---

---

The small group finished their quest and after some additional grinding, they returned to an inn. Aura was filthy and exhausted, she felt entirely smashed after such a small activity. While it was good to get some rewards after completing the quest, this only made her feel more unsafe - it was their very first few kills and she already felt like this. On the inn, she made the choice of taking a shower - cruel as it is, you had to pay for it but it wasn't expensive, thankfully. Numerous times during the bath she attempted to open the menu and click the log off button, to no avail. Aura broke down and cried - but it was only briefly as she was quick to recompose herself, taking a deep breath and proceeding to return to the inn. Now clean and refreshed, she had one more thing to solve: Her hunger.

After a decent meal, there were numerous players introducing each other, even Aura had to state her name, although she was rather quick about it, wishing to attract no attention to herself. Aura wasn't a timid person, but she was feeling slightly nervous. There was a rather... thick crowd gathered here and now - and they all seemed as if they were seasoned veterans of the game already. A discussion about their situation rose up - with the initial spark being one named Kajin. After him, a female by the name of Alisea continued, speaking with authority and was a very decisive person.

Aura's eyes glanced around, quickly running over every player present in the inn. There was too many of them - and a group this large could indeed proceed through things quickly, but it could also create problems. A diversity of personalities often led to conflict. Due to this reason, Aura finally took a decision for herself: For the time being, she would be on her own. If things became too complicated, she could probably ask Reylan, Karma or Dubstepp for help - by now, she had the three of them on her friends list.

Whenever they looked at her or not, Aura gave them a nod - hoping they would understand a gesture this time - and then began to wander off from the inn. She was ready to explore on her own and see if she could find anything useful around. Maybe there were more undiscovered quests, right?

---

The quest itself was a blur - boars fell relatively quickly, as was expected, and their plan worked very well for the most part. Aster was quick with the blade, and Kajin was liberal in his healing. Eventually, they managed to take out the beasts, with relative ease - Dirk barely dipped into the yellow once or twice, but otherwise managed to keep the others guarded. It was during the quest that Theo's suspicions were truly realized - the skills do effect how you act to some degree. Despite never holding a sword in his life, Dirk was quite proficient all things considered, and he wielded it better than he would have normally. It was almost like instinct - despite not learning it, his body corrected his stance naturally, with barely any input of his own. Theo assumed this is the same thing that happened with his Acting skill... Combat was a breeze for Theo, mainly because he didn't have much to do. The hits weren't too strong, and pain was obviously nowhere near as intense as it would be in reality - Theo knew a good hit from a weak one, and the boars couldn't hurt him too bad. More importantly, the others managed to do their roles well, allowing them to defeat the boars with relative ease. Some other players seemed to be doing the quest as well, as Theo noticed several other players farming the small boars with similar ease to their group. But that didn't really matter - each of those boars were only worth 1 exp, and even after searching them, he only found the items that the loot menu presented them.

“What do you say we pack it up for the evening? I could really use something to eat! Plus, I may be out of mana… A tad trigger happy I guess.”

"No problem. I'm running a little low myself."

Theo was careful to readopt his Dirk voice, hoping that the others didn't notice him get serious. Dirk would never get serious, unless it was something of dire importance. Level 1 boars are not that important... But hell, after making a huge promise like he did, Theo didn't have much of a choice but to try his hardest. The walk back to the city was somewhat dreary thanks to the general mood of everything, but Theo did his best to keep the group's morale up. After all, these were the people he would be spending who knows how long partied up with.

They finally made it to the gate of the city, where Kajin managed to slide away in order to buy somethings, with the promise he would meet them at the nearby inn. Theo nodded, before accepting the quest he had just completed. The exp was very nice, and he quickly distributed the stat and skill points he received, increasing his acting first and foremost. He wanted to make his performance as realistic as possible, to the point it was indistinguishable from the real thing. Health and mana went up next, along with a single point in strength. Finally finishing up, Theo waved to Aster as he made his way to the market place, selling his pork and receiving 10 renn... Not the greatest, but Theo was saving up every single nickel he had for plate armor. Dirk was the kind of guy that wore plate...

He quickly made his way back to the meeting place, lamenting the exorbitant price of armor, and found Aster and Kajin waiting for him. Apologizing, Theo walked in and quickly ordered a room, lodging, and a meal - which cost more than he made with the pork in the first place... great.

“We need to find a source of income other than quests if we want to actually do more than just survive here. This stuff is expensive. Hopefully dungeons generate a ton more Renn.”

Theo nodded, while taking a bite out of the Shepard's pie. They didn't need to buy a home or get a day job, but something to net a few extra Renn would be appreciated... Especially if it got him closer to the sweet plate armor! While eating, Theo noticed all senses were almost exactly like reality, and the meal itself wasn't bad... It was just the fact that he never expected it to have any taste. Then again, he hadn't eaten all day, and the meal was very appreciated. He didn't think it would be worth it to buy rations or a canteen, since he would head back to the city later anyways, but he still wasn't happy about not eating all day... Or, his stomach was. After devouring the meal, he chugged his water, just as Kajin began to speak again.

“You know guys although we’re in a death trap and probably condemned to dying, this place still takes my breath away. The realism of the food, the NPCs, and everything else is astounding!”

"If these guys are telling the truth that the servers can't be found, It's even more amazing. The things have to be huge in order to handle something like this..."

Theo played with his fork, examining the graphical power pored into every detail. Meanwhile, Kajin worked on the cloth armor for Aster, eventually finishing it and passing it off to her, thankfully fulfilling her need of armor. Just as he held his fork to the light and was looking straight ahead, a group caught his eye - one of the groups that had been hunting the boars as well just walked in, and Theo set his fork down. NPC's were realistic, but nothing like talking with an actual human being.

The group introduced one another, and while the others were quite eccentric, they were far better than the other players. Hell, some players hadn't even moved from the main street, sitting on the ground or on a bench... It was depressing.

The groups continued to talk, and eventually everyone hit an intersection - one of the newcomers, Dubstepp, proposed doing quests until they leveled up before tackling a dungeon. That was the smart decision - it would give them safety, make them stronger before they fought an enemy that may easily decimate them. But then again, the prospect of being the firsts to clear a dungeon entered Theo's mind - the achievement, the respect, the honor. Not only that, but it would also keep quests available for later - particularly, quests that Theo could easily do alone. In case the group disbanded or splintered off, Theo would at lest have a small cushion of exp to protect himself and give him a level or two, enough to pour some points into strength and become more capable of soloing...

No, Dirk wouldn't think of backup plans. He only thinks of one plan, and if that doesn't work, uses the first thing that comes to mind in the moment. Dirk also loved glory and being the first to do something - but no way in hell would he risk others for it...

Theo was honestly clueless at what to do. So, he simply remained silent, deciding to follow the course of action that his original group follows through with. They were friends, at least mechanically, so he would rely on them to make their plan. He'd just tank the hits and be ready with a smile.

It was strange how comforting the inn was. Despite not really knowing anyone there very well, and even though the quest they'd all just completed hadn't really been all that difficult, Aster was glad to have the chance to just rest for a while, even if that meant that she had to put up with constant conversation for a while more. She didn't mind either of her de-facto partners; they actually seemed to be pretty well-meaning. Dirk had a powerful voice and a brash personality, but was simultaneously a caring, somewhat-idealistic young man. Kajin was far more pragmatic, and it was comforting to know that someone was taking this seriously, and was willing to put forth the effort necessary to keep the little group safe and moving in the proper direction. Despite Dirk's straightforward nature, Kajin struck her as a natural leader, if a behind-the scenes sort. Dirk, the cheery tank, would make an excellent people-person and head-basher if it came to that. What role did that put her in? She was apparently pretty okay with the sword, but her lack of experience was a definite weakness, as it left her woefully unprepared for the natural twists and turns of RPG tropes.

"I'm all for dungeons if you lot are. I'm pretty good in the dark, as far as navigating goes. Oh, um. For the rest of you folks, I'm Aster. I'm a swordsman, and I'm with those two." She gestured to her teammates. "Thanks for the armor, Kajin. Really." She accepted the cloth armor, then rose suddenly from her seat. "I... I'm going to go get changed." Before anyone could respond, she hurried away, stepping into a corridor to equip the protective garments. They fit quite well, for being player-made, and had a bit of give to them, as though padded. They wouldn't make any sort of fashion statement, but would hopefully keep her alive for a while longer than she deserved.

After a few minutes, she returned to the table, sitting beside Kajin, only a seat away from Dirk. She wasn't used to being surrounded by so many people, and keeping track of all the faces was a challenge in and of itself. It was so overwhelming, in fact, that she closed her eyes and just let the sounds of the inn wash over her. It was a calming, familiar sensation, and it was comforting to just spectate silently as the other, more experienced players discussed team-ups and strategies for the future of the game.

______________________________________________________________________________________________

The sight of the reward was a both a huge relief and shock to Reylan as it appeared within the in-game menu. If they hadn't received that bonus gold he would have hardly made anything to replace the arrows he used. He really need to work on making his own arrows pretty quickly if he hoped to have to make money. Surely purchasing the parts for arrows would be cheaper then buying them straight, right? Once back at the inn he immediately set about getting a decent meal wit his new coin as he was starving, which was weird given that they were in a game. He had saw that a stiffer drink was available on the menu but even with this dire situation he still didn't feel the need though he was already missing soda. His economic concerns were soon traded for anxiety at the amount of people that arrived at the inn.

Reylan could feel flutters in his chest as the others were introduced and then he would introduce himself in return appearing quite nervous until after all the introductions were properly finished. If he were to be honest he felt more comfortable within his own small group than this large one but he knew a larger group fared better overall. The one named Kaijin posed a very good question that Reylan had been thinking about on the way back, what was his plan? Of course his opinion was much easier to form and his main thought being that they had no choice but to play the game as if what Malgoth had said was true until they either won or some other means of escape became available.

Alisea he heard chime in after kaijin as if to expand upon his questions giving a very tactical view of the game situation. He turned his head towards Dub as he spoke "I don't think I want to face a dungeon boss at level 2." That was a sentiment that Reylan shared as well. If this was not a death game, they would be able to repeatedly fight the dungeon and the boss to gain more and more information. The boss was most likely out of the question for their levels but nothing was wrong with a little scouting "Dub has a very good point, fighting a Boss at this level no matter our numbers will just get us all killed. We can't afford to be reckless. They had to approach this like it was battle in the real world with tactics and planning "What we can do with our numbers is scout the dungeon and find where the boss is located." Even though Reylan said it he wasn't inclined towards it.

Through his silvery eyes Reylan had just caught Aura leaving, his face was blank as he didn't know how to react or what to say. The look in her eyes clearly said 'I'm going solo.' but he just couldn't accept that. Frantically he looked towards Karma and Dub, then the rest, before taking off after her "Excuse me." he quickly spoke before he too was out the door. It didn't take long to catch up to her and once a few feet away he called her name "Aura!" He did his best not to stumble his words "You're leaving us already? No...I can't just let you go off on your own!" His voice had started full of concern but quickly rose in commitment, Aura was one of his party and he wasn't just going to let her go without a word "If you don't want to be part of that group...that's fine but I am coming with you." Reylan firmly stated stand tall but the seriousness faded a little into a smile "Besides, someone has to have your back." He could understand feeling a little intimated by the size of the group, that kind of situation was beyond what he was used to. No one could hide behind a avatar anymore and every interaction was much more personal than any kind of game before.

"We were the first to act, but we won't be the only ones. I for one want to use what time is remaining tonight to search the city for NPC teachers. As for tomorrow, I believe we'll need to move farther than wild boars. Has anyone bought a map? Ah, thank you. So, here is the flower garden for the runner quest. Timid players are going to grab that in the hopes they can level without risking their lives. The boars are here, and I expect most players to go there to learn how to survive. So I would propose we go this way. It's marked as a dungeon, and if we're in a group this size I believe we can clear this first dungeon. Unless a new quest appears guiding us a different way, that's my suggestion."

Kajin found himself agreeing with Alisea. Based on the amount of XP earned through the quest, leveling was on a much smaller scale than a traditional RPG. Games traditionally handed out experience in hundreds or thousands even early on so the fact that the first quest only handed out 10 xp without the bonus suggested monsters could be defeated at lower levels than other games. He couldn’t confirm that without testing a dungeon however. Still, it was worth poking their noses into one after all. Worst comes to worst, they could flee if the challenges were too much. Though, his original question remained mostly unanswered.

“Perhaps we should slow down on the planning and decide if we want to come together or play separately.” Kajin leaned forward, his face serious. “We have very real risks and, in my opinion, a larger group means fewer risks. It takes more work and more planning true but the more eyes on your back, the less knives end up in it as a friend of mine liked to tell me. As the most motivated players right now, we should keep in touch to at least handle bigger challenges like dungeons together even if we handle day to day in our own little groups.” Kajin glanced around at them. He knew Dirk and probably Aster would be okay sticking together and Alisea seemed game as well but the rest seemed to have some doubts about traversing outside what they had found on their own. A fair fear. Overextending yourself right now was probably a poor decision but Kajin felt much more comfortable having more people around.

"Dub has a very good point, fighting a Boss at this level no matter our numbers will just get us all killed. We can't afford to be reckless. What we can do with our numbers is scout the dungeon and find where the boss is located."

Kajin started responding just as the guy dashed out the door. Alrighty then. Guess they would have to talk later, if they met again at least. He turned his attention to the man he’d been speaking to. Dub the other man had called him. He looked a little wary as he eyed the table but Kajin shrugged it off. Again, fair. He sent him a friend request.

“I think our plan is to clear the open quests here and then poke around a dungeon to see how it scales with the area. No other way to know than leap, you know?” He smiled warmly at the man before sending him a friend request. “This way you can contact us if you want to try your hand at something a little harder later. Plus, the more people in the party the better chance of us defeating it!” His face suddenly turned red as he realized he hadn’t ask his team for input and was just making decisions on his own. He turned around apologetically.

“Sorry, I’m getting ahead of myself! I just saw people and took the opportunity. What do you guys think? Of clearing all the quests then looking at the dungeons I mean.” He asked apologetically. “I was also considering adding Alisea to the group, if she was okay with it that is.”

It was almost cute seeing Kajin backtrack when he realized he was acting without his friends' pre-approval. Alisea smiled kindly at his consideration. "If you will have me, I want to work with you. I will be in your care." Behind her smile, the magess was already running probable scenarios. When the table was full she felt confident in exploring, if not conquering, a beginner dungeon. But what had been a large group for dinner had now dwindled to half of what it had been. Most shocking to her was that it was the size of the group--the very advantage Alisea was seeking--that seemed to drive most of them away. 'The most ready to act are all "lone wolves," is that it?' she thought. It may have been an unfair thought; but if all those players had nothing back on Earth that they had lost, it made sense they would be prepared to embrace the world of Talrae--death-battles and all.

'And what does that make you? Again she found her thoughts pulled to that first boar. Trampling... him. Squealing in pain. Flagging and falling under her attacks. Its body caving under her fists. Even now Alisea felt a small burst of adrenaline as she remembered that fight, and the following fights alongside Fyaira and Jack. 'That makes me... broken, I guess.' But all the better to live in this world.

"I am a mage, so it wouldn't be fair for me to decide where we risk our lives. I don't believe grinding is a good way to gain more power, though--and that's our first objective, right? Growing strong. And the two routes I see are to increase the risk and thereby increase the reward; or to pursue the remaining quests, none of which state how much reward they bring."

Alisea paused to look around the table, evaluating whether or not she should say what was on her mind. It would be best, she decided; if she was to remain with this group (and there wasn't any other option at present), not expressing her goal would only result in frustration--for her and for them. "I know we could grow slowly and safely; but if we're overly cautious, we will be bumping into ninety-nine hundred other players doing the same. I want to grow as quickly as we can, even if it means some measure of risk. In this new and unknown world, I can't guarantee our safety; however, I promise to risk my life alongside you, and I will use my full strength to preserve us."

Interacting with: Everyone

________________________________________

Fortunately, he did apply some points to his three strengths: cooking, music, and taming. "Anybody else has problems with this?" He muttered.

Karma still in his sour mood looked for a second but didn't put any thought into what he was putting his skill points into. "Sure why not, i don't care..." He said softly while down at the table. He then begins drinking his second cup of Ale. This time he was able to finish it faster than the first two cups before licking his lips. Then he put his arms on the table and rested his head on them before signing.

Karma was planning on waiting out his depression when he heard some mention taking on the dungeon boss tomorrow which made him raise his head and looked in their direction. He was surprised to find Dubstepp being the first to tell them that was a bad idea. "Holy shit, he can be serious...!" He remarked to Reylan and Aura. Dupstepp had actually earn Karma respect there. Karma then got up the join the group but as he walked near their table follow Dupstepp Karma notice he was having a harder time keeping himself well balance than usual. "I think the alcohol is working." he stated out loud.

Karma then moves his chair near their table so he could sit down and listen to Reylan plan which kind of made him worry a bit. "I agree, though we even though we are not planning on fighting the boss we should be careful while dealing with the NPCs in a saided dungeon and avoid stepping in any wide open rooms or suspicious areas. We don't want to accidentally trigger a boss fight." Karma said trying to sound professional through his rosy cheek may give away how much alcohol is in his system. Karma then looked around to find Aura running off somewhere. "What going on with her?" He remarked out loud, he then seen Reylan chase after her so he decided to leave her to him.

---

---

Apparently Aura's sneak and hide abilities were next to none. She thought she could slip off like an unseen ghost, but Reylan's well-trained eyes caught her without leaving a chance to escape. She noticed him moving in her direction out of the corner of her eye and while she moved further away, she slowed down so he could catch up - even calling out her name in the process. Her eyes met his briefly, then she focused her gaze on the distance, not looking at anything in particular - it was more avoiding looking directly at him. She felt at unease, somehow.

At his question, Aura's eyes once again moved from the nothingness which she stared blankly at onto Reylan's face, her gaze lingering for a moment. Finally, her lips slowly parted as if she would speak - but they shut just as quickly. Aura seemed to think her words carefully, but finally, she spoke; "I'm not just leaving, I was hoping to explore some of this wonderful world on my own, for a little while." Her gaze remained to see his reaction, but she'd look away again soon enough. This time, she spoke without looking at him directly.

"... Why do you bother, though? There's a large, safe group just behind us and you'd still risk yourself coming with me?" Aura was almost flustered by his words. For some strange reason, he seemed to care - and that was beyond Aura's understanding. She'd turn her head to look at him once again, her arms crossing just below her chest. She smiled; "Is our hair color the reason behind your... rash actions?" Once again pausing and giving him room to react as well to observe his reactions, Aura continued briefly after, her expression becoming rather serious at this point.

".. Very well, then. We're still a group and we're still together in this. Let's go back in there and ensure this group survives as a whole, right?" With that, she'd just wait Reylan before moving back into the inn. What was she thinking? Ditching a group because she doubted it's success even before the group had made it's first move. No, that wasn't Aura! That was fear taking over her and she was afraid to see any of them hurt or even worse. She was a lancer, so she had to be fierce as a spear and deadly as it's tip - meaning that she was one of those fellas who would be taking the direst situaction, placed between the danger and their allies.

Once she re-entered the inn, her gaze - now cold and serious as it should be - scanned around once more. This time, she analyzed cautiously each and every face in here, she tried to remember the imputs given before, but she wasn't entirely sure of all the suggestions made up to this point. Finally, Aura cleared her throat audibly and voiced her opinion for all to hear.

"Often in a game, reward is measured by risk - as our friend here just said," Aura's eyes briefly lingered over Aliesa. "And with that, I couldn't agree any less. We have a large and resourceful group here, taking many professions and classes together - which might be the recipe for success. I, for one, am a lancer - and I will likely stand at the very face of danger, in the frontlines. I can't speak for all of you, but I'm ready to risk my life if it means the success of this group. If a dungeon is where we might find the experience, items and resources we need, we should tackle it and see. By all means if something goes terribly wrong, we still have the option to flee, right?" Finally, Aura relaxed her stance. Her thoughts on the smaller group she was with before. Dubstepp was a bit flicke, one to avoid danger and do things his own way. Karma seemed to be the type which goes 'where the wind takes him' - Reylan was brave. Brave and reckless, not particularly great traits for an archer, but certainly great traits for a person. If they were with Aura, the three of them, she would feel much safer to tackle any danger they could find.

---

Overall, the situation was pretty calm - the new group was significantly larger than theirs, but they were nice in general and presented themselves well. Theo only saw one person walk out, but he clearly noticed the group was shrinking - and at a pretty fast pace. But all things considered, they were perfect. They kept their calm in the face of tragedy, were actively trying to complete quests, and their classes wouldn't hurt the current balance that Theo's group had. Creating many allies early on, especially in a game of life and death, was essential.

Dirk wouldn't care about any of that, though. He'd just like to have people that needed him.

“Perhaps we should slow down on the planning and decide if we want to come together or play separately. We have very real risks and, in my opinion, a larger group means fewer risks. It takes more work and more planning true but the more eyes on your back, the less knives end up in it as a friend of mine liked to tell me. As the most motivated players right now, we should keep in touch to at least handle bigger challenges like dungeons together even if we handle day to day in our own little groups.”

Theo nodded, taking Kajin's words into consideration. They were obviously meant to persuade them into joining, at least for more difficult challenges - it was the smart decision. Staying in small groups normally kept the exp division small in comparison, while forming raid parties with the others, especially since they had such mental fortitude, would be far better than simply going in a small group or with random strangers. Utilizing the best people available is essential to winning in more difficult games. Not to mention, insisting on the fact that it would not be a common occurrence would help convince those that teetered on the fence on whether to join or not.

Kajin was smart, or at the very least persuasive. Theo nodded his head, but decided to keep his mouth shut.

A White-haired man wielding a bow, almost certainly an archer, made a comment, but quickly made his way to the door, after a white-haired woman (Perhaps they are related?). Kajin began to speak to the man that the archer was speaking about, before opening his menu - thanks to his relatively close position, Theo was able to see that he was sending a friend request. While looking, however, he saw that Aster had dressed into the armor that Kajin had given her - Theo must not have noticed while in thought on their current situation. It was what you expected from cloth armor - however, it seemed well-made considering it was player-made. Kajin blushed slightly, and turned to face Aster and Theo.

“Sorry, I’m getting ahead of myself! I just saw people and took the opportunity. What do you guys think? Of clearing all the quests then looking at the dungeons I mean. I was also considering adding Alisea to the group, if she was okay with it that is.”

Theo leaned back in his chair, balancing on the back legs. He was doing his best to look like he didn't mind, but was trying to hide the fact that he was doing his best not to fall out of his seat. He winked, before responding with a coy smirk.

"It's all good with me! They seem tough, and even if they aren't, I'll pick up the slack!"

Theo dropped the legs on the floor, and leaned forwards slightly, trying to look a bit more serious.

"When it comes to the quest situation, I think it's smart. We will get some decent exp from it, and we can use all the exp we can possibly get at this stage of the game. The dungeons can wait till we're sure we won't die."

Theo paused for a few seconds, before readopting his signature grin.

"But I definitely won't say no to an extra pair of hands on the team!"

Perfect. This was probably the right choice - the other players would be too afraid to go into raids early on, and the group would be able to grind on quests and mobs until they were high enough level. By the time others were willing to venture out, they would have cleared out the dungeon first - maybe they would even get an achievement if they were quick and beat the floor boss.

"If you will have me, I want to work with you. I will be in your care. I am a mage, so it wouldn't be fair for me to decide where we risk our lives. I don't believe grinding is a good way to gain more power, though--and that's our first objective, right? Growing strong. And the two routes I see are to increase the risk and thereby increase the reward; or to pursue the remaining quests, none of which state how much reward they bring. I know we could grow slowly and safely; but if we're overly cautious, we will be bumping into ninety-nine hundred other players doing the same. I want to grow as quickly as we can, even if it means some measure of risk. In this new and unknown world, I can't guarantee our safety; however, I promise to risk my life alongside you, and I will use my full strength to preserve us."

"I like the way you think, lady! No pain, no gain! You guys just keep me alive, and I'll be the risk taker for all of ya!"

This was the moment the white haired woman began to speak - her message was similar to what Kajin and Alisea already said - she would try her best to protect the group, and that taking risks was necessary. While Dirk didn't mind, Theo did - she already proved that she was willing to leave, and had it not been for whatever the archer said to her, she probably would have gone solo on them. But Theo kept his opinions to himself, hiding how he felt with a smile - he was Dirk now, and Dirk was always positive.

Theo quickly stood, before spinning his chair around and placing his foot on it, pointing at Alisea with his right hand.

"Just remember this - you may not be able to guarantee out safety, but I sure as hell can! Now that you're a part of team..."

Shit! He hadn't created a team name yet! he could say a random one on the spot, but he'd need to have it approved by the others before he'd feel comfortable calling them it...

"... Well, now that you're a part of the team, I'm going to tell you one thing - as long as I'm around, nobody in this group is taking a single point of damage!"

Besides the blunder, it was still effective - he cemented Dirk's character with this new girl. She, like the others, knew who Dirk was and how he acted now. And while it may have been embarrassing for Theo to stand in the middle of a crowded tavern and say something like that, he didn't feel embarrassed in the slightest - after all, he was Dirk now. That's the kind of cheesy line Dirk would say when welcoming someone to the team.

______________________________________________________________________________________________

Allowing him to more easily catch up with her was something he appreciated when she could just as easily run further. The tension that separated the space between them seem to twist and sway as she took time to respond to him. Who would know when she would return if she left or even at all? His gaze only stiffened hearing this, clearly not taking her excuse as a valid reason. He had his fists clenched as he stated his choice to follow her no matter the risks involved.

Reylan's ability to care for someone he's hardly known was a flaw he was keenly aware of. One he didn't mind having "And you would risk going alone? I don't want anyone else to die even if that puts me in danger." He knew he would have served that goal better if he had decided to become a tank like one called Dirk inside the inn but he had to work with he got. Anxious he awaited what her decision would be trying to hide the nerves he was feeling within a relaxed posture.

A bit of confusion shot through his face at the question and her accompanying smie "What?" It was only after checking her hair color that he was reminded and proceeded to laugh, his eyes closing shut as he did so rubbing the back of his head "Well that wasn't quite my initial reason but now you mention it.." Aura was able to surprise him it seemed and it didn't stop there. Relief flushed through him upon hearing that she changed her mind and nodded with a bright, brimming smile "Of course! As long as we have each other's back, we will get through this..together." It made him feel better seeing the one who appeared so fearless not shy away.

He followed right after Aura back into the inn calming himself down mentally upon entering, dimming the smile he had been bearing moments ago. Discretely he began making a mental list of all the people in the room voting for this larger party, noting their classes and putting names to each distinct face. It took a bit more effort for Reylan cause he was honestly quite horrible at remembering people's names and well, his memory could be a bit scrambled at times.

Silently he listened to Aura, now seemingly more confident in the group's presence, speak and seemed to bring her thoughts to the table quite well. The one named Dirk continued to both amaze and astound Reylan, the bold way in which he declared every word was something akin to a superhero. The majority here seemed to agree to one thing, becoming part of a larger and stronger team pushing to the front and never stepping back. He could see this tight unit of strong indiviuals becoming the vanguard of this twisted death game. Together they would shine a light for all others to follow and give them hope that the game can be beaten...that they can survive.

Reylan made his way to the center of the room inspired by everyone's thoughts and bold promises in the making. Despite his nervousness at speaking in front of so many people, it was through them he even had to the strength to speak out "Listen. Everyone in this room all have something in common I believe." he took a moment to let their attention drift to him while he kept thinking 'Don't screw this up, please!' before continuing "We don't want to be stuck sobbing about our situation. We were the some of the first to decide to do something about it instead. None of us want to sit around and wait for others to complete the game for us!" This what he assumed a rallying speech would be like.

"Together by using each other's strength and covering for their weaknesses, I believe will be able to take anything this game throws at us as long as we're prepared. That's why I think we should all form a guild together and explore this dungeon as one. If anyone is gonna beat this game, it might as well be us right?"His chest was quivering underneath the disguise of his clothing, his body feeling like it was floating as he looked around the room hoping he had not just made a fool of himself.

In fact he was only a few degrees away from fainting, feeling his vision cloud a bit as he finished but slowly clearing up. His stomach churned and knotted created a fear he might just release what he just ate. Still he maintained his composure the best he could and stuck his flat hand out in a bold hope they would place theirs on top of his and agree to this guild "What do you say? Shall we give 'Morgoth' something to fear?" His silvery eyes shown strongly, he would never had the strength to say all of this in the real-world but here with all of them...he could do so much more.

Health: 600
Mana: 450/650
Renn: 137

Dubstepp chewed the pieces of food in his mouth. The aroma of fries and the crispiness of the fish were too real. The trainer became too focused on his food to listen to the people around him. His ears picked up every other sentence. The teenager simply developed a fascination with the food. He half-expected the food to be a bunch of 0s and 1s. Every bite only persuaded him to have more.

Hey, gu-" Dubstepp cut off his sentence when he noticed half of his original party missing. He examined the bar, but could not find either Reylan or Aura. "Where'd they go?" The musician shrugged the disappearance of the two. "Freakin' Redheads. Hey, Karma! Check out these fries! They are the sauce!"

He pushed his food basket in front of Karma to sample the dinner. "Y'know, I figured the downside of zapped into a virtual reality game while never seeing my loved ones and not continuing my education or career would seek me into a never-ending depression, but hey! These fries are amazing, my dude!" Dubstepp chuckled.

His attention came interrupted by a sudden notice. He opened up his menu and noticed a friend request. Dubstepp read the user's name and examined the inn for the matching avatar. It did not take long before he found the person who sent him an invitation. "I can't really decline it now, can I?" Dubstepp thought to himself and flashed Kaijin a very awkward smile. He accepted the request and became friends with 'Kaijin.'

Going back to the matters at hand, he witnessed his two teammates enter back into the Inn. Dubstepp cocked his eyebrow when they suddenly offered more suggestions on the matter at hand. Watching everyone, he acknowledged they leaned on the option of exploring the dungeon. He placed a fry into his mouth and swallowed it in a few chews.

"Hello, I want to be the Devil's advocate in this situation. We are planning to explore a dungeon, correct? It is a well-thought plan that we go as a team and cover each other. I want to say though that the only experience with monsters that everyone in this building has is boars. All we have fought are boars. Yes, we can find the boss, but we do not know of the monsters surrounding the boss. Having a big enough group would track a lot of aggro meaning we might be fighting more than we want to."

Dubstepp coughed and wiped the corner of his mouth. He swiped the salt off from the fries. "It appears that no one wants to train cautiously and reap the benefits on the smaller missions. My suggestion for right now is to divide us into two teams:
a scout group and a backup group in case the situation calls for it. The players that are the most agile and fastest will be in the front while the second group follows closely—maybe 15 feet or so? I think the most strongest should hang back and rush to the situation in case too many monsters become attracted to the scouting group."

_{Interacting with:
@Project
@Ithradine
@demonspade64
@Achronum
Everyone Else Directly}

Interacting with: Everyone

__________________________________________

Before he knew it Aura and Reylan came back to the table. He knew he could count on Reylan to cheer her up. Aura was the first to weight in her two cents to the young lady wearing a cloak like him.

and I will likely stand at the very face of danger, in the frontlines. I can't speak for all of you, but I'm ready to risk my life if it means the success of this group.

She's willing to risk her life if she said, and it doesn't sound like honey words, Aura proves it today by acting as their tank. It honestly made him wonder if Aura rather now Aura as army training or was born like that.

Then there was this other guy(Dirk) with stars in his eye from all the possible loot and exp they may get from floor dungeon. These guys seem like another Dubstepp; Cocky and Optimistic; and yet seemly willing to put his life on the line if it means freeing everyone from this game. Hopefully, he could stand by his word until the end.

Speaking of Dupstepp. He just pushes a plate fries in front of him which he got to admit look pretty good.

"Y'know, I figured the downside of zapped into a virtual reality game while never seeing my loved ones and not continuing my education or career would seek me into a never-ending depression, but hey! These fries are amazing, my dude!" Dubstepp chuckled.

Karma couldn't help but look down at the fries as he reflects on Dupsteps words...then he begins to laugh.

"Pfff hahaha." Karma laughs out braking what was left of his professional appearance. "but hey, these fries are amazing" it was the absurd of his last line that he found so humorous...but you know what he was Dupstepp was right. Mobbing will not do anything for him right now, not while everyone else is prepared to put their lives on their line to beat the game. Karma then raises from his seat, took his staff of his back and used it to help keep himself balance in his tipsy state.

"That sounds like a good plan." He admitted. "Just wish, i could join the scout team to keep them healed, but with my low ability score i probably all get left behind." He told them to sound a bit cheered up. "I'm Karma by the way, I a mage who would likely be your support tomorrow, unless of course one of you have two or more supportive spells than in which case you will make a better support than me." He joked spreading his arms. He told them to sound confident before walking to dubstep and patting him on the back. "Thank man." He told him cheerfully.

Kajin held mixed feelings on the general reaction to the party. The overwhelming optimism was infectious and everyone seemed willing to risk limb and life for the cause. Which made wonderfully easy decision making but with ease came recklessness. Thankfully, Dub seemed to share his hesitations but the group overall wanted to charge forward, not a bad plan but not one with enough thought yet. Dub's strategy for tackling the dungeon helped with that. Reducing their over all passive threat index was a good idea and his separation increment was just close enough to keep the mages able to help. Kajin grinned.

"Since Dub's plan is sound, lets settle this discussion. Tomorrow morning, around 9, we'll head out towards the Hill's Sorrow. Before entering, we'll decide on the composition of the two parties and from there a leader for each in order to streamline contact." Kajin glanced around the room before settling on the man who had nearly rivaled Dirk in embarrassing grandstanding, "And to your idea about forming a Guild... Lets test this out first. No point rushing into a Guild if we all end up hating each other after!" With that, Kajin stood and stretched.

"Lets get some rest then. Tomorrow, we'll meet here at nine, party up, and head out. We'll see what the game really has in store for us, hm?" Kajin waved to the new people and whispered a quick good night to both Dirk and Aster before ducking out. As retired for the evening, he felt the tension slip back into him and he sighed. He had a long night ahead of him.

Health: 600
Mana: 450/650
Renn: 137


"Dub's plan is sound?" Dubstepp rubbed his head a bit. "I think he did that on purpose," The musician nudged Karma to see if he caught onto the pun. Dubstepp grabbed the last of his fries and ate them without a second thought. Pushing the empty basket away, he smacked his lips.

He sighed while listening to the closing speech of Kajin. His face scrunched up when he heard they would have to wake up early in the morning. Dubstepp never considered himself a morning person. More so, he liked sleeping in and staying up late. Scratching his head, he figured everyone else would go to bed early for the big day tomorrow.

Dubstepp did not the feel the same. He felt there would only be trouble in trying to find slumber. If anything, he could stay up a bit later. Giving it a bit more thought, he assumed a single quest would have finished and back to the inn by 2 am or 3 am. This would most likely fix him 5 or 6 hours of sleep.

"Hey, Karma. I'm heading out. There's a guarding mission and I want to start it right away before I go to bed. I'll see you in the morning," The musician gestured a thumbs up to his comrade and headed out the door. He whistled a couple of notes. While picking a tune, he pulled out the pen and paper from his inventory— the items he bought earlier today. The teenager decided to pass the time along the way by writing a rap regarding his adventure. A little hobby he picked up from his old life but hoped to continue in this virtual reality. Dubstepp secretly hoped the guard mission was mundane enough for him to keep on thinking of lyrics.

I cannot seem to tell what's real or fake.
How many levels is this going to take?
Going too fast with no brakes.
I'm in a virtual crisis
with no mage license
and no time to be righteous.
I feel sick, call it a virus.
Can't hit zero or I'm lifeless.
Say goodbye to family,
Say hello to virtual reality.
Say goodbye to the academy,
Say hello to fantasy.
Almost too real, it's a practicality.
I'm in agony trying to find ways to avoid catastrophe.
Redheads in the front lines,
Mages on the outlines.
Killing boars, man, I'm bored.
Too much lore, too much war.
Wish I could escape if I could.
Atleast the food's good.
Fish, fries, and chicken broth.
By the way, screw Morgoth.



Dubstepp stopped writing after completing two pages. He realized he already made it to his destination.

_{Interacting with:
@Project
@Ithradine
@demonspade64
@Achronum}

To say Alisea was pleased with how the meeting had concluded would be an overstatement; however, she felt like it had ended better than she could have expected. They had a large party and plans to leap ahead in level and power. And (although she wouldn't tell it to anyone) when Aura had walked back through the door with Reylan, Alisea had felt the tension building in her neck and shoulders disappear. With her vocal support of taking the necessary risk, the discussion had turned that direction and everyone was--if not in agreement--ready to move forward together.

That left only the final few hours of the day. Night was settling over Genesis City like a blanket, wrapping up all the activity the town had seen for the day. Alisea quietly stepped out into the growing dark, pulling the inn's door shut behind her. She paused for a moment to suck in a cool, calming breath. She had spent the entire day focused on what she needed to do to stay ahead, to grow strong. Now, as she caught sight of an elderly gentleman hobbling down the street with his cane, the girl finally let her thoughts wander over what an intricate world this was. It was apparent this man was only an NPC, and yet Alisea could see so much personality in his three-step shuffle.

When the elder was near to where she stood, Alisea called out to him. He stopped his steps and turned his whole body toward her, bushy eyebrows raising, then lowering as he squinted to get a good look at her face. Alisea walked over to his side and, with a gentle smile, asked if she might accompany him on his walk. With a twinkle in his eye (how an NPC eye in a virtual reality could twinkle Alisea would never know), the man accepted her offer.

They walked slowly, leisurely, toward the market. As they walked they talked--about him, mostly, and his city she had just arrived in. His name was Vincenzo, and he was on his way to pick up his wife, Francesca, after she closed their small shop. Tonight he was running a little late, but (Alisea picked out from his ramblings) he was usually running late and his wife expected that. He rambled quite a lot--about how exciting it was to have so many adventurers, about how the town had grown over the years and the way things used to be, about his kids that had grown up and made their own families and shops in other floors--but Alisea didn't mind. In fact, she was happy to pick up as much lore as she could from the kind, old man. Upon inquiry, Vincenzo informed her that the shops (the good ones, the ones run by good, hardworking men and women, he said) opened shortly after the dawn--approximately 7:00 in the morning. She found he didn't know anything more about Malgoth than his location at the top of the tower, but he did know a little about monsters surrounding the city: there were the boars to the south, and a goblin warcamp beyond; there were some rumors, he said, of a strange beast in the shape of a man that hunted in the northeastern mountains, though he was quick to admit many of his neighbors were prone to fanciful tales; and the ferrymen spoke often of the howls of (what they assumed were) wolves in the west, which they heard on nights they were still out on Lake Crystal. He said he knew there were more monsters further from the city, but he didn't know what they were and he was too old to worry over it.

By the time they reached the market, Alisea was laughing along with Vincenzo. She liked him; his felicity seemed to reach out and grab onto her as well, calming her troubled heart. He even invited her into the store to meet his wife. It was a very small shop indeed; they supplied only miscellaneous goods that were non-perishable. Alisea, in her early-game rush, had simply wandered into the large general store to buy what she needed; but now she wondered how many of these small shops there were in the city. Francesca, who stopped cleaning the counter to come over and greet Alisea, was just as kind and sweet as her husband. They were a wonderful pair; they even agreed to keep the shop open just a minute longer so Alisea could purchase an empty book and ink. Alisea expressed her gratitude, but the couple waved off any especial praise, saying it's what any good man or woman would do for a friend. Alisea promised she would come back when she needed more--and it was a true promise. They were NPCs, she knew in her head; nevertheless, Alisea liked their company and would come back here as often as she could for her purchases. She may even steer her new teammates toward doing so.

Wishing Vincenzo and Francesca a good night, Alisea stepped out to find the rest of the market had indeed closed down already. She checked the time: she could be back at the inn by 8:00. Her mind switched back over to calculations immediately. The market opens at 7:00; if she wanted to use the morning hours, she should be up by 6:00, so being asleep by 10:00 would be adequate; that left plenty of time to write in her new journal, and probably speak to some of the party--if they were still around.

Building her schedule and thinking through what she needed to learn and do, the magess made her way back to the inn her team was staying in. Before the meeting time next morning, she had many, many things to do.

It is currently 7PM and activity of the town is dying down. All of you have 2 general options at this point:

Option 1: Guard Duty Quest. This will last until 3AM. You will receive small amount of exp and currency and get to know NPC Watchmaster Loran personally but at the cost of having permanent -50HP until you get a solid night's sleep.

Option 2: Wander around, attempt to catch some open stores last-minute for items or go interact with NPCs. Or even just go straight to sleep if you paid for lodging at the inn. Essentially what TaroAndSelia did in the last post.

I shall initiate a 2nd part of the timeskip after everyone posts what they are doing.

---

OPEN ONLY IF YOU ARE DOING GUARD DUTY

Interacting with:
@Achronum
@Leaves
Everyone Else

___________________________________________________________________

Karma then raised his hand and acknowledge the mage with the red hair. "Understood...I came tomorrow in a hopefully less embarrassing and more profession state." he told him proudly before put his raise arm back on the table. Honestly, He wished he could have got drunk after meeting them, so that new group so they could take him more seriously.

Dupstepp then pointed out the apparent pun the red-haired man-made. "He..." he released a short laugh before looking down and planting his hand on his face before covering his mouth. "I hope so..." He told Dubstepp before finishing his Selmon Steak and his fourth Ale...cause hey he already ate the poison so he may as well lick the plate. "Sorry about this...i just wanted to get drunk at least once in my life...and i figure there was a chance i wouldn't do it tomorrow so...I promise to stop by tomorrow" He confessed.

Dupstepp then informed Karma that he was going to take the guard duty quest. "That guarding quest? it sounds dangerous to do it tonight man, but i will not stop...just get some sleep right afterward. Being up too late is bad for your health." Karma warned him to sound a little bit worry. Karma honestly wants to keep dupstepp company but in his drunken, he will likely reject or even a burden if something actually goes down while on duty. "I'll help you next time you do it when i'm not in such a pitiful state. Deal?"

______________________________________________________________________________________________

Reylan quickly retreated from the center of the room as no one seemed even remotely interest in joining his enthusiasm proving that he had gotten way to carried away. To say it was soul-crushingly embarrassing was a pretty good assesment, but luckily no one really seemed to care about his colossal failure save Kaijin who at least acknowledge it. He had to give him that point but Reylan could get along with nearly everyone he met so he doubted he would even dislike any of them. Dub's plan was something to focus on besides his blunder and expand upon its premise. The scout group would need to enter every room first in order to utilize their speed, observe the targets, and then call in the cavalry. Reylan could even take a few shots with his passive skill which allowed him to maintain his mobility while still shooting essentially. Their primary job would still be to avoid taking any serious damage in any case.

Reylan was likely to have the most agility out of all of them considering he just spent most of his attribute points on it making the total a hefty 14 with his level up, which was vital to his goal of becoming a skirmishing archer in this game. Eventually he wanted to put points into the sword skill so he could have a close-quarters option that didn't cost arrows. The weapon he had in mind was the 'rapier' since its attack style would benefit more from his high agility though a short-sword was also an option. He didn't even want to begin thinking about what a good rapier would cost him, he barely had a comfortable amount of funds right now.

Slowly the group began to disperse and Reylan took note of Dub leaving to go do the Guard Duty job. It was tempting to join him since Reylan was quite the night owl but he wanted to browse the shops a little before they close shortly. He also wanted to learn more about his new friends if they were going to this dungeon together but he just couldn't find it in him to approach. Finally he decided to leave while he still had chance to explore the city. Briefly he felt inclined to invite Aura on his little adventure but wasn't sure if she wanted some time to herself. He waved goodbye to those who were left in the room and head out himself.

For a short moment he forgot that he was living in a virtual world as NPCs passed him by on the street almost indistinguishable from players if not for the names above their heads. He took some time to read the map in order to pick his first destination, a shop he hoped he would be able to purchase arrows. A small, brass bell chimed as the wooden door slide open and he strided in to the mostly empty shop. Despite being near to closing, the shopkeeper was surprisingly friendly with a light brown goatee that matched the parted hair on his head "Welcome, my boy! What can I interest you in? A new bow made from wood a thousand years old? Perhaps arrows with tips made from dragon teeth?" The range of his facial expressions astounded Reylan, he could sense the conviction the merchant had in selling his wares directed at him specifically. He didn't even need to ask how much those items he suggested were, they were waaayyy out of his price range "I will take a standard pack of arrows, that's all." Reylan approached the counter glancing at the items on display as he walked past.

There was no question anymore that the creator of this world had a god-complex as no sane person would take the time to make this all so...lifelike. This was not just some game...this was a whole world created by a ambitious man with sinister intentions. While he thought this, the merchant placed his arrows, ten in total, on the counter "There you go, son. Now how-" he stopped once he saw Reylan's eyes and his jaw dropped a bit "Those eyes, are you blind? How in Talrae can you be an archer?" He seemed more amazed than he was insulting, it was after something that Reylan had gotten many times from other people "It is just my natural-born eye color. I can see great distances with them, like an eagle." He smirked proudly placing the appropriate Renn on the counter. The merchant didn't seem to realize the second part was a lie "That sure is amazing, I don't think I've seen anything like them." he took the Renn and placed it in his strongbox. Reylan let out a light laugh "Neither have I. Pleasure doing business with you!" He said this while placing the arrows into his quiver and walking back out the door "Make sure you come back again, alright?" The merchant cheerfully boasted.

Reylan decided against visiting the blacksmith in exchange for buying some parchment, paint, a pencil, and a paintbrush at a craft store and went back to the grand courtyard where Morgoth first appeared and sat down in the spot where he was teleported and began to sketch. His fickle memory was good at recalling scenes and the game creator had certainly made a memorable one. This wasn't something he was going to sell to anyone, NPC or otherwise. The drawing slowly became more and more detailed until it was undeniable what it showed. It was all of standing together facing the demon overlord in his depiction of what the end would be.

Eventually Reylan would find his way back to the Inn after completing his drawing and headed straight to his room and fell onto the bed tossing his bow aside and sliding his quiver off. His mind and body needed to be rested for tomorrow's trials.

Aster sat in the spot that was beginning to become her safe haven. A few steps away from the largest of the fountains in the main square, on a firm stone bench, the swordswoman sat and just observed the world around her. She should really be training about now, but for whatever reason, she wasn't. Maybe she was just tired, maybe the many other people around her were too overwhelming, maybe it was just seeing so much. Whatever the case, she was caught off guard when the girl she'd only seen around, but never interacted with, showed up.

"Hi. You're... Aster, right? The swordswoman who was with Kajin and Dirk today." The magess smiled--a bright and well-practiced smile that was welcoming, though it couldn't be called warm. Her clear, blue eyes remained sharp and focused.

"Yes... That's me. Is there something wrong? I can move if I need to..."

"I actually wanted to ask a favor of you. I'm a mage, but my weapon skill is Unarmed Combat and I need to practice. Since we aren't starting until nine o'clock, I was hoping to do some sparring beforehand. Would you be my sparring partner? It will be in town, so there's no risk of injury," she added quickly, "and I'll even pay for a bath afterward."

"Oh. Yes, that'd be... fun." She smiled, a bit unsure, but a smile nonetheless. "Yes, I'd like to try that. I haven't gotten the chance to spar with anyone before, and a bath would probably do wonders for feeling more at home here. That sounds wonderful."

"Thank you! Really, thank you. I hope you rest well tonight!" With a smile that this time did reach her eyes, Alisea waved a farewell and disappeared into the night as abruptly as she had first appeared.

Aster watched as the girl left, then stood and brushed herself off, heading back to the tavern area that was becoming a meeting place for other adventurers. Alisea was right. She'd need to stay rested for the days to come. After sneaking through the common area as carefully as possible, so as to avoid confrontation, she paid for a room, then retreated to it, choking down a dry biscuit as a makeshift meal. A real meal, like a stew or meat pie would have been better, but she really didn't want to interact with anyone at the moment. As she drifted off, she thought absently that a roommate would make inn prices much more manageable.

Health: 600
Mana: 450/650
Renn: 137


Dubstepp nodded his head. "Yeah, no problem. I don't think the mission will be that tough considering it is just a guard duty. I think the worst thing to come out of it is a delusional old lady NPC." Dubstepp laughed and saluted Karma once he headed out of the Inn.

---

"Oh, okay. That sounds lovely," Dubstepp leaned his body back once the Watchmaster initiated the quest. The overall tone and dialogue seemed aggressive. "If this tower burns, it's only because of my mixtape." His arms held onto his sides while he let out a forced laugh. He hoped Watchmaster Loran would join, but unfortunately, the NPC focused on returning to his home for food and sleep.
"He wouldn't get it. He's like centuries behind that joke," the musician sighed and told no one in particular. He looked around the premises and immediately regretted the job. "Soooooo..." Dubstepp searched around his legs. "I see he did not leave a stool nor a chair. I guess I am standing for the rest of this time,"
he grunted.
Dubstepp sucked air through his teeth and started to sway himself side to side. A few seconds later, he began making more sounds from his mouth. The noises had no beat or rhymic pattern thus it wasn't beatboxing. It was just noises. "How long I been here?" He immediately checked his menu to find he only been at the job for only two minutes."I wonder if I call people on here," he wondered.

_{Interacting with:
@demonspade64}