Private Eastern Brisshal Heroes Do More Than Kill Goblins and Drink Ale

[Brutus Dahlgren]

Thank god the mud is covering us up.
Look man, we're king sized now, we're gonna be up to antics like this a lot more now. Calm down and enjoy the show.
But is this really me though? Us?
Bud, this is the type of shit you made this body for, lets not kid ourselves. I'm not some schitzo voice in your head, I'm the man you've always been too scared to be. I'm the balls you've always wanted to grow, the chad you've always been but were too scared to be.
That's oddly comforting.
Aight, now don't mind me but I'm gonna drink enough booze to put you to sleep, K?
I'm sorry what?

Brutus did enjoy the show, subtly as he uncorked his bottle of rum and went to take a big swig of it. Internally monologuing with himself was thirsty work, in order to keep himself from freaking out on himself, he needed to drown Olivier in booze till he was too tired to talk.

Easily done with a frame like this.

"I don't know what you're talking about." He waggled his eyebrows at her and chuckled a bit. "A veteran warrior and hero would have had ample time to react to that kick, it was...heroic training. Always be on your guard!"

He would sink lower, keeping his arms and hands above the bud, but he felt himself basically sliding along the bottom of the spring, in order to submerge himself like this he practically had to lay down and fold his spine forty five degrees.

"And that is in fact, not apology Sake, but Victory Sake. Don't get the two confused. We're here to celebrate our triumph over the Hag, saving the day once again, and some excellent landscaping we did at the start." He would clink his bottle of rum to her bottle of sake and grin. "Campai Toko-Chan. Here's to one day of heroics, and hopefully several more successful adventures together, ne?"

@Toko

 

[Toko]

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She was blissfully unaware of the internal monologues conflict crossing Brutus’ mind, to his credit the Felis had quite the poker face it seemed, as the Lepus turned around and also got comfortable on her spot. There was a benefit too to not being Sky scrapper sized, Toko finding she could rest quite comfortably unlike her hulled out companion.

"Mhmm, ‘heroic training’ my ass…"

She’d keep up the act of indignation for just a little longer, before finally cracking a smile at the giant. The mud that now rose to her shoulders felt nice, and a Toko allowed herself a few moments to simply relish the feeling as the exhaustion of the day slowly ebbed away from her body.

"Gosh look at us, a full plate of heroic deeds completed before the afternoon was even over…" A soft whistle of admiration passed her lips at the thought, staring for a moment at the expanse of the mud spring they now had the opportunity to enjoy. "… but I guess it was worth it if we get yo relax like this afterwards."

She’d fight a daily hag with gusto if it meant she’d be rewarded with a nice spring soak, a good drink, and good company afterwards.

"Pffft… kanpai, Brutus-nii, may we become so well known that those orc hags have nightmares in their sleep from just hearing our names~"

The bottle softly clinked against Brutus’ own, Toko taking another good swig of the liquid inside before she exhaled in contentment.

"Kimochiii…"

She could get used to living like this…

@Brutus Dahlgren

 

[Brutus Dahlgren]

"I mean..." Brutus trailed off. "Heroes do more than kill goblins and drink Ale. We don't always get to clink glasses at the end of the day and do shit like this. Sometimes you spend a whole day just picking weeds, sometimes you spend three days hunting down a big ole bear who's been a menace to the hunters."

He paused, taking another swig of rum before continuing. "Sometimes you go home, kick off you boots and think that you didn't get much done. But!" He turned his gaze over to her. "To the people of this land, anything and everything we do makes a difference. They're incredibly real, and so are their problems, and so are their smiles when we save the day." His face would abandon it's normal jolly complexion in exchange for a more somber, stoic version.

"But yeah, one day I hope the mere threat of my name is enough to stay the hands of the wicked. Make the world a brighter place just by existing, maybe learning how to be able to do that in the real world to eh? Wouldn't that be something?"

@Toko

 

[Toko]

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She listened attentively as Brutus spoke, occasionally given a nod or even a chuckle here or there. The man had a very good point, and his reasoning was actually very on point.

"Yeah, this world might have its own crazy dangers..." A game that took realism to another level, down to the very point where dying too many times in it could apparently kill you in the real world too... it was a crazy thing to wrap one's mind around. "I still like this world though, even knowing the high price it might one day try to cash in on."

It was very easy to forget it was just a game, the lines of fantasy and realism blurred out to the point of being virtually non-existent. If it wasn't for small things such as the UI settings and her Need bars Nao would've honestly believe she had stepped into an isekai fantasy world... one that she actually struggled to log out of at times, and not because the UI wasn't working.

"It's actually nice seeing that we can make a real difference in the lives of others here... even in the overall world." The Lepus thought back to some of the rumors and tales she'd heard among the halls of the Guild by veteran players and Landers alike. "It actually feels like a life worth living, unlike the actual reality of our own world."

There was a subdued tone to her words now, before Toko took another long sip from the bottle... perhaps it was best to just leave those thoughts in the back burner for now, especially when they were actually getting an amazing chance to simply relax.

"Guess we'll just have to keep bashing monster's heads in until the message registers loud and clear then, ne~?"

She looked at the larger Felis then, a wide and cheeky grin on her face now.

@Brutus Dahlgren

 

[Brutus Dahlgren]

Brutus would listen to her words, sipping at his rum contemplatively. It was wild how little alcohol affected him compared to the real world. A mix of his size and his own fortitude perhaps? Either way, he would simply chuckle.

"How fucked is the world where we would rather run around and deal with bloodthirsty goblins and killer hags than what's going on back home eh?" The thought was absurd, but he was right. If it didn't mean leaving his friends and family back home sad at his death, or worried about his health, he almost wouldn't mind being UI locked. No more being Olivier, he could be Brutus all the time. He could make a difference, he could change the world around him. "But yeah, the skull bashings will continue until morale improves."

Still, he turned to her as she shot him a cheeky grin and couldn't help but grin back at her.

"Hey, you got something on your face still." He replied, reaching over and booping her nose, leaving a small brown dot of mud on it.

@Toko

 

[Toko]

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"I mean have you ever felt accomplished paying taxes? I know for sure working long hours because it's expected, regardless if it's efficient or not, has never been a passion of mine."

The thoughts alone of an office job sent shivers down the Lepus' spine, taking another sip of her sake to chase the feeling away. She was lucky that her grandmother's house had long since been paid in full, and her little online store gig had always been enough to cover both of their needs and then a little more... but also things were simpler in rural areas.

City life had never attracted Nao, and that was something that would never change.

There was an inquisitive stare when Brutus mentioned something was still on her face, he free hand reaching up but not feeling anything... until the Felis suddenly reached over with a large hand and bopped her nose, the warm and sticky feeling of the mud now apparent along with the earthen scent.

"B-Brutus...! Really?" There was a childish pout on her face as she stared back at the giant sitting besides her. "You're such a child...!"

She couldn't keep the charade up until the end, a chuckle escaping her before Toko reached over to Brutus—her free hand had been dunked into the mud quickly, gathering a good fistful of the substance, before attempting to spread it on the man's face.

@Brutus Dahlgren

 

[Brutus Dahlgren]

Brutus leaned back as the woman went to rub mud in his beard, but there was only so far he could lean back before he had nowhere to go. "Be careful what you start Toko~" he would warn, his vision narrowing as she closed the gap. She set her bottle down and raised on her tippy toes, when that wasn't enough she lifted herself up by pushing down on the edge and rising up. Sure, her hand made contact with his face, staining his beard a darker hue of brown, but that wasn't the only thing that had managed to make contact with him. Her chest was pressed lightly against his as she slide back down, and impish grin plastered across her face.

"Now you've done it!" Brutus declared in a mock growl. "This means war Toko." He would lunge forward, tackling her into the mud and taking them both under the sludge. Warmth cascaded over his head as he struggled to move his legs through the sludge to correct himself. After a couple of steps, he would manage to right himself and the rabbit who he held loosely in his arms back to the surface.

"And I finish everything I start..." He would quip, raising a hand up to wipe the much from his eyes.

@Toko

 

[Toko]

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"Pffft, I certainly didn't start it..." The sake was, thankfully, spared any danger as Toko managed to place the bottle by the edge of the mud spring. "... I'll definitely end it, though!"

Eventually she managed her objective, letting out a victory cry as her fingers managed to spread mud across his cheek and beard—and completely oblivious to any other contact of body parts. Her gloating however was short lived when the giant tackled her back into the mud pit, an attempt made to keep herself upright before her foot slipped and they both disappeared under the sludge.

"... no fair, that's cheating Brutus!"

She was so enraptured by their childish antics that the honorifics had flown out the window for the time being, gasping for air as the bigger Felis pulled them both above the level of the mud so they didn't suffocate. Her own hands wiped at some of the mud one her own face, though the laughter that escaped the Lepus showed she was actually not mad in the slightest.

"Two can play at that game, though~"

She reached out for the Felis, her hands aiming for his shoulders, though the movement itself was also a feint to conceal her true intentions... under the mud a vine would sprout from the base of the pool, sneakily trying to grasp itself around Brutus ankle before Toko attempted to dunk him under the mud once more.

@Brutus Dahlgren

 

[Brutus Dahlgren]

Brutus grinned, completely disregarding the amount of space between their forms. Mud might as well have been their clothes for all he could care, and right now he could sense her trap. She feinted for his shoulders, but her vine was going for his feet. He gave a quick hop over the grasping vine and pivoted around, slorping through the mud rather quickly for how fast it was.

"You're too slow, Toko!" he would bark teasingly as he waggled a muddy eyebrow. Grapping her arm, he would throw her over his shoulder and gently toss her over his head, sending the bunny flying back first again into the mud. "Seismic toss!" He would exclaim as the lepus flew through the air. Using this time to back up, he would backpedal away from her and towards the water spring. When she surfaced he would give her a moment to give one of her trademark retorts before flinging a barrage of mud balls at her. "You are outmatched and outclassed! It will be one hundred years before you can take me in a mud battle!" he exclaimed childishly.

@Toko

 

[Toko]

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Toko was a little bit competitive—okay, fine, she was very competitive—and as such she couldn't help the look of disappointed as the Felis managed to avoid her trap. She had hoped the mud covering her would've made it harder for Brutus to grab her again, but considering close proximity that didn't seem to pan out as the Lepus hoped.

"Ch-Chotto matte—gyyaaaah!"

For a moment her body was entirely out of the mud spring, a faint breeze causing the Lepus to shiver in response, before she found herself dunked right back into the warm mudpit once more. "Bleagh!" Note to self, never have your mouth open when you're getting hurled into a very mineral dense mudspring... it might feel great on your skin, but it certainly doesn't taste good.

"Oh yeah?! We'll see about th—heeey!!!" She was pelted by the first couple of mud balls before the Lepus managed to whip up an earthen barrier to protect herself, sticking her face around the side of it and sticking her tongue out to Brutus, before she tossed her own barrage of mud balls right at him. "Brains over brawn, niisan~!"

@Brutus Dahlgren

 

[Brutus Dahlgren]

"You know." Brutus would manage as he tried to dodge her retaliation, "For someone so obsessed with cheating, you're using an awful lot of magic." He would snap his fingers together and send a burst of flames forward, careful not to scorch the rabbit, but enough to bake the mud she'd raised as a barrier into a solid brick and causing it to crack and crumble. Using the smoke and the flash of the fire he rushed forward and Kool Aid manned through the wall "OH YEAH!", a grin on his lips as he wrapped his arms around her again, dragging them both into the sludge once again. The rabbit was ready for him, about to spring a trap on him again.

But he was ready for the silly rabbit, tricks after all, were for kids. He swept her outstretched leg, poised to trip him as he ran forward, out from under her and have her a light push, this time not wrapping his arms around her so he could send her downwards but now follow her. He would slip and slide past where he pushed her, and quickly regain his balance.

"Come on Toko, that all you got?" He would thump his chest, grinning cockily.

@Toko

 

[Toko]

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"What's that? I can't hear you from all the way over there, niisan!" She was enjoying this very much, evident by the occasional laughter that could easily be hear in the open space. "Also you never said 'no magic' so you can't complain about it now!"

She'd live to regret those words however when the sudden blast of flames came, a quiet "Kuso!" escaping the Lepus as she backed up from the quickly baking shield.

Toko had thought she could use the distraction to trip Brutus, trying to sneak through the side in the hopes of tripping the giant when she heard him rush for the compromise structure of her shield. Instead Toko was met by a grinning Brutus when the smoke cleared, his own foot hooking under her own before she tripped as a result.

"Eeeek!" Back under the mud she went, much to the Lepus' chagrin, before she regained her footing and broke the mud spring surface. "Okay, okay, ground rules then!"

She'd make the universal sign for time out before wiping some of the mud from her face. "No magic then," That was probably for the best in the long term anyways, before they fucked up the spring accidentally. "Best out of three, and I'll even take the L on that last one. Deal?"

@Brutus Dahlgren

 

[Brutus Dahlgren]

Brutus would take a moment to catch his breath, offering her a hand up as they established their ground rules. She would explain the rules, and he would nod along, an excited grin plastered across his mud stricken face. "Alright, no more magic, you gotta knock me down three times, I got two more knock downs on you eh?" He would roll his neck around, then his arms, stretching himself out as he did so. This whole sparring session had turned rather impromptu, and aside from the heat warming up his muscles he was still a little sore from the fight earlier. "You wanna put a wager on this or something?"

"Go ahead and put up your dukes then Toko chan~" he would raise his fists up to tap knuckles with her, signifying the restart of the match and he immediately dodged backwards creating space between them. He had a feeling that Toko would be out for blood, looking to get her first KO as soon as she could. She had ground to retake, and if he would have his way, she would take no quarter.

"Kakatte Koi."

@Toko

 

[Toko]

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.

Brutus wasn't the only one taking the chance to warm up his muscles, the Lepus stretching her arms up high before rolling her shoulders as well. This was supposed to be a relaxing soak in the mud spring, but if Toko was honest she had zero regrets about this development.

"A wager...?" That caused a pause as the Lepus frowned in thought, musing for a few moments before shrugging her shoulders. "Wasn't really thinking of one... you had anything in mind?"

Their knuckles tapped together, a simple way to signal the contest had started, before Brutus created some distance between them. He was indeed right in his assessment, the Lepus was certainly out for blood, but the moment she had rushed he uttered a particular phrase that completely caught Toko off-guard as the Lepus broke into laughter.

"Pffft, did you really just...!"

The distraction came at a cost however, one of her feet skidding from the mud and causing her to lose some of her balance in return just as she tried to grab dear ol' Brucie.

@Brutus Dahlgren

 

[Brutus Dahlgren]

As Toko reached for the giant, he would slide to the side and put his arm out, stiff arming her and stopping all of her momentum. He would then, quickly sweep a out his right leg, or, that's what he wanted her to think. He would sweep his right leg, but it was a feint, planting and then bringing his left with lightning speed sending her bowling over like a lone pin in at the back of the lane. He would watch as she would plop backwards into the muck, sinking into it with a grin on his face. He was up three lives, and she had one left.

Too easy.

He would reach down into the murk, helping haul the Bunny to her feet and wiping her face off for her. "Hrrrm? I really did, and it worked no less. How about..." He tapped his chin, taking the moment in their lul of combat to talk. "If I win you have to call me Senpai? And if you win..." he furrowed his brow taking a few steps back to restart their duel. "What do you want if you win eh?" he would ask, shaking some muck from his hair.

@Toko

 

[Toko]

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"Shimatta!"

From the second she felt her foot misstep the Lepus already knew she'd screwed this up, though out of sheer tenacity she still attempted to grab at Brutus... before getting swept right off her feet in one simple movement. "Eeek!" She would then get fished right back out, a pout on her face even as Brutus wiped some of the muck from her face.

"F-Fine... but only until the day is over, and no more." She gave a soft hmph, she had a feeling it'd be embarrassing calling Brutus by that title, before a thought crossed her mind as he asked what she wanted in return. "Shoulder ride~"

After all he was insanely tall, not to mention strong, and she always wondered how the world would look from all the way up there. Again their knuckles tapped, signalling the renewal of their match, but instead of buying some space the Lepus went straight towards the Felis again.

At the last second she would feint, pretending to go towards his left before Toko switched gears and ducked right instead, managing to slip behind the bigger beastfolk before sweeping at his feet.

"Down to one, but I'm still in the game~"

@Brutus Dahlgren

 

[Brutus Dahlgren]

"Fu-" the giant crumpled into the muck as the bunny knocked his feet out from under him. The muck made keeping his balance tricky. If he wasn't careful, it would take little to nothing to knock him over if he wasn't careful. He sank into the mud, before rising and shaking some mud from his face.

"You want a shoulder ride?" He asked incredulously as he rose from the muck, "That's it? Sure." He would give her hand a shake, sealing the pact. "I hope you're ready to start calling me Senpai." He would feint quickly at her, the moment they broke to start. A series of fake out jabs and sweeps would hopefully leave the bunny dazed and confused, but it would appear she's gotten used to his mixups. He would do his best to push the assualt forward, leveraging all of his height and size to little to no avail.

"Jesus christ Toko." Brutus would grunt. "Hold the fuck still already!"

@Toko

 

[Toko]

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"Yatta! Only two more to go before I win~" She chuckled in excitement, giving a wink at Brutus after he'd cleared the muck off his face enough to see, before nodding in confirmation to his question. "Mhmm, yeah just a shoulder ride."

Was it an odd request? Without additional context it probably was, but the Lepus simply gave a shrug of her shoulders before sealing the deal through a handshake with Brutus. "First you need to win, niisan." Against their knuckles would meet before space was made between them, before Brutus took the initiative.

"Whoa...!"

She managed to dodge the fake out jabs and sweeps, a cheeky grin on Toko's lips as he grunted in frustration. "What's wrong? All that muscle weighing you down, Bru-nii?" She would take advantage when one of his arms stretched a bit too far, using the Felis' own momentum to actually fling him over her back and into the mud.

"Wanna give up yet~?"

@Brutus Dahlgren

 

[Brutus Dahlgren]

"It wouldn't be very fun if I just clobbered you." The Giant lied.

Brutus will pull himself from the muck, luckily the mud had his face covered to hid his blushing. This was straight up embarrassing at this point. He'd blown a three stock lead, and now it was tied up. He would wipe some mud and then took a deep breath. "Give up?" He asked, cocking his head to the side and shaking some mud out of his ear.

"This is just getting interesting." He cracked his knuckles and put his fists up to bump against hers. Once they were on, it was on. Brutus embraced his inner Yakuza protagonist. He used the lower friction of the mud to his advantage, quick stepping left and right to duck dodge dip and dive. He would keep moving, keep at arms length. Curiously, there was no feints, no jabs. He would simply wait for her to get impatient, for her to charge him. He would win the battle by making her throw it.

And throw it she did.

The rabbit grew impatient, breaking the dance with a punch. The giant's eyes flashed, and there went the battle. He grasped the bunny's arm and suddenly she was upside down, and then spiked into the mud. The giant thumped his chest in triumph, letting out a deep breath before he would reach down and help pull the rabbit out of the muck setting her straight.

"You alright?"

@Toko

 

[Toko]

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With all the cockiness and confidence that radiated from the Lepus most would be hard-pressed to believe that Toko was actually quite nervous. She knew Brutus had the advantage, knew that it was mostly luck what had allowed her to tie with the giant, but she could feel her chance of winning drastically dropping the longer their match stretched out. Her hearthw as beating faster than it should've, something the Felis probably picked up on, because he suddenly began to just stall the fuck out of their last bout.

The sudden shift in strategy threw the rabbit off, her impatience rising with every passing moment as Brutus continued to keep himself just out of her reach, until eventually Toko made a mistake—one that threw the match in the giant's favor.

"Bleagh..." She'd made the mistake once more to not close her mouth before hitting the muck, and instantly regretted it. "... mud water tastes awful."

She watched Brutus celebrate his victory, a defeated sigh escaping her lips before she gave a half smile at the show. "Yeah, I'm fine... just bruised my pride a little, that's all." The offered help was accepted without a second thought, the Lepus groaning as she righted herself up before looking away from the Felis when she spoke.

"A-Arigatoo..." There was a pause as the rabbit could feel the heat rising on her cheeks, a visible blush forming before she finished the sentence. "... s-senpai."

@Brutus Dahlgren