Rose
Aeternus || Nexus




Rose awoke with a gasp, bright green eyes flying wide and searching desperately about the room. The images of the dream faded quickly, leaving her breathing deeply as small beads of sweat formed on her brow, matting strands of bright red hair to her fair skin. Damnit, I'm still here... How can this world be so real? She thought, not for the first time, as she looked down at her hands and the level of detail in which the game rendered them. It was truly a breakthrough in technology and the thought of how it was being used for such sadistic and twisted ends was enough to make her stomach turn. Sliding to the edge of the bed, pulled up the in-game clock to check the time and sighed in relief when she saw she hadn't slept through the whole day. She'd been out for only an hour and a half but the nap had been sorely needed after the emotions of the afternoon. With the initial announcement of Aeternus becoming their prison, panic had swept through the city as thousands of players struggled (and frequently outright refused) to accept what was happening; unsurprising considering how not one person saw it coming.

Well, not one besides the creator.

Bastard... She thought angrily. Rose had spent those initial hours trying to quell the panic, to form some sort of calm that would allow them all to face their predicament logically and look for some form of escape. When things finally began to settle, she found that there appeared to be no easy way out; they were trapped in this hell and would remain so until the creator saw fit to release them, or there was some sort of intervention from the real world. It had been to much to handle, that revelation, for even someone like Rose, and so she managed to find herself a room, one of the last ones available, and felt determined to try and escape through sleeping or at least whittle away the time until rescue arrived. Clearly her plan had failed and so she would have to start searching for another way.

It looked like rescue would not be so forthcoming.

"Better start by getting a better lay of the town..." Rose's alto voice muttered aloud as she pushed herself to her feet. Before receiving the letter she had found plenty of time to familiarize herself with the the game's systems so she had no trouble putting on her equipment with the game menus. The plate armor was quite extravagant in scheme, dull blood-red metal with black leather straps and gold trim, but was plain in style and clearly made for mobility and functionality; that suited her well as she had little interest in playing 'dress up' in a game that could claim her life. She slung the black traveler's cloak over her shoulders but left the hood down, sliding the gold-trimmed silk through her fingers and marveling at the feel of it. Last she put on the large sword, which appeared sheathed at her waist, and the even larger shield that came with a buckled strap across her chest so that it would hang on her back but still be within easy reach. The weapon was simple in design, a red-leather wrapped hand-and-a-half hilt with a pommel of blackened steel with a plain cross-guard, but the shield was rather magnificent to behold. It was roughly four feet tall, a tower-shield by all accounts, made from an incredibly lightweight metal Rose could not identify but that had the same color and texture as obsidian glass. The edges were outlined in a cap of dull gold which was styled like vines that twisted into the shield's center and formed a single blooming rose. Clearly it was made in a reference to the name she'd chosen on a whim, some sort of internal system that designed her equipment to fit her theme. She'd even noticed there was a faint scent of the flower that hung about her like an aura, though she could not place from where it originated. Thankfully, Victoria had always loved roses and so this sort of aesthetic appeal did not bother her in the slightest.

Finally prepared, she slipped out of the room and checked with the innkeeper to be sure it would be rented throughout the evening, giving her time to find the coin to keep paying for it.

Outside the inn, Rose quickly gathered that the city was preparing for some sort of festival and found herself rather enthralled with the extravagant decorations. Streamers of gold and silver lined every roof and lanterns burned with flames that appeared to change color from one moment to the next, casting a magical glow on the streets that had seemed so foreboding only hours before. Spotting a flier on a nearby post, she gave it a quick read. "Lantern... Festival? Is this really the time?" She grumbled to herself before her eyes glanced over something far more interesting. "Cash prizes? Can you really win coin and levels from something like this...?" It was a rather curious discovery for she had always thought these kinds of video games only involved monsters and fighting.

---------------------------------------
HP: 100%
SP: 100
Level: 1
Inventory
Potion x4
Gold x0

Prince
Aeternus ll Mystic Forest
Effected Players: Vick, S.V, Lilth

Prince was about to attack once more, but the Coin Master charged in, violently stabbing at the more tender parts of the werewolf boss. Finishing off the beast and completing the quest. The Buccaneer gave a heaved sigh of relief before shirting his blades at his sides in one smooth movement before grinning as he watched the black haired boy lay on the ground, humming a familiar victory tune.

Smirking, the tall red head walked over to Vick and without little regard, knelt down and leaned over the boy with glasses, their faces mere inches apart as his arms rest on either side of him as support. A cheerful grin on his face and his teal eye both cheery and mischievous.

"Congratz! Good job taking down that big baddie cutie!" Prince grinned, his right hand lightly ruffling up the black hair. "Should I give you a victory kiss?" he laughed before sitting up, uncaring how he pretty much sat on top of the other man as he waved to the others.

"Oi victory is ours! Is everyone alright?" he called out though soon saw their leader just walk off without even bothering with the rest of them. Loner types, their so gloomy.

He gave a sigh as he shook his head with a smile as he stood up holding out his hand for Vick. "Mhmm looks like we'll have to head back after him. There are still monsters out here after all. Can't let Sir Boss have all the fun eh? Hey does our dear Demoness need assistance in getting back?" he said to the group with a soft hum as he questioned S.V.

---

]
HP: 40%
SP: 5%
Status Effects: None
Level 3

Inventory
HP potions: 7
Sp potions: 10
Wooden Harp: 1
Cinnamon Cookies: 5
Gold: 69
Wolf Pelt: 1
Wolf Fang: 2

The Imagineer
Aeternus || Nexus
Sleepy Leaf Bridge
Affected Players: Moon-Moon(Moon234), Wandering Fool, Bruce Lee (Xenoko)

---

..It was as if she wasn't even there. A spectre annoying the human, a voice trying so desperately to be heard, if only for a moment, only for the conclusion to come that her attempt at being friendly was worth absolutely nothing. Like a full-swing, the pep in her attempted thankfulness was rendered null, slipping from her face in a matter of moments as the voices in her head rose for a mere second in order to enamor her in the never-ending realization that she truly did not belong with othe people, and never would. Yes, just like that...She was nothing that could befriend anything normal. Why had she tried?...It was obvious that she had become a frightening inconvenience at this point. But the quicker this quest was finished, the quicker she could slip off without a trace. Perhaps delete the contact option. Consequences would leave her fending for herself again, but it'd be fine. Live or die, but without the option of scaring more people. ...That was alright, she supposed. She'd been lingering around long enough, as it was. The defeatist attitude only made it easier to accept the isolation she was beginning to seek with this painful revelation.

And thus she climbed aboard the wagon, plopping down in a corner by her lonesome and bringing her knees up to rest her chin upon. ...Ah, right. There was the Lantern Festival starting soon...She'd wanted one of the goldfish pets...A soft sigh came as she buried her face into her arms once they rest atop her legs, and the mumbled mess of her voice came out to the NPC driver.
"Hurry up the drive. The quicker this is over, the quicker people can go about their ways."
The utter sink of her disposition probably spoke for any conversations people might want to have with her as she let her eyes remain staring at the pale skin of her body, tire taking hold for the moment as she began to rest for the ride. At the least, the ride had hastened up, so there was at least that fact to comfort the upsetting day that she'd had so far. A Monk, a Moon Waltzer, a Knife Thrower...All so different, yet so close together as to be able to talk and smile at each other with ease, where she was left trying her best to even be near another virtually-living person. Thanks to Moon, Imagine would have quite the question to contemplate an answer for now.

What was wrong with her?

---

Status
Hit Points: 100%/100%
Sanity: 150/150
Level: 3
Status: N/A

Inventory
Health Potion x2
Sanity Potion x2
Gold x175

Black Thought Result

Wandering Fool
Aeternus || Nexus
Mystic Woods
Affected Players: Moon234, Xenoko, The Imagineer

Jeremy grinned when the mastermind introduced herself. Imagine it is then. Her eyes were settling to normal. She reached out to the... boy, and addressed the monk. Fool shook his head ruefully at the mention of himself.
”Don’t mind me, I was in it for the gold and experience.” Helping others was nice, but that hadn’t been his primary concern in choosing the quest. It felt awkward to take credit for being a nice person with those motives in mind. Her explanation was helpful as well. That scream must have been it. Stop- a status affect then.... But why didn’t it affect me? He clearly had some things to learn about in this game. But he had to cut in on the conversation when she offered to pay for a night at the inn.

“Your offer is very kind... But I can’t accept it.” Fool smiled and then spoke to them as a group. “This is no longer a game. It is our lives. We must accept that death here is permanent. We also must accept that ingame items- such as gold-” He nodded at Imagine, “Are now as precious as regular money.” It was up to the others, but he himself would avoid the inns at all cost. Sleep was precious, but so was money. He would be better off relying on food to boost health than inns. That said, Jeremy just watched as the small boygirlperson edge around Imagine, seemingly ignoring the offer of kindness. Instead, the player moved away to talk to the monk. That is kinda cold... A moment later a friend request popped up in Fool’s peripheral vision. For a moment, he was unsure how to respond, until Imagine got into the wagon with a rather dismal aura. She even went so far as to pull her knees up to her chest, sticking to a corner far from the others. He just sighed. Women.... I will never understand them....as for this friend request... Jeremy opened his HUD, looking at the single glowing friend request. It wasn’t much, more of a formality than anything. But... What did friending a person mean exactly? He sat for a moment, then closed the HUD without denying or accepting it. A voice spoke out behind him. Imagine.

She definitely sounded messed up. Jeremy was sympathetic, but wasn’t quite sure what was wrong. The only thing that had happened was.... Moon? Something so insignificant? He sighed, girls were really beyond him. Yeah, he was lonely. But he didn’t have to think about it. In a way being trapped here was the best thing that could have happened. Outside of this, he was a nineteen year old preparing for college, with no friends, few actual skills, and no job. Here he was himself. People could be approached openly without fear, and his ability to think and strategize was not only put to the test, it was actually used! No, he couldn’t understand other people. Fool opened up his HUD for a moment and sent a quick message. His fingers flew across the holographic keys and sent it faster than his eyes could follow- the glories of being a computer geek.


That done, he vaulted off the vehicle from his perch on the side. The wagon was moving faster, but it was still just a wagon. Fool dashed ahead a bit and fumbled on the ground a moment, flipping a knife out, and then slowly scouring the ground, before returning and leaping back up, this time to the main section of the wagon. There he sat and worked, tying a bundle of thumbsized sticks around the top of a larger branch with some flexible saplings he cut. In the small center cup it made, he made a small nest of twigs. A quick snapping sound as he utilized Flint & Steel and it was done. A Lit Torch was made. The light flared up a bit, and he had to feed it carefully until the larger stuff started to light as well. The virtues of the game made it a lot more effective than it would have been otherwise. While ingame physics were pretty advanced, once an item like this was created, it tended to stay as is. Or, in other words, one Lit Torch was as good as any other Lit Torch. It had grown dark during their battles, and it was darkening faster- especially as their group entered the forest. This done, Fool jambed its end between some of the barrels they were transporting. It would be tiresome to hold it this entire time.

Next, he pulled some Bread from his bag and cut it up into four pieces, tossing one to Moon and another to the monk. The third he took and carefully placed it on top of Imagines head with a playful grin. She didn’t look to be in the mood to catch it. He ate his own piece slowly, contemplating. Being hungry, even virtually, was horrible. How hungry was he in the real world by now? Had they moved his body to a hospital? Fool finished the bread and moved onto the next time burning task- sharpening his knives. Sure, he had started with a bit less gold than others because of buying this stuff, but it was useful to have around.

---

HP: 100%
SP: 80
Level: 3
Inventory:
Gold: 95
Deck of Cards
Dice & Cup x 10
Bread x1
Flint & Steel
Whetstone
Canteen (Empty)
Lit Torch

Prince
Aeternus ll Mystic Forest
Forest Edge --> Nexus
Effected Characters: Vick, Lilth, S.V

"Alright we'll be behind you in case there are more baddies around!" Prince called after the Blade Dancer and the Demoness before looking down curiously at the boy he had mercilessly teased. The Coin Tosser had sat up and turned his back to him before standing up. Refusing the offered hand as he shuffled away nervously.

A soft smirk appeared on his lips, as he watched the glasses wearing boy stand there avoiding as much eye contact he could, moving his scarf up a bit in a attempt to hide his blushing cheeks. Tsk tsk, this boy is just too easy to tease... He's too adorable not to really. Mhmm it will be interesting to test just how much teasing this boy can handle without being a total blushing mess.

Vick attempted to respond in the now quiet atmosphere, asking if they should follow them and if he was hurt. "Eh I'm fine, just a few scratches. That battle sure did a number on me though. Man this game really is realistic. The feeling of pain is quite... Remarkable!" he laughed before smirking at him.

"Well that would be a good idea." Prince mused as he ran his fingers through his bangs, before casually moving closer to Vick and draped a arm around the other boy and pulled him in close. "Though us sitting out here in this beautiful forest, snuggling under the starry sky and enjoying the warmth of each other's arms is a charming idea." he grinned, laughing a little before pulling away, lightly gripping his companion's hand as he headed after the others.

It was still dangerous out here, and Prince wasn't very comfortable of leaving others too far from his sight out in the forest. Call him overprotective.... But if he can do something about it, he didn't want to have to see anyone die in front of him. That sort of pain of failure was worst than any other, it left his currently bleeding aching injuries numb in comparison.

Pretty soon, he caught up to S.V and Lilth only to find S.V confronting a large troll. Clicking his tongue, he sighed a bit before looking back at Vick with a grin.

"Stay by our gorgeous lady, cutie! I'll help out Vally over there." Prince grinned, gingerly letting go of the black haired boy's hand before unsheathing his blades and launching himself into battle.

"Need some assistance buuuuuuuddy~?" Prince grinned as he darted around the troll, his swords dancing against the green monster whom roared angrily. Try as the monster might, his angry grabs for the Buccaneer were much too slow for the speedy cat eared man.

---

HP: 40%
SP: 5%
Status Effects: None
Level 3

Inventory
HP potions: 7
Sp potions: 10
Wooden Harp: 1
Cinnamon Cookies: 5
Gold: 69
Wolf Pelt: 1
Wolf Fang: 2

Enemies
Forest Troll Level 2: 85%

Sarah, or rather, Sarebii had no idea what shape or even what day it was. Both her body and mind were exhausted after flipping out from reading that horrid message from this so-called "Ra." She didn't know where she was or what happened. She could, however, remember bits and pieces of her time here so far, though she wished she would forget most of it. She remembered that she received the message not long after just starting the game, saying that there was no escape for the living unless they played his stupid game to the end. This killed any chance she had and she knew it. After a bit screaming in horror and deleting the message on the spot, she remembers running around town until she met a group of poor unfortunate souls who have given up on ever living again, finding it easier to kill themselves than to continue on. Sarah tried staying with the group, convincing themselves there was no point and way out, but in the end she couldn't do it. She ended up flailing madly into the streets until exhaustion took over and she finally conked out on the edge of the street.

Sarebii looked around her, trying to figure out her location. She was still in the starting town, more specifically the town square by the looks of it. It was a bit more lively than she last remembered it. Maybe people found a way out? One could only hope, but now was a time for food and gathering back her strength and composure. Worse comes to worse, she could always sell herself as a healer to a group and maybe get by that way. She checked the first food stand she could find. Thankfully it was all cheep, and obviously run by a npc. She bought the most attractive thing she could with one gold piece and tried to look somewhat like a lady as she scarfed it down. It wasn't bad, but the calming of doing something as normal as eating really seemed to help her nerves. She continued her walk around town and could tell something was going down. Either a festival or a celebration. It would be hard to believe if this wasn't an in game event, but she both couldn't tell the difference and didn't care to begin with. Sarah let out a long sigh as she stopped in front of a small inn. She didn't plan to stay the night, but it was at least a place to hang for now as she watched the people go to and fro.

---

HP: 100%
SP: 100
Level: 1
Inventory
Potion x4
Gold x9

Rose
Aeternus || Nexus
Affected Characters: Sarebii


Rose stood at the corner, pondering her next move while watching the town's NPCs mill about and set up for the festival. It appeared that the event 'challenges' required a bit of coin to enter; gotta spend money to make money, it seemed; all except the listed 'Couples Games' of which the three-legged race was free to enter. Though the thought of meeting a boyfriend in a virtual prison was completely unappealing (who would be able to think of such things in this predicament?) she figured it would be alright to meet a few other players. After all, anyone who was able to go out and enjoy the Lantern Festival must be someone who was calmed down enough to be considering the situation rationally.

Those were just the kind of people with which she needed to become acquainted.

Occasionally another player would scurry past but they all appeared to nervous and in a hurry for her to stop them with her questions. This trend continued for some time until finally Rose spotted a girl with beautiful blonde hair waiting in front of the inn she was staying at. She wasn't sure if 'couples' could include same-sex pairings but it was worth asking about from the first cool-headed person she'd seen. "Excuse me." Her strong alto voice called out as she crossed the street with a friendly wave. She gave the girl a kind smile and tried to appear as non-threatening as possible. "I don't suppose you know of how the Lantern Festival's pairing works? Or, perhaps, where I might be able to find a suitable partner to participate?"

---------------------------------------

HP: 100%
SP: 100
Level: 1
Inventory
Potion x4
Gold x0

Ares
Aeternus || Mystic Forest
Forest Center -> Afriel Village
Affected Players: Moon234, Xenoko, Wandering Fool, Imagineer

The trolls had left marks – scars and smashed bits of armor. He strode along a stone path with monstrous rows of trees parallel on either side, concealing the more dangerous depths of the Mystic Forest. Night birds flapped from branch to branch, and smaller critters scurried in the brush, but only occasionally.

He wondered if leaving the group behind had been the right thing to do but as soon as the thought crept into his conscience there was already an answer waiting at the door. He did it because they couldn’t depend on him. There was no doubt in his mind that they’d all meet again; Ares would need them at their best if they were to make it out alive.

A faint light emerged from the opposite direction of the path. As the light became brighter, Ares began to hear the sound of hooves trotting against the stone. No bandit would be stupid enough to make such noise let alone light a torch, he thought. Surely enough it was a wagon with some people on it and a couple horses that approached. The wagon came to an abrupt halt as the two met. Bright, emerald eyes with sincere intent shifted from the players on the wagon to the NPC leading the mini caravan. “Good evening traveler,” the NPC, Baggles, greeted. “Baggles…” Ares nodded, raising an eyebrow as he read the peculiar name from his own HUD. “A Dark Knight, eh? We don’t have too many of your class, boy,” Baggles rapped, seemingly comfortable with the stranger. “We’re soldiers,” Ares whispered nonchalantly. “Not many are willing to weather the front lines, given the circumstances, well; I don’t need to tell you, old man.”

Without preamble, Ares reached into his blood-red cloak, pulled out a pouch and lightly tossed it at the NPC. “There’s 20 Gold in there, count it; I’m headed to Nexus and I need your spare steed.”

“And you assume I’ll sell it to you for 20 Gold?”

“Lend it.” Ares clarified.

Baggles threw the pouch back at Ares who caught it with his right hand in a speedy and effortless movement.

“Tell you what,” Baggles said. “Join my caravan and you can use the beacon at Afriel to warp back to Nexus, we shan’t be long. This forest is infested with nasty creatures; we will need all the help we can get. So why don’t you hop in?”

Ares regarded the players on the wagon coolly, sensing slight tension. He hoped on the spare steed and maintained a prudent distance parallel the cargo and the players. “I do not care who is in charge of this quest, I will take my own precautions to ensure the survival of everyone here if the need arises.” He maintained his gaze ahead as he spoke to the group of players. “Forest trolls, they’re slow but they hit hard, their peripheral vision is severally lacking. Wolves are fast and will charge head-on, that leaves them vulnerable. Do as you feel with this information.”

---

HP: 12%
SP: 40
Level: 3
Inventory
Gold x28
Wolf Pelt x2
Wolf Fang

Ares’ Enemies
Forest Troll Level: 4 HP: 0%
Forest Troll Level: 2 HP: 0%

The Imagineer
Aeternus || Nexus
Mystic Forest
Affected Players: Moon-Moon(Moon234), Wandering Fool, Bruce Lee (Xenoko), Ares

---

She was far more content to be by her lonesome up until the point came that a piece of bread was placed upon her head. ...A small blink, followed by her hand slowly taking hold of the edible piece would proceed with a small thank you to the Fool as she took a small bite of it. Nothing special, but enough to fill the stomach as she rubbed her eye and allowed a small yawn to fall from her lips before huddling back up. Her thought were slowly unraveling, to point of allowing her to actually notice that she was being addressed by the very source of her current depressions. ...Was he...apologizing?
"...You don't...It's...alright, I suppose. I realize that trying to be civil and speaking in the first place was a terrible flaw in the first place. I am not made to be friendly with others because my nature scares them off."

That was the simple truth. She almost reached out to pat the male on the shoulder, though it was snapped back just as quickly as offered in favor of keeping things from becoming even worse. Consequences taken into account for, she made sure to keep all physical contact possible to herself. It'd refrain from spooking the other more than he was now, and that was the main goal- Ah? Wait, what was this? A new challenger had appeared. Laying back as the male climbed aboard and made it point and key to speak of how he would protect the little group at all costs, her lips formed the words in all of their appropriance to regard how little health he was running on.

"How are you supposed to 'protect' us, when you're running around with only a miniscule amount of your life even in-tact?"

She stood up at that point, bread finished and her hands brushing off any crumbs left in favor of allowing her to stare forward through the forest path in order to get a glance. ...Hmmm...Slow, huh?...

"...I'll go ahead then. Drink this."

A quick toss of a health vial to the injured Death Knight would be tossed prior to her tilting her head upwards and allowing a soft breath to pass her lips as faint orbs of light materialized around her back in order to compose themselves into wings of some form prior to her opening her optics once again. Golden butterflies surrounded her body, maintaining their flight patterns to stay close as she soon hopped off the cabin, minor after-images of her body following as her White Vision became active. A gentle twirl came for her to give a wave to Baggles before turning back around and taking off running forward. Why? To drive any danger ahead after her first, rather than the wagon in need of protection. Only when she was far enough that she wouldn't be heard by the ones behind would she stop, Kill the Queen drawn and body tensed while examining the surroundings. This was all that could be done at the moment, and getting away from the others offered some clarity, despite the fact that the voices were beginning to pick up with a chunk of her sanity used in order to enhance both her speed and her natural regeneration process. Let's see what came.

---

Status
Hit Points: 100%/100%
Sanity: 100/150
Level: 3
Status: N/A

Inventory
Health Potion x2
Sanity Potion x2
Gold x175

Black Thought Result

Wandering Fool
Aeternus || Nexus
Mystic Woods
Affected Players: Moon234, Xenoko, The Imagineer, Ares

---

It wasn’t the best apology, but it would do, coming from a young teen. He probably wasn’t even old enough to date... Not that Fool could say much on the topic. Jeremy turned his head and focused on sharpening his knives. That particular conversation wasn’t his business to listen to, so he would give the privacy he could. The monk seemed to be in his own world. Suddenly, the wagon halted as a man moved into the torch light. Fool was on his feet almost before the jostling of the wagon had settled, the knife that he had been sharpening already positioned to fly. But he didn’t throw it, he just sat down again. This man wasn’t much of a threat, so long as he kept his distance. The man’s weapon and armor marked him as a melee class. But that same armor was broken and damaged in several places, the man had little health to speak of, and- the clincher- the man was ignoring them, talking to the npc. The man mounted an extra horse and rode along side, calling out to the players on board the wagon.

By the time this.... Ares had reached his second pause while describing enemies, Fool had gone from tense, to rapidly recording notes in his HUD. Useful information. Before he knew it though, his note taking was interrupted. Imagine put down the newcomer before tossing a potion to him, over Fool. He was a bit startled as suddenly lights appeared to convalesce into wings upon her back, others floating about her. Even her eyes altered again. And then she was gone, going off until her wings were just a faint glow in the ever darkening forest. Fool just stared after her for a moment, and then jerked to his feet. “Why? Just.... why?!” Whatever had knocked this man down to lower health may still be out there, or others like it. What had gotten in to her? Was she suicidal?

Of course, in his mind, the issue was more than a moral one of letting a girl go off alone in the dark woods. On the other hand.... SHE IS A DAMN MAGICAL RANGED CLASS! WHY IS SHE STANDING OUT IN THE OPEN?! Jeremy grimaced and- once again- vaulted over the side of the wagon, following stealthily at a distance. Fool wasn’t an expert at this game by any means, but he knew his MMO’s. A ranged class could do just fine against a heavier enemy, such as Trolls, provided that the user could maneuver away or inflict a slowing status effect on them. But a stereotypical wolf could tear into a ranged player with abandon, assuming they followed the regular RPG trend- which they did, based on what the knight had told them.

Right... So what am I doing out here again? Ah yes, doing exactly the opposite of what I should be doing... The monk would be a better choice for this, or even that boy. Me? I can barely aim in the dark. My abilities are useless unless I can see what is in front of me. Why is she- Fool cut off his thinking with a manual overide; deep breath- which froze in his throat when something ahead of them seemed to move in the shadows. Just a night time misunderstanding... This is a nice easy quest, we are almost there right? The driver said so!

Suddenly he was glad to be dressed in almost complete black. Fool pulled his cloak about himself to stave off both the cold and the darkness, as well as to improve the camouflage it provided. He assumed that the ai here could be fooled by trickery. Afterall, if Baggles could have a coherent conversation that would be as hard as could be to program, then of course wolves don’t just automatically know where you are, like in the cheap games.

Not that this was a game anymore. Jeremy slowed and then halted Imagine did, flattening his back against a large tree near the path. He was about two thirds of the way to her, if you counted the distance between the glowing torch on the wagon and the almost-brighter wings and butterflies surrounding the young woman. Slowly, he drew two knives, mind racing to find a better aiming mechanism than his eyes. Dead Eye was excellent, but only would work if he had a specific target in mind. Is she insane?

---

HP: 100%
SP: 80
Level: 3
Inventory:
Gold: 95
Deck of Cards
Dice & Cup x 10
Bread x1
Flint & Steel
Whetstone
Canteen (Empty)

Prince
Aeternus ll Mystic Forest
Forest Edge --> Town Gates
Effected Players: Vick, Lilth, S.V

Prince smirked in response to the Blade Dancer's words, watching as the fellow shirtless man striked at the Forest Troll, dealing massive amounts of damage and dropping the beast's HP down significantly. Deciding they needed to finish this off quickly before anymore showed up. He had health potions, but he rather get to town and rest before using all of them.

Quickly, the Buccaneer flashed around the Forest Troll, his blades dancing in silver streaks as gashes appeared against his opponents belly, back, legs, and face. As desperately as the troll tried, he could not catch the speedy feline and could only scream out in utter agony as Prince laid down a final blow to the neck with his left sword, slicing it open and forcing the troll to burst in data.

With a victorious smirk, he sheathed his blades before walking over to Vick and Lilth, taking out a health potion and kneeling down, gently taking the woman in his arms and having her drink the potion. Might as well ease the pain. The pain was hard to take in after all, Prince was a bit surprise at his own pain tolerance, but he was sure once he got to bed he would pass out. He was tired, his legs felt wary, but he had to keep going until everyone was safe. The red head hoped Ares was alright, but he seemed like a guy too stubborn to die so he was sure they'd meet again.

Taking a hedging breath, his wounds aching a bit from the extra activity of battle, before he picked up the Demoness bridal style, his left arm under her legs and his right around her shoulders. Despite how tired and pained he was, he hardly showed it as he smiled brightly and gave a hearty laugh as he stood up.

"Well now that is over with, let's get to town before we get attacked by more. After all anything could pop up at us with our luck." Prince said to Vick and S.V before starting off toward town though made sure he didn't get too far from the others. In case they did get jumped again.

---

HP: 40%
SP: 5%
Status Effects: None
Level 3

Inventory
HP potions: 7
Sp potions: 10
Wooden Harp: 1
Cinnamon Cookies: 5
Gold: 69
Wolf Pelt: 1
Wolf Fang: 2

Enemies
Forest Troll LVL 3: 0%



Mystic
Aeternus ll Nexus
Effected Players: Rose

It was a pretty day, shinning paper decorations lining the streets of this odd looking town. The dark haired girl hummed as she hopped from stone to stone on the smooth pathway filled with fellow people. Attempting to not step on any cracks to break her mothers back. After all, she didn't want momma to be in pain, she had to have her back to give hugs and to work. It be bad if something happened.

Humming a soft nursery rhyme called 'The Itsy Bitsy Spider' as she hopped along. She had read the odd email by this games creator, but she hadn't fully understood it and didn't fully comprehend the situation she was in. For now, she was just enjoying the pretty lights of the city. Although she wanted to see mommy and daddy, they wouldn't be home for awhile, so this what would occupy her time until they came home and gave her hugs and kisses.

She missed them... But she'd be a good girl and wait for them however long it took.

Mystic smiled brightly as she hopped along, her bright purple eyes looking around, not watching where she was going and ramming face first into one of the players legs. The little girl fell back and landed on her rump on the ground. She yelped and rubbed her face, her eyes tearing up a little at the minor pain but soon held them back and looked up at a armor clad red headed woman.

".....Sowwy... Ma'am." Mystic said shyly, unsure if she should talk to a stranger but knew it was impolite not to apologize. The dark teal haired girl stood and dusted off her pretty dress.

---

HP: 100%
SP: 150%
Status Effects: None
Level 1

Inventory
HP potions: 5
Sp potions: 10
Gold: 50 Gold

Ares
Aeternus || Mystic Forest
Forest Center -> Afriel Village
Affected Players: Moon234, Xenoko, Lilith
Protect? The thought snuck into his mind. He reluctantly caught the woman’s HP vial before allowing the green liquid down his throat. Ares noticed the female’s abrupt departure prompted a second player to burst after her, leaving behind Baggles, a monk, a boy and his familiar and, less importantly, a cargo full of barrels. Lover’s quarrel perhaps…he thought. Such matters tended to drive people into recklessness and this seemed to be the case. The female shouldn't be in any real danger, Ares couldn't imagine trolls posted on the roads. Suddenly he remembered Lilith. Ares accessed his HUD and sent her a message:


Things between them had becomes complicated as of late and he wasn’t sure why he felt the need to almost avoid her. What exactly was he afraid of? Ending up like those two up ahead?

“I can’t imagine your friends up ahead make a habit of abandoning you to complete strangers,” Ares regarded the boy, Moon234 as his HUD displayed. The only other player, the monk, seemed to be lost in his own thoughts. Ares knew the best way to face wolves was to let them come to you. Trolls were a different beast, they were predators. Ares was convinced that the trolls he killed had been stalking him before he ever realized it. Surely they wouldn’t just stand in the middle of the road, would they? His guess was they’d approach from the back or prepare an ambush from the brushes.

Ares remained calm; there was no point in acting irrationally. “Boy, I’d suggest your familiar cover the rearguard…”

---

HP: 50%
SP: 40
Level: 3
Inventory
Gold x28
Wolf Pelt x2
Wolf Fang

Ares’ Enemies
Forest Troll Level: 4 HP: 0%
Forest Troll Level: 2 HP: 0%

Soul Story Online

Rose
Aeternus || Nexus
Affected Characters:Mystic, Serabii


The question to the pretty blonde-haired girl had just left Rose's lips when she felt a sudden bump against her hip. "Oh, pardon me-" Her apology came naturally, often being the one who ran into others because of her height but as she turned and saw no-one a look of confusion crinkled across her face.

Silver Fox said
".... Sowwy Ma'am...."Mystic said shyly, unsure if she should talk to a stranger but knew it was impolite not to apologize.

Finally looking down, Rose spotted the one who was plopped in the dirt and after the instant it took for her brain to register her entire body froze and all color drained from her face. No way... It would be one of the rare times in Rose's life when she was caught completely off guard: the moment she realized the creature known as 'Ra' would be cruel enough to trap a child in his game of death.

Always strong of will, it only took Rose a few moments to recover and for color to flush back into her cheeks as she jerked down to help the child to her feet. "N-no, I'm sorry!" She stuttered as she tried to put on the friendliest smile she could muster. "Are you alright?" A quick glance around showed that they were momentarily alone in the street, the three of them. "Hey, a-are you with someone? Like a friend or...?"

---------------------------------------
HP: 100%
SP: 100
Level: 1
Inventory
Potion x4
Gold x0

Winter
Aeternus || Nexus

~"It is by faith that poetry, as well as devotion, soars above this dull earth; that imagination breaks through it's clouds, breathes a purer air, and lives in a softer light"~

Among the many players which walked around the small virtual town of Nexus, Alessia was one of the few who were looked upon as a lost cause or doomed to failure. She was a person who no one would expect to make it out of this tragic situation with her life. Of course It was no secret that Imperial Knights were a tough class due to their weak damage threshold and it was because of this that very few were now left alive. Most had fallen within the first day and not even to very tough enemies. For an Imperial Knight it would be the moment you got stunned that you would feel that horrifying pause and watch helplessly as the virtual enemy struck you again, tearing your life from your mortal core. She had already witnessed a few cases of this, her friends in fact. They had started this game together and had chosen the same class so they could pair up and explore the world with a more challenging experience. But they were gone now, and she was among the few who remained of this doomed class.

She could see it in their eyes as they passed her in the street, that look of empathy or sadness when they saw what she already knew. That there was a strong chance she wouldn't see home again. It was time she started coming to terms with that. Even trying to join up with other parties was difficult, sure she had a ton of damage output which was valuable in initiating engagements or taking down tougher enemies. But quite a few would turn away from a player who they would expect would only get killed, becoming unreliable. Alessia looked up at the sky as these thoughts crossed her mind, causing a soft sigh to escape her lips as she walked through the towns center, her sword kept diagonally across her back due to the sheer size of it. A couple of assassin class players walked by her, turning back to look at her. One looked like he was about to say something before the other placed a hand on his shoulder, shaking his head before they continued on their way.

It wasn't all bad though. For example the Lantern Festival was tonight and if it was anything that Alessia appreciated it was the beauty of lights casting a canvass across the night sky. "Excuse me miss" spoke a voice from her left, causing her to snap from her thoughts as she focused on who was addressing her. A young girl who seemed far too young to be playing this game looked up at her, "I know this isn't much, but me and my friends want you to have this" she said, holding up a lantern with a smile. Alessia looked passed the girl to a group she seemed to belong too who gave waved in her direction. She gave a small wave back before she knelt down to be at the same level as the girl, returning her attention to her. She placed her hands gently on the lantern, bringing it down between them, "What's your name?" she asked softly. The girl paused for a moment before she spoke "Cecilia!" she replied. Alessia gave a small smile, "Well met Cecilia, my name is Alessia" she replied before continuing, "Is this your lantern?" she asked. Cecilia nodded once, "I managed to take down a wolf in the Mystic Wood with my brothers and we bought one each with the reward money" she said with a clear tone of pride.

Alessia smiled and have a small chuckle, "Then I think you should be the one to release it, don't you think?" she asked, the young girl looking down for a moment before meeting her gaze again. "My brothers said you don't have allot of time, they said Imperial Knights don't last long in this game... we wanted to give you this so you could enjoy the festival..." she said sadly, looking down again. Alessia continued to smile and placed a hand on her shoulder as she replied, the girl looking up again as she spoke, "I'm tougher then I look, don't worry about me" she said before leaning in to whisper to her, "Between you and me, I'm on a secret mission. I'm actually a very high level" she said before leaning back. The young girl beamed, "Really?! that's great!" she said happily before Alessai raised her hand in a quieting gesture, "You must keep it a secret, it's top secret ok?" she replied, the young girl giving a determined nod in reply. "Now you should keep your lantern, you've earned it. It's only fair you should release it at the festival" she said before standing up. Cecilia smiled, "Thanks miss Alessia, hopefully we'll see you again?" she asked. Alessia simply smiled and replied, "I hope so". The young girl grinned before running back to her brothers. She watched her go before turning and continuing on her way.

Sarebii
Aeternus || Nexus
Affected Characters: Rose, Mystic

Sarebii had no idea what had just happened. She had just gotten settled in front of the inn when a lovely lady in red started talking to her. Sarebii waved back and smiled as her attention drew to the woman, listening as she continued to talk. Then, out of nowhere, she heard a small yelp and the lady apologizing. Sarebii wasn't sure why she was apologizing, but this ruined whatever point the woman was talking to her about and she couldn't help but notice a little girl had fallen to the ground.

Sarebii rushed over and knelt beside the child as the other woman helped her up. She was glad to see that the little girl was relatively alright after doing a quick glance over, then her gaze went to Rose. She saw Rose look around and took comfort in the fact that she cared about someone other than herself. She heard Rose ask her concerning questions and she looked back at the little girl, wanting to help out in any way she could.

---

HP: 100%
SP: 100
Level: 1
Inventory
Potion x4
Gold x9