Dwargon

[Bloodedge]

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7832/33497618748_d9d0dd50b9_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/T3541Q)

[Apollymi]

Their ride continued as they approached the Kingdom of Dwargon. Miki stayed clinched to the boy's backside through the bumps and rumbles along the road, though her own mind wandered as well. 'I don't blame him now for holding on so tight... everything this Ryuuko moves suddenly I feel like I could go flying.' she thought quietly as the landscapes changed around them, her own cloak billowing in the wind behind the mounts movements. 'Still, I don't mind having someone this dependable on my side...' she smirked while maintaining the same grip. She tried not to be a bother to this lad as they traveled in this way but couldn't help but feel comfortable and warm, even while clinging to his back in such a way.

[Bloodedge]

'Keep it together, keep it together...' Kou had resorted to chanting to himself mentally, if only as a coping mechanism for the girl pressed against his back. In due time, their mount brought them through the mountain range to the gates of Dwargon, one of the major cities belonging to the Dwarf race. It was an incredible location to behold, covered in snow and surrounded by icy mountains on all sides. The Ryuuko they rode stopped before they reached a line of travelers aiming to enter the city, and the beast beneath them disappeared. Kou was in a decent enough position to land on his feet without issue, but he hadn't banished the creature willingly. "Hm. Must be one of those places that doesn't let you ride a mount in game. I wonder how that worked out here though..."

[Apollymi]

Whatever discomfort this lad had about their current seating arrangement it would go unnoticed by Miki and would eventually be alliveated as they came across the dwarven city Dwargon. Seeing this massive place, tucked into the icy mountainside was breath-taking. Miki leaned away from the lad for the first time, simply to stare up in wonder. "Sugoi!" she muttered outright. This was of course, right before their mount disappeared from beneath them. It was kind of sudden, but the girl had the reaction speed of her classes on her side and managed to fall into stride soon after her fall without any problem. "Hm, I guess it would make sense if we can't just ride mounts inside a city..." she mused as she took note of the line of travelers headed into the city. "Perhaps they just worked it out so monsters can't enter... I heard there are some high class barriers like that..." she stated without much thought. "Think we should just join the line?" she asked of him seeing as it seemed to the only way inside it wasn't really a question, as they intended to go inside regardless.

[Bloodedge]

"Yeah, that would make sense. It'd especially be a problem if we were invaders bringing a leveled Ryuuko in," Kou replied to the girl's assertion. As they approached the line and Miki questioned whether Kou thought they should join it, the male Adventurer gave it some thought. In a few cities within the game, he'd seen lines similar to this one, but never were they of any importance. As such, he thought to attempt something he figured could work in this reality as well. "We might be able to cut ahead by right of being Adventurers. Those people in Eonis acknowledged us as Adventurers, so it seems to be linked pretty hard to how the game works that way. I think it's worth a shot," he said while moving ahead of the others hoping to enter Dwargon. The looks he received as he passed person by person were not all too friendly, but Kou did his best to ignore them. After all, he was more bothered by the expressions on the tavern-goers before he spent the night in Eonis with Miki. Soon, he was upon the front gate, beside the line and in front of the guards. "Hold there! Back in line!" one guard said with a spear aimed at Kou's face. "Whoa, easy! We're Adventurers. Is there any way we can gain entry by agreeing to help out around town?" asked Kou, who had both hands in the air after the guard's rather threatening movement.

Two guards exchanged glances with one another, with the most distant of the pair nodding to the other. "Adventurers, huh? Where's your passes?" asked the guard who remained in front of Kou. When asked this, the lad seemed surprised. He had no idea what an Adventurer's pass was, and there was certainly no such thing on his person. With that in mind, he looked toward Miki. "Err... any idea what he's talking about?"

[Apollymi]

It seemed her possible explanation for why they couldn't ride into the city was accepted and this was enough for Miki. Strangely though, when she asked if they should join the line, after giving it some thought, Kou chose to cut it a bit and see if they could get in a bit early. Miki followed along, to avoid getting separated, but unlike Kou she met the uncomfortable gazes of the people she passed without flinching. 'The more people we encounter... the more it seems like they don't know they are NPCs... what if they don't know they are part of a game? I mean that is a bit 'Matrix-y' but their reactions are all a bit too real for it to be a UI thing...' Miki pondered the realness of this world quite a bit, mainly because she'd been human in her other world and knew of dangers, but the more they did with the people around them, the more she began to suspect something was amiss with the idea that they'd simply been teleported into the game. The long standing game mechanics not withstanding. Before she could continue to let her mind wander with her now soured expression, she found herself standing alongside Kou who now had a spear pointed at him as he tried to explain they were adventures. She turned her eyes towards this guard and shrugged gently. "Never heard of an Adventurer's Pass before... I wouldn't even know where to get one," the girl mentioned. She'd never thought of what it would mean to move around in a place that acted as its own world, perhaps they'd get to know soon enough what all this guard meant. Still, she remained still so as not to draw too much attention to herself and tried for serene in her facial expression.

[Bloodedge]

Miki had no clue what an Adventurer's Pass entailed either, leaving Kou to turn toward the guard again and shrug. "Gomen, gomen. No dice on the passes, but we're Adventurers, I swear!" he said while placing both hands on his hips and leaning his torso back slightly. The first of two guards didn't seem to appreciate these two claiming to be Adventurers without passes, but they clearly weren't in the know. "You can't call yourselves Adventurers if you aren't even in a Guild! Join a Guild and come back, or get in line like everyone else!" he demanded. At this moment, the other guard had a realization which led him to tap his companion. He was looking at these two with a twinkle in his eye, and nodded toward them just as they were being turned away. The same twinkle appeared in the more talkative guard's eye before he spoke again. "Wait... I guess we could use the help. We'll let you in this time, but I expect to see a Guild Card before you come back. Go on in," he said while shifting his spear away from Kou, clearing the way for the pair's entry. "A guild, huh? I guess that's worth looking into. Anyway, might as well get moving." With that said, Kou gave one final nod to Miki before moving on and into the city walls.

[Apollymi]

The look on Miki's face shifted back to sour when it became obvious they were being turned away simply for not being part of a guild. Such a thing seemed a bit astounding to her, because the only guild function she remembered from the game was for partying up, perhaps such a thing had a different function now that they were within the game, much like the auction house had become the black market. She stared at the man who aimed to turn them away, only to have her eyes shift to the guard who tapped him on the shoulder. She took note of the twinkle in his eye, and the one which went to the eye of the other guard, as she mentioned a change in his stance on letting them in. Apparently he thought the kingdom could use them in some way, and beyond all that he claimed he'd let them through this time on the honor that they'd be part of a guild when they came back through. "Hai!" Miki said as she moved with him into the City walls. 'That's a really weird function for a game to try and force on two players... it's a really immersive and expansive game. It literally lets you choose most things, why would being pulled into it, change the functions of it in such a way?' the girl pondered. "Hm, so do we see what kind of help the Kingdom needs, or do we just go find a blacksmith and assume we will eventually be lead to the end goal because of how these things tend to work?" she asked of Kou. Still now that she was speaking she looked around the internal part of the city with wander in her eyes. "Sugoi! This place is huge in here. And everything is so well put together!"

[Bloodedge]

Kou moved into the city while glancing over his shoulder at the guards, seeming to be contemplating something quite heavily. 'Hmm...' Whatever he was thinking came to a halt when Miki spoke, bringing his attention to her immediately. When this happened, he was staring strangely at the girl for no apparent reason at all, and he answered with an unusual amount of nonchalance. "We came to the Dwarves because they're better blacksmiths than anyone else, normally. Any blacksmith who's the owner of his own shop should be able to refine Magic Crystals into Magisteel, and if they do that, there has to be a mine somewhere. If we find a smith, we find work. Find work that involves sending us to the mine, and we can collect the materials for our own stuff."

[Apollymi]

Miki looked around this place until she got the sneaking suspicion that the lad with her was looking her direction. Her eyes cut to him and she confirmed this, before he answered her inquiry with an amount of nonchalance that was a tad shocking. "Sou ka, is that what you were thinking about, Kou? I only ask because you were looking at me pretty strangely for a second there..." she mentioned. She was obviously fine with doing the grind intensive work which would be mining in order for them to get the weapons they needed. That being said, finding a shop worth working with would be a bit intense. As she looked around just this corner, she saw at least three different blacksmiths buildings peppered around. Each with obvious different things they worked on, but still it was rather surprising to see so many in such a small area. She was beginning to wonder if the dwarves didn't take their crafting a bit too seriously but she supposed they'd find out soon enough.

[Bloodedge]

Attention was brought to Kou's strange moment of staring. He didn't seem very bothered by this, and in fact, he continued looking at the girl while maintaining an overall odd demeanor. "No. That... wasn't exactly what I was thinking about," he said just as casually as the words he'd spoken previously. With that, he set his eyes forward again. The occasional glance was spared in every direction along the path he led, though none of the smiths they passed were worthwhile. He continued forward in search of something very specific, and while retaining his tone, he explained this along the way. "Up here should do it. Dwarves work hard, but rich people are always lazy. The best blacksmith should be in the richest area of the city, here," he said. Along the lines of what he claimed, Kou was soon stopped in front of an elaborate blacksmith shop with very expensive-looking swords draped along the back wall. The smith was hard at work even now with all of these weapons pre-made, giving Kou the idea that there was a special order in the works at the time. "Yep. This place provides for the nobles. They need something close, something the commoners won't even think about coming to... something just for them."

[Apollymi]

Apparently the layout of the city and where they were going weren't the foremost thoughts on the lad's mind. Strangely, he made no effort to clear this up, and even continued to stare at Miki in a way that made her shift slightly under his gaze. 'What's that look all about?' she wondered her face shifting slightly. Even so, they were on the move once more, past even the first few shops and well into the middle of the city. While they moved he spoke on the matter of rich people needing their good shops nearby. She supposed she'd never considered it from such a perspective. 'Sou ka, that's what he thinks about that... I suppose he isn't really wrong, but it's a pretty crude way of thinking,' the girl pondered the lad's point. Even so they came upon this shop with ornately done things in the background while the smith within was hard at work regardless of his already high amount of stock. "This kind of reminds me of a bakery I like..." she muttered to herself. Seeing all of the pre-made items, but knowing herself and people like her usually had custom tastes in mind. "Hai, that all sounds fine, but if he's used to providing for nobles, then why would he help a pair of low level adventurers... who apparently can't even call themselves adventurers?" she asked. If it was simply a point of pride, shop owners generally chased off those who didn't seem like they could afford the services, none would expect a couple of low-ranking adventurers to be capable of buying anything. The way she saw it, they'd likely only get anything if they were implicitly looking for work, or if the craftsman really needed some extra hands.

[Bloodedge]

"Because," Kou said quickly as he passed the threshold to be considered the entrance of the shop. "There's one other thing rich people like having." Without feeling the need to say another thing on the matter, Kou approached the blacksmith directly. His countenance hadn't changed at all since he first set foot in the city, but there was a great purpose in his gaze as he set it upon this brown-haired Dwarf. "You look busy. I'll get to the point. We're Adventurers looking for work, off the books. Need more Magic Crystals?" he asked, catching the eye of the smith right away. The Dwarf looked over Kou, then over Miki. "Off the books, huh? Well, off the record... I've got work for ya' in Cidna Mine. If you make it back with some good crystal, I'll pay ya' a few coins."

Kou seemed to have expected such a reaction from this Dwarf who looked at the pair as one would a disposable utensil. That was fine with him, as it was all a means to an end. "We don't want coin. We just want a few slabs of Magisteel, so how much crystal are you looking for?" asked Kou. The smith stopped his hammering for a moment to think, considering the order he had and what would be the most beneficial agreement for him, and him alone. "One slab for every fifteen crystals. That's all I'm offerin' some no-name Adventurer." With that, there was no more to be said. Kou turned away from the blacksmith, taking a moment to look toward Miki in case she had anything to add, but he was content to move on and get to work regardless.

[Apollymi]

Miki watched as the interaction unfolded. Kou's statement about something else that rich people enjoyed having made her understand immediately. More than anything, they wanted product, when they wanted it, regardless of what was required to get it. With that in mind, the blacksmith they'd gone to, was obviously willing to compromise the legality of his work, in order to get someone to go gather the materials he was looking for. "Sou ka." she muttered coming to a full understanding of what they were about to do. Somewhere in this place was something called Cidna Mine, which she could assume wasn't a very pleasant place given they could go there without needing anything in particular. And they were apparently on the hunt for crystals. She'd done this sort of work a bit in another part of the map, but she'd lucked out in the place she'd been. She didn't imagine the magic crystals would be quite as plentiful here, but she supposed that would be fine long run as long as the pair of them got everything they needed. "Hai, later, Ojii-san," she said content to follow after Kou.

Once they were on the move again she chuckled finding this whole situation rather interesting. "He just sent us to do either something dangerous, or something impossible or yes. Still, your analysis of these situations are pretty spot on," she complimented the lad content. She found his mind a rather interesting thing, and wondered what kind of person he was outside of the game.

[Bloodedge]

Both Adventurers left the shop without needing another thing. Kou had seen a map of the area in the middle of the street numerous times, so he knew there was a quick reference to where this Cidna Mine was. As he moved toward one of the map boards, Miki spoke on the topic of his situation analysis. "It didn't take much. Like I said... there's something rich people like having, and everybody who's not at the very top is missing it in some way," he said, stopping his clause while stopping in front of a city map. Once he was certain which direction the mine was in, he began walking off while continuing his speech. "Rich people want more for less, and they know those who don't have as much will do more for less. For every piece of Magisteel he gets from us, he'll make hundreds of gold. I doubt it's dangerous or impossible, but think about all the other miners we'll be competing with to get those crystals. It also bugs me that he said if we make it back, though."

[Apollymi]

Miki soon found herself in front of a city map, which was apparently where Kou had been going for a reference to the spot known as Cidna Mine. Miki also looked at the map, for several seconds even while Kou spoke. As she looked at it, she got an idea of where the mine was, as well as where everything else immediately surrounding it was. Especially in reference to the shop they had to go back to, having a fairly reasonable understanding of this particular place she also walked along with the lad. She could understand what he meant about rich people wanting to get the most out of their money for the least possible expenditure. After all, one didn't keep money they made by spending it recklessly. Even son, the bits about mining which bothered him, were also the bits which bothered her, and she was glad to know she wasn't the only one bothered by the smith's cryptic words. "Yeah, I am also bothered by that... what exactly happens to people in this mine?" she questioned, her mind deep in thought. 'If it was the usual thing, I'd just assume those who went in were bad at prospecting and got themselves trapped. If there are monsters, we're adventurers and that wouldn't be so much of a problem. If the other people are a problem, same thing, but I'd rather not have to fight a person over something as minuscule as a crystal. No, it literally can't just be normal... unless its a bunch of things at once which decrease the chances,' she had this thought and decided to see it out.

[Bloodedge]

Cidna Mine wasn't incredibly close to the blacksmith they'd visited, but it wasn't too far away either, and it came into view in due time. Once it did, Kou was able to react to Miki's curiosity. He could see numerous guards positioned around the mine's entrance, and only imagined there were more within. He remained in a strange way, but there was a certain gleam of anticipation in his eye. "This is... a puzzle," he claimed, having already found pieces to be fit together in addition to whatever came next. They would approach the mine without any interference from its guards, but in getting close enough to pass the group, Kou too note of how well-fitted they were for keeping trouble out of the mines.

[Apollymi]

"A puzzle?" the girl questioned. It was a strange notion, but perhaps such a way of thinking about it, would make it easier to consider. As they approached this mine, she noticed a great number of guards surrounding it, all of them seemed to be ready to fight, but did nothing to stop them from entering it. 'Strange, if they aren't here to keep people who want to work out... maybe they are there to keep something in?' the girl thought to herself. Obviously whatever pieces of this puzzle that already existed were in place and she simply didn't know what they all were, or rather she hadn't connected individual pieces as being related. But that wasn't how her mind worked anyways. Instead she was content to follow Kou inside and figure out how to find the crystals he was looking for.

[Bloodedge]

"Yeah..." Kou confirmed. Still, there were a few missing elements to be found before this puzzle could be solved. Another would appear quite soon though, whether the pair knew it or not. Knowing the likelihood of the blacksmith offering them the worst of the crystals they gathered in the form of Magisteel, Kou figured their best bet would be to take the time to gather the highest-quality crystals. As such, he opted for using his Type: Mage to sense for the highest collections of Mana in the area. "I'm pinging," he announced as if he were playing the game at present. His sensing ability went outward in bursts like a sonar, and much to his expectation, it was as if they'd stumbled upon a thick shroud of Mana by walking into the mine. Still, there was a higher concentration to be found. Kou began walking deeper, but pinpointing the location of what he sought was only becoming more difficult as he stepped more into the thickness of this ambient energy. There was something quite perplexing about this. "Sou... Hard to believe there's an ore that huge that hasn't been messed with yet. This mine is too busy for that," he said, speaking as low as he could to still be heard over the sound of many pickaxes resonating through the mine.

[Apollymi]

As they began to wander into the cave, Kou seemed to have in mind how he intended to prospect for crystals. She assumed he had some sort of technique or option in mind, but strangely, what he chose to do was more useful and equally surprising to her. The term 'pinging' was used frequently on message boards for group quests when a mage was using sensory techniques. The lad had shown all the skills of a swordsman, but had typed himself a mage in his character creation. That combination was almost unheard of, and at the very least, Miki hadn't come across it while she hopped from lobby to lobby. "Sugoi! You chose 'Mage' as your type? That's really weird..." she mentioned, finding it strange but innovative. She wondered what kind of idea he had about the gameplay to choose that combination for his initial character. Still she followed along after him, deeper into the mine as he kept looking for what she assumed where high-quality crystals. "Maybe they don't know about it, the other miners might not be able to sense the magic," she hypothesized. "Or... maybe it's dangerous to get to, mining isn't historically the safest kind of work to do, and considering how magic crystals are made, maybe they are afraid to get close to it..." She whispered her statements as well, as to not be overheard. There was still something not right about this situation, and she wasn't quite sure what it was.

[Bloodedge]

Into the thick of the Mana they went, and Miki went on to address Kou's choice in Type. He raised a brow while turning his head to look at her. "Is it? I don't check the meta or anything; I figured a swordmage would be pretty fun to play," he said, seeming to have become just a bit more conscious of his human existence. Moving on though, there was the matter of the dense Mana that managed to exist to such an extent in the mine. Miki had a couple of theories involving this, and the very last one spoken hit home for Kou in an interesting way. "That's the missing piece! Magic Crystals come from long-term exposure to something with strong Mana. Even if what I'm sensing is crystal, there has to be something in the mine that's..." Kou trailed off without finishing his sentence. There was but one reason for this, and it was the presence of a fully-visible and massive ore vein of crystal on the verge of becoming high-quality Magic Crystal. Around this vein was another group of guards even more heavily-armed than those at the entrance. "Oh. I get it."

[Apollymi]

It was stated by Kou that he hadn't checked the meta before choosing his character's type and class. Miki found that strange but she didn't consider it to be game breaking or anything similar. What was more interesting to her is that it didn't even line up with regular affinities. "I mean, not checking the meta is fine, but that is completely out of the box. Sword-users would think of being strong in a more direct way... warrior would have been the most sensible thing... but this is much more interesting," she mused aloud. It was strange, but as her normal self, she would have found this combination worth looking into in the lad's case. She thought him interesting enough as is, and he was proving himself to be a very different sort of person. With that in mind it was only natural for her mind to begin to wander about the lad behind the screen, so to speak.

As they moved along in conversation something in her idea list resonated with Kou. He claimed to have all the pieces now, and went on to give a minor rant which detailed the important bits. But before he was able to say exactly what he was thinking, they stumbled upon the ore vein they were looking for and it was even more heavily guarded than the front of the cave had been. 'I wonder if he was going to say there had to be someone here who the guards don't want anyone finding out about ... that seems about the right line of thought. This could be dangerous then... more dangerous than normal,' she said. And suddenly what had seemed to be their safest initial option became a tad bit more daunting. "So, how do we approach this?" she asked in a low voice. Whatever he now understood, she was sure he'd fill her in on if he could, or she'd find out soon enough.

[Bloodedge]

"That's why I chose Mage. Instead of following whatever everyone else thinks is the best path, I'd rather do something different and see if I can make it better. It's more fun that way," Kou said to explain the reason behind his choice. The way he saw it, he could achieve the same - if not better - results as a Warrior Saber by making a Mage Saber. He thought of it as a simple difference between destroying everything in front of him with raw power, and doing the same thing with energy and additional effects. "When I'm like this, I feel like I made the right choice. I've got a decent grasp on all the skill I have with a sword, but then there's the tricky magic stuff added to it. It feels good."

As they were placed before heavily-armed guards and a very plentiful supply of Magic Crystals, Kou gave consideration to a few things. He had truly committed to treating this ordeal as he would a puzzle, and took many of the things he'd noticed thus far as key pieces to solving it. "Guards around open crystals that haven't been touched, guards on the outside, and enough Mana around that vein to cover my whole screen if we were playing the game normally. I think... we should..." The more he thought about the situation, the more everything pointed toward one eventuality. With this in mind, he spoke loudly enough to be heard by the guards and any nearby miners. "Meh, this is too much to deal with! I think we should just leave," he said, immediately garnering the attention of the guards, as well as some interesting frightened expressions aimed his way by the miners who heard him. The guards seemed ready to move at any moment after hearing this, but Kou was quick to speak further. "Or... actually, it'd probably be fine to do a bit of mining. This looks like a good spot, doesn't it?" he asked of Miki while looking to her with hidden intent.

[Apollymi]

Though she didn't expect him to, Kou went on to explain his choice in type and class. This simultaneously cleared up what he had in mind and what kind of personality he had, at least in Miki's eyes. She could respect the lad's moxie, and desire to try something new, travelling the unbeaten path and all of that. "Hm, I see... that's pretty cool," she said of the boy's reasoning. The more they chatted the more she could honestly say she enjoyed the lad's company.

Still there was the matter of the actual mine to get to, and as they stopped in one of the deeper reaches, it seemed that Kou was processing the area as if it was a puzzle. At the very least, there was a lot of small hints and clues to be picked up on, as miners all seemed scared when he mentioned leaving loudly enough to be heard. And the guards all seemed to be at attention for a moment until of course he mentioned staying for a while. "Hai, I guess this is as good a place to start as any~" she agreed, her scowling face taking in all that she saw in this moment. 'I wonder what kind of problem this is going to be... it seems like it will be obvious pretty soon,' stated mentally.

[Bloodedge]

The second statement of Kou, combined with the affirmation by Miki, seemed to put the guards at least somewhat at ease for the moment. Kou was sure this wouldn't stop them from being viewed as a suspicious pair henceforth, but it seemed they were stuck in the mine regardless, unless they wanted to try fighting their way out against a group of guards above their level. 'Kuso. I probably could have done that better. If only there was a way to... No, wait,' he thought. If they were simply playing Age of Eternity and it somehow registered their voices as their characters', a way around this would have simply been to use the in-game private messaging system. They were Party members, so it would be assumable that they could be considered on each other's friends list if such a thing were possible here and now. Kou began staring at Miki, maintaining very direct eye contact while trying to focus a message from his mind. He would eventually succeed without realizing he'd done so, after quite a few attempts. '... No, that doesn't seem to be working. What if I just think "backslash whisper" or something? No, that'd be dumb. Hmm...'

[Apollymi]

It seemed this pair would be resolved to this situation for at least a while. 'Hm, I wonder what he will come up with next...' she questioned as her gaze soon shifted towards the lad. Rather suddenly, she found herself staring at this lad and he was staring back. 'Why is he looking at me?' she wondered within her own mind. Still she couldn't really look away, not for quite a few seconds and then she caught what she could have sworn was a thought not of her own mind. 'Backslash Whisper? Tehehehe~' a small giggle happened in this young woman's mind. She thought it was funny but she was seriously wondering why he was staring so hard, her own mind wandering would eventually lead to a similar slip of her thoughts towards the lad, as their eye contact had yet to stop, 'Is he trying to tell me something?'

[Bloodedge]

Kou continued staring, and continued wondering how this could work, or if there was even a way for it to work. Shortly after his thoughts involving use of the 'whisper' command, his eyes were widened by the thoughts of Miki entering his own mind. 'Oh! There! You can hear me, right? I figured there would be some way to translate the chat box, but I wasn't sure how to make it work. I guess I just had to want my words to go to you alone.' Now that this little trick had been discovered, it would become quite useful in the future. For this exact moment though, Kou intended to use it for the sake of avoiding the guards' ears. 'So, those Magic Crystals are still growing. I think there's something on the other side of this shaft, and they're probably keeping it here. There's no other reason for them to have this mine without it being stripped bare by now. That's just one thing. The other thing is... I don't think anybody who mines things here is really going to be allowed to leave with what they get.'

[Apollymi]

Miki's eyes widened as her thoughts were apparently projected into the mind Kou. She found this an overall strange experience, but she supposed similar to his own explanation of what he'd been attempting this sort of thing made sense. 'Sou ka, I guess that would need a direct translation. Gonna take some getting used to though...' she said. It was strange, but the fun thing about chat boxes was that one was always in control and had time to think given the use of a keyboard. She could find both positives and negatives to conversations being had in a more direct way without it. Regardless of this, there seemed to be several other things on the mind of her companion, all of which seemed to summarize their current situation. 'So you think they are using this mine as a farm?' she came to her own conclusion, based on his extra bit of knowledge.

If something was making magic crystals grow here, then aside from potential danger, the only reason to be so secretive about it, was that they wanted to keep all the crystals. This was further fed by the idea that apparently no one got to leave this place. 'And also I was right, dangerous and impossible... if you aren't allowed to leave this place with magic crystals then coming here to get them is basically impossible. And getting out of here with them, will likely require either craftiness or some kind of battle I'd honestly rather avoid with these heavily armored guards...' she finished up her thoughts on this matter and wondered then what they would do. Obviously they still intended to mine, but perhaps the lad had something in mind for this, 'So, what's your plan?' she asked, willing to divert this to him. In her own head, she figured handling such a thing based on the games mechanics could be both easy or hard. Like most games there was usually a direct option, a stealth option and a neutral option. She still wasn't exactly sold on this world being the inside of the game, but if the mechanics all still existed there were many possibilities with how to handle a situation like the one they currently found themselves in.

[Bloodedge]

'Yeah, but I don't think we'll need to use it a lot. It's coming in clutch right now though,' Kou replied while making sure to avoid looking at any of the guards. He wasn't so concerned with collecting the Magic Crystals and leaving just yet; the situation that seemed to be surrounding it was much more interesting to him at the moment. 'What if we don't need to leave the mine to get out? If there's something on the other side of this wall, there has to be some other way to get out. My plan... I think we should just mine this spot until we get through the other side, find whatever monster they have back there, and let it rampage in the mine while we sneak through the other side.'

[Apollymi]

'Um-hm, not making the guards suspicious is pretty clutch...' she commented knowing that it was probably the most life saving thing they had going. Beyond this, the boy's thoughts about their present situation were soon presented in a way that Miki could at least understand. In his explanation, Kou stated they should in fact, mine for the needed crystals and in the process free whatever manner of beast they were using to turn this mine into a farm. They could then use that as cover to escape through whatever this mine was attached to. 'That's a pretty good idea...' she said, though she found it to be a bit of a toss up to the other miners, she considered that they'd either also take advantage or get caught up in the carnage anyways. Their lives here were a death sentence regardless so even if a beast came rampaging through it could only be considered a partial blessing. 'Alright tell me where, and I'll start digging...' the girl said. Instead of bringing forth her weapon, she looked around the mine until she found a pick which looked something similar to a long ice pick. This would be what she used, but she had a very specific reason for choosing this particular implement.

[Bloodedge]

Kou took the time in which they had this private discussion to look around the mine, keeping up appearances by this simple act. By the time Miki reached for an ice-pick, Kou had his eye set on a pickaxe of a more standard design. He moved to pick this item up and give it a few test swings, but the item chosen by Miki was something he found interesting. 'You know, I wonder why that's even in here,' he thought as a message to the girl. Either way, the way she phrased her final statement implied to Kou that her skills would be enough to meet their goal. As such, his tests swings began on the wall containing the mass of Magic Crystals. 'It's pretty dense. There's a weak point though, so I'll mark it,' he told the lass. Aloud, he had something very different to say for the sake of the guards around them. "Whew! I don't know if we're gonna be able to mine crystals this strong! This is tough!' he said, placing his strikes strategically in a circular pattern, then dotting the center of the ring, which seemed to have just a bit of give. "Yeah, nothing I can do. Wanna take a swing at it with that nail-file of yours?"

[Apollymi]

While Kou looked around and kept up appearances, Miki tossed around the ice-pick like implement within her hands. She got a feeling for its weight and thus settled into the idea that she could use it to do whatever was necessary. Kou thought this an interesting item to find in this place, but Miki was a little less surprised. 'I mean if I was planning a prison break. I'd rather have this than one of those big bulky ones to swing around...' she mentioned. This meant there was probably a rogue moving around within this place, or there had been at some other point in time. Or maybe, it was more complex than even that... Whatever the case was, she got to watch as after mentioning a weak point, Kou marked it in a manner which was obvious but likely seemed like a genuine attempt at using his pickaxe to mine. "Ano, you might want to go for something a little less vigorous if you're gonna keep trying at it..." the girl commented aloud to keep up the appearance of normal conversation. As it moved along, she looked at the mark and smiled, appearing to find something amusing about it. "Hai hai, I'll give it a go. Though if you couldn't manage anything..." she gave a casual sigh as if she thought it an impossible task.

But soon she was standing in front of the center point in the wall concentrating on it. She stared with an intensity much greater than would seem necessary before she moved the ice-pick around in her right hand. Soon after, she pulled back and something rather strange would occur. Unstoppable Spear, was the class skill given to one how specialized in lance use. As she pulled back she pushed forward with extreme precision and power, allowing her to push straight through to the crystal beneath the surface, shattering the wall at its point of weakness. This would strangely also clear out the entirety of the circle around that point, making a very clear hole as the rest of the normal rocks and dirt were pulverized by the action. It also dropped several large magic crystals of the purest quality. "What do ya' think?" she asked the lad with her as if it was the most normal thing in the world. But behind this was simply a steel wall from the best of her ability to understand it.

[Bloodedge]

Kou was content to take a backseat as Miki approached the wall of crystals with her ice-pick. "I dunno, that doesn't seem like it's gonna accomplish anything..." he said nonchalantly, pausing as Miki's strike collided with the wall's point of weakness and broke through. The steel wall on the other side was an obstacle, but a bigger obstacle yet was the guards that were immediately closing in on the pair after Miki's stunt. Instead of answering the question of what he thought, Kou darted into the space Miki created, reaching out with his left hand to grab hers while avoiding the guards. At the same time, he drew his sword with his right hand. A shroud of Mana engulfed his blade as he slashed at the steel wall numerous times, carving an 'X' into it before cutting a square around said X. Four shards of the wall were taken out as a result of this speedy sword maneuver, and the guards which pursued the pair were left frightened by the fact that this occurred. It wasn't quite that they were afraid because of the two Adventurers... but they were certainly afraid of whatever creature inhabited the room they'd just entered.

[Apollymi]

It seemed that whatever was going on, there was indeed something imprisoned here. And the steel wall before them was an obstacle, but not one that Miki would have to take out herself. Her little stunt seemed to rouse the guards a bit, but as soon as they tried to give chase, her hand was grabbed by Kou. She then got to watch as the lad performed a series of sword strokes against this metal wall which resulted in its breaking. "Sugoi!" she muttered shocked by the occurance. Of course, her surprise wasn't really saved for the proper moment because after they stumbled into this cell, something strange happened.

"FINALLY!" this was the voice which came with an immense amount of mana. "Fairy Glitter!" the small voice chimed. A concentrated beam of light magic erupted from the chamber itself, serving to temporarily blind the pair who'd entered. But this light wouldn't harm them, instead it radiated outward aiming to encompass the guards in powerful light, likely maiming them in a manner most serious. If not aiming to kill them entirely. This magic was so complex that it seemed to target only those who would hinder this entity. And beyond this point, it was very specifically not hurting the two adventurers or the other miners within this place. It seemed to target only those who were nearby and foes of this creature. And what a creature it was. When the light subsided, what could be seen within the cage of steel was someone with the appearance of a very young girl with long blonde hair and a single curl atop her thick hair. She had stunning large green eyes and pale skin, and wore only clothing of the lightest white material. Beyond all of this she seemed to have two small feathered wings sticking out from her head. Upon finally seeing this young woman Miki's eyes widened, she had plenty of things to say but didn't know where to start, because of this, she simply looked to Kou as if she wanted answers. Her hands extended to the young woman before her. She expected a crazed monster, a nue, a dragon, maybe even a demon... but not, this tiny young woman.

[Bloodedge]

Immediately after breaking into the hidden room, Kou was met by an excited utterance from a feminine voice. He received only the slightest glimpse of this person before a bright light filled his vision, but he could see just long enough to be perturbed. 'That's not a monster,' he thought. Over the next few moments, Kou kept his eyes shut tightly, though it didn't do much to prevent him being overtaken by the brightness of this 'Fairy Glitter' technique. "Kuso!" he said while holding his right arm over his eyes - a posture he maintained until the light dimmed. Only when this happened was he able to open his eyes slightly and properly view that which had been locked in this room. The guards were no more, and the miners that were already capable of sight were scurrying about to grab what Magic Crystals they could carry and escape the mine. Meanwhile, Kou and Miki were observing this small blonde. Miki looked to the male as if seeking some sort of answer, yet he had none to offer. "I... uhh... thanks?" was all he could manage as he, too, gazed upon this being in confusion.

[Apollymi]

This small creature had the guards who'd been watching her erased by her magic. And given this she was rather happy. In fact, she owed this pair of adventurer's quite a debt for freeing her from the confines of the steel room she'd been imprisoned in. "You both seem confused. Worry not, all will be made clear!" she said her small feet not even touching the ground as she levitated forward. "I'm Dakini and I am the Fairy Queen! It's good to meet you both... thank you for your assistance~" she gave this information freely as it was obvious this pair had no idea who or what she was. "That magic was less effective than it was normally, no need to thank me. This accursed steel box I am in is limiting me quite a bit..." she stated knowing that Fairy Glitter could have done much more than it'd been shown to do. And after this introduction she gained a strange glint in her eye as she appraised both of these individuals. Her eyes fell first to Kou and then to Miki but she was quite sure about what she was seeing. "Fairy... Queen?!" Miki repeated these words at a complete loss. "Limited by steel..." she muttered softly, Miki's entire expression shifted into the more normal thinking face which looked displeased. Now she had a whole slew of different questions. Why did the dwarves feel the need to invite the wrath of the entire Fairy Kingdom upon themselves? How did they even manage to capture the Fairy Queen who in her own mind looked to have several question marks instead of a level... what was really going on here? She was so caught up in her own thoughts she hadn't found it in herself to give a proper introduction yet. 'What kind of crazy game logic is this... competing faction objectives is a bit too much... though, usually if there is a way to betray one faction over another... there is also a way to complete both and get all prizes.'

[Bloodedge]

This strange girl who'd managed to clear the guards the moment they broke in spoke with a strange pattern, which left Kou with an even more perplexed expression. "Uh-huh. Well, Dakini... dono... it's all in a day's work, I guess," he said, initially being lost as to why she would be thanking them. Considering what she managed against the guards, Kou figured she could have broken out of this prison any time she wanted, if she even had reason to be apprehended in the first place. Soon enough, she mentioned that the steel room she was in acted as a hindrance to her. "... Sou ka. Fairies have a steel allergy like Werewolves and silver? This is Magisteel without a doubt, so that had to be a pretty big deal. So... why do the Dwarves have you locked in a Magisteel cell? Were you at war?"

[Apollymi]

"I shall see to it, the pair of you are rewarded handsomely, when I return to the Fairy Forest. My saviors shall be hailed as heroes!~" said the lass known as Dakini. It seemed she had a very boisterous attitude and didn't seem to be too heavily hindered regardless of her apparent steel allergy. She seemed to be very much in good spirits regardless now that she'd been freed. Her saviors apparently wanted to know how she'd ended up locked in a Magisteel cage within the dwarven kingdom of Dwargon. "That's a pretty funny story. I was actually here on vacation. I was invited out to drink... it's one of my favorite pastime. Dwargon is known for two things... Cold Steel and Cold Ale. Only one of those is any interest to me. So here I was, having nice drinks surrounded by ambassadors and dignitaries and the next thing I know... I'm awake in a cage I can't even touch! The audacity!" she exclaimed. Whatever had happened here it was more than just a simple misunderstanding. "And we weren't at war, but just wait! I will reign down the wrath of the entire Fairy Kingdom on these Dwarves!" she claimed. Hearing this out Miki finally seemed to get herself together a bit. She began thinking about this from all possible sides and she didn't like how it seemed to be leaning. "I mean, you could do that, Dakini-sama, but you aren't a little bit curious about it? I mean... from drunk and partying, to locked in a cage is pretty extreme," the blonde haired girl offered up. Perhaps it was just her inner gamer speaking, but she'd rather not be dragged into a war between the fairies and dwarves if it was at all avoidable. Especially considering it was exactly their goal to go and start a different kind of quest altogether after they were done gathering materials.

[Bloodedge]

"Handsomely rewarded, huh? Well, that's convenient," Kou said lackadaisically before tuning in to Dakini's explanation. The Fairies and Dwarves were not at war, though Dakini sought vengeance for her unjust captivity in the province of Dwargon. There had to be an ulterior motive to the Dwarves doing this, though; they certainly shouldn't need the Fairy Queen's power for Magic Crystal production unless they wanted the Magisteel weapons for something. As Kou thought about this, he remembered how busy the blacksmith in the city's wealthiest district was, and thought that was something quite out of the ordinary. "Maybe there is a better approach. I agree with Miki; the imprisonment of a queen from any place or species is ridiculous unless there's already some weird political thing going on. Maybe we could figure out why this happened for you? We're unaffiliated, so we could be like... emissaries or something? Ambassadors, maybe."

[Apollymi]

"Yesh! Handsomely! It will be one of my greatest acts!~" the young fairy queen seemed to think very highly of rewarding these two individuals. But as their conversation progressed and she explained how she'd come to be locked within the Magisteel cage of her binding, it was offered by the young girl that she should be a bit more tactful than to just start a war. Upon hearing the agreement, Miki spoke up once more, "Kou agrees. We could have small titles and try and help you two come to some sort of agreement, that won't end in a war between your people," she concluded, as if she wanted to help the fairy queen along in her thought process. Dakini looked at this pair and considered their stance. As outsiders it was obvious that they had no real stake in this aside from not getting caught up in a war. And if Dakini was being frank, she'd prefer not to ruin the makers of the best Ale on this side of the world. "Hm, a couple of young Adventurers who don't mind getting their hands dirty! I can use this..." she said a reckless gleam coming to the corner of her eye. "Alright, the pair of you can act as my Ambassadors. I'll give you the freedom to negotiate on my behalf. Make sure you don't short me though... or it will be you on the line!" said the fairy as she floated forward and out through the hole created by the pair of them. "If you find out anything pertinent bring it to the Fairy Forest. You'll be rewarded for your efforts... but if you don't return in a timely manner, let them know I will bring all of the Fairy Kingdom with me when I return!" claimed the Fairy Queen. And just like that the pair of them received yet another quest. This one of a more political nature, even as the light bent around the fairy and she disappeared in a flicker of light. "Did our gathering quests, just become a political subplot?" Miki asked, seemingly in disbelief of their current situation.

[Bloodedge]

Though it took a bit longer than Kou would have preferred, the Fairy Queen seemed to be progressing toward a reasonable conclusion thanks to the interjection of each Adventurer. Dakini agreed to take them on as her ambassadors when dealing with the Dwarves, but she was also quick to vacate the premises after coming to said conclusion. Kou looked on in awe, holding out his hand as if he intended to halt the queen with his actions... but alas, she was gone. "Wai-... ugh! I didn't mean we should be left to do it alone. This is gonna be awkward," he said as he turned toward Miki. "We definitely just opened a weird subplot. Buuut... if we finish this off, we could just get Dakini to hand over the sap you need for your gear. Unless the Dwarves aggro on us, which I'm pretty sure they will do, we might have an easier time than we thought. Either way, let's get moving before more guards show up and blame us for a prison break," he continued, ending his clause there whilst making every effort to escape the mine and grab an armful of Magic Crystals en route to the exit.

[Apollymi]

It seemed that Kou hadn't intended for them to have to face the dwarf king alone. Of course, this was the general thought of everyone, except apparently the rather flighty Fairy Queen who disappeared at her earliest convenience. Though not without leaving them with the idea that she accepted their help. As they discussed potential difficulties, Miki managed to only chuckle. "Maybe we'll get lucky, and it will be one of those cut-scenes where they draw blades but we say just enough to avoid the actual fight~" Miki mentioned without knowing the full way this world worked assuming that it'd be less likely for people if they thought they were real to just fight without reason. Regardless, it seemed their time in the mine, would be very short lived, and as they began to make their escape, Kou picked up several crystals, and Miki did the same, assuming they could up their chances of getting some good material out of the exchange for the lad with her. "Hai hai, I wouldn't want to get blamed for that~" she mused, which was true. It hadn't been her intention to get caught up in something as scandalous as a prison break, but she supposed they would just need to see where this was going. She'd follow the lad wherever he was going, keeping an eye on all around them to ensure their safety. Her own extra crystals tucked into the pockets of her cloak as well as her hip side pouches.

[Bloodedge]

"I don't know if we can get so lucky, but it's worth hoping for!" said Kou, who never stopped moving toward his objective, even after escaping the mine. He continued onward with his only intention being to reach the Dwarf King in his palace. The police force in this area would surely be of no use, so the only proper option he could think of was to go to the top of the proverbial food chain. The palace wasn't too much farther away than the blacksmith shop they'd previously visited, so it wasn't an incredibly long trip to reach the palace. Getting inside was easy enough as well, though the pair would be halted at the courtroom by a mass of guards keeping them from approaching the king himself. Speaking of the king, the male figure sat atop a throne elevated nearly a full story over the ground floor. He had a long face and pronounced cheekbones, long black hair reaching his lower back, and mutton chops connected to a mustache while being otherwise clean-shaven. While pressed against the spears of a pair of guards suddenly on either side of him, Kou called out to the king. "Oi! We're here as ambassadors for the Fairy Forest!"

[Apollymi]

Miki followed along with the lad, though he wasn't as apparently sold on the optimism, he was willing to give it a try. As they progressed through the city they went well past the blacksmith they'd originally been aiming to meet. And instead found themselves wandering about the dwarven palace. Upon making it inside, they would eventually be standing within the courtroom where the King himself was sitting. "Sugoi! That king has one of the manliest faces I've seen on anyone here," came an excited utterance from Miki. Though she wasn't much interested in the king himself, she wondered what other types of original NPCs were spawned by the world they'd so recently found themselves in. She also didn't seem terribly perturbed by the entire situation with the guards either as such a thing seemed to happen everywhere they went. "We, just want to help... no need to make this meeting difficult," she said calmly to the guards. It was rather obvious that the situation here was quite on edge, and though she wasn't sure why, Miki was quite sincere in her desire to help, though she had no outward reason to care.

[Bloodedge]

The guards which halted Kou's approach didn't seem willing to let him pass at all, even with his announcement of being an ambassador for the Fairies. They had but a simple task to keep approaching strangers from the throne, and they did not budge at all until the Dwarf King raised his hand. At that moment, lances separated and cleared a path for the travelers to approach. "Approach," the king spoke in the most guttural, bellowing of voices. Even though he told the pair to approach, Kou subconsciously took a step back due to the intimidating aura emanating from the king, amplified by the power of his voice echoing through the throne room. 'Kuso,' he thought. Still, Kou mustered the will to step forward again, and found himself kneeling when he reached the steps in front of the throne. He had words to share with the king, and yet... he couldn't manage a single sentence. There was something overpowering the lad, leaving him with his head down and dripping with sweat in the king's presence.

[Apollymi]

Soon enough the guards stood down, but this had nothing to do with the pair approaching, and instead had everything to do with the order given from the Dwarf King. This man seemed to have a presence that was even more massive than that of the Fairy Queen. Even with just a single word, he'd put forth an air of dominating power. Miki had a strange reaction to this, it was mentioned by her before that she wanted to help, but after coming in contact with the commanding voice of this king, it felt like it was now her solemn desire. 'Nani?' the girl thought as she moved forward without a second though, stopping near the steps and giving a gentle curtsy which she stayed in until she was acknowledged properly. 'I don't know why I feel this way, is it magic?' she wondered, but still she had every intention of upholding her current titles and doing everything she could to prevent war between the Dwarves and Fairies.

[Bloodedge]

'The fuck is this? Does this guy have Reiatsu Crush or something?' Kou wondered as he struggled to even make the slightest audible noise. The king witnessed the struggle within these pair, but seemed completely unfazed. Indeed, this was something the king of Dwarves experienced on a daily basis. He spoke once more while viewing these Adventurers, boasting the same glint in his eye that others before him had when viewing the two. "Is this the most you Adventurers can manage? You've freed Dakini, but you can't even speak to me. Pitiful," he said, garnering a glance upward from Kou. Looking directly at the king, Kou attempted to observe his stats. He saw no numbers at all, witnessing instead a slew of question marks and horned skull icons that were glowing red. Being the occasionally testosterone-fueled player he was, he understood exactly what this meant. 'Shit! It's not like the Fairy Queen; he's registered as an enemy.'

Fully disappointed in the Adventurers, the king escaped his throne and began descending the stairs. With every step he made, his very aura forced a pressure upon Kou and Miki, leaving at least the former gasping for breath. "You're the ones from the gate earlier today. If the two of you are Dakini's ambassadors, you must also be the reason she managed to escape. Pity. Perhaps then, I should settle for both of you... though I find it difficult to even think of relying on someone who can't stand my presence."

[Apollymi]

While they were in the presence of the Dwarf King, Miki too was having a set of realizations. 'What? He's ridiculous... there is no way!' she thought quickly. Her mind soon moved to evasive maneuvers and her desire to have nothing to do with this man's crushing aura. She saw his stats as angry little questions marks and skull icons. 'I don't even know how to imagine such a person...' she thought to herself. She'd had the potential worry that running around in an open world game like set up could be hazardous. She'd had this thought when she was level one and going to complete the warthog killing quest. 'No waves, no level capped areas, enemies way out of our league. That's all the confirmation I need to know this world is too real to be a game,' she concluded. This was it, a simple fight or flight reaction, where her heart desired flight more than anything else. In this line of thinking her mind seemed to switch and as the man before her finished his rather shaming sentence she looked up to find his stats had changed. No longer did he have skull icons in her vision. But instead he had simple white numbers and question marks. The surprise on her face was palpable as she jumped back in sheer confusion apparently no longer affected by this man's intense aura. "I'm confused... too confused," she said aloud her face becoming terse as she settled into trying to reason through something she simply didn't understand. 'Was it my fault I thought of him as an enemy?' Her mind wandered as she looked to Kou, he'd never properly registered to her as a enemy though she'd been a bit apprehensive of him at their first meeting. When she was thinking about it, she hadn't seen a single set of enemy stats since that moment in the prior day... perhaps there was something more at play here than she'd figured out.

[Bloodedge]

The Dwarf King was soon standing before the youngsters while his aura crashed down upon them. His expression was stern, but he stopped moving after reaching them. It was by this time that one of the Adventurers - Miki in particular - became capable of speech. "So, one of you can manage," he commented whilst viewing Miki again, that gleam returning to his eye. "I've never heard of you. I would expect more from... you." With his final word, his attention was returned to Kou, who still struggled under the pressure of the king's might. He couldn't fathom why this was happening, but there had to be some secret to Miki becoming unfazed by this aura. 'How'd that happen? She's talking just fine now, and she can move. He's not attacking her though, and he could have killed us both five times over by now. Is it...' Kou's mind raced against a clock he didn't realize existed, shuffling through mechanics of the Age of Eternity game until he reached a conclusion he was mostly certain would benefit him. This came from the king's last words involving his expectations of Kou, which the lad figured could only mean one thing, given the short amount of time he'd spent in this world. "Sou ka," Kou spoke at last. With that, he rose to his feet and turned to face the Dwarf King, narrowing his gaze as he did so. "You've been here a long time to have that many levels and be a king, huh? I bet we look like scrubs... accidentally leaving PVP mode on."

[Apollymi]

Miki looked at the King now, not perturbed by his energy and with his chart still in front of her eyes. She had no idea what he meant by he'd never heard of her. "Me? Why would anyone have heard of me?" she made this an honest question, she didn't immediately grasp the hidden meaning behind his words, but she did, know she'd been in this world less than a single day, and as such the only people she'd had any sort of contact with, were Kou, the Merchant, and the Blacksmith, and the latter two of those lists she'd only really met in passing. She didn't have a name for herself, and wasn't apart of any guild. None of this made any sense, until of course, Kou seemed to gather himself enough to speak and when he did everything became rather clear. "Oh, he's a player too! That's... really freaky. I guess I should have heeded that warning a bit more..." the girl said thinking back to her own adventure which had allowed her to play this game as a human and how she'd been warned of potentially disappearing because of it. Still it was strange that this King could simply recognize them for what they were, in looking at his stats besides his ridiculous level she didn't notice anything strange about him. She also looked to Kou with the same terse look on her face she always had while thinking, trying to find some obvious tell of information she obviously didn't see before. "Wait, how'd he know that?" she said of their obviously senior player acquaintance in this world. Obviously it'd been her intent to figure out how this world worked completely, if only to avail some of her own fears. She'd entered into her bond with Kou to help with that, but realized that maybe this lad had some extra information he'd be willing to give them in exchange for the services they'd likely end up rendering regardless.

[Bloodedge]

"Hmph," the king uttered with the slightest upturn of his lips. Kou seemed to have figured out a matter of importance, and Miki was on-board as well. The latter had an additional concern though, giving the king more information as to how little they knew about this world. That simply wouldn't do. The task he had for them was one which required them to have knowledge, and even knowledge of the PVP-like system in this world was not enough. "You'll do well to keep in mind how the world works. As long as the Power of Waking lies dormant within you, you will not be under threat of death by others like us. If you activate it, though... well, I'm sure you understand. Furthermore, you should both become better-acquainted with the Nexus. It's not so simple here as the press of a key or button, but in the upper-left corner of a stat sheet, there is more detailed information on people like us. Those who belong to this world don't have that readout," the king explained. Kou quickly glanced at the guards and noticed this minor difference in symbols, then returned his gaze to the king and gained a glint in his eye while inspecting this second page of text. "Sou ka. Armando_69... Avatar name Gowther, or... King Gowther now, I guess? There's that Special Class, too. Alter Ego..."

[Apollymi]

It seemed that with this moment of power flexing over, and the lesson learned about the dangers of approaching other players in this world, this Dwarf King was considerate enough to provide some further information to the pair of rather 'young' adventurers. In fact he clarified how he was able to access such information about them, and in doing so Miki immediately put this to the test. She looked at the King and took in his name, and user name about the same time that Kou was stating them aloud, before she returned her attention to the guards inside this place who didn't have any such tagging and as such were obviously just a normal part of this world. "Sou ka, alright. Level up, then flex on everyone, got it." Miki said in a manner most sarcastic, though it wasn't really intentional, it was simply her tone which implied this, regardless of the fact that she'd never actually do anything of the sort. Moving right along, she directed her gaze to Kou and listed off his information as well. "Geno Killer, Avatar Name Kou... Special Class: Alter Ego..." she said calmly having not thought about something glaringly important to the situation. "Alright, Alter Ego is just part of being from the other world, that's cool I guess. Knowing what we're looking for would make it easy to find or avoid, other players.... especially if they don't know that already," she mumbled obvious that her own sneaky style of play was coming back to the forefront of her mind, her voice going softer as something hit her mind like a ton of bricks. "GENO KILLER!? You're that guy?!" there was much surprise in Miki in this moment because the name Geno Killer appeared in every arcade all over Shibuya, the young man the handle was attached to was practically an urban legend.

[Bloodedge]

Kou thoroughly inspected this second menu, also taking the time to consider King Gowther's mention of the Nexus. 'Hmm. How important is the Nexus that he would mention it like that? In the game, it was just the name for the loading lobby and character creation and modification screen. Could the Nexus be like some inner world space for us here?' he wondered. He had a full mental tirade while inspecting Gowther's stats, and in the meantime, Miki was observing his. Kou's train of thought was broken only by the name he often used being spoken so loudly in a moment of realization. "Eh?" he uttered immediately as he snapped back to reality. He was quite apprehensive about his username being out in the open like it was now, as he'd put a very large amount of effort into separating himself from it as if it were some sort of secret identity. However, his face wasn't known in this world, and there were no signs of the players' real names anywhere on these readouts. With that in mind, he was virtually in the clear still. "Uh... yeah," he said with an averted gaze. "I play a lot of games."

In the midst of this exchange, Gowther shared a few words with his guards just out of earshot. He returned his attention to the Adventurers and cleared his throat, quick to address his most concerning issue. "So, it's time for your next quest. Dakini was in our possession because we needed to provide for the Dwarven military force. In the low-lying areas around Dwargon, there are Lizardmen trying to invade us. They are spread out enough that even I cannot go fend them off without leaving the rest of Dwargon to fall, and I can no longer supply the men with greater weapons to win their battles. You two will take care of that problem for me."

[Apollymi]

The matters about the actual Nexus and the other thoughts which were inside of Miki's mind were temporarily put on hold as Kou admitted to being the person she thought he was. He even went about sheepishly addressing it by stating simply that he played a lot of games. "Understatement of the century," Miki mentioned in that same sarcastic way. Still she seemed to let this go pretty quickly, after all, it didn't really matter since they were stuck in another world and all. She was though quite surprised that a lad like 'Geno Killer' bothered wanting to party up with anyone else. Whatever the case, she was content to continue her own thoughts, but it seemed she wouldn't get a chance to immediately. They were soon confronted by the request of King Gowther, who was apparently under quite a bit of strain and in a bit of a pickle.

The knowledge that apparently the Lizardmen were too spread out for the King Gowther to deal with was a bit startling, but about the sort of thing that Miki had been thinking when she'd gently hinted to the Fairy Queen that she wouldn't want to start a war with the Dwarves over her capture. 'Really? You turned the Fairy Queen into a Magisteel farm, instead of just asking her for help? That made sense to you...' Miki thought with the same kind of extreme look on her face. But she also knew that the first thought she had was a bit rough around the edges considering she didn't just want to fight the Dwarf King. "So, as a Fairy Ambassador, I'm going to say you probably could have just asked her to help you out... instead of kidnapping and turning her into a farm. But assuming Kou agrees, I don't actual have any problem helping out with the Lizardmen..." Miki said, having come to this conclusion based on the initial reaction of the Fairy Queen to being freed. She understood the man's decision from a chess players point of view, if he was surrounded he couldn't leave as he was obviously the only thing keeping the enemy out of the city. Even so, he probably could have done a bit of a better job in communicating his needs, especially considering how much knowledge he had of the world's inner workings.

[Bloodedge]

"Eto..." was all Kou could say when Miki offered her retort. After gaining the reputation he had in their original world for solving puzzles, he'd always hoped to avoid the same end result when playing video games. Perhaps though, since they were now physically in this world with no foreseeable method of returning, things could be avoided naturally... bar the apparent expectations of ones such as Gowther. As for Gowther himself, the Dwarf's logic received a bit of questioning from the female Adventurer. He didn't particularly mind this, though he disagreed nonetheless. "The Fairies are not so simple, nor approachable. Do not concern yourself with this; move on and take the quest, if you're capable," he replied. Given Miki's assertion that she was willing if he was, Kou took a step forward and sighed. "Sure, why not? The goal was to go to the Lizardmen anyway. This is starting to work out like an actual quest-line." Without further hesitation, Kou held his left hand against the sheath of his sword and carried with him the Magic Crystals necessary for his weapon creation. Before he managed to leave though, he stopped and addressed the king once more. "Oh... we picked up more Magic Crystal than we needed, so you should make sure your blacksmith holds to his end of the bargain. If he doesn't need to supply your army anymore, he can just give us the weapons we need to fight now, and whatever spare Magisteel he has from these crystals."

[Apollymi]

The words of the Dwarf King Gowther hit Miki's ear strangely. Though he'd mentioned that fairies were not so easily spoken to, nor so easily convinced to take a side, in speaking with the lass they'd freed from the prison it was very obvious to Miki at least, that the Fairy Queen was quite agreeable. She probably would have agreed to be used as a farming source in exchange for booze, even if she wasn't willing to offer outright help. 'Uh-huh, he sounds like a guy with a crush who doesn't know how to talk to the girl in question...' Miki thought of this situation, which was quite strange considering the massive presence of the Dwarf King. Whatever the case, they now had a straight-forward mission to complete, and this was much better for Miki overall. At the same time, Kou mentioned that since the blacksmith they'd been seeking the help of no longer needed to make weapons for an entire army, he'd settle for a weapon upgrade for himself and Miki instead and the left over steel for them. Miki agreed with his sentiment and offered only a nod as she began to move towards Kou as well. She then waited for any response to come from the King then would follow Kou off to whatever thing he thought it most pertinent to do first.

[Bloodedge]

The fresh idea provided by Kou was met by a nod from the king of Dwarves. He could easily see to it that the blacksmith would be ready to provide for the pair by the time they returned, and all he needed to do was glance at one of his guards to have the message sent. Kou continued moving after taking note of this, making his way directly to the smith's shop. Several minutes later, he would emerge from said shop with a new jian in his possession. This one possessed an elaborate hilt and guard featuring a gem socket, and a long, purple tassel roughly two-thirds the size of the blade. It was also, of course, made with a Magisteel blade. This would finally allow the lad the ability to utilize his combination of Class and Type. He inspected his own stat sheet when leaving the smith, finding that he had been boosted to Level 8 after completing the Fairy Queen's quest. It certainly wouldn't be long before all things became even easier for him. "Alright! This sword feels great! I don't know how I feel about leaving the Magisteel here for pickup later, but I really don't wanna add anymore weight to myself right now. Which way do you wanna head first?"

[Apollymi]

Upon leaving the Dwarf King, and with word sent ahead, a few moments after their arrival to the shop, Miki also left with a new weapon in hand. For herself a long broad spear with two large joints underneath the head of it and an open circle. It was more ornate than her previous weapon and featured a large straight blade at the tip as she preferred. "Ano, it looks a bit like a boar spear, though I probably should have expected that... whatever, at least I can poke and dash now~" she said having a good feel for the weapon after just a few moments. She was also aware of her level jump which was up to 8 now that they'd completed the Fairy Queen's quest. With this in mind, when asked where they should go, she thought about the map she'd seen. "Um... east, it has the least defenses thus probably has the least strong enemies trying to push their way through it..." the girl concluded, knowing that all ranged weapons were aligned at the front of the city and the east depended solely on its natural defenses.

[Bloodedge]

With his sword out of the new sheath he possessed, Kou decided to perform a few tricks involving numerous spins, twirls, and flips of the weapon before it slid back into its home. During these maneuvers, Miki offered her suggestion for the first region they would work to defend. Kou's eyes locked onto the eastern horizon, and his body followed suit. "Good plan. Adding to that, I say we flank the attackers. Lizardmen are tricky, and I don't think even this new speed will be enough to meet them head-on wave after wave," he commented while on the move. He still had the worry of actual strength presented by these Lizardmen, bu there was no turning away from the challenge in Kou's mind. "Our synergy is bad for real cooperative combat, so I think we should consider a way around that. With both of us being Knight Classes, together we'll be at a huge disadvantage against large numbers with any sort of variety. I think one of us should be an advance guard, and the other should pick up the slack."

[Apollymi]

Her idea of taking the eastern front was accepted rather easily, and with it, Kou began to move towards that place. Miki also took up pace striding rather easily along aside as they discussed a proper strategy for confronting their current task. His idea to flank the Lizardmen was agreeable, in the first place it would be good to catch them by surprise if it could happen that way. And secondly if they flanked them then they could cut off most exits and keep them contained to a smaller area. "Hai, I agree with that... I don't really have the desire to face anything head on while being low level anyways..." she said with a genuine bit of surety. Cautious was in general her play style of choice, so the idea of not taking on wave after wave of enemies was one she could get behind. Soon enough the lad moved on to their current lack of synergy, and how they could overcome it. She could only partly agree with the idea that they couldn't properly cooperatively do battle, but her idea about it, mostly had to do with her own knowledge of what her style would be like as she advanced in level.

"Yeah, running two Knight-classes would be a bit difficult. I don't think cooperative combat will be harder a bit later, though. For now, if we need an advance guard I'd have to volunteer you," she said calmly. Even so, she felt the need to further justify this so as not to sound like she was putting off the major part of the work on him, nor... did she want him to feel like she would be taking advantage of the situation in this way. "Not to throw you under the bus or anything. I just have a much better range of movement and advanced weapon range without needing extra skills. I'll be able to move a bit freer around the battle field and slip in and out to do major damage and pick up anything you leave behind. I could also pop up for a bit of assistance if you needed it directly, since I won't tire out very easily." Miki finished her statement on the lighter side of things. She didn't intend to abandon him to any part of this, but their earlier interaction had let her know, that she would be of better use in combat dealing killing blows and sneaking up on enemies rather than trying to approach and fight them directly even though she felt comfortable enough with her weapon to use it directly.

[Bloodedge]

"Yeah, I don't either. I've had my fair share of reckless experiences in games, but I'd rather not die for real now that we're here," Kou said, confirming his primary reason for even agreeing to form a party with someone else in the first place. Now that they were a team though, he was content to put some actual effort toward cooperative play. Miki didn't seem to disagree with this, even without that specific discussion being had. Kou had it in mind that they would both rather preserve their lives in this world, as it was very likely not the video game they may have initially thought it to be. Moving on, Miki picked up on the topic of their flank approach by suggesting that Kou take the front line of the assault. He took no issue with this, but the girl continued speaking as if to explain her reasoning. When she finally finished, he shook his head, then looked to her in the same strange way he'd done during the beginning of their visit to Dwargon. "Iia, iia. You don't have to explain yourself. I'd rather have taken the front anyway, but I didn't want to leave you with something you weren't comfortable with. I'm trying to be decent at this whole teamwork thing," he claimed.

Eventually, the pair would reached the external wall after a slight detour to lead them along the base of a nearby mountain. From this location, they would be able to see platoons of Lizardmen against the battered wall, some even attempting to climb it while others ensured the death of nearby Dwarves. In Kou's eyes, this looked less like an attack than it did a slaughtering; there were hardly any Dwarves remaining. This wasn't to say that any of the Lizardmen were particularly high in level, but a very close ravine led to the realization that they had an advantage all along on this side of the wall. "Yare yare. Gowther didn't say anything about it being this bad."

[Apollymi]

Miki nodded her head to the idea that the lad might have had his own reckless experiences in game. If their first meeting hinted anything, it was that the lad had the potential to be a bit reckless. Though, Miki herself considered that this was tempered by his intelligence and ability to problem solve which she didn't think were underrated skills at all. In fact, she thought those two skills would help keep them both alive while they lived here. She was treating this as if it was a hardcore game run, and given what she'd seen of this world, she assumed that to be the truth of it. Moreover as they kept talking, it became obvious to Miki that Kou wasn't too hung up on previously established gaming issues. In fact, the way he looked at her as she explained herself made her feel strange and reminded her of his moment of staring when they'd arrived earlier. He claimed to be trying to give a try at proper cooperative play, and simply made the option hers, so she didn't get stuck with a job she didn't want to do. She thought about this and found it fair a small smile creeping onto her face. "Hai hai, I don't do this teamwork thing very often myself... but I think you are doing a pretty good job of it~" she offered as they moved on.

They began to observe the current field of battle and Miki had to say, it seemed much worse on the outlook than the Dwarf King had made it out to be. In response to Kou's assertion she could only nod her head as she studied the landscape and current positions of the various Lizardmen and remaining Dwarves. "Hm, Lizardmen practically have 'high-ground' level advantage in this..." she said looking at the levels though it wasn't as if they were really strong, much like she assumed. Instead they were doing exactly what she and Kou were planning, taking advantage of their current position and leveraging everything they could to make it work out in their favor. "I think if we manage to cut off access to the ravine, we can have a reasonable time of thinning out their numbers. If we can save any of the Dwarves that would also be helpful," Miki stated. If she was alone, she'd probably sneak around and save a few of the Dwarves just to make sure there was some extra distractions still taking place on the battlefield. But she figured that was thinking too much like this was still a game, she didn't want to risk her own life or the life of her comrade without some good idea of a payout on the action. In this case, the more people they kept to fight, the less likely they'd end up dying to overwhelming numbers.

[Bloodedge]

True enough, the Lizardmen appeared to have an outrageous advantage on this front. The longer Kou looked out at the battlefield, the less he thought this had ever gone well at all. More importantly, he noted the higher levels belonging to the Lizardmen upon the wall at present, thinking them to be a greater danger to the people within Dwargon than the others would be, minor though the difference in their power was. "Saving the soldiers would be a boon, but... what about the people who don't even have anything to do with this? They'll be the first ones to suffer if those guys hop that wall." Saying this - and furthermore, thinking about it - made Kou grit his teeth. The plan they had to pick off Lizardmen from the rear was solid, but their levels were low. As such, Kou thought it was too unlikely that they'd reach the climbing Lizardmen before they became lost to the city on the other side. With a heavy sigh, he made a risky decision. "Kuso! I trust you," he said, leaping forward without another word or thought.

By summoning the Ryuuko, he was able to ride it briefly enough to hop over the ravine and be launched toward the top of the city wall. Upon landing atop the wall, the Ryuuko disappeared and Kou drew his sword, looking down at the climbing Lizardmen as he did so. "Oi! No trespassing!" he said merely to grab the Lizards' attention. A great deal of Kou's mana was poured into his blade, only to be amplified by the high-quality Magisteel imbued with the Fairy Queen's essence over the course of her imprisonment. Kou couldn't have hoped to bring forth this power in its full glory just yet, but in his very soul, he felt it would be enough to accomplish just what he needed. The Consecration ability of the Saber Class, combined with Kou's inborn abilities as a Mage and the power of this weapon's Magisteel, produced a great golden aura around the blade. Kou stabbed the blade into the top of the wall and released this power, sending fissures of Mana through the construct until a full segment crumbled and caused an avalanche beneath him. Of course, Kou's position at the top caused him to fall with the rubble as it cascaded over the front-most Lizardmen, but his ability to wield a sword also demanded just enough footwork for him to be capable of keeping balanced atop the falling rocks. Kou may have sacrificed the top of Dwargon's wall on this end, but the important thing here - as he saw it - was that the Lizardmen would see a very immediate setback to their advancement on this side of the attack. In a matter of moments, the rubble from the avalanche would be falling into the ravine where the Lizardmen were making their approach. 'That should cut them off on this end until they can make it back up. It's your show from here.'

[Apollymi]

Picking off the Lizardmen from the rear was indeed the best plan of action. Even so there were quite a few variables that didn't sit well with Kou. Miki also understood these, but had the idea that fixing one problem would lead to fixing them all. Kou stated before any action was taken that he trusted her, and this made Miki's eyes widen just a bit. 'Really?' she thought almost stunned. Never before had any random person in game or out of it, just taken her word about something. It was almost refreshing, but it put her in an interesting position of anticipation to see how her plan worked out. 'Well, if he trusts me... I guess I have to make sure I don't let him down!' the girl thought affirmatively. But before she could act, she got to see a bit of the recklessness she'd expected of Kou as the lad took their shared mount across the ravine attracting all attention to himself. The Ryuuko he used to reach the top of the wall disappeared soon after, but Miki wouldn't use it to ride. She watched just long enough to see the start of Kou's maneuver, the magical power he used in his sword was used to cause an avalanche the likes of which she'd never witnessed before from the crumbling of the outer wall. 'Sugoi!' she thought but for the moment she didn't have time to consider it, she had her own end of this bargain to keep up.

Miki didn't use the Ryuuko to cross the ravine, she used her new weapon to vault herself over the opening with supreme athletic ability. 'He set the bar pretty high, and he trusts me...' she mused. And with everyone looking towards the commotion being caused by Kou, she was able to land softly on the other side. Her first movements took her immediately to the side of a dwarf in a losing sword fight with a Lizardman. While the full concentration of the Lizardman was on the dwarf, Miki, ran him through rather quickly with her weapon. A swift jab through the center of this creature's being would leave it surprised before the final blow to the dwarf could be delivered. And soon it would fall to the ground forward as the dwarf scurried out of the way, surprised by his good fortune. As it hit the ground Miki, gave her weapon a quick twist to ensure her work was done, and then rather swiftly picked up her spear to throw it, using the grips right below the blade to balance it. It would make contact with another Lizardman with is back to her, some forty yards away, but she'd then quickly close the distance to retrieve her weapon, slaying this one as well. Several more actions of a similar method would be taken and by the time the rocks of the falling outer wall settled completely, a handful of dwarves previously engaged in battle would be free of them and several slain Lizardmen would be seen among the commotion, but Miki herself would be invisible and planning her next strike. Though she didn't have anything particularly flashy about her movements, she was very precise and reliable.

[Bloodedge]

As Kou descended, he spared a few glances toward Miki to keep track of her location. When he confirmed the path she was traveling, he kept his gaze away, thinking he wouldn't be able to keep track of where she was with his eyes anyway. 'Alright. Advance stopped, front of the path is blocked off a bit, clearance coming from the back. Still, I used too much Mana. This would be easier if I didn't have to just copy Mana Pulse,' he thought while hopping from one stone to another, descending into the ravine to meet the front of the Lizardman pack. "Yare yare daze. Guess I'll make it count," he said aloud. With that, he was on ground level with the horde. The sword in his hand continued to glow bright as he met these forces, and a few flashy swings emitted crescents of light magic to maim and dismember the Lizardmen one by one. A few managed to bypass his ranged attacks here and there, but even as they swarmed him, they were individually felled by direct stabbings to the torso. All the while, Kou watched his experience bar grow and grow toward the next level.

[Apollymi]

A quick glance in Kou's direction let Miki know that he was descending into the ravine. She wasn't worried about him, but she also didn't want to abandon him to his fate for too long either. With this in mind she kept moving about her current battlefield. She used her spear with great efficiency, slaying Lizardmen as they were distracted by the newly freed Dwarves. Of course, even as she did this her eyes kept shifting about the battlefield, her keen eye looking for openings to exploit. Lizardmen currently invested in battle, ones who charged headlong towards the Dwarves, those who aimed to free themselves from the rubble of the fallen outer wall of Dwargon. All would meet quick jabs of her spear and their lives would end rather quickly. Her kill count increased rather quickly adding to the pool of shared experience she and Kou gained.

Strangely, she began to meet a bit more variety in her Lizardmen one she aimed to attack pulled up a shield in one hand and carried a blunt club in the other. It blocked the jabbing motion of her weapon making Miki's eyes widen slightly. She scanned it quickly, finding that it was currently level 10 and armored as such. "Sou ka, I'd hoped to have a bit more time before one like you appeared," she muttered, seeing it called Lizardman Shielder. Of course, she didn't rightly stop moving, her body disappeared from sight as she aimed to move past this creature only to have it turn to face her as she reappeared, using its shield once more to block another attack. But once more it was pushed back, a roar escaped the creature and it swung the large club down to have it collide with Miki's head. Miki's eyes widened, but she didn't back down from this, instead she pushed forward, stepping into its space while shifting the grip on her weapon. With a firmer grip and within the creatures' personal space and used her unstoppable spear skill, to push into the Lizardman's chest. It seemed surprised by the suddenness of her movements and her ability to react in the moment of his attack, but it was done, and a gush of blood escaped its chest as it was felled, gaining the girl enough experience to push her into the next level. 'Woooooh, that was a bit risky. Way more risky than anything I'd normally do, but...' she looked around. Apparently the death of the Lizardman Shielder, was enough to scatter quite a few of the other lesser ones. Beyond this, the dwarves were also taking advantage of this situation slaying a few themselves. At the very least, the ones immediately surrounding the walls would no longer be a problem. 'I wonder how he's doing?'

[Bloodedge]

In the midst of the slaughterfest, Kou reached level 9 by the collective efforts of Miki and himself. 'One more. I think we shold be able to get there,' thought the lad while continuing the slaying of Lizardmen. The Lizardman Shielder was not the only special enemy in this group; there were a couple of others scattered about. Kou eventually stumbled upon one of these as well, titled 'Lizardman Saver' when viewed. This reptilian demi-human was en route to the fallen Shielder near Miki, but Kou was close behind. "Oi! Eyes front, soldier!" Kou called out, grabbing the attention of this Lizardman wielding a strange, curved staff. He fully intended to strike down this enemy with a single slash, but a quick use of the odd staff swept Kou off his feet. He hit the ground, saving himself from an overhead swing by rolling away from the Lizardman.

Before he could rise properly, Kou was forced to raise his sword in a defense effort against another overhead staff strike. "Whoops! Gotcha!" he said with a grin. A slight turn of his blade showed its flat side to the Lizardman, and from it came a blinding flash of light magic. A successful blinding of his opponent allowed Kou enough freedom to step back and rise in a single movement, before ultimately driving the tip of his sword into the Lizardman's head. Just like that, two of three leader figures in this group of Lizardmen were down. All that remained was a certain enemy titled Lizardman Avenger.

[Apollymi]

Both of the adventurers had successfully taken down a leader from the group which was attacking the eastern wall of Dwargon. Having done this though, a strange reaction was to take place on the battlefield. A large armored Lizardman towered over several smaller ones. The deaths of its comrades encouraged it to finally move of its own accord, and when it did it was a sight to behold. It had a spiky mohawk of spines down its head, dark green and blue scales dotting its face, and piercing yellow eyes with slits for pupils. Its cry scattered several of the small creatures on the battlefield and drew Miki's attention in its direction. 'Lizardman Avenger, huh? That doesn't sound good at all...' she thought as she scanned the creature. Obviously, it was the last of the boss creatures of this area. Even so, it was clearly the most daunting. Miki didn't think she could take it alone, but she figured it was likely she wouldn't have to. Instead of focusing on the potential negatives, she moved forward, making sure to take out any stragglers she found along the way to the champion.

[Bloodedge]

Though there were still other Lizardmen of the normal variety in the area, it seemed both Adventurers were focused on the final boss-type monster. This one boasted an intimidating presence first and foremost, but it also seemed to be growing more powerful whilst towering over the corpses of its fallen comrades. Such was the power of the Avenger Special Class, even going so far as to rile up the remaining troops around it. Kou figured it would be best to regroup with Miki before addressing this problem directly, so he raised his sword overhead and produced another flash of light magic to blind the remaining Lizardmen before he hopped to the female Lancer's side. "That guy's gonna be a problem. He's the second Special Class I've seen so far. I don't even know what you have to do to unlock Avenger."

[Apollymi]

Soon enough, Kou would be back by Miki's side, but not before blinding another set of enemies. She nodded her agreement to his assertion that the creature before them was quite the challenge. "If I had to guess, I'd say he got such a class by killing people who kill his comrades..." she said firmly. Beyond this the point about this being the second special class he'd seen this day made her brow raise slightly. "Oh? He's your second too? That means three for this area..." she concluded. Still it was growing larger by the second further confirming the idea that its power was made greater by the deaths of those around it. "Still I am not sure of the best way to approach it..." she said watching restlessly as it raised above its head two axes which it apparently used as weapons. "I wasn't able to sneak up on the titled one I killed earlier, had to do something kinda risky to strike it," she explained, because when taking on their next opponent she thought it best to be honest about her capabilities.

[Bloodedge]

"Three, huh... At least it's just the one Avenger. Those things would suck in groups," Kou asserted. During the time they had remaining for the Lizardmen to recover from blindness, he began side-stepping slowly while facing the Avenger, keeping near Miki as he did so. With the girl admitting her inability to assassinate the previous special Lizardman, Kou thought it worthwhile to bring up his own shortcoming against his former opponent. "One of them got over on me for a second, too. They're not Unique though, so they shouldn't have more than their Class Abilities. If we rush it together, there's probably not much it can do against two Knights."

[Apollymi]

Miki had to agree that fighting the Avenger type of enemy would have been a pain if there had been multiples. Beyond this point as Kou moved closer placing space between himself and the recovering Lizardmen, he gave away a bit of information about his own solo slaying of a special variant. His speech let her know, that she'd not been the only one to struggle against the variety presented by these Lizardmen. Even so, he made the assertion that the pair of them should be able to take on this avenger if they both rushed him with minimal consequences. Though she would have liked a more tactful approach, she couldn't really argue against it, given the reasoning and her own recent experiences. "Hai, it's about the best plan we have right now anyway... besides if we take it out, the rest of the little ones will flee," she said with a gentle nod, her spear still in hand she tightened her grip just a bit as she focused her eyes on their opponent. "Let's go!" she proclaimed, feeling there was no better time to attack than right just now, she aimed to close the distance between herself and the large dual axe wielding Lizardman Avenger, making use of her increased agility to get around the first of its dual downward slashes with its axes.

[Bloodedge]

There could have been a better plan with more thought put into it than what Kou managed to suggest, but what there wasn't, was time to formulate such a plan and clear any downsides. Blindness from Kou's light flash was only going to last so long, and he didn't expect the Avenger to give much breathing room after recovering. Either way, Miki agreed to rushing the Lizardman leading this group, and even took the initiative in doing so herself. Kou followed suit with all the speed he could muster, and Mana flowing through his blade as well. Miki managed to slip around the first of two downward strikes from the axe-wielding Lizardman, but as the second came down, Kou reached the enemy and raised his own weapon against it. The Mana coursing through his blade surged, and was once again used in conjunction with his light magic to create a more solid aura around the weapon while also increasing its destructive capabilities. It was Kou's goal to, in this way, eliminate one of the Lizardman Avenger's weapons and stagger the beast to leave an exploitable opening.

[Apollymi]

Kou kept up with his plan to attack and was there to block the second strike of the Lizardman. Kou's weapon surged with light magic as the clash occurred and this did indeed stagger the Lizardman with the added insult of breaking the ax he wielded in his left hand. As the Lizardman's body went backward its tail lashed out behind it, stopping the forward motion of Miki, and causing her to jump back rather likely to avoid being knocked clean out of the way. 'Oops, can't charge in this time...' she thought quickly, aiming to recover her balance. This creature's right hand flailed about in Kou's direction, wildly swinging horizontally in the hopes of maiming the magical lad, and creating distance between them. Still, Miki regained her nerve, changing the grip on her weapon and using the range of it to plunge into the lower left side of the creature, as it was the only exposed and undefended spot she could currently reach. The Lizardman screeched, as this occurred but it didn't stop his onslaught, in fact, taking injury only seemed to fuel it more.

[Bloodedge]

Shortly after his attack against the Avenger's weapon, Kou managed to break through. This was no reason to rest however, and that very notion was proven when the Lizardman continued his assault with Kou as his new target. One weapon remained, but with it coming at his open side after the previous maneuver, he couldn't manage to do anything about it besides move to his own right to avoid the blow. Sadly, this only resulted in Kou receiving the axe's blade to his upper-left arm. Even as the blade dug through his flesh and spewed his blood, Kou continued moving away on adrenaline and momentum alone, stopping once out of range of an additional melee attack. Leaving his left hand hanging at its side, his right hand raised his sword to point its tip at the beast. "Shit!" he griped while wincing his way through the delayed pain reaction, focusing as much as he could on channeling light magic through his sword once more to aim a thin beam of light-elemental Mana at the Lizardman's face.

[Apollymi]

Kou was hit by the slashing attack of the axe-wielding Lizardman, but instead of a more serious wound only his arm seemed to be caught in the blade's path. Even so, the wound did succeed in maiming the lad quite a bit and he was left to run on adreneline as they tried to progress further into this battle. Miki heard Kou swear but couldn't seen around this beasts flailing to get a good picture of what had happened to the other lad. 'I hope he's alright...' she thought to herself. As if to confirm this, a beam of light came shining towards the face of the creature she fought, staggering it more. As it aimed to cover its face with its empty left hand it swung around blindly with its ax and tail. Miki was left to maneuver more than attack, still she kept her eyes peeled. She aimed her spear once more towards a more open area on this creature's body, further up about its rib cage, she slipped her blade into it pushing with all the physical strength she could muster, but not wanting to waste her unstoppable spear until she was sure the technique would kill. But a twisting motion of the Lizardman's body came before she could remove her weapon from its chest, it left her hanging on by the weapon and being whipped around as if an extension of the creature. She let go when she felt it was safe, tumbling across the ground to Kou's right. "Ugh... it just won't go down. I couldn't get a clean hit in on it either..." she managed as she picked herself up, she could almost feel bruises forming beneath her clothing from the incidental damage. Even so, as she looked at the white haired lad, she could see he was in a much worse situation than her. "Kou are you okay?" she asked, genuinely concerned as the monster continued to try and clear its vision and attack once more. The size of this creature had increased a bit more with the damage it had taken, and even other Lizardmen seemed fearful of approaching it.

[Bloodedge]

Kou's magical attack did all he needed it to do, granting him a moment to have a breather while Miki continued her assault. As he used his own torn sleeve to tie off the wound on his arm to the best of his ability, the girl was being whipped about by the thrashing Lizardman, eventually releasing herself to roll near where Kou stood. Panting and grimacing toward the Lizardman, he hazarded an additional scoff to the query of Miki upon her arrival. "Tch! No. Bastard nearly took my arm off," he said. Now that he was short on the usefulness of one arm, and Miki was without her weapon, the pair as a whole had less options for dealing with the Lizardman. On the other hand though, Kou had one other trick up his sleeve. As the enemy grew even larger and stronger, Kou lodged his sword into the ground and placed his right hand upon its hilt, using the weapon fully as a channeling device for his magic. "You're a Rogue, yeah? Keep him off me, and I'll run setup for you to finish running him through," he said, closing his eyes and funneling his Mana through the sword and, by association, the land. "I am the Light of this world. Purity is my body, and hope is my blood. This offering I give to you is my true essence. Heavenly Prominence!" At the end of his incantation, Kou himself would become a beacon of light. He'd placed five phrases into this incantation, creating a penultimate-tier spell in terms of complexity. The light radiating from him became a proper shroud around his body, granting him a glowing angelic aura. With this, he pulled his sword from the ground and moved toward the Lizardman's right side at the speed of light, aiming a single strike meant to lop off the arm which still wielded an axe. Vindictive though this was as a retaliation for his own injury, Kou thought to at least rid the Lizardman of its final weapon to give Miki all the opening she would need to finish it off, whether this was possible in one strike or not.

[Apollymi]

The pair as they took a minor break, commiserated over the injuries the lad had taken. Thankfully the lad still had his arm, but it wasn't of much use, beyond this it seemed that at least for the moment Miki was weaponless, but soon found herself capable of standing soon after her landing. At the mention that she was indeed a rogue, she nodded. "Hai hai, do what you gotta do... I'll be ready~" she exclaimed. She wouldn't let any of the hard work the lad had put in this day go to waste, nor would she let their chance to take down this enemy escape her. As Kou worked on his incantation, Miki found herself facing the Lizardman Avenger once more. By the time she reached it again, it had cleared its vision and the first thing it saw was her, hopping atop her spear still within its side, and pressing down on it with her body weight. This caused the creature immense pain. It lashed out at her, with the ax still in its right hand, but as it twisted that arm towards its left side, Miki slipped out of its line of sight, positioning herself at its tail with her index finger looped into the ring at the end of her weapon. She used this method to pull the spear from the beast, spinning it around and dodging the still swinging ax. At this point, her movements became about dodging as she looked for the weakest point on the creature's body. And soon enough her eyes found it, at the top of its armor just below where its collarbone were. 'Got it.' she thought, but the entire time she was moving around she saw a shining light. 'Sugoi!' she appreciated this lad's moxie and power. And soon this light was coming towards both herself and this creature at rapid speeds. She only had time to jump while being in complete awe of what she was seeing.

As Kou struck this beast at light speed, it had no way of possibly reacting to the lad. It had ignored him as a target given his injured status, and now it shrieked in horror as it completely lost its right arm. The falling of its arm caused a shift in its armor as the weapon and limb fell to the ground near the still writhing creature. Miki made a soft landing in the moment of this creature's shock, and pushed forward with all her might. The use of her Unstoppable Spear technique, would cause her spear to almost spin in a drill like manner as she pushed a massive hole through the upper chest of the creature, separating it from its body beneath its pectorals. The two halves of this creature would then fall to the ground as it released its last breath and died. Miki took a deep breath and managed to look stunned, for all she expected to happen, she didn't expect to actually kill this creature. She was relieved quite a bit and stunned by Kou's abilities. "Sugoi! That was awesome!~ Great Job, Kou!" she said. With the death of their final champion the rest of the smaller tier Lizardmen retreated.

[Bloodedge]

The completion of Kou's incantation granted him the power to perform one movement, and one movement alone. After severing the arm of the Lizardman, his motion came to a sudden halt. With this came the additional loss of his aura as he turned his head to view the beast's final moments. Miki took the opening and made use of her offensive Class Skill to pierce and segment the Lizardman, but while this happened, Kou found himself watching specifically the girl herself. He seemed somewhat skeptical about something he dared not bring attention to. Putting that aside though, he had a few moments to gather his bearings during the Lizardman's end, becoming able to move once more after a period of recovery from his spell. "Thanks. Looks like you could have done fine by yourself though. If I'm being honest, I just wanted to get him back for my arm," he said, sheathing his sword so he could apply pressure to the wound on his left shoulder. "Well, that's the first wave. This is gonna get..." As he spoke, the killing of the Avenger Lizardman registered, granting him enough experience to push past level 10. This occurrence produced a sudden flash of white light rising into the atmosphere to herald the unlocking of the Alpha Skill within his being, granted by the Nexus itself. With this happening, the end of his statement was altered before leaving his mouth. "... a little easier."

[Apollymi]

Miki successfully ended the life of the Lizardman standing between them and their next level, and soon enough she'd get to experience the rise in level to above 10. A grin crossed her face as she was encased with white light and gained the plus which was her Alpha Skill. "Iie, it would have been pretty hard to pick off everyone without my Alpha Skill, and it's still my preference not to fight things like that head on. You though, have some pretty impressive moves~" she commented being fairly certain she wouldn't have had any better time of this whole thing if he'd not been there. Whatever this lad's skepticism of her was, she had no idea he was still considering her strangely or rather, she didn't register any extra skepticism so it wasn't worth thinking about. Now that they had more skills to work with though, their combined efforts against the hordes trying to overtake the Dwarven Kingdom were bound to be easier. "Hai, it should get a bit easier. But... shouldn't we do something about your arm before we take on the next wave. It would be bad to let you stay injured," she put forth, aside from the fact that going into a fight injured was a bad idea. She also didn't want her partner hurting while they tried to overtake an entire army alone.

[Bloodedge]

"Yeah, sure," was all Kou had to say about Miki's ability, or inability, to clear the enemies they'd faced by herself. It didn't much matter now that they had been dealt with regardless, so he was content to move on and address the next set of enemies. He didn't think the others would be easy, but with both Adventurers having access to their Alpha Skills and the remaining soldiers to keep any other Lizardmen at bay, things would theoretically become more simple as they progressed. "It'd probably be worse if we stopped for long. If we follow the wall around until we get back here, we should be able to stop the other points of attack from getting worse. Getting fixed up won't do much good if the enemy gets in while it's happening. Err... you should drive though."

[Apollymi]

Soon enough they were discussing their next plan, and having successfully completed this one, it seemed that they were fine to move on. According to Kou, he didn't want to stop for too long, not even to get his arm fixed up. His logic behind this was that he didn't want anything negative to happen because they'd stopped for too long. While she could respect this as a logical thing to do, it still didn't seem like it would be the best possible way to handle this particular situation. "Seems pretty reckless..." she commented, still since it was mentioned she should drive she summoned the Ryuuko and hopped atop it, figuring her way to a proper compromise. She extended a hand to Kou to help him up, and once she was sure he was settled she'd take off down along the wall towards the south. Each side of the wall needed to be check on, and given this she'd make sure they made it the whole way around the place. "But fine, I'll trust you on this. I'll drive and just hope we come across the Dwarf version of a white mage, or maybe just a guy pushing potions..." she mentioned. She had no idea if the lad would really be fine to not be fixed up before they finished their work here, but, she had a few options for just in case it got too bad.

[Bloodedge]

Though initially referring to his idea as something reckless, Miki accepted the offer and summoned their mount. Kou nodded as he reached out with his right hand to accept the lift, after which he took his place on the beast's rear. Sparkles dotted his eyes as he viewed the Nexus layout of his own abilities. During the ride toward the southern wall, Kou tapped into his newly-unlocked Alpha Skill, Mana Burst. His first skill was a versatile one which combined with his other natural abilities to create something incredibly potent, but now, he chose to apply it in a supplemental fashion. He began exuding magical energy in a way that passively raised his defense, and as a side-effect of this, the bleeding of his arm slowed to an eventual halt. He would need to keep this technique active for quite some time until the healing process reached a proper stage, though he would at least be rendered capable in exchange for his own Mana for awhile.

[Apollymi]

Miki drove the Ryuuko along the eastern wall, headed south and it took quite a while. Dwargon was quite the sizable mountain kingdom, but in following he wall, she found that their group was soon within a snowy valley. This valley was tucked in between the mountain out of which Dwargon was carved and one steeper one to the direct south. You could seen the sun between the peaks but this area was cold and a bit down trodden. Within this area, the Dwarves could be seen having a bit better time of fighting off the enemies. None were approaching the wall in this direction, and there was a visible slower pace to the fighting here, likely due to the temperature. A shiver came from Miki but she managed to suppress it for the most part. As she looked over the valley, she took notice of a small battering ram, aimed at an open gate at the bottom of the city. "Sou ka, they were aiming for infiltration on this side. They only have fighters out to keep the Dwarves at bay while they try to break into the sewers," she concluded from what she was seeing. The obvious thing to do would be to take out the people moving the ram and destroy the war machine if possible. Keeping the Lizardmen from entering the city through the sewers was a must, as doing such a thing would give them way too much access to the entirety of Dwargon. "How do you want to take this one?" she asked of Kou.

[Bloodedge]

Approaching the attack on the southern wall resulted in an interesting sight indeed. The Dwarves weren't in such a dire predicament as the ones they'd so recently left, but the infiltration of the Lizardmen here would be far worse if it succeeded. A battering ram threatened to grant the enemy forces access to the sewers of Dwargon, where creatures such as Lizardmen would reign supreme against any force which tried stopping their advance. They had to be halted before such a time. "If they get in here, it's all over. I think we either get rid of that ram, or we find a way to make it useful to us... then get rid of it," he suggested when asked about a plan.

[Apollymi]

Miki listened to the speech being given by Kou, and his thoughts that the ram had to go were mirrored in Miki's mind. The lad thought it apparent to either get rid of the ram entirely or, to use it first and get rid of it soon after. Miki's head tilted from left to right and she considered this as one would a video game. Usually large weapons like these could be used in favor of the protagonist, and as she looked around she noted a small mountain path. This was obviously a place of entrance for the Lizardmen as it lead further down hill and into the warmer air. It was probably a place of reprieve from them and obviously where they'd pulled the ram up from. "I think, if we take out the Lizardmen on the ram, we can have the Dwarves help us move it towards the mountain pass. Then we can use it to collapse the space and destroy the ram. It will keep more Lizardmen from approaching from the south, and restore the natural mountainous boundary to the area... making sure they don't get flanked from that side again..." Miki offered this as a solid plan. She was fairly mobile and quite sure of her ability to take out multiple Lizardmen given the addition of her Alpha Skill. In fact, in this case she could make a bit of use of her Riding Skill and take out several on the move if he wanted to go for that sort of thing.

[Bloodedge]

While Miki explained her idea for making use of the ram and eliminating it as well, Kou hazarded a glance at the mountain pass of which she spoke. Indeed, it seemed well-fitted to the battering ram for such a purpose, and appeared to also be the only true method of approach for the Lizardmen on this side. "Yeah, you've got a point. If you can manage to take out the guys on the ram, I think I can do something about the path they're taking. If we deal with that right away, it should also help us out against the ones that are left. Looks like an avalanche waiting to happen, y'know?" he said after giving the plan even more consideration. With the skills currently at his disposal, even while injured, Kou could bring down enough rubble to fill the opening between mountains and cause an avalanche to chill the cold-blooded beasts into submission. All he would need in that case was for Miki to set the stage by getting the ram in place.

[Apollymi]

"Hm, that is a pretty solid plan. I like it," Miki said. By her own approximation all she needed to do was take out the Lizardmen on the ram, there were approximately a half dozen of those, a bit under her current level, so it wouldn't take very much by her own approximation for her to sneak up along the sides and take care of them. She could also use a moment or two to rally the other troops to their cause and begin moving the ram. Assuming the lad would be fine getting on by himself, Miki removed herself from the top of the Ryuuko leaving Kou to his own devices. "I'll get started..." she mentioned calmly, taking off pretty soon after. Her first movements would carry her across the battlefield where she'd immediately rescue the most senior looking dwarf in sight. Upon running though a Lizardman she stood in front of this man and smiled. "Get your men to move that ram... I'll clear it off for you. Push it over there~" she mentioned while motioning towards the mountain pass. The rather stunned looking Dwarf, simply nodded with a rusty colored beard, hobbling off soon after.

Miki in the meantime, moved towards the ram. It was steadily being pushed, into the large sewer opening. The Lizardmen moved, albeit slowly and then pushed forward with great force. From one side of the ram one couldn't see the other side, given its thickness. And it would be under this circumstance that Miki would make use of her first Alpha Skill. In front of the line of Lizardmen, the girl held her spear out in front of her, her arm and body falling into a quick rhythm. "Rapid Tempo Assault..." the words left her mouth, without her much thinking about it, and would result in a singular push forward with her weapon that happened at a speed which allowed it to hit all three targets down this side of the ram, before they even registered something was happening. As she was at the back of the ram, their bodies simply fell one by one, with the extension of the spear leading up to the next Lizardman and the next, until the one at the front was left slumped over his rowing bar. Of course, with a full half of the ram coming to a complete standstill, one from the other side would come to investigate. Miki would quickly turn around to face this Lizardman, making use of her class skill Misdirection. To slip out of his line of sight. In doing this she rather quickly was able to send her spear up and into his body and then, she moved to the other side to make use of the rest. By the time all of this was done. The Dwarf she'd so recent saved and his comrades, were busy beginning to roll the ram towards the opening all while Miki began work fending off the now attacking Lizardmen who'd noticed the ram was no longer functioning. She looked to Kou and nodded letting him know his portion of the plan was now the one which was up. All in all, it took her several moments to do everything necessary, and she'd hoped it was enough time for Kou to catch a bit of a breather.

[Bloodedge]

"Hai hai!" said Kou, solidifying their agreement. Shortly after this exchange, Miki abandoned the mount, leaving Kou to lead it toward the mountain pass. Once there, he dismounted and banished the Ryuuko, then drew his sword from many meters up one of the mountains. He could see Lizardmen still funneling themselves through the pass, huddled together for warmth as they made their journey. The attackers here even dressed differently, sporting fur-lined armor and the like to maintain their body temperature. It was just as Kou thought; they were true lizards through and through. 'It shouldn't be long. I've gotta get my shit together and be ready,' he thought. As he began to refocus his energy, the wound on his left shoulder began to bleed again. 'Mana Burst with Consecration. No need to use magic with it, gotta keep the Saber appearance whenever I can until I'm stronger...'

Once the ram was in place and Kou was given the signal, his sword's blade began to glow. Two slashes were made, one at each mountain to produce grand crescents of Mana to slice through the rock and snow, only a few meters above the maximum height of the ram. This was enough to shake the mountains and initiate the avalanche, but Kou had one more thing to do. He jumped down to the battering ram and placed his pommel against its rear, using his Mana Burst skill through the pommel to rocket the ram into one of the mountains. This was enough to cause a collapse of rubble before the snow and ice managed to reach the ground, and it managed to properly lodge the ram into the mountain as well. Kou only had to escape the mountain pass before the collapse and ensuing snowfall. The latter wasn't so easily avoidable, as it cascaded over the rubble and filled the area in a small snowstorm. However, this was sure to have an effect on the Lizardmen remaining...

[Apollymi]

Miki and the Dwarves got the ram into place, and once it was in the mountain pass the Dwarves moved away from it. Going back to their weapons and aiming to work towards finishing off the already existing Lizardmen while waiting to see what came of Miki's order to move the ram. Miki looked up and saw Kou atop the mountain and quickly moved back, finding herself an apt spot to watch the collapse of snow. It seemed to her, he'd gone back to using Saber techniques, still, his use of his skills was one she could appreciate tactically. Beyond this the ram was soon lodged within the mountain, creating an avalanche and snowfall down the mountain pass. Something strange took place with the Lizardmen, the ones who got trapped in the snowfall, began to move rather slowly. Their reaction speeds lowered, their running speeds lower, they couldn't easily escape the heartier Dwarves and they seemed to react badly to the sudden change in temperature. 'Ano, they're cold-blooded then... I wonder if it means they'd go into hibernation if it got too cold. Then invading here seems like a dumb idea really...' she thought wondering what was wrong with the Lizardmen that they were even trying to take on the Dwarves in this way. Whatever the case, as snow rushed the area, Miki, landed lightly atop it, and began moving towards the slowed Lizardmen, taking out a few more stragglers, and making sure the sewer grate, leading under the city was clear.

[Bloodedge]

The cold snow had a great effect on the Lizardmen, though Kou had also been caught up in the freezing temperature. He initially thought negatively about this, but the more thought he gave it, the more he realized he could use this to his advantage temporarily. After a quick sheathing of his sword, he scooped up snow with his right hand, and pressed it against his bleeding wound. 'Ah, shit shit shit!' he thought of the cold being applied. However, he managed to apply enough to thin his blood vessels and stop the bleeding without the use of his skills. As such, he was able to make more use of the injured arm. With Miki taking on Lizardmen near the wall, Kou decided to hop over the rubble and take on those who'd yet to reach the end of the pass by the time of the avalanche. There were quite a few, but they were even more affected by the cold in such a closed-in space, making them nothing but easy targets for Kou's blade. Over time, he saw the continuous growth of his experience bar and grinned as he passed level 12 from the mass killing alone, then levels 13 and 14 from the individual kills piling up between Miki and himself.

[Apollymi]

Miki continued on her way, killing as many of the stray Lizardmen as she could only as she was about to strike down another, a wide stone spearhead, clashed against her weapon. Miki's eyes widened as a moving Lizardman wasn't at all what she expected. And when she looked up she classed this creature an elite, with the name, Lizardman Spearman. 'Huh, I guess that makes him a lancer equivalent...' she said with a deep frown. She'd prefer not to address direct combat, but as she looked up at the creature she shifted left several small steps. 'Level 15, not too much of an advantage but...' the creature pulled back its spear, pushing forward with it several times in a manner which made her eyes widen. As she looked the creature over its fur lined armor let her know exactly what was going on. This creature was massive but slender and what green scales and long ornately done pieces of cartilage hanging from its head. It was still warm enough to continue moving and thus still lively enough to be a problem. It was taking all of Miki's current concentration just to keep fending off this creature.

[Bloodedge]

'Oh boy. One more level, and the rest of these guys are gonna be in a lot of trouble,' thought Kou as he cleared out numerous Lizardmen. By the time he was combating the final few on his end, an arrow zipped by his face. This took Kou aback, considering this was a very out of the blue occurrence. 'But there's no... Shit!' In his next movement, Kou was slashing at one Lizardman's legs to maim him before slipping around his rear and using him as a shield. It took only a moment to determine where the first arrow had come from and use the body to guard that side. This maneuver paid off almost immediately, as the Lizardman he held was riddled with arrows within moments of being raised. 'That's not good. Can't hit what I can't reach. Way too much snow to pinpoint an archer in these mountains.' Even with this being the case, Kou had a couple of other Lizardmen to deal with nearby. He managed well enough to force them into the same fate as their predecessor by using them as shields against the arrows, but he never quite managed to locate the archer.

[Apollymi]

As Miki kept up her fight against a spear wielding champion, she took note of arrows flying about. There were no Dwarf archers in the area so she figured it to be an enemy. And her eyes followed it towards Kou as she ducked around a Lizardman who was run through by the Spearman she was currently fighting against. 'Hm, ranged is a bit disadvantageous for him... and I... can't make much headway against someone with a similar build to me,' she thought quickly. With that in mind, she began shifting herself and her enemy towards Kou. She figured he would understand why she was doing this by the time she got there. And within a few moments, between felling some enemies she found herself ducking around an arrow and knew she was about in the right place, she looked to Kou as she found herself blocking a coming arrow with the body of a still chilling, Lizardman. She looked to Kou as she blocked the spear once more, and she hoped he'd understand what she meant. In this moment if she found understanding of her point, she'd abandoned holding off the Spearman and take off at top speed towards the place she'd seen the arrows coming from.

[Bloodedge]

Just as Kou was running out of bodies to use as a defense against the archer, an arrow was deflected by none other than Miki's lance. His attention was grabbed just then, and he quickly discovered that she had an interesting enemy on her end as well. "A Lancer, huh?" he wondered aloud. He gave a brief moment of consideration to the strengths and weaknesses of their Classes, and considered the advantages of switching places. It seemed this was Miki's idea all along from the moment she moved away from the Spearman, at which point Kou's sword took the place of her lance against the enemy's spear. "Oh hell yeah, boi!" he exclaimed with a wide grin on his face. Knowing he had an edge over the Lancer Class and a weakness against Archers, this was something incredibly beneficial to him. In fact, when he viewed the Lizardman Spearman, he figured this would be just what he needed to reach the next level.

Meanwhile, the archer titled Lizardman Bowman was half-buried in a pile of snow halfway up the shorter mountain. His sights were set on Kou initially, but he wasn't at all pleased by the idea of his arrows being deflected by this other Adventurer. As such, her approach would be met by a single arrow shot first into the sky, yet led in a way which threatened to have it fall directly onto the girl's head when it finally descended. One could note that this arrow was also coated in magical energy which, itself, was volatile enough to explode outward on impact.

[Apollymi]

The switch happened and came with an exclamation from Kou which made a small smirk spread across Miki's face. 'Hm, he's pretty cool...' she thought as she ran towards the small hill top. Meanwhile, the Spearman rather suddenly had a new opponent in his face, and though he'd rather have taken on the girl he'd been fighting, taking out the boy with the sword was a more immediate necessity. He pushed against the sword and aimed multiple jabs towards the center of Kou's being, in the aim of putting multiple holes into the boy's chest and torso.

She already had a general idea of where the Lizardman Archer was located, and another fired arrow let her know that she was going the right way. Though much to her surprise the arrow didn't head straight for her. 'Ugh, up then...' she made an assumption based solely on how long the arrow would take to reach her. In this moment, she held her spear above her head and began to spin it rapidly, this wasn't simply an exercise in dexterity but it also allowed her to break the arrow. Doing so caused the magic around it to explode, blowing up snow and debris around her, but such a thing would also make her become less visible as a target. She knew this and ran with it, aiming to fall out of the line of sight of this archer, making sure to take light steps as she tried to approach this Lizardman within his perch.

[Bloodedge]

Kou's excitement to face the Spearman was well-placed. If there was one area in which he could feel confident in his abilities as a Saber, it was close-combat. The release of the weapon clash was followed by an immediate attempt to run a spear through Kou's torso numerous times over. Each jab was met by a slash to either side or diagonal, parrying the strikes away from Kou's torso. He performed these parries in succession until he saw an opportunity to lunge forward, beyond the tip of the Lizardman's spear, where he aimed the tip of his jian up toward the elongated maw of his enemy. For a moment, it seemed almost as if he intended to seal its mouth closed with a sword instead of simply killing it outright.

Meanwhile, the Bowman's arrow was deflected in a way which nullified even its explosive properties. In fact, the explosion uncovered the Lizardman from his hiding place as his opponent continued their pursuit. Even having lost his own cover, the Bowman retained sight of his opponent even through the debris due to the Independent Action Skill of the Archer Class. The Bowman, as a Lizardman, also made use of his racial advantage against tricky opponents by allowing his tongue to protrude from his mouth, granting him an additional level of perception for his enemy's location as he unleashed a rapid-fire volley of arrows - boasting an incredible piercing ability - toward his moving opponent.

[Apollymi]

The Spearman soon enough found his attacks being parried repeatedly. This switch in the attacking patterns caused a strange opening and soon enough the Lizardman's open mouth was held mid-gape by a sword. A screech escaped it as well as a singular spurt of blood. Still it lashed out with its spear, this time in a wide arching slash, as if it wanted to clear the space between itself and Kou. Moreover, the maneuver would again aim to maim the boy's arm if it happened to get caught in the way of it.

Meanwhile, Miki seemed to be a bit less capable in the case of her particular enemy. Her move for cover didn't work, but even so the Lizardman was a bit more exposed than it had been before. But a volley of arrows was soon fired Miki's way. Given this and the knowledge that she couldn't simply get out of the way of the bowman, she held her spear before her and kept up her charge. Spinning the long weapon before her, she aimed to use it as a shield. Even so, the piercing strength of these arrows caused a few to move past the shaft and blade of her weapon, knocking their trajectory off and clearing her path, though doing so slowed her down just a bit. 'Oh, bowman, right... one of the few things I should just try to take on directly!' her mind cemented this idea and after the last of the arrows was shot her way, she aimed to throw the spear like a javelin straight towards the center of the bowman's body from just about forty yards off, aiming to send it into the creatures body directly and at the very least keep it from firing until she finished closing the distance between herself and him.

[Bloodedge]

"Pehhh!" Kou blurted out with a protruding tongue as the Lizardman screeched through his sword. Noting that the Lizardman was still aiming to strike at him even from such a distance, Kou followed its arm's movement visually and removed his blade while crouching underneath the spear's arc. The distance this Lizardman managed to create was also used to Kou's advantage. He once again made use of his sword as a channeling device for magic, creating a blinding flash of light that accompanied his forward charge. Should he manage to have an effect on the Lizardman with this spell, his charge was to end with a lunge of his blade toward the Lizardman's heart.

The Bowman's barrage of arrows was met by a spinning lance acting as a defensive measure, though it at least managed to slow his enemy's progress. Unfortunately, the intuitive nature of this Adventurer was not something the Bowman prepared for. He'd seen the approach and read into it, but for a melee specialist to throw their weapon was almost unheard of. However, there was distance to take into account. A thrown projectile from such range was nothing to a range specialist who already had his eye on the target, so even with the surprise factor, he was able to roll to his right and suffer nothing more than a gashed arm as a result. Then came the time to strike, when his opponent was absolutely weaponless. A short amount of time may have been lost, but the remaining time it would take for Miki to approach and reclaim her discarded lance was more than enough for the Lizardman to draw his bow once more and begin fueling the arrow with poisonous mana.

[Apollymi]

The Lizardman Spearman was rather clearly outclassed. Even though he managed to clear space between himself and Kou, he hadn't managed to lay a single one of his attacks into the flesh of the lad. Beyond this, a flash of light was initiated from the young man's weapon, causing the creature a moment of temporary blindness. Even as it stuck its tongue out immediately to try and gauge the lad's distance, there wasn't much to be done when the follow up was a direct piercing lunge of the creature's heart. Blood spewed from its mouth as its heart was ravaged by Kou's weapon and its death was rather sudden thereafter. This was what Miki had been waiting for when she'd thrown her lance.

A quick view of her own stats let her see the sudden increase of her level as she moved forward and along with that a certain opening of a passive skill slot. She didn't even have to think about the choices provided to her, she picked based on how she felt. 'Mana Zone! It's here!' she chimed mentally and then before she even bothered to finish approaching the creature a whistle escaped her pursed lips. In so doing, she'd manipulate the spear she'd thrown which had been partially dodged already by the creature. What he couldn't know, was that her influence over her magical weapon would allow her to use it at a distance at the same proficiency as wielding it. And thus instead of aiming to recapture it with her hands, she hoped instead to pierce him through the back with it directly killing him as well. Only if this worked out for her, would she bother reclaiming her weapon from the corpse of the Lizardman Archer.

[Bloodedge]

And just like that, another flash emerged from Kou, once again coming from the Nexus itself to signify his evolution to another level milestone. The light radiating from his Magisteel sword cycled through a series of elements, thanks to his immediate choice in support skill. With a wide grin, he shifted the element to ice, and watched with interest as he hopped to level 16 due to...

Everything was in order. The Lizardman Bowman had a weaponless Miki in his sights, and his charged shot was ready to be let loose. Victory was on the horizon until a sudden whistle from Miki resulted in the widening of the Lizardman's eyes. Of course, it wasn't the whistle alone which did this, but rather the abrupt insertion of a lance in his torso. The impact tipped him over forward just before his shot was unleashed, causing the arrow to drive into the mountain beneath his fall. A poison cloud erupted from the arrow and enshrouded the Lizardman's body, corroding it over time. By the time Kou reached Miki and her fallen enemy, he took note of this and used his magic to produce a gust of wind, which blew this poison cloud away from Miki's spear. "So... you're in front of him, and the spear's in his back? Nice."

[Apollymi]

And with that, Miki's enemy was felled. As she thought of the best way to remove her spear from his poisoned and degenerating corpse, a gust of wind cleared the poison from around it. Along with this, came the commentary of her party member which made a cheeky smile come to her face. "Arigatou!~ I figured... if I am to be a rogue, I should be a really good one," she offered. Only to make her own observation as she pulled her spear from the back of this particular creature. "And I see you, taking your ability to a new level. I'm impressed! I knew I made the right choice, switching enemies..." she said giving the young man a proper congratulatory statement for being able to take the enemy she left him with while she dealt with their ranged enemy attacker. Now such things wouldn't be a problem for her again, she was more than ready to continue their journey around the Kingdom. With this particular quadrant saved, all that was left was the west and the north. One of which was easily accessible from the side they current inhabited.

"So that is two down, and a nice cut off for more troops. What's next on the list?" she asked of the lad. Obviously their strategy could continue to be built upon from this point. Admittedly they had many more options to deal with their opponents now, and she was becoming more and more comfortable with the kind damage she could deal. With this in mind, and the lad's expanding repertoire she had faith that their next conquest would be even easier than this one had been.

[Bloodedge]

"Makes about as much sense as anything I've ever heard," Kou said regarding Miki's choice in support abilities. "I like it. Definitely a good choice switching fights, but an even better choice with that skill. You're even better to have around than I thought you'd be," he concluded. With that, he stepped out ahead of Miki and sheathed his sword, then held out his right hand to summon their mount beneath the pair of them. "We may as well finish the circle off at this rate. It'd take too long to go North first, so... straight around!" he said, immediately kicking the Ryuuko into high gear to move toward the western wall. 'That's an actual respectable start to a build. Never heard of a girl doing something like that.'

[Apollymi]

Strangely, Kou went further than simple praise. He claimed that he found her choice to be a good one, and more over, claimed that she was even more useful because of something like that. Miki played games a lot before, but never had she had anyone just appreciate the skill required of her choices. In doing this, Kou became a standalone beacon of hope in a sea of less than good experiences she'd had as a gamer. 'He thinks I'm useful, and respects my opinions, while not being a crazy jerk...' were the words in Miki's mind as their shared mount was summoned beneath them. She held on tight to Kou as they began to move, and his plan of moving around towards the west was one she could respect, if only because it would mean they wouldn't have to cross the entire kingdom to get to the next target. "Hai! We're making pretty good time. Now that I think about it this mount is pretty fast..." she chimed in, she'd seen enough of this lad's thinking processes to generally agree with the decisions he made. Besides that she was going to offer the same thing because of the lack of distance required. They were making good time because of their mount, she figured such a trip normally took days on foot at regular speed. Her mind began to wonder about the work of the Dwarf King as she road along clinging to Kou.

[Bloodedge]

'A scan, huh...' Kou's thoughts returned to the world he came from, brief though this trail may have been. He was eventually brought back to the reality of the situation they were presently in by Miki's mention of their mount's mobility. "Huh? Oh, yeah... I think it'll be faster than the Filolial by level 30 or so." That was all he could manage, but within moments, it didn't matter if he had anything else to say. They were encroaching upon the western wall, which was mostly surrounded by tall mountains. In fact, the only place less-accessible than this side was North, but heavily-clad Lizardmen were descending toward the top of the wall. Defenses were mounted, but capable of firing nothing more than javelins for fear of producing avalanches that would destroy the wall. "This could be hard, or really easy. They've got a lot to keep themselves warm, but I think I can make that... not matter at all."

[Apollymi]

The thoughts that Kou had of their home world, were similar to Miki's own. Whatever the case, it was obvious to her that Kou at least understood the speed advantage that their mount had. She had nothing more to say about it, but they soon moved on further. They moved on further and further until they reached the western wall. What she saw from this point was very strange the Lizardmen were coming up, and though a defense was mounted, it seemed it was only really useful on a small scale to avoid disturbing the natural order in the area. Kou's commentary about this made Miki look around him, and had to agree. "If you can make it so they can't keep themselves warm. I can probably take care of a lot of them in the confusion. Bar any special cases, it could be pretty quick..." the young woman mentioned.

[Bloodedge]

"Right then. I'm on it." With some level of a plan set, Kou took the initiative to put it in motion. He held out the magical reins attached to the Ryuuko for Miki to grab hold of, then hopped toward the mountain where the Lizardmen were making their approach. There was an array of javelins and arrows being fired toward the mountain, but Kou's movements were placed perfectly to avoid them by a hair's breadth at every interval. Numerous Lizardmen were still struck by the projectiles, even those who routed themselves toward Kou. An aura of ice encased the lad's weapon as he hopped about the mountainside tapping the ground beneath him each footfall. Every time his blade touched the mountain, his Mana spread through it to drastically lower the temperature at the target location. It didn't take very long for Kou to move around enough to send many of the weaker Lizardmen to hibernation, even death for some, while those who were more well-off were chilled to an extreme lack of high mobility.

[Apollymi]

The Lizardmen were under a volley of fire, and it would only become more dangerous as Kou lept from the mount and joined the fray. After his leaving Miki banished the mount choosing to go about her movements a different way. Instead of riding in, she pulled her hood up onto her head and began walking about the battlefield initially with her weapon in hand. She found it very easy to sneak up behind the now almost hibernating creatures and kill them directly and for the ones more lively she threw her spear towards them, only to make an acute whistling noise with her lips, something akin to a chirping bird. At this sound a Lizardman who was aiming to aid some of the others found himself turning towards the sound, only run through from behind. He fell forward, even as the spear passed clean through him. Such an action would continue happening as Miki moved across the battlefield. The decreased temperature was a bit problematic, but it made the creatures around easy pickings. They were highly susciptible to the whistle and run tactic, which left Miki's weapon zipping through countless enemies bodies killing them as they ran or were frozen in place, all while she was able to directly avoid combat. 'I waited for this... whistling death on these Lizardmen!~' the thought crossed her mind in happy amusement the way she'd generally spoken to herself while playing the game Age of Eternity.

[Bloodedge]

Kou defeated and/or maimed a great number of Lizardmen with the added cold alone, but there remained quite a few who needed to be dealt with directly. He heard Miki's whistles, but thought he didn't need to worry about keeping an eye out for her lance. His focus was on the remaining Lizardmen near him, those destined to fall to his sword if not the girl's lance. As he moved about, there were but two additional worries crossing his mind. The first of these concerns was the wound on his shoulder, which was suffering reopening due to the suddenness of Kou's additional movements. The second problem however, was much more concerning to the lad who managed to sneeze abruptly in the middle of combat, accidentally even spraying saliva into the face of a Lizardmen he then sliced from nape to chops. "Ah, s-shit! S-s-should have... stopped to buy a jacket...

[Apollymi]

"Bless you." this utterance came from Miki who appeared strangely close to Kou given she'd taken off a while after him. She too was quite cold, but not to the point of sneaking. A small whistle escaped her as she continued her work, but she was within earshot enough to hear Kou's complaints about the cold. Strangely, she agreed with them, even while continuing to slay the Lizardmen found near them. "That would have been a good idea. Completely slipped my mind too... I mean, I have a hood, but it's not thick enough... and fast moving in this skirt isn't encouraging either," she noted. At the very least, her left leg was freezing due to being exposed while her right one was at least a bit covered. Regardless they should have sprung for some more weather appropriate clothing. Unbeknownst to Miki in this moment, as she continued to kill, her use of the Mana Zone skill would have another effect. It would spread the advanced renegeration her own body possessed to Kou as well. This would speed along his healing, as she maintained close quarters with him. "The north has a really big mountain in front of it right? We definitely have to get coats before we head there... we'll freeze otherwise..." she added, thinking that if they both spoke about it now, one of them would remember later.

[Bloodedge]

"Ari... ar... achoo!" Kou sneezed again during his attempt to respond to Miki. He never quite got out his thanks, as there were a few other staggered Lizardmen to deal with nearby. As he did this, close proximity to Miki was having a strange effect on him. He could feel the girl's magical energy radiating within himself, and even had a physical sense of his wound's blood coagulating at an enhanced rate. 'The fuck?' he wondered. Moving on from this though, a certain amount of attention needed to be paid to the northern mountain. Now that he was looking toward it, Kou could see trails of smoke. This was no simple steam coming from the snow, but proper dark smoke from flames. "I don't think... that's gonna be a problem..." he said, thinking that if he could see the result of flames from where they were, the northern wall was in trouble the likes of which the others couldn't fathom. "We need to move now!"

[Apollymi]

"And again..." Miki spoke with some form of amusement in her voice. Of course, there were still a few stragglers but when looking towards the North there was an obvious urgency which would require more of their attention. There wasn't a champion here, and since all of the important and strong enemies had been defeated there was no reason to stay. This had been their easiest wave yet. But... the dark smoke rising from the North led Kou to believe they should get going. Without further question she summoned their mount beneath them, a gentle whistle brought her weapon back to her person. From this position, she took the reigns this time as they rode towards the Northern wall. Whatever was happening there was obviously the most pressing thing to deal with, and the mountain side would make for treacherous fighting. Still as the Ryuuko moved about it made its way into the shadow of a large mountain, dark plumes of smoke rose up into the sky. Moreover, there were hordes of Lizardmen all still moving about, and at least one with a staff casting spells and one large one hulking over the rest by a large margin. "That isn't good, this side has the least defense. It's just the wall and the mountain..." Miki mentioned.

[Bloodedge]

This time around, it seemed to be Miki's turn to summon the mount beneath both of them at once. She took the reins and made way for the northern wall, leaving behind the few stragglers there may or may not have been for the now ample defenses of the remaining Dwarf soldiers. They traveled by mount to the north, finding there a group of Lizardmen featuring champions of a more intimidating variety. The Mana here was thicker than it had been anywhere else, bar only the area where the Fairy Queen was found. This was likely due to the presence of a few enemies named 'Lizardman Shaman' as well as a single 'Frenzied Lizardman' boasting great size and musculature. Most importantly, the Shamans were applying fire magic to keep their comrades warm, and also to attack the wall directly. "It sucks alright. Worse yet, they've basically got mortars firing on the wall. That last area only pushed us to level 17."

[Apollymi]

Miki looked out over the battlefield taking into account the different kinds of enemy present. She gave a quick analysis in the hopes of making their next battle as easy as possible. She gave her opinion given their current level and the kind of enemy they were currently witnessing. "Well, we did only get pushed up to level 17 but... I think if we plan ahead, and take out the shamans first, then the rest of the strategy created here will crumble. And killing those, will give us enough of a boost to take the Frenzied ones. I mean at the very least if we aim to take out the Shamans first they will lose heat source and the ability to damage the wall... that will give us a bit of time to level I think..." she offered. It wasn't the most sound strategy but by her own approximation it would indeed work towards letting them finish this area while also allowing the pair of them to reach a level most appropriate to being able to take the 'frenzied' class on with more relative ease. Beyond this she was more than willing to put herself out there, in order to try and sneak up on the Shamans before they realized they were being properly attacked. This was after all, her strong suit.

[Bloodedge]

"Hmm. Yeah, that seems like a good plan. Move slow, though. If they're also typed as Mages with a Caster Class, they might be able to sense you even if you sneak up behind them. I'll lay low for this part," Kou said, glancing between the Shamans and the Frenzied. For the latter, he thought the quick and dirty method would also be a good approach. Once the Shamans were down, that one would be the only real issue remaining on this end, as the rest of this army was of the normal variety. "If you can take down the Shamans and grab the big guy's attention after, I can be ready to take him down. Just make sure you get out of the way when you pull aggro from him."

[Apollymi]

It seemed that Kou was alright with the plan Miki put forth. He added in a bit of detail, but overall, he was fine with the idea of letting her take down the Shamans and then as a unit taking down the Frenzied Lizardmen during the layover time. His idea was for her to take the Casters directly, while being mindful of the potential of them to sense her coming. She knew it was indeed possible for them to sense her, but she had a pretty standard understanding of magic in this universe and she thought she might be able to get around this. "Hai hai, I'll take care of the Shamans, and don't worry, I'll be careful," she said, and with that Miki took off.

Miki hopped from the top of the Ryuuko, and aimed to slid down the mountain and into the valley below. She found herself rather quickly upon the first of the fires, and the shaman near it. Whether it knew she was approaching or not. She rather easily found herself behind it, and ran it threw swiftly. The magic it was casting as well as the fire it had already created died along it. This would send the creatures around this fire into a frenzy. A quick whistle would send her spear flying through the area, and through a couple of the others which were around. Even so, she kept moving around the falling bodies and onto the next fire. Upon making it to the second fire she found the shaman staring at her directly. "Hello!" she mentioned cheerfully with her spear in place. Instead of trying to sneak around this one. She decided it would be best to make use of her Alpha Skill. "Rapid Tempo Assault," she said while making herself easily fall into a rhythmic stepping pattern as she pushed her spear forward several times. The shaman himself aimed to put up a barrier, but it was shattered by Miki's Lancer Ability Unstoppable Spear. Doing so in conjunction with the Rapid Tempo Assault would indeed cause this particular Shaman to be bisected as she continued to move about. Given the ease of these first two kills, Miki had her guard up, knowing that the last fire and mortor were protected by the Shaman and the remaining Frenzied Lizardman. She stepped up, a short whistle leaving her mouth as her spear flew forward. This was easily deflected by the Shaman and left to go careening off into the snow. Miki was left to try and approach the man directly only to find herself running into a further barrier while the creature laughed at her inability to make it past his barrier. By all accounts, he'd created a perfect counter to her abilities, but her spear was within his bubble. Directly behind him as he held his left hand up towards the barrier charging a large fire ball type spell he'd intended to shoot upon Miki now that he could see her rather easily. Another mortar left the war-machine beside him, but it would be the last by Miki's account. As a short but sharp chirp left between her lips, causing the the spear on the ground to change direction aiming to maim the last of the Shamans from behind, coming out parallel to his extended hand. This would leave Miki to reach out for the ring within the middle of her weapon and grab it. "Thank you!~" she mused as she pulled her weapon and the last of the creatures fell. Of course, this would leave them wanting just a tad. By her own account they were just reached level 19. But assuming their plan hadn't changed, she went looking for the last of the creatures the frenzied Lizardman. Whom she found after the fire went out. A crazed roar escaped its mouth as she approached and it rather quickly found itself turned and staring down Miki across a small clearing. It began knocking even its own men out of its way to get to the young Lancer. It'd taken her several painstaking minutes to get to this point. Even so, her work was being shown, fires going out, Lizardmen falling to cold all except for the Frenzied who was now locked on to her as she began to move away. 'All you now, Kou...' she thought, having enough faith in the lad to do something about the creature now chasing her about the battlefield.

[Bloodedge]

Once Miki hopped from the mount, Kou brought its movements to a halt. He dismounted the Ryuuko and patted its head before setting his gaze upon the Frenzied Lizardman. His focus came with the unsheathing of his sword, and the activation of his Class Skill: Consecration. Using this ability to amplify his power instead of Mana Burst allowed him a boost without flaring his magical energy to be sensed by the Shamans. He waited a few moments for Miki to begin killing the more magically-inclined Lizardmen before he began a slow incantation. "I am the Light of this world. Purity is my body, and hope is my blood. This offering I give to you is my true essence. Heavenly Prominence!" Kou managed to complete his incantation without his magical energy erupting until it was over, but when it did exude from him, it did so as a full cloak of golden light much more visible than its previous use. Kou was at a great enough distance that this light would blend in with the Dwarves' offensive measures to those who weren't already aware of his presence, but the slaying of the Shamans freed him up to add the Mana Burst Skill to his amplification.

Consecration hardened and sharpened Kou's blade, Heavenly Prominence greatly enhanced his speed, and Mana Burst put forth his energy as an even greater weapon than his blade alone. Kou needed only one thing, and it was for Miki to disengage the Frenzied Lizardman. Once he saw her moving away, he made his move. Light-speed movements carried him toward the Lizardman with his sword at the ready and Mana pouring from the blade. "Duck!" he yelled, knowing the coming strike would have a much greater effect at his current level. His intention was to only be stopped by the blade's first contact with the Lizardman. The strike was aimed horizontally at the enemy's midsection, and if it made contact and even began cutting through, Kou's use of Mana Burst would cause his magical energy to explode from the blade in an incredible arc of gold, boasting a range that would explain for itself why he'd told Miki to duck when he approached.

[Apollymi]

Having finished off the Shaman's Miki was soon given a bit of a warning. She took this warning without hesitation, and dove into a low position when she turned back, she saw an arc of golden light making contact with the Frenzied Lizardman. The Lizardman could do nothing about this, and though he did have the thought to try and block the blade, it had already began cutting him through. He was strong though with high density regeneration and as such he didn't feel the need to stop his onward press. Until of course, the extra burst of energy cut him clean through. This golden crest of energy halted everything this Lizardman had to offer, and made it fall in two pieces at the end of it, unable to heal itself anymore. "Sugoi!" she managed softly as she stood out of the way dusting herself off. Thus would end their fight in this place. Such outward radiance was much greater than the last time Kou had made use of this skill and Miki could do nothing but appreciate this moment of prowess. The rest of the Lizardmen died, at the hands of the Dwarves and those who didn't fled in the hopes of finding warmer climates with no more leaders about the battlefield. "Hm, you took that one down pretty swiftly. I don't really blame you though, it would have been a pain to fight long term..." she mentioned. "Also that skill is amazing!~" she was a tad jealous of the lad's ability to show off in these moments but knew the type of person she'd chosen to be, meant she would more likely be out of the spotlight, not that she minded such things.

[Bloodedge]

Kou's strike hit its mark, and just as he feared, this member of the Berserker Class possessed a passive healing ability. Such a thing was considered necessary for playing a Berserker in the game Age of Eternity due to how much damage one took when playing the Class, but it seemed to have also translated to this world at least in this moment. Luckily, he'd taken precautions against the might of a Berserker, and his Mana Burst combined with Consecration allowed him to slice through the Lizardman's body in spite of its healing power. When the beast fell, Kou began panting and returning to his normal state. He'd exhausted his Mana reserves over the course of this task, but now... it was over. Miki came forth with a comment about the swift slaying of the final Lizardman Champion, and seemed to agree with the execution. Alongside this came a compliment to his choice in Skill. "Thanks. I didn't wanna risk it with a Berserker; those guys are tough in PVP. Anyway..." Kou paused, taking a moment to view the Dwarves that were beginning to cheer for the Adventurers. "I guess they appreciate everything. We should go back to the king and finish off the quest."

[Apollymi]

Miki heard out why Kou had attacked that particular Lizardman the way he had, and given his idea, it made quite a bit of sense. "Hm, I hadn't gotten around to PVP. I don't really think I intended to play it. Still, I'll keep in mind Berserkers aren't to be trifled with..." she said with a curt nod. As their conversation moved on, she took note of those around them now seeming to chant in their favor. She supposed the pair of them had won them an entire war and kept their hold from being overrun, so a bit of fanfare was to be expected. Kou strangely was ready to move on from this point and it seemed he'd worn himself out a bit while facing the Berserker. "Hai hai," she said summoning the Ryuuko beneath them once more. With this she headed back towards the main entrance of the Kingdom. Strangely the Ryuuko still disappeared at a certain point, but they wouldn't be stopped by guards on their way back into the Kingdom. No they'd be free to move about all the way back to King Gowther's castle.

[Bloodedge]

"Well... it doesn't seem like there's much of a choice now. This world is about as PVP as it gets," Kou commented, thinking there was nothing closer to a player versus player experience than what they were presently doing. This was especially the case when considering that the other players who'd disappeared from their world were surely here, as they discovered with certainty when meeting Gowther the Dwarf King. Speaking of the Dwarf King, it wasn't long before they were inside Dwargon and approaching the king's castle. It would be mere moments after they set foot inside that they would be met by two rows of castle guards kneeling to mark their entry, and Gowther himself stood before his throne. "Good work, both of you. More of my men survived than anyone expected since the attack reached all four corners of our border. You deserve payment, I think. What would you have?"

[Apollymi]

"Fair." Miki said about the world they were now part of. Still, she'd come quite a long way from picking a game to play as a nice solo adventure. She'd gone against many of her own general principles of gaming to end up in such a situation as the one she was presently in. Even so, she quite enjoyed this new experience, more than any others she'd had. As they set foot into the King's Castle, they found a very different reception from the first time they'd entered. In fact, Miki took in the sight of the two rows of kneeling guards and her eyes widened. She managed to look only sightly uncomfortable by the random change in hostility towards them. 'Hm, that tune changed really quickly... it's kind of unnerving for them to suddenly like us.' she mused.

They were soon greeted by King Gowther, another player and the one who'd assigned them the quest of helping him quell the fighting which was plaguing his lands. Of course, his statements about the survival of his people, pleased Miki to no end. She was indeed just the sort of person who would be helpful, despite the look of her face in most cases. Beyond this he offered them something in exchange for their good work. Given this Miki began thinking, there were many things she could ask for, as payment but mostly she wanted her stay in this world to be as smooth as possible. With this in mind, there was only a couple of things she could think to ask for, and after a few moments she voiced this thought. "I... can't speak for Kou, but personally I want some information. I wish to know, how to go about creating a guild and a few moments of your best runemaster's time. I'll take that as payment..." she said, she didn't really want anything material and wished only to live as comfortably as possible while being in this new world. As such she asked for things which would help her cement her own independence and that of her party member. She also felt she phrased her request, in such a way that Kou could add his own demands, as she wasn't about taking over his choices during this time they spent together.

[Bloodedge]

Kou silently observed the actions of King Gowther, who offered the pair their choice of a reward. Miki spoke up first with a request for information, first along the lines of what Kou also wondered, but also regarding the knowledge of the land's greatest Runemaster. The latter request actually gave Kou an idea, as he hadn't considered his own request at the time. "Actually... yeah. I'd much rather start a guild than join one, especially in a world like this. And while we're talking about Runemasters... I could use a few words with a Jeweler."

With the two Adventurers' desires out in the open, Gowther stepped forward and stroked his chin. "To create a Guild, you must have the acceptance of no less than five leaders of major factions. You've done my city a great service, and I won't soon forget it. If you produce four others, I will vouch for your Guild. Allow me some time to arrange a Runemaster and Jeweler. You may rest in Dwargon tonight. In fact, my men are already gathering to celebrate your victory in the drinking hall," Gowther announced. Kou heard the end of the king's speech, and thought to question it immediately. "Did you just say... drinking hall?" he questioned. "Yes, of course. They're Dwarves. They drink. Enjoy the festivities."

[Apollymi]

It seemed that Miki's question was one which Kou shared at least in some respect. Though he hadn't quite gotten as far ahead in his thoughts as the girl, he agreed with the knowledge she wished for. What he did beyond this, was add his own request for the time of a Jeweler. In thinking about this, Miki took time to realize the pair of them could be very wealthy and well-armed in a very short amount of time with the knowledge they requested. A smile crossed Miki's face as she was given the information she requested. According to the Dwarf King Gowther, they needed the backing of five of the major factions to create their Guild. This task seemed a bit daunting at face value, even while figuring it was possible to count on the Dwarves for support. 'Dwarves, for sure. Fairies maybe. I suppose we'll have to do a bit more adventuring to find some others willing to bet on us. Probably can't count on the Lizardmen, considering we thwarted their army...' her mind wandered along this topic even as it was mentioned that Gowther would need time to summon the people they wanted to talk with. In the meantime, it seemed that they were being offered a place of safety and beyond that a celebration with the Dwarves in their drinking hall. "Drinking Hall... Dwarves drink... right. Just make sure I don't wake up in a steel cage..." Miki said somewhat sarcastically, but she didn't mean this harshly. "Looks like we're drinking with Dwarves," she said with a gentle shrug, she didn't really mind this. In fact every form of media she'd ever seen them in, made it look like Dwarves were having the most fun in such situations.

[Bloodedge]

"Drinking Dwarves... I'm getting a weird Irish vibe from all that," Kou said, though he was content to partake in this celebration while recovering from his Mana exhaustion. He didn't waste much time before beginning to move out of the throne room, but he did stop prior to exiting to bring up one thing. "Oh, and since we're good and all... Lay off the Fairy Queen, yeah? Almost forgot we were ambassadors there for a second," he said with a wave to the king. Soon after, Kou was setting foot in a room that seemed to boast the design of a grand dining hall, albeit with an abundance of alcohol in kegs across the walls. Just as obvious as the walls covered in alcohol was the slew of Dwarves merrymaking at and around the long dining table, cheering for their saviors from the moment even one of them became visible.

[Apollymi]

"You're right..." came a statement of agreement from Miki. She couldn't help but find the last words spoken by the lad to the Dwarf King to be funny. She looked towards the man as they left and nodded. He would probably do well to leave the Fairy Queen alone, or at the very least not end up with her in a cage within his Kingdom when she stopped by for a simple drink. Of course this pair of adventurers would soon find themselves in the drinking hall. And the room certainly lived up to the name by virtue of the amount of alcohol lining the walls and even the the layout of the place, which was much more like a dining hall with room for gathering. Merrymaking was already underway and as Miki had a look around she had to stop herself from whistling in appreciation. "Whoa, this place is huge! And... pretty full," she murmured within the cheering and roars for the pair of them which rather suddenly occurred. 'Ano this is a lot of attention...' the girl couldn't help but think that such social situations were generally outside of her norm. 'I guess now is a good time to try for normal...' she anxiously considered biting the corner of her lip as she tried to avoid the angry face of her thoughts settling in.

[Bloodedge]

"Yeah... full. Definitely full," Kou replied. He was somewhat taken aback by the quantity of Dwarves polluting the 'drinking hall' at present. If he didn't get to see for himself exactly how massive Dwargon was, he'd have wondered if the entire city was packed into this one room. Interestingly enough, the Dwarves currently around the Adventurers were almost all familiar faces to the lad; they were mostly the soldiers that had been saved recently. Even more interesting was the time in which the Adventurers' quest registered as complete within the Nexus. This didn't occur until they were stood before the celebrating Dwarves, but they passed the level 20 threshold and moved up to level 25 in one shining moment. The glow produced by this effect caused the Dwarves to cheer again, hailing chants of 'Heroes' over and over while pushing massive mugs of ale, each the size of a human torso, toward the pair and aiming to shove them both - together - into a throne at the end of the long table. "Heroes! A round for the Heroes in the making!" shouted the drunken Dwarf who managed to plant Kou in the throne on its right side.

[Apollymi]

Kou's repeating of her statements made Miki giggle. But as they entered into this hall properly and took in the sights, their completion of the quest finally settled and both were encased in white light. Miki looked at her own stats and couldn't help but feel quite proud of herself. "Yosh! 25... we're making pretty good pro....wup!?" Miki's would have been normal speech was brought to an abrupt end by her movement from her place of standing into the throne at the top of the table. The dwarves around this place looked like many of the ones she'd saved on the battlefield even so, she didn't expect to be so randomly moved. Against the left side of this throne she found herself sitting dangerously close to Kou, her face flushed with this realization. 'I know Dwarves are pretty big and all, but why did they sit us so close!' her mind raced uncontrollably. Of course, the call for drinks made her gasp with pure surprise. Of course, she'd expected drinks but their hosts were already a bit drunk. "Uh... they are already drunk... and they called us heroes..." she said, a tiny bit of apprehension in her voice as she mentally prepared herself for the drink that was coming her way. 'I can't turn down drinks huh? But... he's so close... I don't know how to behave...' her mind shuffled through sentences as she sat with strange anticipation.

[Bloodedge]

After being placed in the throne, Kou rather quickly realized there was someone else occupying it with him. Of course, it was none other than Miki. His eyes widened right away, yet he kept his gaze averted. 'Ah, shit! How is this worse than the mount!?' he screamed in his mind. There was the presence of two massive mugs on the table ahead of them, but Kou couldn't bring himself to focus on even the great size of the Dwarves' beverage containers. When Miki spoke of the Dwarves' drunkenness and their reference to the pair as heroes though, he managed to look at the mugs. "O... Of course they're drunk; look at these full kegs they put out! But... why are we like this!?" he said aloud, still failing to make any level of eye contact.

[Apollymi]

There was something going on in this throne at the top of the table. There was now, a set of large mugs sitting out before her and Kou and both of them seemed just well enough to speak on this matter. Miki noted that the lad hadn't looked her direction at all, but she only noticed this because she glanced in his direction a couple of times, only to quickly avert her gaze, that light blush still applied to her face. 'Ugh! What am I doing... he probably doesn't like me very much. I mean he trusts me though, right? So we should like, be friends...' she thought to herself rather quickly, her expression not quite as stern as she normally would have been. 'I've never really done this sort of thing before... I don't know what to do,' her musings went on for quite some time. Even so, she managed to remember the conversation at hand. "They are kegs, I don't even know if I can lift this..." she commented softly. As for why they were sitting the way they were, she could only make guesses. "Well, it is like a spot for the guest of honor. And that's both of us right... so we share the seat? I mean... if you want to..." she added softly. Miki had no issue moving if it would help this lad out. She was quite embarrassed in this particular situation, and still hadn't really managed a moment of eye contact, though she found herself now seeking it a bit unconsciously, she needed confirmation one way or another of how he felt in this moment.

[Bloodedge]

"Damn thing's bigger than I am. I can't be expected to drink this!" This was the next statement to leave Kou's mouth, even though the surrounding Dwarves paid it no mind at all. At this point, he was more concerned with keeping his mind off their present seating arrangement. 'Keep it movin', real cool and nonchalant,' he told himself. Still, Miki chose to address the seating as well, doing so in a manner which gave Kou pause. The final words she spoke were of an interesting variety, and he'd experienced such statements in watching and reading his various series before. "Well I..." Whatever he meant to say was lost with swiftness. The Dwarves were back to cheering loudly, and one to Kou's side had even taken up his mug and put it to the lad's face, forcing him to guzzle it without so much as a moment of warning.

[Apollymi]

Miki heard Kou's reaction to the size of their drinking cups and she could only try to suppress a chuckle. She also agreed that they were massive and had no idea how to drink it. But before she could get her question about their seating arrangement properly answered, Kou found himself on the receiving end of his own cup. 'Oh no!' Miki's mind screamed but her own mug was being lifted to her face as well. She obviously had to drink to remove it from her face so she too would be guzzling a mug full of whatever mysterious drink the Dwarves had gifted them. "Oi! They even drink like Heroes. Good on ya'!" this came from a female dwarf, tall with rusty red hair and a gruff expression. Miki kept drinking with her eyes ever widening until of course she pushed her drink away. "I mean that was good and all but you could have warned me. Or like, give me a straw and I'll drink it myself..." the young woman commented her face in a full red flush now due to an acute influx of alcohol in her system.

[Bloodedge]

'This isn't drinking like a hero. I'm only drinking it so I don't drown in it!' This thought crossed Kou's mind as a response to the female Dwarf, though he was incapable of voicing it due to the large amount of alcohol being poured down his throat. Gulp by gulp, he drank the contents of the mug nearly as large as his body was, and he could feel intoxication striking him even as he drank. In a matter of moments, he wasn't at all concerned by the fact that he was in such close proximity to Miki; he was actually wondering if he'd make it out of this party alive.

By the time the mug was finally pulled away from Kou's mouth, Miki was reached out to by the male Dwarf who held said mug. In his hand now was a bamboo chute, which he dropped into her mug. A second one was placed into Kou's mug while the lad coughed and coughed, finding himself in a rather drunken state already. "Ugh... gonna die. Gonna die fast..." Kou mumbled. He didn't know how long these Dwarves intended to have them drink, but he'd been force-fed the whole of his mug, and was now having it refilled before his eyes. "Hey, that's... some really good stuff though. Just lemme... drink at my own pace..."

[Apollymi]

Miki's giant cup was also refilled but with the addition of a couple of bamboo chute like straws being added to both of their giant mugs. Kou's general response to the sudden influx of alcohol in his system had the blonde giggling just a little in response. "Tehehehe~ You probably aren't dying. Though to be honest it was pretty intense," she said leaning her head back against the throne and feeling the blood rushing around her face. "To be fair, it'd probably be the best way to go~" she mused having found it in herself to loosen up quite a bit with the addition of alcohol in her system. "Aye! By blade or brew!" the female dwarf chimed in, which seemed to act as a bit of a toast and made several other dwarves raised their mugs in response. Instead of raising her mug which was still rather large, Miki raised her fist but she decided to drink again through the straw at her own pace. After her next large sip she looked to Kou and gave a mischievous smile. "I feel like we should... be wary... of that toast. But I also feel... like... if we don't drink our fill... the Fairy Queen will be disappointed," she said softly, with several long pauses as she was most certainly intoxicated.

[Bloodedge]

"Nope... gonna die forever," Kou responded with a hiccup. The mug in front of him was filled, and he had to wrap his arms around it in a firm embrace just to get a proper hold on it. In doing so, he looked to the side where Miki could be found. He stared once again in a strange way, though the intoxication softened his expression to an extent. As the toast was made, Kou paid no heed to Miki's warning. Instead, he tilted his mug toward his head and slipped the bamboo straw into his mouth. "Mm, yeah. By blade and brew, die and stuff..." he murmured before having a swig or two. "Gonna die now. Mount's all yours, and... take care of my sword for me..."

[Apollymi]

"Nooo... dun die!~" the young woman said seemingly aghast at the idea. Alas the lad was now full on drinking his brew, even agreeing to the chant of by blade or brew. It was kind of stunning really, the looks he cast Miki with his softened expression were met in her brain by curiosity. Her own face reddened by alcohol and the knowledge that he was looking at her. 'Why does that keep happening? I know he doesn't think I'm ugly...' she thought her face shifting slightly into a pout as she too wiggled a bit closer to sip out of her large mug. "No, don't want to take care of your sword and it's our mount. I don't want to be alone here too..." she mumbled, gaining intensity with her words. Her current state of drunkenness left her a bit too honest, and her words blurred the lines of her prior life experiences with those of her character. "You have to name our mount, and live, and stay with me..." she seemed to be rambling a bit, but there was quite a bit of truth hidden in her words. She spent her subsequent moments finishing another mug and feeling the depth of warmth in her body which she hadn't felt in quite some time.

[Bloodedge]

Kou felt as if he was swimming within the contents of his own mug. It was a feeling that only became more intense with every gulp, yet he couldn't bring himself to stop amidst the cheering of Dwarves. Even so, he and Miki had fallen into a discussion regarding his alleged impending doom. "I'm not gonna make it. But... it's cool. You'll be alright," he said, somewhat delusional. Speaking of delusional individuals, one of the less combat-savvy Dwarves who'd somehow made it into the army saw the expressions upon these Adventurers' faces, and happened to misinterpret their words to one another during the celebration. It seemed these young Adventurers were an item on the verge of separation, so this very courageous Dwarf decided to take it upon himself and ensure their survival as a pair. How did he do this, one might ask? Well, the only way he could possibly manage was to position himself over the throne they shared, extend a hand to reach the back of each Adventurer's head, and made a very clear effort to push their faces toward one another. "The Heroes have to stay strong! Keep it together for the people!" the Dwarf chanted, inciting similar encouragement from the masses while Kou only just began realizing he was being moved against his will. 'Wait, what? What's even happening here?'

[Apollymi]

The delusional conversation of this pair was overheard by another Dwarf. This person interpreted their conversation as something very different, though maybe somewhat more optimistically than the pair considered themselves. "No I won't. Don't make me go at this whole thing alone... I won't be alright, Kou..." she cemented her drunken thoughts in this moment. And knew that how she felt about this world and the fun she'd been having of late, had come of her friendship with this lad. She likely wouldn't consider this whole experience as fun as it currently was, if anything were to happen to him. As she considered this her eyes closed and a small smile came to her face. The entire world seemed to be spinning and with closed eyes, it simply felt as if she was floating. Floating on air and shifting ever so slightly forward. 'Ano... am I moving... forward?' Miki wondered as a small crack appeared between her closed eyelids and she took in the movement of her head from a proper perspective. And along with this movement and the shifting of the Dwarf above. 'Kou's face is coming so close!!!' her eyes had widened to their maximum and she seemed the utmost surprised. The cries of the crowd that the heroes had to stay strong was completely lost on her. 'Wait! What? How did this even happen?' her thoughts were suddenly sobering but also a little enticing. Her arms felt like jelly, she had no idea how to stop their faces from meeting. What was more... she wasn't really sure she wanted to do this anyways. She had intended to make the lad her romantic companion, back when she'd just thought him an NPC. Was this a really bad thing? As her mind paced these thoughts her face seemed to move in slow motion toward Kou's.

[Bloodedge]

Kou was very conscious of what was happening at this point. He couldn't possibly think of the situation from the perspective of desiring a romance quest-line when considering Miki as an NPC, true though it may have been. At the moment though, he had a different set of thoughts entirely... as well as the thought that he had to resist. The Saber's neck tensed to push against the drunken Dwarf's forceful hand, but every muscle in his body couldn't help the intoxicated lad make any headway in this endeavor. Time itself felt like it was almost at a standstill the way Kou was watching the space between Miki and himself become shorter and shorter by the second. Even with the video game 'Age of Eternity' having romantic options for NPC companions, it wasn't uncommon for players to have such relationships in-game with other players. However, this was no simple matter of two players. They were now two people, seemingly fully-integrated into another world, but very much physically present regardless. What's more, Kou had at least one additional hangup that he couldn't mention. And yet, there was hardly a thing he could do besides acknowledge the fact that he was being moved, and he was physically incapable of stopping it. 'Shit... this is happening, isn't it? Why do Dwarves have to be so intense!?'

[Apollymi]

Miki also had thoughts about the intensity of the dwarves, but beyond this point, she had others. She didn't dislike Kou, she'd grown quite attached to him. She liked him a great deal because her respected her as a person. She couldn't say many people felt that way about her, and he'd even made peace with the fact that her facial expression was also never really pleasant. Given this she could honestly say there was currently no one she knew, that she liked more than this lad. Though she would have much preferred such a situation happen on her own terms, when presented with their faces moving ever towards each others even with time almost standing still, her drunken mindset stated something very simple, 'We could just do it on our terms... I don't mind if you don't...' her eyes were open and she'd technically aim to share this thought with Kou even in her own drunkenness. And whether he agreed with it or not, she'd lean in a bit closer and purse her lips gently so that when they met his, no harm would come to either of them. Her mind said that if this was done now, the dwarves would leave them to their own devices, and the honesty of her drunken mind stated she'd wanted to do this anyways somewhere deep down. If she considered it logically she'd done something much more embarrassing than this when she'd asked the lad to stay with her the previous night, her own hangups currently nonexistent as she aimed to kiss the white-haired lad before her.

[Bloodedge]

During the forced movement of the pair toward one another, Kou found his mind racing and his gaze trembling. Amidst all this, words reached his mind via the communication link setup this time by Miki. He had no response for what she said; only confusion for why she would so freely accept the terms presented by a drunk and confused Dwarf. Had this been in the world they came from, he imagined this would have been a very, very different reaction. Alas, since it wasn't possible to fight against this, he didn't have much choice. Their lips met, and it seemed Miki's were prepared for the meeting by the time it happened. Kou was shocked by this, but his drunken mind stripped him of inhibitions enough that he settled by the time the Dwarves returned to their cheering. 'That's not what I expected, but... it's nice,' he thought. This world had once again produced an event which Kou could not have expected to come of his human life, but if there was no going back to his original world, perhaps this was a sign that he could have new expectations now.

[Apollymi]

Miki's own thoughts had made it where she meant for them too, and one might have thought this a strange reaction for the girl to have, but for her it wasn't odd at all. To be fair, in her original life, she wasn't prone to having anyone she considered a proper friend, nor anyone who believed in her abilities. If she'd had access to any of those things in a single person, her response would have been the same, as such this kiss was something she could just enjoy at face value though it wasn't anything she would have thought to initiate herself. 'It was my idea and all but, I've never really enjoyed this sort of thing before...' she thought having it rather easily cement in her mind as something she liked. 'It's really nice...' she had this thought among the cheers of the Dwarves. And when their lips finally separated the lass was still blushing albeit for entirely different reasons. The female dwarf with the rust colored hair seemed to take a cue from the one pushing their heads together. "Seems like another round is in order!" she said while raising her mugs and having both of the Adventurer's Mugs filled.

[Bloodedge]

As their lips touched, Kou's eyes remained open. In fact, they were widened when contact was made, and remained as such for the duration. 'Well... no complaints about anything, I guess. It'd just be nice if...' His thought didn't reach completion, as he was swiftly interrupted by the words of the female Dwarf. His gaze was strangely upon Miki still, and he looked as if he was still in deep thought. However, he soon looked toward the mug being filled for the third time. "I think... I already drank my body weight," he said, though he still found himself reaching out to the mug as if he intended to drink it regardless. All the while, his mind remained elsewhere.

[Apollymi]

Their kiss happened and Miki was left with many thoughts in her mind as well. 'I haven't ever really kissed anyone before... it isn't like last time...' her mind was racing and then her cup was refilled. She simply watched this happening as if she was possessed. 'I just had my first kiss, and it was probably really random and weird. I'm weird, and in a weird place, and I just don't know what to think...' Her out of body experience was ended soon enough when Kou mentioned that he'd already drank his body weight in alcohol. His gaze remained on her oddly and she was very aware of this and found it rather embarrassing. Normally when people looked at her for extended periods of time she knew what they were thinking, in Kou's case she had no idea what was going on in his mind which left her in a bit of a bind. 'I don't know what he's thinking, but I don't know what to do when he is looking at me like that...' she said none of this aloud. Instead she looked up at her mug and took it up as well. "Definitely drank your body weight... I am pretty sure I drank mine too. It's fine though... it's pretty good, and getting better," she said quietly as she took another sip.

[Bloodedge]

'This is a different world, I guess. If I'm actually stuck here for the rest of my life, then maybe...' Kou continued focusing his mind as he stared into his filled mug. After several moments of hesitation, he placed the makeshift straw betwixt his lips and began drinking again, eventually commenting on what Miki had to say about the beverage. "Yeah, it's good... I think. It's not strong anymore, but I... uhh..." His eyes widened once more as he came to a sudden realization mid-sentence. "I forgot what I was saying."

[Apollymi]

'It's okay right? He doesn't really know me and I can just know him. Here in this weird place we can be real friends and maybe...' Miki's thoughts stopped a bit as she sipped from her cup. She cut her eyes in Kou's direction as the lad mentioned, that it wasn't as strong to him now as it had been before. What was more he seemed to be having some shocking moment of thought which cut off his sentence only for him to mention that he'd simply forgotten what he was intending to say. "Fufufufufufu~ Definitely doing it's job then," she said of the lad's present forgetful nature. "It's okay, I'm sure you'll remember~" she chimed seeming to find happiness somewhere in the depths of her cup.

[Bloodedge]

Kou had already made every bit of effort he intended to for the sake of remembering what was lost to him. Whatever was meant to end his statement wasn't that important, so... after another swig of alcohol, he voiced his decision. "I give up," he said. Soon afterwards, there were more movements made by the same Dwarf who'd originally pushed the pair together. He lifted the throne they were in, and began walking along the table while carrying said throne. The rocking motions that came with every step of the Dwarf wasn't exactly a pleasant sensation for Kou, considering how much he'd drank in such a short time. Trying to grab onto something just to keep himself stable, he ended up grabbing hold of Miki. 'Ugh, not good. Gonna sick all over the place at this rate...'

[Apollymi]

"Ah, oh well. I hope it... wasn't... important..." there were long pauses in Miki's speech after Kou announced that he'd apparently given up on trying to finish his earlier sentence. But his giving up might have been interpreted strangely by a certain dwarf. As a direct result, the pair of adventurers would find themselves lifted in their very throne and moving in a rather strange amount of swaying by the dwarf's mechanism. Miki was a bit stunned she was moving initially and was trying to figure out what she should do to keep from moving around too much. 'Ugh... the world is spinning, I should close my eyes maybe?' the words crossed her mind, only to have Kou grab hold of her, his body pressed against her softness as he tried to find something stable in the world. Her eyes widened at this and would have done so, even if she'd closed them. Still it seemed he was having the same problem she was, and she found herself holding on to him as well, her eyes closing gently. "If you close your eyes... it isn't so bad, the world seems less move-y," the lass said not having any real method of communicating but speaking to the lad in the same tone she had been the entire time. His sudden grip on her was rather surprising, but she didn't really mind it. 'He's kinda warm...' she mused as she appreciated this moment in spite of it only happening due to the mechanisms of the others around them. Her current level of intoxication left her without her normal hangups about her perception in these moments.

[Bloodedge]

At no point did Kou release his hold on the girl, nor did he even have an intention to do so. The notion that he could close his eyes and make things better was one he accepted, though not one that seemed to be actually helping him very much. At this point, he had Miki in a full embrace that at least made the shifting less intense than it had been previously. The pair's journey would have an interesting end, though. The Dwarf carrying them via lifted throne intended to lead the remainder of the celebrating soldiers to the room reserved for their saviors, where he planned on dumping the young Adventurers from the throne onto a large bed. "The saviors tire! A bed fit for king and queen, our Heroes!" he chanted whilst breaking the throne they were previously in, as if it were a mere plaything. Many of the other Dwarves were crowded around the bed, still cheering on their heroes.

[Apollymi]

Their movements seemed to be leading somewhere unknown to the lass, and given this she was a bit apprehensive, even so, she felt a great deal more relaxed within Kou's embrace than she would have managed otherwise. And beyond this, they'd eventually be dumped from their throne into a bed, in what had to be the largest suite she'd seen so far in this world. Of course when her eyes opened she managed to sit herself up a bit if only to avoid the world spinning by the sudden shift in her posture. "You're... going to need to sit up Kou... you might get sick otherwise...." the young woman mentioned, having had a few run ins with such things herself in her other life. Though she didn't understand why there was now a group standing in the bedroom with them continuing to cheer them on. Such a thing seemed a bit brash and irrational, though she managed to say something nonetheless. "Thank you... for not crushing us too. This is a really nice room and all... but we can't really sleep if you guys are cheering us on...." she mentioned seeming abashed. The entirety of this celebration had been a strange one, even so, she could at least appreciate the sort of room they'd been given. She felt in this bed, the comfort of home and she could wait to settle into it properly.

[Bloodedge]

Kou fell onto the bed and felt like all the grasping he'd done was for naught. Now horizontal, he was suffering all the sensation of moving without actually doing so. Miki's words of wisdom were offered, but they fell upon deaf ears. Kou merely remained in place, his eyes having become swirls, and nothing passing his lips besides continuous drunken moans. In the meantime, the Dwarves were being told by Miki that their cheers weren't exactly helping the Adventurers rest. One particular Dwarf took this as a special sort of hint, and shared his new knowledge with the others. "Our saviors demand privacy! We owe them time for their own private celebration!" he yelled with a raised fist, moving on to lead the other Dwarves out of the room. On their way out, another Dwarf took an extra moment or two to light a series of candles around the bedroom, and that very same Dwarf was the one who ensured the door locking afterwards.

[Apollymi]

After her words were shared with the one dwarf closest to them, it seemed a message would be taken from it that Miki hadn't actually intended to give. 'But... wait... I didn't mean it... like... that...' her mind said these words but her mouth only opened and closed as she watched the Dwarves raise their fists and file out after being told that the pair needed 'privacy'. Beyond this point, one stayed behind for a bit, lit candles and the like for the pair to set a more romantic mood which while a nice gesture was one completely to the contrary of anything Miki had officially planned for their evening. Soon after when the door was locked she looked towards it. She then looked to Kou who was still lying flat, his eyes practically swirling with nothing but drunken moans escaping him. "Come on, Kou, sit up. Just for a little bit... until the world settles..." she nudged him a bit beginning to try and help him into the seated position at her side. Taking a moment to remove her weapon and cloak from her person to give her a bit more freedom of movement. If she succeeded the lad would be leaning against her right side in the center of the bed, in the semi-upright position, and she'd be giggling. "Fufufufufu~ Dwarves know how to party at least... way better than the last few I've gone to. Though those don't really count as parties either... I guess it isn't anything to worry about anymore..." she commented aloud to no one in particular. Of course this was simply a leftover habit, one she had of talking to herself when at ease after a social situation.

[Bloodedge]

"Woo, cele... bration..." Kou muttered. He hardly had the means to speak properly, but he was managing where he could. He felt himself being coaxed into a seated position. Once he was upright, he took hold of Miki once more while leaning against her. He couldn't stand lying down the way he had been previously, but he also couldn't manage to stay upright by his own merit. "It's cool. Not... sick. Just need a minute," he said, having seemingly no issues with how he was pressed against the lass. In fact, he was rather clearly suffering from a bout of 'honest drunkenness' in which his every inhibition was abandoned outside the confines of his mind. "Mm, yeah. Dwarves are cool. It's comfortable here."

[Apollymi]

The first thing out of Kou's mouth which was understandable, was a bit broken. Miki took a moment to understand it, but once she did, she couldn't help but smile. "Yep, celebration..." she chimed, seemingly amused by the entire situation. She'd also in her time here, managed to get the lad into the seated position, which did what she thought it would, and helped to make sure he wouldn't end up sick this particular night. Much to her surprise though, the lad rather easily found himself once more holding onto her in a manner similar to their earlier embrace. "Oh?" she questioned, but her tone was teasing if nothing else. Actually, given how the lad normally acted she was a bit surprised he was holding onto her like this. 'It's nice, I don't mind really, you can...' she was having these thoughts in her head, but aloud she had something else to say. "That's fine. If you need a minute... you can lean on me," she said softly. She did enjoy that this lad seemed to trust her much more than most did. And in the moment of her drunkenness, she could appreciate feeling of her usefulness. Besides that point, she enjoyed his company, and could do so even now. "Yeah, I'm pretty comfortable too..." she said honestly and such a statement had nothing to do with the bed, and everything to do with the feeling of camaraderie she had with the lad at her side.

[Bloodedge]

"Yeah..." Kou said softly as his eyes closed again. He was reaching an interesting level of his drunken state, in which the only thing he could feel throughout his body was the comfortable sensation from the bed, as well as the lass he was leaned against. Feeling this way, he was losing consciousness quickly. He bore a soft smile as he spoke his final words. "Yeah... you are," he said in response to Miki's final statement. As he slipped from consciousness, he also lost the small amount of stability he had, leaving his body to slide down until he fell face-first into Miki's lap.

[Apollymi]

Miki got a few more words out of the lad, and knew that he'd be alright. The notion of this seemed to help her relax a bit, 'I know he's really drunk but... still, it's nice that he's relaxed now...' the girl decided this as the lad's body gained less stability and he mentioned that she was indeed comfortable. His loss of consciousness ended with him face first in her lap, which widened Miki's eyes immediately. "I didn't mean it like that!" she said aloud while being filled with a panic, both about the lad's current position and her own embarrassment which returned in full force. She moved his head just a bit to turn her own lap into a pillow while checking on the boy's breathing. 'Oh my god! Are you alright? I didn't mean it like that... you really...' her mental tirade became less and less fevered as she was sure of the lad's status. "Scared me a bit there... It's alright though. I don't really mind being a pillow like this. I only really wanted to help and have a good friend..." she murmured tentatively placing a hand atop this lad's head stroking his hair. "I want to be a good friend and I feel like you get me..." she mumbled a small yawn escaping her. She'd stay like this a few minutes longer to make sure the lad was okay, before she'd also settle into bed. Falling back she'd pull a pillow under her head, and leave her body as this lad's pillow to avoid disturbing his comfort.

[Bloodedge]

Several hours would pass, and Kou would begin to stir. He may have been a bit of a lightweight as far as drinking was concerned, but when he woke, he managed to avoid suffering a hangover... though he was rather groggy this waking. Whatever was beneath him in place of a pillow was a source of great comfort for the lad, and just like a pillow, he reached up to place his left hand upon it. A few rubs would ensue, as he found this apparatus strangely... flesh-like. 'What the...' Kou's eyes opened slowly, and there was his proof that this was neither pillow nor any non-organic substitute. 'Is this Miki? It feels...' Suddenly, his eyes widened, and his grogginess was replaced with the shock of realization. He sprung up quickly to separate himself, all to avoid any potential implications. Even so, he looked to his side and managed to confirm that it was, indeed, Miki who'd been beneath him all along.

[Apollymi]

The passage of several hours, let Miki fall into a deep and comfortable sleep. Though she was being used as a human pillow in this situation, she didn't seem to mind it and it helped her sleep better than she'd managed the previous night. But after the passage of time with Kou's gentle stirring she woke tentatively, finding the warmth of the extra body atop hers removed rather suddenly. This would cause the lass to curl up while mumbling in her sleep to the side facing him. "Didn... havta... run off... warm..." she murmured only to drift back towards unconsciousness. Miki always had a bit of a hard time waking and spending the night drinking made this a tad worse. It would take several moments more tossing and turning before the lass would manage to open her eyes a little. She'd stretch her body first, before pushing into the upright position... "No hangover... good good. Still I don't know if I'm....aaaaaaahhhhh.... ready..." she managed to say between yawns before her arm allowed her body to collapse again, into the softness of the pillows on the bed.

[Bloodedge]

'That was close,' Kou thought after clearing himself of Miki's lap. The very next moment, however, resulted in Miki commenting about his move as if he shouldn't have made it. 'Huh? What's that about?' he wondered. It wasn't long afterwards that Miki woke up properly and mentioned that she'd also avoided a hangover. A bit reserved, Kou spoke. "Uhh... good. I'm doing alright too. The king probably has the people we need training from. If they're good enough, it won't take long for us to be able to make decent money."

[Apollymi]

Miki laid in bed a bit longer, though she'd heard the words Kou had spoken, which mostly concerned their plans for the day. She rolled off the edge of the bed soon after, but didn't land on the floor in the crazed way she had the day before. Instead, she simply found herself standing and tossing around her hair to restore proper order to herself while she still yawned and tried to shake the sleep away. "Aaaaahhhh.... Yeah. Need rune master to learn a few things from to do what I want to do. Runes are really useful, and only a tier below proper magic. Making runes for others, inscribing weapons, scrolls or crystals, establishing bounded fields... should be a reasonable way to make some quick money. Besides it could be pretty useful in battle as well..." the girl said, mostly to herself as she tried to reason herself into a more suitable form of consciousness. Knowing she had a skill which made Rune Magic easy to master, she simply had to learn the runes. She moved towards the adjoining door to the bathroom which was also surprising modern and came equipped with two of everything... 'Fit for a King and Queen, huh?' she thought as she cast a quick glance to the lad across the room. They'd had some strange interactions the previous day, and she wasn't entirely sure how to address them. Even so, she didn't want him to take her actions negatively, she'd meant them even enjoyed them to a great extent. 'I just want him to understand me a little... And I want to understand him too,' she thought resigning herself to the act of tooth brushing with vigor. A few moments later she'd emerge mostly together.

[Bloodedge]

As Miki tossed her hair about to get it in order, Kou was staring without thought. His expression did not portray the same skepticism it had before, but there was even more confusion present, and... something else that even Kou couldn't explain if he had to. Eventually, he snapped back to reality well enough to speak, though the staring didn't cease even when he did. "Rune Magic is a Lancer Skill, right? If you could apply Runes to my gems, we could sell them for a lot of gold, I think," he stated. When playing as his current Avatar, he'd made thousands from selling jewels alone, so he knew applying additional value to them would be a great boon. As Miki took care of her business in the washroom, Kou went about reclaiming things that he had, at some point, dropped from the bed. His sword and a few small pieces of armor were fixed to his person in a matter of moments, and he was rising to pass Miki en route to the bathroom by the time she was stepping out.

[Apollymi]

"Hai... it seems like a pretty good way to make some extra. I'll do my best to learn some good ones~" she managed a smile crossing her face as she showed off freshly brushed teeth after leaving the bathroom. She'd taken note of his glances but didn't really know what to make of them, somehow the quality of his gaze had changed, but she wasn't sure if he was seeing her in a positive or negative light. Whatever the case, he was at least still talking about their shared ventures so she could take everything at face value. "Anyways, I think we will have an alright time, raising the funding for the Guild before we manage to find the other leaders willing to back us up, or rather while we look for them and complete the necessary tasks. Eonis seems to be a good spot for general commerce. So, I figured we could see about setting up there, after our visit to the Fairy Forest, since that is where our blacksmith is and all..." she commented absently. She'd had the lad pass her on her way out of the bathroom, even so she found herself looking at him with a new and differing appreciation. 'He's pretty nice still... I found an interesting partner for this... damn shame I had to get sucked into a new world for anything like this to happen...' her mind wandered as she waited for such a time as the pair of them leaving this room. All the while she tied up her boots and got properly settled back into her clothing, her cloak thrown back over her shoulders as well. and her hood pulled up.

[Bloodedge]

Kou took the time to freshen up and handle his oral hygiene as well. While Miki was speaking, there was a toothbrush nearly tonsil-deep in his mouth. He spoke in a muffled manner, seeming to ignore the toothbrush in his mouth as he did. "Eonis seems fine. That'll give us Dwargon, probably the Fairy Forest... we'd need two more." As he spoke, Kou even stepped out of the bathroom, leaving the toothbrush between his lips and revealing the toothpaste dripping down to his chin. "So, hey... how much money do you think will be a good amount?" he asked in a manner that returned to his soft-spoken speech of earlier. It was a bit timid a question for his normal mannerisms, but he simply desired an answer.

[Apollymi]

"Yeah, assuming everything goes well, and that being in Eonis will eventually lead into them backing us up as well..." Miki said, still there was the matter of the other places to consider. That being said there wasn't so much to do that they needed to stress about it. Regardless Miki was soon surprised to find the lad standing outside of the bathroom drooling just a little as he questioned the funding necessary for their venture. Miki's face showed uttered confusion but her expression still managed to be considerably softer. She seemed to be considering something for just a second or two. "Well it takes a thousand gold just to start the guild. We should probably aim for about a ten percent buffer on the end just to cover expenses until we are set up beyond that... so like 1100 gold maybe 1200 if we wanted to be super safe. But if we manage to set up any actual business ventures in the meantime it might not be such a tough sell... nothing to worry about though. I'm pretty sure with our combined skills we should be able to live pretty comfortably..." was pretty sure of herself in this moment. But she wasn't the kind of spoiled that would require a specific or ridiculous amount of money. In fact, she seemed to have a very sensible view of life in general. There was one other thing she felt the need to mention. "You got a little toothpaste on your face..." she said motioning to the lad's chin, but it wasn't teasing or negative... she just wanted to help him out a bit.

[Bloodedge]

Kou's gaze was unwavering as he awaited Miki's answer to his question. When she gave it, he seemed to be in deeper thought for a few additional moments before any sort of retort left him. "... Sou ka," he said in a slightly downtrodden fashion. His gaze even dropped then, but he moved on regardless. Miki pointing out the toothpaste on his chin was the only other thing he had to comment on. "Yeah," was his response as he turned back toward the sink and rinsed his mouth, wiping the toothpaste off afterwards. With that, he was ready to leave the room and meet the Dwarves' experienced traders to learn. "They're probably waiting on us now." Kou wasted no further time before heading out and making his way toward the building's main hall, where those who would train them were, indeed, awaiting their arrival. One of the two happened to be an ashen-haired male Dwarf with spiked pauldrons over a long cloak. He was also of the Lancer Class, and considered a master of Rune Magic among Dwarf kind.

[Apollymi]

Miki gave her answer to Kou's question and then pointed out the toothpaste on his chin. And honestly all she could say, is that his reaction was rather strange. He seemed rather suddenly down about something and she couldn't pinpoint any reason for him to feel that way. If he was worried about how long it would take for them to raise the necessary funding, that wasn't something that needed to happen immediately. Beyond this she couldn't have any idea what could have been bothering the lad. 'Ano... did I say something wrong?' the girl was left to wonder. Her interactions with people weren't strange normally, usually any problems she had with communication were due to the way she looked at people, but she was certain they'd already moved past that point as a friend group. 'Hm, I don't really get it...' she thought more but it seemed to be a bit of a headache. "Hai hai." the girl managed though she still seemed a bit confused she followed out of the room they'd shared for the night in the hopes of beginning the other part of their journey.

As they made their way to the Throne Room, they were confronted by the sight of the pair of Dwarves they'd asked to see, the Lancer Class Dwarf with ashen hair who was likely the man Miki had asked for. And beside him, a younger Dwarven female. She wore her hair in giant pigtails which were rusty red in color but pink on the tips. Beyond this she seemed to wear bits of leather armor sewn together with a pair of goggles around her neck. She would be considered the most masterful jeweler the Dwarves had to offer. "Osu! Someone wanted to learn how to make stuff? I'm the person for that... best there is~ I'm Ambra." this woman exuded confidence and had the same kind of boisterous personality that had been seen in several Dwarves the night before.

[Bloodedge]

"The best for trinkets, maybe," spoke the Runemaster in response to his female companion. "I have the greatest knowledge of Runes this kingdom has to offer. My name is Endros," he said further, stepping forward to discover which of these Adventurers would be his charge. Kou stepped up afterwards to face the woman named Ambra. He bowed before her to acknowledge her as his mentor. "My name's Kou. I'm looking to learn as much as I can about Jewelcrafting while we're here. Yoroshiku onegaishimasu." With that said, Kou rose from his bow and patiently awaited guidance to wherever he would be learning, and then whatever he would learn.

[Apollymi]

"Oi, no one asked you, Endie~" the girl quipped in quick reply. True enough she made what most Dwarves considered to be trinkets, but she had a knack for it, which meant she'd get a good teacher. As Kou stepped up and introduced himself, Ambra looked him over and nodded. "Oh, it's you huh? Aww, I was hoping to hang out with a girl for once... oh well. I won't hold it against ya'.... come on. I can show you all the basics in my shop..." she mentioned as she began to walk off, her hands tucked in behind her head, seemingly without a care in the world. "You don't have to be so stern all the time ya' know... see ya' later, Endie~" she chimed walking off and making the assumption that Kou would follow. If he did they would eventually find themselves in an offshoot of the castle, it was a small room with dozens of little tools around and lots of trinkets as well as tables with magnifying glasses over them, covered in scrap parts and all of it a bit tinged with magical influence.

Meanwhile, Miki managed to look at the man who introduced himself as Endros with the same general stare she gave most things. She also gave a brief bow in full acknowledgement of the man's position as her teacher. "I wanted to learn about runes, I'm Miki, yoroshiku..." Miki said addressing this man before rising from her bow. She thought about Kou in this moment and wondered if he'd be leaving for a long while or not. She knew she'd intended to learn this part of her skill set even so... she hadn't spent any time away from this lad since they'd found each other in this world. 'I didn't know I'd feel like this again...' the girl mused inwardly while steeling herself for some hard studying.

[Bloodedge]

"I asked me!" Endros replied in a snarky way. Noting that the young male was clearly to be Ambra's ward, he took an additional step forward, leading him to Miki instead. Meanwhile, Kou had his acknowledgement returned by Ambra. "Uhh... right. I'll do my best," he said, brushing off Ambra's alleged preference for a female apprentice. Since she was still keen to teach him, he followed behind her as she led the way to her shop. 'She's pretty young for a trade teacher. I'd say we're somewhere around the same age, at least,' he thought while trailing behind.

Endros bore a furrowed brow as he looked upon Miki. "Well, Miki... you're going to learn a lot of Runes. We'll do it right here, right now. Tell me what you already know first," he demanded. This man boasted a threatening aura, not like that of King Gowther, but certainly that of a man who felled many, many powerful foes in his time. He had done exactly that over the years, and Runes were the cause of it all. Now that he had someone to call an apprentice, he would ensure she would reach the same level of ability in due time.

[Apollymi]

'Sou ka... I guess they are friends,' this was the conclusion Miki came to given the snarky reply of the man known as Endros to the young woman known as Ambra. As Ambra led Kou off into the distance, Miki glanced his way only once more before the presence of her would be master became something rather present in her mind. He walked up to her and she felt a rather intimidating aura. It wasn't like the assault of a PVP player that she'd been given by King Gowther, instead it was more like the weight of a battle hardened warrior as such she could appreciate it. At face value this man could indeed provide her the kind of information she needed, so she steeled herself not backing down and meeting his gaze. "Hai. I'm ready to learn..." she said with a general amount of confidence normally unseen in her as she was quite used to not being forward with her knowledge. "To be honest, I remember some of the names of runes, but none of what they do. It's really weird... but it's been that way since I started travelling. Like, I know that Ansuz and Ihwaz are really useful, but I can't think of what they look like nor really grasp what they do..." she said. This explanation was likely one to be considered strange, but Miki had been doing a lot of adjusting since she came to this world. Most of her easier things were interface related to her in the game, but Rune Magic was one of the few things she couldn't force nor immediately find a way to use when in combat. It wasn't something she had access to as easily as her other skills, and thus she sought guidance.

[Bloodedge]

Miki claimed she was ready to learn. When she shared her own knowledge with Endros, she revealed that she had just about zero experience using Runes, and knew only the names of some, as well as having a general idea of a few that were useful. "Sou ka. It may be good that you have the natural ability to use Rune Magic, or it may be bad. Some find it easier to learn Runes without having the ability to inscribe them, as they avoid ruining the inscription. Others will have an easier time inscribing as they learn. We'll see what sort you are now," he said. Without further ado, Endros took a knee and drew a single symbol on the floor in a way that looked almost magical, but was in fact quite different. "The first principle is most important," he said as he started the character, drawing a line from the bottom up with his left forefinger. "When we inscribe a Rune, we commune with the world itself. In a way, Runes are the oldest form of Magic, from when the world began," he continued. Once he reached the highest point of the line he drew, his finger connected another line moving down and to the right from his original stopping point. "We accept the laws of nature into ourselves, and we write them to turn them in our favor for a single purpose." With the second line complete, Endros began a new from just under the midway point of the vertical line. Another diagonal would begin at a less sharp angle, yet following a similar path to its predecessor. "Unlike Magic, which came afterwards, Runes do not create; they use the preexisting notions the world itself has given us. It is by altering these principles that we rise above."

Just as he finished speaking, Endros also finished the rune. It glowed crimson into an absolute existence as his finger left the floor. "Find your ears before you search for words. It is from this principle that we gain Ansuz, the breath of life itself. We use it to breathe life into what exists. Flames become inferno, droplets become torrents, gusts become storms. Take this knowledge into yourself, and return it to the world as you see fit."

[Apollymi]

Miki was ever the apt student, as this man began speaking, she did nothing but listen and watch. Her face shifted, into one of her usual seriousness... but she wasn't at all upset. She aimed to retain the lessons presented to her, while experiencing a somewhat nostalgic feeling from his explanation. Endros words in general gave an explanation of runes as a type of magic and allowed Miki to process and understand what she'd been missing from her earlier knowledge. As he wrote the rune on the ground before her, he explained that the magic of runes came in accepting the laws of nature. By doing so she'd be able to use those laws of nature as she saw fit. 'Ano...' she thought looking down at the now crimson glowing rune. 'He sounds like the speaker for the Greybeards...' she concluded, and with that bit of nostalgia in mind she couldn't wait to share that information with Kou. She figured being the sort of lad he was, he'd appreciate it... maybe.

Whatever the case, she had a task to concentrate on, and as such she pushed all other things to the back of her mind. 'Find my ears...' her mind took in a lesson about active listening, about aiming to have the proper tools before trying for true comprehension. As she stared, and accepted the words spoken she felt something akin to the power of the word itself. It was like his explanation, combined with the sight of the rune glowing in magical red made it clear to her. It was in this moment that she understood it fully, and she knew why she hadn't been able to use the runes before. 'Sou ka, here... I need to see, to feel, and understand... runes are like nature and I am a part of that nature now... I can use it, like its my own, because it is...' she thought. Though her expression was still generally terse, she felt confident enough to give this a try. She stood to the left of the original rune and began to draw her own. Her finger moving with great purpose as she aimed to draw the very rune she'd mentioned first, Ansuz. And after she drew it, it came into the world, glowing a gentle sage green. A color which teetered upon the boarder between the vibrancy of life and the hollowness of death. Having accomplished this she looked up at Endros... "I think I'll be able to learn as I go. But just to make sure... another one Sensei." Her request for knowledge making her wish to know more and to fully understand all the concepts she'd been missing before. In understanding her first rune, she finally felt as if she was part of this world truly.

[Bloodedge]

Endros gave the general teachings he thought Miki would benefit from, and offered the first Rune to her. She followed shortly afterwards by inscribing the Rune herself, and hers took on a glow that he hadn't seen in a very, very long time. 'One of them being able to master the old ways of Runeforging...' he thought absently. The smallest hint of a grin appeared on the Dwarf's face as Miki wrote her Rune into existence, showing proper understanding of his teachings, and the world, by this act alone. "Hmph." Stepping up once more, he cleared the Rune of his own design and began anew. This time, he also started with a vertical line from the bottom up. "You were right in your knowledge of useful Runes in combat. As a wielder of a lance, you have a weakness in combat against those who master the sword, like your friend there. Should you have to turn against one another, or even if you have another opponent you cannot best in melee combat without aide... this will prove very useful." The first line was complete, and he once again repeated his diagonal secondary line. This one, however, stopped halfway to the length of what he used in the previous Rune, then mirrored itself. "The mind will trust the body... the body will trust the mind." These words marked the completion of the final line, another vertical one giving the Rune a shape similar to an 'M'. The glow returned to it, and Endros offered its name. "The Rune of hardening: Ehwaz. With this, we take into ourselves the laws of nature that govern solidity in all things. A grain of sand can be strong enough to penetrate steel, if we wish it so."

[Apollymi]

Endros had something similar to a smile upon his face after Miki succeeded in making her rune. She was certain now she had a reasonable understanding of how such things worked, but she wished to learn a few more things before she left this Master of hers. He cleared his own rune and began teaching another one, one he thought she would be able to benefit from using in combat, particularly in match ups which were placed against her. 'Sou ka... something I could have gotten some use out of earlier...' her mind wandered only briefly before she returned her attention to the task at hand. While Miki could honestly say she didn't have any intentions of fighting Kou if it could be avoided, not having to switch targets every time they had a disadvantage would be good for both of them overall. A glowing 'M' was drawn by Endros who explained that by virtue of what it was, it hardened what it came into contact with, a rune for solidification.

'Ehwaz...huh,' Miki thought while standing over the crimson 'M'. Several things were apparent to her in this moment, the first was, that there was obviously some personalization in the color of runes. The other thing she noted was that it was possible to remove ones own runes and probably those of others in understanding how they worked. She took a few moments to fully understand solidification, and then, she moved to erase her previously used rune. She then began work on Ehwaz. "Trust between mind and body equally shared..." she murmured softly. With this rune a glowing sage green M appeared as she finished. It's realization let her know many things, it was like with every rune she learned she learned about the world, and about nature. Not only that, but about the balance it dictated in life... somehow learning this felt much more important that what she'd initially thought of this as... her trade skill. "I take it, it isn't always this easy to gain such knowledge. Is this going to be one of those things where I should temper knowledge with skill or can I learn everything at once?" she asked of her Master with a great deal of earnestness in her expression.

[Bloodedge]

"Equally shared, freely offered," Endros added to the clause repeated by Miki. The lass seemed to quickly get a solid grasp on this Rune as well. One could say Endros felt something akin to pride in the apprentice he'd only been given today, but he would never show such a thing... at least, intentionally. With the success of Miki's second attempt, he was content to believe she would be a master of Runes in no time at all. "It is no easy task to master Runes, but I believe you may do... well enough under my tutelage. Knowledge is everything, but skill leads to execution. But don't worry. I'll give you all the knowledge you need today."

[Apollymi]

"Equally shared and freely offered..." Miki repeated this statement and something about the clause settled in her mind. Perhaps it didn't just apply to this rune, but to many things in the universe, or perhaps she was just lost in her own thoughts. Whatever the case, in these two moments of teaching she got a reasonable feel for the man known as Endros. He was stern, but fair and seemed to be free with his knowledge of runes, but not quite so much with compliments as his statements about the girl's learning, fell a tad shy of that in particular. 'Soft tsun... so so soft its tsu...' her mind wandered over this point as a small smirk remained on her face. At the very least her efforts were appreciated and this was something she'd always wanted. "Hai hai... I'm ready for the next one..." the girl said, more than willing to commit to memory everything the man had to say and follow along with his teachings. If he thought she could do reasonably well with his direction, she'd aim to overwhelm with her abilities in due time. But first she needed knowledge so she settled in for the long haul.

While Miki got into the meat of her lessons the young female Dwarf known as Ambra settled into her workshop. It was a place, well lit with tools and materials lining the shelves. Instead of books various scrolls and diagrams could be found plastered to walls and flat surfaces. It had the look of a workshop with a few unfinished pieces strewn about. Beyond that there were several raw materials, sitting around as she took a seat atop a stool she looked over the materials strewn across the first of the tables and found one she liked in particular. After looking at it for a few moments she sat it down in front of her would be apprentice. "Alright... where would you start?" she asked the lad in a manner most open-ended. It was as if she had no idea what she was doing and her warm nature and confidence hid something else entirely.

[Bloodedge]

"Good. We're starting regardless," Endros said. He would go on to begin his teachings in a more in-depth manner, making use of the time he had with Miki to the best of his ability, all for the sake of bringing her as close to a Runemaster as he could.

In the meantime, Kou was standing before his own instructor, who herself had taken a seat. After inspecting one of many materials she had strewn about the shop, she spoke at last. Her choice of words led her to ask Kou what he would start with. Kou had actually made use of this skill quite a bit during his time playing Age of Eternity, so he at least understood what the necessary starting points were... as long as there didn't happen to be any additional steps in this world. "Hmm... crafting with minerals, right? If I remember, it's better to start there than with monster parts that have their own energies."

[Apollymi]

While Miki was being turned into a Runemaster, Ambra aimed to make the lad known as Kou into a Craftsman of equal quality. In order to do this properly she needed to understand where his mind was, so she asked him an open-ended question to see what he would choose. His choice was the right one, but such a thing was really shocking, it wasn't at all abnormal for people to want to try and start with more advanced things. The simplicity of starting with mineral ores and doing it correctly would lead to the ability to work with more complicated materials. The lass couldn't hide her excitement in this moment and a huge smile broke out over her face. "That's right... I thought this might be boring. People normally act really dumb and don't understand the necessity of starting with the basics," she commented. "Ores come in various grades, the higher grade the better enchantments your pieces will be able to take. You can use your mana to increase the grade of Ore you're working with... but first you have to be able to look at it, either magically or physically and identify it for what it is. That is both the type and quality of the ore... if you upgrade it with your mana, it will be partly dependent upon luck how high it will go, but it will give you a good base to start with..." the lass said. She as she pulled several other pieces of ore from beneath her table and spread them out across the top. One was Magic Crystal, One Iron, One Silver, One Gold, and One was an ore studded with various precious gems. She placed these in order before the lad and gave a curt nod. "Tell me what you think of these and which ones you would upgrade," she said this was his first lesson. Learning what his abilities were like was an important thing to Ambra. She needed to know if he could identify already good materials in their raw form from materials that needed more work. And beyond this it would be a good chance to get the lad used to using whatever abilities he would have to create.

[Bloodedge]

Apparently, Ambra had been expecting boredom in this training session for Kou, but was pleasantly surprised by his answer to her first question. Next, she explained the finer details to working with ores as a Jewelsmith, feeding one's own Mana to the ores to empower them, but also keeping in mind the quality of the ore itself before making use of it. Ambra laid out multiple ores of different types and qualities, and asked which of them he would aim to upgrade if he were to do so. "Eto..." he murmured. There were two clear choices on opposite ends of the spectrum. One could view the strangest of the ores and believe upgrading it further would increase its value and quality, or one could view the Magic Crystal and believe it needed to be tempered further before use. However, both of these options seemed far too simple. It was likely that any attempt to upgrade the final ore, at Kou's level, would result in wasted energy and potentially wasted material as well. The same could be said of the Magic Ore, considering how much Magic Energy it took for them to grow over long periods of time. "If I had to pick one, I'd pick... that," he said, pointing specifically to the iron ore.

[Apollymi]

Another smile came from Kou's instructor, as after a few moments of consideration the lad came to the proper conclusion without any additional prompting. At his choice she flicked the piece of iron ore towards the lad while moving the rest of them off to the side. "Iron is a good choice... I consider it to always be a good base material. It can be combined with anything, strengthened, it can be polished to an unimaginable shine, and because of its nature... it can easily take on the enchantment of just about anything..." she mentioned. "Besides all that, it is an easy ore to work with at earlier levels, and relatively cheap or easy to come by so you don't have to waste coin trying to gather it as a material," she explained this part of jewel crafting as it was essential. More essential than even working with the metals initially. "Being able to find and identify it is important... how you do it is up to you... Dwarves have Keen eyes, and can identify potentially various different materials without much thought, especially if we've worked with them before. Some mage types know how different ores interact with their mana, allowing them to identify them at range... something like Magic Crystal, gives off its own magical aura, while something like iron has none of its own, but other metals, like silver and gold radiate somewhere in the middle. Keep that in mind... if it is something that interests you," she explained all while having a piece of iron ore for herself to make a demonstration happen.

"I think I should explain now, that iron starts at the lowest possible point, it's almost always low grade unless you personally upgrade it. Given that, you have to put a bit of yourself in making it... some of your soul..." she said calmly. "Well that is what old Dwarves would say, ya' know the ones who don't use mana~" she mused knowing it probably sounded a bit serious at least for a second. "A bit of magic will allow you to upgrade your metals, make them better for general purposes," she explained as she held that small piece of ore between her closed hands and when she opened them after exposing the metal to her mana, she she opened her fingers to show, a shiner more upgraded version of the metal. Not enough to change it from iron to some other metal, but enough that properties of it were obviously more advanced. "How much you put into changing it, is up to you, but you don't want to expend so much you can't concentrate. This is the first step in enchanting, as upgrading a metal makes it more conductive to mana. It gives it an individual property... The same can be said of gems when they're cut and monster bones when they are shaped... you should consider yourself, your soul, your mana a source of change for all things when it comes to creating pieces... it's a staple of creation. When you are ready give it a try."

[Bloodedge]

Ambra's explanation began as Kou caught the piece of iron she threw him, and continued as he stared into that very same iron. He'd at least made the right choice in ores; that much was a plus. The mechanics of this form of enchanting were very different from how it was legitimized in Age of Eternity's lore, yet not a far cry from what he imagined it would be when translated to this place. "Iron's low value, high versatility. Sou ka..." he said, voicing his understanding as Ambra carried on. He was soon allowed to witness the technique in use by the female Dwarf, and in doing so, he saw the massive change in the iron's quality for himself. He could even sense an inkling of Mana radiating from the piece she held, and he didn't even have to try to do so. "You're definitely a master, alright. I'll give it a shot..."

The dingy piece of iron in Kou's hand could be something, and he'd seen the literally shining proof. He couldn't quite focus himself while holding it this way though, so he stepped toward the workbench Ambra previously had the ores placed on, and put the iron there. Kou then brought his right hand up to hover it over the ore, and focused his Mana from there. "Not too much to control... not too little to make a difference," he told himself aloud. Over time, the golden glow of Kou's Mana began to enshroud the iron, and the passage of more time allowed it to sink into its home. The dingy chunk of iron he once held gained its own shimmer and rose in quality by two tiers, rising from E to C. It wasn't the greatest compared to what he could once do in Age of Eternity, but he'd managed to accomplish at least something.

[Apollymi]

Ambra got a verbal confirmation of Kou's understanding of her statements. She could at the very least, respect that the lad was keeping up with what she was saying and that he understood it as a more than simple bit of information. Still his praise and acknowledging her as a Master of her craft left her feigning ignorance and even shyness as she held a hand up to her mouth and waved him off. "Oh-hohohoho~ I don't don't what would give you that idea. You'll make me blush~" she chimed, still there was the matter of what the boy had to do for himself. He took it upon himself to try it out like she'd said, and though he didn't clasp it between his hands, he managed to pour quite a bit of mana into changing the ore for the better. After he did this, he managed an increase of quality she'd not seen in a beginner in quite a while. She picked up the piece of ore and looked it over with a surprisingly scrutinizing gaze. "Hm... I didn't expect such an increase. It's two tiers of quality... if you concentrated your mana on a smaller area, you'd be able to push it a bit higher with no extra output," she murmured deep in thought as she looked over the piece. "Still, it's really impressive... nice job, kid." she said aloud.

After a moment or two she reached beneath her table once more and removed a small cylinder which didn't seem to be a tool of any sort and put it beside the lad's piece of improved iron ore. "Crafting is a matter of magic and understanding. That's a multi-tool... its a good piece to have, it takes on the properties of your mana and allows you to shape metal. You can have that one... I've never had an apprentice before so I don't mind passing that one along..." she mentioned in a strange show of good faith, but she saw in this lad a great deal of promise and she wished to see what he'd become. "The greats can look at a piece of metal and know exactly what it should be... strike it one time with a multi-tool hammer and make it happen..." she said pulling out another one she stared at her own. "But... that kind of showing off isn't really impressive. Multiple strikes will allow the piece to take the shape it wishes to be, but your mana influences that... the more mana you put into it, the more your conscious thoughts and all that, will influence it, the better the base enchantment of your piece. They tend to do simple things... increase stats by tiers, or even just be straight additions. Gem cuts will do something similar but different, they can vary a lot more too, so keep that in mind..." she mentioned. Her own piece of metal made her hold her hammer out in her hand, a small bit of pink mana filled it turning it into a tiny working hammer. She looked at the small piece of metal and struck it three times creating a chiming sound which resonated multiple times with both mana and audible sound. Once she was done though it created a high tier ring, silver in color with an enchantment that increased the luck of the wearer. It also had two sockets big enough for small gems. "Take a look at that one and tell me what you think," she said to the lad. He needed to understand that when using magic to craft, shapes were determined by mind and heart and it was something one could only really get a feel for in the moment.

[Bloodedge]

When Ambra took on the guise of shyness, Kou raised a brow and bore a quizzical expression. "Oh... right," he said, content to move on from this matter as soon as possible. Luckily, Ambra herself moved on and assessed his Mana infusion. She claimed it was a slightly abnormal amount of increase for a beginner. Strangely, she then referred to him as 'kid' when complimenting his work, confusing him quite a bit. "Wait... how old are you?" he asked of this Dwarf who looked to be somewhere in his age group, as far as he was concerned.

Upon receiving a new tool for this craft, Kou was given an additional explanation alongside an example of the tool's working. He saw its method, and saw it in action while receiving the knowledge he needed to perform the act of crafting jewelry. When he viewed his multi-tool though, he wasn't quite satisfied with its form. "Could I maybe... borrow yours for a minute?" he asked. If permitted, he would go on to use Ambra's multi-tool on his own, producing a ball-point hammer from it to tap his device repeatedly. Many small, meticulously-placed strikes would occur over the course of several minutes, but he would eventually reforge his own multi-tool into a ring. While this was being done, he took a few glances at the ring made by Ambra. "I think it's great. I'm not good with holding onto stuff like this though, so..." Without bothering to finish his statement, Kou would reveal the ring of his own creation, made from - or of - his multi-tool. "I didn't break it by doing this, right?"

[Apollymi]

Apparently being called kid, didn't really sit very well with Kou who went on to question Ambra's age. The female dwarf looked at him with a coy smile crossing her face, and she couldn't keep the teasing from her voice. "That's a really bad question. Never ask ladies their age... older ones really freak out... trust me~" she mused. "But I'm thirty----" there was a long pause before she gave the finalization to her age. "Four. Yep, Thirty-four. I am bad at keeping up with that kind of stuff..." she mentioned in a haphazard way but none of this made much of a difference. After she demonstrated the use of a multi-tool and offered the boy his own, he asked to use hers. There was much curiosity in the face of this dwarf, but she waited it out to see what he would do. "Sure, knock yourself out, kid..."

And much to her surprise, she watched as the lad used her multi-tool to change the nature of his own. It was an enchanted piece of metal and pretty high-tier for a beginner to work with. Even so, each strike of the metal sounded true and even without knowing what he was going for, she could tell he was succeeding in his endeavor. 'Hm, that kid is a true blue craftsman... I wonder how good he'll be~' she mused internally. She would soon be asked about his craft and she'd look the ring over holding it in the palm of her hand and scrutinizing it the same way she had his ore. Upon looking it over she gave her honest opinion. "I don't think I've ever seen anyone do anything like that before," she said calmly. "A tool is a sign of a craftsman's dedication. How you care for what you use to make your product is a sign of the kind of person you are. The older craftsman would call this an abomination..." she stated as she pulsed her own mana into the ring creating another hammer from it even in the palm of her hand. "But I'm not them and this... this is fucking awesome!~" she said with untold excitement. "It's innovative. It has functionality. It's a great accessory and it fully maintains its original purpose, while being a perfect fit for you. I am honestly impressed..." she said calmly handing the boy his ring back and giving him a smile. "Come on then, I'll finish teaching you the basics... I'm sure you'll be able to do something great even without me interfering too much..." she said, offering the lad more of her time, but being sure he understood he'd be more than capable. Unlike runes or things that were learned as order... crafting was about creativity and the goodness of it, after the basics was in the eye of the beholder. And she could already see something very promising on the horizon from this young lad.

[Bloodedge]

Ambra claimed she was thirty-four years of age, but the way she said this was somewhat suspicious. He looked at her curiously and scanned her statistics via the Nexus, but he never saw the Alter Ego Special Class that he understood to belong to those of his world. 'Is she actually thirty-four? There's no way!' he thought. Further suspicion came when Ambra reacted to his multi-tool ring, referring to it as a 'fucking awesome' creation. Kou's thoughts aside, the tool worked as it was meant to after the alteration, so he was clear to continue his training. With a grin and a nod, he slipped the ring onto his left middle finger and committed to focusing on all Ambra intended to teach him.

Several hours later, Kou returned to where he'd parted with Miki. He bore his Ring of Jewelcrafting - as he called it - on his finger still, but now also had on his person a few new items. There was an additional ring with a jewel slot on his right middle finger, but most prominent was the addition of two golden magatama attached to his upper left sleeve by a purple rope not unlike the one on his sword. Between this fixture and the sleeve itself now was a small cape-like attachment, and his pauldrons seemed to have been discarded.

[Apollymi]

Whether Ambra was actually thirty-four or not, she had all the knowledge of a Jewelcrafting Master and she passed as much of that along as she could. She couldn't give him innovation nor creativity, but he seemed to have those things all on his own and that was fine. When they made their way back to the place they'd left before, her apprentice would be dressed with some major alterations to his wardrobe. Miki was still within this room, several hours later leaned up against a wall, almost completely exhausted. But what hadn't changed about her physically had changed in her outright magical prowess. As she was sitting within a small barrier of several combined runes having the effect of bolstering her regeneration and making her less tired. And beyond that though her eyes were closed, she didn't seem to be too much worse for ware, in fact she was aware that someone else had entered the room. "Hm, it seems our time is coming to an end. Anything else I need to know before I go?" she asked of Endros opening her eyes. While this happened Ambra commented in the only way she knew how, seeing this was something she'd never really considered. "Aww, Endie, you could have taken it easier on her... she looks worn out~" she said chiding the man for being too gruff with his apprentice given the state she could be found in.

[Bloodedge]

"You've learned all you should for now. Go on your adventures and put it all to practice," Endros replied to the young Adventurer. He had faith that she could manage to learn and understand other Runes in her own time, though as he leaned against a nearby pillar with his arms crossed, he looked toward the next meeting with this apprentice. Endros wouldn't speak again, aside from a few words which came along with a scoff toward Ambra. "Not everyone can have it as easy as you do, swinging around a child's plaything to make arts and crafts. Some skills require actual work."

Kou saw the state Miki was left in after her own training, and he sensed it as well. He had managed to become decent enough as a Jeweler, but in doing so, he had also made enough use of his Mana to fine-tune his senses. He had considered this to be her destiny if she ever relied too heavily on Runes, but he hadn't expected such a thing from the first day of training. "I have something for you. It should help what you're going through right now," he said as he went digging through his things, producing for Miki a pair of earrings in the shape of infinity symbols. He'd made them for this exact eventuality, having given them the property of enhanced Mana regeneration when worn. "I spent a couple of hours tuning these. They didn't end up being infinite Mana like I wanted, but it'll keep you from ever being too low."

[Apollymi]

"Hai hai... I'll make sure to do that. Arigatou gouzaimasu~" she said, though she was a bit exhausted she could at least say that she was quite knowledgeable in runes and their general usage. And even right at the moment she could appreciate the hardships she'd gone through so far in order to be a good fit for her partner. "Oi! One day you're gonna respect the hell outta my skills. Just you wait, Endie!" and just like that the female Dwarf ran off... where was she going? One couldn't know but probably to try and make something the male dwarf would respect as useful. "Dwarves are really intense..." Miki murmured after witnessing such a thing having gained enough energy within her barrier to at least chuckle at the childishness of one of the two tutors. Regardless of this, Kou seemed to have something for her, and Miki looked at him strangely as he explained, he'd spent a few hours fine-tuning a pair of earrings for her to keep her mana regeneration high. 'Why... would he do something like that for me?' the girl managed to look embarrassed but they were very nice earrings, in addition to knowing that the lad had spent a great deal of his time and forethought making them for her. "They're gorgeous!~" Miki mentioned, she quite liked the look of the item beyond that their functionality made them even more worthwhile, she couldn't believe that only a short while ago, both of them had been very fresh on to their trades. "You really didn't have to... but thank you! I really appreciate it," Miki expressed managing to have a gentle blush creep up onto her face. To avoid feeling too embarrassed she went to put on the jewelry easily sliding them into her earring holes in place of a pair of small studs. She flicked with with her fingers and instantly felt a great deal better than she had a few moments before. She felt much better and moved into a more proper seating position before looking to the lad with a smile on her face. "I learned a couple of things really good for you too... but I think I can only do one right now.. so you choose sword or accessory..." the girl offered sitting up straighter and facing the lad directly. She fully intended to do something for him, and her own forward thinking let her know a couple of runes he could benefit from in general situations.

[Bloodedge]

"... Yeah, probably not happening," said Endros while Ambra ran off to craft whatever it was she had in mind. At about the same time, Miki accepted the jewelry Kou had taken the time to craft, seeming to have been made better by it right away. Kou had tested these earrings and managed to refill his own Magical Energy reserves, but because he had access to them at the time, he never got quite so low. Seeing Miki's appreciation of the items, Kou wasn't quite sure how to react. As such, he merely scratched the back of his head. "Uhh... yeah. Well, I figured it would help us the next time we have to do something like we did yesterday. It's no big deal," he said with an averted gaze. Miki allegedly learned some skills that would be useful to him as well. She offered the example of this in an interesting way, questioning whether he preferred she use his sword or his accessories. As a Saber, he had a great deal of faith in his sword. He could say with near-certainty that it would never fail him unless he were up against a more experienced fighter of the same Class, or something else beyond him. It was for this reason though, that he decided against a Rune being applied to his weapon. "Err... accessory? I think my sword'll do fine."

[Apollymi]

Ambra had left and it seemed that the final words of Endros weren't heard by her. In the meantime it seemed that Kou was just as bad at accepting praise for his gift. Still she felt nothing but happy. She hadn't received a gift she'd enjoyed both in look and functionality in quite a long time. Because of this she was more than happy to give him something good in return. What she had in mind for this was two things but she could only offer one, when the lad stated he wished for something with his accessory she stared at the new magatama on his shoulder and smiled. "Hai!~" and with that said she reached out easily with a finger and wrote a rune which looked a bit like the letter 'Y' with an extra prong in the middle. Once it was settled this rune began to glow that sage green color of Miki's applied runes but would only do so briefly before it simply became part of the lad's person. This rune was Algiz and had a very specific purpose in mind when applied by Miki in such a way. "That will help... in case you find yourself in a situation like yesterday. The rune is called Algiz, and it will offer you protection in the face of an attack. It will dissipate a while after that... but you can use the time you have it effectively," she explained modestly. In all honesty the nature of the rune was one which offered the protection of an impassable shield for a few moments when active, but it was magical and wouldn't stop things from leaving it, just things from entering it, granting the person it is applied to a few moments of safety to deal a massive blow. It was a short offering of the worlds magical protection for just a few moments, a part of the balance of the universe which Miki had a unique understanding of now.

[Bloodedge]

Miki took Kou's acceptance of her offer and showed her ability with Runes by applying one to the accessory he'd created for himself. The item had a passive ability of increasing his mana by its own merit, but her Rune made it so he now had a method of defense that didn't require his Mana. "Algiz, huh," he spoke while watching the Rune disappear into the magatama. "A... Arigatou," he said to Miki directly. Moving on, it was clear that there wasn't much at all left for them to do here at the moment. Kou was at the very least ready to get moving toward the Fairy Forest whenever Miki was also ready. "So uhh... yeah. We ready to head out?"

[Apollymi]

The rune passed on to the lad was one which he seemed fully able to appreciate. He even thanked her for it and she again managed to look a tad embarrassed. "Iia, don't mention it..." she said knowing that by her own approximation she didn't think she'd done much but be a bit helpful to the lad who already seemed to have himself together. With this and their general work within this kingdom taken care of, he asked if she was ready to depart to their next location. What was left on their agenda was visiting the Fairy Forest to talk to the Fairy Queen and get the items needed to upgrade Miki's weapon. Since Kou's side of this had already been taken care of, and they were pretty well off, she nodded her agreement. "I'm good to go, whenever you are... so to the Fairy Forest?" she asked beginning to walk already out of this castle and towards the main gates of the city so they could leave and travel by mount.

"Finally. I mean I understand getting your worth out of your reward but did both of you need to learn two of the most intensive skills around from the Dwarves?" these were the words spoken from behind this pair of young adventures who appeared in a small ball of light only to have a short set of feathered wings carry her to floating just above the ground. "It's about time is all I am saying..." these were the words of the Fairy Queen Dakini, who had never left the Dwarven Kingdom of Dwargon but instead stayed to watch the exploits of the young adventurers. She even cheered them on the previous night at their party... not that they would have recognized her. "So I am giving you two a lift or are you taking the long way 'round?"

[Bloodedge]

"Yeah, to the forest," Kou said, suddenly realizing he had no earthly idea what sort of path to take if he wanted to get there. "Err... how exactly do we get there?" he wondered aloud. Just as he said this though, the problem solved itself by Dakini herself appearing before the group. It became apparent that she hadn't actually left Dwargon when they last parted ways. She'd been waiting for them to complete their task all along, rather impatiently to boot. "You really waited around here for us to finish doing all that? It's been a whole day," he stated. Regardless of his thoughts on this matter, they were offered passage to the Fairy Queen's Forest, and Kou thought this to be a grand idea whether he knew how to get there or not. "I think we should take the short path. Miki?"

[Apollymi]

As they walked it was questioned by Kou if Miki had any idea how to get to the Fairy Forest. "Well according to Endros-sensei..." Miki would have said something which led the Kou to know that she would have some idea of where to go. But their quandary was soon solved by none other than the Fairy Queen Dakini who claimed to have been waiting for them to finish their other tasks. Beyond this she didn't seem to be patiently waiting a question was asked of her. "Well of course I waited, I had to make sure you were keeping our deal in mind..." she said as if it made the most sense in the world. "Besides, I had to find out what Gowther was thinking trying to hold me hostage, and decide if I was coming back with a Fairy Army or not. And... seeing what you two did, and what you were helping him out with... I decided that under the circumstances he didn't have any better ideas. Lizardmen knocking on all his doors he probably thought arming up was the best possible idea... whatever I am not really upset..." she said seeming to have taken a logical standpoint on everything. As for her offer to transport both the adventurers directly to the Fairy Forest Miki did have something to say. "The short path is best, the only other way I heard to get there, was to climb down into that ravine and hope the fairies let you in when you get to the point of crossing which apparently sometimes doesn't happen," said Miki in explanation of the thing she had avoided explaining. "Yosh! then come along both of you! I will show you the world of the fairies!" she said a golden globe of light would appear around both of them and spread out before rising and allowing the trio to travel to the Fairy Forest.

Continue the Adventure Here (http://www.roleplayuniverse.net/forums/showthread.php?855-Fairy-Forest).