nice, young man."
"You even said his fruits were tasty."

"Get lost, unless you wish to get cut!" The traveller angrily brandished his knife.

"That will now be 10 copper coins, young man."

"Shut it, mut. Get a clue!"

...

An eerie silence fell upon all the people, who looked at the traveller in disdain. Suddenly, all of them took out some enchanted weapons, including the dogfolk old man, who had a small glowing wooden artifcat in his hand... which became a giant axe radiating with divine nature energy.

"Wha-... Where the the f*** did you get those...?" The traveller was shocked and pointed the knife frantically from one person to another.

"He just called Reggis a mut."
"That is incredibly disrespectful."
"It is downright racist."
"Ours is a nation of inclusion."
"If you do not accept others, you probably cannot accept yourself either..."
"Case in which..."
...
"Maybe your existence itself is not acceptable either." They said in a chorus, on a deadpan tone.

"I... I am sorry. Please forgive me, here, 1 silver coin. I... I am truly sorry." He bowed, displaying a most beautiful dogeza, shaking in fear.

Suddenly all the townspeople put their weapons away and smiled.

"Ah, he accepted his mistakes."
"Maybe he is redeemable after all."
"Ours is indeed a nation of inclusion. Welcome to Carpe Diem."

Wandering Grim Hollow

 

[HighSanguinaryPriest]

Crash Course In Gun Handling

​

Seeing the confusion etched on the local's faces, Fabian stood up from his seat at the head of the table and reached over his shoulder grabbing hold of a similar looking device Creator_san had produced. Setting it on the table before the two after dropping the magazine and clearing the chamber. "Those items, are weapons you and your compatriots will become intimately knowledgeable and adept in their operation. These weapons are known as Firearms, or guns." He said, going into a more in depth explanation on their function and ability, going over the different parts and even how the bullets work in as much a layman's way as possible. He had even went as far as to disassemble the weapon, showing and explaining how the parts work.

After an hour of explaining and answering their questions, he reassembled the weapon with blinding speed, and within seconds was slapping the magazine home into the receiver before racking a round with that oh so satisfying sound. keeping the barrel pointed at the floor, he bid the two to rise and follow him to the mine where it shall serve as their makeshift firing range. "You and your friends will become proficient with many other types of firearms, and then, when your training his complete, will select a type that will serve as your own personal weapon as well as a pistol, one of the other types I have told you about." He said as he led them through the forge, and into a separate cavern whom's walls glittered with ores and crystal formations. Leading them to a section of cavern that had a straightaway, he went back into mentor mode, going into proper stance, aiming and how to Squeeze the trigger, not pull. He was very firm on that. Then, without further ado, he took aim at a large stalagmite and fired. A suppressed bang could be heard followed by the flash of the barrel as a round tore through the air and smashing into the rock formation. Firing 29 more times, he ejected the magazine and put the safety on before once more leading the two over to examine both the damage and grouping.

Upon inspection, they found 30 small holes boring all the way through the stone in the form of a smiley face. "By the time you're done, you will be shooting the wings off of flies." And with that he lead them back to their starting position and hand the rifle over to Zenryu. "Stagger your stance, aim down the barrel, lean into the weapon. Now squeeze the trigger on the exhale." He instructed, all the while fixing his stance and grip on the rifle.

Azure Sky Haze- Damafaud Kokurai Gaisgeach

 

[Wandering Grim Hollow]

Order in a Disorderly World
Niche & ■■■■
Carpe Diem​

"Oh... T-That's true, Mr Thomas..." Niche sheepishly muttered, embarrassed at her little moment of paranoia kicking in. She quietly thanked whatever Deity was listening that her Master was asleep. A moment like that would usually bring about a snide remark followed by a mild migraine as they punished her for showing emotional weakness. The relief she felt was made more obvious by the odd grin that formed followed by a short peal of soft giggling. Her attention was then pulled by the nearby commotion. A common ruffian seemed to be bullying a fruit stall run by a dogfolk demihuman. The man even had the audacity to pick up some fruit and eat them right then and there!

"I-I should do something..." Niche muttered. She felt compelled to help the poor man and maybe teach the man some manners. It became apparent when they first arrive here that they were, if not possibly are, the bigger fish in this proverbial pond. A fact her Master took some joy and curiosity behind while Niche simply felt scared. Should she hold back? Should she limit herself to unarmed combat? What if her breaking the man's arm with nary an effort like she did to that brigand weeks ago drew too much attention? But before she could do anything, a small mob of mixed species formed. And to her surprise, they were backing up the poor dogman. But the ruffian didn't care, just simple villagers right? Even Niche thought so until the man spat out a racial slur. A sudden silence fell over the bustling town square. A silence that made Niche's mind go into overdrive. A familiar silence she has seen before.

"Master...?" Niche muttered as some among the crowd drew weapons. Enchanted weapons glowing with divine magics. Familiar looking weapons but where? Where has she seen similar looking weaponry? Why are they familiar? How? Shaking those questions from her mind, she witness the crowd speaking as if in unison. But her Master was still asleep so it couldn't be the [Yellow Sigil] skill being used. What is this place even?

"Mr Thomas... Has Carpe Diem always been this... O-Organized?"

Azure Sky

 

[DrabberRogue]

The People I'll Never Meet
(RIP Cute Receptionist)

Arcturus tilted his head as the older man, Ein, cautioned him on the nature of adventurers. It hadn't really occurred to him that rude adventurers would be a problem. The reasoning behind the bourgeoi man's words clicked pretty quickly though. Ah, class differences. Of course. Arcturus should've expected that, especially since he'd been roleplaying a nobleman the whole time. He let out a light chuckle as the realization hit. It was a weird juxtaposition in his head, considering the way NPCs tended to regard players back in Yggdrasil. Especially since he himself could be considered an adventurer of sorts. Albeit an unregistered one.

"I appreciate your concern, but you needn't worry about me." Arcturus accompanied his words with a polite, if amused, smile of his own.

Boom!

Arcturus had been about to elaborate, probably with some cryptic remark, but was interrupted as the shockwave of an explosion tore through the peaceful air of the city. It was a relatively powerful one too. Whatever caused that, it was powerful enough that he probably would've taken damage from it. He'd been around more than enough high level explosion effects to tell that much. As he whirled around to see smoke rising into the sky, one of Ein's friends pointed out what direction it was coming from. The same direction that mysterious woman had been heading.

Was there a connection?

"Excuse me." Arcturus hurriedly interjected, looking over his shoulder and offering the men a somewhat informal wave to indicate his intent to depart. His curiosity had kicked in. The young man took off at a jog in the direction of the explosion, dodging past townsfolk as he went. All the while his mind chewed on the implications of the unexpected event. What, or who, could have caused such a powerful explosion? Pretty much everyone he'd encountered since his arrival had seemed fairly low level, with only two exceptions. Neither of them fit the bill though. There was no motivation. Although he admittedly hadn't been able to get a read on Mr. Bones, but still. Neither made sense to him as the culprit. Maybe it was the work of those 'others from another land' he'd been told about? He could see another Yggdrasil player doing something like that, honestly.

Yggdrasil. You will never find a more wretched hive of salt and griefing.

Maybe it was his first glimpse of the evil demon lord! Every isekai story had to have one, right?

All joke theories had to be set aside, however, as he arrived on the scene. Where the adventurer's guild had stood not long before, there was now only a smoking pile of ash. Well shit. So much for taking a look around. Arcturus lingered in the crowd, curiously surveying the damage from a position of relative anonymity. Through the smoke he could make out a surprising sight. The form of a young woman in a black dress, her beautiful features illuminated by a magical glow as a directionless stream of mana danced erratically around her. He had been right. 'The Silent Beauty' was very much on another level compared to the crowd around him. Still, that raised the question...

Had he been wrong about her as well?

Was she the cause of the destruction, or had she simply been there when it happened? There didn't seem to be a lot of people in this world capable of producing such a blast...

Arcturus slowly moved to the back of the crowd, a light shiver running down his spine as the horror of the situation began to register. It was a slight feeling, just in the back of his mind, but the realization was surreal. The people who had just been incinerated, they were real.

[Silent Widen Magic: Detect Magic]

With small, quick, discreet movements of his hands he quietly cast a spell. The explosion only happened recently, so he reasoned that the culprit was likely still nearby. Assuming said culprit was not the scowling woman before him, anyways. There was no audible or visible trigger as his spell listened for any magical signatures within the wide net of detection he had cast. It was a somewhat unorthadox method of looking for someone, being much less efficient than a spell like Area Scan, but it suited his purposes. Importantly, it was a passive detection effect. It didn't broadcast anything that could be picked up by a similar ability. If the one behind the explosion was still nearby, and if he'd judged the pretty girl correctly, then there was a good chance he'd be able to sense any magical items they were carrying.

Arcturus didn't intend to stick around much longer though. Too many people nearby. He wanted to investigate a little more thoroughly, and to do that he wanted the cover of night to conceal his spells.

Azure Sky

 

[Azure Sky]

[Time Skip- 2 Weeks]

E-Rantel- Dolce

Flashback

---

Arcturus's area scan would detect some magical energy comming from an item of a one-eyed man old warrior. One that should have died with the rest of the adventurer's guild, but managed to somehow not only escape, but also enter the crowd by the time the blast managed to purge the building. From the crowd, he'd walk away slowly. He would have, if Dolce didn't manage to regain her composure.

[Kneel]

All the people in the crowd except Arcturus and the old man knelt immediately, looking as if they all performed an unusually passionate dogeza. She already met Arcturus priorly, as for the old man...

"You were inside the guild..."
"Hohoho. Such a sharp girl." The old man said, as he tried to flee.

Fluff Muff, block his way.



The little bunny (lvl 90) became a muscular soldier rabbit, with the little sword shifting its appearance to a knife, as it blitzed past the old man and did as its mistress asked.

"Hohoho. How endearing." The old man said, as he also morphed in his true appearance.
...
That of a muscular rabbit man.



By attire he seemed like a brawler, or monk type.

"Don't try it, we do not have time."



A well-dressed young man with white hair and blue eyes appeared behind Sweater. For some reason, Dolce could not detect his presence.

[Spatial Shift]

The rabbit man was moved to his side, while the normal people still under Dolce's command where moved further away.

[Kaleidoscope]

Suddenly, it felt like everything within the space they were in was erratic. Up was down, left was right, pieces of the sky fell like shattered glass as patches of the ground cracked while houses where elevated. Eventually, the sky became the ground and vice-versa.

"Cheap trick." Dolce concluded as she launched a divine nature blast at the two unknown individuals but...

[Spin]

It curved.

Spatial magic?

"Use it, Karoten."
"Ah, indeed." The rabbit took out what looked like a gourd.

[King of the Fools]

The gourd suddenly absorbed Sweater, causing Dolce's eyes to widden. In the meantime, the bodies of the two individuals apparently broke down like glass.

Everything returned to normal in a few seconds.

...

[Dismissed]

Dolce eventually released the normal people near them from her command.

[Spore]

A green dust formed around the area, inducing all low-levels to sleep.

Dolce lifted the gourd and looked at Arcturus.

"I request a chat."

Flashback end.

---

Current situation...

After two weeks of getting to asses each other, Dolce decided to trust Arcturus and asked for his assistance to investigate the various bizzare occurances that happened and continue to happen in E-Rantel.

"I request your help." Saying "asked" may have been a stretch.

Carpe Diem- Town of Arcadia

After a succesful (?) trade, Briar got more accustomed to Alishia and her companions in the impressive den outside the town of Arcadia. Likewise, Fabian, Creator_san, Arc, and Alishia would have been more exposed to the peculiar ways of the otherwise peaceful citizens of a small fraction of Carpe Diem, while also having occasional basic information exchanges with Ergo regarding the New World. While a small fraction, on the other hand, it reflected the kingdom's entire feel. The new underlings also started to get a feel of how the guns felt...

Meanhile, in Niche's case...

"What do you say, Niche, are you curious to meet my new acquaintances?" Briar asked. "After a couple of weeks of trying to exami-... understand them, I came to the conclusion they are remarkable people. Just like you." Briar chuckled.

"Oh, have no worry. We will have the reliable Thomas comming with us."
"But I refuse."
"Or not..."

---

"What do you reckon, my lady?"

...



"Without a doubt, Yiggdrasil."

...

"What should we do, my lady?"

...

"Proceed."

Wandering Grim Hollow PlusUltra HighSanguinaryPriest Damafaud Haze- Kokurai Gaisgeach

 

[Wandering Grim Hollow]

Pre-Timeskip
And Thus The Hunt Begins
Nachtkrapp Hunters
???​

"Ichiro, report." Nanaba asked the cloaked automata perched upon a tree. The light clicks as a scope is adjusted could be heard along with a frustrated sigh.

"A whole lotta nothing familiar. Where's Fatass?" Ichiro asked, slinging her rifle across her shoulder before hopping off her perch. The automata deftly skipped off a few branches, somehow able to descend with minimal sound. Nanaba was just about to reply when the sound of heavy footfalls could be heard followed by a shrub being pushed aside, revealing a rather imposing helmeted figure stepping through it.

"I'm back. You were right Boss, nothing matches the maps we have." Sanzo huffed, leaning back against a tree before popping off his helmet. He took a moment to take a deep breath before reaching for his canteen and taking a long drink from it. Meanwhile Ichiro sauntered up to where Nanaba sat studying their maps and leaned over to take a peek.

"So what now, Boss? We only have the gear on our backs, in the middle of nowhere, and no idea where our Jaegermeister is." Ichiro grumbled. The doppleganger simply ignored their subordinate and calmly packed up the maps before rising to their feet. It was clear what Nanaba was about to say next with Sanzo hastly putting his helmet back on and Ichiro merely stepping back.

"Now?" Nanaba started, brushing the dirt off their coat. "Now we hunt for our Meister."

Post-Timeskip
Ever We Hunt On
Nachtkrapp Hunters
E-Rantel Outskirts, Forest​

Day 14 of our time in this new world. We still have no clue where we are but thanks to our new jobs, information is free-flowing. Pelts and game are plentiful within the forests of this place and liberating brigands and poachers of their supplies never hurt. Anything to ensure we have enough money for future emergencies. What troubles me is the fact that our Jaegermeister is still nowhere to be found and any attempts to contact them has proven fruitless. Physical ammunition is running low and honestly, so is our morale. I must keep leading them until we return to our Jaegermeister's side.

But in any case, this place, E-Rantel, will serve as our HQ until then. Its a nice place and income isn't an issue. Perhaps we can show our Jaegermeister around when we find her. Someday.

With a sigh, Nanaba snapped their journal shut before pocketing it back into their longcoat. Nearby, Ichiro is busy amusing herself by tossing rocks at steadily growing pile without making it collapse while Sanzo kept watch, his hand resting on the hilt of Motivator even as he hummed to himself. Bracing themself against the tree, Nanaba got up to their feet and scanned their surroundings with their helmet's built in binoculars. That was when a loud snap of a branch made all 3 Hunters freeze. Quickly turning to the source of the noise, Nanaba spotted the cause; a simple deer. Their hand already resting on Thyrsus's holster, its latch already unclasped, the gunblade was tugged out and swiftly bought to bear. [Silencer] still in effect, Nanaba squeezed the trigger and an MP forged bullet was shot. The bullet went clean through the deer's eye socket and obliterated the animal's brain, bringing it down without much trouble.

"That would be the 3rd. I say we're done for the day." Nanaba declared, descending from the tree using a grappling hook under under their left wrist. Sanzo was already in the process of skinning and butchering the deer carcass while Ichiro idled nearby, just watching him work, stopping a moment to chuck one final rock at the rock pile. (Now standing at an impressive 76cm tall without toppling.) Within a few minutes the once almost pristine carcass is reduced to a pile of bones and innards with the edible parts and pelt being packed away and prepared for transport.

"Time to head back." Nanaba said, hitching up the straps of their backpack. The other two hunters didn't say anything but nodded in acknowledgement. With that, the trio wordlessly started their hike back to E-Rantel. Packs full of game and hides to sell or barter. But with dwindling spirits.

Ode to Coorperation
Niche & ■■■■
Arcadia, Carpe Diem​

"New acquaintances? That would be lovely, Mr Briar but I... have to think about it for a moment, okay?" Niche mumbled, managing to balance the large box of furs she carried in her arms. Ignoring the warm burn as her cheeks flushed red, she placed the box into place and shuffled off to a quiet corner. Opening one of the boxes, she pretended to do some stock taking. "Master.... Master you awake?"

"Yes yes. I heard the old coot. Others hm? I wonder..." ■■■■ mused, shifting slightly under Niche's bonnet. To the girl's credit, she barely reacted to the discomfort and was busy thinking of possibilities. One of which caught ■■■■'s attention. "Repeat that thought to me again, Niche. What did you just think of?"

"Nothing just... maybe these people would know who we are? I mean if Mr Briar thought about them as being similar to us, its a chance to find out right?" Niche was started to really warm up to that idea and ■■■■ could feel her excitement. It did tickle their curiosity a bit. Unlike Niche who at least remembered her name, they really didn't know much about themself. They knew what they were capable of and a fuzzy goal but other than that, nothing. And it made them feel.... Inadequate.

"Alright, accept his offer, Niche. I wish to meet these... strange people." ■■■■'s answer surprised and emboldened Niche's spirits. She happily closed the box and lamented on how she was unable to give her Master a big hug right now. Being attached to her head and all that.

"Thank you Master! It'll all work out! Wooo!" Niche accidentally cheered the last part out loud, possibly enough to attract Briar's attention. "I mean... Wooo we have so many wolf pelts! Mr Briar, could I make a coat one day? Oh and about that thing earlier, I'll be happy to meet your acquaintances."

If ■■■■ could facepalm, they would.

Azure Sky

 

[Kokurai Gaisgeach]

Dawn of the Creator's Soul
Creator_san, AK-12|200 Iota & Fushicho Delta
HighSanguinaryPriest Damafaud Azure Sky Haze- Wandering Grim Hollow​

As Creator_san finally found a chance to take a break from helping out with the Locals and building some guns, tools and armor with Fabian, she walks outside and sat by a tree overlooking the town of Arcadia in the distance. Flipping the pages of her personal diary, she began to write on the blank page.

It's been two weeks since my arrival in this world, been doing nothing but training the locals in the ways of the Gun and helping Fabian in making them.
To think that I get transported to a new world like those Isekai Protagonists in the Mangas and Anime I couldn't believe it.
Did that mean my real body died and my soul transferred to my avatar?

If that's the case. According to what Ergo and Fabian, People like me are Godly here.
I must keep my act up and not be that nervous wreck from the real world.
If there are more people like me in this world I have to keep my guard up.

Creator_san sighed as she looks at Automata Maid, Iota, who also went out to plant some tree seedlings after cutting down a tree to be used as wood. She smiles at her creation before writing down her thoughts on her notebook.

Iota's AI has been really intelligent to say so at least and a few select people managed to make her talk and have short or normal conversations with her which is a miracle to say so at least. despite of that however, I asked Fabian if he could help me create an NPC using the favors I've accumulated in helping around here as a test to see how intelligent Iota can be to situations where she finds out that she has a sibling. Considering this as a test to see if an NPC is capable of learning things and adjusting to it.

After jotting that down on her notebook the sounds of footsteps caught her attention, Looking around for the source of the sounds, her eyes met with a familiar face, a face that she saw back when she was just a normal Salarywoman. a face she sees everytime she looks at a mirror.


"Yo, Master." The redheaded figure spoke as she rests her rather unusual hunk of metal that she used to cut down the trees. It was too big to be called a sword. Massive, thick, heavy, and far too rough. Indeed, it was a heap of raw iron. A personal creation of yours truly.

"Ah Delta. I thought you're cutting down wood with your sister?" Creator_san said as she put down her notebook and kept it to her breastpocket.

"Iota-nee told me you were here and thought that I should go to you and check you out if you're alright since you're reminiscing about something."

"Ah... well. I was thinking that we should head out and check out the town nearby and see what it looks like there since we're just holed up in this base that Alishia and Fabian made. Would be a nice change for once."

"Me and Iota-nee are ready to go at your word, Master."

"Don't call me Master. Call me mother." Creator_san said as she stand up and looking towards the Town. "For now let's stay for a bit and tell Fabian and the others of our plan on checking out the town later."

"Yes, Mother. I'll be going back with Iota-nee. then." Delta said as she went back to Iota who was planting Seedlings.

Creator_san watched as the two interact with Iota, despite being shorter than Delta, tries to pat her on the head. leading Creator_san to give out a small chuckle of amusement before going back in her thoughts.

I asked myself.
why would I make a clone of my real self and turn it into an NPC?
Then I lie to myself that its for research purposes to see if an NPC can change.
But that lie is also the truth.

I wanted to see if I have the capacity to do it.
Two versions of myself
Two of them existing in a world together.

Then again the machinations in my head as an artist is... enigmatic.
If the people of this world sees us as Supreme Beings
Then a Supreme Being has to have the ability to be a Creator.

if we did this in the real world.
Legally It's questionable.
Morally it's disgusting.
Scientifically It's Triumphant.

That Ideal is...
I guess you can say...
Marvelous...

Creator_san's eyes fell upon Delta who with one mighty swing, cuts down a Tree as Iota moves in to drag it and plant a seedling, she couldn't help but be proud of seeing Delta, her other greatest creation. A Splitting Image of herself. Tis truly is The Dawn of the Creator's soul put onto an artificial human. With this in her mind, she began to walk back into the Cave as Iota and Delta followed suit, carrying the needed wood for the weapons and other machinations and creations that the group have planned.

Few Days ago...
The Triumphant Rumble of Creation
Creator_san AK-12|200 Iota & Fushicho Delta​

The room was a mess, arcane books scattered around, borrowed from a witch, potions and ingredients were surprisingly well stacked however yet only a few of them is needed.

"Iota. would you be a dear for me and get me the ingredients." Creator_san said as she prepares some sort of ritual on the floor.

"Yes, Master." She said without any hesitation and as fast as she was told to she accomplished her tasks at hand in a swift manner.

"Good... Now here comes the hard part... I am a Doppelganger so... I'm not sure if my blood would work but screw it..." She said before using a dagger to cut herself and drip some of her blood onto the alchemical ingredients on the ritual site. It was not long before the reaction kicks in.

A Powerful glow bathed the room in bright light with some of it leaking out of the door as the ritual begins. Creator_san's eyes widen as a Humanoid shape rapidly forms right in front of her followed by her smile as the form begins to have human traits, soon the room began to rumble from the unbelievable mix of sorcery and alchemy but to Creator_san. It was the rumble of scientific triumph.

As the naked Humanoid rests on the ground it slowly came to life and began breathing its first breath as it slowly transitions into a rather feminine shape that resembles her Creator's and followed by hair and its eyes before a complete human body was made.

The Homunculus looks around in curiosity, feeling around its environment before her eyes before looking towards Creator_san and Iota. Reaching out to touch and feel her. Creator_san accepted it and let herself be hugged by the Homunculus.

"I am you creator, your master, your mother..."

"Cre... ator. Mas.. ter. Mother..."

"Indeed. Hmm..." She said as she gently puts the Homunculus down on the bed wrapped by the towel that Iota gave.

"Fushicho. Fushicho will be your name. It means Phoenix, The Bird of Immortality. Who will rise from the ashes of the old to be Created a new..."

 

[Damafaud]

Troublesome; My Lazy Life in Another World

Acles
The Cave​

Alishia
The Cave​

Recently, Acles had some concerns.

Ever since her initial trip to Carpe Diem, the Young Miss never left her alchemy room. She worked all day creating potions and synthesizing materials, helping Fabian stockpiling their supplies with useful potions for war and conquest. She still indulged in sweets and the like, but she only ordered him to feed her and not take her time with her meals, commenting on everything as usual. She even ordered him to help Mitheria, that alchemy being Master Fabian created in his best in his spare time. She didn't even command him through a round of dress up or to make strange poses or to say some ambiguous lines with romantic and/or sexual undertone.

This wasn't his Young Miss. The Young Miss he knew is a lazy, fun-seeking, closetedly-lecherous-yet-appearing-dignified woman. Needless to say, Acles was feeling distressed.

Though he had not the need to breathe, Acles couldn't help but let out a sigh. Could it be the atmosphere of war and competition on-going affected his young miss? Perhaps she, for one, now lusted for power like Master Fabian? The thought of changes, even for someone as frivolous as his young miss, rained a somber tone to the automaton as he tilled the field around the cave for growing the herbs and materials they needed to create health potions. Health potions were a staple for guilds and armies alike. They couldn't replace a dedicated healer, but the larger the scale of a fight, the more noticeable a steady provision of health potions could make.

"Acles!"

"Yes, Missus."

Alishia called from the mouth of the cave. Her green lord green tunic glistened like emerald under the sun. Gravity-defying hair flowed behind her head for curls and waves akin to a curtain draping over a satin gown. Acles held his hoe like a sword, bowing perfunctorily at his Young Miss.

"Pack your stuff and mine! We are going to Carpe Diem and see Briar once more, as a mysterious and rich noblewoman and her handsome and trustworthy manservant."

"Missus' intention is...?" Acles raised his head. He didn't dare to guess.

"After that, we'll see where the wind takes us! There is good food all over the world, but I heard the adventurer guild in E-Rantel has a muscular rabbit and the rumour says the Adamentite Adventurer Party Green Sparrow has a chiselled-looking bard as its leader."

"Miss..." Acles' eyes watered. Intentionally. "I know you are still useless, deep down. Please never changes."
"Ohoho of course- as if I'm going to say that! How badly do you think of me?! Wait, what do you mean by 'still useless', am I always useless in your eyes?! I'm your mistress!"
"I will prepare everything."

Acles bowed and went to the cave to pack. The indignation disappeared from Alishia's face as she let out a low hum. She had been working hard since she planned to go far this time. Reaaally for a long time! Travel! Be a tourist! And she planned to leave before Fabian started a war since she couldn't act being an unconcerned third party if they associated her with Fabian. Not that he would be in trouble now that she wasn't the only YGGDRASIL player around. There was Creator-san and Josuke now.

Well, she didn't want him troubled, though. So he stocked him up with potions and got Mitheria skilled enough she could make more if needed. If Fabian needed mythical or legendary potions... well, if the situation was that bad, there was no helping it, she had to return.

"Now where is Fabian...?"

Well, no matter. Whatever he said, she would soon leave for Carpe Diem. Briar said he wanted someone to meet her too, so there was that.

Mention: HighSanguinaryPriest Kokurai Gaisgeach Haze- Wandering Grim Hollow Azure Sky

 

[HighSanguinaryPriest]

Cling, Clang, Clang, Goes The Hammer

​

For two weeks Fabian tirelessly worked, hammering metal into shape. Countless hours heating and melting the raw materials before pounding them into shape, never settling on a single project. In one section of the forge, four armour racks sat adorn in pieces of extremely heavy plate, with advanced mechanics built into the most advanced sets of armour he had created. In another section, three metallic humaniods hung suspended from chains, intricate runes engraved into their chassis, their crystalline eyes lifeless and dull. In another, several new guns laid upon the table, three out of four identical rifles the odd one being a scatter gun due to a certain half-orc being unable to hit a target from fifty yards away.

The final section held his pride and joy. He had to actually expand his forge further in order to contain the separate parts to what he lovingly called Project Thor. What it was he kept tight lipped, going so far as to tell his daughter Mitheria knowing she would easily get the info telepathically after having her swear to silence. As far as everyone knew, Project Thor was huge.

The ringing of the anvil continued at almost all hours he spent not training the new minions and eating, so in essence most the fucking day and through the night. Striking the hot metal into shape, he let the magazine he had been working on cool enough, before quenching it in oil. Satisfied with the results, he cleaned the scale and excess oil with a simple spell before setting it aside. Wiping his brow, he grabbed a mug and filled it with strong spirits before quaffing it. The burn of the liquor felt wonderful as it filled his chest and belly with warmth. With a satisfied sigh he set his hammer aside and removed his apron before heading to the main hall.

Coming around the corner he heard none other than his Partner in crime ask where he was. Stepping into the hall he crossed his arms and made himself known with a simple question. "What do ya need?"

Damafaud Azure Sky Haze- Kokurai Gaisgeach

 

[Haze-]

Pre-Timeskip
A couple of days ago

"A rainy night, a devil in the dark."​

Rain poured in a torrent over the city, the night sky veiled by a mob of clouds only visible as tonight's moon proyected it's light upon them, a clear constradiction of iridescent grey to their darkened tinge, casting a clash of shadows and lights that placed the mood on set. It was a gloomy night for everyone. The hands of time seemingly unwinding without a haste, slower than normal for eyes that feasted upon the city's view, gawking at the sight in amusement. That still, chilly air that seeped into his lungs waking him up, an ominous figure perched atop the highest point in the city, the pitch-black hood that covered him appearing to blend in with the night, completely carefree to basking in the rain as he peered down with glowing blue eyes at the denizens. On the lookout for something that belonged to him.

Under that same night sky, a woman, who hid away from the gale inside her coat, began picking up the pace as she felt a shiver run through her skin; caused by a deceiving sensation of loneliness. She wasn't alone, however, there were eyes on her back. Three prying sets of eyes, to be exact. Under the incesant rain, the woman began to trot with difficulty due to the sodden soil, following that feeling as an augury of something terrible coming her way. Crossing to a nearby alleway, hearing a distant laughter behind her, she began to run. Mere seconds later, the only noise heard coming from that alleway were those of pleads and the amused mirth of two pigs.

- "P-Please don't hurt me! I-I..." - Exclaimed the young lady with despair in her cracked voice, attempting not to burst out crying - "Please..." - She added with no strengths left, the gleam in her eyes fading away as a pair of snide, dispiteous laughter quieted her down. The sound of the relentless rain gushing down on the terrain further drowning out the sound of her weak voice.

- "You oughta speak up, lady! Can't hear ya' over all this damn noise." - Mocked a hoarse voice, - "So, what're we doing with her?" - Adding an query to his partner in crime, who held a disgusting smile from ear to ear.

- "Well we take her with us, of course! She is quite the pretty thing isn't she?" - The other responded, that smile filled with murk growing bigger as a dangerous emotion arised within, he added - "Besides, I've already hit the jackpot back there." - He said with blatant self-satisfaction seeping through as he dangled a heavy bag infront of his companion's face, the sound of gold pieces clinging with eachother could be heard from within - "No need to worry about anything. We're gonna have some fun tonight, aren't we, pretty lady?" He directed his last words to their cornered victim, a predator playing with it's prey.

The girl could only close her eyes shut. Praying, making herself believe that it was all just a bad dream, that she would soon wake up back in her bed when she opened her eyes, a bit shaken up but still fine. Tears gathering and flowing out the corners of her eyes as she heard what seemed to be the sound of a belt being haistly removed – “Nah, I can’t wait that long. Let’s just do it right here.”

“Heh! That’s the spirit.” – She brought her trembling hands to her head, pressing hard against her ears. Only hearing the sound of her heart pounding and the incesant flow of the rain, solely focusing on both. This was all just a nightmare. Right?

“Hey, dumbass. For a guy of your ilk you’re pretty sneaky aren’t you?” – The third set of eyes made itself present, a pair of cold, blue orbs that gleamed in the dark with malice. Her eyes shot wide open as the sound of a heavy hit broke the ambiance. The human cockroach that held the bag of gold blinked and his partner was nowhere to be seen, his eyes widened with the same excessive feel of surprise as the cornered lady, looking around only to find half a body nailed on the wall ahead of them, in a hole that wasn’t there before. Where an unresponsive body lied, a cloud of dust still floated around from the pile of rubble yet to be swept away by the rain. He darted around in pure fear, trying to make sense of whatever had happened, he pulled out a dagger. Then he remembered, that voice.

By the time he noticed the dark figure standing before him, an intense, phantasmagorical blue lit up the alleway. A tall, imposing figure stood in front of him. One hand in his pocket and another in a gigantic blue sword that doubled the both of them in size, balancing the wretched thing in his shoulder, mere lightweight for him. – “I gave you a chance, you know? I looked at you dead in the eye when you had my gold hidden behind your back like a damn child. You thought I wouldn’t notice?” – He spoke with an indifferent, calm voice. As if he wasn’t really there to begin with, though one would notice that his attention was dead set in the culprit, the gleam in those pale blue eyes were proof of it. There was anger hidden behind his words – No, it was more of raw, unfiltered disgust.

“I was considering letting you off the hook, didn’t really need the money anyways… But after seeing what you were going to do with it— “ With a simple flick of his wrist, the sword swung down and stopped to point at the thug, earning an uncharacteristic yip you wouldn’t quite expect to hear coming from someone like that – “I just can’t bring myself to watch you act like a villain from a children’s book and let you walk away with it. Makes me sick to my damn stomach.” The mystery man extended his arm, the sword lunging forward towards the thug who rapidly backed away into a wall, where the pointy end of the blade pressed hard against his neck; drawing a trickle of blood.

The sound of droplets of rain breaking apart against a sharp piece of metal, the burning sensation at his neck, the glare of those blue eyes in the dark, peering straight into his soul; it all awakened a sensation that remained dormant within the common thug. As he broke a cold sweat, his vision blurring as a surge of fear clouded his mind, he understood he was one foot in the grave already. Nothing else to do but act as grovelling as his past victims - “L-Listen! Let’s calm down, okay? I-I'll give it back! I won’t-“ - But the sound of something smacking against his face silenced his act, followed by pure darkness enveloping his vision.

“Quiet.” - A backhand that broke jaws had left the thug in a pitiful state. A macabre sight, the thug lied in a nook between the hole in the wall, recumbent with his back against a gang of trash, drops of crimson drooling from his lower lip, broken by the heaviest impact he'd ever taken.

The rest of him looked just as miserable.

With a brief sigh he walked over to that unfortunate mess of a man, kneeling down to the fine mantle of rain that covered the gravel to reach for his bag of gold; taking a moment to weigh it, he clicked his tongue. It was lighter. The thug already had his fun tonight, one could see it in the fresh pair of clothes that made him seem like a well-bred gentleman, now completely torn to show his exposed chest sown with bruises that matched his face, which had been given the exact same treatment. Being flung like a ragdoll to the nearest wall was no good for the human body, it seemed.

"You alive?" - He grabbed one of the dirty clumps of hair that draped from the thug's face, lightly lifting him from the ground until they were face to face. Only receiving a slight shudder of pain as a response, his lungs doing extra work as an ill-treated hand reached to grab the cloaked man's forearm, failing miserably and slipping in his own blood gushing from the cuts in his palm, letting out a weak groan as he finally managed to grasp it – “P-Plea… S-Sor…!!” – His voice roughly labored a broken tone due to a fit of coughing interrupting him, yet it was understandable to an extent. The thug pleaded mercy, asking for forgiveness. Something he had no right to ask for nor did he deserve.

"Unfortunately." - He chuckled, simply letting go of his hair and having him crash against the floor. An almost instant reaction of pain, his back arched an unnatural curve right at the moment of impact, the fine mantle of rain he squirmed in dragging away the blood he began coughing up. There were surely more than just one rib broken there, a sudden movement more and any badly positioned splinter would turn to an imminent danger to his lungs. It was a bad idea to keep roughening him up, but there was no "being too harsh" with people of the sort. The wicked only knew how to show cruelty, therefore cruelty was all they would be shown. A grotesque scene, even the cloaked vigilante couldn't help but look away, only leaving a flask filled with red liquid a fair distance besides the beaten up thug. He would have to crawl for his life, that is all the kindness he could display for such a pitiful existance; blind hope.

Huddled up in a corner, doing her best not to breathe loud enough to be noticed, the young lady kept her eyes closed, fearing what she'd just witnessed, dreading the fate that would surely come next. Images of those blue eyes flashing through her mind, her heart was set about sputtering with double the speed everytime she jumped at the sound of every impact and the pleads of one of her assailants, but the dead silence that fell upon the scenery once everything was done began to eat her alive. Had she seen a bad spirit? A demon? This surely must be a nightmare then, things such as that were highly unlikely to ever appear infront of such a commoner like her. The more she thought about it, the more her eyes began to water; to the point where it hurt to keep her eyelids shut.

Until she shot her eyes wide open with all the courage she could muster, and saw not a demon, but the silhouette of a man crossing the exit of the alleyway, hands in his pocket and a gigantic sword that glistened blue strapped to his back. After regaining her strengths, she brought herself up to her feet. Not daring to look at whatever happened to her assailants, the fear of it paralyzing her for a few seconds. Then a new emotion took over her, a query that dangled infront of her face for a while, making her pick up the pace to the end of the alleyway and follow the same route the mysterious man had taken; abruptly making a halt as she contemplated the large, empty streets.

Needless to say, she did not meddle in those thoughts a second longer and ran straight back home, a question: "Was it all real?" burning in the back of her mind.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Puddles of rain covered all around him, thin gaps tore away clouds to be glimpsed a clear night sky, set by faint moonlight. Perched once again on the highest point in the city, fidgeting with a bag of gold in his hands, Arc glanced at the moon with a somber stare; a trail of cold breath leaving his mouth as he sighed. Small detours such as these were starting to become a regular now that he worked as Fab's 'special' scout, scourging the land in a matter of days in the search for specific materials the bossman needed or just mapping out certain towns and cities for him. He was perhaps the fastest aside from Acles, more reliable in terms of durability if things were to go wild in one of his trips.

"Expendable." Is how he himself would name it. Though a term maybe too dramatic and harsh for his peers back at the cave.

After two weeks of almost daily traveling, doing tasks for the boss, that feeling of gratitude he kept within from the start began to shift into something else. Not out of spite for Fabian or anyone else, he was still thankful for everything, it was more of an inner dilemma. His morale was still being attacked... By himself.

He just couldn't help but ask "What happened?". 'What happened to Josuke Himura', if were being technical. His younger years spent trying to leech off of a crime family, rectifying himself out of that rebelious phase just so his family could spare a tad bit of pride for their deadbeat son, so his little sister could for once look up to his spoiled brat of a brother. What would they think of him if they saw him now using random criminals as battering rams, acting like the anti-hero from a messed up comic?

He shook his head and sighed, setting the bag of gold to his side - "I wonder how the fox is doing..." His eyes glued to the moon.

This new life was surreal. In ways he could've never dreamt of.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Post-Timeskip
Forest Outskirts | The Cave

Togemaru's Daily Routine


"Fallen leaves, quiet pond

Stir my soul with the graceful wind

Calm as the waves"​

Cross-legged atop a boulder in perfect balance, cool wind whispering about grass and grazing the waters of the pond he sat still in, rustling locks of pure white hair away from his forehead; Togemaru lied tranquil, reciting a Haiku in his mind.

- "Were those even 17 sillables?" - Struggling to do so.

He flinched, a glimmer of his blood red eyes as he flashed an annoyed countenance, returning to the calm and quiet shortly after, he tried again...

"Refreshing cold scent,

Speak a thousand words in your wake

Lay my heart to-"​

His brow quivered, baring fang in a snarl as he felt something brush against his side, his eyes still closed. Perhaps just a friendly little creature, nothing to worry about...

"S-Setting sun in solitude,

Lively H-Husks of--" ​

His eyes shot wide open, a blaring pair of red that gradually grew dilated, glued to a deer by their side that kept poking it's snout against him and letting out an irritating screech he did not know animals were even capable of making. Anger is the root of all idiocy, he must pay no mind to it.

"F-F-Flickering shadows,

Vibrant in the d-dead of----"​

"BE QUIET GODDAMNIT!!!!" The page that took the ink was torn to shreds in a fit of anger. Well, the metaphorical, mental image of a page. The deer now stumbling in it's own stride as it struggled to dart away from the maniac that now held a sword before his gaze, pondering whether or not to make minced meat out of something. Huffing and puffing, both creatures exchanged stares, one in pure, raw, unadulterated irritation; the other in fear and confusion. Until the sound of a splash broke the awkward silence, a frog leaping in the pond, the duo turning towards it in unison.

"YOU WANT SOME TOO?!?" - Togemaru barked at the miniscule creature, receiving only a lifeless stare that punctured his soul.

"Ribbit." The frog, wise as all, spoke out. The fox staring at it dumbfounded for a moment.

"Yeah, you've got a poi-" His words were cut in half as he felt a sharp stab of pain in the throat, blood overflowing into a cough as he covered his mouth and arched forward. It was all an elaborate move from the frog, a veteran play from a seemingly amateurish combatant.

"Y-You bastard...!" Togemaru left the encounter. Defeated.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------




There was only so much one could take before the ego tore itself to shreds, Togemaru held a slow, hunched over march as he wended his way through the forest, dancing around thickets with his hands behind his back as he merely followed a path layed with piles and piles of long forgotten sketches, letting out an amused whistle each time the trail of paper sheets grew longer - "Master should be here already..." - Slightly tilting his head up, the fox found the source of every sheet of paper left behind him, a moment of wide-eyed wonder later, his gaze fell upon a figure spread out in a bed of said paper sheets. Ethereal pale skin, perfectly straight, finite strands of copper hair cascading down his face, masking it, much longer than usual. If one were to take it at a first glance, what stood before Toge was but a corpse that had been left stranded a couple of hours ago, not even the subtle motion of his chest heaving for air could be seen. There wouldn't be much of a difference however

The fox chuckled, receiving a loud intake of air as a response, followed by a ghoulish groan from the revenant as he clenched the grip of the wooden sword that rested besides him, his glare turning bloodshot and a lot more feral. His master had dominated the fine arts of 'sleeping' in these two weeks of flying through Sir Fabian's 'tasks', he couldn't help but keep a strong sense of admiration as he witnessed him remain completely still through the night, a state of perpetual focus that was only broken once any unlucky undead attracted by the Dark Eater's heart got too close. Cutting them down without even doing so much as flinching became second nature to him. Master described it as "Sleepwalking, but in reverse."

To this very day, Togemaru failed to fully grasp how he managed to feel well-rested after doing such a nonsense for an entire night. The inner machinations of his Master's mind were an enigma...

[Sumi-e] Taking a page from the ground, the paper began to fill up with letters, ink forming out of nowhere and flowing into the words - "Welcome home." - The fox holding out the message infront of his Master's gaze, who simply blew the hair out of his face and responded with a weak grunt, on par with that of the hiss of a vampire hiding away from the sun clashing directly with it's face. It'd been a while since his master started to search through all the skills at his disposal, finding use of even the most dull and honest ones, such as this one. Togemaru had been trying to master once he learned it was a part of the Swordsaint class as perhaps a way to finally communicate with everyone else in another way, yet he lacked his Master's proficiency, who could manufact dozens of drawings with relative ease just out of boredom; on the other hand, the fox could barely write an understandable sentence with it.

"Master, we must... Good morning... Everyone...?" - Togemaru started, making sure not to let his precious 8 words go to waste, struggling hard not to chug an mp potion mid-sentence just in case. The swordsman began to once again have sudden intakes of air, the joints in his body making unnatural noises, cracking as they stretched in starvation for movement. The breathing began to turn unstable, as if forcing himself to breathe - "They can..." - He continued after a short pause - "Good morning themselves, Toge. Besides, I'm busy trying to become one with the earth. Leave me here to rot." - Quickly returning to his regular snarky tone and sharp attitude as his breathing turned more relaxed.

The fox huffed and rolled his eyes, clumsily turning on the spot and kneeling down to grab another sheet of paper. His tail smacking against Arc's face as he did, on purpose.

The swordsman's brow furrowed out of reflex.

"Training?" - The note read - "Not in the mood." - The tail once more flew like a flash of white mere centimeters from Arc's face as Togemaru whipped around, not taking a second longer of the conversation and instead grabbing his Master's hand, dragging him along as he marched onwards to the cave.

With his free hand, the fox popped a flask of mana out of his bag and drank from it - "Master, I'm sure everyone's missed you. You can't-" - His voice switched to the low sound of blood gurgling from his throat, he bit the bullet and simply took another sip from the potion without so much as slightly recoiling at the pain. He continued - "-Just pretend they don't exist." He scolded with a warm yet severe sounding lecture, keeping his eyes ahead of them. Not getting a response at all, not even a bit of resistance from the deadweight he was dragging across the floor, the silence urging him to speak up again.

"A-And Besides-" His doubtful voice being quickly halted not by a pain in his throat, but by a voice behind him. A lingering surprise keeping the flask he was about to drink from stationary near his face - "Alright then. Training sounds nice." - Togemaru took a peek behind him to see his Master fully awake, arms crossed and his eyes closed as he spoke with a casual tone.

He took a large sip - "Wha...? Didn't know you were that easy..." - The fox added before a smile grew into a jovial chuckle.

"What's with the surprise? I'd rather be pummeled to a red paste before listening to Fabian give another hour long speech about something that can be summarized as 'The boomstick goes boom'. You think C-San and Fabs have any other topic to talk about?" - Josuke began to go on a tangent, the glimmer in his eye slowly beginning to fade back in as he yawned, planting his foot on the soil to signal Togemaru to stop. He sat up and shook the dirt off his clothes.

"And don't even get me started on Alishia. That woman's a walking-talking sexual harassment complaint waiting to be filed." - He arched an eyebrow, addresing Togemaru as if he were sick in the head for not knowing such commonsensical information. The chuckle built up into full-on laughter, almost a brief wheeze that was placated by Togemaru's efforts to keep it together. Arc only gave him a confused look before getting up on his feet and shifting his head to the side, letting out a rejuvenated sigh as his neck made a crack. It took a while for his Master to regain his energy early in the morning, but once he did he was back to the same carefree manners and loose cannon of a mouth.

"I guess you're ri-" - Once again cut off by a surge of blood leaving his mouth, the sound of his pain being a lot more audible this time, it began to turn excruciating with each instance - "You're still bad at numbers, aren't you?" - His Master's tired expression switching to a warm smile, the look in his eyes gradually growing mellow as if he were at home, seeing some form of content seeping out of his Master's frivolous act made the pain somewhat tolerable.

"So," - Arc toyed around with the Bokken in his hand, flinging it upwards and making it spin mid-air - "Training?" - He asked, giving the sword one last pivot before catching it in a reverse grip - "I guess if you insist then it can't be helped."

"Though let's try not to cut down half a forest this time around..."

The fox nodded.

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A couple of hours later, two figures stepped into the cave, heading for the spring waters, the duo bloodied up and their clothes laced with gaping gashes all around, to the point where they were left with mere torn rags.

The fox spared no effort to catch his breath - "Half a forest...?" - There was about to be an entire mountain split in half out there.

"I don't want to hear it." - Arc placed all his remaining strengths on his limp arms to get the dirty linen-flock of hair out of his face, flicking the fox in the forehead with his free hand. They both took out an HP potion and drank away. Arc shuddered, shivers running down his spine as he remembered the existence of a certain environmentalist slime. Thankfully the damage was minimal.

"Yo, boss. Alishia." - Coming down to the main halls, the both of them were greeted by the sight of their two respective landlords seemingly engaged in an important conversation. Arc only gave a light hearted nod to them and kept walking, his stride coming to a halt as he felt a nudge from the fox - "Ah, yeah. I'm back from traveling . Pretty cool, see ya' around." - He said nonchalantly, not even managing to put his right infront of the left before Togemaru clenched his shoulder with the wrath of a thousand suns and held him in place.

"What? Do you just expect me to casually hold a conversation while we're all beaten up and smell like shit? Professional's have standards, Toge."

"I... Uh..." - Defeated once more.

Togemaru's attention drifted somewhere else - "Alishia-sama, leaving...?" - The question popped up in his head the moment he noticed Acles packing up.



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