[F5- PP] Legends Unearthed <<Arabian Nights>>

[Typhoonflame 0]

Ty sighed as she helped Freyd lead the prisoners to the wagon.. They walked as she had walked in real life, slowly and painfully. She found it ironic that she was the one helping these people to safety now, but she knew it had to be done.
She stayed away from Cassim, however, noticing how fidgety the man seemed. He looked ready to bolt at any minute. It was slightly funny, for a man with such a scary reputation. 

As if reading her thoughts, Freyd suggested they keep him tied. "Do you think it might be best to keep him tied?"  The quiet question directed to Ty to solicit her thoughts.  "Who knows that they might have done to him.  Though it might just as easily be that he's paranoid of what his brother will do when he's returned.  There isn't much beyond the reach of Ali's avarice." 

Ty huffed. "Poor brother he is, if he'd hurt one of his own blood just for getting captured. I mean, we tried to save the man, we did save the man! And now what, we'll bring him home to be beaten by his kin? No, we can't let that happen! Right...?" she said in a hushed whisper. "As for the wagon, I don't mind taking it back, but I can't drive, so you'll have to. I can keep watch, though."

Edited January 10 by Typhoonflame

[Freyd 0]

Freyd remained silent as she posed her questions about Cassim's potential fate, helping the man up into the wagon along with the others.  If anything, he seemed to be assessing her reactions, the dance of her eyes on the others as they ambled across the courtyard with difficulty.  Imagination alone couldn't fill all gaps with how her existence here in Aincrad compared to what she'd lived beyond it.  Hope offering some reprieve from those difficulties.

"If anything happens, keep your heads down and stay in here," he offered as reassurance to their wards.  "It will be the safest place for you."  They nodded, too exhausted to put any sort of argument, and hardly about to second guess their saviors.  

"I just hope the system does most of the driving.  Riding beasts and driving teams of whatever these things are, he gestured towards the giant lizards, was never high on my skill list."  A snap of the reigns got them moving, slowly crawling through the ruined gates and out to open desert.  Fortaleza wasn't far, at least.

"Who knows what happens to Cassi, if anything at all?  The quest ends when we return and everything resets.  Ali only ever seems to want directions to the cave of wonders.  Maybe he sold his brother to the bandits in the first place, hoping he'd reveal its location?  Maybe he owes Abdullah a debt, or is being blackmailed?  Maybe..." he seemed more hesitant on this last point.  "Maybe none of it makes any difference at all?"  An unsatisfying prospect, and one Freyd would not easily accept.  The world's events needed to matter.  Their actions needed to matter.  Otherwise, what was the point of it all?

[Typhoonflame 0]

Ty was glad the people were cooperative. She decided to focus on their well-being for now, climbing in beside Freyd, but keeping an eye on them. Who knew what could happen on the road?

Apparently, the system could drive, according to Freyd, which was useful information. "Hmmm, point, what even are these lizard things, I've never seen them before." she wondered aloud, looking at the creatures. Were they really just lizards, or something more?

Ty shuddered when Freyd suggested Ali sold his brother...but the worse thought was that none of it mattered.  She sunk in her seat, nodding, and said in a hushed whisper. "That's what I wanted to talk to you about...My morals are messing with my head, as is this world. I don't know how long I can keep this up. Just don't tell anyone else, okay? But it can wait until after this quest." she added, knowing her other friends, especially Kil, would start worrying. 

[Freyd 0]

Freyd glanced over his shoulder to check on their passengers.  Between the heat, gentle rhythmic motion  of the wagon, or the trauma of their recent ordeals, all had been overwhelmed and passed out.  Tugging lightly on the reigns to keep their reptilian locomotives from driving off a cliff, he chuckled as she wondered what they were.  

"I dunno... mega-geckos?  It has a certain ring, and they seem genuinely harmless.  The name might stick," he added with a laugh. that dimmed into a more pensive smile as she revealed her concerns.  

Fortunately, the blazing sun above was already in its late afternoon descent, granting them a tiny figment of relief.  Freyd summoned another canteen to hand and offered it to Ty, seemingly holding an infinite supply of random items tucked away in his inventory.

"You have no idea how refreshing it is to hear you say that it bothers you.  So many of us have grown numb to the violence of this world, myself included.  Not that the other was much less so, at least for me.  We have a bit until we reach the town, at which point the quest effectively ends.  It also seems like our passengers are out for the count.  It's entirely up to you.  Would you prefer to chat here and now, or would some other venue be better?  Either way, it's a discussion very much worth having."

[Typhoonflame 0]

Ty snorted slightly at Freyd calling the creatures mega-geckos. "That's such a corny name! I guess it fits with an anime-style game, though." She laughed quietly, careful not to wake their exhausted cargo. 
The people definitely looked worn out...And once again, her thoughts were on the fact that these people would ultimately just reset. But that also meant they would continue reliving these horrible moments over and over, until this game shut down. I guess they just had to make sure the game did shut down, for the NPCs' sakes as well.

Ty took the canteen from Freyd and sipped some water, careful not to drink too much. There wasn't much of an opportunity for bathroom breaks and she wasn't about to go do her business in this desolate area. 

"I don't think you've grown numb." Ty commented, glad he understood. "You've always protected the guild, and look, you protected the NPCs too. Cut yourself some slack, yeah?" 

She sighed. "But, I don't know, I mean...what's the point of all this? We save them, we feel good, but...I've met someone who saved that little girl, Koko, just like we did. So she gets into the same frightening experience over and over. It's heart-wrenching. And I've found myself so much more willing to kill, on the other hand, because I know every non-player thing will just respawn. It's like I'm becoming less human and it's terrifying. How do I deal with that? I think it's worth discussing in more detail later."

 

[Freyd 0]

Freyd listened silently, recalling an eerily similar and recent conversation with another player.  He'd found her name on the Monument of Life a week later; killed by a random bandit.  Raging at the injustice of it had tested his convictions, but ultimately led him to the same conclusions, and a sigh.

"I have grown numb, but am thankfully also aware enough to realize that it's happened.  That let me work against it."  Gently steering their ride towards a ramshackle stables, Freyd turned to look upon their sleeping wards when they came to a stop.

"Aincrad and Cardinal test us by forcing us to face the types of dilemmas you describe.  We face the same horrid scenarios over and over.  The same miseries.  The same tragedies.  It's how we react that determines the state of our humanity and sanity alike.  Every time we choose to save Koko, or even Cassim.  Every time we stand up to villainy, or take a moment to smell the roses for its own sake.  These are the deeds that define us.  Killing in here is a choice, and one with vastly different consequences than we're used to.  It requires a careful, considerate blend of ruthlessness and compassion, or this world will eat a player alive.  You're right to worry that it takes a toll, but the only other options are to hide and wither away, leave it to others to carry this burden for us, or to take it upon ourselves."

Hopping down from the wagon, Freyd held up a hand for Ty to do the same, the gesture alone epitomizing their discussion, as well as summarizing the importance of their shared experience.  She could see his deliberate intent laden in his eyes.

"Keep asking good questions, Ty.  Keep questioning yourself and your motives.  It's the very best chance you have to make sure that who you are survives this place."

Moans and shuffling, combined with the thumping of slowly stirring limbs unaware of their constraints, told of the NPCs waking.

"Come on.  Let's get these people settled.  We can always talk more later."

***

Thread Closing:

Note: Cassim survived.

Typhoonflame receives:

1,352 EXP (Word Count [6090/10*2*0.7] + Quest [500])
15,400 col (1 page [400] + Quest [15000])
Dungeon Map" Cave of Wonders
Unlock <<Arabian Nights: Unfinished Business>> quest
1 Guild rewards (Firm Anima)

Freyd receives:

7,673 EXP (Word Count [6090/10*18*0.7] + Quest [0])
1,151 col (1 page [0] + Quest [0] + 15% P5 Reward [1,151])
1 Guild rewards (Firm Anima)

Edited January 25 by Freyd