[PP-F4] Threads of Fate <<Essence of Steel>>

[Telrenya 0]

Telrenya tried to swallow down the lump of apprehension that had formed in her throat. The blonde woman stood outside of an unfamiliar shop in the wilderness of the snowy fourth floor. She didn't remember from whom she had received the information from, or even how reliable it was, but she found herself seeking out the Tailor all the same. Someone who had been close to Beatbox, and someone who might be willing to help her. The woman steeled herself before slowly pushing the oak door open. What she hadn't expected to see, however, was the back of a very familiar green cloak draped over the very familiar tall frame of a certain player. Telrenya froze for a moment as she spotted Jomei. She hadn't even caught a glimpse of the man he was speaking to before she hurried closed the door in front of her.

Hours after a panicked retreat, Telrenya let out a sigh as she returned to the Tailor's shop. Dressed in the same casual winter clothing that she had worn earlier, the blonde hesitantly pushed open the door, breathing out a sigh of relief to see that only one player was in the shop now--the person she presumed to be the owner. Filling her lungs as if to take in a breath of confidence, Telrenya steeled herself once more before entering the shop and letting the door swing gently shut behind her. Unfamiliar place, alone with a stranger. Even though she was simply visiting a shop, the experience wasn't commonplace for her. She approached the brunette man, trying not to let the nerves inside of her show, to little effect. "E-excuse me. I heard you knew someone named Beatbox?"

@Aereth

[Aereth 1]

Fenrir was resting on his place right beside the entrance when once again a new customer wanted to enter. At first he only opened one eye to inspect the potentially new customer. When she didn't enter however, he opened his second eye as well and rose his head. When the door the closed again with the blonde female retreating, the wolf cast a confused look at his owner before lying down again. Aereth however was too busy talking with Jomei about the armor he wanted, so he didn't even notice how all of this happened.

A couple of hours later, the same person entered the shop once more, now finally having gathered the courage to approach the brunette with the orange cursor. He still was occupied with some work on his counter and didn't look at her when she came in.

"Depends on who's asking." he said before he slowly lifting his head to look at the girl for a couple of moments. He could tell from only looking at her that she wasn't one of the players he would have to be weary around. Too shy. Too insecure. He chuckled. "Just kidding. Yeah I knew him. Was a friend and guildmate of mine. Why you asking?"

@Telrenya

[Telrenya 0]

'Knew'. 'Was'. She had taken weeks to recover from the news of her brother's death, and the just as traumatic means in which that news had been delivered to her through the killer's own mouth. But still, the words that shifted themselves to the past tense caused the same stinging sensation in her heart every time they reached her ears. The woman tried to swallow her nerves when the stranger's gaze lifted to inspect her. She felt a small wave of relief pass over her after he seemed to relax a bit and accept her presence. At least he seemed friendly, and she took a moment of solace in that fact.

And of course, just as she was presented with a crucial question she would have to answer, she found herself lacking the right words. The aura of uncertainty that lingered around her persisted, and her gaze fell to the counter standing in between them as she tried to gather her thoughts. "I'm err, I'm sorry to bother you." She only just realized she had approached the brunette in the middle of his work, but Telrenya tried to push past the doubt and continue. "Well, I was looking to order something, but...more importantly..." Her eyes remained trained on the furniture resting between them. "He was..." Again, the past tense of the word bit at her heart. "He's a precious person to me. I was hoping, if nothing else, I might be able to speak with you about him." Her gaze carefully trailed up, though her chin remained lowered, and she looked hesitantly back into the brown eyes that continued to watch her.

[Aereth 1]

"Don't worry about it. It's not like work is going to run away from me." he said with a dismissive sigh, putting away the orders and the pieces he already finished. Then he leaned with both hands on his counter and listened to the blonde. 

"A precious person.... Speaking about him.... " he mused in thought trying to recall everything he knew about the charismatic blonde frontliner. Of course. Learning that Beat had passed away was a shock for Aereth, but due to his long past with death, tragedy and murder he was able to recover pretty quickly.

While Aereth was thinking Fenrir made his way over to Tel and nudged his head gently against her upper leg. 

Aereth gave he one more apprising look and shook his head at his familiar before speaking up again. "The name's Aereth. Come." he said and gestured her to come behind the counter, following him upstairs. "Oh and don't worry. He seems to like you."

@Telrenya

[Telrenya 0]

While the brunette took on a thoughtful expression, Telrenya felt a gentle pressure against her leg. Fenrir had brushed the side of his head against her skirt, quickly getting her attention. The blonde must not have noticed the familiar when she had previously entered, because her chocolate-brown eyes went wide when they fell upon the wolf. She gave a start, quickly putting a couple of inches between herself and the animal as her nerves were overloaded for half a second.

Aereth offered his name and beckoned her forward, adding a note about the wolf beside her taking a liking to her. Telrenya's shoulders only stiffened before she urged herself forward. She had only managed to get used to Adere's presence when the owl didn't happen to surprise her, but a wolf brought about a whole new anxiety. 'I swear, this is a curse...' She gave a mental whine as she hurried after the Tailor.

Once the two players were upstairs, Telrenya gave a nervous glance over her shoulder to see if the wolf familiar had followed them. As they settled into the living space of the shop's second floor, the woman seemed to have remembered that the man across from her had already given her his name. "Oh, sorry!" She straightened her stance, placing her right hand over her heart and offering Aereth a polite bow in greeting. "My name is Telrenya."

[Aereth 1]

Fenrir never was the one to give up so easily, so he simply followed Tel as stealthy as he could and placed himself directly to her left as they were done with the introductions and Aereth offered her a seat on the couch, while the brunette himself took a seat in the single armchair. 

He rose an eyebrow at the introduction of the blonde, since somehow the motion seemed familiar. But he couldn't just pinpoint it yet... "No problem. Can I offer you something to drink?" he asked, not wanting to be a bad and rude host. After she would have either said yes or no, and the brunette would have brought her something, he would lean back in his armchair.

"Sooo. You said you wanted to talk about Beat, and that he was a precious person for you... So before I tell you, I'd like to know what your relationship to him was, if I may ask that is..." he said in a cautious tone. From knowing Beatbox as a person he knew that he would have never cheated on Teion, but you never knew...

@Teion

[Telrenya 0]

The woman took the seat that he offered her, and her hands glided over the simple black skirt that fell over her thighs, as if the action was instinctive considering her clothing wasn't out of place in the slightest. It was then that Telrenya noticed the large gray wolf that seemed to have followed her, simply sitting down at the end of the couch. She could feel herself tense up, staring at the familiar as if keeping her eyes on him might prevent him from moving any further.

Aereth's offer of a drink pulled her back to reality, and she almost reluctantly pulled her gaze away from Fenrir in order to properly acknowledge his question. She opened her mouth, about to politely decline before she hesitated. If this was going to be the kind of conversation she anticipated it might be, then she would likely do well with something to calm her even the slightest bit. She gave a small smile before asking the shop owner for tea, if he might have it. And once Telrenya had offered him thanks for the drink and the two players had settled a bit, she listened to his request.

This conversation was, in fact, going along a path she had expected. It was only fair for her to explain herself first, before the near-stranger across from her would just give her information, however trivial the things she wanted to know were. She gave a small nod in response, trying to figure out where to start with her words. "I don't think he would have told anyone about me. At least it didn't seem like he had." She started, her eyes dropping to the empty space between them. It almost felt awkward to just come out and say it, as if she wasn't sure if the man across from her would believe her or not. "Well, um... I'm his sister." After a moment of silence, Telrenya shifted nervously in her seat before a thought crossed her mind. "Err, I don't know if this might mean anything, but..." She raised her hand to pull it through the air and call her menus, a light chiming sound ringing out as she did so. Telrenya navigated to her inventory where she located the item she was looking for and pressed down on the transparent interface.

In her free hand, a white-and-blue straight sword materialized into being. With gold accents decorating the pommel and guard, she displayed the weapon carefully before setting the blade down across her lap. "This... I believe this belonged to him." She said softly, her eyes lingering on the sword before they drifted back up to inspect Aereth's face for some sort of reaction.

[Aereth 1]

The good boi simply yawned as he noticed how Telrenya was looking warily at him, before finally lying down and pretending not to care in the slightest about what was going on around him. But as soon as Telrenya would avert her gaze to look back at Aereth, he slowly started moving around the corner to make his way over to where her feet were.

While preparing the tea the girl wanted to have, Aereth's thoughts were racing. If Beat really cheated on Thea, he really wouldn't know what to do. Should he tell her? Should he just keep quiet? Damn. That was going to be a rough day....

When he finally was done he placed the two cups on the table and listened to the blonde girl. Then she said it. She was his sister. And everything fell in place. The hair, the greeting and then... The sword... Everything was fitting so perfectly to the discription Beat sent him before he died.

"Did that lunatic really go into battle without either of his weapons. Did he rally have such a death wish. Did he really leave back a girlfriend and a sister. The thought made him scowl. "Damn it Beat. You stupid fool..."

He could already feel the headache emerging inside of his head and let out a heavy sigh while letting his hand slip into another hidden pocket inside of his vest. He usually placed them in every piece of clothing he wore. The little silver bottle got opened with just a couple of swift motions of his fingers, and the golden liquid poured itself almost on its own into Aereth's own cup of tea. "God. How I sometimes wish that stuff was real." he mumbled under his breath barely hearable and set the small bottle on the table so Tel also could take it if she wanted.

He took a good sip from the tea and finally spoke up again. "I need to ask you some more questions before I'm going to share anything with you." he said in a soft tone, careful not to scare her or make her uncomfortable. "First: How is Beat's real name? Second: How is YOUR real name? Third: Your date of birth. And lastly: Where did you get this sword?" 

"Like said earlier, he was a good friend of mine as well as a former guild mate. He also invited me to fight for his cause. Unfortunately he passed before I was ever able to help him..." Aereth said and shook his head shortly afterwards and after Telrenya would have confirmed the information he already had he continued. "Ask away. I'll try to answer as good as I can..."

[Telrenya 0]

It was right about now that Telrenya had to lean forward slightly and take the cup of tea that had been awaiting her on the table in front of her knees. Her fingers curled around the warm ceramic, the heat that transferred to her palms bringing about the faintest sense of comfort as the steaming liquid carried its aroma upwards toward her face. She could see a strange mixture of emotions behind Aereth's expression. She wasn't know for her skill in reading people, but she could tell that the sight of the weapon in her lap troubled him. When the man retrieved a vial from his pocket and poured the substance into his drink, it took Telrenya a moment to realize what the small bottle contained. Her eyes shifted away in a silent declination while she brought her own cup to her lips to take in a small sip.

She felt a large knot forming in her stomach when he a set of very valid, questions. He wanted to know both hers and her brother's personal information, as well as how she came to obtain Beatbox's old weapon. She couldn't blame him in the slightest for wanting--or even needing--to know the answers before he might fully trust her, although it wasn't clear to her if he didn't already take her by her word. She shifted in her seat and her gaze fell back to her knees while she lowered her hands, still clutching onto the cup of tea as it rested above her lap next to her brother's blade. Her lips gently pursed as she came to a decision: if her brother had been so close to this person, she wanted him to trust her. She could only assume that the blonde swordsman had provided the brunette across from her with the answers to his questions, and he was simply checking the facts. 'Still, why my birthday?' She found herself asking before giving a mental shake of her head and getting herself back on track. Finally, she spoke up again and rattled off her responses. "James Cardona. And... Estelle Cardona. My birthday... is November sixth, two thousand four."

The last question would be the most difficult part of her story for the blonde to get through. Telrenya took in a deep breath through her nose, trying to prepare herself for the words that she would form next. "I met him. The person who...killed him." She still heard herself hesitate as her gaze dropped down to her knees. "Or I should say, he...he found me." Her bottom lip stiffened as the memories of that day came flooding back to her. The things she had been trying to forget, and yet perhaps things that served as part of the catalyst that had brought her to the Tailor sitting across from her in the first place. "He..." Her hold on the cup in front of her tightened as she recalled every second that the man called Death_Adder nearly tore her and her guildmates--her friends--apart. "He was just as 'kind' as you can imagine." An oddity for the girl, her words dripped with a bitter, pained sarcasm. "And he...left me a parting gift." Her chocolate-brown eyes shifted a few inches to the straightsword resting in front of her hands.

She blinked back the tears with a small shake of her head, as if it would be so easy to shake the thoughts out of her head. "I never found my brother after we got stuck in here, but," It felt silly to admit such a thing after all the time they'd been trapped in this digital prison. "I've come to learn he had a lot of allies." Although she had managed to stop the tears from falling, her eyes still glistened with a slight wetness while a soft smile pulled up at her lips. "Now that I've made my peace, there are some things I want to do. Things I want to know." She directed the conversation back on its original path. "I'm not foolish enough to think I can take on the same battles that my brother faced," She smiled weakly as her chin lifted so that her gaze could finally meet the brunette's again. "but I want to learn what it was he fought for, and what he fought against. I think...maybe, if I know what his drive was, it might...help me, too." She shifted once more in her seat, breaking the short gaze she had held between the man. She suddenly felt unsure, as if she was grasping. Perhaps she was using her brother's memories and legacy in a distasteful way, and the thought caused the knot in her stomach to twist and tighten.

[Aereth 1]

After the second to last answer was given from the blonde, Aereth let out a small sigh. "So she isn't just some imposer..." She had answered both names and the date of birth correctly, just like they were written on the message Beat sent him before his death. But what came next, was something he didn't expect. 

"You met.... Death Adder?" he asked slightly shocked. "How did you even manage to survive, and what did he want from you?" Death Adder... Currently he was most probably the most powerful solo player in the game. Add to that the Horsemen and he was even so dangerous that the Laughing Coffin didn't want to mess with him too much.

After Telrenya was done with her questions and explanations, Aereth took a good sip of his pimped tea and thought about where to start. "First off. I knew you existed. Beat told me in one of his last messages to me that he had a sister named Estelle, in combination with her birth date. But just like him I was unable to track you down. After his passing I brought the information about his death practically to every message board on every floor. In hope that my info broker network would find you. Unfortunately I had to cancel my search because of some.... Let's call it 'issues' regarding my network..."

"And you are right. He had a lot of allies, but are you really sure you want to know about the wars he waged, the battles he fought and how I see him?" If she really wanted to know he wouldn't hold back any details but it would be a very dark and depressing story. "Because I personally think the less you know the better. Yes he may have been a shining knight, but as you can tell by the color of my cursor, he also worked in the shadows at times..."

[Telrenya 0]

He spoke the murderer's name--one she hadn't learned until her visit to the Monument of Life maybe a week after their encounter. Telrenya bit down on her bottom lip, bringing the cup to her chin once more as her expression shifted again. The blonde had always been easy to read, and quite the terrible liar. Putting everything out into the open like this was testing every ounce of mental strength she could muster. "He almost killed us." She felt herself swallow. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't stop the images replaying in her head. The man in black driving his twin blades farther and farther into Jomei's chest...

She wrenched her eyes shut and gave a small shake of her head to try and banish the memory. "I think it was only a convenience for him that I was there... He had the opportunity to make someone's life hell, and he took it in a heartbeat." There was a new, much rarer emotion that surfaced in her. Her tone had shifted and there was a touch of hatred in her voice. Her grip around the drink in her hands tightened before she closed her eyes. The fact that Death_Adder knew as much--if not more--about her than the man sitting across from her practically made her skin crawl.

She took another drink to try and calm herself, finally meeting Aereth's eyes again. She was surprised to hear that her brother had allowed someone else to continue looking for her, even after he lost his life. She had always assumed that if it wasn't for the confrontation with his killer, it wouldn't have been until she might have finally left this death game that she would have discovered he hadn't survived. The thought that there might have still been some hope brought a small, bittersweet smile to her lips. A few moments later, after Aereth's warning had lingered in the air, Telrenya couldn't prevent a troubled expression from overtaking her features. Once again, doubt filled her mind. And once again, her gaze dropped. If James was alive right now, would he have told her about the darker sides of his path in this game? Probably not. He was always trying to shelter her from all of the world's evils, even his. Especially his. But then what was she doing here? Was it wrong of her to dig into his past like this? Was her attempt to find her own courage through his stories actually just shameful or distasteful?

She took another drink to drain the last of her cup's contents, swallowing hard past the lump in her throat as she choked back the tears that threatened to form. She wasn't sure if she could answer him, let alone find the one that was truly right in her jumbled mind. "I don't know." As always, her earnest nature was the thing to finally surface. "I want to learn more about what my brother was like in this world. I want to have stories to remember him by, both good and bad." She hesitated, and her fingers fidgeted amongst themselves as they wrapped tightly around the teacup. She was struggling, both to find the words that she wanted to use and to hold herself together while she put them out into the air between them. "But I'm also selfish. I was hoping that if I learned these things I might be able to find the strength that I need to follow through with my goals."

[Aereth 1]

"Us? So you weren't alone?" He asked catuiously as he took another sip from his own cup of tea. "Do you guys even know how lucky you are to be alive right now? I don't know many players that survived an encounter with him. It would take possibly a whole squad of frontliners just to take HIM down. And that doesn't even count the army you would need just to get past his Horsemen..." Of course there was hatred inside of her. But Aereth hoped that she would be strong enough not to hold onto those feelings.

"I know how you feel. But let me tell you something. Revenge can make you incredibly strong. And hatred can be used as a fuel to keep pushing forward beyond your mental limits, but in the end both of those feelings will kill you, and the ones you care for. I'm speaking from personal experience, so believe me. Do not hold onto those feelings. Don't get involved with anything related to Death Adder. Not you, not your guildmates. If he sees that you guys are plotting against him he will pick each and every one of you apart, one by one. You already saw how sadistic that man is... He's going to make you watch while he's..." Aereth had to stop himself from continuing. He wouldn't let that happen. He had a task. A last will to fulfill. He would protect her. "...just don't do anything stupid. I intend on keeping my promise to a fallen comrade. He wouldn't want to see you in such danger. So if I manage to find out that anybody of you guys is plotting against Death Adder and the Horesemen, I will come and pull you out it, understood?" He sighed. Even though his words were harsh and rough, he just wanted to make sure the girl wouldn't get herself in unnecessary danger. Death Adder knew already about them, so it would be an easy task for him to end them all together. "Look... I'm sorry if that as a little bit rough. I just want to make sure that you understand that fighting a war against him is not possible... Not YET." Aereth said with a small smirk. In reality Aereth had been plotting against the horsemen and Death Adder ever since Beatbox died, and he would find a way to get rid of him. But not yet and not alone.

"Then wait until you find an answer. You don't need to know these things to become strong. You can become strong on your own. This is TRUE strength. Tell me about your goals." Aereth replied as she told him how she didn't know yet if she wanted to know about Beatbox' demons. "Once you are completely sure I will tell you everything. Everything about your brother, everything about why he is even more of a hero than everybody who knew him praises him to be, why I'm just a little piece of trash compared to him and why he is the biggest god damned idiot I have yet encountered in this game..." 

@Telrenya

[Telrenya 0]

Telrenya gave a small nod to confirm that she wasn't on her own during that fateful encounter. "It makes me wonder who he was really after that day. The whole time, it felt like..." She faltered. She had what she felt were the right words, but pulling them out was just as difficult as she'd imagined. "like he was playing with his food." She swallowed again, feeling a familiar tightness in her chest. Perhaps Aereth didn't need to know about all of this. But on the off-chance that venting all of the visions that haunted her might lift even a fraction of the weight that pressed down on her, Telrenya would keep talking. "My guild is new, and small. It's just me, Jomei, Ruby, and Spencer." She doubted that the man across from her would recognize any of the names, but that wasn't the point anymore. "I don't know how, or why, but they found Ruby first. They used her to lure out Jomei...and we happened to be with him." She took in a sharp breath, doing her best to keep her voice steady as she continued. Her brows narrowed slightly, and as she stared down at the floor between the two players, she took on an expression mixed with pain and confusion. "He...warned Jomei. He said something about not trying to be a hero. A-and then...he told me about my brother."

She had fought against the tears as long as she could, but it ended up a losing battle. Telrenya was quick to pull a hand away from her empty cup and wipe away the moisture that rolled down her cheeks, seemingly embarrassed at her display as she muttered out a small, "S-sorry..." She took a moment to push back against the emotions that so easily controlled her, and soon the tears subsided. In the silence that followed, the woman looked back to the blade resting in her lap, giving the cold metal a gentle tap. She selected the option that appeared to dismiss the item back to her inventory, and it vanished with a small flash of light a second later. While the last pixels dissipated in the air, Telrenya gave a solemn nod. "I know that we're lucky. He could have killed all four of us in a second, if he really wanted to." She still wasn't sure why the demon had let them live, but she quickly reminded herself that his reasoning wasn't important anymore.

Her chocolate eyes were pulled to Aereth as he explained the dangers that came with revenge. She listened carefully, a look of concern crossing her face when he faltered. He eventually spoke about keeping them from harm--specifically keeping them from falling onto the same vengence-driven path that she suspected James to have walked along. A smile formed on her lips, and suddenly Telrenya was glad that she had sought the man out. She still didn't know the first thing about the player sitting across from her, but the fact that he seemed to willing to watch out for her and her friends simply because her brother was no longer able to do so brought a warmth to her heart that was easily reflected in her smile. She almost felt a twinge of guilt, and his last words on the topic sparked a worry in the pit of her stomach, but she tried not to dwell on those pieces of the future. She was still healing, and her heart would be hard-pressed to focus on such things.

She gave a small shake of her head. "No, that's not the source of my motivations." She was grateful that she was able to speak those words truthfully. Telrenya bit down on her bottom lip for a brief moment, dropping her gaze once more as another memory resurfaced. "About a week after all of that happened... Jomei and Ruby said they're going to the upcoming floor boss raid." The hand that had fallen back to her lap once again curled around the cup, as if holding onto the item was helping her to hold all of her emotional self together. "I know they don't want me there. They don't want me putting myself in danger, either." Her tone shifted just slightly, despite how hard she tried not to feel sorry for herself. "Jomei told me that he would respect my decision if it was something I really wanted to do. I know they would still look out for me if I got strong enough to fight alongside them." She pulled her chin back up to meet Aereth's gaze. Her bottom lip stiffened before she continued, her voice holding a couple more ounces of strength, "But no matter how high my level is, I know they'll worry. I can't sit on the sidelines while they risk their lives. I want to fight for our future, too. I don't want to be a liability in their eyes. I haven't worked out all the details yet..." Her grip slightly tightened once again, the look of uncertainty that had crept over her quickly becoming replaced with a determined expression. "but I want to train. I want to get stronger and eventually join the frontlines, in secret." Her bravado seemed to falter for a moment as uncertainty surfaced once again. She found herself unable to hold her gaze, and broke away with a sideways glance. "I...don't entirely know if that's possible, but..."

[Aereth 1]

Aereth was glad to hear that Tel wasn't wanting to become stronger just because of vengance. She had different motivations. The brunette just listened to her in silence as she expained how and why she wanted to get to the frontlines while crossing his arms and closing his eyes, seemingly thinking about something. "So her friends and guild mates don't want her to risk her life..."

"So you really want to become stronger to help your friends and everybody else in here in getting out, right?" Aereth asked, eyes still closed. "And you are determined to do everything you can in order to become stronger? Then show me." he said opening his eyes. "The problem here is that nobody is able to survive at the frontlines alone, or even get strong enough to join a boss raid for that matter... Anyways, there is an item I need from a quest on this floor, so if you want you can tag along and help me with it, and who knows maybe I'll help you with your goal..." A small smirk was forming on his face while saying this. Aereth was sure that he would be able to show Tel some tricks and that he would be able to help her getting strong enough for the frontlines. "And if you really get strong enough... I will take you to the frontlines with me."

@Telrenya

[Telrenya 0]

When he began to summarize her goals and questioned her drive, Telrenya's eyes began to burn with a new determination. Her brows turned down with a stronger expression, and she was just about to open her mouth in a 'yes' to answer his prompts when his next statement caught her off guard. "Show you?" She echoed in a small voice, her face displaying the slight surprise and confusion that she felt. Her eyes that had been searching his face met with his own brown orbs when they opened again.

He continued, offering for her to help obtain a quest item for him, and then even going so far as to offer his help in return. Her eyes widened slightly as she took in his words, and when he suggesting taking her to the frontlines himself her eyes practically began to sparkle. "W-wait, really?!" She asked in excited disbelief before realizing her outburst. She took a moment to compose herself, leaning forward to carefully set her empty teacup on the table sitting in front of her.

Telrenya straightened her spine, looking back to Aereth and giving a nod. "If you would be kind enough to help me with this... Yes, I would gratefully accept. I'm willing to work as hard as it takes." Her tone was serious, albeit a bit formal.

[Aereth 1]

"Yeah, really. I have a small group of players that I trust and we are always fighting together. With my cursor situation it's pretty hard to find such guys... But when I think you are ready you can join with our group so your guild mates won't notice a thing. Boss raids are usually fairly crowded and so you can use that to stay hidden." Aereth said, dismissing the low voice inside of his head that was telling him to stop taking such a big responsibility. "I'll just write a quick message and then we're ready to go." he added and opened his menu.

Quote

To: @Teion

Subject: Essence of Steel

Text: Hey Purple,

I will just quickly head out for the Essence of Steel quest. An interesting person just dropped by my shop and I'm taking her with me to get it. I'll tell you the whole story when I'm back in about 2 or 3 hours. Do you want to come to my place, or should I come to you? I could make us something to eat, or we could also get some dinner in a restaurant. Either way, I'm already looking forward to see you again.

Yours,
Max

He quickly pressed the send button and turned to Tel once again. "You ready to go?" he asked her, mentally debating if he should tell her about Teion. Most probably she wouldn't know her anyways so he dismissed the thought for now. A short whistle was all it took for Fenrir to get up from the position beneath Tel and after some yawns he was at Aereth side, ready to leave.

@Telrenya

[Telrenya 0]

Telrenya felt a short rush of excitement as Aereth continued to explain the plausiblity of her not only gaining experience with other players, but eventually joining the boss raids. She was about to rise to her feet and thank the man again when Fenrir's motion caught her attention. She wasn't sure when the grey wolf had lay down beside her feet, but she gave a start when she realized the familiar's presence. With chocolate eyes wide, Telrenya was frozen in place until Fenrir moved to the brunette's side and she could feel the breath she had been holding steadily leave her lungs.

When her quickened pulse began to slowly normalize, she hurried to her feet and offered Aereth a bow with her hands placed neatly over her skirt. "Th-thank you again," She stammered out, her lingering nerves getting the better of her. As she straightened up, she realized the casual clothing she still wore. "Oh, uhh, I should probably change into my combat gear." She said in a bashful tone. As she stayed behind a moment to swap her equipment, Telrenya quickly dismissed her wintry clothes and replaced them with her standard with-and-gold regalia, with Radiant Dawn equipped on her left hip.

She hurried back downstairs and rejoined Aereth before the two players would set out into the snow-covered forests to embark on the quest he had specified. She deliberately walked opposite from where Fenrir followed at his player's side, distancing herself from the creature despite the docile nature he had displayed thus far. If Aereth would bring up any points of conversation, Telrenya would be quick to engage, but without wanting to feel like she was bothering the near-stranger, she decided against initiating anything herself. Once they had reached a clearing, the two stopped and the blonde placed the heel of one palm on the scabbard of her rapier while the other moved to grip its hilt. "We're here?" She prompted, casting a sideways glance in Aereth's direction.

[Aereth 1]

Aereth simply nodded at the blonde girl as she got up and thanked him again. "You should thank me AFTER I made you stronger." he added as he started to go down the stairs, equipping his own battle gear as well. His body got engulfed in light and his casual clothes got replaced by his unique armor, and shortly afterwards he sent Tel a party invitation. 

As soon as he set a foot outside of his shop the flames of his Flame Aura enhancement ignited and they started to head towards the location where the  Snow Beast would be. "Question: Were you never even the slightest concerned about my cursor? I don't know what exactly you know about me or what the persons you got your information about me told you, but usually players tend to get very uneasy around me because of it..." he asked bluntly as they walked.

When they then finally reached the Snow Beast and the conversation was over, Aereth turned to explain to Tel how this was going to be done. "Even thought it isn't an extremely powerful field boss, I will try and keep the hate of the beast as good as I can, since it can deal some nasty damage to unprepared players. You will do the damage for us. So in this scenario I am the tank and you will be the damage dealer, ok?" Aereth asked and waited for her approval, before storming off towards the beast and striking it with a weak blow to the face. The boss roared in pain and immediately began to chase after Aereth who was quickly retreating, and dodging the attacks.

ID# 92192 results:
Battle: 4+3, HIT
Damage: 14

[H: 1] Aereth 900/900 HP

Snow Beast Information:
<Snow Beast> is a Field Boss and has the following statistics:
HP: 236/250
Damage per Attack: 160
Special Ability: Partial Phase- Snow Beast will always deal a minimum of 24 damage, even through Armor and Armor Abilities.

[Telrenya 0]

Aereth's sudden question caused her to freeze up, almost like a child who had been caught in a poorly-crafted lie. She wrestled with the topic for a few seconds before letting out a tiny sigh of defeat. "To be honest... After what happened to me and my friends, it makes me nervous seeing a stranger with an orange cursor." She felt a touch of guilt just putting the words into the air. "But, I heard you were close to Ja--to Beatbox," She faltered, unsure of which name she should use. "and when I came by earlier you were talking with Jomei," she continued, despite how the brunette might have been unaware of her retreat from the ginger's presence earlier in the day. "and after properly meeting you, you were nice to me, so..." Her rambling finally trailed off while she took on an embarrassed expression.

She was thankful to have approached the quest objective and have a distraction from the awkward air she had created around herself. Pulling Radiant Dawn from its scabbard, she nodded obediently at Aereth's instruction. "Got it."

Once the brunette initiated the fight, Telrenya hurried forward. She circled around the beast, keeping her rapier leveled at her side while she came in towards its flank. Glowing with a soft white light to mark the activation of her sword art, Cardinal carried her thin blade forward to pierce through the monster's hide with a handful of successive strikes. Despite being a critical hit, her damage wasn't overly-impressive, but she still managed to drop their target's hit points by a quarter.

ID# 92211 | BD: 9 - Critical Hit!
(7 Base) + (1 Crit) = (8 DMG) x (8 Sword Art) = 64 DMG

[H: 1] Aereth 900/900 HP
[H: 2] Telrenya 360/360 HP | 28/36 EN | 7 DMG | 2 ACC | 1 EVA

<<Snow Beast>> 172/250 HP | 160 DMG (24 minimum)

[Aereth 1]

Again, Aereth simply nodded at the response of the blonde girl but rose an eyebrow when she told him that he talked with Jomei before she entered. "Jomei? To be honest, I saw that guy for the first time today in my shop. You know him?" Aereth asked in a curious tone.

After the conversation was over, the battle was going pretty good. Telrenya landed some good hits on the field boss, but unfortunately attracted too much attention while doing so. Due to Aereth not really being a tank, he had no chances on increasing the amount of hate he could generate per hit, so he had to improvise. 

The beast sped towards Tel, in an attempt to strike at her. While Telrenya would have to dodge the hit, Aereth simply followed the beast close by. He would not help the blonde dodging the hit, but he at least would make sure that the beast wouldn't go for an follow up attack on her.

After the really good dodge from Tel, she was now stuck in her post motion delay, as the creature prepared the follow up. She would have to have really good reflexes if she would want to dodge that hit as well. Aereth pushed forwards and jumped directly into the beast, tackling it so it wouldn't be able to perform the attack, which resulted in him finally getting the attention of the field boss. 

"I'll distract again and you try and strike from the dead angle again." he commanded as he took a defensive position in front of her.

@Telrenya

ID# 92246 results:
Battle: 10; Hit
Damage: 16 on Snow Beast
MOB: 5-1; Miss
Damage: 0 on Telrenya

[H: 3] Aereth 900/900 HP
[H: 2] Telrenya 360/360 HP | 28/36 EN | 7 DMG | 2 ACC | 1 EVA

<<Snow Beast>> 156/250 HP | 160 DMG (24 minimum)