Fantasy Time to Upgrade

[Deathkitten]

Welcome to the tutorial.
The tutorial will start in 10:00:00.
Please form a group with like-minded people.
There are currently 103 Sparks.
Select tutorial weapons if you do not have one on your person.​

The area you have been teleported to looks like a wide greyscale arena with large pillars that fade into nothingness toward the sky. The sky is akin to the night sky, but none of the constellations are familiar. From man to child, there is little discrimination in the system. You know, though, that it only pulls people within a few hundred miles for the tutorial. Everyone that has unlocked their spark within the last ten minutes. That included anything from kids to old people.

Near each pillar of the arena-like space are stores of weapons. From guns to spears, it seems as though there are any basic weapons possible throughout history.

((If you want to join, I have all the character stuff on discord. I'm going to be keeping the group small, though. Click here for Discord. ))

 

[Cam E. Leon]

Lyla looked around groaning. Of course she had to have a hangover when she finally earned her spark, took her long enough, how long was she in that damn fight club, readjusting her mask she yawned before reading the message. "ohhhhhh. Ohohohohohoho! WOOOO BABY, TOWER TIME, LETS FUCKING GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO" She shouted at to the sky pumping her fists into the air. She quickly looked around before slowly sidling up next to a man who looked like a merc, Yawning and putting an arm around his shoulder, she leaned her head towards him "heeeeey buddy oh pal oh friend of mine who ive never met but I'm sure we'll be the best of friends in the future to the suspension bridge effect, how about we team up! you got the range, I got the melee~ Look at these beautiful little shinies~' she clanked her claws together happily while raising her eyebrows up and down repeatedly with a big smile behind her mask. "I'm like, super good at stabbing shit lol, trust me. I can stab shit like no other~" she chimed before slowly pushing one of the claws against his skin "Listen you got a fucking grenade launcher and I'm sure as hell claiming you as part of my team." She said with a dark glare, before her eyes lighted up as if she didn't just threatened him and laughed innocently, this dude looked like a major buzzkill. But one does not need charisma when equipped with such fun toys! Explosions and bloodshed, Lylas heart fluttered at the thought of it. Ranged and melee, they needed utility and support now. Maybe a mid ranger that could swap between melee and ranged. Looking around she looked for anyone else that seeme doh so much fun! The tower was a place of dreams was it not, why not enjoy it to the absolute most!


Djinni

 

[Djinni]

Leon Langley

Leon jolted to his feet, startled by the sudden change of scenery. What the shitting hell was this?! Last thing he knew he was at a hotel, the only surviving guard of a narrowly successful food delivery mission across the Mojave desert. The next thing he knew, he was here. There was so much confusion and noise, he barely noticed the notification in the first place. What he did notice was the pile of weapons, and he could guess easily enough what they were for, since many of these people were unarmed.

He supposed he was well off in that regard. He was familiar with both of his weapons, one a Tsias Fatih chambered in .308 and the other a "thumper" M79 grenade launcher, and relatively well practiced with them. All part of being a truck guard. Also part of being a truck guard was adapting quickly, and once he processed what the announcement said, he immediately went for the weapons pile.

Was he already armed? Yes. That didn't mean he wasn't going to take advantage. Poking around the piles along with the other few that weren't still stunned by their circumstances, he grabbed all the 308 he could find. While digging for it, he found himself staring at a gun that would make a fine addition given his recent choice of Swift Enchanting. Not to mention stylish. It was a pretty little lever-action rifle that, upon testing, also took 308. That'll do, given his need to touch every bullet to enchant them...

This train of thought was interrupted by a very tall woman with ridiculous weapons deciding to use his head as a rest of some kind. She wore a mask over much of her face, and seemed quick to violence. "Lady... What the fuck are you doing and how are you expecting any kind of teamwork after you threatened me?" He asked, attempting to shrug her off of his head. "So how about we actually introduce ourselves? I'm Leon Langley."

Cam E. Leon

 

[ManofManyRoles]

Charity Desmond

Amid the hustle and bustle of the confused men, women, and children was a figure who stood a good head above many of them, a woman of 6'4 with stark white hair, cooly looking around the room. She was dressed in a somewhat unique fashion, a professional-looking cosplay attire adorning her slim frame as she looked slowly to her left and her right, the very picture of calm...a rather skillful mask she wore, for on the inside she was screaming in terror. How was this happening, how was this happening!? She had been testing out this outfit she'd spent months on for a charity gathering at an upcoming convention. So many hours on this outfit, the stitching alone took several sleepless nights. Not to mention the research it needed for historical references and studies! And now she was going to die in a tower!

So while she was having her panic attack on the inside and panicking quite terribly, for anyone who was simply looking at her she was the picture-perfect example of calm and collected. Taking notice of the weapon table she quickly made her way over, one foot in front of the other before she arrived, looking it over calmly. Or at least, she appeared calm. What can I use, what can I use!? I need something to survive with but what would be good! A hand slowly reached out to grasp the hilt of rapier, slowly lifting it upright and examining it, a finger slowly and carefully running over the length of the blade as she tested the weight. She took fencing as a hobby, so a rapier would make sense, right? A few testing flourishes and thrusts to ensure she was comfortable with the weapon. To those who had an outside perspective, she looked all the picture of a woman who knew exactly what she was doing with the blade. Presenting it in front of herself she slid it into a sheath at her side, grabbing a standard nine-millimeter pistol and examining it before holstering it at her off-hand side. Once she had her equipment she looked around slowly, starting to stride around to try to find someone who looked...at least somewhat approachable.

 

[Osuka]

Tabitha Miller

A few hundred miles... After the first incident, Humanity made it a point to document everything they could about it and divulge the information so that the sudden shift wouldn't be as much of a shock, but being ripped from one place to another with the suddenness of less than a second was still disorienting no matter how prepared someone made you. Of course, it wasn't guaranteed that you were going to get a SPARK, but it was pretty well-known that there would be people chosen to take on the towers, and maybe you were the next su- er, "lucky contestant," as it were.

Tabitha let out a sigh as she pulled a piece of candy from her pocket - a small strawberry sucker, unwrapped it, and popped it into her mouth before pacing over to the weapons racks. She had one weapon on her already, the Smith and Wesson M&P Shield, chambered in 9mm, but maybe she should invest in a melee weapon as well? If she had a SPARK, it was at least a somewhat fair assumption that she'd have use for close combat equipment as well as what she had already. Not like just her fists were going to be enough, given they'd be fighting against... Well... Whatever horrors they were gonna go up against. So for now she would do her best to ignore the two to her left, one being some loudmouth way too hyped at the prospect of exploring the tower and the other a more well-armed uh... Gentleman?

Whatever. Now was the time to get herself sorted, so what did she go with that she could use her pistol with? There were a staggering number of melee weapons to choose from: Axes, Spears, Hammers, Picks, Swords, Knives of all kinds, halberds and whatever else they had throughout history lined the racks and shelves alongside rifles and other conventional weapons of exsanguination and to-whom-it-may-concern, so it'd have to be a process of elimination...

Halberds were immediately out. As much as it broke her history-loving heart, halberds would be too unwieldly for her if the areas were cramped and she was using it alongside her M&P. That was the same for the Dane axes, hammers, spears, and anything else that was basically an angry-counter-argument-attached-to-a-pole. For that matter, longer bladed weapons like great-swords, zweihanders, and claymores were out as well, and if she was going to be honest, she wasn't even going to consider the picks.... and then something caught her eye. Resting on its own little display amongst the swords was something that she could have sworn she recognized from something. Whether it was a book or an article that talked about it, it looked like a spitting image of the Goujian that China had unearthed years ago after she partially slid away its sheath to take a look, and what was crazy about that was that supposedly, it was so well-preserved that it kept its edge and durability through all the years it was hidden away.

Aside from it being made from steel instead of bronze, it really was almost a spitting image of the original Goujian, the diamond-pattered stripes along its short blade being an almost one-to-one replication, and her decision was made. Having a shortsword with the cutting edge present around its entire length was going to make it easier to wield than something like a Shamshir or a Katana, and after giving it a few test swings, it was going to be easy enough to wield with at least a novice's experience. Still, she was going to have to be careful with it. Brazen misuse of a blade - anything from a pocket knife to greatswords, was about the easiest way to cut oneself, and if Grandpa was alive, he'd probably yap her ear off about it for days if she cut herself.

... She'd get to the psycho and the soldier later. For now, someone else had caught her eye.

Someone had shown their hand that they were a fencer, and made roughly the same decisions as she had. After grabbing a few more magazines and stuffing them into her pack and pouches, Tabby was off to approach the only woman in the room who was literally at least a foot taller than herself.

"Well howdy there, Miss!" The Southern Belle called out with a wave, her thick Appalachian alto ringing through the area. Okay... So maybe she wasn't a southern belle when she spoke, but she was hoping she sounded at least friendly. She held her hand out for the woman to shake if she so partook in such social niceties and continued. "Name's Tabitha, but you can call me Tabby if ya'd like. Ya mind if I figure we partner up n' find ourselves a couple others we'd get in with fer the tutorial? I reckon I might've seen a couple folks we could go talk to ta make a small squad."

ManofManyRoles

 

[Kyrenka]

~Taylor Walker~​

Taylor blinked, then he blinked again. His surroundings did not change. Well, this isn't ideal. There were other people, quite a bit actually. He glanced at his phone and stared at the unfamiliar screen in front of him. Oh. He knew what it was, who didn't? With how prevalent Sparks were in the news it was almost impossible to not know. He stared at the Status Screen, experimentally using his fingers to explore his stats and skills. Tutorial huh? Glancing up and around the arena they were in, he got a sinking feeling in his stomach. Either we're fighting each other, or a shit ton of monsters. Bets were it was the latter.

He eyed the nearest pillar and the weapons it offered before going back to his Status Screen.
Slash, F-rank

At F-rank, User does not have to think about how to cut with a knife, they can simply do so. Applicable with any bladed weapon.

Great. That makes things simple. With only a slight hesitation as his eyes judged the weapons before him, Taylor withdrew a scythe from the arsenal of weapons. He weighed it in his hands and turned it over. It's long handle could be used to block without being as clunky as a sword and shield would. Agile, just how he liked it.

"Um, excuse me?" Turning to the voice, he gazed at an incredibly out of place girl stare back at him with undisguised fear in her eyes. "I don't think I'm supposed to be here," she said with a trembling voice.

He lifted his phone up to her face sharply, causing the brunette to flinch. "Can you see this?" Wide eyes went from his face to the phone and back again before she nodded. "Then you belong here." His gaze was already wandering, analyzing the other occupants and trying to judge who would be the best to form a team with.

"No, you- you don't understand..." He glanced back at the steadily shrinking form of the girl in front of him. "I can't fight, I don't know how! I-," The trembling worsened as reality sunk in. "I'm going to die," she whispered.

Probably. He wasn't callous enough to say it aloud though. Taylor did his best to focus on scanning the arena again but the soft sobs that were now coming out of the pathetic girl were too much to ignore. He sighed. Fuck. Seriously? I don't need dead weight. "You won't die if you find someone to make a team with." The words left him before he realized what he was saying. The sobs quieted but didn't stop. Large, watery eyes stared at him expectantly which made him cringe. He had to focus on himself. He couldn't afford to carry others on his back. Desperate to pass the girl onto someone else, he desperately pointed to two women talking to each other. "Like them! They look tough." One woman was easily over 6 feet tall, the other obviously was experienced judging by her muscular build and seemed friendly. He nudged her encouragingly. "You just need to get through this and you don't have to worry about it ever again."

~Liliana Bermudez~
​

This is was nightmare. It had to be. There was no way that this was happening to her. It didn't make sense. She was...Liliana wasn't anything special. Maybe on a small scale she was unique enough to garner some attention, but she was nothing compared to someone actually important. That's why she definitely wasn't in this arena right now. She swallowed and glanced down at herself. No shoes. That's right, she had been home and in her bed. At least I have normal clothes on. This would be much more embarrassing if she was in her pajamas.

Noise rose up as others realized where they were and her body shook. The arena was cold and frightening, much like its occupants. These were the kind of people who belonged here, not her. She felt like she was drowning. Like she was a rat stuck in a trap with no escape; all she could do was sit there and wait. Swallowing down the rising nausea, she frantically searched for someone, anyone, who looked somewhat normal. Her eyes finally landed on a blonde woman examining the scythe in her hands. Liliana took longer than she wanted to gather up the courage to move before approaching the woman.

"Um, excuse me?"

That's how the conversation started and it didn't get better. The phone's screen was damning. Status. Only those with Sparks could see them. Liliana could feel herself on the edge of some sort of breakdown as the quakes that racked her body worsened. I'm going to die. Death, unfortunately, wasn't unfamiliar to her; but for the first time in her life was Death staring at her.

Liliana was afraid, so she grasped the closest lifeline she had. The blonde woman jumped at the unexpected contact but didn't move to remove her. "We should team up."

The other woman's eyes flashed with an unknown emotion as she pleasantly replied, "That's ok. You should join them by yourself."

"But, why?" The brunette's grip unconsciously tightened, causing the blonde's smile to fade. "There's no limit to how many people are on a team, right? We can both join them and....and everything will be OK!" Liliana tried to search the other woman's face, but her expression was now unreadable. Whipping around towards the other pair of women, the brunette called out, "Excuse me!"

Immediately the arm she was holding onto was ripped from her grasp. "What're you doing," the blonde hissed.

Startled, Liliana stumbled on her words before finally replying, "I'm helping." Why is she mad? Some Sparks liked to work alone, but everyone here was new. They should be helping each other before going solo! Turning back to the other women, she waved to them. "May we join you two please?"

((Interacting with my Taylor, ManofManyRoles 's Charity, and Osuka 's Tabitha))

 

[ManofManyRoles]

Charity Desmond

Charity's attention drifted to the shorter blonde approaching her, expression an unreadable neutral as she seemed to ponder the offer. Oh so slowly she extended a hand to the shorter blonde and wrapped her fingers about the offered hand...damn she had a tight grip, uncomfortable was a better term as she almost white-knuckled it. An almost too vigorous handshake later before she realized just how strong her grip was and released her hand, slowly withdrawing it. She opened her mouth to speak...only for it to shut again. Again, she opened it, and again it shut. Oh no. Oh no no no no, I can't talk! I can't talk! Wait...I had my notepad, right!? Charity slowly and calmly pat herself down before producing a small pad of paper from her back pocket with a pen, slowly scribbling on it before flashing the words towards Tabitha, a neat and professional calligraphy on the paper that read as such, Hello. My name is Charity. I am willing to work with you, yes ma'am! Charity nodded her head a little too fervently, though her head oh so slowly twisted towards the sound of the approaching two individuals. If it had the means to do so, it surely would have sounded like a creeky door hinge that had rusted thrice over.

Slowly she side-stepped towards Tabitha, pulling the notepad back towards her chest, glancing towards Tabitha and then towards the two individuals, and then back to her. More people!? Oh no, that means I'll have to deal with more people. But that also means I'll have a better chance at making it out of this! But...more people...oh no oh no oh no, what do I do!? Slowly Charity scribbled on the notepad again, slowly passing it towards Tabitha before tapping at the new sentence below the first she had shown her. Sorry, I do not talk much. I am alright with them joining us if you are? Cool gaze regarded the both of them, even as she screamed and panicked on the inside. What do I do!? What do any of us do!? Did I leave the kettle on back home!? Oh no, I did! I left the kettle on...wait, house camera! I can use the house camera to double-check. Maybe I can call someone to come over and turn it off-. As Charity pulled her phone out she blinked as she was presented with a Status Screen. Oh no, oh no...this isn't it...This the button I need? No..no no no-oh no I used all my points! That's not what I wanted to do! As the skill of 'Elderblood' was selected Charity swayed side to side for a moment, suddenly growing very dizzy for a brief spell. A hand slowly went up to cup her temple, blinking hard as she slowly shook her head. What was that...

Kyrenka Osuka

 

[Osuka]

Tabitha Miller

If it was anything she didn't expect, it was for the cool and calm appearance of this "Charity" to be... well, maybe it was a stretch to say it was a facade, but the way the woman had written the response felt like it was very extensively practiced. Then there was her demeanor entirely during the handshake and the nod. It was cartoonishly exaggerated in a way that most people didn't do unless for comedic effect, or... Did she have some sort of social issue or something? Tabitha couldn't help but tilt her head as she pondered this for only a second before she nodded and gave her best and brightest smile of victory. She's made an ally today already!

She wouldn't get the chance to thank Charity for joining her before something else caught her eye. It wasn't hard to hear what was going on in the short distance around her when her conversation partner didn't speak, and she would be lying if she said she wasn't keeping her ears open around her. This was a new place, with new faces, and her grandpa always said to be the smartest, fastest, and - if need be - the meanest in the room. How that translated was the fact that she was keeping her ears open in case there was an issue. They were all given the SPARK now, and a fight between any of them already could have been bad news. Unfortunately she couldn't catch everything that was said, but the man that the other was dragging behind her didn't exactly seem the friendliest...

"Drop it for now, Tabby," she thought to herself. "Do somethin' only if he tries ta rile anyone up."

The moment that the girl called out to the two of them, Tabby allowed her attention to shift and she put on her best face for the occasion.

"Hi there!" she beamed in her cheerful alto, holding her hand out to the girl who had approached. "Name's Tabitha, but I reckon y'all can call me Tabby if we're fixin' ta be a team."

Just like with Charity, Tabitha kept her hand outstretched to the girl until she'd shake it, but she'd make her own observations in the short while between the introduction and the handshake. While only an inch shorter than the woman, she seemed like a scared little mouse cornered by a tomcat in this situation. The sudden shift from where they were to where they are now was definitely jarring, but it was to such an extent that she seemed entirely unprepared for the moment. And what was up with the slight reddening in her eyes? Did the guy she was talking to do something, or was she just that scared? Whatever it was, she had obviously been crying for some reason or another earlier, and well... That just wouldn't stand now, would it?

If the girl shook her hand, Tabby would obviously return the gesture before patting her shoulder making her way over to Taylor. Her free hand still had her newly-acquired Goujian-style sword, sheathed, in its clutches, and she reflexively tossed it with a lazy motion to switch her right hand to the hilt, and then rest the sheathed sword on her right shoulder.

Tabby cleared her throat before she jutted out her left hand to the man. If he shook her hand, she would switch her demeanor entirely as she spoke to him.

"Howdy, fella," She started, tilting her head to the right as she spoke. "I dunno what all was goin' on between you n' the little lady earlier, but I figure if she was in a bad way and went ta you, ya might be counted as someone trustworthy-lookin', and I'd like ta ask ya to join our little group we're formin'. Statistically speakin', we got a better chance of survivin' if we're together rather than alone. Beasts don't normally attack packs of anything 'less they think they got the numbers fer it, n' anything that does'll be easier cleanup if we're all makin' a coordinated effort."

For now, though she took notice of Charity seeming to waver for a moment, she'd get back to that later unless she suddenly hit the floor for some reason, but right now she wanted an answer from Taylor, and she was giving him quite a bit of her attention already.

Whether he liked it or not.


ManofManyRoles Kyrenka

 

[Djinni]

Doctor Alexis Rajnish(and a little Leon)

"Well, I was wanting a change of scenery," muttered the young doctor Alexis Rajnish. She was just in a hospital, ending a double shift, and she had just nearly lost a wreck victim because the damned administrators failed to get the right damned equipment she needed. For the third. Fucking. Time. So when she popped into the arena after filling out her skill choice, Alexis just stared for a moment as she processed.

She... didn't have to go back. She didn't have to go back! She could get proper healing magic instead of dealing with the bureaucracy! She could get the money she needed for her mobile clinic she'd always dreamed of! Her hospital was big, and there were plenty of other trauma surgeons like her there, so she wasn't putting anyone in danger by not. Not like she could help it.

Alright. Focus. She pushed down her urge to whoop in excitement, trying to focus and examining those around her. Generally it varied, but there was always some form of group on group combat, and some form of ruins or place to dive and explore. It changed every time, but there were only low level creatures in the ruins, there was always at least one secret, and the ruins were simple; get to the end, kill the BBEG. Your groups got teleported into separate ruins.

So she needed her group selection to be good. She needed someone strong that she could keep going with her healing that didn't seem particularly worried about getting hurt, and someone who can do some damage, at least... slowly scanning the crowd, she found them. Two people, one very tall and equipped with claws and one with multiple guns. The claws told her she had no problem getting up close and personal, and she could only hope that he was actually good with those firearms.

Alright, she picked her team. Now she just needed to arm herself. She started by finding a scalpel, but that wasn't really a weapon. At least, not since she was untrained in it. So she needed something good, something sensible for close quarters and long-range... looking around, she eventually settled on the history classic: short spear and shield, and for ranged... she was torn. On the one hand, she wasn't trained with a gun, but was trained with a bow... and she'd heard of some incredibly powerful bows found in the tower...

Well, at least for this tutorial, she'd go with a bow.

With her weapons in hand, she marched up to the giantess and soldier. "Hi. I'd like to join your group. I'm a trauma surgeon by trade, healer by skills, I've studied the Towers and tutorial before, and I want to succeed at this. Are you interested?"

The smaller of the two, the gunman, just stared at her for a moment. "Christ, the whole lot of you are brazen, huh? I suppose so, if you know what you're doing. I sure don't."

Cam E. Leon

 

[Deathkitten]

Illia Frei​

Illia blinked once, twice… it wasn’t gone. Damn it. This situation was a real one. The small girl, not even four feet tall yet, grumbled into her hands as she rubbed her face. Right. Whatever god or goddess did this, they were gonna regret it. She was going to use this opportunity to get stronger, just to punch them in the face and leave to go home... if she could go home. Damn isekai bullshit.

The little girl wandered over to the store of weaponry and picked a pocket knife, a rifle as nearly as tall as she was that she used a strap to sling on her back along with the ammo, and a much smaller revolver that was a little more manageable for someone her size with another strap to keep it to her waist. Looking around at everyone else, she groaned internally. She looked out of place, a small child in rags with white freaking hair. Great. Whatever. She needed to get in a good group.

Doctor lady who looked like she came straight from work. Bazooka man and claw lady. Scared girl, southern girl, cosplay wannabe, and angry girl. Worked for her so far.

She wandered first up to the doctor lady, who was heading over to the bazooka man and claw lady. That first then, she supposed. She'd have to convince these three she wasn't a lame duck and then convince them to make a larger group. Larger the better as long as it was still manageable. "Hello!" she waved, rifle swaying on her back as she craned her neck up to look at the tall people - though everyone was tall to her as is. It was only moments after the doctor said her piece, "I want to be a part of this group as well, please. My name's Illia. I chose the skills devour and appraise. I know how to shoot a gun."

Djinni Cam E. Leon

 

[Regynleif]

Riann Ylndar

"Oh. Oh no. Riann can't be here! Riann isn't finished with her training yet! Mother and father still said she isn't ready, but the tower has chosen her!" The blonde girl stood in the corner of the room with both hands on her head and anxiety plainly written on her face, her thoughts swirling in her head. Sure, she had spent the last ten years of her life training for the day she was honored to be chosen, but how could it be now?! Her mother's voice echoed in her mind. "Ri-Ri, keep your calm. Remember your breathing. Your father and I have not spent the last decade preparing you in the event that this happened just for you to lose it now."

Riann straightened her back and looked around the room nervously. First step; arm herself. She softly pads across the floor making almost no noise as her yellow skirt flows behind her, right over to the mound of sharp-and-pointies before selecting her favorite. Twirling the two forearm length daggers in both hands, she nods to herself before grabbing a double hip holster as well, strapping it to herself. Sheathing her blades, Riann grabs a few more daggers and tucks them away in strategic places.


And now.....what? She had spent too much time gathering her wits that other's were already grouping up. Ok, ok, a good group to join then. A good mix of people, definitely needs to have a ranged dealer, oh! There! Riann spots them through the crowd and nimbly weaves her way to them. Approaching the mercenary looking man from behind, Riann lightly tugs on the back of his shirt to get his attention. "Erm...hello...may Riann....join you?" Her small voice barely carries over the other existing converations.

Djinni

 

[Deathkitten]

Keena Ruiz​

Oh boy... Keena groaned out a long sigh and set her shopping bag down beside her, glancing around the arena. Ohhhhh boy. Wow. While shopping? Really? She was so thrown off by it she didn't even choose any fancy skills! Ugh! Well... She needed to do a good job in this tutorial. Get more loot. Get more rewards. The better start she got, the better off she'd be. Shoot shoot shoot. Not shoot. Not a gun. She was a horrible shot. I mean, sure, she could go with a shotgun, but with the skill she got it'd be better to just go with bladed weapons.

She picked out a massive longsword that she had to heft up onto her shoulder to walk around. With the skill, it'd be better. The momentum would carry. Keena also picked up a short knife to go along with it. Just in case. She couldn't really hold onto much more, though.

Keena had no clue who to go to, so she wandered up to the loud southern girl, "Oi! Hi! Um. Can I join into this mess? I need a party and you guys stood out. Erm. I'm Keena... I'm um... I'm an acrobat in regular life."

Osuka ManofManyRoles Kyrenka

 

[Djinni]

Leon Langley

Well, this got real busy real fast. A whopping six people at this point, including himself, all showing up in short order. Not a one had asked his name yet. Well, he supposed giving your name was expecting it in response, but still. "Wow. Okay. That's a lot all at once. Hi, my name is Leon Langley, I'm a caravan guard and I chose Swift Enchanting and Create: Gunpowder. That job is why I have this grenade launcher... which I'm sure doesn't have anything to do with why I got swarmed all of a sudden," he joked dryly. "We should take this one by one, get to know who we are and what each other can do."

He grumbled about the grenade launcher thing, but truth be told, he was just glad he wasn't getting teased about it for once. "What are you carrying that relic for?" they would asked. Well, jokes on them, the two missing rounds in his bandoleer were exactly why he carried it... the joke made the light in his eyes dim a bit as he remembered that they didn't know better now; they were dead. Well, that was something to process later. He shook it off as best he could, knowing that the time for mourning would come at a better time.

Cam E. Leon Regynleif Deathkitten

 

[Kyrenka]

~Liliana Bermudez~
​

Tension that she hadn't even known she was carrying released from her shoulders. A smile slowly and shakily made its way onto her face as Tabitha enthusiastically introduced herself. "I'm Lily- um! Liliana. You can call me Lily though." Her hand was still shaking, but not as much as before. The warmth from Tabby's own firm hand gave the brunette some strength. Her eyes flickered over to the other woman, but she stayed silent; floating on the edge of the group of now four people. The brunette fidgeted as she waited for the taller woman to introduce herself; her attention was quickly diverted back to Tabby and her still nameless friend. "Yes!" Liliana blurted it out and cringed at how loud her voice was. "Yes, she was helping me and she told me to join you guys because you seem strong and I said we should go together..." She cut off suddenly as she realized she was now talking too much.

"I'm a man."

Liliana blinked and turned to stare back at grey eyes. "Huh?"

"I have a dick," was the toneless reply. It took another moment for the words to sink in before her face turned beet red.

"I'm so sorry! I thought you were a woman, I'm sorry." Burying her face in her hands, Liliana could feel the burn of embarrassment. Oh, I hope he doesn't hate me for this. It was mortifying. Almost as mortifying as calling a teacher Mom or Dad. I wish the ground would swallow me up.

~Taylor Walker~​

For someone so timid, the girl, Liliana, could be really fucking loud. Of course, two pairs of eyes landed on them in response to her call and the two strange women approached them. Tabitha seemed much more enthusiastic than her nameless partner was. He couldn't help but be annoyed. Annoyed at how things were going how he wanted them. Annoyed at how touchy some of these people were. And especially annoyed at being mistaken for a woman. At least she seems to feel bad about it. Even as Liliana slowly uncovered her face, her eyes refused to meet his.

Turning back to Tabitha, he gave her another once over. Now that she and her partner were up close, it was obvious that they were both not only fit but also experienced. As much as he didn't like having to worry about Liliana being dead weight, these other two were his golden ticket through this. It wasn't how he wanted things to play out but at this point he'd be an idiot to not accept their help.

Accepting Tabitha's extended hand, Taylor offered up a grin. "Sure, just don't hold me back too much." Letting his gaze drift over to the other woman, he asked, "You got a name?" The other woman didn't have much time to respond before yet another person decided to join their entourage. Taylor could see Tabitha and Liliana brighten up at another newcomer so the blond made sure to cut in quickly. "We need to focus. Get weapons and get skills everyone and then we'll finish introductions." Holding up his phone to display the countdown until the tutorial started, he added, "We don't have time to waste."

((Interacting with ManofManyRoles 's Charity, Osuka 's Tabitha, and Deathkitten 's Keena))

 

[Osuka]

Tabitha Miller

Something about Taylor told her that he wasn't as rough-and-tumble as he was putting on, from the grip of his hand and his demeanor to the way he spoke, something told her that she'd have to keep an eye on him. No one simply said "just don't get in my way" or something similar to it unless they had all the chops to back it up, but she was going to give him the benefit of the doubt while ignoring Lily's social blunder. It'd be less embarrassing to act like it never even happen than to try to console her for it, and it wasn't like she could be completely blamed. There were plenty of prettyboys that looked like girls without trying, and it wasn't her modus operandi to care much about whether someone was a male or a female anyway. All that mattered was if they were decent folk and if they could contribute, no matter how big or small the contribution was.

She'd have to cut her ruminations, and what she wanted to say to Taylor, short as another person had approached before she could think of checking her phone at that moment.

The girl that approached, despite her baggy clothing, was instantly someone that Tabby pegged as - at the very least - quick on her feet. She had also apparently made her choice quickly enough that she didn't have to scout for more people, but speaking of scouting... There were a lot of kids for something like this. An awful lot. One of them, now that she had noticed one in particular, even dragged out weapons and made herself known to the gentleman who seemed to be getting a lot of attention - or was it the rotary grenade launcher that made people so attracted to the prospect of partying up? A chill went through her bones and forced Tabitha's body to visibly shake for a moment, but whether it was due to the chill in her bones or the irritation that gripped at her morals, she couldn't tell.

It was like watching a documentary on child soldiers. Seeing the dead expression in their eyes had always made her both cold to the bones and molar-gritting angry, and she had to thank her lucky stars that she had let go of Taylor's hand earlier or she could've potentially caused the man pain. The clenching of her fists were tight enough that the joints in her fingers and all the way through her palms to her wrists audibly popped and cracked in protest, and the grip of her sword creaked at how it twisted in her unforgiving clutches.

It was Keena's voice snapping her out of the smoldering of her anger when she realized that she had been staring hard at the kids around her, and like a lightswitch being flipped, her demeanor had done a complete one-hundred-eighty degree turn.

"Well howdy there, darlin'!" She piped up with a wide smile on her face, though the white-knuckle grip on her sword (Even hidden by the gauntlets she wore) would betray that something was very obviously gnawing at her mind. "We'd be glad to have ya. I see ya picked yerself out a heavy greatsword - it's a great pick if you keep up the momentum, so it should serve ya pretty well if we run inta trouble, but don't be 'fraid ta holler for me if ya need some backup.

"That bein' said, I think the gentleman's got the right idea," she continued, then pulled out her phone. "I just need to make a ca-"

Okay... Well... Phones weren't supposed to do that... Or at least, she didn't download an app like that, did she?

"What in the hell?"

What she was looking at appeared to be something like an RPG's level-up menu. Stats, skills, titles - all sorts of things that made all this seem all the weirder to her. Grandpa hadn't mentioned something like this at all when he was teaching and training her, and she was sure he didn't because she clung to every word he said when he spoke, so what the hell was all this? More importantly, how did the scaling work exactly?

If she went by common sense, which apparently she had a C in which was great, was F the same thing as a normal person, or was it weaker than others? Of course, she was strong for a gal like herself, having been raised on a commune's farm, so if her strength stat was indicative of that, did that mean that she was smarter and faster than normal folks? And then the skills...

Were entire skill trees. two had caught her eye in particular, though, and reminded her of her grandfather: Cultivator and Universal Sword - skills that he had already been training her in before she had gained her SPARK, and she didn't hesitate at all when it came to selecting them. The moment she had confirmed her skill purchases, it was like her entire body had suddenly become lighter - no, that wasn't the right word. Something was there in her very bones that wasn't there before, and she had been suddenly reminded of when Charity had wavered on her feet. It was almost reflex to be able to reach out to that power, too, as she tucked her Jian into her belt and focused on her hand; a flash of wavering, ghostly blue suddenly lit up around her hand as she clenched and unclenched it...

This was Grandpa's power... It was the Cultivator skill that he had been using. She'd seen it before whenever he ran off to protect the commune - well, it was a stronghold, but they operated it as a commune, how he would use the power to blast away his enemies and tear them into pieces. It was the same lively, ghostly blue that covered her hand now, and if it wasn't for the situation at the moment, she was sure she'd tear up while she smiled wide enough to show her teeth.... but there was a problem that still remained.

"Alright, so show of hands out of everyone - that includes you and Keena too, Charity," she started, planting her hands on her hips. "There are kids here. Ain't no way I'm lettin' somethin' take a bit outta a rugrat. Who's up for recruiting some more to keep them safe 'til this is all over, and do we loop that other team over there inta helpin'?"

ManofManyRoles Kyrenka Deathkitten

 

[Cam E. Leon]

"I'm Lyla Ternali, fighter by trade" she said with an over exaggerated bow before turning around to the group, ooh doctor, aaaaand. "ohhhhh my gawd!" Lyla shouted happily before swooping up the child faster then any of the others could even hope to stop her eagerly holding her up. "You are absolutely fucking adoraaaable! Can we keep her please please~" she said while practically shoving her into Leons face happily, "she can be our team mascot!" she chimed happily before setting her down, hearing Leon ask for a rundown. "My specialty are claws an upclose fighting, I suck at math am great at killing and caligraphy, have a masters degree in civil engineering and am personally banned from All Wendys in Florida!" she proclaimed proudly, "My skill is hunters frenzy, which lets me increase my stats the more and more blood is spilled during a battle!" she announced doing a power ranger pose. "aint I cool Kiddo?" She asked looking at the small child.

Djinni Deathkitten

 

[ManofManyRoles]

Charity Desmond

Charity was still working to get her bearings after...whatever had just happened. An adrenaline rush, maybe? There was a whole lot of excitement going on, after all. She blinked her eyes hard once or twice, her hand pulling away from her temple as she looked around. People were already starting to partner up, in excess it looked like. But numbers meant a higher chance of survival, she supposed, so it was a rational choice for most people. Attention darted to the red-haired girl who had addressed Tabitha. Oh no... not another person. But...we have a better chance of making it through this with more people. But on the other hand, that means more people I have to try to talk to. So lost in her own inner terrors she didn't have a chance to realize the extremely awkward interaction that had just been exchanged nearby in regards to Taylor and Lilliana. If anything, she looked rather cool about everything going on, if lost in thought. Though when she was directly called out she glanced towards Taylor, giving a deceptively cool and collected nod. How she wished she could be anywhere but here, or at least hide. But alas, she couldn't, she was a head above most parties present and that just made it absurdly difficult to hide behind a person without looking dumb.

One step after the other she caught up to the little group that had gathered around Tabitha, producing her notepad and pen once again. A few moments of writing before she flashed a blank page with a beautifully penned calligraphy on it, which read as such. Hello. My name is Charity. It is nice to meet you. The pale-haired woman was careful to ensure Lilianna, Taylor, and Keena had a chance to see the cleanly written message before glancing at Tabitha. Wait...more people!? She wants us to be in charge of children!? But...if we don't, something awful could happen to them. But there's no guarantee the tower would let us get away with that, it might intervene...but is it not better to try, than not to try? Charity gave a slow and gentle nod of her head towards Tabitha's question, her mind racing so fast that everything felt like an odd blur. We're grouping too many together...Even with that other group, the team is around ten. Adding all of these children would push us over twenty...I can't imagine the tower would let us do that. There's got to be an upper limit we can do...I should say something. Charity slowly opened her mouth as if to speak, only for it to calm as she thought better of it. Stuttering and tripping over her words would look bad! She paused to write on her notepad again, passing Tabitha a new piece of paper. It is worth a try. But if we combined with the other group, we are around ten people...there's a chance whatever the tower does might not allow us to bunch together with all of the younger faces in excess. Due to the sheer amount of words she had written, the calligraphy print was smaller than usual, hence why she had passed it over to be read.

Osuka Deathkitten Kyrenka

 

[Deathkitten]

Keena​

Keena looked more annoyed than concerned about the whole situation and merely sighed at the southern girl's concerns, "You know people can't actually die in the tutorial, right? Or well, you don't stay dead. You revive, like a video game, good as new. Sure it would be a little traumatic, but they'd come out of it just fine. And it'd be a good introduction to how the world is for them. Besides, other people seem to have the same kind of idea as you." She motioned around, and indeed, most of the kids were already being roped into different groups, especially those who looked the most scared.

"You're very sweet, though, miss," she continued, "If we combine groups with that one, then we would indeed have about ten people. I'd say we should keep it under fifteen, for sure. I'm not like an expert or anything, but the bigger the group, the more rewards have to be split up. But also, the bigger the group, the better we can probably do. I'm cool with either approach. The other group looks to have a little kid there, so if you feel the need to protect one, we can join them and help protect her."

ManofManyRoles Kyrenka Osuka

 

[Kyrenka]

~Taylor Walker~
​

His eyebrow raised as Tabitha just…invited herself to use his phone. Sure, but at least take it from my hand. He felt like a glorified phone stand as the other woman went through her Status screen until she was satisfied. Waving his phone around, he asked, “Anyone else wanna use this?” One would think that in this day and age that everyone and their mother had some sort of device with a screen to use. Apparently that’s not the case.

As the other members discussed their team, Taylor couldn’t help but disagree with Tabitha. Sure, right now they were fine, but too much dead weight would only get them stuck here. Speaking of… Taylor glanced at Liliana who was intently focused on a pad of paper that the tall woman was holding.

“Oh! Your name’s Charity?” He immediately felt the corners of his mouth twitch down. Is she mute? That was another disadvantage for their team. Mute people couldn’t call out for help or a warning. Of course, nobody else seemed to mind the potential danger this posed as the brunette continued. “I’m Liliana, but you can call me Lily. It’s very nice to meet you!”

Charity withdrew the pad to write some more. The younger girl waited excitedly for what this one was meant to say only to be disappointed as the paper was passed to Tabitha. Keena spoke before Tabitha has a chance to read out Charity’s note.

“I agree,” Taylor added, “Too many people is just as dangerous as too few people. We need to be picky about who we choose and spend the rest of the time teaching the ones who don’t know anything how to defend themselves. “ The last bit he said while pointedly staring at Liliana.

Oblivious as she was, she helpfully chimed in, “I don’t know how to fight.” After barely a second’s pause she added, “Well I know how, everyone knows how, but I’ve never, uh, done it. I don’t know how to use any weapons either…”

Interrupting her newest rant, Taylor shoved his phone at the brunette. “Here, just, pick some skills and we’ll worry about it later.” Wide eyes once again were blinking at him before they lowered to the Status Screen in her hands. Hopefully this doesn’t take us too long to get through. It’s drive him crazy if they spent longer than needed trying to pass this ‘Tutorial’.

((interacting with @ManofManyRoles’s Charity, @Osuka’s Tabitha, and @Deathkitten’s Keena))

 

[Kyrenka]

~Nicholas Skvortsov~​

Eyes wide and sparkling in awe, Nick couldn’t stop the excitement thrumming through his veins. This was it! This was literally what every wannabe hero dreamed of. Fumbling before practically ripping his phone from his pocket, he could barely keep his hand steady as the Status Screen he has always heard of but never seen stared back at him. He let out a quiet hiss of, “Yessssss!” before exploring the screen. Stats, those were pretty low but workable. Skills?

Flicking into a ‘Store’ option, he noticed that he had enough points for a E-ranked skill. Appraise would be good one to get, right? He was already clicking on it before the thought finished. Appraise would help the best in the long run; especially when it came to bosses and puzzles. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much else he could do with his screen now that he spent all of his points.

Shoving his phone back into his pocket, he glanced around at the stashes of weapons with less confidence than he had before. Uh oh. He…didn’t really know how to fight. All this time Nick has been so consumed with studying Sparks and everything related to them and reviewing famous Sparks’ files that he had only just started physical training. I haven’t even started combat training!

In all honesty, he wasn’t expecting this to happen so soon. Yes, anyone of any age could be chosen but he had always just assumed that he’d be more prepared. “I guess I’ll grab a gun?” The statement was more for himself than for anyone around him. Hesitantly, he walked up to the nearest arsenal and cautiously examined what firearms it had to offer. Nope, too big, too complicated, is this even a gun? Oh!

Gingerly, he lifted a small sidearm out of the selection. Nick turned it over in his hands as he carefully analyzed it. Seems simple enough. Peeking back over at the arsenal he was going to check for ammo when he realized he didn’t know what kind of ammo this gun took. He hesitated once again before taking a similar second gun. Maybe my teammates will be stronger than me?

He glanced around the arena again, this time observing the occupants. There were definitely people who were ready for this, other who weren’t, and…

He cringed at the sound of crying and terrified children. Suddenly he wasn’t as excited anymore. Tucking the spare gun in the waistband of his pants, he hesitated once more. Who do I join?

 

[Regynleif]

Riann Ylndar

"Riann can be helpful! Uh, Mother and Father made sure Riann knew how to fight. Riann prefers dual weilding." The shy girl gestured to the two blades hanging from her hips. "And...um...Shadow Extraction..is my..skill.." Trailing off into silence, she fidgeted with her hands. Her parents had stressed that she should keep as much information to herself in order to keep a few aces up her sleeve, but how could she gain their trust if she started being cagey and suspicious? Continuing on with renewed strength in her voice, Riann explained further. "When monsters die, Riann can make weaker shadow versions of them and they help fight."

This would be good enough for them, right? Riann was always taught to recycle and what better way to take advantage of fallen foes then to use them against their ilk? Not to mention that there was the future possibility of being able to command a small army of them. Safety in numbers and having disposable bodies to throw at larger enemies was helpful as well. "And! um..." Hurrying to speak, she kept going and spoke to the only other who had introduced themselves. "Riann really likes your claws ma'am..."


Djinni Cam E. Leon

 

[Djinni]

Doctor Alexis Rajnish

Alexis looked around at the sudden collection of people, a bit less sure of this group suddenly. Five was a large number of people to take care of... but it was also a lot of people to make it through trials... not to mention a diverse skillset. A horde summoner, a ranged damage dealer, a crafter, a healer, and a scout... albeit the scout seemed to be a small child?

"Uhm... I am Dr. Alexis Rajnish. As stated, I have healing and alchemy. I am also trained in the bow. I'm not sure about having a kid on board, though," she said, sounding reluctant. "No offense, Illia, but we'd have to go out of our way to protect you above each other. I'm sure the kids will be protected if you wanna group up with the rest of them," she suggested.

Regynleif Cam E. Leon Deathkitten

 

[Djinni]

Leon Langley

Okay. Now that everyone had laid out what they could do, Leon had some thinking to do. He was under no delusion that he'd be a leader of some kind here, he was just a humvee driver with a bit of combat training after all, but he had to decide who HE was willing to team up with. One by one then.

First comes first then. Lyla Ternali. She was... well, he'd met a few like her. Bringing her on would without a doubt have some baggage, but, well... he couldn't deny that having someone on who was crazy enough to get up close and personal would be beneficial. But that was also a risk in itself. He winced at the thought of losing more people... but he had to remember she wouldn't really die.

Lyla would be too useful to reject.

The rest showed up in pretty short order of each other, so they could be done in order of clarity. First was the doctor, Alexis Rajnish. She was a healer. But she also didn't even bother to introduce herself in the first place... did she just think of them as assets? That made her an unreliable ally, and he had no way of knowing what her priorities would be... but had he not just done the same with Lyla? Something to consider. At worst, he'd receive unreliable healing, versus getting none without her. To say nothing about the value of a quiet ranged weapon, and her very sensible melee weapons. Yes to Alexis.

Next was Riann. She seemed shy, but claimed to be well trained. That said, he couldn't read her, not to mention she didn't give her last name like everyone had. Should he read her approaching him specifically and stealthily and acting this way as a matter of manipulation...? She was certainly cagey in comparison to the others present, but that wasn't saying much. That said, her power compensated well for the lack of melee combatants... he distrusted her, but he didn't trust the doctor either. Tentative yes to Riann.

Next was the least certain. Illia Frei. The doctor had a point, it'd be immoral to let the kid in if they were only going to be traumatized instead of protected. Could a group of five afford someone without a directly combat applicable skill? Nevermind one they'd be compelled to assist over the other adults in the party? Given Lyla's gusto, she was entirely sold in the idea, but what she never considered about a "team mascot" was twofold: you were obligated to protect them, and it fucking sucked when they died. So far all she could do was shoot... but analysis could be very useful as a utility skill... not to mention she was cute, and that might make people hesitate.

He didn't want to think about how much he'd hesitate when it came to the kids if they decided to fight. Some of them showed an awful lot of gusto. Sure, he could make it quick, but did he have it in him to cap a bunch of kids? Even if they weren't actually dying? He'd heard about how much it fucked up some of his other guard teammates who had their STATUS...

Damn it all... if she was on his team, then that's one less kid he may have to fight. Yes to the child. But not for a reason he felt good for.

He had been looking at each person as he analyzed his thoughts on them, about five to ten seconds each, his expression carefully neutral. "Well, I guess it's up to a vote. I can see reasons to accept all of you... but it's not just my call. Thoughts?"

Regynleif Deathkitten Cam E. Leon

 

[Deathkitten]

Illia Frei​

"Ma'am, no offense, but there's a decent chance you'll have to fight some kids in this tutorial at some point. I'd rather be on a winning team than that team," Illia said to the doctor woman, putting her tiny hands on her hips, "Lyla clearly has no issue with it. Leon, you sound like you've accepted. Riann, Alexis you're the only ones to 'vote' left, but if it's a vote then my presence already has the majority."

Her words were definitely not that of a child's, but in this strange world, a ghostly little wisp of a child talking that way was likely not the strangest thing they'd seen. She took an old phone out of her pocket, it hadn't even been charged in days, but it worked for this purpose. Thankfully the status screens didn't require batteries.

"Here," she mumbled, and all four of them would receive a party invite, "I sent you all invites. Once we do this and then we all confirm to the tutorial that we're ready, we should be able to get started already. Leon, Lyla, you two seem to have the most experience with fighting, or at least that's my guess. If that's the case, then I think Leon should be the party leader. No offense, Lyla, but you seem a little nuts. I don't mind nuts, but I don't know that I want to have you be leader. If so, then we have party leader, healer, melee, scout, and then whatever you fit into, Riann."

Djinni Cam E. Leon Regynleif

 

[Osuka]

Tabitha Miller

She hadn't even thought about the fact that she had unintentionally invited herself to someone else's phone. Tabitha's curiosity was something that was probably going to get her killed one day, considering she can't help but poke and prod at something she hadn't ever seen before, and it was a marvel that she survived her childhood years. Probably gave her grandfather a heart attack at least once a week, given her proclivities, but the poor old coot hopefully didn't see it as only a bad thing. It'd be too late to ask now, though, so she'd have to settle with the idea that, yes, her grandpa was probably fine with it even if it did put him in a spot of trouble now and again.

"I'm real sorry about that, Taylor," Tabby started. When she spoke, she had clasped her left hand around her right fist and gave him a sheepish smile, but the action of doing so unbeknownst to her had sent every muscle in her arms rippling like an alien mass. Sure, she looked fairly fit, but whenever she flexed - purposely or not, it was like the fat content of her body ran away in fear of being destroyed by the muscles that they had once hid away from the world. Hell, if one strained their eyes enough, they could even see the faint outlines of her muscle fibers across her flesh, if they could get past the bulging veins that were more like oil pipelines with their size. "I hadn't meant ta get in yer personal space like that. I'll make it up to ya another time if that's okay?"

She was about to open her mouth to speak again, but the sudden pad of paper that was thrust to her had entirely taken her attention after.... And made it clear that Charity had a point, and as she passed it along, everyone else seemed to be in agreement as well.

"Well, if we're worried about how long this'll take..." she started, cradling her right elbow in her left hand as he right index finger's knuckle tapped at her lips." Then how about clearing the tutorial as fast as possible? Bumrush it? What's the likelihood the tutorial'd terminate entirely if we were the first to clear it? Would others still have to clear it alongside us, or could we just have other folks help us clear a safe passage for the noncombatants?"

Regardless of her accent and her cheery demeanor, this was an entirely serious issue, and she was trying to be as serious about it all as she could. The whole thing thus far was more or less exaggerating her personality just to keep things from getting too heavy in the group. While the kids were, for all intents and purposes, safe from permanent death, she felt that they were downplaying just how damaging it could be to certain types of kids to have to go through the experience, and it could cause them to end up with some nasty habits later in life. She'd seen what happens when some of her friends came out of something barely alive as a kid, and while that was obviously quite different from just waking up after you got killed off, the mental effects could still be crushing...

Besides, their job was to kill monsters and keep people alive. They shouldn't be treating this like it wouldn't matter if there were deaths, and it was slowly starting to irk her.

"Or maybe have teams switch out guarding and shuttling noncombatants so they can be trained properly later?" She continued, ruffling her hair before sorting it back to its clean ponytail. "It'd allow teams ta take breaks between shifts, gather loot n' experience, n' explore more secure routes to the end of all this. Aside from that, the guard teams can also bring back whatever excess rations that they end up with and split it with other teams so everyone's got enough fuel ta get through it, cuz how I figure it, if we don't know how big the tutorial is, we might be stuck her fer a good long while anyway.

"Besides, even if death ain't the end in here, we should still take this as seriously as if we only get one shot. Ain't no reason ta figure we can just wave it off if somethin' bad happens, since it can form bad habits later on. So with how I see it, our options're ta either make a mad dash and get 'er done as quick as we can, or we take our time and see which teams'll cooperate with us so we don't make mistakes or overextend ourselves."



Deathkitten ManofManyRoles Kyrenka