Memory Loss

//Sorry for not posting lately, but I'm trying my best to do more. Just give me some more time. If you wish to see more then feel free to donate and help me out.

Next chapter out in a bit. Love you guys

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(("Should've known they wouldn't have had my sneakers with them,")) Mako complained, lamenting his crushed hopes and dreams from his spot on the floor, crimson eyes furrowed in thought. (("Considering they were gone before I was even sent flying, it stands to reason that they wouldn't even KNOW that I had shoes to begin with. Foolish to get my hopes up."))

Around five minutes had passed since the blue haired youth had made his way into the tent, and within that short period, Mako had managed to get fully dressed and situated without too much trouble. As long as he ignored the constant spasms of pain that would erupt every time he moved too quickly, the young man had little to no issues on either dressing himself or moving about, Ais no longer being needed for assistance. Though he still felt rather weak and more than a bit hungry, Mako felt marginally better than when he had first awoken, especially now that he wasnt borderline naked.

Now, with the issue of his own health set to the side, the adolescent was faced with a whole new set of problems in addition to some newly acquired information. It seemed that, just when he had started to click things together, more puzzle pieces were dumped onto the table, forcing him to rearrange them in order to see the overall picture.

A woman with pointed ears and jade colored hair who went by the name Riveria, a short but buff old man with brown hair and eyes called Gareth, and a slightly tanned woman with dark black hair and an eye patch on her left eye that answered to the name of Tsubaki. These three people, of whom Mako recognized as unbeatable threats that could destroy him with a simple sneeze, were currently gathered around a rectangular table conversing with the small blonde from before, the one who had called himself Finn. After Mako had made his entrance and exchanged brief greetings, they had continued to talk to one another while the blue haired youth moved to the side and had proceeded to get dressed. They didn't acknowledge his existence in the slightest and didnt bother holding off on their words either, spilling information that, at least to Mako, was worth its weight in gold.

Of course, that was assuming the adolescent could make any sense of the intel given.

For starters, the small group had been in the midst of conversating before Mako had even walked into their tent, meaning that everything the blue haired youth was hearing was out of context without any clear topic. Things such as supplies, distribution of cores, the status of the wounded, and an assortment of other unfamiliar terms went completely his head. He also noted that the word Familia was brought up again and again, each time with the name of some sort of god or goddess sitting in front of it.

Rearranging the bits of data wasnt going to be easy, especially when the amount of information just kept coming with each new sentence that poured from the groups mouths.

(("A Familia. A group of adventurers who name themselves after certain deities. A cult? No, this is supposed to be a fantasy based reality.")) Mako shook his head as he put two fingers to the center of his forehead, his brain going into overdrive. (("Then maybe they function in similar ways to guilds? Hephaestus, Loki, Ganesha, and a scattering of others. They dont adhere to any one mythology nor do they share any similarities. Greek, Norse, Hindu. Aside from the fact that they're all Gods, they dont have anything in common. Is it just a naming scheme? A way to distinguish the groups? I dont really have much to go on as of yet."))

Mako couldn't find any point in naming the Familia's after Gods so he decided to drop the subject altogether and move on to deciphering the rest of the information. If he stuck with one topic, he wouldn't be able to move forward, only going in one continuous circle.

(("Then what about their other areas of conversations? Let's tackle that real quick. We'll take the overall theme of it all and then apply them to a Fantasy RPG based direction."))

Applying the theories he had had earlier on, back in the first tent he had been in, Mako attempted to make sense of everything as best he could, starting with the supplies and distribution of wealth.

Surprisingly, this one actually confirmed Mako's earlier thesis about the dungeon containing vast resources beneath it. Taking into account the number of people Mako had witnessed when walking outside and tacking on the others he hadn't been able to see, the blue haired youth reasoned that it would be quite time consuming to move such a large group downwards into said dungeon. Without some sort of reward, either tangible or intangible, it was hard to believe that one would just make the trek below ground and risk their own lives. It would also be costly considering the movement of the adventurers and the amount of weapons and armor that could get busted up on the way by the hypothetical monsters lurking about. If there was no gain, there wouldn't be a point in it all.

Hence where the supplies and distribution of wealth came in. The supplies were essential for making their way back up to the surface and the brief break allowed them to sort everything out before they began the journey back up. While they were here, they could distribute the spoils of combat and items obtained from the excursion amongst themselves however they saw fit while also taking care of any injuries others had sustained along the way. It all fit together quite nicely when put into the perspective of a regular fantasy type story.

".....hey....HEY!!!!"

Mako was snapped back to reality, his surroundings coming back into focus as a loud feminine voice punctured his small isolated bubble. Removing his fingers from his forehead, the adolescent gazed at the bright red garments positioned in front of his face, clothing he quickly noted as Tsubaki's. Having tuned everything out in return for enhanced thought processing speed, Mako needed a few seconds to recollect himself, crimson eyes glancing up in mock confusion.

"You alright kid?" Tsubaki asked, squaring down until she was level with Mako. "You're not dying on me are ya?"

Mako gave a nervous smile, one of his hands coming up to rub the back of his head. He felt a bit anxious about the close proximity but he didnt let it show as he looked Tsubaki in the eyes. "I think I'll be alright. I'm still in pain but I'd hardly say its life threatening."

Having already decided what his next step should be, the blue haired youth didnt say anything else, instead waiting for someone else to breach the topic. Though having made substantial headway into figuring out what was going on, he still needed everything to be confirmed and for everything he hadn't figured out to he explained to him. While it would be easier to explain what had happened to him, he opted for a different route altogether.

"What's your name kid?" Tsubaki asked as she rose back up to her feet, her right eye staring down at him.

"Mako Azure....I'm pretty sure," Mako said, some hesitation and uncertainty slipping through his tone. "At least, that's what the woman from before called me, the one Tiona called Aura."

The room was silent, even the other three having gone quiet as what the youth was saying sunk in. They clearly hadn't been expecting to be dealing with an amnesiac, having been under the impression that they were interacting with an injured youth with no Familia. While no one held shock looks over their visages, Mako failed to find a single expression that indicated they were aware of his supposed memory loss. All in all, the young man chocked up their speechlessness as a win and a great way to move things along.

"So you only knew your name because you were told what it was?" Tsubaki questioned, seeking confirmation.

"The majority of what I know is from my short conversation with the girls known as Tione, Tiona, and Aura. Apart from that, theres not much else I can tell you." Mako gave a nervous, apologetic look as he glanced around the room, shifting from face to face. "I'm sorry. I want to be of some help to you but I dont even know what's going on. I'm kinda playing this by ear at the moment."

Mako wasnt sure if they bought what he was saying, though he himself was sure that his acting was top notch. All he had to do was utilize some of the emotions he had pushed to the side, his repressed fear and anxiety, and work it into his way of talking. Added on to the visual expressions and, unless the reality he was in had some sort of way to detect his bold faced, white lies, it would be exponentially difficult to tell if he was fibbing. In terms of getting information whilst staying alive, this was the best way to do so. Additionally, it also gave him an excuse to travel alongside the group as they made their way back up to the surface, even more so when one took into account that it was one of the Loki members that had SUPPOSEDLY wiped his memories clean. It was an almost guaranteed success and one he considered the best course of action.

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