[ funny that they're in a desert, right? not so much that this would probably be the worst resort anyone's ever visited. a dry heat, a lack of vegetation, and tons of sand... who would find this relaxing? not him. actually, going outside in general isn't really his speed but... ]
Isn't this amazing?
[ the excitement is bubbling in his voice as he takes a few steps forward. looming ahead looks like some kind of larger structure of rocks. it's obviously where they need to head, though there's a bit of nothingness in between them.
which is fine to him. ]
Sorry, this is probably the worst place for plant life, isn't it...
[ okay, this is just.. the worst. the absolute worst. the heat here might be fabricated, but it's still heat, and tighnari fucking hates it. while cyno is busy geeking out over the layout, tighnari is trudging up behind him, lagging, his tail lank and his ears dropped low.
You're probably more used to the heat than I am! I can't remember the last time I went outside...
[ it was probably the day before. or the one before that. anyway, he's not here to argue that point, pathetically cute as tighnari may look right now. as they walk together, cyno makes sure to slow down his pace. he's not going to leave his partner behind. ]
... besides, we just got lucky. Or unlucky. We could be inside a volcano! That'd be hotter. Right?
[ the sand is definitely annoying to walk through. a bead of sweat drips from his forehead down his nose and he hums. ]
Do you think we're both sweating out of the game? Hm? Do you?
You just went outside yesterday to get food. You told me about it.
[ and cyno knows full well how unbearable the heat is to tighnari. he sure did collapse when they were little kiddos in egypt.. and clearly he hasn't gotten any more tolerant. embarrassing. but he's too overheated to really be embarrassed anyway. ]
And please don't talk about volcanos..
[ he's already drowning in heat. blease. he's going to die. but he continues on trudging behind cyno nevertheless. ]
Look, sometimes you crave a frenchy fry and a nuggie. I can't help myself.
[ it's okay! he's not planning on leaving the safety of his place for a while now. he's properly stocked up--- with more than just chips and soda. ]
I could carry you if that'd make it more bearable.[ a beat, then: ] Actually, can I even do that?
[ is that some kind of class specific thing or not? hm. he'll have to think about it some more. the shade will allow his brain to cool off a little, right? ]
Probably should keep your guard up. The closer we get to the dungeon, I'm sure there will be some actual monsters.
[ he still went outside!! tighnari sounds so crabby. but he's also proud, so after a few moments he huffs, and shakes his head. ]
And no, I certainly don't need to be carried. I'll be.. fine.
[ as for keeping his guard up.. tighnari sighs. so much for studying the environment. he's half-tempted to ask cyno if they could just turn around and find new keywords, but no, his friend is excited, and tighnari doesn't want to spoil his fun. he hefts his water gun up into his hands. ]
there's something comforting about tighnari holding that weapon with what he feels is confidence. it's a video game after all--- any preconceived notions of how they would actually handle a fight means absolutely nothing right now. and maybe that's even cooler to him, thinking about the future. how skilled they'll be.
which is why, with his head up in the clouds, he doesn't notice the rock head that's just floating in front of him until he almost runs into it. ]
Whoa! The heck is this thing?
[ it responds with a fist that slams the sand in front of him. reflexively, he swings his rickety looking farmer's scythe and slashes at it. ]
anyway, a gun doesn't feel nearly as natural in his arms as a bow does, but this game has something against archers, apparently!! he'll get used to it. at least his aim is still spot-on.
which is good and important, considering a monster is popping up right in cyno's face. ]
Be careful!
[ BAM, the water gun lands a shot right in the ugly thing's face. ]
[ WOW bows are absolutely cooler in this essay tighnari will
tighnari barely has the chance to ready for another shot when cyno slices the whole rock right in half. his brows lift high, and tighnari approaches to examine the.. corpse? ]
[ he definitely feels cool! barely broke a sweat, except for the sweat that's already on his forehead. it's hot. he will continue to tolerate it until they're in the shade, and then he'll think about lying down and wishing for a cool breeze or a splash of refreshing water... ]
You think?
[ with a cocky grin, cyno doesn't realize another one of those stony monsters has practically thrown itself towards him until the impact of it hitting the sandy ground knocks him down. ]
[ ah, cyno's cute when he's all proud of himself like that. tighnari chuckles, despite the oppressive heat. at least until cyno's knocked straight down onto his ass - ]
Oh -
[ tighnari.. swears colorfully, then lifts his gun and levels the second rock monster with several rapid-fire shots. ]
[ oh, to be avenged by his friend... he's a little dazed but should be fine. a cursory look at his HP reveals that he took some damage but! he's not dead! he's got all his limbs. everything is fine.
the rock, despite being weak to wood damage, doesn't seem to like the water. maybe tighnari crit? either way, it goes aaaaaa and poofs into smoke. ]
... hey. [ as he slowly gets back to his feet. ] That was pretty awesome, 'nari.
[ oh, right - this isn't happening, cyno isn't actually hurt - it's so easy to forget that, in this place, where everything feels so wildly realistic. leaning down, tighnari offers a hand to cyno to help him back up, before he's glancing left and right, scanning the area, his ears perked tall and high, listening.
but there doesn't seem to be anything else yet, and they're drawing close to the dungeon, so hopefully they'll be out of this heat soon. ]
Yes, well.. [ ahem. he rubs the back of his head. ] Let's just.. move on to the shade, now.
[ his back aches and so does his left arm, but he's pretty sure it must be some kind of... very hard vibration? maybe even a shock to the muscles? something that would cause a spasm that would also introduce pain, but not to the point of actually hurting him. right? a game can't actually hurt him.
getting closer to the dungeon itself, the one thing he notices is that it's... big. made of stone. a different kind that the rocky bits and pieces are of the field. the textures aren't exactly matching. ]
You think they'd do a better job of making it look like it belonged...
[ tighnari has sharp eyes, and he's been trained in medicine, so he can see that cyno is moving slightly differently. as they hurry toward the dungeon in the center of the area, he lays a hand against cyno's back. ]
Did you get hurt?
[ he's frowning. weren't there pain receptors in this game? he has no idea whether or not they're automatically toggled on. ]
[ so his pain slider is up. tighnari frowns, then pauses where he's standing to pull up his HUD, navigating menus until he finds his own pain slider, which he promptly turns down. ]
I suppose they're on by default - the pain receptors. You should be able to turn them off, like I just did.
[ little does he know that cyno is a freak who intends to leave them on.. ]
[ he takes a deep breath in and then slowly lets it go. nope, the pain is still there, throbbing. it feels so real and yet, he knows he's not in real danger. ]
It'll help sharpen my skills. Like lifting really heavy weights.
[ except he's never done the latter so like what's the truth ]
Besides... with you helping me, I'll be fine even if I push myself too hard.
[ not gonna?? tighnari looks positively steamed. ]
Cyno!
[ what is he thinking, leaving them on like that?? what sort of freak?? does he want tighnari to worry about him? he breathes a low ugh and marches up to cyno, examining him more closely now, with a critical eye, to make sure nothing is broken or bleeding. ]
You know what, it's too damned hot to argue, but I'm not pleased.
Well.. I suppose, but there may be more highly concentrated enemies, too. We'll find out.
[ he's feeling better now that they're in the shade, wiping sweat from his brow with his free hand. descending down the ramp, he shoots a harsh glance over his shoulder at cyno, his ears pressed flat against his skull, tail poofed out in aggravation. he's so powerful with these features.. ]
[ oh lord he's going to get an earful later. it's been such a long time since he's seen tighnari this... concerned AND upset? the combination of almost overwhelming.
but cyno sighs as he rubs his temples. ]
Okay, okay.
[ for tighnari, he'll have to be careful--- and be honest about it, too. lying to him would probably be the worst possible thing he could do.
anyway in the first room there is literally some kind of floating thing of armor that looks really unimpressed by the two of them, so like. yeah
also i couldn't find a picture of an armor evil but i can only assume ]
[ he's absolutely going to get a strongly worded letter about his recklessness. tighnari is interested in healing medicine, he's not keen on watching someone he loves get themselves hurt in a dang video game!!
also smart man, with the lying. lying bad. he will know. ]
Well, only one way to find out.
[ that's one silly looking armor dude.
but tighnari doesn't hesitate. the water gun is OUT and he's immediately firing. ]
[ it's one very silly armor dude, but there's something about it that seems oddly dangerous? either way, he's happy tighnari's going in firing because when its attention gets pulled in his gunner's direction, cyno is more than happy to get in the middle and wildly swing his scythe. ]
Don't think so!
[ sounding all cool, his efforts aren't immediately squashed (13), but the amount of pushback isn't as tremendous as he likes.
and then he dodges the armor's swing with ease (19). ]
[ tighnari is more worried than ever that cyno will be hurt; he's trying not to focus on it, and instead keeping his attention on the monster, and the space around them, lest something else sneak up on them from behind.
so he does just that. and keeps on firing.
and i rolled a fucking 1 i hate my life, the gun actually backfires, squirting tighnari in the face with water, knocking him onto his ass. ]
[ at least cyno is managing some hits, here.. god, he's so embarrassed!! but he scrambles back to his feet again, and quickly glances over his tooltips, reading fast, to be sure he's doing this right, before he's lining up his shot, bolstered by cyno's words -
- holy shit he rolled a 20 so he's BACK WITH A VENGEANCE, fangs flashing as he hisses and lines up a shot that blasts the thing right in the middle of its face! that's absolutely a perfect crit - is it dead?? ]
[ it's super dead. that, or super clean. either/or. it's a good thing too; he's not sure if he could stand to take another hit? having low HP is one thing, but not having a high pain tolerance is what's really affecting him right now.
doesn't help that he's not used to swinging a weapon. even if the game basically does it for him, it still feels real. it's all mental. ]
[ and that alone makes him feel like he can't disappoint. no way he'll look like a complete utter fool in front of tighnari, unless it's he himself who does it!
with the armor downed, it feels like they're close to the end. the room in front of them is more or less... empty? or is it?? there's just enough shadows to keep him from completely seeing inside. ]
Shall we?
[ he won't remove tighnari's hand as they move in together. ]
[ tighnari rolls his eyes, but together they walk into the dark room, though he takes his hand back in order to have both on his.. weapon (?). once his eyes adjust, he finds that the room is a dead end, where they find only a statue, and a treasure chest. ]
Do you want to do the honors?
[ he figures cyno is a nerd and wants to open it.. too bad there's only a weird goblin inside, probably. ]
[ the chest is cautiously opened and BAM, there's... nothing? at least not at first. as he turns around, that's when he notices the goblin charging at them from behind--- unarmed. but cyno still readies up just in case.
[ that wouldn't happen, this is a normal very not weird game, right?? tighnari clearly doesn't worry about offending it, however, nor does he care if it's Rare. he sighs, his expression flat. ]
But fine, we can keep it around if you want. What strange things have you been up to, Cyno?
Nothing at all. [ cyno hums as the goblin laughs and shakes its head. ] Honestly, I wanted to make my first area exploration special by doing it with you and you only.
[ and then the goblin fake-gags. it hates this. ew. ]
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no subject
Isn't this amazing?
[ the excitement is bubbling in his voice as he takes a few steps forward. looming ahead looks like some kind of larger structure of rocks. it's obviously where they need to head, though there's a bit of nothingness in between them.
which is fine to him. ]
Sorry, this is probably the worst place for plant life, isn't it...
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he looks absolutely pathetic. ]
Why did I let you talk me into this?
[ there's like, TWO whole plants!! ]
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[ it was probably the day before. or the one before that. anyway, he's not here to argue that point, pathetically cute as tighnari may look right now. as they walk together, cyno makes sure to slow down his pace. he's not going to leave his partner behind. ]
... besides, we just got lucky. Or unlucky. We could be inside a volcano! That'd be hotter. Right?
[ the sand is definitely annoying to walk through. a bead of sweat drips from his forehead down his nose and he hums. ]
Do you think we're both sweating out of the game? Hm? Do you?
no subject
[ and cyno knows full well how unbearable the heat is to tighnari. he sure did collapse when they were little kiddos in egypt.. and clearly he hasn't gotten any more tolerant. embarrassing. but he's too overheated to really be embarrassed anyway. ]
And please don't talk about volcanos..
[ he's already drowning in heat. blease. he's going to die. but he continues on trudging behind cyno nevertheless. ]
Let's just get to that shady area.
no subject
[ it's okay! he's not planning on leaving the safety of his place for a while now. he's properly stocked up--- with more than just chips and soda. ]
I could carry you if that'd make it more bearable.[ a beat, then: ] Actually, can I even do that?
[ is that some kind of class specific thing or not? hm. he'll have to think about it some more. the shade will allow his brain to cool off a little, right? ]
Probably should keep your guard up. The closer we get to the dungeon, I'm sure there will be some actual monsters.
[ he's excited. ]
no subject
[ he still went outside!! tighnari sounds so crabby. but he's also proud, so after a few moments he huffs, and shakes his head. ]
And no, I certainly don't need to be carried. I'll be.. fine.
[ as for keeping his guard up.. tighnari sighs. so much for studying the environment. he's half-tempted to ask cyno if they could just turn around and find new keywords, but no, his friend is excited, and tighnari doesn't want to spoil his fun. he hefts his water gun up into his hands. ]
We'll just keep moving. I'll keep an eye out.
no subject
there's something comforting about tighnari holding that weapon with what he feels is confidence. it's a video game after all--- any preconceived notions of how they would actually handle a fight means absolutely nothing right now. and maybe that's even cooler to him, thinking about the future. how skilled they'll be.
which is why, with his head up in the clouds, he doesn't notice the rock head that's just floating in front of him until he almost runs into it. ]
Whoa! The heck is this thing?
[ it responds with a fist that slams the sand in front of him. reflexively, he swings his rickety looking farmer's scythe and slashes at it. ]
no subject
anyway, a gun doesn't feel nearly as natural in his arms as a bow does, but this game has something against archers, apparently!! he'll get used to it. at least his aim is still spot-on.
which is good and important, considering a monster is popping up right in cyno's face. ]
Be careful!
[ BAM, the water gun lands a shot right in the ugly thing's face. ]
no subject
Whoa!
[ it takes him a moment to back up, holding his weapon up to defend from a potential blow. ]
Nice shot! [ whether it actually does anything, he's not sure? definitely looks like it did damage, so he might as well try to follow up.
with a swing, it feels almost natural--- strength behind it as he lunges--- cutting the rock in half. ]
O-oh! Holy...!
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tighnari barely has the chance to ready for another shot when cyno slices the whole rock right in half. his brows lift high, and tighnari approaches to examine the.. corpse? ]
Wow. That was cool.
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You think?
[ with a cocky grin, cyno doesn't realize another one of those stony monsters has practically thrown itself towards him until the impact of it hitting the sandy ground knocks him down. ]
no subject
Oh -
[ tighnari.. swears colorfully, then lifts his gun and levels the second rock monster with several rapid-fire shots. ]
Get away from him!
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the rock, despite being weak to wood damage, doesn't seem to like the water. maybe tighnari crit? either way, it goes aaaaaa and poofs into smoke. ]
... hey. [ as he slowly gets back to his feet. ] That was pretty awesome, 'nari.
no subject
but there doesn't seem to be anything else yet, and they're drawing close to the dungeon, so hopefully they'll be out of this heat soon. ]
Yes, well.. [ ahem. he rubs the back of his head. ] Let's just.. move on to the shade, now.
no subject
We're almost there. Hang in there, okay?
[ his back aches and so does his left arm, but he's pretty sure it must be some kind of... very hard vibration? maybe even a shock to the muscles? something that would cause a spasm that would also introduce pain, but not to the point of actually hurting him. right? a game can't actually hurt him.
getting closer to the dungeon itself, the one thing he notices is that it's... big. made of stone. a different kind that the rocky bits and pieces are of the field. the textures aren't exactly matching. ]
You think they'd do a better job of making it look like it belonged...
[ whew. ]
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Did you get hurt?
[ he's frowning. weren't there pain receptors in this game? he has no idea whether or not they're automatically toggled on. ]
no subject
Yeah. I did, but it'll be okay. I'm sure we can find some kind of healing item somewhere in the dungeon, right?
[ gritting his teeth, cyno clicks his tongue. ]
If I don't get hit, I don't have to worry being in pain.
no subject
[ so his pain slider is up. tighnari frowns, then pauses where he's standing to pull up his HUD, navigating menus until he finds his own pain slider, which he promptly turns down. ]
I suppose they're on by default - the pain receptors. You should be able to turn them off, like I just did.
[ little does he know that cyno is a freak who intends to leave them on.. ]
no subject
Not gonna.
[ he takes a deep breath in and then slowly lets it go. nope, the pain is still there, throbbing. it feels so real and yet, he knows he's not in real danger. ]
It'll help sharpen my skills. Like lifting really heavy weights.
[ except he's never done the latter so like what's the truth ]
Besides... with you helping me, I'll be fine even if I push myself too hard.
no subject
Cyno!
[ what is he thinking, leaving them on like that?? what sort of freak?? does he want tighnari to worry about him? he breathes a low ugh and marches up to cyno, examining him more closely now, with a critical eye, to make sure nothing is broken or bleeding. ]
You know what, it's too damned hot to argue, but I'm not pleased.
no subject
[ he's going to have to put on a stronger front from now on. try his best to persevere. ]
Besides--- we're practically inside the dungeon. It should be a little safer in there, right?
[ cyno's next smile is a little frayed on the edges, but no less sincere than the first one he ever gave him. ]
no subject
[ tighnari's scowl is severe!! and his ears are DOWN. this is his angy face. he doesn't want cyno in pain at all?? ugh, why is he like this.
anyway, they've reached the front of the dungeon now. thank god. ]
What makes you think a dungeon will be safe?
no subject
...
what if he accidentally himself offline. actually nevermind he's rethinking that strat ]
Because we'll be in closer spaces. It'll be easier for us to see what's around us rather than being in an open field.
[ in theory.
also he hates the angy face and the droopy ears, it makes him feel so bad... why is tighnari even STRONGER right now, what the heck ]
no subject
Well.. I suppose, but there may be more highly concentrated enemies, too. We'll find out.
[ he's feeling better now that they're in the shade, wiping sweat from his brow with his free hand. descending down the ramp, he shoots a harsh glance over his shoulder at cyno, his ears pressed flat against his skull, tail poofed out in aggravation. he's so powerful with these features.. ]
We'll talk later.
no subject
but cyno sighs as he rubs his temples. ]
Okay, okay.
[ for tighnari, he'll have to be careful--- and be honest about it, too. lying to him would probably be the worst possible thing he could do.
anyway in the first room there is literally some kind of floating thing of armor that looks really unimpressed by the two of them, so like. yeah
also i couldn't find a picture of an armor evil but i can only assume ]
... should be easy for us. Right?
[ right?????? pls don't be angy ]
no subject
also smart man, with the lying. lying bad. he will know. ]
Well, only one way to find out.
[ that's one silly looking armor dude.
but tighnari doesn't hesitate. the water gun is OUT and he's immediately firing. ]
no subject
Don't think so!
[ sounding all cool, his efforts aren't immediately squashed (13), but the amount of pushback isn't as tremendous as he likes.
and then he dodges the armor's swing with ease (19). ]
Easy! Keep on firing!
no subject
so he does just that. and keeps on firing.
and i rolled a fucking 1 i hate my life, the gun actually backfires, squirting tighnari in the face with water, knocking him onto his ass. ]
Dammit -
no subject
but no. they've got that monster in front of them. he's got to keep it back so tighnari can launch another barrage.
so he dashes forward, swinging his scythe, hoping that he doesn't make a huge fool of himself!
a respectable 14. he's able to pin it to a wall with that one. ]
You got this, 'nari!
no subject
- holy shit he rolled a 20 so he's BACK WITH A VENGEANCE, fangs flashing as he hisses and lines up a shot that blasts the thing right in the middle of its face! that's absolutely a perfect crit - is it dead?? ]
no subject
[ it's super dead. that, or super clean. either/or. it's a good thing too; he's not sure if he could stand to take another hit? having low HP is one thing, but not having a high pain tolerance is what's really affecting him right now.
doesn't help that he's not used to swinging a weapon. even if the game basically does it for him, it still feels real. it's all mental. ]
You're a natural at this.
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Please. I hit myself in the face thirty seconds ago.
[ but he approaches the dead armor and cyno after a moment, laying one hand on cyno's shoulder. ]
You all right?
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[ and that alone makes him feel like he can't disappoint. no way he'll look like a complete utter fool in front of tighnari, unless it's he himself who does it!
with the armor downed, it feels like they're close to the end. the room in front of them is more or less... empty? or is it?? there's just enough shadows to keep him from completely seeing inside. ]
Shall we?
[ he won't remove tighnari's hand as they move in together. ]
... hm.
no subject
[ tighnari rolls his eyes, but together they walk into the dark room, though he takes his hand back in order to have both on his.. weapon (?). once his eyes adjust, he finds that the room is a dead end, where they find only a statue, and a treasure chest. ]
Do you want to do the honors?
[ he figures cyno is a nerd and wants to open it.. too bad there's only a weird goblin inside, probably. ]
no subject
[ the chest is cautiously opened and BAM, there's... nothing? at least not at first. as he turns around, that's when he notices the goblin charging at them from behind--- unarmed. but cyno still readies up just in case.
it's request is equally strange, and he shrugs. ]
I guess... we can't just leave you behind. Right?
[ maybe they should tbh ]
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Why can't we? I don't see why we need to take it with us.
[ it's obnoxious!! ]
no subject
I don't think we have a choice if it keeps following us...
[ cyno winces, trying to keep his voice low. he doesn't want to offend it? what if it's actually Rare??? ]
... also what do you think it's talking about? Strange things? We just started playing...
no subject
[ that wouldn't happen, this is a normal very not weird game, right?? tighnari clearly doesn't worry about offending it, however, nor does he care if it's Rare. he sighs, his expression flat. ]
But fine, we can keep it around if you want. What strange things have you been up to, Cyno?
no subject
Nothing at all. [ cyno hums as the goblin laughs and shakes its head. ] Honestly, I wanted to make my first area exploration special by doing it with you and you only.
[ and then the goblin fake-gags. it hates this. ew. ]
no subject
You're such a cornball..
[ and so sweet. tighnari is touched, even if the goblin is gagging - that goblin can kiss his ass!! ]
Wanna get out of here, then?
no subject
Yeah. Let's go.
[ with the goblin tagging along, of course. which isn't great but it's. yeah. ]