Discontinued Eastern Brisshal To The Top

[Hanno Futaba]

The reassuring touch on his shoulder made him unrest his chin from his knees, looking at Cleo and listening attentively to what she had to say.

"I guess that is the one thing I can learn from you," Hanno said, smiling a bit brighter than before, albeit still bittersweet. Considering Cleo seemed to have much more experience in putting her life on the line, and she was still there to tell the story, her advice was highly valuable.

"Maybe it comes back because, in this game, you actually have second chances. Even if death in here feels... So real." Hanno said, crossing his arms and musing about it.

"Sometimes... I do wonder if I get my second death. Or if you ever get to that point too, since honestly, this is rather dangerous... I do wonder if we will just pull the plug and never log in again. Or if we will keep going until either we save everyone or we are fated to stay locked in here forever-" Which then, there wouldn't be any more second chances.

@Cleo Looker

 

[Cleo Looker]

Cleo shuddered at that. It was a dangerous mentality, for people to tell themselves that they had second chances. It was a slippery slope as most people tended to be unable to apply any kind of consequence to themselves if they knew that they would have a second chance afterwards. It had her frowning slightly in worry, looking at Hanno with some amount of concern visible on his face. Though she couldn't say that he didn't raise some good points. Was it morally right for her to log out and call it quits after she'd died twice? To save herself after putting herself at risk so often?

That's a difficult question to answer, really. Being mindful of the fact that it's okay to die is quite the dangerous mindset to keep, though. Treating your own life like a resource to be expended is quite the dire way to look at things, in all honesty.

She was absolutely the wrong type of person to do this kind of thing, but it was time to dig deep and try to give some kind of inspirational speech, if only to raise Hanno's spirits and make sure that he would remain stalwart and strong, no matter what.

Though I think you're looking at it the wrong way, to be perfectly honest. You're acting like death is a certainty. Believe me when I say, as a first responder, that it's incredibly easy to forget that yourself is a part of the 'everybody' that needs saving. So don't wonder what'll happen when you get your second death. Wonder instead what you can do to prevent that from ever having to happen. Wonder about the ways to make sure that nobody ever has to reach three deaths. And then two deaths. And then one death. Victory begins in the mindset, sometimes.

@Hanno Futaba

 

[Hanno Futaba]

"Yeah. It is a dire mentality. And perhaps it is the reason so many keep playing this game despite knowing the consequences... They probably think they will be fine, but it is one wrong step, and--" Hanno swallowed, casting a glance at Cleo, that soon made a speech that was uplifting to say the least. He listened to each of her words, to the reminder that he also had to save himself, something that he knew... But...

She made him notice that he was taking death for granted. It was weird to think about it, but he was pretty much doing it, an unhealthy way to approach it, but it was what he was doing.

"I didn't expect you to be that good with words," Hanno said, unhugging his knees to look at his hands, which have held many innocent and carried them out of danger, which has protected many without ever backing away. Even if he did mistakes, he always kept forcing himself to do the right thing. There was no point on putting himself down.

Clenching his fists, he looked at Cleo with renewed spirit.

"You are right." He huffed.

"We are going to save everyone, ourselves included. We do have each other to look our backs too, so even if we forget ourselves at a time, we can always be there at the right time." Hanno got on his feet once again, with his mana wings fluttering as he grinned.

@Cleo Looker

 

[Cleo Looker]

Well it looked like her little impromtu speech had managed to do the trick. Or at least, she hoped it had and that this wasn't all just him acting like he was feeling better to make her feel better about her speech. She'd definitely felt awkward making it, but sometimes people really did just need somebody to pick them up, point out the flaws of their mentality and try to set them on the right track. Even she was guilty of treating death in this game like it was a matter of time, rather than something that could be prevented or was uncertain.

She rubbed the back of her neck in embarrassment, smiling awkwardly.

Ah well, you pick up a few tricks over the years and I guess a way with words is one of them. Plus it's kind of a common issue in my line of work, so I at least have some experience with that kind of mindset and how quickly and subtly it can grow to encompass your whole way of thinking.

It helped her to stop and examine the facts, the things that were objectively and unquestionably real. That she hadn't died yet. That she was only getting stronger. That there were people that shared the same goals and objectives as she did.

When you set yourself a goal like ours, it's very easy to believe that you're in it all alone, that nobody else wants quite the same thing as you do. The best thing people like you and I can do is to aim for the top, then lift people up with us. Once we're the strongest, then we can be the bravest, and the smartest, and the most respected. Might doesn't make right, but what it does make, is opportunity. It's only when you're strong that you have the choice to do good.

Though this was getting a bit long-winded for her. Cleo chuckled, rubbing the back of her neck again.

Sorry, I got a little wordy there...

@Hanno Futaba

 

[Hanno Futaba]

"So even in your line of work you get to do speeches like that? I guess you are the chief firefighter or something then, that is very impressive. Whoever works with you is lucky." Hanno spoke, grinning but trying to not exaggerate too much on it, noticing that for whatever reason the woman wasn't used to taking compliments.

"Yeah, it is easy to believe you are alone. And I may forget sometimes that I need to save myself, but if there is one thing that is clear to me, is that I'm not alone in this." Hanno said, looking at Cleo's eyes with a confident expression on his face, knowing that he could trust her very well in this mission that they took to themselves.

"We are already strong enough to make a difference. And we will become even stronger to be the difference." Hanno said firmly, grabbing his shield and wielding it once again.

"I am not sure if you want to continue or if you want to call it a day, but say your word and consider it done!"

@Cleo Looker

 

[Cleo Looker]

Something like that, yeah. I wouldn't say I'm a chief, though. There are people way above me in the hierarchy. I just tend to like checking in on my coworkers and stuff like that. I find it super useful to know the people I'm working with and understand where they are at mentally.

It always helped to understand the people that she was working with, since that kind of knowledge could help her understand how much people could be trusted, or how much they would need her help, or even how much she could rely on them for their help. There would, after all, probably be times where everything got to be too much for her.

Now if only people would stop telling her to take things easy and try to enjoy the game.

She grinned when he grabbed his shield, pushing herself to her feet again and fixing him with a look.

Let's keep going. Strength waits for nobody after all. Plus, we've gotta try and see how you perform when I slow you down, rather than speed you up, though I don't know if we should really expect much of a change in performance. It shouldn't be too different, since it'd still just be me moving faster than you.

@Hanno Futaba

 

[Hanno Futaba]

"Where they are mentally and if they are on the same page, that is." Hanno nodded. Perhaps their jobs weren't too different in this aspect. Hanno always had to make sure everyone in his work was aligned in the kitchen- Of course, the worst that could happen if they weren't on the same page would be that a customer would have a salad instead of fish for a meal, something that couldn't be compared at saving or not saving a life from a building on fire.

When she gave him the look, he grinned back, bracing himself and knowing that he was going to get his HP quite low again, proceeding to flutter his wings to heal himself back once again.

"I think I will have a rougher time being slowed down." Hanno said, tilting his head. "Before, I had to adjust to your speed, now I will need to adjust to my speed. I think it will be a bit more complicated-" He mused, then looking at her while getting on a fighting stance.

@Cleo Looker

 

[Cleo Looker]

Looked like they were thinking along the same lines there. It was important to check on coworkers, underlings and even your own boss, since the people in charge were also capable of lapses in judgement, or simply just getting a call wrong. The people in charge were only as bad as the people who checked them allowed them to be, or so the saying went. Probably. Maybe it wasn't an actual saying, but it was something that Cleo believed all the same.

Though she was still going to allow Hanno to believe that she was a firefighter. Things were just better this way.

That does make sense logically, but I guess the only way to find out is to give it a try and see how well you adapt. Just do your best, I guess.

Would the spell affect Ghast as well as Hanno, or were they separate enough to count as different targets for the spell? Either way, Cleo focused. She had minimal experience casting Chronomancy spells on other people, but she'd at least gotten a taste of it. Forging that connection to Hanno's existence, she isolated his position in time, then began to slow it down. To Hanno, it would seem like the entire world was suddenly moving more than double the speed it had been. Leaves fell faster, sounds traveled faster.

And the blunted spear that Cleo created with her Arcanamancy appeared faster. And then, with a flourish, it flicked towards his head faster, aiming to bonk him right on the noggin' with the flat of the blade.

@Hanno Futaba

 

[Hanno Futaba]

"I only know how to do it this way." Hanno said, giving himself another set of uplifting words and bracing himself for the spell that soon struck him and... suddenly everything felt so fast it was confusing.

Clouds moved as if the wind was heavy and strong, and the wind certainly felt stronger than he expected.

The way Cleo moved as fast as she was moving before, but in this case in particular her movements looked more natural. It surely didn't look like she was struggling to deal with an overwhelming speed.

Hanno tried to move, and he couldn't help but feel like he was really staying behind in this world, and he really was doing, having no time for him to react to her first attack, that struck him clean as he struggled to get used to the faster world.

Taking a step back, he tried to buy himself some time, but he knew he would need to do better than that, especially when she was probably ready to charge at him with more attacks.

Ghast, in another hand, seemed to wiggle his tentacles slowly, but its gaze remained as swift as before, following Cleo's face intently and without missing a beat.

@Cleo Looker

 

[Cleo Looker]

Well, it looked like her first attack had landed, as Cleo almost laughed at the way her first attack cleanly landed against Hanno's head, the male looking a lot more overwhelmed by this than he had ever seemed when she had sped herself up, though she supposed there was a huge difference between her being faster and him being made slower. Even still, if she didn't press the offensive, then Hanno would never quite learn how to deal with this kind of affliction. And plus, she was feeling the drain of maintaining the spell on him already.

It seemed that whatever inherent defenses he had were straining against the spell, trying to break it down. It had Cleo concerned that she wouldn't last.

So she pressed forward, advancing as Hanno tried to backtrack, though she couldn't help but notice the fact that Ghast was still managing to follow her, even if the movement of its tentacles were slower. It still didn't stop her from aiming a rapid five jabs at Hanno's stomach.

@Hanno Futaba

 

[Hanno Futaba]

Hanno could notice Cleo's almost laughing face, pursing his lips and twisting them a bit. Trying to use the same strategy from before, Hanno focused less on reacting fast, and more on trying to predict Cleo's movement.

The tough part was that Cleo had much better control of her maneuvers and attacks now that she was in her normal speed, making her far less predictable than when she was just a blur moving at an overwhelming speed. Hanno frowned, tightening his muscles when Cleo went for the first, second, then third jab, all of three hitting him with only the last one being vaguely deflected.

Just predicting wasn't going to do.

"-where was that sudden ferocity when you were trying to protect yourself?"

He needed to be faster, much faster!

"you can't exactly protect anybody if you're dead"

By the fourth and fifth jab, Hanno managed to force his way through, advancing toward Cleo as if he was about to do a shield bash.

The wide eye of Ghast approached, with its eyelid slowly narrowing in a squint, with Hanno doing the one thing he should be doing since the start- Shortening the reach. The shield blocked most of the fae's sight, but that didn't matter, he could afford to not see in front of him for now, since he didn't need precision, no, he needed to disrupt his attacker.

@Cleo Looker

 

[Cleo Looker]

Man, he was really struggling with this a bit, wasn't he? At first it had been kind of funny, the way she had easily bonked him on top of the head with her spear, but now she was starting to worry that this kind of debuff was almost totally crippling his ability to do the things that he was able to do normally. As three jabs hit him in rapid succession, it was a major concern that he wouldn't manage to adapt.

Though when the combination had finished, he was beginning to charge through, apparently having decided to take up more of an aggressive approach. It was certainly not something she'd expected to see after their last bout, though maybe she should have, after she herself had told him that he should be more aggressive and raised Hanno's spirits herself.

She was forced to backpedal herself as Hanno charged at her, the eye of his shield getting closer and closer. It stopped her attacks for a moment too, as the shielder was too close for her to actually hit him with the dangerous part of her spear, even if a thwack with the shaft would still hurt a bit.

But she would have to test if he could pick his moments. She took a few steps backwards, then a few to the right, before attempting to maneuver around him and throw a jab at the spear he should be protecting, eager to see his protective instincts at work.

@Hanno Futaba

 

[Hanno Futaba]

Whether or not this has been bait, Hanno accidentally slipped a great chance for Cleo to go past him. The only thing that stopped him from stumbling right away, was the fact he was moving slow enough for him to regain his balance, having his mana wings brim with a golden light as he tried to rush his way through.

It was slow, way too slow, but he had more than just his physique to use as a tool, wrapping the spear that he was meant to protect with a divine shield, that materialized without the same speed limitation he had, being a separated entity from himself.

Perhaps the force field would be strong enough to handle one or two attacks, considering it had to be built up almost immediately, it shouldn't last as long as a bulkier one.

Maybe Hanno should have just created the force field from the start, but now it was too late to think about it.

As he tried to trample his way to her, now it was just a matter of who would be faster. Cleo on breaking the force field to attack her target, or Hanno to reach to Cleo and reposition himself.

@Cleo Looker

 

[Cleo Looker]

She had slipped past him pretty easily, though she had expected that. It was at least fortunate that Hanno was stable on his feet, though it occurred to Cleo that it could be a good idea, in the future, to alternate between slowing down and speeding up enemies, to throw off their balance and sense of speed and time. She could have potentially made Hanno stumble and fall there, if she was able to swap between fast and slow at a moment's notice.

Still, as her first blow seemed like it would land against the spear that she had targetted, a divine shield materialized around it, blocking her first attack with ease. She frowned at the sight of it, before lining her spear up and jabbing at it again. The second attack spread cracks throughout the shield, followed by a third attack that shattered it.

But before she could launch a forth, Hanno was on top of her again, forcing her to back off and reposition, hopping backwards multiple times in quick succession, before beginning to stalk in circles around the Faerin defender. She gave a few feints, pretending that she would charge with her spear pointed directly at him, before stopping and hopping back again, to test his nerve.

@Hanno Futaba

 

[Hanno Futaba]

Cleo wasn't making it easy for Hanno, and the faerin surely didn't mind that, even if it was really starting to stress him in a certain way. The force field around the spear actually managed to endure more than two hits, something that he wasn't counting on but silently was grateful for the small miracle.

Either for the will for making it work or because he had gotten better at divine magic, Hanno managed to reach Cleo just in time, but she was obviously quicker to regain her position and start rushing her attacks again. The feints caught him by surprise, who already being slow naturally, being even slower made it nearly impossible for him to predict it.

Ghast continued to watch Cleo's movements and feints nearly perfectly as opposed to Hanno. Some strange curiosity brimmed in its strange and wide eye, and in one moment it pushed itself to a side to bring Hanno with it, dodging rather than trying to block the attack, something that almost made Hanno lose his footing, but soon the shield pushed itself forward, trying to bash Cleo with its lower tentacles trying to sweep her feet.

"H-Hey-!" Hanno clenched his feet on the ground to not fall, then tried to retreat the shield even if it was successful in doing whatever it was trying to do.

@Cleo Looker

 

[Cleo Looker]

With their current speed difference, it was easy to dance around Hanno and keep him guessing at where she was going to go. He'd shown that even as he acclimated to this new level of slow he was moving at, the difference in their speed was just too great for him to really stand much of a chance here. There were some debuffs that just weren't possible to be overcome through sheer willpower alone, though it would still help him to understand what it felt like to be fighting with this kind of debuff. It might one day even save his life, if he had to do this again.

Something she could have never expected though, in the middle of her feints, was for Ghast to suddenly begin to move itself, pushing Hanno to the side to make him dodge a strike rather than blocking it, before surging forward and trying to bash her. She would have dodged backwards, had tentacles not swept her feet, the combination knocking her onto her back and pushing her away.

She grunted, getting up and letting the debuff fade off of Hanno, the world slowing down for him as everything returned to normal.

So what the heck was that all about?

@Hanno Futaba

 

[Hanno Futaba]

Managing to pull Ghast back, Hanno sighed when the debuff wore off, blinking and looking around when the world seemed to be moving back to its normal pace.

Or rather, he was moving back to a normal pace.

The questioning was expected, and Hanno looked at Cleo apologetically. "Erh, sorry buddy... I think Ghast got a bit too excited there. She can't stand passive in combat for too long" Hanno said, glancing at Ghast like the owner of a dog when it starts taking a dump in front of a store.

Rumbling, the shield peered at Hanno, then back at Cleo. "Kuuu... Ku..." It wiggled its tentacles, widening its eye.

"No, buddy, it is just a practice. We aren't dueling." He frowned. "You need to calm down." Hanno scolded the shield, that lowered its tentacles and blinked slowly before smacking the faerin's head with its tentacle. "H-Hey! Come on!" Hanno pouted.

@Cleo Looker

 

[Cleo Looker]

The apology was easy enough to accept, though she was still caught off guard that Ghast had escaped her spell and managed to lead Hanno around like that. It did give her something of an insight into the shield's personality, which was honestly one of the weirdest things that had ever happened to Cleo, though more strange was just how amusing it was to watch the Faerin treat his shield like a naughty pet.

Though she did freeze when she heard the shield actually making noise, rather than just looking around and wiggling tentacles. That was slightly less endearing.

Ah, no worries I suppose. Plus it's quite funny to see you arguing with a shield, of all things.

She chuckled at the sight, watching the shield slap the Faerin's head, shaking her own head in response.

At least things must never be boring for you, huh? You've always got a good companion with you. Makes me wish I had taken Weapon Arts to make my spear sentient.

@Hanno Futaba

 

[Hanno Futaba]

Hanno and Ghast turned their eyes to Cleo, with the faerin letting out a quiet sigh, but smirking right away. "Well, it certainly ain't bad to hear a chuckle from you, so I guess having to deal with this silly shield in front of you is worth it, though it makes me look less respectful." He said. Until now Cleo seemed somewhat solemn and serious, but if she was finding things funny, and if she was grinning like that during their spar, it meant that she was having some fun even if she didn't want to.

Ghast seemed to perk up at being called a 'good companion', and Hanno chukled at the reaction of the shield, focusing on Cleo's words.

"Well, I don't really have weapon arts. Ghast is kind of loot, you could say. Though for me she is better than a loot, but an actual good companion, just like you said. It has its difficulties, but most of the time she is very helpful." He paused before casting a glance at Cleo

"If you want a sentient weapon, you could try to take the right material for it, and ask a player to craft it to you."

@Cleo Looker

 

[Cleo Looker]

Cleo caught sight of the Faerin's smirk, wondering what that was about, though when he mentioned hearing her chuckle, it had the agent blinking as she looked at him and then down at herself. Was she really coming across as somebody that miserable and serious? She hadn't really thought of herself as being somebody that didn't smile or laugh, she just considered the things that she was doing to be serious enough to warrant due dilligence.

It certainly isn't the most knightly image in the world, at least in my opinion. Perhaps if it were from one of those old satirical comedies about knights and the holy grail, I could see it.

Though it was certainly amusing to watch a shield react to the compliment that she'd given it, though the news that Hanno didn't have weapon arts was definitely unexpected. So Ghast was purely just loot, then? That was pretty interesting, though she wasn't sure a sentient weapon would really help her all that much.

I could see about that, though I'm not sure there'd be much of a point to it, in all honesty. I don't think a sentient weapon would really help me, since I throw my weapon. Hell, I don't even throw my actual weapon, just arcane copies. I don't think I've ever hit anything with my actual spear.

@Hanno Futaba