Fairy Forest

[Apollymi]

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7813/46449853995_60fcf2b226_h.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2dLBDiD)

The forest home of the Fairies it is said to mark the border between the fairy world and the 'human' world. This space is ruled by a single person and is full of teeming life. It is said to house some of the greatest mysteries of the world including a fountain of youth and a Sacred Tree which is said to bend only to the will of a chosen sovereign.

[Bloodedge]

A golden light appeared within the Fairy Forest to herald the arrival of three individuals, two being a young pair of Adventurers in the company of the Fairy Queen Dakini herself. One of these Adventurers was the ashen-haired lad Kou, who arrived in immediate awe of the forest surrounding them. Everything was so vibrant as the sun shined through spaces between the trees, and he simply couldn't put words to it. "Wow..." he said as he took a few steps around and admired the surrounding area. "I don't know what we're seeing, but... wow..."

[Apollymi]

"Wow is right!" Miki said, even she couldn't really put into words how to feel about this place they'd so recently entered. It was a vibrant green lush and warm. The whole place vibrated with magic, and the resilience of life. "Yeah, bet you do like it here. Fairy Queen's Forest is a place of life and nature. You guys are getting to see nature in its purest form. An interesting follow up to Dwargon... but I am sure you two can appreciate the change of pace..." Dakini said her normal voice returning as the golden orb disappeared from around them. She stepped forward her feet making contact with the ground for the first time and a surge of magic happening because of it. "Come along..." Dakini said, as if she expected the pair to follow. She'd lead them up into the trees to something which looked like a natural throne with golden flowers. While they walked along Miki took in the forest and chuckled as he remembered something else she'd found stunning. She nudged Kou and aimed to share with him what she considered a bit of pressing information. "Oh! I just remembered the man that taught me runes sounded like the Speaker for the Greybeards! It was awesome!~" she said in a hushed whisper. The girl was well and truly excited but as they made their way to the throne room she soon returned to the amount of awe the forest needed.

After a few moments they would see Dakini seated in her sunflower like throne with the pair of them standing before her. "So, you two did what I asked as my Ambassadors... I'm surprised. You also quelled an entire war which is impressive. Technically keeping the invasion from spreading to the Fairy Forest. You also talked me out of staring a war with Dwargon over my unjust capture. I am kind of impressed you two are like a couple of fresh diplomats," she said calmly. "And you can drink three mugs of Dwarven Ale which means you are a couple of champions!" she commented as if this was the most important thing. Whatever the case was with this Fairy Queen she had a very different approach to everything than anyone else.

[Bloodedge]

Dakini was right; the Fairy Forest was an incredible change of pace compared to Dwargon. He still couldn't quite put words to what he was witnessing, but he followed behind the queen regardless. In the time it took them to make the journey, Miki shared with Kou a bit of information regarding the man who trained her in Runes. She made it clear that he reminded her of a character from another video game, and he was quite surprised to hear the reference. "You mean Arngeir? That's crazy!" he replied with wide eyes. "You know, I killed Paarthurnax back when I thought it was mandatory, and I didn't like the way those guys reacted. So.. I attacked them. Didn't work out. I spent about ten minutes thinking my game was bugged because of how long they kept me frozen." Kou took this moment to explain a random occurrence he had within the game referenced by Miki, thinking it to be a funny memory.

Moments later, the Adventurers were left standing before Dakini as she took her throne. Her assessment of their completed tasks was empowering, though it was strange how much she credited them for their drinking ability in the end. "Ano... I'm not sure what to say to that. I don't think we stopped a war though. I don't know why, but... something about that didn't feel right. Either way, helping out was worth it in the end."

[Apollymi]

The story Kou shared about the other video game Miki referenced made her eyes widen. She couldn't imagine doing something like that, and she'd always felt like the Greybeards weren't worth challenging. She'd gone about that whole scenario in a different way but she could easily understand how it happened. A small giggle escaped her as she considered how funny it would be to think your game bugged because of the overpowered enemy you encountered. "Sou ka... that's pretty funny. I never did it that way. I made a save specifically for that... and then reloaded an old one when I was trophy hunting. I wasn't ever really about how 'mercenary-like' the Blades were. They always seemed a bit too black and white for the issues of grey presented by what was going on..." she explained. But it seemed to be just the type of person Miki was in the end. Of course, as they made their way to the throne room their hushed whispers would die down and they'd be addressed directly by the Fairy Queen. Her words to them were a bit strange, but Kou's response was equally as strange.

"Oh? Well, even if something didn't feel right, you acted when others couldn't and saved lives which is commendable. Besides... I am sure you two aren't the type to leave people hanging when you help out... so don't let that nagging sensation bother you too much, move forward, even if it takes you back around again!~" Dakini's words were strange but they fit with what Miki had so recently learned about nature. "I'll consider your quest complete. I'm also in work to complete a bit of a peace treaty with the Dwarves so we don't have any more problems... and you two helped out with that quite a bit. So tell me, want can I give my heros in exchange for their good works?" she asked of the pair, both of them receiving the golden light of experience as they pushed towards level 27 with their completion of the quest. She could offer them no less than what they'd been offered in Dwargon, lest she be considered a bad host. And once again Miki spoke up because her weapon was the reason they'd come here. "I need Sacred Tree Sap. It's all I really require... I can't speak for Kou though..." she said with a firm nod leaving the lad to decide what he wanted. Dakini's left brow rose, but the girl's request could be satsified with a few stipulations. "And you?" Dakini said looking to Kou knowing that there would be an interesting explanation coming about Miki's request.

[Bloodedge]

"It all worked out fine. I made a save right before I attacked Paarthurnax, so I was gonna reset the game anyway. I just wanted to see how the Greybeards would react," Kou explained. With that, they were before the queen and receiving their commendations. From Kou's standpoint, he could say she was right about the inability to leave others behind when they legitimately need help. Still, there was something else bothersome about the idea that the Lizardmen sought war with Dwargon. This didn't matter much now since they had been stopped regardless, so Kou took Dakini's advice and didn't commit much worry to it. The topic was soon brought to the Adventurers' reward as they received their experience bonus for the completed quest, and Miki brought up her desire for Sacred Tree Sap. Kou was also asked what he desired, though he hadn't actually considered getting something from the Fairy Forest in the first place. "Uhh... well..." he said, obviously at a loss initially. His mind raced toward an answer, taking in all he knew about the lore of Age of Eternity before a moment of realization struck him. When this happened, he looked to Dakini with confidence radiating through his answer. "Got it. I want the Fairy Queen's blessing."

[Apollymi]

Apparently the lad played the game of testing limits when it came to the adventure they were discussing. She could see doing something like that just to see what would happen, though it wasn't necessarily in her nature to do the same. "Hai hai... as long as it worked out~" she said happily. Regardless they moved right along their requests were made to the Fairy Queen and what Miki asked for was something which required an explanation, and what the other lad asked for would surprisingly lead the pair along the same journey. "Alright if you seek the Sap of the Sacred Tree..." she said looking to Miki. "And you the Fairy Queen's Blessing..." she said looking to Kou with firmness in those emerald green eyes of hers. "Both of you must visit the Sacred Tree. The Guardian there will be able to be more direct about what you need. Fairies do not confer blessings without trials, even to those would could potentially belong among us..." she said. "We obviously can't accept pansies just for the sake of doing it..." there was a scoff after this and a small flowery sprite managed to look dejected. "Well not you Pansy. It's a saying..." she said reaching out to the little spirit to comfort it. "The road is treacherous though and I cannot guide you. If you undertake such an adventure both of you should find what you seek," she said calmly. "Sou ka. Point us in the right direction then?" asked Miki. The fairy queen stood and pointed in a direction, golden dust fluttered from the tips of her fingers and towards the depth of the forest. "Arigatou Gouzaimasu~" Miki said finding it easy to turn on her heels and go. "Oi! If you make it back... you can stay here for the night... we're not Dwarves but fairies are still pretty good for a party!~" mentioned Dakini as the pair would be left to their own devices.

[Bloodedge]

Both of the Adventurers would have their desires met after just one more journey. Luckily, Dakini noted that they would both find what they sought at the same location, from the Sacred Tree's guardian. She was courteous enough to point the way and light their path, even as she mentioned that it was a treacherous one. "Guardian of the Sacred Tree, huh? Alright, another quest won't hurt," he said as he began moving. He walked alongside Miki, looking over his shoulder only when Dakini offered for them to stay the night in the forest if they managed to return. He replied with only a wave over his shoulder, and continued about his business down whatever path lay ahead of Miki and himself.

[Apollymi]

Golden dust glittered along the path they should take, and this was interesting in an of itself. The path they took would lead into the depths of the forest that the would have to aim to traverse in order to make their way to the Sacred Tree at the center. As they walked along, they'd be lead to something which looked like high hedges dangling over a rapidly flowing river. This opened up to show a vine covered path with various branches and roots taking place and as Miki looked this over her eyes widened slightly. "Sou ka, it looks a bit like a Labyrinth..." she murmured looking it over she didn't take a step forward, nor one backward. All of it seemed a bit dangerous and the glow of fairy dust disappeared in the space. "If we go in, we actually have to make our way through it. I assume the Sacred Tree is in the middle though... that's usually how these moments play out right?" she mused aloud. Unlike the other places, this area was dense with mana and not necessarily navigable by mana sensory methods. It would actually require the ability to navigate the maze as it was intended, which would explain why Dakini said the road was treacherous and that she couldn't guide them.

[Bloodedge]

When they finally reached their destination - or rather, the true beginning of their venture - the pair stopped. Miki likened this place to a labyrinth, triggering a specific train of thought in Kou. She further deduced that the Sacred Tree was most likely in the center of this labyrinth, which Kou knew to be an accurate assumption to make based on normal puzzles such as this. "Labyrinth... I wonder if we'll find David Bowie," he said slightly in jest. "This tree is something really important. It only makes sense to not put it at one end, so it's definitely on the inside. It's a big deal though... so this would be a weak puzzle if they put it in the exact center. No, this has to be way better than that," the lad continued, stepping forward to the maze's opening. "Can't be too difficult, unless there are death traps. There are probably death traps, like in the ones they put in video games. Y'know, like Pitfall. Right..." As he took a moment of pause in the middle of his statement, Kou slapped his cheeks and grinned. "Puzzle time!" Without further ado, Kou entered the labyrinth. As he took measured steps forward, he seemed to have his focus on the sky instead of the path ahead. He would go on to skip the first two potential turns, and instead take the next turn to the right.

[Apollymi]

Her assumption about the nature of this place seemed to trigger something of a jest from Kou, this reference was one she could appreciate. "Goblin King and a baby would be way better than a Minotaur or a Cyclops... seen both those in the middle of Mazes and I am not about the battle," she said adding her own form of joke to the commentary. But soon enough they moved on to the meat of this puzzle, mainly Miki got to listen as Kou made his assumptions about the nature of this Labyrinth. For the most part, Miki could agree, it made sense if the Sacred Tree was protected by something more serious than just a warning. "Alright, watch out for Pitfalls, we don't have the sands of time or anything so avoid true death. Gotcha covered..." she said calmly. His assertion that it was puzzle time, lead to the lad walking into the maze and taking a right hand turn. "Sou ka, you seem like you're really into this..." she said of the lad and his happiness surrounding the puzzle they were now in, but still she was happy he found joy in this. She very carefully followed behind him, taking steps only where he walked and looking at the sounding trees and vines which made up their current puzzle.

As they moved along, this way, they would eventually come to a place with a large opening. Along this opening were four other pathways and a strange pedestal in the middle. Atop this podium there was a four by four block with 15 sliding pieces with in it. It was a picture block which would allow the person who solved it to know the right direction to go in. Strangely the sliding tiles had no obvious markings upon them, and wouldn't glow at all unless they were put into the right place. Above the four passages were pictures each showing a different thing. In order they showed rocks, the sun, insect wings and the moon. "Hm... this is pretty ominous, but it reminds me of something. I take it we don't want to go the wrong way... huh?" she asked of the lad. Miki was quite content to let the lad explain and decipher this puzzle and she would aim to help him in the best way.

[Bloodedge]

"I agree. Besides, Jareth is right up my alley with those M.C. Escher hallways he's got. The rest of those Goblins were weird though, and I'd rather avoid the Pit of Stench," Kou commented absently as he continued along his way. When Miki commented on how into this labyrinth he seemed to be, he brought his gaze down and looked toward her quizzically, yet seriously. "Do you think it's weird?" he asked.

Something else would soon have his attention. They reached a clearing with multiple exits, confirming for Kou what type of maze this was. There was another type of puzzle within this clearing, albeit a strange version of one he already knew. Kou paid little mind to the paths and their symbols, considering there was nothing immediately visible on the center puzzle regardless. Instead, his full attention went to the puzzle itself as he stepped up to it. "You never want to go the wrong way. Every time you take a wrong turn in a maze, you have to commit extra memory to knowing not to go back that way. We should treat this like every mistake will kill us regardless," he said as he began shifting around pieces to the puzzle. After a few movements, one segment became alight... and Kou's eyes did as well. "... Sou ka."

[Apollymi]

"Yeah, hard no on the Pit of Stench but, I kinda like the idea of randomly breaking out into song~" Miki said, she was quite fond of the current topic they were discussing, and as they moved through this maze it seemed that Kou was content to question if she thought his interest in the labyrinth was weird. She gave it no second thought and simply shook her head from left to right. "Not weird at all, it's actually refreshing... " she commented with no judgement in her tone, in fact there was a bit of admiration, because Miki herself had never been so honest in front of someone else about things she liked. "You enjoy this, and it's obvious in how you're acting... it's admirable and it makes me enjoy it more too..." she finished up her explanation as they moved along.

Once they were within the puzzle room, they began working through the situation at hand. She didn't wander about because she was already being overly cautious regardless of what was being said. Kou's opinion about this, was that they should treat this puzzle and everyone as if it is life-threatening. "Hai hai... I'll keep that in mind," she said not moving into any of the tunnels, but instead having a deep look at each of the images atop the different tunnels. She then moved towards the podium in the middle and saw as a piece of it lit up. She looked around at the images at the top and had one in mind for what it could be connected to given the pattern on the piece. She thought about this for a while and came to a conclusion about it. She wasn't really into puzzles but her mind wasn't dull, as such she could put together small things and figure them out. Still she'd wait for Kou to speak, so as not to interrupt his thinking in this moment.

[Bloodedge]

"... Sou ka," Kou replied. He'd never received such a reaction to his love of puzzles before, bar situations that weren't very pleasant at all. This one was strange, and yet... somehow pleasant. He turned his gaze away from Miki so he could focus on the puzzle ahead, but there was just a bit more to say. "Arigatou."

The amount of focus he had notwithstanding, Kou managed to find the first proper piece to this puzzle. To test this singular glowing segment, he moved it out of place again to find that it did not retain its glow. "A picture combined with a memory exercise. That's interesting," he commented. A few more movements took place upon the puzzle board, and a few more pieces revealed their image fragments. He still thought this to be a rather simple puzzle, but there was a specific concern in his mind about this as he continued shifting pieces around. "This is too easy. It'll be finished in eight seconds, but be careful when it is. I'd stay close to the podium."

[Apollymi]

Miki received a strange reaction to her thoughts on the lad's love of puzzles. Kou surprisingly thanked the lass for what she had to say and such a bit of thanks made Miki a bit embarrassed and she couldn't have explained why she felt this way. But in addition to that small bit of embarrassment, Miki felt warm. "Hai!" the young woman said in response. Beyond this point, it seemed that Kou was having a rather easy time completing the puzzle he was currently working on. A claim from the lad, said that it would be done in just a few seconds, but that Miki should be careful and stay near the podium, in apparent fear of a pitfall of some sort. "Hai... I'll be right here," she said looking at the more solid pieces of the puzzle as they showed up, she realized they were aligned to the insect wings when they showed up every time. Still she watched as the lad completed the puzzle and wondered what would come of him actually sliding all the pieces into the place they belonged.

[Bloodedge]

Indeed, the puzzle nearing its completion would depict the insect. However, upon seeing it closely, Kou realized this was no conventional bug of any sort, but something more akin to a Fairy due to the designs within its outline, though these designs only began appearing once the outline was incredibly obvious. The moment he slid the last piece into place, the entire pedestal began to glow... and with that came the disappearance of the ground beneath them. Two other paths also vanished, leaving only the 'insect' path and the sun path. Kou looked at the two skeptically from the safety of the podium's immediate area, which remained safe from the collapse. "Nice trick. This puzzle's got a good amount of thought in it to challenge arrogance. This isn't an exact match to that path over there, but trees need sunlight to survive... and Fairies use light. That's the one," he said as he pointed the way to the path marked with a sun symbol.

[Apollymi]

The blonde-haired young woman found herself a bit shocked with two of the paths and most of the floor collapsed after the puzzle in the middle of the room was completed. Even so there were still two paths left, one which had the sun over it and the one which had the pattern of insect wings. She looked at the picture in its completeness for a moment longer and then back at the one over the path and also determined that it wasn't an exact match. Given this she wouldn't be alright with it, but it seemed her line of thinking would be expanded upon by Kou himself. Who stated that though the wings were a tentative match, this puzzle actually questioned hubris and challenged arrogance. It also would be the sort of thing which required the pair of them to understand more than just the puzzle. "Sou ka, so it was put in to make sure the people who were coming here understand and respect the laws of nature. 'As flowers move towards the sun, so should we...'," Miki remarked remembering a particular lesson in rune mastery. "Someone who was doing it just to try and get there would make the wrong choice and just follow fairy wings seeking the guardian, without checking the details... I get it," Miki said with a firm bit of expression. Given her present understanding of nature she could also agree that the sun path would be the best. "Hai, so we move towards the sun..." she said content to take the next steps towards this path with Kou at her side.

[Bloodedge]

They were of the same mind, it seemed, when it came to the true answer to this puzzle. Miki even presented further confirmation backed by the teachings of her Rune mentor. "Really?" he questioned aloud in the wake of her quote. "I was just making an assumption based on Fairies and light-related stuff. That's just more proof. Hell yeah boi!" With enhanced vigor from the additional knowledge Miki offered, Kou also moved along the path bearing the sun insignia. His gaze was once again toward the space above the hedges, but in doing so this time, he remained a single pace behind Miki. "I know it might not make sense, but... I like the way this puzzle feels."

[Apollymi]

Miki gained the knowledge that Kou had been making an educated guess, but that the information she provided helped him further cement his idea. His enthusiasm at this moment was something she could appreciate and it made a small smile form on her face. "Yeah, that is what Endros-sensei said, and he seemed really earnest so I believe in his teachings..." she said about the man she'd learned her runes from. As she began walking along the next leg of this particular area, the words which came from Kou were indeed strange, but she was almost certain there was a good explanation for it. In this moment, she wanted to know how his mind worked so she questioned it directly, "It does seem a little strange, but that only makes me curious... why do you like this puzzle?" she asked. It was obvious this lad took his puzzles very seriously. That he enjoyed them in some way Miki hadn't previously considered possible, as such she wanted to understand his meaning as truly as she could.

[Bloodedge]

As they followed this path, Miki stressed that she didn't follow his meaning. This much was expected by Kou when he first brought up the topic, but since Miki questioned it directly, he was content to give her the answer she desired. "Because it's a good puzzle. I don't mean it's a good challenge, but... I've done enough puzzles that I think I can feel the intent behind them sometimes. Everything here so far feels like it was done with care. There might be death traps, but they're only for people who don't want to learn from the experience. The Fairies themselves wouldn't have to do the puzzles, I don't think... so everybody else has to understand the Fairies and their ways to move through it, and anybody else who's going to a place as important as this Sacred Tree is up to no good. This puzzle is a deterrent, and it's also an offer of acceptance..." There was a certain glimmer in Kou's eyes as he explained how he felt about this labyrinth thus far, and it didn't fade. He took a great deal of pleasure in this experience overall.

As the Adventurers progressed through the chosen path, they would eventually stumble upon the next of the puzzles. Giant roots from the Sacred Tree itself littered the air overhead in the next clearing, though many other beams were elevated without being connected to the tree roots. Some of the beams carried water which only began to flow as the pair of Adventurers entered the area, though they threatened to eventually flood the maze if left untouched. Overall, there was a massive and convoluted collection of beams, and three ropes to be pulled and interact with a grand series of gears in the upper workings. Kou saw this and knew what type of puzzle they were up against... and he was quite certain two of the three ropes, if pulled, would result in a very quick flood of the space they were in.

[Apollymi]

In answer to her question, Miki received an in-depth response from Kou. He claimed that he'd done enough puzzles to feel occasionally like he could feel the intentions of them. He felt that this one was crafted with care so that those who went to the Sacred Tree could know and understand the Fairies, and their way of life and eventually become accepted by them. He also claimed that though it likely contained death traps those were deterrents for potential evil-doers and for those who didn't want to learn. Hearing such an optimistic outlook on the situation they were currently in, gave Miki quite a bit of insight into the lad known as Kou. "Sou ka... well, it seems like you're pretty optimistic. I don't really do puzzles that often, so I don't really feel that way, but I understand feeling intent through action. I think I can sort of understand what you're getting at, even though I haven't experienced it in relation to the same thing..." Miki concluded. She wasn't sure if she had said exactly what she meant, but she couldn't have found a better way to say it.

Soon enough they would find themselves standing at the foot of a wide collection of the roots of the Sacred Tree. Beyond this there were three pullable levers which would increase the water flow of the area eventually flooding the entire bottom of it out with the two adventurers here. As Miki looked at this puzzle she seemed to be a bit at ease. It was strange but something about the layout of the gears and straights looked a bit familiar to her. As she looked at each of them she saw within them something different. "This... looks really familiar to me..." Miki said as her eyes traced the different routes she could see she wondered what Kou would have to say about this puzzle and if it would help her figure out why it looked familiar.

[Bloodedge]

Optimism was what Miki saw in the lad's observation. Sadly, he couldn't quite agree with this. He appreciated the intent behind this series of puzzles, but to call it optimism, or rather to say he was an optimistic individual, seemed a bit off. "I'm not very optimistic. It's just what I get from this puzzle," he replied. He had nothing else to say on the topic, yet everything to think about the puzzle they were now in front of... or rather, underneath. Miki thought this was something familiar. Kou couldn't possibly understand why she would think this, but his eyes followed the overall outline of the structure above until he realized there was a disconnect between the beams and the tree roots. "The other thing plants need... is water. I guess Fairies need it too? Or maybe it's just a nature thing. Either way, only one of these ropes can be the right one. There are a lot more water chutes than there need to be though... so at least one of the wrong ropes will probably flood the place. If I had to take a wild guess, I'd say the third one probably sends all the water backwards and breaks the whole system?"

[Apollymi]

"So, the puzzle is optimistic but you aren't..." Miki said, finding that to be strange, but she supposed she could see that too. From her experiences over the last few days with Kou, she could honestly say that the lad had within himself a healthy amount of skepticism and maybe something else she couldn't quite put her finger on. Whatever else it was, this part of their conversation would be put on hold for a while until they figured out the nature of this puzzle.

While Miki stared at the different pieces of the puzzle before them, Kou explained what he saw of it, and what he thought about it, from a mechanical perspective. He made a supposition about the nature of the levers and given this Miki looked up at the water leading up and came to a rather interesting and sudden realization. What she saw around the roots of this tree, were different runes, and given what she knew about the connections between runes and nature she could use this information to figure out the right lever to pull. "Sou ka... I think... the water chutes look like runes. I think that is supposed to be the hint..." she said as she continued to look at them explaining in the same general way that her Master had explained them to her. "Runes allow one to accept the laws of nature into themselves and bend those laws to rise above," she said softly. "The runes these look like do different things, so if you know the rune and you understand the balance of nature, then you should choose the one which won't end in your untimely demise..." she concluded.

Looking at this puzzle even longer she came to a couple of conclusions but since Kou was her partner she'd share her knowledge and get his opinion on it. "Look... This one to the far left, looks like the rune Laguz..." she said pointing and tracing a collection of chutes which looked like an upside down L. "It means water... but I think it might be too much. 'Our future selves call us from infinite pasts, and each night are eroded with our dreams.'," Miki added in frowning slightly as her mind worked through her own ideas. 'Too much water is bad for plants and life in general, floods wash away everything, erosion in large amounts is a problem...' she didn't say aloud. She also looked to the pattern of the chutes on the far right, and made a different supposition while also tracing the shape for the lad to see. "Over here, the chutes look like, Sowilo... that one means sun. And sunlight is useful, but... 'The guide leads you to the doorway, then waits for your return,'" she finished that statement as well while still mentally reeling. 'That makes it seem ominous. Sunlight is good, but nature demands balance for proper growth too much sun, has similar problems to too much water and it can still lead to death.' Miki's mind was working overtime. But she still found herself bringing her gaze to the middle part of the puzzle she could see it clearly. "The middle part there. Looks like the rune, Fehu. Fehu is wealth... not like money, but production and renewal, but tempered so that your risks don't outrun your rewards. 'Every beginning has within it the seeds of its own end.' It looks a bit like a tree trunk with two branches growing off the right side," Miki said she knew which she would choose in this case. "I know which I would choose, but given what I just told you... what would you do?" she said taking very seriously the idea of this puzzle being life-threatening. She'd bet herself on her current knowledge and her idea, but she wouldn't ask someone else risk their lives based on her somewhat recently acquired knowledge.

[Bloodedge]

Another guess had come from Kou about the purpose of the labyrinth's puzzle, and Miki once again added a bit of a history lesson when comparing the structures above to Runes. There were three overall in the shapes of different Runes, each in direct correspondence to a different philosophy of sorts. He could have considered the first puzzle a coincidence if he wanted, but the number was too high to now call it such. "Sou ka. Different characters, different meaning in nature. Second puzzle again..." he said. Miki's explanation of each rune gave him something else to think on, so he began mulling over each one's meaning. Upon being asked what he would do by the lass, he decided to share his train of thought. "This has to be something deeper than the last one then. The bug path back there... a lot of bugs wouldn't be good for a plant, right? Same goes for too much water, or too little. That first one sounds like too much water, and the symbol makes me think the same. It'll drown us. That other one talking about the sun makes me think about evaporation... which would make that doorway talk a metaphor for the cycle of water in nature. The other one, though... The beginning has the seeds of the end. Water is sort of like a fertilizer, yeah? Well that's what a plant becomes when it dies, so I think there's a conceptual link there. Besides, what it means sounds like a Luck boost in-game, and harvested plant quality is determined by that. I'd go for Fehu, hands down."

[Apollymi]

Her explanations soon garnered her the thoughts Kou had been processing, and it seemed she and the white-haired lad had been on the same page. Both of them thought the two most obvious runes were a bit too tied to their negatives and both thought the middle rune would add a bit more. His general assumption about the luck boost of Fehu was also correct which only further cemented the entire situation in Miki's mind. "Ah, we're on the same page then. Just double checking, rather triple checking..." Miki said. Though the lass claimed she didn't often complete puzzles she had decided after identifying which of the runes was present which one it should have been. She didn't want to weight her own arrogance against the life of her companion and had reasoned it through more fully just in case, and even gone on to get his opinion as a tertiary layer of approval. "I'm going to pull this now... it's about as sure as we can be," she commented, giving only one more opportunity for interruption. Now all that was left was for the girl to walk up to the middle strand and pull it, upon doing so, she would wait to see what happened.

[Bloodedge]

The two were once again sharing a train of thought related to this puzzle. Assuming they were both right, they would officially be one step closer to the Sacred Tree and their goals. Miki stating that she would be pulling the rope made Kou think to do nothing besides stand back and watch it happen. There was no other choice. If they were both wrong about the same thing, there was something about this puzzle neither of them could comprehend anyway, and they'd have to deal with whatever repercussions came next. However, Kou was certain that wouldn't be the case, so... he waited...

[Apollymi]

A rumbling took place as Miki pulled the rope. After a few moments this would result in several chutes on either side of the middle one, falling. Gears breaking the ground rumbling everything seemed to be coming apart, all the while, water continued to flow, filling up the thing Miki had seen as a rune in the most obvious way. The path of it lit magically as the whole of the system broken apart and behind the pulled lever opened up a twisting path through the roots of the Sacred Tree to take them further into the maze and a step closer to that which they sought. Miki watched the entirety of this take place in awe, the way the whole thing fell was just as stunning to her, as how neatly it had been put together. Maybe this was a sign of something important, or maybe it was just the musings of a young adventurer. Regardless she looked to Kou with a small smile on her face... "Full disclosure, I was a little scared we were about to meet something frightening," she said seemingly relieved that nothing terrible had taken place for either of them. "Though... admittedly that was pretty fun," she said her own heart pounding within her chest. Whatever she'd thought of this puzzle initially, at the very least after this second one, the entire scenario was growing on her as a whole.

[Bloodedge]

The trembling of the surrounding area aside, Kou bore a grin after the pulling of the chosen rope. He wasn't too worried about the outcome of this choice. In fact, he was somewhat excited to see everything unfold as the structure above took the form it was meant to, and provided water to the tree's roots. It was interesting to see that their next route was beneath the tree in a way, but that only meant they would be getting closer, quicker. It also meant Kou could likely stop focusing on the space over the maze to guide the way as he had been doing, though he assumed there would be darkness ahead when they entered. "This really is a great puzzle. Let's go," he said whilst moving toward the path within the roots.

[Apollymi]

Kou seemed to be less worried about the overall outcome than Miki had been, which was normal when she considered that he seemed to be enjoying the Labyrinth quite a bit. As the next part of it opened, the white-haired lad with her seemed to be quick to want to get to the next puzzle. Upon arriving there would be another platform this one showing a board in the shape of an even cross with a single unlit dot in the middle. Beyond this all the other dots were lit. Miki didn't recognize this as a puzzle, but it was more of a solo game played in Europe, known as 'Peg Solitaire'. What it required was the removal of all the lit pegs, by moving one peg towards the empty space in a straight line, up to two spaces. The end result of this puzzle would be to have a single peg left in the middle. But this particular game would come with a bit higher risk than the norm.

As the softness of the ground beneath them gave way to a swamp like gas. This miasma as it was released reeked of death and came with corrosive properties. And if they stood around too long, they'd both become part of the death that fertilized the deeper parts of the tree. Equivalent to being digested by nature. In such a massive way. One would find though, that by putting out the lights on the peg board, parts of the map beneath them would be purified. As it stood, only the direct middle of the room was safe. And if the puzzle was solved correctly at some point the middle of this room would be the least safe place. 'Sou ka, we've finally gotten around to the decay part of the life-cycle... I guess it only makes sense. Fairies are basically nature deities, they have to help keep things in check too...' the young woman pondered the thought while looking at the board. Nothing about it immediately struck her, and the room itself was so dark she couldn't draw conclusions. All she could do in this case, was hope Kou could work his magic in this place as well.

[Bloodedge]

The third puzzle ws one Kou hadn't witnessed in quite some time. He was eventually able to view the cross with a total of 32 lights upon it, and one blank space in the center. The path to this puzzle was all fine, in spite of the deadly miasma in the surrounding area. It didn't take Kou long at all to realize that the room itself was modeled after the game board. He still had no problem with the labyrinth as a whole upon reaching this conclusion, but he didn't like the idea of what they would have to deal with if this puzzle functioned the way he expected it to. "That's not good. Hope you've got a way to stop that mist if it does what I think it will. We're gonna have to fill this spot with it."

[Apollymi]

Miki listened to what Kou had to say. His newest claim was that at some point, they'd have to fill the spot in the middle of the room where they were standing with the poisonous gas which filled the area. "Hmm, you mean by the time the puzzle is over it will be on this spot?" she question. Miki was a bit more sure than she had been previously. If anything her work within this labyrinth was securing in her mind the idea that there was a rune in mind. And even if she couldn't name it off the top of her head, if she thought through the situation while the lad solved the puzzle she was sure of what she could accomplish. 'I wonder if I should try and dissipate the gas or purify it or if this is another puzzle which wants me to realize a certain outcome by what it is. Whatever the case, I assume I have a limited amount of time to figure it out...' the girl's mind began racing through all she'd learned this day, as she tried to come up with an answer to their problem. "I'm not sure just yet... but work on the puzzle... I'll figure out how to keep us safe from the miasma."

[Bloodedge]

"Well yeah, definitely that... but..." Kou paused and stepped closer to the puzzle. He knew exactly how to solve it, and it was rather easy since he had the memory of it... yet that itself was the problem. "This is a puzzle, but it's more like checkers. You jump a piece into an open space, and the piece you jump over gets removed. If this represents the room around us, and every space with a peg has poison on it..." As he spoke, Kou turned to face Miki and pointed toward a particular space on the board. Specifically, he brought attention to the center space... the only one that was empty both on the board and in the room, and the only one he could move the first piece to. "I don't think this puzzle is meant to test whether it can be solved before somebody dies or not. I can crack it as quickly as I can move my hand from piece to piece, but there will only be two moves where we're in the clear, and those two are within the last four moves of the puzzle. On that fourth and final move, this should be the only spot filled, and it'll stay that way. We need protection the whole time I'm doing this."

[Apollymi]

Miki took in the explanation given about the nature of this puzzle. By her own approximation it was stated that he simply required protection for the duration of the puzzle's completion. The statement that it was more like a game led Miki to believe that this would be something which could be used to their advantage. In this moment she understood what was needed of her and went about making a rune on the ground beneath them. A rune shaped like a capital letter 'Y' with an extra branch in the middle. and it would go on to glow a sage green color as all things of her magic did. "Algiz should cover us for the time necessary for you to make your moves even poison can't penetrate it..." she said with a gentle nod. This was the best answer given the information she had, still there was something about this room which made her consider more runes beyond the one which cast a bubble of protection around the pair of them in this moment.

[Bloodedge]

Understanding more precisely what sort of situation they were in, Miki went about forming a Rune to protect them. Though the Rune seemed magical in nature, Kou couldn't get an exact feel for its sturdiness with his senses. However, since Miki made it, he placed enough faith in her to believe it would stay. "Alright then. Give me just a bit," he said as he took the first of pegs from the right side, second from the centermost position on the board. He skipped it ahead to the center, causing the peg jumped over to vanish and do exactly what he thought with the room around them, flooding the area around the pedestal with miasma while removing it from the space to their right. Seeing this occur, he began moving as quickly as possible without going past his capacity to remember the puzzle. More and more spaces began to clear out around the board as he worked, and the overall atmosphere of the room was becoming lighter because of it.

[Apollymi]

Miki watched as the lad began to clear the puzzle, and though he couldn't tell the exact nature of the rune, it was indeed doing its job. The gentle glow of it was maintained even as he moved more and more miasma about the room. The entirety of the space was clearing but even as it did so, the concentration in the space they were in became great. The more she watched this the more Miki understood given the laws of nature. In order to preserve or recreate the rest of the room, they would have to sacrifice the space they were on, while trusting in the integrity of the puzzle maker that they simply wouldn't die. Having realized this, and as they got closer and closer to the proper time in which Miki would have to do something she considered drastic, she decided to seek the lad's guidance. "I realize fully what I have to do here. When you're done placing the last piece I have to destroy where we are standing," she said, as if she needed further confirmation of this, she could see the rune Hagalaz in the floor in the dead vines and leaves. "Well, I mean I can destroy it on my own... but I am not sure what will happen. I suppose it's a matter of faith... in the processes of nature. Decay and destruction are just as important as growth and life," she said thinking of this she found herself saying the thing that her teacher had told her about the rune of force destruction. "Don’t try to fix what we should break before it breaks us."

[Bloodedge]

Kou continued working on the puzzle without concern for their surroundings. He was focused on the task, but not exactly in deep contemplation. As far as he was concerned, Miki could handle the actual threat of their current platform while he finished. However, Miki spoke after a bit of observation, and what she said was something rather interesting. She wished to destroy their current platform when the puzzle was complete, or rather, she believed it was what this puzzle wanted from them. At this point, Kou didn't even bother looking toward the girl, though he did hear everything she said clearly. If she thought this space had to be destroyed, he believed her. A few movements later, he was skipping the final peg and leaving the only remaining one in the space depicting where they now stood. When that was done, he finally looked toward Miki and spoke in an utmost casual manner. "Go ahead," he said, having no questions at all about what she was suggesting.

[Apollymi]

Soon enough the puzzle was finished and though Kou had nothing in particular to say while she mused about the nature of this puzzle, it seemed that he'd caught everything she had to say about it. This wasn't really surprising as he'd proved time and time again that he was capable of keeping up and treating her as an equal. What was surprising though, was that even though puzzles in general were his area of expertise, he had no problem allow her to do something as crazy as what she claimed. Sure enough as if to mark this, he completed the puzzle to the point that only one peg remained in the center and this did something, there was a rumbling sound, but it was no where to be seen, so she couldn't tell what it was related to. He simply told her to go ahead with her plans and she smiled. "Arigatou..." she said softly. Truly she was appreciative of his trust in this moment, even though she'd all but admitted she had no idea what would happen when she did this thing. On the ground of this same space she drew a different rune, this one looked a bit like a slanted capital letter 'H' once she was done this rune also glowed, the hue of green which bordered the vibrancy of life and the dullness of death. In a moment the whole of the space beneath them shattered and they fell, but something of a vacuum was created and though they fell for just a second they'd be caught and pushed back up to the top of the room by revitalized vines, ones which fed on the gases of death released from this space down into the depths. 'Woo... that was a bit surprising. But... I'm really happy. This really is a good puzzle...' Miki thought about this situation as a whole. Instead of having to walk the vines themselves created a platform to lift them into the next leg of their journey. She noticed they were going higher and higher so maybe this puzzle was in all three dimensions. Up here, the vines were treacherous since neither of them could fly, they'd have to be careful not to fall down to their deaths.

[Bloodedge]

Kou only nodded when Miki replied to his go-ahead. She proceeded to place the destructive Rune on the floor beneath them, successfully causing the floor to crumble and send them falling into the created abyss. A vacuum effect sent them back up shortly after their descent began, launching them even higher up than they had been originally. They were eventually caught by stretching vines from the Sacred Tree itself, left on an otherwise airborne path toward their destination. Kou balanced on the vine beneath him and looked ahead to the tree's trunk. This wasn't something he had expected from this labyrinth, but he grinned in the face of the new challenge regardless. "This is getting intense. I really like it!"

[Apollymi]

After being rocketed up higher than they had been before, Miki found herself balancing atop a vine as well. She removed her spear from her back and used it to help her continue balancing as she looked around at this area. The tree itself was quite stunning, but beyond all that, she could really appreciate the view. It seemed that Kou was also excited by the new challenges presented by this particular labyrinth and he expressed a rather interesting opinion about it. "It's growing on me too!~ Let's keep going..." she said her current mental status was exceedingly pleased, and seeing Kou happy like this, made her wonder if he really enjoyed puzzles so much that they gave him the sort of happiness she saw painted all over his visage. 'I wish I'd known someone like him before...' she thought as she took the first of many steps upwards as the vines shifted about and clung to the Sacred Tree in a manner most strange. This seemed to be a challenge of the physical variety so she gave herself over to it.

[Bloodedge]

Kou's excitement couldn't be contained, and yet he was not the first to begin moving. Miki was ahead of him within moments, but when he did finally push forward, he did so with flair. The ring on his left hand saw use as the Mana multi-tool that it was meant to be, though the energy emitted from it did not take the shape of a conventional tool. He chose to make it take the shape of a gauntlet, though it was extended well beyond his hand. This gauntlet was used to reach vines at a distance and allow Kou to swing from one spot to another while blurting out a reference. "Got myself a Devil Bringer!"

[Apollymi]

Miki began moving, her body balanced by use of her spear as she moved gently along vines. She switched often between her footsteps and using vines above her head for grips. Every movement required the utmost of her concentration, even so she didn't seem to be bothered by it. Even so, her measured steps and movements were eventually overtaken by Kou who had gotten some kind of new item which he was using to help him along. This time particularly in the form of a gauntlet which extended his reach by a great deal. His reference to a certain popular franchise of game, didn't go unnoticed by the blonde and she found herself apt to reply. "Sugoi! It always seemed really cool the Devil Bringer. Though to be fair, I wouldn't have minded that claw thing from DMC. The remake one, not the original one. That angel stuff added to the devil stuff was pretty cool~" the girl commented, on the sort of thing she would have aimed for herself if given the option. All the while the pair of them made their way closer and closer to the summit of the tree. It seemed this little bit was their last stretch and Miki found herself needing to cross a gap wider than her arms or legs alone could take her. She looked at her spear and took a few steps back taking a running start she planted it in the space between some vines and launched herself across the opening. Once she'd landed, she whistled and her spear returned to her extended right hand. "Oomph. Good thing I never skipped gym class. That would have been pretty scary otherwise..." she said as if there wasn't a giant sheer drop off the side of the tree if she'd messed up. Whoever reached the summit first, would find a curvy young woman with green hair and pointed ears sitting in the middle of a large flower. She wore two flowers as a bra which opened up the center of her being and wore a light skirt which was split up the sides exposing her hips. Along with this a small pink ribbon could be seen around her neck, matching the color of her eyes. She nursed in one hand a small seed of light, while in front of her sat a small plot of land with nothing in it to speak of. This was the guardian of the Sacred Tree.

[Bloodedge]

"... Shit!" Kou said suddenly, seeming to have become quite distraught after Miki's response. After only a few seconds though, he continued speaking and clarified his issues. "I could have made that one!" he finished. During this brief exchange, Kou altered his path ever so slightly a few times over. These small maneuvers allowed him to avoid a few obstacles on his path until he reached the end of the journey. Once there, he bore witness to an NPC he'd seen on loading screens in Age of Eternity many times. He was immediately left dumbfounded by the sight of this individual, as she was something of an icon for the male population of players... and Kou was no exception. "Sugoi... You're... You're..." he started, though like a child meeting a celebrity, he couldn't find the words to express himself. There was a sudden memory within Kou's mind about this individual and his experience in his original world. In the room where he played his games and kept his collectibles, he happened to possess a life-sized cutout of this character... as well as one of many body pillows.

[Apollymi]

"Really?!" Miki seemed a bit shocked that the lad could have made the thing she'd so recently discussed. But she supposed she didn't really need such a thing. Still they soon found themselves standing before the guardian of the Sacred Tree and it seemed it was someone recognized by Kou enough that the boy was stammering through his introduction. Miki managed to look at the woman with only a raised brow, she'd seen a not of figures of this woman in the game store, and she was the featured character on the front of the guidebook. "Oh? I was going to introduce myself... I didn't expect to be known by a pair such as you... I'm Titania the Guardian of the Sacred Tree. It's been a pleasure watching the pair of you navigate the Labyrinth..." she said rather calmly. Miki continued to stare with her brows together. 'But Titania is the name of the Fairy Queen... is that what happens when players take over. They replace the originals?' she questioned mentally. Titania looked up at Miki and nodded. "You're quite correct. I did abdicate the throne to the Fairy Queen known as Dakini. She was the last one to make it this far... before her wings sprouted even, and I gave her what she wished for which was charge over the Fairies of the Forest. What is it you come seeking?" she asked of the pair as if she didn't know. 'Oh shit!'

[Bloodedge]

The woman's introduction came while Kou was struggling to form words, but it wasn't at all necessary. She was Titania, the queen of the Fairies in Age of Eternity, as well as a pivotal character in the game's first expansion pack. She alone had been the cause of a massive surge in traffic to the game. How she ended up being reduced to guardian of the Sacred Tree, Kou didn't know... until of course, Titania explained to answer the curiosity within Miki's mind about the very same matter. "Sou ka..." he said absently. Titania knew of the desires within those who reached the Sacred Tree. And yet, she still asked the pair of Adventurers what they wished for. Knowing that she already had this information, Kou righted his posture and stared down the former Fairy Queen. He would say nothing. He didn't need to say anything. Titania knew why he had come, just as she knew why Miki and any others had come. Further words would only be pointless.

[Apollymi]

There was silence from the pair of adventurers. It was obvious she already knew what they wanted, but she wondered if they'd changed their minds, or would suffer a breech of hubris. Surprisingly neither individuals mind showed any difference in their desires. They'd made it so far and without any special treatment, Titania laughed for the first time in quite a while, and it was a happy sound. "Kukukukuku~ You can't blame me for trying, oh well... for the Celestial known as Kou, who wished for a blessing. The Divine Protection of the Labyrinth, is suited to you. It will tie you to the Fairy Forest Labyrinth and allow you to use a bit of Fairy Magic. I'm sure you'll figure it out on your own..." the woman said, the vines from the flower she sat in growing to move her towards Kou where the glowing seed she held would aim to be planted in the center of his being. Such a thing would cause a strange glowing in the lad, and leave him with a new permanent magical affix on his stats sheet.

Soon after this a gentle pat to Kou's head would leave Titania turning to face Miki. "And for you... the Druid, what you seek is something you must cultivate for yourself. Come..." she said to the girl. Miki rather easily followed along the moving vines back to the front of the flower she'd originally been sitting in. In front of her was a single plot of unoccupied land. "You must feed the tree your mana, and it will determine what kind of sap you should have by growing a flower for you. You are familiar enough with our ways, to understand that you can give your mana to this plot and obtain what you are looking for..." the Guardian of the Sacred Tree mentioned. Miki nodded kneeling before this plot in before this woman. She'd go on to inscribe a set of four runes in this place, causing the perfect and rapid growth of what would originally be a one vine which would split into two flowers. The one which rose the highest was a single large glowing sunflower, a sign of her alignment to the light side of Fairies. But beyond this a little lower a large flower known as a moon rose, also bloomed. 'I figured I would just get one... do I not need both?' Miki asked herself but aloud her question would be answered by Titania. "You most definitely need both. One such as myself would call you... a Priestess of Nature. Rare is such a title but fitting given what I've seen," were Titania's words as she produced two separate bottles for the harvest of Miki's Sacred Tree Sap. When this was done vines aimed to deposit the bottles within her hands. "Given the two of you require nothing else, you should be able to travel back down. I'm told... it's fun..." she said pointing to a large vine based slide which would easily send both adventurers all the way to the bottom and to the settlement of the fairies in the forest without wasting their time.

[Bloodedge]

It seemed Titania only wished to ensure the pair's conviction before granting their wishes, hence her questioning them aloud. No alterations were made by either Adventurer, so their original intentions would be brought to the light. Things would begin with Kou's wish, granted by Titania approaching him and placing a magical seed within his very core. The glow of the seed itself spread from within him until it covered his body in its light. Said light then sank back into his body, and Kou was able to feel a very incredible change within himself. "Sugoi..." he said aloud. 'I feel like I've been born again.'

With that out of the way, Miki was taken to where she would cause the creation of her own. Kou took the time to observe the ritual which produced for Miki two bottles of Sacred Tree Sap. How she obtained two, Kou didn't know, but it could have only been something positive. Once the lass was done, Titania pointed the way to a vine which would lead them back to their starting point. Kou looked at this vine and stepped forward, then set his gaze upon Miki. "Looks fun. Takin' first!" he announced as he hopped onto the vine, leading the slide down to the forest.

[Apollymi]

Kou had something new attached to his person, but Miki didn't have much time to think about it. Her own task completed, she was left to look at the true Fairy Queen. It was strange to her, but this woman seemed almost happier to not be in charge of the rest of the fairies. Moreover, soon after she'd tucked away her two bottles of Sacred Tree Sap, Kou was heading to their apparent exit with much excitement in his voice. "Oi! Wait up!" Miki shouted after the lad, but before leaving the Guardian of the Sacred Tree she bowed. "Arigatou gozaimasu!~" she said which made the woman known as Titania laugh. "You're quite welcome, tell Dakini to send up some nectar the next time she gets a chance... if you're wondering how to thank me," she said offering the lass a wink before she also hopped down to ride this downward slide of vines. "Woooo!~" she said enjoying the speed and lift such an exhilarating way to end the adventure which was the Labyrinth.

[Bloodedge]

As Kou slid down ahead, he led with his lower half and kept his right hand behind him against the vine. This allowed him to keep his orientation properly while shifting from one side to another during the descent. It was a fun ride overall, yet rather short-lived in hindsight when he flew from the vine and landed... interestingly right in front of the current Fairy Queen's throne. At the end of this trip, Kou landed on his rear before the throne, though he seemed no worse for wear during or after the impact. "Oof! That was crazy!"

[Apollymi]

Miki also soon came sliding down what had been the most wonderful slide she'd had the joy to be on since entering puberty. Upon the end of this adventure she would find herself sliding in fast enough to knock directly into Kou. Kou was getting a bit of strange glance from Dakini who was amazed the pair of individuals had returned. Meanwhile, Miki was laughing uncontrollably as she tried to back away from the lad a bit. "Gomen, gomen... that was pretty fun. Is it weird I want to go again?" she asked of the lad her face alight with happy emotion. Dakini took a moment to clear her throat and shook her head. "Of course, the pair of you actually made it back. Lucky... I was betting on you... we've got a pretty good party set up here. And we got you two a nice spot to stay in while you were gone... it's gonna be great!~" she said to the pair of them apparently very enthused to have them both around. She also made it sound like staying the night wasn't really an option. Miki chuckled at this as she finally said something important. "Titania said to send her some nectar..." she delivered this message with haste before she forgot in lieu of whatever activity they were about to partake in. "Pansy, Daisy, give the adventuring kids some nectar then take some to Titania," this was the next order handed out by Dakini who would also be having some. Strangely this thing call nectar was served out of a flower which had its petals put together in such a way that one could drink out of it. One little fairy purple in color approached, Kou to hand him one such flower and a yellow one approached Miki to give her one too. 'This isn't seeming optional at all...' she thought. She looked over to Kou, 'Are we staying here for this?' she asked of him, as if it was a question, she obvious didn't care either way, one more day wouldn't make much of a difference, especially since it'd cost them nothing to stay here.

[Bloodedge]

"Ugh!" Kou blurted out when Miki fell into him. He was fine nonetheless, and was even easily capable of a quick retort to the lass. "It's probably weird. I'd go again too, though." Within moments, Kou rose from the ground and took in Dakini's words toward Miki and himself. She'd been betting on them returning from the labyrinth, and here they were. The pair would once again receive a party in their honor, and once again, it didn't seem like there was any thought paid to the idea of them not wanting such a thing. There was even some strange nectar being presented to Kou within a drinking flower. Though he questioned its presentation, it didn't look bad, and it smelled quite delicious. As such, when he heard in his mind what Miki asked of him, he looked up, shrugged... and began drinking. 'Why not? I like to party.'

[Apollymi]

'Just wondering... I am for this too... this place was on my to do list before,' she said about the fairy forest. The flower she was given made her feel strangely about it, still she sipped from the center of it, and her eyes widened immediately. "This is tasty, like really tasty. Tasty alcohol is dangerous..." Miki said as several smaller fairies flew with flowers between them drinking and making merry like they knew the reason for this particular party. To her words Dakini had only one thing to say. "Told ya' Fairies know how to party too!~" she commented drinking from a large white flower herself and floating off her throne. "Oi! I have to tell you all something. These two Heroes freed me from a Dwarven Prison. Then worked for me as my ambassadors. They quelled a war, it was pretty awesome. They drank 3 mugs each of Dwarven Ale. And and and... they made it through the Labyrinth!~" she said all the fairies around seemed to be surprised but there was a flutter of light and fairy dust around the area as bio-luminescent flowers began to open as the sun began to lower in the sky. "If that isn't worth a party, I don't know what is... so, we're making sure they got nectar to drink all night!~" the Fairy Queen was seemingly very strange, but Miki couldn't really argue with this at all. As she finished her first flower full, several other fairies floated about with jars of nectar to refill the flowers. Others started playing musical instruments and others still began to dance around in circles seemingly having a good time. 'Hm, Fairies have their own kind of parties.'

[Bloodedge]

Kou drank from the flower he'd been offered until it was completely drained of the nectar it contained. When he was done, he looked into the empty petals and contemplated what he'd just consumed. It was amazingly flavorful, far beyond what the Dwarves had to offer. If he had to compare it to something, he'd have placed it somewhere between syrup and honey. "This is alcohol?" he wondered aloud, only having the thought initially because Miki had brought up the alcohol content of the nectar, but by the time he questioned this, his flower was being refilled by one of the Fairies. He would be drinking again whether he wanted to or not, but it wasn't so bad. "So... not to sound racist... speciesist? Whatever it is... Do Fairies sleep on beds of leaves?"

[Apollymi]

"Yep! The best all around!~ It's the drink of gods!~" one little fairy chimed in about nectar. It seemed that Miki was right about it being alcohol, even so she kept drinking because it'd already been offered to her. As she sipped she was soon choking as Kou asked a question about the sleeping habits of fairies. Miki's face was red as she turned around and leaned away... 'Oh my god. I can't believe he said that...' her mind raced as she laugh-coughed and tried to clear up her sinuses surprisingly by drinking more nectar. "Wow. Looks like you almost killed your partner there... but to answer your question. Most of the little fairies sleep inside flowers or flower beds. The bigger ones sleep in beds of leaves and the normal sized ones like us... sleep in hammocks. When we sleep... we don't always have to. I sleep like once every two weeks," Dakini mentioned. "We set up a nice big hammock for you guys, under the stars in one of the weird outsider huts..." mentioned the yellow fairy known as Daisy as she patted Miki on the back trying to help the girl along, while motioning for her flower to be filled again. A cough and sputter escaped the blonde lass as she waited for her flower to be filled again. "Alright, I'm good now. That hurt... a bit... I think I have nectar in my lung," Miki managed finally though her face was indeed still tinted a heavy shade of red.

[Bloodedge]

When Kou offered an inquiry to the Fairies, Miki had an odd reaction. The girl began coughing in a way that implied laughter beginning abruptly in the middle of drinking, and closer inspection proved this to be true. The other thing that proved true this day was the bed of leaves used by Fairy-kind. This wasn't something done by all Fairies, but the other options didn't seem much different. He would have considered sleeping in a flower to be the best of three options if not for the fact that they were too small for those of human size. A hammock would have to do for the Adventurers. The mention of this, though... was something Kou found strange. "Oh, well alright. Wait... Did you say A hammock?" he asked, seeking confirmation that they had yet again been forced into a situation that placed them in a single bed to sleep in.

[Apollymi]

"Aww, too bad, I would have enjoyed trying out a flower... though I don't mind hammocks. I haven't slept in one of those in forever," Miki said. "Arigatou..." she thanked the fairies for their kindness, seeming to glance over the fact that she'd once again be sharing a sleeping space with Kou. Technically speaking as it was a third day in a row kind of occurance she could hardly say she was surprised by this, she might have thought the fairies would have been more likely to room them separately, but Dakini soon came with an explanation for that. "Yes, a hammock and a hut. A really nice one though... I watched you two sleep last night, it seemed like the best possible arrangement," the Fairy Queen mentioned as if it was the most innocent thing in the world. And to her, it was, given that fairies were creatures of nature and all forms of it were fine with them, they had no real understanding of structured relationships or marriage or even long term relationships so they saw nothing wrong with any of this. "Sou ka..." this was Miki's only statement to be made. If she was being honest, she didn't really mind sharing a room with Kou or even a bed for the most part. He was a good and fun person to be around and to be honest she kind of didn't mind his company. Even so she wouldn't force the issue regardless, if Kou wanted something different she'd leave him to it.

[Bloodedge]

Indeed, there was but one hut and one hammock arranged for the young Adventurers. Kou sighed internally upon receiving this information. In three nights, he had gone from a shared bed to the same situation in closer quarters, and now this would be his fate. Hammocks didn't exactly lend to space for two as far as he knew. Even so, he wasn't exactly up in arms about the situation... but that made it no less awkward while it was happening. "Oh... alright," he said to the queen, taking a moment thereafter to begin drinking again. Though he fell silent externally, he had but one thought running through his mind. 'This world is gonna be the death of me...'

[Apollymi]

The Fairy Queen Dakini patted Kou on the back. As a fairy she could read his heart and understood, but felt that her interference in this way was fine. "There there... you'll be fine," she said happily. "Speaking of, Pansy! Keep 'em coming, I'm going dancing~" this was the word of the Fairy Queen and she would again be served. She'd begin dancing in the middle of the flickering lights of smaller fairies. A grin crossed the face of Miki as she looked out at the Fairy Queen enjoying herself, dancing around the space seeming to pull in to other fairies. There was something unique and innocent in this, like watching children play. 'Sugoi! That looks like fun...' was a thought that the blonde haired young woman had in passing. Strangely, several minutes into this dance, as soon as Miki had relaxed and finished work on what had to be her fourth or maybe fifth nectar, Dakini slipped pretty close by, aiming to pull the girl in by one arm. "Come on... I know you want to," she said to Miki tossing the blonde into the middle of the dazzling array of fairy lights and happy dancing. Having just enough to drink to feel free, Miki danced with the fairies, with nothing but joy in her face. 'This is awesome!'

[Bloodedge]

The pat on his back by the Fairy Queen alerted Kou to the meaning behind her following words. With this came an understanding that she could read him in some way, even if a bit different compared to Titania's method. 'Sou ka... just a Fairy thing then,' he thought. A few casual sips would ensue, and as he drank, he also watched the beginning of a dance party of sorts. Miki watched on as well until being dragged into the fray. Kou took a tentative step back, but he couldn't bring himself to stop watching the festivities while he worked toward emptying another flower of nectar.

[Apollymi]

While Miki danced with the rest of the fairies, Dakini slipped off again, and would end up floating along side Kou. She watched Miki dance as well, and the girl seemed to be enjoying herself quite a bit. "No wallflowers!" Dakini mentioned, several flowers of nectar in she was having this party and it was going to be fun. Between the music, dancing and the new adventurers she fully intended to exploit their popularity. As an aside, she also fully intended to have them dance together, her call of now wallflowers would have her, trying to force Kou into the fray.

[Bloodedge]

Kou was content to stand on the sidelines and observe, even having a solid few moments to lose himself in thought while the nectar took hold of him. Sadly, this could not be. Dakini made her way toward the lad and swore against wallflowers as she attempted to force him into the dancing group. Whilst being pushed forward, Kou did all he could to resist in an attempt to remain out of the fray. "No no, I... uhh..." There was a fact about the lad known as Kou, or whoever he was in the world of humans... He couldn't dance. He'd never had need nor opportunity to learn how to do so, so in this exact situation, he'd rather have avoided it entirely. Still, he didn't exactly want to admit to his lack of ability either.

[Apollymi]

"You've been watching long enough, figure it out!" Dakini didn't seem to be giving the lad much of an option and continued to push him as if she fully intended for him to be swallowed up by the dancing crowd of fairies. Within this crowd though a small glimmer of hope, as Miki who'd been dancing for quite a while made her way to the edge, and upon seeing the forcefulness of Dakini, Miki extended a hand to Kou knowing how awkward it could be to be forced into dancing if you weren't exactly ready for it. "Come on, you can't be that bad~" Miki mentioned with no knowledge of whether the lad could dance or not, but she'd attending enough parties to know those on the walls either couldn't dance or were easily embarrassed. Her own logic indicated it would be worse to be forced in such a situation so she offered her companion a hand, with an accompanying smile. If he took her had she'd lead him into the fray happily moving to the rhythm of the music, appeasing the demands of the Fairy Queen while not throwing Kou to the wolves...

[Bloodedge]

Despite his resistance, Dakini shoved away until Kou was in the mix. He was beginning to rethink agreeing to staying here for the night. It seemed the Fairy Queen Dakini was doing more instigating than anything else, though Miki approached once he was thrown in, and offered aide. He took her hand without thinking, only to be pulled along. "But... I..." he stammered, noting that Miki had already begun moving to the music. Under pressure, there was hardly much he could do besides begin moving as well, though he only managed the stiffest of sways and shifts. "I'm really not into this... dancing thing..."

[Apollymi]

Miki had her hand taken and as such she led the lad further into the fray, but she did so while moving happily along. Her own body was quite relaxed and as such she found the beat easily and was able to move about without hindrance. But not much to her surprise Kou seemed to still be stiff, and went on to mention that he didn't really dance. She heard out what he had to say in this moment and smiled. "But you could give it a shot, since we're partying in the fairy forest..." she said softly, looking back on it, it was less invasive than being force fed Dwarven Ale the night before. "First, you gotta relax. Loosen up those shoulders as you find the beat..." she said giving happy and casual dance advice. "Then you just go with it, a little bounce here, a little sway there... and another flower of nectar, and you'll forget all about it~" Miki stated content to dance with the lad as he found his feet. She found freedom in this particular thing, and only wanted to help the lad feel more comfortable as they stayed here together.

[Bloodedge]

"Uhh..." Kou wasn't sure what to say, but he was without a ton of choices. He had the guidance of Miki toward finding greater ease in dancing, and it all made things sound easier than Kou was finding it to be. He was in a slightly drunken state as it was, so loosening up wasn't too difficult, especially as he downed more nectar. He had a much harder time being comfortable enough to follow the beat, yet... he figured a bit of cheating was fine, and the idea he had lifted his spirits a bit. By use of the Saber Class Skill Instinct, he intently watched Miki move and read into her future movements. He kept his gaze set on the lass, and was soon finding himself capable of properly adjusting to how she would move in the next moment. And as such, a less-awkward dance of two began at last.

[Apollymi]

As she continued to sway to the beat, Miki took the time to observe Kou's movements. She noticed that over time they became less stiff and that without too much coaxing he eventually managed to get into a less awkward general dance with Miki. A grin came to her face as she noted this lad's marked improvement, and she thought it best to comment as such. "Nice!~ I see you, getting the hang of it..." she said continuing only with the most simplistic of moves for the lad to keep up with while enjoying the music. Though Miki had danced before and had been pulled into this fun a little earlier, she still found this to be more fun with Kou involved. She couldn't have explained why this was but she enjoyed it nonetheless. Watching the festivities take place while still managing to be around Dakini could only nod her head in approval, having finally gotten the lad into a better dancing state, she would leave the pair alone for a bit.

[Bloodedge]

Well into the swing of things, Kou would eventually find movements of his own without having to rely on reading into Miki's movements. He abandoned the use of his Instinct Skill and simply... danced. A surprisingly fun time would be had by the young male thereafter, and he began moving without a care. He became rather satisfied with these festivities, the drink, and present company. Time passed from there, until it eventually neared the hour of rest...

[Apollymi]

Eventually Kou seemed to get the hang of dancing properly, and even seemed to be about as carefree as Miki herself. They danced for a good long while, enjoyed the festivities. And then when they were about ready for bed, the little fairy known as Daisy made her way over to them. "Come on... Queen Dakini told me to show you were you would be staying..." she said having floating between the pair. Miki hadn't mentioned being tired, but she was learning that the fairies seemed to be aware of things she hadn't really gotten to admitting herself. Soon enough Miki at least was following along beside the fairy, though she was admittedly taking a rather slow pace due to her own intoxicated state. Gentle stumbling aside they were soon shown to a mostly modern cabin complete with gravity based indoor plumbing. Even so, their actual bedroom, was a large hammock strung up under a skylight which let them see the fullness of the night sky from the protection of the indoors. "Here you are. Have a nice night~" mentioned the little fairy as she slipped off without much a care in the world. "Arigatou..." Miki managed as she stared at the hammock. Hammocks sounded really nice while she was sober, now she was wondering if she could manage to get in without falling all over the place.

[Bloodedge]

In light of the previous night, Kou had made a conscious effort to drink less than he had before. Better yet, the nectar provided in the Fairy Forest was a bit shy of Dwarven Ale as far as potency was concerned, so Kou was just sober enough to make his way to the hut without trouble when the time came. Miki seemed to have a less easy time, though she made it nonetheless. And lo, there it was at the end of the path... a room with an amazing view, and but a single hammock for the Adventurers to share. "Sankusu," he said to their Fairy guide while stepping into the hut. Looking at the hammock, he wondered genuinely if his companion would be alright, considering her stumbles down the hall. "Is this gonna be alright for you?" he asked with a certain level of legitimate concern.

[Apollymi]

Miki stared at the hammock for a little while longer before Kou's voice caught up with her. His question about whether she'd be alright for this was one she'd very recently asked herself, so she aimed for honesty. "Well... I kinda just asked myself the same question. I'm not as drunk as I was yesterday... I don't think, but I'd be super embarrassed if I fell trying to get into the hammock," she said with a quizzical expression. "So I'm just gonna get comfy and see what happens and you, you're gonna promise not to tell anyone if I fall..." she said in a moment of absolute seriousness, before devolving into laughter. It was obviously a joke and with that in mind the girl leaned against a wall and removed her boots, her cloak and even leaned her weapon in a corner nearby the hammock. Beyond her joking thoughts, she wondered how they would share this hammock, considering the amount of distance they normally put between themselves when they fell asleep. Deciding not to dwell on it too much she stared out at this phenomenal view and waited just a bit. Her own idea, to wait until Kou got into the hammock and then climb in after him.

[Bloodedge]

Kou raised a brow as his gaze fell upon Miki. She seemed well-off enough... just about. Knowing he was presently the more sober of the two though, he figured he should at least keep an eye out for the lass. As such, he kept her in sight as they both went on to discard all unnecessary articles and accessories, and as Miki stared into the sky, he hopped into the hammock and swung it toward the wall. After a single swing toward the wall, he reached out with his right hand and grabbed a windowsill to steady the hammock and himself, then offered his left hand to Miki. "It's fine; you won't fall. Come on," he said with his hand extended.

[Apollymi]

Having gotten down the the most comfortable items of her clothing to sleep in, Miki stood looking out at the sky even as she heard Kou getting into the hammock. Much to her surprise, when she turned back to look fully the lad had swung away from her, stopping the movement of the hammock as he did so. He made the claim that she wouldn't fall and was quite obviously intending to help her in to make sure of that. 'That's... really nice,' the girl thought. "Arigatou..." she replied aloud, and without further hesitation took the lad's hand. Upon doing this she didn't give the usual amount of thought to her actions, it simply seemed like the most normal thing in the world to do. Beyond this she used her own leverage to roll into the hammock in front of him. Doing this would leave the girl lying curled up against the lad's fore, facing Kou, though presently her body was low enough that when looking she could only see his chest without changing her present angle. It was rather obvious upon getting into this hammock that they wouldn't be able to have the same amount of space between them that they normally did, but, Miki was just the right side of intoxicated that she didn't care about this as much as she likely should.

[Bloodedge]

Kou's hand remained offered until Miki accepted it, and he had no intention of letting the girl refuse. He didn't have to stress this since she immediately reached out to take the aide, so there was nothing more to be said other than the response to her thanks. "Iie," was all that left his mouth. With that, Miki managed to make her way into the hammock, and Kou released his hold on the windowsill. This caused the hammock to rock beyond the center, but Kou had decent enough balance, as well as a hold on the blonde lass as it swayed toward its own balance. As this happened though, Kou also ended up horizontal with Miki oddly at-level with his chest. His eyes widened when he took note of this, but he had nothing to comment aloud. Yet still, the staring toward this girl returned briefly before he looked up to the night sky of the Fairy Forest.

[Apollymi]

Miki got to feel a very different sort of sensation as she curled against Kou the way she was presently. There was something exceedingly safe in being snuggled against the lad's chest. 'He's really nice... ending up trapped in another world with a nice guy, is kind of refreshing,' Miki thought. What stood out to her the most was that he'd taken her up on her offers and repeatedly treated her as his equal. There was something deeply satisfying about their interactions, which she would have had no words to properly express. Her gaze flickered upward for just a moment, and it was almost like she had something to say. She looked at Kou's chin, then flickered her gaze outwards towards the night sky, but then back towards Kou. But instead of saying anything, she just nuzzled in a bit further and let herself find the comfort to begin drifting off. "Goodnight, Kou..."

[Bloodedge]

The sky above would lose Kou's attention only once before he fell asleep, and it was specifically when Miki spoke to him. His gaze fell down to meet the girl, just in time to watch as her eyes closed. "Hai. Oyasumi..." he said as his sights returned to the sky. In a mere matter of minutes, Kou lowered his head and eyelids simultaneously, and this eventually led to a loss of consciousness for the lad. In spite of being in a hammock that wasn't exactly stationary, he felt an extreme amount of comfort. Kou would find himself sleeping more soundly than he had since entering this world, and would therefore sleep far longer than normal, in spite of a previous desire to wake before the blonde due to a certain something which occurred some time before he woke every morning...

[Apollymi]

Miki fell asleep gently to the swaying of their hammock tucked into the warmth of Kou's chest. His bidding of her a good night brought a small smile to her face as she drifted off. Perhaps because it was so rare for her to experience such wishes in life, it felt strangely special to her. Moreover she seemed rather at ease when she finally started to wake in the morning. She always had trouble waking up in the morning, but today was a bit different from most. The gentle swaying of the hammock made her mind wander. Sometime while she'd slept she rolled over, causing her to be shifted into spooning position with Kou, leaving her body as the little spoon. This wasn't really that strange, the only thing different about this was the fact that Kou was still in bed with her. She took great comfort in finding him still at her side when she woke, but her gentle waking caused her to become acutely aware of something poking her just above her rear. "Hmm... pokin'... me..." she muttered as her body shifted again, mostly to just find a way to maintain her current comfort without whatever was poking her. She was still just sleep enough that she hadn't registered what this could potentially be.

[Bloodedge]

A very deep slumber plagued Kou. It was as if the Adventurers had their roles reversed entirely from the perspective of sleeping this night, or at this point, morning. As Miki began to stir, Kou remained sound asleep with his mouth agape and saliva dribbling down his cheek. He didn't move at all... well, mostly. There was one specific thing he couldn't avoid, and it was the natural reaction of his body. As Miki moved with the intention to fix the problem of what was poking her, she would receive - instead of relief - a throb from that very thing. Indeed, that which poked the lass' lower back was none other than the erect member of the sleeping Kou, and he hadn't the foggiest idea what was happening.

[Apollymi]

Kou was plagued by a very deep slumber, and Miki was being surely woken by something she had no real explanation of. She'd moved her body to stop whatever was causing the poking discomfort in her lower back. Strangely as she moved she got a reaction and it was simply a pulsing sensation which seemed directly related to her movement. "Ugh... what is..." her mind hadn't quite caught up to what should be happening for Kou at this hour of the morning, given his male anatomy. Her lack of thought about this situation, made her reach behind her person, to press against that which poked her. Upon doing this her eyes popped open, as she was rather rudely awoken by the knowledge of what had been poking her in her lower back. 'HOLY SHIT! I just touched him... there. Fuck! What do I do?!' she mentally questioned as she tried to very carefully withdraw from his person and flip her body over. 'Think about it, calm down.' she spoke to herself fully and rudely awakened as she aimed to flip over, knowing if she did so she could simply pretend nothing had happened at all. And she could put space between the lower halves of their bodies.

[Bloodedge]

At long last, Kou finally began to awaken. The simple occurrence of Miki moving in a way which broke their original position caused him to stir by virtue of losing the comfort which let him sleep so soundly. His eyes opened ever so slowly as Miki rolled over, leaving him looking directly into her face by the time he properly gained consciousness. Ngh... ohayou... gozaima..." A yawn escaped him just before he finished speaking, giving him a moment of pause before he acknowledged this moment of waking properly. "Did you almost fall or something?" he asked, thinking this amount of movement so suddenly was very strange for any other reason.

[Apollymi]

Much to Miki's general dismay, Kou was now awake, no doubt due to her random movements. 'Oh shit! He's gonna know, I know... then what am I going to do?' her mind raced, but as the boy's good morning registered he seemed to wake himself up fully. What he addressed much to Miki's general happiness was the idea that she'd almost fallen. She was very much relieved by this, but the embarrassment of the previous moment was still very fresh on her face. "Mornings are kinda rough for me... I forgot I was in a hammock... and I moved too suddenly," she said, which was a true statement. Given the fact she literally fell out of bed every single day this wasn't even really surprising, or even a stretch of the imagination. "Gomen... I didn't mean to wake you. Ohayou~" the lass said as she calmed herself and very readily was able to move on from this junction of the conversation. "Did you sleep well?" she asked as she made moves to extricate herself from the hammock without rocking it too much. Once her feet hit the floor she'd properly stretch and toss around her hair as if nothing at all was amiss in her life.

[Bloodedge]

"Mm... right. Shouldn't move too much in a hammock. You're gonna fall," Kou said through a second yawn. He was beginning to gain a reasonable amount of consciousness over time. With it, he was capable of proper speech in due time, allowing him to respond more reasonably than he otherwise would have. "I should have been awake a long time ago. Ugh... I slept so hard," he said while lifting himself up a bit, finding it in himself to avoid yawning again. "This hammock is a lot better than I thought it would be."

[Apollymi]

"You literally watched me fall out of a bed when there was nothing to stop me... it's just part of my process," Miki said in jest. Having reached the proper amount of stretch she was able to shake the rest of sleep from herself, and even allow her mind not to dwell too much on the situation that had happened when she'd woken up first. In response to one of Kou's yawns the lass also yawned such was simply the case, she covered her mouth as she did this but still managed to respond in kind. "I know what you mean... there is a surprising bit of comfort to be had sleeping in a hammock," she said with a firm nod. She was also quite sure of this fact, though she hadn't quite pinpointed why this was the case. She'd slept in hammocks before but never achieved the level of comfort she had the previous night, whatever the case was... "If I go in the bathroom first, I won't come back to find you sleep again right?" she asked the lad mostly in jest. That being said, she was also more than willing to let him have first dibs as she'd taken it over yesterday and thought that to be fair.

[Bloodedge]

"Not the best process to have... but who am I to talk?" Kou asked in rhetoric. He once again stifled a yawn and kept himself awake. Miki abandoned the hammock, and left it all to Kou in doing so. Because of this, he fell back into position as if he actually intended to fall asleep again, though it wasn't a conscious desire of his at all. When asked about his retained consciousness in the event of Miki making use of the restroom first, he released a yawn he couldn't bother to cover. "Uhh... no promises," he answered.

[Apollymi]

Once again Miki entered the bathroom and shut the door behind her, and much like all of the previous places she'd been she found it strangely accommodating. Two of everything to be found here including towels with shower access and a spot for her to hang her discarded clothing items. She went about having a shower in waters warm like rain in the summer. It wasn't the type of shower she was used to, but she felt clean at the end. She even managed to wash her hair and redo it while she was in there, leaving it to air dry in its light dampness. Beyond this by the time she emerged her outfit was as good as new, completely clean and ready to be worn again... 'Hm, Fairies have some weird magic going on...' she mused, but she appreciated it nonetheless. The blonde-haired young woman spent a few minutes slipping back into her attire and once she was dressed again, she stood in front of the mirror brushing her teeth for a few minutes, in doing this her mind began to wander back to how she'd woken this day, and it immediately led to the most serious blush she'd ever presented in her life. 'I really hope he was sleep for that... then I can just pretend like I didn't accidentally grab his junk. Also how am I stupid enough to actually accidentally grab someone's junk?' she went on an entire mental tirade, completely forgetting about brushing her teeth for a moment as she slapped herself in the forehead a few times. Soon though she caught wind of herself in the mirror and calmed down. And with that she rinsed her mouth and stepped out into the world once again. Strangely this entire morning routine had only taken her about 15 minutes to complete. "It's all yours..." she mentioned of the bathroom and she stepped back towards the hammock where she'd be content to have a seat until the lad was done.

[Bloodedge]

Miki departed to take care of her bathroom-related needs for the morning, while Kou failed to move from the hammock. He looked up through the skylight again, watching as the sun's rays penetrated the forest to create vibrant streaks of light between the lush greenery all around. The view was serene, and Kou was put at ease all over again. There was enough silence that he could hear Miki shuffling about in the next room, which was... somehow comforting background noise as well. It took only fifteen minutes for her to complete all of her tasks, but when she returned and spoke, Kou was sprawled out over the hammock with his left arm and right leg hanging off, and not an ounce of consciousness within him.

[Apollymi]

When Miki returned her words fell upon deaf ears. Or to be more specific she came out to see an obviously unconscious Kou, sprawled out across the hammock as if he'd never woken up or shared it in the first place. She witness this sight and had to suppress the giggle she had building. Beyond that initial reaction Miki's heart was softened by such a sight and she found it comforting. Someone else's sleep shouldn't have mattered to her much at all, but finding him there and lost in his unconscious state without a care in the world somehow, made the lass feel warm inside. She approached the hammock cautiously unsure how to go about waking him in the first place. With this in mind she spoke to him while gently nudging his side. "I know you said no promises, but I didn't actually expect to find you sleeping when I got back. Come on now Kou it's time to wake up..." she murmured, though there was a softness to these words which she couldn't have explained if she tried. During all this the lass tried to wake him up and was in the present position to be the first thing he saw when he opened his eyes.

[Bloodedge]

Kou was snoring lightly when Miki approached him. It became louder when he was nudged, but Miki's voice eventually reached him. He stirred into an awake state again. When his eyes opened, Miki was the first and only thing he could see. "Mrmph..." he mumbled as he stared blankly into the girl's face. With another yawn, he managed to pull himself out of the hammock at last. "Haihai..." Without another word thereafter, the ashen-haired Adventurer trudged along to the restroom to freshen himself up for the day ahead.

[Apollymi]

It took a bit longer than the previous days early wakings would have implied. Even so, Kou soon woke enough to drag himself out of the hammock and begin his preparations of the day. This wasn't without a bit of strangeness though, as the lad stared at her quite blankly for a few moments after she woke. She had no real way to quantify this, but his staring made her feel as if she should hide her face, but by the time she had the thought he was already leaving. While Kou had his bathroom time, Miki sat in the hammock rocking after gathering the things she needed and putting her boots back on her feet. The only thing she hadn't grabbed yet was her weapon and she assumed that could wait for Kou's return. 'Hm, I guess we can actually go back to the blacksmith now, I wonder what he'll want to do after we get our next weapons?' the lass wondered in her mind. Strangely looking forward to whatever was next, in spite of the fact that it was likely going to be pretty dangerous.

[Bloodedge]

Roughly twenty or thirty minutes after entering the restroom, Kou emerged with his hair still soaked even though the rest of him had been dried off. He seemed to have woken enough to be alright. Back in the bedroom, he grabbed and reequipped each of his items one piece at a time, beginning with his shoes and ending with his sword. "I hope the blacksmith in Eonis can actually work with these materials well enough. Come to think of it... I think he might have been a player too. I never thought to check, but I thought the same thing about the queen here. Might be worthwhile to check before we head out." With his sword in place, Kou turned toward the exit door. "What do you think?"

[Apollymi]

Thirty minutes after he left, Kou was emerging from the bathroom. Miki had always been told girls take forever to get ready, but she had that sort of thing down to a science, noticing that it took a lad a normal amount of time to get ready gave the lass a bit of solace. Still she rocked herself back and forth in the hammock and when he spoke she listened. A few moments of consideration made her nod. "Well, I assume at the very least, if he asked for the materials he knows what to do with them. If he is a player like us, then helping us out will likely increase his skill level and that can make us friends... And it means we can keep using him, because he should in theory not be locked into a certain tier of skill. Well assuming that bit remains true between the game and here..." she said about the blacksmith, admittedly if he was a player she'd have to commend him on his accent because he was owning that. "Also he needs praise for that accent... it's really convincing," she finished up with no more to say about him.

About the current fairy queen she could also see that sort of thing as well. She seemed to be a bit flighty but the kinds of people who got sucked into alternate worlds and decided to make the best of it had to be a bit strange to start with. "We can probably check the Fairy Queen before we leave. At the very least, it's highly likely considering that Titania said about the last person to complete the maze, being her. Though that's a lot of other players, potentially. Gowther obviously realized it early, but I wonder if a lot of the people wandering around here are players... I mean... it'd make sense of the urban legend at least," Miki said thinking back to her own purchase of Age of Eternity which seemed like it was a life time ago. Whatever the case, Kou now seemed ready to venture out into the world and so she removed herself from the hammock and grabbed her spear and cloak equipping both. After making sure she still had all the things she needed in her pack she was content to go as well. "Let's find out..." she said about Dakini assuming they'd go out looking for the Fairy Queen, if only to make sure they could get out of this place with relative ease.

[Bloodedge]

"Hmm. Yeah. I guess it would be pretty good to have one blacksmith we can rely on all the way to max level. Maybe even past that. Say..." Kou paused upon realizing there was a certain topic they hadn't discussed. In fact, they had hardly talked bout the game Age of Eternity itself at all since meeting one another and confirming each other as players. "Did you ever make it past level 50?" he asked. As he recalled, it was the moment he reached level 50 and unlocked the Alter Ego Special Class that he was transported to this world. He wondered if the situation was no different for Miki. Assuming this discussion would carry on, and since the lass seemed ready to depart, Kou made his way out with the intention of continuing the conversation en route to Dakini's throne. "If Dakini is actually a player, that means a lot. Gowther's a king, but there are multiple Dwarf kingdoms. Dakini being a player means we can actually reach for the stars and grab them while we're here."

[Apollymi]

Miki could only nod. In all honesty the blonde-haired lass was the type who'd rather consult singular people than to have to go seeking out multiple new people each time she needed something. This way, if their Blacksmith was indeed a player, she could find him somewhat dependable and maybe even build a rapport between them. As she thought this over, a topic she'd yet to discuss with Kou came up in conversation, as he questioned if she'd reached level 50. "Uh... I got to exactly level 50. I spent a whole weekend playing Age of Eternity alone and binged on the experience. I confirmed I wanted Alter Ego and I ended up... here. I thought my game had crashed when I was trying to load into the Nexus. Playing this game in VR made my first few minutes here not weird, then frightening..." Miki confessed as they headed off towards the Fairy Queen's Throne.

As they walked, Kou showed a bit of optimism, stating that if Dakini was actually a player, then it meant they could literally go for anything while they were here. Miki hadn't really thought too much about it, at first she was only really concerned with surviving, but it was a nice thought that they might be able to get a bit further in their lives here. "That's a pretty good outlook. I think I am gonna stick with it, even if she isn't a player... it's nice to think you don't have to restrict yourself here..." she confirmed, as they made their way to Dakini's Throne. The blonde-haired fairy queen would be found sitting in the middle of a large sunflower like throne the very epitome of happiness. "Oi! You two sleep well? You look like you did~" she chimed in to the pair of them. Such words caused Miki to blush slightly, and she suddenly became very happy that she hadn't talked with Gowther after the night they'd spent in the Dwarven Kingdom. While looking abashed Miki had a look at Dakini's stats sheet and confirmed the secondary page, and beyond that got to see her username. 'Sugoi!' Miki thought, having gained her confirmation.

[Bloodedge]

"Sou ka. That's exactly what happened to me. I wonder if anyone has ever seen whatever's past level 50. What if... getting to level 50 here will just send us back?" Kou wondered aloud. It had become clear that the Alter Ego Class was at least partially linked to the transportation into this new world, but perhaps there was something else to it as well. Only time would tell for certain.

Soon, they were upon the Fairy Queen's throne, where Dakini herself sat in all her glory as matriarch. Her question of whether the Adventurers slept well would receive no verbal response from Kou. He was quite preoccupied scanning her parameters and pinning her ID from Age of Eternity as one he certainly recognized. The only words to leave his mouth would address this, seeming a bit unnaturally serious as he did. "Hmph. Of course you're the Fairy Queen. Ohayou, Shion-san."

[Apollymi]

"That'd be kind of rude... I'm enjoying this," Miki mentioned of her time to living in this world. Of course, like most people who did this sort of thing, she was committed to the idea of living out her best life in the world of her dreams, something like this was exactly what she was looking for out of her life. Beyond this though, the Fairy Queen received no answer to her question and instead was addressed by a name she hadn't heard in quite a long time. One she couldn't even say herself after appearing here. "Sh... Dakini. Yep. Still can't say that name. It's strange to me the boy with the tag, Geno Killer knows my name. Stay off my scoreboard!" the Fairy Queen stated seemingly in jest, though in truth she really couldn't say her own name, or feel anything remotely close to attachment to it, for whatever reason. Though the mention of a scoreboard seemed to remind her of something, she shook away the thought. "Whatever, probably doesn't matter very much now... I can't really tell you much about this though..." she explained rather quickly. She knew of others who were players and knew these two to be players. Admittedly there was something strange about this pair, and it was mostly their instant formation of a party and their adventures together. 'He... recognizes her, from before...' Miki thought, feeling very strangely about this, and because she had no words for the feelings, she kept them to herself. As much as she could in the presence of the fairies. Her internal alteration in mood made Dakini look towards her again as if to comfort her. This look made Miki's face turn red, and she turned away rather quickly.

[Bloodedge]

Kou had expected Dakini to be a player, but he somehow hadn't expected her to be the girl who reigned supreme as Age of Eternity's #1 player. Her mention of his username brought something of a cheeky grin to Kou's face. "It's just about too late for that. If I didn't end up here, I think I would have taken the title from you in another few hours," he boasted. Whether this was true or not was something Kou left up to Dakini's interpretation, but that wasn't the matter of importance here. Sadly, Dakini had no information regarding their existence in this world. And yet, Kou had a certain curiosity regarding her disappearance from their world... so he stated a specific fact rather openly. "You're Fairy Queen, level 50, and very high-tier in your build. That's weird... since you've only been missing school since about a week ago," he said. There was a strange time discrepancy in Dakini's disappearance as a human and the level she was at here now, even given her record in the game. The reason he knew of this was simply... because Kou attended the same school as the human named Shion.

[Apollymi]

"Puh-lez, I've been on Age of Eternity since the early Alpha. No way a few hours would have had you taking my spot..." Dakini said, apparently the lass was quite serious about her games. It was in this moment Miki realized where she'd heard the name Shion before. Shion Tatara was a girl who attended the same high school as Miki, and was considered a professional gamer. So much so, that she got an excused absences to make appearances at gaming conventions. 'Sou ka...' Miki thought for a few seconds. But what was said by Kou next made Miki's eyes widen quite a bit. 'Wait that means he also goes to my school?!' this was now something a very different bit of strange for Miki, realizing that she was basically making friends within her high school was strange indeed. "A week huh? Well... time passes different in this world, and even more differently from that within the Fairy Forest. You stayed the night here, more than a week as passed in the lands outside of this space. And if one talked to people outside of this place about me, they'd tell you I've been around for a few years. Everywhere is different though... I became Queen of the Fairies because this quest was the last one I was working on so I knew how to trigger it. You know after getting over the initial, OMG where the fuck am I thing..." Dakini explained of her current living situation.

[Bloodedge]

Kou wasn't too bothered by the potential comparisons between himself as Geno Killer and Dakini as Age of Eternity's top player. However, her claim that his rise was impossible in the mentioned amount of time made Kou reach into the pack by his rear. A single movement from there, and he was tossing toward Dakini the very same mask fragment he'd obtained during his last moments of gameplay. If nothing else, he was sure this would prove his point well enough. "I know where the next two pieces are. I only need the location of one more, but my score for collecting that piece should be set already."

Moving on, Kou received confirmation of the way time was skewed between this world and theirs, and Dakini stressed that there was even more of a difference here within the Fairy Forest. "So we've been here a few days, but it could have been only a few hours back home? That means times is passing the same way it does when you just leave the game on. I wonder if there's a way to use that..."

[Apollymi]

Dakini was about to be surprised by something, and it wasn't at all what she expected. Her little playful pissing match with the lad known as Geno Killer ended with him tossing a mask fragment towards her. She caught it and stared at it her eyes widening greatly. "WHAT?! You got a Fragment of the Mask of the Dragon Emperor!?" she was all but shocked. This was some recently released content and no one really knew where to find all of it. There were cooperative groups of people trying to work out how to get all of the pieces and here he just had one. 'Ano, this is a weird interaction between two obviously intense gamers. I wonder if I am considered a casual by such people...' Miki wondered choosing not to enter into this particular group at all. She sucked her teeth but threw the Mask Fragment back. "Ugh, whatever! I'm the Fairy Queen! I don't much care about the other stuff anymore. Still, at least you'll be worth watching for a while," she said conceding the lad's skill at the very least.

As their conversation moved on, it seemed that the lad had some kind of idea about how the passage of time related to their in-game or in-world time in this case. "Ah, something like that, the game was like on 24 minute days... This world is probably on a similar conversion, which means you have all the time in the world to level up," she said with a curteous nod. "Oh and I feel like it goes without saying, if you two get the funding together for your guild. I'll be nice and back you up too..." she commented which made Miki smile. 'Sou ka, she's pretty nice for a sort of delinquent.' was the thought that passed the girl's mind. "Oi, if you make it to the Dragon's Gate... you gotta come back and tell me about it. Also you need the key to the Gate not just the Mask..." she added in. As a person who was a bit of an insider she was aware of several aspects concerning the game. She wasn't sure they completely translated to this world, but they could potentially and she'd rather her friends be ready for it. "Arigatou Gouzaimasu... one more question, how do we leave the Fairy Forest exactly?" Miki asked as it was clear this realm wasn't directly apart of the normal one, at least not in the same way as walking around outside would lead one to believe.

[Bloodedge]

"Hai. The last thing I did was finish the quest that got me that piece. The next two were coming soon," Kou stated to the queen. His hand rose again to catch the returned mask fragment, and as he returned it to his pack, he offered some clarification. "If you were wondering, this came of a rare spawn rogue Goblin Lord. Next was going to be a Kijin."

An interesting note to make within Kou's mind was the time-shift between worlds, and how the Nexus could react to it. They already had strange interactions with the world's Nexus. If these notions went as far as he thought they would, he figured something very interesting could be done by interfacing with the Nexus in other ways. Irrespective of all that, the Adventurer pair was given the approval of the Fairy Queen to start their Guild whenever they had the means. There were only three faction approvals to go now. Additionally, Dakini referenced the Dragon's Gate and the fact that they also required a key if they wished to utilize it. "The Bones of Rathma? She has it," he said, tilting his head in a gesture toward his companion Miki.

[Apollymi]

Kou explained how he'd come across the Mask Fragment and Dakini managed to be surprised. From what she'd experienced of the game, the only way to encounter that sort of rare spawn would have been to pursue Goblin hordes as a somewhat ridiculous amount. In fact, it likely would have required killing only them for an extended period of time. "You killed enough Goblins to spawn a rogue Goblin Lord? That's...intense actually, there isn't anything like that here anymore. If what you are wanting next is to go hunting for Kijin be careful, they only come in high level... they'll be dangerous," she said, it seemed that though this girl in life was an extreme form of gamer. As a the Fairy Queen within the game she wouldn't see any harm coming to her ambassadors.

The mention of the Dragon Gate and the subsequent pieces required to access it, made Dakini's gaze shift. This wasn't because she was simply done with the conversation but because it was mentioned that one of the other pivotal pieces for it, was already in the possession of this pair. Most specifically, that Miki had it, this made the Fairy Queen's eyes widen. "How many people were coming for me? How the hell did you get the Bones of Rathma?" she asked of Miki, the other blonde had the nerve to look embarrassed as she explained how she got such an item, while she pulled it from within her robes to be seen by the Fairy Queen. "It dropped as loot from an Orc Lord I encountered. Also I wasn't interested in your spot or anything. I was just having fun, Age of Eternity was going to be my immersive solo-experience," Miki mentioned of her gaming experience. "Orc Lord too... so both of you, chose a creature type and went in on it enough to see the rarest spawns. Then you both spawned here and low levels, and found each other... and partnered up, managing to somehow become friends and not just end up in a standoff because creep factor. Alright..." the Fairy Queen said. Still there was something a bit too convenient about these two finding each other, and partying up at low levels only to end up together for the long haul in their adventure. 'Perhaps the Nexus did it on purpose...' mused the Fairy Queen. "That's pretty interesting. You're closer to it than I thought, when you make it that Dragon Gate... I wanna know about it. As for leaving the Fairy Forest... If you follow the path out there, you'll be able to re-emerge somewhere near that ravine. To be honest, it should let out somewhere near Eonis. Here..." she said a dusting of glowing fairy dust to lead them on their way out of the forest.

[Bloodedge]

"They're around somewhere. Goblins are tricky and their superiors don't like to come out of hiding. They'd much sooner send all the little ones out to keep bringing back women to breed," Kou said, having done enough Goblin hunting to be very aware of the lore behind the creatures. Tapping his temple with his forefinger, he continued the clause. "That's what makes Goblins tricky. They learn at the same rate as humans." Frankly, Kou was glad he didn't have to repeat the quests he did to receive this mask fragment now that he was in this world. What he came to realize as they moved on to speak about the Bones of Rathma though, was something concerning. "Five total factions hiding five key pieces to the Dragon's Gate. I don't like this series of numbers being so common around here."

Kou was content to ignore the coincidence surrounding Miki and himself discovering one another at such an early point. If it was important, it would rise as a piece to a bigger puzzle eventually. Turning to the exit as Dakini lit the way, he stepped forward at a slow pace. In doing so, he was able to keep speaking without worry of not being heard. What he had to say... was his response to Dakini wanting to know about the Dragon's Gate. "You mean you want to be involved? The leaks about the Dragon's Gate implied it's not something that can be done with less than six people. The devs didn't even think you would be able to handle it with a small or sub-par party."

[Apollymi]

The extra information about goblins being spoken aloud in such a way sent shivers down the spines of both Dakini and Miki. "Eww... goblins." they said in unison. Such was a rather obvious tell for their shared actual trait of being actual girls. But while they had this shared moment of understanding, Kou seemed to be working through another aspect of the world they were currently in. The number five did seem to come up a lot. They needed five people to back them as a guild. There were five pieces needed to open the Dragon Gate, it seemed to be the sort of thing that wouldn't just say down. 'Hm, five is a rather common number. Strange though it might be...' Miki thought as she looked at the now glittering trail out of the Fairy Forest. There was a bit of information shared between the Fairy Queen and the lad, about this Dragon Gate adventure. "Well, if it can't be done with less than six people, when you guys are up to level I wouldn't mind tagging along for something so potentially good. And no worries, I'm not in it for the loot... I just want the recognition!" Dakini's motivations were very obvious and it was becoming ever clearer how she'd ended up being Japan's number one player. With all that in mind. "I'm sure Gowther would find it pretty interesting too..." Dakini mentioned. Miki had a thought about this, and wondered if the faction backers they found would all end up being in their party when they went to take the Dragon Gate. If that ended up being the plan over all, it'd be pretty interesting considering the sort of things she'd seen from all of them so far. 'A DPS-Caster, a TANK-Warrior, a DPS-Warrior, and a Combo-Rogue... that's the start of an interesting party... to be fair,' Miki thought. As she followed Kou heading out of the Fairy Forest.

Continue the Adventure Here (http://www.roleplayuniverse.net/forums/showthread.php?853-The-Kingdom-of-Eonis&p=11440&viewfull=1#post11440).