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*Launching \'New Eden\'*

*Logging in*

*Welcome back player Astaroth*

Astaroth opened his eyes to the wood and mud inn ceiling. He rose to his feet, stretching his body, before heading to Violette\'s room.

As he opened his door, he noticed Violette was standing in front of it, her little fist raised in a knocking position. Violette slightly yelped when the door opened, surprising her.

*Cough*

"Phoenix just wrote to me. Everyone got here early, and they are waiting for us at the northern gate," Violette said, bringing her hand down.

Astaroth smiled and walked out of the room.

"You know knocking wouldn\'t have worked if I was disconnected, right?" he asked Violette, still smiling.

"Erm… Outside habits, I guess?" she responded, shrugging her shoulders.

Astaroth chuckled at the answer, as the both of them walked down the stairs. He gave back both keys to their rooms to the innkeeper and thanked her for her hospitality.

The short, round woman smiled at him, telling him to again.

Walking in the direction of the north gate, Astaroth asked Violette how her family had reacted to her being gone for almost all weekend. He knew that family was a sensitive subject for Violette, but he inquired anyway.

"My mother was worried at first, stating that I should be in here too long at a time. I managed to calm her down, saying that the pod ensured I was safe," she said, smiling wryly.

"My dad, on the other hand. He seemed thrilled I would be gone all weekend. Something about him being happy I made friends. I could tell it was a lie though," she added, her face darkening.

Astaroth knew from previous conversations that they didn\'t have a good relationship, but he never got her to tell him the reason. But whatever the reason was, he already didn\'t like the man much.

Astaroth had been raised in a loving family, and could hardly fathom what it was like to grow up being disliked by a parent. The only thing he knew was that it was unacceptable for a parent to be so brazen about it.

A child should never feel hated or unloved by a parent, no matter what. It left a foul taste in his mouth.

"Hey, maybe if you become super famous in New Eden, your father will cut you some slack?" Astaroth said, while scratching the back of his head.

"Maybe…" Violette responded, looking at her feet.

\'Shit. I made her sad again. I\'m so stupid,\' he thought, berating himself.

They arrived at their destination shortly after, walking in awkward silence. Phoenix noticed the tension right away.

She walked to Astaroth, punching his arm.

"What did you do to this poor girl, you idiot?" she growled at him, staring daggers.

"Hey! Quite punching me. And why does it have to be me, absolutely?!" Astaroth said, raising his hands defensively.

"Because you are a big moron, that\'s why!" Phoenix replied, before grabbing Violette by the shoulders.

Violette had wild eyes, not quite understanding what had happened, but let herself be carried away.

Astaroth turned to the rest of the party with bewildered eyes. Gulnur shrugged, while I\'die looked at his feet, and Athena simply smiled back.

"Did someone kick her dog or something?" he asked them.

Athena sighed before leaving to join the other girls. Astaroth looked at her leave, becoming more confused by the second.

"I guess it\'s just us boys. Right!?" he said, before walking towards them.

Gulnur smiled, clueless about the situation, while I\'die gave a slight bow.

"I would prefer not to," I\'die answered, before scampering in the women\'s direction.

Both Astaroth and Gulnur watched him skip away, dejectedly. They then looked at each other, shrugged, and started walking in that direction too.

They eventually caught up to the marching women, who glared at them from time to time, except for Violette, who kept giving Astaroth apologetic looks.

\'Ahh, girls. I will never understand them,\' Astaroth thought.

Astaroth received a group invite from Phoenix, who gave him a stink eye, before turning her head back forward. He accepted it, chuckling silently.

The group walked toward the north for a good while, toward a prodigiously large mountain range. From where they currently stood, it was all they could see from east to west.

It took them the better half of the day to reach the foot of the mountain range, and they stopped to eat lunch before going inside it. The information they had gathered from the area put this zone in the levels thirty-five to forty.

They also took turns logging off and replenishing their pods, for those who had one. Those of them that still played on helmets, which was only I\'die and Athena, logged out to take care of basic needs, like hydrating and eating.

It took the entire party a little under an hour to be all ready and packed back up before departing into the mountains. The path through them was sinuous and winding.

At times, it went up, and at others, it dipped down, but one thing was constant. Ever since they came into the mountain paths, they had all started feeling watched.

Gulnur\'s group had been the one to explore this region in the last weeks, and he assured them this was new. So the party went on high alert.

They walked slower than their usual pace, all of them looking in different directions, trying to spot where their peeper was.

They never could pinpoint the location, but all of them swore they saw a shadow moving about sometimes. Astroth eventually had enough of being prey.

It was time to swap roles.

He melded with White, before crouching down low. Phoenix saw him act and stepped away a few paces.

The others imitated her, taking their distance, as wind accumulated under Astaroth\'s feet. He then launched upward in an arcing path, aiming at a nearby rock outcropping.

When he reached there, he grabbed onto it with his claws and feet, and bounced upward again. The height he reached with his maneuver showed him what he wanted to see.

He pulled out his bow, while still flying upwards, and nocked an arrow. The arrow tip lit up with fire, balling up into a sphere.

\'Time to come out and play,\' he murmured, loosing his arrow.