Seeing as the two Wolves are sitting as far away as they can, it makes conversing with the Gamers a bit easier, not that Rei is planning on keeping anything he says quiet unless he needs to, but it still makes it easier to have quiet conversations.
---
After the whole flying pig fiasco was done with, Xenon sat back down with his katars held away from his body. The red haired teen had to admit that while the mini game was pretty fun, he hadn’t really thought ahead about the aftermath. He grimaced as a bit of grease dribbled onto one of his hands. “Can anyone pass me a napkin or something?” he asked, motioning towards his occupied hands.
---
Kamui stared wide eyed as the pig went into the air with gusto and started smiling and chuckling to himself as the others attacked it with kitchen knives, their own weapons...and Xenon cutting it with his katars was the best part. Kamui applauded and whooped as the pieces fell into the disc “Well that was fun to watch, how was it for you guys that actually participated?” He waved for some to be passed down to the two ex-wolf players and looked at everyone else “So you guys started together huh? Gotta say you guys were luckier than us, we were a bit imbalanced party wise comparatively.” He tosses a few napkins towards Xenon as an afterthought.
---
“Yes we did. I was a solo player until I was made to form a Guild in Dungeons of Masmorra so that I could bring my character over to this Game. I’m guessing the reason we didn’t get to the start of this event were a few glitches. Who knows really, VR Games have always been different than regular games.”
Rei looks at the two Ex-Wolves as he slowly partakes in his own plate of food, having just grabbed some of the meat of the pig, some corn, and a few other things. Luckily the mystical discs he conjured made it so that nothing got on his hands at least, although a small bit of grease splattered onto his clothes.
Thankfully he’s not in his Gekkoukan uniform at least, and the amount is very small, just a few little dots here and there.
“That being said... I’m not really all that pleased with you two being here, nor with the decision made to bring you two here.” Rei glances at the two Ex-Wolves as he takes a bit of pork. He waits until he has finished his current bite of food, as is proper to do, before speaking again.
“Of course... my personal feelings aside...” Rei pauses to wipe his mouth. “It’s not a decision I disagree with. If we’re going to take on the other Teams, we need greater numbers since they currently outlevel all of you and outnumber all of us.”
“So ultimately...” Rei stops, clenching his hand a bit around his fork. “It was a good decision.”
---
Xenon barely caught the napkins with his occupied hands. “Thanks. It was surprisingly fun. Minus the pig grease, that is,” he replied as he wiped down the blades. The red haired teen perked up at Rei’s mention of his unenthused feelings about the ex-wolves. That was something he was sure all the gamers had expected from their dear teacher. Not so much for what followed, though.
“Speaking of the other teams,” Xenon began, “What are our objectives concerning them, or just in general at this point?”
---
There were plenty of reasons why Bladesong hadn’t used his sword to participate and the mess that covered Xenon’s katars was perhaps one of the main ones. Not being disheartened too bad from winning the fighter returns to his seat with a smorgasbord of little bits of just about everything on the table and happily began chowing down.
As Rei mentions he was not the most pleased with the ex-wolves being present within the team Blade swallowed all of the food that had been shoved into his mouth and returned a glance to Rei as that gut feeling he had wasn’t just him being crazy.
Speaking in Rei’s direction with a joking smile…”Well, I’m frickn glad to hear this may be a democracy afterall and not some monarchy run by some grouchy stick up his ass mother fucker huh.” Blade laughing to himself only taking smaller bites of his food now.
---
“Well they don’t stick by me because they like me. They only do so because it's profitable to them. It’s just how human beings are. The moment they find someone more powerful than me or strong as me, but actually likeable, is when they’ll leave. If I stop being profitable, and then demand something, that is when they’ll betray me.”
Rei says this very calmly, taking smaller bites as well.
“And even then... lets just say they had other options they should have, but refused, to take.”
And that is all Rei will say on that as he changes the subject. Mainly due to the extra information being about the Real World, which they can’t mention to the Players.
“As for the other Teams. The Peacocks approached me, they want to ally with us to help take down Team Snake, who have grown quite massive. They have sixteen members last I checked, who are all getting stronger, and may be going after the three other smaller teams for more. In a sense, they may not have power, but when it comes to sheer numbers they could wipe out any other team.”
Of course, Rei has no idea of the history between the Wolves and the Peacocks.
“So needless to say, either I conduct a series of very difficult, quick guerilla tactics on their camps and try to wipe out as many as I can, or we do this the easy way. Get Team Peacock to help us take care of them, in return for all of the Camps they control around the Gekkoukan. This will give us more Gold, and in return make it easier for us to take them on later.”
Even if the Wolves hated the Peacocks, their willingness to form an alliance and Team Snake’s ever growing, threatening presence were both things to take into heavy consideration. After all, if Team Snake isn’t stopped soon, who knows how much more powerful they’ll grow.
---
After failing in his attempt to cut the meat with his knife being thrown, Alex pulled it back and watched the others go at. He was impressed by the work that was done on the meat, and the slabs got cut, with the only really mess seeming to be on Xenon’s hands, and not on the ground. Thankfully.
Alex enjoyed the show while he sat back eating. The nice banter of the group was mildly entertaining. He didn’t expect Rei to be straightforward and state his opinion on the wolves joining, nor was he expecting blade to continue to act like a brat.
“Throwing this out there. I like Rei.” Alex continued eating, then stopped to speak again, “I plan on getting to know past your cold exterior.” Finishing his food, Alex placed his knife and fork beside each other on his plate. Alex then pointed at Blade and then gestured to Kamui, “Why can’t you be more like your friend? I’d like to get to know him as well, he seems mature and civil. You seem to be a child going through puberty who can’t watch his language or control his emotions.”
~~~
Kamui waved his hand “Mature and civil...well maybe the civil part but getting angry is too much hassle for me. I just don’t let shit like this get to me, I’d rather sit back, enjoy some food, fun, and playtime with everyone. Rei’s whole humans are only in it for profitable stuff rubs against me the wrong way but it’s his view...I’d like to think even if it wasn’t profitable for everyone they’d stick by him if he’d just open up a little more, but that’s my piece, maybe they wouldn’t I can’t really say for myself.” He shrugs and just gives them a wan smile “If you guys are like that though then we’d have been better off with another team, I’d like to think you guys would show more loyalty than just to a level, skills, and money.”
---
Blade simply huffs and scarfs down the rest of the food on his plate before dropping his utensils, placing his hands on the table and pushing himself up from his seat. “Just a couple of try hards…” he mutters to himself before walking away from the table towards the exit. “If anyone wants to know where to find the child that enjoys the world more than the stuck ups he’ll be waiting outside...grinding if I find anything.”
Though Blade stops at the door, just turning his body enough so he could look back at everyone at the table, specifically looking at Rei. “I don’t fall into this common form you and that other one there think I’d be apart of. Your view on others is pathetic. The reason you don’t receive loyalty or friendship from others is because you lack either in the first place. Even a “child” like me understands that.” As Blade’s blood continued to boil over as he says that last sentence directed towards Alex before looking back to Rei with a scowl from across the room. “Yall can talk to the Peacocks for all I give a shit about. I know I don’t need to be apart of the discussion, less I throw a tantrum and attack them right.” Not bothering to listen to anything else Blade makes his way outside and goes on too grind monsters on his own.
---
Xenon listened in while eating his share of meat and some vegetables. He internally sighed at Rei’s curt simplification of the relations between him and the other gamers. It wasn't entirely wrong in his opinion - they had pretty much forced him to teach them despite having the option to forget it all. But still, their dear teacher’s aptitude to doubt and mistrust was amazingly negative. I mean, while we do disagree in philosophies, I can more or less understand where his decisions come from. Plus, so far he's been genuinely helpful… Xenon thought. His lack of ambition other than a general goal didn't leave much room to betray Rei, in his opinion.
Whatever ambience that remained then fled with a mild chastising from Alex taken strongly. Xenon looked off at Blade’s retreating figure and couldn't help but feel a bit nostalgic for some reason. “I think I'll go join him,” he announced calmly, then stood up and followed after the other player.
---
Kamui sighed and got up “Well bigmouth bass you did it again haha. I’m going to see if I can get him outta this mood too.” He says getting up and wiping his hands and face he drops the napkin on his plate and waves noncommittally behind his back to the others “See ya when I get my bro back.” He chuckles and walks behind Xenon “It’s nice but why are you taking an interest in Blade, I mean if Rei is right we’re just fodder for you guys anyway.” The mage gives a half smile and tiny chuckle to the katar wielder.
~
As shots were fired and burns were exchanged, Tian-Gui was too busy stuffing himself to really listen in on the conversation. From what he heard, it sounded like they were discussing strategy or whatever, which was totally fine with himself. No matter what plans they made, things were likely to go to shit when they panned out, so he just had to be ready to catch them all when they fell. Sinking his teeth into a particularly succulent cut of pork, the large youth licked the grease around his lips before moving onto the soup, plunging a loaf of sourdough bread into it before taking a large, large bite.
“Ah, bliss…”
Chasing it down with grape juice, he leaned back for a moment, content to just relax for a moment. Then he realized that Bladesong, Xenon, and Kamui all left the table one by one, heading off into the same direction.
“Eh…” he said to Shouko, peeling a banana, “they finished quickly.”
~
Shouko looked up with cheeks bulging with half-chewed food. She looked away and swallowed it quickly, trying to regain her decency before answering, “Our Rei was introducing his wonderful personality to the Wolves.”
Although she had been stuffing herself as well, Shouko had kept an ear out on the conversation happening on the opposite end of the table. Her heart sank when she heard Rei’s cold appraisal of their relationship with him. The fact that it was technically true made it feel worse.
“What’s up with him, really? Acting aloof, yet helping us so much. It doesn’t make sense,” she said at a whisper.
~
“Ah,” Tian-Gui nodded, chewing thoughtfully on his banana, “his wonderful personality.”
Was Rei that upset about them bringing in two new members? Wasn’t having more people useful? Or did he just want less coattail passengers on his way through the games? Really, it was sorta annoying.
`
Leaning in to catch Shouko’s whispers, he shrugged. “Guilty conscience? A big softie on the inside? Who knows? Don’t even know why he wants to grow stronger and all that. Really, need to get a good ol’ heart-to-heart chat with him some time. Dude’s literally only super serious all the time.”
~
“Rei is always kinda like that. He tends to word things on the blunt, objective side,” Xenon noted to Kamui, scratching the back of his neck. “I think he means well though. He's just… really passionate about games,” the red haired teen said thoughtfully. “Though, that does lend him a bit of a tyrannical personality at times, doesn't it?” he added, chuckling.
“As for myself… well,” Xenon smiled lightly, “Blade’s personality reminds me of a close friend. I guess you could call it a sense or inclination.”
---
“I dunno, I think your leader sounds like a real jerk.” A man in black leather armor suddenly seems to come right out of the thin air, as if walking out of it. He is holding a strange green stone in his hand, but other than that doesn’t even have an Inventory Pouch or a weapon on him. He seems tall, as tall as Tian-Gui, but is rather lanky and lacks muscle mass.
Team Snake Scout
Jörmungandr Level 18
“The name’s Jörmungandr, and I couldn’t help but overhear a few things.” The man smiles, putting the stone next to his ear, before returning his hand to his side.
“A leader who doesn’t trust his comrades, who’s willing to go to the enemy of his own teammates for aid, doesn’t seem to want to be friends with anyone at all, and who has complete disdain for humanity...” He just shakes his head, clicking his tongue.
“Sounds like a pretty awful person right?”
---
Blade looks over with an uneasy look at the shady as fuck appearing man who spoke to him.
“Hey dude, you don’t look all the joyful and sparkly either ya know...and yeah he is an awful person.” Now fully turning to face the guy in a decently relaxed posture seeing no weapon on em. “If you're thinking about adding some more bodies to your force ya can forget about it in regards to me. I ain’t trading one tyrant for another.”
Just then a curious idea strikes Blade’s mind as he never recalled a TEAM JUSTICE at the start of all of this so they must have made the team somehow, maybe asking Arcadia. “I play games to have fun but there is no way playing with that guy around will be any fun at all. Yeah, I’m sure he pulls the strings for that team and I’d believe he’d just kill my friend and me if we don’t do what he says...and that ain’t honorable for shit.”
Continuing to think about the two members in that party that just rub him wrong in all the wrong ways. “Can people not just enjoy themselves, saying their crap at other people just wanting to be havin fun.”
The berserker fighter takes a few steps more forwards, not directly towards the Snake Scout and takes a deep breath. “HEY ARCADIA!!! IS THERE ANYTHING AGAINST MAKING A NEW TEAM!!!?”
He wanted to make his own team away from these asshole players as that is what he normally did in other RPGs with guilds. His guilds and such always stood for more virtues stances like helping out new players or defending weaker players from high level death parties wanting to troll kill rather than other guilds that either just wanted strength in numbers who recruited noobs before even knowing what they are doing or exclusive guilds full of assholes that just stomp new players. Sadly there were a few people in TEAM JUSTICE that Blade would like to get to know better but he wouldn’t be able to stand it.
“If I can’t than I’ll just leave this team and not be apart of any team and solo play.” He knew doing so would probably be the dumbest choice he has ever made in any game he has played tactical wise but purely and simply he wants to play the game his way.
Looking back to the Snake Scout with fire blazing in Blade’s eyes. “I’ll show that bastard up there and everyone else that there is more to a game than just leveling faster than others and stomping them into the ground.”
---
The Snake Scout just listens to what Blade has to say. “Solo play huh? That’s the beauty of Team Snake. Join us, and you can literally do whatever you want. Us on Team Snake tire of all of this team stuff and just want to fight Monsters or explore the Dungeons that appear. The fact that we are in a perfect recreation of the Port Island District fighting Monsters is amazing to us, and we just want to enjoy that.”
Of course around this time, Arcadia does appear, or more or less an illusory Arcadia.
“You can’t make a new Team, and if you’re not part of any Team then you can’t get any Camps to heal yourself with or spend your Gold Coins to purchase things.”
After saying this, the illusory Arcadia vanishes.
“And if you join Team Snake, you can meet a lot of guys who just want to play the game. Who aren’t like all of the other serious dullards you’re going to meet. If anything, several of us are survivors of the Teams that Sparrow or Peacock has attacked.”
And at this point he holds the green Crystal in his hand to Blade.
“We asked Arcadia to make us this, cost a fair amount of Gold. Lets us talk to anyone at our Camps or listen from afar, to make communication between us much better. One of our guys is actually a survivor from when those Peacocks attacked your Team.”
He gives Blade a simple, genuine grin.
“And he asked me that, if you guys are here, to let him talk to you.”
---
Blade wasn’t all that surprised at Arcadia’s answer and quick departure. But he was very pleased to hear what the Snake Scout was telling him about the people who resided in Team Snake. They are tired of the same shit too? They just wanna enjoy the game. When the green crystal is mentioned, Blade assuming that it was like some communication earpiece device based on what he was told but hearing that one of his old Team Wolf buddies had survived, was in Team Snake and wanted to talk through it.
The berserker being a little surprised at this but sprouts a big smile to accommodate the scout’s grin. Accepting the green crystal and placing it respectively into his ear.
“Hello?” “Anybody there?”
---
A voice speaks from the crystal in response to Blade. Blade would be able to recognize the voice. Icarus, the Archer who had helped the two of them escape the first time, the voice being recognizable since this guy always talked a lot.
“Bladesong is that you? Seems like you survived huh? Thank goodness.” A sigh of relief can be heard from the other side. “I’m guessing Kamui is with you as well.”
“But yea, things are pretty good at Team Snake. We can’t get a whole lot of grinding done since there are a lot of us, but just being able to hang out and fight monsters with everyone else is fun. You and Kamui should totally come on over. Team Wolf may be gone, but I think this Team is pretty cool regardless.”
So his friend from Team Wolf really is alive. If that’s the case, then this definitely made going to Team Snake all the more desirable, and thus gave Bladesong other options for Teammates.
The Snake Scout looks at Xenon. “Of course, you are free to come with us as well. The more the merrier I say~” The scout gives Xenon a smile now.
---
Shouko leaned back and shrugged. “I’ll leave it to you to get through to him, then. You’re a guy, you should at least understand him more than me. Then again-” She turned to look at their young leader. His face was nothing but soft features and feminine charm. “-he looks really girly, doesn’t he? Much more than any guy I’ve ever seen, anyway. Could easily pass him off as a girl.”
.
“What do you think? Is Rei cute?” Shouko asked Tian-Gui with a sly grin.
---