Gambling on a Mystery [CG: Capsule]

[Saber]

Do you believe in ghosts?

Kneeling down, Saber dropped one of his knees and placed a hand gently on the ground. He squeezed the dirt and stared forward, eyeing the distant town of Sarum as he felt the hyper realistic ground beneath him. He had just arrived in the area a few minutes ago, passed through the town without saying a word to any of the other adventurers, and made his way west. His destination was the town of Sarum, not some camp full of wanderers. Unlike many of the others who simply wanted to search the new area or try to find out information through tangential means, Saber wanted to head right into the center of the mysterious new area. After reading the news and discovering that there was some form of barrier which defended the city, as well as countless numbers of Golems which spawned at a rapid rate, the curious player was highly attracted to the new zone.

The ground beneath him wasn’t any different than anywhere else, so that was something he could be satisfied with. The plains ahead of him though were a completely different story. Other players who had obviously reached the zone before him were already scouting and searching for anything new that could potentially give them an answer to any of their questions. In the distance, Saber could also see that there were plenty of players attempting to break through the never-ending wall of Golems. It was a pointless ordeal, but one that Saber would find himself thrown into eventually as well. It was not only his duty as an adventurer to help out, but as a high-level player; Saber needed to be here. Assisting the other players who weren’t exactly as strong as him, or as confident in their abilities, was something Saber prided himself in. Very few could say the same.

The Assassin rose back up to his feet and adjusted his clothing; he patted his shirt down so it was more appealing, twisted his belt so it was centered, and pulled his scarf up over his nose to cover up the lower part of his face. His outlook wasn’t exactly appealing but he did his best to look decent. If he didn’t, then he doubted anyone would really trust him. After looking at his own reflection at a lake he essentially lived at, Saber doubted that he looked above the level of five. That was something which would hinder him for a while in the case of communicating with other players. Although for now he wouldn’t have to care too much about such a thing. He had no plans to join a Guild or join a party for far too long so player interactions would be very minimal in nature. He was more focused on the exploring the world around himself, crafting, and leveling. Anything aside from those three things was on the backburner. At least until he found some reason to switch gears.

Taking in a deep breath, Saber shut his eyes and let his chest rise up high. Then, he released the carbon dioxide his lungs had created and relaxed his core. Looking towards Sarum caused Saber to realize how long of a walk he had in front of him. It also caused him to notice that there were plenty more players than he initially could see. Sure there were dozes back at the camp, but it seemed like even more were wandering in the distance just on the edge of view. The high level player tilted his head in thought, wondering why such an expedition needed so many people. Then he remembered; maps. They needed to map out the entire area so other players who would come after could see where they were going. Even though the area was a massive plain, it helped being able to see beyond the black “fog of war” effect.

With a quick tap through his own menu, Saber learned that the said fog of war was quite large in the area around himself. Alone, it would take him weeks to illuminate the entire area. No wonder there were so many players just walking about. It made sense now so Saber didn’t exactly question it anymore. Instead, he closed his menu and cracked his neck. While the others took their time walking in the zone and creating a useful map, he would take his time walking to the city. Once there, he would find a way through that barrier, or at least attempt to. For the time being, he had no idea how long it would take or what it would take to bring down whatever thing was protecting the city from the players. Until the cause was found, Saber needed to wonder. So, he began his march across the plains.

“This better be worth it…” Saber thought to himself as he started walking. If the city was a waste of time and wasn’t anything more than just some random ghost town; he was going to be pissed.

: Post Title :
-Walking Into Trouble-

: Word Count :
832

: Skills Used :
N/A

: Tagged :
Saber

: Notes :
Ye, dis better be worth it...

Coded By Saber of L33T T3@M

[Capsule]

Muse:
Bulletproof

Notes:
Not knife proof.

Tags:
Saber

Words:
1679

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[attr="class","benetbar"]

coded by benetnasch of ET

"Been there, done that, messed around. I'm having fun, don't put me down! I'll never let you sweep me off my feet~." Capsule was oddly cheery today, especially considering the many injured bodies scattered around the Sarum camp. Maybe it had something to do with her not being the victim this time around? That, and she was able to help out, even if it was something as simple as medicinal care. "This time, baby, I'll be bulletproof~." Her small bottom was twitching from side to side as she bounced about, Fiver following around at her heels. While it would have been nice to help the other Adventurers explore the newfound area, and possibly even fight a golem or two, Capsule was content to stay within the safety of the camp and look after the ill or injured.

The lecherous sage that was supposed to be leading the group of Pharmacists tried to pat her on the bum again. Capsule danced quickly to the side, a pinkish tinge rising in her cheeks as she narrowly avoided molestation. That was the fifth time he had tried to grope her today, and not always on the rear. She'd arrived to the camp early this morning with her hair bound and neatly hidden under a discarded hat she had filched from the gutter, until one of the girls she was to be working with ripped it off and tossed it aside. Capsule's hair had fallen into a messy bun, and dropped carelessly to her shoulders when the same girl took out the strap holding her red locks back. The sage, a man stooped over with age, had straightened up and giggled in glee. The other girls in the group had sniggered quietly to themselves when the sage commented on Capsule's lack of breasts, and had even dared to swipe at her little apples with his wrinkled, twisted hands. Capsule's youth and agility had saved her that time, and most of the others, except for when Fiver intercepted by ramming his body into the old pervert's ankles.

Had she been a braver woman, she would have called the man out on his behavior, and scold the girls for doing nothing to discourage him. Capsule was too meek to speak up, though, and had resolved to show the girls that she was unaffected by their teasing. She adapted the cool demeanor she wore by default, and went about her duties. In the end, she managed to cheer herself up, which was far better than moping and fretting over her predicament. Plus, she was feeling pretty damn lucky and "bulletproof." The other girls were growing increasingly annoyed with her, and had used several underhanded tricks to get under her skin. One of the bitches had gone so far as to replace one of her key ingredients for Medicinal Formulae with some kind of blue dye, which ended up staining Cap's hands, and showed no signs of washing away. Another had kicked Fiver while he was feeding, and two of the girls had gone out of their way to dump boiling water on the redhead, who only missed the water by the skin of her neck. That had shaken her up quite a bit, but she had recovered in no time.

"Oh, Capsuuule~. My darling Kappa~!"

Her words died done as a wave of anxiety washed over her. What did the old geezer want now? If he was going to show her his "diving rod" again, she might end up knocking him down and running off. How on Earth was she supposed to get married now? Her innocence was beyond tainted, all thanks to this man. "Y-yes sir?" She slowly turned around, her hands squeezing her mortar and pestle a little too tightly. The girl was nervous; who could blame her? She glanced around, checking to see that the other girls weren't lurking around, just waiting to grab her and drag her into the old man's tent.

"It seems like we're running low on supplies. I'm going to need you and another girl to go gather some herbs from the surrounding area. Just don't wander off too far! There are golems and all sort of nasty creatures out there! Plus, it would be a shame if something were to...happen to that firm and youthful little body." Capsule held back a scream as the man reached out to caress her cheek. He touched her. That creepy old perv touched her. That cheery mood was replaced with deep, internal sobbing. "Why don't you take Kassey with you? She's a Swashbuckler, so she should be able to protect you from harm while you support, though you shouldn't have a problem if you just avoid the mobs, ehehe~."

Kassey was also one of the girls that had tried dumping boiling water on her. The girl herself came forward, a little smirk on her face. She was a year or so younger than Capsule, but built like an Amazon. The Swashbuckler was taller than Adler, who was 6'0 tall. Capsule was pretty sure that Kassey was either a man or a lesbian. She definitely had something going on with another girl, but repeatedly treated Capsule like fresh meat in a women's prison. She was almost as bad as the sage, but in a more sadistic and domineering way.

Capsule squeaked as a firm hand swatted her hard on the rear and stayed there. The reflexes were too fast, and the hand too strong to belong to the sage. The color drained from the redhead's already naturally pale face as the hand squeezed. She was going to be molested. There was no ifs, ands, or buts about it. Now on the verge of tears, Capsule fumbled and set the mortar and pestle down on a nearby crate. Would Kassey be gentle, or would Cap need to bite down on something in anticipation? 'This isn't how I wanted to lose my virginity,' she mentally wept as Kassey steered her out of the safety and watching eyes of the camp inhabitants.

Kassey got handier they further they left camp behind, gripping Capsule by the arms, shoulders and neck, surely leaving a trail of bruises on the redhead's easy to blemish skin. It made rooting around for herbs horrific, since a lot of bending and squatting was required. Every time she doubled over, she left herself exposed and vulnerable to Kassey's cruel hands and fingers. What made all this worse was the fact that Kassey did not speak. She left all of the work to Capsule while she stood back and kept "guard." Adventurers came and went, but none of them dared to stop and question the relationship between her and Kass. Capsule was forced to endure Kassey's strange behavior, and prayed that they would just go back to camp without any further mishaps.

That hope was dashed when Kass shoved her down and placed a knee in the small of her back. The taller girl was stronger and heavier - muscle, not fat - and Capsule's thin and frailer body was no match for it. "Come on, Kassey! Get off!" Kassey must have mistaken Capsule's plea for "Come on, Kassey! Add more pressure to my aching back, please." The smaller woman whimpered as she was forced further into the dirt, until she was practically French kissing the ground. It was a good thing she had desummoned her little rabbit companion before they set off.

There was a soft whispering sound as a blade was freed from its sheath. Capsule redoubled her efforts. "Gerroufa me!" A soft ripping filled the air as the fabric that was Capsule's shirt was sliced clean through. She went limp as she felt the edge of the blade glide harmlessly against her skin, but clawed at the earth beneath her when that blade made contact with her shoulder. It looked like she was going to die here - or just scared half to death. She huddled low to the ground as Kassey continued cutting, waiting for just the moment she needed to bolt. That moment came when Kass began tugging at the back of Capsule's shirt, as if she was going to rip it right off the redhead's back.

It was dangerous, but Capsule threw herself back as hard as she could. The weight that had shifted just above her buttocks was thrown off altogether as Kass went flying backwards, cursing. Capsule did not stop to see what the taller girl was up to; she was up and running in two shakes of a lamb's tail. A string of curses and heavy footsteps chased after her, increasing her motivation to get away from the madwoman. Her back and shoulder were itching and aching beyond belief, but she only ignored it as she bolted. Getting away was the top priority; treating her wounds would come after she was certain she was safe from Kassey's wrath.

Capsule swerved and ducked behind wandering Adventurers, throwing off the taller and less agile Kassey, until the brute drew the attention of some agitated Monks. The redhead took that opportunity to unleash the rest of her adrenaline and sprint towards what appeared to be a briar patch. She felt like Br'er Rabbit as she leaped into the thorny thicket, minus the tar. It sucked landing in that thicket, but someone like Kass wasn't crazy enough to follow. And, sure enough, Capsule could hear the girl swearing at her while she rolled her way down the slope. It left her torn and bleeding in several spots (particularly around her back and shoulder), but she was free of Kass. The redhead winced as she dabbed at her wounds - mostly scratches, but with a gash or two here and there - with the corner of her blanket. After smearing some mud on the larger wounds, she wrapped the not so soft material around her torso as she shuffled away from the thicket and Kassey, promising herself that she would not return to that dreaded camp alone. There was no way. Kass would kill her for sure - or worse.

[Saber]

Do you believe in ghosts?

The air swirled through Saber’s clothing, teasing his skin with its gentle touch as if he was naked. It felt strange being out in such an open area for what was probably the first time since he started playing Elder Tales. There wasn’t anything to block the wind, and to his surprise; it was actually much more comforting where he stood than it ever was in the city of London or in the forest. The breeze was light, tender, and held him in a sort of motherly embrace. As Saber walked, taking one step at a time as he navigated the grasslands, he felt comfortable where he was. He wasn’t covered in shadows but instead bathed in the sunlight. He wasn’t constrained by the trees but was welcomed by the grass. Most importantly; he wasn’t being watched all that closely. In the forest, monsters looked under logs, behind roots, and beneath the floor. Here in the plains where Saber was, there was no place to hide except in the grass. Though, he doubted anything could really do such a thing efficiently. It was far too light out for even a rabbit to conceal itself.

Although a quiet darkness stretched over the bright, open skies like a lurking nightmare waiting for the world to sleep. In the distance, Saber continued to watch several players battle with the Golems in attempts to make a hole. It was futile, and the further they pressed, the more Golems which spawned. Every step forward the players took, two Golems spawned to push them back. After walking for a few minutes, Saber had already come up with the name for the situation. He called the constant spawning the Hydra Effect. In Greek folklore, the Hydra was a powerful beast and upon chopping one of its heads off, two (or three depending on the person speaking of the creature) more would take its place. That same exact thing was happening right before his eyes as the other Adventurers cut down the Golems in their pitiful excuse for a war. Unlike the players, the Golems had no fear of being killed. It was as if they knew that their death would bring forth the birth of more of their brethren. It was disturbing.

“It would be nice if someone took control of the situation…” The thought made Saber chuckle. He had led a few Adventurers before when a meteor shower a few nights prior went sour. It was interesting to say the least, but he had been successful in his endeavor. The camp he was defending stood strong while the Nepents, which were attacking them because of being chased out of their homes in the forest, were cut down very quickly by his comrades. The fires caused by the storm sent from the gods were put out by their support team, and the players suffered no casualties in the end. Some had taken quite a bit of damage, but once the fires were eliminated, the support teams focused on healing everyone. At that point, victory was all but curtain.

Now, as Saber looked towards the much larger group of players spread around the area, he thought against every piece of will in him to lead such a group. He could persuade fifteen, but there was no way he would even sway over a hundred. Saber was no preacher, no politician, and no general. He was an adventurer just like them; he had no right or skill to attempt to take over them even if it meant reaching an inevitable goal. So, he would keep to himself this time around. Or at least attempt to. For the most part, no one had looked towards the pitiful looking man aside for one other strange character; a dwarf with a bread long enough he could wrap it into a turban on his head. Thankfully, the man just looked at the nomad-like player, he didn’t approach. Saber used that as a sign to get the hell out and immediately turned away from the dwarf. Now, he was circling around to the left of the city ahead. Rather than go towards the gates, he decided he could try to take one of the side areas. Maybe there he could find another entrance.

However knowing his luck Saber could nearly guarantee he would bump into a much stronger type of Golem or a larger than usual force. If that was the case, Saber was thankful he didn’t care enough about the new town. If he was, and acted like some of the adventurers ahead of where he was moving, then there was no doubt he would throw himself into the Golems, and his death. Yet, even though he couldn’t give two stones about the new town, Saber did care about the Hydra Effect. What was causing it? Why was it happening? If someone was doing it, who? Could it be harnessed? The curious man let his mind wander around the thought of the Hydra Effect being used as a weapon by a player, or even a non-player; a Lander. Maybe Sarum was ruled by a tyrant lander king, and the Hydra Effect was just his way of keeping the Adventurers out from stopping his reign.

On the other side of the coin, the Hydra Effect could have been a spell cast by a player who was the tyrant. It could also have been a spell gone wrong. Either way, it was strange to see such a thing occur and there had to be a reason for it; a big reason. Saber had never seen such a thing occur and it interested him extremely. Unlike many things in the world around him, this Hydra Effect was an itch Saber had to scratch. If he didn’t it would kill him. Literally. He was dying to know the cause of the Golem wall, dying to learn of its creation, and he was dying to bring it down more than anything so he could enter the city. If he wasn’t such a curious fool, Saber would have continued walking right passed the town and headed into the mountains. Of course, they were his next destination so he would stay just long enough to see the Golems be stopped. After that, he would head north. Yet, his luck was running dry.

As he started to make his way up a hill towards some bushes so he could sit down in the shade for a minute or two, just so he could relax his legs; he heard some very loud shouting. It didn’t sound like friendly banter either and that was what caught Saber’s attention the most. In addition it was female, it was vicious, and it was nearby. Close enough that he could make out the words clearly and they weren’t very ladylike to say the least. With that in mind, Saber continued up the hill towards the voice as the listened to the outcries coming from it and slid his hand onto his leg. He placed his palm onto the knife hidden there and moved slowly. He didn’t draw the weapon, nor did he grab at the handle as there was no immediate threat. His hand merely rest on the sheath as he lowered himself into a crouch. As he drew closer to the shouting, which he discerned was coming from even further up the slope he climbed, he heard shuffling and twigs moving. It wasn’t gentle either so Saber could easily tell something was coming down violently, too violently.

The player kept himself at the edge of the brush above and knelt down beside it, hiding himself in its shadows as he waited. There he listened well and focused on the coming object. It was strange to hear such a thing, but from the sounds of the angered woman, the object he heard coming could have been anything. It even could have been another player. That wasn’t likely though, as Saber could see very clearly what just a few feet up the slope; vines laced with sharp thorns. Going into the thicket above would be painful, stupid, and only someone who was desperate would even think about entering it. If a person was coming towards him, then Saber knew they would have a good reason to nearly commit suicide. Yet if it was an object and someone had decided to toss it, Saber was about to see something big come rolling out. The mystery was teasing him, and he was bothered. He wanted to know! NOW!

“Oh shi—“A shadow popped out of the brush just at Saber’s feet and caused the Assassin to jump upwards in fright. He was barely able to avoid coming in contact with the rapidly moving body and found himself nearly falling into the thorns because of his body’s wish to get out of the way. Not wanting to be a victim of the natural teeth, Saber slammed his boots into the ground and tightened his abdomen, freezing himself in place. He stared towards a vine which lingered just centimeters from his nose and released a tormented groan from the depths of his chest. Very slowly, the man leaned back and stood up straight, relying on his own strength just in case.

“Too close.” The player sighed as he stepped back from the brush and he relaxed his shoulders. Turning to his right, the man looked over his shoulder to the new arrival and was able to quickly see which of the prizes his patience had rewarded him with. To his dismay, Saber was left with a player. Not a barrel of goodies, not armor, not a weapon, not material, not clothing, not money, not food, nothing; just another player who was insane enough to go into the death trap. Even so, he had to admit; they survived. For whatever reason, the player he was staring at had made it through the bushes and away from the other person who was chasing them. That was a sight which was rewarding enough.

Saber remained quiet as he watched the player handle their own wounds, but he didn’t stand in the shadows forever. As the other person began to wrap up some of their larger wounds, the Assassin made his way over towards the person and slowly pulled off his tattered sweater. After a closer look he discovered the new face was a woman, a brave one at that in comparison to her physical features. She was thin, slender, and looked extremely weak. That contradicted the action she had just taken greatly, but he couldn’t put aside the fact that she was wounded simply because she made a split-second, lifesaving decision. Her shirt was cut open at the back and her upper body was a little too exposed to the elements and she was bleeding in multiple places. Saber was no field medic and he sure as hell wasn’t a doctor, but he could tell that such things were good for a person’s health. He couldn’t do much, but he could at least help preserve some humanity in the situation she was in.

“Oi.” Saber spoke up as the woman began to walk away. He smirked a little and prepared himself for the reaction the woman was about to have as he walked towards her. Once he was close enough, Saber tossed his sweater up and let it drape down onto the female’s head. With his package delivered, he quickly took a few steps back and moved out of her arm’s reach plus a little more. She was most likely shaken up so he expected a violent response. Distance would protect him from getting hurt.
“I think you might need that.”

: Post Title :
-Falling Presents-

: Word Count :
1947

: Skills Used :
N/A

: Tagged :

Saber, Capsule

: Notes :
Can't get away from players...

Coded By Saber of L33T T3@M

[Capsule]

Muse:
Never Gonna Wake Up

Notes:
Hakase laughs awkwardly

Tags:
Saber

Words:
899

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[attr="class","benetbar"]

coded by benetnasch of ET

"Oi."

The sudden call made Capsule stumble. She had mistaken the man's voice for Kassey's husky one, and given herself a bit of a fright in turn. Had Kassey been brave enough to jump in after her? 'But I didn't hear anything.' Stealth was not Kassey's strong suit, so it seemed highly unlikely that she could be quiet about it. Although logic spoke in her favor, Capsule's fear drowned it out. She whimpered and hugged herself, expecting the worse. Most, if not all, of her adrenaline was gone, and all she wanted to do now was take it easy. More running around also put her at risk of tearing open her wounds.

Capsule scrunched up her shoulders and lowered her head, much like a turtle desperately trying to retreat inside its shell. That was definitely Kassey sneaking up behind her, full of greater ill will than she showed before. Capsule would be lucky if she lived this time, though what if Kass decided to torture her, first? Just as she was about to go mad with fright and bolt, something soft fell on her head, covering her face and obscuring her vision.

A brief, high pitched squeak rent the air as the redhead threw her arms and flailed them about. She was blind! How was she supposed to see Kass now? What if she got frightened and ran straight into the woman's arms - "Huh?" She would need this? What? Capsule pulled the object - a sweater - off her head and turned to face her assailant - or not. This was clearly not Kass; the woman prided herself on her higher leveled armor (made from better materials found in the dungeon), and despite her mannish behavior, was obviously female.

There was something familiar about the man's voice, too, though she could not place it. If she tried, all that came to mind was chaos and the screams of burning plant-like creatures. It reminded her of one of the many vivid dreams that plagued her when she tried to sleep. That night had felt all too real to be just a dream, and there were even rumors of it on the following day. What were the odds of her running into that player again, though? She hugged herself again, but this time the sweater was there to act as a cushion. 'I'm so confused…' ...And scared further out of her wits by the death threats coming from the enraged (alleged) lesbian up the slope.

Kass wasn't budging from her spot, though. Her threats were rather harmless coming from her position, but Capsule did not want to stick around to give the woman time to build the courage to descend after her. She pulled the sweater closer to her face and shuffled back a few steps, resisting the urge to duck behind the man who appeared to be in the lower levels. Her gear was no better, of course, but many Adventurers strove to replace their starter gear or Lander made armor as soon as possible.

"Er...th-thank you," she muttered as she struggled to pull the sweater over her ruined top. It was a little scratchy, but made for better wear than her blanket. She lowered her eyes from her feet to gaze in the man's direction. Making eye contact was above her at the moment. "If it's not a problem, can I tag along with you for a bit? I mean, I'm wearing your sweater…" Her last few words were muffled by the fabric of said sweater as she burrowed her lower face over it, embarrassed. She disliked being a burden by asking for help, but feared bodily harm more. Kass could be cruel, but people like that only ganged up on the weak, and might be deterred from following as long as the man was around.

The string of insults had died down, though there was the telltale whirling sound of a blade - being used to strike a small tree or underbrush. Kassey had given up and would either return to the camp or finish the task of collecting the herbs on her own. 'I bet that's what she wants you to think.' She didn't like the idea of Kass being sneaky. If anything, it only made her want to leave this place anymore. "Eh - um. It's dangerous to go alone, right?" The smile she wore was painfully awkward, but she didn't want to talk about Kass or the trouble she had just gotten herself out of. That would just bring about unwanted questions.

whap

A small rock - one final souvenir from Kass - struck the back of her head. Capsule brought a hand there to caress the slowly forming lump, now laughing nervously and pretending like there wasn't a madwoman lurking about. "Women, huh?" She was weeping on the inside. Kass was going to get it someday, in what Cap hoped was in the most excruciatingly painful way. Still laughing this way and wishing to see Kass's head on a platter, Capsule began to slowly work herself away from the briar patch. She realized a little too late that she had no idea if the man was exploring or making his way back to camp (the latter was horrifying), but even if it turned out that he had combat in mind, she would rather tousle with the golems than those stuck up Pharmacist bullies.

[Saber]

Do you believe in ghosts?

The reaction Saber got was quite interesting, and Saber was actually happy that he had given the woman some room. As his shirt fell on her head she began to flail and shrieked, if that’s what the noise she blurted out could be called. Her reaction was the equivalent of a fish suddenly being snagged and pulled out of water; it was funny. Though, Saber’s hidden sadistic side was easy to please so when the female player finished her flailing, Saber didn’t laugh at her. He simply crossed his arms and stood by, watching patiently as she took his sweater off her head and examined it. Part of Saber wanted to tell her that yes, it was a sweater, but seeing her turn around and the face she made as she looked at it, he voted to keep his mouth shut. It was much more fun to just watch the gears turn that it was to crank them, or fuel the flames just enough to keep the sticks popping. Which everyway someone wanted to put it, Saber simply coaxed the funny situation along with as little interaction as necessary.

Unlike many of the other players though, this one seemed to remain quiet. She kept to herself initially and didn’t exactly speak out random questions. She looked at his sweater, and him, but her thoughts were speaking much louder than her words. It made the knowledge seeker curious and he wanted to find out what she was thinking. Still, he held his tongue. Prying into the mind of a person who had just gone through something most likely traumatic, seeing as they elected to dive into a thorn bush to avoid someone, would only stir up their anxiety and make things even worse than they were. Plus, he would most likely cause her to open up some of the wounds she had patched up in a mediocre manner. Doing those things were the complete opposite of what he was trying to accomplish here. He wanted her to relax and calm down a little, and he wanted her to feel safer. The thought of striking a pose and shouting something heroic crossed his mind. Though he had done that once before and in the end he had found himself running from that situation. Bears aren’t nice.

Then, she thanked him. Saber raised an eyebrow and watched as she fought with his sweater, trying to hold back a chuckle as she struggled a little with pulling it over herself. Whoever this woman was, she was a strange one. However her strangeness was familiar. Saber couldn’t place it, but the red hair the woman had on her head made him feel a little more comfortable around her. Much like how the woman kept a lot to herself; Saber decided that he would keep that bit to himself. If he was wrong and mistook her for someone else than he could potentially make her feel awkward; he didn’t like awkward conversations. Especially if he was going to be sticking around for a while, which seemed to be the case as the woman wanted to “tag along”. She used his sweater for an excuse, but Saber probably would have accepted anything for a good enough excuse.

Yet rather than answer right away, Saber could see something was on the tip of the female’s tongue. He remained quiet and stayed acute so he could hear her over the threads of his sweater she had decided to hide behind. In the few moments of silence, Saber could hear the player from before continuing to shout. It seemed as if they were quite persistent, as the sound of a hacking blade became more prevalent now. Saber didn’t acknowledge it, and kept his eyes on the woman before him. The first step in dealing with a problem was realizing there was one. The problem now was the woman before him ran away from somewhere, or someone, and had enough reason to dive into a thorn bush. If the person she was chasing was coming down the hill, Saber knew that the sounds would probably be a little frightening. A small solution would be to ignore that person, act like they didn’t exist, and make their influence as tiny as possible. If Saber could accomplish that, than hopefully the woman before him would start to feel a little better as well.

It didn’t help though when the bully slash mad person was dead set on getting their victim. A few moments after he heard the whacking and hacking; a rock came out of the brush and smacked against the back of the woman’s head. Saber blinked a few times and looked up the hill towards where the rock had most likely come from in an attempt to see the source, but the brush was too thick to see in. From the precision, there was no doubt the other player could see out, so hopefully they realized that there was another person at the bottom now. Saber didn’t like fighting other players, but the woman who took the rock as a joke of sorts wasn’t someone he would leave behind. Saber may have avoided people, but he wasn’t going to leave someone in need behind. It was pathetic to do such a thing.

“Yes... women.” Saber muttered as he stared up the brush. So, the thrown rock and violent shouts belonged to a woman. He should have known. A male would have probably been a little fiercer in his actions and might have actually dived into the bush too. It seemed a lack of true manliness saved the woman in front of Saber this time.

“Come on. You can help me look for something.” Seeing enough, Saber looked down to the woman in front of himself and walked passed her. As he did so, he patted her on the head gently. She was just as tall as him, maybe a little taller, but he reached up anyways. Then, he adjusted his tight shirt a little snugger against his body and accessed his menu. With the threat of another player in the air, Saber needed to be more prepared. As he walked slowly down the other side of the hill, careful to pay attention to where he stepped as much as the words and icons in front of himself, Saber equipped his arrow quiver, bow, throwing knives, and filled the quiver with ten arrows to start. He didn’t plan on fighting any of the golems today, but ten would help him fend off any stray creatures or curious animals.

Once his gear was equipped, Saber paused for a moment and adjusted everything on his body to make it comfortable. The quiver never spawned right, and he always had to take off his bow so it lay parallel with said quiver. His throwing knife pouches were always a little low and more towards his buttocks, but he preferred them on his waist and on his hips. Everything was positioned for combat efficiency. Speed in battle was something Saber required because of the monsters he had begun to face. One misstep with his feet or a missed grab when reaching for a weapon would leave the Assassin open to attack for a few seconds. After fighting so many monsters and burning through the levels like a madman, he had slowly perfected his combat “timing” so to speak. He had practiced all kinds of different setups and moved his equipment all over his body as to test each and every angle. What he wore now and the ways he had things set fit his body the best, so far, and allowed him to remain balanced in a fight. Balance and security were much more important to him than the actual battle itself.

“I assume you know of the city.” Saber spoke up loudly after he finished his adjustments and continued to walk, reaching the bottom of the hill just after he finished his sentence.
“I also assume you know of the Golems which constantly spawn. I have a theory about them, and I’m looking for an answer.” As he talked, he never looked over or directed his voice in any specific direction. He kept his eyes forward and glanced occasionally towards the city’s border where other players were fighting. Just as he had done before, Saber scanned the area and continued to look.
“If I find it, we could also find our way inside.” Knowledge was a powerful tool and Saber found himself thirsting after it here much more than he ever did in reality. In the real world, he was content with what he knew for the most part but he did enjoy reading. Now that he was in a world completely foreign, that love for reading and trying to answer questions about stories exploded. He had questions about everything, and the drive which led him to the college he was in and the life he led was now pushing him forward. It felt amazing.

: Post Title :
-Moving Along-

: Word Count :
1500

: Skills Used :
N/A

: Tagged :
Saber, Capsule

: Notes :
Time to leave the bully behind~

Coded By Saber of L33T T3@M

[Capsule]

Muse:
So Close

Notes:
Here there be golems.

Tags:
Saber

Words:
671

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coded by benetnasch of ET

'He accepted me?' Capsule sighed inwardly, her shoulders drooping in relief. She probably would have followed after him regardless; Kassey was too much of a threat to have at your back, even if she couldn't work up the courage to come down in the thicket. Despite her height, Capsule was glad that she was so thin and wore cloth armor. Someone of Kassey's bulk would have a harder time of it, especially with her heavier armor weighing her down. 'Perhaps the rabbit really is my spirit animal.' Being a rabbit had its uses, after all - "- Eh?!" She stood up straight as something gently patted her on the head. Had she just been mistaken for a cute, hutch rabbit? 'I've had more embarrassing moments, I guess.'

Capsule followed after the man, who was now busy arming himself to the teeth. There weren't any golems or other monsters about, so she assumed this was due to Kassey's lingering presence. It would suck if he got injured on her behalf, especially since he didn't look so strong. 'Or is he really?' She was still trailing behind him, so she could peek at his basic info if she wanted to.

Her hand was in the air, poised to click over his silhouette, when he stopped fiddling with his gear to speak up. Her finger twirled for a moment, before clicking a different slot on her menu's hot key bar. There was a burst of energy as her Frenmic Rabbit, Fiver, was summoned. The rabbit sat back on its haunches, the tip of its little nose twitching as he sniffed the air around them. The rabbit dropped down on all fours to run after her heels as she jogged after the man. "I do," she managed to get out before he moved onto the next point. Why was she answering a rhetorical question?

Anyone who had bothered to come to the camp or even heard the news of Sarum would know of the unfounded city. She probably knew better than most Adventurers, having tended to the injured who had faced the golems while holding them at bay or exploring the area. There were few Adventurers who had not had anything interesting to say. Until today however, she was not exposed to the area beyond the camp. The supplies provided by the Pharmacists and Apothecaries were plentiful when she first arrived, but a nasty golem attack from what the victims described as a "field boss" had ate up quite a bit. The Golem Phalanx was the strongest golem in the area, and apparently capable of turning itself into an earthen ball to crush its foes. Many of the Adventurers had suffered from that attack, and a few were even missing limbs. The Golem Phalanx, in other words, was scary as hell.

There was a low thud from across the field, caused by a lesser golem that was harassing a small group of Adventurers. It had its massive, rock fist buried into the ground, and every few seconds a set of limbs would sporadically twitch beneath it. The Adventurer's party members then attacked the golem while its back was turned, successfully sending the golem tilting onto it was sprawled on its side. Their battered and bloody friend scrambled up and out of harm's way as the others finished it off.

"You do? Does it have something to do with the...um. I think it was Jewish folklore? Men made from clay…" Her voice trailed off in uncertainty. She didn't know much about golems beyond that, but this guy might. "Do you think a wizard or something is involved? I doubt it's fellow Adventurers, so maybe the People of the Land are responsible?" Could the Landers of Sarum not want them entering their city? And why - what were the drawbacks of having Adventurers around to perform quests for them and share their research and (slowly budding) technology? 'What a bunch of zenophobes.' This only heightened her curiosity, though. What surprises awaited them in the city of Sarum?

[Saber]

Do you believe in ghosts?

“There are plenty of reasons why the Golem’s could be spawning.” The response from Saber came out much quicker than he expected but after he listened to the woman speak, Saber found himself lost in his bundle of theories again. What he hated the most about the current situation was that theorizing was all he could do for the time being. So far there was no way into the town without running into a wall of living rocks. As much as he wanted to punch a hole through said wall, he couldn’t guarantee the success rate of such a move. Plus even if he did; he couldn’t guarantee that he would actually be let into the city. If the people on the other side wanted to keep the Adventurers from London out, then they would easily be able to do so no matter what was done.

And yet, Saber couldn’t help but feel as if that was false. Most non-player characters in other games accepted the presence of player’s and handed out quests as if nothing really mattered. Now that he was actually inside of a game, Saber still had not been able to get a quest from one of the roaming people of the land. Conversation was easy to strike up with them, but he never actually was able to get a job from any of them. Could that be the same thing happening here? The People of the Land were inside of Sarum and weren’t hiding their presence from the Adventurers, but they weren’t shaking hands either. The thought of such a thing made Saber grimace. If the People of the Land were able to resist the Adventurers, what else could they do? Could it be possible that they were doing this intentionally? Did the People of the Land know that the Adventurers were trapped?

Sliding his hands into his pockets, the Assassin gnawed on his bottom lip and lowered his eyes to the ground in front of him as he thought quietly to himself for a few moments. Saber couldn’t help but wonder now what was going on behind those stone walls. If the People of the Land were behind this, than what else were they behind and why? Was this a declaration of war against the Adventurers? Could they be keeping the players out of the front gates while gathering forces around the edges of the plains? Adventurers could, theoretically, respawn so what would come out of such an attack? Power? Respect? Fame? The People of the Land were still much weaker than players so it would indeed be a feat to take on the group of players in the area, but massacring an entire field would definitely anger the thousands of others in London. Such a motion would lead to the city of Sarum being ransacked in the following days.

“The one thing I won’t ever rule out is Adventurers.” Saber finally said, forcing his mind to stop rattling itself over the possibility of the People of the Land turning on the Adventurers.

“Summoners have the ability to bring forth different creatures to their aid, like how you summoned your familiar rabbit, so I have no doubt that one could bring forth Golems. It would take a huge amount of players to put up such a fight, they would have to be powerful, and it would have to be very well organized. However, never rule out such impossibilities. Doing such a thing will only limit you.” Saber stopped and looked over at the city. Raising his right hand, he pointed at it, narrowing his eyes on the distance collection of buildings.

“There’s enough space in that zone to house hundreds of people in buildings. How comfortably is questionable. In addition to the buildings, who knows how many more could be simply living in tents in the streets like some players do back at the camp.” A sly grin crossed Saber’s face as he stared at the city. Fatigue pulled at his arm, causing the man to drop it. He slipped his hand back into his pocket but he kept looking at the city.

“But, such a thing will work in our favor if people are behind this madness.” Turning his head forward, Saber continued on his way, moving further away from the hill and crossed a small stretch of low grass before nature decided to grow a little more. He was almost forced to wade through the nearly knee-high lake of green blades because of how thick it suddenly became. He grumbled at the annoyance but kept moving anyways. No matter where he went he was going to have to cross the large patch so it was best to just get it over with.

“From what I can tell, there are Adventurers all over this zone trying to enter the city. With everyone trying to get in, no one can get out without being noticed. This means that over a period of time, supplies on the inside will start to dwindle. Starvation will kick in. The capability for Summoner’s to keep up their spell casts will drop. Holes will open in the defensive grid around the city, and we’ll get inside.” Saber paused for a moment, letting the information cross the air and let his plus one consider what he had told her. Though, he didn’t wait too long before taking in another breathe.

“However, that is only if people are behind this. Whether it is Adventurers or People of the Land; food is something we both need. Should we run out; death is certain. Now, if the cause behind this is magical in nature, then we have a larger problem at hand.” Saber groaned a little as he stepped in a small patch of something mushy and he stopped as well. Lifting his foot, he was happy to see it was only mud he had stepped in. Though, it was still discouraging.

“If it’s magical…” Saber continued, kicking the grass angrily before walking on.

“Then the city is being held captive. If that is true, than I believe that while we are trying to get in the people on the other side want to get out just as badly. If we can punch a hole or find another way inside, people will probably be waiting to accept us with open arms.” Saber sighed heavily as he finished and closed his eyes, stopping again as he let his mind turn over what he had been saying. It was relaxing to actually speak what he was thinking out loud, and it allowed him to develop the thoughts a little more too. Thought, it didn’t help his anxiety with wanting to get inside. Whether it was war or a hostage situation, people were in danger on both sides.

“And that hostage situation is the one I fear the most…” Saber mumbled, almost whispering it as he looked over to the city. Soon, people would be dying because of a tyrant or some lunatic mage, which meant that time, was of the essence. Saber had no time to fool around with one plan or the other. He had to commit, and he had to be fast.

“Any of that make sense?” Saber said aloud, speaking up once more as he looked over at the woman who he thought would still be following. He had been so distracted with his own thoughts that he wasn’t exactly paying any attention to his rear or the woman. That probably wasn’t a good thing…

: Post Title :
-Theorizing the Situations-

: Word Count :
1252

: Skills Used :
N/A

: Tagged :

Saber, Capsule

: Notes :
Talking, Talking, Talking....

Coded By Saber of L33T T3@M

[Capsule]

Muse:
Playgirl

Notes:
Floop.

Tags:
Saber

Words:
660

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coded by benetnasch of ET

Capsule, who knew very little about her traveling companion, had no idea how he would respond, but she was definitely not expecting him to carry on like he did in the next few minutes. Still, she hung on his every word, preferring to lose herself in the rant than lingering on the previous events. "Summoners," she mumbled as she lowered her head and rubbed her chin in contemplation. A quote sprang to mind at the man's words; "Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth." She wanted to open her mind to that way of thinking, but it was as if a block was forcing her against it. With her hard upbringing and lackluster life outside the game, remaining optimistic was something she struggled greatly with.

When the man paused to point at the foreign city in the distance, Capsule came to a stop and gazed in its direction. There was a soft growling somewhere near her ankles; Fiver was apparently not impressed. She knew he meant well and all, but the rabbit oft made her feel like Hazel or Bigwig; exasperated by visions only the prophetic rabbit could see, particularly when things appeared to be going well. If he turned out to be right in the end, however, she would treat him with a nice, big carrot.

A nervous, yet excited, thrill shot down her spine and tailbone. The idea that there were actually players camped out within the city of Sarum, living like they lived in London fascinated her. She wanted to explore every nook and cranny of the city, intermingle with the Landers and Adventurers, see what they had invented, and how far they had gotten along in technological advances… A sharp nip from Fiver alerted her to the man's moving form, spurring her to follow.

She doubled over and scooped up the grumpy bunny as their trek led them from the hill and into tall grass, which reminded her of the unkempt yard of an abandoned factory in her hometown. But, this was the wilderness, so something like this should not be too strange - or so she told herself. The grass along this way was flattened in some areas, either by golems or exploration units of Adventurers. Fiver's low growls turned into a squeak of surprise as she held him a little too tightly. If the man's hostage theory turned out to be true, then she could only feel sympathy for the people locked up within the city, for they would never be able to run or fight in this terrain if the people of London could not break past their defenses.

"It does make sense," she said when prompted. "Both theories sound very plausible to me, enough so that I cannot choose one over the other. In the case of the city being protected by Landers and Adventurers, it makes me wonder if more people were transported into the game, but were spread out in regions and different starting cities. For whatever reason, they do not wish to allow us to make contact with them, or assume that we only wish them harm." Those guesses assured her more than the aspect of mere trolling, which happened too much in games or the internet. "As for magical interference…"

Capsule's next theory was pretty standard for most video games. "Well, you know how many games will not let you advance unless certain conditions are met? What if the same is true here? Maybe we can't penetrate the city's walls because we still haven't 'cleared' one necessary level? If we were to do that, the barrier would theoretically disintegrate and allow us passage. I mean, it's still a video game and all, so the barrier could very much be like the Royal Guard." As perplexing as it was, however, she would rather other players be involved. Like the man said, it would only be a matter of starving them out.

[Saber]

Do you believe in ghosts?

The fact that there was a large amount of uncertainty with anything that he could think of made Saber uneasy. He hated not having enough information to make an accurate deduction about a situation and it hurt him, a lot. When hunting, Saber was always careful to pick up the little details about his surroundings, he stalked and watched his prey for much longer than usual to try and figure out the answers to the simple questions (was it alone?, where was it going?, was it dying?, was it diseased?, was it even worth killing?), and Saber always tried to keep himself out of harm’s way when it came to this level of unknowingness. In the wild it wasn’t so bad because there was always some sort of conclusion or end to the charade. There was no telling how long it would take for the city of Sarum’s Golem Wall to be broken down. It could be days. It could be weeks. It could be months. Hopefully it wouldn’t go beyond that; Saber didn’t exactly wish to stay in the game for more than a year if he could help it. Although if things kept going at this pace; that may become a reality. This game… it could truly become his new reality…

Although, Saber was coming to terms with the fact that he, and the others, may be stuck here for the rest of their lives very slowly. It was a horrifying thing to think about that from the perspective of people’s family, but it was just as bad for the people inside. If the city of Sarum was just one place nearby, and there were dozens of other cities who were all heavily guarded by constantly spawning monsters, than after a while Saber knew some people would be discouraged from exploring. Slowly, people would begin to simply settle for what they had and live out their lives in peace. If people were going to be stuck in a world with no escape, much like real life, than complacency would poke its annoying head into the world; that would be very troublesome. If that were the case, than people would stop wanting to leave and would just accept their fates. The game, Elder Tale, would become a whole new reality, a whole new world, in the truest sense. Saber wouldn’t accept such a fate.

As an Adventurer, Saber had a duty to explore, a duty to fight new monsters, find and meet new faces, and help those in need along his travels. As a person, Saber had a duty to assist his fellows with surviving and living their lives. As a Hunter, Saber had a duty to provide food and supplies to those who could not fight for themselves. He had so many labels now and so many jobs that his days had become blurs. Ever since he started to play this game, Saber had not stopped. He had taken breaks for food and rest, as well as other basic hygienic needs but he continued to level. He continued to fight. He needed to because he knew full well what would happen if he didn’t. Saber would become lazy, comfortable, and bored. “Idle hands do the devil’s work”, and Saber would be wreaking havoc wherever he would be. Saber needed to stay mobile and stay active because it kept him sane, kept him alive, and he truly believed that there was a way out of this place. Much like he believed that there was a way into Sarum.

Saber looked at the city of Sarum like a test. The constantly spawning Golems and lack of an entrance was a test directed towards the Adventurers to see if they had the balls to fight their way inside, to demand entry. It was a mini-game within the world of Elder Tale and it was one they were chipping away at. Gaining entrance to the city would prove that the other players were willing to fight to the end to succeed, no matter the costs. It would mean that people would play until they won and until the desired outcome was achieved. In the perspective of the whole game, gaining entrance to Sarum would be like the players getting out. However, if players failed or gave up, than it would be very easy to see that no one was truly serious in the first place. Such a thing would also mean escape from Elder Tale would be impossible. If people can’t take one city, than how would they take the world?

“Such a pity…” The thought made Saber stop and sigh. He wiggled his nose and closed his eyes as he paused for a moment. Maybe he should try a little harder, become more active in the expedition, or just become more active with other players in general. He played alone and flew solo in almost every game he played except for when his friend Shiori showed him the Japanese version of Elder Tale. In that server, Saber was a Guild leader. Here he was nothing but some high level. Was that something to be proud of…?

Almost as if he was tugged from his thoughts, the voice of the female player behind him quietly knocked on his eardrums. She had been talking already it seemed but Saber must have tuned her out while he thought. That wasn’t a very polite thing to do; however Saber didn’t apologize or say anything. He simply listened from where he started. Maybe theorizing wasn’t the best thing to do for a hunter. He didn’t think very much or very hard very often, and doing so usually led to overly complex plans or ideas. This was probably one of those times.
“Keep it simple, stupid.”

“Whatever the theory… I just want to get inside…” Saber finally muttered to the woman behind him. Saber pushed his lips together and stopped in the grass as he looked towards the city of Sarum again. He felt like a child outside of an amusement park. Saber wanted inside so badly and he would do anything to do it, but there was literally nothing he could do but pout and yell at a parent that wasn’t listening. Though he would be patient and would not throw a tantrum. That would only get him into a worse situation. Yet, he didn’t want to get inside of the city just to do it either. Saber wanted inside because he had just reminded himself of something; Shiori.

Where was she? How was she? Was she playing this game…? If so, was she inside Sarum? During the first few days of playing, Saber had searched all over London for that woman but she didn’t appear. He even tried adding to his friend list the names of all the in-game character names she usually used, but to no avail. He got nothing but the equivalent to static. If she was inside Sarum, than Saber was so close to her… so very close, but he was so far away. That woman was his own tie to reality and it was something he needed so badly. If only she knew how much he wanted to simply hug her.

“Got any ideas?” After a few moments, Saber finally spoke and looked over towards the woman he was with. He should probably ask for her name one of these times…

: Post Title :
-A Hidden Meaning-

: Word Count :
1230

: Skills Used :
N/A

: Tagged :

Saber, Capsule

: Notes :
I just want to go home...

Coded By Saber of L33T T3@M

[Capsule]

Muse:
Seventeen

Notes:
Hiro and co. already found stone henge, so...

Tags:
Saber

Words:
691

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coded by benetnasch of ET

As perturbing as she found the man's silence to be, it was only to be expected. He had just gone on a bit of a tangent, and also had to go over her minor offering in his mind. She did not speak up, lest she interfere with his thoughts and cause him to be led astray from any other valuable output. Fiver, on the other hand, was growing restless. Either the rabbit sensed danger or just wanted to get on with the exploration. She could hold him still at first, but his thrashing became so intense that she had to drop him. Once on the ground, Fiver hopped a few feet away and planted himself amongst a few tall weeds, glaring balefully at her. Was he mad that they had come out this way, or was the presence of the man to blame? She didn't know, and she ultimately did not care. Capsule may have been a pushover, but she was not about to roll over for a rabbit.

After what felt like an eternity, but likely lesser than a few minutes, the man finally spoke, though it was only to express his desire to be let into the city. She felt the same; that curiosity was not going to be satisfied until she was able to walk the streets of Sarum's protected city. 'Curiosity killed the cat…' But satisfaction brought him back. Fiver growled softly at the man, who had turned and asked her if she had any clue what to do next. Capsule, who did not consider herself to be anything close to a leader, blinked in surprise.

"Ah...I don't know how the two of us alone can penetrate those walls, but we're sure to find something by probing around, right? The question is where…" She fell silent, now in deep thought. She had never set foot inside of England, or far from Dresden, for that matter. Her knowledge thus came second hand, by way of the internet and what she saw on tv or heard from so called natives. "I wouldn't recommend straying too close to the city, though. We don't know what's up there, and we would be vastly outnumbered by its inhabitants. We could simply do a scouting mission, and make note of whatever we see, like monsters and landmarks. Even if we can't use that information right now, others can later. It would be helpful for larger parties that need to clear the way to the city." She paused for a moment to wipe at her mouth with the back of her hand, well aware of how awkward her wording and speech was.

"Um…" Now she felt self-conscious. "Since this server is based on England, I imagine we might be able to find real landmarks around here, so if you're familiar with it at all…" Not all players on this server were British, of course; she definitely wasn't, but maybe this guy was. "I can only name a few, like stone henge, Hadrian's Wall, Warwick Castle, Lake District and the Cotswolds." The last one was allegedly very close to London, but may have been renamed something else in the game. The exact locations of these tourist spots were a bit fuzzy to her, as well. "But since this is a mostly open grassland, I guess we could rule out a few areas."

As if suddenly struck with inspiration, Capsule's body jolted into a straighter, confident posture. Hadrian's Wall and Lake District were probably too far up north for them to worry about for the moment, but stone henge and the Cotswolds were possible. Going further west would benefit them, then. "While I can't say where they are for sure, I do know that stone henge and the Cotswolds are near London, so we should not be too far from either. And, while they aren't much…" She shrugged. "It's a start." There was now a small gleam in her eyes, due to having a potential goal to strive for. The Cotswolds consisted of a bunch of gentle hills, buildings made of stones, and historical towns. It sounded like the perfect place to explore and gather intel.

[Saber]

Do you believe in ghosts?

After asking what the other woman thought, Saber waited quietly for a moment, patiently awaiting a response. She looked back at him; surprised it seemed by his request and that made Saber smirk a little. Though once she started talking, Saber quickly learned that she was quite content with avoiding combat for the time being. From her size, quietness, and the fact that she chose to run from another player rather than face them, he didn’t blame her. Now, Saber didn’t doubt that she had some hidden strength beneath her sleeve, as he had been caught off guard by that before, so he kept his mouth sealed. Instead, he nodded his head and turned his gaze towards Sarum. If his current partner wanted to avoid combat than Saber would not say otherwise and force her to fight. He personally needed a break from all the fighting anyways. He was starting to become far too thirsty for it.

Then, she suggested scouting. Saber raised an eyebrow at the thought and envisioned himself strolling around the area, marking and making note of new things he saw. It seemed boring, slow, and tiresome compared to the simplicity of combat which didn’t require a lot of thought but more feeling and dancing of sorts. Usually he left the information retrieval kind of stuff to other players. But, in this case, he was curious. Saber didn’t know a lot about the game aside from how to fight nearly every monster in it as well as how to find a few handfuls of materials. Sarum was something completely different. He had not ventured this far out before and up until now, he had only fought Golems and some familiar creatures in the area. What if there were more? Maybe some sort of flying creatures? Bipedal dinosaurs? Or maybe even more violent mammals compared to Weasels? Maybe there was some kind of feral wombat out in the zone he had never seen. The thought made Saber chuckle, and that was his clue that he had drifted again. Opening his ears, the players returned to listening to the female. He was bad at this interaction thing…

“This server is based in England… isn’t it?” The words of his compatriot made Saber think, hard. His eyes drifted back to the woman and he looked at her as he listened very, very intently to what she was saying. This player was onto something, and Saber was highly interested in her information. He had completely forgotten that the game of Elder Tale was essentially a replication of the world, except half the size. That meant, just like the other player was saying, there was a potential for there to be familiar landmarks like Stonehenge, Cotswolds, Warwick Castle, and others. In reality, Saber had visited a few of those landmarks. If they were indeed in the game, than finding them would be a huge bonus for him and the other players. Familiarity would bring a sense of safety and security in the game and it could be used as a reason for further expansion. Perfect.

“Brilliant.” That was the only word Saber could use to describe the woman’s thought with, and it was all he could say at that moment. The idea was truly brilliant and Saber was happy that he had asked her for her input. In this case, he was extremely happy that combat had been switched for scouting and he would not trade any sort of fighting for the opportunity that was placed in front of him. Finding these landmarks, these places from the world he remembered, would be a huge step forward for him and others. And maybe, just maybe, he would be able to discover answers to some of the many questions he had about not only Sarum, but about the world in general. The one benefit of being an explorer, a curious person, or just an Adventurer in general, was the constant questioning. The constant thirst for knowledge was something unquenchable and it made him very, very aware of his surroundings. Saber had hundreds of question s and it seemed he would finally be able to start answering some of them.

Pulling open his menu, Saber quickly navigated to the map section and placed both hands on it once it appeared. With a pinching motion, he forced the overlooking camera to shoot back and the map shrunk, giving him a full view of the entire zone from where the woman and he stood, to Sarum, and all the way back to London. He wouldn’t be able to be very accurate with his predictions, but it was better than nothing. Much of the map had been illuminated because of Saber’s constant wandering, fighting, traveling, and random searches, so he was easily able to rule out much of the zone he was looking at. However, nearly ninety percent of Sarum was dark aside from the area near the Expeditionary Camp, a slender path connecting the city to the camp, and a little to the south of the camp. Saber hadn’t done much exploring in the zone and now he regretted that.

“We’ll head west.” As he eyed his map, he mentally put a real world map over the one he saw before him. Then, he used his own knowledge of the area to put the pieces together.

“On the other side of Sarum, if my memory serves me correctly, there’s a collection of rivers; the Avon River. It goes for miles north and south. If we find that, we can find other cities and areas on the riverbeds. It also connects Sarum to the city of Salisbury to the south of here, if I’m not mistaken.” Saber tilted his head as he looked at the map in front of him, attempting to get his barings. Then, he looked up, staring directly at Sarum. After another glance at his map, he looked a little to the left and pointed.

“We’ll miss Sarum, but we’ll have to go around it if we want to get to the river. There should also be a castle on the other side.” With that, he closed his map and looked towards the woman.

“How does that sound?” The fact that England had so many rivers cutting up its land in reality made navigating and traversing the large landscape very easy. Using the rivers made traveling easy for people with boats, assisted merchants with safely moving their goods from point A to point B without conflict, and it connected key cities which sat on or near the waterways. If the river was there, and the numerous others England had in reality had also been created, than that would make things much easier in the long run. They just needed to find the thing first.

: Post Title :
-Consulting The Map-

: Word Count :
1129

: Skills Used :
N/A

: Tagged :
Saber, Capsule

: Notes :
Bouts tah staht.

Coded By Saber of L33T T3@M

[Capsule]

Muse:
In A Funny Way

Notes:
Doo whoop da.

Tags:
Saber

Words:
860

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coded by benetnasch of ET

Relief and a bit of surprise flooded Capsule's body when the man issued that one word - brilliant. She was never too confident in her abilities, a side effect from the way her parents raised her. Had her father been here, he surely would have found something about her suggestions to be faulty, and would not have hesitated to berate her, regardless of who was watching. 'Don't let a simple compliment get to your head.' It was a little too late for that, though. There was a slight blush in her cheeks that she casually blocked with the side of her hand, but she did nothing to suppress the small, lopsided smile she was sporting. Capsule was a happy woman, and even happier that her impromptu scouting partner was taking over the reins. Leadership was a burden; she would much rather play the role of follower.

Without intending to, Capsule mimicked the man's actions and pulled her own map, by accessing the system menu. Since ditching her Courier subclass in what felt like ages ago, Capsule's overall map process had diminished. Most of the points she had filled in were either safe zones or had been automatically collected while joining a party. A great deal of this new area was still foreign to her, which was only to be expected. 'It won't be empty for long, though~.' Maybe she had gone a little mad during her short stint out here, but being run off by Kass may have been the best thing to happen to her today. Had she stayed in camp, her knowledge of what was going on would have been limited. People were surprisingly tight lipped about their combat and scouting missions, all too eager to claim the credit for discovering new monsters or locations for themselves. If she could come up with a few discoveries of her own… Capsule smirked. Kass would be pissed off when she found out. 'Good.' If she couldn't hurt the other woman physically, she could do so mentally, by attacking her pride. Kass would just hate that.

Still smirking, Capsule traced an invisible path with her eyes across parts of her barren map. She had little clue as to what the Avon River was, so she would have to trust that the man knew what he was talking about when he mentioned them. It shouldn't be too difficult to confirm, though. Barring her lack of wilderness expertise, Capsule was certain that there were ways to tell if a water sound was nearby, as in the obvious sound of rushing water, or something about moss and the gathering of certain animals. She tapped a finger to her chin as she fell deep in thought, now wondering what types of monsters would be lurking near the banks of the river. As much as something cute and cuddly appealed to her, a beast with a bit more grit than Fiver, her Frenmic Rabbit, could provide would be more beneficial in the long run, especially if she wished to ever solo. The beast could tank for her while she supported it from afar.

"Hmm?" Her mind had wandered off track from the conversation, but she did manage to catch some of the man's latter statements. He said something about going around the city of Sarum, and heading for a castle of sorts. Had Capsule had long ears like her bunny, they would be perkier than a set of newly transplanted breasts. "A castle!" Now there was a treat! Assuming it was abandoned, they could explore it to their hearts' content. And, while she would never admit it out loud, Capsule enjoyed the thought of sitting on a throne and pretending to be important. On a more serious note, though, there were also treasure, antiques and documents to consider. A castle was like a treasure chest itself, or could be, if it was not too ransacked.

"That sounds fun - I mean, that sounds fine." She was doing a piss poor job of containing her excitement, and did not particularly care. This kind of feeling was preferred to her earlier state of fear and anxiety. "...We should probably start a party, too. I can't really do much to support you otherwise." Being the one to send a party request felt weird, even though she had sent a few of her own in the past. She usually made the other person initiate it, but since she was the one suggesting it this time…

The man's basic information was made available to her when she pulled up the party invite system and selected his figure. Him being an Assassin was not a surprise at all; it was a fairly common class. His higher level, on the other hand, made her blink in surprise. With gear like that, you would expect him to be a much lower level. 'This guy is dangerous,' she thought as she "clicked" him and sent an invite his way. It was hard not to admire the man for his apparent resolve in leveling, even with such outdated armor. 'I guess when you're that fast, the rest of the world has a hard time keeping up…'

[Saber]

Do you believe in ghosts?

As if the word “castle” was the word of the day or some sort of engine starter, a sudden gleam of excitement exploded out from the female player in front of Saber. He straightened up and froze, a little frightened by her outburst and proceeded to simple stare at her for a moment. He could have sworn that rays of light had shot out from all around her and he imagined seeing stars in her eyes. Or they were just sparkling because of the sunlight. Either way, it was weird, very weird and very different. Had this woman never been to a castle before? Or was it simply the fact that a castle was a castle? Saber had been to a few within the real world, but mainly because he had been dragged out to them occasionally. Personally, he never cared much for such spectacles. He would have rather seen a library because at least there he could learn something that really mattered. Castles were relics of an older world; vacant of the living and were generally raided so there didn’t tend to be much in them. The only time Saber actually enjoyed going to a castle was when he went to one that wasn’t stuff full of tourist crap, and that was rare.

Yet, this time he looked forward to the castle search or at least finding the thing. Maybe not as much as his fellow Adventurer because of how explosive her energy burst was, but he was a little excited to take a peek inside of the place if they found it. In the games he had played during his beginner days, castles were like mini-dungeons for him. They were homes to various different monsters that normally were difficult to find elsewhere, had plenty of treasures and loot that would either sell for a high price or would be useful later on, and sometimes the castles sent him off on massive quest chains within the walls. They were entertaining and sucked up hours of his life, allowing him to pretty much waste the days away exploring them. After a while he began to call the castles Time Sappers simply because of how much time it took from his real life to actually explore and complete all of the things to do in them. If the castles truly existed in Elder Tale, which they most likely did seeing as the city of Sarum was real, than he had a lot of searching to do in order to find them. There were plenty of castles in England to find and navigate through, so finding them all would take time. Thankfully, time was all Saber had these days.

His partner was obviously very enthused about the idea of discovering and searching a castle too. He could see it in her eyes, and that made him curious. He wondered what kind of life she lived before the world of Elder Tale, as well as why she wanted to see a castle. Maybe she had not gone to one before and this chance was something she wouldn’t give up. If that was the case, than Saber would gladly help her have fun. However, at the sound of her wanting to party with him; he became a little hesitant. There was nothing wrong with the lady, but it was with him. Partying up was always difficult for him because he disliked saying goodbye later on. He also didn’t like the idea of being chained down, in a way. Being alone allowed Saber to pack up and leave whenever he wanted and if he was in a party, he would need to alert the other person of doing such. Saber had never done such a thing as abandoning a party member in combat, but there were times when he felt like he needed to leave.

“You think too much…” As the party invitation popped up in front of him, Saber shut out his thoughts and pressed the green button, accepting the player’s attempt to party with him. Being a soloist was really starting to mess with his head. He was an assistant and helped people, not some jerk off who did nothing but worry about himself. At least, he didn’t want to be a jerk off who did nothing but worry about himself. Such selfishness was not needed in the world around him and as a higher level; it was his unwritten law to help those below him no matter the cost, as long as it wasn’t something stupid…

“Capsule…” The name he read belonged to the woman he had now partied with and it was a little soothing to finally know who she was. At least it wasn’t completely strange like Yoloswag420 or worse. That would just be foolish and Saber tended to avoid those kinds of people. Thankfully, most players in Elder Tale were sane. Most. Now at least he knew who he was with and who to look out for if something were to separate them. Video games made interacting so much easier than real life.

“The castle and river shouldn’t be far. In reality, they would probably be a few miles past Sarum but seeing as distances are skewed here, I doubt it’ll take long. Come on.” Moving forward once more, Saber continued the trek through the tall grass. He adjusted his heading so they would pass safely by Sarum, hopefully, without being bothered by the Golems that lingered near it. There were a few players fighting the stone creatures, but not as many as there were in other places. The side of Sarum Capsule and Saber were on was a bit further than the others, so not as many players stretched out as far. It made navigating a little dangerous and most maps were still dark, but Saber didn’t mind.

Being the first to go was always an enjoyable experience. Rather than hearing stories, he was able to tell them. Or well, he had the opportunity to tell them. He rarely spoke about anything he saw to other players. If he did, than a lot of his training spots would most likely be taken over within hours. Having his sources of experience chopped off would essentially cripple him because of how much experience was required to level now. With the search of the surrounding area a little beyond Sarum, maybe he and Capsule would not only find the castle and the river; but maybe they would find more monsters as well. That made him even more curious to search and he found himself almost brimming with excitement because of it. He loved mysterious things and finding answers to questions that would lead him to bettering himself, and the world, were like candy to him. He loved it.

“Hopefully we can make it before it starts to get dark. Traversing a castle at night in this game might not be good for life expectancy.”

: Post Title :
-A New Objective-

: Word Count :
1153

: Skills Used :
N/A

: Tagged :

Saber, Capsule

: Notes :
Castles, Rivers, Treasures, Monsters, ohmai~

Coded By Saber of L33T T3@M

[Capsule]

Muse:
Destiny

Notes:
Dun dun dun~.

Tags:
Saber

Words:
1173

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coded by benetnasch of ET

The man, Saber, accepted her party request, though there was something a little weird with the way he was looking at her. Did she have something on her face…? If she did, it was most likely due to the incident with Kass, and with lack of a mirror or a pool of water to act as a stand in, Capsule did not know for sure what was wrong with her appearance. The blade of her sheathed kukri was the closest she could get right now, but she was not about to whip it out just to stare at her reflection. 'He'll just think I'm a vain weirdo if I do that.' She "casually" wiped the side of her face with the back of her hand, hoping that that solved the problem.

She was glad to have the heat pulled off of her when Saber explained further about the area. "So like a literal stone's throw away," Capsule offered as a joke. This world may mirror the real England in many ways, but it was not bound to the same laws, as given the major differences, some of those being monsters and the magic and abilities granted to players. In games, it normally did not take too long to travel from point A to point B, though things like mounts could cut down the annoyances of travelling by foot. Walks that were two hours or more in the real world could therefore only take twenty or thirty minutes in a game (at worse). That was with taking monster encounters into account, and those could usually be avoided by sticking to the road or running from danger.

Capsule, who lacked the Cavalier subclass and did not like the idea of constantly spending money to rent a horse, was forced to walk if she wanted to go anywhere of great distance. It was good for exercise, but sometimes she longed for her old scooter. The Vespa had seen better days, but like a certain sideways broken chair's flash drive, it was indestructible and trustworthy. Hell, maybe she could later tame something to function as a mount. Something fast and light on its feet…

She was daydreaming again, which was mighty restless of her. This was a largely unexplored zone, where deadly golems and other unknown terrors roamed. Not paying attention to her surroundings would net her in greater trouble than her bout with Kass. Saber had already started off, and was a good pace ahead of her before she could catch up. Fiver came in last, looking and sounding as irritable as before. The little guy would probably feel better once they were back in their home in St. Pancras station.

The reason for Fiver's discomfort made itself known as they passed several players engaging the golems. Both groups were far away enough that Capsule and Saber would not be molested, but seeing the action made her nervous. Some of the punches the golems threw looked really painful. "Come here, Fiver," she whispered to the spooked rabbit. His ability to sense danger was one she would have to deal without for now. There was no use in making the rabbit agitated like this. "I'll let you out in a bit, all right?" Fiver squeaked and tried to resist the command, but could do nothing to stop Capsule from desummoning him. His expertise would come in handy when they were searching the castle - assuming there was one, anyway.

The silence that followed Fiver's protests was penetrated by Saber's voice. He sounded like he was worried about the approaching darkness. "I know it's not much," she offered, "But I do possess a spell - Magic Light - that allows me to summon, well, a ball of light. So even if it does get dark by the time we get there, we won't be too hopeless, ne? Besides - places like these are prone to inconsistencies, such as pre-lit rooms and corridors." She neglected to mention that those same places were also teeming with monsters or inhabited by enemy humanoids. "Perhaps I should have crafted a few of those Nighteye potions," she muttered to herself. It was a recently researched potion that allowed players to "see" in the dark, albeit for a short amount of time.

Capsule really hoped it did not have to come to that, though. There could be some really nasty monsters lurking in the depths of the castle, and they of course would know the area far better. 'But my Magic Light hasn't let me down yet.' Well, if you had a light, the monsters couldn't sneak up on you so easily, right? 'Right.' Though there were some things you simply did not want to see in either circumstances. Capsule would like to avoid something like that if possible.

Not being one for small talk, Capsule remained silent as they went further and further away from the expedition camp and London's safe walls. The number of golems and players dwindled until it felt like only the two of them were all that remained in the world. There was a hint of a small group at some point, but they appeared to be in a great hurry and riding… 'Were those ostriches?' She looked to Saber for verification, but when she glanced back to where the players were, they were gone. 'I must have been imagining things.' Bar that, nothing of note caught her attention.

They reached the river without incident, and the sun was still lighting up the sky with its fiery body. "Water~! We should fill up first, just in case." She had a few flasks of water in her inventory, but they had no idea when they would be able to return to camp, or how long they would be stuck out here. It was better to come well prepared for these things, and Capsule had not been given the luxury of taking supplies before she left; it was supposed to be a simple herb search, after all. Food was one thing she did not have to worry about, at least.

While Saber did whatever, Capsule quickly removed her boots and rolled up the ends of her pants legs before wading out into the water, armed with two empty flasks. She dipped each into the water one at a time, and capped them once they were full. Even if it turned out that there was no need for the precaution, she could whip up a potion or two later. "Done~!" The fish that had curiously nipped at the bare flesh of her legs and feet shot off in alarm as she splashed her way out of the water. She spied something large looming in the distance - a building of some sorts. 'Is that the castle?' It certainly looked like the ones you saw on tv or in the theaters. From here it looked as decrepit and overrun with thorns as Londenium. Capsule fancied she heard a low wail of agony from the castle, but surely she was just imagining things again.