Complete ✪ Finweald honoring the lost

[Herculean Drakecon]

The fast travel from the battlefield to outside the city of finweald bleeding and breathing heavily. Between starting the fast travel and landing allowed the adrenaline to wear off. Herculean being somewhat prideful would just stand up and approach a guard asking for the nearest healer. The guard pointed the way as he dragged himself there despite being beyond exhausted. Pushing open the door and falling passing out landing on the ground with a loud thud. The armor he was wearing or what was left of it had broken off his body and laid on the ground around him. It would take few people to put him in a bed and get to heal his more important wounds as fast as possible. They were very fast and got the bleeding to stop and his wounds were tended to. An hour later he would wake up bandaged from neck to knee cap still sore from the healing process. Cursing himself for turning off the pain inhibitor but the feeling of healing was very interesting, to say the least. While he was told to take it to slow the town of actual players interested him.

Skipping ahead a week as he had grown accustomed to other people and integrated his heads-up display more. Almost forgetting that he had to wait till the living memorial was updated to see who passed away during the marathon event. Opened his palm and first sent a message to @Crimson Ruby.

Herculean drakeson

Oi you online I don't know if you are busy but I wasn't sure who died during the event but I haven't seen Shane since then. You and @Jin both knew her better than I did even if I met her that day. I'll send jin a message as well meet me at the living memorial when you get a chance.

He would send the same message to @Jin telling them were to meet him and ruby, He would get their first but wait for them to show up. He hoped her name wasn't on there but he hadn't seen her since and she didn't reply to his messages.

 

[Crimson Ruby]

Ruby took a deep breath looking at her UI menu.

Bluebird was still online. Ru Ning was still online.

She had ran away, even if she knew they were far from being mad or disappointed at her, there was a lingering shame that didn't allow her to go and talk with them. How she would look at their eyes after she had failed so much?

With a sigh, Ruby clenched her eyes shut tightly before she reached for the log out button, but with a sudden sound, a message popped up.

Ruby looked at the message with a hint of surprise, with her gaze tightening when she realized it wasn't Bluebird, Ru Ning, or even Sol.

Crimson Ruby - @Herculean Drakecon

"You haven't seen her..? Maybe she logged off... I wouldn't blame her. I wanted to log off myself."

That was the only conclusion she could think of. And for a moment she wondered if she should go or just log off already, with her desire of staying away from this game growing the more time passed.

She glanced at her blade, then at the flame Sol had given her.

Her fist clenched and her eyes closed tight.

... Perhaps @Jin would know anything about Shane's disappearance.

Standing from the rock she sat on, Ruby marched toward the meeting place.

 

[Jin]

The time that elapsed since their near-death experience with the Twisted Matron had different effects on each of them. Some were pensive and took that time to reflect on the danger they had faced. Others who had embraced the fear and horrors, few though they may have been, were invigorated to seek new challenges and avenues that might bear them to greater heights. No small number of the survivors were left with scars. The cuts were deep, and would take a great deal of time to heal.

Jin was among those who had suffered decidedly less than the rest. Risks that brought him to the precipice between life and death were refreshing to him. Hanging on by a thread was when he felt the most alive. Still, he knew that he was almost certainly alone in that.

When the message came from @Herculean Drakecon that he wanted to meet, Jin was legitimately baffled. Most of the other Players wanted to stay logged out, or focus entirely on other things. This man, apparently, had unfinished business regarding the scuffed Explorer's League mission. He had no idea how to break the news that his inclusion in that group was entirely of convenience, a decision made in the moment.

But, it would not do to simply not respond. Etiquette was of paramount importance to an Adventurer. Their reputation was everything. That was what the Guild told him when he joined. Cordiality and diligence were universally vaunted traits.

Jin appeared like a shadow from behind several trees as he approached the meeting place, offering a stiff wave to the larger man who had called on him. "An unexpected summons," he spoke as he came within distance of using his indoor voice. There was no animosity, no presumption of motive. Instead, the Bloodsworn was genuinely curious.

"How may I help you?"

@Crimson Ruby

 

[Herculean Drakecon]

With a serious nod, he would see both ruby and jin who despite their very short alliance it was first. If he didn't meet them then he wouldn't have found his way out of the sunken city thus finding action. @Crimson Ruby looks visibly still shaken from the battle. Was it worry or something more but he wasn't sure who died or who had lived and everyone needed a bit of closure.

" Sorry if you guys were busy or something but I wanted to check on you since the battle. When Marton finally died I was pretty shaken but I realized that Shane was nowhere to be found. I didn't know if you guys were in the same status of missing in action. I can breathe finally knowing you aren't dead. I fast traveled to this town final after I woke up to get help and have been adjusting, to say the least. I was informed that they had a living memorial for Permanently dead players. I just want to pay my respects and offer you guys some comfort"


At the start of talking he would breathe a visible sigh of relief, they weren't dead. A healer informed him bout the dangers of UI locking. More worried about ruby he would put a hand on her shoulder trying to comfort her.

"Miss ruby I don't know how you feeling but you shouldn't feel like you didn't do anything. I'd like to think that they knew the dangers going in. I mean I'd like to think they did, after all, to be frank, no one saw that coming ya know. For me at least if I know that miss Shane didn't make it she was the reason we are standing here today."

He would turn to @Jin with an offer they could both benefit from, Looking fairly serious for a moment before reaching out his hand.

"Mr.Jin if you allow me i would like to be your battle brother, It's kind of sudden but if Shane is dead...then I'd like to not lose anyone else. I would watch your back and you would watch mine. You can keep any treasure and fame. Knowing that i try to keep you safe is more than enough for me. So how about it?"

 

[Crimson Ruby]

Reaching the meeting spot, Ruby paused seeing that Jin was actually there after all. Honestly she would think that the man would've been way too tired to appear, especially after everything. Her eyes lowered, then shifting to Herculean, shaking her head. "It is alright, Herculean. I was just going to log off." She said with droopy ears, twitching and then side glancing to Jin. "Are... Are you alright? You really went all out back there." Ruby asked to the man, looking him up and down.

Her attention then vaguely shifted to Herculean, with her lips pursing when he spoke of Shane being nowhere to be found. "She probably..." Ruby held a breath, casting a side glance at each of them, avoiding direct contact for a moment. "She is probably just logged off. I-I don't know, I don't have her in my friend's list."

A frown crossed her face at the mention of permanently dead players, looking up at Herculean when he held her shoulder, with his words prickling her heart as she gritted her teeth.

"Permanent death... Why... Why you are keep talking about her like she is gone or something?!" Ruby hissed, lowering her ears and frowning her lips before shaking her head.

"If... If she became UI-Locked because of this death, she wouldn't have disappeared, she would've just respawned. We are players, UI-Locked or not. She is probably still fine, she... Just logged off." Ruby insisted.

@Herculean Drakecon @Jin

 

[Jin]

"I'm fine," he assured them. And he was. Compared with others who had been rattled by the entire situation, Jin was by far in a better mental state. When @Crimson Ruby commented on how he had gone all out, he waved a hand to express that it was nothing of consequence. "The Fever had set in and I had taken leave of my wits. Were I composed and sound of mind, I would never have gone to such extremes against such an enemy."

The way he spoke made it obvious that Jin had not perceived the creature itself as a threat, but rather the situation as a whole as exceptional.

His expression became unreadable as the other two traded remarks. There was derision and doubt, talk of death, and the girl- Ruby- seemed to be in denial about what may or may not have happened. Jin had been there, trapped inside the Matron's chitinous hide. He watched the Veteran Explorers rip open what would otherwise have become their tomb and one after another pull them free.

Everyone except Shane.

The words he left her with still burned in his mind. They were still just as true. He leaned against a nearby fence and reclined, giving the other two a moment to air their thoughts. "Despite the chaos, there were still opportunities for every one of the Expedition's members to get free," he confirmed slowly. There had been others that hurried out toward safety around him. Shane was the only one who hanged back. "Someone else may have noticed it, but she made no attempt to exit the creature. It was not immediately obvious, but when I glanced at her with my Investigation mode, it became apparent. The difference between the progression of the affliction in contrast to others present was more than a little significant. By the point the countermeasure had been deployed, she was beyond help."

He had withheld that knowledge until just now. These two Players were the only two people in Terrasphere who knew Jin was completely aware that Shane was going to die, and chose to do nothing. Or was it that he knew there was nothing he could do, and he accepted that fact? The line was too blurry for him to question, or for that matter, to care.

"The way that magic coursed through her," he reached up to scratch his chin, recalling the volatile energies in her bloodstream. "It's just a hypothesis, but I feel comfortable concluding that the explosion we saw was somehow related. I would need an eye witness or some manner of forensic evidence to confirm that suspicion, however."

There was no way of knowing how many deaths were on the woman's counter, but the passing mention of a UI lock was thrown about in some circles. "One or both of you are Explorers, yes? I imagine she would have made a report by now if she had respawned. You've heard nothing?"

The Bloodsworn paused when @Herculean Drakecon made mention of becoming a Battle Brother, and he stopped for a moment to consider what the words meant to this man. He heard out the other man's explanation and slowly folded his arms. "...the swearing of an oath is a rite not to be taken lightly," he said at last. Other Players made such arrangements freely, exchanging their information and becoming members of a party. For Jin- a seasoned Hemomancer among other things- it meant a Blood Oath. "Some time should be taken to consider what it is you are asking, and whether or not you are willing to make that kind of commitment. Should you simply wish to exchange contact information, that is an alternative available to you, and I would not be at all offended."

 

[Herculean Drakecon]

Herculean seeing @Crimson Ruby genuinely sad was the worst but he could only try his best to comfort her. She would point out his wounds which he waved off with a smile.

"Trust me I am fine miss ruby it's just a flesh wound, It's been cared for by some traveler healers. I turned off my pain inhibitors at the start of character creation. It wasn't joking when you feel everything but that is just a small complaint at the end of the day. Sure you feel every cut but you also feel every tiny bit of healing. Solid pay off if I am being quite honest."

He would think for a moment trying to recall every detail the healer told him about death. She gave him basic info about how death works in-game. Herculean being out during the whole thing and seeing how he was getting treated didn't help at all trying to remember.

"Er sorry about the ruby I'm not saying Shane is gone but...this wall behind us should confirm. I wouldn't blame you for wanting to log out. I am going to keep fighting the good fight for Shane either alive or dead. Death has only hardened my resolve about saving travelers in the next big event. I am going to build a team and actively help players in need."

At this point, he would fold his arms with a huge smile on his, Cutting open his hand slightly as he started bleeding. Interested in the blood oath he said wanted something in return.

"So @Jin this blood oath is like a binding contract right? Well, I'll let draw blood from my body and use my magic but on two conditions my new friend. The first one is that we make sure that we are the last ones out if someone needs help. Two is that you will never abandon me in my time of need and I won't do the same to you. The same rules apply all of the gold and fame are yours but I want to make you live of course. that is my binding blood vow if you will"

He would see that ruby needed some time off and that was okay and would consider her feelings. Weighting the options in his head he would at least offer the deal to her as well.

"Miss ruby should you feel inclined to save people I will offer the deal to this group. You're taking a break so think about it...but as for me, I want closure at the end of the day. Even if I can save one person my job is done. So if you want to turn away miss ruby I won't stop you but Jin we have Four more warriors to find to our cause.should you take my binding vow"

 

[Crimson Ruby]

"This fever truly got the best of us..."

Ruby rested a hand on her chest, looking at both @Jin and @Herculean Drakecon relieved that at least their wounds weren't lingering for too long. She could still feel the throbbing around all her body because of the swarm, and a weakness in her mind that persisted like a headache that certainly didn't help with her attempt on holding back all the tears she didn't released until now.

And that she wouldn't release at all, not before she logged out from this cursed place.

Ruby then listened to Jin's explanation and theories... So he knew what was happening long before her? How Ruby could've been so stupid on not realizing it? She ran away so worried about Sol and herself that she just ignored everyone else.

Her ears dropped.

"The explosion... I-It was her. I'm sure. I've sent an illusion to look for her when I realized she wasn't with us, and sharing my vision with it, I've saw her state, she was..." Her throat felt a lump at the memory, and she averted her eyes. "... Beyond salvation..." The crack in her voice was clear as Bonnie and Shane's face crossed her mind.

After taking a quick breath, she resumed. "... My Illusion's connection was cut short right after that..."

Her eyes then shifted to Herculean, clenching the hand she had on her chest and lowering her tail. After everything that happened, he wanted to make a team to actively pursue those dangerous events to stay help others.

"... I..." Honestly want to log off forever. But her friends, the few ones she made, the very few ones she could never say she has outside of the game.

"... I will think about it..." She said.

 

[Jin]

He took a moment to allow both of them to finish speaking, eyes moving between one and the other. Before him were two very different responses to the situation that they had collectively shared. One of them was determined to see that it did not happen again. The other was half-hearted, almost certainly broken. Jin raised a hand to bid @Herculean Drakecon become silent, if only for a moment. He let his hand clap the man's shoulder with reassurance, just to let him know there was no contempt in the previous gesture. Then, he knelt before @Crimson Ruby, his cloak swathing most of his body in darkness. Only his pale face with those deep crimson eyes stood out.

In keeping with his ghastly appearance, Jin's voice was eerily calm.

"Death is going to become a fact of life if you stay in this world," he told the woman, cutting to the quick of it. It was far better to rip that band-aid off quickly, rather than reassure her or pander to the inadequacies she had given her voice to. "This is the first you have seen, and should you continue, it will not be the last. You are not wrong to fear it. You are not wrong to have second thoughts. You are not wrong."

It was fear that allowed men to be brave. Jin could not call himself such because of that fact. It was not the fear of death and the desire to overcome it that set him apart from others. It was his innate lack of any feeling whatsoever, and the compulsion to simply feel something. He was the exception, not the rule. And he would not place that expectation on anyone else, let alone someone who did not long for more.

Jin glanced sidelong toward the larger man, remaining on his knee for the moment. "You should extend the offer again after she has had time to shake off the shock. If you do not get another opportunity, so be it." His gaze moved now to the small Beastwoman, still not smiling. Still contemplative.

"She had the chance to run," he reiterated. "There was more than one person at ground zero. It can easily be surmised that she made a conscious decision. Do not let a sacrifice made in good faith weigh on your shoulders as guilt. It flies in the face of the gesture. It was not your decision to make, and treating it as though it were is trivializing."

Jin stood and turned away from both of the other players for a moment, shoulders sagging. He gave a sigh.

"You should make your report and be debriefed before you begin making any further decisions," he cautioned. "The Leaders of your Explorer's League will surely have words for you that may be kinder than my own, or more reassuring. And you will learn for certain the details surrounding your friend's fate."

He glanced at last to Herculean.

"I will entertain the thought for the moment, but we will need to discuss it further later. Here is not the place, and this is not the time." With a quick, vague gesture toward Ruby. "Make your current priority seeing to the wounds of your allies, whether physical or otherwise."

Jin smirked at last.

"If you will excuse me," he gave a respectful, two fingered salute.

 

[Herculean Drakecon]

Jin would probably excuse himself to disappear for now but this left ruby and himself. They were finally taking a moment to confirm that Shane and eight other players had died permanently · Breathing in and out for a moment then turning to ruby hiding his expression. Herculean was feeling tried of himself so he would turn to ruby with a nod

"Well miss @Crimson Ruby i should get going as well I am very glad you are alive and well. Take your time coming back into the game."

Before jin would dismiss himself he would wave and nod knowing he had a new ally in the future. Dismissing himself with a nod now going back to his bad. Needing rest so he can start training again and figure out what his next goal was going to be. His next goal recruits more people into the fold. if it meant. With jin most likely into his fold he would look next recruit.

 

[Crimson Ruby]

Ruby turned to look at Jin when he suddenly knelt before her, she blinked, surprised despite the fact sadness and regret was the main emotion that crawled in her chest.

His words were of undeniable truth, something that made any attempt of trying to stay unaware of the true danger this game brought.

She felt it when she fought the giant bat with Manya four years ago. She felt it when being ambushed by bandits before being saved by Erick.

She felt it in the horror of being stuck with many others, and then watching the life of her friends being reap in front of her eyes.

One seeming to be for good.

Her shoulders dropped more than she thought they could. It felt so heavy, but the words eased it. It was their choices. It was their decision.

Was that how these two managed to keep going? Ruby could only conclude that.

"Perhaps... you are right." She took a deep breath, rubbing her arm still uncertain, but those words swirled in her mind. Echoing, echoing and echoing.

What she could do for them, if it was their choice to die?

Nothing?

She needed time to think, and to be able to log in again without feeling like throwing up.

"Jin, Herculean... thank you." Ruby said, looking at both of them with a faint and bittersweet smile. "I... will really think about it, Herculean." She told him, and when she opened her UI.

Notice

Crimson Ruby has sent you a friendship request.

@Herculean Drakecon @Jin

"... I am glad you both are still alive and well too." She said, hovering on her UI and resting her hand above the log out button.

"Please stay like that..."

And then, her body disappeared just as her real eyes opened once again.