Midsummer Feast

Merie had been hunting for a while, when someone finally wrote in the party chat. Merie didn’t know what the member had written, but she would check it as soon she’d killed the troll at hand, and taken a safe distance from the monsters. Which wouldn’t take long, to be honest.

“I’ve some bad news to share with you. I started a discussion with the support-team, because Marcus and Cleara were members here. Not hiding anything from them, I asked what we wanted to do about it. They’ve sadly made clear that they would like us to close the party, which I partly can understand. But because we’ve spent to build the party up, so am I trying to get our hand on something as payment for closing it. I’m waiting for a response from them, and I think we might need to think about a new party name.” Hadn’t Anlie been suspecting it to end like that from the very start? Merie wanted to remember it like that, but she wouldn’t care more about it. Still, “What are you trying to get from them, Anlie?” Considering that they’d spent with the party, so should the payment be high. At least so did Merie think so, “I won’t go in on what I’m asking for. But I can promise you that it’ll help us a ton in the future, Dear.” Why didn’t Anlie want to talk about that? It shouldn’t be any reason not to talk about it. But since Anlie didn’t want to talk about it, so wouldn’t Merie force her. “I see, I see… But then I’ll leave it at that. But I would like to ask you why you don’t decide upon the name, Anlie? As it’s your party?” No matter how Merie thought about it, so couldn’t she deny that she and the others were only members of a group Anlie set up.

“Considering our “earlier name”, so do I think we should go with “Miten Skiten”. It does at least have the same touch, Girls.” Opiom had either just joined, or hiding while she read their chat. “I like the sound of it, Opiom. But it’s too early to set it in stone. Still, I’ll give it a thought.” Anlie was rapidly answering her, and she might be right that it was too early to decide upon anything by now. “I also like the name, but does the name mean anything?” If the name had a special meaning, so might she have some problem with it. But if it just was that Opiom was playing around with some words, so wouldn’t she mind it as much.

The conversation didn’t lead anywhere. The three of them were throwing around ideas, but Anlie still didn’t want to decide upon a name. Not only did she express that it was too early to make the decision, but she also pointed out that she would want Adu and Lart’s opinions. “I hope you get your will through, Anlie.” “And I’ll need to get my ass in gear for some hunting. And it isn’t with our Cutie.” Opiom wouldn’t need to point out that she wouldn’t join Merie, she could just let it be. “Bye, Opiom. Make sure to get your ass in gear and let me have a sweet time with my Dear.” What did Anlie really mean by that? Was it just some flirting again?

With Opiom out of the way, so did Anlie started by asking where Merie was, “I don’t know what you’ve in mind, Anlie. But if you’re thinking about flirting, or something like that, so should you come and meet me in person, or keep it in the private chat.” Merie couldn’t take Anlie seriously, at least not when it came to that. Sure, she was starting to get a feeling that Anlie was more serious than Merie had thought from the beginning. And if it would turn out that she was right about it, so did she find it better to tell Anlie to the face about what she thought about it. “If you want it like that, Dear. So will I do keep the sweet words to the private chat. But just as much as I would love to meet you face to face in the game, so can’t I meet you by now, as I need to finish a quest before someone else steals it from me.”

Merie couldn’t blame Anlie for prioritising the quest over meeting up with her. And even though she wouldn’t have minded some company, so didn’t she have any other choice than to accept the situation as it was. “Then you better get going, Anlie. So will I also continue my hunt for those crystals.” Merie dropped a sigh and closed the chat, turning back her attention toward the Swamp-trolls. Leaping into action, she rushed the closest troll. Taking it by surprise, swinging and hitting it in the side. Rapidly followed by a swing in the other direction, aiming for the head.

Merie was glad she’d put so many points into agility, letting her rapidly avoiding the trolls’ attacks. And thanks to the crystal, she already had equipped to the paws, so wasn’t she only doing damage to the monsters with her simple punches. Merie would honestly not have minded if the poison would’ve been slightly stronger, still she was thankful for the help it provided.

–

Merie jumped backwards to avoid a Minatour’s giant axe. She found it terrifying to see dirt flying all around as the axe hit the ground. She was sure one single hit straight from it would kill her, even if it wouldn’t be a good hit.

“I THINK YOU MIGHT NEED TO HELP ME, LART!” She wasn’t hesitating to call for support, as she found it far better than to be killed. Not to mention, she found it as the least Lart could do to pay back for her helping him. “GIVE ME A COUPLE OF MINUTES, GIRL!” Lart was probably fighting another Minotaur. Which she would like to say was a horrible idiotic idea, as it was safer for the both of them to attack one monster together. ONE AT A TIME. The bull-like monster let out a loud cry, and with a harsh turn it pulled the axe from the ground in a large swing toward her. Merie was once again forced to jump backwards.

Merie disliked they were hunting in a dungeon, as she had to make sure her back was against a wall. But they didn’t have any other place to hunt Minatours, and it was the monster Lart wanted to hunt. With the simple hope that he would get an axe with slots in the loot. And because there hadn’t been anyone else, in the party, who could help him, so had Merie jumped in as support. First, not thinking too deeply about it, but she was starting to grow hesitant.

Taking a low position before leaping toward the Minatour, punching the fucker in the stomach. Taking a glimpse of the beast’s health, noticing that its health barely had decreased. Merie silently cursed the situation, once again backing off. Trying to figure out what she could do to help herself, but no rapid ideas came to mind. She could use one bomb, but there was no way of telling if it would be good or bad. The roof wasn’t looking too stable, and even though she was sure the roof wouldn’t fall down, so there was no way for her to be sure. “COMING YOUR WAY, GIRL!” Lart must have made a short work out of the monster. “I CAN DISTRACT IT WHILE YOU KILL IT!” Merie knew that she wouldn’t be able to handle this kind of monster, just like many any other monsters, but just as always so would she be able to distract the monster. She was moving closer, keeping its attention on herself as she could see Lart swinging his axe, slashing it wide open and robbing it of most of its health.

The beast turned toward Lart, giving Merie a chance to get a hold of its back. Surprised by how well she could hold on to its back with the paws, able to stay in place with one hand, using the other to hit it in the back of the head. The minotaur’s trashing was a pain, worrying both her and Lart that Lart’s attack would hit her instead of his target. At the very least, so did Merie want to think Largt was worried about it. Still, so didn’t she dare to bet her life on it. He might be slightly careful, but there was no evidence that he would be cautious just because she was holding on to the monster’s back. “INCOMING!” At Lart’s call so did Merie let go of its back. Watching the axe cutting into the monster, seeing how the last of its health drained up. “Do you think we can find any way to kill the monsters faster, Lart?” It wasn’t as if she didn’t want to continue helping him, instead so did she hoped they could find a more effective way to kill them. “I can’t think of any other way than to straight of killing them. Which maybe won’t fit you, Girl.” Lart should know that it couldn’t fit Merie to head straight in for the kill. “Then, we might need to think slightly harder about the killings. I don’t like the risks of getting hit every time I hold its back.” “Is it even possible for us to hit each other anymore?” “I mean, as we can’t go out on hunts anymore, so shouldn’t it be able to hit each other by mistake.” Lart might be on to something. As he said, so shouldn’t they be able to hunt like they did before, so it shouldn’t be possible to hit each other. “I think we might need to send the support a question about that before we take it for granted.” Merie could still not see dying as anything other than a waste of EXP, and considering that the ambush was getting closer, so didn’t she want to risk anything.

“You sound very lively for knowing you’ve been in contact with terrorists, Girl.” Lart’s comment came out of nothing. “I can’t say I like that they once were members of our party. But it isn’t as if I think about it all the time. And I can guess it’s the same for you.” There were no chances in hell that Merie could think positively about being in a party with terrorists, and possible murderers, but as long she didn’t think too deeply about it so could she suppress the memory. And she was sure it was the same for the rest of the party, maybe with an exception from Adu, as she never met them. “I can’t say I think too much about being in the same party as them, but I do find it bothersome that Marcus was a coworker. And I think we all are the company is feeling uncomfortable with it.” Lart had been working together with Marcus?! If he was honest, so was there no way Merie could blame him for feeling uncomfortable about it, as he must have been closer to him than Merie ever would get. “May I ask how you and the others are handling it? And if all of you’re fine?” Merie had Anlie she could talk with if it would become a problem, and she’d her parents. Sure, adults probably had their way of handling things, but the question was if those things were as effective. “I’m handling it kinda well. I’ve turned to some friends about it, and doesn’t feel as bad about it as I did in the beginning. But I can’t answer for the rest, even if the company is offering help.” It was great to hear that Lart was doing well. As she did know him, so did she wish him well. “But I hope it doesn’t turn out those two isn’t the Rocking World Slayers, as it’ll give a bad touch to those times we’ve taken a couple of beers together.” Lart wasn’t alone in hoping it wasn’t the case. It was uncomfortable to know they were terrorists, but it would be terrifying if they turned out to be serial killers too. “But I think that should be enough of that, Girl” “Nothing will come out of talking more about it, and if we’re unlucky so might it put you in a bad mood.” What did Lart mean by bad mood? Sure, she didn’t like it. But it wasn’t as if her Moi’s would turn sour because of it. Still, it was kind of him to think of her, even if it was slightly in the wrong way.