Private Eastern Brisshal The Story of a Giant learning how to fight with more than just a canon with the help of his Lepus friend and lots of fistfights in a VRMMORPG DeathGam

[Brutus Dahlgren]

He would reach up and gently brace her thighs against his shoulders so he could waggle her with slightly more umph without sending her flying. "I can and I have!" He would exclaim grinning from ear to ear. He would reach a bend in the river and then he would hop carefully to a rock, then to another rock, carefully placing his boots so that he could cross without getting swept away.

"Hold on tight up there, I think I see some turbulence in the future." He would chuckle as he strode along the loose soil by the bank. When they hit a long portion of clear and straight bank, he would pick up into a light jog. He would jostle the woman slightly as he would let the wind run through her hair.

"When I was a little boy, my dad used to do this to me all the time, he used to call it taking me flying." He would pick up a bit of speed and leap into the air using a jet of flame to propel him upwards a bit to clear the jump and landing with a thud.

"Although if I was feeling frisky I might just take you flying."

@Toko

 

[Toko]

.

.

"I’d hardly call that an ass kicking since we were both tied—uwaah!"

She was thankful for the tighter grip the giant placed on her thighs, the Lepus’ hands quickly grasping onto them instead of the collar of his jacket now—it felt safer this way, like she wasn’t about to fall off from the man’s shoulders at any second now.

At first Toko was tense, especially when the giant decided to take paths and movements that shook the Lepus on his shoulders around. This whole shoulder riding experience was something Toko had zero experience with until she met Brutus, but as they continued following the river eventually the rabbit relaxed more and more—her once surprised squeaks now turning to excited chuckles as they continued.

"Flying huh… yeah, I bet that must’ve been really fun when you’re little." Even now the breeze from all the way up here felt quite nice, the rabbit almost humming in contentment before Brutus’ next words caused her to pause and look down at the giant with a puzzled expression. "Wait… what do you mean by ‘take me flying’ Brutus?"

Was Brutus not aware that he couldn’t just dangle a carrot on a stick in front of her face and not expect the rabbit to take the bait… then again, maybe that had been the Felis’ plan all along.

@Brutus Dahlgren

 

[Brutus Dahlgren]

The giant would grin as eh continued his trot. She was practically holding his hands right now, this was borderline romantic? He was going to see it as such at least, until proven otherwise. He would let her question hang in the air unanswered for a moment before he would take a running leap over the river, straight headlong towards the water and click his heels together.

Fire would jet out of the soles of his boots, propelling him upwards and onwards, a solid ten, fifteen, no, twenty feet before he came to a landing back on the soil, staggering slightly as he tried to keep his pace without falling and sending him and the Lepus tumbling to the ground.

"It's less flying..." Brutus would reply with a grin and a boisterous laugh. "And more falling with style at the moment. Still, the concept is there." He would continue his jog, relishing in the adrenaline it provided. 'What do you think?"

@Toko

 

[Toko]

.

.

There was a moment of silence after her question, the Lepus blinking as she peered down towards the Felis with a raised eyebrow. "Brutus…?" Call it a hunch, or maybe it was simply instinct, but something about this smelled fishy… and the rabbit tightened the hold of her hands on his in response.

"Brutus, what are you planning no—waaaaaah!?!" He would suddenly sprint without warning, careening in the very direction of the running river without any intent of stopping. "Ch-Chotto matte, Brutuuus—!"

She had, from instinct, hunched closer to his head in response as Toko awaited the sudden rush of cold river water to hit them… before hearing a click click underneath them that caused Toko to open one eye to peer cautiously.

FWOOOSH!!!

The sudden jet of fire added momentum to Brutus’ running leap, easily carrying them over the surface of the river as the Lepus straightened back up—now absolutely mesmerized at the creative use of pyromancy. "Uwaaah… sugoi dess!" A look back confirmed that, yes, they had indeed crossed quite the usually impossible distance with that leap, the rabbit’s heart beating fast and loud from the adrenaline now coursing through her system before Toko nodded in agreement.

"Uun, that’s amazing Brutus…!"

He really hasn’t been joking around when the Felis had told Toko he wished to fly one day, and after seeing this the rabbit had a feeling he of all people would no doubt follow through with his word.

@Brutus Dahlgren

 

[Brutus Dahlgren]

"I need to focus on my pyromancy a little more, and develop a higher magical reserve." He would complain, slowing his pace a bit. 'As of right now they're just like...super jumps and not actual flight. I'm just propelling myself higher and higher, then dropping real slowly..."

He would shake his head as he slowed to a stop at the rivers bend. "Is it that hill over there?" He would ask pointing off into the distance. "Or do we need to go further?" He would take his waterskin and take a large swig of it, relishing in the feeling of fresh water down his parched gullet. Between Pyromancy, which naturally heated his body up, and all of the running, he was beginning to work up a sweat. Once he'd drank his fill, he would offer it up to the Lepus.

"Thirsty?" He would ask, beginning to pick his pace back up. A bead or two of sweat would begin to drip down his brow, but he would ignore it for now.

@Toko

 

[Toko]

.

.

"True… gosh I bet that eats through your energy reserves super fast, huh?"

Honestly speaking the Lepus wasn’t fully sure how one went about expanding their energy reserves, after all there wasn’t like a how to do X guide for TerraSphere on the internet to help Nao figure things out… and given Toko’s intuitive casting it often meant it was down to dumb luck if the rabbit managed to complete whatever she was trying to do—or fell unconscious from excessive magic leaking.

"Eetoooo… hai! That’s the one!"

She barely recognized the hill, having been on the lookout for the Temple instead… before figuring they must have past by it from all the river hopscotching Brutus had been doing while carrying Toko on his shoulders. The offered water skin was taken without a fuzz, Toko taking a few but smaller drinks from the cool liquid within and completely oblivious about this technically being an indirect kiss before a worried look was given to the Felis.

"Daijoobu…? Ah, I can walk if you’re tired B-Brutus!"

Of course he must have been tired after hauling her ass around from the opposite end of Honeyhome until here… she should’ve picked up on that earlier!

@Brutus Dahlgren

 

[Brutus Dahlgren]

"It's just like building up your own stamina. You have to push yourself to your limits in order to grow." He would wipe the sweat from his brow. "And I'm fine! I'll rest when we make it to the hill I promise." He would continue to trudge along the river bank.

"Think of this as training part two, kinda like how Yoda made Luke run around with him on his shoulders in Dago-" he paused. "That might be a lil too retro for you eh? It's kinda like in uh..." he would fumble with his words. "Just uh, trust me on this one eh?"

He would find himself at the bottom of the hill at this point, and would begin to climb it, taking slow plodding steps. When he'd reached the top, he would fist pump to celebrate his arrival.

"Woof, that was a long trek but look!" He would motion to the sun as it was just reaching the horizon, the bottom beginning to dip behind the earth, dyeing the sky red. "Just in time for a show too!" He would reach up and lift Toko off his shoulders and gently setting the hare on her feet, his hands lingering slightly on her hips.

"Told ya I'd make it happen~"

@Toko

 

[Toko]

.

.

"Eeeh… hmmm, I wonder if mine has improved too then."

Probably not, or at least the rabbit wasn’t sure… no matter what Toko tried she constantly kept leaking additional magic out of herself when casting—even after buying her focus, which had actually helped greatly, Toko didn’t seem to get a full grasp on her magical capabilities. Thankfully it hadn’t lead to any accidents yet, though that faint worry was always at the back of the hare’s mind.

"I know who Luke and Yoda are, Brutus… I saw the movies once."

There was a soft chuckle from the Lepus, though she supposed the Felis had a point… she certainly didn’t remember specific locations inside the Star Wars universe, though from his description she had a vague idea of what movie part Brutus was referring to.

"Uwaaah, kireiii…!"

True to his word the giant had gotten them to Cleartop before the Sun had fully dipped into the horizon, before her momentary delight at the view was cut short as a pair of hands reached for her waist and settled the hare back on the ground. Badump…! Badump…! Badump! Even once her feet touched the ground the gentle touch of his hands lingered around her hips, causing the skin underneath her clothing to feel warmer as time passed—before that same heat also began to color the Lepus’ cheeks as she held the water skin closer to her chest.

"H-Hai… we got here j-just in time."

@Brutus Dahlgren

 

[Brutus Dahlgren]

"Right on time, lets go ahead and get set up eh?" He would let go of her hips, not noticing the blush on her skin as the sun was staining both of them red in it's crimson glow. He would pull out a blanket from his inventory and with a flourish lay it out for the two of them to settle down on. He would motion for the Lepus to plop down and would follow suit.

Getting comfortable, he would begin to fish out several of his preparations, primarily the alcohol. He would set a decently sized ceramic sake glass between them, followed by two shot glasses before he would pull out a bottle and pour it into the large ceramic bottle.

"I've always heard that Sake tastes best when warmed." He would state, taking the ceramic jug in one of his large hands and he then began to glow softly, steam rising off his hand. "So I figured I would try warming it with my magic eh?"

He would pour them each a shot with a grin. "To a wonderful day training with wonderful friends?"

@Toko

 

[Toko]

.

.

The moment his hands removed themselves from her waist a feeling of disappoint crossed the Lepus’ chest, before the realization itself confused the hare greatly. … what is wrong with me? It was just a touch and nothing more, hell the Felis wasn’t even aware of it by the looks of it, so then why was her mind making such a big deal out of it?

"H-Hai!"

Probably from all the teasing, Toko was probably letting it all get to her head. Besides he doesn’t see me that way, it’s just fun for him to watch me fluster. Last thing Toko wanted or needed was to ruin a perfectly good friendship because she kept overthinking things too much.

Once the blanket was settled down the rabbit would make herself comfortable, opening the inventory of her UI to drag out the picnic basket that Esther had very generously stuffed full once the woman learned Toko was going with Brutus stargazing, before a smaller container with the prepared sashimi cuts was also placed down. Hubert has done a fantastic job as far as Toko was concerned, and he’d even added some ice too in order to keep the fish fresh—courtesy of Mabelle.

"Warm sake is super good, especially on cold nights… it just warms you from the top of your ears to the tip of your toes~" There was a delighted smile in her face now at the thought, she hadn’t enjoyed warm sake at night for a long time now. "Although some sake is actually made to be enjoyed cold too nowadays."

The offered cup was taken, clinking it against Brutus softly. "Kanpai~" The shot was quickly chased down her throat, enjoying the soft burn that it generated, though it didn’t warm her up as much as Toko thought it would.

See? Just friends…

@Brutus Dahlgren

 

[Brutus Dahlgren]

"Kanpai~!" He would clink his glass carefully against hers before tossing it back. "I've had chilled Sake before, but never warmed. I hope I didn't fuck it up and make it too hot or anything." He would pour her another shot alongside his, before eyeing the sashimi.

"Ah, that reminds me Toko!" He would flourish his hand and summon something from his inventory setting, it between them. "I took your quest for Soy sauce seriously, really pounded the bricks looking for some and lo and behold" he would make some jazzhand fingers towards it.

"I had to shake down a couple of the midget people, but I managed to get a hold of some." he would give her a teasing smirk and a chuckle. "But now I know a couple of merchants who have all sorts of things, like Wasabi, Soy Sauce, Sirracha, Tabasco, you name it, they got it. Apparently since they eat the corpses of magical creatures they use all these things to spice it up and make it less...cariony?"

@Toko

 

[Toko]

.

.

"Iie, you did it more than alright—so long as it isn’t scalding our tongues then it’s good enough."

It was nice to see how he paid attention to the small details, from the ceramic tokkuri Brutus was now heating the sake in down to the matching ochoko from which they were now drinking the liquid from. She would’ve been more than content with the same sake as their time at the springs, but this already was an unexpected surprise.

"Mmm, nani? Eeeh, arienai!"

What Toko didn’t know was that she was in for an even bigger surprised, an excited gasp leaving the Lepus—who had the decency to put the ochoko down before she snatched the soy sauce bottle into her hands—before she studied the small bottle carefully. "Dooh yatteh…?" Carefully she popped the top of the flask open, taking an experimental whiff of the contents within before exhaling happily—this was definitely shoyu.

"… you remembered?"

It had been a one off comment that she’d made quite a while back—in no way, shape or form had Toko expected Brutus to actually take it seriously, much less that he’d actually find the soy sauce she had been craving for while in game. To say she was surprised would be the understatement of the year, the Lepus turning to give the Felis a wide and honest smile as she spoke.

"Hontooni… arigatooh Brutus~"

@Brutus Dahlgren

 

[Brutus Dahlgren]

"I told you I knew a guy," He would grin and take another shot of sake. "I was in the area investigating the murder of a rabbit. While shaking someone down for the details of the murder, I also managed to find this little surprise. I couldn't help but think of you so I scooped some."

"There's no need for you to thank me though." He would blush slightly, scratching the back of his head and turning away as he did so. "I was just thinking about someone I really cared about and instinct took me the rest of the way." His eye wouldn't meet hers, guilty that all of his teasing was probably going to blunt the actual impact and weight behind his words. Instead he would peer at the sun as it slowly began its downward descent into the horizon.

"Man." He would quickly change the subject off that one. "They really nailed the sunsets in this game."

@Toko

 

[Toko]

.

.

"Eeeh, really? From a rabbit murder...?" She wasn't sure how the murder of a rabbit (did he meant a Lepus like Ru and herself) could lead to finding soy sauce... but Toko wasn't about to look a gifted horse in the mouth, even if she did had some questions about it. "That's quite the unusual quest reward."

The bottle was carefully placed back on the blanket, a faint blush coloring the rabbit's cheeks when the Felis mentioned caring about her enough to remember her silly want for some soy sauce, before her attention turned over to look at the sunset that Brutus pointed out.

"They really did, I can't even imagine the hard work it must be to make all of this seem so real..." She wasn't a programmer or an expert in video games, and the little coding Nao knew was pretty basic... certainly not enough to even replicate a tiny fraction of the things TerraSphere offered them. "... if I didn't knew any better I'd think we all just got isekai'ed into another world every time we logged into the game."

The thought alone caused the rabbit to chuckle softly at the absurdity of it, her hand reaching back for her ochoko before drinking the poured shot it held.

@Brutus Dahlgren

 

[Brutus Dahlgren]

"Like a Light Novel or something. What would our story be called I wonder? The story of a giant learning how to fight with more than just a canon with the help of his cute Lepus Friend and lots of fistfights in a VRMMORPG Deathgame?" He would chuckle ever so slightly as he rattled off his absurd totally off the cuff and much too long title. Christ, some of that would probably get cut off by the title limit or something.

"And It wasn't a reward for the murder, but just a coincidence. I ran into a chef friend of mine and went down a...rabbit hole of culinary investigation. The world of Faerin is strange and terrifying despite how deceptively cute some of them can be," He would shake his head.

"But since we have this Soy sauce at our disposal, you should show me how to Sha this Shimi. The smell of fish has been sending my Feline senses into overdrive for the past ten or so miniutes."

@Toko

 

[Toko]

.

.

"Pffft... okay, you might actually get a best seller in Japan just out of the title alone, Brutus."

She couldn't help but chuckle in response as the Felis uttered the absurdly long title, and in one breath too, even if the "cute Lepus friend" part did cause the rabbit's cheeks to flush ever so slightly once again. "Yeah, the Faerin have quite the interesting history from what I've read... though the ones I've met have seemed pretty normal so far." There was a pause as Toko accessed her UI inventory, two pair of chopsticks extracted before the hare handed one over to Brutus.

"Right, I bet your Felis genes are going absolutely bonkers over there from the scent alone~" A small mamezara plate was also procured, the Lepus carefully filling it with some of the soy sauce, before her chopsticks picked up one of the slivers of raw fish. "It's really simple, you just dip a tiny bit of it here..." She demonstrated while speaking, the rabbit carefully dabbing one of the tips of the fish in the dark sauce. "... and then enjoy~"

The bite was promptly popped into her mouth, an excited squeal leaving the beastfolk as she delighted on the flavors and textures... absolutely perfect.

"Oishiii... ah, do be careful to not put too much shoyu on it, otherwise it'll overpower the flavor of the fish completely."

@Brutus Dahlgren

 

[Brutus Dahlgren]

He would mirror her movements, hands trembling as they held the chopsticks. On one hand, he was not very proficient with them, on the other hand the sheer primal excitement that mere act of eating fish. He would pop it into his mouth, and his eyes would narrow into feral slits as he would audibly purr, his tail swishing side to side.

"FffffffffffFuck." the word would leave his lips like the revving of a racecar. "I swear to all of the gods above, that's the good shit right there." He would dip another piece, and another, snapping them up greedily into his feline gullet, his tail thumping against the ground.

"Jesus Christ Toko," he would quip after munching down his piscine treat. "Consider me in your fucking debt." His eyes would lock with hers for a moment, holding her gaze. He would try another piece without the soy which would elicit the same reaction from before, turning the large lion before her into a housecat.

"I owe you just about anything~"
@Toko

 

[Toko]

.

.

Was that... did he just purr? Kawaii...

She had paused just after biting into another sliver of fish, red eyes focused on the Felis now and the sheer delight he seemed to be experiencing, before a soft and muffled giggle escaped the rabbit in return. "Iie, if anything I think we're both indented to Hubert—he's the one that got the fish, and also filletted them spectacularly." Another bite, this time without shoyu much like Brutus had done, the Lepus appreciating the firm texture of the flesh along with the delicate flavor it carried.

"Besides, if anything I'm the one that owes you. Sure, sashimi always tastes better with shoyu and sake..." Her chopsticks were placed down for a moment, the Lepus moving to fill both of their empty cups with sake. "... but food is always at its best when you have good company by your side."

@Brutus Dahlgren

 

[Brutus Dahlgren]

"I owe Herbert, the man who coded him and the fucking lake, the fish we're eating, and especially." He would take a shot of warm sake offered to him and lean forward, invading into her space as the sun began to set. "You~" he would boop her nose. Was he drunk? It was hard to tell as a playful smile spread over his lips.

"Seriously though~" He would casually place another piece of sashimi between his lips. "You." He would seductively nibble on it, pulling his chin upward to flick the rest of the slice into his mouth. "Are the best company a Lion can ask for, you know that?"

The sun would sink below the horizon, leaving them in the last gasp of twilight as he looked into her eyes. "And like, I know I tease you a lot and you're going to get all flustered and shit but like." He took a deep breath. "I like spending time with you a lot Toko, and I would love if we could keep doing things like this..."
@Toko

 

[Toko]

.

.

"You~"
"... eh?"

Toko had been nodding along as Brutus listed the different things he felt indebted to, a light giggle escaping the hare as he event thanked the lake from which the fish had come from, before suddenly being surprised as the Felis had leaned dangerously close—a finger booping the tip of her nose.

... Badump!

She could feel the heat rising towards her cheeks before Brutus moved away momentarily, the hare taking the chance to down her shot of sake as Toko tried to calm her beating heart. Is he drunk...? Yeah, maybe that's it... It was hard to gauge how much alcohol content was actually in the bottle, especially with the liquid now warmed up as it was, and currently the Lepus wasn't sure if the tingling and numbing feeling on her nose was from her own alcohol intake... of just the touch Brutus had delivered moments before.

... Badump!... Badump!... Badump!

His voice caught her attention again, and before the rabbit knew it Toko found herself unable to look away from that deep saphire blue gaze that the Felis was giving her. "Ah, h-hai...!" She found her voice accidentally rising a pitch or two more than Toko had meant it to be, the blush now extending to the base of her ears before the Lepus finally managed to break eye contact with the Lion.

Ochitske...!

Hands rose to grab at the strands of hair around her face, bunching them up slightly as the Lepus attempted to hide her face partially with them. "I l-like spending time with you t-too, Brutus..."

@Brutus Dahlgren