🅻 🅸 🅽 🅺

THE sentiment of link’s concern was touching, appreciated despite the way her body was naturally reacting to the trauma. she wanted to slap the girl’s hand away, to shout again, to scream until there was no more air and her lungs burst. she nearly did, but there was always some semblance of control within the warrior, and she was calling heavily upon it. “it’s not my blood,” she shot out, despite how difficult it was to admit. 

where was her guild? that was the problem, wasn’t it. she didn’t know. she didn’t know where the hell she even was, what this new level possibly contained. link wasn’t panicking like nike was, somehow was managing to keep calm in the midst of the chaos that had just ensued. maybe it was the benefit of not growing attached to so many people in this game, letting yourself become a part of a guild that cared about each other like no other. “i don’t even know where the fuck i am,” nike was crying, bawling, shaking. her hands were balled into tight fists, cutting her own palms with her nails. “where the fuck am i?” 

as quickly as link regained her composure when faced with familiarity, nike did not and that didn’t phase her in regards to herself; it phased her for the other girl enough for her attention to stay on her. it wasn’t nike’s blood. that was something, but that something that it was for link, wasn’t the same nothing it was for nike. 

“some stupid city that is floor 52. listen to me.” link needed her attention otherwise she worried nike was going to be hitting the ground in her panic and she’d end up probably pretty shitty about that later. “focus. i know it’s hard but you’re going to hinder yourself. i know it sucks balls but you need to breathe, now.” link’s voice was firm, directive. who the hell was responsible for link being responsible? there was a strongly worded letter starting up in the back of her mind, address to be decided later. 

her hand laced with corey’s and they were in the new floor. it wasn’t their floor. they were not city people, they loved the little area of kodiak where there was just forests surrounding them and water on the other side. barely any city lights so you got the see the northern lights in the skies, and listen to the quiet belowings of the animals around them. this. this was nothing like that, and iris wanted to go back to floor 51 where their home was, where the animals surrounded them, where their home was that reminded them a little of alaska, but not quite, because alaska was much more prettier than here of course it was. she kissed corey though because she wanted her lips on hers, and she smiled softly at the nickname, the one she usually spoke in chinese to her. she was pulled into her chest more, and iris kissed at her chest softly, her own arm wrapping around her waist putting her hand in her back pocket. corey only brought smiles to her face when she talked to her, but she heard her words before that and she nodded her head once more. “i know, but at least we didn’t lose the other.” she whispers, her eyes finding hers, before she felt the press to her temple making her eyes close softly. she was glad she wasn’t in a guild, glad that they didn’t have to deal with the loss like some of the others. it would completely destroy her if she lost corey though, she didn’t think she would be able to carry on the game if she lost her girlfriend. 

she nodded her head when she heard corey say they did really good. and they did. they’re the ones that took the hardest fall today, so if anyone should be upset with anyone it should be the ones that stood back and watched it happen. “they did. they should be proud of themselves.” she whispers to her, chuckling softly hearing her next words. “it could have. i’m just glad i didn’t lose my person.” she tells her, a smile gracing her features listening to her and she pressed a soft kiss to her cheek, before finding her lips. “is this where you go and propose to me, corey?” she asks a teasing tone in her voice, before pressing her lips back to hers. “i’d love to go on a date with you though. maybe when we get out, you can show me new york. think we need to live a little after this game.” she murmurs, before she was squeezing her girlfriend’s butt. “so. where would the best fine dining be?”

with iris against her chest it was easier to hold onto calm, it came with her, though corey was more than capable it was just...nicer with iris. needed. valued. vital. her lips pressed into her hair and she inhaled scent, flexing her arms around her. this was how things went in this place, a new floor was reached and here they all were kicked right into it. best to adapt and move forward and see what it all had to offer. it just didn’t fully soothe over how many players they’d just seen vanish to nothing. 

“you’re not losing your person and i’m not losing mine.” link would strike down every person she came into contact with if she didn’t know that iris was okay. better that than not and finding out someone responsible for hurting iris got to slide. thankfully iris was fine and she held her tighter.

is this where you go and propose to me, corey?

“no idea what you’re talking about. did you hit your beautiful head?” the words were warm and soft and her cheeks got warm, her eyes detoured from iris back to their surroundings. “well, i’m hungry so let’s find some place to eat first.” corey was always hungry though, so....it was a normal unsuspecting thing to suggest, right? super true.

corey dropped her hand to lace into iris’ and she gently pulled her along with her so they could walk, explore a little. “new york isn’t all that great. there’s a reason i hit up alaska so much.” yeah well, that reason was actually iris so, she digressed and shrugged. “by best fine dining do you mean, reservations or a buffet because...” corey wasn’t the best to ask about those things. food was food to her, the more the better. “what sounds good?” she glanced around for signs, steering their steps to keep people from walking into them, which was unavoidable because an npc walked past and poked her arm and then kept walking. “why do they do that?”

players: lhoris & @savagc location: floor 51, behind his lakehouse

Lhoris huffed, reeling back his fist and waited for a familiar pulse before he lunged forward. His fist hit the creature’s skull with a grunt and he immediately followed up with an uppercut to its muzzle. The large wolf growl, whipping its head with annoyance as Lhoris shuffled backward. His body still ached and he felt a sharp jolt in his arm, all but begging him to bow out. Not a chance. He pulled back again and the wolf bounded forward. He felt it again, that beautifully addicting pulse, and just as the wolf leapt toward him, Lhoris shifted his stance. His arm dropped, bending to protect his face as he landed a kick right in the side of its face. In an instant, an explosion of pixels surrounded him and he collapsed to his knees with a muffled thud.

“A little help?” he asked, making it known he heard the other’s approach. He was panting and it was still just as annoying as it’d been after the battle that night. Not that he could complain too much…he managed to make it out at least. “Can Juno’s magic can fix exhaustion,” He chuckled, managing (just barely) to push himself to his feet. “It’s been a while, though. Good to see you…”

the familiar voice turned her head, and quickly. it was needed to reel herself in as she spun her dagger back on her fingers and let of a huff. “yeah yeah.” she managed lighter eyes seeing lhoris and walked closer to him now that the threats seemed to diminished. link was unscathed, never mind the few percent knocked out of her, it recovered as she walked and her breathing was flat and level once more. 

“Woah! Woah! I come in peace!” Padme held up both hands in front of her, but the dirt around he feet had started to shake, roots of the nearby trees ready to jump out and defend her should she need to attack. She was no good with a blade–this battle had proved that–and her trainer had let her loose. She may never be a warrior, but her magic was strong; maybe it was time she used it. Though–in this city floor, the nature at her disposal was far and few between: weeds in sidewalk cracks and planted trees in neat little rows.

Padme couldn’t blame the woman for being tense, for feeling on edge. She felt the same herself. A guild leader–someone who should have been stronger than them all–had died. And hers had almost followed in his footsteps. “I didn’t come to hurt you. Or anyone. Just…needed some fresh air.” Some fresh air it was; this floor was smoggy and too much like the real world. She might have liked that two years ago–it would, at least, have been a reminder of home–but now it just felt like a trick. They’d been stuck for years in a place with no technology, no modern conveniences. 

Slowly, hesitantly, Padme took a step forward. “Are you alright?” 

link was never a fan of the guilds, at least not for herself. they angered her when she thought of ever belonging to one, weakness, she found them to be. though there were understandings she had for a few. unity, the vixens, even circus she could understand their antics because it was the one guild closest to her own antics, but still....weakness to her. blood oath was one of the worst in her eyes, but not so much after today, where she had always harbored a disliking for authority she’d witnessed the loss of many lives. it was across the board in the guilds of course but the brunt of the loss was within the guild of order. 

orchid cared deeply about those around her regardless of their affiliation or what they might have done since being in the game. they’re human. living and breathing on the other end of the headset. the boss fell and the level was cleared but she asked herself at what cost? were those players who slowly pixelated around her okay on the other side? she could hope but that didn’t stop the ringing in her ears, the tears staining her cheeks, or the panic welling inside of her chest. her injuries were nothing in the grand scheme of things but she still felt the pain shooting up her arm and had found it difficult to bend over. “shit –” she hissed, realizing she’d used up almost all of her healing potions. everyone had their own health to worry about and she certainly wasn’t expecting any favors when she walked up on other players. “hey! i’m sorry – i was just passing through. i- i’m not here to hurt anyone.” she rambled, guarding her wrist closely and showing that her hands were empty. 

the city around her now was overwhelming. why wasn’t there some kind of ‘enter now’ option for new floors being opened up? lucky she wasn’t actually in the middle of something risque that would have her standing here naked. link was too busy fuming and still seeing the scenes of a battle in her mind when the city took over her surroundings and it put her on edge, a hate in her for the way she was forced to be somewhere she didn’t choose to be. like a puppet people were dropped on the next floor and she found that infuriating. her eyes had snapped to the girl approaching and verbal warning was given, link wouldn’t blink at all sending a blade into a stranger, so long as her vision ruled out it being juno, she didn’t really care about anything else. the girl seemed harmless enough which was.....something. had she been met with a threat in her eyes link might not have paused her own tensions to actually look her over and see that she was hurt. “you need something?” she asks, spinning her blade back to her thigh she sighed at the situation and tried to bring her breathing down softer, less huffs through gritted teeth, she swallowed and lessened the tightness in her jaw as she pulled up her inventory to offer the girl a basic healing potion. “guessing there’s an infirmary around here or the npcs on this floor are a waste.”

NIKE still had christian’s very real ( how the hell was this a GAME real ) blood on her hands. the grip radish had given to her after the fish fight proudly adorning the sword strapped to her back. she had just been teleported to this new floor, with a flash of light, like everything in the dungeon was some sick dream and they were all waking up. she was having trouble differentiating between what was real anymore. at first, there had just been npcs, staring, unaware. she was stumbling through the crowded city streets, desperate to find someone alive, someone that wasn’t just code. 

link was the first person nike could find, lucky to have a familiar face. tears stained her cheeks, blood stained her hands, she was screaming, desperate. “link!” she shouted, no longer in control of anything it seemed. “put down the fucking dagger!” she didn’t have time to deal with anyone else’s confusion, she needed answers. she knew no one had them, but she needed them. nike couldn’t see the other player’s face, couldn’t see how she was holding up, but had enough common sense to know it probably wasn’t well. “please help me.” her bite was gone, just defeat, just a headache that was swallowing her, tears that were clogging her words, scratching at her throat. her whole body was thrumming, unsure whether to instate a fight or flight response when NEITHER were appropriate. “please link!”

it felt like being ripped out of ‘seeing red’ to seeing the neon lights, and it was more than disorienting. link prided herself greatly on...herself in general, adapting was more what she was aiming for in this case. she prided herself on her ability to adapt and yet red still felt like it was lining her vision, her pulse was still hammering in her chest. where was juno? she’d had her at her side, and though she knew the last time she had looked juno’s health bar was staying near maxed. juno was fast like that, she was quick on her feet and faster to heal and throw potions out, so she didn’t for a second think anything happened to her but she was livid all the same. they’d all been teleported to the new floor and she hated it instantly, the bustle, the noise, the lights, made her want to bare her teeth but instead she only clench her jaw and huffed through them while she moved her eyes around her. link turned harshly on the approach of steps. the warning was given and the irish of her accent came out a lot thicker than she’d heard it since she’d been here. 

at first...seeing nike did next to nothing to phase her. her eyes were dark with a warning because she was just...already fuming, but seeing blood on her changed that. a warning at nike felt more like a ‘get out of my room’ when it happened, or ‘don’t touch my stuff’. corey had been an only child and a right pain in the ass to her mothers probably, though they’d never seemed anything but endeared by her antics. she’d never looked at anyone as a sibling the way it came naturally to her to feel that way towards nike, and seeing blood changed the warning into something else entirely. her dagger was spun and slid into the strap on her thigh and she moved closer to her, her eyes dark and assessing her for injury to see if it was her blood, her hand even moved to swipe lightly at her cheek to be sure. and then, venom. 

loading players; @savagc & juno location; level 52

iris didn’t wait around in the infirmary because all that happened was the stupid monster got a good slash into her arm with his stupid claws. it hurt like hell, but iris wasn’t the type to cry over it. she was strong she had dealt with a lot more back in the real world this was nothing. not to mention she would heal in a day anyway, so whatever right? plus she got her girlfriend loving on her. not that corey babied iris or anything they didn’t do that to each other. they knew what happened in wars and in battles. casualties were things that happened, and iris was just thankful that it wasn’t corey that had gotten hurt. she had heard about blood oath losing their leader, and she would fight anyone that gave any of them a hard time, because any of the guilds could of stood up and been in the front line, they could of lost their own guild leaders, so she didn’t want to hear one person getting shitty because it was blood oath’s fault. bullshit. everyone followed along with the plan, and blood oath was the one that paid the price. she didn’t like the guilds, but she also didn’t appreciate people putting blame where it wasn’t due. 

her eyes went to her girlfriend and she pressed a kiss to her lips, breathing her in deeply. “i’m glad we’re not in a guild.” she whispers, pulling back to look into golden hue. “because i’d kill every single player that came down hard on us.” she says, a soft smile playing on her face before pressing a kiss to her lips again. “i’m glad you’re okay though.”

when she stepped through to the next floor with iris it was with her hand laced into hers, and her eyes recoiled from what she was seeing there, far out of link’s element she’d never found refuge in city lights and immediately wanted to head back down to the floor they called home, back to the solace of the woods they knew and their cabin there. her hand flexed on iris’ and that would speak silently enough to corey’s disliking of change. it was only there and then gone; adapted. that quickly link let out a sigh and relaxed looking over at iris like she hadn’t even been phased at all by any of this now. it was gone. iris was right here and then her lips were on hers. that was all that mattered. “ditto, little bear.” she smiled and heard the continuation of iris’ thoughts, they grounded her own, brought them back to where they were standing. 

link nodded and pulled iris more into her chest, wrapping her girlfriend up in her arms, in a stronger and warmer hold. “shouldn’t have gone like this.” she mutters, but it had gone like this. corey’s eyes fell down to iris’ and softened on her. “m’glad you’re safe.” she whispers to her, pressing her lips in on her temple she breathed her in right there. the guild that had put so much into this, also lost the most; she wasn’t optimistic for the safety of anyone coming down on the knights in her presence, but she didn’t see anyone being so brave either. “they did really good.” corey says finally, looking back to the city in front of them. “but like...i don’t know, seems like it could have been a six flags or somethin.” leave it to corey to ignore the point for her own bias. whatever. “alright well, it’s date night. because i never got to take you out to new york or a big city like this before we ended up here, little alaska.” she met her lips again and kissed her slowly, more deeply for a moment. 

this time it was different, this time she’d seen the leader of a strong guild fall to nothing, someone who could have taken link with a single blow. now she was angry, now she was fuming over the loss of players, not because she had a habit of caring a single shred about any of them, because she didn’t give a shit about most, solo player motto, but because there was no ignoring the sacrifice that had been made to ensure this fight was won. steps behind her had her hands more lose on her blade, the readying of it to be thrown. “dul ar ais!”