The World

"Do you want it?" Hector asked.

Zalera: Sure, I'll take them.

*Zalera picks the La Pumpkins.*
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Luna: What if he isn't? What if he thinks it's more rude than funny?

*Aroma walks over & sits on the edge of a canal.*

*Monudon walks out the room's exit*

"Then I'll apologize and tell him I meant no harm by my jest," Noct said with a shrug, "Then again, I'm fairly certain the Silver Knight accused me of wrongdoing when I did nothing wrong..."

*Monudon winds up in a small room with a skeleton inside, heading eastward.*
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Thiera: Umm...not to interrupt, but I was going to go visit the Item Shop with Euryale. I thought I should tell you because, you know, we're in the same party.

*Monudon checks the skeleton, then heads for the exit*

Noct nodded, "I should get more Sprite Ocarinas."

Luna: I have to sell my Grunt Doll. I've yet to decide what to do with the gold.
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*The skeleton is empty. The next room has a chest & a skeleton, plus an exit leading north.*

And so everyone moseys on over to the shops.

Hector prodded the cocoon next.

*It makes a soft squishing noise. Unbeknownst to them, another ghost flies up from behind. The Battle Mode activates after a skull drops on Hector.*
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*Euryale, Luna, & Thiera have sold their shit, & are standing by Aroma, thinking about whether or not they want to buy anything. Euryale & Thiera are facing the shop, while Luna is staring out over the water.*

Thiera: I have enough to buy 2 books now. I wasn't so useful in that last dungeon because of the water monsters, so I was thinking I should buy more fire spells. Also, if I buy the second level of healing spells, which ones would you suggest I pick?

Noct buys her shit as well, then walks over, and looks out over the water as well. "So, um, what are you looking at?" Noct asked, giving Luna a small look before returning her gaze to the water.

"Well, I picked the HP regen," Sab said.

*Monudon checks all, then takes the northern exit*

Thiera: I was thinking about that one, but I also thought that having Rig Geam might make me able to cast more spells.

Euryale: Well, between Rip Teyn & Rip Synk, non-Wavemasters are usually more susceptible to mind ailments.

*Luna points to a gondola. Standing on it, facing forward, with his spear thrust into the air, is a player that Noctis should recognize as Crim. Sitting behind him is a Wavemaster with long, blond hair, & blue-green robes. The details of her character model can't be made out from the distance.*

Luna: What are we going to do with the AI? We can't stay logged in day and night. If we had a house in the city, then we could have her stay there, but we couldn't afford that, even if we repeated that dungeon all day, and pooled all of our GP together.
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*Monudon obtains a The Devil for his troubles. The next room is a circular room, but most of the right-hand side is occupied by a pit of spikes, making it more like a U. At the other end is a doorway heading north. In the middle of the path is a Magic Portal. By the time Monudon has oriented himself, the Magic Portal has already released 4 small, blue witches, which begin running in different directions. Should Monudon check his status window, he'll note that he's gone up a level since the last fight.*

*Monudon charges the closest witch*

Sab nods in agreement.

Noct ran a hand through her hair, "Good question. I was wondering about that too. I was thinking about letting her stay back at the church, but the monster that attacked Zalera might still be there. In all honesty, I'm not really sure what we can do with her."

*At the mention of Zalera, Euryale frowns.*

Thiera: That monster was probably just a glitch, so maybe it is safe for her there.

Luna: But why did the glitch happen in the first place? I don't like it. It couldn't have been a coincidence.
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*Not being stupid, it runs away from her. Monudon finds his movements frozen when a second witch swishes her staff, causing ice crystals to slam into him, & a third which begins charging another spell on him.*

"Agreed," Noct said, "And even if it is a glitch, we don't know what caused it, so I don't trust putting her back there. What if it happens only when she is in that area? I kind of doubt that, but I'm not willing to bet her well being on it."

Sab rubbed Euryale's shoulder, "Hey, I'm sure he is going to be fine."

"I don't like disgusting things," Hector said, slightly put off by the sound of the cocoon. When he was hit with the skull, he spun to face the ghost. "Damn it, it snuck up on us."

Euryale: But what if he quits The World? I wouldn't be able to talk to him any more. I'd never see him around town. In a way, it would be like he died.

Luna: It had to have something to do with her.

Aroma: Why don't I just stay here? Nothing will happen to me if there are a lot of people around, right?
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*Zalera quickly spins, slashing it repeatedly with electrified claws. After a string of Elemental Criticals, Cactus slashes from his hip as he spins, jamming his axe blade into it.*

"Well..." Noct said, "I don't really trust people not to try and mess around with you either."

"Why don't you get his phone number or e-mail address. Then you could just talk to him like before," Sab said.

Hector lifted his blade and pointed it at the ghost's head before beginning a series of very fast stabs.

*If Monudon is still frozen, he just stands there. If not, he runs to the other side of the room*

*He finally gets loose after the second blast of ice.*
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*The ghost drops, vanishing.*

Cactus: Hey, don't you have a Fairy's Orb?

Zalera: What? Well, no.

Cactus: Why would you go on a level grinding trip without one?
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Euryale: I think he only logs on to play the game. I'm not sure if he'd give me his number.

Aroma: I'm sure they're all nice. What's the harm?

Luna: Indeed. We can't protect her from everything. If she is really that fragile, then sooner or later, a Wandering Monster or a sneaky Player Killer is going to finish her off, no matter what we do.

*Monudon stabs at the witch who blasted him*