[center][b]Cascabel[/b][/center]

Rhythmic light footsteps along with soft breathing was all that she could hear, and these sounds came from herself. Her cheap armour comforted her, and the weight of the shield on her back and the spear she was confidently grabbing with her right hand reaffirmed her valour. Her balsam coloured pants and kelly green shirt looked pristine, as if she had just put them on. That was part of the charm of this game, of virtual reality. Her metallic shield had not even one scratch on it, and her spear's tip looked so sharp that it was impossible to feel calm when you were pointed at with it. 

Her walk had a special gait to it, something not seen in many women. It was as if with every step, she was discovering something new. As if she was stepping out from the mist, with the confidence of a Goddess that was about to visit her wounded creation and with the wary eyes of a wolf meeting a stranger. The gait disappeared when she crouched down low and quieted her breathing.

Twigs broke under hooves. Warm breath touched her neck. Instantly her neck hairs stood on end and a strong, cold shiver went down her spine. Once she turned her head, she found herself face to face with Frenzy Boar. It bared its tusks at her and huffed out in anger. 

"YAAHH!"

She jumped back, falling on her butt. Instantly the boar charged forward and Carla rolled sideways and onto her feet, a tight grip on her spear with her facial expression now full of fear. 

She reared her spear back, and a bright yellow light engulfed the weapon. Suddenly she felt confident again, and a smirk replaced her fearful frown. Her arm pushed forward in a Flurry of piercing attacks. The boar stood no chance.

Once the spear attack barrage finished, a bright light and the sound of cracking glass engulfed it and just like that, it was gone. Polygons flew in all directions for a short moment before disappearing, leaving Cascabel on her own once more. She sheathed her weapon and relaxed, rubbing her temple for a short while until a pop-up screen called her attention.

[i]'Congratulations!'[/i] Read the message. The experience and col that she'd gotten were meager, but at least she had gotten something.

"Jeez... What the heck, game?! You trying to kill me?!" She yelled, and a second later, she facepalmed. 

"'Course you are..." She sighed and closed the pop-up, turned and walked away.

Hours passed and she had finally reached a small village. It was no longer the Town of Beginnings--She had moved on from that place as soon as she noticed the quests were running out too quickly and the hunting fields were often too crowded for her comfort. It had only been two days, yet it felt like a week. She had traveled and fought so much... She shook her head and focused on her surroundings, on the village.

It was such a small village that the only thing noteworthy was the Inn, a place to eat and sleep at. Nothing fancy or especial, but it certainly was functional. Once she had entered the moderately sized building, the sound of music and the sight of jugglers caught her eyes, which went big as the moon and as shiny as silverware. Her mouth hung slightly open as she walked over to the group of performers on stage. They wore different suits of very flashy colours and textures. Some even wore mime makeup. And apparently they had noticed her out of their small crowd, since one of the three skipped over to her and grabbed her wrists, pulling her up onto the stage. He danced with her to the fast and happy beat of the music played by his two friends, and she responded with an excited dance of hers. Grinning and laughing she loved every second of the moment until with a single spin, the agile dancer gently left her back in the crowd.

It wasn't long until their act finished and she could grab a hold of the man who danced with her. Smiling, Cascabel asked the man a question. "Do you think I could become a performer like you?"

"I don't see why not! You dance very well. My name's Lon, by the way. It's nice to have danced with you." Lon said, pressing his index finger and thumb together and pulling downwards. Checking his inventory, he quickly changed his clothing into a more casual outfit. Having removed the flashy suit and exaggerated makeup, he extended his hand toward Cascabel. She gladly shook it. 

"I'm Cascabel, it was pretty fun to dance with you, too." She said, then looked around and smiled sheepishly.

"Uh... How can I become a performer, Lon?"

"You just gotta do the [i]'Earning a Living'[/i] quest, Cascabel. Just say what you wanna become." He said with a tired smile as he wiped some imaginary sweat off his brow.

"Okay," she began, taking in a deep breath and raising a balled-up fist up in front of her face while her face took a determined expression, "I wish to be a Performer!"