[Closed][Combat] Cool Fingers of the Underground

[Zyoto]

Words: 500
Total: 500
Tags: @ciriodhul

---

With the moon looming high overhead, the chilling night was upon Londinium. It was a beautiful night out - or rather, it would be if not for all the mage lights and torches illuminating the city of Adventurers. In the last few years the Adventurers had managed to make incredible progress in this city, and it was a sight that one could only dream of in the wake of the Apocalypse. "To think it's really been a few years already... And what's worse: To think I've barely leveled up in that time..." Zyoto groaned, pushing open the doors to one of the many taverns. "I should go do more... If I want to fight, I should bring a healer, at the very least..." With that decided, she found her way to a table with a group of adventurers. "Hey, any of you guys know any available healers?"

The relaxing party looked at the beautiful lass with a bit of a sneer, clearly thinking some less than favorable ideas and plots. Standing from his seat, the party leader towered over the elven woman. Judging by his muscular appearance and his light, yet thick equipment, the man was most likely a Monk. "Ya lookin' to start a party, missy? Why bother startin' your own when you could just join ours!" He grinned, offering his hand. "Protection ain't easy to find in this dangerous world. You need someone like me to keep you safe!"

Zyoto picked up on the light chortles from the man's cohorts, and she was easily able to decide she did not like this crew. Of course, she would have a little fun with them first before scaring them off. Whats the fun in just straight-up declining them, right? "Is that so?" She smiled, playing with them in such a way that a confident cat might play with its food. She took the man's hand gently in her own. "Well, if it is truly such a dangerous world..." In an instant so quick no one could really register what had just happened, the woman tightened her grip on the man's hand, pulling him to her and quickly circling around him, holding his hand back with an arrow in her grip, the head pressed to the man's throat. "Are you sure you can protect me?"

He tensed up instinctively, freezing as his friends quickly drew their own weapons. "You-!"

The Samurai was cut off as a loud, booming thud echoed through the tavern. Following the noise, the large barkeep was seen with his burly hand slammed down on the bar, his face speaking volumes as he silently threatened the lot. Sighing, Zyoto let go of her suitor, the party of brutish men running off with their tails between their legs. Taking the seat of the troublesome monk, she made an announcement as she stood by the conquered table. "I'm looking to do a bit of hunting tonight, any healers that would be interested, come join me." With that, she took a seat.

[Deleted]

Words: 450
Total: 450

---

Sitting at a table in one of Londinium's taverns Ciriodhûl gazed melancholicly out of the nearest window. Another day had passed without him finding even a single adventurer who needed his help. He sighed deeply. When he first realized that he has been sucked into a MMORPG, he had quickly begun to like the idea of living his life in this strange illusion. However, he was even quicker at getting that he was not particularly cut out for this.


"Don't think about it...", he murmured to himself and took a sip of the tea in front of him. "I'll find someone and proof my worth." The table he had chosen had given him a feeling of security. Sitting alone in the corner of the room protected by the two solid walls behind him. But now that he had surrendered his hope to regrets again, the crowded tavern he was watching seemed to suffocate him. "Maybe I should just work as a housekeeper for some local person of the land."


His thoughts were suddenly disrupted when a female assassin pushed the doors on the other side of the room open and went to a table a group of adventurers were sitting at who had laughed him off last week. "May I be of assistance to your group?", he remembered the words he had chosen. After an eternity the laughter had died out. "We don't need a slave-healer-boy-what-do-you-call-it. We can protect ourselves." Ciriodhûl still remembered the grin on his face and the glitter of superiority in his eyes.


He sunk back into thoughts, only to be disrupted again by the barkeep smashing his hand on the bar. Realizing a fight must have broken out he sprang on his feet without hesitation. Hope conquered his mind. "Maybe, just maybe ..." And was crashed in the same instant. There was no fight. In fact, the group he had observed a moment ago left the tavern in fear.


"I'm looking to do a bit of hunting tonight, any healers that would be interested, come join me."


Ciriodhûl stood still for a moment. "A healer?", he thought. "I AM a healer. This women just demanded a healer!" Joyful on the inside but careful to not convey his feelings on the outside he made his way to the table his saviour had made her request from, wondering why no one but him approached her. It seemed that they even ignored her on purpose. He shrugged his shoulders. "That's my chance, then."


"May I be of assistance, m'lady?", he said and bowed to her, after he found his way through the crowd. "It just so happens, that I am a cleric. Nice to meet you. Ciriodhûl's my name."

[Zyoto]

Words: 500
Total: 1000
Tags: @ciriodhul

---

Zyoto waited quite some time for a healer to step forward, though it seemed after her little scuffle - or rather, the beginning of such - most of the others were presumably rather intimidated by her. It was clear that, despite her beautiful, fragile appearance, this elf was not one to be trifled with so easily. A few minutes passed before one of them finally came up, the young man being greeted by her sapphire eyes. He introduced himself in such a way that was, frankly put, a bit... What's the word... Painful? The man was overly formal, and while she had grown used to such formality having lived with a writer for a spouse, this man's formality was noticeably different from what she was used to. "Ciriodhul, is it?" She stood from the chair, her posture straight and refined as she extended her hand to shake his. "You'll see my name in the party menu, and that's good enough. It's nothing personal, I just don't like my name being out there." As the two shook hands, she nodded before letting go and tapping at the empty space in front of her, accessing the party menu to send the Cleric an invite.

Once he was in the party, she headed towards the door to leave the tavern. "Come on, we'll be heading to a cave just east of Londinium." Once they were on their way, Zyoto glanced around herself, seeing nobody in sight aside from her new companion. "Also, please, drop the 'm'lady,' the only one allowed to call me that is-" She stopped, catching herself. "...Not around... You don't need to be so overly formal, Ciriodhul. We're all gamers, so none of us will be offended or anything." As they walked through the gate of the town, out into the surrounding forest, Zyoto looked up at the moon. "It's pretty late, so we'll be sure to encounter more monsters than normal. Still, we need to be out late to access this cave, so I hope you aren't particularly tired or exhausted." Despite how late it was, there were still a good number of hunting parties out and about. Making sure they would not miss their chance, Zyoto tapped at the air to once again open her user interface and confirm what time it was. "Only eleven at night, we're doing well then." With that, she smiled, a bit pleased with herself. "We need to make sure we get to this cave before midnight." Making a few more taps at the floating menu icons in front of her, Zyoto then casually opened her inventory, and with the swift click of her finger against the ephemeral button, a large cloak materialized around her, its form completely covering her body, save for the space from glabella to her chin. The shawl definitely helped her blend in with the surrounding flora and greenery. "Oh, and one more thing. Never tell anyone about me, nobody at all. Especially not..." She grew silent. "Just don't tell anyone..."

[Deleted]

Words: 550
Total: 1000
Tags: Zyoto

---

At first Ciriodhûl was astounded how smoothly everything went. On second thought, though, he realized how weird it was by him to anticipate a different outcome. He still had to take an awkward time coming to his senses as the woman in front of him stood up and extended her hand, before he was finally able to shake it. While she let go to send him an invite, he dared to look her over. She was beautiful – not that this was uncommon in a former game, but she definitely knew how to use the character creation interface. Then, the invitation popped up and he tapped in the air to accept it. “I will never get used to this.”, he thought. “Why can’t I just accept an invitation verbally?” He looked at the party interface. Her name was Zyoto, not anything extraordinary or embarrassing, so that he did not understand why she would not want to make her name public. Putting the thought aside because he simply lacked any information to solve this mystery or to even theorize about it, he followed her out of the tavern heading for a cave east of the city.

Just as he had opened his mouth to try a little small-talk she commented his language and told him to drop the formalities. Realizing that he had made an utterly desperate fool of himself he was taken aback and his mouth fell shut. After a time had passed and they entered a vacant dark alley, which had to be a short cut of some sorts, he felt the need to explain himself: “Ugh, I just thought speaking old-fashioned were polite. Really. I thought, when we are already stuck in this place… why not keep playing?” In the future he had to make sure to deliver his lines with a bit more self-irony.

As they were walking through the night the scenery of Londinium’s buildings changed to that of a European forest. Now he was also informed that they had to be late to access the cave and he should not be exhausted. “I might speak foolishly but I am not as stupid as to go fighting in the night without being ready.”, he replied, while she was most likely checking her interface. In fact, the mental exhaustion he suffered from the last few weeks had vanished into thin air flying towards the moon illuminating their path. The first time after a very long time he was finally able to be his self again. But something genuinely concerned him. When they were going to a cave only accessible at midnight, was this not a kind of special event? “I smell undead.”, he thought and sighed. “Why can’t this be a classic tabletop. Then I could just heal them to death.”

Because Zyoto had already changed into a cloak, Ciriodhûl thought it would be best for him to get changed, too. He opened his inventory and got his chainmail as well as his two-handed staff ready. After a while Zyoto spoke again.
“I won’t tell anybody, if that is what you wish.”, was his answer. “This might get more interesting than I previously thought.”, he murmured quietly. Guessing from her statements he was now fairly sure that she was not just an usual adventurer. “I wonder who that person is, she cuts out of her sentences...”

[Zyoto]

Words: 362
Total: 1362
Tags: @ciriodhul

---

If only she had chosen a different name - any different name - then she would have been much better off. It was ironic, really, that the one she was so excited to surprise was instead now the one man she had to hide from more than anyone else. Soon, the two found themselves at a cliff face with a torch lit opening in the side. "Here it is." She waited, the entrance dangerously close to a camp of goblins. "They should fall asleep soon. It is nearly midnight, after all. If possible, we should avoid combat. Though, with your chainmail that may be difficult..." She sighed a bit. "We'll see how things go."

Patiently waiting and watching the group of enemies, waiting for them to fall into a deep slumber, the party found itself spending a good quarter hour just silently stalking the area's coincidental guards. "All right, they're asleep." Holding her bow with a knocked arrow, ready to silence any light sleepers, she quickly and silently walked through the grass and into the cave, keeping herself low until she had broken line of sight with the goblins.

"I will lead us from the front, you keep me covered from behind. Stay close, though, as you may have to serve as our Tank with that chainmail armor of yours. All I have is leather, and while I know some hand-to-hand combat, I'm best with my bow." Once their formation and status was made clear, the party began to delve deeper into the tunnels. They were surprisingly well lit, mostly by moonlight and an occasional torch. It was a rather serene and beautiful zone, sparkling with some gems in the walls, light drips of water from the ceiling. "So tell me, Ciriodhul. I'm curious, what kind of build are you going for? Judging by your armor, I would guess you envisioned yourself as a sort of Paladin, but your choice of weaponry suggests you prefer a Priest playstyle." As she spoke, the woman's eyes were just as sharp as before, never for even an instant dropping her guard. Her attention was focused entirely on ensuring the party was not ambushed or caught off guard.

[Deleted]

Words: 427
Total: 1427
Tags: Zyoto

---

Ciriodhûl sighed but had to smile at the same time. The entrance to the cave she dragged him to was right next to a goblin camp. And her plan was to sneak around. Had he knew this beforehand he would not have equipped his chainmail. For a second he considered to simply take it off again and opened the interface. Then he stopped leaving his finger floating over the equipment window. “No, I shouldn’t take the risk. It might be easier to sneak but I would be utterly defenseless to any surprise.”, he reasoned and closed the interface. “And when I indeed fail, I will just take the responsibility and die on her behalf.”

“I’ll do my best, m’… Nevermind.” Scolding himself over this stupid almost-slip-up he searched for a hidden place to observe the area. He finally chose the obvious cover of a rather thick tree, whose trunk just so happened to part at the height of his eyes, so that he could spy through it quite safely. When the goblin camp was at last quite, Zyoto rushed into the cave as quite as a mouse. At first Ciriodhûl tried to keep her pace up but was slowed down by the beginning clanking of his armor. The pace necessary for his chainmail to stay quite was unbearably slow. “I’m sorry.”, he said as he finally arrived at his destination. His caution proofed its worth, not a single goblin he might have woken up was in his line of sight.

As they began to invade the cave his companion commanded him to cover her back and so he did. Staying close to be able to body shield her from a sudden ambush he walked gently behind her, making sure to not use his staff in walking and turning around once in a while.
 After some time she asked him about his rather uncommon equip. “I might have messed things up a bit. I usually prefer a Priest playstyle, but since a cleric can wear any armor in Elder Tale, I wasn’t sure. In the end I went up with a compromise. Nevertheless, it’s all about using your equipment right … isn’t it? Let’s just say, I am a backline tank. Always ready to hold of those monsters until the tank comes running to take the hate!” He was not even able to convince himself but maybe he lightened at least the mood. “Well, may I ask what will await us down there?” He pointed forwards. “I don’t like tunnels, especially not, when they only open at midnight.”

[Zyoto]

Words: 466
Total: 1828
Tags: @ciriodhul

---

The man's response to her inquiry regarding his equipment was rather simple; a bit boring, in fact. It had turned out that his peculiar build was not planned, but rather it had simply been a bit of a mistake spawned from the man erroneously choosing the wrong armor. "I see..." It was a bit hard to read her expression with the majority of her face being covered, especially the eyebrows, but she was clearly a bit relaxed. "If you need a tailor, you should seek out-" She forced herself to say the man's name, trying her best to keep speaking naturally. "-Dumah Iino. He's the guild master for Noihara, you can probably find him in the Cathedral." There was a bit of an awkward silence, and Zyoto felt almost as though she were choking on her words.

The two continued to walk for some time in total silence, the auditory void being dispelled with the Cleric asking for what they were in this tunnel. "I heard the goblins camped in here have a bit of a treasury built up, including a particular gem I need for a quest. Besides, fighting in a cave means fewer opportunities for our enemies to ambush us." As she stated her reasoning, she held her hand up to halt the clunking Cleric. "Hold on..." She was dead silent, listening intently, her pointed ears catching echoes from around a corner. "Ahead are two... No, three, goblins... Just stand back and heal me if I take damage. Do you have any offensive spells?" Once he gave his answer, she nodded. "Alright, that's fine. I should be able to keep the DPS high enough so long as you can keep me alive. If you're ready, I'll head out."

With the last of the preparations made, Zyoto knocked an arrow and pulled the drawstring of her bow, holding it steady as she crept around the corner like a shadow, closing one eye as she looked down the wooden shaft of her arrow. Not only would cave combat mean fewer reinforcements, but it also meant there would be less wind to blow her arrow off course. Lining the missile up with the head of her target, she released the string and watched as the arrow pierced the air, shooting across the opening in the cave with a whirring noise until it was stopped by one of the goblins. As it dropped dead in a beautiful explosion of Anima bubbles and gold, the two others shot up and quickly looked around for any enemies. However, there were none to be seen with Ciriodhul hidden around the corner and Zyoto not only blending in with the shadows, but having become one. In the time the Cleric had taken his eyes off the woman, she managed to disappear completely.

[Deleted]

Words: 405
Total: 1832
Tags: Zyoto

---

The cave turned out to be a mere hiding place for the goblins’ treasure and her goal turned out to be a mere gem along this treasure. “That could’ve been worse”, he murmured to himself, but did not let his guard down. “I still do not trust the peace. There might be fewer opportunities to flank us, but I am concerned about our backs and the way out.” He quickly glanced over his shoulder, only to lose his focus in the empty tunnel behind them. As he turned his eyes again on the segment in front of him, he was suddenly stopped by Zyoto’s hand. He was informed that she had spotted three goblins behind the corner a short distance further down and asked whether he had any form of offensive spell. “I am afraid that I can only count on smacking heads with my staff.”, he whispered. Therefore the tactic for this battle was that she would kill the goblins while he would have an eye on her HP. “Certainly. You can head out; your HP will be in safe hands.” He would not give her a reactive heal for this fight. Not only would she glow orange like a lit match, if he did, but against three goblins it was also very unlikely for an assassin to be spotted. In the case of an emergency, however, he could still charge in and distract them.

While he was busy to carefully arrange the few possibilities in his mind the fight could take directions, his companion had already crept around the corner and let now her bowstring flick. The hidden arrow found his target and exterminated it very efficiently. When he wanted to turn his vision back on Zyoto, however, he only found empty space. “Very well, then. She’ll be able to backstab a second goblin, so I should present myself in exactly that instant.” The remaining goblins were in an uproar caused by the sudden disease of their friend, intensely scanning the room for the bow the arrow had come from. He rushed back in a flash. Letting them see him too early would make things a lot more difficult. Instead he riveted on the assassin’s HP bar and focused on listening. When something should happen, he would know it. And then he would hurry around the corner to intervene. “A stealthy ranged assassin and a messed up cleric. What a lovely party composition.”

[Zyoto]

Words: 522
Total: 2350
Tags: @ciriodhul

---

The area was silent, dreadfully so. As the goblins scoured the area for the huntress, they stuck together, covering each others' backs as they tried to track down the one who had so swiftly taken their friend. Unfortunately for them, however, one of them would not be so lucky, the dark red cloak of the huntress spawning out of nowhere right at the moment she slit the throat of one goblin with the head of an arrow, the last creature growling in primitive anger as it swung a small hand axe at the woman, the curved blade shredding the crimson cloak and carving a shallow cut into her side. Though she winced slightly, it could not be seen, her expression covered by the hood of her shawl. Trying to create some distance between herself and the monster, Zyoto dashed to the back, the goblin rushing to her and swinging its little axe wildly at her. Ducking under the first swing, she threw her left hand up to catch the enemy's weapon by the handle, holding it tightly and sliding her right foot to knock the goblin off balance to allow her to throw it over head against a large rock, disarming the creature and throwing the appropriated hand axe to the side, discarding it before rushing to the enemy. Now the two were on equal footing, both without a close-ranged weapon. Though the goblin had the advantage in levels, she had the advantage in martial skill. With a quick flurry of punches, kicks, and dodging, the beast was beaten and bruised, bursting into a display of drops and gold.

Sighing and breathing a bit heavy from the physically taxing combat encounter, Zyoto sat for a moment, allowing Ciriodhul an opportunity to heal her, as well as granting them both the time to recover their mana. "If we encounter more goblins alone, then we can likely avoid combat. Do you have any HOTs?" Recalling the young man's use of older terminology, she considered the possibility that he was an avid roleplayer and might not know all of the gamer lingo. "Er, any heal over time spells?" Pulling out a small sewing kit, she began making a quick repair to her cloak, threading the string through the eye of the needle as she spoke, tying it off and suturing the gash. "If you have any heal over time spells, cast those on yourself if you have to jump out to tank for me. As a Cleric, I'm sure your endurance and defense are a bit lacking, so having a heal over time on yourself should grant you added survivability." With the hole in her cloak repaired, she put the materials back in her inventory and pointed urgently at the man. "Also! I will not allow any needless heroism. If a battle goes south, do not 'Sacrifice thine self for thy safety,' because all that would do is get us both killed. If you were a dedicated Tank, I would understand, but as a healer just stay in the back and keep my health up. If I die, then it's my own fault. Alright, Ciri?"

[Deleted]

Words: 486
Total: 2318
Tags: Zyoto

---

The atmosphere was tense and the air around him felt thicker by any second he had to wait for any sound or visual effect that would indicate the start of his companion’s ambush. Then, more suddenly than he had expected, albeit he only waited for this moment, he heard the growl of an upset goblin and saw Zyoto’s HP bar slightly reduce itself to the left. As fast as he was able to he rushed around the corner revealing him to the last enemy and the last enemy to him. The unarmed assassin was already engaged in combat and dodged his attack by catching the axe in the swing by its handle. “No hate I can draw here.”, he mumbled and pointed with the fingertips of his right hand at the woman, while he used the staff in his left to stabilize his stand for no particular reason. He just wanted to look professional. Meanwhile Zyoto had thrown the goblin against a rock and disarmed it. “Now.” He shot a white hexagram of light out of his right fingertips, which reached his target the moment before it crashed into the enemy in front of it to obliterate him quickly in unarmed close-quarters fighting. He curiously gazed at the still open party interface and was pleased to see her health bar filled for a small amount of time.

After she had ended the fight, she sat down a few meters away and sighed. Ciriodhûl used the time he spent walking to her to shoot another white light out of his fingertips. As he arrived at his destination in front of her, she asked him whether he could use any HoTs. Looking over his little yet known skills in his memory he was disrupted by her explaining what a HoT was followed up by her taking out a sewing kit. A bit irritated to be treated like a newbie, he waited for the usual addition explaining in which cases a heal over time would be useful, but was again disrupted before he could open his mouth and received a lecture about not playing the hero. Taken a serious blow to his pride he had to handle the upcoming emotions first before he could deliver his reply. “Certainly. I might not be a dedicated tank, but I AM a dedicated healer. I won’t let anyone but myself die if I am in charge of healing!” His lighthearted expression grew serious for a moment, but changed back on the spot. “To the bit about heals over time: I am sorry, I don’t have any HoTs nor DoTs. Clerics are burst healers. But I can serve with a reactive heal. It will heal me, when I take damage. I didn’t want to use it on you just now, however, because I believed you didn’t want to glow in a warm orange light while stealthing. I hope my smaller heal was sufficient.”

[Zyoto]

Words: 255
Total: 2605
Tags: @ciriodhul

---

The elven woman listened as her companion tried to justify his abstaining from casting his reactive heal on the huntress. "No, you're right. I figured you knew what you were doing, and you proved me right by not lighting me up like a jack-o-lantern. You did well." Reaching into her inventory, she retrieved a small apple, tossing it to the Cleric. "Here, it's getting late. Food will help keep us alert." With that, she spawned another apple in her hand, taking a bite out of it as she pushed herself up from the boulder she was seated on, leading the way down another tunnel. The deeper they got, the more refined the cave became, with simple platforms of wood, more torches, and wider space. "This is only a level one dungeon, so odds are there won't be too many encounters. Perhaps two or three, including the boss." Glancing back at the man over her shoulder, she continued speaking. "Do you want one of my arrows? You might not have a bow, but it can serve as an emergency bladed weapon, likely more capable than your staff. Clerical staves usually aren't well suited for combat, but it is up to you." Soon, the party found a large, open area, with a clear opening to the sky, the moon shining down through the hole and into the underground lake. "Do you want to take a break? I'm in no rush, and this is a nice little spot." Taking a bit of a seat, she awaited his answer.

[Deleted]

Words: 405
Total: 2723
Tags: Zyoto

---

Ciriodhûl felt awkward. Why would she praise him for doing literally nothing but using the heal, that was ironically called “Do your best heal” among adventurers because it was not much more than a small affirmation that the healer is watching you? Thus, he almost let the apple she tossed to him fall to the ground. Instead he had to let go of his staff, which dropped and rolled over the floor, so that he had to catch it with his foot and to bend down before he could thank her. “Thank you.” He paused for a moment with the embarrassing inside that he had forgotten something. “Oh, I almost forgot: Good job. I mean, you were the one, who actually killed them. Well done.”, he added hastily, while she took a bite of her own apple.

Getting deeper into the cave she gave him a bit more inside about the dungeon: There would not be much more encounters before they would finally reach the boss. Then she offered to give him one of her arrows. “You would be surprised how much one can do with a two-handed staff. It might not be useful for actually killing enemies but holding them off with a sudden whack on their heads or aiming at their legs to knock them over can be surprisingly useful. I’ll still take your offer. One can’t know when an arrow might get useful. Thanks again. I get the feeling that I owe you a few favors.”

Shortly after, they arrived at a large underground lake enlightened by descending beams of moonlight. After asking him whether he wanted to take a break, she took a seat, almost as if she had already decided for them both. Impressed by the beautiful scenery it took not long until he approved the idea and sat down next to her, carefully paying attention not to intrude her personal space.

“I had no time to thank you for the tip where I can find a skilled tailor. I shall definitely pay him a visit sometime the next days… Don’t worry. I’ll keep my mouth shut.” He closed his eyelids for a moment and smiled at his female partner. If he was right, he had decoded a part of the mystery surrounding the assassin, although he had no idea about anything concerning the reasons yet. He would not meddle with it, however, because it was none of his business.

[Zyoto]

Words: 255
Total: 2860
Tags: @ciriodhul

---

Relaxing a bit more, she took one of her boots off, revealing her slender foot and silken skin. "Dumah is a pretty good tailor, and an amazing Spellsword. It's no wonder he became such an influential person in guild politics; he's a natural born leader." Lifting her boot upside down and patting pebbles out, she lowered her brow a bit, pouting and almost speaking to herself. "He may be a bit of a fool sometimes, but he means well." With her left boot cleared out, she slid it back on and repeated the process with the right boot. "All in all, he's a good guy." Thinking back on some of her countless adventures with him in other games, she smiled a bit to herself before she lowered the hood of her cloak, leaning in towards the water to wash her face a bit, clearing a bit of goblin blood from her smooth skin.

Once she'd cleaned her face with a small splash of the cool water, she sat back up straight. "So, if I may ask, do you have any plans for the future in this world? We seem to be in here for the long haul, so do you have any plans?" It was a bit of a random conversation topic, but it was enough to lighten the mood a bit. Besides, it was an interesting enough topic. She spoke as she tapped and slid her finger along thin air, passing the time by checking her inventory, skills, status... "Any goals you're striving for?"

[Deleted]

Words: 350
Total: 3072
Tags: Zyoto

---

It was nice to have someone to talk with again. In the long time he had been mostly by himself he had missed listening to people who actually addressed him. He made it a habit of his to overhear conversations in taverns when he was bored but that could never replace a real conversation. Why had he been alone for so long? He could not find a reason behind his own behavior. The elven woman next to him had begun to relax a bit emptying her boots of those little stones which always seem to find a secret passageway through the sole. Luckily his boots were solely filled with his feet. While he gazed over the lake, she told him about Dumah, the guildmaster and tailor. A hint of proudness laid in her voice – or was that his imagination? At least she did know him well concluded from what she told him. “Maybe an old friend of hers.”, he guessed.

After his companion had washed her face, she asked him about his future plans. For a moment he shifted his gaze back on her, observing her using the interface which ruined the illusion this world promised. He sighed, looked up to where the moonlight entered the cave and followed it to its reflection on the water’s surface. He could not help but smile after she had shown that much interest in him. “My goals, huh?” He paused for a while. “I guess, it is time for me to find a place I can call home. When I already visit this so called Dumah to ask for armor, I might just also ask him to join his guild... What about you? You seem to prefer being alone. Some might even say you are in hiding.” He smirked as if it were a joke. “Anyway, when you need a cleric again or a housekeeper to watch the kids, feel free to call me.” With that he opened his own interface and added her to his friend list resulting in the system sending her the usual message whether she wanted to accept or not.

[Zyoto]

Words: 301
Total: 3161
Tags: @ciriodhul

---

As she listened to the man's answer regarding his goals and plans, she leaned down a bit and cupped some of the water pooled in the reservoir, bringing it up to her lips and taking a sip, only to nearly choke as he said she seemed to be in hiding. No, said is not quite the right word, rather he deduced and pointed it out. She reacted in a bit of a panic to his deduction, though she couldn't deny it, especially in her panic. "So what if I'm in hiding?!" This was of course followed by a short moment of silence as she calmed herself down, then continued, her hood a bit lower, covering her eyes. "Being alone can be nice at times, nobody to rely on you, nobody to expect something from you..." She sighed a bit, sounding somewhat more melancholic. "... Nobody to lie to, nobody to disappoint..."

The mood was lightened a bit as Ciriodhul offered his services to be called upon again in the future, only for the woman to react with a bit of pride. "I am more than capable of taking care of my own d-!" She caught herself, only a bit too late. "... Forget I said... Let's keep moving!" She stood up, declining the friend request. Knowing this fellow would eventually become a Noiharan, she had to be careful associating with him. Of course, not wanting to seem cold she had to give some excuse; ironically one that Dumah himself sometimes used to use. "I don't like adding people to my friends list. It kinda proves who's a real friend or not, you know? If someone's a true friend, they'll remember me without having me in a list." With that, she walked ahead, leading the way a bit further from the man than before.

[Deleted]

Words: 310
Total: 3387
Tags: Zyoto

---

“So she really is in hiding” was the first thought of him, when he saw her reaction. It was more severe than he had imagined and he already regretted his foolish curiosity. His instant try to make up for it by offering his services was met by – and he had already expected it – her declaring she did not need his help, although she slipped up again and pointed at her being a mother. He could not be sure, however, and so he decided to follow her instruction and tried to forget the whole thing without much success. “Damn it”, he thought, “Why was my field of studies language and literature? A scientist would not have the problem to interpret everything coming out of their companions’ mouths.”

When she proposed to get moving again and stood up, she declined his friend request. Before he could ask her why, she gave a half-assed excuse that true friends would not need a list to remember each other. It was not that he disagreed with it. In fact, he had the exactly same opinion. But in a MMO, where communication was mainly achieved through the friend list, he was a bit disappointed. Not that he would have shown it but for a moment his smile might have looked artificial. The following period of walking she kept his distance from him and he had a bit of trouble trying to keep up until he got used to the pace. “Then I have to make sure to remember you.” His comment was quite late but he still had to say it. He would not give up that easily. “Since I always stick out through to my old-fashioned behavior, you will have no problem to find me, when you need me. But let’s focus on the task at hand now and get you this gem you need.”

[Zyoto]

Words: 310
Total: 3471
Tags: @ciriodhul

---

As the young man proposed keeping focused on the task at hand, Zyoto nodded a bit, sighing softly and calming down. She hoped that he would not become trouble for her down the road, but if push comes to shove, she may have to cut ties. "We've gotten fairly deep into this area; perhaps we will not have any more encounters before the boss."

It was wishful thinking, but turned out to be accurate. Reaching the end of the cave, she saw a stronger goblin, a chief judging by its unique headwear. "I should be able to dodge around with my agility, so odds are I won't need you to tank for me as there is only one enemy. It's too high level for me to be able to beat in a fist fight, though, so I'm going to need to keep my distance and use my bow to fight. I'm ready whenever you are."

Taking a moment to draw another arrow from her quiver and knock it in her bow, she waited for Ciriodhul to say he was ready, and once he was, she nodded. Kneeling down a bit to stable herself, she pulled the string back with incredible force, spending a few seconds to aim at the goblin before releasing her arrow with the projectile force of a cannon, the arrow striking the boss and blasting it back several meters until it landed in a cache of coins. As it was hurled off its feet, the huntress took this opportunity to jump out into view and immediately knock another arrow, pulling it and releasing it with average strength. Under her breath, she counted down. Six... five... four... three... two... one... Once again, this time with the goblin rushing at her, she knocked an arrow and pulled the string with incredible force, firing the missile right at her target.

[Deleted]

Words: 296
Total: 3683
Tags: Zyoto

---

It was not long until they came to the cave’s end. Just as the calmed down woman had anticipated, they had not encountered any other group of goblins or different monsters on the remaining way. And now, a short distance away from them, a muscular figure revealed itself. “So that’s the boss.”, mumbled Ciriodhûl, while the assassin explained her plan. She had to use her bow to bring that goblin down and would dodge him while keeping her distance. He nodded. “Very well then. Since you won’t rely on stealth this time, take this.” He pointed his staff at her and wrapped her with a warm orange light. “Me and my reactive heal are ready. Good luck. I’ve got your back.”

The impact of her first arrow must have been intensified by a skill, because it sent the goblin chief right into his own treasures behind him. He followed her into vision and casted another reactive heal. This time the target was he. “Just in case.” Two shafts sticking out of his body by now the boss charged at his companion, who quietly counted down from six to one staying perfectly calm in the process, while the cleric caught himself retreating a few steps. The goblin was still a considerable distance away, when she reached zero and released the string again. Been fired at an unnaturally high velocity the arrow knocked the chief back once again. But because he was already moving in the opposite direction it was of less effect than before. In a flash the enemy found a solid stand again and continued his charge at her. “Brace yourself!” After he had shouted a short warning, he clenched the staff with both hands. If she was able to dodge, he would have to be prepared.

[Zyoto]

Words: 535
Total: 4006
Tags: @ciriodhul
Notes: Alright, this thread is closed. It's over. We did it.

---

Still alive and well, the goblin chief once again rushed in the party's direction, attempting to charge the huntress that had just moments ago knocked the beast back not once, but twice. Beaten and battered, but not yet defeated, the monster reacted quicker, getting up faster than it had the first time. It was mere meters away in only two seconds, the cave's boss not even giving the woman a chance at repeating her action to keep it at bay. She had to think, and fast; time seemed to slow as she quickly played through her limited options in her head. Her best case scenario would prevent both herself and Ciriodhul from taking any damage, but that was not very likely. Weighted down by his hulking chainmail garb, the Cleric was in no position where he could easily evade the charging goblin.

In a game of chess, this would be a classic fork, where one of two pieces would be attacked. Only two meters now stood between the woman and the charging enemy. Would Ciriodhul be able to take the hit? Odds are neither of them would be capable of hitting the beast hard enough to knock it down or stop it, only- suddenly the idea struck her, her obvious plan hitting her in revelation. Quickly knocking an arrow from her quiver, she pulled the string as quickly as she could and aimed the arrow low, releasing it and hitting the monster in the thigh. With a primal roar, the goblin slowed down, the pain in its leg too great to continue sprinting. As it recoiled in agony, the woman seemed to cast another skill, five arrows levitating at her side. She pulled the string back again, one of the arrows knocking itself in place. Once it was in place, she released the arrow into the goblin, quickly pulling back again, another arrow preparing itself. Once again she fired at the goblin, repeating this until all five arrows had been fired into the beaten, bloody mess of a boss, giving one last weak cry before bursting into a display of Anima bubbles, gold, and loot.

With the boss defeated, Zyoto returned her bow to her inventory, taking a moment to catch her breath. "That was a bit easier than expected..." With the fight over, the woman walked over to the cache of treasures, digging through the gold coins until she found a beautifully clear red ruby about the size of her palm. Under her breath, she muttered something so quiet that none would hear. "Vae victis..." She tapped at the air about the crystal, ensuring it was what she had indeed ventured into this labyrinthine system of caves to retrieve. "Alright, this is the gem we came for. The Red Stone of Aja." For some unknown reason, the woman could not shirk the feeling that she had heard that name before - an indescribable sensation of familiarity with the name of the beautiful ruby. Nevertheless, it did not bother her enough to question it. Pocketing the gem in her inventory, she stood up and made preparations to return to town. "Great work, Ciriodhul. Thanks for coming along." He hadn't done much, but congratulations were nonetheless customary.

[Deleted]

Words: 353
Total: 4036
Tags: Zyoto
Notes: Now I'm hooked on the plot you made up for Zyoto. 

---

Now that everything was over, after the elven woman had been able to kill the charging boss without even changing her position once, Ciriodhûl seriously questioned his role in all of that. In retrospect he might have been more of a burden to the very skilled assassin, who was currently busy looking for the gem she came here for. He sighed. It was not the time for self-pity over something as stupid as this. After all she had looked for a healer at the very beginning and it was not his fault that low-level bosses were too incompetent designed to even land one hit. “Shut up now.”, he mumbled to the ungrateful voice inside him and sighed again. “It was nice to actually be in a party for once.” A smile spread over his face. The curse was broken after all.

“The Red Stone of Aja?”, he thought after Zyoto had finally found the gem and had informed him about its name. Either the game developers of Elder Tale had done an amazing job at details or this stone was more than it seemed to be. “When I have the time I should check on Aja. Seems like a story worth reading.” His thoughts were disrupted by a sudden compliment and thanks for his work. “It was my pleasure.”, he replied and indicated a bow. “But I guess you somehow overshadowed me.” It was hard for him to not laugh at his own understatement. Suppressing a chuckle he searched for a word even greater than great. “Excellent work, Zyoto.”, he imitated her set phrase, although it was the truth this time and his honest opinion. It might sound hypocritical at first for someone who used them all the time; but he hated set phrases. However, because of this he always tried to be as honest about them as possible. He had never used them to please someone. Either he used them wholeheartedly or delivered them in an ironic undertow.

“Until we see each other again – and I believe people always meet each other once more – good luck. May you find what you seek.”