Complete 18+ Private Quest Western Brisshal [ Reaping Seasons I ] Separate Ways

[Luthien]

As usual Lúthien had found herself sent out on another expedition for Beleg, complete with a small package to deliver. She had been surprised to find her partner for this particular mission would be a recently acquainted blonde, the choice having been a last minute decision when the older elven man had been unable to locate Yugam—having already sent the Hunter on a mission of his own. The ride over had been a pain, as was the standards of wagons in this in-game universe, and shortly after arriving the pair had separated to try and collect information about this mysterious tree… and also for Lúthien to deliver her tiny parcel.

She had found the bakery mostly through her nose, the sweet smell of freshly baked dough in the morning hard to miss or ignore. The parcel had been delivered without issue, and Lúthien had even managed to purchase some of the fresh bread rolls available, before everything had taken a turn when a pair of guardsmen entered. They had paused upon spotting the Explorer, a frown on their faces when she had actually turned to address them, before sneering towards the ranger and their condescending replies made her blood boil.

"The Lion, the Witch, and the audacity of these Bitches…"

Lúthien had chosen to remove herself from the situation then, mostly as a kindness to the sweet baker that had looked exceedingly nervous the more time lapsed with the trio in her shop, before the whispered words had left her lips. So far she’d only learned two things while in Lübeck: 1. The guards were all fucking asshats, and 2. Apparently whatever white tree they were supposed to look for was located somewhere in the forest that connected to the southern road of the village.

Voice Mail

"Hey Fio, I’m done with the delivery—got us some fresh bread rolls and cheese too~ Here’s hoping you’re having better luck gathering info about this dumb white tree than I, guards in this village are fucking assholes. Meet ya at the front of the bakery?"

@Fiora Di Angelo

 

[Fiora Di Angelo]

.

When Trevis informed her she would be doing this with someone else, Fio wished she had opened her mouth and just shut off the elder entirely. Yet given how the guild's reputation now had dropped on her shoulders thanks to her own advancement in the ranks, that meant she would eventually get a name for herself- Not as fun as it sounded, really, and if it weren't for the cuts getting bigger and bigger when it comes to rewards she would have left already.

Still, from all the people it had to be the one sun-kissed elf that tagged along with Yugam sometime ago. At least that made the idea of not going solo far more bearable. Most importantly it meant she could keep an eye on Luthy. The woman's a friend of that idiot, and while playing hero isn't her style, there's still a debt to settle with Yugam.

Making sure Luthy comes back with not a single scratch would be one way to call it even.

The town itself? Well, if that one beastfolk girl proved to be annoying, then the magnificent people of Lübeck were the shithead kings. For one, they couldn't stop staring at her as if she was some freak of nature. On the other-hand, trying to start conversation made it feel like people were somewhat forced to speak to her, if only because a pair of shiny tags let people know 'Yes, i am from the Adventurers Guild, I chew gum and kick ass.' Most of what they had to say was vague as for the tree's whereabouts, save for it's popularity among the youngsters and what mystery surrounded it, enough to consider it 'THE' white tree, in a forest where white trees weren't exactly that rare if their way here had proved something, bumpy road and terrible seats aside.

Beep! Went a warning on her UI, and for once it wasn't some doomsday saying what her interface had to say, but a voicemail notification, which she promptly opened.

"Hey Fio-"
"Hey hey!- Shit wait, this is a voicemail..."

She bit her tongue, just as people turned their heads and Fiora could almost feel their judgement crawl over her back. It so reminded her to people in Japan, and she was compelled to shout at their silent staring, if only Luth didn't say the magic words; That is, food, and a place to meet to eat said food. The growl on her stomach forced her to make haste, even before the message was done so, prompting her to get into a quick jog to meet over with the baker elf herself, who could see a tall blonde approaching to her location at mach 5 speeds.

"Luuuuth!" She waved for her to take notice. The elf took most of her sight, yet something dark begun to move to the corner of her eyes, almost like blurs given she's in movement herself. Once she slowed down, still bearing some distance between herself and her partner, Fio fell silent at the familiar black jacket on top of a certain ash-coloured person that protected them from the elements, precisely the sting of a cold breeze, and...

No, that couldn't be-

"Uhhhh, Luth?" She made a gesture to the left, her right hand pointed out at the duo that were almost about to be lost out of sight as they moved into the tavern, sharing a puzzled look back at her.

@Luthien

 

[Luthien]

With the message sent to the tall knight, Lúthien didn’t have much to do except wait, the girl leaning against the railing on the porch of the bakery while loosely keeping an eye out for the familiar blonde girl. "Oh right, Beleg did mention he’d sent Yu over here a day before we parted… I wonder if he’s still around?" What the older elf had neglected to mention was he’d sent the hunter out for the exact same request given to Fiora and Lútien… but another package for the location had landed on his desk, and so off he’d sent Lúthien on her way.

A hand clicked the space in front of her face, bringing up her small contact list and noticing the online green dot beside Yugam’s name. A smile pulled at the corner of her lips before she clicked to record a message.

Voice Mail

"Hey Yu, you’re up and about early today. You’ll never guess where Beleg sent me—"
"Luuuuth!"

The message was interrupted then, the elf raising a finger to pause the recording before she turned to wave at Fiora. The human quickly crossed the rest of the distance between them , causing Lúthien to chuckle softly before she spoke. "Gimme a sec, okay Fio? I’m recording a vee-mail for Yu." With that her finger tapped on the button to resume the recording.

Voice Mail

"Hey Yu, you’re up and about early today. You’ll never guess where Beleg sent me—"
"Luuuuth!"
"Sorry ‘bout that, Fio finally got here. Anyways, you ready to hear where I’m at now—"
"Uhhhh, Luth?"
"What now, Fio—"

It was then she noticed the knight had been staring into the distance, Fiora finally making a gesture further down the road for Lúthien to follow. Crimson eyes turned away from the knight’s own and in the direction she’d pointed, before she noticed two familiar figures walking towards a nearby tavern—except Moonsong’s signature armor was conspicuously missing, and the smaller brunette was currently wrapped with Yugam’s jacket...?

"What the fuck...?"

They paused for a moment as the brunette bent over slightly, causing Lúthien to squint in response as the ranger's unusually good eyesight zeroed in unto the songstress. It didn’t take a genius to realize what the blonde had just witnessed as the tailcoat of Yugam’s jacket lifted a bit too high, allowing the bottom end of Moonsong’s toned buttocks to briefly show before the two continued walking. A shocked look hanged on her elven features then, the blonde's mouth slightly agape as her previous smile had all but disappeared as Lúthien tried to process everything she'd just seen.

Voice Mail

"Hey Yu, you’re up and about early today. You’ll never guess where Beleg sent me—"
"Luuuuth!"
"Sorry ‘bout that, Fio finally got here. Anyways, you ready to hear where I’m at now—"
"Uhhhh, Luth?"
"What now, Fio—"

. . .

"What the fuck...?"

Notice

Your voicemail has been sent!

Only when a sudden ding! did the elf noticed she had accidentally clicked to send the voicemail she'd currently been working on, her brows furrowing in response before three words dropped from her lips.

"... we’re leaving, Fio."

That was the only warning that Lúthien afforded the knight before she reached for the taller knight’s hand. The usual warmth of her elven voice was currently absent, the gaze on her crimson eyes sharpened in response to her current emotions.

To the ranger's credit she did her very best to drag Fiora away and towards the closest gate, which turned to be the southernmost facing one, as the women began making a beeline for the forest. Her free hand had been brought up towards Lúthien’s mouth by then, digits closed into a tight fist that caused her knuckles to whiten slightly, while elven teeth began testing the hardness of her thumbnail in a vague attempt to release some of the sudden wave of anxiety that had suddenly befallen the elf.

@Fiora Di Angelo

 

[Fiora Di Angelo]

.

She picked up the fact real quick. Not so hard with the gesture and how Luth explained it to her who the voice mail was for, and for a bit she followed suit on that until she picked up these familiar figures and just tried to get the elf's attention at all costs - Oh boy couldn't she fuck up any worse than that, maybe she was better off not having noticed anything at all.

"What the fuck...?"
"What?" Pearly smile, blissfully unaware of what was going on given how her stomach put Fiora in auto-pilot, but the way Luthien squinted, how that smile full of life begun to wane with every passing second. It forced her to rise her guard once again, rare of her to lower it in the first place, concern written all over as she tracked down Luth's eyes in the direction of these two.

And lo and behold, the one feminine form of that duo gave them a full view of top-tier fanservice. She hadn't met many with a classic E.T coloured skin like that, and only one name could breach her mind at that point.

"Hey isn't that Moonsong?" Or well, given the view they had, she was more like Moonass at this point... Awkward that this is happening in public, but she didn't complain. Something told her not to praise eitherway.

Ding! Message sent!

And it wasn't the fact the message got sent, or that her gut now told her to hold on tight.

"... we're leaving, Fio."

"Luth? What's-" Her voice fell short before she could even inquire any further as the ranger took hold of her hand and begun to drag her away. She wished to resist, to fight it back and hold her still for a moment, yet the lovable girl carried a cold in her voice, in every step she made that distanced the pair from the tavern, the bakery, and soon enough the very town, with only a last glance over her shoulder towards the pair that would inevitably be nothing but a foggy image in her head.

It wasn't until the last sightings of any guard or civilization alike that she fought back for once, planting her feet and pulling Luth towards her instead, her free hand quickly catching her by her shoulder before they could collide one with another.

"Alright we are really fucking far away. Listen, I have shitty eyesight. Don't tell anybody I need glasses but I do, so mind telling me what's gotten into you? What did you saw?" Heavy eyelids woke up in that moment, the stern look moreso worried than scoldful. "I think I saw someone familiar, or at least her ass-" Which she wasn't familiar with in the slightest but now wished that were the case. "For the record, yours ain't half bad, but I don't think that's what got you all worked up, was it?" Fiora jested, trying her best to make her laugh, just a little bit of comedy, anything between a smirk or a half-smile... She just couldn't bear to see someone so bright turn so dark outta nowhere.

Finally she sighed off, holding seriousness unlike what the ranger has seen of her in the past. Or almost anybody, really. "Talk to me." She smiled, giving one last comforting squeeze to Luth's hand before letting go of it.

@Luthien

 

[Luthien]

"Hey isn't that Moonsong?"
"Yes."

The response was a monosyllabic word that drily tumbled from her lips as the elf turned around, grasping the hand of the taller blonde tightly before she began to lead both of them towards the forest. "Luth? What's-" No response came from the girl this time around, Lúthien’s eyes staring at the path straight ahead… but at the same time towards nothing at all. Her smile was long gone, and the usual mirth and warmth that often seemed to hang around the sunkissed elf had all but dissipated with each step the ranger took.

She found no resistance from Fiora, a fact that the ranger was thankful of in the deepest recesses of her mind because Lúthien doubted she would’ve had the strength to forcefully drag the taller knight away with her otherwise. It didn’t take long before Lübeck disappeared entirely from their view, both women now surrounded by the plentiful variety of trees that made up the nearby forest, but even then Lúthien would’ve continued to walk away… had it not been for Fiora finally pulling the brakes.

Fiora would’ve found little resistance as she pulled on the hand connecting them both, the smaller blonde easily yanked back and towards the woman before the knight’s hand on her shoulder prevented an actual collision. A crackling sound would echo then from the contact, the static that had been building up on tense shoulders reacting to the sudden touch as small sparks fluttered before disappearing once more. "Yeah, that was Moonsong’s ass." No smile or chuckle would follow however. Instead Lúthien's eyebrows were furrowed, a distant look on her crimson eyes that currently refused to meet Fiora’s emerald gaze. Instead they remained casted downwards, looking off to the side at nothing in particular while a storm of thoughts continued to brew inside her elven mind.

"Talk to me."

A squeeze was delivered to her elven hand before Fiora finally let go, though if the ranger was even aware of the touch was debatable at best. Luthien's arms now hung by her sides, both palms currently balled into tight fists that caused the skin atop her knuckles to stretch and whiten in response. "W-Why were they—" A few words began to tumble out before they were abruptly cut off once more, the ranger clamping her mouth shut even as her lips pressed into a firm and thin line. She currently felt like an idiot, acting every bit the fool as she currently was... after all, she had no right to question whatever Yugam did in his own free time.

"It’s nothing, Fio. I’m fine."

@Fiora Di Angelo

 

[Fiora Di Angelo]

.

The mere touch upon her shoulder not only revealed muscle tension coming out of Luth, but an intense static snuffed out along a few sparks, like friction had just happened despite how ridiculous or impossible that could sound, eye-catching enough to get her by surprise. Yet the ranger kept on talking despite her initial shock (pun intended) as if nothing had happened-

"Yeah, that was Moonsong's ass."

Despite how hilarious that sounded, it just didn't register as funny to her anymore. Neither her jokes did to Luth apparently. Her silence, and the million yard stare that she tried so hard to meet despite how elusive it proved to be proved not just concerning, but frightening to a point.

Like the calm before the storm was now, and it could end in a moment's notice...

But finally she gave in, words staggered off her lips, left hanging in the air. Body language remained prevalent, whitening skin in response to clenching fists. It was strange just how much she could see of herself on this girl, on the way she fought back against all instincts to shout and tear the cause of her afflictions right now. And to be honest? She wanted to do the same for Luth right now, but that wasn't her call. Beating the shit out of Yugam wouldn't ease the weight on her friend's heart, nor the suffocation her own felt when set to face itself against a mirror.

"It's nothing, Fio. I'm fine."
"Look me in the eyes if you gonna lie to me like that." She intercepted with razor sharp words and furrowed brows, a tranquil rage brewed on her throat, swallowed down and leaving only the bitter taste of serenity, as she couldn't just lash out at a friend. This wasn't a problem she could simply smash through, and acknowledgement lead to a deep breath, her hands reaching out, albeit slowly, to rest over hers with one tactful touch. "Sorry, I used to say the same and I really hate to see you do the same mistake." Sympathy laced in one apologetic smile, which Luth might have missed given how her eyes couldn't meet the knight.

So the knight met hers instead by lowering herself until emeralds met rubies as Fiora was all she could get a view of if she so decided to focus on the ground only.

"You gonna hurt yourself if you keep balling your hands like that, and I'm gonna start shooting heals at you." A faint smile crossed her lips, lightly tapping the back of the elf's hands. "Come on, let's just keep moving, find some nice tree to sit on and eat some baked goods, sounds good?" Hardly any other option, but if not, she would find one.

To say they were the same side of two different coins wouldn't be off the mark right now. At least, that's what her emotional self told her so, despite not wishing to carry away with sentimentalism. Not here, not now, at least.

@Luthien

 

[Luthien]

Slowly but surely the static had continued to build up within her, and in some innate way Lúthien almost found the feeling of the mastery quietly enveloping her comforting. Quietly her molars ground against one another, her teeth clenched shut, and for a moment the blonde wasn’t aware of anything around her except for her muddled thoughts.

"Look me in the eyes if you gonna lie to me like that."

The sudden words cut through her mind like a hot knife through butter, a small flinch crossing her face even though the ranger refused to meet the knight’s gaze. Fiora’s hands reached for her tightly wound fists then, small sparks harmlessly dancing off Lúthien’s skin as the woman’s bigger hands enveloped her own. She couldn’t see the apologetic smile on Fiora’s lips, though the sentiment was carried over regardless by the inflection on her voice as the taller woman spoke.

"It’s nothing, really—" Her words caught in her throat when Fiora lowered herself, emerald eyes finally meeting the ruby gaze of the ranger and startling Lúthien. "—I’m just being silly andstupidand…!"

Softly the knight tapped the back of Lúthien’s hands, the elf finally allowing her tight grip to loosen somewhat, before Fiora was leading them both deeper into the forest in the hopes of finding somewhere quiet to sit down and properly talk. She could feel a lump in her throat that suddenly made it difficult for the ranger to breath, much less talk, even as Lúthien could already feel the corner of her eyes beginning to moisten up.

"Y-Yeah…"

@Fiora Di Angelo

 

[Fiora Di Angelo]

.

"—I'm just being silly andstupidand…!"That's what she wanted to hear out of her lips-

"That's the Luth I know." Thoughts turned into words, Fiora's features begun to brighten up once again, relief silently showered her at that moment where the elf shown some form of emotion. It wasn't like the wound had closed, but at least she returned to her senses, if only momentarily. "Alright then let's get going, I hope you bought a lot because I'm hungry like a brick I tell ya'"

The air was thick with uncertainty despite what just transpired seconds earlier. Their agreement to move on only helped Fiora stall a bit, because frankly the situation didn't seem like something she could handle- She didn't know her personally, not enough to sit down and talk heart to heart with her like any good friend would.

In reality they were just two strangers who met and were still trying to figure out if they could be friends or not, linked by one figure in common, the one that was now the cause of her stress and Luth's blights. Glancing over her shoulder every few steps in hopes of seeing some change on the elf got her nothing but ever-growing worry, and a frown that carried on for the rest of the trip, deepened when she begun to pick up on footprints. At first she had thought these could belong to any other traveler, yet the sheer size was monstrous a few seconds later. From small to huge in a matter of seconds, and just now it clicked they had been off the roads for sometime now.

"Y-Yeah…"

"Chin up, archer girl." She called out with bolsterous energy, looking over to her once again "we- LUTH!" Right before the horrifying sight of several little spears skewering them could run through her mind, Fiora stretched out her hand to the elf, forming a barrier right infront of them out of raw arcane magic, the blue, solid wall blocking every single one of them despite the cracks the hastely made spell begun to show.

Wrathful glare shot back to the little goblins, it seemed that their footprints had been just a bait, which they fell for entirely. With or without prints it didn't matter, their attention was elsewhere in the first place- Still, the loinclothed goblins licked their lips and left a battle cry from their ferocious maws as they switched to their back-up spears on their backs.

It wasn't like the shield would go-

The barrier suddently died off, magic flickered as soon as an arrow pierced the knight's shoulder and forced her arm back down with one surprised cry, a trio of archers atop the trees just on her blindspot had begun to aim at the blonde duo.

"T-these bastards set up an ambush." Fiora hissed, quiet breath turned to painful, harsh panting, her left arm left immobilized by the arrow, yet pulling it off should be the last thing in her mind. Fine by her, she still had her right, an arcane tower shield strapping itself to it as she took the role of guardian for her ranger.

@Luthien

 

[Luthien]

She had fallen back into silence after the brief word salad that escaped her lips, her gaze mostly focused on the undergrowth as both girls moved away from the established dirt path in their search for a nice place to sit down and have a chat. On occasion she would glance up to look at the back of the taller blonde, noticing that now and again Fiora would turn her head just enough to make sure the ranger was still trailing behind her and not lost somewhere in the woods. Lúthien couldn’t help but feel like deadweight at the moment, keenly aware of the emotional burden she was no doubt placing onto the shoulders of the knight with little to no warning.

They were just two strangers that had only met recently, still in the early stages of trying to figure out if they could become friends. The only knowledge before of each other’s existence was whatever Ari had shared to each girl about the other through IRL or in-game conversations they had shared. Granted, though their interactions so far had been little, Lúthien still thought the other blonde seemed like a cool person to have around… at the very least Fiora didn’t deserve to be put in the uncomfortable position she currently was.

"Chin up, archer girl." Her voice carried over with ease as Fiora turned to look at the elf once more, this time catching the gaze of Lúthien as the girl finally managed to force out a few more words in response. "Sorry… I’m alright now Fio, promise."

The lie slipped through her lips with practiced ease as the blonde fell back into old habits that died hard. Masking her emotions was something Valeria had learned to do from a young age, a skill she'd polished and refined through most of her childhood. It’s better this way… There was no need to shove her burdens onto Fiora, especially considering the woman was also Ari’s roommate IRL—the last thing Lúthien wanted was to ruin the life balance both of them had achieved back in their home.

Besides, what right did she have to question the life choices that Ari made? It’s not like they were even dating in the first place…

"We- LUTH!"

Fiora’s sudden cry was enough to snap the girl from her own convoluted thoughts, a hand reaching out past her shoulder before the woman materialized a magical barrier to protect them both. Thunk, thunk thunk thunk… thunk! She could hear the impact of the rustic javelins as they striked Fiora’s arcane shield, causing web-like cracks to form on the surface wherever they had impacted.

"S-Shit…! When did they—" She had turned then to face the group of goblins that had finally revealed themselves to the girls, realizing that she had failed to keep a proper look out as they had ventured deep into the forest. She had just grabbed her violin on her back, snapping the instrument into its bow form, when the magical shield protecting them dissipated at the same time that Fiora cried out in pain from behind Lúthien. "Fio?!"

Crimson eyes quickly noticed the arrow protruding from the knight’s shoulder, causing the elf to grind her molars together before her gaze quickly shifted up towards the trees. She spotted them then, three cackling little goblins with their bows present, one of which currently didn’t have an arrow nocked onto it. "How fucking dare you...!" A hand reached for the arrows in her quiver, nocking one onto her bowstring before the elf took careful aim. The static that had slowly been building up quickly traveled onto the arrow, causing it to glow just before Lúthien released it and struck a headshot on the offending goblin.

The two besides it cried out in surprise when the arrow sticking from the middle goblin suddenly exploded into a million tiny splinters. A burst of purplish blue lightning was released from within, shocking the two other goblins present before all three dropped to the ground below. Lúthien was already nocking another arrow onto her bow when Fiora moved, the knight summoning an arcane tower shield onto her right arm before her back pressed against that of the archer to guard them both from any frontal assaults.

Two more arrows were let loose then, one striking the shoulder and another the chest of the two remaining goblin archers, before the elf watched with an annoyed expression as they also splintered into nothing once more as the magic was triggered. Lighting arched high as electricity bounced back and forth between the two creatures, eliciting pained cries even as the foul and foreign smell of singed hair and flesh began to permeate the air.

@Fiora Di Angelo

 

[Fiora Di Angelo]

.

"How fucking dare you...!"

She didn't need her eyes, just her nose is enough to catch a whiff of roasted goblin meat, yet despite it all she wished to get a better view of the show. Call it karma, call it payback, yet the looks of a goblin skewered by arrows so precise they already had doomed them the moment it pierced vitals, only to be given the overkill of lightning arcing back and forth between them. A quick and painful death to a bunch of pixels, and yet, on this moment they were the most real bunch of pixels ever.

And certainly the most fucked, now that the joy of three dead archers were gone and five spearmen prepared to get up close and personal, given the battle on the distance was nigh-meaningless. They all charged at once on a straight line, ready to zig zag at the threat of the ranger, the only one they hoped would be troublesome beyond just a shield for them to circle around, unsavory jaws hanging loose, bloody teeth from their last prey flashed as the enraged little gremlins went straight at her.

"HEY Luth." She called, waiting not for an answer as she turned on her heel to the left and begun her charge straight ahead to them, just as her shield grew spikes all over facing outwards, the unmistakeable sound of a sharp pointy end shook the ambushers's bravery to the core.

"Knock-" Fiora slammed the shield down once she got close enough, dragging the dirt back then forth once she bolted forth with all her weight and momentum upon it. "-KNOCK!" The shield slammed against two of them, blood splatters as the woman became their meat grinder, and their assault was broken along their formation, the impact impaling the two who tok the worst of the bash into it, and the raw strike made the shield shatter and explode into many fragments that splintered the spearwielders, with the first two left behind as maimed corpses flinged across the ground.

From the last three, two begun their retreat, with one of them pulling out a warhorn to roar loud and clear into the sky, and it didn't take a genius for them to know what this meant: Reinforcements, yet this was no war camp nor nest...

Once Fiora took hold of one of the spears and simply used it to cut straight through the one who stood behind to sacrifice itself for it's colleagues, it's head severed it's neck with the very crude weapon they dignified themselves to attack them, the blonde gave a glance back at the elf, then tilted her head in direction of the two run-by's

The earth quakes...​

As if they didn't have enough problems already, a thunderous storm forced the world around them to shake, the angered soil forcing her on one knee as she glared in direction of the forests, where the three goblin bodies used to be, still smoking, blackened even in death by the voltage that ran through exposed flesh. A gigantic figure stood, just one hand being enough to tilt mother nature's trees and cast them aside, it's right one? A piece of metal, a chunk attached to a stick that looked almost like half of a tree's trunk, a crude axe that could probably be put to measure with the knight and still claim victory in size alone, while it's wielder beat the pair even if they were to stand one on top of the other.

Kahl ek predator, kahl ek sep unholrit natuke goblin des, kahl det goblins...

Ti DEEEEEEEEEEEETT!!!

With one fierce stomp on the floor, it's fallen breathen were turned into nothing but gore and leftovers to never be seen again, even worse of a fate than the one Luth had planned, and then set off into a charge, loud wide steps taking it towards the ranger as it's main prey, the one who actually had a weapon on sight- It was no fool to attack Fiora unlike the others.

"I'M TAKING THIS FUCKER!" She howled, with as much savagery as the goblin champion itself, only with less of an echo, like a little bird trying to match up to a dinosaur in a roar competition, yet she made up in spirit, dashing straight to the threat and creating walls purely out of arcane on it's pathway. Walls that were shattered with it's mere weight alone, yet enough of them begun to slow it's assault enough that, after the last one fell, Fiora jumped into the fray with her tower shield reformed to halt it on place.

The towering green beast would have none of it, using it's free hand to grasp the shield as if it were an apple and begun to push the blonde back even as she dug her heels into the floor, sadistic grin forming on it's lips as it rose it's arm and aimed it's axe to cut through her from the side.

Yet before it could even begin to carry the momentum on it's swing, Fiora cried out, raising her left hand up and sending a blue magical fist straight towards it's wrist to halt it's attack before it even begun, and the knockback exposing it's upper body completely for a certain archer to play target practice with.

Unfortunately for Fiora, pushing back the champion meant getting dragged along thanks to it's grip on her shield...

@Luthien

 

[Luthien]

Steady breaths passed through slightly parted lips as the blonde watched the two remaining archer goblins get fried to a crisp with her lightning, the ranger surprised to find her heartbeats level and stable amidst the sudden ambush Fiora and herself were currently under. Hands that had been shaking moments earlier were now still and responsive, and the elf couldn’t remember ever feeling on top of her game as she did in that very moment.

”HEY Luth,” The call from Fiora snapped the blonde out of her own musings, her eyes looking away from her tingling fingertips to look back at Fiora, just as the small swarm of spearmen goblins began heading in their direction. ”Knock—KNOCK!”

She couldn’t help the faint smirk that tugged at the corners of her lips then, watching as the knight turned left and began charging onto the incoming formation, the arcane shield she had produced smacking into two of the goblins with a sickening crunch! that almost felt like music to her elven ears. Lúthien watched as the magical shield exploded into many fragments that embedded themselves onto the two goblins like shrapnel from an explosion, their mangled bodies rolling on the ground before finally coming to a stop.

"Who’s there?!"

The ranger decided to play along with Fiora’s little prompt, her voice loud and clear even as the archer lifted her bow once more and took aim. Fiora’s display had made enough of an impression for the goblins to momentarily forget about the ranger. It allowed Lúthien to focus the sparks that danced around her hands into the next two arrows, before she nocked one back after the other and allowed them to fly true towards their targets. The first pierced the goblin right on the neck, the creature’s attempted scream reduced to a gurgled mess, while the second struck its companion on the left shoulder. It didn’t take long before the imbued lightning was released once more, exploding the arrows once more as the wood splintered both creatures milliseconds before the electricity danced between them until it finally fizzled out.

"... shit!"

The remaining goblin had been quick to pull out a warhorn of sorts, managing to blow loudly onto the instrument shortly before Fiora made quick work of the creature, beheading the creature with the very crude weapon they used to attack unsuspecting travelers in these parts. However it didn’t took long for the girls to know that the now deceased creature had managed its objective, the ground seemingly shaking beneath them as something began making its way towards them from somewhere deep in the woods. It had forced Luthien to crouch low onto the ground in order to stay on her toes, watching as a massive hand appeared between some of the trees before it pushed against the trunk of one of them… bending it almost like it was simply shifting aside a twig.

"La puta madre..." It screamed towards the heaves in guttural words and growls that the elf could not comprehend, but it didn’t take a genius to figure out what it probably meant. ”Ready for round two, Fio?!"

A fierce stomp reduced the already slayed goblins to mere bloodstains on the ground, causing the ranger to wince before she realized the creature’s eyes were solely focused on her. "Oh fuuuck...!" A hand quickly reached back to her quiver, grasping onto the longer and sturdier custom made arrows that the elf had commissioned not long ago—quite aware that her regular ones would probably do little more than annoy the massive giant.

"I'M TAKING THIS FUCKER!"

True to her word the knight rushed forth, creating a line of arcane walls between themselves and the goblin champion. It smashed through them of course, but each one managed to slow down its approach by an extra few seconds—precious time that both girls used to ready themselves for the combat that was about to ensue. Three of the <Fallen Usurper> arrows were pulled from her quiver, each one nestled between the fingers of the archer’s hand as she closed her eyes and focused on embedding the magical energy right onto the steel arrowhead of each one. It caused their tips to glow in response, a blueish purple tint now coating the surface of each, before Lúthien began to nock the first arrow into her bowstring—

"Fio!?!"

The goblin champion had been about to strike down the knight with its massive ax, causing the ranger to cry out in warning as she realized her arrow wouldn’t be ready in time to stop the attack, before a blue arcane fist suddenly apparated and smashed against the wrist of the creature. It was enough to stop its attack as the impact seemed to unbalance the giant as it tumbled backwards, enough so various vitals were exposed to trained elven eyes... before his grip on Fiora's shield carried the blonde along for the ride.

"FUCK!"

The first arrow was unleashed, striking the giant on the left side of the exposed abdomen, even as Lúthien watched the taller blonde get dragged along as the monster refused to loosen their grip on her shield. "Get rid of that shield Fio, NOW!!!" A second arrow soon joined the first, this one managing to sneak into the right ribcage of the massive beast, before the third struck just underneath the exposed jaw of the giant.

A few moments would pass before the heads of each arrow would began to glow brightly, crackling with magical energy, as the lightning stored within was about to burst and consume anything around them.

"GET OUT OF THERE NOW, FIO!"

@Fiora Di Angelo

 

[Fiora Di Angelo]

.

The poor little monsters didn't stand a chance, and really they should have thought twice, or just aimed for the head like the spearmen did at first before she blocked them out. Perhaps in the next life they would learn from Luthien where to aim, specially the one who saw it's life fade away with an arrow through it's neck, desperately clawing in hopes of breaking the arrow, yet it's struggles, however weak they were, died off the moment lightning set off from it's companion's shoulder like a makeshift lightning rod had attracted the worst of the storm to the both of them. Being near the edge of death didn't make the first's death any faster, mere seconds fueled by electrical torment

Almost cute from Luth, paying back that arrow that went through her shoulder. But she couldn't see it that way, only a psycho could find that cute given how gruesome it just turned out to be, so the word 'retribution' fit better in her head- It also meant her joke slipped entirely, and the end of her pun was left hanging in the air.

"Uhhh, I forgot. Got too busy with the preparations for the 'bash'" She winked back, catching herself riight before an anti-climatic ending to their fight-

No, nevermind, this giant, scarred big guy that looked like the papa goblin just got Luth to get the words out of her mouth.

"La puta madre..."

At least one of the words registered, so her best guess? Cussing, and the kind that's accurate for the moment. "Yuuup..." She agreed. La puta madre...

The fight would heat up no sooner than that on one decisive clash. Fights like these could last minutes, yet they didn't have that much time, and if she's fucking pissed, then Luth is the very definition of Hell-on-Earth right now with what she's been dealing earlier on. They had to end it, and they had to do so fast, the champion wasn't at the top of his game either, but that showed experience. Unfortunately, it also shows recklessness.

Much of her EP went to that one strike, that one parry to leave it wide open, the champion would not fall twice for it, it would crush for that's what it wanted to do, what it -would- do as soon as his arm cooperated and descended onto the puny human, a mere obstacle compared to the archer. An arrow through the abdomen piercing organ and flesh alike had something to say about it. No arrow had pierced it's skin before, and yet these were no regular pointy sticks. his rage turned to panic, and panic back to rage once again as it pushed Fiora down against the ground, lifting dirt grass and peebles alike, whatever she would catch on her forced path.

"Get rid of that shield Fio, NOW!!!" A smart call from Luth, really.

"JUST SHOOT-" She cried back, the mouthful of insults and frenzy-induced screams from the giant muffled the rest. A few bruises if it meant more room for Luth to finish it off. If it could so much as scratch the elf, then they were both as good as dead. She just needed to hang on a little longer...

Another arrow usurped the champion from it's mobility, Luthien's dead eye had it pierce through a lung, forcing the air out of it and pushing it on down a knee. It took a second for it to recover from the agony, the pain made into adrenaline, and adrenaline into an undying frenzy.

GOBLIN DES, KAH- GGAUGH!?!

It's shouts were cut short, silenced by cast steel that went through it's face, more accurately it's jaw, and made it into it's mouth and straight to his gums. If it so much thirsted for blood, then Luthien just gave it what it wanted...

But to say it wouldn't take one down with him would be stupid, foolish even, like his own attempt to fight the duo. Fiora still clinged to her shield, still used it as the opportunity she wanted to use it for, and once the champion flinged her back to try and maul her against the floor on it's last ditch effort, the shield shattered and splinters were sent straight to it's face, a mere distraction, like the prick of a hundred needles, and the momentum had her sent shortly over the air and land straight on the ground.

Right as the fireworks begun.

To say the whole scenario turned dim for a moment, absorbed by the tremendous lightning that zapped the air and permeated the whole place with traces of magia would be the least of the side-effect. It truly was as if the world obeyed Luthien's demands. Or it simply is nature running it's course, punishing those who go against it. Once the majestic violin turned itself into a bow, a different kind of instrument yet posessing strings all the more for the elf to play with, it's when lady turned into a force of nature.

flesh begun to burn away from the spots closest to the wounds. The jaw just completely de-attached itself from the champion's face, held in place by an arrow, and Fiora had to even step back a little further to not get caught by any blue bolts of lightning. Usually, decapitation would follow after seasoned adventurers bring down such a beast, but when the champion coughed blood out for the last time and dropped straight to the ground with one loud thump, they had no need to confirm it's death.

Not if the gaping hole on it's abdomen and the melted face were any give aways, like steak left to cook for a whole day on a BBQ...

Fiora just kept her eyes set on the fallen monster, processing the adrenaline that radiated out of her, waiting for it to move just to cleave it down should it really dare to get any closer to Luth... Did she even need her to? That thing went down before she could even so much as scratch it. Noted, she is no newbie, not at all...

"Holy shit it's down... Fuck, remind me not to piss you off ever." She added, tiresome chuckle breaking the monotony on her surprised features as she slowly got herself back on her two feet. There was still a problem however, and the pain in her voice just gave that away- The wound on her shoulder, which had begun to bleed profusely after she rolled all over the floor and had the arrow head break, the pain gone unregistered until given any sort of attention, where the knightess just fell on one knee and pressed her right hand against the open wound.

@Luthien

 

[Luthien]

She watched as the giant flung Fiora back into the air in horror, the knight still stubbornly clinging to her arcane shield despite Lúthien’s constant calls for her to drop it and get out of there. A sudden wave of dizziness overcame the ranger then, causing Lúthien to sink to her knees as her free hand rose to clutch the side of her head. A faint glance to the corner of her screen confirmed that a huge EN chunk was now missing from her needs, the magic finally consumed from the elf as the arrows got ready to unleash the energy.

"F-Fio…!"

Lúthien barely managed to catch the moment when the knight’s shield shattered, the many smaller pieces piercing the face of the goblin champion and causing them to cry out in surprise and agony, before the world went white for a moment as the pent up energy from the arrows unleashed in unison. It caused the elf to close her eyes and turn her face away from the spectacle, able to hear the crackling sound of the electricity as the arcing bolts danced all around the body of the monster.

The smell that rose front he singed and burned flesh was enough to make the blonde gag in response, putrid and repulsive stench something that the archer didn’t want to ever breathe or sample again if possible. A heavy thud! rocked the earth then as the giant slumped sideways onto the ground, coughing out a final mouthful of blood before stillness finally overcame every muscle in its physique.

Her heart was pounding rapidly inside her chest, the previous calmness she’d felt overridden when a very real threat had quite literally pushed and bent trees to reach both women. From the side she spotted Fiora reappear, the sight of the knight seemingly in good condition causing a relieved sigh to escape Lúthiens lips.

"Holy shit it's down..."
"I k-know… I can’t believe it either.”
"Fuck, remind me not to piss you off ever."
"Hahaaah, duly noted—fuck, Fio, your shoulder!"

A tiresome chuckle had briefly joined the one from the taller knight, but soon it faded away as the elf caught the signs in the woman’s face and the tone of her voice. It caused Lúthien to remember that Fiora had been wounded at the very start of the battle, the elf scrambling back to her feet when Fiora suddenly took a knee as her hand pressed against the wound. At some point in the battle the arrow that had been sticking out of it had been lost, the bleeding renewed as a result, and it caused a curse to escape elven lips as the archer got closer to the knightess.

"Hold still, Fio, I can fix this… I think." One hand pressed against Fiora’s own while she tried to stem the bleeding, the other pressing against the back of the shoulder in a direct path to her first hand. Her eyes closed as the ranger focused her mind, gathering her magical energy as Lúthien hummed softly one of Stirling’s songs to focus and activate her magic. "It might hurt a bit… but it’ll be over before you know it, I promise!"

Underneath her hands she could feel the way the girl’s flesh shifted and moved, encouraged to regrow and regenerate by the hummed tune, even if the process was slow and tedious… Lúthien was simply too exhausted to do any better right now.

"I’m sorry Fio," The words tumbled from her lips moments later as her healing was completed, a remorseful look on her elven face while Valeria avoided looking at Fiora straight in the eyes. "I should’ve been paying attention as we walked… I should’ve noticed and pointed them out long before they had the chance to ambush us like that."

Beleg had even warned her multiple times to be careful in the woods surrounding Lübeck, having mentioned again and again like a broken record how they were filled to the brim with goblins that wouldn’t think twice before capping a bitch…

@Fiora Di Angelo

 

[Fiora Di Angelo]

.

For all this time, Fiora switched gazes between the champion and Luthien, having heard enough tales of how these things just suddently rise up from an apparent rigor mortis to reignite battle. It twitched, it's arms did at least, yet despite the paranoia that caused her, it simply ended up being a leftover from whatever last signals it's brain sent to it's limbs that stuck around. Yeah, it's dead and it smells like shit paste, nothing either of them wanted to be around for long.

"Hahaaah, duly noted—fuck, Fio, your shoulder!"

Just an extra reminder that she took a beating from beginning to end, yet before she could so much as protest to try and patch herself up, Luthien offered a possible solution.

"Hold still, Fio, I can fix this… I think."
"Just a flesh wound, it's no big deal. I'm a big girl." All that bravado and non-chalance from her just died the moment the archer begun to chant and magic begun to run it's course through her, with two hands working as their catalyst on both ends of her wound, which was the least of the unpleasant experiences, her muscles all tensed for a second, at least until she was given some honesty about it. This would hurt... A bit was an understatement. "Just do it I can take it."

Case not on point, once her flesh and skin reformed at an exhausting pace with how it pushed the limits of her body at a controlled pace to not wear her off too quickly, something noteworthy to Fiora, just not to go in detail with- Because yes, it's painful, enough to get a tear out of her eyes as she bit down on thin air. A piece of cloth, a handkerchief- At that point she wished for any of these just to help her endure, even a bottle of whiskey could work...

"...Fuck I- It's hard to get used to real pain." She admitted, letting her chest heave and get some air back in her lungs. Unfortunately this made her cringe at the putrid, suffocating odor from the corpses and remains near them.

"I'm sorry Fio," These words caught the knight's eyes once again, yet Luth's didn't, they avoided her like a plague, but remorse and guilt made her lips move and spit out her apologies.

Without so much as a word, Fiora stretched her right hand gently to reach out for Luthien's, not a single word muttered out as she started to drag the two of them away from the champion's corpse, from the bloody scene, from everything that could sour their mood, only after they had moved a fair distance did she take another deep breath in.

"Sorry but I was about to throw up if we stuck around there for another minute. Never thought goblins could smell awful." She smiled back at the ranger from over her shoulder. "Look, this seems like a good spot to sit around." Ignoring her last apologies for a moment, Fiora finally let go of her friend's hand and took a few steps forth, pulling her UI to reach into her inventory. Pixels begun to manifest across her, materializing the brown cloak. Following up, she removed it only to spread it all over the grass infront of them, squatting down as she did. "Food's gonna get cold in your inventory. Dunno if that's true or not but I sure ain't about to find out." She added with a dizzy smile that reminded her not to tackle giant goblins on her own again...

Yet as much as she didn't want to bring conversations of minutes earlier, emerald eyes lifted towards Luthien's. "It's a game, Luth. I know it's still dangerous and all, but we are here to have a good time alright? That ambush was pretty excitin', and you kicked ass back there, girl boss. I owe you one- Two for the food." Fiora patted over a patch of grass next to her as she sat down adjacent to the cloak. "Look we ain't gonna continue until we sit down, eat tasty fantasy world fake food and you cool off your mind. I can't have my questing partner all pent up." She proclaimed, hand gestures to point down at their makeshift table-cloth at the mention of food, then back at Luthien.

Thankfully there would be no more Gobussrit this time around to interrupt their nice bonding time

@Luthien

 

[Luthien]

She had intended to retrieve her arrows if possible from the putrid corpse of the goblin champion, but that thought had soon been abandoned and forgotten when the elf had caught sight of Fiora’s wound. Despite her lack of understanding when it came to healing the blonde had still managed to mend the shoulder wound of her companion, an apologetic glance given to the taller woman as she watched the pain twist her facial features and her jaw clench tightly.

"R-right? The realism in this game is fucking insane at times," And yet that hadn’t stopped Valeria from turning off the <Pain Limiter> on her UI the very first day she’d logged into TerraSphere… and, judging by Fiora’s reactions, she had a feeling the knightess had done the same thing. "... something, something, no pain no gain, huh?"

A half hearted attempt to make light of the situation, though it was quite evident the blonde’s spirit wasn’t in it, before the apology had tumbled out of her lips. A moment had lapsed before Fiora’s hand had reached for her own, the taller woman wordlessly dragging the ranger along as they both stepped far away from the carnage their fighting had resulted in. Eventually the scent of singed flesh and fresh blood faded away, replaced instead by the usual earthy and musky scents associated with ancient forests such as this one.

"Look, this seems like a good spot to sit around."

A smile was tossed over the woman’s shoulder in her direction, one that Lúthien half heartedly returned, before she watched Fiora fiddle with her UI. A large brown cloak soon materialized, the knightess doing her best to spread it along the ground, before Fiora sat down and patted the empty space beside her. She let out a long sigh at the woman’s words, but the faint smile on her lips remained as the ranger began interacting with her own HUD.

"I know it’s a game, Fiora, or at least that’s what it portrays itself as…"

A small wicker basket materialized then, softly landing on her outstretched arms, before Lúthien finally dragged her ass over to sit beside Fiora. The basket was placed between them, a hand carefully tossing the soft red gingham patterned cloth back to reveal various bread rolls and cheese cuts that the ranger had bought at the bakery not long ago.

"But unlike most games this one can actually have repercussions if either of us bites it, even if it’s just accidental." At least that’s what the rumors said, and given Yugam’s own concern about how many deaths she might already have had when they had first met in-game the blonde assumed there was some truth to it all. "It’s my job as the ranger to pay attention to our surroundings and discover ambushes before they happen, not to mention that my own mentor warned me at least five times about the high concentration of goblins in these parts…"

The smile had faded out from her lips by then, the thought of the raven-haired man instantly dampening the mood once more. Unconsciously the elf had brought her knees up close to her chest, the crossed arms resting on top of them serving as a place for the elf a place to rest her head in.

A part of her had hoped to meet up with the hunter here in Lübeck, hoping that seeing him would have cleared away the recent doubts that had flourished in her mind from a recent conversation Lúthien had shared with Kyra. Instead she’d been met with a rather unexpected sight of the man escorting her unnie through the streets of Lübeck… buck ass naked except for the man’s jacket draped over her form. The memory was enough to make the elf clench her jaw tightly, and the only reason she was prevented from picking at the side of her fingers was due to the gloves the archer currently wore on her hands.

"Look we ain't gonna continue until we sit down, eat tasty fantasy world fake food and you cool off your mind. I can't have my questing partner all pent up."

Her head tilted slightly then, just enough so Lúthien could look in Fiora’s direction as she attempted a forced smile towards the knightess.

"You eat first, I’m not really hungry right now…"

@Fiora Di Angelo

 

[Fiora Di Angelo]

.

"... something, something, no pain no gain, huh?"
"No other way to live than that."
A smile of approval tugged from her lips. These were words that she lived by, but to hear them out of Luth just added an extra positive on her checklist of things to look out for. And that was good, since she would kick her ass if she wasn't the right one for Ari, simple as that.

Given today however, it might just be the other way around...

Dark thoughts were set aside once the pair found their little spot on the forest, with a tree to grant some shade and the cool breeze that whistled through the winds just now, enough to willow their hairs ever so slightly, Emerald eyes went straight for the basket, like a moth to a flame who could only see a meal infront of her. She gave a lick to her own lips, dying in anticipation for the mouth-watering goods that waited just beneath a red & white veil.

But Luthien had to speak up, so far the only unpleasant opinion the elf had, yet one she's heard already, retorted, and had no reply back. An annoyed sigh broke her cool, but she decided against being too straightforward, if only because her heart did not want the burden of upsetting the elf, not today after what they witnessed back on Lübeck.

"Then why do you play if you know you can bite it at any point?" She rised an eyebrow, planting her hands on her knees. She would be understanding, just this once- "-Look no offense Luth, but I don't believe you are a ranger out of the game, just like I'm not a warrior out of the game. Even if you were, we are just playing pretend." That is something she's never revealed to another human being, and it came out so natural it would come with it's regrets in the future, the long pause after that proved it for the elf, and the quickening heartbeats did it for herself. "You didn't train to be an archer since you were born in your fancy elven royal house in Terrasphere to fight the evils of the world or some shit, so don't put expectations on your shoulders you know you can't live up to. You have a body molded by combat only because of game mechanics that let you pretend you built it up by yourself in less than a month. But you will never have the mindset to match it if you don't accept danger is part of the learning process." And that was the key difference, really. Just like everyone and their mother playing healers in this fancy world were merely using magic and not doing surgeries on the open. None of them were cut to be in Terrasphere to be honest, and all they had to save their skins is the fact it still resembles a game one way or another.

Perhaps it was too Ironhanded, she thought. But it was necessary to say that much, specially to someone that Ari's life will depend on it. Anybody else could go die on a ditch for all she cares- But not this one elf.

"But If you are so worried about dying then you shouldn't be playing Terrasphere, this game is all about fighting shit, and there's people who will trust their lives to you, a total stranger. Why do you think I took so many hits for you? And keep in mind, I'll do it again, and again, until you fucking learn to act like a ranger." And that was all she could drop on the table, her own cards to see how Val would take them, if she would at all, yet given how even the bountiful combination of cheese and bread were out of her appetite, Fiora just took the important decision of nomming it all on her own, starting with the latter.

Fio shrugged to herself just then, tearing off the bread in two with her teeth with one bite. "Well..." Gulping down the chunks, her eyes finally let Luthien be, giving all her focus back to the meal instead. "I'll save some for you."

@Luthien

 

[Luthien]

"Then why do you play if you know you can bite it at any point?"
"Because I enjoy the thrills associated with this game, not to mention all the things we get to see and experience within it… nothing IRL can really match it."

From the first seconds after login into TerraSphere Valeria had been able to tell that this game would be nothing but trouble incarnated for the young girl, the realism found within it unmatched by any game currently out there in the market. The world was vibrant and interactive, an entirely new place filled with undiscovered sights and mysteries that had quickly wrapped the girl around its finger—not even the knowledge of what in-game death could mean for her IRL self had been enough to deter Lúthien then.

”Look no offense Luth, but I don't believe you are a ranger out of the game, just like I'm not a warrior out of the game. Even if you were, we are just playing pretend.”

She had fallen silent then, the elf choosing to simply listen without interjecting as Fiora said her piece and exposed the thoughts in her mind related to the topic at hand. Lúthien was able to understand where the knightess was coming from with her outlook, even if she didn’t agree with everything that came out of the woman’s lips. She’d slowly shifted from her initial position, arms unwrapping from her knees as they were instead shifted back so the ranger could use them for support as she leaned back. Crimson eyes looked up at the canopy of branches and leaves that shielded the girls from direct sunlight.

"I know this game carries a lot of risk, Fio." A quiet sigh escaped Lúthien as she turned to look at the woman beside her. "I wouldn’t be playing it if I wasn’t willing to pay the price we’ve all been warned about over and over again by anyone and everyone that’s already bitten it at least once."

The majority of those actively seeking any newbie players to warn them of the inherent dangers of playing TerraSphere were, understandably, UI Locked players themselves—some of which hadn’t even been aware of the high price three in-game deaths would have on them. They’d made compelling arguments then, even suggesting a “safe option” within their ranks if the new players still wanted to continue diving into TerraSphere and what it had to offer, but in the end Lúthien had declined their offer.

"I’d have joined the Lions if I was afraid of biting it in-game a time or two," The Pride was notorious for trying to recruit most of the newbie players that spawned in game, the members claiming they simply wished to keep them all as safe as possible until a solution for the UI Locking could be figured out by the brains over at MIT. "Not chosen to be part of the League so Beleg could send me out onto whatever fucking unknown corners of the world he can think of for a package delivery."

A hand finally reached for some of the contents in the basket as the girl shifted to an upright position, a few thin slices of cheese crammed into a bread bun that the girl had pried open with her hands. If anything this conversation had at least helped distract Lúthien’s mind from other pressing thoughts and worries.

"That doesn’t mean I’m going out there unprepared though, after all I want to enjoy this game for as long as possible Fio—and that’d be hard to do if I speedrun myself into UI Locked status due to carelessness." There was a pause as she seemed to consider her next words. "Besides, I don't want my carelessness to cost someone else a death... whether they're a stranger or a friend. You'd have to be the worse kind of asshole to sandbag people in this fucking game."

@Fiora Di Angelo

 

[Fiora Di Angelo]

.

Fiora silenced herself once Luth begun to share her own thoughts, when she noticed the elf stopped just curling on a ball and speak proper to her. Despite how her eyes were elsewhere, it still had some form of value she could respect. Of course, this much wouldn't be enough to stop her from eating. But that wasn't on Luth.

Nobody would stop her nom nom moment, no matter how compelling of an argument or how dire the situation is.

Yet she wouldn't open her mouth yet until a conclusion was reached and it gave far more insight into the machinery that is Luthien's mindset. So far she's been doing well on keeping her smile silent least it ruins her plans, yet the corner of her lips simply tugged upwards on their own, full of pride but not for herself, strange enough.

"You will never be prepared, Luth. No one can be fully prepared for this game. You gonna think you are, and then you gonna get your shit rocked hard. Doesn't mean you shouldn't try your best, but don't sweat it, because you will die and so will I, and there's nothing we can do about it really." Grim words ushered with a warm and accepting voice. Because that's just how it is when she did the math inside of her head: keep pushing it with dangerous situations, eventually you will bite it- "Oh I want some of that." Just now she noticed the slices of cheese and the sandwich Luth made out of it, and decided to mimic her with the next roll out of their basket.

"Besides, I don't want my carelessness to cost someone else a death... whether they're a stranger or a friend."

"Fucking up doesn't mean you are careless so long as you learn and don't repeat the same mistake again. So, don't be so rough with yourself right now. I should have seen it coming anyways, I'm the one with the eyes on the road." Fiora declared, but would Luth really let that weight off her shoulders? Doubtful, given how hyperfocused (mastery pun intended) she was with her ranger duties just earlier. "Besides, we are here to have fun aren't we? So come on let's get your ass up, we got a tree to find." Standing back up on her two feet, Fiora pulled up the basket under her forearm and dusted her clothes off, stretching out a hand for the elf to grasp, and subsequently help her back up. "I think we should be heading East from here. It might be deeper in the forest and not so close to any roads whatsoever."

@Luthien

 

[Luthien]

She took small bites of her improvised cheese sandwich, listening to the knightess as she conveyed her own thoughts on the matter being discussed. A soft chuckle left the elf when Fiora noticed what the ranger had been doing with the bread and cheese slices, deciding to join in on the fun as she mimicked Lúthien when she grabbed another bread roll.

"... Thanks, Fio."

A small smile was given to the woman beside her, before the elf finished eating her improvised sandwich. It hadn’t been a lot, but at least it had been something, and if anything the conversation with the taller woman had helped distract her mind from other matters.

"Yeah, you’re supposed to have fun while playing games after all, right?" The offered hand was taken by Lúthien as she stood up, her hands dusting away her clothes before bending down to grab Fiora’s cloak from the ground. This too was also dusted off, trying to remove any leaves and small organic debris that stubbornly clung to the fabric of the item, before loosely folding it up and handing it back to its owner. "Mmm, that definitely makes sense… if it was close to the road then Beleg would’ve just told us where to find it."

She took a moment to bring out a small compass from her pocket, the brass outer surface tarnished and sporting a few scratches—especially around the edges of the object, though a scarce few could be found on the top or bottom f looking hard enough. The elf paused for a moment to stare at what should’ve been just an ordinary item with a knitted look, before carefully flicking the top open with her fingers. Her eyes fell then on the inscription adorning the inner part of the lid, a thumb brushing softly over the words, before the blonde finally tore them away and towards the magnetic needle within.

"Come on, east is this way."

The item was quickly pocketed back out of her sight, a soft nod of her head given in the correct direction, before the blonde took the lead as the pair ventured deeper into the forest. This time she remained alert, crimson eyes carefully scanning the undergrowth for any signs that might alert them to others. If anything the blonde certainly dove into her role with an almost enviable depth… It was better to keep her mind busy and focused on the task at hand right now instead of the convoluted mess of thoughts that Lúthien was currently barely able to keep contained in the recesses of her mind.

"H-Hey, Fio, come look at this," Her voice called out to the taller blonde, motioning for the knightess to come closer before pointing at the ground where fresh imprints could still be seen. "They’re hard to make out… but it looks like someone passed through here in that direction… and then I think two of those gobbos stepped on the tracks as they went this direction."

The first set of tracks seemed to lead loosely towards the north, perhaps to Lübeck if the ranger had to guess, while the goblin tracks were heading west—right in the direction they had just come through, which meant these were probably the goblins the girls had managed to slay not too long ago.

"These tracks seem to be coming from that direction… south east, I think? Think we should follow them?" A questioning glance was given to the taller woman as Lúthien straightened herself once more, "Maybe they’re from whatever kids that have been sneaking out to visit the tree?"

@Fiora Di Angelo

 

[Fiora Di Angelo]

.

Fiora wasn't sure if the bread is just this good or Luthien's laughter soothed her all of a sudden, an effect she often finds while ingesting large quantities of tasty meals rather than on a peer's reaction.

"... Thanks, Fio."

The knightess turned back to these words, letting them sit there inside her thoughts for a second, reciprocating their smile before her offer was taken and the ranger got herself back to her feet with a little assistance, unecessary, but that's more or less the reason Fiora did it in the first place: uneeded, but welcomed.

"Life out there is boring enough to me, I sure as hell don't want to play a fantasy game that is just as boring y'know? Imagine having to work retail in Terrasphere. I rather play a 'watch paint dry simulator'." She rolled her eye, stashing the ragged cloak when offered, simply dematerializing from existence as it went straight to her inventory. At least the little chat had put them both in the same track as Luthien commented on what this Beleg would have done should the tree were such an easy to find target. It only made her half-assed assessment of the situation all the more accurate, but she wouldn't reveal that to the ranger really. She knew better, given how the woman even had a compass to guide them through, and just as East was figured as the one direction to move, so did she tagged along.

This time it was Luthien taking the lead, the task assisted to cage in what bottled up feelings there must be that she did not wish to disclose. It went both ways, as now the knight had a reason to keep her eyes and ears on their surroundings, which had grown suspiciously quiet. The air didn't felt any different, and while her mind told her to be at ease, her gut disagrees with the notion, and the ranger does too, given the clues she found.

Fiora kneeled down next to them, trying to piece the scene inside her head as Luthien narrated it. Quiet, but ever so attentive, emerald eyes closed to get a tighter picture of these goblins, of the children, and the way their boots marked down the floor.

"Think we should follow them?"

"What do you think, Ranger?" She retorted with half a smile, following suit as they both stood up with little delay one with the other. "I'm the dumb knight here, you are the expert. If you say that's where we should go, then that's where we go." She jested, pointing out a finger more or less to south-east, a raised eyebrow almost said 'this way, right?' back to Luth, a wave from her hand cleared this invisible obstacle made out of theathrics, or in simpler speech: offered her friend to go first.

The birds and their songs became thinner, if sound could even be measured that way. The tracks did not fail them, sometimes breaks happening as grass took over dirt, yet it wouldn't be long before they had confirmation they were on the right spot. Through countless trees of darkened oak and bushes, a clearing opened. The shade switched positions once the sun did the same with the passage of time, but their mostly fruitless search, reinvigorated by the promise of a finding should they continue this railroad of footprints finally concluded in a tree. Different among it's breathen, for the light struck straight through transparent leaves as if nothing could protect it from the piercing sunrays. It had to be the purest piece of bark they ever seen, as if the trees from their world were all bastardized renditions of this one. White. Tree.

"Luth?" She stopped, pointing out at how the tracks seemingly changed out of a sudden. There were prints across the ground, yet they looked as if something dragged over the ground, like an animal on all fours, or a farmer dragging a heavy sack towards the tree. "Well at least we found the milk tree. But I don't see any children around here..." Which left a sour first impression to her as she scanned the area, even as far as to take her Investigation Mode- Nothing... "Think we are late? There's probably gotta be more tracks around here."

@Luthien