[PP-F21] Hot Springs Gone Wrong (Telrenya)

[Jomei 0]

It had not been more than a week since Jomei had last set foot on this floor, yet not for leisure. The Emerald Duelist had joined the front lines once again, and the group had successfully cleared this floor of the tyrant dragon that spread fear amongst the citizens of the floor. Jomei noticed a complete change in the atmosphere in the mining town, people seemed happier now that they were not under the strict rule of Tesseleth. It warmed Jomei's heart to know that he had helped the lives of these people, even if they were merely NPCs. 

Before leaving to head up to the Twenty First Floor, Jomei had sent his love, Telrenya, a message, inviting her to join him. During the short time he had spent on the floor, he had heard of a hot springs discovered nearby by the town's people. It would be a short journey through some of the caverns, and the actual springs did not reside within the safe zone, but sounded to be a much more pleasant experience than the past springs they players had discovered on the Fourth Floor. The man thought that the two could enjoy a nice, relaxing day at the hot springs, something the two had not done together yet. Jomei stood nearby the teleporter, donned in his typical sleeveless green shirt and cloak, waiting for the familiar blonde woman to warp onto the floor so they could start their date. 

@Telrenya

[Telrenya 0]

"Hmm?" A soft hum reverberated in Telrenya's throat as the sound of an incoming message rang lightly in her ears. The woman had been strolling through the cobblestone streets of Delilah, giving her mind a break from all of the busy thoughts from the past week and beyond. She stopped from her leisurely pace, bringing a hand up to tap on the notification and allow the full contents of the message to appear before her.

Without realizing it, a wide smile had stretched across her lips after her chocolate brown eyes had finished sliding over the invitation Jomei had sent her. With the exception of the town of Taft that she had recently grown familiar with thanks to the Irishman's residence on it, the higher floors were completely foreign to her. The idea of going all the way to the twenty-first brought about a fleeting sense of apprehension, but that feeling quickly subsided. Jomei would be with her, and while she didn't think she was anywhere near being able to solo monsters of that caliber, she wanted to think she should have at least a little more faith in the combat skills she had been working to develop.

Having already been out and about in the streets of the third floor, it didn't take long for Telrenya to reach the teleport plaza. "Tomoika!" She called out the name of the main settlement, closing her eyes as her avatar was whisked away in a flash of light. When she reappeared in the mining town, Telrenya gave a small shake of her head and her eyes fluttered back open. Almost immediately after she had done so, the brown orbs widened slightly as they met the vast caverns that represented the frontline floor. Luckily, Jomei's familiar frame nearby caught her attention to keep her from staring at the landscape for too long. Sporting her familiar white-and-gold combat attire, Telrenya took on a warm smile as she moved forward to approach the man. As she came to a stop in front of him, the girl pushed herself up onto the balls of her feet and leaned forward, quickly pressing her lips against his left cheek before she dropped back down and let out a tiny chuckle and a proper greeting. "Hey! This place looks amazing," Her eyes turned back onto the tall structures intermingling with stalactites that provided a glowing light among the florescent fungi that thrived in scattered groups. "Thanks for asking me to join you." She said, turning her attention back to Jomei.

[Jomei 0]

Jomei's eyes wandered around the town of Tomoika around him as he waited for Telrenya. After a few moments more of waiting, Jomei's gaze locked with Telrenya's glimmering brown eyes as her body materialized atop the platform that housed the blue ring. His smile widened, enough for his teeth to show between his lips as Telrenya closed the distance between the two, lifting herself up onto the balls of her feet, and gently placing a kiss on Jomei's lightly freckled cheek. "Hey Tel." he said in a warm, welcoming voice. "Welcome to Floor Twenty One." he said with a light chuckle, extending his arm out towards the large stalactites that hung from the roof of the large cavern, towns dug into the sides of the rock. Along the cavern walls and ceilings were fungi that illuminated with a bright light, creating a source of light for the people of Tomoika. "The town here was once ruled over by the floor's boss, Tesseleth, a giant obsidian dragon. The people here would offer up sacrifices to the dragon, in hopes that it would leave them alone.. The floor was much quieter and depressing back then." Jomei looked out towards the towns and smiled, "But now they can live life free of the Tyrant looking over them." 

He turned to look back at Telrenya, before laughing and reaching down to gently take her hand in his. "But enough history lessons, one of the days I was up here, I heard about a natural hot springs found in one of the nearby caverns. I thought it would be nice to enjoy that together for a bit." With her hand in his, he began to lead her through the town of Tomoika. The change in atmosphere after the boss' defeat was apparent, some still cleaning the remnants of celebration. Jomei looked to his side to Telrenya with a smile on his face, "So I take it your shop is coming along nicely?" Aside from her promising to make him a new trinket to replace Erin's Favor, he had another idea for something he wanted Telrenya to craft for him in time. 

[Telrenya 0]

"It's beautiful." She said, eyes turning back out to the wide-open cavern where Tomoika resided. She could see a handful of various narrowed paths in the distance that led away from the settlement, assuming those tunnels were the primary way to travel between other cities and points of interest. Her smile persisted as she listened to Jomei describe the history of the floor and point out the air of freedom that seemed to fill the miner NPCs that walked around the rough cave floor.

"A hot spring?" She echoed while her fingers comfortably laced between his. "Ahh, that does sound really nice." Telrenya grinned. Her only memory of a hot spring in the real world came to mind, maybe a year or two after her family had moved to Japan. With a touch of nostalgia, she followed Jomei's lead and let her eyes continue to wander around the floor, from the luminescent mushrooms scattered across the ground, to the buildings worked into the cave walls, to the soft blue glow of the sparse crystals that jutted out in all different areas of the floor.

She had to pull her attention away from sightseeing to look back at the Irishman when he addressed her. "Oh, more or less." She replied, her smile turning a bit bashful. "The place looks a lot better, but now I need to go farming for materials." The excuse behind her stagnant Artisan skill wasn't untruthful, though she ignored the fact that she had plenty of opportunities to go hunting for low-tier materials on the bottom floors in the earlier 'free time' she had actually spent elsewhere.

[Jomei 0]

Jomei smiled at Telrenya after mentioning how her shop was all coming together, "That's good to hear. I may have to stop by when it's all ready and place an order." he said with a small laugh. His eyes wandered down to the hand that he held in his own, spotting the small bangle with the emerald clover dangling off of it, causing a small flush of pink to spread across the bridge of his nose. Slowly, his gaze trailed up her arm and to her smiling face, finding himself lost as usual in her eyes. Suddenly, Jomei felt his body collide with another's, not enough to knock them over, but just enough to be a nuisance. Jomei's eyes finally shot forward to a bearded man in a dirty shirt, and a pickaxe over his arm. "Oy, watch it." he said, staring back at the ginger under bushy, furrowed brows. "S-sorry sorry!" Jomei said apologetically to the miner, before stepping around him and continuing on his way with Telrenya. His already pink face turned redder, as he pressed the palm of his hand into his face in embarrassment. 

Two two eventually reached the end of Tomoika, standing at a large man-made rope bridge that led to the wide mouth of a cavern. He turned his head to look at the blonde next to him, "Now technically.. the hot springs are out of the safe zone, and we need to travel through this tunnel to get there. Usually players passing through clear them out, so that the NPCs and lower leveled explorers can pass by without facing any danger." he gripped her hand a little tighter, a smirk on his face, "but don't worry, I'll protect you if anything respawned." Still holding the girl's hand in his own, Jomei led her across the bridge. He hoped that his words of warning would not stray her from wanting to make the journey, since the result would definitely be worth the trip. As they passed into the tunnel, it became significantly darker, yet the small, illuminated fungi that grew on the walls kept traversing the terrain simple. There seemed to be no monsters so far to threaten the two, and since they would most likely be the first to be taken out while clearing the tunnel, the rest should be clear. 

[Telrenya 0]

She would have been lying if she said the thought of crafting something for Jomei herself didn't make her nervous. In the handful of attempts she had given to making an item, she could hardly say they turned out well. Despite reminding herself that her success rate would only increase along with her avatar's skill level, she hadn't the slightest idea how she might be able to create something worthy of returning the sentiment for the charm he had given her some time ago.

It seemed she hadn't been paying attention to the path in front of them either, because Telrenya gave a short start at the collision beside her, stopping in her tracks and looking to the miner across from them with a flustered expression. As they hurried around the intimidating NPC, a chuckle bubbled up inside of Telrenya to laugh off the situation, giving Jomei's hand a reassuring squeeze as she caught sight of his embarrassment.

When the couple made their way across the rope bridge, her chin dipped downward in an understanding nod, a warm smile pulling at her lips from his caring words. Numbers and stats never really seemed to be a topic of conversation between the two, and at time Telrenya was glad for that. At his mention of monsters spawning in the tunnels ahead, she couldn't help but wonder what the level range was for creatures on this floor, and how she compared. Her eyes traveled along the craggy cave walls, drawing naturally towards the soft glow of crystals and flora that illuminated their path. The air around them was quiet, the echoing of their footsteps filling the silence for a bit before Telrenya prompted a new topic. "So, what about you? Any luck with recruiting more players for the guild?" She prompted with a curious smile.

[Jomei 0]

The man let out a heavy sigh at Telrenya's question about guild recruitment, and eyes dropped to look at the ground in front of him with disappointment. "No, not at all.. Though I could have probably been trying more than I already am.." the man's voice sounded not only disappointed in himself, but held a weight of stress. "Though things are a little tough right now, being only a few days have passed since the boss fight. So I feel like everyone's mind is on exploring and finding the next boss already." He looked back up to Telrenya with a small laugh, "Be happy you're not in my position, love, there's a lot more work to this guild leader thing than you'd think." he joked with her. His head shook from side to side, his ginger hair gently rustling with each movement, "After what happened with The Velvet Room.. I'm honestly surprised I let myself take up the mantle of leading a guild again.. but at least things seem a little more hopeful this time." 

The couple continued through the tunnel, illuminated by the fungi and crystals that surrounded them. Just walking through these caverns was enough of a sight for him. Ahead of them, the light seemed to grow brighter, as it was before they entered the tunnel, and the air began to feel humid and warm. The two finally emerged from the tunnel and found themselves in a large clearing. The fog from the hot pools hid the ceiling and far off walls, yet the glowing from the crystals around them still shone through to bring a light to the room. The entire cavern was filled with smaller hot pools, ranging from the size of a regular hot tub, to a large pond, most of them separate from the rest. Along the stone walls to their right were wooden stalls that seemed to be changing rooms of some sort. NPCs mostly took up the area, a group of miners relaxing in one of the far off pools together, while others scattered about the place, relaxing by the water. There were a few players, but none that he recognized, at least none that he could see, the fog seemingly cutting off another group of pools in the distance.

Jomei turned to Telrenya with a smile, "Well, here we are. Its a lot bigger than I thought. Definitely bigger than the ones on Floor Four." he said with a chuckle. The man then pointed to the booths to their right. "Looks like we can change out of our armor over there. Then we can find one of the springs to relax in." 

[Telrenya 0]

As soon as Jomei answered, she regretted bringing up the topic. Her brows knit with concern, and she felt a small knot of guilt at her last memory of the topic. "I'm sorry I haven't been helping you out. If I'm staying behind while you're out fighting evil dragons, it's the least I could do." She flashed him an apologetic smile before trying to repair a bit of the gloomy mood that she felt she had brought about. "But really, you work the hardest out of all of us. You've held us together just fine so far, I'm sure anyone we find to join us will be happy to follow your lead." Her smile brightened before she leaned her head to the side, holding her temple against Jomei's shoulder for a couple of steps before pulling back upright. "I'm serious about helping you, though." Her tone was more serious as she kept her eyes on the path in front of them, a hint of stubbornness present as if she was afraid he might protest her offer.

When they arrived in the clearing that housed the hot springs, Telrenya took in the sights with a soft smile. "Aahh, this looks great!" She said, already feeling the warmth that lingered in the air against her skin. She eagerly moved towards the stalls that Jomei pointed out, separating her hand from his once they drew closer. She gave the Irishman a cheerful smile before slipping herself away to change.

A light chime sounded as her menus appeared before her, and she slid down the list to her equipped items and inventory. With a brief light, her familiar white-and-gold combat attire vanished and her hand drifted over to select a swimsuit she couldn't remember when she had picked up. She wouldn't be surprised if it found its way to her inventory on one of the handful of times she had visited Sapphire's shop on the ninth floor with Ruby. As the red-and-white two-piece materialized on her frame, Telrenya had to take a deep breath to work up her courage before stepping out of the changing booth. With a pink tint on her cheeks, she gave a nervous glance to each side as she looked to see if Jomei was already waiting for her.

[Jomei 0]

Their hands separated as they approached the changing stalls, Telrenya retreating into the first open booth and closing the door behind her. Jomei did the same, going into the next - locked. Alright, that one was occupied... skipping another few, Jomei went into one that was opened, shutting the door behind him. Swiping his hand upwards, the man's menus opened with the soft chiming of bells. With a soft exhale passing his puckered lips, he tapped his way into his inventory and scrolled through the items, removing each of his pieces of equipment as he went through. His rapier vanished off of his hip, followed by his cloak, and finally his clothes. Towards the bottom of his items, was his swimsuit. Normally, the outfit was accompanied by a sleeveless green hoodie, which he decided to go without for their time at the hot springs. Looking down at the green trunks, he wore, the man situated the shorts before opening the door and stepping back out into the public. Looking side to side, he saw that Telrenya had not finished changing just yet. 

The man walked over to the room that the blonde had gone into, and took a couple of steps in front of it towards the water, waiting for the girl to finish. Not even a moment later, Jomei heard the creaking of the hinges behind him. Turning to look over his shoulder, and with his whole body following, his hazel eyes looked upon Telrenya, soon realizing that he had never seen the woman in a bathing suit, or any attire as such. His face immediately turned red, trying not to gawk at the woman's apparent beauty. With a slight shake of his head, Jomei took a couple of steps towards the woman, a smile on his face. He opened his mouth to speak, yet no words could come to his mind. Raising a fist to his mouth, the man cleared his throat. "Tel you look.. amazing as always." he said with a sheepish chuckle. Keeping his eyes locked with the her chocolate brown orbs, he turned his body towards the water, "Come on, lets go see if we can't find a pool to ourselves." The man extended his arm out to the woman with an open palm and spread fingers, gesturing for her to take his hand. 

The two walked around the perimeter of the big pool, as well as the smaller pools that surrounded it. They came upon one of the smaller sized hot springs that had to have been about 10 feet in diameter. "This one looks good." he said with a smile as he dipped one leg after another into the hot water, before lowering his body down and submerging himself up to his shoulders. Almost immediately, Jomei could feel the soothing effects of the spring on his body, relieving all of the tension in his muscles, as well as lulling his mind to clear out any negativity. His olive eyes closed as he leaned against the smooth, stone side of the pool. "This was a good idea." he said with a chuckle, opening his eyes and turning to look at Telrenya with a hooded gaze and a smirk on his face. 

Spoiler

 

[Telrenya 0]

Her eyes had started on her left side, running into Jomei before they had managed to finish sweeping the area. Her gaze focused onto the Irishman as he drew closer, the tint on her cheeks deepening to match the blush on his own face as she also took in the sight of her love in such casual attire. "Y-you too." She smiled softly as her shyness also manifested into a short laughter, leaving the corners of her lips stretched a bit wider. She eagerly reached out to slip her fingers in the spaces between his, walking alongside Jomei while they looked for a suitable space to enjoy the hot springs alone.

As they approached one of the natural pools, Telrenya once again followed his lead to carefully lower herself in the water. The heat hugged her skin as it quickly crawled up the length of her body, and she let out a tiny hum of excited contentment as her shoulderblades pressed gently against the stone wall beside Jomei. "A very good idea." She returned his sentiment with a wide smile. Her chin tilted upwards, the loosely-curled ends of her ponytail hitting the damp ground at the edge of the pool as her gaze lifted towards the open air above them. There was a soft tint of light carrying through the fog from the lighted crystals, flora, and fungi, and the thickness of the clouds suspended in the air obscured the tall cavern ceiling. "Ahh, thank you again." Her lids slid closed and she simply enjoyed the calmness of the still water that seemed to melt away all of her stress.

[Jomei 0]

Telrenya's thanks caused Jomei to chuckle. He turned his head to look at the woman with a smile, "I don't know why you keep thanking me." The arm that sat between himself and the woman gently slide against her exposed back as he placed it in the space between her and the back wall, his fingers gently curling at her waist. "You are my girlfriend after all, and I always love going out with you."  He moved his body closer to her, gently resting his head atop of hers for a moment. "It's just... there were times during that boss fight where I wasn't sure if I would be coming home to you or not.. Especially since I didn't have Ruby in my party to make sure I was healed." For a moment, his mind flashed to images of the battle as it raged on; giant plumes of fire, the obsidian knights coming after him and his friends, and the piercing red eyes of Tesseleth as he would dive from his perch high above them, fire pouring from the corners of his mouth. The one image that seemed to still burn into his mind the most, the eerie blue eyes and dual swords of Death Adder, taunting Jomei every chance he got. 

The man snapped back to reality, looking down with a sigh, before looking back at Telrenya with a weak smile, "I'm just happy to be back with you." He turned his chin towards her blonde head, gently pressing his lips against her temple. As he thought about what had happened during the fight that took place on this floor, he realized that he had never told Telrenya about Death Adder's involvement. "There's actually something about the fight I didn't tell you yet.. Well.. someone who ended up showing up." Jomei took a moment to know he had Tel's attention before opening his mouth to speak, but the yelling of others from the other side of the fog interrupted him.

"All of you, fools! Living a life you think is luxury, when the only lives we should be living are under our lord Tesseleth!"

Jomei's brows lowered as he heard the preaching of unseen man about the dragon that he had helped to defeat. 

"But worry not, soon our Lord will be risen once again! And he will smite all those who dared to defy him! And we may, once again, bow before his mighty power!" 

Jomei grunted and pushed himself up from the pool, droplets of water falling from his soaked body, back into the spring that he still stood in. "I'm going to go check out whats going on over there.. I'll be right back." the man said in a serious tone as he stepped from the water and walked into the fog where he heard the voices coming from. 

[Telrenya 0]

When she felt Jomei's gentle touch against her waist beneath the water's surface, Telrenya giggled lightly, gravitating closer to him as well until she leaned lightly against his frame. The troubled note that crept its way into his voice caused her to open her eyes, shifting them sideways in his direction. The boss fight seemed to have taken a heavy toll on him, and the mental strain made itself clear. Especially with all that had transpired in the short time beforehand, the corners of Telrenya's mouth turned down slightly as she shifted her shoulders to face him a bit more properly.

He had finished his thoughts, placing a kiss on her head, and before she had thought of the right words to comfort him, Jomei brought up something else about the boss fight that he hadn't shared with her before now. Her brows shifted in a mixture of concern and curiosity, as the topic still seemed to trouble him, and she was just about to give a small prompt to ask him what happened when they were interrupted by the calls of a stranger. Telrenya's breath caught in her throat before she had the chance to air her thoughts, and instead her chin turned slightly to the empty space beside the pool as she breathed out a small, "What...?"

The blonde gave a small start when Jomei stood and promptly removed himself from the hot spring. Her frown deepened while she watched him walk away before standing herself up and pulling herself from the water as well. Her body immediately missed the comfort and warmth that she had left, but she ignored the feeling of discomfort as she carefully followed in the direction Jomei had disappeared in.

"Hark!" The voice continued to call out. A middle-aged man cloaked in obsidian robes stood at the front of a small gathering of similarly-dressed figures. His hands outstretched as he preached to the other NPCs and players alike, the silver and cobalt blue embroidery running down his long sleeves standing out from the more plain designs of the robes and cloaks that those who stood behind him were draped in. "When our Lord Tesseleth makes his glorious return, only those who have sworn their undying allegiance might have the hope to be spared from his vengeance!" He continued. The man's face turned in the direction of a figure approaching, his face both expectant and presumptuous at what must have been someone who sought their guiding light.

Once the man's eyes fell upon Jomei and the stern expression the ginger wore, his expression contorted into a wary and haughty one. "Pray, does this poor soul seek redemption?" He asked in a low voice with a mouth that curled into a sneer.

[Jomei 0]

The Irishman clenched his fists and continued forward with a hurried walk through the light fog. Soon, multiple persons came into view, all of them wearing obsidian robes, adorned with purple jewels that resembled dragon scales, and masks that matched the likeness of the Tyrant’s Dragon Knights. However, the players and NPCs who enjoyed themselves at the springs were focused on the middle aged man who’s voice spoke out to all of them. A beard mixed with blacks and grays poured over the colar of his robes, the only one not wearing a mask or a hood to cover his identity. 

 

As Jomei got closer to where they stood, one of them questioned Jomei’s presence, however, once the ginger’s face was fully revealed to the preacher, the expression changed, almost as if he knew of Jomei’s deeds before he even spoke of them. The ginger stopped and looked amongst the robed men, all of which now focused on Jomei in his bathing suit. “Do you even know the type of terror that Tesseleth was? He terrorized the people of Tomoika, and anyone else he cou-“ the man stepped forward, flaring wigh disgust “How DARE you speak his name! You are not worthy to speak of our lord as such.” Jomei shook his head and sighed, “He would just burn you alive like everyone else! Theres no point in worshipping a monster.” Jomei slowly stepped closer to the man, pointing in his direction. “I watched Tesseleth die. So even if you could find a way to bring him back.. you’d only be wastig your time. Because we would only be ready to take him down again.”

 

The crowds of players and NPCs quietly spoke to themselves in conversations Jomei could not make out, nor paid any mind to. All of the cultists however, seemed taken aback by Jomei’s heresy. “You! You were one of the one’s who slayed Lord Tesseleeth! Sieze him!” From behind, one of the hooded men threw a chain around Jomei’s neck, and kicked him in the back of the knee to knock him into a kneeling position. The Emerald Duelist struggled with the chain, pulling it from his neck to avoid being choked. The man who lead the group, stepped forward with an obsidian dagger and held it at Jomei’s forehead. The man could feel an eerie heat emitting from the tip of the blade. The man spoke in a yell to Jomei, but for the rest of the spring to hear. “Be purged with fire, as the Might Tesseleth wills!”

[Telrenya 0]

Telrenya didn't have to wonder which way to go. The stranger's voice rang out clearly through the thick fog, and so she made cautious steps in its direction. A few seconds later, and the shadows of several figures were visible nearby. She stopped when she heard Jomei's voice trying to reason with the stranger, her eyes easily recognizing him through the thin veil that stood between her and the rest of the group ahead. For a few moments she watched and listened at the scene that played out, a knot of unease sitting in her stomach as the preacher's voice raised.

Her heart nearly stopped when she saw the chain thrown around Jomei's neck while the man was forced down to his knee. Her shoulders stiffened, raising slightly on either side of her while she bristled with rage. Her fingers curled into tight fists at her sides, jaw clenching as she tried to keep her newfound temper under control. She needed to think of a way to deescalate the situation without setting off these crazy dragon-worshipers any more than they already were. If she could just interject and find the best words to get the agitated man to back down, then maybe they could--

Before the thought had fully formed in her mind, the glint of a dagger caught her eyes as they promptly went wide. Her feet seemed to carry her forward while they left her peaceful and rational mind behind her. She approached from the man's left, taking long and quick strides while she glowered behind the blonde bangs that hung over her furrowed brows. In one fluid movement, Telrenya's right arm wound back and she delivered a solid blow to the man's cheek with enough force send him stumbling to the side, unable to place his feet back under him in enough time to keep himself from falling to the damp cave floor.

All eyes stared at the blonde in disbelief while she glared down, seething with a protective rage at the man who had threatened her love. "Leave him alone." She demanded simply, giving a small shake of her hand with her fingers outstretched in front of her torso. The hilt of the cultist's dagger pressed against the ground in his loose grip while his other hand was held to his freshly-struck face. In what must have been an attempt to gain his composure and grasp at the power he once held in the situation, his fingers tightened around his weapon and he brandished it towards the woman first, waving it in the air between the two players as he sat upon the cave's uneven ground.

"H-Heathens! Both of you!" He shouted in a panicked stammer. As if the sound of their leader's voice snapped them to attention, the other robed figures hurried to action. One joined the man standing over Jomei, the two working to keep the Irishman restrained while two more masked figures rushed towards Telrenya. The woman froze up, as if the rational side of her brain that she had left behind just caught up to her. She took a step and a half backwards, brown eyes darting between the two that moved to grab at her arms. The intensity of the adrenaline that had fueled her moments ago had faded, and although she recoiled and struggled against her new attackers, Telrenya wasn't able to keep them from latching a tight grip on either side of her. She was pulled to the side before she felt a blow at the back of her own knee that dropped her frame beside Jomei. By now the dragon cult's bearded leader had scrambled to his feet and stood over them, nostrils flared with an expression of outrage and contempt. "There is no room in this world for harpies and heretics. Those who have bathed in the blood of our Lord Tesseleth must pay for their transgressions in the fires of his judgement!"

[Jomei 0]

Jomei looked at the blade held directly at his forehead, the very tip of the blade pricking at his skin, causing a grimace to form on his face. His eyes met with the cult leader, daring him to try his luck with attacking Jomei without his lackeys to hold him down. Though, right now things weren't looking too great for the man.. the NPCs on this floor were tough enough to give him a very rough time.. especially on his own. Thinking that reasoning with the man would be pointless at this point, he took in a deep breath and closed his eyes, ready for the worst. That was until he heard the sound of someone walking past him, causing his eyes to open back up. His olive eyes opened wide like saucers when he realized it was Telrenya, who had pushed past the cult members behind him, and stormed straight up to the leader who threatened Jomei's life. 

What happened next, he never would have expected. Without any words exchanged, Jomei watched as Telrenya's balled fist was pulled back behind her, before it fired forward like a cannon, pelting the bearded cult leader in the face. If Jomei's eyes could go any wider, they would, and he could feel that all of the masked cult leaders around him had the same expression. Here this small, innocent looking girl in a bikini, just sent their leader hurling backwards to the stone ground with a single punch. "T-Tel.." Jomei said in a hushed, surprised whisper, still in shock at what he just witnessed. 

It did not take long for Tel to be taken hold of after the stunt she had pulled, knocking her down to her knees in a similar fashion to Jomei. As he watched them take hold of her, he struggled to break free of the chain, yet with only met with more force around his neck, ceasing his movements. The leader had returned to his feet, holding onto his cheek with one hand, and the dagger tightly in the other above Jomei and Tel. Again, he threatened to wipe the two players from existence for their crimes, and would have done so in front of all of those who watched.

However, it seemed that Telrenya's bravery sparked a fire in the minds of the players who tried to enjoy themselves at the pool. Various men and woman began to rise up from their relaxed stated, staring at the cult like their eyes were daggers. Some even went as far as to brandish their weapons from their inventories. With a conflicted expression on the cult leader's face, he looked around at the rising players before looking to his men with a nod. Jomei and Tel were brought up to their feet, yet their movement was still constricted. "They will hold trial for their actions with our council, and will not receive immediate punishment. Get involved, and you too will face the wrath of Tesseleth." The man spoke out to all the players who sought to defend Jomei and Telrenya, but his current words seemed to cause them to back off, especially when more members of the cult seemed to appear from the fog, doubling their numbers. "Take them to the dungeons." The man said, before turning on his heel and leading the group out into a dark tunnel hidden by the fog.

With his arms still bound behind his back by the cult members, Jomei turned to look at Telrenya. "Are you okay..?" 

[Telrenya 0]

"Trial?" Telrenya echoed incredulously as she stared up at the preacher with eyes wide. Before she had a chance to protest, she felt the two NPCs on either side of her pulling up on her arms to urge the girl to her feet. One masked figure shifted behind her, pulling out a second set of chains that were then weaved around her wrists to bind them together behind her. Once the quick task was finished, the other cultist pulled on her left arm to lead her forward as the group departed from the hot springs.

Telrenya's attention was pulled to the side by Jomei's voice, her eyes falling on the Irishman and her lips forming a weak smile. "Yeah... S-sorry, I guess I just made things worse, huh?" Her small chuckle was an attempt to disperse some of the unease that they both surely felt, but the nerves present in her voice had quite the opposite effect. She face forward again as they walked with robed figures surrounding them. The cultists didn't seem to mind the talking, and so with Telrenya's eyes shifting to look over the other robed figures while she spoke up in a hushed voice. "Their cursors... These people are NPCs?" She asked, the logical gears of her mind turning so as to distract her from the ball of worry and fear that resided in the pit of her stomach. "Have you ever seen anything like this before?" She questioned, wondering if they had stumbled upon some sort of hidden event.

They walked through the damp tunnels for several minutes, making several turns and eventually heading down what looked like a naturally-formed staircase and past a door with rounded edges formed from musty wood and old, dark iron. The inside of what must have been their 'base' was just as creepy and unnerving as one would imagine. The cavernous areas were mainly illuminated by the flicker of candles whose wax were as dark as the robes that adorned the NPCs. Tapestries lined the rocky walls, many of which seemed to tell a story of the floor's early history that featured the rule of the great obsidian dragon. Telrenya only caught a glimpse of the images, staring at the depiction of Tesseleth the Tyrant before it escaped her view.

They passed into another chamber where the cultists leading Jomei and Telrenya along broke off from the rest of the group. They pushed open a smaller door that revealed a more narrow staircase leading down, the passage dimmer with only a few torches along the wall to light the way. Urging the players along, the NPCs led them down to what had been aptly named the 'dungeon'--another large chamber at the bottom of the rocky stairs that featured a jail of sorts. Long, wide iron bars ran from the cave's base to its ceiling to form barred-off spaces. Several metal-crafted doors stood open, to which the ginger and blonde were led to the first two and hurriedly shoved inside before they were slammed shut behind them. Telrenya stumbled forward into the prison cell, unable to turn herself quickly enough to reach the door again before one of the robed figures clamped the lock shut.

Without a word, the lackeys disappeared back up the stairs and the couple were left locked up in the dungeon of an NPC cult, still wearing their bathing suits. Telrenya simply stood at a loss for a few seconds as the sound of the door swinging shut at the top of the stairs marked their leave. With her wrists still bound together behind her back, she felt her bottom lip quiver before she tried to fight off the feeling of despair that threatened to wash over her. She looked over to Jomei, forcing a half-smile as she tried her hardest to lighten the tension that hung in the air. "We...really can't stay out of trouble, huh?"

[Jomei 0]

The chain was brought from Jomei's neck and used to bound his hands together behind his back, the man not doing anything to fight it, to avoid them from hurting the woman he loved next to him. The large group slowly walked through the dark caverns, the illuminating fungi being less prominent in this part of the cave. After asking on Telrenya's condition, she replied that she was fine, but apologized, feeling as though she made things worse. Jomei turned his head to look at Telrenya, brows showing concern with a small smile on his face, "Estelle, you saved my life." his voice was hushed, but was filled with emotion. The image of the seemingly-innocent blonde planting her fist into the cult leader's face replayed over and over in his mind. He simply smiled, deciding to save it all for a later conversation, once they were out of this mess.

The cult's base of operations seemed like a simple place of worship mixed with a fortress build into the inside of a dark cave, lit only by candles and torches, the very few crystals that protruded from the rocky walls in this part of the cavern, were a dull violet that gave off no light. Tapestries depicting the development of the floor, and the history of their Lord, Tesseleth, hung from the walls. Jomei took in a deep breath and kept his eyes forward, "I believe so." Jomei finally answered in response to Telrenya's question about these cultists being NPCs or Players. "It would seem its an event that was generated after the boss was taken out.. just to spice things up for the players that came to visit the floor afterwards." at this point, the man that held him finally had enough, and jerked the chain that hed Jomei's arms. "Keep it quiet." he said in a low voice. 

The couple was brought down another flight of naturally made stairs and separated into two separate cages, the iron doors being locked behind them. The ginger watched as the cultists returned up the stairs, leaving Telrenya and Jomei alone in their cages. Jomei looked around the rusty iron bars before turning to look at Telrenya with a smirk, "No. I guess we can't... But then again." he took a couple of steps towards the bars that separated himself with the woman he loved, "Where would the fun be if we didn't" he offered a playful wink. His playful smile turned to a loving one as he looked across at her, "Tel... I owe you one.. for, again, saving my life..If you hadn't stepped in when you did... he would have killed me right there. Just for being part of the raid team.." After a couple more moments, he stepped over to the door of the cell to see that it was just as the rest of the doorways and furniture in this 'base', man made.. and poorly at that. The Irishman chuckled, "I'm guessing all the people in this cult are scholars and crazed priests... rather than blacksmiths or carpenters." he said, mocking the quality of the cage they were locked in. He looked over his shoulder at the blonde woman, who stood there in her bathing suit, "So.. how's a prison break sound?.. See any other ways to get out of here, other than running back up those stairs?"

[Telrenya 0]

How was it that no matter the circumstances, Jomei's smile always managed to fill her with a comforting warmth? His playful attitude caused her heart to flutter lightly in her chest, and her expression soon took on a small smile of her own with his words of reassurance. She chuckled lightly, a faint pink tinge crawling across her cheeks as she recalled how her emotions had gotten the better of her yet again. "H-hey, don't make me go on about all the times you've saved me!" She shot back with a laugh, the feelings of unease already beginning to subside with their light-hearted exchanges.

Allowing the man's presence to calm her heart and mind, Telrenya let out another light chuckle when he suggested a prison break. Her shoulders shifted uncomfortably, the chains wrapped around her wrists reminding her that she didn't have access to her arms. "Sounds like just our style, but," She joined in on his playful responses before her lips pursed in a frustrated pout. "Couldn't they at least have let us change clothes before taking us prisoner?" She sighed, taking a few small steps forward towards the iron door of her cell and casting her gaze to the side, deeper into the dungeon chamber.

The whole room was pretty barren, clearly meant for nothing more than storing players whom they managed to capture. "Hmm..." Telrenya hummed quietly, chocolate-brown eyes scanning over everything they could see while she searched for some kind of clue. Suddenly, they caught on something on the far side of the cave's floor, and she studied it for a moment before turning her chin a few centimeters with her eyes still locked. "Nick," She called in a hushed voice to get the Irishman's attention. "Can you see that? On the ground, is that a door or something?" Though it was difficult to see clearly from their current position, a square slab of wood indeed rested, lined and covered with the same dark iron as the other doors as it say embedded into the rough rock. A metal ring sat atop its surface, serving as a means to pull up the small door.

"That might give us a different exit..." She guessed, only hoping that the path wouldn't lead them even deeper into danger should they manage to reach it. "but how do we get there to see?" She mumbled under her breath. With the means as to how they would leave the cages they stood locked up in now on her mind, Telrenya turned and took a few steps back towards the center of the small space, now wracking her brain for a possible solution.

[Jomei 0]

Jomei looked down at his own attire when Telrenya had expressed her wishes to be able to change into their regular attire while in the cold, damp caverns, rather than being stuck in their swimsuits. He then looked back up to the blonde and chuckled, "I didn't even think about that, guess I was enjoying the view too much." he said, playfully flirting with the blonde with a wink. Telrenya began to search the hallway for any means to escape without having to go back up the stairs, while Jomei continued to search the cell for any weak points in its design so he could find a way to break out. He had two choices, he felt, attract the guards and hope they open the door... or just simply break out himself. Both were risky, but both were situations he had been in before. With a chuckle to himself, he shook his head, he really needed to stop getting thrown in prisons. 

He heard Telrenya call his name, causing him to turn around and walk to the edge of the cell. She had spotted a small trap door on the far side of the hallway. "Yeah.. looks like a trap door.. Wonder where it leads." He tried to wonder why there would be a trap door in a prison such as this. However, he did not take into account immediately the rag-tag job they had done to put this entire place together. Its possible the door could have been placed there before this base of operations had even been set up. 

Stepping up to the cell door again, Jomei leaned his body weight against it, the bars slightly moving with his weight. "Really?" he said with a scoff. He took a couple of steps back, his head turned to face Telrenya with a smirk, "Lucky for us.. this isn't my first prison break..." The cocky smile had faded for a moment, "I-In SAO I mean! I've never been to jail in the real world!" he said in an embarrassed tone, feeling as if he needed to explain himself. With a quick clear of his throat, the man faced towards the cell door again planting one of his feet into the ground. His opposite foot began to glow, as one did when a sword art was activated. Lifting the leg up, the man pushed it forward, his bare foot crashing into the metal bars, creating a loud clanging noise, but shaking the cell door violently. 

He remained quiet for a moment, trying to see if he had gotten the attention of any of the guards. When they were not swarmed with a mass amount of cultists, he decided to try a different approach. Walking to the far side of the cell, his hip turned so his shoulder faced front. Using his Charge skill, Jomei shot forward with force, snapping the latch to the cell, causing the door to swing open. "That wasn't so bad." he said with a huff. The sound of the door swinging open and crashing into the side of the cage attracted the attention of a single cult member. He sprinted down the stairs and looked at Jomei "What the hell do you think you're doing?" Jomei remained silent for a moment, "You know.. you should really look into better cells.." 

"You little..." the cult member growled, walking towards the shirtless Irishman. As he got into range to try and detain Jomei, the nimble duelist took a single retreat step backwards, before launching forward with his head, headbutting the guard directly in the forehead, causing the ceramic like mask to shatter, and knocking the guard to the ground. "R-Right.. forgot about the.. mask.." Jomei said as he stumbled backwards, his own head feeling a bit dazed. Once the Irishman regained his composure, he walked over to the guard and began to feel around his robes for some sort of key. Luckily enough, a large ring with three keys dangling from it hung from his belt. Turning around, Jomei knelt down and yanked the key ring from the cloth belt it hung from. "Alright Tel, let's get you out of there." Jomei said as he backed his way up to the lock holding Telrenya in, trying to unlock the door from behind. With a click, the door unlocked, setting the woman free. "Next up, these chains." 

[Telrenya 0]

The girl's face reddened with his flirtatious comment, but she was quick to recover with a small laugh. "I-I suppose I can't complain either." She shot back with much less confidence than her ginger counterpart. As their two minds worked to get them out of the situation, Jomei seemed to have come up with something as he made comment on how much experience he had with breaking out of jail. Telrenya blinked as his sureness faltered into a rushed explanation, eliciting another small giggle from the blonde.

She flinched each time the Irishman made contact with the metal bars, the noise that followed ringing out against the cave walls. When the door flew open with a crash, she tensed at the voice that called out to them, a single cultist acting as a guard that rushed down the stairs after all the racket. After the scuffle and once the NPC was left incapacitated on the dungeon floor, Telrenya let out a tiny breath of relief. With the door of her own cell now open, Jomei brought up the rather annoying issue of their restraints. Her eyes drifted down to Jomei's wrists, surveying how the metal links were weaved and held together perfectly, having to remember that the game world tended to warp and treat objects differently than one might expect.

So, assuming they wouldn't be able to remove the bindings so simply, Telrenya's head swiveled and she gave another look around the dimly-lit dungeon. Searching for some way to break the chains, her eyes eventually caught on one of the wrought-iron structures jutting out from the wall that held a burning torch in place. She looked over the pointed edges that angled towards the ceiling, frowning in thought as an idea came to mind. "Alright, let's try something..." Telrenya mumbled. The woman moved to an unmarked wooden crate that stood two feet tall or so. As she lowered herself onto it, she shifted her shoulders and pulled her arms past her sides while she looped the chains under her. Her knees pulled up to her chest, and her smaller frame allowed her to slip the restraints to her front, her elbows finally able to bend while she placed her feet back to the ground and stood up.

With a satisfied expression, a sudden thought interrupted her original plan. She pulled her right hand down and through the air in an attempt to summon her menus, but as Cardinal must have still considered her to be restrained, it denied the familiar action and refused to display them to her. Telrenya gave a slight pout, "Back to plan A, then." She walked back towards the Irishman, stopping at the torch that sat affixed to the nearby wall. She reached up, having to stretch a bit to loop the center of one of the chain links over the spiked section of black iron. With her fingers curled inward to avoid the flame that burned a few inches away, she pulled down in hopes that what looked like the sharpened edge would be able to damage the chains. Sure enough, as she held her restraints against the metal she was rewarded with the sight of tiny, lighted polygons that steadily streamed into the air before vanishing, indicating that the chain's durability was gradually lowering. After several seconds of holding her position, the chain as a whole glowed and shattered completely.

She turned back to face Jomei with a proud grin, finally opening her menus and tabbing over to her inventory. She had to stop herself from selecting the rapier with the coiled black guard that sat among her combat equipment, freezing a second before finding Radiant Dawn and selecting the weapon to appear in its scabbard at her hip. She took hold of the hilt, moving behind Jomei in order to cut him free. Cautiously sliding the thin blade in between one of the links, the enhanced damage present on the weapon meant that she hardly had to apply any pressure before the chain reached its limit and shattered just the same. "Well," Breathing a sigh of relief, she took a small step back and sheathed her weapon. "Now I guess I can cross 'breaking out of prison' off my list, too." She looked back up to Jomei with another wide smile.