Midsummer Feast

A piece of ice blew a swamp-troll’s head clean off. Merie held her bear paws tight and closed in on the troll behind the killed one. Satisfied with the strength of the paws, even though it meant she lost the ability to slash her enemies wide open. Instead forced to improvise more in martial arts, but it was a price she could consider paying. “YOU’RE MOVING WELL, CUTIE!” Opiom didn’t need to point it out. Merie could’ve figured that out herself, especially since she hadn’t been hit even once since they started. Ducking a swing, troll’s club, swinging her right and hitting it in the side. Rapidly turning and swinging her left to hit it in the stomach.

Opiom and Merie had gone out to hunt swam-trolls. This wasn’t only because Opiom had pulled her along, nor that Merie needed to train how she would use her new weapons. But it was also because Opiom had found some interesting information. However she’d found it, so had she found out they could get crystals from the swamp-trolls. Crystal with a poisonous effect, and Merie wanted them. Opiom had pointed out that there probably were monsters which could give her the “Cripplingly Poison”-effect, but both decided to put that hunt on ice. At least until they knew which monster it was providing those crystals. “HOW RARE DO YOU THINK THE CRYSTAL IS, OPIOM?!” As always so didn’t Merie have all the time in the world, so she was glad Opiom was helping her. “I THINK THEY ARE LESS RARE THEN THE EQUIPMENT WITH SLOTS!” Merie could only hope Opiom was right. As some players felt safer from PK now than before, so had some come clean about having equipment with slots. Some of them talking about how they’d been hunting the same monsters for a whole week, or more, before they got a single item with slots. And if it was possible, so would she like to get some crystals to her paws before it was time for the showdown in the capital. “DO YOU THINK THERE’LL MULTIPLE POISON EFFECTS IF I USE MORE THAN ONE CRYSTAL?!” She was honestly curious if it worked like that. Which could help her a whole bunch. Four poison effects working separately, which probably would be a far higher threat than a stronger kind of poison. “I DON’T KNOW, CUTIE!” “BUT YOU CAN HAVE MULTIPLE DIFFERENT EFFECTS AT THE SAME TIME!” Even if Opiom would turn out to be correct, so would the latter part also be good.

“ARE YOU ALSO SEARCHING FOR ANY EQUIPMENT, OPIOM?!” Thinking about it, Opiom hadn’t indicated she was trying to get anything, not any reason at all for helping Merie. So either so was she an idiot and did it all for free, or so was she searching for something. And if it would turn out that Opiom was searching for something, so did Merie want to help her. “I’M NOT QUITE LOOKING FOR ANYTHING, BUT I’LL GLADLY TAKE WHAT I CAN GET!” If she gladly would accept what she got, so didn’t Merie mind giving her whatever loot she didn’t need. As long as Opiom didn’t change her mind.

Merie ran toward another of those trolls, slipping past an attack and aimed an attack toward its stomach. She couldn’t deny that it was going well, but she also knew that it could’ve gone better. And it should surely go better if she just laid some of her free time at watching videos about martial arts on the internet, hopefully picking a thing or two up. Another Ice-bolt flew past her head, hitting the fucker she’d been injuring. “YOU’RE STEALING MY KILLS, OPIOM!” There were no chances Opiom didn’t know what she was doing, and Merie wouldn’t be the slightest surprised if the cunt killed her monsters because the cheer fun out of it. “YOU SNOOZE, YOU LOSE, CUTIE!” It’d never been as if Merie somehow “snoozed”, she’d only been thinking for a second. Which not even had put her in danger, still she’d been the one standing in front of the monsters. “BUT IF YOU CAN PROMISE ME A KISS, SO MIGHT I BE ABLE TO FORGIVING YOU FOR SNOOZING!”

Merie didn’t even care to answer Opiom, as she didn’t even find the comment worth answering. Turning her attention toward the trolls again. Hoping that she would find it sooner or later. “BORING, CUTIE!” With those simple words, so did Opiom continued to cast spells to support her. Making a shorter work out of the monsters.

After a couple of hours of hunting, so did they finally found the first crystal. Which Merie felt was much because she’d got better with the attacks and handled them mostly herself. Of course so was Opiom still helping, but she was also casting spells to pull monsters closer to Merie. Which saved them a little time as none of them really had to move. “DO YOU WANT TO TAKE TIME OFF TO CHECK THE CRYSTAL, CUTIE?! OR DO YOU WISH TO LEAVE IT FOR LATER?!” Opiom had the dumbest question ever. “I WOULD LIKE TO CHECK IT NOW!” Merie hoped that the crystal would make the killing go smoother. But if it turned out that she was wrong, so wouldn’t it change anything. “FALLING BACK!” Opiom was of course the first one pulling back, but it was only because she was a Spellcaster, which wouldn’t be able to survive as much as Merie. And it was even though Merie wouldn’t be able to handle much. The troll she’d been fighting followed her, but she kept a healthy distance from it. But Opiom was casting her spells at the troll, and saving Merie a bunch of energy. Soon so were the girls at a safe distance from the monsters, giving Merie the chance to check the item. The description simply states that it would inflict the target with a middle-strength poison. It was weaker than Merie had hoped for, but as long as the poison did have an effect, so would it help her, “Is the crystal worth it, Cutie? Or do you think we should wait till we know where we can gather stronger crystals?” “If it’s as you said and I can change the crystal as I wish, so do I think we should continue.” Rapidly answering Opiom, she was sure she could make a good combination out of all the crystal she could find. But it would only be possible if it would only be if she could try different combinations. “I questioned it a couple of extra times, and it should be possible.” It was great that Opiom had asked about it already, as it would’ve been a hell and a half if it turned out it wasn’t possible to change later on.

Even better was that it wasn’t necessary to get in contact with a smith to equip the crystal to the weapons, only holding the crystal close to the paw was enough for the paws to show open the slots where the crystals should be put. “It’s surprising how smooth they let that be, when it’s a hell or two just to learn how to kill stronger monsters.” Merie couldn’t quite agree with her, but it could mainly be because she was using another kind of weapon than Opiom, Not to mention that Opiom also needed to mind her MP. But not even minding Opiom’s comment, equipping the crystal, “Do you mind continuing for a while longer, Opiom?” Merie was ready to go again. Hoping it was the same for Opiom. Not that she would stop the hunt if Opiom couldn’t continue, but it was still more comfortable to have company. “I’m ready to go for a while longer, Cutie.”

–

The sun was still not able to pierce the cloudy sky, and it started to bother her. Merie had been following the news and tried to get her hands on as much information as possible about the case. Not yet finding anything connecting them with the slayings. Which not only was because that case still was unproven, but she somehow felt that it lay closer to her heart. Not to mention that it was something she’d thought about from time to time, and she couldn’t understand how the both of them were able to not show any indications about it in the chat. Or was it just that they’d missed something? And if anyone of them had been better friends with those two, would that person been in danger of getting killed?

After all that had come out about those two, including they were players of Rocking World, so had Merie’s parents been understandably worried about her. Talking with her about the event, asking how she was doing and asking if she knew them from the game. To which Merie did lie that she didn’t know them, as she didn’t want to make them more worried than they already were.

Still, she couldn’t deny the fact that she felt uncomfortable knowing that she just as well could’ve been a victim if she would’ve been dumb enough and met them. Merie opened the menu and went into the party chat. Thinking that she maybe could find someone who might want to come along and gather more crystals. Rapidly noticed that there were no other online, finding it strange since there always was someone online by this time. But in loss of better options, so did she close the menu and set out on her own. Suddenly remembering the new rules when it came to PKing, which would make sure that she would be safe when hunting in the less popular areas. And even though she couldn’t deny that it sucked to be forced to fill out a form to go on a simple hunt, so did it make the game slightly more relaxing while being on the other side.

“YOU CAN SAY WHATEVER YOU WANT! BUT WE’RE FREE TO FIGHT THEM! AND WE’LL FIGHT THEM WITH PRIDE!” As she was walking toward the teleports, so couldn’t she miss the knight standing in the middle of the street and screaming. There were other players surrounding him, pushing him around and calling him names. Merie could, and somehow should, take his side and try to help him. But she’d seen others doing just that, and they’d been turned into targets. Getting exposed to the same treatment as the first one.

Turning away her head and continuing her lonely walk to the teleporters, she honestly didn’t need to hear more from that guy. As she already knew what he wanted to tell the world. The date for the assault against the Main capital was set. And for whatever reason so did some players brag and try to recruit others. This could’ve been a good idea, but sadly so had it been clear from the very beginning that there wouldn’t be many joining them. And even worse was that it was clear many would try to do whatever they could to set a stop to the attack. So all Merie could see they were doing was to bring them some unnecessary attention. Still, so was the only silver lining that the other party was forced to go through the very same thing as them.

The assault really was the talk of the town. Merie couldn’t even take a single step without hearing something about it. Some even pulled up a couple of names, none of them sounded familiar. And it was even tough she’d started to build up contacts with the others on the forum. Still, she could guess there were many of them not going by the names in the game. And it wasn’t as if she could blame them, as she was doing the very same thing. But considering how the situation had been prior to the restrictions, so couldn’t Merie say that anyone ever would be allowed to blame her and the others for it.

Reaching the teleports, and heading straight into the closest one. Trying to get away from there as fast as she could, not wanting to hear anything else about the upcoming event. As she walked into the teleport so was she surrounded by light, but it was only for a second before she arrived in another town, close to the swamp. She still wouldn’t mind some company, but the party chat was still silent as the grave. Which she only could hope that the other would join the chat soon, even if they wouldn’t join her in the hunt. So would it still be better than it was now.