Complete Western Brisshal Long Fang Training

[Ueno Mizuki]

Mizuki noticed that her comment of eating the demon made Cleo quite disturbed, so the wolfess shook her head.

Ah, sorry for mentioning it. But yes, it's better to leave demons alone if possible.

The explanation of how Cleo's magic could actually cause her constructs to overload and release disruptive energy was quite interesting. Mizuki listened attentively as Cleo spoke of it, thinking back to how Arcanamancy used to be.

So it's kind of like having too much electric charge? That sounds a bit like how it used to be before the break when it was more raw power than forming constructs with it. (She looked at Cleo for a moment, envisioning her Evoke form over her current, standard appearance.) I wonder if it feels like electricity as well.

She blushed as Cleo pointed out that, while the expedition hadn't exactly been pleasant, she'd grown to appreciate some parts of Terrasphere, or at least some people. Of course, it was possible that the lancer was talking about others, but after what had happened today Mizuki still felt touched.

I'm glad that you've grown to appreciate some parts of it. If you'll permit me I can show you some other good parts as well. I won't try to dissuade you from your work, but I do want to share the parts of Terrasphere that are worth preserving.

@Cleo Looker

 

[Cleo Looker]

Cleo nodded at that comparison, finding it to be decently apt at describing how it felt to overload her projections with arcane energy when she was in her Evoke form. It was also why she preferred to just launch her spears, rather than actually throw them, when she was transformed. The loss of muscle mass actually didn't affect her strength, but rather, she wasn't sure that she herself wouldn't be affected by the instability of her creations and wasn't quite willing to test that.

Though if she put in enough effort, she was pretty sure she could make sure she had enough control over the instability.

That's a good way to put it, yeah. It doesn't exactly feel like electricity, I'd liken it more to feeling like a kind of heat that wells up and remains steady, rather than pulsing, flickering or coming in waves.

She shrugged. It was sometimes hard to explain these things without somebody being able to experience it for themselves. It was like trying to describe a color or a taste and just hoping that everybody would use the same terms when it came to describing the same thing.

Still, when Mizuki offered to show her some other good parts, Cleo blushed slightly, feeling like she was being flirted with.

I wouldn't mind being shown some other things. I do want to at least understand why people are so willing to risk themselves, here. And, well, I've met some people, such as yourself, that I quite enjoy the company of. You particularly.

@Ueno Mizuki

 

[Ueno Mizuki]

A kind of sapping heat... Mizuki understood the idea that the Evoke's excessive energy wasn't pulsating or erratic, but she was having some more difficulty imagining what it must feel like. Maybe she had to experience what it was like on the receiving end before she could truly understand it.

Right. A more consistent outflow of energy. I think I understand, although it can be hard to explain how something feels if the other person can't experience it for themselves. (She grimaced at a memory now over four years old.) I remember trying to explain what it feels like to change shape. It's really hard to explain this kind of thing, because unlike back on Earth people here can experience things which other people simply don't.

To demonstrate she held up a hand and shifted it into a furred claw, then back into its standard form.

It feels a lot like stretching or uncurling, but it doesn't quite fit. I imagine this is what it's like for a bird to explain to a dog what it feels like to fly.

Cleo's words gave Mizuki a funny, but pleasant, feeling in her stomach. Raising the same hand she'd shifted but moments before she placed it on Cleo's shoulder.

The sentiment goes both ways, Cleo. I'll try my best to help you understand, although there's also something I want to do for myself but which I'd like you to join me for. A certain expedition, but it shouldn't be anything like the previous one.

@Cleo Looker

 

[Cleo Looker]

Cleo laughed, nodding along as Mizuki grimaced, having a feeling that the woman had arrived to pretty much the exact same conclusion. It was hard to explain a sensation to somebody when that person would never be able to actually experience it for themselves.

You're not wrong, I can imagine that it'd be hard to explain such a drastic transformation, considering that I find it hard to explain my Evoke form. And the only physical changes there are that I get taller, lose some muscle and my boobs and ass get a bit bigger.

Then she realized what she'd said, before blushing and glancing away, her hand covering her mouth as she allowed the conversation to drift that particular statement, hoping that it hadn't quite caught Mizuki's attention or that the woman was able to just ignore it.

Feeling the woman's hand on her shoulder made her feel funny, though, swallowing as she gave the wo0man a nice smile. Though it changed to an intrigued look when Mizuki mentioned some kind of expedition.

Sure, what kind of expedition did you have in mind? And I assume since you said it won't be like the previous one, I shouldn't expect it to be very dangerous or anything like that?

@Ueno Mizuki

 

[Ueno Mizuki]

Mizuki blinked at Cleo's rather blunt explanation of how her Evoke form affected her physical shape, then let out an amused snort before blushing as she realized that it might come across as rude.

My apologies, that was rude of me. That said, I think there are many who would consider those the most important changes. (She coughed.) Your Evoke form is definitely something to behold, although, of course, you're just as pleasing to the eye without it.

She mentally admonished herself almost immediately after she'd said it. While it was true, she didn't want to put Cleo on the spot too much. She also didn't want the lancer to start thinking that Mizuki was only interested in her physical appearance or something. While Cleo could afford to slow down a little, Mizuki couldn't deny the fact that she truly enjoyed the lancer's company.

I wouldn't say that it's completely without risk, but it should be a lot more manageable. Nothing like demons or ancient magical golems. (Mizuki shook her head, then pointed towards her black and white fur/hair.) You see, the caenes of this world live up in the Hylands, and are largely divided into two tribes, the Sun Claw and the Moon Fang. During the break the Travelers who stayed here managed to get into contact with the Sun Claw, who are more open to the outside world. The Moon Fang, however, still need to be approached, and I'm hoping to be part of that expedition.

@Cleo Looker

 

[Cleo Looker]

There were definitely some that would consider those physical changes to be quite important, yes, but Cleo hadn't even really stopped to consider them until after the first time she'd caught sight of a reflection of her Evoke form, in a puddle of all things. She'd not realized how much softer, more feminine and buxom it had made her appearance until she'd seen it for herself. She'd never even felt any weaker, physically. That was probably because the form generated a lot of its power through the use of magic, rather than muscle mass.

Though hearing Mizuki call her pleasing to the eye made her blush, swallowing as she glanced down at her feet in embarrassment.

Ah, um, thanks...

She trailed off, allowing the topic to change to the wolf woman's expedition idea, inadvertently getting a history and culture lesson about the caenis people of the world. Hearing that Mizuki wanted to approach the Moon Fang Caenis, Cleo hummed.

Well, I guess I can understand why you would be interested in that kind of thing. I guess I wouldn't mind coming along with you for that.

@Ueno Mizuki

 

[Ueno Mizuki]

It seemed that the two of them were getting quite embarrassed, flirting so openly with one another, so Mizuki decided that it might be better to move things along for the moment. While that moment in the rain definitely had caused her heart to start pounding she didn't think the two of them were quite that close yet that they could frankly admire each other's bodies without it becoming flustered in the process.

...Just speaking the truth.

With that, she focused on the next topic, which in a way was just as exciting if for entirely different reasons. Mizuki smiled gratefully as Cleo expressed her desire to come along, although the wolfess did feel like she had to clarify some things.

I appreciate it, and I think you might find it an interesting experience as well. The Moon Fang tribe... well, as I said, they're not as open to outsiders, and their culture is... (She fidgeted, trying to phrase things in a more positive manner.) They're a bit similar to what you've seen from me. Their culture is apparently rather spartan, so we'll have to show confidence and strength when we visit them, but I think you'll grow to understand a lot more about why people find this world so enthralling once you've visited one of the cultures which has yet to be influenced by us Travelers.

@Cleo Looker

 

[Cleo Looker]

And that final little comment from Mizuki, on the matters of Cleo's appearance, had Cleo blushing more, though she wouldn't be able to get another word in edgewise, since they were moving onto another topic. Still, she'd not expected to be flirting with the wolf woman, especially not after the way they'd met, but things had been...different...ever since that moment during their sparring session, when she'd been pinned in the mud, with the rain falling around them and Mizuki's hair framing her face perfectly...

But she couldn't let herself think about that, instead listening to Mizuki trying to explain the expedition and why she thought Cleo would understand more. It sounded potentially dangerous, going to visit a tribe that apparently didn't like outsiders, but as far as she knew, Landers weren't really all that capable of matching a Traveler.

Right. Well, I guess I'll be perfectly transparent and admit that I've been meeting up with somebody to study the Caenis language, so it's possible that could start to come in handy, maybe? Possibly? I wouldn't say I'm particularly good at it, but I know a phrase or two and can pick apart simple sentences.

@Ueno Mizuki

 

[Ueno Mizuki]

Mizuki blinked. She hadn't expected that from Cleo, that she'd be studying the languages of this world. And then the caenis language specifically. It made her happy, however, especially since it reminded her that she needed to put more work into that as well.

Oh! I need to do that as well. It's a bit silly that as a caenis I don't know the language the tribes use, but it's not like being a caenis Traveler means I know the language. (She shook her head before turning her full attention to Cleo.) Would you mind if I joined in on those lessons? I realize it might sound a bit silly, but I do really want to learn as much about the caenis culture as possible.

It wouldn't be the first time that someone felt like Mizuki was taking things too far, embracing the caenis culture in Terrasphere to the point of doing things that the people from Earth would consider strange or even barbaric. However, for Mizuki to be able to do that was an important part of why she couldn't leave Terrasphere alone.

Her tail wagged behind her as she looked at Cleo questioningly, hoping that the lancer wouldn't have any objections to her joining the language lessons. She didn't know who else it was who Cleo had been spending time with, but she hoped they wouldn't mind either.

@Cleo Looker

 

[Cleo Looker]

Would it be embarrassing to admit that she'd picked Caenis as her first language because she'd met so many beastfolk players? Probably, which was why Cleo decided that it was better to just keep that little fact to herself and pretend that it had been a complete and total coincidence that she'd picked such a fitting language. Because it kind of was, though it was one that she was happy for all the same.

Hearing that Mizuki wanted to join her study sessions, though, briefly brought up the mental image of the both of them, leaning over a classroom table, their lips connected. The sudden flash of the image made her face fill with red, before she glanced downwards, wondering what on earth had caused her mind to conjure that specific thought.

Ah, um, well I don't see why not. I'd have to ask my study partner if she minds, but I'm sure she wouldn't. Plus, I could help catch you up on the very basics, I think. Enough to be able to introduce yourself or something like that.

She smiled lightly, watching the woman's tail wag, seeing how excited Mizuki was at the prospect. It was definitely strange for somebody to be so interested in a fictional culture.

But it was also kind of cute...

@Ueno Mizuki

 

[Ueno Mizuki]

Mizuki's request to join Cleo in studying the Caenis language had been without ulterior motive, which meant that she was rather surprised when it caused Cleo to blush. Just what was the lancer thinking about? If Mizuki knew she'd have started blushing as well, but as it was she just had a faintly puzzled expression on her face as she waited for her friend to recollect herself.

The news that she could probably join the two of them made her grateful, however, and she moved on from Cleo's unexpected reaction.

Understood. If your study partner would rather keep the sessions between the two of you we could also plan our own sessions. And I'd appreciate any help you can give me. I imagine that being a police officer means you have experience with piecing together foreign languages.

The USA was a melting pot of different cultures, with immigrants from all over the globe. Depending on where exactly Cleo lived she would probably have learned a little bit about foreign languages already, if only basic Spanish.

Out of curiosity, who is your study partner? I didn't think many Travelers would be that interested in learning a new language within Terrasphere. It's a bit different from the usual adventuring.

@Cleo Looker

 

[Cleo Looker]

Right, even if my partner wouldn't be comfortable with it, I'd be happy to go out and teach you what I do manage to learn and we can study together that way. Though you don't get as much experience with languages as you'd think, being a cop. We usually have translators we call, rather than doing the rational thing of training our officers to learn more languages or be more capable of navigating language barriers.

Then Cleo rubbed at the back of her neck, humming in thought, a bit of a red blush on her cheeks.

I'm a little bit of an exception, though, since I was working towards getting a position at Interpol for a long time, so I've picked up a few languages. Spanish, French, Japanese and German, currently.

Though when asked who her study partner was, Cleo shrugged, giving Mizuki a small smile, though inwardly, she had to wonder if Mizuki was perhaps jealous of whoever it was. Probably not, it was more likely that she'd try to find this person.

I study with Harveste sometimes. She's a Faerin, I don't know if you know her? We ran into each other at a library and she was studying Faerin cookbooks, I think.

@Ueno Mizuki

 

[Ueno Mizuki]

Huh. I guess that for the police departments it's easier to employ a translator than to set up language lessons for every officer. (Mizuki frowned as she considered Cleo's explanation.) It does seem more sensible to teach everyone the basics of languages they might encounter while on the job, but I guess it'd be more expensive.

The news that Cleo had been trying to get a position at Interpol definitely caught her attention, the wolfess looking visibly impressed, even more so as the lancer explained that she actually already knew several languages, or at least could utilize them for professional purposes.

Working at Interpol would be a prestigious position, wouldn't it? No wonder you've got such a strong work ethic if that is what you're working towards. I've also heard that the more languages you learn the easier it becomes to pick up new languages, so with that kind of background you should pick up Caenis in no time.

In the distance the vague silhouette of buildings finally rose up from the horizon, signalling that the two of them were approaching their destination. However, they still had plenty of time left before they'd actually reach the town. The huntress tried to recall Harveste, but nothing sprang to mind.

I'm afraid the name doesn't make me recall anything. Although now I wonder what faerin cuisine is like. I don't know much about them since I was only really interested in the caenes.

@Cleo Looker

 

[Cleo Looker]

Cleo frowned. Sadly there were a lot of pretty poor statistics, when it came to American policing. For starters, police in the USA received a lot less training than police in other countries, in terms of both the quality of training and how many hours they were mandated to stay in training before they were able to join the force. Of course, it had been different for her, but only slightly. Detectives were, after all, pretty much just regular officers but with a different specialization. Less time spent patrolling the streets, more time spent combing through crime scenes.

It's definitely a shame that they don't give officers more training, yeah. I think a lot of problems could be solved if officers spent longer in training.

Though hearing Mizuki's praise made her smile, blushing a bit, glad that somebody recognized how much of a big deal it was that she'd been headed for interpol, at least before the VRSA had nabbed her.

It gets a bit easier the more you learn, yeah. Your brain gets a lot better at switching between languages, though it also becomes easier to forget languages too. If you don't use them all the time, though.

She wasn't too surprised that Mizuki didn't know Harveste, though. Harveste hadn't really struck her as the famous or well known type. Hearing that Mizuki knew nothing about Faerin cuisine also made sense, making Cleo smirk as she leaned in to poke Mizuki's shoulder.

Maybe you should study more than just the one culture? You might learn a lot about Caenis by comparing it to others.

@Ueno Mizuki

 

[Ueno Mizuki]

Mizuki wasn't as well-informed as Cleo, but she did know that one argument that often came up in political debates was the importance of training for law enforcement. From the way the lancer talked about it she was strongly on the side of the people who believed that more training was important, which the huntress couldn't really disagree with.

You're probably correct with that assessment. Even if it's more expensive, it's important that law enforcement is well trained. But that doesn't take away from the fact that officers like you already put in a lot of effort to do the best job they can.

So if you became more comfortable with learning new languages you also had an easier time forgetting them? Mizuki hadn't known about that, although she could imagine it being true.

I guess that makes sense, that if you become too comfortable with learning new languages you also don't try as hard to remember those you haven't used in a while. Does mean that you need to keep practising. (She grinned.) Once we've both learned how to speak Caenis we'll have to keep each other in practice.

The wolfess blushed a little as Cleo pointed out that as fanatic as Mizuki might be about the caenis race, she might also want to show interest in other races. The detective certainly had a point...

Well... I can't argue with that. Although I'm more interested in the elves than in the faerins... Don't let her hear I said that though. (She tried to quickly change the subject.) Is this Harveste nice?

@Cleo Looker

 

[Cleo Looker]

That was a good way to look at it, yes. More training would always be ideal, but not having as much training as she wanted didn't mean that the officers on duty weren't doing their best to make the country and their communities a safer and happier place. It would be pretty closed minded to look at nothing more than a statistic and trying to paint an entire group of people with those colors.

As for the thing about languages, Cleo grinned, matching Mizuki's grin and nodded, agreeing with the woman's idea. That was just how it was. The more languages a person knew, the less likely they were to need a language on a given day.

Sure thing. If we eventually get good enough, we can try to just consistently hold conversations in Caenid. As far as I know, we don't even actually speak whatever Common is. We just speak our actual languages and the game translates for us. And it translates common to a language we understand.

So maybe it was even possible to learn Common properly? Would the game bother translating it for somebody, once they had bothered learning it?

As for the subject of Harveste, Cleo nodded, a small smile on her face as she thought about the smaller Faerin woman.

She's very nice, yes. A very studied woman. The type you'd expect to meet in a library, unlike myself.

@Ueno Mizuki

 

[Ueno Mizuki]

Hmmm... You know, I hadn't thought about that. I figured that everyone was just speaking English and that it counted as the Common of this world, but I guess what Landers hear is different from what we hear. Your words certainly sound English to me.

It was a fascinating question though. What happened if a Traveler spoke a different language from Earth? Would the game translate that into English for Travelers, or would it remain untranslated? The fact that different languages existed in Terrasphere meant that there wasn't some kind of universal translator.

Mizuki shook her head as she focused on the here and now. Intriguing as the possibilities were, now wasn't the time to explore them in-depth. Maybe after they'd gotten to town.

I'm looking forward to learning what the Caenid language sounds like. There wasn't much opportunity to learn or even hear it before the break, so it'll be an interesting experience.

The small smile Cleo had when she thought about Harveste intrigued Mizuki, who leaned a bit closer as if to study the expression on the lancer's face. She gave a little shrug and a grin when her friend described herself as not looking very erudite.

I can easily imagine you in a library, studying up on something you think is important and ignoring everything around you. Maybe not as much of a casual reader though...

@Cleo Looker

 

[Cleo Looker]

It was all quite interesting. And again, it did have subtly sinister connotations, when one stopped to think about how intimately the game was able to interact with a player's brain, if it was even able to mess with their understanding of words and how they heard them, in this way. Cleo wasn't all that sure she wanted to dwell on that topic too much, considering that she'd already found far too many reasons to be afraid of what this game could possibly be doing to her brain.

As I understand it, the Caenis as a race were unlocked pretty late into the game's lifespan, before the four year server block, right?

Though when Mizuki leaned in to study her, again, Cleo felt the urge to lean forward and kiss the Caenis woman. Instead, she settled for blushing at Mizuki's mental image of her, before shaking her head and smirking at the woman.

I'm actually a massive fan of fantasy and sci-fi novels, if you must know. I spend all my life surrounded by crime and trivia, it's nice to escape into a fantasy book every now and then.

She hummed, before blushing slightly.

If you're ever in Boston, we could meet up? I know a book cafe that's quite nice...

@Ueno Mizuki

 

[Ueno Mizuki]

It's been a while, so the details have become a bit foggy, but I think the Caenis race had been available for about a year before the shutdown happened. Given that Terrasphere had been open for three years before the shutdown you could say it was pretty late, yes.

Mizuki could still keenly remember the circumstances surrounding the unlocking of the Caenis race, and the experience of becoming a caenis herself, but the timeline itself wasn't as firmly embedded into her mind. Days and weeks had a habit of stringing together, especially if they happened four years ago.

I wonder if any other races will become available in the future or if the five we currently have are all we're getting.

Idle musing aside, the more immediately interesting topic was Cleo admitting she was actually a big fan of fiction, specifically science-fiction and fantasy. Mizuki cocked her head quizzically.

And here I was thinking that you were too busy with your work to enjoy frivolities like that. (She laughed.) Not that I mind. It's good to hear you do have something you spent your pastime on.

The invitation to meet up on Earth came without warning, leaving Mizuki stunned for a moment as her cheeks reddened. Quickly shaking her head to regain her composure she smiled warmly.

That... I'd like that, yes. And, coincidence above coincidence, I do live in Boston myself, so it shouldn't be too much effort to meet up. Which book cafe were you thinking of?

@Cleo Looker

 

[Cleo Looker]

A year sounded like a long enough time to at least do a bit of research into these things, but then again, Cleo didn't exactly have all of the facts available to her, so it was pretty hard to say for certain. If Mizuki said that it was pretty late, by that point, then she'd believe the wolf woman and move on with that. Nothing good would come of accusing veterans of being lazy and lax, since back then, it had been a simple game with no downsides, as far as they knew at least.

What I wonder is if players will be able to change races, in the future? Feels like it'd be a bit unfair to older players if a new race became available and they couldn't choose it.

Then Cleo paused.

/

Then again, you said that you changed into a Caenis when the Caenis race got unlocked for players, so race changing at least has some precedent.

Though then the topic trurned to the fact that she had hobbies, making Cleo blush, rubbing at the back of her neck. Had she really come across as THAT single mindedly obsessed with her work that Mizuki had genuinely thought she didn't have hobbies at all?

Though more importantly, the offer to meet up had been accepted. And, quite wonderfully, Mizuki lived in Boston too! Cleo smiled.

Well, I was thinking of The Erudite, if you know it? It's not the smallest place, so it should show up if you look it up online.

@Ueno Mizuki