[PP-F2] Paranoia <<RGQ>> (Completed)

[Birdie 0]

Birdie felt mildly disheartened as the man's talk ceased; even if history as a whole didn't massively interest her, hearing about the game's inspiration taken from the middle ages and other eras was a talk surely worth having.

She took a few steps ahead of Arc before realising he'd come to a stop, and she turned on the spot to look back at him. "Arc?" she asked quietly, standing still with vague bewilderment as he seemed to stare off into the distance. She barely noticed the farm that sat a little ways out, almost as if it was isolated from the rest of the town. 'Hm.. if the wife really is committing adultery, she's chosen a pretty good spot to do it..'

Before long, her gaze met with Arcs once more. His overview of the stealth mechanic was mostly information that she'd known prior, reading up about it in the beginner's guide provided at the start of the game. It hadn't dawned on her quite how terrifying the mechanic could be until then; a player could ramp up their stealth skill to ridiculous heights and easily dispatch a low level player wandering mindlessly through a field. She tried not o think on it too much, and instead took to listening as the man continued. "Hm.. I guess you could be right. I uh.. I'm not sure how stealthy I can be though, the stealth skill isn't one I've really considered putting points into." Her eyebrows pulled inwards, as if she had her doubts. "Do you think tiptoeing is good enough?" She gave a weak smile, briefly glancing to the barn.

The fields felt eerily deserted, despite the fact that it was natural for nobody to tend to them at night. Perhaps it was their surroundings that began to unsettle her; after all, the time was well on its way to Midnight by this point, and possessing a fear of the dark didn't do any favours for the woman either. Her eyes wandered to their destination once again. "How do you think we should go about getting inside, then? If we're trying to be stealthy, the front doors wont be our best option."

[Ashrah 0]

"Err, hey, sorry," he murmured. "I got a little too enthusiastic. It happens sometimes." Arc glanced aside and hoped that he hadn't bothered the girl with his antics. "Feel free to tell me to shut up any time," he said with a laugh.

When they put their heads together and considered the stealth mechanic, Arc crossed his arms and stroked his nonexistent chin chair. "I don't think the game would outright give us a quest that we couldn't reasonably perform. Recall that Cardinal tailors these things specifically toward the characters who are taking it, and it's essentially a "fair" system. No PKs in safe zones, an aggro system-" he didn't elaborate too much on that. Instead, he made his point. "-if the point of this is discretion, I think it's to solve the problem without engaging in combat. That is to say, we most likely have a combat option, but the difficulty rating will be much higher than if we were to approach it from a different angle."

It was all conjecture, of course. Arc hadn't discovered enough about the quest to be able to tell yet. "I just think that's probably it," he added to let her know he wasn't sure. "Since things are quiet and dark, and abnormally... lonely?"

They exchanged glances, and he held her gaze for several seconds. "Hey," he murmured quietly. It sounded muddled, because he had discovered a sudden difficulty in those striking blue eyes. Was she afraid? Was he? Why was his heart skipping beats and racing?

Gotta be fear. Yeah.

"I've got your back," he managed to say with confidence. "I won't let anything bad happen."

Arc broke his own eyes away. "I have all my points in combat oriented skills, too," he shifted topics. The blush to his cheeks was lighter than before, but still prevalent. 

"Do you, uh," he cleared his throat. "Er... wanna hold my hand?" he asked. "Might be less scary that way."

Yeah, that was about as smooth as sandpaper.

 

[Birdie 0]

Cyan eyes trembled at the thought of night mobs, creatures that might be waiting in the darkness to pray on unsuspecting players. 'This is the second time we've been in a quest with unfavourable conditions..' The fact that they were out of the safe zone fuelled this personal nighmare of hers; if they were within the city's borders, she wouldn't need to fear her own nor her friend's life.

She met with Arc's watchful gaze and couldn't help but give a comforted smile, her nervous demeanour easing slightly over time. The fact that he'd noticed how uncomfortable she was sought a stronger smile from the woman, though she set it aside in favour of remaining weary. "Glad to hear I'm not alone," she spoke with a gentle sigh, not at all prepared for what he was going to ask her next.

"W-" she started, her eyes freezing on the barn as the man's words registered with her head. The woman felt a rush of heat congregate in her cheeks, practically glowing from the intense warmth. 'W-what.. what do I say to that?!' Answers rushed through her mind - a simple yes or no, a complicated justification for why she should or shouldn't - in the end, red enveloped her face as all other colour drained away, and words began to slip from her mouth. "I-I uhm, I'm not- uh.."

She paused, taking a moment to breath. Her eyes hovered toward Arc, his flushed expression only making her job harder. "U-uh, I don't think th-that's going to be necessary." A lump formed in her throat, "th-thank you for offering, though." She quickly looked away, unable to bear whatever expression he'd wear. 'He hates you.. that's it, it's over. The first friend you made in this deathtrap is gone,' she told herself, anxiety eating away at her soul as she awaited his response. 'He was legitimately offering some comfort, he saw how uncomfortable I was.. but..'

[Ashrah 0]

Jeez, I'm really bad at this.

She stammered and stumbled over her words in response, but ultimately declined his offer. Arc sighed with a smile. Nothing new about that reaction.  "Yeah, wouldn't have helped much, I reckon," he said with a chuckle. "Figured I'd offer, at least."

He renewed his tenacity in light of a familiar feeling. When he saw her look away, he glanced toward the barn. "I'll keep watch," he told her. "Listen in and see what you can hear. I'll protect you."

You shouldn't have asked her that. Totally uncomfortable, you knew that. Even you were uncomfortable. Ah, heck, you've never been able to read a mood to save your life.

"Hey, uh," he stood facing the field now, watchful for any mobs that might attack. "I err... didn't mean to seem forward or nothin'... I'm... really bad at... all this."

Once more, the guise of Arc was lifted and the totally uncomposed player was laid bare. He pulled the sword from his back and rested it on his shoulder. He wouldn't look back at her after that. He felt too stupid.

 

[Birdie 0]

Birdie nodded as Arc told her to listen in, she needed some simple instructions to take her mind away from things. "T-thanks," she replied, briefly glancing at him before redirecting her attention to the barn.

The building itself wasn't too difficult to infiltrate; windows littered the walls on both the first and second floor, with ladders scattered around to assist those who wished to scale the barn. She didn't see the point ascending to a higher level, deciding that her approach would be from the side instead.

"N-no, don't worry, it's not your fault. I'm.." She paused, mumbling "an idiot, apparently" under her breath. ".. other people aren't really my strong suit." Her words were a complete understatement. Aincrad had brought with it a whole new set of challenges, ones that she'd never even considered back in the physical world. Having stayed reclusive for most of her time there, she'd dealt with these challenges on her own, and only recently started opening up to others when partying up became a necessity. "You're an awesome guy, Arc, really. I'm just.. an awkward person." She hoped that would diffuse the situation, at least to some extent.

There wasn't a reason to waste any more time. The longer she took to inspect the barn, the longer they'd be stuck outside the town's walls. "Keep your chat open, I'll message you if I hear anything, uh.." Her cheeks brightened, ".. I'll message you." She gave him one final look, hoping her words had been enough to at least hearten the man a little. With that, she set off for the barn.

[Ashrah 0]

He waved off her kind words with a gentle, dismissive wave. "No need for all that," he said softly. "That makes two of us." He still couldn't bring himself to look back, but he found renewed courage in that his actions could possibly keep someone safe. He could help someone. That meant more than any 'it's not you, it's me." 'He had to stay focused. If nothing else, at least he could relate to his new... friend.

Woah. Friend. That's... new. I haven't made a friend since... his mind wandered for a minute, and he recalled the faces of each of his friends beyond Sword Art Online. It was good to call someone a friend, even if he was ordinarily against the prospect in this world. His friends were afforded immense loyalty and his protection, at all costs. That was why he didn't often call people "friend." They became part of his family, in essence. People he would fight and die for.

When Birdie told him to keep the chat open, he nodded. "Got it," he replied. Arc opened the window in front of him as he skimmed over the field, eyes peeled. Without the Night Vision mod, it would be difficult to spot anything headed their way until it got close. By then, though, it would be much easier to deal with those threats. He figured he wouldn't need to notify the girl if he did get engaged by an enemy, so as not to worry her over nothing.

For so long since arriving in Aincrad, Arc had been possessed by horrendous self worth. It was only exacerbated by the loss of his friend, and amplified further by his plauging doubts when it came to his own ability. With every fight he grew stronger, and with every chance he had to help someone, Tobias found himself learning that he did have value. He wasn't going to be dismayed over one silly decision on his own part, not like the boy who he had logged in as. If nothing else, just like he had told Birdie, Aincrad was a new lease on life. He was going to grow, gain new skills- both in the game and out.

Idly, he glanced back toward the barn. "Hope I'm not sending her head first into trouble," he muttered. "She'll be alright, though. Kid's got guts."

He watched as she disappeared into the darkness, not worried for his own well-being, but for hers. After all, there's no telling what kind of quest this is. Gotta trust that she'll call for help if she needs it, though. Trust. That was a new concept, too. There weren't many people the man put that much faith in. 

The thought alone was enough to win a smile as he turned his attention back toward the field.

Edited September 18, 2016 by Arc

[Birdie 0]

She trod lightly through the kept grass, splitting from the main path that would lead right up to the barn's front doors. The eerie darkness sent another chill through the girl's spine, causing her to pause for a moment. 'Cute puppy, cute puppies..' Happy thoughts passed through her mind to take her head off of things, and the girl kept moving once again.

Reaching the barn's side, Birdie crouched and opened the chat, glancing to Arc's silhouette before typing out a message. "Just reached the love shack, how is it looking out there?" She could barely see him through the dark of the night, soon realising this would be their only means of communication for a while. She reluctantly hit send, biting her lip after the deed was done. 'I hope he doesn't take that the wrong way..' Shaking the thought from her mind, she hugged the wall and crept along.

Birdie stationed herself just below a window, noticing that it was left slightly ajar unlike the rest. She couldn't hear much yet, the only distinguishable sound from the inside being a set of footsteps on stone. A low voice spoke some indistinguishable dialogue, the girl electing to ignore it for the time being. "Footsteps and talking, think might be finished already," she informed the man through chat. The footsteps became louder, coming from only metres from within the building. Birdie held her breath, closing down the menu as she pressed her back against the wall.

..-ow do you propose we execute such a plan in eight months? Bribe our way to the top? A woman's voice from inside sighed sharply, pushing the window that Birdie stood under open wide along with a few others. Imbeciles, each of yo-... Those once loud footsteps began to fade away, the voice along with it. Birdie wheezed as air entered her lungs, hastily opening the chat once again. She entered everything the voice had spoken in quotation marks, following the message with "??? what do you think?" Hitting send, she kept her eyes on the chat and her ears on the voices, listening out for more.

Edited September 18, 2016 by Birdie

[Ashrah 0]

Arc stifled a laugh when he read her message. "At least her sense of humor hasn't suffered any heavy blows," he muttered to himself as he gave the SitRep. <<All quiet on the western front. Or is this east?>> He paused, shook his head, then typed in <<Don't have too much fun, ma'am.>>

All in all, there was nothing to report. Arc hadn't seen so much as a boar since she disappeared from sight, and he was glad for it. If he wasn't in any danger, she most likely was not either.

When she responded with an update, he sucked in a breath. "No no no, don't worry about telling me stuff," he whispered hastily. "Be careful, and don't get jumped-"

He realized he was talking to himself. The mercenary began to type. <<General idea sounds like some sort of conspiracy. Get as much as you can, then get out of there. Update me when you get back, keep the comms chatter to distress calls...>> he hesitated for a moment, then added <<...just to be safe. Be careful, Miss Birdie.>>

Arc turned his gaze toward the barn. Something was not right in all of this. He was still poised in a defensive stance, but not his focus was split. If Birdie needed him for backup, he'd be ready.

Anxiety was hitting him hard.

[Birdie 0]

She scanned over the message twice, just to be sure she'd read it correctly. 'Conspiracy? Well, that'd make an awfully interesting quest.' Her fingers danced around the keyboard one last time, surrendering to his request of keeping the chat open solely for emergencies. "Alright, keep your tin foil hat on for now then," the girl replied, a hint of a smile reaching her lips as the message was sent.

Birdie sighed, pushing away from the wall once it was finally safe. Her size hadn't done her any favours seeing as the window stood a foot and a half taller than herself, and she grudgingly scanned her immediate surroundings for anything to stand on. 'Thanks for drawing the short straw, genes..' Her eyes widened in light of a small wooden box sitting a few feet away, and she dragged it along the grass until it was right underneath the window frame.

Climbing atop it, the girl huffed once finding out she was still too short to see in. Hushing a grumble, she held onto the window frame and stood on her tiptoes, managing a peak inside.

She saw a room with several crates, concluding them to be filled with general farming produce the moment she laid eyes on them. The doorway led into another room that seemed to be well-lit, given the light pouring through. She couldn't see much. The interior was all you'd expect it to be, a few horse stables in the distance with some feeding troughs lining the walls. It wasn't until the shadow of a silhouette was cast upon the floor that she deemed anything worthy of note, though the shadow raised a few questions in and of itself. It looked to belong to a woman, long hair swishing as the figure came to an abrupt stop.

We're gathered here today to discuss the little details leading up to the event, not alter the plan to your liking.

O' yeah? And what if we's thinking the plan is flawed, eh? An older male's voice wasn't pleased.

A female voice chuckled, You think it's my job to adhere to your whining? Report it to the Minister upon their return. Until then, you'll either remain quiet or contribute to the Greater Good. A high-pitched squeal sounded from within. Yes?

Y.. yes..

Good.

Birdie pulled away, kneeling down to avoid detection should anyone pass the window. A million thoughts rushed through her mind at once, attempting and failing to make sense of the unsettling dialogue. 'Plan? Minister?.. What could require so much co-ordination?' She struggled with the knowledge for a moment longer, glancing to the chat box that floated in front of her after a couple of seconds. Almost instinctively the girl began to type, including the entire exchange in detail before adding some details about the interior. Hovering over the send button, she glanced to Arc's shadowy silhouette in the distance, hesitation smacking her in the face.

'... ugh, emergencies only.' She started to delete the message, causing the <<Birdie is typing...>> dialogue to disappear. "Ignore that, this is getting seriously weird though". In its place, she typed out that brief message and stood up once again, hitting send as her attention returned to the matter at hand.

[Ashrah 0]

<<Don't wait around for it to get hairy if it can be helped.>> Arc skimmed the horizon once more before he sent another message. <<See if you can glean some motive. What's going on? What are they planning for?>>

It was almost boring, the way he was stuck on the sidelines for this portion of the quest. Still, if there was a chance that a lone sentry might wander past and alert its comrades of Birdie's presence, she would be a sitting duck. There was movement that kept to the shadows, but the NPCs that wandered past seemed oblivious to him. Arc thought that was curious. "Wait," he muttered, "why are there NPCs out here? It's late, yet..."

<<Watch yourself,>> he typed, <<You might could have incoming. Unconfirmed, but they seem more or less headed in your direction.>> He resolved to keep tabs on them without getting any closer. There was the chance that they only took interest in players that strayed too close to their meeting ground. If that was the case, he needed to ensure that Birdie was not in their line of sight at any point. "Hey," he called to one of the NPCs.

She stopped. "What are you doing out here?" she asked. "It's late. Shouldn't you be inside the town?"

"Why aren't you?" he countered. She hesitated at that.

"Well, it's embarrassing," she said softly, "but I've been seeing the farmer boy in secret. We were... to meet tonight, in his barn."

Arc recognized that this woman was not telling the whole truth. Whether it was because Birdie had already uncovered something amiss or because she genuinely radiated an aura of disgust at his presence, he was uncertain. "You should head home," he warned. "I've been paid to keep watch over this area by the owner, as he's grown tired of his barn being used as a hole for unsightly meetings."

She scowled. "Even if you're telling the truth," she grated, "it seems a bit suspicious that you knew I would be out here." Arc saw the knife in her hand before she raised it. He caught her wrist deftly. Her face was a mask of terror and confusion.

"Bad decision," he said. "Don't make any sudden movements or call out, or I'll put my sword through your throat. Is that clear?"

She nodded slightly. I've got to warn Birdie. There are more on the way. His eyes remained on the woman, scowling up at him. But I can't lose sight of this one for even a second.

[Birdie 0]

Back at the barn, Birdie took to peeping inside once more. The dialogue she could hear was muffled - talks of a 'party' ensued, though she could only assume they hadn't meant the entertainment type. Before long, a message buzzed through from Arc, and she lowered herself from the window frame to scan through it. The man informed her to scope out an incentive, prompting her to hush the menu away and return to her duties.

'Another message?' she thought, reacting to the quiet notification with the raise of an eyebrow. The first two words prompted her other eyebrow to react, followed by her eyes widening as Arc informed her of the potential trouble coming her way. "What about you?? Are you safe?" Birdie was sure the man wouldn't have any trouble, judging by how well he handled himself the other day, but her worries weren't unjustified. 

Glancing out to the fields behind her, a pair of shadows shifted in the distance. 'Uh oh..' They approached quickly, too fast for her to move the box and hide away in the shadows, and fleeing to another side of the house risked bumping into an NPC unaccounted for. 'Not good, not good..' Her eyes darted frantically for an escape, eyebrows curling in sorrow as she remembered the window frame. She looked to the approaching figures, realising there wasn't a safer alternative. 'Damn it!'

She reached for the window frame and pulled herself up, landing her knees on the window ledge. The girl looked out to Arc's rough silhouette in the distance, and then to the NPCs heading her way. She bit her lip, lifting her legs through the gap and into the barn.

Birdie landed as gracefully as she could, which was about the same level of finesse as a raging bull in a china shop. Her feet crashed against the ground, landing with a rough thud that she was sure would have her figured out. As luck would have it, none of the voices in the other room seemed to pay any mind. 'Hm.. they must all be NPCs then?' she figured, knowing a player would've called her out on that.

She scurried for one of the crates, ducking behind it so as to provide some cover should somebody wander in there with her. "Don't be scared but I'm inside the barn, I don't think the NPCs saw me." She hit send, following the message with another. "They're talking about a party or something, like a recruitment party? I don't know, we're not dealing with just two people anymore."

Her eyes shot to the doorway as a woman entered the room, donning a grey hooded robe that covered everything but her hands and face.

..-hey'll return soon, then preparations can begin.

Birdie packed herself as tightly as possible into a corner, obscured by the darkness as she watched the woman approach the window. Just like that, the window was closed and locked, and the woman shuffled out of the room none-the-wiser to Birdie's presence.

"Soo, I might be locked inside.. how are you things on your end?" 

[Ashrah 0]

"Let... me... go!"

Arc held tightly to the wrist wielding the weapon, his teeth gnashing with the effort. "Like hell," he hissed. "Drop the bloody knife." She resisted visibly, and he could see that her cursor had gone from neutral to hostile. "Damn," he muttered. "Double damn." The woman thrashed and slammed her free fist into his chest, but it deal no damage to him. There would be a fight, though.

I've got to warn her quick- Arc felt the color leave his cheeks when he saw the message about Birdie being locked in the barn. Ah, hell, you'll respawn anyway, won't you? His eyes flashed to the woman struggling against him as he lifted his blade. They turned from panic to terror as the metal bit deep into flesh. Her arm went limp in his grasp. The body collapsed as he let go, and her unseeing gaze mocked him when the head ceased to roll. ...won't you?

The body burst in a stream of data as he gulped down his misgivings and turned to look at the barn again. It seemed livelier than before, but not in a good way. Ominous, almost foreboding light flowed from the closed windows. <<Do you need backup??>> Arc knew she would likely decline the offer, but he felt the urge to insist. He relented. <<Let me know if you need me.>>

His gaze shifted. <<If you need me to help, I mean.>> Dammit. You didn't need to correct yourself. Come on, Tobias. Get it together.

<<Just killed an NPC. They turn hostile if threatened.>> It seemed too casual that way, but he'd written it despite that. <<I confronted her. That must be one of the preset conditions for their aggro. Avoid it if you can.>>

Arc headed for the front door, ready to kick it down if the need arose.

[Birdie 0]

Birdie could do nothing but sit and listen to the ongoing conversation. She could separate at least seven or eight voices from the group of NPCs, though it was too early to call it a solid number; some voices could be keeping quiet after all. Her eyes flicked to the chat as a stream of messages flooded in, an amused smile appearing at the correction. Concern filled the pits of her stomach as the man casually stated he'd murdered an NPC, though his reasoning partly justified the act.

"I'll be okay, might need a little help getting out." She typed as fast as her hands would allow, "They're talking about a plan to 'infiltrate and poison the filth' and called out a few low-level towns, can you make anything out of that?" Right after pressing send, the female voice rose above the group's chatter.

Everyone appears to be here, bar one. It seems Evelyn is unable to join us tonight.

Think the husband's causing more trouble?

The voice let out a displeased sigh, I see no other reason for her absence. The man is becoming a nuance; if it were up to me, I would have that waste of skin dragged here and executed myself.

Birdie's mouth hung open, shocked by what she'd heard. 'Who the hell are these people..?' Opening the chat, she quickly typed to Arc. "The NPC you killed.. was it a woman?" She continued, "Apparently 'Evelyn' is the only person who didn't show up, and they're talking about murdering her husband. Arc, I think they want to kill the man that gave us this quest." She pushed send, looking at the chat screen afterwards. "This is messed up.."

[Ashrah 0]

Arc recalled the empty look in those vacant orbs when they jeered him. In that instant, he felt equally empty. Now, as Birdie inquired about the victim's sex, he felt his stomach drop. <<Not exactly pillow talk, but yeah, she was.>> He glanced toward the barn and groaned a bit. <<It doesn't relay well through text, but I'm not exactly thrilled that I had to do it. I didn't want her accidentally triggering them into attacking you.>>

He glanced down at his hand, imagining that Lady MacBeth must have been horrendously proud. <<It sounds like they're definitely plotting something.  I'm breaking down the door. Be ready to run.>> He looked over his health one last time before he placed a hand on the wood. He could make out sounds, almost voices, but no proper words. Between the two of them, only Birdie had the ability to take in the information.

That suited him just fine. He was less of the diplomatic type and more a combatant anyway.

<<I'm at the door. When it goes down, I'll get their attention. Run away during the chaos. When you're safely past me, I will follow. Don't move until they're all focused on me, though.>>

Arc took a deep breath, then exhaled. This was another high risk scenario, and he knew the payoff was very unequal to the risk of his friend's life. Still, it was a necessary evil. <<And hey...>> he paused, shook his head, then typed. <<Next time, I'll take the dangerous job. Sorry you keep getting put in the crosshairs, Miss Birdie.>>

He hit send.

"Welp, mister drunk," he muttered, "doesn't sound like your wife was cheatin'. At least you'll get some comfort out of that..." Maybe I'll leave out the part where she was planning to kill him, and tell the poor guy she was killed by the cultists... no. That'd be a lie. Even if it's a nice lie, a lie won't give him peace. He'll still always wonder. I wouldn't want to live that way.

His eyes slipped shut, and the mercenary waited for Birdie to give him the go ahead.

Edited September 20, 2016 by Arc

[Birdie 0]

Birdie's smile died down at Arc's initial reply, hearing that he'd done it in the interest of protecting her. There wasn't much time for her to fret over it however, and seeing as the man was about to do something rash, she had other things to worry about.

"I'm not sure we nee-" She began, pausing at the sound of muffled footsteps. She hid the menu and quickly ducked behind a box, hiding as the approaching figure stopped beside the doorway.

Hmm.. The voice hummed, Birdie staying as stiff as a feather. ...must've been a mouse or somethin', filthy roden- She breathed as the footsteps seemed to return deeper into the other room, and the girl brought up her menu in a flash. More messages had appeared, she scanned through them. Her eyebrows turned outwards as she started typing again,

"Let's go halfies on the scary jobs?" She replied with a weak smile, following it immediately with "Don't feel bad, we knew what we were signing up for. Sorta." Not really. "Kick the door down if you're sure, be careful though, I don't know how many are in there." Her eyes darted to the doorway as a brand new voice spoke up, "At least 8 or 9." Birdie rested her arms after hitting enter for the last time, briefly glancing to the sheathed rapier that sat on her hip. 'If he gets in a fight, I can't run away.. I need to help him.' She closed her eyes for a moment, steadied her breathing, and then stood up with an invigorated smile.

"Ready on my end."

Edited September 20, 2016 by Birdie

[Ashrah 0]

Inhale, exhale.

The fear dissolved rapidly as the images of a fallen friend shifted through his mind. In SAO, that was the end. He couldn't let anyone else go out that way. Not if he had the power to stop it. As he collected his strength, Arc took a step back and readied his weapon. With a grunt of effort, he slammed forward toward the door, blade and all.

With a shudder, the barn reacted. The door creaked, splintered, and imploded beneath his whole weight. Arc plowed through like a stampeding horse. He stood in the wreckage with determination in his gaze, considering the gathered NPCs.

"Who are you!?" one shouted. Another, "it doesn't matter! He's heard us, and that means we have to kill him!"

"Seedy business practices, mate," Arc muttered as he reflected on the last comment. "People won't want to deal with you if you off them like that."

"Funny talk for a man about to die!" They brandished daggers in proper cultist fashion, and Arc looked around for Birdie. It was a good sign when he couldn't find her at first glance.

"Let's dance then, bucko." Arc gripped his zweihander tightly and took an imposing step forward. In light of them still being NPCs, the act caused them to waver slightly. They're not all that strong, but there are a lot of them. I can hold them off. Won't be able to take them, though. Not at this level.

"Go!" he called out, knowing she could hear.

"There's another one?" they seemed to glance among themselves. "Quick, find them!"

"Not a chance." Arc took a breath as he threw himself into the mass of bodies. They broke like a wave against a seaside cliff. Levantine swung through powerfully, forcing the group to back away and tread careful steps. "You've got me to deal with."

I'm more than happy to split the jobs with you, Miss Birdie, he thought. Any time you want. But let me make sure to keep you safe while we do it.

[Birdie 0]

Who are you!?

As if the sound of the barn door exploding hadn't alerted her to Arc's presence, those words ensured that it wasn't just an NPC making a dramatic entrance. Birdie crept along the wall, approaching the doorway before was forced to halt.

Arc's voice rang through the air, reaching Birdie's ears as a welcoming tone. The entire room would surely be focused on the interruption, granting the girl an opportunity to poke her head around the corner and catch a glimpse of the main room.

She dipped backwards when she thought someone was looking, though all eyes were on Arc as the man intimidated the entire crowd. The shink of small daggers as they were removed from their sheaths caused her to look over to the man, worried that he was biting off more than he could chew. 'Don't get yourself in trouble..' she stressed, her eyes searching for a way past the main crowd of NPCs in order to make her escape.

"Go!"

She gasped, but didn't waste any time. The NPCs seemed to be distracted for a second which gave Arc an opportune moment to strike, and the woman a perfect opportunity to make a break for it. She darted out from the side room, catching the eyes of several cultists after immediately dashing to the right. Her hasty footsteps would've alerted everyone to her presence and she had no doubts that confused eyes watched her from behind, she didn't care. 'The exit,' she thought, 'get to the exit.'

Biting her lip, she watched Arc hurled himself into the crowd, halting their efforts to prevent her escape. Her mouth hung open but no words managed to come out, she could only stare with fear in her eyes as the NPCs passed behind her, and then the man, and then the shattered wooden chips of the ex-barn doors. She stopped, her body frozen as she set foot on the ground outside. Turning back, she watched as the man fought off the group, the girl's voice finally catching up with her. "Arc!"

One word, that was all she could manage. She remembered the message, she knew to run. 'If he's not behind me in 10 seconds..'

The girl disappeared from the barn's entrance, stumbling twice as she made it a little ways out onto the dirt path. She paused, glancing back to the barn. "Get out of there, Arc.."

[Ashrah 0]

"Heh." The swordsman shunted away all avenues of attack. Their weapons lacked the range, and the NPCs lacked the technical prowess to make up for it. In terms of advantage, they had the numbers, but Arc had the skill. He had little issue fending off their blows as Birdie went winging past, though their pack tactics began to kick in after several seconds.

One came at him with the intent to grab. Arc slipped the effort and kicked the offender off him. He bashed another with the pommel of his blade and sent her sprawling. When he heard the formerly caged bird call his name, he knew she was well on her way to freedom. "That's my cue," he rumbled.

The strange group converged on him. Arc beat them back with a powerful swing. The mercenary wasted no time when they moved for greater distance. He turned on his heel, shouldered his weapon, and he ran.

Arc was a good distance behind her by now. The woman had been given ample time to flee. Hope she already made it to the safe zone. They can't get her in there. That'll give us time to-

He looked at his health bar drop as an impact took him from behind. Arc let out a subdued gasp as he ran, and he reached back. The dagger dislodged without issue as he ripped it out. "Keep running," he told himself. "We've got to warn that man- no, we've got to warn everybody we can."

His ability to run was stifled by the system, and he knew the skill was still somewhat beyond his grasp. Still, he continued to scurry and scamper like a rat. He wouldn't be put down by something like this. 

"Keep... going..." he huffed, the town now in plain sight. He could hear their footsteps dying away behind him. It was unlikely they would hurry into the waiting grasp of the guard. No- they knew Arc and Birdie's faces now. They could target them at any time.

That was why breaching the gate gave him no comfort.

Arc gasped for air with his hands behind his head. His eyes knit shut, and his chest rose and fell rapidly. 

[Birdie 0]

A figure emerged from the building; giant sword, cloak whisking behind him as he ran. "Thank god.." were the only words Birdie could manage.

She didn't wait. For all they knew more NPCs would be on their way soon, and the only guaranteed safety would be within the confines of Urbus. One advantage that she knew Arc had over the cultists was his agility, she trusted him to escape unscathed in one piece. She had to. 'Make it to town first, girl.'

The town came into sight, and before she knew it, her legs had come to a stop just before the main gate. The town's guard appeared to be stretched thin, no doubt due to the low spawn rates at night. It didn't matter; catching her breath, Birdie put her back to a wall and rested her palms on her knees. 'The programmers could've given us some extra agility..' she thought, fighting back fleeting breathes as her eyes drew upwards, looking toward the fields.

".. A.. Arc?"

She paused at the sight of the man, his physical condition looking worse for wear. His health bar popped into the corner of her vision as they finally came into range of each other again, though what she saw cut the breath from her mouth short.

"Hey...!" She cried out, pushing away from the wall. She ran out from the town's gate, running toward her damaged friend. "A-Arc, are you.. are you alright?" The damage wasn't lethal but it was enough for her to raise concern, "I'm sorry for not helping, I-I just, I ran.. like you told me to.." She kept her distance from him, those widened cyan eyes of hers looking behind him for any NPCs. 'They all backed off..?'

[Ashrah 0]

The dagger he'd pulled from his back clattered to the ground as he fought for air. Arc heard her voice and instinctively reached out, then pulled her close. He wrapped his arms around her and continued to breathe in desperation, but his heartbeat had slowed a bit. "Thank God you're safe," he muttered. "Thank God." For a long moment, he did not even register that he'd just embraced the girl.

After he did, Arc pulled away quickly and shook it off. He looked her in the eyes and nodded. "You did good," he told her in affirmation. "There's no reason to chastise yourself. We didn't have the manpower or skill to handle that situation if it came to a straightforward attack. Discretion is the better part of valor, and all that." Arc made a fist, then held it out toward her in a friendly fistbump gesture. "Good work, ma'am."

Arc looked up at the stars for a moment, such a calm night in spite of the terror stricken situation that they had been thrust into. "You're a better partner than most mercs get, and I'm glad to have you on board." When he glanced down again, he smiled. "Now we have plenty of time to figure this out. They won't make a move while we're protected, I'm fairly sure. Better make our next course of action count."

He took a deep breath, and his resting pulse was back to normal.

"All right, let's compare notes, then decide what to do."