[PP-F4] Take to the Skies, Heroes.

[Ashrah 0]

Aincrad was a castle suspended in the sky.

It was the selling point of the game. A fantasy world torn apart in time immemorial and twisted together into an amalgamation of wars, legends, and dreams. The elves that inhabited the old world were scarce now, a dying breed with only whispers of their former power. As though it were some penance for the sin of this world's creation, magic had been stripped away from the land. In its stead, brave swordsmen picked up weapons and steeled themselves to face whatever evils came to inhabit the flying fortress' many floors.

Until the moment they learned that they were trapped, every one of the ten thousand had been ecstatic to live that lore for themselves. Many had forgotten it over the time that had elapsed, and the few who still remembered hardly cared. SAO had become a test of endurance, seeking to determine who would live and die rather than who would ascend to take the mantle of hero. Tobias doubted that Kayaba had forgotten, though.

This world was Akihiko's dream made manifest.

Like the author of some epic fantasy, the creator of Sword Art Online scrawled every one of his childhood aspirations and breathed life into them. Down to the most seemingly insignificant pixel of his avatar, "Arc" had become one of the swordsmen who might become a legend. As the cold winds of the fourth floor blasted his face and snow alighted on his nose, he managed to smile. This quest had drawn the attention of the few Black Brothers that remained- people Tobias knew from the world outside, and had reunited with. The Healer, Ishmael, and the lithe Corvo with his devilish dagger stood with arms crossed, flanking him.

"Too bad about Alky," Corvo muttered. "The guy deserved better than to die like that."

Arc grunted. Corvo was one of the few folks who referred to Thom by his character name, rather than his real one. It was an old habit, back from the time when the socially inept swordsman was DPS for their little group. Shin- their tank- still hadn't surfaced. Tobias wasn't holding his breath for it, either. "Heard from Chis?" he asked quietly.

"Nothin', yet," the rogue picked at his teeth with a toothpick and glanced out at the sky from where he sat at the edge of the world. "Might be he took the long walk," the other man insinuated with a gesture to affirm that he meant suicide.

"Have some faith, Ev," Ishmael chided. Tobias glanced at his younger brother with a sad smile. The other man shook his head. "No one's dead til we see their name on the monument, right?"

"Let's talk about something less grim," Arc suggested.

"How about that hair of yours?" Ishmael- Canaan- jeered. "Blue? I didn't think you were into the brighter colors, bro."

"Long story," Tobias shook his head. "I had it black for a long time."

"Emo kid, just like Thom," Canaan joked lightheartedly.

"What happened?" Evan grinned. "Went out and got yer di-"

Tobias shot the crude assassin a death glare. "If you finish that sentence, I'll kick your teeth in."

"It's a chick," Ish moaned. "It's gotta be a chick."

"Definitely a chick. Good ol' Tobes has gone soft on us." Corvo winked jokingly at Arc, who brushed a lump of frigid white from his features. "So, what's she like?" he asked. "Ya'll married? Deets, mang, deets!"

"You'll get to meet her soon enough," Tobias replied curtly as he closed the menu and turned his gaze toward his two best friends. "I invited her on this quest with us."

Ishmael was a bit taller than Arc, and wore loose fitting clothes befitting of his chosen station. The gray and brown earthen tones swathed him with their moderate defense and he bore a club type weapon at his hip. Unlike many healers, though, Ish was a combat capable healer- he didn't like the archetype of relying on other people to keep him alive. Most of the Black Brotherhood preferred a soloist's style when they weren't tearing through dungeons or quests in tandem. His curious white hair and slate eyes seemed to smile when his elder brother clapped him on the shoulder. "I'm just glad to have you back, man. It's been something else, wondering if you were... y'know."

Corvo by contrast was a lanky fellow of a similar height to Arc. He wore a tight fit, sleeveless shirt and dark trousers, accented with a crimson scarf that covered up his mouth. His black hair and dark eyes nodded toward the bird that he was named for. "We've kept our distance from the front lines, trying to catch wind of your movements. We almost gave up before you put out word on the eighteenth floor, and that quest notification went out."

"Yeah. Lucky break, that." Tobias folded his arms and nodded toward the skyline. "The broker said game time 11:23 PM, right?" he asked. "Do you see the quest NPC anywhere?

"Oh," Corvo grinned, "you'll know it when you see it."

It?

"The legends tell of a place you can only reach from the Starglade," Ishmael began, "a memory of the world before Aincrad rose from the ground and took its place among the heavens-"

"The Garden of the Gods," Corvo broke in excitedly. "Home to the bards who sing tales of heroes and epic quests just waiting to be undertaken. Doesn't that sound great?"

"Right," Arc grimaced. "What does that mean? It sounds like gussied up lore to me."

Corvo just kept on grinning. Ishmael smirked to himself. Arc glanced back toward the path to where they stood. @Birdie would be joining them, soon enough.

Quote

To: Birdie

I found them.

Sorry, that sounded really ominous. My friends. They're alive. I'm meeting up with them near the edge of the Starglade, and I thought it would be really cool if you came and met them. They brought some information about a new quest with them, and they've got me real excited about it. Make sure you come kitted to fight, just in case. No telling what we'll run into. If you have any friends you want to bring along, you can.

P.S. I apologize in advance for Corvo's horrible behavior.

-Tobias

 

Edited November 15, 2016 by Arc

[Birdie 0]

A small clunk came from the set of goggles fastened around her head, one hand pulling them upwards from her eyes whilst the other gently followed Arc's message. 'He's found them?' she thought. The meaning behind the message brought with it a heap of questions, all of which would probably be answered in due time. Her eyes moved across the air as she pondered for a moment, a smile finally warping her lips. "Do I even have a choice?"

It wasn't as if she was remotely busy with anything important- all orders for that day had been shipped and her training with Itzal and Aereth wouldn't start again till the very next day. With the notion that she was free to do whatever fresh in her mind, the bluenette's fingers glided across the virtual keyboard to type out a message.

Quote

To: Arc

I'm happy for you!

I'll be there soon, there's a couple of things I need to take care of first. Glacia will be coming along too, it's been a while since she's spread her wings. Where else to do it than her home floor, right?

See you soon,

-Birdie

She omitted any comments relating to this 'Corvo' character- she'd be able to make her own assessment of him in due time, but the advanced warning gave her the smallest semblance of an idea of what to expect from him. Hitting the send button, she eagerly smiled and dismissed the menu. Things had to be done: locking up the shop for one, getting ready for combat, and mentally preparing herself to meet with a few of Tobias' real world buddies.

'.. let's see how this goes.'

~~~

The ice bird's wings powered through the snowy skies, acting as a lookout for the woman walking along the ground below. Fixed up in her usual combat armaments, she equipped the Azure Shawl in place of a vanity slot, paying tribute to the last time she and Tobias had seen each other on the fourth floor. Try as she might, Ava's nerves weren't able to calm, and as both hands anxiously fiddled with the hem of her clothing, she found her mind floating adrift in thought of what her boyfriend's friend's might be like.

'One of them is unconventional, I'm sure he was just exaggerating though. How many are there even going to be? I'm not sure I want to meet a whole group of new players at once..' The thoughts kept coming in and passing through as she drew closer to the meeting place, a stellar little attraction named the 'Starglade'.

Passing through a fork in the road, a group of figures began to take shape in the distance, one of whom's hair harboured a familiar blue tint. The woman's smile grew from instinct alone as she brought herself to wave, her pace quickening to the speed of a light jog. Each of the other player's faces were blotted out, Ava's attention duly devoted to the one she cared about out. "Hey!" she called out, approaching the band of merry men.

Edited November 15, 2016 by Birdie

[Ashrah 0]

"You look nervous."

"I am nervous. She's going to meet you two." 

"Hey! I'm offended by that."

"No you're not."

"Yeah, well, I'm not, but it wasn't very nice."

"Relax, Tobes. You only have to worry about Corvo. I'll be on my best behavior."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, asshole." Corvo rolled his eyes and pulled down his scarf, promptly flipped his menu open and toggled his pipe. With a grunt, the dagger specialist gripped the apparatus between his teeth and set about lighting it up. "Seriously, though. It's not like we're going to do anything to make you look bad, man. You can relax."

"It's not that," Tobias shook his head. "It's just... you know. We've never actually done this. I've never brought a girl back to meet you guys."

"First time for everything, dude." Ishmael took a step toward his real world older brother and draped his arm over his shoulders. Tobias returned the gesture affectionately. "If she really likes you, I'm happy for you. Mom and Dad would be proud to hear it."

"Will be proud," Evan murmured as he exhaled a plume of black. "They will be proud."

Tobias studied the bleak faced assassin thoughtfully. "He's got an obsession," Canaan explained. "He doesn't like it when people make it sound like we might die in here. He always talks about things on the other side optimistically."

"And here I thought Ev was a realist," Arc gave a dry laugh. Corvo effected a half shrug. "That's good to hear. When we get back, I'll buy you a beer."

"Damn well better!" the younger man barked.

Tobias pulled away from Cans with a hand outstretched, waving. "Hey!" he called to Ava as she hailed them. The other two looked up with mild interest. The spearman looked genuinely excited. The other two exchanged smirks.

"Figured out the blue hair," Cans whispered.

"Yup," Evan agreed. He eyed the newcomer with an avian expression that seemed more hawklike than crow. "Not at all what I expected."

"You expected something?" Canaan seemed incredulous. 

"Can it, they're about to start talking. Let's pretend we're not eavesdropping."

"...what?"

As the other two men bickered back and forth, their fearless leader stepped forward toward the girl and wrapped her up in a calming hug. He whispered quietly, "don't mind these two idiots, you're safe here."

He made a sweeping gesture toward the other two, who bolted upright and acted immediately as though they were not being juveniles. "These are my two best buddies in the world, Ishmael and Corvo."

The two waved awkwardly, and Tobias went on. "Corvo here, he's a dagger user. Loves to move quick, aim for weak spots, and take down enemies. He's an Assassin, if you go by archetypes."

"So you're the lass Tobes is sweet on, eh?" Corvo leaned in and nodded sagely. "Dunno what you see in him, but hey, glad to meet you."

"Evan, this is Birdie," he introduced her by her character name- if she wanted to give her real one, that choice was hers alone to make. "And over here..."

Ishmael stood, offered his hand, and gave a smile. "It's good to meet you," he said warmly. "I never thought Tobias would bring home a decent lady."

"So you thought I'd bring home what, exactly?" He narrowed his eyes.

"My name's Canaan," he said, "real name. Canaan Sawyer. Tobias is my older brother." The elder sibling glanced at his brother with a smile.

[Birdie 0]

Contrasting to the chilling winter air, Ava felt a comfortable warmth overcome her, mostly from Tobias' body heat and her cheeks glowing a soft light red. She felt him pull away and matched the gesture herself, knowing she'd finally get to meet his friends. The first mention of their names evoked a gentle wave, laying her eyes on them for the first time.

Ava's blush only deepened as the first spoke, and she bowed politely after being introduced. "It's a pleasure to meet you, um.. C-corvo?" She wasn't sure how comfortable the Assassin would be had she called him by his real name- Tobias had mentioned it, though it was better to play it safe.

Switching focus to Canaan, a soft giggle escaped her lips and she followed through with a careful handshake. She looked between the two brothers as the small exchange took place, but found herself staring towards the younger one with subtle bewilderment. "He's your brother?"

She turned to Tobias. "You have a brother?!" The fact that he hadn't mentioned as much before wasn't what shocked her, but it still came as a surprise.

"It's lovely to meet you, Canaan. I wish I could say I've heard all about you, but..." Ava peered towards her partner, a gentle smile given to show she wasn't salty about it.

So far, baring the fact that one was his brother, Tobias' group of real life friends were about all that she expected them to be. Alkor would've been an interesting character to meet, though she'd avoid any mention of the name, knowing it would stir up unrest.

From that moment on, she stood and calmly looked between the other three- now what? Introductions hadn't ever been a strong suit of hers, and to make matters worse, she was still lost for the details of why they were gathered by the Starglade. "S-so, what's this new quest all about? Is the NPC nearby?" She looked around for any sign of a quest giver, though none seemed to be evident.

[Ashrah 0]

Corvo gave a nod when she exchanged pleasantries with him, and replied: "likewise." He gulped down another toxic breath and sent the smog billowing out from his nostrils as the girl turned her attention to Ishmael.

"Yeah," Canaan nodded, "he's my brother, and it doesn't surprise me that he totally forgot to mention he had a brother," he said with all the salt Birdie hadn't added to Tobias' helping of her words. "He's kind of an airhead when it comes to other people, and things he probably should have said."

"Eheheh..." Tobias could only blush as he glanced around and looked everywhere but toward his brother. "Oops?"

"Yeah, oops, you jackass." Canaan shook his head. "Well, he does have a few redeeming qualities. He makes the best cakes in the western hemisphere."

Tobias blinked. "And...?"

"That's pretty much it," Canaan shrugged.

"Thanks."

When Ava asked about the quest, Corvo hopped upright and grinned from ear to ear. "I'm  so glad you asked," the shady man responded quickly as he plucked the pipe from his teeth and gestured out, off the edge of the floating castle. "We're just in time."

Tobias glanced in the direction of the winter wind, which now blasted his face and forced him to squint just to see. "What in god's name...?"

"Ladies," Corvo made a magnanimous gesture with both hands as he indicated a small speck on the horizon. It gradually grew in size until all of them could easily make out what it was. "I give you our sweet chariot, swung low from on high."

"Sorry for all this," Tobias whispered. "He's totally full of himself."

"Ahem- our ride." Corvo repeated as the massive, airborne ship swept down and sidled up to the edge of the world. Over top of it, a quest marker glowed golden. "It's a secret quest," the man announced, "and it's allll ours."

"How the hell did you find it?" Tobias asked skeptically. Corvo was already one foot on the airship. "This seems like something people would have known about."

"Tobes, ol' buddy..." Corvo shot him a wink. "I hooked up with an info broker. Were you expecting anything else?"

"Please tell me he didn't actually sleep with someone," Tobias whispered to Canaan.

"That guy?" Ishmael grinned. "No way. He begged the girl for three hours, and she finally gave him the info with the caveat that he would never bother her again."

"Ha!" Tobias snorted loudly.

"Way to ruin the mood, Cans..." Corvo sulked as he headed for the far side of the dock, the the younger Sawyer sibling in tow. 

Arc held his hand out to Birdie. "Shall we?"

[Birdie 0]

Ava found it hard to hold back a laugh at the brotherly banter going back and forth. The younger sibling was definitely Tobias' kin and it was clear that Canaan looked up to him, despite the playful words being spread about.

She followed Corvo's hand as he gestured the great wintry sky, though the dense snow denied her the ability to see much of anything. Despite possessing an adventurous will, she'd never much enjoyed standing by the edge of the world, much less the thought of what lied beyond. The Assassin spoke up once more but an ant-sized dot in the distance stole her attention, and the woman failed to afford him a glance.

"It's fine," she replied under her breath, glancing up to Tobias for the fifth of a second before returning her eyes to the ever-growing spec. The mystery object soon revealed itself to be a titan of an airship, somehow befitting of Corvo's inflated ego. 'Secret quest?'

Ava arced an eyebrow as the quest's origins were explained- far too bluntly for her tastes- though the feeling was put to rest onced Ishmael shot Corvo down. She kept a giggle to herself and instead focused on the great ship, reaching her hand out to Tobias''.

"We shall," she smiled, pulling herself closer as they boarded the airship together. "Your friend is um.. colourful?" Praying she didn't sound like a jerk, Ava continued. "Does he always act so.." The woman's eyes searched for the Assassin and found him being sullen, Ishmael as his witness. She covertly pointed towards the two. ".. Brazen?" Perhaps not the best word to use, but the only one she could think to say without seeming too impolite.

Admiring the ship's aesthetic, she had to wonder where they would be flying to. It was rare to hear of expenditures outside of Castle Aincrad, and as much as the thought of the 'great outside' distressed her, it was still an intriguing concept.

Ava stood clear of the railing, knowing she'd be a klutz and end up falling to the floor below. "H-hey, um.. Corvo?" she called out, her eyes briefly searching the clear (but snowy) skies awaiting them. "The ship is nice and all but what's this quest actually about? Where are we going?"

[Ashrah 0]

As if to answer all riddles, the ship sputtered to life. The faint crawl of its behemoth form through the clouds was deceptively gentle. The familiar fourth floor flitted fast from them. "Looks like we're gonna find out," Tobias muttered to himself. 

They cut a swath through winter's veil as the airship revolved around Aincrad slowly, and Corvo smiled. "This ship's the only way to get to a right special zone," he explained. "Word is, someone scouted ahead and did some digging into the lore behind it all, and we're looking at a treasure left behind by the gods."

"What he means is," Ishmael interjected, "if the stories are true, there's a magical weapon here that's guarded by some really powerful, ancient forces. Something dredged up from before the Great Separation."

"You mean the myth behind the creation of Aincrad?" Tobias seemed skeptical. "Thom used to go on and on about that before the game went live, but I never thought there was anything to it."

"Akihiko was serious- and I mean dead serious- about Sword Art Online. This project was his lifelong dream. Of course he used as much of the mythology as he could. Cardinal only expands on what he wrote into the code." Corvo seemed empassioned by the whole ordeal, his face lit up with excitement. 

"Yeah,"  Arc turned to Birdie with a bemused smirk. "He's just about always that colorful. You get used to it. Well, we all did." 

"What's all this?" A grizzled, dark haired man creaked across the deck toward them, a lone eye trained on the group. He tugged at an eyepatch as he got close enough to reach out and touch them. "Stowaways on my ship?"

Arc blinked. "Welp. This'll be good."

"Greetings, good cap'n!" Corvo hailed with a grandiose motion of his hands. The older man studied him in silence. "We happened upon your ship over on yonder-"

"Since you're here," the captain continued. Tobias tried not to laugh as Corvo's pontificating was cut short. "I figure I'll let you know what you're in for. This ship is bound for the Garden of the Gods. Once upon a time, it was the Eden of the lower world. Every flower, fruit, and fauna the world over existed there."

Tobias nodded, but he said nothing. The man took it as the okay to continue.

"When the Castle took to the skies, it culminated with the frozen world you see here. Only frigid reminders of time immemorial." He pointed toward the castle, specifically the fourth floor, which was all they could see from where they were. "I've been looking for a crew to help me uncover the treasures of the garden."

Finally, he spoke up. "What are we going to find there?"

"The desolate, empty world is home only to the Frost Giants. Creatures devoid of kindness who steal all warmth from the world and leave ice in their wake." The captain frowned. "What I hope to find is a sword. Their King's sword, which is what curses the garden. I hoped to bring spring back to the frozen wastes of this land, ravaged as it is by this eternal winter."

Tobias looked to Ava and took a step closer to her. Corvo shouted out loud. "AWWWWWRIIIIIIGHT! SOUNDS LIKE A FLIPPIN' ADVENTURE!"

[Birdie 0]

Ava listened to the conversation draw out wearing a sceptic's eye. "Great Separation? Weapon of the gods?' All of the talk meant gibberish to her, though Ishmael was kind enough to translate the information into something more meaningful, with Arc elaborating shortly after. Hearing all three men speak so vividly of the game's history and Aincrad's origins, she couldn't wipe a faint smile from her face. She turned to Arc, her arms crossed as she sat comfortably atop a barrel. "Hey, at least he's passionate about something. Last ti..."

Her talk was cut short by a set of approaching footsteps belonging to the soon-to-be-identified Captain, and she looked past Arc to catch sight of the gruff man. His appearance was about what she expected from a grouchy fisherman.. birdman? However, her attitude towards him changed after he shut Corvo's ramblings down.

Whatever information was conveyed to them next, she sat patiently and absorbed. The Garden of the Gods- taking from the Bible, she presumed- had been cursed, twisted by a corrupted blade, and they were to venture forth and reclaim the sword, restoring the land to its former glory.

"Oh boy.." She looked towards the overexcited lore fanatic that Tobias had the pleasure of calling a friend, and glanced to her boyfriend with a judging eye. "And he was like this in the real world?"

Before the Captain threw them overboard, she stood up and growled an "ahem" to clear her throat. "That's most kind of you to invite us, Captain! We'd be honoured to serve as your crew for the duration of this mission. If it's not rude of me to ask, I assume we'll be well compensated for our business?" Ava's tone was eloquent and posh, soft-sounding so as to not arouse the Captain's ire. Judging by Corvo's mannerisms, that wouldn't last very long.

Edited November 20, 2016 by Birdie

[Ashrah 0]

"He's a good kid," Tobias explained as Corvo sneered up at the captain and waved his middle finger toward the NPC. "He's much more reserved than this. He decided that people he meets in Aincrad don't need to know him for him. So it's just me and Cans what gets to talk to Ev as Ev. As a favor to me, he's... toned it down a bit."

That was still a stretch. Judging by Corvo's attitude, and the captain swatting at him dismissively, if Arc hadn't been there, Birdie would have seen a very different person. 

"He's still kind of a dick," Ishmael cut in, "but he's the kind of dick you don't really hate? I guess?"

Corvo spat. "You two suck at playing up my good points," he called back. "Tell her I'm hot, and I have a huge-"

"Ego," Tobias interjected quickly. "He also has a massive ego."

"I was going for something else!" Corvo yelled.

"Trust me," Ishmael said. "We know."

As Ava approached the captain and spoke to him in a most respectful way, the one eyed barnacle of a man peered down at her. "Well, of course, you can keep any o' the loot what ye can carry, lass," the NPC told her, "but I'd like the sword to be cleansed or destroyed, if at all possible."

"If this is linked at all to the fourth floor's winter," Arc mused, "the sword being removed might allow for incremental springtime, or a flash event where it melts for a short stint. Like... that old Zelda game with the masks, or Narnia."

He blushed and looked away. "N-not that I read a lot or spend lots of time playing video games," he stammered.

"No," Corvo laughed, "your VR boyfriend is totally not a loser."

"Piss off, Corvo."

[Birdie 0]

She felt conflicted; should she be visually disapproving of Corvo's behaviour? The others certainly hadn't held back though that was probably because they knew him personally. Maybe treating him with a level of respect was the right way to go... though he'd probably take advantage of her kindness and maintain his enormous ego. Ava sighed, whispering to Tobias. "If this is him toned down then, he must really be something else.."

They weren't being thrown off the ship! For now, at least. Arc chimed in with his comments for the potential effects the cleansing may have on the fourth floor, followed by an obscure reference she barely understood. Birdie smiled, though much to her blood pressure's chagrin, Corvo felt as if opening his mouth was necessary. "At least he has a girlfriend," she quipped, glaring towards the Assassin with an eyebrow raised. Instant regret washed over her- she wasn't one to make snide remarks, however, it had felt satisfying.

"We can do both in that order," Ava told the Captain. "If the blade causes such despair we wouldn't want it falling into the wrong hands, especially those with a lack of self control." She took a pause. "If cleansing and destroying the blade is at all possible, we'll be sure to dispose of it accordingly."

Spinning to face the group as a whole, she laid eyes on Arc and his friends. "It's fair to say we're committed at this point... if you're still up for doing this Tobias, I'm right behind you." Though Ishmael's and Corvo's options did matter, she'd only agreed to come along because Tobias was going. She'd follow his lead and his lead only, and judging from the way one of his had acted, that was probably for the best.

[Ashrah 0]

"Yeah, he's a little over the top. Theater kid," Tobias explained. "But he's... not always like this? I want to say he's-"

"Living in his own little world," Ishmael explained. "This here's a kid who doesn't quite accept that he's trapped in a video game. To Corvo, this is like a bad joke that won't stop getting told everywhere he goes. He's not a gamer like the rest of us- for him, this was supposed to be something to pass the time."

"I think what Cans is trying to say," Arc interpreted, "is that this insanity is a mental response to trauma. A coping mechanism."

"You make it sound like he's having a psychotic episode," Canaan turned to glance at Corvo, then shook his head. "Nevermind. Point taken."

Corvo, meanwhile, had thrown his arms out wide and taken up a position at the bow of the ship, staring out over oblivion. "NEEEEEEAR... FAAAAAR... WHEREVERRRRR YOU AREEEEE..."

"Riiiiight..." Tobias turned back to Ava, shook his head, and winced. "I really hope he calms down at some point. It's hard to handle him like this." The admission probably let on more than the Spearman had initially said. He didn't like seeing one of his good friends this way, but he was at least glad the redhead hadn't killed himself.

When the Assassin had gotten his fix of reenacting some B movie from the 1990s, he responded with a pained expression to Ava's verbal fencing. Hand over his heart, the youth sagged to the deck. "Augh," he rasped, "she got me. Cut me to the quick, lads. I... I don't think I'll make it-"

Ishmael gave Corvo a swift kick in the pants. "You'll be fine, asshat."

Arc shifted gears. "I'm all for pressing forward. The Spearman pointed out toward the castle, where they would inevitably land. "Nothing like an adventure, right?" He smiled sidelong at the girl, remembering what they had said, back between Taft and the Town of Beginnings.

They'd go together.

Corvo rubbed at the seat of his pants with an obvious look of chagrin. "Okay, okay," he groaned, "I'll try to play nice. Jeez." The Assassin lit up his pipe and glanced to Birdie, puffing at the device gingerly.

"Whatever you're thinking about saying," Tobias warned, "don't."

"Awwwww," Corvo whined.

The captain cut in as the ship banked hard to one side, and they began to float slowly back toward Aincrad. "Alright lads," he nodded slightly to Birdie, "lass. It falls to you. Find that blade and make sure this place is safe from the evils that would use that dark power."

Corvo grinned broadly with excitement.

Ishmael folded his arms and stared intently at the frozen floor ahead.

Arc swiped open his menu and double checked his items. "Looks like we're set," he told the group. "Everyone ready?"

He glanced to Ava as the others chimed in with their affirmations. "For what it's worth," Corvo muttered in her ear, "he's damn terrible with girls, so you must be somethin' special."

[Birdie 0]

Ava exchanged glances between the two gentleman, before making Corvo the subject of her attention. To learn that he hadn't intended to take this world seriously in the first place had shed some light on his inherent personality quirks; she'd be driven to insanity if a world where little made sense suddenly became her life. "That's dreadful," she commented, looking up to Arc.

She jumped as Corvo blurted out lyrics from a famous movie scene, bringing a hand to her chest as she peered towards the back of the assassin's head. After taking a second to calm down, she closed her eyes and sighed, looking back to the other two. "I hope he's not suggesting we share the same fate as the Titanic.."

After a rather comical exchange between three friends, it thankfully ended with Arc issuing Corvo a warning. Barely an hour into the journey and she could already feel her sanity slowly ticking down from the assassin's derailed train of thinking. Matching Tobias' emerald gaze, she remembered once more why they were there, and any ill-feelings were quickly dismissed.

She felt the ship come to a halt, and the Captain's voice called out once more. The woman replied with a nod and a smile, followed by a brief look towards the rest of the group. Confirming with Arc she was good to go, Ava's menu sprung to life and she gave her equipment a final once-over.

Seeing Corvo come her way, she dismissed the menu and looked towards him with a look of faint disapproval. Ava would still give him a chance, whether that pleased her or not. "Terrible with girls? I think I'll be the judge of that, thank you.." She turned to face the steps leading astray from the ship. "I'm not 'something special', believe it or not, Tobias is a wonderful soul. Maybe he's changed since you last met up, because in the last two months, he's become so much more than that mercenary I bumped into at a tavern. Tobias is.. well, wonderful," and it's probably because he's not being dragged down by you any more. But it was best to leave that out.

[Ashrah 0]

Arc and Ishmael were first off the ship as Corvo and Birdie lagged a bit behind. The two had an exchange that Tobias couldn't quite make out, but it seemed that Ava had a few choice words for the firebrand that he did not enjoy. Corvo shrugged haplessly, in the trademark sort of way that said he couldn't be touched- and perhaps he could not, at least, not in that insane place where he deigned to let his mind dwell. It was better no one tried to reach him there, lest they end up hopelessly lost.

"Hey, hey," Corvo shook his head, "that'll do, lass. Ain't no reason to get pissy," He threw up his hands in surrender and trod off the ship in the wake of his friends. He made some sort of comment to Arc, who shot him a venomous look. The blue haired spearman said nothing, however. Once he was sure that Ava was off the ship safely, he directed his attention toward their new location.

It was every bit the myth they imagined. "Would you look at that?" Corvo marveled. Light flooded the crystalline corridor that stretched out ahead of them, refracted off jagged and smooth ice. The cold was offset by a strange sensation that flooded the area. "It's like somethin' out of a dream..."

Tobias knelt close to one of the nearest ice sculptures, and he tilted his head. "I see," he muttered. His fingers grazed over sheet ice and the youth inspected the crystal. "It looks like the whole world is frozen, and not just in the "it's cold and water freezes" kind of way."

"That's descript," Ish quipped.

"What I mean," Arc stood upright, "is that even the plants have turned to ice. The ground itself has grown cold and bare. It's a dead world."

Tobias took a few steps back and summoned his spear to hand. "I don't like it," he announced.

"You're right," Corvo agreed. "Let's be ready for anything."

"Finally, something we agree on," Ishmael laughed.

As the group stalked through the passage, myriad sounds like ice cracking and a cold wind blowing in the distance echoed all around them. Arc shifted uncomfortably. The pathway stretched onward for a time, then opened into...

"Oh, holy hell," Corvo whispered.

The massive field of white went on seemingly forever. Flowers formed of frost and trees that would never blossom again littered the wonderland. The sky was eternally gray, locked behind a haze of snowfall. It was not the fourth floor as they recalled, ravaged at times by blizzard and calm in the next instant. This was a steady, drab, morose snow that held the world hostage.

In that effort, though, it managed beauty.

Giant creatures frozen over forever in their last moments decorated the wastes. Once, they might have been horrifying and worthy of fear from the players. Now as Tobias looked into their lifeless eyes, they stared back with a plea for freedom that they would never find.

"This feels wrong," the spearman murmured.

"What's the story, I wonder?" Corvo placed a hand to one of the beasts, chilled to the touch. "Why would the world just... stop?"

"I feel like we'll have to press on to find the answers," Tobias wagered. He glanced over and offered a faint smile to Ava. "What do you think about all this?"

[Birdie 0]

Ava watched Corvo depart from the ship, glaring towards the back of his head as he passed by her partner. As soon as she hopped off the ship and caught a glimpse of Tobias' eyes, she shut her own and took a small breathe, knowing not to dwell on the exchange. She followed closely behind him so as to not get lost, but mostly to keep close to the only person there she could trust.

An icy landscape of untold horrors unfolded before her very eyes. though she kept mainly to the back as the boys went ahead and investigated. Despite herself identifying as a scout, bold exploration of untouched territory wasn't a speciality of hers, and she watched her step as the group ventured onwards.

The field, as soon as they wound up walking into the icy plain, captivated her in a beautifully dangerous way; the chill that shook Ava's spine could've easily been a rush of excitement, her brain barely able to process the tragedy that would've taken place there some time ago. Something struck her as odd, and she barely caught the end of the conversation to make sense of Arc's question. As much as she wanted to smile, describe the world's beauty in the best of ways, something nagged at her. "I don't know, but I.. I-I don't like it."

A few metres from the path, an immortalised wolf preyed behind a frozen tree. The bluenette crouched in front of the creature, panning two fingers across the wolf's theoretical line of sight. "Doesn't it kinda feel like.. like they're watching us..?"

She looked back to Ishmael and Corvo, and then to Arc. It wouldn't take her long to return to Tobias' side, and she stood just a few inches closer than before. "This place is nearly as creepy as Raven Hollow," she whispered, glancing upwards to her partner.

@Arc

 

[Ashrah 0]

"Ought to call it a graveyard, not a garden," Ishmael mused. "I don't see any signs of life other than us. Nothing's growing."

Whatever light filtered through the immortal storm bounded off the statuesque wolf Birdie appraised, and for a moment it did seem to stare at her. When that instant passed, Arc blinked. There was life here, once. It would be in their best interest to remember that. 

That meant it wasn't impossible for there to be life here now. 

When she returned to his side, Arc gave her a quick pat on the shoulder. "We've got this," he smiled. Did they really? Arc couldn't be sure, but he wasn't about to lose his cool and compromise the already fragile morale of the group.

The frosty maelstrom overhead writhed as a stray wind blew across the field, and Arc raised a hand to shield his eyes. A massive figure loomed in the distance, its gray only a slight contrast from the backdrop. He bit into his lip thoughtfully.

"We should press forward," he suggested. "I doubt we'll find the answers this close to the entrance."

The minimap showed that they had a ways to go before they ran out of area to explore, but there was no specific quest marker. That meant they were on their own. Cardinal wouldn't help them with this one.

"Well, that's just great..." he muttered.

"What are you on about?" Corvo asked, his eyebrow quirked.

"No quest marker," Arc explained.

"Ahhhhhh, I see." The readhead raised his middle fingers to the sky and proclaimed, "right back at'cha, Aincrad."

Tobias let out a quiet laugh as he offered Ava his hand and headed off in the direction of the giant shadow.

Soon, they would know what lurked beneath the fields of ice...

[Birdie 0]

'No quest marker?' The words echoed in her mind - never had she been at the mercy of the game in this sense. It was possible they'd missed a quest prompt from the Captain, though the more she reconsidered it, nothing of the sort sprung into recent memory..

A late reaction to Arc's comforting words, Birdie's eyes trailed to his as a calm sensation came over her. Her hand slipped down the length of his arm until she interlocked fingers with him, and she walked alongside him as the group pushed onwards.

The air seemed dry, though maybe that was just the cold dulling her senses. Icy landscapes stretched out as far as the eye could see, encasing mountains long into the distance; the Captain's words were true. Anything and everything was almost completely frozen over, leaving behind nothing but a dead, desolate place.

"Do you guys see anything?" She spoke out to the other two, curiously glancing over to them. Ishmael still intrigued her, being Arc's brother and all, and she could tell the siblings had a special relationship. Corvo.. was somewhat an outlier, but she'd still have to give him a chance if they wanted the quest to work out. She took comfort in that Tobias was there to keep the guy on a leash, though how much of the redhead's personality that kept under wraps she didn't know.

Edited December 11, 2016 by Birdie