Lowering his crossbow, Bob jogged into the room and over to Mark. Rummaging through his satchel bag, Bob removed a few potions and helped Mark recover. Sean relaxed watching Mark's health bar fill up and the symbol for his paralyzed condition vanish. Noticing the little bat symbol, bob winced but told them excitedly. "You guys have no idea how happy we are to see you." Sean forced a smile. He was still a little shaken up. Glancing at Wade who stood awkwardly in the doorway, Sean took in his appearance better. Wade's avatar was so tall that his shoulders were flush with the top of the doorway. He looked strong and rugged with shredded leather pants and a necklace of bones around his neck. He could faintly see the bone handle of a dagger hidden among the ordinary animal bones of the necklace. Wade's skin had a strange blue tint to it and his scruffy hair was dark and wild. He'd chosen to be a member of the jotunn. The giant race. He was a little frightening to look at. Standing at nine feet tall.
When Sean's eyes drifted over to Bob, he smirked. Bob had chosen to be a hardy looking Dwarf. He was loaded with tools and weapons that made him prepared for almost anything. He was dressed in impressive full body armor, but instead of a helmet, he wore a set of work goggles. Helping pull Mark to his feet, Bob rolled his eyes when he shrugged and said aloud. "An Aesir... I knew it. Did I say that he'd pick that, Wade?" Wade let out a chuckle, softly admitting. "You did. I owe you a drink, I guess. Thanks, Mark..." Mark shot him a playful glare. When Bob turned his attention to Sean, Sean eased himself up and reluctantly asked. "Ethan?" Bob and Wade shared a grim look, before Bob answered softly. "He's gone..." Mark exhaled all the air in his lungs, before walking away to a window. Bob lowered his eyes to the floor, telling Mark swiftly. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have let him go ahead of us... He heard you might be coming up this way and he wanted to finish his quest. We were going to join him later..."
Bob gestured to his bag, adding grimly. "I wanted to be prepared for anything. I was stocking up. Wade kept a look out for you in town. We didn't hear about the people hunting gamers... until it was too late. Wade and I got caught up in town. Ethan was here... We got the message when he..." Wade removed a gorgeous dagger with a soft leather sheath and a smooth oak branch handle with strong bare branches spanning off it. Handing it out for Mark, Wade told him solemnly. "Here. He'd want you to have it. When he... He didn't have much, but it sent that with the message that he'd fallen." Mark didn't look or even move away from the window. So, Sean moved forward to accept it for him. Once he accepted it, he slipped it into their shared married inventory. That way Mark didn't have to take it right now. Looking the dagger over, Sean could tell that it was the dagger of a Vanir. He doubted Mark could do anything with it... but it was the thought that mattered.
Leaving the silence between them for a bit, Sean accepted them into their party. When they were all good to go, Sean finally broke the silence to ask. "Why are you here?" Wade was the one to answer, telling them coolly. "At first it was to finish what Ethan had started. A dash of revenge... But more than that. We heard there is this skeleton guy that was looking for you in the last town. He thought of only one way you could have escaped... He's heading up this way. We've got to go." Tensing up, Sean muttered out. "Fuck, he's persistent." Bob huffed, telling him openly. "It's not just him. It's everyone. They are attacking people in groups. Pressuring others to join a side." Wade nodded, adding seriously. "Ya. They are not playing the game so much as... focusing on being the winning faction." Finally facing them, Mark darkly grumbled out. "Then let's fucking finish this for them." Bob opened his mouth, but Mark was already storming out past them all. Wade waved to Bob and Sean, telling them coolly. "I'll follow him."
Bob stopped Wade, telling Wade in a rush. "No! I'll go with him. If he's a vamp, my potions will keep him alive. Plus, I have ranged weapons to watch his back. Go with Sean. He'll need a tank." Sean opened his mouth to complain but managed to stop himself. He wanted to go with Mark... but he felt like he had to share him. Mark wasn't just his. Clearing his throat, Sean told Wade softly. "Let's go hunt a werewolf. We'll leave the lord of the manor to... them." Wade backed up to let Sean out of the room. Sean started down the hallway but snuck a glance behind him. Mark was long out of sight, but his worry over him didn't relent. Beside him, Wade's heavy footsteps practically shook the windows, while he asked him quietly. "So... You and Mark have been... getting alone?" Biting his lip, Sean nodded. He wasn't sure how much he should tell them. It felt... awkward. Wade stretched when they stepped outside the building, telling him happily. "Well, I'm glad. Mark has missed you even if he hasn't said it."
Grimly, Sean found himself muttering out. "He's got a girlfriend to keep him busy." Wade eyed him suspiciously before telling him. "Yes. And she's nice. But Mark can be... a handful. He tends to work himself to exhaustion. And lately... he's been doing it on overdrive. But when he was friends with you... you had this way of slowing him down. He takes his time with you. If you know what I mean." Sean's cheeks turned a rosy pink, but he nodded. He knew exactly how Mark liked to take his time with him, but that wasn't what Wade was implying. Clearing his throat, he scanned around for the woman. While Wade said innocently added. "So... you married him?" Sean staggered on his feet, then whirled around to lock eyes with Wade. Wade smirked, pointing to something on his menu screen before withdrawing a large ax. Pulling up his menu, Sean looked it over, stammering out. "No! We are just..." Sean drifted off as he saw what Wade had. Now that they were all in a party together, there was a matching ring symbol by his and Mark's names.
Swallowing, he tried to think of a reason for it but couldn't think of one. Only to realize that he was doing exactly what he didn't want Mark to do to him. What Mark was afraid that he'd do. All his fear drained away, when he looked up at Wade and just sighed out genuinely. "What if we are? Is that going to be a problem for you?" Wade hefted his ax over his shoulder, telling him casually. "It's never bothered me. I couldn't care one way or another if it was just a joke or real for you. I only bring it up because it was such an issue before and now... if you start that again... I hope you're prepared for the same outcome." Turning on his heel, Sean started walking around the manor yard as he snapped out. "It won't be the same as then. Because... I'm not playing around anymore. I'm tired of being someone that I'm not." Wade's voice was cool sounding, when he asked him. "I'm happy for you... but... what about your girls on the outside?" Sean glanced over his shoulder, his voice a bit distant when he answered. "I will tell her. There is no point in hiding it from her."
Wade shrugged, but Sean could see that he had doubt under the surface of his neutral face. Ignoring his distressing face, Sean forced himself to scowering the yard for Trisha. Withdrawing his blades, he loosened his wrists and asked Wade off topic. "What can you do?" Wade extended out his ax, causing the thick sharp blade to frost over. Smirking at him, Wade happily told him. "I'm a frost giant. My strength is maxed out and I'm immune to cold. I can also use the cold to my advantage." Sean raised an eyebrow, blurting out. "You could choose from other giants?" Wade nodded, then sniffed the air before telling him coolly. "There she goes." Sean turned around to see her fleeing off into the woods. It was obvious that she was fleeing from them because she kept glancing back at him as she ran. Gripping his blades tighter, Sean cursed and told Wade. "Hurry! Don't let her get away!" Sean took off at a full run, but Wade's long stride quickly outpaced his.
Dashing into the woods, Sean dodged around trees and bushes, trying to keep up with Wade. Wade's heavy steps thundered through the brush, his large body easily maneuvering between the close trees. Those few trees that he did hit with his shoulder, snapped like toothpicks. As one fell in front of Sean, Sean leapt into the air and used his wings to make it over it before returning to the ground to run. He didn't want to use up his ability to use his wings just yet. He wanted to save them for critical moments. Wade bent down to grab a boulder with one hand, then bowled it out along a straight path. Trisha yelped as she tried to outrun it. When the boulder was inches from slamming into her, she suddenly backflipped over it and whirled around her heels as she threw out something at both of them. Wade lifted his ax, causing the blade she threw at him to ding off the steel harmlessly. Sean was in the process of dashing around a tree, when the blade thunked hard and deep into the bark inches from where his face would have been.
Staring at the blade, he watched it ooze with a green liquid. A liquid that had been stored in the very handle of the blade. Trisha let out a deep growl, her voice deep when she told them. "Stay away from me! Or I'll kill you!" Still running toward her, Wade yelled out. "Try it!" Wade swung his ax back, letting it charge before swinging, but he wasn't close enough to hit her. However, from his blade, sharp icicles of ice shot out in a long line toward her. Trisha dropped to all fours, her one good eye turning a bright yellow. Then she dashed off to avoid Wade's backswing to hit her. She was faster than a normal human and light on her feet. She made no sound as she dashed around trees and ducked under bushes. Her voice snarling out to them. "Cheating on your own women back home? Why am I not surprised. My husband liked to cheat too. He got what he deserved... and you will too." Putting the pieces of his bow together, Sean changed to shooting areas around them in the hopes of hitting her.
His shots kept missing though and Wade's swings weren't having much luck either. From a bush, she chuckled out. "I'm thinking about starting an all female pack. Hunting cheating males like you." Sean let an arrow loose into the bush, watching her roll out to avoid it before dashing across an open cleaning. Wade seized his chance and swung out at her, only to gawk at how she jumped perfectly to roll across the flat of his blade. The second she landed; she ran at Wade. Jump kicking him in the face. Wade fell hard, causing the whole ground to shake. Which put her on her ass when she landed. Sean jumped to hover, then swooped in and shoot her through the shoulder, pinning her to the ground. She screamed, reaching out to grab the arrow and Sean smirked to himself. His gut had been right. She had a blind spot on her blind eye's side. Staying in her blind spot, he landed and swung at her with his bow. She barely could block with her gauntlet arms and grew more frustrated with him that he refused to leave her blind spot.
She was so distracted with him, that when Wade kicked out at her... she didn't see it despite it being on her good side. Wade kick sent her flying into a tree, where she yelped like a dog. Sean took aim with his arrow but stopped himself when he saw eyes in a bush nearby. Trisha staggered to her feet, huffing out. "Is that all you've got? You can't kill me without silver boys! You are not going to win this!" Wade raised his axe to throw it, but Sean extended out a hand to stop him as he told her. "True. We don't have silver... but we won't need it." Trisha removed another dagger that was dripping with green liquid as she huffed out sarcastically. "Ya? And why is that?" Wade's eyes widened as the large black wolf silently slipped from the bushes behind her. Sean could see the little bird child just off in the distance, trying not to watch but fearing for his brother. Sean straightened himself up, answering smugly. "Because the one who made you is strong enough to finish you."
Trisha looked confused, until Sean boldly told her. "You kicked him because you hate dogs... and this time, daddy won't save you from him." Trisha could only gasp, before the wolf slammed into her. His teeth going straight for her throat. Her screams were sharp and turned quickly to a muffled gurgling that could barely be heard over the mangy wolf's loud snarling. Sean avoided the gore and watched the little bird child perk up with relief that his brother was ok. When the noises stopped, Sean glanced back and was just in time to snatch Wade's wrist before he threw the ax at the approaching wolf. The wolf growled low and deep as it crept closer. Wade called Sean's name, but he ignored him. The wolf stopped within hands reach away, parting his snarling jaws long enough to drop something in the grass. For a brief moment, their eyes met, and Sean heard the wolf's snarling turn to a soft whine. His narrowed yellow eyes softening before he turned and trotted off to his baby brother.
Releasing Wade's wrist, Sean smiled to himself. He really hoped they had a happy ending at the end of this. To Be Continued...