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Valkyrie heard the people's complaints as she practically shoved them to the side, causing almost a few to wobble overboard. She called out an insincere sorry to them, grinning cheekily as she did so. It only seemed to rile them up even more as some tried to pull her back, but she quickly maneuvered around them, securing herself on board the ship. She stood above them, sticking out her tongue petulantly. "Up yours."

That was when she heard her name being called out by a familiar voice, and the grin was already on her lips as she turned around to see the red haired boy. "Crimson! Hey!" she called out in the same overly enthused manner. She walked over to where he was sitting alone, with three empty seats beside him. "Thanks for saving me a spot." She raised her fingers in a salute before plopping down beside him, taking up all of the three seats. In an attempt to tease her guildmate, she settled her boots on his lap and threw him a thumbs up.

Crimson was one of the few people that Valkyrie liked in the game. Sure she liked all the other members of the Silver Lyre, but she always seemed to have the most fun when she hung out with him. Or maybe it was all in her mind. Ha. She was glad she stopped herself from erupting in laughter right then and there. Damn, she was hilarious, even if the only person to agree was her reflection. Meh, haters gonna hate.

She flicked a few strands of hair away from her face before focusing her attention back to Crimson, "Yeah I got it. Do you think the lead's right this time?" She settled in her position more, tucking her hands beneath her head. "Cause I really don't. But, heck, it's worth the try, right?" She nodded to herself, as if in agreement to her own sentiment. It seemed she always did that... agree with herself. Whatever, it didn't really matter much to her. She was having fun and that was all that mattered.

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A sudden and horrible silence enveloped the vessel as it finally took off from the port. People watched as the girl so desperate for a place aboard the ship boldly lay across the man who bore the title of "Shadow"... a silent and brutal killer in the eyes of most. This man was known for talking to himself frequently and drawing out the deaths of his opponents slowly... so as to relish in their suffering. This figure, feared for this reason and many others had been left alone by the others out of fear and yet here comes a brazen young woman, bold enough to use his lap as a footrest? The crowd held bated breaths as they prepared for bloody murder and, most likely a capsized boat.

"Aha... I was hardly saving the spot... more just the people in Dol Donna know me well enough to try and avoid me." A sigh of relief resounded throughout the crowds as Crimson only smiled and returned the thumbs up as his friends feet were thrust without hesitation onto his lap. He didn't really care, he liked Valkyrie and knew her well enough to be more than comfortable with such close quarters as she was providing. "Ah but... you're welcome regardless... especially considering you seem to be making use of my seat aswell." He sighed gently in a sort of exasperated way, but he made no movements to push her off of him. He was too nice to do that.

Crimson reached over Valkyries legs and opened up his inventory once more... anyone peaking at his menu would see pages filled with various potions, poisons and medicines of all kind... an ode to his alchemy skill no doubt. After flicking through a few tabs of items that he really had no use for at that moment in time, Crimson finally reached his destination, stuck haphazardly between the icons for a basic healing poultice and a deadly paralysis tonic was a brand new skill book for high level alchemists, Crimson had received it as a reward for a quest and was quite happy when he realized the tomes rarity. It was entitled "The beauty poison enhanced blades." and it allowed the reader to apply poison to a variety of blade like weapons so as to transfer their effects directly to an opponents blood stream through cuts and grazes made while attacking. Crimson was sure that it would make his already impressive weaponry and tactics even more deadly than before.

Once the book was poofed out of his inventory and sitting comfortably in his hands, Joshua began flicking through the pages as he answered Valkyrie's question. "I wouldn't know about the authenticity of this lead... I mean it seems rather unlikely to me that the guild masters would so openly display themselves for the World... especially when they're supposed to be "hiding in plain sight" so to speak." Crimson nodded solemnly, like an old sage. "But there is a chance... especially considering rumors of these two players strength. Crimson lurched forward slightly and frowned briefly as the now moving boat thudded against a river bound log. Sometimes they made the game TOO realistic, in his opinion. "Either way... I respect the Guild Masters decision to pursue this further. I suppose we'll just have to see what happens eh?"

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Comfortable darkness surrounded the room- not the pitch black of night nor the pathetic attempts at blocking the sun out with curtains, no. It was the dim light of a seemingly stormy morning that seeped through the blue-grey blinds at the windows, bathing the room in just enough natural light to be able to discern everything there, but with such an eye-pleasing darkness that allowed continued sleep. Gentle bird calls chirped in the distance, and it was so quiet in the area that the flutter of wings and the soft brushing of wind could be easily heard.

The sweet smell of nature- of freshly dewed grass and hints of watermelon, of the clean invigorating scent of the breeze as it lazily winded through Dol Donna seemed forever present no matter where you went in the town. It was why Rune loved the area so much. With a huff of air, Arch Rune scrunched his face a bit as he shifted in bed. His eyes cracked open slowly, and he blinked away the sleep that clung to his mind.

Pulling himself up into a sitting position, the sheets slipped off of his form to pool at his legs while a yawn occupied his lips. He shivered slightly, and his eyes narrowed. Had he left a window open last night? No… when had he taken his shirt off? He glanced down at his chest and abdomen, finding his torso bare. However, he wasn’t completely without covering. His lovely hoodie was draped across his arms, and the strings tapped calmly against his skin with every twitch of his body.

Another yawn split his lips, and he lifted a loose fist to his mouth as he stretched. Pulling the large hood over his head and running his fingers against the line of his face mask- one he never took off unless eating- he let out sigh and leaned back on his arms. Unfortunately, something rather annoying split the otherwise peaceful, quiet, and dim morning.

Rune squinted as a bright light suddenly flashed in front of him followed by a gentle bell chime. ~A Letter Awaits~

Rune scowled at the intrusion of his morning, and did not even bother to open the little popup box that pulsed before him. Food came first, not messages. It didn’t matter who sent it, he wasn’t going to open it until he deigned to do so.

Socked feet thudded against the wooden floor as Arch Rune rose from his mattress with another yawn, soon shuffling past his bedroom to the kitchen. Morning light filtered through the unobstructed windows, dappling the floors with the shadows of leaves and the occasional jitter of some small creature or other. He liked that there were no annoying shouts of other players, that the smoke and exhaust that filled the other towns was nonexistent, and that no one would pass by his windows on crowded streets and decide to take a peek inside. That was the beauty of Dol Donna.

Grabbing an apple from a nearby basket, Rune set it down on the counter, grabbing a cooking knife before the sequence began. He made quick work of slicing it into very thin straps, soon putting it into a bowl and beginning his light breakfast. As he ate, he finally brought the message box back up, swiping a thumb across the newest message.

*’If you want to go on an adventure, just let me know~ I need people to go to the forest area~!’ Cielo.*

A subtle smirk pressed into his lips beneath the cloth that hid the bottom portion of his face. That was a laugh, Cielo didn’t need anyone. He was a game master after all, he could do whatever he wanted, get whatever he wanted, at the push of a button. But it was reasonable, Rune figured, because having that kind of power was beyond boring. What was the point of the game if you already had everything, if you didn’t have to work for anything?

Rune tapped in his own reply.

>”Only if you’re heading to the higher levels. Anything less is a waste of both of our time. You know I find messaging dull, tell me where to head so we can talk in person.”- Arch Rune.

Emma hated the stupid game. Not the players-- no, she liked them just fine, but the game itself made Emma want to hack up the biggest spitball she could manage and shoot it right in the Gamemasters' faces.

She hated being trapped, too. It had only been a... how long? Perhaps only a year at most since Emma had discovered that she couldn't leave EDEN, but she had stopped keeping track after the first few weeks. What was the point? Ooh, we're stuck! Better remind ourselves just HOW long we've been stuck! That'll make us feel better for sure! Yeah, Emma preferred to pass on that one. Despite that the pink hair (which was pretty damn cool, in her opinion), the Silver Lyre, and the whole 'not getting fat after you eat thirty burritos' were all great, Emma wanted out. She wanted to go home. She wanted to be Emily L. again. However, sometimes life stinks and one just has to say 'Suck it up, buttercup. 'Cause things aren't gonna get better.' and move on.

'Everyone meet in the guild @home. I have a plan for looking into the tag team I told you all about.' Popped up on her message board. Emma felt a bit happy to read that it was from Raijin, the leader of the Silver Lyre guild, because that meant she actually had to do something.
Quickly following Raijin's message came an excuse from Korpal, then a reply from Crimson and Valkryie.
'Gotcha. On my way!' Emma typed back as she reached for her boots. 'Oh, and good luck Korpal! Have fun' she added quickly, glad that she remembered to do so.

The train for BREG EPONA left every two hours, Emma knew, and the time on the clock told her that she was drastically running late. Five minutes to get there? HA. Emma would have a better chance at finding the Gamekeepers before she ever got to the station in time. Still, it was worth a try.

Flying out the door and running through the streets was a hard thing to do without running in to people. As Emma tried to catch the train, she constantly yelled out 'SORRY' or 'OH GOD I DIDN'T MEAN TO STEP ON YOUR FOOT' as she pushed her way through the crowds. Knocking people over wasn't her favourite pass-time, but hey. She was expected somewhere and it'd be embarrassing if she were to be late. How horrible would it be if the second in command of the guild had to tell the others that she missed the train because she was slow? It'd be a nightmare! A catastrophe! She was already a little behind on things to begin with, being new to gaming and all, but looking like a dope in front of her guild was far worse.

Finally, Emma reached the station out of breath and wishing she could roll over and die. With a gasp of relief, she saw that the train was still boarding passengers, most of which were trying to get on before the doors closed.

"Thank heavens," Emma wheezed, rushing into the train. She hated how expensive everything was in the game, mostly because she was so good at handling money in the real world, and two-hundred gold per trip sounded way overpriced. Maybe a hundred or eighty gold would be reasonable, but two-hundred? Emma felt poorer already.

The doors closed, and the girl found herself standing with the few people who were either too awkward or too blind to sit in one of the seats. She looked around, trying to find a spot that wasn't next to a total creep, and beamed when she saw Raijin sitting near one of the windows. Too many times Emma had to put up with some hassle while on the train. It was nice to see someone who wouldn't bother her every five seconds.

She walked over and dropped into the seat next to the guild leader. "Hi." Emma said plainly, wishing she had better greetings.

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"Fine, but if you make me do anything, I'll feed you to the foes. ..Before that, let's check out the Guilds. We need to either make one of our own or get offered to join one. We already get suspicious looks. Hurry up and get over here! I hate messaging."

Cielo couldn't help but let out a short chuckle at the other's impatient response. As he received the notification of his party request, he blinked and soon opened up the map. The orange dot showed that the other game master was in the main square of MAC ANU, with other people around as well.

"Aku-chan, If you keep being angry all the time, you're gonna get white hair you know~" Tapping send, as the albino turned his direction toward the area that the other was in. As he walked, two more short pings sounded off as the other two responded back.

“Place + Time. Allow 10 xtra mins. Need to change. Korpal.”

"MAC ANU, probably the main square since that's where Akuma is~ We'll leave once you, and one of my other friends get here!" Hitting the send button, he flipped to his next message letting another hum escape as he quickly scanned it.

”Only if you’re heading to the higher levels. Anything less is a waste of both of our time. You know I find messaging dull, tell me where to head so we can talk in person.”- Arch Rune.

"Eh? So impatient~ Lighten up a bit~ It's such a nice today in MAC ANU, Archy~" Hitting the send button, before typing out another to the other player. "Though we're probably meeting in MAC ANU, per usual~ Boats are too troublesome, so you can handle it! Plus we'll be heading deep into the little forest AREA! So no problem there~"

Shutting off the messenger, within a few minutes Akuma's blue hair came into view in the crowd. Only catching the last few words of "are not," a light curious gaze followed the other. It wasn't hard to tell he was deep in thought, but of what was the real question here. Seeing as the other didn't seem to sense him yet, a friendly arm was thrown over the blue-head's shoulder, followed by a grin shot his way.

"Morning Aku-chan~ Had a nice night?" Cielo asked, keeping the same childish grin on his face. He released the other from his friendly gesture and shot him another bright grin. "I was able to get Archy and Korpal to join us today!" A proud grin sat on his face before he released another laugh. "Try and be nice today, alright? We don't need gloomy attitudes when today is a good day~" At least for now. To be honest, whenever he invited people to join a party with him and Akuma, usually Akuma would just ignore everyone, and everything. Then when he tried to get the other to be social, he usually ended up failing, with the blue-headed male actually trying to kill him. Harsh, right? But that was Akuma, so there was no helping it.

"We almost have a full party~ Something fun should happen, right?"

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The air was cold around Breg Epona as Merc marched his way into the central plaza, it hadn't taken him too long to arrive at the town coming from Lumina cloth and somehow he had even managed to beat the first train from Mac Anu... then again he did suppose that Gladius had woken him up annoyingly early. It was a fairly central area, so most everyone could see exactly what was going on... though Merc didn't care if he had an audience or not. Standing on the edge of a fountain, arms in the air, was his mark. Chrono was exclaiming some crap about how brilliant his guild was and how he had the perfect plan for winning the tournament and getting out. He was blabbering on and on about how any whom would join him would be granted a free exit from the World they now sat in. Chrono was of a higher level than most all of the players who were simply hanging out around or hiding in the town. If anything it seemed to Merc that the guy was trying to round up weaker players to use as meat shields... it was a common tactic for weaker guilds... use smaller members coerced with promises of freedom as damage sponges so that you and you guild mates can gain experience without danger. Disgusting.

Merc finally pushed past the last of the crowd and stood proud in the area that had cleared itself around the fountain. WIth his massive sword propped on his shoulder and his gun blade held loosely in it's gun form by the tall mans side... Chrono couldn't help but give the man a skeptical look. "Good day sir! Perhaps you too are interested in joining the reapers of-" *BTOOOM* The scrawny player known as Chrono was quickly shut up and his guild members who stood around him had an uneasy look forming on their faces as Merc raised his gun and shot a single bullet into the sky. "Shut it kid, I'm not here to join your crappy guild... to be perfectly honest, guilds like yours who use innocents as bait make me sick!" As Merc spoke these words, an uneasy murmuring resounded through the crowd.

"Bait?" "What is that man talking about?" "Didn't the Reapers say they would help us escape?"

The nerves on Chrono's face turned to sudden shock and anger. "W... what?! Who do you think you are? Accusing me of such things? The Reapers of Eden only want to- Gah!" *BTOOM CRACK* Another shot, fired slightly to the left of Chronos head and lodging itself firmly into the fountains marble design. "Oh? A protector is still what you claim to be? Well then... why don't you prove it you over-zealous ass? Fight me. Duel. Life or death. Right here for all of your friends to see." Merc smiled slyly to himself. "I mean... surely if your strong enough to lead all of these people to freedom... then one little player such as myself should be no problem to kill am I right?" Chrono's face turned to a grimace as the crowd began to whisper once again.

"This guy's making alot of sense..." "Yeah if this Chrono clown can't even beat one guy in a one on one fight then..." "Yeah, how are we meant to follow someone like that?"

Suddenly, Chrono's grimace once again shifted into an expression of pure rage. "I'll show you fool... if you wish to stand against Chrono, head of the reapers, then your challenge is accepted!" Merc sent the duel request quicker than one might expect and his username popped up before Chrono's eyes. "Now let us fight! Merc!" Accepting the request, Chrono pulled out a basic sight and rushed forward. With a skull mask, dark cloak and ninja boots... this guy was really taking the whole reaper theme to the extreme.

"HAAAAAA!" He scream a battle cry as he launched into the air, attempting some sort of flying downward strike. "Nope." Merc raised his firearm skywards and fired, the bullet collided directly with the leaping Chrono's chest and launched him backwards, leaving the poor fool to bounce hard on the ground. "25% of your health depleted." Chrono, raising himself in a rage rushed forward and did a massive sweeping at a range far too close to be effective. Merc simply planted his broadsword in the ground to face the direction of the swing and the opposing scythe bounced off harmlessly. Merc then, without hesitation, moved forward and smashed his skull hard into Chrono's delivering a devastating headbutt that knocked the guild leader onto the ground in an instant, complete with a satisfying cracking sound that made the crowd audibly and visually cringe. "That's 10% more kid, are you sure you're even trying?" Merc said calmly as he stepped towards his downed opponent, whom at the time was desperately trying to crawl away and right himself at the same time. Merc simply smirked and turned his sword so that the flat edge was facing his opponent. "Alright kiddo, time to fly!" With a single swift motion, Merc wedged his sword, flat edge up, underneath his fleeing opponent and quickly pulled the sword up over his head, launching Chrono several meters into the air before allowing the young player to break onto the ground. Leaving another satisfying crack. "Oh... nice 64%, welp, looks like you're down to your last little percentage. Talk about perfect damage calculation, am I right?"[/color]

"W... wait! Please!..." The weak and damaged Chrono desperately tried to crawl away as his guild members and the crowd stood there helpless, unable to interfere in the duel of two other players. "L... Look... you're a professional right? You have to be with those skills! Tell me who's paying you and how much it is... I... I'll double it! Triple it even!" Merc smiled as he holstered his broadsword in a huge scabbard mounted on his back and slowly walked towards the fallen Chrono. "Sorry weak stuff. I don't make a habit of betraying my trusted clients... but let's just say you pissed off the wrong people." Saying this, Merc picked up the weakened Chronos by gripping his hair tightly and pulling him up for the crowd and his fellow "Reapers of Eden" to see. The entire crowd was left in awe and fear as they looked upon this once confident leader who had so quickly been reduced to a broken and beaten mess. "Alright listen up! The Reapers of Eden are finished now! This guy was a weak and pathetic fool... and all who followed him are destined to share his fate here today! I am ENDING this guild... understand that?! If I even THINK that anyone else is trying to take up his mantle?!.... Then I WILL find you... and I WILL kill you! Now... as proof of the sentiment..."

With a single fluid motion, Merc moved the tip of his gunblade to Chrono's now tear ridden and grovelling face and pulled the trigger without hesitation. The crowd was left to watch in horror as Chrono's head exploded into a wave of quickly fading particles... the limp body of the dead leader fell to the ground and slowly disappeared in similar fashion to the now vanished head. As the duel was officially over, the former guild members of the Reapers of Eden turned and ran from Merc, tail between their legs... they were terrified of him, afraid that they were next and with his words in tow Merc was certain that they were aware of the consequences of following in Chrono's footsteps.

The crowd simply stared in awe then, as Merc, without a word, turned and began to leave... most likely heading back for transport to Lumina Cloth. In the distant the mercenary could hear the first train from Mac Anu pulling into the station. As Damian pushed through the crowds he felt them all in a panic moving to grant him passage... and he could hear talk of the events that had just occurred spreading already... seems he was to be the talk of Breg Epona that day... but no matter. He hadn't mentioned the Knights of Hyperion once... so he was certain Gladius would approve just fine.

Finally pushing through the crowds and walking away with a barrage of shock filled looks piercing into his back. Damian sighed and holstered his gunblade before holding his hands up behind his head.

"Another job done. Now all I have to do is head to the arena for that oh so wonderful reward."

The ping of the messenger had sounded off once again. It was Korpal. "Wonder what he wants.." he thought, stopping as he rubbed the back of his shoulder.

“Hey Akuma! Tell me the 3 musketeers are reforming? It wouldn’t be the same without grumpy! LOL. Drink first? Korpal.”

He scoffed and quickly replied with his respons. "You mean Four Musketeers. Besides, I don't drink"

As odd as that was, it was true, even in the game, he never once drank anything other than tea. He'd never really talk to anyone, you'd get more out of him through text than you would in person. It's like that saying. 'In order to get through to someone you have to be them.' or something like that.

Shortly after Cielo's message came through, but before he could take his time to reply to it..He had already shown up. Throwing his arm over Akuma's shoulders as if they were the best of friends. Akuma didn't reply to this right away, he was going to give Cielo a chance to change his ways, before the worst would happen. It had broke his train of thought and that wasn't a good thing, not with Akuma.

"Morning Aku-chan~ Had a nice night?" There was a grin on his stupid face that always made him look like a fool. It was amazing how he was taken to be a Game Master. It took Akuma a long time before he accepted Cielo's ways, but even still then, he doesn't fully. "I was able to get Archy and Korpal to join us today! Try and be nice today, alright? We don't need gloomy attitudes when today is a good day~" A proud grin sat on his face before he released another laugh.

Akuma just stared up at the tallest building in the city, while Cielo kept going on and on about people joining, Akuma had already guest it, from when Korpal messaged him. That was just how Cielo was, always wanting more.

"We almost have a full party~ Something fun should happen, right?"

Fun was one word that wasn't in Akuma's vocabulary. He tried to avoid things that involved fun. This was one reason why he hated Parties of people. They always got into trouble or some sort of weird thing happening. The bigger the group the more trouble it is or causes or gets caused in.

Without one word to Cielo, akuma closed his eyes with a sigh, reaching over his chest and onto Cielo's hand. Slowly he started to crush it. The effect of the slow pain even made Cielo's HP show up and start to budge. Letting go he turned sharp onto his heal with his hands now into his pockets. His face got up close to his. He had said nothing to the albino, he didn't have to, one look was enough. The look wasn't mean or deadly. It was just a stare, up close and personal.

You could hear some ladies giggling thinking that to two males were doing more than what they should. But it didn't faze Akuma. To him the only people in the world was those he spoke to and no one else. And right now it was just him and Cielo.

This character that he had created was handsome, for an albino, but the real Cielo was much more suitable. He always noticed these things, unsure as to why he would. The guy was annoying, always in his hair, a non quiet, house bothering, mouth chattering, fool. There wasn't a thing to like about him, not like Akuma could say much, not like there was anything good about Akuma himself. Yet still he wondered why it was he puts up with this guy and couldn't with others.

But he gave up and sighed pulling away and turning around away from the city. To where it was Cielo wanted to go. He had changed his mind about the guilds, for now. "Let us not keep people waiting."Was all he brought himself to say.

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Regular Posts:3/20
Battle Posts:0/10

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“These trips always feel like I’ve tipped money down a drain,” Seo sighed stepping off the pier and into Breg Epona. If Seo had a coin pouch he’d be cleaning out moths, as it stood his inventory displayed numerous zeros before significant digits appeared, and there weren’t many of those.
Seo’s console flashed.

"MAC ANU, probably the main square since that's where Akuma is~ We'll leave once you, and one of my other friends get here!"

It was from Ceilo, Seo had figured as much and was enroute, though who ever the game masters were deserved a slug or two for the long winded and winding ways between the four towns.
“TWO STOPS, Two stops away!” Seo hung his head, “and I have a feeling Ceilo did it on purpose…” Seo’s lip cornered upwards, “Shouldn’t expect less really...”

Passing through Breg Epona and nearing the central plaza a careless shoulder slammed against Seo; a guild barged past. “Hey! Ah forget it…” Seo slung his hand down and regained balance.The group was already a distance away, it was as if they didn't see Korpal at all. Seo shrugged it off, turning back to the plaza, it was busy, but not as he usually recalled it to be. Something, someone caught his eye, a man making his way out of a dispersing crowd. Seo had seen the man before; he’d seen the weapon the guy was holstering and Seo dropped slightly, his breathing shallow and fast. Blades anchored within his chest as snapshots of a battle long-over unveiled.
Seo gave his chest a thump, then another, peering up his body alerted, realising the man “Merc,” was gone.

Pushing forward Seo rushed towards the station, “You can’t get away.” he breathed, before his console flashed up.

“Oh, and good luck Korpal! Have fun.”

Emma’s replies always did arrive at the worst possible time and the distraction completely confounded him. Seo dashed around, his head as if on an axle. The trail was cold and masked.
“Darn!” Seo kicked at the ground, walking off towards the station.
“Last call for to MAC ANU, last call!” The attendant announced and Seo clenched his fist still sore about loosing Merc before slipping through the closing doors.

The train was packed; Seo leaned against the train doors, scratching his head. Ghost wounds echoed throughout Seo as he sunk deep into thought and battle shockwaves reverberated inside of him, “Am I… scared?” Seo’s face furrowed, noticing a tremor. The remainder of the trip would have continued on in the same sombre reflective tone, however a message flared up, raising Seo’s head.

"You mean Four Musketeers. Besides, I don't drink" Akuma.

A short chuckle burst from Seo and his mindset had returned to default, forgetting Merc. Seo tapped at the console.

“Just grab a tea; I won’t touch it this time! Maybe get a drink-to-go, I am travelling through multiple towns here! 4 of 7 dwarves then, Grumpy. Korpal”



Sent. “A new face?” Seo pondered, come to think, he hadn’t met a friend of their Akuma or Ceilo before. He pushed his head back against the glass, staring the ceiling, wondering what today's turn of events were in store for him, awaiting arrival.




Regular Posts:2/20
Battle Posts:0/10

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For the fifth time Akio checked the time. He knew he shouldn't have hurried to the station, but he still did and now he's going to have to wait another 40 minutes just for the train to arrive. There was nothing left to do but try to entertain himself with mini games. Just as he was about to make a new personal high score the familiar -beep "You have 2 new messages" beep- distracted him.
The first message was from Satomi. Oh, she's finally up. No matter how ordinary the messages he got from Satomi might have been, they always brought a small smile to Akio's face.
Satomi-chan ♥
Good morning. I enjoyed the breakfast you made for me. Your tea is always the best. Anyway, have you made it to the train station safely? Also, this customer or yours. What time may I be expecting him? I'm sorry. I didn't mean to sound so..... eh.... You know.
The last sentence made Akio's smile even wider. He found it very cute that Satomi still had trouble admitting she was caring. Quickly he formed his reply.
Good morning to you too. I'm glad you liked the breakfast. Hierophant should be there soon, definitely before noon. I know I don't have to tell you but please be nice, he's an important informant so... please? Yes, 'mom', I'm at the station. I'll see you later for training.
The other message he received also brought good news. It was from a 'friend'. Nowadays there seems to be a lot of people that like to call themselves his 'friends', as if being close to a top player will make them successful too. Truth to be told Akio didn't mind them because sometimes they were quite useful.
Unknown player
Korpal won't be at the meeting. You're safe, none of the others have high detection.
Well wasn't that just grand, He won't have to worry as much. Silver Lyre is a strong guild but Akio doubted that he'd have much trouble following Raijin and Emma. What bothered him is that Silver Lyre is known as a peaceful guild, so why are there so many rumours about them investigating Satomi and him?
Time want by fast enough after that. Akio looked at the time and went a litter closer to the arrival platform. A moment later a computerized female voice made the announcement. -The train from MAC ANU is arriving in 1 minute.-
Once the passengers started to disembark he had no trouble spotting the white and pink haired targets getting out of the train. Putting on his hood (So he wouldn't get recognized.) he started walking a few steps behind the pair form Silver Lyre.

*Irritated look* Ignore this. Wrong place. Was even thinking about it before I made the mistake.

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Rune slipped his arms out of his hoodie, soon returning to his bedroom to change for the day. While he pulled a tight-fitting black shirt with no sleeves and a high collar, another message sounded in front of him, followed by another chime soon after. Slipping a metal-work belt halfway through the loops in his pants, he opened each message, scanning over them quickly as he worked.

’Eh? So impatient~ Lighten up a bit~ It's such a nice today in MAC ANU, Archy~ Though we're probably meeting in MAC ANU, per usual~ Boats are too troublesome, so you can handle it! Plus we'll be heading deep into the little forest AREA! So no problem there~’

Boat? Blinking once, he then remembered the ferry system that ran between the island of Dol Donna and Mac Anu, one that he quite possibly missed. But it wasn’t like he wasn’t resourceful. Fastening the belt together and pulling a matching pitch-colored facemask with silver threadwork around the lower half of his face and fastening it there, he shifted through his home to the front door.

Slipping his feet into his sneakers, he soon departed with a still drowsy look to his face. Stuffing his left hand into his pocket, he opened several different windows in front of his face with his right. He wasn’t worried about peeping eyes, as he had seen only a very few souls meandering throughout town, though, that was probably because he took different paths than everyone else. Besides, the screens looked innocent enough should someone bother to look his way, and an added factor was that he looked intimidating enough to warrant a short-lived glance, even though he walked with a lazy stance.

He had been within Eden for a year, and he was friends with a game master, so of course, with his added intelligence and already equipped with the skills he held in reality, he had a few tricks up his sleeves that weren’t exactly illegal. A few of them were already available to players through signs, or at-location, but he had made it accessible from wherever he might be.

The boat to Mac Anu had indeed already made its first trip of the day, but it had made its round and should be returning in five minutes. Rune joined the small crowd that was beginning to form there, leaning against the short fence of the dock in silence. There was plenty of space, so he didn’t have to worry about people getting too close to him.

After the appropriate time had passed, Arch Rune descended from the wooden steps of the dock based in Mac Anu. The city was not unattractive, in fact many places in it resembled Venice or a more modern Wales, as well as many other cities around the world. But it was too commonplace and resembled the real cities too much. It was annoying only in the fact that while it might try to imitate the towns and real world cities, it did not offer any of the perks or familiarity.

At least it wasn’t Breg Epona, with its stifling air and obnoxiously loud streets.

Arch Rune tilted his attention back to the task at hand, which was heading over to the square where Cielo would undoubtedly be. It was hard to miss his characteristic hair and markings, and Rune came to a silent stop next to him, a content grin hidden behind his mask. His eyes scanned over the blue-haired man next to him. He had seen hints of the man once or twice before and Cielo had mentioned him, but Arch couldn’t place his name at that moment.

His gaze did not linger on the other, and his attention was soon taken with Cielo once more. When the Game Master insisted on using the nickname ‘Archy’- one Rune did not particularly prefer- he used his own teasing names. ”Cello-chan~” He cooed at the man in greeting, smirking and ruffling his hair lightly, a rare glimpse of cheerfulness hinted in his eyes. It was the uncharacteristic trait that always appeared when Rune was around anyone of his tightly knit friend cluster. Other than this out of place show of affection, the Masked Man remained rather stoic.

He soon took a step back, slipping both hands into his pockets as he gazed around. ”Ready then?” Arch Rune wasn’t really one for standing around doing nothing when other things called for his attention, and he certainly didn’t like wasting his time around the weaker players of the towns when he had a choice. Rune had assumed their party would consist of only the two of them; he had not been expecting the blue-haired addition, though it wasn’t like Rune would be complaining as long as the guy kept out of his way and didn’t pose an annoying weak link during their expedition.

---

Cielo blinked, a short questioning gaze soon being set as he watched the blue haired individual take a step closer. A rather blank stare greeted the other as he felt the crushing grip of the other's small, but damaging attack. He only laughed, and tilted his head slightly in questioning before speaking. "It seems Aku's feeling a bit tense today, ne~" he hummed out, amusement easily showing in his voice.

Truthfully? Most people wouldn't try to do that to him, because the facade he had online was simply this: He didn't care much for what happened. Simply going with the flow seemed better than reacting to every small detail, or at least that's how he would like to see things. Getting distracted and overly emotional was just going to lead to people finding out who he really was if he didn't pull up this little cheerful facade.

It was bad enough Arch Rune had figured it out...though he was a hacker, so maybe they thought alike? As far as he knew, the man was the only one who had decent hacking abilities. It was a shame he couldn't find the man while Akuma and Cielo was developing the game...he would probably be able to add even more interesting twists and turns to the game.

As this thought soon left his mind he blinked in surprised as he felt his personal space violated, then his hair being ruffled by someone's hand. As lavender optics soon turned to face the masked newcomer, a playful pout played onto his lips. "Archy, I'm not an instrument you know!" Though an amused laugh escaped from the albino as he glanced back at Akuma before back at the masked Arch. Hm...Maybe he should have thought this through more. Akuma was not weak at all, but who knew what Arch thought of it? Hopefully he wouldn't need to play peacekeeper...then again, Korpal was coming along so the job could be thrown to him, since he was probably the expert.

It would be amusing to see how Korpal and Arch interacted, seeing as they were from the two guilds that had recently caught his attention. One who was intent on tracking them down, and the other being intent on killing to get out. It made him wonder more about the dynamics that may show themselves in this little adventure.

"You and Aku need patience! Isn't it supposed to be a virtue, or something?" Cielo responded back with a tuneless hum escaping. "I invited one more person, since having a full party could be fun for once!" Well, that and if he just went with Akuma, he'd probably get fed to some random monsters the other made just for this occasion. At least with the other two, there was probably a less chance at that and if that did happen, he wouldn't need to work too hard to beat whatever crawled from the depths of his partner's mind. Sending the party request to Arch Rune, he gave another childish grin before looking between the two. "Aku, this is Archy, and Archy this is Aku~" he hummed out, before shooting a grin to Arch Rune.

"Aku's a bit grumpy today! But hopefully Korpal can lighten him up~"

Looking at the other fellow Akuma turned his attention back to Cielo. "If he calls me anything other than Akuma. Ill be the one killing you. And not him." He smiled at the both of them, but it wasn't a kind smile nor a evil smile, just a simple smile.

But before he could say anything else, something tugged onto Akuma's jacket. At first he thought it was Cielo, but another small tug came from the bottom. Lifting his arm, a small little girl was looking up at him. She wore a purple simple orphan gown. He didn't remember making any orphans into the game, and she didn't have a player's icon above her head. Either she was a virus or a computer program. There was alot out there to counsel the gamers. Help them from going crazy into the game, especially the solo players, the ones who had no one to counsel with.

"Hm..." He placed his hand on her head and looked around, it didn't seem that anyone was looking for her. Everyone was either selling things or laughing together in groups. "How odd...I'll just delete her later, if no one claims her.." He thought as he looked back down at her.

She looked a bit like Cielo in the real world. It was weird and irritating. He rubbed his forehead with a long sigh. "Might take a while before Korpal gets here. Better for us to get stocked up." As if that was really needed.

He really didn't feel up for this. He'd rather sleep all day today instead or be alone. Wasn't a very good day of the year either. So he was a bit on edge, more than usual. Even the slightest thing done wrong and he felt like a ticking time bomb of making peoples lives miserable. And with just one pull of his strings and he'd probably drop someones HP to zero without much thought to them, whether they died or lived, didn't matter to him.

Shortly after his train of thought was broken, when the little girl let go and started to dance her way over to a crowd of people who was waving at her and calling her. "Well that saves me time...Wait"

Something about that little girl going over to him pissed him off completely. It felt as if he was the one needing counseling. And it's not like programs lie, their not programed to do that. His expression didn't change, he quickly pushed that aside and calmed himself down. It wasn't worth exposing himself over. He had now felt the itch to distruct the program. Maybe setting loose a foe into the city will make him feel better. It'll probably help spot out strong players in a faster way. "Maybe..."

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Regular Posts:4/20
Battle Posts:0/10

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The train rattled as if programmed like a metronome, as the passengers had shuffled on and off Seo had procured a seat. He banged his head dully against the window. ”For crying out loud! These “genius’s” could have done without every annoying detail, is a smooth ride too much to ask?” The clock his console discomforted Seo, it hadn’t been long enough. The other side of the window was of even less import than the chumps Seo saw sitting around him; it was barren or grassland outside, a frequent mix of both with the occasional tournament rally flag. Seo scoffed at the GM’s tactless advertisement, but his eyes darted inside. Someone. Near., it was the unusual breathing pattern that gave the spy away, and Seo stood up turning in time to see witness a brown cloak vanish behind the compartments door, Seo jumped onto his seat and propelled himself forward, racing towards the door.
Jammed, the door clicked but wouldn’t budge. ”Mr anonymous must love privacy… only his own obviously.”[b]
A tap came on Seo’s shoulder and he spun about, only to receive a gauntleted fist, [b]”Mussed be mii lughki day, wot yuh fink boys?” A deep voice exclaimed as Seo slammed against the barred carriage door. Regain composure and readjusting his jaw Seo identified 3 men in staunch tourney embalmed regalia; the supposed leader had a note clench at his side.
”Ugh… INTRODUCTIONS, where’s the etiquette? If you going to hit a guy, have the decency to explain to him first WHY he deserves it!”, Seo sighed, as the leader rubbed his head, looking to his rabble to confer.
”Hammertime, Rockchest and Rockhammer,” The one in front said point to himself then his companions, ”And we’re… becuz…” The large fellow paused with a perplexed look, as if straining to explain even to himself, before resigning and opening out his scrunched note. Here. Hammertime passed over the note to Seo.

It was difficult to read, the writing wasn’t neat. The biggest words written were Money, Capture and Reward with plenty of dollar signs strewn across it. There was a curious attachment on the back, it was old but Seo recognised it, it was a picture of him, Korpal, that was in circulation sometime several months ago, at a freshly ruined house. Seo grew wide eyed when he turned the photo over, there was one word on it, not written in the same hand as before: WEAK. Seo screwed up the photo and allowed the note to drop to the floor.
”See. We cashing in.” Hammertime laughed before launching another fist.

It was fast. A practised reflex. The fist got close to Seo but was intercepted, twisted and manipulated to force Hammertime sideways with such ferocity, that there was an ungodly explosion as his head impacted the glass and the glass embedded itself into him. He slunk to the floor, begining to fade to autosave. The two remaining steeled themselves for an attack, but hesitated after seeing their leader’s demise. Both men began yelling to boast to psyche themselves up for an attack.
”Lame… think the scenic route is preferable over this,” Seo hit autosave and leapt through the broken window, shards of glass escaping with him.

Ducking down, Seo rolled out into a dusty barren, circling down several times before finally flattening out, the train was long gone and Seo stretched out panting. ”So I’m not much an attacker, I can at least take a hit!”, Seo grumbled, before rubbing his sore bruising cheek. ”Ah! Tender!,he winced.

Seo sat up, ”Lets see… it takes another twelve to fifteen until the train will arrive at Mac Anu… I’ll load up then. He sighed again, resting back down and forcing up a dust cloud. Seo coughed in irritation.

Opening his console he typed.

"There still may be a hit out for me... you both still enjoy complications, right? Korpal."

Sent. "Both Akuma and Cielo will get that."

Seo slid his sword out, unmoved, and playfully struck out his arm cutting down a flag, that had been fluttering beside him. He smiled, stretching out, and peering at the newly splintered pole stump. "Not long now..."



Regular Posts:3/20
Battle Posts:0/10

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A bright look filled Arch Rune’s eyes at Cielo’s laugh, and he grinned cheekily behind his mask. He liked hearing others laugh, liked even more causing them to do so even though he seemed to be such a solitary, dark individual.

Rune blinked when Cielo spoke of patience, why should they wait when they had things they intended to do, and the ability to do them right away? His internal question was swiftly answered as the Game Master continued, "I invited one more person, since having a full party could be fun for once!" A reserved pout teased at the Masked Man’s features, and he poked Cielo in the cheek with his index finger, a very focused look on his face as he did so. He squinted his eyes ever so slightly, ”You never mentioned others accompanying us; apologies if I seem reasonably eager to go having missed such information.”

His feelings remained the same as with the blue-haired individual- as long as everyone did what they were supposed to and didn’t cause any trouble, he could care less. He looked up at said individual as Cielo introduced them, apparently using nicknames they both didn’t particularly care for. "Aku, this is Archy, and Archy this is Aku~"

”Arch Rune.” He corrected lightly, looking the man up and down in a calculating manner. Any company that Cielo kept could be another Game Master, and Rune was certainly one to always keep an eye out for such things, though not because he intended to get out that way. No, he was more than set on conquering others and completing the tournament to get out, because hey, that was probably the more entertaining and challenging option, and Arch loved challenges. It was mainly for bragging rights should he manage to find both- even though he’d probably never mention eithers’ name to a single soul unless it benefited him in one way or another- because in all honesty, that was a laugh. One of the highest fight-centered players being able to accomplish what took those centered on the hide and seek game for more than a year, trying their hardest to strive and achieve what they could not. And Rune hadn’t ever really been actively seeking either Game Master. It had sort of just happened with Cielo.

He blinked, suddenly looking back at Cielo as he mentioned the name of the other member that would be joining them. Korpal, huh? It sounded somewhat familiar…. Rune could not place the name, but he did not worry about it either, he would know once he saw the player. With another somewhat blank look, he tapped his fingers against the air, retrieving the party invitation as he realized it had been sent. He accepted, leaning back a bit as his thoughts concerned themselves with other matters.

However, Rune’s gaze shifted over to Akuma once more, as something seemed to catch his attention. It was a little red-headed girl- a disheveled little thing. Arch tilted his head to the side, regarding the child for a moment before she soon twirled off into the distance towards another group. With a shrug, he dropped his interest.

"Might take a while before Korpal gets here. Better for us to get stocked up." The usual neutral, slightly tired/bored expression returned to Rune’s face as Akuma suggested something to occupy their time with. Personally, Rune did not particularly need anything from any shop, he always carried whatever he needed with him, and he often restocked with his guild-mates rather than strangers. But Arch wanted to see what the other two usually sought out, and it wasn’t like he had any better ideas for killing time.

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The first reply Raijin received was from Korpal. Rather disappointingly, he was already occupied with something else. Normally Raijin would have sternly told Korpal that guild matters came first, but it wasn't urgent; he could just fill Korpal in later. He was just about to wish Korpal luck before the rest of the guild sent their replies:
"Got it!"
"I'm on my way now, guild master Raijin. I should arrive in Mac Anu in a few moments... the train to Breg Epona may take a little longer of course, but I'll try to be at the guild before morning is out!"
"Gotcha. On my way!"
Fortunately, they would all be coming to meeting. As always, Crimson's reply was rather formal and informative, whereas the replies of Valkyrie and Emma were fairly succinct. He often felt like telling Crimson to calm down slightly and just to call him Alistair, but he'd long since realised that such attempts were futile. Instead, he just responded to them all with:
"Well it's nice to know that most of the guild can make it. I'm on the train to Breg Epona right now, So it should be a couple of hours or so before I reach the guild @home. I would appreciate it if you can all be as swift as you can, but it won't be too much of a problem if you miss a train; I almost missed mine. I look forward to seeing you soon. Korpal, let me know when you're available and I'll fill you in; I hope you job goes well."

Raijin smiled as he closed the guild chat window; even if everyone in his guild was rather odd, he was fond of them all the same. Their company was just about all that kept him sane in this crazy world; he'd even had second thoughts about looking for the game masters so that he could spend more time with his guild members.

"Hi."
Raijin turned his head to see Emma plop down into the seat next to him; fortunately, it looked like he would have some company on the trip. Hour long journeys weren't so bad in the real world where Alistair good just listen to music, read a book or play on his phone, things weren't so simple in Eden.
"Good morning." Raijin greeted her, "You look rather out of breath; I take it I wasn't the only one who only just got to the train in time."

---

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As Satomi waited for Akio's reply, she began to work on her newest project. Each stitch she began to put into her new creations were precious and required great care. She began to hum while doing so to pass the time. She had no intention of treating this 'customer' of his friendly. She barely treated anyone friendly; besides Akio. He was an exception. He was always a exception. In fact, her lack of friendliness was the reason where she didn't have many friends in EDEN. Akio was the only contact she had and needed. It had been that way for so long and she had no intention of changing it.

She paused while hearing the message notification coming through.

Beep bop~ New message

♪ Akio ♪

Good morning to you too. I'm glad you liked the breakfast. Hierophant should be there soon, definitely before noon. I know I don't have to tell you but please be nice, he's an important informant so... please? Yes, 'mom', I'm at the station. I'll see you later for training.

Before she could even respond, she heard a knock at the door. She took a deep breath before going to the door and opening it. She paused while looking at Hierophant. Of course, she kept the same dark and frightening stare he usual had. "OH. Hello. Is uh.. Arcas here? Im here to pick up my weapon." She remained silent and stared at the person in front of her. She could tell that her presents made him very uncomfortable. Hierophant gulped. "E-Eh.... Please i just... I just want my weapon. I mean no harm." She quickly slammed the door and went to the weapon that was nicely wrapped. She picked it up and returned to the door before opening it and handing it to the person. She bowed respectfully before slamming the door. "Uh... T-Thank you...Tell Arcas i said thank you as well." Truthfully, that was the nicest she could be to a random stranger who appeared at her door. It was perfect.

She went back to the table pulled up her messenger with a slight smile.

Don't you worry one bit. I took very good care of your customer. I was on my best behavior and was the polite good girl everyone loves. ♡"

She couldn't help but smirk a bit to herself while sending him all this.

Anyway, please do be careful. I'll wait for you here in town. I may walk around a bit but im sure that later on when your return, i will be back in our home. Please do hurry back though. It seems quite boring when your not around. Hey, if you come back with some useful information, maybe (just maybe) ill give you a back rub... Just maybe.

Satomi paused and giggled a bit to herself. She couldn't help but send this funny messages to him. It was normal. She soon sent the message and continued her sewing.

"Uhg, you have no idea!" She huffed, leaning back in her seat. "I got the message and didn't want to show up late, but man. Didn't know I sucked so much at running." Though she was fairly fit for a video game character (probably not in reality anymore, unfortunately), Emma was not up to sprinting before she had her second cup of coffee. Just the thought was nearly criminal, and actually doing it had been a nightmare.

She took in another breath, then began to fix her hair. Things in EDEN were amazingly realistic, she'd give the Gamekeepers that, but Emma wished that having her hair messed up by the wind wasn't one of the games features. Maybe if she actually bothered to wear a ponytail, though...

Emma glanced over at Raijin. If memory served her correct, she had known him from near the beginning of the game, way back when she didn't have anything figured out. They had become friends easily enough, and without him Emma was sure that she would have accidentally killed off her character long ago.

With the other guild members, Emma felt the same. She saw it all as a group of five very odd friends rather than a guild or team-mates, really, but perhaps they were the same thing. Not like she knew. Emma hadn't been on many sports teams and the only guilds she had ever heard of where the ones that ancient craftsmen had, but it sounded like a good guess. Whatever they were, Emma had grown to appreciate them. Now if they could manage to not die before an easy way out of the game was found, that'd be fantastic!

Maybe she was wishing for too much, but positivity was her A-Game and it was 90% of what she had. She would prefer for not anyone in EDEN to die, yet so many were tossing their lives out on the line in those idiotic tournaments, it was hard to control it. Not as if Emma could stop any one them, but the fact that all those people had been so stupid made her want to grab them by the arms and smack them across their faces.

Emma thought about that for awhile; an worth of thought, actually. She had closed her eyes for what felt like only five minutes, and was surprised when she felt the train coming to a halt. Emma's eyes snapped open, and with embarrassment she hoped that Raijin didn't think she had been napping. That'd be even worse than her showing up late! She had hardly talked to him the whole ride, and now it looked like she had been sleeping. Uhg.

"Well... that sure took awhile, didn't it?" Emma said as she pulled herself out of her seat. The doors to the train slid open, and with a sigh of relief she followed the crowd out, making sure Raijin was behind her as she went.

((Okayed with WilPen))

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The sun beat down on the dark man's head. The way his dark cloak shrouded him gave a chill to those that had the ill fortune to cross him. It wasn't as though he meant to come off in such a way, but it was basic instinct to realize that he was dangerous. The smile on his face would trick everyone except the extremely astute. It was only through keen observation would one realize that the smirk had more sinister undertones, but by then it would be too late.

Normally, Benji wouldn't be in such a dark mood. Despite his cold exterior, he usually has a more inviting air about him. However, it was once again drawing closer to the tournament dates and guilds full of pathetic weaklings were beginning to seek him out to pad their team. If he was honest, the members weren't exactly pathetic, they did have to meet certain qualifications to even compete in the arena, but their begging lumped them all together. He hoped to whatever being was watching over him that he'd never be like them.

His thoughts had sucked all his attention from his body that had been wondering through the town. What had begun as an attempt to hide his identity from the beggars had turned into a moody stomp through the courtyard. It was only when a force had come crashing into him did he take full stock of where he had ended up.

Originally, Benji reacted with anger. Whatever little twerp had run into him would pay dearly. This was not the day to mess with him. However, once he caught sight of the familiar blonde hair and glinting armour, the dark cloud that had been hovering over him lightened a little. Sure he was annoyed, but this just got interesting.

"Phoenix," he called with a much happier tone to his voice than had been in his thoughts. He offered her a hand, surprised at how far back she had bounced off of him. "I didn't expect to see you out and about with the line in front of that guild of yours." Despite his alliance with the Knights of Hyperion, he couldn't help the disgust that slipped from his mouth with the word 'guild'.