Midsummer Feast

Merie was sitting around the table with Anlie, drinking a grogg Anlie had prepared for her. “How do you think the hike will go tomorrow, Anlie?” Merie couldn’t help but think about it, hoping that it would turn out to be a good idea. “I think it will go well, Dear. As long some maniacs don’t try to drill holes in our head with their bullshit.” Anlie wasn’t even sounded angry as she answered, but it was clear she found it annoying. Not that she could blame Anlie for it.

After Adu and Opiom had come up with the idea of Adu’s tribe ganging up with other guilds to get back at those hunting PKs, so had they continued to voice their idea. Almost as if they hoped one of the other three would join their cause. Merie didn’t think she would directly join them, but she could maybe consider joining them from time to time. But it surely wouldn’t be as much as those two probably would want. “I don’t think they’ll bother us too much with it, as they surely noticed they’re the minority after Lart answered.” Out of the three of them, so had Lart undeniably given the best response. An intense, long and heartly laughter, which seemed to have highly upset Adu. “Don’t forget that some might change their mind easily, Dear. And if things go bad, so might he change his mind. Not that it means much more for the party than that we might hear a little more about it.” Anlie might have a point in that some might change their mind easily. But was it really the same for adult people like Lart?

Anlie took a sip of her own grog, “But either way, so am I curious how far they’ll reach. And how bad the consequences will be for them?” Did Anlie care about that because of the risk that it could spread to them, if anyone found out the leaders, Adu and Opiom, belonged to their party? “And maybe how much of a risk that they might borrow you, Dear?” “As long I risk getting exposed, so won’t there be none.” Rapidly answering Anlie’s question with a serious face. She found it fun to hunt players in Rocking World, but she didn’t want to risk losing her fun activity and relaxation. “But maybe I should ask you the same, Anlie. How much of a hand are you willing to lend them?” Merie couldn’t believe that Anlie would abandon the others if they were in need of help, as she was far too kind for that. But neither so did Merie think Anlie would take any risk of getting exposed. Anlie cracked a smile, “I might go the same way as you, Dear. As long I don’t find them to be unjustified target time after time by those groups.” Could they really be unjustified targets more than they already were? Merie could honestly not find and justification for the group to kill Adu five times in a week, maybe even more as Adu hadn’t spoken more of it after that time.

“Have you got any clearer view of what you might need to do, to turn the party into a guild?” As Merie had understood it so did the party have to get a certain amount of reputation, but she hadn’t heard what that really meant. “I haven’t heard anything more about it, as it seems like most of the other guilds are created the easy and expensive way. But I guess we’ll find it out as it comes.” They should indeed find it when the time comes. But it might come faster if they knew how they would do. “Do you think it’ll somehow help if we join forces with Opiom and Adu?” If it just should be that they’d to build up a reputation, so could it maybe help? And it wasn’t as if Merie was trying to lead Anlie in that direction. “It maybe can do, but I’m still not willing to pull the party through it. If it turns out to be wrong, so will there be quite some time where we’ll get our asses hauled. And it’s nothing I want us to suffer through for anything in the world.”

Merie could understand Anlie. And, honestly, neither wanted to risk them getting targeted by other players. Which wouldn’t be satisfied with just killing them once, as PKs would’ve been satisfied with. So without questioning anymore so did Merie taking a sip of her grog, which didn’t have the slightest taste of alcohol. She liked how sweet it tasted, and could see herself asking Anlie to make her more in the future. “Thinking of it, Dear. Shouldn’t it be nice to get out on a date again?” Wasn’t it somehow what they would do the following day? The only difference was, compared with their last “date”, that it wasn’t just the two of them. “I don’t like to call it a date, but we could get out on an adventure again soon.” Merie had been enjoying the last time they’d set out on an adventure. “And I think I might know some beautiful places we can go, if you want.” The beauty of the Highland was still lingering in her mind. She’d really enjoyed it and was sure she could enjoy it even more if Anlie kept her company. “If you like the area, so doesn’t I see why we shouldn’t go there. And it’s even better if it’s a calm area where we just can sit and relax.” Anlie didn’t seem to mind Merie’s suggestion the slightest, which made it all even better. And thinking of it, so should she maybe search for more beautiful places where they could head one after another? “And if you would like to go on a date in the real world, so is just to tell me, and we’ll set out.” Anlie’s idea wasn’t sounding too bad. Even if Merie would prefer to spend time together in the game, but she could still consider the idea. “But if we should go out in the real world, so would I love if you didn’t call it a date when you’re talking with others. Or say it out loud.” Merie didn’t like the idea that others would hear Anlie express it like that, as it would give them the wrong idea about their outing. “I’ll try to keep that in mind, Dear. But I can’t promise anything as I might get a little too giddy when the time comes.” Anlie should only dare.

–

Merie was surprised that she didn’t have more of a headache after she’d been drinking with Anlie. Sure that she’d been drinking more than when she’d followed Anlie to the party.

The tops of the trees were barely letting any light through, so Merie found it comfortable for her poor head. But even better with being there was that the rest of the party also was there. Every one of them dressed in the equipment they found most fitting for the upcoming adventure. “So it’s this way to Adu’s village?” Lart was eyeing the area, holding two massive battle axes in his hands. He’d almost the same armour as when he joined the others for hunts, with the difference that he now was wearing a full set of plate armour. But it maybe could be because he would be recognised if he only wore a loincloth and a bucket at his head. Which would be just what he wore when they were out at hunts.

Opiom was wearing her usual robe, nothing strange with her equipment. The rest was also wearing their usual equipment, with the exception that Merie was wearing the claws she got from the slimes. But it was only because she’d read some basic information about the Martial Arts ability, which she wanted to get, and to get the ability so did she need to start forming something which could be considered Martial Art. “Ain’t you a little short on weapons, Cutie?’ “I’ve enough weapons, and I’ve an ability I want to get.” Rapidly answering Opiom’s mean question, Merie hoped it would be enough of an answer for Opiom to keep quite. “Have Merie ever gone out without a plan of what she should do, Opiom?” Lart had a better view of her, even if she couldn’t say he was right. It was honestly not often she went into a fight with a plan. “I haven’t seen you all during hunts yet, but from what I’ve seen this far so do I think you might be right, Sir.” Why did Adu call Lart “sir”? Maybe something had happened behind the scenes? And how could Adu think it looked as if Merie had a plan? How could both of them be so wrong? Or had it looked like it that as she went with the flow? “May I ask what you’re planning to get, Dear? You didn’t say anything about it that the last night.” Thinking about it, so hadn’t Merie said a word about it during the evening, but it had mostly been because they talked about many other things. Which of some just have been so dumb that she only wanted to blame it on the alcohol. As if that would make it better in any way. But Merie gave a short round-up about what she’d planned,  not ignoring a few questions about the claws she got. “Those sounds fun, but it would be even more fun if there had been a spear doing the same thing.” Adu’s idea didn’t sound wrong, it could’ve been quite fun. And just thinking about how Merie thought about sending the claws out while delivering a hit, so would it have looked very impressive doing the same with a spear. “So you’ll try to learn how to beat the crap out of me if I would happen to get too close to you?” Anlie was wrong. It hadn’t been what Merie had thought about, but after hearing the idea, so was it another good way of using it. “I would want to see that, but I see monsters nearby and think it’s better if we get ready for some fighting.” It was a good thing Adu was there. Merie had honestly not kept an eye on the surrounding. “If you say so, Adu. So I guess we better prepare.” Lart grabbed his axes and waited to get a clear view of them. “I don’t want to burn down the forest, or in another way kill it, so I’ll stay calm till I see them.” Wasn’t Opiom just being lazy? It almost sounded like that in Merie’s ears, but she could maybe be wrong.

When Merie had been in the forest alone, so had she been fighting dog-like monsters, but now while she was with the others so did they also encountered bears, with large feathery wings on their backs. “WILL YOU HANDLE ITS WINGS, OPIOM?!” Anlie was in full contact with it as she asked, almost ordering, Opiom. Lart was also taking part in the assault, but had a difficult time connecting his hits. All because the bear used its wings to avoid it, as Anlie rapidly ran at it again and again. Merie did connect her claws with it, but it did far from enough damage to be seen as real damage. And Adu wasn’t much damage either.

Merie was glad that they all had gone out on the adventure, as Merie and Adu surely wouldn’t be able to handle it themselves. Sure, if they’d been alone, so might it have been easier for her to use bombs. But she still didn’t know if it would be enough to spare them the slightest suffering. “CAN’T YOU TRY TO CUT IT OPEN, LART!” Merie could almost bet her life that one hit from Lart would restrain the bear’s movement, which should do everyone’s work so much easier. “CAN’T YOU JUST BE A GOOD GIRL AND CHARM IT, MERIE?! IT WORKS ON ANLIE, SO IT SHOULD WORK ON OTHER BEASTS TOO!” Did Lart really have to pull Anlie into it, and even worse, calling her a beast. “I DON’T THINK IT’S POSSIBLE. SOME BEASTS DON’T UNDERSTAND HER CHARM!” Anlie shouldn’t answer him, and especially not with a smile. “HOLD YOUR BACKS!” A spear of ice flew toward them as she screamed. Honestly just barely missing Lart’s head in its path. “MAKE SURE TO AT LEAST AVOID HITTING LART, OPIOM!” Adu had a point that Opiom at least should spare Lart, even if she should avoid hitting anyone. But it could maybe be a little too much to ask for when they were this close to the monster.