Complete ✪ Stokbon Still friends

[Fina Drago]

"Still seems a bit too much…" Talking to herself, the feline was hardly a good sight to behold. Almost radiating an aura of frustration, travelers and landers alike would toss a concerned glance her way before walking around her in a wide circle. The girl didn't even rightly notice any of it as her eyes continuously stared at the board with a bunch of papers nailed to it. Apparently, this was not a traditional way of giving quests in this game, but the commission posted up seemed legit, so Fina did not question them.

However, they were all a bit too much for her alone. With the continuous use of her masteries, she managed to get a fair bit stronger, but she was still far from the top. And while the rush she got to feel when fighting the crazed monkeys and their genius ape leader got her wanting more, she wasn't quite ready to face some fierce monster on her own. Letting out a sigh, she scratched her head one more time as she pondered things over. Should she just cave in and try to ask someone on her friends list? It was honestly a miracle that it wasn't empty.

But what if they refused? The girl was still getting used to actually having social interactions; she wasn't ready for something like that. Especially knowing how most of her attempts at socializing ended up, with her getting irritated for one reason or another and then presenting herself as unnecessarily mean toward others. "Ugh, this is hopeless…"

@Cleo Looker

 

[Cleo Looker]

She'd been able to spot that air of frustration from nearly a mile away. Not quite literally, but when she had been coming up to check on a board for any quests or news reports of monsters or something like that, she had quite easily spotted Fina, the girl stood in front of the board talking to herself. Whatever was going through the beastfolk's head, it clearly wasn't exactly the best thing in the world, if the frustration was anything to go off of. Whatever it was, it probably wasn't Cleo's business, as she recalled the last time that she had been alone together with the girl and the explosion that had happened.

Still, she had to step up in order to check on the board herself, her eyes roaming over the different notices that had been put up. It was rare to find quests like this, usually it was all notices from Landers for Landers, or news reports about various goings on. Though it seemed that today, somebody had actually posted something of a typical quest notice, which was quite the novel experience. She read over it, blinking at the request. That certainly seemed pretty extreme for this kind of place.

So she turned to glance at Fina, wondering if she'd gone unnoticed by the girl. Still, it wasn't a good idea to just stand and not even greet her, even if their last meeting hadn't ended super well. She didn't want to be the reason that things got any more sour between the two of them.

Good morning Fina. Are you thinking of taking that particular request?

Though she asked politely, inwardly she was really hoping that Fina didn't take the quest. It seemed like far too much trouble for a new player such as Fina, even if the girl had probably grown in skill since they'd last paid attention to one another.

@Fina Drago

 

[Fina Drago]

Fina's thoughts ran deep. So deep that she ended up even closing her eyes as she contemplated her options. And while her ears listened attentively to all that was going around her, the foot traffic was simply far too heavy for her to distinguish one pair of footsteps from another properly. When the sudden voice rang out right next to her, it was, therefore, rather startling, even if Cleo spoke at an average volume instead of screaming. The girl's feline ears were rather sensitive, after all.

"Bwah—" Almost metaphorically leaping out of her skin, the young adventurer stumbled over to the side, fingers and claws together, grabbing onto the edge of the noticeboard to save her from falling entirely. "Bwsassdgagdsgdgcv—" The panic was probably a bit much, but at least the girl managed to calm her mind pretty quickly. Shame the same couldn't be said about her body, feeling the heavy heartbeat in her chest. Somehow, she just really did not expect anyone to approach her while here. The notice board now had a distinct claw mark at the edge, too.

"I- um… hey, hi." She got the words out of her mouth, but it was a bit awkward. It was Cleo, of all people, to have joined her here. Did fate arrange this meeting? With no clue how to act after their last interaction, the feline just sort of averted her gaze and meekly answered. "Err… yeah… was looking for a quest to partake in. Get more gold to improve my gear and all…"

@Cleo Looker

 

[Cleo Looker]

She certainly hadn't expected such an animated response to her simply speaking at a regular volume, but well she supposed that she should have expected that kind of energy after their last interaction with one another. The panic was another story though. She didn't think she was that scary, even when she'd caught people off guard, but maybe Fina worried that she might retaliate based off of their last interaction. She certainly had no intentions of doing so.

Her eyes flicked back to the board, noticing the claw mark at the edge with a mixture of amusement and worry. Fina seemed really tense and on edge. Was the girl even doing okay? She'd been pretty hard on herself and sad when they'd spent that afternoon together. And she'd spotted Fina around when they had been dealing with the apes. Hopefully the girl hadn't gotten into any trouble there. That battlefield had been pretty chaotic to deal with.

The meek answer was strange. Fina had been pretty snappy with her before, so this sudden meekness just didn't suit the profile of the girl that she'd been mentally building in her head. The girl wasn't manic, or at least, she hadn't quite shown signs of that kind of thing.

Well, I suppose good luck to you. Be careful with that quest there, though. Sounds a lor more dangerous than most things are in these areas.

@Fina Drago

 

[Fina Drago]

Even though Fina had no idea what to expect from Cleo at this point, what she saw was… strangely passive? It almost felt like there was supposed to be more than just a wish of good luck. It felt strangely disheartening. And now that she said she would be doing it and received someone's blessing, she felt like she just had to take the quest. Her hand extended forward and grabbed the sheet of paper, ripping it off the board and then slightly clutching it to her chest. "Y-yeah… thanks. I'll do my best not to get killed."

Maybe she could just… not do the quest even though she technically just accepted it? If it really did prove to be more dangerous than what she could handle, the system would surely not punish her for just running away, right? Not like anyone would know if she were to go alone. Clutching the paper tighter, there was no doubt it would be all wrinkled soon. And, despite the gesture and everything said, the feline remained rooted in place as if her legs could not move a single inch from where she was standing.

@Cleo Looker

 

[Cleo Looker]

She had been prepared to walk away and leave things there, not negative or positive, but firmly in the neutral camp, but seeing the girl take the sheet of paper and clutch it to her chest was definitely bizarre. She turned, looking at Fina, who seemed to be firmly rooted in place and unable to move. Sharp eyes notuced the paper wrinkling and being crushed against the catgirl and for a moment, Cleo's heart broke as she imagined the girl getting in over her head and being slaughtered for it. She couldn't just walk away when there was a risk of that, could she?

Are you sure you want to take that quest? Nobody would blame you for skipping it, or coming back later with help.

Cleo mulled it over, realizing that she really had no reason not to offer her services. Just because somebody had been rude to her didn't mean she was suddenly comfortable with the idea of leaving them to go and get themselves killed trying to do something that they weren't ready for.

Hell, I'll come with you, if you don't have anybody else to party up with. I'll take any excuse I can possibly find to get myself in combat. And it's not like I'd feel okay if you went out and something bad happened.

@Fina Drago

 

[Fina Drago]

Cleo didn't leave. Fina expected her to do so any second now, but instead, the other woman remained and even continued speaking. It made the feline's lips curl up slightly. "That's… I mean… there aren't really any easier quests here at the moment. And when we were fighting under the influence of that Red Fever… it was obvious I still need to get much stronger." The way this game was designed made it, so combat was the most efficient way for one to increase their mastery quickly. Sure, she could just keep repeatedly using arcanamancy to create objects, but unless she actually used them against something, that mastery would not go up much.

Then, Cleo suddenly offered to go along. That made Fina pause even more. Getting help from the other woman was about the last thing she expected after she was so rude to her. Looking away, she didn't know what to say. Though she eventually got something out of herself. Of course, her words weren't entirely sincere. What she wanted to say was a simple thank you, but what came out was a tad different. "Are you sure? Like… really, absolutely, definitely sure?"

@Cleo Looker

 

[Cleo Looker]

The girl had a point. There weren't any other quests, especially not easier ones. She could definitely understand the desperation to get stronger after that whole mess with the Red Fever, even if a lot of that had been down to circumstances that strength and power wouldn't have really saved them from. There had still been the ape assault and everything that came with it. That Fina would decide that she needed to be stronger after all of that just made sense. After all, Cleo had come to the exact same conclusion and had essentially tripled down on her training time.

And hopefully, her work wouldn't have noticed her taking a copy of the game client to use at home, so she could keep grinding.

I'm sure. I'm here, I'm free and I want to help out and grow stronger at the same time. There's basically no reason for me to not help out here.

Well, aside from Fina's previous attitude, though by now Cleo had already pushed past that, when the reality of the situation had washed over her and she realized that Fina needed her help in order to do this. She could keep Fina alive and help the girl grow stronger at the same time. It was a win/win situation.

Though I dunno if you'd feel comfortable with me. I've brushed up my healing skills some though, so if things take a turn for the worst I can help out that way too.

@Fina Drago

 

[Fina Drago]

It was a strange feeling when Cleo agreed to help, no matter what Fina would say. A nice one, but also one the girl couldn't quite place. That said, things got a bit uncomfortable as more and more people started getting close, no longer pushed away by a negative aura of a struggling beastfolk. With things feeling as personal as they did, she would just not have any of that. Suddenly grabbing one of Cleo's hands, she'd almost drag her away. "T-this way!" The goal was to get the both of them into a nearby alleyway, cramped between two houses and wholly devoid of any other life but the two of them.

Once there, Fina would let go of Cleo's hand and take a few more steps to give the other girl more personal space. She was fumbling over her own words until now, so she had to take a deep breath before finally saying what she wanted without defaulting entirely to something else. "I—um—uhh… I'm sorry. I'm really sorry for being so rude the last time we saw each other." As her ears drooped low, the feline would stare at the floor, not quite able to face Cleo. "I—as an apology… you can play with my ears and tail if you want…" After all, that was the thing after which they started arguing, so Cleo never got to quite finish.

@Cleo Looker

 

[Cleo Looker]

And suddenly, one of her hands was clasped and she was being dragged away by the catgirl, who was surprisingly strong, likely because she had taken Crush Weapons as a Mastery, which apparently included a passive increase to the user's raw physical strength. Maybe beastfolk were more athletic and stronger naturally than the other races too? Cleo had no way of knowing for sure, but it was interesting nevertheless to essentially be manhandled by the smaller catgirl. Being dragged into an alleyway, they were finally given a moment away from prying eyes.

And it was there that she received an apology from Fina, who fumbled over her own words for a moment, before finally offering her apology. And the chance to play with the girl's ears and tail. Cleo blinked, before she smiled and placed a hand on Fina's head.

Apology accepted. It's quite alright, though I was really shocked when you suddenly got rude at me. I don't know if I crossed a line or something, but if I did and didn't realize it, then I'm also sorry for that.

She scratched behind the girl's ears. She'd been offered the chance, after all, so she wasn't going to turn it down.

I can play with your tail later, but for now, we should try to focus on the quest. I've never quite heard of elemental wolves before, but they definitely sound dangerous to me.

@Fina Drago

 

[Fina Drago]

Getting a pat on the head made the girl feel like she was being treated as a child who did something wrong but was forgiven… but better to be treated as a child than an adversary. And, admittedly, the scratches behind her ears did feel almost heavenly. Beastfolk bodies sure were something.

"R-right." Taking the piece of paper out again, it did end up all wrinkled from Fina's tight grasp after all. Still plenty legible, though. "I visited a local library before. Though the only thing I found about special wolves was about these 'Moonstone wolves' from Zalra, wherever that is. Maybe it's one of those? Could have gotten here by accident somehow, or…" a brief pause. "Or someone intentionally imported it here."

The skin of Moonstone Wolves was covered in sparkling gemstones. From a distance, it would be no wonder that people would see them as magical. Though apparently there was not that much magical about them, they were still extremely dangerous. "If that really were the case, maybe it will be weaker here, completely out of its element?"

@Cleo Looker

 

[Cleo Looker]

She'd not heard of any kind of special wolves before, but it was nice to know that Fina was a lot more informed than she herself was. Visiting local libraries was a smart thing to do, heck, she'd done so herself, though her studies had been focused on the languages that were present in the game and ways to learn whatever those languages were. She'd made some pretty basic progress in that, but she was still pretty proud of her progress there. Perhaps it'd be worth learning more about the beasts and monsters that called this game home and would call players prey?

It could be one of those, yeah. I don't really know what they are, personally, but then again I've not really heard of any kind of special wolf. And if somebody intentionally imported it here, then it could be a pretty bad sign.

She wondered just what the battle would be like, where they would even find this Moonstone wolf that they were seeking?

It could be weaker, or it could just be more aggressive, in an environment that it's unfamiliar with and surrounded by potential threats. Many predators would lash out at things in that kind of scenario.

@Fina Drago

 

[Fina Drago]

Fina nodded in agreement. "Then again, the game did shut down for four years. But the time here did not stop for the NPCs or stranded players. It could also be a completely new kind of mob the developers added in that time frame." From what she heard, things like the Magictech mastery were also a new addition that the returning veteran players did not get to experience all those years ago. Newly implemented items or enemies were, therefore, not out of the question.

"I'm not entirely sure if it would be better to stay here and try to learn more or just head out and try to improvise." One of those options sounded considerably riskier. But there was also no guarantee that they could get more information on the wolf they were hunting if they stayed and tried to ask around or scoured a library. Especially if the beast really were a new addition rather than a mistaken Moonstone wolf. "What do you think, Miss Looker?"

@Cleo Looker

 

[Cleo Looker]

I wonder what that kind of thing is like for the Landers? Like, how do they explain things just appearing in their world that haven't ever been seen or heard of before?

It made Cleo wonder if the 'gods' of this world were just the developers, using the guise of being deities to interact with and mold the world into whatever they wanted it to be without breaking the immersion of it all? But Fina definitely had a point. It wasn't out of the question for it to be something that had just been added to the game by the developers.

I think it's probably a better idea to just head out and see how things go than to waste a bunch of time looking for information that might not even be available yet.

And the longer the beast was out there, the more likely it was that some newbie would run into it and get mauled and killed by it. It was far better to deal with it as quickly as possible, than to wait and hope that nothing bad happened during that idle time.

We should be fine between the both of us. If there's just the one monster, I can take care of things like healing and buffing.

@Fina Drago

 

[Fina Drago]

"They're probably programmed to just accept things like that. I mean… they do come across as sentient, but if they really were, plenty of them would probably go haywire the first time a player called their world a 'videogame' to their face." It was certainly an interesting thought that could spur deep, insightful conversations about the nature of being for hours on end, but the two girls simply did not have that kind of time or interest, presumably.

Briefly patting herself down, Fina nodded at the idea of heading straight out of the city and figuring things on the go. In this case, that was probably the best course of action. "I'm good on equipment, so I have no problems heading out immediately. How about you? If necessary, we can stop at a few stores along the way to the city's border."

That said, Cleo looked like a person who would always be ready. Assuming that Fina's mental image of Cleo was correct, there would probably not be much delay as the two of them would head out of the safe zone and straight into one of the neighboring areas.

@Cleo Looker

 

[Cleo Looker]

That made sense. If she was the developer of this game, she'd program the NPCs to just accept changes like that, since that'd just make things way easier than having to program in new responses and reasonings that would just take way too long. Probably. She was far from a programmer, but she liked to think that she understood just how long and tedious that kind of event could be. Cleo nodded at the girl's reasoning. It made sense. She sure as hell knew that she'd talked about video games when there had been Landers present and they hadn't really reacted all that much to it.

Though on the question of being ready, Cleo nodded, not even bothering to pat herself down or even check her inventory. She knew she was prepared. It was rare that she wasn't prepared.

I'm good. I rarely ever need to purchase new equipment, since my fighting style revolves around using Arcanamancy to create disposable weapons anyway. Not too much point in throwing an unlimited number of spears if I have to pick all of them up again later. So then, let's go?

She nodded, gesturing for Fina to lead the way out of the alleyway that they were in. Though she couldn't help but give the girl one last scratch behind her ears.

She'd get the tail later...

@Fina Drago