For the first time since having met Fille. Sera's face fell for a moment, a frown crossing her features in the gathering gloom. "Have to try and fix the guitar, first. They don't normally make them tough enough to smack someone in the face."

She shrugged her shoulders, checking the weight of the guitar on her back. "But I sing for food, room and board, so yes. Plan is still to find another hell or two and sing. Presumably you want to get away from me, if that's the case." She ended without rancor.

Bec shook his head. "No. Like they say, if you want something to get done, best to do it yourself. I have neither the time, nor patience, to wait for them to get their act together. Nor can I take the chance of them simply doing nothing, as you suggest." He mustered his courage, standing as tall as he could: which wasn't very high at all, but it was something at least.

"Which is why, Duff, I would like to come with you. I would be lying to you if I said I trusted you with my well-being, but I'm thinking my chances with you, Bekka, and your crew are much better than leaving my fate up to Ymaggion corp. I may not have much to offer, save for one thing. When that NPC and myself connected to bring us here, she used magic that is in place within the system, though it is well hidden. I think I can replicate it. If I can, I'll be your ticket in and out of here."

Fille only shook her head at Sera's statement, causing her auburn hair to flutter. "The way you're going, you're just going to get knifed and have your things stolen, and this is the last place you want to respawn at without any gear," she told her. She glanced at the water, from where she had kicked their attacker into, and motioned for Sera to start moving. She went in the same direction.

"... and honestly, I'm kind of in a situation where I could use someone watching my back," she admitted, her accented voice small. "You've got your meal, so I can get you a room somewhere."

Duff slung the rifle onto his back, heading for a locker as Bec spoke. "That there is a glowing aanbeveling if I ever heard one. Ye don't trust us, but you'll come with us."

He opened the locker, finding yet more equipment, ammo and guns inside. Along with a few folded duffel bags. He pulled the bags out, expanding them and kicking one across the floor towards the table he'd just left, "Ye don't even know where we're going, Bec. You're a theta, I'm a ---real-world mercenary who doesn't like games too much, eyeah?"

He turned, gazing to Bec thoughtfully. The short man had a point. He was more familiar with the game than Duff, George or Lancy, and if he could do even a smidge of what Luir could do . . . "Maybe we should tell ye the plan." He finally muttered.

____


Sera followed along, unable to think of anything else to do at the moment. Even a cynical person would have done the same, she told herself with a half smile. A room to repair her guitar in was something she definitely needed. But Sera was far from a cynical being, when it came to life as a whole. And the ability to maybe help Fille and get to know her better . . .But then came the problem that most people shied away from when they heard. And generally gave her crazy looks as well . . .

"Technically speaking," She said lightly. "If I get stabbed to death, I won't have to worry about not having gear." A moment later she added on. "I'll watch your back, Fille. But most people sort of back away from me when they hear I'm a Theta."

For the second time that night, Fille looked stupefied at Sera's reckless actions. "You're... you're a Theta? And you're advertising yourself here despite that?" she exclaimed in a sharp whisper. What was wrong with this girl? All of the Thetas knew they couldn't take risks in the game anymore!

Her head sank into her hand and she made a soft groan. "You're lucky I found you when I did," she murmured. She looked back up and quickened her pace. "Come on, the sooner we find a place to stay for the night, the better."

Bec smiled. Good. Secretly, he'd been worried that Duff would outright say no. But Bec had tried to make himself seem as useful as possible; and apparently it had worked. "Duff, I figure that being with your crew is about as safe as anywhere in this game. However I look at it, this entire world is just a giant death-trap. I may as well try and do something myself. But yes, telling me the plan might help, both with whatever it is you're up to, and in helping me to keep myself alive."

Sera felt it bubbling up inside her, a raucous, merry laugh that had just a hint of a forlorn after tone. It echoed through the growing dark, her body shaking with merriment. "Fille . . ." She gasped, following along after the woman at an uneven pace. "What makes me any different than any of the AI in this game? Why am I lucky that you found me? The errant theta who doesn't care for her life?"

she shook her head, stifling another laugh. "I'm not suicidal, Fille. But I am on a timetable to see all I can see, including this city, dangers and all."

_____

Duff nodded. "Think o' it like this. Like anyone, we have people who don't like us very much. And my unit had a deal with Y-Corp to provide them expertise on weapon designs, stuff like that. S'what Bekka did. Consulted with them, helped make the guns and ships and everything feel real. Now she and a few others of our group are stuck in this mess . . ." He started loading things into the duffles,hands gliding back and forth in a whirlwind of carefully placed equipment.

"And one of the groups that don't like us very much thinks it's now a happy time to get a little bit o payback .. . and dood te maak them---eh, kill 'em. Y'know, make it seem like a mooi accident, one player shoots another player, thinking they respawn. Or that's what they'll swear up and down to Y-Corp. Either way, my boss wants Bekka and the others that are stuck in the game found and kept safe. So ere' I am."

He grabbed a few pistols, their appearance rugged, hardened and heavy, shoving the large handguns into the bag with a few clips of ammo. "I'm 'ere to find my friends and crew, and keep 'em safe from some people with less than nice intentions. There's gonna be violence, Bec me boy. There's gonna be loads." Even as he crouched over the duffel, hands working nonstop, there was a vicious, hungry glint in his eye at the thought of what was to come.

Edited by Ajax on May 5, 2014 at 3:33:41

Fille's only response to Sera's question was to look back with a somewhat-disgruntled expression on her face. "You're still human, aren't you?" she asked before looking ahead again. She kept up her pace. "Your timetable means nothing here. Someone will kill you to rob you and you won't get a respawn, and then your timetable's out the window."

She grimaced, marring her pretty features. "Sometimes risks aren't worth it. This is one that isn't worth the risk."

"Why does human matter? Have you seen the programs, the AI in here? I can't tell the difference between the good ones and a regular player." Sera smiled kindly to Fille, drawing even with her and walking alongside. "As to the timetable, I didn't set it." she ended simply, eyes gazing off into the distance.

"Besides," she added on a few seconds later, smiling brightly. "Death only gets to call on a person once, yes?"

Edited by Ajax on May 5, 2014 at 5:07:09

Fille's movement stilled for a brief moment as her brain registered what Sera just said. She glanced back again, her eyes considering, her mouth a thin line. Then, just as quick as she made the movement, she turned her gaze away from the other girl.

"If something goes seriously wrong for the people of this world, then Y-Corp can easily reset things and bring them back," she said coolly, her accented voice bordering on ice. "People like us won't get that chance. And I don't plan to let something like that happen to me here, and neither should you."

Her eyes came to rest on a particular building moving up on Rogueport's slope. She pointed to it. "Over there," she told Sera. "We can get a room at that place."

Duff frightened him. Everything about him, everything he spoke of, bespoke of a world of violence, in which Bec had no place. Yet, strangely, he was not dissuaded. He knew perfectly well that he was ill-suited to the things that may now lay in store for him, and he wasn't ignoring their dangers. He knew what he had to do, lest he return to twiddling his thumbs, waiting in a tiny box for his salvation. That terrified him more than Duff ever could.

"Maybe I should learn how to use a gun, just in case." he responded wryly.

Sera gazed to the rundown building, the boards for this one particularly haphazard in appearance. "Suffice it to say, a few things happen in life no matter what we want or do. I've a chance to see a world, not going to let something like fear for my own life get in the way." She smiled, heading for the structure, proudly displaying "Cheep Rhums" in a blinking, pink magitech lettering hovering above the door.

"No marks for spelling. But a bed does sound nice." She said with a wistful look at the surprisingly cheery orange light spilling from the doorway.


_____

"Oi it's simple, Bec." Duff laughed, sliding a bag over to the shorter man. "I picked up me first gun at eight. Felt right at 'ome."

He sighed expressively, a look of something almost like contentment passing over his scruffy face as he took in the lockers full of weapons and equipment. "Got four bags---should be enough fer now. Can ye carry one?" He asked, eyes darting back down to Bec. The bag he'd slid over wasn't heavy, containing mostly sidearms and extra ammo.

Edited by Ajax on May 30, 2014 at 3:19:04

Fille ushered Sera into the building, hanging back for a bit as she entered to make sure no one else was following the two of them. She saw no one moving in the lingering darkness, and nodded to herself before looking into the building, as Sera went to speak to the innkeeper.

Idiot girl. If she wanted to see more of this world, then she should've already departed Rogueport. There's nothing else to see here and damn dangerous for any Theta running around. It was surprising enough to see him, but with this foolish girl running around, begging to be knifed in one of the alleys...

The auburn-haired lass shook her head and sighed, entering the building. "She's with me," she told the innkeeper with a falsely-sweet voice as she palmed some gold coins forward towards the man.

"I'm not sure that'll cover..." the man started, then trailed off as something metallic tapped on the wooden counter. Fille arched an eyebrow at the man as she idly tapped another drawn arrow, as if daring him to continue.

"... right," he finished lamely. "Enjoy your stay, ladies."

"Thank you." Sera smiled warmly to the man, following Fille along to her room. "Thank you, as well, Fille. Your kindness is most welcomed." She added a moment later as she entered the indicated room. "By your mood, I'm a bit confused as to why you feel the need to help me. But I'm grateful."

She took in the room's appearance in a lengthy gaze. Taking note of the single bed, simple mattress and surprisingly clean floors and surfaces. Room for a small cot opposite the bed, a miniscule table with a bit of a tilt sat just below the tiny, barred window. She immediately went to the corner opposite the bed, unslung her guitar and slid down, back against the wall.

"I've got my reasons," she said as she took one last look at the hall, finding it empty. She closed the door and leaned against it, sighing. Tonight hadn't really turned out how she had hoped it would. She watched as the other player unslung her instrument and set it down against the wall, and grimaced.

That was partially her fault, after all. She cocked her head, considering the extent of damage done to the guitar. Fille nodded to it and spoke. "Can it be fixed?" she asked Sera.

She pushed back her cloak and dug into the small satchel at her side, withdrawing a miniature bottle of glue from the dark folds. A moment later she was wobbling the neck of the guitar back into place, applying the glue carefully along the crack. "Oh, most anything can be fixed." She murmured with a smile, resting her back against the wall. It really had been a lengthy walk from the last city. She was surprised to find how comforting it was to be inside a building once more.

"So where are you off to next? Once my business here is done, I'll be leaving Cher Plek behind, heading for Kouchi, unless I can get an audience with the Korin's leader."

Edited by Ajax on May 10, 2014 at 5:55:14

"I don't know yet," Fille admitted. An audience with the Korin leader? Good luck with that, she thought. Player or not, would whoever was in charge be interested in what she had to say? She banished the thoughts and continued. "I've been looking for some information on something, and I haven't gotten it yet."

She glanced off to the side and sighed, her lilting voice taking on a hint of the trouble she felt. "Once I get that info I'll know where to go, but in the meantime... I have to put up with Rogueport's charm." She wished she didn't have to do the waiting alone. She hated being here without competent help. "It's troublesome, so I'm trying to keep out from the eye of the public."

Sera smiled, an expression that seemed to eternally come easily to her face. "Oh, it's not so bad, once you get past all the murderers, thieves and other sundry types. The Bartender of that Hell was quite a decent chap, I'd say."

She looked up, fiery eyes curious. "But what is it that's got you stuck here? Information on something? Maybe I can help. I've traveled quite a ways already."

"I'm just after a particular unique weapon," Fille explained as she moved over to the bed and sat down on it, making herself comfortable. "It's a pretty decent weapon from what I've learned, but I have no idea where to find it. Best place to ask would be an information broker, and I tracked one here."

With careful hands, she propped the Guitar up to dry. Once the neck was back in place, she'd check everything else and see what was needed to get her instrument back into shape, at least well enough to play. A secondary track in her mind was darting along, wondering about the weapon that Fille was searching for. She'd not actually said what it was . . .was she that cagey about it?

Her mind immediately went to talk of the Arcanum. She'd heard a fair number of Theta's were looking for them, praying that the magical items would let them get back to their precious real world. The Real world. Sera couldn't help but shiver at that thought. The Real world held nothing for her, not any more. Beeps of monitors and the crying of her mother . . .no thank you. Better to be here, where she could hug her mother, tell her it would be okay. Virtual or not, it felt real.

"Just a weapon?" She asked curiously. "Does it have a name?" Best to ask now, she felt, looking up to Fille and tilting her head to the side. "Or would ye rather not tell me?"

"It's a longbow, called the Phantom Phoenix," Fille confirmed, immediately dismissing Sera's thoughts that she was after one of the Arcanum Relics. "For the moment, though, I'm on my own finding it. I had a... friend..." she trailed of a bit, looking a mixture of troubled and irritated, "... but he can't really help me at the moment. I suspect he's got problems of his own to deal with."

Sera nodded. She'd heard bits and pieces about the bow during her travels. It wasn't an Arcanum, but still a named weapon, and a powerful one, by all accounts. "Last I heard, it was in deep Cher Plek with one of the smaller guilds serving the Korin." She shrugged once, "But that was two months ago. And those little spats are always going on."

Fille grimaced and fell backwards onto the bed. "I'd heard the same, and I'm hoping it's not there," she said, staring up at the rickety ceiling of the room. "I had my character generate at Allondell when I registered. Hasn't really helped me in this dump."

Her fair skin color and reddish-brown hair gave that away right from the get-go, after all. "But I think it's one of those special weapons that has multiple copies, you know?" contemplated the girl. "At least, I hear some of the unique weapons in the game are like that."

"That sort of defeats the purpose of it being unique, now doesn't it?" Sera questioned, eyes confused. "Games . . . confuse me sometimes."

She rested her head back against the wall, breathing in deeply. Here the air was less fish-like, if only a little. But still a welcome respite compared to the city she'd been walking for the last day. "So what's the plan?" She murmured softly, "Find the bow, then what? Even if its a copy, it'll call attention to you."

"Well it's not like I plan to advertise that I've got it, or challenge anyone once I do have it," Fille told Sera, still staring up at the ceiling. "I just... people like us need a boon to survive in this world. Having a really good weapon could go a long way towards that."

"For one such as us, so concerned with survival. The attaining of the weapon could be your end, rather than your salvation. Such a weapon does not fall lightly."

Sere laughed at the thought. Fille was a Theta, pursuing a powerful weapon . . . "We are not so different, you and I." She said, subsiding to a soft chuckle. "Each with a quest and one life to live. Both risking it in different ways."

Fille let out a brief, tired-sounding giggle. "Maybe you're right... but you're the one taking a stupid risk, not me."

The girl pushed herself up on her elbows, looking over at Sera. "I was seen in a tavern, yes, but I was also seen associating with what looked like the criminal element," she pointed out to the bard. "So they won't get a read on me. Am I one of them? Would messing with me endanger themselves?"

She fell back again, and her lilting voice grew softer. "You, though... all anyone saw was a naive bard, and a target. What you did here tonight... that was just dangerous without real reason. I don't know what you're trying to accomplish in Rogueport, Sera... but I do know that you won't accomplish it by showing yourself so openly."

Sera laughed softly. "I'm here to sing for the lords of Rogueport." she said with a smile. "That's it. My grand plan, Fille. I'm going to sing in taverns in every city, but also to sing for every leader who'll hear me, across the world. The last one I'm going to do, if I live long enough, is the Valtheran Queen in the far warzones."

She strummed the strings of her guitar softly, the sound out of tune, but still enough to cause her eyes to sparkle with a sort of happiness mixed with a longing for something nigh unattainable. "They're welcome to try and kill me. I've already sung for most of the Cher Plek cities that didn't automatically try to kill me. So . . ." scooted down, lying on the floor, her pack as a pillow, eyes gazing up to Fille. "Pretending to be something I'm not won't get me anywhere. To them, I'm the Outsider. The Outlander bard, and I can't do what I mean to if I skulk around and be someone I'm not."

"I'm thinking I should start off with something smaller. No use carrying around something if it's too heavy for me to lift. As for the bags..." Bec looked down at the one Duff had slid towards him. He began to trace signs in the air, light trailing after his fingers; when the rune was complete, he spoke the command word, and a disk of light rose up from the ground beneath the bag, lifting it from the ground. "Might as well load that up. It'll follow us back to the ship."

Magicko Complex. North Tower. Client Reception area.


It had been . . thirty minutes. Bekka leaned back in her chair, still uncomfortable even after shifting every which way. She wondered absentmindedly if George ever got tired. She'd started to feel tired, ever since the Theta incident. But would he?

"So ... Do you---"

"No." Came the reply through his speakers.

Bekka's eyebrows twisted for a moment. "Blast it, stop doing that. You don't even know what I was going to ask."

The armored form creaked and rustled as he turned his helmet to look at her. "You were going to ask if I get tired. No, not yet at least." He admitted a moment later.


____

Bloody goodness. . .the technology in this game was amazing. Duff Chortled merrily at the sight. "'Oly 'Ell . . .that's nifty and no mistake." He placed the bags down onto the glowing disk. Loading up one more with ammo and tossing it on. "Right, think of anything else we can pick up on this little shopping trip?"