Boulder Gate, Meteo City

It'd be nice to say that our egress from Ujax Forest was a joyous, carefree experience.

Pleasant, even.

It was not. In the slightest.

We may have pulled through with no additional casualties, but we were harried almost every inch of ground travelled by Dire Wolves. I guess that the closer it comes to nighttime the more active they become. That, or we were just supremely unlucky, for us to be accosted by not one but 8 more packs, with 3 Betas amongst them.

Not at once, or we'd have returned to Meteo City the fast way, but the fact that I'm having to give Windy a piggyback ride should honestly be telling. I could almost use one myself, in fact.

"Ok, we're here and just in time. Going to let you down slowly, alright?" I jostle the drowsy Vanguard to gain her attention.

"'k. Thanks, boss," She murmurs, grunting as I squat down to let her off. A similar scene repeats around us as the more physically hale of us offload their exhausted passengers.

"Don't mention it, you more than earned it," I praise her, "Everyone doing alright?"

A half-hearted chorus of agreements rises in answer. Mr Fathom approaches me, looking perhaps amongst the worst out of all of us despite not having directly contributed as much to combat. A natural consequence of his Quirstic physiology - combined with his magic-focused build - mixing poorly with the exertions undertaken today.

"Rather a lot more action-packed than I was expecting today to be," he sighs, "But I can't deny it's been good for our experience bars. As before, it's been good working with you, Silver."

"Likewise," I shake his hand, then a thought occurs, "Have you been in contact with Sober Morning recently?"

"Yes, in fact," He nods slowly, "I got a message from their leader saying that they were interested in re-negotiating terms for their involvement with you, and asked if Wolf Hunt wished to do the same."

"I see," I rub my neck, "And do you?"

"Not particularly," Mr Fathom shakes his head with a sardonic smile, "You've been a great help to our development already, and with a secondary deal already in place for weapons and armour, it strikes me as being in poor taste."

I suppose that I can understand that, "Have you made a decision as to who you wish to nominate?"

"More or less," he stifles a yawn, "Besides myself, 11 people. 6 frontliners, a ranged physical, 2 healers and a pair of mages."

"12 people in total...I see," I don't see much of a problem with that composition - just that more healers wouldn't go amiss - but it rather depends on what Sober Morning have to say, "I'll keep it in mind when I speak to Sober Morning again."

"I thought that was why you asked," Mr Fathom smiles knowingly, "But, forgive me, I'm -  well, all of us are dead on our feet. So, sorry to cut this conversation short, but I really should be heading off for the day."

"Perfectly reasonable," I bow my head in acknowledgement, "Don't let me keep you."

We all say our farewells, leaving just the members of Truthseekers with me as we enter the city before the sun fully sets beneath the distant horizon. The marketplace is remarkably quiet at this time of day, compared to the hustle and bustle of the crowds we had to pick our way through before we began the day's excursion. Most stalls are as good as empty, their owners either finishing packing up for the day or already long gone in search of food and hard drink.

There's something rather poignant about sights such as these, in my mind, though I'd be hard-pressed to explain why. Hopefully, we can find someone willing to take a few Carcasses off our hands to at least pay for Grand and Horizon's temporary lodgings.

"What a day," Grand stretches his arms and body out, "Whoo. That was probably the most stressful experience I've had in a while."

"It's pretty much par for the course, so far," Jupiter comments, "Honestly, at this point, it'd almost be weirder to not be fighting a down-to-the-wire battle against nearly overwhelming odds. I think I finally know what it's like to be one of the protagonists of those monster of the week shows. It just never seems to end. You bat down one big scary beast and suddenly five more just pop out the woodwork like they're a bunch of adjacent zits to a big juicy one."

Thank you for that mental image.

"I didn't need that metaphor in my life and now I can't stop thinking about freshman year of highschool," Windy complains.

"God, same," Horizon shudders.

"You're welcome, ladies," Jupiter chuckles, feeling victorious.

"...Anyway," Angelus clears his throat, "I guess we're all going to be heading off ourselves, then?"

"Unless you've got something you want to do, that would be my recommendation," I flex my stiff fingers, then scratch the pointed tip of my ear, "Tomorrow promises to be an exceptionally important day. It would benefit us all to be well-rested for the trial ahead."

"Right," Jade snaps her fingers, "Satanic Big Bird."

I fail to resist the urge to roll my eyes, "Quite."

"After the shit we just slogged through, I actually forgot," she gripes, "Well, I'm ready to go lose our accounts to the level bajillion demon bird."

"I'd prefer to avoid having to start over from scratch with a new character," Angelus opines, "We've already committed a lot of time and effort, and I don't think I'd be able to stomach a redo."

"Agreed," Windy runs her fingers through her hair, "Might consider it, but I won't hold my breath."

"Although it's not as if I don't understand your concerns, I'd prefer it if you didn't behave as though that is a foregone conclusion," I grimace, guilt briefly flashing in their eyes at the reprimand.

"Sorry," Windy apologises.

"Just making my stance known," Angelus shrugs dispassionately.

Clearing his throat dramatically, Jupiter stops in front of the group and strikes a pose with his staff, "Well, I say shame on you for doubting that I, JUPITER TRAIL! WIZARD SUPREME! Could possibly fail to quell this quasi-godlike threat to our characters' continued existences. It's but a matter of trivial concern and my legend will not be snuffed out before it even begins in earnest. Truly, an insulting insinuation like none I've ever heard uttered before in my presence!"

"....."

"Shut the fuck up Jupiter," Jade walks past him without a second glance as he holds his pose, his grinning lips trembling, struggling to hold.

As utterly ridiculous as that was, the mood in the air seems to lighten somewhat

---

 

The Heroine's Rest, East Residential District, Meteo City

After getting some money and putting the remainder of our loot into the Warehouse, I, alongside Windy, escort the newcomers to a lesser-patronised 1-Star Inn on the edge of the slums. Standing outside and looking upon the washed-out signboard is enough to impart an indelible sense of skeeviness that brings with it the promise of itchy blankets and that strange, funky smell you can't quite identify pervading the air of any room you rent.

I more or less lived here during my early days, and the experience made me more discerning with my choice of future lodgings.

As for why I chose this place over the other options...

For one thing, it's cheap. I'll freely admit to that being the primary motivator. I need to mind our budget pretty keenly if I'm to not only support the Guild's upkeep and initial development, but the resource costs of crafting for three people - Myself, Henna, and Jade - and my travel allowance when I leave for the Olton Mountain Shrine so I can give Lady Jannis a piece of my mind once I've gotten the Guild Headquarters secured.

Plus whatever else that might become apparent. Who knows, maybe some complete dumbass will stumble across a chunk of Grade 4 Gemfrost and try to sell it for a handful of Stone Silvers.

Stranger things have happened.

"We just gonna stand outside, or..." Windy elbows me.

"Sorry," I massage my temple, "I've been fairly scatter-brained lately, it feels like."

"A common side-effect of prolonged VR usage and fatigue compounding," Grand diagnoses, probably accurately considering his job, "I know I really shouldn't be saying this as the guy who usually has to order it in, but our D.E.F isn't exactly the best quality available on the market, and our Capsules are getting on in years. It's good for maybe two or three hours every other day with maybe just a sore back like most users, but...you aren't most users."

I'll be honest, I'm getting a little tired of hearing about that. Moreso than I actually feel tired, in point of fact.

I restrain my irritation, "I'll admit as much. However, I'm more curious as to whether you intend to return to play another day or not."

Windy nods along, "I'm playing for another month at least, so it'd be nice to be able to see you from time to time."

Grand appears to consider it before looking to his girlfriend, evidently deferring judgment to her. Horizon, for her part, lets her head rock back, staring up at the darkening sky, her breath faintly visible in the chill of winter.

"Don't know about long-term, but sure. I like it here," her head rolls back to the side with an easy smile, "Feels like there's more to the world than there is in VA, and that's about as far as I care."

"Alright, if you're in, I'm in," Grand smiles, wrapping his arm around her shoulder, "I'll see if I can get a little more time off to come with you."

"Don't put yourself out of a job on my account," she scolds, "I can take care of myself just fine without you hovering over me, love."

"Alright, alright," he sighs, "Don't look at me like that. You given a thought as to what you want for dinner tonight?"

"Thinking Thai," she murmurs, leaning into him, "Or gyros. Is Posei-Dan's open tonight?"

"Should be," Windy hedges, "I don't think it closes until eleven."

"Is that the Greek takeout on Mountain Street?" I question, only slightly aware of what they're talking about.

"Next street over, but yeah," Grand corrects me, "They do a great deal on mutton gyros, 10 for €14."

"I see," I nod politely, not really all that familiar with it nor that interested in it. I'd rather have a curry tonight.

Sensing that this conversation has run it's course, I hand over a few Silvers to the both of them, "This should be enough to keep you in a room for four Real days. After that, your Vessel's will be kicked to the curb by the Innkeeper and I can't claim to be responsible for whatever happens thereafter."

"Understood," Horizon nods seriously, "Thank you."

"Thanks," Grand follows suit, "I'll let you know what our schedules turn out like. Four days ought to be enough to arrange something."

"I'll send you both an invite to the guild's group chat later, 'k?" Windy smiles.

"Sounds good," he lets go of Horizon and rubs his palms together, "Best be getting in. See you on the outside, man."

"Mhm," I shake their hands in turn, "No need to wait for me, though."

"It was good to see you two again," Windy wraps them both in a big hug, then bounces back.

"Yeah, you too. G'night," Grand and Horizon wave, entering the building.

I cast a cautious glance upward, feeling the chill increasing, "Might snow tonight."

"Could be," Windy shrugs, "So, what do you think's gonna happen tomorrow? Be honest."

Turning heel and starting to walk back in the direction of The Golem, I stretch my arms out over my head and yawn, "I'm not sure. As hopeless as it might look from the outset, I sincerely believe it should be possible to get through relatively unscathed. It's not tagged as Astral-difficulty, for one thing, in spite of the situation."

"Isn't Platinum just, like, a step-down from that though? Can't imagine that makes much of a difference at our Levels," she speculates, following closely behind.

"It is, but as I've tried to impress upon you all before, it's not as simple as 4+1 = 5. A single Tier is a far wider gulf of a difference than that, and contains it's own breadth of variables," I remind her, looking over my shoulder, "Astral quests are unreasonably complex and mechanically difficult to an obscene degree. Generally speaking, it's a classification reserved for events that are exceptionally important to the history and future of the game."

"So, by that logic you think that this isn't a very big deal?" Windy hums, "Still, I don't see how that really makes much difference to us. If it's the difference between stopping like, I dunno, the sun blowing up and destroying the planet, and some evil godlike mastermind holding the country ransom with a sentient nuke. Either scenario is gonna end with us getting torn apart at the molecular level, y'know?"

"To borrow your analogy, the difference is that we're still able to punch the evil mastermind, never mind a collapsing star," I fire back.

"Eh, point taken," she grunts, "But it's not really a feasible solution, even so. You're kind of ignoring the effort needed to even get that far, let alone getting away with it."

"While I don't consider myself a gambler," I sigh, fatigue letting a small amount of irritation bleed through, "I'd take a measly 1% odds of survival over giving up entirely. Call me stubborn if you wish, but I'm going to be there tomorrow regardless."

"Don't get me wrong, boss, I'm not backing out either," Windy backpedals, "I just don't know what we can do. Was hoping you would have figured something out."

"In spite of any impression I may have given you to the contrary, I am not, nor have I ever claimed to be, omniscient concerning Astral Reckoning," I remind her, "This is about as new to me as it is to you, unfortunately. We're going to need to improvise on the spot, and it will not be a one-man show. All of us are going to have to put in our utmost effort, just as we had to for the Siege."

"Mm. Think it's worth putting the word out for some extra hands?" Windy queries.

"I find it unlikely that those not present for Geronil's demise - or more specifically, those who received the Quest - will be allowed entry, however, Olrica will likely be in attendance as an observer at best," I inform her, rounding a corner and maintaining silence as a pair of pedestrians pass us by, "I don't believe that the solution to our woes will be as simple as throwing more bodies at the problem in any case. It should be possible with us alone. It has to be."

"Ok," Windy doesn't sound wholly-convinced, "Putting that aside, what'd you think of Horizon and Grand?"

"They might have potential," I respond neutrally, "If I'm honest, I have higher hopes for Horizon, but of the two, Grand seems the more reliable."

"Yeah, I get that," Windy agrees after thinking about it, "Like, If they do keep playing I don't think Horizon'll stick around here for very long, but Grand might. He's more into raiding and PvP than she is, so that battlefield dungeon will be right up his alley."

"If she's determined to travel, there are still things she can do to contribute to Truthseekers and in turn, benefits she can receive by associating with us," I shrug, not thinking too deeply about the matter. Just being on first name terms with her will be a great boon, if she can enact an encore of her former self's rise to success.

Even with as little as just becoming acquainted with her and Grand, I'm already interfering with her potential future development a little too much for comfort, if I'm honest. As valuable an asset as she represents...just by the nature of being a potential Saint-level player, the currents connected to her will be anything but small and tepid. Even the slightest change in her trajectory has the potential for massive instability in my projections, on par with the mere fact my own existence, and who knows how many other Inheritors.

It doesn't help that I lack intimate knowledge of her original self's activities. Her reputation preceded her, yes, but I have no way of discerning fact from fictitious rumour for most of it.

Something I need to keep an eye on, from a reasonable distance so as to not cause excessive deviations in the short-term. After a certain point, it'll stop mattering, I do realise - Things will change out of necessity, I just dislike being vigorously slapped in the face by a butterfly's wings so early on.

So to speak.

---

 

Alex's Room, Le Chevalier

"...does that work for you?"

"Yeah, I'll be there," Olrica replies vacantly, "How'd your dog problem turn out, by the way?"

"We handled it," I reply, tired, "Anyway, I've got to sort through some messages, then I'll be turning in early. Tomorrow is a big day - you should as well."

"Mhm," Olrica agrees, "Later."

And immediately hangs up. I'm no longer surprised by her abrupt exits.

Dropping my phone on my bed I raise a shaky arm to my face and note the pallid skin colouration. The veins and arteries slightly engorged and barely visible beneath the surface.

"That...bodes ill," I half-joke, aware that my physical health is deteriorating at a steadily increasing pace, "I should look into methods of detoxing. My blood can probably eat through copper piping in seconds right now."

My best bet will be to book myself into a specialist pharmacorp's private practice. I believe that there are treatments for this exact problem, it's just an issue of cost. Healthcare is not cheap, and only increases in price as time goes by, particularly for VR-related health issues. Not because it's hard to make, of course. But because it makes money, and preying on the hardcore Astral Reckoning demographic will be an excellent source of income.

I feel a wave of nausea, unrelated to my ailing body. It passes as quickly as it manifests.

To distract myself from further rumination on the subject, I shift onto my back and start combing through the messages and news that arose during the day.

The situation at Taladi's Waystation has finally come to a head, and the outcome is about what I expected, if slightly different in execution. As before, two organisations joined hands to defeat their rivals and take ultimate control of the local area. However, rather than an alliance of two equal partners, they've merged into a signal entity called Dunestrike.

This is a potential indication of Inheritor interference. The severity of it...I can't even begin to guess. I sincerely doubt that this change is because of me, at the very least. Worrying, but still within acceptable limits for now.

Nostraza Town can be more or less ignored. Nothing of interest to speak of there.

The Town of Forgiveness seems to have picked up on their local Main Storyline quest - at long last - concerning a cabal of Graverobbers - pretty much the most heinous offence one can commit in Triumph, particularly when the thieves in question attempt to rob the Legacies of a Hero. You could honestly commit genocide on a monumental scale, and Triumph wouldn't be as incensed as they would be if you were to steal so much as a tiny pebble of Hasconite from a Shrine that a Hero purportedly kept for good luck.

If memory serves, the objective is to find the Graverobbers, retrieve what they took and return it. Or keep it for yourself and try to make a profit that way, if one feels like turning a country of legendarily zealous Hero-worshippers into a rabid pack of dogs baying for your blood and eternal suffering.

More than that, I don't remember. The other zones got fairly overshadowed by the film-length video Rambling Rose put out of their exploits with The Magpie Demon questline. Something Jupiter was kind enough to take a crack at editing together in his free time for Truthseekers this time around.

As far as my inbox is concerned, I send out a few more guides to those who requested them. No applications that meet my criteria, but a few names tickle the back of my mind as being passing familiar. Perhaps they were people I interacted with in the distant past. Utterly unremarkable otherwise, not worth making an exception for.

With all that out of the way, I spare a glance for the time and move under my bed covers.

I feel no nervousness for the conflict to come, only...

Tired.