[PP-F05] One bad apple... <The Traveller>

[Embers 0]

Part of Embers hadn't wanted to go this far, but, it was beyond her control at this point. Fae had to be stopped, and the Kid needed to know a lot of things. Domarus, Hestia, all of it was boiling up inside of her. Fae's assassination attempt on herself, however, was the final nail in the coffin in Embers opinion. The step that was beyond redemption. Embers sat at the teleporter on the 5th floor. She was going to get something out of this stupid quest, it had been on her mind for a while, and she wasn't sure how to tell the kid, so this was, in her opinion, the best way. 

'Stryder, come to the 5th floor, it's urgent. Don't make me wait' 

She'd even opted to use his name, instead of kid. She still wanted to punch him in the face as hard as possible, but he had his merits, plus Hestia had an annoying soft spot for him. And the girl had become almost like a tumour, latching through her and changing her. It was something she hated, and didn't understand at all. 

@Stryder

[Stryder 0]

This wasn't something he had... Well, ever expected to get. A private message from Embers. Even more suprising, a private message with an urgent summon. EVEN MORE unexpected, her actually using his real name and summoning him. He would respond anyway, even without this, but it did make him curious. Normally he only got these from people who were in his guild and needed help with particularly hard quests. He grabbed his gear, noticing that she was on the fifth floor. He groaned, knowing just how fukin hot that floor was. For this day, he decided to just wear his equipment. He had a jacket, unbuttoned, his guantlets, his gloves, his necklace, and of course his trackies (Had to have pants on you know), before bolting towards the fifth floor. It didn't take him long to get there, and he started looking around for Embers. He knew Silver would be worried arond here, so he made sure he had an hand on her head. 

Beforeh e even realized, he essentially bumped into her. 

"So, whats happened ya crazy girl?"

[Embers 0]

Embers felt someone bump into her, and the girl shot up in an instant, her hand a tight fist. She would have swung it hard, but spotted it was the Kid and prevented herself from taking it all the way. However, his words made her growl and stick her leg out, tripping him over and, if he didn’t trip, she gave him a hard shove to ensure he hit the ground.

“Idiot, watch where you’re walking” she said, making no move to help Stryder up “And if you call me crazy again, I’m going to kick your ass so hard…” She growled her sentence as Rowan, the girls hawk, landed on her shoulder. Not wearing her armour, instead in a tub short and jean-shorts, along with combat boots, she basked in the sunlight as she stared at him with glowing eyes and burned in the sunlight “Now, you gunna listen and not be an idiot, or do I have to knock some sense into you?”

[Stryder 0]

Sky grinned cheekly seeing her reaction, though quickly regretted it when he fell straight onto his face, her leg having caught him unaware. He couldn't help but laugh a little at her reaction afterwards, bending his legs up to his chest and pushing hard, leaping up from the ground. He then noticed the bird land onto his shoulder, the hawk. He remembered she had always wanted a proud bird as a familiar, seemed she got what she wanted. He also noticed she wasn't waering armor, though on this bitch of a floor, he was not surprised. Though, after he made that connection, he felt like something was off, more then he had when he got the message.

"Judging by the fact you haven't taken a swing at me, and that your not in combat attire, i assume you in't drag me here for a quest..."  He said, his voice a little worried. He hoped she hadn't become a player killer... Or that someone had a go at her. If that happened though, he would know... Well, if she was a pker he would as she would have a red cosuer, and if she had been attacked, she is to proud to say so. 

[Embers 0]

Embers let out a growl almost. While yes, she had brought him out to quest with her, it was more important than that! Why didn’t he seem to understand! She was annoyed already, and part of that was the stupid weather. She enjoyed beach levels of warm, not seering skin from bone levels of warm.

“Come, you can walk and talk right?” She said, more of a demand than a question as she headed out towards the dessert. She had to get the ‘Traveller’ quest done, and she had information he needed to know.

After only moments of silence, the girl looked at him as Rowan took off into the sky “Look Kid. I’m gunna tell ya some stuff, and ya ain’t gunna like it. So let me make this clear, what I’m saying is real, and if you try tell me I’m lyin’, I’m kicking your teeth in. Am I clear?”

ID: 110689

CD: 9

[Stryder 0]

And more threats, more and more of them. He wasn't surprised, but what he was surprised was that she was actually... Sounding a little serious, and not just being a bit of a pain. He simply shrugged, deciding to just roll with it for now, though knowing he had one perfect crack shot to take at her.

"Wellll you can try, but we both know that thanks to this game, i'm faster and stronger than ya, and i'l make sure it stays that way. But, from the sounds of it, your not lying. So, i'l come with ya and listen to what you have to say" He replied, smiling. He really didn't know what to do. Silver then ran over to them, puffing a little, hating this floor like everywhere. Embers was a odd one. She was so... .violent, rough, but he liked her. He didn't know why, but she seemed like someone who could be.... kind of trusted?

[Embers 0]

Embers felt the urge to put her fist through him. Why did he feel the need to make those damn comments, why couldn’t he just shut the hell up and listen to her! Anger boiled in her blood as the sun beat down on the pair. She took several deep breaths, simply out of instinct in preparion for the walk ahead of her rather than out of nerves. Stryder, for all the ‘talk’ he did, didn’t scare her. Even if he could beat her in game, he wouldn’t kill her. That was his weakness.

“The moment we get out of this game, I’m breaking your arm” Embers said calmly as could before grabbing his arm, and figured, dropping the bombshell sooner rather than later, was the right option.

“Fae joined a player-killer guild. I know you’re not stupid enough not to notice her leave yours, but she’s out getting’ people killed. She tried to wipe me out a few days ago because of my involvement in raiding their hideout a bit ago”  

It didn't matter if he didn't believe her, it was simple fact. Fae had attempted to kill her, albeit through a stupid proxy who should be dead. Fae had gone togue, and someone, anyone, had to deal with her. 

ID: 110690

CD: 6

[Stryder 0]

Wait... what did she just say?

Sky's overall cheery attitude essentially vanished when those few words came out of her mouth. He stopped moving, essentially going limp. Silver looked at him, confused, never having seen her master look like this. He wished that he could say something in response to it, but he had no works. Fae had joined a player killing guild... He had known she left his guild, but he thought it was just because she was bored, or didn't want to try and go towards the front lines... But this was worse then he could even imagine. And from his experience with this pychotic freak... She wasn't lying. 

"Wh...why would she do that..." He responds absentmindedly, trying to process it.

[Embers 0]

Embers hadn’t expected the Kid to just go…well, god-damn limp! She stopped walking, annoyed that he had seemed to just…well, turn off. A small growl was started to emerge from the girls throat, and it took her only a few moments to act. She kicked him in the chest, hard.

“Wake up kid!” She yelled at him “Get your damn head of out the clouds, because I know what you’re thinking. ‘Ohhh no, how could this have happened, I should have saved her’” Her voice was very much mocking “Well, news flash, the world doesn’t revolve around you and your sense of self…whatever the hell you’re feeling! So get up, and move on. You cannot let this, this crap, bog you down!” Embers didn’t bother to reach down and pick him up. And Rowan, the girls hawk, landed on her shoulder and looked at Stryder and his familiar. The girls eyes burned with anger. How could this idiot be so, self-centered and yet, not at the same time!?

ID: 1106991

CD: 1 -20HP

420/440 HP

[Stryder 0]

He snapped out of it, well, he was kicked out of it. He fell onto his back, being to weak at that moment to stop himself from being launched. Ge got back onto his feet, looking at her. She wasn't wrong, but he should have been able to prevent this from happening. He took a deep breath, sighing before looking up at her. She had this rough way with words, though they sort of had affected him. He didn't know what to do, he just... He had taken Fae in, she was essentially one of the founding members. She hadn't been to close to him, but still, she had been one of them. 

"The world doesn't.... I know that, doesn't change the fact it hurts that someone in my care went over to that side of life..." He said to her, sighing. He really didn't know how to process the infomation, it just... wasn't something he had ever expected.

[Embers 0]

She didn’t care for the fact he felt bad. He couldn’t control the people in his guild, and it was arrogant to assume he could control people. It was so similar to Domarus, who had attempted to control her thought and actions. For Domarus, it was a pointless endeavour as Embers refused to let people control her and it was as simple as that.  For the Kid, while he wasn’t to the same level of control, it was that he took the burden on himself for no reason.

“Well, get over it. A lotta stuff is gunna happen that you don’t like, and complaining about it does nothing. Acknowledge it, then move on” She said harshly. After all, this was the same advice that was given to her “My boyfriend told me that one time. It was a good night. I punched him in the face drunks out of my mind...” She smiled at the memory, it was a good night. The best, ironically.

ID: 110692

CD: 10

420/440 HP

[Stryder 0]

He had forgotten how much of a bitch Embers could be.... But she wasn't wrong. Yet, he didn't process events the same as she did. He wasn't the kind of person who could just drop something, and as much as he wished he could just be like that, it just wasn't something he could do willy nilly. He wished he could, but... he just couldn't. 

"If only i could do that.... I'm... not the kind of person who is able to just, forget events..." He says to her, sighing, slowly trudging through the desert they had ended up in. He looked up, having a look around. It was time for them to try and find the cargo, they were out on a quest afterall. He looked aorund, failing to see anything. The desert wind and heat blastered him, though thankfully he had already done this quest, and had survivor. He simply shrugged it off, the temperate having zero affect on him.

[Embers 0]

He couldn’t forget events? Did this idiot have sand in his ears or something already? It wasn’t about forgetting, it was about accepting?! A rage flowed through the girl at just how, much of an idiot this kid could be!

“Are you listening to a single word I said!? Forget, don’t be a moron, you can’t forget her!” She yelled at him, charging through the sand after him. A wave of sand hit her, but she pushed through it and charged up next to him.

“Before you move on idiot, you accept it. You own what happened, and sometimes that takes forever. My old man…” The girl hesitated, before reaching into her back pocket and pulling out a picture, and punched it into his chest “He died, years ago, and I sure as hell ain’t over him yet!” She yelled mostly to give her time to ensure she didn’t get upset. She would never cry again.

The picture was of Larissa, when she was 15 years old. It was a selfie, taken by her, and craply done at that. Her dad, a man of the same build she had now, with burning red hair and calm green eyes smiled in the background, and on the girls shoulder, a young hawk. An image from her real life.

“He’s dead, and there isn’t a single damn day I don’t think about how that idiot left me behind. She ain’t your old man, but….” She hoped what the hell the words meant had gotten across to him!  

 

ID: 108189

CD: 3 <No damage>

420/440 HP

[Stryder 0]

She yelled at him, yet again. He should be used to it, he shouldn't be scared of her, yet it did cause him to flinch quite sharply. She charged right up to him, obviously in some kind of rage, then he saw soemthing he had never expected. She hesitated, grabbing someting from her pocket, then he felt a solid fist hit his chest. He put his hand there, grabbing whatever it was she had hit him with, opening his hand up, listening to her words. Her father? 

He looked down at the picture, seeing.... her with a older guy. She was quite young here, probably only about four years younger than he was now, so. She looked a lot like her old man, the hair and everything, all quite similar. Even the hawk, it resembled the one she had right now. He had never pegged her for a sentimental person, but she seemed to really have some care. Then, she started yelling, and he honestly felt bad for her. She wasn't wrong... Fae wasn't even real family, though he had to accept it, and then just... let it go. He held out the picture to her, giving a weakish smile.

"Never took you for the sentimental type... I'm sorry Embers, i really didn't know what you had gone through"

 

- Love having survivor -

[Embers 0]

Another wave of anger rolled through her. This wasn’t about her and her attachments, this was for him! Why the hell did he think she was looking for sympathy, she wasn’t! Her dad was dead, and never coming back. And while that constant knowledge often times threatened to hurt her, she had turned the sadness into a weapon. The very sadness that had brought her to tears, made her deny reality itself, had turned her into hellfire itself.

Snacking the picture back, and growled “Sorry...SORRY!?” She wanted to punch his face in “This has got no-god-damn thing to do with me. My dads own, and while it hurts, I move on! Fae is gone, and you have to own up to that before anything else…” Embers lowered her fist “I ain’t no good with words, but…Brooding doesn’t help you, and take it from the person who spent over a year mourning someone…You ain’t ever getting’ em back”

ID: 108505

CD: 4 No damage

420/440 hp

[Stryder 0]

She was once again yelling at him. She obviously didn't want him to take pity on her, and her fist was raised. She was very close to trying to hit him, but honestly... If it came down to it, he was confident he could evade her strike. But still... He didn't really know. She wasn't wrong though, he wasn't getting Fae back, at least.... Not in the way everyone would want to though. If he tried hard enough, he might be able to turn her back...

"I am sorry.... And i know i might never get her back... I don't know how else to deal with pain. I'v always lived on my own, brooding... came natural to me. Always moving around, always travelling overseas, never staying in one place long enough to actually cal it home..." He said to her, semi projecting his own personal issues into the real world.

[Embers 0]

Embers knew she should have taken solace out of the fact he seemed to be reacting, seemed to be responding to what she was saying. However, there was something primal within her that was wanting a proper fight. Wanting to hit him for his stupidity!

“Listen to me Kid” She said, and if he looked at her face, it had changed. Gone was the fire that made her her, and the look in her eyes. Was one of kindness, one he had seen a year ago only briefly “Some days, all that matters is getting out of bed. There was days where…I honestly want to just end it, because all I think about is my dad and how I’ll never see him again. But I don’t, because I can’t. So the way I see it, as long as you get out of bed. That’s all that matters”

In those moments, the fire returned in an instant. The kindness was burnt out with rage that had consumed her long ago “Now come on, we’ve got better things to do than brood over what’s already happened…”

ID: 108506

CD: 3

420/440 HP

[Stryder 0]

Once again, she had valid reasoning. And he knew she was being serious, as a look he had seen a year ago, it being the only time he had ever seen it, showed in her eyes. The red hot fiery passion that burned, and emanated from her vanishing for a few moments. She had wanted to commit suicide, she said the only thing you could do soem days was get out of bed... She had a very hard life, he honestly felt really.... bad for her, but it only made him realize how strong she really was. He had no doubt, that out of every player he had met, she had one of the strongest convictions to what she believed in... She would survive this game.

"Your not wrong... And its not like she is dead, though, i will need to watch out from now on. Maybe i can find her through Hei... they were close" He says, pondering now how to actually deal with the situation, instead of getting upset about it. He noticed the sand consistantly bugging the girl, laughing a little internally as she didn't have Survival yet.

[Embers 0]

The girl didn’t care his solution to the ‘Fae’ problem, partly because she had a single belief that the only solution to the young girl was death. Or murder, both would work the more she thought about it. But it was not worth mentioning to the Kid, he was already unstable as it is, he didn’t need to know her plans to stick the idiot Fae with her Scythe.

“You do it however you do. Although I’ll warn you know Kid, if she comes after me again, I’m killing her” Embers said, marching forwards through the sand “She f*cked with the queen of the damn jungle, and the only reason I let her live before was she used a proxy to get to me. If she swings whatever weapon she’s got at me, I’m sticking my Scythe through her chest”

There was nothing in her voice to signal she would regret it. It was a simple fact of life for Embers, and one she might as well try take some pleasure out of.

ID: 110694

CD:2

42/440 HP

[Stryder 0]

Killing fae... Sky couldn't even comprehend it. He looked at Embers, his eyes glaring at her. He knew her, and he knew she would try. But she also knew him... she knew his position on this. At least he hoped so.

"You do that, you have an enemy out of me. And i'm a hell of a lot stronger than Fae or you. If you have to defend your self against her, just stun her and lock her up somehow, call Hestia, i'v heard she was making a prison. She was in my guild, and despite whatever she has become, i still have hope for her" He said, his voice full of anger. Though it wasn't so much directed at her words, but more at the situation. He was worried, Fae was his responsibility. She was under his supervision, and she was only a young girl. She needed someone to guide her, not someone who wanted to kill her... 

"Try to save her Embers. I know its not in you, but don't let killing someone be your first option" He said to her, tracking through this blistering dead carcass of a desert