Aldcoas was a place that no one dared to tread through alone. From what this body knew of it that he could feel, it was every bit as deadly as what he had felt from that vision.
Yanis almost dared to find out what lurked in the forest, and if he didn't dislike the consequences of failure more, then he very well could have considered going alone all for the sake of exploration.
'The problem then is, how do I convince the emperor to leave the palace? We'd need a whole party to get through Aldcoas.' That was the very minimum of what he felt would be necessary.
Therein through his mulling's, he remembered something else thanks to his new body. And he almost laughed to himself there. He didn't find the scenario he was in, with himself essentially being stuck on the grounds of a palace that he couldn't pronounce, without an easy way out, funny. It was the way that he simply knew things now that was so amusing and fascinating.
'Yeah, never mind,' He shook his head faintly, 'Without some kind of filthy fortune, or something concrete, it will be to extremely difficult to convince them to leave the palace.'
He shook his head and soliloquised through a sigh, "For now, it is better the devil I know."
That vision the game had shown him was hardly any help, but it was a start. And it was better than throwing himself into Aldcoas alone in hopes that he would survive its creatures long enough to clear the remembrance.
Judging from the vision, everything was going to take place either tonight or tomorrow night. He hoped his bet that it would be tomorrow night at the earliest would come true. Julius had mentioned that the tutorial afforded players time to prepare themselves for whatever trial conflict they were put into. The vast majority of players had reported that their trials lasted anywhere from days to weeks, so on probability, he was counting on at least having a day to gain his bearings.
The game was brutal, but it was meant to be fair. Impossible would defeat the purpose.
'Just a few hours to prepare for assassins and those other wretched things lurking in the darkness of it would be disgusting.' Yanis shook his head faintly into a frown, 'Especially considering…'
Therein, he summoned his status.
Name: [ Yanis Mikhail Montgomery ]
Sobriquets: [ None ]
Race: [ Human ]
Backgrounds: [ Vagabond ], [ Sin-Eater ]
Ascents: [ None ]
Order: [ Fallow ]
Attributes: [ None ]
Abilities: [ None ]
Canto: [ None ]
Artifacts: [ None ]
'The fact that I'm still the lowest of the low.' Yanis faintly chuckled to himself here. There were few things more satisfying, frustrating and stimulating as starting a levelling - technically Beyond didn't have proper levels, but Orders - based game, 'The capabilities of an unawakened fallow, even with the experiences of my Backgrounds, will have me dead and failed before I know it, regardless of how well I know I can play games.'
Thereupon, Yanis's curious eyes then landed on his Backgrounds. Unlike what he had originally felt when making the selection, when now being faced with the consequences of his decision, he didn't find himself nervous.
While he was with Hecate, he had instructed her not to reveal the descriptions of the backgrounds he was considering choosing. He wanted to be entirely on instinct, so here in the remembrance now, with no way to change his decision, he found himself only curiously wondering whether he had been left with backwash or something as intriguing as he had felt they should be.
He had at first been nervous that he might find himself regretting the choice if it didn't turn out how he wished it that it would but with that simmering anxiety, he couldn't help but briefly wonder if it was an effect of the Backgrounds that he had chosen themselves.
And thus, he went to their descriptions:
[ Vagabond ]
Background Description: [ He sits at the edge of a fire that has gone to embers, with his back to whatever town last let him pass through it.
His mudded boots were resoled with leather of a colour that did not match their frame, and his coat had taken on the colour of dust.
His hands lie open at his sides, holding and wanting nothing. He has slept in worse places, and will sleep in worse again, and his face, in its rest, does not seem to mind that forsaken fate. ]
[ Sin-Eater ]
Background Description: [ He sits at the edge of a yard when the family has gone inside, with his eyes to the light that lies ahead of them. A crow lands on the post nearest him, regarding him briefly, and then finds elsewhere to be.
The bowl they left him is empty now, and so are the surrounding homes, with their people all gathered in grief, with the family.
When the door opens, he goes in alone, and when he comes back out, no one asks him what he did in there. They leave a coin on the step, not looking out to see him off, and without looking at it, he takes it and walks off into the darkness. ]
'I knew I was onto something with-' His attention was suddenly drawn by the crunch of metal boots over stone.
A weathered guard with marks on the armour of his shoulder. His face was constricted tight with weathered displeasure, with a thick, brown beard. The armour that he war was much better than Yanis's. For starters, it was metal and covering a good amount of his body.
The man looked over Yanis - who had adjusted himself to stand upright and proper - slowing his stride.
"Sloppiness within the first hour of your rotation, Mercenary?" The man's voice bore an alerting sharpness to it, and his countenance fell just as piercingly.
Yanis adjusted himself again; he half-hoped to stand with whatever dignity and firmness he could muster. Then he responded with dregs of repentance, "Apologies, Captain."
The motions and words came as naturally as something would when one had to do them towards an important end, but they felt out of place for him to do at the same time.
If he were being honest, despite his brief time in the game thus far, he had already become accustomed to the naturalness that everything was coming to him with. So, he felt, dare he say, homely with his backgrounds, and therein lay his issue.
"You are no longer a stray, boy. You have a duty in this palace. Ensure you fulfil it." The man scanned over him once more and shook his head with undisguised disapproval.
"Another guard will relieve you of your post." The captain was already past him, moving toward a group of guards assembling near the far wall. "For now, head for the gathering room in the main corridor of the upper south wing. Commander Khehlun's briefing is in twenty minutes." Herein, he glared sharper, "Do not be late."
Yanis sighed to himself and eased his shoulders.
'This remembrance really isn't fitting for my backgrounds,' He thought himself unfortunate, shaking his head slightly, uncaring about the man's discourtesy. "I feel claustrophobic."
The courtyard continued its business around him, indifferent to his presence.
Servants disappeared through doorways, carrying linens, trays, and cleaning utilities. And as he found ease in no longer standing before a guard's disdain, the bell finished tolling.
He left his post as another guard in polished silver armour guard came to relieve him.
Walking through the courtyard, he glanced into the distance, to the near twilight adorning the sky, and in the silence with a distant bird song accompanying him, Yanis could also hear the distant sound of voices raised in hymn and in prayer, washing in from somewhere deep within the palace.
'All to glory, and some such nonsense, that will keep me out of the grave, I suppose.'