[attr="class","landimgbg2"]

[attr="class","landbod2"]

As Valentine's body floated through the sky, he found himself searching through the streets. On occasion, he'd see a monster here or there, slimes, wolf-like beast, the occasional goblin. In most things, he had read manga-wise, and things he had seen from animes these were usually the runts of the litter which told him this area was more of the lower level places. At least he hoped, he had yet to see what many of the mangas referred to as "field bosses," and he was hoping he wouldn't have to anytime soon. Though Valentine was astral projecting and often told himself that doing so was the result of him wanting to better his abilities and stay safe. The truth was that doing so made him safe, that astral projecting being invisible to those around him made him happy. It made him think he could do anything, sneak into anything. Keep the people he cared about safe, just by being vigilant. So he was happy to do so, happy to progress his ability while desperately trying to keep himself from losing control.[break][break]

The fact of the matter was, that astral projecting was good for his mental health, good for his mind because while doing so he constantly had to keep himself preoccupied, it allowed him to keep his mind of the darker thoughts that festered beneath the surface. Though trying to force those down and keep them had become increasingly more and more challenging. There was only so much he could push into one area before it spilled over, or broke a vital piece of his mental foundation. Though for now, Valentine would keep pushing such thoughts there, and he would try to continue to do so until he could do no more. Hopefully, when it came time to let it all out, it would be because his worry about his parents and little sister was no longer warranted. No longer needed, because they were safe and sound. He sincerely hoped so.[break][break]

Then his mind flashed over to his little brother as he flew, he remembered that he had been here for quite some time while St. Claire was still looking for leads in the hub. He would have to find him at some point and compare notes. Tell him all about the people he had run into, and his sweet high-rise apartment. Then Valentine felt a shudder down his ethereal spine. He heard a voice call out in his ears, but as he glanced around it wasn't near him, in fact, it sounded distant, almost ghostly. Then the feeling that someone was near increased, like a warning sign going off in his mind. Someone was near his physical body. [break][break]

Valentine willed his astral form back into his physical body with a mere thought and force of will. His astral body jerked back, flying toward his physical body like a fish that had been hooked and reeled in. His astral body flew through the air. Then through the brick, metal, wood, carpet and finally it landed within his body. His eyes fluttered open and he quickly got up a started turning to see that his door had been damaged. Luckily his extra locks had panned out but anger swelled as knew he'd now have to repair the door if he wanted it to keep its same durability. [break][break]

Focusing and sending his astral body out once more, he sent it partway through the door, just a bit above, and found himself staring down at a person in a hospital gown with a crowbar, they seemed innocent in appearance, sans the crowbar but he didn't see any blood on it. Although he wondered what the hell were they doing here. Perhaps they were displaced it was certainly possible in this world nowadays, however, being the person he was he had a healthy dose of skepticism so he willed his astral form back into his physical body. Taking a moment to catch his barring he ran to the kitchen, grabbing a kitchen knife he wrapped it in a towel and then tucked it into his front jacket pocket. Just in case this guy wasn't just an innocent person. Perhaps it could be a monster or someone's power. He didn't know. [break][break]

Moving cautiously toward the door, he spoke up, "Just a moment," he said as he undid the locks to open the door. It was probably foolish but he knew that if his sister had found somebody and needed help that he would hope they were kind to her, that they would let her in and keep her safe. How could he want people to do something like that for his sister, but shun others away? [break][break]

"Hello..." he said, as he cracked the door open. [break][break]

[attr="class","landtag2"]Sami[tagged]

[attr="class","landimgbg2"]

[attr="class","landbod2"]

This fucking person was creepy. Valentine had seen a couple of people off their rockers in the hub after this whole ordeal started, hell just thinking back to his tutorial and how people there were just losing their minds one after the next, granted they were being chased by undead all night long. Hell, he was sure that if it weren't for his brother and Mio that he would've lost his own mind. Actually, the truth was that he certainly had, things that seemed like large red flags seemed mundane to him now. Falling back on his powers to get out of danger had assured him of that, and perhaps it was the increased wisdom from his class, but Valentine often found himself trying to think things through logically, finding himself calmer under pressure than he would've ever been. He glanced through the opening of the door even more as the guy held the crowbar.[break][break]

Valentine spoke, "Wh- what for?" He said out loud before asking his own inner question, this person was probably just up here to look through the window to gauge the area much like what he had used it for. Though he was sure that if worse came to worse he could always just kill the guy. However, just as the thought came to his mind, he found himself mentally reeling back at the thought. Where did that come from? Murder, since when did he become so caviler about it? Perhaps it was because of the dead bodies within the building he walked through to get here on a constant basis, or maybe it was just the after-effects of having to defend himself against monsters and humans alike, or even the fact that he was constantly suppressing all of the negative emotions he felt, alongside guilt and some other things. Maybe it was just a combination of it all, but he for sure did not like it.[break][break]

Then then the person spoke again jarring him from his mental gymnastics saying that they were looking for survivors. Though this person certainly seemed as nonchalant about death as he did lately. Regardless, Valentine figured what did he have to lose considering that if things got hairy, he could just teleport away. Then the person spoke again asking him a few more questions about tutorials, and top-notch players. Clearly, this person had read a few mangas/manwhas or novels. Though Valentine had to admit that having that knowledge did come in handy. Especially considering he often used such references himself.[break][break]

He opened the door, letting it swing open wide, as he stepped to the side to let the person in, he could only feel the one presence so thankfully it didn't seem like a trap though he had no idea what this guys ability and levels were, now would be a good time to ease into an interrogation. He forced himself to put a calm smile on his face, and for his tone to come out warm and casual as he next spoke. "I don't really know what happened here, just that the bodies were like this when I get here. I guess there might have been a tutorial or perhaps it's just from when people were escaping during the whole world going to shit. Who knows?" He said with a shrug, making sure to keep his eyes on the person.[break][break]

"As for me, who's to say, I don't really know what qualifies as such a player. I just try and stay alive." He said in full honesty, wondering what the person would say or do next. He jerked his head to the side as if to give permission for the person to go look out the window. [break][break]

[attr="class","landtag2"]Sami[TAGGED]

[attr="class","landimgbg2"]

[attr="class","landbod2"]

Valentine watched as Sami moved over to the window, it was clear the person didn't care much about what was going on in the apartment, which was good for him. Granted he learned within the tutorial how to use his inventory, and thus because of it regulated himself to always place belongings and anything else of merit like food or shelter materials within it. Valentine moved toward the window himself peering out. The curtains were a nice touch, but peeling them back enough to allow him to see was always something he had done, choosing not to alter them until night so as to not allow the bright light to cast out. Having an apartment with a light on at night would be like putting up a big shiny beacon telling every monster and enemy to come to attack him. He had no desire to put a target on his back. [break][break]

Valentine shrugged, as the gowned person spoke about people working together. The person wasn't wrong, more people needed to group up, these monsters far outnumbered them and Valentine was sure only more difficult ones would show up as time went on. Considering how drastically damaged cities were and how many people had been lost in his own tutorial he was sure the world's population had been cut down severely and was most likely still decreasing. Until enough people banded together the earth was going to keep fucking them over with ease.[break][break]

Valentine stretched out his own hand, gently grasping Sami's within his own not wanting to break it. After all, since his tutorial had finished he had gotten drastically stronger. He wasn't sure how much stronger he'd get but he did enjoy how his stats were increasing at a steady rate. "I'm Valentine and you are correct." Valentine smiled at Sami's quick wits as she shook his hand before pulling his hand back.[break][break]

"I'm searching for my little sister, being here gives me the high ground. As to the barricades well, it's to provide me with a base of sorts. Having an area to work out of while I mentally chart out the area will make things easier for me in the long run." He said with a casual gesture of his hand as he jerked his thumb toward the window. [break][break]

"You're right beside...Killing other humans would net me no gain, I only attack others when they attack me, and I make sure they regret it," Valentine said with a smile. Sami seemed to have more wits about him than the hospital gown would suggest. [break][break]

[attr="class","landtag2"]Sami[TAGGED]

[attr="class","landimgbg2"]

[attr="class","landbod2"]

Valentine's eyes would widen in surprise as a friend request was sent over from Sami, he smiled and accepted the friend request in earnest. He was happy to have come across a few people thus far that were willing to work together for survival's sake. Too many people had been self-centered, too many people had greed in their hearts, and that wasn't the way to do things, not like this, not as the way the world currently was. Perhaps maybe once some bit of normalcy had passed but this was still the initial break as things changed and Valentine wasn't sure how many years it would take for things to get better.[break][break]


"I have a sister and a brother, my brother for sure I know is okay, thankfully," Valentine said forcing a warm smile on his face. Though it was a sour thought, if everyone else in his life was gone at least he still had Saint Claire. However, he like Saint Claire was still looking for his sister, and doing so by splitting up helped them cover more ground. Though they both had made a promise to meet up on a consistent basis and compare notes and leads. Though he noticed that Sami seemed to have a bit of vulnerability, he pretended not to notice, and simply stated, "I do hope you can come across your siblings at some point." Valentine said, turning toward the window as he continued his conversation with Sami, glancing toward them as they spoke. "My class allows me to be a pretty good scout, not to mention from up here I can map out all of the buildings," Valentine said.[break][break]


He smiled at Sami's words, he was always willing to have more help looking for his sister, having more eyes on the ground or sky could make all the difference especially if someone could come across her. Having enough connections looking for her meant that he could cover more ground. Besides making connections now was great as it meant that if anything happened in the future he could have possible allies to call upon. He responded in earnest, "Thank you, Sami! I'll gladly accept your help!" He said with glee, then he noticed a tear coming from Sami's eye. Were they alright? Again, he decided not to pry, simply digging in his pocket taking out a small cloth, and handed it to Sami. He gave another warm smile. [break][break]


Then as he stated the word "inventory," he pressed the blue holographic screen that had appeared. The screen rippled and from it, a large piece of construction paper came from it. The same kind of paper one could often be seen used for architecture. He laid it out flat along a table. On it was squared, landmark names, shapes of buildings, and clusters of crudely drawn monsters like slimes, goblins, and dire wolves. "I took the inspiration of mapping things out on paper, from a friend I met. Her name is Pori, but she was mapping out Seoul, I decided to make a detailed map of my own." He said with a smile as he turned toward, Sami. Observing the person, he didn't want to pry but his mind kept wondering what was going on with them. Everyone had their quirks, perhaps the tear was simply because of the thought about their siblings...[break][break]

[attr="class","landtag2"]Sami [TAGGED]

[attr="class","landimgbg2"]

[attr="class","landbod2"]

Valentine noticed theatrics of Sami, but he said nothing, clearly, Sami wasn't comfortable displaying the full display of his emotions with him, and that was okay. He didn't need to know what was on Sami's mind or what emotional turmoil was going on to befriend and use their help. The fact of the matter was that this person had done no harm to him and was willing to help him find someone he cared about and for that reason, Valentine was willing to respect them for who they are and accept them as such. As long as they weren't someone that was actively trying to hurt him or people he cared about he didn't mind odd moments.[break][break]

"Yes, the one and the same!" He said, his eyes sparkling with delight. Though judging from his response he had far more interaction with her than had himself. Valentine chuckled slightly knowing that the girl could be rather quirky. Though as he mentioned the guild Valentine's smile widened. He spoke once more, "ah so you're the person she was supposed to be making that guild with. She invited me to join, but I had to have a conversation with my brother about it first." Valentine said, a small laugh falling from his lips as he thought about his interactions with Pori.[break][break]

"Yeah, she's very... Childish at times, though perhaps her way of coping with the way has changed. Most people tend to steep into their quirks and delusions in times of great stress in order to cope, after all." Valentine mused, and that's when he listened to Sami's words once more, he figured that being in a guild would be the best bet to finding his sister indeed. He'd have to let St. Claire know later but he figured this was the best way to go about it. Though he'd mentioned his brother, "I'd love to join, but only if my brother is allowed to join as well."[break][break]

[attr="class","landtag2"]Sami[TAGGED]

[attr="class","landimgbg2"]

[attr="class","landbod2"]

Valentine noticed Sami's squinting at his words, leading him to chuckle slightly before they went on their tangent about the slime girl. Valentine couldn't help but think he was right, but he did want to give her the benefit of the doubt. Thankfully, Sami's reaction to her personality told him all that he needed to know in terms of whether or not the guild would be in good hands, and it was simply because Sami seemed to have a more grounded level of sense from what he could tell. [break][break]

He let Sami finish speaking before he decided to speak up himself, "Well, wouldn't you be like co-leader or something? Besides from my understanding guilds are collective of people. I'm sure with time she should mature, especially with guiding hands around to help her. After all, it's not like people have to do what she says." Valentine stated, with a smile. [break][break]

He meant his words, if he didn't like an order or suggestion he simply wasn't going to follow it. He had dealt with incompetent and overworking bosses before all this shit happened and he wasn't going to regress back to dealing with another. Never again, he was going to live his own life freely how he wanted to live it and that was that. [break][break]

"Yeah, I feel that I don't have the time nor patience to argue with others anymore either. The worlds far beyond such petty squabbles." He said, glancing over the map once more. Though at Sami's mention, Valentine smiled, he was happy to hear that Clairey could join, and the next time he met his brother he was going to have to let to tell him about it, to invite him to join. "Works for me, then you can count me in," Valentine said, as he turned to Sami. Though, Valentine was sure he could find his sister a place to live in the Hub as opposed to the guild. For the most part, he wouldn't want his sister staying with him, to begin with, he had no idea what being in a guild would subject them to, or if it would be the danger that would come from it. Until he could get a better handle on the guild situation, he would prefer to keep her out of it. Though he'd state his next train of thought out loud. "Understood, though I'd have to find her first." He said turning his attention back to the map, pointing toward the building in the middle.[break][break]

"I used this building as my starting point so from this point outward everything around is our surroundings," Valentine stated gesturing to the map as a whole. Around the building, it seemed to be rather devoid of life, but the further one got to the buildings to the south the more monsters seemed to increase, while over toward the north is where the waygate was, the less. Looking at the map one would be able to tell that the waygate had a bit of proximity around it in which monsters were scarce.
[break][break]

[attr="class","landtag2"]Sami[TAGGED]