[OPEN] A Divine Adventure

[Athena]

"Do you have a problem for me to solve?" ☒ @tagged ✐ 1821 ✉ Step right up and help Athena on her mission to kill some kobolds to level up faster! Athena Lv2

A bright blue sky greeted Athena as she walked toward a small cafe near the center of town. Athena caught a small glance of the empty courtyard for the whole town. It was almost eerie how empty it was. Of course, it was bound to be empty since that was where Kayaba Akihiko made his strange announcement, and they all figured out that they were being held hostage to this game until they could finish it. Athena looked at the place with no particular feelings, since she just received a lot of motivation to get stronger after she was informed she was being kept inside this game. It had been a little bit since they had found out the announcement, in fact, it was more time than Athena had originally thought. She hadn't leveled up in a while, but it took a lot of effort to level up in this game. Though, that never stopped her from getting the motivation to keep trying to level. In fact, that piece of information increased her motivation to fight and become one of the best players in the game. Athena smirked as she continued walking down the path, since she had an idea about how to level faster. Athena was going to head to the dungeon, which she hadn't done exclusively. She had heard that there were some strong enemies in the dungeon, which made her want to go there. If the enemies were strong, that meant that they had a lot of experience points to give her. Luckily, while she was planning, a friend that she had made inside the game messaged her. It looked like she wanted to go to the dungeon so that she could level as well, which made Athena laugh. The girl that had messaged her was named Meijin, she was a capable fighter with a longsword and shield, but she was a bit too optimistic for her own good. Athena was currently going to meet with Meijin at the cafe.      Athena walked a little more, observing her surroundings and the various shops that she encountered along the way. A book store, a drug store, a general store, a weapons shop, and all other kinds of shops. Though, Athena never went into those shops because they sold items that were useless, but extremely expensive. Athena rolled her eyes at all of the people coming out of the shops with items they thought were well worth the money they had worked for. Stupid children. They don't even realize a scam when it's happening. NPCs sell shitty items to bozos like you and the game just takes your money, trying to leave you useless. Just like Kayaba Akihiko wants. He wants you to do minimal damage to your enemies and make you suffer because you were beat profusely by an enemy you thought was significantly weaker than you because of an expensive item. Athena finally caught sight of the small cafe, which had cake that Meijin liked a lot. Athena didn't enjoy the cake there, but she liked to sit with a cup of tea while she talked details for adventures, quests, and the like.        Athena opened the dark, well-polished mahogany door. The pungent aroma coming from the small cafe smelled of rich dark coffee, delectable confectionaries, and a hint of what seemed to be rose. Athena looked around the cream colored cafe and tried to locate the girl that she was supposed to meet. Athena looked over the finite number of tables that the cafe held, finally finding who she was looking for. Athena found the girl sitting in the corner, looking out of a window she was sitting next to. Athena thought the girl could wait a few more seconds for Athena to order a small saucer of Hibiscus tea. Athena found the tea to be very relaxing and helped her to focus during the day if she drank a few saucers. Athena walked up to the counter, where a quaint female NPC wearing an apron stood. "I'd like to order a saucer of Hibiscus tea please." Athena tried to be as kind as possible to the NPC, though she knew that it wouldn't be hurt if she had commanded it to give her the item. In a small moment, a small saucer of Hibiscus tea was sitting on the counter, which Athena picked up. Athena nodded her head to the NPC in thanks, though she knew she didn't have to do that either. She walked over to the table where Meijin was sitting. She set her tea down after she took a small sip of it. Immaculate. Just like at ho- Athena stopped herself because she couldn't have memories flooding into herself while she was speaking to a colleague. Meijin seemed to be at full attention when she set the saucer down, but didn't say anything. After a second, Meijin looked upset toward Athena. "Are you just going to ignore the fact that I just said hello to you?" Athena blinked her eyes for a few seconds, confused. Did I not hear her? Huh. Guess not. Athena shook her head a little and quickly looked at Meijin apologetically. "Sorry. I didn't mean to be rude, I just didn't hear you say hello." Meijin crossed her arms and made a pouty face. "Sure you did." Athena rolled her eyes in response to the woman, who acted like a whiny little baby most of the time. "Oh. Come on. I would at least say hello to someone I know, even if I dislike them." Athena waited for Meijin's response to the last part of the sentence she spoke. "H-Hold on! Do you dislike me?!" Athena looked Meijin up and down in response to try and get her to understand her fake position a little bit. "You do, don't you?!" Meijin stood up from the table and looked like she had tears in her eyes. Athena looked at the short, teary-eyed girl and produced a hearty laugh. "Wow. You really are a child!" Meijin sat back down and wiped the tears out of her eyes. "Well... I thought you really did hate me!" Athena laughed a tiny bit at her response. "I know. I know, but I don't hate you Meijin. You're too interesting to be hated by me." Meijin blushed a little bit in response to Athena's small statement. "Wh-What does that mean?" Athena could tell that the girl was having some issues working out what it meant, but Athena didn't have any hidden meaning behind the sentence she spoke. The girl was intriguing to her, she had to admit. She was so stunningly different from Athena and it pulled Athena toward her like a magnet. Even though she made fun of Meijin all the time, she thought she was a trustworthy, kind, and overall great ally. Athena sipped some of her tea, then responded to the girl. "Well... It can mean whatever you want it to mean, but let's discuss that another time. We didn't come here to chat about our friendship, did we?" Athena raised her eyebrows at the woman, who in turn, lowered her head a little bit, almost defeatedly. "Yes..." Athena reached across the table and pushed Meijin's head back up with a single finger. "Let's discuss the plan for the dungeon."      Meijin had a plan for how to approach the dungeon, since it was known to be a labyrinth. Athena had the mapping skill, so they would never get lost, but Meijin had a plan. No one ever said that her plan was a good plan though. "Just go across the left side of the walls until you reach where you want to go! Then, you can reach the exit in no time at all!" Meijin seemed very enthusiastic about trying to find the exit. Athena looked at the girl with a blank expression, then took a small sip of her tea. The air in between them was long and awkward, but Athena intended for it to be that way. Put simply, Athena thought this plan was awful. "No." Meijin jumped up from her spot, a little bit of white frosting stuck on her chin. "No?! Why not?" Athena took a small sip of tea again before she looked up at the girl. "Well... That plan sucks. A whole lot." Meijin say back down and frowned. "Why can't you just be nice about something for once in your life?" Athena rolled her eyes. "If I'm going to sugarcoat everything, then how would you know when I'm being honest with you?" Meijin opened her mouth to speak, but then shut it again. Meijin had no answer for Athena to her question. "Exactly. You wouldn't know when I was being honest." Athena took another sip of the calming tea and took a deep breath, taking in the smells of the cafe. "Anyway, how about we go in with just battle strategies? I don't know the kobold's attacking maneuvers and such, but we could at least formulate a small plan in order to do try to defeat them." Meijin nodded, but didn't speak in response. She seemed to be a little down after talking to Athena, but Athena knew that Meijin would be alright after a couple of minutes. The cake would help cheer her up again. Athena explained a number of strategies to Meijin, who nodded to each one. Meijin was always going to be the tank, dealing with the majority of the enemies, while Athena would be the damage dealer and disabler of their enemies. Meijin agreed to these roles as well, since that was what role she was usually put into consider she wielding a sword and shield. Athena stood as she finished her tea, deciding that it was time for the two of them to leave. "Alright. Let's head over to the dungeon. Hopefully, we can team up with some other people... Kobolds might be more difficult than I anticipate. Better to be safe than sorry in that case."      Athena opened the door to the cafe, feeling the crisp fresh air hit her nose. Athena began walking to the known location of the dungeon, which was a small ways away, but nothing that Athena couldn't quickly get to. Meijin followed her in tow, but was a bit slower than she was. Athena looked at the entrance to the dungeon, which made her smile wide. "Remember this Meijin. This is where we're going to have an adventure that we'll remember forever." Athena felt confident in her ability to fight the kobolds, but she suddenly felt a looming feeling of anxiety and fear. Athena shook off that feeling and stood near the entrance. She wanted to see if anyone else was going to enter, so that the small party of 2 could enter the dungeon along with them. This will be astronomical. An adventure for the ages. An adventure fit for a Goddess, a divine adventure.

MADE BY ★MEULK OF GS - EDITS BY ANGELO OF SAO-RPG

[Relsialle]

" Sometimes things are more fun with your life on the line…" ☒ @tagged ✐ 000 ✉ notes Relsialle Lv4 Relsialle stretched her arms wide as she lazily rested against a tree, her skin freshly washed care of a nearby brook…the water offering a much needed opportunity to wash off the grime from her last dungeon run. The water was cool but it was the unbelievable beauty to the day that made her seek out rest rather than yet another round of physical exhaustion, a beauty made all the more clear from the dank environment where she spent her last several days in the darkest and dankest depths of the underground maze. The pure emotion and jovial feelings that she experienced coming out of the fearful entrance was a feeling that she often experienced these days, being one of the few players that was slowly out leveling the floor and left in a sort of experience-limbo until the floor’s eventual completion and the rise to even greater challenges that lay ahead. Still, there was even more pockets of unknown enemies that lay ahead of them, the dungeons winding corridors and pathways hidden behind countless doors did offer at least some respite against waiting for the eventual boss raiding party that would come and stave off the boredom that such waiting would surely invite. The pink-haired thief sighed as she rested against the tree, the visible path to the labyrinth entrance clearly in her line of sight, her restful mood keeping her from making any effort to stay hidden…not that anyone would bother her at this point anyways given the threatening nature of the enemies that prowled even the grounds of the gateway. She was still her armor at least, the remaining water droplets from her refreshing splash in the nearby brook clinging to the leather and heavy fabric that served as her main means of protection, her curved copper dagger hanging secured from a sheath secured tightly to the bare portion of her thigh. The armor was well-made, black…much as the bulk of her attire, the heavy leather breastplate secured to her chest well and glossed over slightly with a thin coat of oil to protect it against weathering. Around her neck was a scarf that served as both hood and mask depending on her mood, a combination of leather and linen that was appropriate for the floor, but still offering some measure of protection that signified the item’s particular rarity. As one’s eyes wandered down her lithe form, her own stylistic interpretation of the given armor set was apparent as the leather breastplate came to an end with a short dark wool skirt and the small pouch containing her secondary weapons, the skirt leaving a healthy amount of bare thigh visible until being covered by leather boots…her foot coverings still holding a healthy amount of grime as the only sign of her previous delve. The thief appeared to be musing quietly as she sat in the shade of the chestnut tree, the hardwood almost ubiquitous at this point given the commonality of its presence in both its natural and processed form on the floor, but none the less provided a healthy spot to lazily mull about the rest of the day. The small pockets of kobolds and their particular lifestyle seemed particularly amusing as of late, with the bulk of the offshoot tunnels locked behind heavy doors that only those with more utilitarian talents are able to access…a fact that had kept her quite busy as of late given the unusual skillset that was required…one that she possessed and seemed tailored for.

MADE BY ★MEULK OF GS

[Elpharae]

Elpharae played with the edges of his ponytail as he worked. He had been taken as a girl too many times recently for his liking, so, in hopes of recognition (sort of) of his masculinity (which could be nonexistent by now, he admitted) he had tied it up. It felt rather strange, actually, but he didn't mind, except there were sudden shivers that he made when a particularly brisk wind touched his bare neck. His companion, a girl named Isis, sighed, rolling her eyes at him, which were twin pools of bright gold, blinking at him.

Isis was rather pretty, after all, dark skin the color of ebony that was warm and bright, almost sultry, really, on her. Her deep-set eyes were wide, giving her a charm that few could resist, and even her hands, which she used to spin her tapestries, were beautiful, long and slender, with delicately shaped palms. Her willowy, lean build was at utter odds with her strength, which she had devoted many stat points to. So it was only fitting, after all, that she was an axe user, even though it came as a surprise to many.

"Just don't tie up your hair, Elph," She lectured, swatting his hand away affectionately. Her tone was both playful and stern, something that she only could doubtless do. "No need to seem manly, because we all know you're secretly a girl." Her smile was both wolfish and innocent, an oxymoron that Isis loved to play with as much as she loved playing with the hearts of her suitors. You make it sound so archaic, El, she had mocked once, grinning at his use of the word "suitor". And besides, I'm not into any of them. You're the only boy for me, Isis had then pretended to swoon, making him sputter enough for her to sashay away.

"I'm not, Isis. Nothing wrong with liking dresses." Elpharae disagreed, a note of amusement coloring his voice as he turned, turning his back on the girl as she huffed, crossing her arms. Instead of dignifying her words with a response, he merely settled for unsheathing his rapier. That was a signal, he and Isis both knew, for the topic being closed. The dark-skinned Egyptian girl merely hissed, cat-like, and with that lovely parting sound, Elpharae spun and left, a feeling of fondness color the air around him.

"Bring back a girl!" Isis reminded him, hollering at his back. Elpharae let a blush creep up his cheeks at that remark, but he knew Isis was too far away to hear anything he said now. That sneaky girl. Tilting his head back as he walked, Elpharae mused on another girl he knew quite well. Athena. How was she? He wondered if Isis and Athena would get along, both respectively powerful goddesses, each one so different from the others. A thought flickered across his head. What if he brought back Athena for Isis? She was a girl, after all. He shook his head quickly, though. No use on idle thoughts. Especially where he was headed.

But while Isis might have been good as a potential partner, she was far too suited to her solo-gig. Isis liked taking what she wanted by herself, built for stealth and strength, a dangerous, heady combination that could be like alcohol. She was completely terrible with communicating, and that was not what Elpharae wanted to deal with right now. So he would go wait by the edges of the entrance to the dungeon until a small party appeared, one he would feel fine about joining.

That was a completely terrible strategy, but today, he had few hours to spare. With his increased level came another sense of urgency, as if he were obligated to fight on the front lines. Kaito, the man he had met, had tried to reassure Elpharae that not fighting on the front lines was fine and even needed, but Elpharae wanted nothing to do with those memories today. The best way to do that? Defy them, even rebel, if just a simple string of words. He needed to forget. Today seemed like a day when his memories seemed vicious, and the brunet had no wish to keep on being distracted. His grip tightened on his rapier. No. No distractions.

He made his way through the late afternoon crush, stopping to chat here and there. There was a duo of boys who wore matching mischievous grins on their faces as they plotted behind their mother's back, and the older woman sighed before throwing up her hands, her golden marriage band glinting in the sunlight. Elpharae loved his solitude, but he couldn't help but enjoy such fleeting, bustling moments, admiring a pair of street dancers and slipping past a girl who sold homemade woven bracelets. By the time he had reached the edge of Tolbana, he was smiling, mood significantly improved.

Stopping to a halt near the entrance of the dungeon, which was bustling with activity, Elpharae leaned on a tree, thinking. Speaking of trees...wait, no, he had lost his train of thought. Groaning, the green player let out a small huff in irritation, and had he been a cat, his ears would have flattened in annoyance. He was brought out of his thoughts, however, when he heard the sound of footsteps approaching. What could that be? Who could it be? Was it a group that he could join? Rapier still out, he watched with fascination a dark blur in the distance, which turned into the vaguely familiar shapes of other players.

[Athena]

"Do you have a problem for me to solve?" ☒ Elpharae relsialle ✐ 000 ✉ Comments on my own writing: Athena's a hypocrite. XD Athena Lv3

Athena saw that there were many people outside of the dungeon entrance, which didn't surprise her at all. Athena looked around for a familiar face, but found absolutely no one that she could spot. She sighed heavily as her partner, Meijin, followed her closely behind. It was obvious from the pair that Athena was the one in charge since Meijin followed her like a duckling behind their mother. Athena decided to stick to a spot for a moment to try and see if anyone would approach her. Unfortunately, after waiting a few moments, no one even seemed to consider approaching the group of two. Why was no one wanting to approach them? Was it because she looked like she was an unpleasant person? Well... That surely couldn't be it. She was a very agreeable, friendly person. She was also one of the stronges- "You have a short temper, don't you? You look like you're about to explode." Athena felt her face turn a brighter red than it, apparently, already was. "You have a loud mouth, don't you?" Athena retorted, attempting to mock the girl. Meijin looked up at Athena and stuck her tongue out. Athena looked away from her with a visible scowl, which made her realize that it was this exact expression that was probably driving people away.      Athena took a deep breath and just started walking, expecting to hear the footsteps of her comrade behind her. Athena took a few steps and noticed that the girl, Meijin, wasn't following her. Athena tried to sound as nice as she could when she asked, "Well... You're coming with me, aren't you?" Meijin seemed a little upset and seemed reluctant to go with her. In an attempt to lure her into going with her, she said, "Guess I'll be going by myself then." Athena continued walking, then after a few seconds, she heard Meijin's steps falling behind her own. "I knew you'd come around," Athena teased. Athena didn't hear an audible response from her battling partner until a few seconds into their search for a party to join. "Sh-Shut up..." Athena laughed a little at this remark, which had obviously made Meijin feel a little defeated.      Looking around for a party to join, Athena suddenly saw a familiar splash of colors and some long hair, which made her smile. "Elpharae!!!" Athena ran over to her comrade, whom she had battled alongside many-a-time. Athena turned around and saw Meijin fall into place a little bit behind her. Athena turned her head back to where her attention mostly was, Elpharae. "What are you doing here? Did you decide to go on a dungeon run? If that's the case, then that's what we're here for as well!" Athena saw that Elphrae's rapier was out, which made Athena almost laugh. "You know... I don't think anyone is a player killer here, so I don't think you need to be so wary of others. Though, I'm probably just saying that because I've got such a strong comrade by my side." Athena pointed to the girl behind her, who seemed to be blushing from the comment Athena had made. "Oh! I apologize. This is my fellow comrade Meijin. She's quite an adept fighter, if I do say so myself." Meijin's face turned bright red after Athena had said this, which made Athena laugh a little. "Oh come on. Don't get so embarrassed over a little compliment."

MADE BY ★MEULK OF GS - EDITS BY ANGELO OF SAO-RPG

[Tesh]

    Days and Days have gone by at this point where Tesh has been in the same argument with himself over and over again. "It's about time that you finally stop being such a recluse, not only were you such a shut-in in real life, but even now, in the world of Sword Art Online, you're holding true to this nature of not being able to trust anyone, keeping everyone at arms distance, because you are too afraid to loose somebody that is close to you." These are the words that have been plaguing Tesh's mind now for so many days. It has always been a dream for Tesh to be able to take part in the front lines and be the person that he was incapable of being the "real world". "Who even am I anymore" these words are the most crucial, that have been plaguing Tesh's mind since that dreary day from many of the players who were unable to logout of the game. "Isn't this what you have always been dreaming of? Year after year after year you have spent hours upon hours dedicating your life to playing MMORPG's and watching thousands of various Anime's and reading millions of different Manga...Isn't this the best thing that has happened to you since the day that you were born?" "Of Course it is!" Tesh replying to his own mind. "This world, this dream, is the exact reason by which I want to spend the entire rest of my life dedicated to in order to allow all of the others the ability to get back to their everyday lives...I want them to be free to have the life that they dream of." This inner monologue was more than natural for Tesh, and it would happen even more often than once or twice a day. It's been probably several months or so now since Tesh has even spoken to another player. Tesh was losing hope and faith in himself and fast.

    It was yet another beautiful morning, Tesh rolling over in his bed. By the look of where the Sun was located he could tell that it was roughly about 8:00 o'clock in the morning. Rolling back to his other side, away from the window, he ponders to himself, "I wonder what I should do today." Every single day now for the past several months of his existence in SAO has been a rinse and repeat cycle... Go out to the plans, kill as many boar as possible before his health points run too low for him to feel comfortable enough to continue fighting, then return back to the town, grab a bite to eat then go back to bed and wake up the next day only to repeat the same exact pattern once more. But today he felt differently, today he finally had an urge to finally expand upon himself and not only grow as a person but as a player, and what this feeling advised him towards doing was to finally stop being such a reclusive shut-in, even in-game, and finally expand the basis of people that he knew, which is basically nobody, and finally party up for the first time in order to progress further into becoming something better than this washed up mutt.

    "How in the hell do I even find someone who is willing to join a party with me, being that I am still only level one? Nonetheless, how do I even ask said person to even take me in and help me to become better than what I am now?" These where the first thoughts that came to mind after finally getting up out of bed and making his cup of what he thinks, well better yet, believes, was tea, that he was making. "Maybe if I just go the dungeons and sit and wait for a group of people to come by they will ask me if I want to join their party." "How pitiful does that even sound now??" Tesh replying to his own thinking. "Oh here I go again talking to myself, I hope to God that I don’t engage in this behavior when, or if, I even find a group that would be willing to accept me into their party... I think that is what I will do though since there doesn’t seem to be some much left of any options left for me to take." After downing what he believes was tea, didn't much seem to taste like it... Tesh grabs everything that he can carry and straps in on himself. Breathing as deep as he possibly can, and letting out a huge sigh, Tesh mumbles to himself "I guess it's time to find a party." With this overly proportionate two handed sword weighing over his shoulder, Tesh takes off for the dungeon that was located previously by the front lines. "Just maybe one day I'll be able to be there too, fighting with the strongest people in the Aincrad."

    Passing shop after shop after shop in the town, Tesh continues to try and talk himself out of joining any other people and that he would be fully capable of achieving the front lines on his very own. But at this point in his journey he has been able to convince himself that this dream or fantasy that he believed in for so long is no longer possible. So know that this argument has been settled within himself he continues to march onward towards the first dungeon in hopes that he will find a group of players that will accept him as part of their party. It's still very early in the morning and he finally makes it to the entrance of the first dungeon. Not able to see a single other player in plan site he decides that it would probably be best to just wait here until somebody else arrives. Sitting up against a pillar with his Sword between his legs he waits. Minutes pass and several groups have walked by entering the dungeon without even given Tesh a look, but on the horizon he sees a group of three people who have seemed to be a part of a group once before by the looks of the gestures that they are giving to one another. "Maybe this will be the group, the group that finally could use another person in their party." Tesh says to himself, awaiting the group of three to press on to the entrance of the dungeon.

[Relsialle]

" Sometimes things are more fun with your life on the line…" ☒ @tagged ✐ 000 ✉ notes Relsialle Lv5 Relsialle raised an eyebrow at the sudden rush of players to the dungeon entrance, it seemed in the past several weeks, the labyrinth…once a place avoided due to the danger associated with the darken depths…became a major attraction for both the rewards offered by its monstrous residents but the sheer diversion offered by the place. The overall change in player perception of the location made the rogue chuckle, a soft smile creeping its way across her sharpened features. It seemed only weeks before the moldy depths were only visited by a select few, with delving specialists like her being at the top of the list, and now a strange change had occurred. However, it was still unknown if this sudden popularity was for the better or worse due to the still dangerous unexplored sections that made for a healthy profit…especially those off-the-path hallways that remained locked away. She had briefly considered offering her particular services for a fee, the lock picking skill a still much demanded rarity that aid more the deeper one explored into the cavernous chambers, but ultimately an active laziness often won out in her eyes…naps over treasure taking the focal point over her days of late. The chatter from nearby sounded familiar as she lifted her lithe form from the tree in which she rested, numerous players gathering around the public pathway and looking hopeful like school children being picked for a game of tag or football…The pink-haired rogue grinned at the thought, shaking her head at the true metaphor, the light-hearted observation softening the danger of the area just a minor bit. Regardless of raid orders, leadership, and planning, the Irishwoman took a more fluid approach to these matters…improvisation and random chance being more favorable to her than any plan. This time she seemed more apt for simple boldness, seeing who would dare follow her next…her throat producing a deep chuckle as the thought shot across her conscious mind. The musician’s slender finger flicked across her inventory screen as she lifted her arms to stretch like a feline, her natural grace seeming obvious as she took her first steps from her solitary hiding place nearby and taking the first steps in the direction of the large vaulted door. Out of the corner of her crystal-blue eyes she caught the familiar forms of Elpharae and Athena, two unknown players waiting close by as well. Her fingertips lightly touched a small icon, forcing a dark scarf to appear around her neck from hammer-space…lifted up slightly over her mouth and nose as if a mask, its primary use as a hood discarded for now as her pink hair fluttered loose in the breeze. “So who is going to take the bait…” The crafty kunoichi whispered to herself, not being one to wait for a group, but let one find her...silently wondering who dared to join her for the latest adventure.

MADE BY ★MEULK OF GS

[Elpharae]

Elpharae spotted a familiar shade of blonde hair, which made his eyes widen in surprise and a small, automatic smile formed on his lips at seeing the familiar player. The brunet also noted a not-so-familiar face with Athena, and both walked over to him (ran, that is, in Athena's case). He smiled at both of them in slight surprise, and then was promptly bombarded with words that he struggled to keep up with. Athena must have been in a good mood, to talk this lightly and openly, and the thought made him smile, remembering their heartfelt talk in Tolbana.

"Hello, Meijin, Athena," He greeted each one in turn with a beaming smile, tucking a dark lock of hair behind his ear. His fingers were casually wrapped around his rapier, but he abandoned that to extend a hand to Meijin warmly, inclining his head in a smooth gesture of respect. "And I'm sure what Athena said was true. You do seem like the type to be a good fighter, Meijin, and Athena doesn't give out compliments too freely from what I've seen...though I do apologize if I'm being too forward." He dipped his head again in gentle acknowledgement, and then turned to face the two of them, dividing his attention equally.

While he turned to the two, he noted a flash of pink. Pink...his eyes widened. So far, pink was a rare color amongst the player base, and so he was immediately directed to the train of thought that Relsaille could be here. Relsaille...the strong bright-haired woman inside of the forest napping that they had found and fought with. There was a high chance that she was here...but why now of all times? This seemed like a huge coincidence, but the brunet didn't care much about that, instead seeing that she was alone.

Relsaille was blunt, perhaps, in some ways, but she seemed to be a dynamic mix of the subtle and unsubtle, a mysterious Irish woman who liked to keep others guessing. And Elpharae was guessing-grasping at straws, really. He knew she was strong when they met up, especially with the way that she handled those Dire Wolves and the various other monsters as well as the whole situation, and with time, she should have gotten even stronger. She didn't radiate strength to Elpharae, exactly, not like Rue, but rather emanated an enigmatic air that he had come to associate with power.

He kept his attention focused on Athena and Meijin, though, or at least outwardly. Eyes twinkling with mirth, he made polite small chat before growing the tiniest bit more serious, eyes flickering over the smooth stone around them, and also the players who moved in little clumps to the door. Eight, six, seven, five...the number of people in each group were rather high. He blinked absently, wondering if he should have perhaps brought Isis along, after all. She may have been more of a solo-player, but perhaps sending her as part of the vanguard or rearguard in the group might have been prudent.

He toyed briefly with the idea of sending her a message before dropping it completely, then turning to Athena and Meijin. "My apologies for my absentmindedness today. I'm not sure what's gotten into me today. It's a little disconcerting, to be honest. But I was curious whether you two would mind joining my party?" With a simple flick of his wrist, his HUD was summoned, and a party request was sent to the two. While he waited for a response, his gaze idly turned to the doors of the dungeon, where he saw a slate-haired boy with startlingly bright eyes, like he was a clairvoyant.

It reminded to whispers in school, murmured musings of magical power, wishes written on pretty stationary with beautiful calligraphy that they could have the power to see the future. Eyes held power as windows to the soul, Elpharae supposed, and they brought a different scale to things. Vibrant verdure; tantalizing topaz; seductive violet; each color had a secret buried within their jewel-toned depths. Whether it was power or superstition, he was drawn to this player, with his almost obnoxiously brightly colored scarf and his huge two-handed sword.

Something clicked inside of him. Athena came from Greek mythology, and so did the Three Fates, wrinkled, wise women who had the gift of prophecy, but he didn't think this boy would be thrilled with being compared to old crones. Maybe...Brizo, goddess of omens and prophecy? A small, interested smile played on his lips. Then who would he be? Perhaps Inyx, though she wasn't a goddess but rather a nymph, a daughter of the god Pan. He wasn't prideful enough to compare himself to a goddess, knowing the consequences would be dire, like Athena's wrath with Archane. But if he was bold enough and twice as brash...perhaps Aphrodite would fit, the goddess of the sea foam and wife to Hephaestus, the quiet smith of the heavens?

He brought up the idea lightly, as a half-suggestion for himself, the idea making his eyes raise interestedly. "Should I ask Relsaille to join? It seems she's without a party, and I can't deny that the thought of approaching a familiar face doesn't make me much calmer than I would be if I were approaching a complete stranger...but I digress." He ended his small tirade with a giggle, the sound gentle and soothing his frayed nerves somehow, making him calm and grounded.

That was enough for now, he figured, and with a nod to Athena and Meijin, which could be interpreted as a "please follow me" if they did agree or a "excuse me" if they didn't, Elpharae headed towards the slate-haired boy and blinked at him ineffectually, asking him politely if he minded joining his party, his fingers neatly clinking against his rapier's sheath, the copper cool against the heat of his fingers. It seemed today was a warm day, he noted absently, dark hair pulled back in a neat braid over his shoulder by now, his hair accessory clinking against his collarbone.

[Tesh]

"There Is More Than One Way Forward" ☒ @tagged ✐ 000 ✉ notes Tesh Lv1

It was a rather hot day outside, hotter than the typical morning to noon hours, and Tesh was outside sitting in the heat, feeling his skin start to get to the point of getting too warm that he would need to find some shade before busting out in a full blown sweat. Sitting there now for what seemed to have been like hours, Tesh’s confidence in finding a party to join up with was beginning to dwindle away, I mean who exactly would want someone of his level and stature, who holds a great sword, something that typically only big and heavy people carry and use for weapons, in their party? They probably see him as someone who has a sword that they can’t even hold with his own hands first of all, right? These were the constant kinds of thoughts that continued to rush through Tesh’s mind as he sat there in the beating sun, losing more and more confidence that a party was going to pick him up. No Tesh, you can handle your sword just fine...yes you're only level one but that doesn’t mean people will just turn you down, especially if you are only looking for experience, it’s not like you're asking for a bodyguard while you go collect all the loot, if anything I don't even want the loot, I just want to find a strong group that will help me get some XP. Tesh said to himself trying to reinforce his being there and not go straight back into his old reclusive self. He needed to branch out a little more, he needed to get some actual experience being in this world with other players that he didn’t know, and so he continued to stay for a little while longer. He saw a slender looking person walking up towards the dungeon in his direction, he couldn’t quite make out how it was just yet, but as soon as they started to get closer to him he was able to start making out some of the things about them. As they continued walking closer and closer he was able to make out from the player's physique that they were male but they did not present themselves in the same manner, he dressed like a woman to be exact. Which kinda threw Tesh off a bit but it wasn’t something that meant anything to him, he didn’t really care neither way reason for doing so or if he did or not, it was just a little weird for him. He had dark hair in a braid that reminded him of his own braid in his hair, which reminded him of his sister again. The feelings were warm and painful at the same time. The player walked up to Tesh which excited him a lot, he didn’t think anyone was going to stop by and say anything to him the whole day at this. Before Tesh was able to say anything to him he asked him if he would join his party, while his fingers neatly clinked against his rapier's sheath, waiting for him to answer. He was in utter shock that someone actually did ask him, and he thought to himself, are you actually serious? But he didn't let his feelings get in the way this time before answering him and said, “Are you serious? I’d be more than happy! I’ve been waiting all morning actually for someone to ask me that.” Looking up at the guy tapping his fingers against the rapier, looking at him in a manner that he was unable to truly understand. Nothing else mattered to him at this point though other than the fact that he had asked him if he would join.

MADE BY ★MEULK OF GS - EDITS BY ANGELO OF SAO-RPG

[Starlight]

THERE IS NO TIME TO LOSE, or time to be messing around for that matter. Stella jump out from the very large giant rock she was hiding behind, beside the entrance, don't ask why she's there, well, actually, ok let's back up a bit. 

Being a new player/noob/newbie that Stella is, she naturally is not able to go into a dungeon all by herself, because come on that would be suicide. However, just because she shouldn't doesn't mean a girl should stop dreaming, because what kind of player would stop and turn around at the face of the slightest obstacle, and the very first obstacle at that! No one! If she may add. I will be strong one day too, and this is just one of the stops along the way, and in time this will be just another cool and exciting memory!

Just because, ah well, she must admit that her level is...well, and her armor is...yeah but...anyway, "work towards your dream and conquer your fear so that you could write your own fate!" - said someone at some point for sure she bet. Let nothing deter you from your goal! She told herself pumping up her fist as motivation, yes! She wanted to go to the dungeon because, please! it's the dungeon, that's got to be fun and exciting with new monsters, and hidden traps and secret doors, it would be like an adventure novel in the flesh and let's be honest who wouldn't want to be part of that? 

But knowing reality, the dungeon is going to be hard as hell and if she go about the normal way, she would have to beat up bunnies for days before she could even try to venture into the dungeon, and that is BORING!!! like really really boring.  In this day and age, who have time wasting life away on beating bunnies and delivering mails, why do that when I can have something much more exciting? I want to go see the dungeon RIGHT NOW! Thought Stella, as childish and spoil as it can be. But being the absolutely non suicidal and completely sane and incredibly logical and smart person that's what she is, the very picture of adult maturity, she came up with the most absolute ingenious plan ever in this game of this past 2 seconds. She went to the entrance of the dungeon and found a giant rock and hide behind it. (why didn't you just wait beside the gate like literally everyone else? well...she's shy.)


The plan is so simple and clear that is almost genius, she will just wait here behind this giant rock, while occasionally putting her head up and over the rock, peering over her "giant shield of defense against the higher level people who no doubt would scold her if they caught her here and maybe laugh at her for good measure", and looked for any potential team who might want to go into the dungeon. She is looking for a team with some strong looking members so they wouldn't be slaughter at the door step, if she tag along a strong team she might have a chance of survival but also getting the chance to see the inside of the gate at the same time! That is sooo exciting! She had been wondering about what the inside of the gate looks like for some time now, when she was walking around the outside of the gate, looking at the gate a few days before but unable to get in. 

Finally, she saw a team forming, a silver-blonde hair girl with her companion, a black hair girl and companion, a white-blue hair guy and a pink hair girl seems to be forming a group? That's a large group and they look strong, they could survive the dungeon surely, maybe this one well do? Oh no, they are not thinking of going in right now are they? Gosh!!! I wasted too much time here hesitating, now is not the time for shyness, I need to get over there for the action fast like RIGHT NOW!

 "Wait!!! Please Wait!!!"

With no time to lose, Stella jump out from behind the rock,  leap over and sprint towards the group. "Wait a bit, please let me join you to the dungeon!!!" Having reach them, Stella stopped and without a second to waste she said. "I'm Starlight, but you can call me Stella, please let me join your party, I want to go into the dungeon too, pretty please, I maybe a bit new, but I promise that I won't be any bother!" she said so while looking at each of the member in the eyes, trying to convey her sincerity and determination. "I can fight, and I can run so you don't have to worry about me, and I can carry the heavy stuff so you guys don't have to be weighted down during the fight, I have detection so I am super alert to potential traps and hidden monsters, that may help you too!" She pause a bit for breath "Please let me come with you, I really really want to go to the dungeon, and I promise that I won't be a bother!" She said urgently. 

[Relsialle]

" Sometimes things are more fun with your life on the line…" ☒ @tagged ✐ 000 ✉ notes Relsialle Lv5 Relsialle lifted an eyebrow at the gathering party, her mind seemingly made up for the moment as she passed to face down the familiar large vaulted door that hung in front of the labyrinth entrance. After-all, being familiar with its darkened depths afforded her some measure of experience with the creatures that lay within but still the massive door was no less intimidating. The bulk of the main avenues had been cleared several days ago at this point, but the offshoots and hidden chambers seemed to grow more numerous and complex as each was opened and explored. The winding depths of the dungeon was almost mind-boggling as to how much truly lay below the surface. Even more so, the thief found herself finding facets of Kobold society that seemed completely out of place to the player-centric aspects of the game. While these brief glimpses of the creature’s behavior were violent, complex social functions could be gleaned by their hierarchical roles and action. The girl mulled about in her thoughts as she considered where to direct her wanderings, her slender fingers moving up to push the heavy wooden door out of the way to begin her latest adventure. The entry creaked and groaned as it move, the stale and moldy air hitting her in the face as the air pressure equalized from the open portal. Relsialle’s pink hair flipping as she shifted her gaze to the group outside as a deep breath was heard from under her thick mask/scarf. Her crystal-blue eyes studied the enlarged group as Elpharae and the unknown Tesh consolidated their own small partnership. Her gaze was beckoning, almost betraying her crafty whiles for the moment as she stepped forward, her eyes saying silently “You coming?” The rogue chuckled as she shook her head, poking fun at the hesitant pair in her internal monologue. A thin finger rose to swipe at the map controls, a large amount of area within the massive maze exposed…but still large swaths of territory remaining sadly unexplored. The sheer ratio of darkened areas by comparison with the amount of time that she spent personally within the depths seemed disheartening at least to her given the amount of pride that she felt in spending the most time underground from the players she knew. These was some glimmer of comfort in this place at least, less mystery than the floor itself there was only a singular goal here rather than the political forces and social relationships that governed the area outside. A soft sigh left the kunoichi, her head finally shaking as she considered where to go next plugging away at the great expanse of the unknown until the dungeon of the second floor was revealed to her. The large gateway pushed to close behind her as Stella jumped from behind her hiding place, forcing the normally light-hearted rogue to reach for her curved iron dagger…”What the hell?” The girl blinked, lifting an eyebrow as she shifted her black boot to catch the door and hold it open. This place wasn’t a theme park after all, and was meant to be dangerous…and even for her, it still stood as a challenge despite its largest thread (Illfang) being defeated. Was this girl mental or what? Regardless, the girl shrugged, keeping her opinion to herself…she herself had risked the depths the moment after its discovery and if Elpharae were to join it would make for a good experience overall...at least they would soon find out.

MADE BY ★MEULK OF GS

[Elpharae]

"Well, I certainly appreciate your enthusiasm," Elpharae teased, brushing back his hair with a smooth flick of his hand as his eyes analyzed the man, and then he blinked, opening his mouth slightly to suggest something before he was cut off smoothly. His eyes flew to his rapier instantly, his eyes narrowing and spinning on his heel abruptly to face the direction of the voice. A young woman, brunette, pretty, definitely, with bangs and hair past her shoulders. Japanese, perhaps?

"Wait! Please Wait! Wait a bit, please let me join you to the dungeon! I'm Starlight, but you can call me Stella, please let me join your party, I want to go into the dungeon too, pretty please, I maybe a bit new, but I promise that I won't be any bother! I can fight, and I can run so you don't have to worry about me, and I can carry the heavy stuff so you guys don't have to be weighted down during the fight, I have detection so I am super alert to potential traps and hidden monsters, that may help you too! Please let me come with you, I really really want to go to the dungeon, and I promise that I won't be a bother!" 

Well. Elpharae bit back a wry smile, instead turning intense, scrutinizing eyes on the girl before breaking out in a gentle grin. "I wouldn't mind having you in my party. Eager to prove your worth, but that can be a good thing. But don't take that eagerness for sheer idiocy. I won't hesitate to throw you out for that. There are monsters that lurk within here that are much more deadly than your average boar or level two Dire Wolf. And believe me..." His eyes darkened, remembering his excursion in the forest as a level one player. "Those can be real killers."

He sent a party invite to the two with a quick flick of his wrist, and then glanced at Relsaille, giving her a sassy smile that turned much more small, but open as he sent her an invite as well, flipping his hair over his shoulder before he turned to the two others. "Alright, so. We're going in. Starlight, please don't carry anything," He teased gently, dark eyes shimmering with easy humor. "We have inventories, after all. There's no need to carry anything."

He sent another cursory glance over his party before pushing the door open, uttering a warning to the others that if they wanted to leave, now would be the time. Athena and Meijin in their own group, Relsaille, Starlight, Tesh...well, this was turning out to be quite a group, wasn't it? Elpharae's eyes shimmered in intrigue before his features smoothed into one of cool seriousness, and then the doors were flung open, making him blink his eyes open and shut as he tried to make sense of what lay before him.

A corridor, obviously, and it was relatively well-lit. Elpharae cautiously extended his Detection skill to the furthest of his ability, testing for traps but coming up with nothing. Perhaps he was off, though, and so he murmured quietly a request for Starlight to check as well. Tesh seemed to be fine as well, and he sent a cursory glance over their group before sighing and running a hand through his hair, a nervous habit. Well, he would have to wait and see what happened, didn't he?

First things first...he blinked at the Relsaille, the closest person to him, and then refocused his attention to the seemingly blank space before him, cutting through the empty air before him with his unsheathed rapier, and then, to his relief, hit nothing. However, something just seemed off about this situation to him, and even as he made cautious steps into the dungeon, not overly so, however, checking now and then, letting himself be the slightest bit on edge, wary of something he didn't quite know of yet.

[Tesh]

"There Is More Than One Way Forward" ☒ @tagged ✐ 000 ✉ notes Tesh Lv1

The young man looked at Tesh with analyzing eyes, brushing his hair back in a rather sassy manner, telling Tesh that he was appreciative of his enthusiasm. Tesh didn’t think too much of his behaviors, or mannerisms, he was happy that he was giving him the time of day. As he was opening his mouth to say something else a small, slender, pale looking female player jumped out over a rock that she was hiding behind, spouting out words faster than Tesh was really even able to keep up with. From her appearance she looked slightly younger than Tesh, with Black hair and dark brown eyes…she looked nervous. While she was talking with Elpharae, Tesh noticed the pink haired woman, with crystal blue eyes, walking up to the gate of the dungeon. Her aura was rather mysterious, he had never seen her before, but from seeing Elpharae and her exchanging different looks and nonverbal ques at each other it seemed like the two knew each other in some way or another. Accepting the party request that she had sent to him, looking down at the box that appeared in front of him and pressing the ‘accept’ button, he prepared himself for entering the dungeon for the first time ever. Standing up of the ground and sheathing his sword on his back, he walked over to Relsialle, who was looking at the door. In the background Tesh could hear more of what the girl was saying, who had jumped out behind the rock, to Elpharae. She also wanted to join the party, she kept going on about not being a bother to the group and that she would be able to take care of herself. Tesh didn’t mind either way, but the thought came to him mind about what she was saying, Isn’t the whole purpose of having a party so that we can make up for each other? If we are all just taking care of ourselves then we aren’t really a party after all, and we will most likely just get killed. He thought to himself while walking over. After all, she was probably just nervous anyways and just trying to come off in a positive manner so that she wouldn’t be rejected. This made Tesh smile and chuckle to himself, in his on head, remembering how nervous he used to get regarding parties, and how he still does to a certain degree, which is rather more so than normal. He watched as Relsialle lifted up her fingers and pushed the door out of the way as the dungeon opened up in front of him. He stood there, still a little ways away from her, and watched as the air from inside the dungeon rushed out and sent her pink hair flowing backwards, in awe from never having seen the dungeon before. The pink haired girl turned around at the, now three membered party, and asked them if they were coming. Looking back at Elpharae and Starlight, they began walking up to the entrance as well. As the two caught up to him Tesh looked over at Starlight and introduced himself saying, “Hey, I’m Tesh, nice to meet you.” And continued walking up with the group to meet up with Relsialle. Following the group into the rather well-lit dungeon corridor Tesh also introduced himself to the unknown Relsialle in the same manner as he did with Starlight, but an unwavering feeling came upon Tesh as they stepped into the dungeon as the door slammed shut behind them. It held a musty smell that wafted through the air, even though the boss was defeated the sense of danger still hung about the corridor. It didn’t phase Tesh but the feeling was definitely there. Unsheathing his sword again and holding it out in front of him, with the tip pointed upwards, arms slightly bent, he followed taking small cautious steps waiting for something to happen. He looked over to the group leader Elpharae and asked, “So what’s the plan?”

MADE BY ★MEULK OF GS - EDITS BY ANGELO OF SAO-RPG

[Starlight]

Team Requests were sent from Elpharae towards the others in the group, Stella accepted her the team request in the blink of the eye, just as the others did the same. She have time to briefly checked up on the basic information of the other members of the team provided through the team link system, all of the members are shown in full heath. The members of team as outlined seems to be:

1. RELSIALLE  (that's the pink hair kunoichi dress in the tight all black with the sexy deadly vibe, thought Stella)

2. ELPHARAE  (the cute black hair girl in pretty pink dress.)

3. ATHENA and 4. MEIJIN

However, before Stella can have a good look at her stats, the grey-blonde hair girl and her companion walked ahead of the group and disappeared from view, her basic information coming through the team system outlined them to both still be in full heath, but no other information are coming through. The two blue dotes is what Stella suspect to be representing the two girls respectively. They are shown on Stella's mini team map system to be continuing walking in a steady pace somewhere to the right side and up ahead, in a completely black background, Stella suspect that once someone explore that area, actual corridors will replace the black background, but as it is right now, Stella have no idea where they are or what their surroundings look like once they are out of her line of vision, furthermore....Stella frown. I suspect that if there are too much distance between us, they could go entirely out of range, and we wouldn't even be able to even see the dotes anymore. Best not to be too far behind...

5. TESH  (that's the grey hair guy with the giant sword! He was looking ahead earlier, wonder what he was looking at. Thought Stella.)

6. STARLIGHT (and finally myself, I look down to check on my own long sword, it seems to be in a good condition, I have my potions and my various small stuff that I could use if I'm clever enough to think of its uses, good I'm ready for this.)

The team system did not show anything overly useful, so the best Stella can do is to guess what each of the members can do by the weapons they carried, their armor, the way they walk, stand, and the way they react from when she initially jumped out of nowhere, and make best guess. Out of the group, she guessed that Relsialle has the best reaction time, and from her armor, perhaps the highest level as well, followed closely by Elpharae, but the latter had a good solid stand, close to her center, solid and steady, from this Stella thought that perhaps she had a good defense stats. Tesh's armor is similar to Stella's so she guess perhaps they are also similar in level. 


Stella was lost in thought at her observation, but she came back to the reality. At this point in time, the front line of the group have already walked into the dungeon, Stella and Elpharae being the last two to stepped into the dungeon, bringing in the rear, the great gate closed heavily with a thump right behind them, sealing off the only known exit of this route. There is no turning back now, thought Stella silently as she shifted her gaze from the heavy iron gate to what is ahead of her. It was a straight corridor stretching forward seemingly endlessly into the darkness, grey stone walls on both side lit by candles, the firey light waving slightly in the air, the corridor itself is not narrow, but could still limit what a great sword or a long sword's application, furthermore, if enemy were to rush in, in this straight line, there will be no place to dodge or hide, the choice would be between holding the ground or retract in a straight line, Stella frown a bit, best to get a move on to a more wider place, she thought.

The team in the front line stopped and waited for them to catch up, the four of them standing there together, and she noticed Elpharae's focus changed, with a realization that her detection skill have just been activated, she waited patiently for the result. 

After a brief moment of silence, Elpharae turned her gaze towards her, it seems her detection did not pick up anything, and she is asking for her to double check. With a nod of understanding Stella did the same. At the same time, Elpharae sent out a ranged air strike with her Rapier out head into the dark corridor, hitting nothing, Stella let off a sign of relief. On one hand, there is no visible enemy up ahead, if there were, they would have made some noises by now even if the air strike did not hit anything, it would have spook them and monsters are generally not that intelligent to be stealthy, most likely there is nothing ahead. But that is not to say that a sneaky type of monster would not be hiding inside walls, but overall the immediate steps ahead seems to be clear for monsters and traps....we should take advantage of the brief clear to cover some grounds and move to another more favorable location. On the other hand, Elpharae's strike hitting nothing, not even a wall may means that the straight corridor may continue ahead to a bit more to some point, but it does not mean that a fork path inside the walls are not possible. Stella secretly reminded herself to check periodically ahead so that they wouldn't suddenly walked in to a great open space only to find it to be filled with monsters. 

Stella secretly kicking herself again for messing up on her own character creation, if she had the lock picking skill it would be useful for opening doors if they find one, they would not have to double back, a map making skill would also be useful for not getting lost in this situation, which is a serious possibility if there are many turns and choice of roads, regardless of how well lit the corridors are, best find something to mark the path.

With a sign, Stella's detection is now completed. Like Elpharae, she also did not detect any traps, however, something seems to be running by on the other side of the wall on the left side, if there is no entrance to the left ahead, they are safe, whatever is on the other side of the wall cannot cross over to here, she could also sense a faint hint of water, but she's not sure where it was coming from. Having sense nothing of value, Stella shake her head to Elpharae, indicating her result, right now, going ahead seems to be the only option. 

At this same moment, Tesh unsheathed his weapon, getting ready for anything, he turned to Elpharae and asked her for her opinion on how to proceed. 

Stella tilt her head thinking the situation over. 

Right now, we have 2 high level units, one is probably a good tank and the another is clearly a ninja with probably high attack and high avoidance/dodge rate. We have 2 beginners with big swords. If it were me, I would either play it defensively, by pairing up and sending the two higher level units ahead, so that they can hold whatever they encounter, especially since Elpharae can detect, and the other is a ninja, and have the two lower level units attacking from behind their teammates, chipping away health whenever they see an opening. Range attack would be great at a situation such as this, unfortunately I don't have a bow and arrow, or spear for that matter, but long sword and great sword could still do the trick.

OR, I could play it fun and offensively, I send out the lower level units first, Stella has detect and Tesh could still use his sword like a shield if needed, so they are still relatively safe with the two high levels close behind to bail them out, this way, I can have the lower level units to open up the path and weaken the enemies up ahead before sending in the big guns in to finished them off. However, this strategy run the unlikely risk of the two newbies being over run by a sudden flush of strong enemies.

Thinking it over, Stella turns over to Elpharae and Relsialle, asking for their opinion on the matter, with a smile, "well, dear team leads, what would you do in this kind of situation?"

[Relsialle]

" Sometimes things are more fun with your life on the line…" ☒ @tagged ✐ 000 ✉ notes Relsialle Lv5 Relsialle grinned before laughing softly, shaking her head at Elpharae’s exaggerated dark warning before crossing her arms over her armored chest as the budding party walked in to join her…all of them now standing just inside the vaulted and intimidating door. The girl chuckled before turning her soft crystal-blue eyes to the distance in front of them, the pupils growing larger to compensate for the dim light in the hallway beyond. The girl tensed slightly as she caught sight of a hallway branching off, silently knowing that the cleared offshoot ultimately led to the bosses’ chamber that now lay thankfully empty…the battle and the result still fresh in her thoughts. The thief played the painful memory off well as she listened to the trio familiarize themselves with the dynamics of the new group, the normally chatty rogue remaining quiet for the time being as she considered their next action. The party invite flashed across her screen in a blink, accepted with a quick flourish from her slender fingers, her hand moving to rest on the polished pommel of her curved iron dagger…the weapon still placed for now in its sheath along the bare portion of her thigh. The girl stuck nearby behind the group, silently knowing that her lack of a detection skill kept her as a liability in the front, allowing Elpharae to lead and make their next move…The pink-haired musician allowed a creeping smile to form across her sharpened features, silently considering sharing her considerable map data with the party then quickly dismissing the thought…knowing well that said-data was highly valuable in of itself. The caution from the feminine-looking boy seemed welcomed, but unneeded so soon, Relsialle shaking her head slightly in disagreement at the extreme behavior this early on. The thief pulled her scarf-turn-mask down to her neck, revealing her soft features that strangely held even more mystery, her trademark bright hair framing her face well…“The cleared section extends a far ways in…no need to be overly cautious for now I think, however if we want to find anything new we would have to push alot further in…” The girl explained in her heavily accented words, her knowledge of the place and its inner workings slowly coming to the surface. “Best bet is to find a locked chamber or a hidden offshoot, but we should at least keep our eyes open for any respawns and changes. I just wouldn’t want you guys to turn into nervous wrecks until we get to the unexplored sections…” The kunoichi hated being preachy no matter the situation, but the comments seemed called for given the high-strung nature of the group next to her. The girl reached down to pull a thin needle from her utility pouch, the weapon guided by her fingers to her lips and allowing it to hang loosely on its own like a cigarette. The Irishwoman’s ease was telling for the most part, confident that the worst of the encounters were over at least in the initial area inside the door...however the truth of the situation remained to be seen. Her footsteps were light as she remained un-stealthed for the moment, sticking to the group to give them all a much needed confidence that seemed to be lacking. She was never much of a leader herself, sticking more to her loose groups and friendships formed by random association…still she offered a quick nod to Tesh and Star as they introduced themselves, her light skin illuminated from the dim row of torches that lined the main hallway.

MADE BY ★MEULK OF GS

[Elpharae]

"Not at all, Relsaille. Thank you." Elpharae smiled at her in slight sheepish embarrassment, his cheeks tinting pink before he kept his rapier to his side. His eyes instead focused on the space before him, and he stepped lightly, the heels of his feet never touching the ground for long as he kept a brisk pace. His blood thrummed under his skin, a byproduct, most likely, of his earlier shame at not understanding the schematics of the dungeon, no matter how well he hid it. What was that saying, again? Oh, right-you couldn't lie to yourself, no matter how much you ran away.

She must have known a lot about the dungeon, but Relsaille wasn't sharing, he noted absently. Fair enough. Information was valuable, and while it might have helped them, Elpharae much preferred to gain his own information on his own. And besides, everyone should have their own little secrets. If they didn't, the world would be much too boring to interest anyone at all. He blinked lightly, showing no trace of his thoughts.

The brunet kept his eyes open and his head tilted as to better hear any sounds that might arise from the dungeon, and his brows furrowed when he heard nothing. No news was good news, after all. He kept the group in check, and listened to Stella and Tesh. "Honestly?" He teased slightly, but sobered up quickly, his seriousness now feeling like a weight instead of what the others could probably do. "We should proceed inside of the dungeon, get in our kills, and then finish when we're all satisfied. That's a light sketch of what we're probably going to do."

He blinked at Starlight, finding her innocence refreshing, if a little trite. She seemed oblivious and eager, and though that might have been a good thing, in this situation, it was not. She was going to get herself killed, probably, and so he decided that during a fight, there needed to be someone who watched over her. Tesh would be ideal, but his level wasn't going to be a very good warning to the Kobolds. No. He glanced at Relsaille. Relsaille would make sense, with her high level, but she seemed more like a lone wolf.

Taking on her prey when she wanted, attacking on her own...well, the woman was strong enough to pull it off, that was for sure. So that left him. He wouldn't want to trouble Athena or Meijin, since they were a part of their own group, so that left Elpharae. Elpharae would cover Stella and leave openings for Tesh if he needed them, while Relsaille would pick off her own prey. It seemed obvious enough, and Elpharae quietly relayed his plan to the others, simply stating it and asking whether the others were okay with it.

Starlight was rather pretty, he noticed ineffectually, with long, dark hair and dark brown eyes. She was slender, had a beauty mark on the left side underneath her lips, and was a touch taller than him. Older, perhaps, but she seemed...younger in her vibrant energy. It didn't seem like she had the finely tuned skills of a high-class socialite or the gentle self-assurance of an aristocrat, but rather a thrumming vigor that came with open feelings and honest truths. His guess? She came from a "normal" family.

Tesh, too. He seemed to be older than Elpharae, with a scarf wrapped around his neck. Fashion accessory or mere clothing piece to ward away the cold? He raised a curious brow internally but continued on with his impassive exterior, falling into step with the others. A heavy hitter from that huge sword, but honestly, he seemed rather agile as well. Perhaps he had a high agility or the Acrobatics talent. It wouldn't come off as much of a surprise if he did.

And then there was Relsaille-her salacious outfit, her casual, carefree manner and teasing tone. Those were all familiar to Elpharae from their last encounter in the Black Forest. Indeed, he remembered her pink hair and Irish accent clearly. And those signature throwing needles of hers as well. He hummed internally at the memory, remembering Athena's cautious approach, asking him whether something was wrong, her blonde hair long and down her back.

And then discovering Relsaille while the pink-haired rogue cursed up a storm, making him be taken aback at the time before he got used to it. And then Sora, the boy with the oddly glowing blue eyes who had joined them before mysteriously disappearing. And of course, there was KyleMartin, the man with the glasses and tall, wiry frame. And the wolves. His grip on his rapier tightened unconsciously. The wolves, indeed. He shuddered at the memory internally.

The sound of wolves snarling, foaming at the edges of their mouths, them clawing and biting snd scratching and the look in their eyes that screamed kill - that was what unsettled Elpharae. The brunet rounded the corner, seeing as it was their only path in, and then paused, the edges of his hearing picking up a slight sound-footsteps, definitely. And a lot of them. He turned to his team, narrowing his eyes. "It's a group of monsters-three, I think? They should be here..."

"-Any second now." Elpharae finished, when three forms appeared in the distance. He narrowed his eyes, straining to make them out. "I think...two Kobold Patrolmen, one Kobold trooper. The two patrolmen have maces, but the trooper has...a dagger?" It was hard to tell, but he saw that much, and then the monsters continued their stride towards the group, making Elpharae lay a hand on his rapier, shifting into an offensive position.

The Kobolds neared, and then he closed his eyes, taking in a light breath before he analyzed the situation. Um, Patrolmen were level two, Troopers were level three... He tilted his head and looked at Athena, telling her lightly that his party would take on the monsters, if she didn't mind. He then glanced at the others and relayed his plan, adding on that he would be happy to take on thoughts or other ideas if they wanted to change it up.

Relsaille could take the trooper, while Elpharae, Tesh, and Starlight took on the Patrolmen. The two level one players would be able to at least hold their own before the monsters, and Elpharae would jump in if necessary. "Or," Elpharae added in wryly, a teasing smirk playing on the edges of his lips as he spoke lightly, the monsters still a little bit away, "We could perform the tried and true method of "stab till it's dead"."