May 12, 2017 21:18:54 GMT -5
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May 12, 2017 20:05:00 GMT -5
Post by inari on May 12, 2017 20:05:00 GMT -5
"A test is the best way." Inari confirmed more for himself than for the man he was talking to. "It would help us be more aware of what we're getting into." He frowned, considering that maybe waiting outside of the dungeon entrance would have been a wiser choice as he hugged himself, rubbing his hands up and down his upper arms for warmth. Immediately, he looked at his companion, "You aren't too cold, are you, Toki?"
Waiting probably irritated the man, and Inari's resolve was beginning to waver. "We'll be safer if we bring someone with us," He said softly, once more to remind himself more than to preach at his love. "I'm sure someone will arrive soon." This, more soft-spoken than his own musings, was more a wish than any certainty. Too many players had fallen already. He would not be surprised if most of those that remained were too intimidated to try; they could be waiting for a while now.
If only it wasn't so cold.
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May 12, 2017 20:59:56 GMT -5
Post by kintoki on May 12, 2017 20:59:56 GMT -5
"you think so?" kintoki asked with a sniff. he tilted his head up at the entrance to stare at the gates of hell itself. the place gave him a bad feeling that penetrated all the way to his heart. he wasn't the type to get cold feet, but the stories stirred him. all of them were veteran adventurers and all of them so far, perished. being a novice at video games wasn't helping his confidence any. the man murmured nonsensical gibberish under his breath to rid himself of the nerves.
he turned to his partner with a wide smile to ease up the tension, a warm laugh erupting from his stomach. "hah, no. i'm not cold at all," he said, flexing his arm. even if it was covered in goosebumps, he wasn't cold. "our village was far worse than this, remember? hah, i used to run over to your home in shorts during the bitter winters." kintoki stepped in closer to his mate with his arms opened wide, ready to receive him. "come, if you're cold."
his ears flicked at the cold air only perking up when the soft voice assured him that they'll eventually find a teammate. that was fine with him, he normally didn't mind working with others in real life. it wouldn't come as a surprised if the video game world had it's own rules on how to go about it. as long as they were simple, he was willing to cooperate.
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May 13, 2017 18:35:15 GMT -5
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May 13, 2017 18:24:05 GMT -5
Post by aleu on May 13, 2017 18:24:05 GMT -5
avoiding anything dangerous was the only way to survive in this world. with bosses appearing everywhere across the map, nowhere was safe, not even the town of origins. originally aleu thought she was safe in the hub town of gargantua, but not even there could she escape the wrath of the monsters of this world. there was nowhere to hide. nowhere to run. nowhere to be safe.
so why was she pacing outside the entrance to the dungeon of the endless? even more so than walking around gargantua, the dungeon was almost certain death. while she'd never entered herself, she'd heard the stories. there was mobs everywhere, then upon reaching the end, a terrifying boss that was nearly impossible to fight. most didn't make it out of the dungeon alive.
so why even bother fighting? it was the only way to get out of this mess of a world.
the girl wandered through the door, the frost nipping at her exposed skin instantly. she pulled her robes in tighter, hiding from the cold. this was a mistake. she should just turn around now. coming here was a bad idea. coming here alone was even worse.
voices coming from up ahead echoed against the walls. maybe she wasn't actually alone.
or maybe it was just intelligent monsters planning out their next attack. nonetheless, the girl moved forward along the path, arms wrapped tightly around her torso. "hello?"
hello? hello?
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May 14, 2017 22:13:03 GMT -5
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May 13, 2017 23:57:35 GMT -5
Post by inari on May 13, 2017 23:57:35 GMT -5
inari didn't hesitate to lean into kintoki's arms, burying his face in the man's chest and letting himself be held close to warm up. he would never say such a thing, but he was well aware the man was just as cold as he was. it was beneficial to the both of them, really. not to mention that it was simply nice to be held, easing a deep-seated worry regardless of whether or not that was rational. there was just something about toki reaching out to him that told inari that everything would be okay. they would get through this, and survive it, and eventually even move on with whatever remained of their lives in the outside world.
with toki's strength, he had hope.
"thank you," was all he said, but his eyes snapped open when he heard a voice echo through from the instance. although he did not want to pull away from kintoki, he stood more straight, leaving a hand clutching the front of toki's armor as he took a step back to return the greeting. "oh, hello." his voice was soft, but the cave echoed it across. the moment he caught sight of the girl, his fingers tightened through the fabric of kintoki's armor and his eyes widened for just a moment.
she was so young. too young to be here of all places.
he cast a worried glance to toki, before offering a soft smile to the player. "ah, hello. are you - were you going into the dungeon alone?" there was only one reason in inari's mind why someone would do such a thing, alarm building within him. his grip on toki did not lessen, but it would be released immediately at a simple touch from the man if prompted.
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May 14, 2017 22:13:13 GMT -5
inari likes this
Post by kintoki on May 14, 2017 22:13:13 GMT -5
kintoki welcomed the new source of warmth, hugging inari tightly to himself. he didn't want to let go now that he caught him. the bakemono let out small pleased sounds as he laid his head on the man's shoulder. the cold was forgotten in his bliss.
to his surprise, the blue-haired male began to stir after a moment. breaking away from their current position, kintoki decided to just hug the magic-user around the waist from behind. he wasn't ready to let go just yet and at the same time, was curious to know what got to his partner. his delicate fingers stuck to the fabric of the beginner's armor put him at ease. his ears twitched, folding upwards in the same direction that inari was staring at. a soft voice reached him through the echoes, prompting him to answer back.
before long, a figure approached them in the form of a young girl. admittedly, he was surprised to see her almost convinced the girl was lost. kintoki brought a cupped hand up right next to his mouth to follow up with inari's question. "we're players and looking for someone to join us. we'd be happy to have you join us." he flashed a toothy grin, "and i don't bite!"
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May 17, 2017 19:39:20 GMT -5
Post by aleu on May 17, 2017 19:39:20 GMT -5
it wasn't long before she caught up with the figures she heard speaking only moments before. they didn't seem like any monsters she'd seen before and the white-haired man's words confirmed that they, too, were players in this game. aleu didn't know if the monsters in this game were intelligent enough to lie like that, so the girl could only assume that they were telling the truth.
the lycanthrope continued to walk closer to the two men, not wanting to have to raise her voice so that they could hear her. "i honestly don't know what i was doing..." her eyes traveled to her feet as she spoke. "i just wandered in without a plan. i don't know what to do anymore." aleu didn't want to break down in front of two strangers, but she was so tired and ready to give up. this world definitely didn't suit her. she just wanted to go home.
"if it's alright with you," she began, looking back up at the two men. "i'll join you." she didn't want to do this alone. maybe, just maybe, by making her way through this dungeon, she'd be helping all the players stuck in this game escape this hellhole.
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May 18, 2017 1:47:41 GMT -5
Post by inari on May 18, 2017 1:47:41 GMT -5
Still safe in kintoki's arms, inari leaned back, not letting go of the fabric he held in his hand. when the girl spoke, his heart split in two. inari was quick to decide it was his job to take care of this newcomer, and keep her safe. whatever her trouble was, he wanted to help, and he cast a look up at toki for a minute before he smiled softly at her. "we'd be happy to have you along." he said, perhaps too quickly. he just didn't want her to be troubled. toki had offered, and so of course they would take her with them. there was no question in inari's mind; after all, it seemed like a better way to make sure she left the dungeon safely than leaving her at the mouth fo the entrance. "Then it's settled. we'll go in together."
he blinked once after sending the party invite. she could probably see their display names, but he didn't want to seem rude. "This is toki, and i am inari. is there anything you'd prefer to be called?" he asked, not wanting to be rude before they continued on. at the same time, he didn't want to press her and send her running away. it was for this reason that he allowed himself to continue to relax against his fiance for just a few moments more.
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May 23, 2017 17:24:21 GMT -5
Post by kintoki on May 23, 2017 17:24:21 GMT -5
kintoki nodded, agreeing with inari's question. he always liked that about him and couldn't see himself being as sensitive to others. if it were him, he would've simply been too excited to have a new party member to pay attention to their feelings. not that he didn't want to, of course. his mind was just one-track from experience and sometimes it hindered him outside of his job. good for concentrating on specific tasks, but awful at being aware of anything outside of that.
the bakemono gave a huff as he gently broke away from his embrace on inari. he slid his hand down to hold inari's instead. it honestly made him feel embarrassed that they were being so lovey-dovey in front of a young girl. he gave a small tug at the caster's hand, urging him to follow as he glanced back at the girl with a wide smile. "come on, we can talk and walk. it'd be bad if our tongues freeze from this cold. maybe the dungeon is much warmer," he said with a hopeful tone. he walked on ahead to lead the way, pressing open the doors with a single hand.
all he could hear was the grating of the door against the ground as it inched open, revealing a dimly lit room. his ears were perked up, focused on listening in to any sounds that may be present. when it came up with nothing, he took a strong step forward to take a better look into the room. nothing too surprising was found only some snow on the floor and two different pathways. one on the right and the other, the left.
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May 26, 2017 0:27:52 GMT -5
Post by aleu on May 26, 2017 0:27:52 GMT -5
while still wary of the two, aleu felt her body relax slightly when she was certain she wasn't going to have to do this alone. the lycanthrope knew that if she would have gone in here alone, there wouldn't be any coming out. at least with two other players, they'd be a little more safe when it came to battling the boss.
she opened up the user interface to accept the invite from inari. "i go by aleu. thank you for letting me join your party." the girl ducked her head as she expressed her gratitude to the two men. she felt embarassed for wandering in here all on her own without any sort of plan whatsoever. the two must have thought her to be suicidal.
aleu nodded at the one called toki's words. though she was scared to arrive at the boss and would like to put it off as long as possible, there was only so much loitering around that she could do. the lycanthrope eyed their held hands and their close bodies. she knew it was none of her business to ask questions, but it was better than being locked in her head afraid. what was the worst that could happen? they tell her they won't answer her questions? she supposed they could kick her out of the party, but they didn't seem the type.
"did you guys know each other before entering the game?"
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May 26, 2017 13:21:10 GMT -5
Post by inari on May 26, 2017 13:21:10 GMT -5
inari paused as kintoki broke away from him, letting his fingers intertwine when the man grasped for his hand instead to lead him towards the dungeon. he was right; none of them were here to be social. if they had a chance at opening up the dungeon to the second floor, then they could at least do their best. nerves ate at him for a moment after they'd passed through the entrance only to be introduced to more cold, and he squeezed toki's hand before letting go, hugging himself in the cold as his eyes drifted over the icy passageways.
it was then that he looked over his shoulder at aleu with a warm smile. "i've known toki almost longer than i can remember." perhaps he should be more guarded with such things, and yet, it didn't seem to matter as much any longer. if kintoki wanted him to be more private, inari assumed he would be told as much - but that didn't seem like him. "have you done this before?" he asked, voice soft as he stepped forward, the crunch of snow accenting his question. he doubted it, somehow. it felt as if they were all new to this place.
none of this seemed like he had expected.
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May 27, 2017 20:17:00 GMT -5
Post by kintoki on May 27, 2017 20:17:00 GMT -5
kintoki chuckled heartily at aleu's innocent question. now that warranted some truth in his eyes. "i've known inari since we were kids!" he announced happily, forgetting the mood of the dungeon. it was his favorite story to tell and there was no stopping it once he got started. "i met him one summer when i was walking home in nothing but a pair of shorts and sandals with a freshly caught fish in hand." kintoki nodded at the memory, it was as vivid as the day. "i saw him and thought he was a girl so i gave it to him," he grinned back.
he walked distractedly into the nearest hallway, over to the left side as he continued the story excitedly. "turns out he was the shrine priest's son who just happened to sneak out after doing homework," kintoki said, "you were a rascal." the bakemono voiced his false disapproval at his fiance. "tsk, tsk, tsk and to make things worse, you ran off and got attached to the poor fisherman's son!"
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May 30, 2017 5:06:06 GMT -5
Post by aleu on May 30, 2017 5:06:06 GMT -5
aleu's eyes widen as she listened to each of the men speak. she wasn't expecting a detailed answer, but she was grateful for it. it made this feel like this was more than being trapped in the game. these people were real people who had lives outside of this game. it was both a happy and sad feeling. here these men were speaking of how they came to meet. the lycanthrope could tell by their voices how happy they were to be together, yet here these men were trapped in world where you could die at any moment just by stepping foot in the wrong place. it would be a tragedy if one were to die without the other. maybe being alone in this world was better than being with someone else. the girl still couldn't help but feel jealous. "it must be nice to have someone like that." the words left her mouth before she could stop them, she only hoped they didn't take them in a negative way.
another point that caught aleu's attention was the details of the story. shrine priest? fisherman? they must've lived far from where aleu was from. a game like this that was supposed to bring people from all over together, instead trapped them in a situation where every moment was life or death. when they got out of this dungeon, if they got out of this dungeon, aleu would have to ask them about more stories from where they met and where they lived, if they were willing to share.
now her attention focused on the question inari answered. "no," was the simple answer she gave at first watching the tracks that her shoes made in the snow. she believed he needed more than that, though. "i've been too scared, but i--" she paused for a moment. what was she doing here? if she had to guess, it was mostly that she was tired of moping around feeling sorry for herself. since arriving, she'd done nothing but get in the way of everything. she was a tax on heroic people in raids who wanted to save those in distress. wandering here had been her unconscious decision to finally kick her butt into gear. "i want to help people get out of here."
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Jun 1, 2017 16:29:01 GMT -5
Post by inari on Jun 1, 2017 16:29:01 GMT -5
inari couldn't conceal his smile when kintoki went into his explanation. he was well aware of just how much the man loved this story, and so many others. it was good, to allow so much light into such a dark place. inari wouldn't dream of stopping him. "i was helpless against his charms," inari teased back. still, he was mindful not to forget their companion. it wasn't difficult, giving her answer.
"i am very lucky to have toki." he agreed, glancing at her. "i'm not sure where i would be without him." perhaps that wasn't entirely true. inari could guess what would happen if he were to lose his fiance now. he listened as she explained her fear, as well as her wish to help. not many would admit to being scared ... inari glanced at toki for a moment, before smiling warmly at her. "i think you are very brave, to come here despite your fear." the only thing left now would be to make sure they all got through the dungeon safely.
he glanced up ahead, noticing a fork in the path and pausing to study them. one seemed well lit, but narrow, while the other descended slowly until he couldn't see where it lead, although it was wide. he personally felt drawn for the lit route, and being able to see where they were going - but, all the same, he decided to ask first. "which way should we go?"
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Jun 5, 2017 3:43:15 GMT -5
Post by kintoki on Jun 5, 2017 3:43:15 GMT -5
kintoki chuckled briefly at inari's comment, feeling some heat touch on his neck. he then listened closely to the girl who spoke in a such a soft voice. why, she was quieter than inari! he tuned in intently determined to not miss a single word nodding his approval afterwards. the young girl's bravery already surpassed those of an adult in his opinion. his smile widened, his voice booming with more enthusiasm, "we'll help you do that!" in his eyes, it was a cause worth fighting for.
he blinked, looking over at inari with a sheepish, guilty look. "is that okay?" he asked gently, forgetting that he was speaking for the both of them again. it was a bad habit that he couldn't help but stumble over from time to time. he knew that inari wouldn't agree with everything, though always did his best to remain open-minded.
"uh oh," kintoki said, rubbing the back of his neck. they were at split paths again. not that he minded either, he just chose one for the sake of choosing. he knew inari was the indecisive one out of the two. "i suppose we should walk the straight path...what do you say, aleu?" he left the choice ultimately up to her.
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Jun 14, 2017 6:06:11 GMT -5
Post by aleu on Jun 14, 2017 6:06:11 GMT -5
when the man with dark hair called her brave, she couldn't help the sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. she wasn't brave; she was nothing more than a coward putting up a front, and barely a front at that! words were words, and while she did want to help people, she'd done nothing of the sort since being stuck in the game. all she'd done was run and hide and pretend like she was doing something. that wasn't brave. heck, even today, the only reason she was here was on a whim. it wasn't like she had made plans to be here. she'd simply arrived and walked inside without any thoughts. that wasn't brave, either, it was stupid. walking in blindly because she wanted to help people would only get her killed.
these thoughts wouldn't be voice aloud, though. instead she nodded her head at the other man's words. "i'd like that, thank you." a simple reply was all she gave. help would be nice, but she was afraid that she wouldn't be doing any good in the first place. maybe with the two men she'd have more courage to jump in and fight.
as the trio came up to a fork in the road, aleu sat back. the girl wasn't very decisive and since the two had come together and she was just a tag along, she figured she would let them decide which path they should take. she wasn't expecting to be pulled into the decision, but they seemed to care about which direction she thought. a small nod of her head, followed by, "that sounds good." was her answer. the straight path that was lit up seemed like the best option. it may be a little bit cramped, but at least they would know where they were going. it was never safe to trust a dark path, no matter how wide and open it may seem.
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