adregem | 000 - voidtreckerexpress Universal Contact Post

[ He hums out his intrigue as the opening layouts play out, showing them the first floor of the dungeon. Every textured surface, every pixel in perfect place, really brings him back to a different time and place. This is the one time he takes his character to a complete standstill as his fingers move the leftmost joystick, just tilting the camera side to side, all around, up and down, taking it all in... ]

This reminds me of a place we had to run away from. It's been so long since then.

[ Though the game does lack a certain sense of danger and urgency than his actual experience. He was escaping a coup with Evan then, the first time they ever met. A lifetime and a half ago, now... When he's done assessing the dungeon, his avatar bursts to life again, staff out and his stance ready. He smirks, happily taking the lead from Tidus' archer with a characteristic seriousness you'd attribute to Roland any day. It's just a game, bro. ]

Of course I'm going first. I have to protect my ranged unit. That's just Strategy 101. [ .... ] And that's really funny. I'm a professional, I've never had friendly fire and I'm not about to start in a game, I can tell you that much! [ PUNK! DELINQUENT! ]

[ He moves his character a little too fast, exploring like he's on a sugar high. This causes him to fall off platforms, get wet in ditches, and clip his character against dead ends, but it's all part of the fun for Roland. Eventually, they meet their first fight - a couple of generic looking bats and slimes with a skeleton thrown in, again, looking awfully familiar from the monsters he's seen in Evermore except more kiddish and less menacing. His mage...charges up at them, hitting them with his staff with weak melee before he casts fireballs up close. He goes through this motion to help Tidus shoot from relative safety before he hears Tidus' question. ]

Sort of. If you count Sky Pirate jail time, sure. [ He kills a slime! He uses a basic ice spell and it's more effective than the fire! ] Evan and I were cuffed and we got this close from getting thrown off a cliff to our untimely ends. [ Another falls under the staff of the mighty Roland! Someone should really tell him to stop casting magic while jumping. It looks cool but it's disorienting. ] Have you? I can't imagine, you're such a nice, polite boy. [ You can practically hear the smirk dripping off of his voice. ]

[ IT'S JUST A GAME, BRO.

But for someone taking a game so serious, what kind of mage bothers attacking with their staff?! What a waste of time, but at least with Roland rushing on ahead, it gives time for Tidus to pull out his own weapon and attempt to use it. For all his own professionalism and sense of done it, i'm a pro over how to get from Point A to Point B, he's never played this class before, going for the standard sword and shield.

The bats are the fussiest, but luckily the skeletons' hitboxes don't care about the spaces between their rib bones, and when they're hit, they flail their bony arms up in a stun. It makes it easy work for Roland to knock them with magic. ]

What're you tryna say? [ Cheeky! Tidus isn't taking that! ] I got thrown in jail 'cause some jerk kidnapped my girl! And there wasn't any nearly for us--they dumped us into dungeons full of fiends so we'd get kill!

But we didn't 'cause we're better than that. [ yeah everyone else who died that way are chumps!! There's a treasure chest awaiting down one of the forks in the path, and Tidus's character kicks it open with a foot, revealing armlets found to be equipped. Thank you, he will. ]

[ He has a system, don't question it if it works!! He creates a surprisingly effective combo, and he even unlocks a nice finishing move where he douses the last blob with ice before burning it with a fireball. He just invented his own Class of magician, you're welcome. ]

You don't run out of arrows? If only it really worked that way in real life.

[ Roland is too busy fixing his camera angles that he misses out on the freebie. He isn't salty about it, but you will hear him kind of scoff. He saw that. He was gunning for it! Rude! He catches up with his jumping and running and they encounter their first puzzle, where they have to light candles in quick succession to open the big gate. The only problem is that they'd need teamwork, since the candles were so far apart, and they were each timed to only stay lit for a certain number of seconds. Roland's avatar begins to run incredibly fast in every direction - every direction - in an effort to memorize the fastest route among three candles that weren't equidistant. He's a geek and you did this, you did this Tidus! ]

That's...actually really honorable. Your girlfriend is lucky to have you and your friends. [ HE FOUND THE ROUTE. Center, Left, Right! ] Heh. You must have enjoyed fighting your way out of that. Why was she kidnapped in the first place? Did she get hurt?

[ He obviously means this, he knows she's probably okay by now but just in case, he is worried that something bad happened to her during that time. Roland's stoic but he isn't made of stone. And for Tidus to mention her this casually, he reckons she must mean a lot to him. ]

[ They need teamwork?? Too bad the pair of them are a horrible match and will never work out. Actually, with the way that Roland is just zooming around the place, he wonders if Roland will try to solve this puzzle on this own or actually let Tidus take part in it. ...or tell him to.

So don't mind as he stands to the side looking like he's waiting for Roland to figure it out. You've got this, champ. ]

She's fine, [ he can answer, that's the easier part of that question, but for the rest. ] It's uh, kinda complicated, but the guy wanted to marry her to get her to help him do something stupid. [ And you can hear how unimpressed Tidus is to remember it. ] But he's gone now, thankfully. For good. Some people are just nuts, y'know?

[ Not even the peanut and celery kind. ]

[ He's still jumping. That avatar is going to get a lot of good leg gains today. Roland kind of leans in to shrug at Tidus' arm since he can't really see him, and it's almost, almost juvenile. He's letting loose and having fun, no more calling out! ] So this might not work the first time around, but let's try it out. Light the center candle first, then when you see me go around the leftmost side here, where the other candle is hidden behind a door, run to the right candlestick. We have to meet back at the middle after we light all three, so jump if you have to get speed.

[ He won't do your homework but he'd probably tutor you after class for free. Such is Roland's fate. As they get into position, he still keeps his ears open for Tidus' short tale. Roland quirks an eyebrow at that. ]

He...forced her hand into marriage? That's despicable. What reason could he have had to do something like that? [ His avatar cycles back into a neutral position as they ready themselves. ] You're right. It takes all kinds. I guess some things really are just universal, whichever world you end up in. [ Not that there were a lot of nutjobs in the Second World. Maybe...President Zip was kind of a nutjob when he was being manipulated, but apart from that, he can't think of anyone dastardly enough to force a maiden to wed. It doesn't sit well with him, no sir. ]

You sure you can't get it? You nearly had it that time.

[ You know, Tidus is fine just standing over here doing absolutely nothing, and he totally wants to see if Roland would try it if he said it as (somewhat) earnestly as he did. Are you sure, Roland? Are you positive this isn't a solo puzzle??

But as his tale, there's a dismissive tone in his reply. ]

It was all politics. Wasn't really important or what he wanted Yuna to do, it was just show. [ Pah. It puts a sour taste in his mouth to even think about, reminds him of the apple in his real lap, though he doesn't go for it. ] That was my brush with that kinda thing though. Religion ran Spira, people called Maesters who decided this or that for everyone. Far as I know, there wasn't any voting with that.

[ Then again, far as he knows about anything, they could have had duelled to the death to appoint people to positions. ...'cept, he doubts that. Most of them were all lanky and old. ]

[ Oh no you don't. Roland runs his character around Tidus' warrior in fast circles again, like he's trying to carve is path into the ground. ] Even if I could get it on my own, why would I? I'm playing with you, so we have to do it together. [ Circles!!! Around!!! You!!! ] Besides. I have a feeling this isn't going to be the last puzzle yet, so the next one's on you. Captain.

[ He jumps in place, the bugger of an avatar. But Roland as a player is once again still, sitting up with a straight back and his neck barely craning from side to side. ]

[ He's happy Tidus is sharing a bit of his own world with him. It's...nice. ]

Interesting. Spira, huh? From experience, politics and religion rarely mix. When they do, trouble like that tends to follow, and history is a cruel mistress, rarely forgetting the mistakes of men. I can't say I support such a system, but I'm in no position to judge given what little I personally know. [ A short beat passes. ] Maybe he was actually in love with Yuna? And used his position to curry her favor?

[ Who is this guy, why is he such a big kid? Let's ignore the fact Tidus would absolutely do this to someone else if he wasn't as zoned out of it as he came into the game, but this guy! He's like sixty or something in real life! Why is he acting like he's four!! ]

Do you have to run around all the time?

[ No acknowledgement of their actual goal here or the puzzle, but with that said, Tidus will move his avatar with an exaggerated sigh into place. ]

It wasn't love. [ Simply stated, but firm. He could just tell directly what he was after, but when Roland is in high fantasy mode...ugh, the reasoning will sound stupid. But he does decide after a beat of his own- ]

Yuna was a summoner, she was going around Spira to get the power to take down a problem in the world called Sin. Seymour wanted to use to so he could get--stronger.

[ That was basically it, wasn't it? But it wasn't as simple as him just gaining ultimate power or whatever, and the reason for his slight hesitation in describing it as such. But Tidus wants to keep the details simple, short. But also, with that said and now with him in place: ]

Ready?

[ For this puzzle? ]

[ The role reversal isn't lost on Roland and you could say that's making him more self-aware that this was fun, and now Tidus knows what its like for your buttons to get pushed 8) But also because...he feels a bit silly, and he sort of enjoys feeling like he can just relax once in a while. Not have the burden of the worlds - two worlds - on your shoulders.

The nightmare doesn't help that disposition either. He needed this. He will need to forget it, eventually. ]

Ha. Looks like someone can't keep up with my close-range magician.

[ The light quip at Tidus fades away as he notices the sincerity in his answer. The small dips of hesitation to expound on more. Roland won't force it, he doesn't have to. He surmises enough from the story, enough for him to know that these things were important to him. Yuna is important to him. ] I see. [ He clears his throat, but it isn't audible. ] I'm sorry both of you had to go through that. Sometimes...people do crazy things, when they want something bad enough. [ The weight in his own words are evident. ] Sometimes when you want something to happen, you won't care what happens to anyone else. But that's not love.

[ He shakes that off as if it was nothing, expertly dodging ~~repressing~~ that emotion with practiced ease. He resumes his stance and his finger twitches to move the joystick. ]

Ready and waiting, cap.

[ Tidus is fine with leaving that particular subject there, nothing more that he wants or need to say. Spira was fussy, complicated, and there were some parts he could look back on with some absurdity, but he wasn't here to share his entire story.

Then again, he never get to say about how a zombie fiend was waiting for them in the water....

But now's the time for this candle puzzle, which they don't get the first time, unfortunately. Wherever he was meant to watch Roland do after he lit the centre candle, well, maybe Tidus wasn't listening too well to those instructions earlier. And he'll defend himself on his hill with the grumbling he gives as to the reason- ] You were runnin' 'round too much.

[ Grumblegrumble, getting him confused. But he's ready to go on after that, and they can get it the second time--the amount of time they have to pull it off now as short as it seems when you try to do the task on your own. The way opens up with a 'wall'--and not even attempting to be a wall, with an arch of bricks around where the door obviously is visible in the design--dropping down into the floor. ]

We're coming up to the first boss soon. [ And speaking of bosses, that word alone reminding him of a conversation at the end of the mission, or near to it- ] You know, I thought we beat that mission pretty easy.

I was jumping to signal the timing! Come on, pay attention.

[ The banter continues until Roland talks Tidus' ear off about how he made sure there was enough leeway in between lighting one candle to the next to get a headstart. It's the typical tone he would usually use but if Tidus listens closely enough, he'll know that Roland was actually immersing himself pretty well in the game. He has his own play style, and he'll never admit to it, but he's glad he's doing this. He's happy to discover something new. ]

[ As soon as the outline of the 'hidden' door is visible, his character once again readies his staff. He's a bit apprehensive. It's just a game. Bro. ] I hope we're prepared enough. You're not even at full health. [ He's one to talk. His own magician is in the Yellow Zone. ] Well, it doesn't matter. Surrender is the only defeat.

[ He isn't sure what mechanic will come into place here, so he lets Tidus lead the charge. His avatar walks this time, as he learns to gently tilt the joystick versus jerking it around with his thumb. ]

That mission? You mean the one on Terra? How so?

You reeeally like stories, huh.

[ 'Surrender is the only defeat' It might be the environment though that's making Tidus a hundred times more ribbing than usual, and when they're both with avatars like this...! But it's fun teasing all the same, nothing serious. Roland seems to be getting into it, so unless he's just automatically like this about everything...well. That's not bad.

Still better than counting carrots. ]

Well, we had that big last fiend that showed up, right? 'Cept, I dunno if it showed up then or was already around. But in the lab there was a machine that kept saying something was approaching. But that giant fiend was already there. So what was approaching? And how come all the fiends got destroyed just because we took down that one?

[ Did Tidus miss something. He knows there was something about aliens (didn't Roland tell him that, even?), but it was still...strange. Something off.

Was he just used to harder challenges? ]

It's not like it was an easy ride or no one was getting hurt, but after all that mystery, doesn't it feel like we...I dunno. Left too early?

[ He's automatically like this about everything, you are correct. Although he can't discredit the game's effect on him either. The cosmic timing of things was just perfect - he was in the mood to distract himself anyway.

There is nothing wrong with counting!!!

He jokes back with Tidus, but it will take a very perceptive person to hear the distinct warmth in his tone this time around. ]

Heh. I do. Stories are important. They're...what you can bring home with you.

[ Nope, he's not going there right now. BACK TO THE GAME. There's an animated cartoon again, so Roland's avatar is playing out a scene. He can't move it, and he certainly isn't going to press buttons to skip the scene! But he's only half watching. The rest of his attention falls to recalling the mission. Once again, Roland is visibly shocked (or as visibly shocked as one can be when wearing a headpiece) that his perceptions were indeed, on the money. ]

That's a good question. Well, let's retrace what we know. The Dweller and The Burrower is...their god. We know that scientists sent unknown but oddly specific information about their planet to an alien source, which turned out to be a violent entity that covered the surface with orbs that evolved into monsters. We also know that the scientists who escaped were aided by an alien force to safety.

[ This was a pretty long cutscene. There were cheesy lines about being a hero. Ack. Roland loves these. He's actually really into it. But he's also a really good multitasker so he doesn't miss a beat. ] Was there anything from the Red or Orange team on an approaching monster that maybe we didn't get to see underground? It could be that the warning was for the huge wave of monsters that swarmed us during the last few days...Gah. You're right. I told you, if we had a chance to stay longer, I would have bargained for it. I wanted to know how to stop the monsters from coming back for good, but if they're connected to something organic to the planet, then what's to say they won't come back after we've left?

[ He's grasping for straws though. He only knows a little bit of the information, piecemeal as it came. His old frustrations are coming back up; the idea that he couldn't solve this mystery gets to him more than he cares to admit. ]

[ Sounds like sappy old man words to Tidus tbqh.

But as Roland recounts their actual adventure while the one in their visors play out. ... actually, Tidus isn't great at multitasking, so he's squinting like that'll do any good, but along with the text is voice acting, so he has to strain to ignore the game in place of Roland's talking. ]

Didn't you say those things were from outta space though? I think somehow... they knew the light would make 'em double, the light from the sun, and that was gonna let them keep coming back. [ Actually. ] That's weird, you know? They knew what they did about the planet and had the right kind of fiends to go down and keep doubling until they would overrun the whole planet. [ Sure, he knows they had the info about the planet to do that, but... isn't that also some kind of coincidence? Or luck? ]

So what about the guys who sent them? They wouldn't try again?

[ Or makes whoever sent them a worrisome force?

And too bad, look where they are now: Tidus confused, Roland frustrated. They're outside the way that'll lead into the miniboss, and Tidus goes over to a small fountain tucked in the corner, crafted stone styling and making it stand out against the worn out dungeon. Tidus's avatar kneels down and cups their hand into the water, and when it does, sparkles show that his HP/MP has been restored. ]

[ Roland was just about to follow up on that, but as he watches Tidus' warrior heal itself in the fountain, he sort of regrets jumping in the water, making splashes as he speaks. He didn't know that was a place you go to for health! He thought it was decoration! What happens next is a flurry of activity. He darts his head down to look at his controller, but sees of course, only what the VR is showing him on the headpiece. He fumbles out of the fountain and tries to copy Tidus to get his own health bar back to green. ]

Hey, you didn't tell me you could do that! Wait, do I press this button or - nevermind, I got it. Does the water run out?

[ He hurries to get his Magician to drink from the fountain. The confirmatory button is pressed and there he is, surrounded in sparkles. 100% HP/100% SP! ]

Alright, all fired up!

[ His character waits for Tidus, jumping in a weird pattern. Like...Roland is actually timing it. ??? He also seamlessly returns to the actual meat of their conversation, because he's not a n00b who can't listen to voice acting while talking >8) ]

Anyway, yeah. According to Curufin, the signals sent from the labs went into outer space. But when I asked what kind of signals or messages the scientists sent, they couldn't find anything. No logs, no recordings...Just a general summary that they were sending information about the planet to the receiver. [ He sighs quietly. ] We also never figured out why they sent a signal in the first place. They obviously didn't know what it would bring about. They all escaped at the last minute when they realized it was bringing something unsavory onto Terra.

[ His avatar finally stands still, and if Tidus strains his ears enough, he will hear Roland mutter something like 'warmed up!' before stopping.

God, he's a nerd. ]

[ is there any point in him telling Roland why he didn't tell the guy splashing around like a five year old in the health fountain.... you know what nevermind.

Which is also where Tidus is about at on thinking over what happened on Terra, how it still bugs him, but maybe he was being the weird one here: thinking it was too easy, too soon a fix for their overall problem, like they didn't get to the meat of it.

But is it just some weird kind of disappointment? He wasn't unhappy when it was over--no way, those fiends were annoying--but that single big one just shattering them all for good was...just... ]

We can't do anything about it now. [ You can hear the annoyed resignation in his tone, his avatar inching up to finally open up the last steel door. ] Miniboss is a giant slime.

[ There. Whatever. Moving onto what they're actually doing, and his avatar is the one to open the steel bar door, and a small cutscene starts off where the 'camera' zooms in and upwards to reveal just as he said: a giant slime...with a crown on its head, laughing and jigging once its dopey smiling face is shown.

It's slow, wiggling its way to either one of the two (splitting up is a good idea to distract it), and ice is the best spell for it, just like the other slimes. Sometimes it gets a burst of life and will 'dash' (wiggle quickly) towards its target, or decide to jump up high and slam down over a character from above.

And then there's when it takes enough damage and a chunk comes off it, a small poof! of clouds popping up and turning the chunk into smaller chunks--of smaller slimes to deal with.

Luckily Tidus has some magic that he can use with his arrows, ala the Hero of Time, Link. His regular can still do damage, but when the smaller slimes show up he calls (louder than he needs to, considering he's right next to Roland) -- ] You deal with the big one! [ so to keep Roland's more effective spells focused where they should be. ]

[ Roland doesn't answer right away, but the Determinator in him can't help it. There was definitely more to the invasion than destroying one big baddie, and he can feel that doubt tug at him since leaving Terra. ] Yeah. For now. [ There were other missions. You bet your bottom dollar Roland's going to be playing a detective. ]

[ He's attentive. The cutscene engages him just like the other one, and this time he doesn't do that thing where he talks over the voice acting. If someone walked into this scene, watching from afar, they'd find Roland smiling in earnest, almost as if he enjoys the cartoons more than he does the graphic gameplay. ~~He does.~~ And unlike the first few fights with smaller enemies, Roland obediently follows Tidus' instructions, drawing from the fact that he already knew what to do. His avatar casts ice on the slime, pacing his moves so that he doesn't run out of SP. He's able to run away from two of the boss's big slam moves, though the third time he gets hit with the shock of the attack. He leans forward, as if trying to see even closer into the VR headset, and he feels the pressure on his lap move towards the balls of his feet when he moves his body in time with the fast-paced action of the game. OK MR. PRESIDENT. ]

Got it! [ He abandons his attempts to stave off the smaller slimes and charges up more ice moves, but he's close to depleting his stamina. He clicks his tongue against his teeth, elbows tensing and rising against his side as the button mashing intensifies. ] Hey, is there anyway you can get me some sort of item to help me cast more magic? I'm down to 10SP and Freeze Ray is 5SP! We need more!

[ ....Is he shouting back??? Wow this is embarrassing. ]

[ There's room to move around, but they're still circling around a blob in a square room that's fat and able to catch them as they bolt for it if they're not lucky. Which Tidus always isn't, tching under his breath like any cool anime guy would. The smaller ones don't do much damage, but they're quicker than their 'king', and it takes a few shots to get them down.

But as the life bar for the king slime is close to low... ]

Here, dropping you an ether!

[ --Tidus is coming in with a save for you, old man!! And a bottle starts floating from the ground where Tidus was standing, his avatar now running off to be a distraction so that Roland can get and use the restorative potion before being bothered by the boss.

He's down on magic himself. Can they manage to finish this thing off...!? ]

[ Is this how intense it gets when a spellcaster is in the heat of battle? He wonders if his character is getting tired, if their limbs are growing heavy...For a moment, he recalls Evan and Leander casting the most destructive kinds of magic, from light to dark to fire and water, and questions their stamina if a simple fireball or ice trick in this game depleted so much of the SP bar. Leave it to him to overthink a game mechanic, but it does leave an impression. ~~Now he's NEVER going to ask for magic help <3~~ ]

I see it! Cover me, I'm grabbing it!

[ All that jumping pays off because Roland reaches the drop off point of the floating ether faster than if he ran for it. His avatar glows momentarily before he sees his SP bar rise up, almost full! 88SP was better than nothing! He notices that it's getting pretty close to the end, and he grimaces. Tidus needed to keep shooting his arrows, but whatever health he was able to preserve, Tidus was down to an even lower amount. ]

Wait, let me do the same for you! I got items from the previous room, remember? [ There's some general fumbling around again, until he recalls which button combination will let him use items in battle. He succeeds and pulls up a regular potion, straight out of the jars he destroyed, and drops it to Tidus. But it's a little too close for comfort, and Roland is unable to time it in such a way that it's in a safe distance from the king blob trying to grab his avatar for damage. ] Dammit. [ He curses under his breath and tries to distract the big blog and its smaller, faster underlings with his weak melee strikes so that Tidus can get the potion too. ]

Go! Two more Freeze Rays will do this thing in, I can feel it! [ Don't ask him how he can feel it, HE JUST CAN. If Tidus senses some shifting next to him, it's also because Roland just changed positions, half-standing, half-sitting. ]

[ what even is that first paragraph roland you dramatic grandpa.

Grandpa is sounding so intense next to him though, that it's hard for it not to rub off on him; the agitation getting under his shoulder blades and the nerves kicking up his heartbeat with their few resources and this crummy class he decided to pick. He didn't have the magic to make as much a difference in damage as Roland did, and he knew it, but... ugh! Whatever! It's the first level, they're not going down that easy! ]

Watch your own health bar! [ Tidus chides at that near close call--there's no point wasting time on a heal if he's going to get damaged himself!--but he's watching where it's landed and has his avatar run for it while Roland thwacks at the boss with his wimpy staff and strength stat. ]

Charge your spells! Lemme distract this slimeball! Ugh, I'm so sick of round blobs!

[ This is Too Soon after the mission for more gooey blobby...things!!! Not that Roland can understand Tidus's true trauma of the full extent of dealing with the fiends back on Terra. Seeing those things hovering and acting all innocent above land...!

The Slime King comes thrusting forward to catch them in its blubbery body, but they should just be able to get out of the way as the giant jelly gets itself stuck in a corner, slowly wobbling to get turned around. ]

[ sssshhhhh he cares about all his young charges, don't fight the feeling ]

I'm fine, I'm just waiting for a better opening so I can hit more than one blob at a time! [ And that was really the plan, keeping one eye on the remaining horde and boss, while keeping track of his ally dashing for the potion. Roland is pretty sure Tidus is letting out just as much steam as he was, but he doesn't mind it. He plays off of it in a rare moment where there is no one and nothing to stop the Chief Consul from returning to the vigor he once knew. ] I'm with you. Let's finish this already!

[ MAN did he love sounding cool with those cool one-liners...! Roland charges up Freeze Ray until the bar on top of his avatar's head reaches four whole units on the meter. He's being attacked by some smaller peons, but his health could take it. Before the king blob could jump back into its slam move, Roland aims and fires the Freeze Ray straight at it, dealing a killing blow. Time in the game slows down as it disintegrates in front of the characters, and in big golden text, the screen reads VICTORY!. ]

Serves you right! [ He punches the air in elation. There's a loading screen again, for the cartoon cutscene revealing an evil looking entity controlling the slimes all along. It disappears in the shadows with a few spoken lines before their end goal is revealed in the distance: the portal! ] Did you say this was a mini-boss? So there are major bosses coming up? We need more training. That was way too close for comfort.

[ When they are able to control the avatars again, a giant treasure chest appears where the blob melts. This time, Roland jumps to open it, getting his share of the loot - some cuffs that added a boost to his physical defense. Nice. ] That shadowy figure looked familiar too...How much are you willing to be that's the adviser in disguise?

[ Ugh, all that energy and cheer beside him is getting to Tidus even more. He should be finding Roland's hooting and hollering at the victory embarrassing, and he does a little, but there's a smile twitching its way on his face. Must be a mistake, must be an error. Good thing there's no seeing his face.

But he does get a scoff out of Tidus, fond. ]

You're way too serious about a game, man. It's not real life--just be more careful!

[ So he's saying, but he won't let them miss any enemies once more come around. But that's the fun of it, going around and bashing everything in. Fortunately for the current treasure chest, it rewards everyone than just a single player, giving Tidus a better boost than the other armlets he nicked before. Heheh. ]

What you got against that adviser? Is there something you wanna tell me? Got a secret you're hiding? You did say you were some--predent before. Presdent.

[ President, Tidus. ]

[ You think this is embarrassing, wait till Roland attends one of your blitzball games if he ever gets the chance. You're going to WILT from his cheering.

He doesn't notice that Tidus just got an extra buff and that he didn't actually steal the equipment from him, so just let him be. Let him start running around again, as he tries to backtrack to the previous room to heal up in the fountain again. ]

Heh. It's called using your imagination to enhance the experience. Come on, where's your sense of wonder? [ He's giving him a toothy grin, though neither will be able to see it. Maybe it might even come across as cute to someone else if they ever walked in on this scene...? He lets Tidus take the lead again, uncertain where the door will lead or what else they need to do to get to the other end of the dungeon. ]

...President. [ He pauses after he gently corrects Tidus, and instead of expounding more on that, because that's a looooooong story, perhaps for another time, Roland masterfully evades it and shifts the narrative to something actually related to the game. His voice holds a lilt of amusement. ] Heh. Well, let's just say I had to play a similar dastardly role back in Evermore for a time. Believe it or not, I've actually got some experience playing the part of a bad guy.

[ DUN DUN DUNNN ]

Edited 2020-07-29 17:01 (UTC)

[ Tidus is following after him for that healing fountain, pal!! ]

It's called not getting bogged down by the details! Who cares about levelling? [ Tidus. ] Just bashing things in and finding treasure's the fun part!

[ But the exit to the level isn't far from where they just had their fight, since...when Tidus says miniboss, he's a big fat liar and beyond the room they were just in is the magical portal mirror they were looking for! Tidus walks over to it, turning his avatar around to face Roland's as they talk. ]

Pfft, really? You? Mister Serious? What did you have to do?

[ He can't imagine Roland anything like a bad guy--or not the bad guy he's making this game's adviser out to be. (Is he right? Is he wrong? Tidus isn't going to spill the beans...!) ]

000 - voidtreckerexpress Universal Contact Post

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