Hi this is Benji Himura I am starting a new fanfic. I don't own Ragnarok online I also don't own the characters of that story or the plot; taking out the changes that I will make and the characters that I will create. I own Benji Himura and others characters that will show up in the story. It might be violence and sex in the story so if you are underage of seventeen are warned the content might be too improper to your age. Read by your own will and risk. In anyway enjoy the story.

Signed: Benji Himura

"Text" Talked sentences.

'Text' Thoughts.

-Text- Sounds effects.

(Text) Talked sentences in a foreign language

: Text: Messages show in an electronic screen or written.

Text: something being recalled, flashbacks, scenes being replayed.

Text: a detail found in a location, scene, person, recording and images that originally wasn't there.

Chapter nine: Reasons

Tsugumi hovers behind Benji as he enters on Ramirez shop, Atsuko is out to buy blue gems and few other things that she needs. "Ramirez I need your services again." Benji called from the entrance. "Hey Midori where is Ramirez?" Benji asked to the green haired trainee.

"He is out collecting material today." Midori answered. "He went with his usual party to a dungeon today." Benji sighed. "Well I brought some damaged things that I needed to be repaired." Benji said dropping the bag on the sturdy counter making the solid wood crack under the weight.

"Some damaged things?" Midori asked wide eyed. "Well most of my usual weapons, armors, hat and stuff." Benji answered. "I had a really bad day yesterday." "So I heard." Midori said trying to lift the heavy pack, she grunts and pulls on the leather slings without making it move. "It is on the papers too."

Benji sighed at her words. "Anyway how long until he returns?" Benji asked. "Until who returns?" Ramirez asked entering on the store. "You." Benji answered. "My stuff broke." "I heard, and that is why I was out." Ramirez answered. "I figure that you would be coming here when I saw the body count in the papers." "At least I had a reason." Benji commented. "Well let me see the damage." Ramirez said picking the bag and opening it.

"Once again the hat is garbage." Ramirez said handing to Benji his sweet gent. "And I was taking a liking of this one." Benji sighed, Tsugumi takes the torn hat from his hands clutch it against her chest; she also liked that hat. "The manteau, the ninja suit and the rosary are history too." Ramirez added.

"And the cards?" Benji asked. "It can be salvaged." Ramirez answered. "Which is a good thing Nine-tails is a hard card to get it, but the kobold card is gone." "Well I can live without it." Benji commented. "The weapons are all reparable. I will be done in one hour." Ramirez answered. "So you want to look for some my pieces of armor to replace the damaged ones? I have a nice +10 slotted chain mail."

"Sounds good but is too heavy and bulky for me, not to count noisy." Benji replied. "Any +10 slotted ninja suits or thief clothes?" "Slotted ninja suits are rare; I was impressed that you were crazy enough to make it a +10." Ramirez replied. "However slotted thief clothes are more common and I happen to have a pair of them. I sell it for twenty millions."

"Two of them for thirty four and we close a deal." Benji answered. "Unless you make a fifty millions purchase giving you a discount would really cut on my profit." Ramirez replied. "You know how many slotted thief clothes I lost to make those two?" "If you add a bell for my Sohee I pay your price." Benji shot back. "Sold then." Ramirez replied handing to Benji the items. "Boy I really love making business with you."

"How much for the repairs?" Benji asked. "One million." Ramirez answered. "You have change for a gold bar?" Benji asked. "Yes." Ramirez replied getting a scale. "It is a good thing that I am rich that one must be worth at least five hundred millions." Benji paled at the idea that Dante so casually gave two of those to him.

While Ramirez readies the money Benji ties the bells on Tsugumi's hair. "Now cheer up." Benji said with a smile. "I don't like to see you sulking that badly." "But the hat…" Tsugumi replied. "I will hang next to my Sakkat." Benji commented. "But I liked this one, it is comfortable." Tsugumi said. Benji nodded understanding. "I like the bells." She said smiling at the clear sound of them as she moves, still holding the hat Tsugumi quickly cheers as she hears the sound of the bells.

Benji and Tsugumi leave the shop after getting the money. "Well back to garment hunting." Benji commented stretching. "I also need a new hat." "I can help with the first one." Atsuko said walking to Benji holding a pauldron. "Since your manteau was damaged because I was snatched I was going to give this to replace it."

"But it is way more expensive than my manteau." Benji replied. "I can't use it." Atsuko said seriously. "Now take my present, it is +9 I didn't want to risk the last time." Benji nods and takes the piece of armor. "How long until you get your arms back?" "One hour." Benji answered. "I was thinking on hat hunting until then."

"Don't you have anything in your storage?" Atsuko asked. "I have few things but it is not like I want to use them." Benji answered. "Like what?" Atsuko asked curious. "Well I won from a friend a pair of black cat ears." Benji answered. "I have a pirate bandana, an opera mask…"

"Let me see you with the cat ears." Atsuko said excited. Benji sighed, living around girls as he did in the guild he learned to detect signals of when a woman wouldn't give up on something and he was picking them on Atsuko. Walking to the Kafra lady Benji thought in ways to not use it permanently.

"They are cute." Atsuko said looking at the bow that Benji handed to her. "You ever checked them?" She asked seriously. "No why?" Benji asked. "What is to check on them?" "Benji these aren't black cat ears." Atsuko said seriously. "This is a set of customized Lord Kaho's Horn. They give huge stat bonuses and this one is +10."

Benji looks impressed at the cat ears. "Mana…" Benji whispered holding them. With a sigh Benji puts them on. "No choice but wear them right?" he asked with a smile. Atsuko nodded wondering who would give him such rare present.

"You look good with them." Atsuko said with a smile. "They match your hair color and if I do this…" Atsuko changes Benji's hairstyle and smiled widely at the sight; Tsugumi covers her mouth with her robe's sleeve and giggled.

"Now they look like they grow from your head." Atsuko said cheerfully while tying the bangs of Benji's hair in the new style. "You are going to stay like that now." Looking at himself in a fountain Benji smiled, it wasn't so bad, besides he likes nekomimi.

"Still I have to do a hat hunting." Benji commented. "I need to buy for Layla a pair of bunny ears since I ripped her bandanna." "Then to Prontera's main street!" Atsuko exclaimed.

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"Ramirez what you did to my gloves?" Benji asked to the master smith. "Enhanced them a little for free." Ramirez replied as Benji looks to the metal enhanced leather gloves. "You like to punch so I added some reinforcements on it, some blades on the sides in groups of four so you can cut with them too."

Benji tries on the gloves, they were quite light and the so called side blades are closed. "Well it isn't so bad." Benji commented. "If they are a hit I will make lots of money selling them to monks and assassins." Ramirez commented with a smile. "You are pretty famous so people really work hard to get similar pieces of armor than you."

"You have a bunny band?" Benji asked. "Yes I do why?" Ramirez asked back. "I am taking one." Benji answered. "Three hundred thousand." Ramirez replied. Benji nods and buys the band. "At least I got everything that I needed." Benji commented pocking the bow.

"You are sure that you don't want a better head piece?" Ramirez asked. "I have some nice things in stock." Benji smiled as Atsuko chuckled looking at Benji's cat ears. "I like these besides…" Benji said rubbing his left cat ear. "…who would think that the great blue dragon general is wearing a pair of black cat ears?"

"Point taken." Ramirez replied with a nod. "See you later Ramirez." Benji said before they leave the store. "So hun where you want to go now?" Atsuko asked with a smile, she can't get enough of Benji with his cat ears.

"Putting this card on good use." Benji said pulling his renewal card. "Since I am level 97 now I can easily gain the job levels for the first jobs and as that guy suggested multi-class more, if I come to face him in WoE I might need to broaden my weapons." "Sounds like fun." Atsuko commented. "Then let's go!"

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Layla stretches sited on Benji's chair. "How in name of heavens he can do this?!" She asked in annoyance when seeing the every growing pile of documents on the right side of the desk. "Management sucks?" Erika asked seeing her friend's angry face. "Big time." Layla replied. "I am really starting to understand why our leader gets so tired, this damn pile only grows."

Erika takes one of the papers. "Guardians development progress." She reads on loud. "Defense enhancements, serious stuff. When we suggested this guild we never thought that would become like this."

Layla nodded leaning against the chair. "I thought that would be a place for us to find solace and comfort each other after being raped for so long." Layla said clenching the hilt of her sword at the memories. "A place where we would feel safe and protected."

"And we do feel like that in here." Erika replied sitting on the sturdy desk. "This guild, this castle is our home. We feel safe because we know that in here no one will harm us, we have a strong guardian."

"He doesn't have the responsibility to look out for us Erika." Layla said seriously. "I still don't understand why he risked so much to rescue Sara who was a total stranger to him." Erika smiled. "Godsend." She said resting her chin on the back of her hand. "Speak clearly to me Erika I am not religious as you are." Layla said confused.

"God's miracle came for us in the shape of our beloved commandant." Erika explained. "Sara was kidnapped just after meeting by chance a good man who cares about others and helps because the goodness of his heart, he helps others so they will know kindness and be kind to others, to give to them a chance that he might have never had or that he had in the past. Sara was kidnapped in front of a man who would be able to rescue us all and gives to us the possibility of regain faith in men."

"Trust me Erika I don't want ever feel a man on me." Layla said seriously. "Ever again." Erika smiled gently. "It was horrible what we suffered." She said in a gentle tone. "However we can't just shut ourselves to love because the damage of evil men, some of our sisters have started to heal. Elise was able to accept the touch of her fiancée who understands, accepts and loves her."

"So what I don't get goose bumps when touched." Layla pointed out. "You have layers of metal between you and someone else." Erika pointed out. "And the male that ever touched you without armor since the day of the liberation was taisho, and you don't get goose bumps from him as I also don't, because we know that he won't do anything to us."

Layla remains in silence. "How we changed from speaking about the guild development to rejection to males?" Layla asked to her friend to change the subject. "Because our guild creation is related to our negative reactions towards male after months of sexual abuse." Erika answered. "But as you wish let's change the subject, as you said the guild grew and that happened because necessity, two were the reasons, the first to get more members to defend this castle our home, and the second is to introduce in the middle of us women who were brutalized women who weren't in hopes of helping us to overcome our trauma."

Pausing a little Erika picks her chart. "And the guild growth comes with more tasks, managing the cost of everything going from pots to weapons." Erika said seeing the members list. "It also includes leveling up the weaker members so we can defend this castle, if we have kept that fort or moved to a new one we wouldn't have to worry about WoE, but we wouldn't have gained this wonderful castle, worth of fighting for."

"Well you do have a point in this place being worth of fighting for." Layla commented, she snorted. "I would fight for the bath if I had to." Erika chuckled. "Definitely the best part of the castle."

"But it is unfair for him." Layla said serious. "Why we forced all this responsibility on him?" "We didn't forced, well we pushed a bit on the formation of the guild but we never intended to end like this, we wanted to thank him for his selfless action and show that our lives are his to use." Erika replied. "He took the responsibilities as they came without any complaints. Maybe we should have been more active, helped more not only with tanking but with this kind of chores."

"We offered him out lives Erika, instead we are taking his." Layla said seriously. "I heard from Isis that he used to be free, wander around Rune-Midgard at his own pace going to wherever he wanted when he wanted, now he is chained to the guild."

"A chain that we severed." Erika replied. "We are taking more responsibilities, now he is out once again able to move as he wishes to. Yes it hasn't even passed two days before he was back here but I think that we are moving in the right way now, we can make this road pleasant for everyone if we share the weight of the guild instead of letting him carry it alone."

"Still I think that is wrong." Layla commented. "Isis said something to me, I don't recall exactly when, but she said that he looked very different from when she met him, not only his clothes and the tiredness." Erika said casually. "She said that when she met him he was serious, even a bit stoic and dark, as mourning for something and that recently even tired and bugged by the lower girls he was a little light hearted. And comparing to how he was in our last guild day he was very different yesterday after the battle."

Layla nodded. "Yeah, he felt somehow different." Layla commented with a small smile. "He said that was in a party with a monk and they were getting experience together." "I think that he likes our company, but we choked him too much until recently." Erika said. "Now with a little liberty and more space he is filled with life once again, is like when we leave a flower away from the sun, it withers, and if we put too much water it may kill it. We have to find the right balance."

Layla nodded understanding. "Well speaking of balance I got an idea." She said clapping her hands. "Call that alchemist friend of yours. She is a merchant class so she should be good with accountings."

"You mean Clare?" Erika asked. "That one." Layla replied. "She wasn't on a guild in the last time that I heard from her." "That because she doesn't like working with guilds." Erika said. "She said that in all the guilds that she was invited they used her as a pot maker."

"Considering that alchemist can make pots I am not surprised." Layla commented. "And you know very well that we don't explore our chemists like that, we ask them to make and give the material. But we let then leech or pay for the pots in exchange for the pots."

"I will talk to her." Erika said. "But I won't make promises, why not asking to the merchants that we already have here?" "They need to level up and you know Clare longer than we know our friends here, so we know that we can let her take care of some of the finances of the guild." Layla answered.

"Actually I trust more in Melissa with money than in Clare." Erika commented. "Melissa understands what we have been through and the value of this guild she wouldn't steal from us. I will talk to Melissa I am sure that she will be able to manage doing the books in part of her free time."

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Tsugumi drinks water from a bamboo canteen. "You don't look well Tsugumi." Benji said looking at his pet. "It is too hot." Tsugumi replied. "Maybe you should go back to Sakura Keikoku." Benji said while feeling Tsugumi's forehead with his right hand's palm. "You are hot, maybe you got a sunstroke, you lived in a dark cave since your birth, and I guess that I exposed you a lot to strong sunlight."

"And the fact that she wears those robes doesn't really help either." Atsuko commented. Tsugumi smiled weakly, Benji had noticed before that Tsugumi's skin was pinker, he thought that she was getting a healthier color because she is living under the sun, maybe he should have more care, being exposed to Morroc's heat, then to Comodo's and finally Gonryun might have been too much for the Sohee.

"Atsuko I will warp to my guild and I will be back in a while." He said to the monk. "Okay, I will be on that restaurant over there, when you get back we eat something." Atsuko replied nodding.

Back in his bedroom Benji can tell that Tsugumi isn't as uncomfortable as she was under the sun. "Go take a cold bath." Benji said to the pet. "I will ask to Erika watch over you until you get better."

"But what about traveling?" Tsugumi asked sadly, she was enjoying seeing new places and new things. "We do it again later, after you get used to the sun." Benji answered. "Atsuko and I will be going to do that level hunting; you can stay here and rest." Tsugumi nodded and follows Benji out of the room.

As he guessed he finds Erika and Layla in his office. "Taisho!" Layla exclaimed surprised bolting to her feet, she wasn't expecting him to return and catch her sited on his chair.

"Don't worry about it." Benji said casually. "You are working so you can use it." "Taisho while content with your return why you are here so soon?" Erika asked to him. "Tsugumi is suffering because sun or heatstroke, she lived in Payon dungeon until a while ago so she isn't used to the sun." Benji answered. "I brought her back because I don't want her to suffer, and here she can stay in the shade and take short sunbaths to get used to it, I also wanted to ask to you take care of her for a while."

"Sure." Erika replied with a smile. "I will get her a lot of fluids and cool her down with a nice soak in the cold spring." "Thanks." Benji said to the priestess, he turns to Layla with a smile. "And I found your bunny ears."

Benji puts on Layla's head not the bunny band that she was expecting but a brand new and hand made bunny beret. "She is cute!" Erika squealed with a smile. "I want one too!"

Benji pulls his pocket mirror and borrows it to Layla; the mirror was a must that he always carried after being lost in Sograt desert it allowed him to make signals. Layla is blushing madly at the new headgear.

"Where you found it?" She asked tugging on the right ear. "I bought the bunny band and I thought that was a bit too bland so I got a beret in Prontera and sewed the ears on them." Benji answered casually. "It looks better on you than the band would." "It does! It does!" Erika squealed bouncing around her friend taking in every detail of the new head gear.

Layla is too embarrassed to say anything and is looking at her feet, sneaking a glance on her smiling commander she screamed surprised pointing at his hair. "Cat ears!" Erika turned her head so fast that was a miracle that her neck didn't broke with the speed. "Cute!" Erika shouted seeing the new headgear of her leader. "Where you got it?"

"I have this one before I made this guild I just kept stored." Benji answered with a smile. "Besides after losing two hats I guess that I should use something else and who would think that the leader of the Seiryu's legions would be wearing cat ears?"

Erika nodded happily agreeing while looking at Benji. "Well I would love stay and tease Layla more but I have to go now." Benji said casually. "You girls have fun and you Tsugumi take easy." Tsugumi nodded seeing Benji casting a warp portal. "And Layla you are looking good with those." Benji added before leaving, the silver haired knight face goes red and steam rises from her neck.

Erika chuckled. "Well Layla you also need to cool down now." She teased. "Let's go soak in the cold spring for a while." Layla nodded still blushing madly. Erika and Tsugumi giggle seeing the ears bouncing and moving at every movement of the knight. Layla blushed more but she is inwardly happy, after all she now owns a unique headgear made by no one other than her taisho.

It was lunch hour and that means that the entire guild was in the guild for lunch and it is needless to say how excited all the girls were about Layla's new hat, nothing like a new headgear to make all adventurers go wild with excitement.

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Back in Gonryun Benji finds Atsuko in the restaurant for lunch. "You come here often?" Benji asked as the monk makes the order for them. "Every now and then." Atsuko answered. "There is this really nice spot here in the city where I can see really far, it makes my problems seem so small that cheers me up quickly."

Benji nodded understanding. Resting her chin on the back of her hand Atsuko asked to Benji. "Benji why you decided to become an assassin?" Benji was surprised with the question. "Well it isn't much of a story." Benji commented. "But I can tell that you want to hear." Atsuko nodded lightly at his reply.

"I was a swordsman; I decided to be one since it sounded well balanced and good for a beginner." Benji started the tale of his first time playing Ragnarok online. "I suffered a lot to get money to buy myself equipment and other things, but I was enjoying, well half enjoying and half not enjoying my time as a swordsman, I was thinking if I was going to be a knight or a crusader, I haven't thought on that since I was slugging on levels as a swordsman."

Atsuko nodded attentively listening to his tale. "One day I was alone as usual killing monsters in Payon, actually suffering to kill an Eggyra already planning on killing another one that was moving near when this assassin guy came." Benji continued recalling the blurred scene. "The guy, I never saw his name or if he was from a guild, well maybe I did but I don't really recall it. Anyway he trashed that other Eggyra with such a speed and ease, he used one or two sonic blows and it was dead. I had finished mine and I asked from which class he was, he said that he was an assassin, the second job from a thief and left. I immediately worked to change my class and started a new as a thief."

Atsuko nodded understanding. "The guy was awesome; it took me a long time to become an assassin, it even haunted my dreams and I was still a loner, every now and then I got in a short party." Benji continued. "But even like that I helped some novices or first jobs. So and how you decided to be a monk?"

Atsuko smiled wistfully. "Well I grew in a very small village between Yuno, Einbroch and Al de Baran; it was a very isolated place." Atsuko said. "The village was small and we lived within a palisade to protect us from monsters, it was a normal rural village without any really important things, without any attractives to travelers or adventurers, but occasionally a group or two visited, well asked for shelter from the night as they were in their way for one of the main cities. We warmly welcomed them since they brought us news about the world, our people didn't travel, and in rare cases few boys and girls left the village to become adventurers or seek a better life in a more welcoming environment."

Making a pause Atsuko toys with a pair of chopsticks with her free hand. "The land around our village was very hard and poor, the crops normally were only enough for us to live without hunger same with livestock." Atsuko continued. "It was a peaceful and uneventful life, the highlights were weddings and other kind of parties, specially harvest festival, the occasional visit of traveling adventurers and merchants broke the routine for few days bringing us stories from distant lands and strange creatures."

Benji nodded in silence, it sounded like a common existence in Rune-Midgard. "But one day when I was ten years old everything changed." Atsuko said seriously. "The monsters became really aggressive, our weak and old palisade that we thought that was strong and sturdy broke after three hits, we all ran to our stone houses and locked ourselves in, but some of us were caught and killed by the monsters. We were terrified."

Atsuko licks her lips as recalling of something. "The monsters drag the dead ones away and left, just in the next day the adults had courage to leave the houses and check the damage." Atsuko continued. "Our well were poisoned and broken, we think that was by accident since a monster fell on it when attacking the others attack it making it fall, we lost our only supply of water and only had what we had collected in the previous day. It only lasted three days, that drinking very little, barely enough to allow us to live."

Benji remained in silence unsure of what to say to her. "The fastest ones among us decided to run to Al de Baran in hope of get us help, the monsters were attacking every day." Atsuko resumed the tale. "But they weren't far or were fast enough to escape the monsters. One week passed and many of the kids and elders died because of thirst. I was also suffering a lot from it, and even the adults were fading. One day we thought that it would all end when a large mob came to the village."

Atsuko pauses and takes a deep breath. "Our village was destroyed, nearly everyone were killed." Atsuko continued sadly. "But then help came, it was small group of adventurers that were seeking for some food, one knight, one mage, one assassin and one priestess. A rather average group, I was really affected by thirst and almost dying when she came, at first I felt a warm, at the same time cool and comforting light surrounding me, then I felt something deliciously wet against my lips, I coughed and drank it, it was orange juice, it tasted so delicious, never after that day I tasted one as good as that one."

Benji remained in silence and understood her words, he after all survived in the desert eating drops and raw desert wolf puppies, the first drink that he had of something was an apple juice and it tasted as nectar from the gods should.

Atsuko smiled, not sadly or bitterly but wistfully and gently. "Feeling alive I opened my eyes, my vision weren't blurred anymore." Atsuko said wistfully. "Then I could see the face of the priestess, she was beautiful, her hair was so white that was almost like a halo of light around her, her hands glowing lightly as she was healing me, I knew right then that I wanted to be like her."

Atsuko chuckled lightly. "Afterwards I learned that counting me there was a total of ten survivors, of three hundred and sixty three people only ten lived." She said seriously. "My family died, I was sad but they died painlessly and were released from the maddening thirst. Since I was alone I asked to be send to where I could become a priestess, the regent was very kind and he was actually going to give to every one of us a new home and jobs in Al de Baran, since I wanted to become a priestess he gave me an account on Kafra and placed in there an amount of money equivalent to the price of a house and eight years of support, the money that I would gain until I was old enough to work by myself, with that knowledge and support I moved to Prontera."

Atsuko sips on her orange juice and looks at it. "I worked hard as a novice, back then the novice gear weren't available." Atsuko said with a smile "Anyway after one week I was ready to become an acolyte, and I thought that being a novice was hard." Atsuko chuckled lightly.

"For seven years I worked hard, fought in several dungeons and met many parties." Atsuko continued running her finger tip on the edge of her glass. "Before I noticed I took a wrong turn in my evolution, I was fighting monsters with a stunner that I got from a merchant in Morroc, I had good equipment and was strong enough to handle enemies on my own, but it was hard. When I was experienced enough to change I went to the church I was going to finally become a priestess."

Atsuko frowned. "There I was told that I wasn't priest material." Atsuko said angrily. "I was so angry I barely held myself from hitting the nun with my stunner with the same strength that I used on monsters. I felt like crying in rage and frustration, my life long dream of being just like that beautiful priestess that saved my life was being denied from me."

Taking a deep calming breath Atsuko downs her juice. "Before I beated the sister to a pulp, still with tears burning my eyes I was interrupted by a voice that I would never forget." Atsuko said with a smile. "It was her, the very same priestess that saved my life, she had transcended and became a high priestess and she was even more beautiful than in my memories. She took me to a walk and asked me to tell her what had happened.

Atsuko looks at the rosary around her right wrist. "We walked around Prontera and told her what have happened; she chuckled lightly and said that something similar had happened to her." Atsuko continued with a smile. "She took me Glast and asked me to show her how I normally fought monsters. I beated them down one after the other with her buffs and heals. Then she told me that I could become a priestess if I wanted, but I wouldn't be like her."

Fiddling with the rosary Atsuko paused. "Then she took me to Geffen for a tea." Atsuko said. "She said that while my calling happened because of her our paths were different, she also looked up for someone, that someone was a really strong monk, a man that crushed stones with his hands and his fists could shatter boulders, she trained hard but she saw that she wasn't fit to be a monk, she wasn't strong enough or fit to close range battles, she spoke to that monk and he said that she was a person that gave comfort to the bodies and souls of men and not to fight in name of God."

Atsuko spins the rosary on her fingers. "Well she said that I was a monk material, a person able to take God's name to places where others can't, that our bodies are strong and able to endure harsh journeys to the far corners of the world to take the word and justice by ourselves." Atsuko continued. "While I could have became a battle priestess being a monk suited more my style of combat, and my own role model said that she was a little jealous of me and thought that was funny how both of us ended taking the path that the other wanted. After that day she helped me to gain even more experience, she said that my road was harsh so I would need to master as many skills as an acolyte as possible."

Benji nodded understanding; he did the same with his thief skills. "When we deemed that I was experienced enough she went with me to see me becoming a monk." Atsuko said smiling. "She game me this rosary as present for achieving my second job and gave me my Kaiser knuckles. After that we traveled together for few more months, even today I keep in touch with her even thought I am journeying by myself and she is with her friends."

Atsuko looks at Benji and blushed. "I didn't bore you with my story did I?" Atsuko asked embarrassed, even thought she resumed a lot it was still a very long tale. "Not at all." Benji replied with a smile. "I am impressed with your story." Atsuko blushes even more. "It isn't an uncommon story." Atsuko muttered embarrassed.

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Three days have passed since Benji left Tsugumi in the guild. "I must to say that you are a cute cat aco." Atsuko teased Benji as once again he leaves Prontera's church as an acolyte. "Don't make me use my sword mace on you Atsuko." Benji shot back. "I am like this to get the remaining skills then I will change to a mage and get some sorcery."

"Well at least it won't take long until today you filled the swordsman's skill, archer's and merchant's in this rate before lunch today you will be changing to a mage." Atsuko commented. "And then back to thief and assassin."

"Then let's get back to Niff I want to get back to my usual clothes." Benji replied casting a warp portal. Atsuko chuckled entering on the portal; she was having fun hanging around with Benji.

End of the chapter nine:

Author explanation corner:

Atsuko's village: As anyone playing RO knows there isn't any other towns than the ones that we can access on the game but since this is the 'real Rune-Midgard world' as one would see if living in the world of game it would make sense to add more villages cities, jobs and details that we don't see in the game.

Safety (part two): The safety, what we see in the game as 'dying' and returning in a save spot or in the place where you 'died' by the use of items or spells. It doesn't work in non-adventurers or in cases of natural death. (Heart failure, age, untreatable illness, and others)

As said before the safety can be turned on and off, and affects the experience gain of the adventurer. The safety can be bypassed by certain methods that will named in later chapters.

Customized Kaho's horns: In one of servers there were the option of customizing the Kaho's to look like any other piece of head gear of your selection, for a price.

Bunny beret: Okay as said in the story this is an original piece of headgear that I made, I just couldn't resist the idea of making a bunny girl out of the so serious Layla, the idea of the bunny band came just as a desire of an adventurer for a hat, anyone who played or still plays know how much people like and look for hats.

I by myself went on a quest on my old server to make a Moonlight Flower hat, it seems that was removed but it used to give some nice bonuses on agility and luck, also had a good defense, not to mention that looked nice, I was really angry when the hat looked like a kitsune mask instead of the hat of the Moonlight Flower, anyway back to the bunny beret.

As anyone who went on a hat quest or even felt like 'I really wanted to have a hate like (add your hat in here) to put on my character.) So I made the bunny beret for that purpose, new hats and items might pop out on the story and I will list them here, if I forget one remind me in a PM.

Tsugumi's sunstroke: Let's admit a monster that was born and raised so deep in the bowels of the earth would have some negative reactions to sun exposure, let's all remember that Sohees only appear in Payon dungeon three and bellow no sunlight that deep.

How decided on your class scene: The tale of how I decided to follow the path of the assassin in RO happened exactly like that. As I said I was a total rookie trying out the game with no experience or friends there so I selected what I thought what would be the most less maintenance class of all.

I had no idea of how hard is to make money in RO and how expensive good things are in the NPCs and even worse with merchants. Since I didn't knew anything or anyone I ended walking around Rune and killing whatever I could for loot and XP.

Atsuko's story was something that I thought that would be some common incident in Rune-Midgard, let's admit they live in a world were powerful creatures roam around in the wild it is natural that incidents like that happen every now and then.

Well I guess that this covers mostly everything that would raise questions or doubts in this chapter, if you have any questions about objects or other things that appears in the story PM me and if isn't a spoiler I will gladly answer your questions. Thank you all for your reviews and support, as well for reading this story. I hope that you are all liking it.