To Drown in Sand

Gossip

"I say we leave them down there until they off themselves. They aren't getting out of here otherwise."

Momonga watched in contemplative silence as Ulbrt threw a dramatic arm out, the tips of pointed claws just barely grazing the helm of Touch Me's armor. There's no intent of harm or threat in the action, merely the dramatics that comes with speaking with a goat who's deep into character. Touch Me pays no heed to the near miss and instead presses on to try to make his point.

"There must be a better way to handle this. There's no reason for us to force them to use friendly fire. That could cause them to be put on the Dishonored board at best or flagged at worst."

They stand before him, their impartial leader, in hopes of settling their dispute. Mercy or punishment. It's not been long since they'd beaten the dungeon and remade it into their home. The Great Tomb of Nazarick now stands as the pillar of evil and inhumanity in Yggdrasil, word of their feat having spread to other servers. The dungeon had been infamous for its difficulty, an unconquerable prison in the depths of Helheim. Their victory, and on their first try no less, over it, was a sign of their strength. And an insult to all who failed before.

The world, even one consisting of endless strings of ones and zeroes, is unkind to anyone who doesn't fit the mold. Inhumans do not fit the unrealistic beauty standards that are achievable in a game so they are shunned and hunted. For what right does someone who chooses not to be beautiful have to live?

That was the reasoning behind the most recent raid and the subject of the current debate brought before them.

Perched silently in the guild leader's lap was arguably the most important member of the guild. The lone healer and "mother" of Nines Ooal Gown, Carissimi Licentia. She's the youngest member, only eighteen years old. And isn't that a funny thing right there? She was sixteen when they first met yet she had more respect and decorum than the adults who mostly populated the game. She was the only female member at the time and made sure to care for her little circle of friends, their little family of outcasts. Carissimi made sure each of them was equally loved and that they'd never feel the need to quit like the rest of the world wanted them to.

It became a private joke between them that she was like their mother, not that they'd ever tell her that.

No one had even told her when they gave her the title of "Queen Mother" when they were upgraded to an actual guild with their victory over the dungeon. Their little joke would continue to fly over her head.

Even if it's not a real title, she fills it well.

The angel silently stroked her little snake, an albino Black Mamba whom she named Snowflake. It had only been a week since he'd hatched but he was already completely and utterly attached to her. Each day spells, potions and buffs would be applied to the serpent in hopes of turning him into something more than just an ornamental summon. Some of the members felt it to be a waste to bother with such a simple and mundane animal when there were much more powerful and fantastical creatures to be had within the game. But the little snake was a gift from her beloved brother and so she would love and nurture it.

But that is neither here nor there. What matters is the quickly heating dispute between good and evil.

"If they did not wish to  face the consequences of their actions, they should not have had such high and foolish ambitions as to attack us!"

"Their ambition is a sign of their perseverance and should at least be appreciated. There is no need to make the game harder on themselves as a result."

"When you fuck around, you find out!"

Tabula's sword was drawn at the same time Ulbert summoned purple flames to his palms. Momonga sighed as the two continued their posturing, not concerned in the slightest about any violence happening. Carissimi merely made herself more comfortable in his lap and took a screenshot whilst marking a tally in a scoreboard. This was such a recurring thing that it didn't even warrant a single glance.