Evning all. This was a bit of an experiment that I had the idea for earlier. Fire Emblem meets the likes of Sword Art Online and Log Horizon, the latter I highly recommend. Anyways, like I said, this will be an experiment on my part. Feedback is encouraged, especially if I'm going to continue writing. Might even accept OCs for minor roles as players trapped with the guild. Either way, hope you like it. Disclaimer: I obviously don't own Intelligent Systems or Fire Emblem.
Chapter One
"Come on, Marx, hurry up already! We've only got an hour left before the servers reset."
Kiros smirked as they waited for their sixth and final member. His group had been planning this for a long time. Each of them were veterans of the long-running MMO, Fire Emblem Online, having gamed together through the base game and the last two expansions.
A virtual reality MMORPG, Fire Emblem Online, or FEO, had quickly been a success, amassing several million players. Based on the regions of Elibe, Magvel, and Ylisse, players could choose a region and home city to live in. Taking the traditional leveling system, the base game had an effective level cap of 40. 20 levels with their starting class, and another 20 with whichever advanced class they chose.
The first expansion released, Rise of Valm, introduced the first taste of PvP to the game, along with the region of Valm and a host of new Trial Maps, FEO's version of Dungeons and Raids. With that boosting the virtual reality action RPG's position, a second expansion was released, titled Darkness before Dawn.
Expanding on the idea of PvP, Darkness before Dawn introduced two new regions, Hoshido and Nohr, and the concept of a massive, constant PvP war. Throughout it all, the small guild had enjoyed their time together.
And now, on the eve of the highly anticipated third expansion's release, Edge of the World, bringing with it an increase in level cap and new weapons, quests, and Trial Maps, the group prepared to complete one last quest before the server resets for update.
"Easy, Haruka, he'll be here," Kiros told the youngest of his group
. Haruka. Kiros remembered her joining the guild a year earlier. She was supposedly a high school student, and if Kiros guessed correctly, lived off sugar and energy drinks with how hyper she was.
"But we're running out of tiiiiiiime," she whined. Her avatar crossed her arms, rolling her eyes. Standing around five foot nothing, with long, red hair pulled into a ponytail, she was a well known PvPer and habitual min-maxer, having made a name for herself as a player assassin. Kiros met her when she accepted a player bounty on another friend of his, Thrala.
"Alright, I'm here," Marx said as he finally arrived. Standing tall at six, two, with short cropped blonde hair and a mustard yellow greatcoat, Marx was the second in command of the guild. He was also one of the best Swordmasters Kiros had ever met, and helped keep the guild together.
"See, Haruka? Patience is a virtue," Thrala teased. Marx's little sister, Thrala, had joined the group when she got the game with Marx a week after launch. Standing around five, seven, she had messy, dark blue hair that fell around her chin. Unlike the others, though, she also had large, black wings protruding from her back. She was a Raven Laguz, a lightning fast shapeshifter with a love of risk taking, freedom, and flight.
"Alright, we're all here," Kiros stated, looking around. Standing at five, eleven, Kiros was a Bishop with dark indigo hair pulled back into a ponytail and squarish glasses. Black robes completed his appearance, despite his origins as a Light Mage, and he had gathered a reputation of an expert tactician.
"Everyone remember the plan? Volk, you're on tank."
Volker, the newest member, a quiet great Knight from the Vlamese expansion with silver hair to his ears, nodded with a smirk. A shorter man at five, nine, he made up for it being wrapped in heavy crimson armor and atop his war horse. While most teams prefered Generals as tanks, Kiros prefered the mobility of a Great Knight with his team.
"Texi," Kiros continued, glancing at their team Hero. A blacksmith of some renown, Kiros had brought a lot of business to Texi's shop when he found she was looking for a raiding group. She was a bit on the bulky side, solidly built and standing at five, nine with yew-colored hair. While sort of gruff, Texi was a loyal, no nonsense Hero who loved running Trials for high level materials.
At her nod, he finished explaining. "Take Marx and Haruka and hit the right flank. Thrala and I will take the left," Kiros ordered. The team were outside of level sixty of Lagdou Ruins, one of the most difficult Trial Maps in Magvel. Comprised of one hundred levels, the raid only allowed leaving at every ten levels. Normally a ten to twenty man raid, Kiros had always prided himself on finding ways to beat the system with his six-man guild..
"Any questions before we head in, guys?" Kiros asked, glancing around at his nutty little group of guildmates. Receiving no questions, Kiros then nodded. "Alright. Let's finish this raid and get some sleep. We're all getting up for the launch tomorrow. Let's do this."
With that, the group entered the room, beginning their plan like clockwork. Volker charged forward on his steed, spearing one of the Risen Wights as he entered. Level Sixty comprised of mostly Wights, skeletal undead with weapons, Elder Baels, giant venomous spiders, and Cyclopi, giants at nearly twenty feet tall with massive axes, but also had a Draco Zombie, some of the toughest enemies in Magvel.
Texi was next in, the violent Hero with her massive Hammer. Kiros could see the grim smile on her face as she went in. The guild's resident blacksmith had been gunning for this raid for days, Kiros knew.
Haruka was next through, her childlike giddiness clearly apparent. She was a Master Ninja, a Specialty Class from the Hoshidan expansion. Originally a Thief turned Sniper, she had earned her Kage Seal at the end of a very difficult questline. Starting again at level one might have discouraged others from using the seal, but Haruka was out to be the best she could be. Drawing her Killer Bow, she fired off one of her prized arrows, sailing straight into one of the Cyclops' heads, dropping it nearly instantly from the critical damage.
Marx followed her in, drawing his Silver Katana and Killing Edge, one in each hand. Charging forward, he cut a pair of Wights down before leaping towards an Elder Bael, hacking at their legs.
Thrala threw a glance and smile at Kiros. "After you, boss," she told him.
Kiros smirked before marching in, black cloak up and staff out. Soon after, a pair of Wights turned their attention to the Bishop in Black. Twirling his staff, he unleashed a blast of Thani, a powerful S-Rank Light Magic that had taken Kiros a lot of time to acquire. The Wights were almost instantly disintegrated. Kiros smiled grimly beneath his hood. As a Bishop, he had the powerful passive skill, Slayer, which caused his magic to deal triple damage to monsters from Magvel.
He heard a giggle behind him. "Always the show off," Thrala said as she ran past him, jumping into the air and shifting. Where the girl once hovered on ebon wings, there was now a large, powerful raven, taking flight into the high ceiling, swooping down to claw and peck apart the Wights. Her speed and agility let her focus on the smaller enemies while the rest of the group handled the larger ones. Her main job was keeping Kiros safe in the rear lines.
Volker rode by, spearing another Wight and antagonizing the remaining Cyclopi. "Can do this all day, Kiros! Whenever you're ready!" He called.
Kiros chuckled, priming his next magical attack, unleashing a blast of Thani against the closest Cyclops, disintegrating it. "Marx! Texi!" He called out. "Finish off the Baels, that Draco's going to be showing up soon."
The Swordmaster and Hero shouted acknowledgements, charging the massive spiders with sword and hammer. Meanwhile, Haruka had switched to her Stilettos, carving apart Wight and Bael alike. The perky Master Ninja was efficient and hyper, and seemed to be in rare form tonight, turning her sights to a Cyclops and began climbing it's back with her daggers, bringing it low.
"That only counts as one!" Volker shouted with a laugh, leading the other Cyclopi around into the meat grinder that was the Penumbral Edge guild.
Kiros grinned as he switched to Purge, a powerful long range Light magic. Aiming his staff at one of the Cyclops, he was about to unleash the blast when the room was filled with a blood-curdling screech. Kiros swore beneath his breath, looking up for the Draco Zombie. He didn't have to wait long as the giant Risen dragon flew into view.
Aiming carefully, he let loose the magical blast, striking the beast dead center. Which had nearly no effect. Unfortunately, the Draco Zombie's resistance was staggeringly high.
Thrala made the next assault, flying in to attack, rending rotten flesh from bone with her talons. Haruka's arrows also pelted the dragon's hide, bringing his health bar down towards the upper quarter.
Kiros tore his attention from the dragon when he saw Marx's health dropping on his HUD. Bringing his Physic Staff to bear, he channeled healing magic from afar, healing the Swordmaster back to full. Shifting to top off Volker's HP, he observed the battle from his position. His team all had high HP, Volker's group had cut it down to two Cyclopi and a few Wights.
"Come on, guys, home stretch!" Kiros shouted. Throwing out a few more blasts of Thani to finish off the remaining Cyclopi, he turned his attention back towards the Dragon, which Thrala and Haruka had managed to drop to half health. The six redoubled their efforts as the time continued ticking down to server closure.
Kiros was priming his final blast of Thani when he saw Marx charging in, the telltale flash of his Swordmaster special ability activating, Astra. Five quick slashes with his blades along with Kiros' Thani blast finally brought the beast down with a deafening roar.
"YES! We did it, finally!" Haruka cheer.
Kiros smiled as the guild celebrated the victory, the furthest the six man party had ever made it. As the beast's body began vanishing, two portals opened in the far end of the hall, and an alert appeared on his HUD. Opening it, he scrolled through the loot drops from the level.
Approximately ten thousand gold, which would be split among the members, along with a Steel Blade, a strong weapon, some Ruby material for Texi's shop, and one final piece that made Kiros' eyebrows raise. A Fell Tactician Seal. A very rare drop that could easily be sold in the player market for thousands.
'Perhaps we can finally get our Guild Hall sorted,' he thought to himself with a smirk. Storing it away in his inventory to be voted on after the expansion dropped. 'That'll get them psyched up tomorrow' he thought as he smiled. Heading over to the rest of his group and their various states of happiness, ranging from a tired grin from Texi to Haruka's victory dance, planned out herself. "Everyone. Great this win, we're ready to take on anything the Expansion has to throw at us. We've all got the next weekend off to survive things, so everyone get some sleep, eh? Especially you, Haruka," Kiros told them with a smirk.
"Yes, pops," Haruka teased.
"Oh, give him a break, Ruky," Thrala told them as the group made their way towards one of the portals, the one leading towards Jehanna Hall, the desert city they were based in. The group made their way through, from the old, musty smelling ruins to the bustling city streets of Jehanna, Land of the White Dunes and home to some of the finest mercenary and PvP guilds in Magvel.
'Just another day in FEO.' Kiros thought to himself proudly as he took in a large breath of the cool evening air. "Alright, all, I'm heading to my room at the inn. I'll see you five after patch. We can divvy up the take from that tomorrow and hit the new content like a freight train," he told them as he pulled his hood down in the evening air.
"Sounds good, boss," Marx agreed with a grin. "Sis and I will be on at launch."
Thrala groaned. "Marx, you know I hate early… I'll catch up a couple hours later."
Haruka crossed her arms. "That wasn't the plan. Besides, we all agreed. Together. We can't go explore the new expansion without you two."
Texi smirked at the exchange. "Go to bed, Haruka," the older woman chided. "You can only survive off monster and sugar for so long before it catches up with you."
"Ugh… You guys are worse than my parents," she complained as the little Ninja headed off towards her own inn.
Kiros couldn't help but grin. 'Sure, they're crazy sometimes, but we're in this together,' he thought to himself. "Alright all, time to crash. Night."
Joshua slapped his alarm off with a groan. 'Maybe Thrala was right. 6AM for a patch launch is too early…'
The computer programming student pulled himself out of bed groggily, fumbling in the early morning light of his room for his glasses. Booting up his game system, a virtual reality system, he set FEO to patch, heading to the kitchen of his small dorm apartment to get some breakfast before meeting with his guild.
A bagel with cream cheese and a glass of water later, the twenty-three year old laid down in bed, pulling on his virtual reality headset and started FEO up. Instantly he left his apartment, going from the stressed computer programming college student Joshua from his small town community college to Kiros, the infamous 'Bishop in Black' of Penumbral Edge.
Shortly thereafter, he awoke in the inn he regularly stayed at in Jehanna Hall. Smiling in the early light, he cracked his neck, getting out of the bed to pull down his friends list.
'Three others are already on, which means Marx is still dragging Thrala out of her bed,' he figured, grabbing his staff, tomes, gear and bag, making his way to the inn entrance. Exiting out into the morning light, he smiled. 'Home at last' he thought to himself.
A notification appeared on his HUD indicating an incoming private message. When he opened it, the first thing he heard was the squeeing of a certain teenaged ninja.
"Kiros, I can become a Dread Fighter!"
Kiros chuckled. "Good morning to you too, Haruka," he managed. "Where are we meeting? I assume you haven't slept yet and already planned it all out?"
"Uh, hehe… Why would you think that?" She asked nervously. "Anyways, Marx wants to meet in Crimson Flash Square," she informed him, referring to one of the less busy plazas, named after the infamous Marisa 'Crimson Flash', one of the finest Swordmasters in Jehanna.
"Understood. I'll be there shortly. Pass the word, eh? I've got a surprise from last night," he told the ninja.
"Got it, Kiros. See you soon so I can find out what I need for you to make my Dread Seal!" She told him as she cut the connection, once again enjoying the fact that her guild master was a Sealcrafter.
Shaking his head with a chuckle at her excitability, he began making his way towards the square, noticing that today, everything looked crisper, more real. 'Probably the graphics update' he thought to himself, excited at the prospect of new territory to explore. At least he'd be in a familiar climate.
The latest expansion, Edge of the World, opened up new territory in the Tellius region. Specifically, exploring the lost kingdom of Hatari. Located on the far side of the eastern desert known as the Desert of Death, Kiros was expecting a major trek. Entrances to the new zone were in eastern Begnion and Daein, so the guild already had plans to make for Daein.
Kiros made his way through the desert streets of Jehanna, enjoying the warmth of the morning desert sun. Right up until someone decided to purposely get in his way. Someone with wolf ears.
'Laguz. Great,' he thought to himself with a smirk.
"Finally, the Bishop in Black. I've been looking for you," the laguz said, sizing the Bishop up.
Kiros nodded, pulling his cowl down. "Well, your eyes are working. Need something, or should I just ignore you until someone worth my time comes along?" He asked cockily.
The wolf scowled. "Should have figured with your bounty, you'd be an elitist prick," he said, moving down onto his hands, shifting into a large black wolf with red streaks in his fur.
The crowd around them had stopped to watch, making room for the two to battle. Bounties were a common enough thing, especially among PvPer, and Kiros still had a fairly large one on his head, hold over from the Valm expansion with additions made during the guild's time in the Nohr/Hoshido conflict. And every once in awhile, someone with a tracking secondary skill came crawling out of the woodwork.
"Listen pup, you may want to rethink things," Kiros continued, seeing a pair of guildmates heading down a nearby street, seeing their leader and the Laguz. 'Thrala and Marx always did have good timing,' he thought to himself as they began making their way over.
The wolf, however, had other ideas, leaping forward at Kiros, teeth bared.
Kiros raised his staff in defense, keeping the Laguz back for the moment, priming a blast of Thani. "Last chance!" He tried, nodding to Marx and Thrala as Marx drew a Killing Edge.
The wolf continued his assault, however, managing to catch Kiros' arm in his maw, slamming a massive paw into the Bishop's chest.
Kiros gritted his teeth and swore under his breath at the pain. Thankfully, Marx and Thrala decided to step in. Marx brought his Killing Edge down on the Wolf's back, hitting the Laguz critically and causing him to release Kiros' arm.
The Bishop grinned darkly. "I tried to warn you," he threatened as he brought his staff around, unleashing a powerful Thani blast directly into the Wolf's maw. While his Slayer skill didn't work on Laguz, Thani was still a powerful ability, especially at close range.
The wolf was hurled into the dirt, nearly dead. Kiros had held back slightly, leaving him barely alive. While Kiros wasn't against killing other players, he knew full well the repercussions of such. Loss of up to twenty-five percent of your accumulated experience, twenty-five percent of your gold, normally divided between killers, and a loss in reputation and whatever bounty was on you. Plus, people had a tendency to only add to Kiros' already large bounty when he killed them.
"You may want to find easier prey next time, pup," Kiros advised. "Or a pack."
"Indeed," Marx said, sheathing his blade as he kept his eyes on the attacker as they morphed back into his normal form, that of a human in heavy brown pants and a plain sleeveless shirt, along with his dark furred wolf ears.
"Come on, Kiros, Haruka's probably ready to pop at this point," Thrala threw in with a smirk, crossing her arms over her sleeveless black duster, symbol of Kilvas embroidered on her back.
"Agreed. Let's get going," Kiros confirmed, wincing at his arm as the trio headed off, leaving the wolf to contemplate his failed assault.
As they walked, Thrala pulled out a Vulnerary, tossing it over to Kiros. "Try that, boss," she offered helpfully.
Kiros caught it with a nod of thanks, applying the Vulnerary to his bloody arm with a hiss. He was glad his guild had a dedicated apothecary staff with the siblings Thrala and Marx. After a few minutes more, the trio arrived at the plaza, quickly spotting Haruka, Volker, and Texi.
"About time!" Haruka complained. "I almost died waiting!"
"Ah, quit complaining," Kiros admonished her with a chuckle. "Ran into a hunter looking to collect. Apparently my bounty's getting high again."
Haruka perked up. "Ooo! Maybe I should collect again. Everyone knows the guild could use the gold to get us that hall, after all."
Kiros grinned. "Actually, on that topic, I have news," he told them, gaining their attention. "Last night's haul was nice. Steel Blade, some Rubies for Texi's smithing, about 10k in gold, and…" he trailed off, glancing around.
"Come on! And?!" Haruka shouted, clearly excited.
"We got a Fell Tactician Seal last night," he told them.
"Seriously?" Thrala asked with a grin.
Kiros nodded. "Dropped in the final room. Figured I'd surprise you all. Now, we can vote whether someone would like to use it, or we sell it to fund the hall."
Marx was the first to speak up. "I'm happy as a Swordmaster as it is. And besides, who would start fresh with all the high level content up ahead?" He questioned.
Thrala nodded in agreement. "I like my wings," she replied with a smirk.
Texi shook her head. "I'm content," she said, running a hand through her short, yew-colored hair.
Volker shrugged. "I'm game for the hall, and we all know Haruka's going to make Dread Fighter if it kills her," he teased.
"Hey! There's nothing wrong with that!" She claimed, placing her hands on her hips.
Kiros chuckled. "Alright, I'll put it on the market when we reach Daein, sound good?" Receiving five nods, he considered the matter closed. "Now, with that sorted, everyone ready to head to the gate?"
The gate in question was one of the Dragon's Gates. Portals between regions and Deep Realms which allowed for quick transportation between major cities and Trial Maps. Run by the mysterious and occasionally eccentric Anna Merchant Guild, though Kiros was convinced it was more of an empire, the red haired identical sisters maintained it with both efficiency and a love of gold.
The group arrived at the gate, only to find a massive, near rioting crowd. Kiros frowned. "It can't be that backed up, can it?" He asked rhetorically. Poking one of the rioters, he asked "What's going on?"
The rioter turned to address him. "Dude, we can't log out," he told Kiros. "The gates are down, so some of us went to complain on the forums. But we can't log out."
Kiros' frown deepened as he pulled down his own HUD, checking for the log out command. 'What the? Did they move it?' He thought. But no, as he flipped through the various options, he couldn't find a log out button.
"Uh, Kiros? You seeing what I'm seeing?" Marx asked.
Kiros nodded, feeling slightly afraid. "Anyone have one?" He asked his group. None of them had an answer he was looking for.
"I think I saw an anime like this before," Haruka chimed in, feeling nervous.
"Oh yeah? What happened in it?" Volker asked, having never gotten into anime.
"Uh… in short? They were trapped and if they died ingame, they died in real life," she explained quietly.
"Easy, Ruky," Kiros told her, using the nickname the guild sometimes used for her. "There's got to be an explanation for all this…"
"Probably just a bug," Marx agreed, trying to rationalize it.
"And if not?" Thrala asked, glancing around frantically.
"Then at least we're here together," Kiros told them firmly, trying to appear resolute for the moment.
"Oh, John is going to kill me…" Texi muttered, referring to her real life, non-gamer husband.
"Right now," Kiros said, "we need to learn more. Texi, take Volker and go check the infirmary. See if anyone's respawned yet. That'll explain whether we can die or not. Marx, Haruka. Hit the taverns and see if you can dig up any news or word on the devs. Thrala, you're with me for now," he ordered.
The group saluted, each breaking off with their partners, leaving Thrala and Kiros in the plaza. "Got a plan, boss?" Thrala asked, running a nervous hand through her blue hair.
"Maybe. I've got some friends in the guilds around here, I'll see what I can dig up. Maybe try the Accord members. Let me call some people," he told her.
She swallowed hard, nodding a bit but closing her eyes. Kiros set a hand on her shoulder.
"Hey. It'll be alright. We're all here for ya, Thrala," he told her comfortingly.
After a moment, she nodded, more firmly this time and opened her red eyes, a small smirk appearing on her face. "Thanks chief," she told him glancing up to the sky.
Kiros smiled. "Go," he told her, knowing she needed some time in the skies, where she felt best.
She turned back to him and gave him a grin before nodding, jumping up on her ebon wings, shifting as she made it over the marketplace.
Kiros watched her fly off, a black feather drifting down towards him. Turning his attention back to the situation at hand, he pulled up his friend's list. "Alright, let's see who still owes me a favor…"
'Iko, Hat Trick, Brian the Black, why do I even have him still added? Seanster, Joy, Ah, here we go. Kai Aether.'
Poking the name in his hovering HUD, he opened a private message request with his old friend, Kai. After a few seconds, the channel opened.
"Kiros? Ain't that a kick in the head," he replied.
Kiros grinned, putting his hand to his ear. "Been a while, mate."
"Yup, Siege of Cheve, I think," Kai said cheerfully.
"Listen, Kai, you or your guild got log out buttons?" He asked, a frown creasing his face.
"Uh… now that you mention it… No. Should I be worried?" He asked, his original cheerful tone replaced with one of nervousness.
"Probably. Keep your people alive until we know more. I got some people checking the infirmary to make sure if we die, that's not game over," Kiros explained, running a hand through his dark purple hair.
"Yeah, will do. Where you guys based at the moment?" He asked in return.
"Jehanna. The Dragon Gates are down, so we're going to be here a while. Where're you lot?" He asked.
"We're still in Chon'sin, along with a few other guilds from the Accords. We ran a twenty-four man Mila Tree last night. Hat Trick got the Emerald he needed to +4 his Killer Bow," he replied, referring to blacksmithing. "Listen… I'll talk to the others, see what I can dig up. Should I catch a ferry to Magvel, or meet you at Daein?"
Kiros chewed his lip for a moment. "I'll get back to ya on that. Need to see what the rest of the guild think. I'll talk to ya later."
"Yup, sounds good. See ya soon," Kai told him, cutting the connection.
Kiros shook his head. 'Let's hope the others get more information,'
Grabbing a snack from one of the street vendors as he heard the rumors spreading through the crowds, he began chewing on a piece of chicken sold by one of the player vendors in the city as he made his way towards the Infirmary.
One of the quirks about FEO was it's NPC merchant base. 90% of which was made up by the Anna Merchants Guild, who also ran the Dragon Gates, the NPC blacksmith shops, most of the transport services, and handled all of the player market trading, taking a healthy cut from each of the businesses. And while most players found an army of identical redheaded women confusing when they first started playing, Kiros had adapted to it just fine.
Finishing his meal, he found himself outside the Infirmary just as Texi and Volker were exiting.
"Kiros. Infirmary's got three new case," Texi reported. "All died since reset. It looks like we're safe in the short term. Long term's still up in the air," she continued.
"Well, that's a relief," Kiros said. "Chances are this is just a bug and the devs are working on a hotfix," he told them, hoping he was right.
"Agreed," Volker said. "Any luck on your part, K?" He asked.
"Talked with an old friend from before the guild," he explained. "He's going to poke around with some contacts from the Accords and see what they can dig up," he informed them.
"The Accords?" Volker asked.
"The Feroxi Accords," he supplied. "Before your time," he assured the Great Knight. "For now, let's go join Marx and Haruka at the tavern."
"Where's Thrala?" Texi asked as she fell into step behind her guild master.
"Now that you mentioned her name? Liking flying towards us," he mentioned with a smirk.
As if on cue, a mass of black feathers dropped into the street a bit ahead of them, shifting into her coated human form. "Someone call?" She asked with a smirk as she walked over.
"Feel better?" Kiros asked.
She nodded. "Somewhat. Word from the Infirmary?" She asked.
Texi waved her hand. "Looks like no short term side effects. People come out like normal. That said, long term's still up in the air," she told the raven.
"Well, at least that's somewhat of a relief…" she replied.
"Let's hope Marx and Ruky found something," Volker chipped in with a sigh. "Dad's going to be furious…"
"It's not like it's our fault," Kiros argued, knowing that Volk's father wasn't the easiest to live with. He ran a pizza parlor and was constantly guilting Volk into working there.
"Like that'll stop him," he replied glumly.
Kiros just shook his head. 'Today just went completely sideways…'
The group eventually arrived at their typical haunt, the Cornered Tiger, a small inn that catered to the mercenary clientele of the city. Kiros had based himself there since starting the game back at launch of Fire Emblem Online. He grinned as he entered the main barroom.
Wasn't long before Haruka spotted the group, dragging Marx away from the conversation he was having towards Kiros and the others.
"Hey Kiros," Haruka said as they caught up.
Kiros nodded, holding up a hand to the bartender, jerking his head to their normal booth. The group all settled into the large booth, just enjoying the chance to sit down.
"So, Texi and Volk found out that the dead still respawn in the Infirmary," he informed them. "What'd you two dig up?" He inquired of the Swordmaster and Master Ninja.
"Plenty!" Haruka said excitedly. "Got a suspected list of materials for my Dread Seal, rumors on some new bounties, oh, and the massive, crippling fear that everyone is trapped in the game," she explained sarcastically.
"Well, that's not much to go on," Kiros said. "Anything else? Marx?"
He shook his head. "It's still all rumor. I think I've got a friend with one of the Magvel news outfits in Carcino who might have more."
"That works, actually," Kiros replied. "For the moment, I'd like to take a vote," he continued, gathering the attention of the others. 'Do we want to stay here? Or do we want to start making our way to Daein?"
The five began thinking, looking between themselves for a long moment. Marx was the first to speak up.
"Regardless of if this is a bug or not, we're stuck here for a while. It's unlikely to change for a while, either way. So we might as well keep our minds off it and hop a ship to Daein."
Thrala nodded. "Agreed. Might as well make the most of it," she reasoned.
Texi sighed. "Oh, John is going to have a conniption… We don't have much of a choice, do we?" She asked tiredly.
Volker shrugged. "Honestly? After dealing with my dad so much, I could use the vacation…" he complained.
Kiros glanced at Haruka, who was silent thus far. "Ruky? You alright?"
The Ninja glanced up from the table. She nodded. "Just… I don't know," she confessed with a sigh. "Is it… bad that part of me wants to stay?" She asked guiltily.
The group looked to regard her, and she shrunk down in the booth.
"Haruka, it's us," Kiros told her encouragingly. "What's up?"
The Ninja sighed again, playing with her ponytail idly. "I just… I don't really want to go back to high school or my life. I'm tired of trying my best on tests, only to get Cs and Ds. My parents constantly yelling at me because I try my hardest and still fail tests…"
The girl dropped her head to the table with a sigh.
The group all felt sorry for the youngest member of their group. Finally, Marx spoke up. "Listen, Haruka, none of us are going to judge you. I can understand wanting to stay. I may want to eventually get home, but until then, I'm here if you need me. Any of you," he told them, reaching over to put a hand on the girl's shoulder.
She raised her head and gave her guild a grateful smile. "Thanks guys. I mean it. I'm sorry if I want to stay, I just… prefer this land to the real world."
Thrala smiled at the ninja before glancing at Kiros. "What about you, boss?"
Kiros shrugged. "Honestly, I consider Jehanna my home. College isn't exactly far from what Haruka goes through, so I can respect her point of view. Either way, the point is moot for the moment. We're stuck here. For how long is impossible to guess. But either way, we can't directly affect it, so best not to worry for now. We're here, we're together, and we support each other till we get out. Sound good?"
The group nodded.
Thrala grinned. "Next stop, Carcino to get a ferry?" She asked cheerfully.
Kiros nodded, matching her grin. "Time to head for the Edge of the World."
So there it is, Chapter one of Fire Emblem Online. Hope you all enjoyed. Remember, this was an experiment and I'd greatly appreciate feedback on whether I should continue or not. Either way, I'll see you all soon and God Bless.