[PP-F4] Bound By Blood [COMPLETE]

[Endilix 0]

Here Endilix sat, staring up at the brother he hadn't see in ages. It had been so long since either of them had spoken to each other, and Endilix had come here on a whim. No thought, no real reasoning, just a whim. Emerath was clearly not happy to see him, and in all honesty Endilix couldn't blame him. Endilix stood and shifted nervously in the snow in front of his brother, his feet scratching against the cobble beneath the white blanket. "Well, I wouldn't call this an honor. I just... I mean, how to say...." Endilix started, but lost his momentum for his words, especially under the icy glare of his brother. "Look, I just, I've realized something. I can't do this on my own. I need you. I need my brother and I want us both to get out of here alive. I... I've taken you for granted so many times. But it wasn't until we were apart for such a long time that I realized that our worlds were meant to be connected forever."

Edited October 19, 2017 by Endilix

[Emerath 0]

Emerath couldn't help but scoff at his brother's sudden admittance. "You? Miss me?" Emerath blurted, "I'm shocked. You spend all this time running around on your own, running off with a girl for goodness knows how long, and then disappear off the face of Aincrad once she ditches us. And now, after all this time, you choose to show up?" Emerath's words seethed as his emotions all ran out of him at once. His fist clenched so hard his knuckles turned white as he continued to stare down his twin. "You haven't learned a damn thing after all this time," Emerath finished, poison and malice all that consumed him in this moment, as he turned away from Endilix and didn't give him another chance to respond. Emerath opened his menu, no longer wishing to carry the wood in his arms. No longer wanting things to feel real anymore. All too soon he had realized why he had shut himself off from the world in the first place. Mist turned her head to look at Endilix as Emerath turned his back on his brother, and the owl gave a hoot before turning her head back to look forward.

Emerath simply left Endilix there, as he walked to the door of his shop and pulled out his keys, fumbling with them for a moment before unlocking the door and opening it up.

[Endilix 0]

Endilix had expected anger, but he hadn't expected such venom to be dripping from Emerath's every word. But perhaps the man had been right. Endilix had been selfish to his brother. He had tried to make it seem like he was a selfless savior of Aincrad by helping others, but was that all just a facade he put up to try to make himself feel better? With a heavy sigh, Endilix followed after his brother, the snow crunching under his boots as he said, "Wait, wait, Emerath, you're right. I'm sorry. But you're absolutely right. We all abandoned you. Me, Flints, and maybe even Teion. I don't know if the others are alive, but I am. And I'm sorry that you've had to struggle so hard on your own." Endilix caught up to Emerath as he fumbled with the door, and tried his best to get the man's attention as he spoke, not wanting him to enter the shop and leave him before they could resolve things.

[Emerath 0]

Upon Endilix finishing his statement, Emerath whirled on his brother, the door still swinging open behind him. "Struggle?" he continued to seethe, "It appears that the only person struggling here is you, dear brother. You spend all this time out in the world only to come crawling back when things aren't going your way, just like you always do. I'm FINE." Emerath motioned to his owl, "You see this lovely creature? She keeps me company when nobody else would. I spend my days and nights with her as my companion. We sit by the fire and we think about life, and we wait to go home to do something actually useful and constructive in the world. What have you been doing? Wenching? Pretending to be some grand hero?" Emerath accused Endilix as he pressed a finger to his chest and ripped his scarf off with the other hand, feeling the chill of the cold air on his now exposed neck. "I'm the one who was always good at these games. I'm the one who got all the gear, figured out my build, and already know exactly where I'm going and how to get there."

Emerath pressed his hand to Endilix's chest, as if to push him away from his storefront entryway and said, "Now leave me. I have a fire to make, an owl to feed, and a brother to continue pretending doesn't exist, because he does the same to me when he doesn't want something."

[Endilix 0]

Endilix pressed forward against Emerath's hand. He could feel his own anger rising at the man's words. "Look, you're right okay? I want something," Endilix started as he leaned forward against the light push, pointing his own finger at Emerath's face, "I want my brother back. My twin, that would always be with me no matter what. I'm so sick and tired of walking around this game alone. I'm sick of trying to be some hardened hero that can stand up to anything. I'm only human, alright?" Endilix put his own hand on Emerath's chest, and pointed into the shop, "Look, let's go inside, alright? We can talk more about this in there. If you really hate me after we've had a chance to discuss, then I'll leave forever. But at least hear me out, okay? I can't keep doing this alone. And from the looks of your dusty shop, neither can you."

[Emerath 0]

Emerath growled as he felt Endilix push back. He felt a slight twinge of satisfaction when his brother admitted that he wanted something, but was suddenly disappointed as it was some family bull about how he missed him again. They were at a stalemate, each pressing against the other, Endilix wanting to stay, Emerath wanting him to leave. "Look, fine. You can come inside. But this is your only chance." Emerath took his hand off of Endilix's chest and spun around to walk into the store. A part of him had considered slamming the door in Endilix's face, but he said he could come inside. Emerath was nothing if not a hospitable person, at the end of the day. As he walked in, Mist took her place in her cage, hooting at Emerath. He wondered if she could sense the tension in the air. He wondered if she even knew who Endilix was, past being a guy who looked confusingly identical to her master. Endilix couldn't help but get a dry chuckle out of that thought, despite the raging emotions inside him. But that didn't last too long.

"Quickly, come in," Emerath said, "before I change my mind."

[Endilix 0]

It was a minor victory, but Endilix would accept it as a victory nonetheless. He gave a silent cheer as Emerath turned and walked into the shop. As he walked in he looked around, and by the layer of dust aside from the footsteps between the door and the chair, and the chair and Mist's cage, it was clear that Emerath didn't really do much. His shelves were devoid of any potions, he had no materials scattered about to indicate use. This place looked abandoned, aside from the area around the fireplace. It was clear he spent most of his time, if not all of it, at that spot. Endilix grew increasingly worried about his brother, but supposed that being a hermit living next to a fireplace was still better than dead. Not that Emerath was the type to off himself, just like Endilix. Ultimately they'd just sit and waste away before they took their own lives.

"Look, Emerath, it's plain to see that not much has been going on here," Endilix started as he closed the door behind him, and locked it, before moving to catch up to his brother moving deeper into the shop. "Nothing has happened with either of us. We haven't progressed, we've just been waiting. But we can't keep doing that. We need to fight, and we need to get home. You know our parents miss us, our friends, everyone. I want to see you succeed, the way you always have. Please, let's work together to build ourselves back up again." Endilix hoped his pleas didn't fall on deaf ears. His brother had a tendency to be stubborn and headstrong, and not the least of all arrogant. But he hoped that just this once he could put it aside, for both of their futures. Finally, Endilix decided to make one final plea, one that he hoped Emerath would listen to more than anything else, based on how he had spoke in the past few moments, "If nothing else, think of Mist. She'd be happy to adventure, I'm sure. Fresh air, free skies... just something to think about."

[Emerath 0]

Inner turmoil didn't even begin to describe how Emerath felt at Endilix's words. He found himself instinctively walking to his lab with Endilix in tow, as he blew dust off of a kettle and filled it up with water and tea as he set it on one of the burners. But if Emerath were being honest, many of the thoughts went in one ear and out the other as Endilix spoke. It wasn't really until the last part that Emerath found himself actually starting to consider things. A heavy sigh escaped the man's lips as he turned back to his brother and leaned back against the counter, folding his arms across his chest. "Okay, for Mist, if nothing else. She deserves to have some fun. But if you really want to team up with me again, it's going to come with some rules, alright?" Emerath rubbed his fingers along the bridge of his nose. A habit the man had developed outside the game from wearing his reading glasses. Something, thankfully, not necessary in the game. Though for the sake of habit, he carried around a pair of frames with no lenses just to wear for when he read. Made it easier than breaking the habit of reaching for them each time he opened a book.

Emerath couldn't believe he was doing this. Was Mist really the only reason? He wanted to say it was, but he knew that some part of him deep down missed when the Endilix brothers were teenagers getting up to all sorts of twin trouble in high school. They may have both grown up and turned out to be two very different people, but no matter what they were still twins. They were still brothers, and bound together as family. "I won't make the rules anything outlandish, but I need to know you're on board before we start going over the details. Are we clear?"

[Endilix 0]

Endilix would be lying if he had said he wasn't surprised that he had managed to bring Emerath around to his side of things. But as it was with Emerath, it wasn't quite so simple as getting him to agree. Endilix couldn't help but sigh at the idea, but he knew that he would end up agreeing to it anyway. He wasn't sure what rules Emerath had in mind, but he wasn't sure if he trusted the not outlandish part. Emerath was nothing if not one for flair and the dramatic. Begrudgingly, Endilix said, "Okay, your rules. We'll do this how you want to. If it means that we get things done." Endilix was a simple person at heart. He didn't want to be alone anymore, he wanted to tank, and he wanted to go on an adventure. There wasn't a better person for all of these things, nor one he could trust more than his twin. Despite their differences.

[Emerath 0]

Upon Endilix's agreement, Emerath nodded, and said, "Good then, the rules are simple." Emerath opened his mouth to finish, but was cut off by the whistling of the kettle behind him. Emerath smiled and pulled out two cups, running water over them to clear away the dust, and then pouring the tea into them. He handed a cup to Endilix after matching it with a proper saucer, and plopped a couple of cubes of sugar into his own drink. As he stirred, Emerath finished his statement from earlier, "We're basically going to be starting over, changing personas somehow, and making it obscure who we are to those who aren't intimately familiar with our lives. Which let's be realistic, this means Flints and Teion, who would probably recognize us immediately." Emerath tapped his stirring stick on the edge of his cup to clear the tea drops from it, before handing it to Endilix to stir his drink as necessary, and finishing, "Second rule is that I lead in everything except for combat. You're welcome to take the helm, as I'm sure you haven't stopped being a tank. But I'm to lead decisions elsewhere. Sound fair?"

[Endilix 0]

Endilix couldn't help but notice his mind wander, as Emerath began to talk about Teion and Flints. Endilix still wondered how they were, and couldn't help but hope that their paths would cross again eventually. Endilix had no real qualms with what Emerath's rules were, but he did speak up at a few points afterwards, "A few things, brother. If I may." Endilix accepted the cup and saucer from his brother. He plopped some sugar cubes into the tea, and accepted the stirring stick when it was offered, before offering up, "During combat, just let me make my own decisions. If it's something serious, like a boss battle or a quest, we can discuss strategies beforehand. But don't be trying to tell me what to do during the fight. That could lead to distractions, and possibly death. Agreed?"

Leaving Emerath to mull over that point for a moment, Endilix continued, "There is another who will probably know me. There's a kid I saved, his name is Razum-dar. He's a red haired kid, just like us. He's a bit taller than we are, and originally was a thief, stealing from crowds and the like. He was going to be executed at the hands of a thieves guild down in an underground monster arena. Flints and I saved him, and he adventured with us for a time before I lost him one day while searching for his original captors. I haven't seen the kid since." Endilix finished stirring and set the stirring stick on his saucer with a soft clink as he picked up the cup and took a sip. After his drink, he set the cup back down and said, "And lastly, what do you mean change my persona? I don't want to be someone different."

[Emerath 0]

Emerath couldn't help but let out a chuckle at his brother. "Honestly, your requests seem fair enough, and I appreciate your honesty about the thief you traveled with. But really, you're overthinking the whole idea of changing your persona. Think less changing who you are and more as an actor taking the stage." Emerath took another sip of his tea before holding out his index finger and standing up with a simple, "One moment." And in an instant, Emerath had disappeared back into his lab before Endilix could stop him with more banter. It was mere moments before Emerath emerged with a mannequin under his arm.

"Take this as an example," he said as he placed the mannequin on the floor with a slight grunt. He motioned to the mask and the coat, both of which were reminiscent of plague doctors from the days of the Black Plague. "This is very obviously a costume, one I've been working on for a few months now. I'm an alchemist. Though not traditional, I'm a doctor. So, what do those two things make one think of as a persona? A plague doctor." Emerath let the mannequin sit in full view of his brother as he moved to sit back down in the chair, taking another sip of tea, draining his cup.

"You've always wanted to be a knight. Take the reins and be that." Emerath urged his brother. "This is a time of rebirth, for both of us. Let us embrace it with flair. After all, which heroes are most remembered? The ones who do great things, or the ones who look great doing them?"

[Endilix 0]

Endilix was more than a little surprised that Emerath had planned all of this out. Although, once he thought more about it, he was more surprised that he was surprised by this. This was Emerath, and this was who Emerath had always been. Endilix had gotten so out of touch with his twin brother that he was actually starting to lose sight of who the man was as a whole. Thoughtful, meticulous, and three steps ahead of every game plan. Endilix sighed and looked over the outfit that he had put together. It was dark, but it fit what he was going for. It was a plague doctor, but not the standard flowing robes. Instead it was the mask combined with more traditional leather adventuring armor. Endilix couldn't help but wonder, "Does it have any stats?" Endilix's eyes shifted back to his brother, who sipped the remainder of his tea. He wasn't entirely sure why this was his only real query, but he waited for Emerath's reply nonetheless.

[Emerath 0]

Emerath's brow furrowed at Endilix's response. "Really?" he asked, raising one of his eyebrows, "Of all the things you could have asked me, that was it?" Emerath's hand went to the bridge of his nose, as he massaged the area there, closing his eyes as he responded with, "No, it doesn't have stats. It's a vanity costume to wear over my gear." Emerath stood and went next to the mannequin as he said, "While game mechanics don't normally allow for us to put on more than three pieces of gear with stats, we can wear as many vanity items as we would like. As such, these pieces of gear are all free of stats, and are just for show, while I wear my equipped gear underneath it. I purposefully had the tailor make it baggy for that reason, so that it fits comfortably despite whatever gear I'm wearing. It's possible that I may someday make gear that has stats on it like this, but it's unlikely, seeing as stuff from bosses will probably have better stats, but look awful on me. However, I can use this to get around that part."

Emerath smiled and looked over Endilix's armor, "Really though, making armor that fits over armor might be a bit more difficult. You may just want to see if we can get that stuff painted over, and maybe add some pieces to make it fit better. They can dye hair in this game, so I'm sure dyeing clothes and armor isn't out of the question."

Edited October 15, 2017 by Emerath

[Endilix 0]

Endilix rubbed his chin at Emerath's explanation, mulling over the presented possibilities in a way that he never would have even considered. But that was just the way Emerath's mind worked. When limitations present themselves, how does one get around them? Think outside the box. Perhaps Endilix had been too hard headed to not be letting Emerath make all the tactical decisions. Sure, this was just a question of, "How do I look good while retaining stats?" that he had managed to answer. But if that type of mind was put to good use, who knew what Emerath would be capable of accomplishing? All manner of things would open up to not only the brothers, but to Aincrad as a whole. Perhaps, most importantly, their escape.

Or maybe Endilix was just holding his brother in too high of a regard. If Emerath could hear Endilix's thoughts, his head would surely swell to a massive size. But every good army needs a good tactician. If nothing else, his brother seemed to fit the bill there.

As Emerath continued to speak, commenting on Endilix's armor, Endilix snapped back into the moment. He looked down at his drab brown armor given to him by Flints. He couldn't even deny that it was drab, and perked up a bit at the idea of a fresh coat of paint for it. "Alright, you've got me interested. Perhaps it is time for a nice change of pace. Where should we start for my outfit?"

[Emerath 0]

Emerath couldn't help but grin like the Cheshire Cat at Endilix's question. "Oh, dear brother, I thought you'd never ask." And with that, Emerath whipped the mask and the outfit from the mannequin, and with a few button presses of his UI, he was in the costume, which seemed to fit seamlessly over his previous garb. "Of course," Emerath said, after putting the outfit on, "the only major downside is that the costume will be rather stuffy and warm in certain areas. I've only ever worn it on this floor, but I imagine I'll be sweating like a pig in this thing on say, one floor up." Emerath's voice was a bit muffled by the mask, but not indistinguishable. He shrugged at this and said, "Come," as he walked towards the door, with Mist flying to her master's shoulder once again. "I've gotten to know some of the neighbors in the area in my seclusion. A bit of an oxymoron, I know. I'm not very secluded if I'm going out and talking to people. But I digress."

Emerath walked to the door, and opened it up, with the chilly air flowing into the warm shop. Much to Emerath's delight, he could barely even feel it.

[Endilix 0]

With the donning of Emerath's costume, it was almost as if he had become a whole other person. His persona had changed. He seemed more mischievous than his normal self. Perhaps it was the mask, or perhaps this was his plan all along? Pretend to be someone he isn't, throw people off, and change the way others view him. It was akin to donning the mask of a superhero, and Emerath almost seemed to revel in it.

Endilix couldn't help but smile at Emerath's antics as he stood and walked to the door to meet his brother there. "So have you thought of some fancy name for your new persona? Or are you just a simple plague doctor roaming the land?" Endilix gave Mist a pat on the head as he passed and walked out into the cold. He couldn't help but shiver, as his armor did practically nothing to protect him from the cold air flowing freely throughout the Fourth Floor. "A part of me wishes I had your outfit to stem the chill."

[Emerath 0]

Emerath pondered Endilix's question as they walked out into the cold air. It enveloped them and almost seemed to be trying to find any space that it could to soak into Emerath's attire to break free the body heat that it held close to his body. Even still, he could feel the cold sucking away the outermost layer of warmth and he still felt his body give an involuntary shudder as he had turned to lock the door behind them. Once finished, he began to walk down the road towards one of the nearby shopping districts in the Fourth Floor city.

"I suppose Dr. Plague, the wandering plague doctor, is a bit too cringe worthy. Honestly, I think people just calling me a plague doctor suits me just fine," Emerath explained as he walked, "besides, people will see my username if I party with them, which is inevitable for future success. Eventually people will know the name Emerath, but it will be joined with this persona, rather than that of a random, otherwise unrecognizable player." Emerath shrugged, as his feet stopped in front of a small shop that had a sign hanging above the door that read, "Ecclesia's Threads". Emerath pointed to the door and said, "This is the place. I think if we're going to find our answers about dyeing your gear, this is the place to start."

[Endilix 0]

Endilix listened to his brother as they walked, and everything seemed to make sense enough. Of course, there was no real way to hide your username from others if you actively wanted to work together, so the idea wasn't to have some secret identity. But to instead shape the identity that people saw in relation to that name. There were plenty of superheroes that existed that actually gave their names upfront, and this would have to be no different. Although with his look, Emerath seemed more like a vigilante than a superhero. Endilix would have to make sure he counterbalanced that.

Once they had reached the storefront, it appeared as if Emerath was nudging Endilix onward, and it was time that Endilix took the reins. So he stepped onto the small porch and pushed his way through the doorway, with a soft bell chime ringing throughout the space to indicate that customers had arrived. Endilix looked around to see mannequins standing around advertising outfits, and many clothes hanging on hangers, reminiscent of an actual retail clothes shop in the real world. It wasn't anything incredibly fancy, but instead more of a homely feeling shop. One that would be run by an old lady who loved making clothes.

Much to Endilix's chagrin, he wasn't disappointed, as he heard a soft voice call out, "Hello dears, welcome to the shop! Please let me know if I can be of assistance!" and Endilix traced the sound to a stout white haired woman. She was plump, with some clear wrinkles, but not enough to be older than say, 50 years old. Endilix gave a light bow, and said, "Actually ma'am, I believe you can help us. You see, I have some questions."

The lady, presumably Ecclesia, positively beamed at this and said, "Oh, I'd be happy to help out a strapping young man like yourself any day. What can I do for you?" Endilix's words seemed to get caught in his throat at her sudden outburst and Endilix nervously turned back to his brother for assistance.

[Emerath 0]

Emerath couldn't help but chuckle at Ecclesia's outburst at seeing his brother. The chuckle sounded a bit tinny in the mask, and he shook his head as he said, "Ah, Ecclesia, you'll frighten the poor boy off. Best not come off too strong." The woman's eyes shifted to the man in the plague doctor costume, and she lit up again as she said, "Ah, Emerath! You're wearing the clothes I made!" The brightness seemed to dim a bit as she looked over them, but she held a beaming smile nonetheless. "They are certainly..." she started, before considering her words, "the most interesting clothes I've ever made. Reminds me of the days of the Black Plague. Plague doctors and all that. You look the part if that's what you were going for."

Emerath gave a light bow and said, "And I'm ever appreciative, as always, for the service you provided me." In response, the woman waved a hand as if to say, 'think nothing of it' before returning to the topic at hand. "So you gentlemen need assistance, yes?" Emerath nodded and walked next to his brother before saying, "Yes, we'd like to know if it's possible to dye armor, and what other vanity type modifications can be made without reducing the durability. Would you know how possible this type of stuff is? I know you're a tailor, not a blacksmith, but I had figured that dyeing armor would work similarly to that of clothes."