<GATE IN>

An auburn-haired man with a black spear slung over his shoulder faded into the field within a cascade of rings, his grey eyes taking in the majestic sight of the stone architecture being overrun by nature's attempt at reclaiming it. The immediate lack of background music may have been disconcerting to some, but for him, it was rather appreciated. The lack of noise helped with the migraine he was going through as he made footfalls upon the grass and dirt leading toward the mountain temple. Following behind loyally was his black-furred Oina pup. Still nameless, yet was now closing in toward his adulthood.

Vance didn't think he'd be wearing this face again. He had, after all, assumed that brief moment in Aontacht's @home would be the last time he would do so, and that finding the original Nikolai - the one that had been parading around in this semblance just to mess with him - and getting him perma-banned from the game would ensure that it would be the last time for anyone in general. It was his intention to lay this version of himself, his R:1 incarnation, to rest and keep anyone else from manipulating its corpse... barring any hypothetical encounters with anyone that had unfortunate coincidences in resemblance, of course.

However, this player, Burgundy, intrigued him as he was lurking the unaffiliated BBS. Why was this mid-level player attempting to traverse through a field in a high level server, when she should have been playing long enough to know better? And by the game's design, he knew that none of the typical quests in R:Fusion forced players to do this. The only conclusion that he could draw was that she was possibly seeking something that the game didn't normally have you obtain, whether it be information or an item. He didn't know which, but he felt compelled to find out. And as much as Claude would refuse to admit, he still liked helping others in the game, even as he grew even more reclusive in this version of the game than he had ever been back in R:2. Yet Vance Finiraldi could no longer be that helpful player he had been in the past. Not right now. Claude was dead set on keeping him isolated. So he went with the first immediate alternative he had. At least for today, this shade from a bygone era would roam for one last adventure.

... While taking the name of the person who last wore his skin. Because like hell Claude would go with the same cringy username he came up with when he was a ten-year-old. Good God.

That said, Claude did make an effort to modernize Nikolai's appearance a bit, if only spare himself the self-inflicted wounds and embarrassment of having to confront and put up with his preteen self's sense of what was cool at the time. He trimmed his auburn hair a bit and tidied it up, giving him a comparatively neater haircut than he had during the R:1 era. And rather than outfit himself in same garb he had during that time, he chose to wear a slightly more era-appropriate and considerably less edgy full leather armor, the russet components only accented by the brass clasps and buckles, and ebony undershirt and pants. The only thing he didn't change this time was Gae Assail's appearance, which wasn't necessary this time around. It didn't quite match with the rest of his look, but then again most weapons you find after your starting one rarely did.

'Nikolai' didn't have to walk far from the Chaos Gate to find the player who made the original request: a young woman adorned in a long coat that fit appropriately with the name she chose for herself, whose long hair - in a shade of red much more vibrant than his - was tied in a single braid that swayed slightly with her steps. She was already making a headstart on the stairs leading deeper into the area while admiring the nearby architecture. He cleared his throat as he walked down the opposing side of the staircase to walk alongside her, unsure of how easily she could be startled, as he tried to grab her attention. The Oina not far behind as it carefully made it steps down into the darkness.

"Ahem... sorry, I'm here now. I hope I didn't make you wait too long. I was just restocking on a few emergency supplies."

"No problem. Glad to be of assistance. If you think there's anything worth seeing in here, then it doesn't hurt to check it out, right?" He stopped in his tracks for a bit give a friendly nod as he was thanked for his arrival. His gaze shifted toward the rest of the stairs leading down into the dark, eyes squinting a bit as he took in the details and tried to spot anything unusual. But it was far too dim to see much of anything. Of course, he didn't try too hard; he assumed that shortly, there'd something to brighten the place at least a little.

If the Steam Gunner didn't think much of us the "Long Arm's" look, then Claude succeeded in what he set out to do with his aesthetic changes. While he wanted wear down the edge from his youth, he didn't want to dress from head-down in expensive, blinged-out gear that would suggest he was trying too hard. His goal was to remain an unassuming non-standout, even if he wasn't in the guise if his normal character.

"Hm... narrow hallways and enemies sitting right under my level range, huh?"

Nikolai trailed off for a moment as if to consider the options he would have once the battles started coming to them. While he had no doubt that Burgundy would still be helpful in her own way, the large level disparity between her and the field still meant that he would be doing the lion's share of the damage while keeping her from harm. It evened out any positive gain he would have had by being of a higher level than most of the mobs inside the dungeon. That said, as long as he remained flexible, the layout of the place could serve an advantage rather than a hindrance. And he did have tools at his disposal, and that didn't just pertain to Lanceor's particularly unique bag of tricks.

"...Okay! I think we got this," he exclaimed, slamming his dominant fist into his palm and psyching himself up for the adventure as an eager smile began to tug at his lips. "Since you have some idea what you want to do here already, I'll take the front as you direct us where you want to go. Just give let me know if anything comes close to you or approaches us from behind."

As his Oina pup grew more accustomed to the uneven footing, it began to trot ahead of them both, sniffing the ground tentatively as its eyes started to acclimate to the dark.

"And he's ready, too, it seems." Resting his spear against his right shoulder once more, he followed along after the pet, not wanting him to stray too much away. If anything, maybe the wolf could spot out traps before either them.

Nikolai grinned as Burgundy's own Oina popped out, her brilliant white fur in a bit of a stark contrast with the dungeon's darkening surrounded. Like her owner, he was hoping having another pet around would incentivize his still nameless Oina to start socializing a little more, especially since he tended to be quite shy around others. However, he also held little expectations; no matter how big he got, that black pup's first love is and probably forever will be food.

"Well... I'm probably a worse owner, so don't you worry about that. He's well-trained since he's my first, but I have several other pets that have been a bit... neglected." Thinking back to them languishing within his inventory, Claude felt a pant of guilt and made note to give each of them some time out whenever he got the chance while he was out as Nikolai.

Internally agreeing with the Steam Gunner's motion to focus on the task at hand, the spearman nodded and followed silently along, gripping tightly on the shaft of Gae Assail in the event of an ambush that neither player would be expecting. However, it became clear that probably wouldn't be happening as they stepped into the first significant room of the dungeon. With sudden lighting provided by wall scones that to seemed to magically flare up when someone was in their presence, a spacious and circular room was revealed, with its own elaborate architecture depicting what Burgundy believed was part of The World's ancient history. It was otherwise devoid of anything of note, and she gave no warning about anything coming their way, so he allowed himself a moment to relax as he started to examine the room in greater detail. Perhaps they would even find something she had missed in her last visit.

"I see you've read up on the game's lore quite a bit, he muttered quietly, stepping back a bit to get a full view of the tiled flooring and the story that it told. "I should probably look up on it a little more sometime for myself. Despite my thoughts on it when they first devised it in R:2, they do seem to have put quite a bit of thought into it." And if he were to be completely candid about it, he'd admit that his cynical, teenage self at the time callously writing it off as an attempt by CC Corp to explain away why R:2's setting had little in common with R:1's. Not to mention forcefully integrate aspects of an originally unrelated game onto a setting that was more fantasy-themed, which in turn was inspired by the works of a woman who has long since been dead. Even today, he couldn't help see one aspect of the lore in particular as their means of obfuscating something he knew they were desperately trying to hide. But that was neither here not there.

Besides, maybe reading up on it would help Vance out with Lanceor somehow? The headaches were getting worse, and he needed something – anything – to set him in the right direction, or he feared that the Thunder God's disagreements toward him, whatever they were, would lead to problems down the road at the worst moment.

"Anyway, thanks for the heads up on the enemies ahead. Let me just make a quick search around this room, just in case there's any secrets or anything we might need to make note of for later."

As he gave the walls encircling the room some closer examination for any hidden or interactive engravings or depressions, his Oina had finally taken notice of Vermillion as she was grooming herself, as he curiously but cautiously made his approach. Seeing his larger pup's hesitance from the corner of his prompted Nikolai to slap his palm over his face.

"Come now, you're older. She's not going to bite as long as you behave properly... probably."

"Oh?" Nikolai's eyes widened in surprise as he gazed upon the unique weapons that materialized in Burgundy's hands. The staff indicated that she was some sort of spellcaster, but the tome suggested that her skill set would be much more unique. It was clear to him at that point that she was a Special Class user. A playful smirk graced his lips. He certainly wasn't expecting a request he essentially took on a whim to be another one of them. "Funny how I keep running into you guys. Now with you, I think I've met all but one. I was friends with the last winner, but I never actually got to see her in action," he said, voice trailing off his thoughts came to a certain someone who, unbeknownst to the both of them, was a shared acquaintance. That cheerfulness faltered for just a brief moment before he gently shook his head.

"Anyway, I'm sure I'll get to see your skills put to good use soon enough. Judging from what I saw from a couple of the others, they're sure to be amazing." The cheer returning to his voice, he returned to his obligatory search of the room they were, ultimately finding nothing as he made his last few taps against the walls. No tile or brick was out of place with the flooring and walls, not even a symbol for them to memorize for later. This was, on a technical level, a normal room. He frowned in slight disappoint as he walked closer to the stairwell leading further. "Well, it seems you're right... no secrets here. We can head in now."

Before taking the lead once more, he looked back at the two pets, sighing and cringing as his Oina displayed just how lacking in game he was for their two owners to see, the ebony-furred pup trying his best to capture Vermillion's interest and play, only to be given the cold shoulder with disdainful turns of her head. "Guess we won't be arranging playdates anytime soon," Nikolai joked, smirking as he crouched down and pulled out some strips of meat from his inventory to grab his pet's attention. "Stop trying; you'll only humiliate yourself even more. Come on, I know what'll make you feel better." Standing up just as his Oina approached, he tossed him a piece of meat and made his first few steps down the stairwell. Realizing something, he turned back at his new adventuring partner. A second would pass, and a party request would appear in her player's UI.

"Sorry... It's been a while since I partied up with someone that I forgot I had to do this before anything else!" he laughed, scratching the back of his head in embarrassment.