The Gamers: The Arcadia Games- Round 1

[Renose]

Rei went ahead and made the second Restoration Field Power Up purchase, raising the restorative buffs a small bit up. Next came the Defense Field power up, which raised the damage resistance buff to +4. So now with the final purchase of the bait, which looked like dark black sphere about the size of Rei's palm, which was a bit smaller than that of the other Gamers' given his small stature; the Gamers now received the following benefits.
​

Regeneration and Recovery increased by 7 + 5% while in Camp Domain.
+4 Damage Resistance while in Camp Domain.​

As Rei made these purchases he did address Xenon's inquiry about Inter-Gamer communication and status checking. "Well our Party System shows you the Health and Mana Bars of your other members when they start to decrease. Of course, at a certain distance the Party System doesn't show your Party Members' statuses anymore. So..." he thinks for a moment as he makes the third and final purchase, before turning around to face the others.

"Every 15 minutes we message each other. Ill send you a message with my status and you send me one with yours, including current levels of EXP, how your Skill progression is going, and how much Gold and Yen you have accumulated. Also if you decide to make any purchases as well, tell me what they are first. While powering up the camp is indeed important, we also need to be able to get in touch with the Abyss Auction so that we can start buying better, more trustworthy gear and Skill Books." Trust. There was a word Rei never really threw around easily, if not at all.

So basically the plan was they would regularly check in to one another, Rei checking into the New Gamers and the New Gamers checking into Rei.

"So once you feel that you are all rested" he looks towards the exhausted Tian, "and ready, go ahead and shatter the bait. Make sure that you purchase the third Restoration Field and second Defense Field power ups first. Make sure you spare enough gold to purchase some bait so that you can renew it once the first one runs out. And when you're able, purchase the tent. We'll be sleeping here, most likely in turns, so the tent will be useful. Also make sure not to exhaust yourself while the bait is still in affect". Again, he looks towards Tian here.

With that, Rei stretches a bit, looking outwards to beyond the reaches of their camp, walking over to Xenon and placing the bait in his hand. Then he looks to the others.

"Any questions?"​

 

[Omnial]

"So any money we claim from killing these bait monsters goes to us this time and not you correct? and we can use coins after we get what you advise as we see fit as well?" Putting his hair up in a pony tail as opposed to its usual braid, Alex continued, "Aside from that, nope. I don't have any questions or concerns, go explore, you're waste both our time."

Eager to continue on with his training, and with the bonus of training in a space with slightly altered recover at that, Alex placed himself on the ground and got to work, "Just let me know when you guys are ready to rumble, I plan on meditating between fights."

 

[Valeric]

Shouko sighed after Rei overturned the group's decision. He made good points, and it was probably safer overall. She was just getting tired of being strung along with his decisions. Naturally, as the most experienced person in the group, it was also sound advice, so she didn't have a reason to object.

Really, what had she gotten herself into? Here they were playing a game that had rules sprung on them, fighting enemies they had no information whatsoever about. Shouko, Shouko...

"No questions here either," she said after Alexander finished. "Just don't wander too far. In case you need our help. Or we need yours."

"We can rumble once Tian-Gui recovers, I suppose." Her eyes narrowed to stare at the man when she remembered his earlier reply. "And no using your Second Wind now! Rei won't be around to heal you if anything goes wrong."

Shouko took her bow out, not wanting to be caught unarmed. She looked though her status window again and found that her 'Bow Use' skill could be ranked up. Shouko shrugged and pressed it. She glanced at her new Shift Arrow skill and had a thought.

She approached the long-haired youth.

"Alexander. The idea for my new skill actually came from your trick with the knife and your Mana Threads. I was thinking, could you show me how to cast it? I think it's a handy ability, to turn mana into string," she asked.

 

[Renose]

Two hours passed after Rei left without really all that much of a word, every fifteen minutes receiving a message from Rei. Of course, the New Gamers would need to send a message back to Rei with a Status Update as well. They could either be honest and give a good bit of detail on the amount of progress they made, or just say that everything is alright. Regardless of how much detail they gave, the progress the New Gamers made in the past two hours was phenomenal, especially since the battles were harder now.

All of the Gremlins had been Level 11, and they hit a bit harder and fought smarter than the previous Gremlins. They had thought a total of thirty of the monsters in varied intervals. They would appear outside of the Camp Domain and always fire from afar. They stayed out of the range of the Flag Pole and the Guardian. Of course, the Gamers didn't really need the Guardian's fight, even if a couple of times Second Wind had to be automatically activated during some of the fights do to some HP dropping below 0.

They could have commanded the Guardian to help, and one time they had to. Since it was two waves that came one after another, and there was no way they could take on a second ambush of three of them with some of them being very low on HP and Mana. It was just too dangerous and the few who could fight, that being Shouko and Xenon, weren't able to do so properly that one time.

So while 33 total were encountered, 30 were killed by the Gamers while 3 had to be killed by the Guardian, who dispatched them with but two to three swift swings of its mighty axes. No Items, EXP, or Coins were gained from those three kills. And of course with Tian sparring with the Guardian, he only got to help kill 27 of them since he had to sit out on one fight as well. Luckily it was a fight with fewer Gremlins.

Needless to say, the Guardian is very strong. And for Rei to be stronger than that? The bar is still quite high for the Gamers, but with how much progress they just made, this bar wasn't an impossible feat throughout these Arcadia Games. There was one thing the New Gamers received that was an incredible notification to their progress.

You have reached Level 10!

You have acquired the title [Level 10]

Level 10
You have reached Level 10. The journey to becoming great and powerful is just beginning, keep up the good work.
+1 to all Stats. +5 HP and MP. +1 Resilience and Resistance. +1 Inventory Slot.

The Gamers would also feel a bit stronger, a rush of energy and strength flowing through them as they each hit Level 10 from all of their Stats being boosted by one, the same going for their Health and Mana being boosted. The New Gamers were now all a bit stronger than before. Furthermore, after reaching Level 10, all of them except Xenon would have reached Level 11, making even more progress happen.

They had received a total of 30 Coins and 200,000 Yen that could be split between them as 50,000 Yen a piece. Plus lots of Arrows for Shouko, which is good since her Shifter Arrow breaks any arrow that she uses. Eight swords and six Bows were also recovered, something for the storage chest unless anyone wanted to use them.

Of all of the enemies fought, there were only two Health and two Mana Potions dropped. Luckily the Gamer System gave info on them. The Health Potions restored 30 Health and the Mana Potions restored 50 Mana. Those would definitely be useful though, even if the Health amount wasn't too big. Thirty Health is still 30 HP.

Eventually a window would appear before each of the Gamers. It is a PM.
​

From: Rei Amagi
Subject: Status Update

I'm almost there. I managed to acquire two flags, both empty. Received plenty of coins for upgrading the camp. Don't use any of the coins until I get there so that we can plan it out properly. Saw a couple other contestants from a distance. About five levels higher than all of you.

What is your status?​

Needless to say, as if by some strange coincidence, any Gamers who had the Mini-Map open would manage to see another White Dot on it, this dot being within the 100 yard range of their Mini-Map and not really hiding since the dot could be seen. Could it be friend or foe?

The Gamers, fortunately, were healed at this point since their last fight was about ten minutes ago and their bait had run out at the two hour mark. So no more Gremlins would show up unannounced at least. The New Gamers could either prepare for a fight, go out to confront this individual, or perhaps warn Rei of the person 100 yards away from their camp. There were also alot of other things they could do. Needless to say... they would need to choose quickly, as this dot is getting closer and closer to their camp slowly with each passing moment.

​

 

[Omnial]

I seem to just be the source of inspiration for this merry crew, with Xenon pulling my trick earlier and now Shouko asking about mana thread. Looking up to the young lady, Alex closed his eyes to think about what he could get in return, "Aha!" He exclaimed as he opened his eyes and jumped up, "I'll go through explaining my process for my skill, if you do the same for me. Fair trade?" Alex smiled and offered his hand in a business deal like manner. This will work in both of our favours, and more so in mine as I grasp a greater understanding of mana.

"So, I started the same way we all had been instructed, by clearing my mind, and then things sort of turned out like this..." Alex started unravelling the imagery and the mindset he had when first developing his Mana thread, and the insights he has had on it since then through his grinding of the skill and the experimental uses of it.

Afterwards, Alex eagerly listened to what Shouko had to share.

Learning! 20 - 10 - 10 = 0


Learning? 68 - 10 - 10 = 47


~~~

During the two hours, Alex didn't see much point in wasting time with giving Rei a play by play of what was going on with the training, When he did feel the need it was we are good, we are fine, he explained the time they had trouble, but left out a few select details and informed Rei of how no experience was earned or items dropped if the guardian did the work.

Stopping his meditation training to see another annoying update from Rei, this one actually having substance to it though, Alex glanced at the others, then at his message, then to the mini map which he left opened. Noticing a new dot, he raised his brow. How long has that been there? "Does anyone else have their maps open and see the new dot?"

Alex decided it was best to update Rie on this, no need to go dying or getting robbed by some unknown force when they have their own weapon. Weapon Rie.

 

[ERode]

Tian-Gui was disappointed. Rei's own plan made sense, and it was even a relatively 'safe' option, in a game where they could easily lose their lives, but at the same time…wow, what part of this was actually discussed? Could he not have waited for other people's opinions on where the Gold should be spent? As a teacher, he really was failing if he wasn't going to give his students room to breathe.

Nevertheless, the malcontent that brewed within Tian-Gui quickly evaporated once the white-haired Gamer disappeared. Smiling at Shouko's orders, the grappler said, "Aye-aye, Shouko! No more Second Wind unless the opportunity presents itself!"

With that, he engaged the Camp Guardian instead. The Orc Axeman, even without its axes, was ridiculously strong, the first true opponent Tian-Gui faced that he had trouble going up against. Indeed, with arms as thick as tree trunks and resilience far beyond his own, it was perhaps a blessing that it didn't specialize in unarmed combat. He still managed to hold his own, but, it did give him an opportunity to actually use his brains for once. He needed to develop techniques, not only to simply slam his opponents into the ground, but to properly restrain them, preventing them from using parts of their body regardless of how much they struggled.

Joint locks.

Inbetween sparring sessions with the Camp Guardian, Tian-Gui Charged and slammed down Gremlin Archers as well. Those little midgets were becoming smarter and smarter, abusing the range on their bows, but that advantage wore out fairly quickly as the grappler became faster and faster. Even with armor on now, he could reach them without much trouble, and though he had to sit out of one of the fights, it was all still fine.

He was getting faster. He was getting stronger. And the achievement he received for attaining Level 10 was merely a testament towards that. That number will be 20 soon. Then 30. Then 40. Then 50. Until he attained a strength high enough to change Gaia itself and gain permission to use this power of his for the good of society.

When the monster bait finally ran out and the Gamers had amassed a grand amount of wealth, Tian-Gui leaned back and sighed with contentment. They had all done well, even when their numbers were lower and lower. The Flag and the Guardian hardly interfered, and as long as he was in the thick of things, everyone else were free to do damage from a safe distance. Good. This was very good.

An update from Rei, one of many, popped up, and Tian-Gui was quick to type up a message of his own, when Alexander's popped up first. A dot on the minimap, approaching them? He blinked, pulled it up, and whistled.

Another competitor, perhaps? But they were alone, so did that mean they were strong? Or did that mean they were the last survivor of another group? The Arcadia Games was a festival of death, ultimately, and though Tian-Gui enjoyed the festivities, perhaps it was time they got a bit more serious about this after all. Monsters were one thing, but real human beings were another.

"Xenon, how confident are you with your stealth? Think you can go scout ahead and get a visual on that person? Rei should be able to teleport at any time back to our base, in case they seem hostile to you."

 

[Valeric]

Alexander offered to teach her only if she taught him her own spell, Mana Blast. "Deal," she said with a grin. The young man began first, explaining the thoughts he had used to end up with that particular spell. Magic, it seemed, had a great deal to do with your imagination and thinking patterns. Having created the Shift Arrow ability, Shouko was starting to see a pattern in the way mana reacted to her thoughts. And once she succeeded in creating the correct visuals, the gamer system 'saved' the spell. Thereafter there was no need to get into the same state of mind to use it.

Shouko explained what she knew back to Alexander. Mana Blast was... a rather simpler approach. "You just gather the mana at one point, like your palm... Concentrate it. Feel it interact with each other. Like a chemical reaction, I would say. Once it catalyses, you just let it burst out." A wave of force and blueish light shot out of her palm, sending a plume of dust flying. "I guess I could refine it into a more meaningful shape, but it can be difficult to control that destructive force."

Their little sharing session only took around twenty minutes, and both of them walked away with something new under their belts. With nothing left to do, they used the bait to start their training. Even though they now had a camp, combat didn't get any easier. They used the bait soon after Rei left, and the numbers that began to attack worried Shouko. She shot arrow after arrow after arrow at the dozens of gremlins that swarmed their position. Some of them even had their Second Wind activated.

At the end of it, they were far stronger than before. Shouko had never shot a bow so many times in her life. It wasn't possible for her before becoming a gamer, but now muscle fatigue didn't exist. Her new life was strangely convenient like that. She sighed loudly when Rei finally messaged his return. "I thought I died and went to hell. Of endless battle."

However, Alexander pointed out that he saw a 'dot' on his minimap. It took Shouko a moment to understand what he was talking about. Tian-Gui said, "Xenon, how confident are you with your stealth? Think you can go scout ahead and get a visual on that person? Rei should be able to teleport at any time back to our base, in case they seem hostile to you."

She felt a pang of worry for Xenon should he agree to the scouting. An idea came to her, and she retrieved an item from her inventory. She handed a fist-sized metal canister to him.

"If you do go, take this. It's a smoke bomb," she explained. After a moment, she added, "Oh, you can pay me for it later."

 

[Sairoh]

[BCOLOR=inherit]Xenon found himself smiling lightly over Shouko's small second wind rant at Tian Gui. [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=inherit]And to think people call [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=inherit]me[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=inherit] patronizing[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=inherit].[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]While Shouko and Alexander were having a trade off of skills and Tian Gui was busy duking it out with the camp guard, the red haired teen decided to take the time to hone some of his own skills. One thing that he had noticed in excess during battle and out of it was the elasticity of mana. Were it a tangible substance instead of just manifested spiritual energy, it'd be a chemist's potluck. So Xenon decided to see how much he could literally stretch it. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]He sat down a little ways off from the others and took off one katar. Then, he laid his free hand over the blade on his other hand and focused. Xenon imagined he was moving ceram wrap, a thin film, to coat his katar. Just another thin layer, molded perfectly to the shape of the iron blade. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]His success varied, seemingly waxing and waning to the whims of his grasp on the image and concept. But soon enough, he managed to get an inkling of what he was seeking.[/BCOLOR]
​

Mana Film (Rank 10, Special) (Level 10, 0/3 SP)

Cost: 34 MP
Your practice with Mana allows you to cover a small surface with a thin film of the mystic energy. This Novice Ability doesn't last long though, as the control over the Mana is not great, this film dissipating after a mere five seconds or after a hard impact is made with something else. You can cover a surface about the size of a Dagger. Different affects can happen based on the surface covered. Note that one free hand is required to apply the Mana Film. One SP is gained for applying the Film. Another SP is gained for utilizing the Film in some fashion.

Weapon: Adds a Mana Damage Mod equal to 30% Focus (8) + 25% SPI (12) = 5 and adds a Parry Bonus to the Weapon equal to 6% Focus (8) = 1.

[BCOLOR=transparent]Soon after his experimenting, it was time to train again, so Xenon put his katar back on and tacked the incomplete mana film onto his growing list of things he needed to work on. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent][BCOLOR=inherit]Xenon took a look at his own mini map when Alexander mentioned the new presence. Surely enough, there was a white dot moving towards them. The red haired teen paused to think about Tian Gui's suggestion. "I imagine our dear teacher would advise otherwise," Xenon said with a small chuckle. "But a little look couldn't hurt." [/BCOLOR][/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent][BCOLOR=inherit]Xenon then received the smoke bomb from Shouko with a curious look. "Pay you back?" he echoed, "Isn't this called peer pressure then?" He cocked an eyebrow at the older gamer, then broke into a teasing laugh. "Thanks, we can decide on an interest rate later on," he added. The teen took a small moment to crack all the knuckles, each bend of his finger letting out a pop, then left the camp with a small wave. Once out, Xenon kept an eye on his mini map, trying to utilize the university surroundings to remain under the radar. [/BCOLOR][/BCOLOR]​

 

[Renose]

With Smoke Bomb in hand, the New Gamers decide to place their faith in Xenon's Stealth ability and see if he can sneak just a peek at this figure. One would expect Rei to be back immediately, yet despite how alarming Alexander's message no immediate response came from Rei. This is rather... strange, as normally he would probably be telling them to stay put and wait for him to come handle it. So either Rei is caught up in something or he actually is putting his faith in the New Gamers for once.

Knowing Rei though... it is most likely the first one.

Thankfully this field did indeed have some things in it that a school field would have. It is often used by Neo Tokyo U for events after all. There aren't too many thing of course, since its not the actual sports field, but there are benches, trees, and other such fixtures sprinkled throughout. Plus even then, the target is not on the field yet since they seem to be still around one-hundred yards away. Thanks to Xenon's newly acquired Movement Skill though, he seems to be moving a little faster while under Stealth than before.

At first, his movements weren't completely... stealthy. Fortunately the target didn't seem to be in sight range yet, but is slowly getting closer on the Mini-Map. If anything, the target's pace is around the same as Xenon's. Xenon's movements grow more subdued and he starts to make better use of the mundane surroundings as time progresses and Xenon's dot starts to get closer to the other one. The two dots are around a little over fifty yards apart now, or so reads the Mini-Map.

He grows a little sloppier in the third stretch, but fortunately it doesn't seem like he has been spotted yet. Of course, now Xenon can somewhat see the target from around thirty or so yards away. Above his head, in white text, is the following:

Team Sparrow Cleric
Durin, Level 16

And cleric is correct. This man seems very heavily armored, wearing a thick, heavy set of armor. In one hand he carries what appears to be a steel mace and in his other hand he is carrying a shield with a black sparrow embossed upon it. He has a full, thick beard and appears to be in his mid to late thirties judging from his overall scruffy appearance. Despite having a more... fantasy like name, he appears to have an appearance like any other Japerican citizen minus the armor and beard. Black hair, blue eyes.

Naturally Xenon decides to pull out the a-game in stealth right now and secretly and quietly secure a very nice, hidden spot behind a tree right as the two get even closer. They are not but twenty yards apart. Xenon is in perfect place to either make a hasty, stealthy escape, perform a perfect ambush, or perhaps approach the man for a simple conversation. Either way, thanks to Xenon's excellent stealth, he is in a good spot and the man; who appeared to be looking around in Xenon's direction a few moments ago, seemed to just shrug as if he didn't see anything after all.

Stealth has gone up in Level by 1.
Movement has gone up in Level by 1.

---

In truth, Rei had been fighting when he had seen the message. He had a new Skill he was testing out and working on. Just because the others sat down for a break, didn't mean he needed to. Tenacity needed to be trained more after all, and he noted that he was getting fewer and fewer SP from doing things at low HP than he was before right as he proceeded to max the Skill. So he figures working and resisting Fatigue would be a better option.

The moment the fight ended, Rei just hastily types out a PM as he stuffs the Yen and Coins into his inventory, chugging down the couple of potions the foes dropped. He is currently about 25% on Health and Mana at the moment, and there is no time to rest and recover. He would need to do as much of that as he could on the way back to the Second Camp.

A PM would arrive for all of the New Gamers.
​

Subject:
Stay put, don't do anything. I am on my way. It'll take me a minute to return to Second Camp, and from there I will teleport to the Base Camp where you all reside.

From: Rei Amagi​

Rei seems to have been in quite a hurry to type that, as there isn't even a subject on the PM, just text. The signature seems to be an automatic thing of the PM most likely, otherwise Rei may not have typed that.

Of course, whether or not to tell Rei that Xenon is gone or not would also be something else the New Gamers would need to consider. Could they really afford to tell Rei, who trusted no one and didn't even discuss with them vital decisions, that Xenon is currently out on Recon?

Well if they didn't tell Rei now, he would certainly find out soon enough.​

 

[Sairoh]

Xenon's focus, at first, was tied rather heavily to his mini map at first, with his gaze never leaving the white dot he was tracing for more than a few seconds. And then, he walked face first into a tree. "Ow!" he hissed sharply. His left hand flew up to touch the tender skin of his bopped nose. Ugh, okay. Focus Xenon, focus. You're a mess right now.

The red haired teen let out a soft sigh, then carried on. The boop in the nose seemed to do the trick though, as Xenon progressively found himself falling into his own niche. There was a familiarity in sneaking about, it felt as though he were melting into his surroundings, disappearing from the spotlight and into obscurity.

Soon enough, there were only thirty yards between himself and the target. Cleric, huh? Xenon read over the target's title. He probably could've fooled me with that get up... he thought as he eyed the man's armor and weaponry. Right then, Xenon's foot caught onto the root of a tree, briefly tripping him and making a scraping sound.

By a dash of luck or instinct, the red haired teen caught himself before he fell and slinked away from his previous spot with remarkable ease. Twenty yards now, and the man had just looked away from where Xenon had been hiding. What to do now... Fighting is out of the question, I probably wouldn't last long against someone with a five level lead. I could just go back, since I was just supposed to take a look.... but. Clerics were healers, and this one seemed to be alone. The man also didn't look particularly aggressive, so perhaps an attempt at talk couldn't hurt? Maybe he was just as confused about the emergence of the Arcadia games as the rest of the gamers were.

At worst, I can use Shouko's stealth bomb to run away or try to hold off until the rest can get to me. Reminded of the others, Xenon typed a quick message to the gamers: "Found mystery dot. Team Sparrow Cleric, Durin, Level 16. Attempting convo."

Xenon peeled slowly away from his hiding spot, the smoke bomb tucked out of view for the moment. He didn't make any move to close the distance between them, but called out with his voice instead, "Excuse me sir?"

​

 

[ERode]

"Team Sparrow?" Tian-Gui read aloud. "What a funny name. When did this became isekai, I wonder…"

After all, who on earth would be named Durin, if they weren't from another world? It did make him think about the Abyss, if nothing else. Perhaps that place really was a fantasy world then? A whole other dimension set in a western fantasy? At level 16, he couldn't really agree with Xenon's decision to try to speak with the cleric, but, then again, the problem with instant messaging was that, well, it wasn't instant.

With a smoke bomb though, as well as a pair of non-shit legs, he decided to trust that Xenon could make a speedy escape if he had to. "Welp," Tian-Gui turned to the others, "Hopefully Durin is as friendly as he sounds. I'm planning on heading closer, in case our ninja needs some back up. One of you mind keeping an eye on the mini map?"

Before he could set off, however, Rei's message popped up and he smiled.

Too late.

With that, the wrestler walked out of the Camp, heading towards Xenon and Durin of Team Sparrow.

 

[Renose]

Rei received Tian's message, clenching his fists tightly. Now Rei doesn't usually let his emotions get the better of him... but now he is incredibly pissed off. Instead of sticking to the plan and being safe, here they were going on immensely dangerous missions with targets that were potentially much bigger threats than them. So this makes Rei hurry all the more hastily to the Second Camp.

---

As the man hears a voice, he quickly spins around, pointing his mace towards Xenon. "Well well, so you were the little bugger sneaking around, eh laddie? And here I thought it was just me imagination". The man lets out a hearty chuckle while still keeping both his mace and his heavy shield at the ready. He doesn't seem all too nervous or perturbed about the situation that they are in, but instead is more focused upon the potential foe in front of him.

"I take it your Team is the one that owns the camp up there then? Either that, or you're here to scout it out to" He says this as he gestures towards JUSTICE base camp with his head. He doesn't wait for a response though. "Either way, the map wasn't wrong then". He chuckles, before returning his face to a more serious expression as he continues to direct his gaze towards Xenon.

"So Laddie, which is it? Are you here for scoutin', or are you a member of that camp. If its the latter..." he adjusts his mace for a few moments, letting its weight rest in his hand, "what say your team join with mine. After all, you don't even look like ya have any startin' equipment yet, let alone any strength in that thin body of yers. If ya link yer camp with ours, we'll have a much higher chance of winnin' these games". The man had a rather strange accent to his Japanese, as if he wasn't really from this country. Its possible that he's either scottish, or just putting on an act. Either way, his speech patterns aren't the most colloquial.
​

 

[Sairoh]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Xenon tensed a little when the man turned and pointed his mace towards him, but otherwise stayed immaculately still, just on the cusp of making an exit. That said, he hadn't really expected Durin's voice to be so… accented, considering that he looked just like any other ordinary Japerican. [/BCOLOR]​

[BCOLOR=transparent]"Um, before I answer any questions, would you mind putting your mace down? It's making me a tad uneasy," Xenon said with what he hoped looked like a nervous smile. In actuality, the red haired teen wasn't as perturbed by the weapon as he tried to present, but making an innocent front seemed like a good way to wriggle his way into possibly getting some information. How much does he know about the games? Did he know who the Jester was? What map was he talking about? How big was Team Sparrow? Where was its base? The questions spun around in Xenon's head just from the small bit Durin had said, and the teen felt the need to know the answers. [/BCOLOR]​

[BCOLOR=transparent]---[/BCOLOR]​

[BCOLOR=transparent]The man just gives a nod after he looks over Xenon for a few moments. Well, it's not like Xenon is armed after all. He just lowers his mace for the moment now. He doesn't put it away, but at least it is lowered for the moment so it's not as nerve wracking. [/BCOLOR]​

[BCOLOR=transparent]"Alright laddie, I did as ye asked. Now why don't ya do as I asked".[/BCOLOR]​

[BCOLOR=transparent]---[/BCOLOR]​

[BCOLOR=transparent]"Thank you," Xenon put his hands down. "To answer your question, I was just walking around until I saw you." Not a complete lie, not a complete truth. "Do you, by any chance, know what these 'games' are about? I was just kinda invited by an unkind little Jester, so I'm not exactly sure what I'm doing..." [/BCOLOR]​

[BCOLOR=transparent]---[/BCOLOR]​

[BCOLOR=transparent]"Ya don't even know what you're doing huh?"[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] The man just stares at Xenon for a few moments. Well he didn't have a weapon on him, and indeed did have a look that screamed 'inexperienced', but at the same time it could also be a trap. [/BCOLOR]​

[BCOLOR=transparent]"Well these Games will eat up a rookie like you. Why don't you join our team? I'm guessing your Class is Thief judging by the way you were sneakin' around like that? We could always use a Thief". [/BCOLOR]​

[BCOLOR=transparent]Class? Thief? Those definitely seemed like... video game terms. Or one can assume they are anyway. [/BCOLOR]​

[BCOLOR=transparent]"And in all honesty, no one really knows what these games are about. Still, I'm not complainin' laddie, considerin' that I get to use me trusty mace to bash some heads after all, and get to actually use the powers I built up". [/BCOLOR]​

[BCOLOR=transparent]---[/BCOLOR]​

[BCOLOR=transparent]The more Durin spoke, the more he seemed out of place. [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]Classes? This is starting to sound like a cheesy fantasy movie… Or,[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] Xenon felt his smile tightening, [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]A video game[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]. Either way, the conversation had ended up taking a turn into the deep end with an offer that the red haired teen couldn't really accept. He needed to switch things up. [/BCOLOR]​

[BCOLOR=transparent]"Bash heads?" he inquired with a light grimace. "Sorry, no thank you. I think I'd be better off just leaving. You said you had a map, right? Do you think you could share with me -" Xenon abruptly stopped talking. He had almost blurted out the Durin's name, a clear red flag that would certainly raise suspicion. "I don't think I ever got your name," he bashfully glossed over his mistake. [/BCOLOR]​

[BCOLOR=transparent]---[/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent]"The name's Durin. What's your's laddie?" The man walked a couple of steps towards Xenon, putting his hand shield on his back before putting that hand out to shake, a smile visible under that bushy beard of his. "And sure, I wouldn't mind sharing my map with ya laddie. Wouldn't want ya to get lost after all". [/BCOLOR]​

[BCOLOR=transparent]---[/BCOLOR]​

[BCOLOR=transparent]"Nice to meet you Durin," Xenon closed the gap and shook the outstretched hand, "My name's Xenon." So far, it seemed like he'd be able to safely get away from accidentally joining another team. "So which way do I need to go to get out?" [/BCOLOR]​

[BCOLOR=transparent]---[/BCOLOR]​

[BCOLOR=transparent]"Nice to meet ya as well laddie".[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] The man's armored hand had quite the very firm, strong grip as he shook Xenon's hand while listening to his next question, which Durin does indeed answer.[/BCOLOR]​

[BCOLOR=transparent] "By the way of the [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]Holy Flame[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]". [/BCOLOR]​

[BCOLOR=transparent]Suddenly a brilliant, white flame would engulf the man's hand and shoot right up Xenon's arm, searing it in white hot light. A white and orange "20" would appear in Xenon's vision, the man still keeping his grip upon Xenon's hand very firmly as he now brings his mace upwards in an attempt to bare it down upon Xenon's skull. [/BCOLOR]​

[BCOLOR=transparent]Naturally the New Gamers back at the camp would see something appear in the corner of their vision. Xenon's Health and [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]MP [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]bars, and his [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]HP [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]bar dropped down by 20 points. [/BCOLOR]​

[BCOLOR=transparent]Fortunately, perhaps the sudden rush of pain helped, Xenon would show yet another sudden burst of strength as his Adrenaline Rush Skill kicks in, momentarily increasing his STR and AGI by a single point. Still, perhaps it's this small amount that helps him wrench his arm out from Durin's grasp, allowing him to dodge the powerful mace swing before it cracked down on his skull. [/BCOLOR]​

[BCOLOR=transparent]The man draws out his shield now in a surprisingly swift movement, bearing the armaments now. [/BCOLOR]​

[BCOLOR=transparent]"Ya can't fool me laddie. You came up from that camp over there, and since you won't join me as a friend, that can only make ya an enemy laddie. Tis a shame to, as I was just startin' to like ya".[/BCOLOR]​

[BCOLOR=transparent]The man now definitely seems ready for a fight. Fortunately, with the help of the Party System showing Xenon's Status to the New Gamers at least, help could be on the way soon. So Xenon could either try to fight Durin, or try to figure out a way to escape. Thankfully though he still had Shouko's smoke bomb. [/BCOLOR]​

[BCOLOR=transparent]All he had to do is just get it to hit. [/BCOLOR]​

[BCOLOR=transparent]---[/BCOLOR]​

[BCOLOR=transparent]The gamer ability seemed to come with a bonus of surprises. In excess. The pain seared across his hand, through his sleeve, and etching itself into his skin. Like heated needles, sinking to the eyes into his pores, burning to bone and ash. Xenon yelped loudly, then clamped his mouth shut. [/BCOLOR]​

[BCOLOR=transparent]A sense of desperation piqued somewhere in the red haired teen's head. He'd seen near death a handful of times now, but the realization hit him that this could very well be his actual death. The rest of the gamers were far away. There was no way he could fend off Durin for long, the power gap was just too big to bridge… But unlike movies, there was no moment before death, no screen roll of childhood memories.[/BCOLOR]​

[BCOLOR=transparent]Just a cold, hard rush. [/BCOLOR]​

[BCOLOR=transparent]In one swift movement, Xenon yanked his hand out of Durin's iron grip and moved out of the mace's swing and back just a few paces. Without any more thought, Xenon took out Shouko's smoke bomb and threw it as hard as he could at the ground. [/BCOLOR]​

[BCOLOR=transparent]However, as the red haired teen turned and made a his speedy exit, he couldn't help but wonder. Was that an opportunity lost?[/BCOLOR]​

[BCOLOR=transparent]---[/BCOLOR]​

[BCOLOR=transparent]The man coughs as the smoke suddenly appears, taking a moment to quickly cover his mouth. Rather than go after Xenon, who used the opportunity of the smoke cover to get away, he instead moves a few steps forward in the direction he assumes Xenon went in, since the smoke was so sudden and thus restricted his vision for just a single moment, a long enough moment for Xenon to get out of the smoke. [/BCOLOR]​

[BCOLOR=transparent]The smoke is suddenly blasted away though by a circular, ring like pulse of white light like fire that manages to bash Xenon in the back as he moves away, the attack clearing away most of the smoke as the man shouted "[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]Holy Wave![/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]". [/BCOLOR]​

[BCOLOR=transparent]Another searing white hot pain as a white and orange 15 appears above Xenon's head. This man seemed to have some very interesting attacks. Of course, Xenon is still eleven yards away from the man. He could either continue running fully, or just move a short bit and shoot from a distance with Mana Bolt. [/BCOLOR]​

[BCOLOR=transparent]Unfortunately though Adrenaline Rush also wears off at this moment, but it does go up one Level at least. [/BCOLOR]​

[BCOLOR=transparent]---[/BCOLOR]​

[BCOLOR=transparent]Xenon grit his teeth as another scathing attack came his way. More needles bloomed, this time across his back as he was running. Of course, the cleric would have ranged attacks. Still, between running away and fighting, his prospects seemed to be better on flight. After all, even ranged abilities had their limits. [/BCOLOR]​

[BCOLOR=transparent]So the red haired teen ran, willing every ounce of his being into moving his legs away from the very real threat at his back. [/BCOLOR]​

[BCOLOR=transparent]---[/BCOLOR]​

[BCOLOR=transparent]The man suddenly lowers himself to the ground, before moving forward now as his legs momentarily glow with a green energy. The man already was pretty fast, even in all of that heavy armor. If anything he seemed more like a Warrior than a Cleric judging by how he moved in all of that getup with that heavy shield and heavy looking full plate. [/BCOLOR]​

[BCOLOR=transparent]In just one powerful dash, Durin was just a mere three yards behind Xenon, closing the distance between them rather quickly as with a powerful dash he moved an entire eighteen yards, and as he got right in range he bears his mace down upon Xenon. [/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent]Fortunately the blow, while full on, would be a full on, but fortunately somewhat glancing blow. Still, even a glancing blow from someone with immense physical strength like Durin hurt, and thus another 35 Damage was dealt to Xenon as the mace gets decent contact to Xenon's side. If the blow had been any more precise than that then it would have hurt much more. [/BCOLOR]​

[BCOLOR=transparent]Fortunately though, around this time Tian would arrive, and in the distance the other New Gamers didn't seem to be too far behind either. [/BCOLOR]​

[BCOLOR=transparent]"Ah, so I was right then laddie! Looks like the reinforcements have arrived. See, what did I tell ya. Ya can't fool old Durin!" [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]The man lets out a powerful, hearty laugh from the bottom of his gut as he simply continues to brandish his weapons. [/BCOLOR]​

[BCOLOR=transparent]"Unless of course"[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] he calls out to Tian and the others not far behind him,[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] "you all aren't actually with this laddie and would like to join up with Team Sparrow as well". [/BCOLOR]​

[BCOLOR=transparent]---[/BCOLOR]​

[BCOLOR=transparent]Right when Xenon thought he had made his way into the clear, there was a mace against his side. Shit. Shit, shit, shit, shit. Unlike the last two needle blows, this pain felt more like someone had grabbed a part of his side, and tried to rip it out. [/BCOLOR]​

[BCOLOR=transparent]Durin's newfound proximity also forced Xenon to turn and fight. The red haired teen spun out a quick 180 with his existing momentum, taking a few steps back in the process, then shot out his palm and yelled, "Mana bolt!"[/BCOLOR]​

[BCOLOR=transparent]---[/BCOLOR]​

[BCOLOR=transparent]Fortunately as Xenon moves back several steps, he shows his agility here more so than before, as he deftly back steps the spontaneous mace swing. It seems like for now he is spared from more punishment via Mace, not that he can take much more thanks to his low HP. Well... low by the standards of Durin's apparent high damage output. [/BCOLOR]​

[BCOLOR=transparent]Mana Bolt[/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent]57 - 11 Accuracy - 25 Distance Bonus = 21[/BCOLOR]​

[BCOLOR=transparent]The blast hits full on... but it appears that perhaps Xenon overestimated its strength, or perhaps just underestimated this man's defense. The attack deals a mere 8 Damage, a blue 8 appearing above his head to indicate the 8 mystical damage done. If that was this man's mystical defense, enough to nearly negate a full on Mana Bolt, there is no telling what his Physical Defense is. [/BCOLOR]​

[BCOLOR=transparent]The Gamers can either just surrender to the man, or hope that perhaps they can just tire him out, force him to use up all of his MP, and perhaps even damage his armor bit by bit until his Defense is lowered. [/BCOLOR]​

[BCOLOR=transparent]Regardless... This enemy appears by no means to be an easy opponent to contend with. [/BCOLOR]​

[BCOLOR=transparent]Fortunately, there is one possible "Rei" of hope. [/BCOLOR]​

[BCOLOR=transparent]

[/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent]From: Rei Amagi[/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent]Subject: [/BCOLOR]

​

[BCOLOR=transparent]I am almost there. Arriving at Second Camp. I will be teleporting over there very soon. ​

[/BCOLOR]​

[BCOLOR=transparent]So they could either surrender now, or hope to either defeat this man before Rei comes or at least manage to hold on until Rei arrives.[/BCOLOR]

 

[ERode]

The sudden drop in Xenon's HP bar was all the indication Tian-Gui needed to accelerate. Pumping his legs up and down, the grappler was glad for the amount of training he put in yesterday with running in chainmail as he dashed through the streets, taking a direct path towards the red-haired ninja. He arrived just in time to see the pulsating ring of heat that did another chunk of damage, before Xenon retaliated with a Mana Bolt that was so much less…awesome.

Their opponent, even at level 16, definitely had his defenses together, and the mace he wielded was barbaric enough to fit the image of a heavily armored barbarian. Cleric? What sort of silly joke was that?

With a spurt of energy, Tian-Gui charged forwards, arms scooping down low. Durin's tower shield deflected one arm, a meaty impact resounding as the bearded man drew back his mace for a strike. Too late. Tian-Gui was already in his own optimal range, blue eyes burning brilliantly.

"ARM LOCK!"

His free arm snaked out, catching his opponent's armored wrist, before twisting it backwards enough that Durin dropped his mace. The heavy weapon clattered onto the ground and Tian-Gui slid up behind him, pinning the cleric's arm behind his back. His foot lashed outwards after, kicking the weapon a short distance away. It bounced, once, twice, hopefully within range of Alexander's Mana Thread.

Towering over the shorter man, Tian-Gui said firmly, loudly, "I don't know what's going on, and I'm not really here to fight fellow humans. I'm Tian-Gui of Team Justice. You are Durin of Team Sparrow. The two running towards us are Alex and Shouko. The person you just attacked is Xenon. Please explain why he attacked you. Did he make fun of your beard or something? Did he try some sort of assassination technique on you?"

Then, Tian's gaze turned towards the redhead, a bit of humor dancing in it.

"Seriously, dude, I can understand you wanting freedom, but how did you start a fight when you said you'd start a conversation? I thought only Artisia talked with her fists."

 

[Renose]

Tian is able to hold onto the man for about five seconds as he talks, before in a great display of strength he manages to wrench his arm from Tian's grasp with relative ease. This man, despite not knowing his stats, clearly has alot of physical strength. More than Tian definitely. Possibly even more than Rei. Regardless, he is clearly a defensive powerhouse with alot of bite. Not an easy opponent for the New Gamers who are still just developing their unique abilities and trump cards.

Instead of attacking though he just gives a hearty laugh. "Not here to fight? Laddie, that's what these Arcadia Games are all about. Its a Tournament you know, of the various Arcadia Guilds, and you say you're not here to fight?" The man seems to be laughing heartily. A good, honest guffaw. This man doesn't seem like a bad guy. It just seems like he likes fighting. Alot. Especially since he seems to be very good at it. As he talks he puts his shield back on his back with relative ease and picks up his discarded Mace, putting it back on his belt.

"Your friend here simply didn't want to join my Team, so if you guys aren't going to be my friends, then ill beat ya down as my enemies instead. Its much easier that way". Some... sound logic, but at the same time quite frightening when one considers the fact that Xenon is quite close to death. In battle, Rei mentioned that if you fall unconscious by yourself you may as well consider yourself dead.

"But you seem to be the more confident, leader type. What say you laddie? Why don't you lads link your team with ours? We can easily defeat the rest of the competition, plus you seem to be quite the interesting Brawler, we could always use more Archers and Thieves as well". He now looks towards Shouko with her bow and Xenon. "Even if your Rogue for some reason chose a Magic ability instead of a melee one".

So now the group had a choice. Join Team Sparrow to make a stronger alliance and either have to convince Rei to come along or leave Rei behind, or stick with their solitary Team Justice and potentially become enemies of Team Sparrow in the process. Who knows what other kinds of people they had on Team Sparrow, and Durin definitely seems quite strong.

​

 

[Omnial]

Alex simple sat on the ground as the idea of Xenon scouting was put up, Well he is the stealthiest of us, he can do as he wants though. He watched as Shouko 'gave' him a smoke bomb, Well now it seems like we are pressuring him, Don't worry Xenon, I wont do that to you as well. Alex let out a yawn of disinterest, and simply watched his map, acting liking he was getting ready to meditate.

The message from Xenon, was to be expected, as was Tian's decisions to go in case things turned sour. "I usually have my map open." Alex responded as he stopped acting and simply kicked back.

Watching the map, as Tian's marker started heading towards Xenon, Alex decided to jump up and start heading over as well, specially since he was just notified of Xenon taking damage. "Well, looks like Tian was right." It would be a bother if those two died so soon, "You can do as you see fit, Wait for Rei or come with me." Looking at his map for directions, then back at Shouko, Alex nodded, then started running.

Best PM Rie, let him know what is going on,

"PM Rie, 'Negotiation went sour I suppose, Tian already went towards Xenon. Going for retrieval, and hopefully retreat.'"

Alex continued to run, he wasn't an athlete so it would take some time, and he did so with his map open so as to know the shortest route and to not be caught by an ambush.

Arriving in time to watch a fairly well sized man break free from Tian's grip, and hear his schpeal, Alex decided to chirp in.

"Well that is a pretty fair offer, and we don't want or need any enemies here." Alex looked at the man's mace, "Why not a simple truce for now? A non aggression pact if you will, And we can battle it out as the final teams with you seeing our true power, or merge then and have an easy victory?"

 

[ERode]

This Durin really was strong, huh? His hand was already aching from grappling with the armored man, and Tian-Gui was fairly certain that this individual had some monstrous VIT as well. Almost made him curious as to how he could have magic, physical strength, and a decent amount of HP…until he realized that, all things considered, Durin didn't need to follow the same 'growth' mechanics as the Gamers did.

His laugh was infectious though, and Tian-Gui relaxed as more things became clear. Arcadia Guilds and all that, eh? "Well," he replied airily, putting his hands on his hips, "We weren't intending to be here the first place. Got stuck here by Arcadia and we're really just looking for a way out. But hey, whatcha mean by Arcadia Guilds? Never heard of that at all…and the Arcadia Games, are they a regular occurrence then?"

As that man's battle-seeking personality became clear, however, Tian-Gui frowned. "What sort of broken logic is that? If we aren't friends, we're just strangers, not enemies. And does anyone go around macing random strangers in the head on the streets? No, right? So geez, at least make a duel consensual until you go for it."

Before he could go on further, however, Alex and Shouko arrived, the former having his own opinions on everything. A non-aggression pact, was it? He scratched his chin at that third option, before adding onto that, "A truce or an alliance. Personally, I think Team JUSTICE is a better name than Team Sparrow, so yeah, don't want to do a merge. We help each other out until everyone else is wiped and THEN we can have an actual fight."

"After all," Tian-Gui gestured to the almost-dead Xenon, "you look like someone who enjoys fighting, and right now, you're just fighting a bunch of weaklings, so hey, help us out and we'll give your team a good fight in the finale!"

"Of course, if you're afraid of that future, you can just make us enemies now and squash us."

 

[Renose]

"Nah, these Arcadia Games are new, but fights have always been happening between the Guilds. Now because of these Games though, even more brutal fights are already starting to break out between different teams, so either you're friends or you're enemies". Durin looks towards Alexander and Tian as they both speak, but he does seem to be stroking his beard as if in deep contemplation.

"Still... it would be nice to know that we have one less team to worry about, and getting an actual challenge in the final bout would be nice". After thinking this in contemplation as he continues to stroke his beard, the man lets out another boisterous laugh as he smacks Tian on the back in a jovial manner a few times with enough force to even push the very sturdy Tian forward a bit. "Sure, why not laddie! These games wouldn't be fun if the finale wasn't something to look forward to". He now starts to walk away, but not before turning around as he removes a strange looking, smooth, obsidian stone from the pouch on his belt.

"Ya have yerself a deal laddies. Team Sparrow and Team Justice will leave each other alone until the final bout. So you better beef up laddies, as right now if this is the best you have, then you'll stand no chance". With that, the man would shatter the stone, and just a second later would vanish in a flash of light that shot up into the sky.

"He's right you know".

A familiar, soft voice comes from behind the group. Its a now Level 25 Rei, who either had just arrived or had already been standing there and just hadn't been noticed. Either way, Rei seems to be here, and he looks... both a bit tired judging from his soft breathing and the sweat on his brow, and a bit angered. Not as angry as one would think though.

"I will admit, that you managed to handle the situation well, to where I didn't need to help". So Rei does give out praise after all, even if it is rare.

"However... you are all idiots you know that?!" Now Rei raises his voice, clenching his fists as he glares at them. "Judging from Xenon's health, that man seemed ready to kill him!" Rei now seems incredibly angry... but there is also relief in his voice. Relief that Xenon is still alive. A mixture of these two emotions.

"You idiots don't seem to understand that this isn't a fucking game!" Now if there is one thing Rei rarely did, its curse. He truly is livid, his fists tightly clenched. "Here you all are, going in and acting all damn macho, like you have to be big damn heroes and prove that you're the greatest, instead of sticking to the plan of trying to avoid people like that, the plan I came up with so that we can all live a little longer!"

Now Rei turns his attention to Xenon. "And what were you hoping to accomplish by going forward, scouting, and then revealing yourself to the enemy for a friendly chat? Like a good Scout, you should have just looked at his info from a distance, and then backed off".

Now Rei just sighs for a moment, taking in a deep breath, before exhaling. "But that's besides the point now. In the end, despite your idiocy" he looks to Xenon now, "you handled it well, although I doubt they'll honor their end of the bargain, at least we are all alive for now". Rei then looks back towards the camp.

"Lets head back to camp. I assume you all have some money right? I got a laptop for contacting the Abyss Auction. We have about forty five minutes until apparently the First Event is announced, so lets see if there is a way to improve your gear or perhaps get you all some new Skill Books. And of course, we can use a Monster Bait to draw enemies over here while we figure this out to get more money".

With that, unless anyone had anything to say, the now calmed down Rei just turns without a word and starts to walk back to the Base Camp.



​

 

[Sairoh]

Xenon was sure that the spell probably wouldn't do as much damage as it usually did, after all, Durin had a good five levels over him on top of his obvious physique. He just hadn't expected it to be as paltry as it was, further proving that the man's defenses told a truth that his class did not. The chain of surprises wasn't quite done yet though.

Just as the red haired teen's impending death seemed to be upon him, he was greeted with the charging bulk of Mr. Six Foot Three, Jian Tian Gui.

After the initial surprise, Xenon took advantage of the engagement to back away from the fight, right before some diplomacy ensued. Despite himself and the situation in general, a half smile found its way to Xenon's face, made of equal parts relief and incredulity. When Tian Gui humorously turned his attention to him, he let out a small huff and muttered, "Guilty as charged."

As a fortunate turn of luck in his day, Tian Gui and Alex cleanly talked a way out of further combat. Though, as expected, no one could keep any of the gamers out of a stern chewing out from their dear teacher.

Throughout Rei's speech, Xenon found himself strangely calm and his body relaxed, especially considering that A) he had almost died and B) he was getting yelled at. Perhaps it was because the senior gamer was inevitably right on the subject matter, or the aforementioned near death experience. Or maybe it was the out of place geniality that had ensued, it was honestly hard to tell.

When Rei finally finished, Xenon found himself compelled to make some sort of response at the shorter teen's retreating figure. "Tell me, I forget. Show me, I remember. Involve me, I understand," the Chinese proverb slid right out of his mouth. "It was my mistake, I know. And I'm sorry," he addressed the rest of the group with a look of humility. "I won't make the same mistake again," he added firmly.

Then, he coalesced his thoughts. "Thanks for saving me by the way. I think I'd be on the concrete if you guys didn't come," Xenon addressed Tian Gui and Alexander in particular. He was certainly feeling better now that he wasn't taking damage by a raging barbarian anymore.

As he began the walk towards the camp's direction, some more thoughts began to tie into his mind: We're being underestimated. But that's not necessarily a disadvantage looking ahead. Xenon clenched his fist, nails embedding crescents into his palms. They just needed to get over the hump of being weak.

 

[Renose]

Around a week ago, two people also found their fates slowly being changed.

Over the past couple of days, you have had a few... strange dreams. You can't really tell what they are, but they have just been strange. Other than these strange dreams, your life has continued to go as normal (you are free to write some of this down in your introductory post).

Thankfully, the night before, the strange dreams just stopped and your sleep was perfectly normal. Perhaps just a product of overworking? Regardless, nothing bad occurred.

The next time you find yourself sleeping though you suddenly awaken in a large field with twelve other groups of people, each group having around 10 or so people within it. Each group is under a different banner.

The banners are familiar to you. Each one has a different animal on it. Bear, Eagle, Fox, Sparrow, Lion, Tiger, Wolf, Bloodhound, Snake, Praying Mantis, Bull, and Peacock.

One of them is perhaps a bit more familiar to you than the others, however; as it is your own Team (ill let you decide which team you're on. All except for Sparrow, Snake, and Peacock) in the Arcadia Quest Game you have been playing. Whether or not this is a Game, reality, or a dream is impossible to tell. Sure VR MMOs did exist, and they felt like reality according to those who played them... but still.

As you all stand there, beneath your respective team banners in what appears to be basic medieval period tunics, pants, and boots you all suddenly are met with a rather strange looking Jester seemingly appearing out of thin air in a bright flash of light, confetti ringing down as a fanfare of trumpets blasts away any and all possible conversations.

"Greetings Denizens of Arcadia! Welcome to the Arcadia Quest Tournament, the Arcadia Games!"

More confetti, another fanfare, and many confused faces from the audience, as well as many shocked expressions from seeing this Jester appear out of mid-air, floating in the air in front of all of the groups.

"Now I know you're all wondering why you're here. You see, your Guilds have all been chosen to be participants in the first ever Arcadia Games. For the first Round, your Teams will be scattered to different parts of this recreation of the Port Island District. From there you must fight Monsters while capturing Camps".

The man suddenly snaps, and the bodies of everyone glow for a moment, before they are donned in various forms of armor with varying kinds of weapons and gear.

"Naturally you will possess the same Skills and Equipment that your characters possess. So get out there and go fight some monsters. There will be two Rounds and a Finals. The winning team of each round will win a special prize, with prizes also being rewarded based on how well you do, and a Grand Prize being given to the winning team!"

Without much more fanfare, the man snaps his fingers, and all of the teams are scattered across the area of The Port Island District.

That was three hours ago. For the first two hours, your Team had been doing great. That was, while you and three other of your Teammates were out scouting for new camps to capture, the Archer with you was able to see your camp from afar and saw that everyone there was gone and that your Camp had been captured by Team Peacock.

Before you could escape, you and your Teammates were also ambushed. Fortunately one of them had an Escape Gem, but instead of using it on themselves who were about to die, they used it on you and one of your other teammates, allowing the two of you escape to safety since the Gem, fortunately, had a proximity affect.

So in a brilliant flash of light you land, nearly ramming into the wall of a nearby building. A very large, modern building by the looks of it. A science building to be exact.

Now you are about three hundred yards north of Neo Tokyo U's main building, behind the Science Complex (Neo Tokyo U has an immensely large campus with multiple buildings), and before you stands four Gremlin Archers. Luckily the two of you have definitely fought enemies like this before in the game, and as such you can see that they are Level 11. One level higher than both of you.

With your backs to the science complex, all it looks like you can do is fight. Fortunately you do have, aside from 12 Gold Coins, you also have two Mana Potions and two Health Potions. Each of these capable of restoring 50 of their respective energy type.

Still, you can tell that these enemies mean business, and definitely look a bit tougher than the Gremlin Archers you had been fighting a couple of hours ago with your teammates.

What will you do?
​