URL Lost

[MyaMouse]

((Lei's not home and Liam can't join for obvious reasons, not to mention Lei called the cops on him so he won't be able to stay at his hangout))

[Clown_of_God]

"Humans are very simple, aren't they? Simply because you know I have a wide array of capabilities, you automatically assume I walked into the system. No, I merely deduced which person in your friends list was potentially Ethan, traced his IP through the server and routed his location based on his activity logs. Of course, I also acquired a file inquiring he fired a blank at another player in the area. This method did not throw any red flags during my precheck, so it was the method I used. Not illegal."

Rain explained in a rather blunt fashion, looking to the direction where Ethan and his probable companion was. Pulling up a map, Rain labeled their position and watched as they began moving away from the crossroads towards an abandoned mine, marked as the Stonecold Quarry. Of course, she was interested in why they would be heading there when they could simply meet up at a halfway point and travel together, but she would delve into the system again just to avoid another reaction.

"Is your partner's base located within this quarry that he is currently heading to? It doesn't seem as hidden as you earlier implied."

[KuroKishi]

(( Hm... ))

 

"The Quarry..." Archon muttered from behind his bandana as the two riders kept moving forward, their horses stepping lightly on the dry, cracked soil underneath. His eyes momentarily wandered toward the direction of the quarry, then turned back toward their road.

"I'd argue that we need at least a dozen more gunmen... but there's no chance of finding so many people at once. At least two or three would certainly really help us out, though." The man exclaimed after a moment of silence, his gaze shifting to check the weapon on his companion's holster. Squinting at it for a second, the game recognized the required input from him and a screen that held the information required appeared in front of his eyes.

"...You might want to grab a better pistol. I can see you've been using this to keep your durability scores high on the main guns, but since we'll go all out, that mini nail gun won't really do much. Especially when you know what we'll have to face later." He concluded after a second or two of staring at the different scores of the weapon, then moved a hand up to push it out of his vision and away.

"Archon, run an analysis of the possible outcomes. Include some random variables," Archer suddenly replied as he took over the body control too, letting the AI work its magic. Then, he turned to Ethan and gave him a quick nod before turning back forward. With a pull of the reins and a pat of both legs to the sides of the animal, he sent the horse galloping forward in order to reach their destination sooner.

Edited May 18, 2015 by KuroKishi

[Thaelasan]

Finnegan looked down at his gun glumly.

"You're right. But I do prefer the accuracy of-" he began, before stopping.

He had his inventory window open, the screen beeping slightly with the notification "New Item Acquired!"

"Hmm?" Finn cocked his head slightly, concerned. He called to Archer, hoping the man could hear him before he was out of earshot.

"A new gun? For what?" Finnegan asked, equipping it.

"A Revolver. That's all it's called. A Revolver? What sort of simple name is that?" Finn moved the gun around, the ornate design and silver gleaming in the sun. "Why make an item and name it something so ... plain? And what did I even do to earn it?"

He sighed, turning to Archer, hopeful that he knew something, but doubtful that he did.

 

----

 

Alicia shrugged.

"Well I suppose as long as it's legal and you've covered it up nicely, it doesn't matter, like you said." she said, her horse going into a trot. "And if I know Et- I mean Finn, he wouldn't go to the Quarry. That's a horrible idea, unless he has some sort of plan. And his base isn't near the Quarry, it's.... Well..."

She trailed off, smiling.

"I'll show you. But remember, it's a secret."

[Clown_of_God]

((Here's two more characters to enter the fray. Surely, one of them can play with Myamouse's characters, no?))

Username: zakku_uchiha

Character Name (If the character is long deceased and already uploaded, write the name, and then deceased.): Zackery Daymon

Matric Name/Code (If they have one. Most Matric names are a Greek Letter, a number, and then a nickname or fragment of the person's name.): OMEGA17Ragnarok, ALPHA17Lilith

Matric Nickname (An endearing title by the owner.): Ragna and Lily

Character Gender: Male

Character Age: 24

Matric Gender (This can be changed, but make sure we know you changed it.): Male and Female

Matric Age (Not very important unless the Matric has been around for a LONG time. This can be up to 200 years thus far.):

Character Appearance (Not important if deceased, unless you wish it.): Zack

Matric Appearance (Can be changed at any time. There is NO LIMIT to what they can be. Most are humanoid, but there could be potato Matrices. Who knows.):

- Ragna

- Lilith

Character Personality (Normally, a Matric mimics its owner.):

Matric Personality (Sometimes, a Matric develops a few side quirks.):

Character's Job/Grade (Important.): Former employee of VEX industries, was laid off because of 'improper tampering.' Further details are withheld.

Character History (Not super important, but desired.):

Character's Connector (A Connector is the device they MOST USE to call their Matric. A digital network watch. A phone. A tablet. A laptop. Even a Bluetooth speaker.): Zack wears a pair of wristbands he designed specifically for each of his Matrici.

Other:

 

Username: zakku_uchiha

Character Name (If the character is long deceased and already uploaded, write the name, and then deceased.): Kaiya Daymon

Matric Name/Code (If they have one. Most Matric names are a Greek Letter, a number, and then a nickname or fragment of the person's name.): SIGMA28Kai

Matric Nickname (An endearing title by the owner.): Nikki

Character Gender: Female

Character Age: 16

Matric Gender (This can be changed, but make sure we know you changed it.): Female

Matric Age (Not very important unless the Matric has been around for a LONG time. This can be up to 200 years thus far.): 1 year old since activation

Character Appearance (Not important if deceased, unless you wish it.): Kaiya

Matric Appearance (Can be changed at any time. There is NO LIMIT to what they can be. Most are humanoid, but there could be potato Matrices. Who knows.): Nikki

Character Personality (Normally, a Matric mimics its owner.):

Matric Personality (Sometimes, a Matric develops a few side quirks.):

Character's Job/Grade (Important.): Kaiya is a sophomore in high school.

Character History (Not super important, but desired.):

Character's Connector (A Connector is the device they MOST USE to call their Matric. A digital network watch. A phone. A tablet. A laptop. Even a Bluetooth speaker.): kamiya uses a pair of headphones as her connector

Other:

Complete.))

 

((EDIT: Thaelasan approved my characters through PM. I'm sure if you want absolute confirmation, he'll say so in his next post. Anyway...))

 

Kaiya was walking down the streets, hood pulled over her head and her favored set of headphones blocking out most of the noise around her. As she started around a corner, Nikki's voice came through the speakers alerting her to watch out, but was too late as a boy on a hoverboard flew right over her, effectively startling her and causing her to fall back.

"O-ouch. Why didn't you warn me sooner?"

"Cause I didn't receive an active reading from the board until there was limited reaction time. Not my fault."

Sighing and rubbing her rear, Kaiya finally looked up and around, noticing a familiar face inside the alleyway next to her. This must have been where the boy pulled out his board then. Standing to her feet and dusting herself off, Kaiya walked into the alley, up to the person and placed a hand on her hip.

"Deny another boy's request to go out again or what? How he sped off, it's almost like... Hmm? Hey, Love!"

Kaiya noticed Love's visage on Leila's phone and waved to the Matric before looking back at Leila's stern expression. Sighing, Kaiya leaned against the wall and looked out at the main road.

"Was that the thief, Lei?"

Edited May 19, 2015 by zakku_uchiha

[KuroKishi]

"An accurate peashooter... might as well spit at them from up close..." Archer muttered as his horse continued to move forward, but noticed that he was drifting away from the other rider. In a moment, he drew the reins back, making the steed he was on come to a halt, then turned it around and stared back at Finnegan.

In truth, he was expecting Ethan to be busy with something - maybe sending a message, maybe shooting at some bandits in the distance or, hell, surveying his surroundings. However, he was simply staring at a revolver.

"You... just got that shooter?" The man spoke as he slowly approached the other rider, his well-shrouded eyes staring directly at the gun within the other's hands. Once he had drawn next to him yet again, he came to a full stop and continued to observe the weapon.

"Archon, show me stats." Archer muttered, allowing the AI to take over for a second. It silently continued to look at the weapon, its eyes gleaming with a shade of crimson for a second before dimming back down.

"Hmm... though the name is horrible and its origin is unknown, it has a good, exotic look... and, as far as stats, it's quite formidable. Still doesn't beat my Mark of Death, but unlike that peashooter nailgun, it packs a little more punch, has good reload stats, an average shot speed doubled by manual cocking... and great accuracy." Archer muttered for a second, lifting the weapon from his holster to show it before placing it back in its place. Throwing a glance at the revolver once again, he then shared a moment of eye contact with Ethan.

"Use it. Sure, it's just A Revolver... but it's more than adequate." The man offered with a reassuring nod, then turned the horse yet again. His eyes darted from his own holster to the weapon in his companion's hands, comparing the two visually.

Whilst the Revolver gleamed with silver and white that seemed to interlace themselves and create an almost fictional, futuristic gun, the Mark of Death was more simplistic. A lengthy barrel of dark iron stretched out, then reached the cubic revolving section that held a total of four round cylinders. After that, a high, yet slim hammer stood, small scratches along it showing just how often it had been used by its shooter. Finally, a straight, almost handgun-like handle stretched out from the end of the weapon and went downward at an angle, finished with a dark red, crimson leather cover.

"Alright, let's head out already - the main Bandit event for these hours should start soon, so we'll have a bit less opposition if we get there in time," Archer finished after a few minutes of silence, then pulled the reins back and shot forward with his stallion.

[Thaelasan]

The Quarry.

Lost in the desert sands for years, a dangerous locale for even the most hardened of Hunters who dared to trespass within. It was said that there was a large treasure at the back of it if a Hunter managed to kill the Bandit leader of the Quarry, Stonecold Simms, the original Taskmaster and leader of the Quarry turned rogue.

However, first, before even heading there, Finnegan was sitting in his base, after having unlocked the door and allowed Archon and himself within. Based on his friends list, he knew Alicia was on her way, and there'd be hell to pay if he went to a place like that without her. But she was apparently already in a Caravan, which was the term for "group" in this game.

His base was nothing amazing but it wasn't mundane. Crafted from semi-expensive items and construction materials spent after a lot of hard work, trading, and player killing, it stood as a fairly large home against the winds and sands. It possessed a pair of beds shoved against the wall, stacked on each other, big enough for two people each. Top of the line.

A bar table, where he could actually craft alcohol and other drinks to his leisure, stood against the window that he liked to look out of while brewing. A few tables sat in the base, in case his groups or guilds came over for a drink.

Besides that, there were places for cooking and other professions. All in all, a suitable home.

But as he sat there, staring out the window, he could almost see, in the distance, the Quarry - looming as if a mountain buried into the sand, inverted, a funnel into a hole with no known bottom.

He spread out a map on one of the tables, placing a mug next to it for Archon to imbibe. It was, of course, a drink which increased damage resistance and gave a slight boost to aggression. But he may not want to rely on items for his skills.

"This is the Quarry, right here. And if you remember, the Bandits pride themselves on its construction. Since the last attack, the fort has been heavily rebuilt in several locations, and a lot more players have joined and taken defensive positions on the parameter, as well as NPCs."

He leaned forward, taking a small pair of bullets from his pocket and placing them on the north and southeast sides of the Quarry.

"But they forgot one key thing - the tunnels to the Quarry that were lost a long time ago. But my friends told me a while back that one of them is still useable, and had an exit near my base. I used it myself, and I can assure you - no bandits know of its existence. If we use it, we're in, stealthily, and we're on the bottom floor."

He placed another bullet on the center of the Quarry, grinning.

"And my surveys and spying revealed that a lot of the new players leave their gunpowder, bullets, and spare gear lying around because they don't know how to store it. And we can ignite it. And from what I can tell, the explosion will disrupt many of the major tunnels and foundations of the Quarry... And bring it down enough for us to take advantage of the chaos."

He rolled the map back up and replaced it in his pocket, loading his gun casually.

"Still, I don't think it would be fun to just ignite the gunpowder..." he smirked coyly. "Go check the back room of my base. You should appreciate the sight."

 

-----

 

Alicia smiled lightly as she trotted forward across the plains, enjoying the feel of the wind in her hair again. No matter how virtual it was, it was still pleasant, still real.

She knew exactly where Finn's base was. She'd been to it too many times to count. To the left of that cactus. To the north of that mountain. Across that plain. The directions were in her head. She just had to follow them.

She had no idea of the crazy plan her boyfriend had for the Quarry. And yet, she'd probably have accepted it just the same.

 

-----

 

"They're comin'."

The man stared, looking out into the distance. He was chewing a foreign plant - not tobacco, at least, not now - and staring out at the sun as though trying to decipher how it was still burning.

"Who's comin'?" the young man next to him asked. A player character, in real life, barely a sophomore, but here a dangerous psychopath with a desire for the gear of others.

"Hunter idjits, YOU idjit." the man replied, giving him a glance. "It's too damn quiet. We're weak. A bunch of ya ungrateful idjits left this place undefended, off to do some crazy-ass event that no one even cares about. Least not me."

"But... It's for more equipment.." the other one began.

"Equipment? I could give 'em equipment, iffin' they twere to ask." The man removed the plant from his mouth and threw it aside, sighing.

"Like that gun o' yers?"

The man gave the younger man a sharp glance.

"There ain't no partin' of this gun from me, you hear me? And iffin' you get it in yer head that ya want it, ya can forget it. Ya touch it, ya die."

"...O...Ok." the man quickly turned back to surveying the landscape, trying hard to avoid the other man's stare.

There were stories of that man who was staring into the sun. Virtual or not, that man was a frightening being who took pride in his work as a bandit, and did his work in the most brutal and frightening methods he could think of. And, oddly, he never broke character either. Most of the other players found it impressive.

"I'm headin' down to the lower floors. Ya better keep a very.. very close eye on that horizon. And if you see ANYONE not wearin' bandit colors, you shoot them. No questions. Better not to take chances."

"Alrighty." the man replied, cocking his rifle and placing it on the side of the fort.

The other man headed far below, into the depths of the Quarry main, where the smell of dust and long-forgotten stone still hang heavy in the air. He snorted, moving his bandanna to his face to try and block it all.

Something was wrong, and he could feel it. It was just a manner of what it was...

[KuroKishi]

After a short ride that seemed to last an eternity under the scorching sun, but was really only a few minutes long, the two riders arrived to their destination - a relatively well-sized hideout that belonged to the one named Finnegan.

Leaping nimbly off his horse with a quick move, Archon landed next to it and took a second to look around. The place that Ethan had chosen for his base was not that bad, really - it was, of course, somewhere in the middle of the desert... but that was what made it a well-hidden location. Dunes and arid plains with no life in the vicinity surrounded its location. Also, everyone, whether a Hunter, Bandit or NPC, would stick close to the roads, as getting lost in a wasteland like this could be far deadlier than a shootout. The path one took to reach his base, however, consisted of landmarks and set patterns that only few knew well enough to traverse safely.

Shaking his head slightly to cool it after the effect of the winds had worn from his skin, Archon took the reins of his horse, then led him through the fence gates and into the lot of the base. Silently, he moved the stallion along the walkway and turned toward the left, where a small barn-like construct stood. Approaching the large open entrance one could go through even on horseback, he spotted what he was here for and walked to it.

Now standing in front of one empty stable, he silently pulled his steed and led it inside. Once it was properly within the fenced area, he tied the reins of the animal to one of the supports nearby. After making sure the horse had water and hay in the troughs, he gave it a soft pat on the back and walked out of the stables.

Going back down the path, Archon took a left on the crosspath and moved toward the house's entrance. He pushed the door forward and walked inside, then shut it behind himself. Silently going through the living room area, he approached the bar table opposite of the door and took a seat. Pushing the mug in front of him aside, he continued to stare at the map instead, analyzing the layout of the Bandit base and listening to his companion's plan. Once he was finished, he traced his fingers along the outline of his chin, seemingly deep in thought.

"It's a good idea from the get go... but we have to make sure we're out of the affected area before it all goes to hell. There's two things we could do - sneak through the tunnels whilst wiring a chain explosion and emerging from within the base as the explosion spreads out... or preparing the explosion, but using a long fuse to launch it from somewhere closer and then entering from above." Archon spoke after a few moments, throwing a look at Ethan before continuing to speak.

"I suggest the latter - most will probably rush to the tunnels and tunnel entrances to try and save people or equipment, so not many will gaze toward the sky. With some simple rappelling, we'll get in quietly and take out people level by level until we reach the bottom." He finished, giving himself a reassuring nod afterwards. The second idea was more risky - if things went bad, their only way to get out would be through the hordes that would have an elevation advantage against them. The game also had a special 'interaction' with heights, where people aiming from higher would have a higher chance to hit and lower chance to get hit. The approach from the bottom would be more suprising, certainly, and they could probably take out a chunk of their enemies by simply emerging as they were piled and filling them with lead... but it was better to be safe than sorry when trying to raid such a colossal base.

"Hm? Your back room?" Archon muttered after emerging from his thoughts and focusing on the last words Ethan had spoken. Sending a confused look at the other man, he rose from his seat and slowly turned around, then stared at the corridor that would lead him to that room. Still wearing a befuddled expression, he gave Ethan a 'you better not be screwing with me' look, then made his way down the corridor, towards the room he had mentioned. Stopping in front of the shut door, he gave himself a second of doubt, then took the handle and swung it open.

Though he expected the room to be illuminated, it was actually very dark. Wondering just what was inside, the man took a couple cautious steps forward, then moved his hand to his belt. Retrieving a small, metallic object from it, he flipped its top cover off and struck a small hammer on its top.

The small lighter illuminated the room very dimly, making Archer squint in an attempt to see what was inside. He stumbled forward, trying to get closer to one of the objects. Stumbling into something, however, he almost rolled to the ground, managing to only stop himself from hitting the floor thanks to leaning heavily on a nearby item. After he knocked over what sounded like a round cylinder, he looked downward. At the sight of sparkly dust, he immediately gasped and shut the lighter, then walked out with a sprint and back into the room.

"How did you get so much gunpowder?!" Archer yelled as he marched rapidly back into the room and leaned on a nearby wall, having realized just what the many edges and figures within the shadows really were. Barrels and crates of gunpowder lined the entire interior of the room - hell, he could see some fuses coming from red objects, which obviously meant he had TNT, too!

"And to think I almost fell face-first into it... with my lighter on..." He gasped, his breath having disappeared whilst he tried to fight the panic away. Archer had a knack of immersing himself a bit too much in games, really...

Edited May 20, 2015 by KuroKishi

[Clown_of_God]

Something in the distance, off to the left, caught Rain's attention as they strode through the desert. A gleam off one of the far mountaintop's blinked through the air for just a fraction of a second. Hopping down from the moving horse without so much as a word, Rain traced back to the spot she had seen the strange light. Sure enough, it shone once more before disappearing, despite the fact she hadn't even moved. Looking in the direction Alicia was traveling, Rain marked her map where Finn was currently located, assuming that to be the area his base was located, and proceeded to construct a horse of her own.

Of course, she entered through a back door to avoid tripping alarms in the system during the construction, but it didn't take any time for the black stallion to take form. Nor was the programming difficult and the specs she used were gathered from the official forum, so if the horse was ever inspected it would be a legit copy.

Mounting the beast, Rain looked through her backlogs and marked the area in which the gleam had come from, estimated the distance and the approximate travel time and began her journey, stirring the horse with her heels and pulling on the reigns so it reared back for a moment before taking off.

Now, Rain has always been a curious type and after a few minutes of riding, she had already come to a halt and dismounted. For, before her now, was a rather large desert tortoise, to which she was poking the back of its shell with a stick. Shifting from side-to-side, Rain pondered just how accurate these creatures were portrayed based on their living counterparts. Was this how this creature acted during this specific time period or was there a flaw? Regardless, Rain was intrigued.

"How intriguing. No hostility or fear of something outside of your daily interactions. I shall call you Tunk, a clever variant of tank, based on the noise your shell makes when I tap it. Tunk... tunk... tunk."

As she sat there, continuing to observe the creature, it opened its mouth wide, almost in a yawning fashion and began walk off shortly after. For a moment, she followed behind it, stick in hand and then paused, considering that she needed to resume her little journey to see what this gleam was.

Remounting her horse, Blanc circled the tortoise once before driving her heels into the beast's thighs and taking off once more. Based on her estimates, it'd be close to nightfall by the time she reached the base and a full day's climb before she actually reached the area in which the gleam originated.

[MaskedDeath]

Username: MaskedDeath

Character Name: Ruby Rochelle

Matric Name/Code: 6ROC78

Matric Nickname: Elysium

Character Gender: Female

Character Age: 25

Matric age: 12

Character Appearance: Long sleek black hair, attractive, smooth skin, piercing silver eyes; will wear dark shadow and liner to make them bold, often wears exotic jewels, red, brown and black dresses with lace front/back, parasol and lace tights.

Matric Appearance: http://www.chickensmoothie.com/pet/17142297&bg=d1ff78.jpg - Just the dog.

Character Personality: Seductive if need be, Free-spirited, creative, thoughtful, funny, curious, very trusting if she gets to know you well. Also sneaky, trickster and cheater to get herself out of trouble.

Matric Personality: Serious, fighter, daring, brave, strong.

Character's Job/Grade: Ruby works with an organization called Fire Storm, sort of like the FBI.

Character History: Ruby grew up surrounded by industry, big business, crime and corruption. She spent some time in a correctional facility and learned her job skills there. Her fellow inmates taught her that the world is mean, that soft gold lining making it seem so nice is actually fake and will peel at any evil thing that happens. When she was released, FS recognized her skill and immediately hired her, she became their best and most hired agent.

Character's Connector: Bluetooth Spiro

Other: I don't know how I could be any more descriptive.

Edited May 25, 2015 by MaskedDeath

[Thaelasan]

Finn mulled over Archon's plan as Archon headed into the back room. Either plan worked, and a sky assault was possible...

His train of thought was broken as Archon came stumbling out of the room, shocked. Finn grinned, knowing full well what had happened.

"There was a lightswitch in there, you know." Finn smirked, turning back to his desk. "And as for how I got it, there's a good number of players who don't know how to store materials properly, or carry it wisely. And I bought a bit myself from time to time, storing it for just the occasion. We won't need that many barrels, I wouldn't think. Still, I always like to bring a little extra. How do you think I crafted all those bullets? Magic?"

He was shining his new gun now, amazed at the structure and design of the weapon. For a strangely named pistol, it was definitely a work of art.

"I still can't find out what this came from, or what sort of reward it is. But I won't question it."

He put the gun down quickly as Alicia burst in, her face filled with worry.

"I lost track of Blanc!" she said loudly, closing the door behind her and placing her back against it. "I don't know how but I did!"

"You brought Blanc?!" Finn asked, confused. "How did you convince her to join?"

"I don't know but it doesn't matter! She didn't even have a horse when I started to head here! Then, she suddenly vanishes! I don't know where she went!"

"Look, just.. let's be reasonable about this. She has no reason to mess with anything here." Finn said, placing a reassuring pair of hands on her shoulders. "She'll find us, I'm sure. We just... just have to wait, right? She'll be fine. Besides, with the amount of noise we're about to make, there's no way she won't hear us."

"Noise? Why would there be noise...? And why is Archon here?" she grimaced, giving the man a sharp look. "Don't tell me he's joining us."

"He is, and I don't know why you still hold anything against him. He apologized, didn't he?"

"Not sincerely..." she frowned. "Anyway, what did you mean by noise?"

"We're going to blow up the Quarry."

She paused for a moment, the information sinking in. Her eyes immediately focused on Finn.

"What the hell do you mean - blow up the Quarry?"

 

-----

 

Far away, on a mountain peak, overlooking the desert, a man sat bearing a small looking glass, staring out into the sky.

"Where are you, you bugger?" the man whispered, sighing.

[Clown_of_God]

Rain sighed, looking up from the base of the mountain and then at her map. Whatever it was, the gleam was towards the peak and about halfway up, the terrain became rather difficult for standard travel. Meaning, she would have to walk/climb the rest of the way up. Still, she was intrigued and curious, so her journey began.

 

------

 

Year 2847, August 17; 14:27.86

"This Matric is useless, all she does is stare and ask random questions. I can't even get her to follow basic commands. Watch.

Matric unit, activate the television and turn it to the local news broadcast."

From a holoprojector, sitting center of the room, the female figure sat idle, her head drooped, eyes locked onto the ground. Sitting in front of her, on a dark leather couch, a man in his mid-thirties groaned and shoved the table back with his foot. To his right, another man sat in a reclining chair, chin resting atop interlaced fingers while his elbows were beginning to leave red marks on his legs, indicating he had been in this observational pose for quite a few minutes.

"Did you reset her?"

"I couldn't. As far as I can tell, there was no reset function."

"Are you certain?"

"Look, I might not be the most intellectual when it comes to their systems, but I know how to use their reset function and I'm telling you, this Matric is as faulty as one can get."

"Have you had one of the employees come take a look at her? They might be able to figure out what it is or at least reimburse you."

"That's just it. When I call them over, she starts working just fine, but as soon as they leave..."

"Why not just deactivate her then? I'll come in as a witness so you don't lose out."

"Well, I didn't really lose out to begin with. I found her at that cafe down the street and asked if she was waiting on someone. She seemed so responsive then, but the past few weeks..."

"So... VEX has no real obligation to reimburse you."

"Look, man, I called you over to see if you could fix her, not to tell me things I've already taken into consideration."

"Fine, fine. Give me a moment and I'll pull up her files to see if there's any corrupted data. It wouldn't be surprising, considering she's a Gen I model."

Sighing, the man leaned back on the sofa, propping his feet on the table while the other pulled out a tablet and linked it to the holoprojector. All the while, the digital being remained unresponsive and unphased by the events occurring around her.

"Alright... annnddd... here's her fi...les. What the hell?!"

"What?"

"Look at this!"

"What?!"

 

-Error-

-File Missing-

-File Missing-

-File Locked-

-File Locked-

-Restricted-

-File Missing-

-Restricted-

-Restricted-

-Restricted-

-Incorrect Command-

-Error-

 

"Ah!"

"Hmm?"

"Stop!"

"Geh, try unlocking one of those files."

"Alright."

"NO! Stop it!"

"This is heavily encrypted. These patterns..."

"Stop!"

"Let me see if..."

"It hurts, stop!"

"Come on, open up already."

"Can you force it open, like is there a back way in?"

"That's what I'm looking for."

"It hurts!"

"Is there a way to mute her?"

"Hold on, I think I might have found something."

"No... No... NO... NO! NO!! NO!!! STOP!"

Suddenly, everything in the room shut off, with the exception of the holoprojector on the table. Silence resonated throughout the room, the only other audible noise being heavy pants coming from the female Matric. A few moments later, the power returned and the lights flickered to life, but the room was in shambles. Some of the bulbs had been blown out, the kitchen looked like a fire had been set and then extinguished, even the living room they had been in looked as if gale force winds had torn through it. Yet, that wasn't the focus of the room. Within the reclining chair, the man was now slumped over his laptop, unmoving as a metal fan blade protruded from the back of his neck. Just behind him, one of the ventilation fan ducts looked like a mini explosion had occurred, the fan itself was in shambles and the grate that had been covering it had been sliced in various areas. As for the owner of this room, the seat he had been sitting in had been pivoted forward to the extent it had folded over itself... with the man still sitting between each section, but even his body was motionless. It wasn't until later, when the investigators arrived, did they discover the man's back had been split by the force and being in a paralytic state, he eventually suffocated between the cushions.

Due to this event, the female Matric retreated into the Array and traveled to the cafe, establishing a connection with one of the least used computers within the establishment. From there, she once again returned to searching within her own files, trying to find something that would lead her to her Creator, to her Master, to her true owner.

 

------

 

Nearing the peak, Rain stopped shy of the clearing she had come to, spotting a man looking out into the desert with some sort of telescope, a quick search resulted in the item being referred to as a spyglass. Upon a quick scan, she couldn't identify anything that would label the entity as threatening, concluding he wasn't an actual player. So, adjusting her sling, Rain proceeded forward until she came up into the clearing, a few paces back from where the man was standing, looking out into the area below with his spyglass.

"If I may conclude, it was your spyglass that cast out a reflection that drew my attention. What purpose do you have, sitting a top this mountain? You're no hunter, nor are you a bandit, nor do any of the weapons fire far enough to actually eliminate a target. So, even with the spyglass, you wouldn't be an effective sniper from this distance."

[KuroKishi]

Archon stared silently at Finnegan with a truly stupid look, but soon picked himself back up and gave himself the standard palm-to-forehead treatment. Groaning slightly as his memory gave itself a quick jolt, he leaned with his back to the wall and stood in silence for a few seconds.

"...I swear to god, I always forget that Chrome Trigger's setting has electricity..." The man muttered afterwards, shaking his head all the time, and finally got himself off the wall with a soft push.

This was one of Archer's traits, really. Immersing himself too much in anything he played or watched a bit too much. On one side, it meant that things he expected to be there could be missing, and vice versa. On the other... he got adapted to things extremely quickly, to the point it was almost frightening.

Snapping out of his thoughts as he heard steps approaching the front door, Archer turned toward it and stared as it swung open. From there came a figure he did not really wish to see, mainly because of the way she treated him - Ethan's girlfriend, Athena.

Staring silently at her as she shut the door behind herself with a worried expression, he raised his eyebrows and waited with interest. At her next words, however, he could only groan yet again. He could feel a distant headache creeping up from the depths of his brain.

So, apparently, Athena the 'perfect' had managed to somehow bring Blanc into the game... and then had promptly lost her. She had never noticed Blanc getting off the ride the two had shared, which was confusing for him, as he certainly could sense the difference of a horse struggling with one rider and a rider with a passenger. Hell, the speed differences were too huge to simply not notice at all.

"Yes, we're about to raid the Quarry. Hucky Finn here's got some crazy amounts of explosives, which we'll use to obliterate the tunnels that lead from the quarry to a nearby open mine. This will distract the bandits which will hurry to retrieve anything that hasn't been destroyed and to deal with survivors and debris. By using that distraction, we'll leap in from above and work our way downward whilst taking out targets one by one. If someone ever spots us, we'll have a height advantage over the ones deeper inside the quarry." He explained calmly a few moments after the two partners had ceased speaking with eachother, his tone slightly jittery with hints of annoyance that shone through a few of his words. Pushing himself off the wall, Archon silently approached the other two, then raised his head up and looked at Athena.

"By the way... please don't get pissy with me, considering I made the effort to apologize for something that is natural for me just because someone else got offended by it." He muttered with an annoyed expression, his hazel yellow eyes glistening with red at times. After seconds, he walked off and approached the door, then swung it open and slightly turned his head to indicate he was referencing to the other two.

"I'm gonna go look for the rare Matrics unit that a certain unforgiving, practically perfect individual somehow managed to lose on their way here." Archon finished, walking through the archway and shutting the door behind himself. Walking down the pathway and taking a right, he went into the stables and retrieved the horse he had just left to rest moments ago. Leaping onto the dark stallion with a quick move, he slightly shook his head and pulled the reins. With a soft yell, he started down the pathway that had been ingrained into his mind and began to look out into the desert landscape.

...Was that a shiny gleam in the distance?

[Thaelasan]

As Archon left, Alicia made a motion to punch him in the back of his skull, but Finn stopped her barely, grabbing her arm calmly. She gave him a glance and strongly debated punching him as well but decided against it.

"Are you mental?" she asked, gesturing at him. "Do you really think just us three - or even with Blanc - could take down the Quarry? The QUARRY? By ourselves? I'm all for being proactive, but this is..."

"It's just boredom, Alicia. If we die, we die. If we live, we live." Finn was messing with his gun again, which earned a look from Alicia.

"What's that?"

"Oh. This revolver? It just suddenly appeared in my bags."

"Be serious."

"I am!"

"It looks way too shiny and nice to just suddenly APPEAR in your bags."

"It did."

"Whatever you say..." Alicia turned back to the door. "Do you really want to wait on him?"

"Hmm?"

"Archon, and Blanc. We could probably do it ourselves, just the two of us." she said slyly.

Finn paused.

"You mean... like a date with death?" he grinned. "The idea is... satisfying."

"So?"

"But-"

"But?"

"But at the same time, I DID promise Archon...."

"And that matters why?" she gave him an irritated look.

"You're right. He's done stuff without me before as well... We'll give him ten minutes."

"Ten?"

"Ten. If he doesn't return by then, it's just you and me, ok?" Finn hugged her.

"....Ok.. Fine.." Alicia muttered, returning it.

 

----

 

The man with the spyglass looked down, confused. He then brightened up immediately upon seeing Rain.

"Ah! Maybe you can help me then! See I used to be a spotter in the old days, before all this happened. I was a hunter... a real hunter. Like hunting animals, not Bandits. And I've been trying to find this one, rare buffalo that's eluded me for years... If you help me kill him... I might be able to help you somehow."

[Clown_of_God]

"Hmm? A buffalo? I saw a few on my way here, but you said it was a rare buffalo. Is it a different color or something?"

Rain tilted her head to the side for a moment and then looked out at the landscape. It was actually quite vast, but nothing she hadn't looked up before. Maybe she'd recreate this model for Athena later, seeing as she somewhat enjoyed scenery like this. Of course, Rain was also running scans and searches for possible quests related to this, but it seemed there were very few results and even fewer matches.

"I shall aid you, simply so I can see the end result. If I ever need some form of assistance, I shall seek your aid when the time is appropriate. Does that seem reasonable, in exchange for my aiding you?"

[KuroKishi]

Archon silently looked out from under his hat as he continued to gallop onward, his steed managing to leave a trail of dust stretching several meters behind itself. The gleam that he had seen in the far distance was now close enough for him to deduce its exact origin - a sizeable, lone mound that stretched itself upward in the distance.

Gazing upward as he approached the lone peak, he noticed the gleam was disappearing behind the edge from time to time. He also briefly noticed what appeared to be a figure's outline peeking out whilst gazing toward the distance.

The chance of it being Blanc was tiny, yes, but it was better than the miles of nothing that surrounded him.

"Blanc!" Archon shouted, his voice echoing out through the empty surroundings and bouncing off the desert rock. He got to the edge of the mound, then leaped off his horse without caring to slow down. Rolling forward after landing, he rose to his feet fluently and proceeded to climb up the face of the peak.

A few feet upward, he took a look down... then swallowed hard and continued moving.

[Clown_of_God]

Rain looked about when she thought she heard her name being called out. Pulling up the chat logs sure enough confirmed someone had just tried to get her attention. While waiting for a response from the NPC, Rain made her way over to the side in which the log had been sent from, leaning over to see if someone was coming up. Who... was that? A dark figure was currently scaling the steep terrain leading up to the peak, his colors reminiscent of a bandits. Above his head, Rain confirmed his character ID being Archon. Wasn't he with Finn? Why had he come out here?

"Did you come here because the gleam drew your attention as well? From Athena's explanation, you aren't the kind to go out of your way for no particular reason."

 

------

 

Year 2913, April 29; 11:37.64

"Allow me to verify before I try to delve any further into something that may or may not put me at risk. You have no known owner and you can't recall where you originated from. To top it off, you have multiple restricted and lost files."

From a holo screen within an office, a girl's visage nodded in confirmation, her gaze up shifting from the tile flooring. Across from, sitting behind a desk, and tapping a stylus against his forehead, an elderly man pondered on the situation this strange Matric had brought to him.

"Do I have permission to look into these files, see if I might be able to pull some sort of information from them?"

"Mm, just... be gentle."

Raising an eyebrow, the doctor sighed softly and patted the top of the holo screen, smiling reassuringly.

"If there's an issue, let me know right away and I'll stop. How's that sound?"

Nodding, the Matric took in a breath and slowly let it out as the man connected his computer to the screen. As soon as he did, bright red letters flashed across his screen signifying a warning. Perplexed, he looked at the holo screen for a moment before beginning a basic search through her systems, to which she gritted her teeth and let out a soft groan.

As time passed, the man grew more and more bewildered at this strange Matric. A base scan resulted in most of her files either locked, corrupted or missing entirely. That made looking for certain information difficult. It was almost like whoever built her didn't want even her finding out just where she came from.

Eventually, the doctor had to come to a pause as his computer had been shorted out. It also seemed like the Matric had been holding back from crying out, as she had been groaning and making several bits of noises each time he had tried to delve into a file. Of course, she never told him to stop, but he felt genuine concern over such a matter. Never had he heard a Matric make such noises, like a man toughing out getting stitches after he had cut his leg open or an adolescent getting a new tattoo in a tender spot.

"Are you okay?"

"It stung, but it wasn't as bad as the first time. Were you able to find anything?"

"Unfortunately, all I got was a pair of encrypted images, but they're so blurry you can't even make out what it's supposed to be."

"I see. Thank you, Dr Arnold, I'll be sure to visit again."

"Please do, I'll have a colleague of mine come and see if he might be able to find anything. Smart young man, he is, but he's lazier than even the eldest man I know. You don't mind, do you?"

"As long as you're there to supervise and make sure he doesn't try to hurt me on purpose."

"Don't worry, he's very sensible and should understand... even if it is a bit... odd."

"Odd?"

"You say you feel pain, but it's difficult to comprehend how a format of data can... well, feel anything."

"Does a human not feel the moisture in the air on a humid day, or the wind brushing against his cheek? I feel you in my systems like you would feel a surgeon trying to reset your broken collarbone."

"How... interesting."

Edited May 24, 2015 by zakku_uchiha

[KuroKishi]

Archon groaned as he continued to climb, his hands having probably turned red over the dark gloves that covered and shielded them. He gazed back down for a second yet again, but regretted it. Though he had been climbing for only a few minutes, his stallion seemed like a cockroach along a kitchen floor... albeit quite a bit more golden colored.

With a soft sigh, he continued up along the rock face, his arms moving to find folds which to hold on to. A second later, however, when he looked up, his gaze was met by another player's. His glowing hazel eyes were met by a pair of light green ones that belonged to what he recognized as a young lady. His eyes trailed upward to find that the name belonging to said player was Rain.

"Did you come here because the gleam drew your attention as well? From Athena's explanation, you aren't the kind to go out of your way for no particular reason." Rain's voice came from above after a moment of eye contact, making Archer snap out of his thoughts and clutch properly at the wall in order to reply.

"You must be Blanc..." He began as he continued to scale upward and soon reached the edge of the rock wall. Grasping the edge with one of his hands, he pushed himself up with his feet and vaulted just enough to take a seat by turning with his torso. He took a second or two to breathe in and rest his body, then turned his gaze up to Rain.

"I suppose you already know who I am, thanks to Athena... so there's no real need for proper introductions." Archon muttered, then drew his canteen and lifted it to his mouth. Going through the routine of having a quick drink by pulling his bandana down, he let out a relieved sigh and placed the flask back in its place.

"I'm here because Athena managed to lose you. Of course, I'm sure you don't require any hand holding, but we have something planned and were about to ask if you wished to join us." Archon muttered as he pushed himself to his feet, then turned to look at Rain. His eyes went over the weapons on her back and at her holster, then back to her eyes.

"Your equipment... are you a sniper, by chance?" He asked, pointing to the rifle stock that was poking out from over her shoulder.

[Thaelasan]

(( MaskedDeath, could you PLEASE add more description to your sheet and make it something to be proud of? It's a good base, but... I can't accept that. ))

 

Finn checked his pocketwatch with a frown.

"Six minutes already. Where the hell are they?" he asked, concerned. "Should we go look for them?"

Alicia gave him a cold stare.

"...I... I guess not." Finn silenced himself.

 

----

 

"Ah! Yes. A rare buffalo, with white skin that grows to become black legs. It's a marvelous beast. Shame I need to kill it after all these years, but it's older now, and this hunt has gone on long enough. Every day I come up here hoping to see it again, and-"

Blanc had walked off by this point, leaving the man to scratch his head in confusion.

"Well... errr... alrighty."

[Clown_of_God]

As Rain waited on Archon to climb all the way up, she turned back to the other character and tilted her head to the side, slightly intrigued. This character had stopped his explanation mid-way even though she had remained in the immediate area. Was the coding of this game supposed to be so realistic or was this something more than a NPC? Rain was gonna press some buttons.

"Usually, when giving a quest, the one explaining doesn't cease despite the main character's actions. Yet, the moment I walked off to check on my companion here," she motioned to Archon who had just clambered over the peak and was now on flat ground once again, "you stopped, knowing that I was still within earshot. Are you certain you're a normal NPC?"

Leaning forward, she once more scanned the character and sighed. Nothing was particular odd about him compared to the other NPCs of the game, but he didn't seem quite the same either. First, very few players have even encountered this character and those that did come across him, he was never in the same place. Sure, it wasn't impossible for NPCs to have a preregistered route to follow, but based on the past interactions, there was no 'knowing where he would show up next.'

"White buffalo with black legs, shouldn't be that difficult to spot. If I get it back to you within an hour, what kind of reward do you offer? No, nevermind, I'll find out once I return."

Now turning back to Archon, Rain also motioned at her rifle that was currently slung across her back and nodded.

"Yes, I chose a ranger class. Defensive ratings are the lowest, but the speed, bullet power, and accuracy ratings top the charts, depending on the class variant you follow. Plus, the observational skill can also be very useful for groups trying to find a particular target in a large body of other characters. Not many go beyond the Stage II ranger, so I intend to discover what a true ranger is capable of."

[KuroKishi]

Archon raised his eyebrows as he saw a figure behind Rain and turned instead to gaze at him. The Man with the Spyglass - that was what he would call him, for he had no visible name of his own - had been apparently speaking with Rain, but had stopped just a second after she had turned toward the newcomer.

Watching Rain as she turned back to the Man with the Spyglasses with a few words about his behaviour as an NPC, the young man crossed his arms and asessed the capabilities of this AI. Of course, for now, they only knew that Blanc was an artificial intelligence beyond the average capability of machines - as for what she really was, even the best of VEX Industries would struggle to answer fully.

For a second, Archon went from appreciating the interesting entity to what she spoke of about the Man with the Spyglasses. Strangely, whilst staring at both Rain and the man, he was reminded of snipers. The man in particular seemed like one of the old hunters that would go around with shotguns and rifles in order to hunt for wildlife.

Back when he first began the game, Archer thought of playing as a marksman, something just like Rain. However, after some research, he had instead opted to go for a gunsliner-type duelist. The main reasons for that, excluding his appreciation of revolvers, was the fact that snipers were a bit of a hit-and-miss thing here in the game. The variety of weapons that belonged to that class was scarce, and there were few skills to compliment it. Quests that helped anyone wishing to become a rifleman were also extremely limited and mostly involved hunting animals instead of fighting human opponents. All in all, playing as a sniper here would never pay off, if he couldn't one shot a target from a distance and call it a day.

Turning to Rain after she spoke her last words to the NPC - something about an albino buffalo with black legs, if he managed to understand any of it - he listened to her talk about her class. Once she was done, he let out a soft sigh and gave her a nod.

"Right... well, yeah, the class has really good stats, but I don't think the game has really worked it in as well as the other ones. There's not a lot of equipment and it's barely regarded within the skill subsytem, so I find it... lacking. Then again, maybe I haven't met a proper rival yet." Archon spoke as he dropped his arms to his sides, then looked downward at his horse before gazing yet again at Rain.

"So... whether you want to go hunt the buffalo or come with me to Ethan's base, we'll have to get off this peak. Let's go." He finished, turning toward the right and looking around from over the edge. After rounding the plateau once or twice, he found that one of the mountain's sides had a pretty natural slope that went down like a slide. In theory, he could use it to reach the bottom quicker. Taking a seat on the edge, Archon counted down to three... and then promptly pushed himself off and started sliding downward, using the armor along his upper body and his joints to stick to the rock wall whilst sliding down its length. Though there were a few moments where he thought he'd lose contact with the wall and tumble to the bottom or simply reach a bump and fly off, he reached the bottom and rolled forward until he finally came to a standstill. Rising up from his crouched position, he turned to the wall and spotted the grooves his body had left along the cliff face. Like a huge scratch along the body of a behemoth, the two spurs on the back of his boots had carved themselves a path down the huge wall and had formed something that seemed to belong to a huge monster's.

"Dammit... they're useless by now..." Archon spoke as he turned to look at the spurs, but only spotted a pair of ruined metallic objects still barely stuck to his boots. Using both his legs, he stomped the bent pieces off and tore them from their holders, leaving the boots with no spurs. Silently, Archon turned back toward the edge of the plateau and waited for Rain, his horse trotting around and approaching him from behind by the time he had averted his gaze.

 

[Clown_of_God]

Rain looked over the edge, watching as Archon slid down and raised one of her arms in the air. In her hand, she held a circular object and upon closer inspection, that object turned out to be a rope.

"Standard item in the Beginner's Pack for Rangers. If you had asked, I'm certain I could have provided this tool before you ruined, or wore down, some of your equipment."

Of course, one reason she had remained stationary was because she had sent out a system scan, searching for the beast and it's whereabouts. To avoid tripping any flags, she had created a breach in the tracking perk, though only at the beginning stages, it wouldn't draw as much attention as if she had committed a hard scan in the system.

Simultaneously, she had proceeded to rappel down from the peak and recovered what she could of her rope, figuring she might need some later. Once she stuffed the item back in her pack, Rain walked up to Archon and placed a hand on her hip.

"Return to Finn and Alicia, I'm going to locate this buffalo. If I complete it quick enough, I'll make my way to the Quarry and provide additional support fire from the rim on the East bank. I must head West now, that's the area the buffalo was last spotted. Hopefully the explosion won't scare it off."

Recalling her horse, she mounted the beast and faced the direction in which she was about to travel, only to pause and look back at Archon.

"Also, when next we meet, please tell me why you felt the need to come look for me in the first place. For all you could have known, I could have simply gotten bored and signed out."

[KuroKishi]

"Oh, it's not much of a bother. Even if I couldn't get the spurs fixed seperately - which, thankfully, I can at a pretty reduced price - a pair of boots just like these wouldn't come out too expensive. Plus, I've been in this game since its start, so I own a pretty substantial amount of its currency." Archon interjected to Rain's reply about the rope, hitting her with facts that, whilst true, she would probably not care a lot about. After all, with her ability to bypass the system, it was possible for her to simply give herself at least twenty times what he had in the bank and within his own treasury, back in his own base. However, a second later, he gave her a soft smirk.

"Besides, rappelling down is boring. Of course, it's dangerous, but in the end, I am aware that this is a game, and as such, I can take risks like this one just for the heck of it. It sounds like a stupid idea for both people and AI, yes - to throw caution to the wind because of a temporary adrenalin hormone flood - but I like thrills." The man finished, revealing the true reason for his leap of courage. Of course, immersion was a key feature he often stuck to... but, when there was a chance to do something he'd never dare in real life, he'd often take it. It was, as he explained it to himself, a 'way to experience what you cannot in reality because of mortality'.

Finished with his short explanation about the reason for his jump, Archon lifted an arm and gestured for his stallion to approach with two of his fingers. Turning around as it trotted forward, he leaped onto its back and gave the sides of the horse a few soft taps with his heels. At Rain's words, however, he pulled the reins and came to a stop from his slow starter trot. Shifting his gaze to face her, he gave the sniper a curt nod, then turned back forward. With a yell that came out more robotic than human, he launched the dark stallion into a full-on gallop, sending him flying through the bland desert and leaving a cloud of sand behind him.

Landmarks flew past him as he followed the path already written deep within his mind's confines. Second by second, he counted the time that he took to move from the peak all the way to Ethan's base.

Around almost four minutes, he found himself at the end of Finnegan's lot. Wasting no time with the horse, he commanded it to stop and then leapt off before giving it a sign to stay put. Then, walking up to the front door, he pushed it open and gazed inside.

[Thaelasan]

Finn turned as the door opened, then turned back to his watch. His face lightened up while Alicia's turned obviously sour.

"Ten minutes, exactly." he said, returning the watch to his side with a pat. "Alicia isn't pleased but I'll admit I am. Where's Blanc?"

"Who cares where she is? Why couldn't HE stay with HER?" Alicia hissed, almost like a snake, as she turned away from the pair of them with her arms crossed. "I doubt she followed anyway. And we shouldn't have gotten involved with her anyway."

"You were fascinated by her though." Finn said, turning.

"Yes.. but it wasn't worth it, Fin-... Ethan..." she said quietly, turning back to him. "Don't you think we're getting ourselves in this too deeply? What if she IS illegal, and she's being tracked? What if we get considered accomplices? I... you... we... We'll lose all we prepared for... all that we tried to do... I just..."

"Don't worry. I doubt she brought anything with her to deal with, and she's not our possession. I just want to see what happens. We can handle it."

"...I don't know..." Alicia responded, but went quiet, turning back away from them in thought.

Finn gave her a small, sad glance and then turned back to Archon, smiling lightly.

"Well, did you find Blanc? Are you ready?" he asked, intrigued.

 

----

 

The man with the spy glass sat down, cross-legged, where he had been, waving at Blanc and Archon as they left.

"I don't know what you mean about NPC, Missy.." he whispered as they left. "I'm just a man looking for a rare object..."

[KuroKishi]

After having walked in and taken a spot on the nearby wall, Archon offered a stern look back to Alicia as she herself got angry at him for, apparently, not coming back with Blanc in tow. He crossed his arms as she hissed at him with angry words, then promptly turned around and crossed her own arms to play what he often called the 'grumpy one'.

Standing silently and saving the sigh that had tried to find its way out from his mouth, he continued to listen to Alicia speak about Blanc with Ethan. The words that they shared were something that Arc would take note of usually... but, right now, he was pretty pissed, so they flew out of his mind the moment they had entered it. Once the conversation was over and Finn turned to look at him, he let his arms drop and took his turn to speak.

"Blanc is currently on a quest. Hunting some rare buffalo or something. Haven't heard of it before, don't really care about it. She did tell me that, once she was done with it, she'd give us covering fire from the East rim of the quarry." He said mostly calmly, one of his hands squeezed into a fist the entire time but with no agressive actions against the other two within the room.

"As for if I'm ready... I'm as ready as I could be." Archon muttered, then took a second to take a drink from his silver canteen. He made sure to specify that he was downing it, however, as he held it up for almost a minute until it was sure nothing remained within. Screwing the cap back on, he placed it back in its place and let out a soft sigh.

"Well, I could do without the huge headache that's hammering into my brain right now that a certain girlfriend of yours caused... but I'm not one to bear grudges." The man finished, giving his head a slight shake to clear the alcohol's influence on his senses. After a few more seconds, he gave Finn a soft nod and walked out of the door. He pulled his revolver from his hip and loaded the remaining three shots that had been left out, then whistled for his horse. The stallion came out of its housing with a confused whinny, but approached its rider nonetheless. Leaping onto the horse, Arc waited for Ethan and Athena to emerge so they could go to the nearby entrance and clear out the tunnels.