[Maruem]

>>>Mood Music<<<

Maruem walked down the cobbled stone street in the dark. It was a quiet night, much quieter than he had hoped it would be. This world, it was a somber place right now. He thought about how short a time had passed. It had only been two days since the apocalypse started as he had heard it called. It was perhaps a fitting, if exaggerated name for what had happened to him and the others who were warped into this world.

Here he was, walking in a dark road, making his way to nowhere in particular, in the middle of the night. He didn't have shelter anymore so his only other option was to resign himself to slowly getting wetter and wetter from the shoulders down as the cool drizzle grew into a steady fat rain, there was nothing he could do to fight it at this point.

On the first day he had spent almost all of it walking and exploring with the only close friend he had in this world. Or at least, the only friend in this world that he knew of. Once nightfall fell on the first day, a few of the dumber and more reckless adventurers tried causing trouble and only ended up getting slaughtered by the town guardians. Maruem instead spent it in a crumbling mess of a building on the outskirts of town with Kat. The sky was brilliant that first night, with the atmosphere so unpolluted he saw a sky he could never have imagined before. It was all in all, a perfect night.

They parted ways the following morning looking to explore what it was this world had to offer each of them on their own. Really, Maruem had achieved little. He wandered around the outskirts some more, and then into the forest not far from the boundaries of the city. He knew nothing of the adventurers unique capacity for resurrection at the time. His choice was simply driven by a reckless and stupid impulsivity and curiosity.

It wasn't long before he had to hobble back into town after a boar had gotten the jump on him and had gored his right calf. He found a well and used the attached bucket and chain to bring up clean water to dump over the wound, hoping to clean it as best he could. He wrapped it up with a length of cloth he had stolen from someone's clothes line.

He felt nothing but deep regret at stealing the cloth, but he needed something to cover the wound and the clothes he had were pretty much all he had in the world so tearing them would not do at all. It was a justification he had to force himself to swallow to alleviate the guilt he felt over his criminal pursuits.

He walked on, the leg still aching from the wound of the previous day, and even more so as the make-shift bandage began to soak through and the cool water hit the hole in his leg. A quiet hiss suddenly burst from somewhere above his head. In a start, jolted from his thoughts, Maruem looked to see that it had only been a magical street lamp. A drop of rain had managed to splash in at enough of an angle to reach under the hood of the lamp and sputter against the flame, evaporating instantly. He walked on, his head swimming with thoughts of his first days in Gaia.

The old ruined building where he had spend the first two nights was now far behind him. It stood three stories tall at one point, but much of the second story was busted apart, and the third was in an even worse state, though fortunately the floor of the third floor served as a decent if decrepit roof for the second. That was where he had made his home for a short time. Shared with Kat, it had been better than all the palaces of all the kings of the world combined. He had found a home, one with a gorgeous view and a wonderful friend to share it with. What more could he have asked.

Returning to that crumbled castle of his on the second night, circumstances couldn't have felt more different. As he arrived a drizzle was just starting out, and a starless overcast sky obscured that brilliant void above. The building no longer held the warmth of a friend's hushed conversation deep into the night. Nor did it hold their silent contemplation as they both lay huddled together, in awe at the magic in the sky above. Maruem had climbed up carefully on the slick rock. Even so, his leg was still weak from the wound he had foolishly earned. He stumbled while pushing himself up and fell onto his back. With the breath knocked out of him, Maruem lay on the ground and gasped hopelessly for a while.

Finally, after a hard fought battle with his deflated lungs, he was able to draw new life into his chest. He breathed deep and slow for a little while, before lifting himself up and again climbing the ruins. Once up, he sat in the spot he had sat the night before. It was still protected from the elements, and it felt like the only place he could call home for now.

Maybe some sad part of him had wished to find Kat sitting up there, waiting for him with a smartass remark about not slipping next time. Maybe he had just wanted to feel some sense of connection to his best friend going back to the place they had shared. Maybe... maybe Maruem just felt like there wasn't anyone else right now, and all he had was the place. Needless to say, it felt as empty as it was. He sat there, alone, and even with his face buried in his knees it was impossible to tell if they were soaked with rain or not.

At some point, he wasn't sure when, he had fallen asleep. Emotionally exhausted as he was he probably fell asleep just moments after burying his face in his knees. But when he woke up, he was lying down, and a boot was kicking his chest. It wasn't a hard kick, it wasn't intended to do harm. But nonetheless, it was a firm, unwavering nudge from a boot telling him he was to wake up and pay attention.

The guards spoke sympathetically enough for what they were dealing with. Here was a man not of their world, one of many thousands, and despite there being so many of these foreigners suddenly sleeping in their streets, the people of this world still treated them with some modicum of respect. But a job was a job, and the guards could not just let their city become a cesspool of homeless strangers sleeping in the streets. Poverty bred crime, and uncleanliness bred disease, and their duty was to protect their city.

Maruem heard another hiss, and was brought back to the present. Probably a good thing, he didn't remember the details after that interaction too well, he was still feeling groggy and out of it just walking down the street.

When it really came down to it, he had nothing. He had no money, no dignity, and the one friend he had was likely, nay hopefully, comfortably asleep, there was no chance in hell he could let himself be a burden and try to call him via their telepathic link in the wee hours of the morning.

There was a part of Maruem that he was often grateful for. He had an unmatched optimism that could rear its head in the worst situations and get him out of them. It spoke now, telling him how he may have reached rock bottom, but if this was it then so be it, he could only go up from here. It was a simple case of addressing the needs he was lacking in one by one. If he needed money, then he would just have to find work. If he had nothing to be proud of, then he needed to makes something he could be. If he was alone, then he would just need to make more friends. He could easily earn enough money to pay that family back for the stolen cloth, and then get himself some shelter from the rain. After all, Gaia was a world of magic and limitless possibilities. He could do anything he set his mind to.

There was just one problem. If this was rock bottom... It fucking sucked.

Still though, that part of him was right in a lot of ways. He could keep walking into the night and go through the next day exhausted and possibly severely ill, or he could risk the same and actually get something done. He was soaked to the bone either way. He shivered as a cool breeze swept over his drenched figure, and in spite of himself, he felt something akin to hope. He had felt resourceless before, he had felt humbled before, he had felt alone before. In the past it usually hadn't been all at once, but maybe he could do something about it anyway.

He found an alley with enough of an overhang to consider himself roofed from the rain. His feet ached from the hours of walking and from the cold deluge. Amazingly, the wound on his calf was almost entirely healed, despite the dire circumstances. He sat for a while and though over his circumstances, then slowly pushed himself back up to his feet and began to make his way to a house he had seen a big tarp at. He could use that to protect his product from the rain when he went into the woods again. He was already a thief, and this was something he could return before daybreak if the rain broke before then.

The sun rose and set about it a field of gold as the rays broke off every droplet of water that remained in the streets, meadows, and valleys. A farmer opened his front door, about to head to his chicken coop to tend to and feed his fowl. He was instead greeted by an enthusiastic man ready to sell some remarkably acquired dry wood.

Maruem managed to sell a substantial amount of wood that morning, everything he had collected. Even with the less than favorable circumstances he met the nice farmer under. He even got a proper breakfast out of it. His body ached. His fingers were cut and sore from collecting wood through the night into the early morning, but it was enough. And after his very early morning breakfast, he even got a job offer out of the chance encounter. The man had decided to take the risk and let him help as a guard. It was a good job with an unfortunate resolution, and the pay wasn't great, but he finally had some spending money to his name, if only a little.

That following night, he decided to try something different. He had on several occasions back home, back on the real earth or in the real world or where ever it had been in opposition to where he was now, slept in the trees. He tried this on his third night, and found that it served him him well enough that he could do it from time to time if he wanted to save money on inns. It was still a lonely place to sleep, but the familiarity helped, and he was slowly adjusting to life in a foreign land without a friend to turn to.

The more pressing issue he faced was that the majority of the trees were either in areas of town which had a heavier guard presence which came with the risk of getting woken up and kicked out again, or they were outside of town, which meant risking death, which was not an appealing prospect. Perhaps foolishly, he trusted himself more with the latter.

Surely enough he awoke the next morning in the same tree he had fallen asleep in. His skin fully intact, and his wounds fully regenerated. He worked the next few days doing whatever task seemed available. By the sixth day since the apocalypse he found he had enough money to live quite comfortably. All of his hard work had quite literally paid off. He even managed to apologize and pay back the family he had taken the cloth from. On his way to the inn he had spent the last couple nights at, he bought a few sheets of parchment and used the store owners quill to ink out a notice, inviting anyone interested to join him at the tavern across the street from the inn he was sleeping at. Maruem pretended it was to meet with others for the sake of meeting, but if he was really truly honest with himself, he just wanted to make a connection with someone again.

As he sat at the four person table he had reserved, he waited patiently and remembered back to a week ago, when he had mystically found himself in his characters body, and about the excitement and anxiety and uncertainty he had felt back then. In the past several days, he had neglected that wonderment at the world he felt on that first day, and he had almost forgotten the beauty of that first night under the stars, talking to his friend about random crap that hardly mattered. He had been so busy distracting himself with work, he had even neglected a social life. He wanted to meet people in this world, and he hoped the flyers would be a step in that direction. The thought of what was to come was almost enough to make him fell the rain on his face again, almost. Now it was time to see who would come meet him here at the tavern known as "Caesar's Flaggon".

Word Count: 2332 (claimed at 1566)
Total Word Count 2332 (claimed at 1566)
Tags: Izark , Parcis , Axey
Notes: It's good to meet you guys! Let's have a fun thread together!

[Parcis]

Parcis was barely aware that the immortals had arrived by the time his family had packed up and left him alone in their manor with not a single servant or squire. They left the exact minute they could, and any knights that would occasionally listen to Parcis did as one would expect and immediately followed his father out and back to the capital for something or other. It sounded important but Parcis was too focused on reading the grimoire he had found with his brothers to truly listen. The only words entering his mind were “You’ll be home alone, watching the estate, You don’t have to remain here but if anything is to go wrong you will be to blame.”

And so he, in a state of worry, remained in the house for three days. He learned how to summon a parrot from the book as well as pull a ball of magical energy out and throw it at whatever he pleased. He took himself by surprise when he found out what a castle truly meant, falling nearly seven feet after swapping places with his new friend. His final adventure into magic was much less dangerous. A floating ball of light he could move slowly around. He was fascinated by all the things in the book but even more infuriated that almost every page was gibberish other than the four or so that had any legible text that he pulled spells from so far.

By day five he had had enough and actually went outside, only to find Tivoli as it was before the supposed invasion of immortal soldiers. It was still quiet, still smelled like home, and still had the same people around too. Well, there were a few new faces but they weren’t the immortal soldier type, more the homeless worker type. He had wished some of these supposed newcomers would have made it this far but it seemed they had not. After emerging from his estate three flocked to him, begging him to give them a “quest” simply because he exited a large house and was wearing what looked like a suit with his family’s crest on it, a diamond with dragonfly wings and a crown.

At first he was confused as to what these people wanted, but they kept pestering him so he relented. “Fine, fine um... Can you all fight? I need a quick escort to Romalia to meet with some people. I will offer you a... favor in return should I make it there safely. The Mediatrium family will keep you in their thoughts should you ever ask upon us in your time of need!” He smiled awkwardly, hoping for a good response but not at all ready for the cheers that left the poor homeless souls’ throats. They seemed ecstatic, talking of something called “Expee” and mentioning what skills they wanted. It was all strange and foreign but maybe this was a slang term he was too rich to understand. Living a life of luxury meant peasant things were just so strange to him.

He spent the night with the homeless folk in his manor, allowing them to sleep in the servants quarters while he occupied his father’s former room one last time before setting out to Romalia in the morning. The adventurers seemed to enjoy their stay as well, and Parcis didn’t even notice the few items they stole go missing. Mostly bits of cloth, blankets, and some of the servants tool sets, the good stuff locked away by his father and out of reach to even the son of the Baron. This was shaping up to be a good day, and after a breakfast of biscuits he had made the day before that were only a little stale and some salted pork that at this point was basically leather, Parcis was eager for a change of scenery.

The group set out, it was only a four or so hours walk but on the way he barely had time to talk while his trio of guards shouted about what they were going to do next, about how this “prince” promised them favors and he couldn’t help but smile. It was nice to be treated as royalty by these people, regardless of how smelly and poor they were! He let them believe that he was royalty and that his favors could go so far as granting them land or even “stat boosts” whatever those were. Peasants were strange folk and these strange folk seemed adept at killing the three boars that attacked during the whole trip.

Once in Romalia, however, he dismissed the smelly lads. They thanked him and one even tried to hug him, his tiny frame no match for the brute who was near seven feet tall, over muscled barbarian who lifted him off the ground and smiled. These huge homeless barbarians truly did not know how to treat someone of his status. He was quick to scurry away, not intending to attract any more attention from the three. Would the look, he had already castled with his Alicanto and was out of site, leaning against what he thought was a wall but was actually the door to an inn but managed to be stopped by a passing woman who was impossibly built and carried a sword far too heavy for her to reasonably swing with her small arms but nonetheless thanked her before turning to avoid further embarrassment.

Before his eyes was not only wall, but also a paper inviting strangers to meet with... one of the immortals! It was a perfect opportunity! Romalia was never the safest of towns so maybe he could get one of these supposed immortals into his group of protectors, maybe even knight one! He hurried to the tavern and found the table, another smelly homeless man was already sitting there but maybe soon the immortal would show up, all shiny and special and powerful. He slid into the seat, trying not to make eye contact but too excited not to speak up.

“So have you met any of these immortals yet? I plan on gracing the one who left the letter with the presence of myself, Sir Parcis Mediatrium, son of Baron Mediatrium of Tivoli in the hopes of recruiting him as a personal guard, so if you do not mind, uh, don’t ruin this for me.”

He smirked and moved his eyes to the door. His smile immediately faded as soon as their eyes were no longer met and he looked out longingly, ready for the door to open and the gleaming knight he had pictured to walk through any second now. The number of homeless drifters making him a bit nervous but not nervous enough knowing the town guard still happened to be around.

---

Word Count: 1132
Tags: Maruem , Izark
notes: He is small and weak do not kill

[Maruem]

<<<Mood Music #1>>>

Looking around him, Maruem noticed that it seemed like he was not the only one who had turned his life in a more positive direction. True, many of the adventurers seemed to still in a difficult spot, but they were doing what they could, and many of them seemed to be getting to a spot like his. The fact that enough of them had coin to spend on a nice meal and drink around noon only a week after finding themselves in a world like this was admirable. It was heart warming to see that there were so many other people who had the strength to dig themselves out of a tough spot though sheer determination and strength of will.

He took in the inn around him while his hands sat resting on the table with a ceramic cup full of water nurtured between his fingers. The air was warm here, and smelled delicious, a mix of salts and cheeses and an entrancing assortment of baked and fried goods that all seemed tantalizing to him at the moment. A lone musician sat at the bar counter and strummed away a soothing and atmospheric tune, his music humming around the tavern and filling the ears of the many patrons, more patrons than Maruem would ever have expected at such a time of day as this.

His water was cool and crisp on his lips. The refreshing liquid chilled his stomach as it reached it and he felt quite at peace sitting at his table. In general, Maruem would be described as a patient man. He had specified that he would be here at about noon for any interested parties who may choose to join him. Setting the meeting at noon gave him time to wake up early, help a few of the farmers with some early morning work, come back to the inn and have a bath, and use a hot iron to press out any wrinkles in his clothes. He had washed them the day before and worked carefully to keep from dirtying them with sweat or debris from the fields. With his preparation work done, he had arrived half an hour early just to be sure he was prepared and ahead of his guest, but he did not mind waiting for them in the slightest.

He took another small sip of his water and as he set it down upon the sturdy table in front of him, a peculiar figure sat down across from him at the same moment his ceramic cup's base touched the wooden surface. The man seemed nothing like any Adventurer Maruem had seen up until then. He was a man of a diminutive stature, seemingly standing only a few inches over five foot (~162cm). And he was quite thin as well, looking as though he only weighed just over 100lbs (45-ish kg). He wore a very fancy deep green suit, with a small crest on it which depicted a diamond with the wings of some insect, possibly a dragon fly, as well as a crown over it. In other words, the outfit was completely out of place in this environment.

The man's green eyes avoided contact with Maruem's own, as if making eye contact was a threat perhaps. Or perhaps he was simply entranced with the entrance to the tavern, his eyes burning holes into the door. He spoke up as he stared at the door, not looking at Maruem, but the larger man could only assume the words were directed at him. "So, have you met the immortals yet?" Aha, so he was one of the Gaians, a person of the land some had called them, and others simply called them Landers or NPCs. He had had much time to think about it since the apocalypse, and it made sense that the Gaians would have terms for the Adventurers as well. So they were known as the 'Immortals', and whime there were definitely worse terms out there Maruem held no love for that one.

The Lander sitting across from him clearly thought highly of himself. He claimed plainly that he was planning on gracing the immortal who left the letter with his presence. An interesting plan. Considering that Maruem was pretty sure he was the immortal in question who had left the note, he did not feel particularly graced at the moment. He was not hurt, nor even really bothered, more just curious. The Person of the Land introduced himself as Sir Parcis Mediatrium, son of Baron Mediatrium of Tivoli. Clearly his name and station were of significance to him. But Maruem knew little of Barons, and even less about any place called Tivoli.

Maruem could try to show him some respect if his station meant so much to him, but it seemed this young noble knew little of what he was talking about. Surely even the nobility looked into who they were hiring before they actually went through the process? It made little sense to him that a man would go to a meeting of strangers, immortals even, and without knowing anything about them recruit one as their guard, much less a personal guard at that. But that aside, if he was going to a strangers meeting it seemed obvious that he would either ask his fellow participants their names, not only giving his own. If any one was ruining this for the young noble, it was himself. Sir Parcis Meriatrium smirked as he finished saying the last words, endearing himself even less to Maruem. Maruem was not angry with the young noble per say, and even had he been he wouldn't have time to process it.

>>>Mood Music #2<<<

From the other side of the door came the sound of music, and it grew louder and louder until it was at a crescendo right outside the door. Maruem had been about to speak to the noble. He got out the words "A pleasure to meet you your lordship, I am Mar..." his voice trailed of right as the music reached the other side of the door, it was too much for him to be able to effectively converse with the man sitting across the table from him.
The lone bard at the bar immediately changed his music to accompany the unknown musicians on the other side of the door, a smile growing on his face to the upbeat cacophony

The door burst open and the band continued their song jovially and the lone bard at the bar hopped up off of his stool and joined in on the fun. They all danced in and around each other like merry old friends while their instruments laughed out a steady stream of high energy music.

Even some of the bar maids joined in, spinning on their toes as they brought out food and drink. They did it with such grace and balance that it was impossible to even begin to think they had not done it a million times prior. There was such grace to their movement and yet no ego. They were just having fun as well while they worked. Some of the Adventurers stood and danced as well, while others simply clapped from their seats. Maruem was considering getting up to dance but hesitated. He was a host and it was hardly considerate of him to leave his guest.

At the same time, he'd been working much recently. Fun was in order! He was going to treat himself, and so, with both palms planted on the table, he too hopped up from his seat and joined the other adventurers dancing in circles and other odd shapes around the bar room floor. It was like a small festival for at least the while in which the musicians continued to play.

>>>Mood Music 3<<<

When the music finally came to a conclusion, Maruem had a light glaze of sweat on his forehead. He breathing was calm though, a short dance was not enough to get his heart beat too elevated. He wiped the glaze of salt water from his forehead and came back to the table to take a drink from his ceramic cup, welcoming the cool water into his mouth with a sigh of relief after he swallowed. He nodded at the noble lander, a smile on his face as he did so.

The band of musicians continued with a slower peace but one of them had broken off, a pink one. He made eye contact with Maruem and a jolt of recognition hit the taller man like a good punch to the cheek. "Axey!" He cheered. his arms lifted high above his head in an emphasis of the cheer. They had met day one and here he was, wandering into Maruem's life once again. A friend was a good sight. His hearty and deep chuckle resonated through out his powerful body as he welcomed the day one friend to his table. Though it had only been a week since he had met the bright pink axolotl it felt like it had easily been far longer than that.

Word Count: 1509 (claimed at 1503)
Total Word Count: !509 (claimed at 3069)
Tags: Parcis , Axey , Izark
Notes: The music swaps are an experiment i'm trying out let me know how you feel about it

[Parcis]

Parcis stared at the door as people continued to file in, most looking like they hadn’t slept in days but some looking like relatively normal by Lander standards though... He hadn’t remembered Romalia being this diverse. Enochs and Antas sitting calmly, a Nozgor up and about during the day it was... all too strange. Romalia was an exciting place with a lot of travelers but never was it like this. He was wondering if there may be a festival or other event going on before his ears were graced with music coming from not only the stage but also the door.



He was entranced almost! This sound was wonderful, as if an expert bard with years of training had entered but instead a faunri looking like a cross between a lizard and a fish appeared in the tavern. His confusion only grew at this point. Something was going on, and he didn’t know what it was but he was lost in his own head coming up with ideas. Maybe there was a war going on somewhere and these were all refugees? Maybe a circus was in town. A really big circus. Like the biggest circus ever with hundreds of stage hands and performers. Every possibility crossed his mind other than the most logical one, being that these were all the immortals he had heard of.



The man sitting with him began to speak up, dragging him out of his vacant stare right at the strange Faunri but the stranger seemed too nervous to speak to a noble and got up to dance away his embarrassment, or at least that was how Parcis had interpreted the situation. He of course, would have danced had he known the song but he did not want to embarass himself, or worse, get caught in the crowd of these strange folks. He took this time to place an order with the servers who were dancing around, though it took a few passes to get their attention. Much more interesting folk were about than normal so a simple family crest for a different town wasn’t enough to garner respect even from the confirmed landers. He had to shout over the clapping and foot stomping action of the room, but eventually the server confirmed he wanted some mashed potatoes and a cup of whatever berry mead they had.



When the man returned, he continued to look elsewhere for but a moment but his eyes finally decided to lock with the man at the table. He had questions and maybe this person, who he now could see was very neat looking, almost proper, definitely not smelly or homeless, could answer them.



”I have to ask, have you met whoever left that note specifying to gather here? I understand that sitting across from nobility can be... intimidating but if you could just help me out I would gladly be out of your hair. I had to travel quite a ways just to get to this town and, well, I’ll be honest, I would love to get out before nightfall. I didn’t come with what I would need to really enjoy whatever was going on in Romalia today. I’ve never seen such diverse folk in such masses before in my LIFE! They must all be here to see the immortals too and I don’t want them to beat me to the good ones, you understand.”



He gazed around the room once more, his eyes having to go up and down as every other person seemed to be either 7 feet tall or 4 feet tall, with very few occupying the spaces in between. He had never felt both so tall and so small all at once. It was almost like getting vertigo just glancing from face to face and the only way he had to counter it was to look back at the man he was sitting with. Average height, not smelly, looked nice enough, liked to dance. Maybe a commoner who he could hold a conversation with even!



And then there was the bard he invited to the table. The pink, lizard-fish man who, he had to admit, was a wonderful musician. He had only a few seconds to make a move that would prevent this bard from sitting next to him but he also couldn’t cause a scene. A scoot would be rude, as would putting his legs up on the seat next to him. His mind raced but not fast enough and he decided the best option he had was to endure whatever fate came his way. He would sit next to all of these strange people if it meant he could meet with his future personal immortal knight in shining armor. He build a picture in his head. 7 foot tall, long hair, nice hips, oh it was a woman now! He was smiling as he built up this statuesque beauty in his mind, her flaming sword, no AXE cutting a dragon to pieces just to protect this noble who she met at a bar in Romalia.



He was smiling and now looking above the head of the man he had only just spoken too, daydreaming of his new exciting life to come. He wasn’t all the way gone into his daydream, but he was on course to leave the atmosphere any time soon should he not be engaged. His idle nodding and tracing of the air with his index finger the only signs of presence he currently had.

---

Word Count: 1132
+1016=2148
Tags: Axey Maruem@bailin
notes: You are all so strange looking. Please specify your state of homelessness/smelliness in your posts!
Color code: 22b91b

[Axey]

”Hey Axey, we’re gonna head to the nearest tavern for a little performance, wanna come along and show us another one of your people’s songs?”
Hearing that, a relatively short faunri who was feeding seeds to a a little bird turned around to see the source of the voice. While making an “okay” sign with his hand. As the bird hopped onto his shoulder.
For someone who had been teleported into an unknown world and turned into a pink frog-lizard-man, Axey had adapted... quite well, honestly.
Normally you’d think learning how to speak after being mute for your whole life would take way longer than a week. And you’d be right. Outside of using his music skills, he was still unable to speak properly.
Granted, your body having an “auto pilot” mode that you can use and then try to imitate manually was certainly easier than learning from nothing, but all he had managed so far was talking with an accent you’d normally only see in toddlers.
Despite this speech impediment, he had made multiple new friends over this past week, and even found some landers willing to show him around town.

Walking over to the landers in question, Axey reached into his bag and pulled out a lute far too big to fit inside it. ”Rweady when you guysh awr”
The pink bard started playing a song from his world, slowly at first so the others could get an idea of how it went before picking up the tempo. Even the bird joined in as best as it could.
Once the performance was properly starting, the group marched over to Caesar’s Flagon and entered it merrily.

The group danced and played, inviting others to join in. After the performance was done and most of the party found a seat, Axey walked over to the counter and asked the owner for a cup of water for himself as well as some bread for the little bird before hearing Maruem’s call.
“Oh hey…” he began, while rapidly scrolling through his friends list on his menu, hoping it wasn’t too obvious “Mahrooem!”
The axey approached the table where Maruem and the other man were sitting and took a seat next to the fellow adventurer.
”My nayme is Axey, nais to mit you.” he told the other person while offering his hand for a handshake “Phlease excuse my ackhent I only reshently leahrnt how to shpeak thees language.”

---

Word Count: 403
Tags: Maruem Parcis Izark

[Izark]

Slouching through the streets Jonathan made his way towards Caesars Flaggon, sticking as close as he could to the buildings and avoiding all groups if he could, keeping his arms stiff alongside his body. He had always dreaded meetings in person, away from the safety of his home or the library; away from his books and the knowledge he held so dearly. For some strange reason Jonathan had concluded that it might be a good idea to see what all the fuss was about, maybe he could meet some people to help him conduct fieldtests or at least go with him on his travels and do the heavy lifting himself. 'Worst case scenario is that they stab me and serve me as a salad to unaware travellers.' he thought to himself, softly letting out a light chuckle as to avoid any attention being drawn to him.

Turning a corner his robe fluttered slighty in the wind, his left boot getting stuck on an uneven cobblestone, making him lose pace and skip a step. With a quick motion he held onto his hat as the sudden jolt almost launched it through the air. Softly patting the hat he checked if the feather had remained in place. His face turned as red as freshly applied paint from this unfortunate accident, drawing some attention to himself. This led to Jonathan trying to turtle up, pulling his shoulders up higher and lowering his head, intently staring on the cobblestones in front of his feet, as a way of avoiding the laughing glares of the few passerby's who'd actually noticed his stunt.

It took him quite some time to reach the tavern, especially after the cobblestone incident, though eventually he did arrive without further accident. His heart started pounding in his chest, his lips went dry, small drops of sweat formed on his back, his muscles became tout and every fiber of his body was telling him to turn back and flee, to run away, to hide amongst the safety of his books.
The internal screaming became worse as he moved his right hand towards the door, gently pushing it open; unleashing another vibrant torrent of infernal, internal screaming that he should back out of this place. Meeting new people, in a strange place, with only a vague note as an invitation? That was the definition of insanity and danger, at least, as far as Jonathan was concerned.

Gently his hand had touched the door, swinging it open softly with a gentle screech, which sent a shiver down his spine, taking a large step into the tavern, awaiting his doom, salvation or general discomfort and awkwardness. Once inside Jonathan stood dumbstruck as he observed the scene before his eyes, there were so many, many people, moving, talking, singing, laughing. They were so many that everything just went silent. He froze. Even though he had recited the procedure in his mind time and time again, his body failed him once again, turning stiff as a board, unable to move.

It felt like an eternity but after a short moment a waitress came to the scarecrow in training.
"Hello there, can I help you with anything? Would you like something to drink, to eat? A place to spend the night?" asked the waitress with a large smile, her auburn hair tied up neatly, big brown eyes looking kindly into his as she carried a tray of drinks.

"Euh, yes, I... I came here, euh, here for the, what was it again? Ah yes, I came here for the notice! Yes, I came here for the notice!" he stammered, his face and ears turning as red as red could be, eyes quickly shifting to the floor as shame almost oozed out of every pore he had.

"Ah, yes, that cheerful bunch, they're over there." she replied, holding back a chuckle of her own as she pointed towards the trio that had gathered and sat together. "Thank you." Jonathan mumbled and slouched over to the table the waitress pointed at.

"H-h-hey, I-I'm Jonathan..." he started, staring at the table, trying to make himself as tiny and insignificant as he could be.

WC: 692

[Maruem]

>>>Mood Music<<<

Right as Maruem was initially about to open his mouth to speak Axey's name to invite the vibrantly colored axolotl over to his table, he was stopped by a question. "I have to ask, have you met whoever left that note specifying to gather here?" the noble had asked. Maruem now had no doubt that this noble was imagining someone other than the powerfully built commoner sitting before him. "I understand that sitting across from nobility can be... intimidating" he continued, explaining how he would be glad to be out of Maruem's hair and be on his way home at least before the night fell.

The lander noble who had introduced himself as "Sir Parcis Mediatrium, son of Baron Mediatrium of Tivoli" finished by commenting on the sheer diversity that Romalia had been met with, something the lander noble had clearly not seen the likes of prior and thusly had taken note of it now, and yet had also completely misinterpreted the influx of the many diverse people as being a sign that all these people were here to see the immortals, not that they were in fact the very immortals he was seeking out.

"But then..." thought Maruem to himself, contemplating the words the noble had just spoken to him "...What does an immortal really look like? Surely I too would not expect that one blessed with immortality would look like the very commoners I had ruled over for all my life, were I to be in this noble's shoes." He was deep in though but it was time for Maruem to reply, and thinking back to the first question he had been asked, he chuckled silently to himself, it was too perfect a situation for him not too use the line that had been memed back home.

"Well of course I know him." he said to Baron Parcis. "He's me." Right as he was about to say the last two words his left hand went to his sternum, and tapped along to the two syllables once they came. "I do not know that I would call the experience of sitting across from a noble intimidating, so much as eye opening." and with that he stood and called for Axey.

It was interesting hearing the young looking pink boy speak to him. The day they had met, Axey had only spoken about two or so words to him if Maruem remembered correctly. Most of their communication instead came from those few spoke words was done via his amazonian friend Atlas, and then via telepathy.

Axey the axolotl approached the table at which Maruem and Baron Parcis were already sitting, and began to speak after taking a seat next to him. He first introduced himself to the noble, who appeared to have been drifting into another world of daydreams. "Your voice Axey!" Maruem said to the amphibious faunri. "It's wonderful! It's really so good to be able to hear you!" He beamed at Axey.

Maruem was about to commence the meeting when a third figure quietly and gingerly approached and introduced themselves as Jonathan. The man had red eyes which he kept trained on the table, seemingly quite shy or simply lacking in the confidence to meet any of their own eyes. His black hair came all the way down to his shoulders, not too dissimilar from how long Maruem's own hair was, and thus he considered it to be a respectable length.

He was tall, but slight, like a strong gust would not him flat on his back. His robe was rather nondescript, not standing out too much, though it was tied down around his waste by a thicker leather belt. He also wore a hat with a large feather, a rather interesting choice as it was something that could easily be considered more flashy and yet was juxtaposed by a personality which seemed very apposed to standing out.

With a fourth member at the table, and the last seat seemingly occupied, Maruem decided it was the perfect time to actually begin the meeting. He looked at each of the individuals in sequence, stood up out from his seat, and then began to speak. "Welcome gentlemen! It's great to have you all here. I don't know if you had seen my notice Axey, but it appears both of you have." He indicating two both the young Baron and the robed man across the table from him. "As a reintroduction, I am Maruem, former archknight of the guild known as Archanea. I will be your host this evening, and am the adventurer who posted the notice inviting all of you here to the bar."

As Maruem was speaking a waitress came over with the two large dishes of poutine that he had ordered, as well as four smaller plates with which they could each take servings for themselves. "Ah excellent, the food has arrived! Thank you very much miss." He thanked the waitress as she walked away. He offered for all of the others around the table to take a smaller plate and eat as much as they liked. After taking a bit of the delicious, cheesy, gravy coated, potato bits onto his own plate, he began to speak again. "I have called you all here in the interest of making new friends." He smiled at the other men.

"Put simply, I can only speak for myself in saying that the Gaia we are in now is far different from what I and I'm sure the two of you..." He indicated to Axey and Jonathan. "...expected from our shared hobby. Your Lordship... is it 'lordship' for barons or 'baronship'? Anyways, your Lordship, it is a pleasure to have you with us. I for one would love to continue building a positive relationship with the people of this land. Myself and my fellow 'immortals' as you called us are not of this world, but of a rather different one. It would benefit both of our people, I believe, to build a relationship of trust, understanding, and mutual support, would you be interested in any of these offers sir Baron?"

Maruem was quite pleased with himself. He had spoken the truth earlier, speaking to a noble was not intimidating, but he also wished to show the proper level of respect so as to help build the relationship he was hoping to pursue. He felt like he had nailed it. "Please gentlemen, let us get to know each other. I can start."

He began his introduction, making sure not to keep his gaze on one person for too long, just as he had learned in his speech class. "You all know my name already, as well as my former status, but that status means little after the new server launched. Today I stand before you as a Gladiator, a Carpenter, a Sigilmaker, and most importantly as a fellow adventurer.. Friends would likely describe me as one who is a caring defender. I'm a hugger. I trust my gut. I believe in helping those who cannot help themselves, rather than the distasteful ideal of the survival of the fittest. And to finish things off, if we cannot go home, than my goal in Gaia is to rise to a point where I can stand as a shield for all the peoples who need me, both through the piercing might of my lance, and the endurance of my heart."

With that he took a seat back down next to Axey, and took a casual bite of the truly delicious cheesy poutine as he waited for the next person to speak up. Realistically, it would probably be difficult for any of the others to speak as much has he had. Though he was doing wonderfully, with how new he was too it, it was likely that Axey still was not fully confident in his voice for longer conversation. Jonathan was seemingly a very shy individual based on his timid and reserved introduction, and Baron Parcis probably had a lot to process after what he had just been told. Welp, at least the poutine was not too soggy.

Word Count: 1351
Total Word Count: 3069 + 1351 = 4420
Tags: Parcis , Axey , Izark
Notes: Parcis: 22b91b, Axey: 9b19e6, Jonathan: 1979e6 Hello hello, lets get to why we're here :3

[Parcis]

The bard approached and luckily sat next to the original occupant of the table, his possibly slime that Parcis simply assumed he had no longer at risk of rubbing off onto the suit of the Baron’s son, the honorable Parcis Mediatrium. He patiently waited for everything to settle but was distracted by the fact that this stand in for the host was continuing to stand and now another man approached, this one stuttering and standing like a corpse given life. It was uncomfortable the few seconds that nobody was doing anything but listening but luckily Maruem began speaking.



And the words he said. They were words, he could tell, but only about half of them registered. Talk of guilds that did not exist, he claimed to be the immortal who left the note, saying that the other two at the table and most of the patrons in the bar were the immortals. He was surrounded by the supposed knights and warriors that were so scary most nobles ran off on a moment's notice. He talked about being from another world... and whatever a server was. Some of it made sense, he was a summoner after all so pulling someone out of another world wasn’t the strangest thing but the rest of his story made absolutely no sense.



He was still processing the idea that this was what the immortals truly were. Wandering, clueless vagabonds who were sent to his world without warning and now they simply slept in the gutters of Romalia. His entire image of the giant, shining warriors was shattered, replaced with... well Maruem wasn’t the worst example of a great person but he was no “immortal” to be worshiped or sought after. More of someone you would want to work for you not the kind of guy you would hire to defend you on the road. He was good with an axe, apparently given the carpenter aspect of him, and that Axey fellow would be good company if he could play that well. It would certainly make the trips between town more fun and the newer man would be great at distracting monsters by freezing up in front of them just in time for Parcis to run away! Maybe there was hope for this little excursion, albeit a very small amount.



After his introduction, he assumed he should TRULY introduce himself. Axey, the pink one, asked about him and now this statue given life was stuttering out his own but Parcis would take the spotlight by force. He scoot out of his seat so he could stand at the front of the table, attempting to command the same audience that Maruem had, wishing that his Noble title was enough to compensate for his lack of knowing anything that was truly going on.



“As you may have heard, I am The Honourable Parcis Mediatrium, son of The Right Honourable Baron Mediatrium of Tivoli, and I came here seeking immortal warrior or some other type of immortal to work for me and well... Apparently you three are the sort I came looking for and the best you all look like you can offer is an escort around the city at most. Have any of you ever even left the walls of Romalia before? It’s been about a week since you apparently appeared and the city looks absolutely full! I myself have traveled all over, going on holidays and even explored a dungeon with my elder brothers. You call yourselves adventurers I would hope you would have stories to back it up!”



He was nervous about offending them but curious enough to ask the questions he needed. Maybe if at least ONE of them had been outside and could call themselves adventurers then they would be worth hiring but from the looks of these three they were just lost souls with no aim in the world as it stood. They obviously had wants and needs, and they all seemed to love music and the few he had seen in the streets seemed happy, which was worrying. Why were they all so content just staying inside if they were immortal and could go out and help out his fellow landers with all the monsters in the world. He knew of whole caves full of monsters, swamps where undead bodies would crawl out of the mud and attack passersby, dragons that took over mines in mountains and villages plagued by spirits. The world needed heroes and they all just seemed to sit around it was hard to even look at!



“I came here mostly for selfish reasons, I do admit but seeing all these people it just, it hurts. You all look like you’re content here in the walls of Romalia but there is so much we need you to fix! There are monsters on the roads, hunters go missing and, you all just act like us non-immortals. Do any of you actually KNOW if you’re immortal? I feel like the men who helped me get here from Tivoli were of your ilk and I don’t recall them coming close to death when I employed them. Maybe... I could ask for a demonstration? If it’s not too much to ask. I sadly only live once but if you are who you say you are, I would, well I won’t say enjoy, but I would love.. No... I just, I don’t know how else to say it. I want to see what happens when one of you dies. ”



He got side tracked in the latter half of his introduction but the question was plaguing his mind. He had only known people who simply died when killed, and this new breed of warrior that magically appeared was apparently immune to that and he had to know. He eyed the poutine but wanted to remain at the front of the table as long as possible, as it was where a noble were to stand. And he easily outranked these three, even if one was claiming to be a great guild master.

---

Word Count: 2148+1006=3154
Tags: Axey@klidecifer@bailin

notes: Parcis wears light makeup, he has eyeliner and foundation on, as well as slightly pinker lipstick. It's not too hard to notice but also very well done.
Color code: 22b91b

[Axey]

Axey sat quietly as Maruem and the Lander noble introduced themselves. “I hadn’t sheen any notice, no. Jusht happened to be around at the right time.” He told the Gladiator.

Once Parcis was done, he produced a lute from his bag that was way too small to fit said instrument and tuned it. “I am mowre capable of expshessing myself while singing than when shpeaking normally, I hope that won’t bother you too mush.” he says.
Without waiting for an answer, he started to play and sing along, his previous lisp completely gone as a soft glow envelops the musician and all listening felt their weariness from whatever efforts they did in the morning start to wear off faster than normal.

“My name is Axey, just a humble bard.
In my short time here I’ve traveled quite far.
I’ve explored the forest around, befriended some landers.
Helped take care of some goblins terrorizing local farmers.
I ventured into a dungeon, with my Paladin friend
Where we both quite painfully met our end.
Now, I understand you are wondering what us dying looks like,
But I’d rather not experience it again, if that is alright.”


After the skill’s effects expire, Axey goes silent for a couple seconds before activating a different one, whereas the effect of the previous song felt more subtle, this one was making the listeners feel straight up more energetic and stronger as the song slightly gains speed and Axey’s expression became more and more confident as he went on.
“Let us change to a topic less morbid
You mentioned there are some things that need doing, is that the reason for this gathering?
If that is the case, I wouldn’t mind joining.
As you may have noticed my songs strengthen those around
It comes in quite handy when there are monsters to pound.”
Axey’s eyes set on the noble. “You also said you’ve dungeon-delved with your brothers,
I’m be curious to see if you have any martial prowess.”

---

Word Count: 331
Total Word Count: 403 + 331 = 734
Tags: Maruem  Izark  Parcis

[Izark]

Silently and in awe Jonathan listened to the others talking.
They were nobles and fighters, very much the opposite of him.
The amount of information the three of them threw out was intense and vast, exactly the reason why Jonathan preferred books over people.
A good book drew you in, at your own pace and making allowances for thinking in between. This conversation however felt like a winter rainstorm that came out of nothing, a torrent of words raining down on his theoretical brain.

"I'm sorry, I can't do this!" he exclaimed, rushing to his feet, face redder than blood, tomatoes and paint.
He stumbled over patrons, furniture and staff on his mad dash towards the exit and into the streets, trying to get as far away as he possibly could. Back to the library, back to safety...

WC: 138

OC note: had a chat with Cali, my schedule doesn't really allow for the pace you guys require.
Have fun!

[Maruem]

Axey told Maruem that he had not seen any notice about the meeting, so it was just chance that the pink bard had come into the same tavern where Maruem was. It was a pleasant surprise to have someone he was acquainted with at the gathering, even if they had only spoken briefly. Maruem looked to the others in anticipation waiting for who would introduce themselves after him, and he did not have to wait long.

The Lander noble, Baron Parcis Mediatrium, was the first to introduce himself after Maruem had made his own introduction to get things started. It was becoming more and more apparent to Maruem that the thin person of the land sitting across the table from him was one who thought ever so highly of himself. He came to town seeking exactly what he had found at this table, and yet despite obviously coming in want or need of guards under his employ, he had the nerve to insult them repeatedly by saying that it was clear the best they looked like they could do was escort him around a safe zone, and questioned whether they had spent all their time just hiding in the city. At least, that was the way Maruem interpreted the young man's words.

He went on though. The Lander noble spoke of how from his perspective the Adventures finally finding enough of a place to be a bit contented was sad to him. Clearly the man was ignorant or just felt he was superior enough that he need not try empathizing with the 'immortals'. Sure he may not know about the details of the circumstances of the Adventurers arrival, but here they were, trapped in a new world. They had no home, there were unfamiliar faces abound, they were completely broke. All in all it was not a situation that one could ever consider enviable when described as such. Maruem was proud that there were so many Adventurers in a good enough place that they looked content as a whole.

Parcis spoke of how they all looked content to just be inside the boundaries of the city, as if it was a bad thing that they had found something to be happy about. Allegedly there was so much the Landers needed the Adventurers to fix but that did not fit Maruem's experience. The town guards were clearly capable fighters, it made little sense that they would need the Adventurers, unless it was only because of their immortal status, in which case all that Parcis was really saying was that Maruem and the others were expendable tools that he would like to use to benefit the Landers. It seemed likely he would care little for how such an arrangement may benefit the Adventurers.

He finally went so far as to ask for a demonstration to prove they were immortal. Maruem was not the type to get angry, or at the least it took a lot to do so, but he was being repeatedly rubbed the wrong way, and was starting to dislike this ignorant, egotistical, 'honorable', noble Lander. The man was clearly not thinking at all. Even if they agreed to his selfish request, was he planning on walking outside the walls of Romalia, watching one of them stab the other repeatedly until they painfully succumbed to their injuries on the outskirts of town and faded away, then the living ones would sprint to the cathedral in the hope of seeing the person already there. There was no consideration in the question for the pain, physical or emotional, that the Adventurers would be experiencing to fulfill the request. Adventurers did not just have an off switch.

The man was like many other Landers that Mareum had spoken to. To them, he and his fellow Adventurers were the other, the unfeeling tool. Part of the farm work he had performed had been ensuring that wild things did not interfere with the farmers and to ensure they stayed safe. When Maruem got a dagger to the side from a rogue goblin, it mattered little to the farmers. Of course, the pay they gave him was lesser than the day prior because he could not work as hard due to his injury. He had also been mocked by the farm hands for being such a weak immortal, who could not even do a bit of honest labor after a few scratches. It was painful to be living in another world, but Maruem had long ago learned that life was about persevering. So he had also joked about how weak he was with the farmers, and kept a smile on his lips while he limped back to work on the field, his blood nourishing the tilled soil.

He found himself snapping back from the memory, though his body did not show any sign of him ever losing focus.He attention shifted from Parcis to the axolotl faunri he had met on his first day in Gaia. Maruem was tense, he could feel it, he had not liked how the Lander had spoken to him, even if it was presumably mostly just ignorance. But he did his best to turn his attention and energy away from those ill feelings and listen to Axey.

The axolotl Adventurer had pulled out his lute and began to play, singing his introduction as he did so. His introduction itself was not very long, but well put together and efficient in explaining a bit about his experiences since launch. Something in Axey's song broke through to Maruem while he sat there, listening to the bard's song. The words "befriended some Landers" rang in his head. He lost himself in though as he began to remember that it was not all bed. Certainly, he did get laughed at by a few of the farm hands, but immediately after one of them got a smack from his wife for being so unappreciative, and another had come to Maruem while he worded and wordlessly wrapped his wound in a bandage, giving a very quiet apology before he got back to work.

Maruem had gotten angry, even though he kept telling himself he had not. It was hard for him to face his anger, he was an optimist, he was the one who could get up from anything with a smile. And yet, somehow Parcis had unintentionally dug deep into some of the more unpleasant experiences Maruem had experienced thus far and managed to effectively kick him while he was down, locking him up in that anger and stupidity he was now feeling so very regretful for letting himself get bound up in. Of course there were Landers who were mean, but there were Adventurers like that as well. He had always preached that the world was not black and white but here he was thinking like it was so simple and binary.

Axey offered to switch topics at that moment, as he too was seemingly not in a rush to show off dying at the Lander noble's whim. He mentioning the jobs and Parcis' story about dungeon delving made Maruem think further. He was the event organizer, and he was a care taker. Back home, he had always been seen as someone who excelled at taking care of people, especially children. A few of his friends had even nicknamed him 'Mom' to tease him for his caring nature.

Certainly, his feelings toward Parcis were not as real as he had thought they were. It was misplaced anger. He was not angry at the Landers, nor even at Parcis, he was angry at his own weakness. However, Maruem had an opportunity here to build a positive bond between Landers and Adventurers, even if just a small one. It would be extremely selfish to sacrifice that opportunity because he was angry with himself. Maruem had another realization as he tried to move away from his disappointment with how weak he had been. He was sitting at a table with a noble, a man of influence, surely this was a prime opportunity even better than he had just envisioned.

As he was about to speak, the third member of the group hopped out of his seat, and bolted from the tavern with a red face and a brief exclamation that he could not partake in the meeting. Maruem signed. The poor man was obviously more shy than he had thought, and it was a shame that he had to leave, but it was understandable as well. Maruem shouted a "Stay safe out there!" to the man, but that was about all he got out before the man was gone and the door shut behind him.

Maruem took a drink of water from his glass and sighed again. "Well that is unfortunate... I can't force him to stay, though I wish he had. Gentlemen, to be honest with you, the intent of this meeting was very simple and perhaps rather unambitious. My goal was simply to network a bit. Build some connections, meet some new people, and go from there. But this is an opportunity I had not counted on." He spoke with his attention naturally shifting between the two men. "The Honorable Baron Parcis Mediatrium..." he said to the Lander noble. "...If you and your fellow Landers have work for us, that is all well and good, but obviously this or any arrangement made between our people would need to be mutually beneficial."

Maruem did his best to come off as open to discourse, but also carried about him a very 'down to business' air that was far more official than any presentation he had expected to make of himself earlier in the day. "Truth be told, I've done odd jobs for several Landers already, and have gone decently deep into the forest either for hunts or for gathering resources. We Adventurers are used to bigger jobs where we come from. Certainly defending Landers is something I believe the vast majority of us could perform with ease. But we do feel pain, just as you and yours do. If we are to be doing jobs for the Landers, it would make sense to me that we get paid in gold and possibly other goods for our services. A fair trade, benefiting both of our groups. I believe you would be inclined to agree that payment is fair compensation, as you did mention to me earlier that you were interested in hiring our services, though you knew not that you spoke to potential employment candidates."

Maruem paused for a moment, took a sip from his drink, and then resumed. "To be honest, this discussion has brought up some thoughts and memories. I may try to get the money to start up a guild. If I do, it will be a good place for you to come with jobs as a more organized group than just free lance Adventurers you know nothing about. I was never the leading type before, I counted on my friends for that, I just served them as an officer, as an adviser, and as a spear and shield protecting them. Already it seems Gaia is changing me, bringing out things I knew not that I had within myself." He smiled sheepishly, silently reminiscing for a split second about the old days of Gaia, back in Archanea.

"Baron Parcis..." he said looking at the noble he now saw as a potential ally and great help to his fellow adventurers. "This is an opportunity for you as well. You could register a guild of your own to help organize the requests for our aid. Surely that would make the process smoother, more organized, and above all faster for both sides. As the honorable and grand noble you've introduced yourself as, you must have the money to easily register a guild and hire many employees to handle the paperwork such a guild would entail?" Maruem said with a very honest and serious tone. There was no teasing here. If the noble believed himself honorable than so be it, Maruem did not come here to insult him.

"As for my own guild..." Maruem continued. "I still need to decide what our name and ideals will be, but I can assure you that my members will all be extremely capable adventurers who can be trusted with the missions brought to them. Archanea was like that. No matter what quest we accepted, it would get done. We even slayed Fenrir the God Devourer, back in England. As we are currently it would be impossible, but I am certain that we can reach that might once more."

Gaia was not ready for what Maruem aspired to. He had been saving up as much as he could, and with his rough knowledge of the world from beta testing, he would certainly be able to find a few places with decently valuable loot. Once his guild was established, Maruem would have the tools he needed to protect not only his friends, but this world as a whole. He would start small, individual Landers, all of who's lives were precious, but one day he would stand as a shield of kingdoms. Never again would Maruem let himself perform so poorly that he was this angry with his failures. That was the promise he made to himself. He knew there would be stumbles along the way, but as long as he stayed true to himself and that promise, he would be able to stand among the most powerful of Gaia's world. He was not doing it for the glory of being the greatest, but because his instincts led him to protecting and care. Gaia apparently needed that.

Word Count: 2280
Total Word Count: 4420+2280=6700
Tags: Parcis , Axey
Notes: Sorry about the length, I got carried away. Hope you enjoy.

[Parcis]

Parcis was kind of... glad that at least one adventurer had died. Not that he was glad that they were killed but glad that one of them actually had proof that he had done it. The look on the faunri’s face showed more than what a white lie to impress a noble did, it looked actually shaken to even speak about the experience of dying. He relaxed a bit into his seat as the song played out, the adventurer ended with a series of questions. Questions about what Parcis was talking about when he said that there were things that needed to be done and that the adventurers were being lazy because they weren’t fixing them.
Most problems Parcis knew of were because of his father ranting about complaints that Tivoli’s citizens had fielded to him. They were things like boars tearing up fields mostly but recently there were things like the cave with a living statue in it that guarded some old grimoire that gave Parcis the ability to summon creatures from it, as well as goblins coming for those on the road. He had heard that there was a case of some creature clawing up doors and howling around the outskirts of town as well and the guard were too scared to fight it. These issues were... vague. He didn’t actually know what these immortals could do other than not die forever, he had only seen a few kill a boar or two on the road and that was well in the realm of possibility for a lander. Most of the adventurers, however, did have something a large amount of Landers lacked, and that was a class.

His ring had shown him that every single one of these wanderers and bar goers had some talents in a class, and they were all armed with at least basic weapons and armor. They were an army, a weak one, but all of them looked ready to fight at a moment's notice despite the general body language being very casual. Even the axolotl sang of his death rather casually, but it still meant he was someone who went out and fought just a few days ago. He couldn’t figure out a way to articulate this idea, the thought that there was suddenly a foreign and lazy army in Romalia and there were bandits and monsters that could easily be slain if they just... worked together.

And then the insults came. Well, not insults, more so a lecture. Maruem began with saying his title wrong but he had also claimed the man to be homeless so he let the forgotten “Right” slide just this once. He began to speak on how he and his kind would refuse to do anything without being paid, that they were all just looking for money. They were truly leeches of the state it seemed. They show up, demand money and work but have never once paid a tax or fought in a war. They don’t even know the king’s name, but demand those that already live here give them work? It was... reasonable that they wanted pay but they also needed to understand that this was an event that shook the entire world.

“I agree that compensation would be needed for services but... the world is going to be asking much of you all, not just us who were here first. As for the services I ask of you, I would pay you, and those farmers who ask you to guard them would surely pay but who is supposed to pay you when you kill the source of the goblins? What about if a dragon takes roost near Tivoli, my home, and all of our money is spent defending our town, who would be able to pay for your kind to go fight it? There needs to be something given to us I feel as well. I just... I lack the knowledge of all the world’s problems. I can only tell you what I need right now and what I can offer, not what the rest of the world has or needs.”

Parcis was certainly frustrated more at this own vague speech. He was confident at the start but his words were ahead of his mind, ideas spawning after they were already contradicted. He was a baron in title, not in practice. Tivoli didn’t send their issues to him. He was the son of the man who would solve problems and here he was acting as his father. He stared up at Maruem and took in the words he said again. A guild of adventurers would be nice, and if the new population of super soldiers organized surely they could find better work. The easiest thing Parcis could think of was holding meetings back in Tivoli with an adventurers guild and his citizens to field issues that way, but it was a half baked plan.

“Maybe we should... well you should, not WE, but you adventurers could start forming companies of sorts. It would make you all seem much easier to approach for the common folk. Most of our mercenaries come from guilds and we contact their leaders when we need help and waiting for an adventurer to show up does not seem efficient. I agree with your plan, and would gladly support you had I the gold, but most of it is back in my estate, you see. If I head back to Tivoli I am sure I can find some issues for you to solve as well, there’s always something and my father was the man to talk to and well... It seems in his absence I suddenly have more responsibilities than I anticipated. You’ve accidentally burdened me with power, Maruem and Axey.”

The noble smiled and stood up, he tapped his finger on the table and walked to the front of it. He turned to Axey, staring at his strange form and no longer finding it as strange the more he looked. He had seen Faunri before so it was only so outlandish and looking around the room many people were just as strange in their own ways. The adventurers were bound to be the most interesting army in the world if only they could unite. Parcis feared whatever force could draw them together.

“I should be off to Tivoli, you should put another poster up and we can meet back up in a week's time, me with a list of requests and you with a guild, aye? I’m sure if we can compromise like this there could be benefits for the both of us.”

---

Notes: Parcis looks ready to leave, though he hasn't touched his food much. Maybe that's why he never got taller?
Axey Maruem
wordcount:1103+3154=4257

[Axey]

Axey waved Jonathan goodbye and sat silently as he listened to the noble speak while the bird on his shoulder hopped up onto his head. 
Does he expect people to work for free? I get that you can't just demand money from those who don't have it, but that dragon scenario would be an exceptional case, not the norm... He thought to himself.
... right? How common are dragons in this world? It can't be bad enough that city-destroying events are a weekly thing right? I have to ask about that later.
Despite having spent a whole week in this new world, the reality of the situation hadn't fully hit him until now that he was sitting down and discussing politics instead of basically LARPing his way through life.
His thoughts were interrupted by Maruem explaining his idea to make a guild. Right, a guild would let people have an easier time finding work and give them a place to stay at. Axey briefly scolded himself for not thinking about that earlier and looked at Maruem. "If you're mahking a guild, I'hd like to join it." he said, managing to speak without struggling too badly.
Figuring he should make himself useful, Axey turned to Parcis. "Shince you want to shee how competent we are, perhaps I could eshcort you to Tivoli? If people there need help then going there to help out sheemsh like a good plahn. With any luck, you migh get to shee me fall in battle." he added sarcastically. The landers in Tivoli most likely hadn't met an adventurer yet, and things would be much smoother in the future if the first impression adventurers as a whole left was a good one. Axey had heard rumors of landers being attacked by adventurers before, it'd be a problem if the first ones to reach Tivoli were people like that. 

---

Word Count: 311
Total Word Count: 734 +311  = 1045
Tags: Maruem  Parcis

[Maruem]

Maruem was almost ready to fully forgive the Noble and have peace of mind with the whole endeavor ...and then the Right Honorable Baron Parcis Mediatrium opened his mouth.

If the adventurers killed the source of the goblins, that would be a highly challenging task, and one that would be organized ahead of time, not done on a whim, so of course they would have an employer. As for the dragon situation, was Parcis genuinely daft? How would they spend all of their money defending the town if not by using it to pay the adventurers? They were absolutely getting something in return. The adventurers would fight and risk great pain and suffering to ensure the Landers safety, and in return would be paid, what was unfair about that arrangement as it was.

Maruem scooped more poutine onto his plate and took a bite while attentively listening. The food served well as a way to silence himself, giving him time to think things through before saying something he would regret, or just something he did not fully stand behind. They were having a much more important meeting than anyone could have anticipated, and if every there was such a moment, now was the time to be calculated, logical, kind, and considerate. Maruem generally had the latter two in spades, but having a hostile companion made them a bit more difficult.

Parcis proposed Maruem make a guild, which was a great idea. Almost as if Maruem had shared the exact same proposition mere moments prior. Then he made excuses about how he did not have any money to support Maruem in the guild making goal. That was fine. People did not realize just how well farm work paid in this world, Maruem had saved up quite the sum in the past several days. With the unknown future as it was ahead of him, he was well on his way to a grand guild.

Certainly there was much opportunity ahead of both the adventurers and the landers, if only they could get over their differences. Maruem was in that situation with Parcis right now. They were not enemies, nor were they rivals, or foes, or adversaries. No, they were simply from very different worlds. It seemed that Parcis was not used to 'commoners' speaking so freely to him, and Maruem certainly was not used to the ways of nobility and the ego that came with such high station. He assured himself that the best he could do was never let himself be like that. To always stay humble enough that he remembered where he came from, weak, pitiful, cold, wet, and lost in the dark sullen streets of Romalia that second night.

Axey began to speak rather than singing, although it seemed words came more readily to him when he had sung. He seemed ready to join the guild Maruem would be making, excited about it even. "Aye, I'll have you if you're willing to put up with a guild leader such as I am, but not yet. The guild needs to be registered first, obviously, but even before that, there's someone I need to speak to about it. Going into this on my own is impulsive, I need to approach my strategist before I do anything. But you are on my friend list from the first day aren't you Axey? I'll be sure to contact you once the guild is registered and we have things relatively in order. It would be great to start off with familiar faces around. I'll need to do more networking in the coming days to get strong recruits though."

It was reassuring to have someone already enthusiastic about Maruem's guild. He was nervous. Sure, he had been excited to take on the world before because he knew the people needed it, but was he really up to the task? He had never led before, at least, not fully. He had led divisions of troops in Archanea. He had helped guild his friends to victory, but here, in this mess of a world, he was going to be the top of the top? The actual leader? It was intimidating, and not something he thought he was ready for, but then again, there was only one way to find out if he could do it. Not only that, he would have Kat with him. It was still a bit weird to think about relying on what appeared to be a cat girl child as his tactician, but Kat was a brilliant mind, and if he would join, Maruem would be exponentially closer to his goal.

Parcis got up and began to bid his farewells, declaring that they should meet back here a week from now , which seemed like a fine time span to Maruem. A week was plenty of time to get the money he needed, talk to his tactician and any other friends interested, and register the guild ready to accept jobs. And Lord Parcis had the time he needed to sort out providing some jobs for the adventurers. There was just one thing that Maruem planned to make clear.

"We will not be meeting here a week from now." He said plainly. "Instead..." he cracked a smile. "I happily invite you both to my guild hall. Add me to your friend list Parcis and I'll be able to contact you about its location when the time comes. Unless you really need me we should probably keep our chats to a minimum so we can both put all our focus and energy into our respective jobs." then a question stopped him. "Oh... actually, can you add people to your friends list? Do People of the Land have friends lists or even UIs?" This would be less convenient if they did not.

Axey offered to serve as an escort for Parcis on his way back to Tivoli, which was very kind of him. Maruem instead planned on focusing on his job of meeting adventurers and scouting ones who were strong enough for his goals, and who shared his ideals. He was ready to wave the pair of men off but only after the business with the LAnder UI was sorted. Still, it astonished him how fastly the bulk of the meeting had been accomplished, they had been in the tavern for a total of maybe a bit over ten minutes by that point, not long at all.

Word Count: 1069
Total Word Count: 6700 + 1069 = 7769
Tags: Parcis , Axey
Notes: Is wrapping up.

[Parcis]

Parcis seemed rather satisfied with the way the conversation was going but... at the same time felt he had not been shown the respect he was used to. The main perk of being from a noble family was that you usually got your way when negotiating with most anyone of a lower status, and these people weren’t even citizens. They were homeless, well for the time being. Mareum seemed to have a plan to buy a home or at least a guild hall. Parcis could probably operate from his own home for now though having a guild hall would keep him from having to sleep where he worked, and then having to clean after others. He would consider this purchase as well.

The noble flashed signet ring, which, quickly lowering it and revealing a more generic looking ring and pulled up his menu, sending the two names he recognized a friend request in order to meet with them later, turning to Axey.

“I would love an escort home, however, I have more to do in this city. You would think with such a full conversation I would have my fill of you lot but two and a half adventurers has not satiated my appetite. There are surely more interesting folk out there and I intend on meeting them. When I plan on leaving, bard, I will send you a message with this magic ring I’ve recently found.”

He smirked and got up from the table, backing toward the crowd a bit, a bird appearing as he flawlessly activated his ability sans menu. It flew out of the tavern, a few patrons being brushed by its wings. The parrot like form fluttering clumsily out the door and down the streets, turning out of sight. Parcis, meanwhile, bowed slightly, not a full display but just enough to show a bit of respect.

“One weeks time, for you Mareum. I hopefully can fulfill my side of the bargain as well. If you have a name picked out I expect to be notified before I make my return trip! And Axey, my fine faunri fellow, do your best not to die once more. I needed only proof, not a display. Addio~”

Without even a motion, the castling skill was activated, leaving Parcis well out of sight, gone into the crowds of the street. He would move quickly, knowing he hadn’t a disguise on his person to truly vanish with. The bird now at the head of the table squawked a few times and disintegrated into a burst of purple, the traditional dying animation of summoned units. The ashes faded out, leaving the two by themselves.

Exit Parcis.

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Wordcount: 4257+443=4700! Final Count
Notes: Squawk!
Maruem@mrroboto