Welp Karma embarrassed himself enough tonight, time to call it a night. So he then headed to the bath area to clean himself. Karma then tried to take his blue cloak off manually by untying the knot near his neck, it meant with zero success. "Waited for what? Karma remarked. He then tried more forceful methods such as pulling it off and trying to squeeze his head through the gap but no matter how close he got the knot the cloak would resist all attempts to be moved away from his neck. "What the hell is going on? is this thing curse or something?" He yelled before pulling hard on it and causing himself to fall pretty hard.
*Bam!* Karma had hit the floor hard.
___________________________________________
Five minutes later Aura, Reylan, and Dupstepp got these strings of PMs
PM: What a relief, I just spent five minutes freaking out trying to remove my clothes taking they were cursed or something cause they would come off.
PM 2: As it turns out i have to unequip my clothes instead of manually taking them off.
Theo looked around, noticing that his theatrics were attracting little attention. The others seemed to simply be talking about the possibility of going on that guard quest. Theo honestly didn't feel that up to it - the first quest provided little exp, and they could honestly probably get more by using the time they would spend on guard duty by simply grinding the lower level monsters. Even then, the Renn most likely would be even greater by hunting, considering a single pork sold for 2 Copper. Still, he wouldn't interject on that - guarding the weak NPCs was something that Dirk would approve of. Instead, he finished the rest of his water, and waited for the others to disperse. He gave Aster and Kajin a hearty "Goodnight!" before retiring to bed. The bath earlier had not only left him feeling refreshed, but also gave him plenty of time learning how to take off his clothes - you actually had to unequip them in the menu, rather than actually undressing. Considering the process was nigh-instantaneous, some classes like the marauder or swordsman might be able to switch mid combat, going from purely offensive to purely defensive armor right before they're hit. Over all, the bath took Theo about 20 minutes, but would have taken an extra 40 if he was pretending to be Dirk and he was over-exaggerating the difficulty of taking his clothes off.
Upon closing the door to his room, the constant smile Dirk always wore dropped, and he began his investigation of the room. Even with his 10 in searching, he came up with few things that had actual value - he might be able to take the sheets, but that would definitely attract attention, and may even get him banned from the place. Sighing, he unequipped all of his armor and clothes - the cheap fabric felt rough against his skin, and sleeping nude would be more comfortable. He slid into bed, keeping the candle lit - in the even t of intruders, it would be far easier to see them, and he could equip his long sword under the sheets. This was when it truly hit Theo - everything that Malgoth said was, somehow, true. They most likely would die if they were killed, the servers were impossible to find...
They were stuck here. They wold be stuck until someone managed to beat the boss on the final floor, and they were all freed. They would be stuck here, forced to be the characters that they created. Theo was Dirk until they managed to reach the 100th floor.
Theo finally drifted to sleep, the soft light of the candle illuminating the glowing smile he had on his face.
Somehow, Theo awoke at exactly 7 AM. He wasn't sure why, but his theory was that the game somehow knew when the player wanted to wake up, and would do so accordingly... or something. Honestly, he was tired and couldn't really think properly. Instead, he decided to quickly get dressed and leave - the faster they moved, the better. He slowly made his way to Aster's and Kajin's respective rooms, hoping to awaken the two so they could discuss their plans with breakfast. He also tried to awaken Alisea, but she seemed to not be in her room, meaning that she left for somewhere or woke up earlier than he had. The thought that of the dungeon crossed his mind, and he wanted to be sure that he had a proper meal before then.
Reylan was sure as hell not a morning person so hearing the electronic chime of the alarm he set made him regret the decision pretty quickly. The alarm did do its job though and while he pretty much slid out of bed, he was at least up. A quick glance out of the window of his room was enough to remind him where he was and what he should be doing. Last night he had a dream, or rather a nightmare, where he and the others went through room after room. Each time they would lose someone to shadow-like monsters until it was only him at a room without any more doors. He could see nothing but the twisted visage of Morgoth, laughing menacingly at his loss. In the dream, Reylan remembered firing arrow after arrow in a futile effort while the demon overlord treated him like a small nuisance. Eventually he had run out of arrow so he charged forward with a small blade yelling some sort of battle cry right before Morgoth swiped him away with his weapon. The last moments he recalled in the dream were spent laying on the ground, watching his life bar drop fading from green to yellow, then to red until at last it reached zero. It might have been the reason he awoke with tears built up in his eyes that he wiped away.
He opened up his menu to find he had unread messages from Karma from last night and curious he opened them. There was something about the string of three messages that caused him to erupt in laughter, improving his mood almost instantly from the somber dream. Right, today there were going to get something done. He left his room and made sure to pay for his bath before going to the room. Once the tub had filled, he slowly soaked himself underneath the hot water clearing his head. Reylan did not take to long before he was out, drying off and changing into the clothes he brought with him. It took another minute to go back to his room and retrieve his equipment before going back downstairs to wait in the lobby where they all said they would meet up. Tucked into one of his pockets, was the drawing he made the night before of their eventual goal. All of them getting to the last floor, defeating Morgoth, and escaping this death game together.
A quick glance at the clock on his menu showed he had some time to spare, which reminded him how much he missed his smartphone already. How could he pass the time looking at dank memes without such a device? After a moment of silence he privately held, he decided to spend a bit of his Renn on breakfast. Surely it would be best to go into this dungeon with something in his stomach, especially if he was going to be on the scout team as he figured. He approached the counter and ordered what looked the closest to pancakes along with a glass of milk, costing him two coppers. He exchanged a few pleasantries with the NPC before going back to a table to sit and eat. He thought about how there seemed to be a sort of disconnect between the two original parties and he hoped that today would build a stronger friendship among the group.
The one called Dirk he admired strangely enough, the heroic attitude seemed kinda of cheesy at times but it also made him kinda cool. Dirk was ready to defend anyone while keeping his spirit high no matter what. Kajin seemed to possess a great tactical mind and didn't seem too serious either. The group needed someone to lead it and perhaps that would be him. Alissea on the other hand seemed to be nothing but serious and truth be told a tad frightening, though nothing she had said so far was untrue really. Aster, at least to him, seemed a bit shy which he could understand completely though she seemed nice from what the few words he's heard her speak. All in all, he still didn't know them very well not that he knew his own party like life-long friends.
That morning Karma learned a hard. When you drink too much alcohol, your body uses up so much happiness that it forced to burrow happiness from somewhere else to keep the happiness going. Where is that somewhere you asked? The future more specifically the very next day. That was an analogy one of Noah's friends came up with when they were hanging out.
Silences...Sweet Silences...now if only the light would stop be so unpleasant on his eyes and his brain would stop banging like a drum; he wouldn't mind if his stomach would finish it fucking duty instead of rejecting all it content prematurely. Karma then takes a long sigh before rolling off the bed and standing in front of a mirror. Once his eyes got used to the light Karma then open up his menu.
Karma's was then wrapped in light blue glow before his attire from before appeared on his body. One down four more to go. Karma then equipped his wooden staff on his back, his shoes on his feet, his cloak around his neck, and his dagger on his hip. Before checking out his appearance in the mirror. Karma may be feeling like hell itself but he is damn if he let a hangover made him look like a fool. At 7:30 Karma then join up with the group in breakfast. "Good morning everyone!" He said cheerfully ignoring the pain he feeling all over his body and hide his pain to avoid further embarrassing himself.
The first, faint fingers of dawn light crawled through the room's only window. Alisea's eyes fluttered open in response. She couldn't make out more than the vaguest of outlines in the near-darkness. Rather than try to rise immediately, Alisea first called up her menu. The screen that appeared before her was lit clearly, though its glow didn't illuminate anything else. Flipping through the options to find the friend chat, Alisea glanced at the time. It read 5:52. Deciding she wouldn't risk waking anyone else, the magess turned away from messaging and instead climbed out of bed to don her armor and cloak.
Walking carefully to the door, Alisea felt out the handle, pulled it open, and peeked out into the hallway. As little light as there was in her room, there was even less in that hall. Casting her mind to the night prior, Alisea stepped out of her room and toward the stairs slowly. As she walked, the magess kept her hand on the wall and counted the doorways she passed. She stopped at the third, crossed to the opposite side, and knocked softly. "Aster," she called quietly, not wishing to wake anyone else.
Though Aster had her share of faults, sloth was not one of them. Even so, six AM was plenty early, and she was still fast asleep at that point. Somehow, she managed to free herself from the foggy tendrils of sleepiness and roll- literally roll- out of her bed, onto the hardwood floor in a tangle of blankets. "Dammit!" she cursed softly, rubbing her hip tenderly, where she'd landed against the floor. Pain suppression was an integral part of the WaveGear, but even so, her ill-concieved idea hadn't rewarded her with a soft landing.
Aster stumbled to the door, eyes still closed in drowsiness, and pulled the door open just a crack. "Alisea. Just... one moment." She patted her sides, and realized she had slept in her cloth armor. She'd apparently been more tired last night than she'd thought. Now that she thought of it, she realized that she didn't actually know how to take off her clothes. That was strange. She'd put them on easily enough earlier. Hmm. It was a worry for another time; Alisea was right there.
"Hey." She stepped out into the hallway, closing the door carefully behind her. "Um. Do you want to head outside? We can probably talk more easily there, without waking up the others." She rubbed at her eyes, finally opening them and tucking her sleep-tousled hair behind her ears.
"Right." Alisea led the way down the stairs and outside into the growing, gray light of dawn. The sun was still some time from being visible; yet the light was spreading quickly, coloring everything in shades of gray. It was a time of morning Alisea loved: the only movement was herself and Aster. Everything else slumbered on. The magess raised each arm overhead, one at a time, and pulled back on it to stretch out her shoulders. Talrae wasn't a bad place to live.
'As long as you live.'
Deciding the cobblestone street was a poor choice, Alisea turned onto the dirt alleyway that led behind the inn. Stopping where the narrow path was widest--maybe eight feet between the inn and what looked like a tavern--Alisea turned back to her partner for the morning. "Have you fought much? Before yesterday, I mean," the magess inquired as she started stretching her legs.
Aster kept up, though not without a bit of effort. She saw that Alisea was going through some preliminary stretches, and decided to mimic them in hopes of limbering herself up a bit for the unfamiliar exercise to come. It felt good to stretch, and she hoped that she was doing the simple exercises properly. It would hardly do to pull a muscle the first time she sparred.
"I... no. I haven't really done anything like that. I've done some dancing, though, if that's worth anything." She trailed off, blushing slightly at the admission. In a world in which survival was dictated in part by combat abilities, she was a dancer and a... well, that was a secret for another day. "I've actually never done very much in terms of active sports and all that. I... wasn't able to, back home. My parents didn't think It'd be safe for me." She looked back up to Alisea and interjected quickly "They were right, honestly. I'm not much of a fighter. But that's why I'm here!" She looked back down at her armor, which, cloth though it was, seemed excessive for the exercise to come. "Actually... do you know how to take off items? I tried this morning, but it's a bit tricky. I'm not really used to gaming mechanics."
"Hmm? Oh, you open your menu and unequip it from the inventory," Alisea explained absently. Her mind was elsewhere. Aster had learned some dancing? "Dancing may be worth more than you realize," the magess commented. "As for myself, I have much more experience on a basketball court than a battlefield. We'll do the best we can with what we have, right? Let's start slow."
In demonstration, the magess stepped forward with her right foot and thrust her right fist toward Aster's chest. She kept her movement slow, restrained, looking to practice her form (and allow Aster the same) more than to actually fight.
Somehow, as the minutes passed and their motions gradually quickened, Alisea felt something... off. She was fairly sure she shouldn't be aware of some of the movements her body was making: catching Aster's thrust and spinning it outward; dropping to her chest whilesweeping with her forward leg; a combination of open-hand slaps and jabs that came just a little too naturally. The magess doubted this was all coming from her own experience and knowledge; but admitting that would imply the game itself was giving her this ability.
It was a question of science and philosophy, and Alisea wasn't going to let it interrupt their sparring match. She pushed the query aside and focused on the movements of both herself and her opponent, Aster. They weren't up to full-speed, but the snail's pace they began at had long since been discarded. Alisea found herself, more and more, needing to devote all her attention to deflecting the next attack and launch an easy counter; if she didn't stay focused, Aster was going to out-do her.
Aster was surprised at how naturally she took to the hand-to-hand practice. For someone who was usually cautious in every motion, she found the reckless abandon of fighting, of simply relying on instinct and whatever engine in the game managed fighting, terribly relaxing.
By the end of their sparring she was sweating, and was grateful that she'd unequipped the armor. Aster raised one hand and skidded backwards a foot or so, calling out "Wait, wait! I yield!" She laughed happily, smiling at her sparring partner. "That was incredible! I've never done anything like that... I mean, fighting the boars was one thing, but this... this was so much fun! I din't know I could move like that!" She stretched, exercise-loosened muscles moving much more freely than they had before the session. "We should probably wrap it up now, though, huh? I mean, we ought to get back to the others. Before we do, though, would you mind accepting a friend request from me? If it's not too sudden, that is."
Alisea blinked several times before words could reclaim a portion of her thoughts. "Oh, of course!" she answered quickly. Slowly the magess straightened up, letting her battle-wariness and some of the adrenaline bleed out. She was happy to accept the invitation as it appeared in front of her; now that the fight had ended Alisea realized she was smiling--genuinely smiling--and had been for some time. Whether it was an endorphin release the size of that sparring match, or a strong wave of dopamine for having accomplished so much during it, she didn't particularly care; the rush was euphoric, and the magess would do it all again in a heartbeat.
But Aster's words were true. As promised the night before, Alisea paid for Aster's bath as well as her own. When they came out again, the morning had begun in earnest.
Alisea still had a small smile on her face. Just remembering the match made her feel warm. "Your blocking was amazing, wasn't it? You did a great job of turning my jabs outward," she was telling Aster as they made their way into the inn's dining area. She didn't stop to scan the entire room--something that surprised herself a little--but her eyes did note an unmistakable head of white hair alone at a table. Reylan was already enjoying his breakfast; and Alisea was glad to know there were more early risers in their party. With a quiet word to Aster and a nod his direction to be sure the swordswoman noticed him, too, Alisea made her way to the table Reylan was seated at.
"Already finished?" she asked the archer, sitting down across from him. Another party member--Karma, another mage--entered, too, but she gave him a simple wave and a smile and left him to his breakfast. "Would you accompany us for some shopping, then, Reylan?"
Dubstepp stepped into the Inn after his successful side mission. The task proved more tedious than rewarding given the hours of standing. The kid's feet ached tremendously. Limping, he climbed into a nearby booth. The musician did not bother with sleep given person reasons. Additionally, he felt sleep would only tire him more. The sensation of a two-hour sleep would not motivate him to get out of bed.
Yawning, he laid his head on the table. Raising his hand with his elbow still glued to the table, he tried getting a waitresses' attention. He acknowledged he needed food in order to replace the lack of sleep he lacked. Rubbing his eyes, he tried to get rid of the crust in the corners. Individuals could clearly see the annoyed expression and see his sleep deprivation.
Dubstepp whispered to himself. The dialogue mostly consisted of curse words intended to those who recommended meeting in the morning. All in all, Dubstepp did not like waking up in the morning. The latest he would wake up in the morning would be 12 pm or even 1 pm. In his former life, he completed all of his work during the evening or at night. The morning and early afternoon was intended for sleeping -- according to Dubstepp.
Reylan was just about through his breakfast when Karma came down into the lobby, it seemed his clothes no longer cursed him "No trouble getting ready this morning?" He asked with a poorly concealed grin. It didn't occur to Reylan that Karma might be suffering from a bit of hangover so didn't acknowledge it. Once more he began to eat as he awaited Karma's response, he honestly reminded him a lot of his younger brother. His eyes narrowed a little as that thought crept in and his grin faded just a bit. Never was he so grateful for his brother to miss out on something, he recalled the last conversation they had "Man, it's not fair that you get a dive gear and not me!" The jealousy was heavy in his brother's voice "Why don't we share then? I'll play for a couple hours then let you have a try, alright?" They had already bonded strongly over video-games "Cool! You better hurry and play so I can have my turn!" That was the last person he talked to. Focus on the now, Desmond. Don't be distracted by the past. He had to keep a healthy mindset if he wanted others to rely on him.
He had not been paying attention to the door so he had not noticed Alisea and Aster until Alisea moved over and sat with him. Quickly he cast aside his solemn thoughts for a more friendly appearance "Pretty much, I don't waste much time eating." He said with a smile, also glancing over at Aster to acknowledge her presence. Naturally her offer made him a little nervous and he could feel his chest tighten a bit "Sure, I wouldn't mind a little morning stroll." His speech was much more relaxed "Just let me toss this stuff away." He rose out of his chair and slide the scraps on his plate into the bin before resting the plates on the counter, where the attendant took them.
"Alright, I'm all set to go." Reylan said as he made his way back to his table where Alisea waited for him. He felt a bit rude for not saying anything to Aster so he decided to say something now "Good morning Aster." Once they were out walking he wanted to ask them what they were doing up so early. They must have been doing something if they came through the Inn's entrance instead of coming down from the rooms. Since he was leaving he decided to send a goodbye to Karma "Guess I'm headed out, see ya later!" That was when he saw Dub step through the door looking miserable and sat down at the bar. Something about the aura he gave off told him he best leave him alone
Karma was waved at by the girl from last night, to which he waved back. Thankfully that he doesn't have to do much thinking yet cause his head was bounding right now. Karma then looked like Dupstepp who seemed a bit tired, He assumed he didn't get much sleep last night...damn! That team is going to be far from there fullest. Karma then sat next to Dupstepp before asking the waitress for 3..no 4 cups of fresh water which called 4 Renn...leaving him with 181 renn left to spend after which he then when into his menu and took out the fish and chips he bought last night which he begins to eat for breakfast. He then turns to dup. "Want some?" He asked him nicely.
After a bit, he then put his elbows on the table and put his head between his hands rubbing his temple to help soothe his headache. "So how much did you get paid last night?" he asked him calmly, the last mission paid well so he assumed he dub made some "Good coin" as some characters in a fantasy game would say.
Reylan then came and ask him a weird question which made him seem like he was on to him, Karma then begins to panic looked at him like he was a major suspect in a murder. "Mmmh no wh-what gives you that idea?" He asked sort of quickly while touching his face. Karma was acting like this cause he didn't want to be removed from the mission on the count of his hangover.
Alisea led the way out of the inn and toward the market. She set a strong pace that would give them time to do all the shopping they needed, but left enough leisure in it to speak comfortably. It was comfortable for her, at least, and she suspected she would have the lowest agility between the three.
"What do you need to buy this morning, Reylan?" she asked as they strolled down the street. "The first place I want to stop is a blacksmith's shop; I have some items I need to sell off. After that we can go anywhere, as long as we visit the Action and Spell teachers at the market."
Alisea noted, not without some displeasure, that as they drew nearer to the market, they found more and more players slumped against walls or crouched in doorways. It seemed many had still not found their resolve to press forward; indeed, some appeared to have had so little will they stayed on the street all night. But, and Alisea could declare this definitively because she had walked this path barely twelve hours earlier, there were far fewer players than there were yesterday floating listlessly about. Today the game would begin in earnest.
Aster kept up with the two, offering only a quiet "Morning." to Reylan. She was glad that there were only the few of them there. Too many more and she'd likely have become overwhelmed, trying to remember so many faces. That was up there on the list of hardest things in this game for Aster, remembering everyone's faces. Voices were easy, they all had distinct tones, but faces... it'd take some practice for sure. She hurried her pace to keep up with the other two gamers.
"Alisea? You're a gamer, right? I mean, you were before all this. would it be worth buying new gear at this point, or is it better to wait and jump up a few steps of quality at a time? Like, since I have some armor now, should I stick with that for a while, or buy the next step up every time? I don't know whether conserving money or keeping extra-safe is more important at this point. I guess I'm basically asking whether it's better to trust normal logic, or to play it extra-safe. Since we can, um, die."
She looked over to Reylan. "I guess you probably could answer that, too. What do you think?" She hadn't meant to ignore the white-haired guy, but even so, she knew Alisea better, and wasn't the sort to start up conversations with people she didn't know.
Reylan didn't find it hard to keep up with the pace set by Alisea, since he put the majority of his stat points into agility. It was sort of relaxing to just go for a walk and chat among themselves. He held out his bow after Alisea asked him what he was looking for, a night's rest had given him time to think about that. The places she had wanted to go also lined up nicely with what Reylan had in mind.
"I want to look for a light-weight sword of some kind, just for in case. I wouldn't mind taking a look at some new skills either." He wasn't planning on getting in close, the whole point of his agility was to give him the ability to keep moving. The passive he took was mainly so he could land a shot even if he was running fast "The only other item i want is a healing potion. I trust Karma to keep us healed but we got a large group now." He hoped they wouldn't be too expensive but since he was going to be part of the scouting group, he wanted something for emergencies.
The lost players still lounging around looking helpless didn't bring down his mood, rather it gave him extra motivation to be stronger. Not everyone had the strength to push forward in this kind of situation so that meant those that did had to win for them. He listened to Aster wonder about what was the right strategy for upgrading gear which wasn't a bad question. It seemed Aster was unsure about Reylan which he honestly didn't fault her for since he was similar in the regard he didn't really like starting conversations with people he didn't know. A small smile showed on his face as she directed her concerns to him as well.
"We're only at the starting area so I would say to hold off for now. If you keep buying gear every time you see something a little better, you will be broke in no time." And if you had to pay for arrows like he did, you needed to be extra cautious with your money "This world is almost too real and starving could kill you as well. When you got a good party behind you, it makes up for not always having the best gear." He grinned with a small nod. Where quality is absent, quantity is the next best thing. "Plus you gotta remember monsters drop loot, which often is better than what you can find in a store." he added at the end. Precious, Valuable, Sell-able loot.
Dubstepp glanced up at Karma. He released an irritated groan which might have come off as rude. His lack of sleepiness affected his overall attitude. The musician quickly noticed he needed to pick himself up or he won't be deemed as friendly. The teen did not want any negative opinions to be associated with him.
As Karma sat next to him, he started to stretch out his arms on his table. With both hands, he began to make a pitter-patter sound. His right hand formed a fist to control the bass sound while his other hand slapped the table for a cymbal effect. It took him a while before he created a beat. Humming a bit, he started to get into his zone.
"Oh, snap. Here comes Karma. Good looking guy -- where does he get it, from his dad or his mama? No fears, no traumas, Only negative is he couldn't put on his pajamas, but put that on pause comma(,) Got better healthcare than Obama, Healing beam send you straight to nirvana, You'll get hurt, but he's gonna wanna heal you,
4 cups of water? Damn, you thirsty. He's getting ready for this journey, Bright and early, don't you worry, no controversy, he's the best clergy. If things get blurry or dirty, he's got mercy and he'll you to next Thursday.
Say 'Go Karma' keep it going. Go Karma. Go go, go Karma. Go Karma. Go go, go Karma. Go Karma. Go go, go Karma."
Dubstepp immediately stopped the beat. He did nod his head to the rhythm before, but put that to a halt too. Glancing to Karma next to him, he sighed. "The job did not pay well as I hoped." And with no more than a second, he continued the beat.
"I stood for almost 6 hours with no chair, Unfair, I only got two copper coins, I swear, I did not prepare, the correct footwear, now my feet hurt and elsewhere, I got ten experience points so I'm not in total despair."
Dubstepp quit his hand movements and leaned back into his seat. "Alright, I'm wide awake now." Turning over to Karma, he grabbed a fry and started to eat it nonchalantly. "I probably would do it again. It's ten cents and experience points than I had before."
Interacting with: @demonspade64 Who Every Else is Inside the Inn that Heard
Alisea nodded her head along with Reylan's advice, her small smile renewed after being tagged as a 'gamer.' "And oftentimes early quests give equipment as a reward, too," Alisea added--although, that was a maneuver typically made to rope beginning players into playing farther. Talrae had a different approach to keeping its players logged in. While those games would offer a beginning stock of potions and a few goodies, Talrae offered nothing more than the chance to fight for life. "I suppose it depends upon your role, but I prioritize being able to earn experience quickly. This early, I want to increase my damage. If I slowed down because I was afraid to die, I expect I would fall behind and die anyway," she stated matter-of-factly.
While talking to Aster, Alisea's hand moved to open her menu. Without missing a beat, she finished her words to Aster and turned to Reylan."I have this sword, but it's probably larger than what you're looking for." Alisea sent him a trade window showing the longsword in her inventory. With even a moderate Strength stat it might be usable with one hand, but the magess doubted an archer would have any use for the blade. It didn't hurt to offer, though--especially knowing he would say no.
Karma picked up on Dubstep's frustration. Karma then made a click sound with his mouth. "I got you." Karma told him seeming like he understood. Then all of a sudden Dubstepp started beating the table and rapping a sing the praises and...make fun of him a bit...but Karma understood it was all in good fun also funny at some parts. Karma reacted by blushing and scratching the back of his head. "He no needed to praise man, I just doing my part to help people stay alive during this death game, and as for the water i'm just getting some for the road"
Karma then frowned when the minute Dubstep mention the guard mission didn't pay much, then his jaw dropped when he was told that he only got paid two copper. "Just two copper? I'm sorry to hear that. I guess not all quests are winners. Through i guess the quest will have some value to its name, maybe it could hold a secret reward?" He suggested. After finishing his food KArma then got up from the table.
"I'm going to shop with Reylan and that other girl...It's about time i buy some bandages for my healing skill...which by the way is a very miss leading name...i mean healing? It basically first aid, so why isn't called first aid?" HE ranted before sighing. "But i digress." He told him before heading out. "I'll see you at the meeting point." Karma told him before opening the door and being blind by the natural light like a vampire? "Ah..." Karma said covering his eyes with his arm and heading out.
Despite knocking on the doors of his allies, There was no response. Theo attmpted to knock once more, but to no avail - if there was anybody in the rooms they were dead silent. Anxiety crept over him, but deciding to be respectful of the others privacy, Theo chose to let them sleep in... Hopefully. He slowly made his way to the dining area of the inn, reequipping his leather armor as he did so. By the time he opened the door, the weight of the leather began to rest on his torso, and the brightly illuminated dining area looked absolutely beautiful in the morning light. Theo was about to make his way to a random table, when he spotted Reylan, Alisea, and Aster, all eating there breakfast. Theo waved slightly, before ordering the same meal he had the previous night - it was delicious then, it will probably be delicious now. Karma soon joined up with the group a little after Theo had finished eating, and the others were about to leave. Theo offered a small wave to him, and to Dubstepp as well when he entered, looking far more tired than Theo would have expected.
While Theo was happy to see that Aster and Alisea were okay, the fact that Kajin still wasn't around was very disturbing... Reylan and the girls decided to head on out, heading to do some shopping before they regrouped for the dungeon. Theo instead passed the time with Karma and Dubstepp, listening to the latter rap while tapping the table to the beat. While it certainly wasn't bad, it did surprise Theo that someone was (or at least was pretending to be) as unique as he made Dirk out to be. But Theo was in agreement with Karma - 2 copper definitely wasn't the most, but it was at least better than nothing. Karma rose to his feet shortly after, before talking about buying some healing supplies. Theo rose to his feet as well, before turning on his heel.
"I'll see you guys at the meeting point... I gotta go check something."
Theo barely noticed that he wasn't using his Dirk voice - he was too focused. Why the hell wasn't Kajin there? He was the one who suggested teaming everyone up in the first place, right? You'd expect him to show up for breakfast... A cold pit formed in Theo's stomach as he reached Kajin's door. With a shaky hand, he managed to open it - it was unlocked. Theo turned the door handle slowly, as the wood slowly creaked on old hinges. The room was clean, with the only evidence someone was inside being that the covers on the bed were messy - as if someone was sleeping there.
Theo nearly had a heart attack. Was this death game real? Was one of his first friends in this place already dead? What the fuck...
Theo wretched, his freshly eaten meal escaping his stomach in a flood of vomit. Theo was breathing heavily, so fast he was nearly hyperventilating. This was sick... Theo thought this was all a joke - at worst they would be stuck here and simply brought back to the real world when they died... Slowly he calmed down. He didn't have complete evidence. If he was lucky, Kajin just woke up early and left... Yeah, that had to be it. He'd show up at 9, and they would all be a team...
Theo went back to his room, and lied on his bed, praying he might be able to sleep away the event.
He simply laid in bed for two hours, and once he realized it was 9, he dragged himself to the dining area, taking a seat at an empty table.
Reylan felt a bit ashamed as he recalled all the times he bought equipment early-on only to have it immediately outdated by a reward he got for for killing demon chickens or something similar. It was one of the first lessons he learned as a gamer. Most games would hold your hand for the first few levels but Talrae simply handed you a pouch of money, opened the door, and kicked you out on your ass. He was pulled from his thoughts as Alisea stated "If I slowed down because I was afraid to die, I expect I would fall behind and die anyway.". That was natural order of Talrae, wasn't it? Move forward or get left behind. Well Reylan wasn't going to slow down either, he would push until the very end.
Reyland was still thinking about that when Alisea seamlessly switched over to him. He opened the menu to view the trade request, immediately unsure of this. It was her weapons after all that probably cost some Renn "I appreciate the offer but yeah, it's a little big for what I had in mind." A small smile accompanied his grateful voice as he pressed the 'Decline Trade' button. The Blacksmith's was not far after that exchange.
Black smoke billowed from the chimney of the stone building and upon reaching the door, he held it open for his party members behind him listened to a bell chime as it opened. The smith seemed to be in the process of making a new weapon, the size of his body rivaling a polar bear as did his muscles. White streaks flowed freely through silver hair combed back, matching his gruff beard well. While the other merchants generally had a pleasant attitude, Reylan felt a bit intimidated by the large man. By the time he took a few steps inside, the smith seemed finished with his work dipping the blade into cold water, the steam hissing loudly. Reylan could swear the ground shook with every step he took towards them. It was only then that he saw the large scar that went alongside his right temple, down his cheeks, and just underneath his lip.
Without so much as a smile, the smith spoke "Welcome to Aris's Forge, whaddya lookin' for?" His voice bellowed deeply though without the harshness in which Reylan expected. Instead it was actually rather pleasant as he looked at the three of them. Reylan decided to go first hoping the other two didn't mind "I-I was looking for a decently priced rapier." The smith's green eyes shifted to the bow on Reylans back, and then nodded "I'll see what I have for ya." he went into a back room which must be storage, shifting around for a few moments, before coming back with a rather plain looking rapier "This a good basic one, it's not flashy but its sturdy." He placed it on the counter and Reylan looked at it thoroughly, it would do for now though he he liked the idea of a flashy one later "How much?" "150 Renn." The smith flat-out said.
Reyland sighed sadly "I'm sorry, I can't afford that." Even if he could haggle the price down a little he wouldn't have anything left..."No worries, Your adventurers so I'm sure you'll come across some Renn soon." His word carrying a bit of encouragement as he turned to Alisea and Aster "Now, How may I help you two?" He didn't seem like the mean man Reylan initially thought he would be and while he may be a little scary, he certainly wasn't rude.
Alisea stepped forward. "I would like to sell some equipment," Alisea stated. She pulled the longsword from her inventory--a wry thought crossing her mind that she couldn't give the thing away. "How much will you offer for this?"
"Hmm... Good condition, looks like it ain't even been used! I'll give ya 158 Renn for her."
"And for this?" Alisea pressed, handing him the accompanying buckler.
"99 Renn. Strange to see ya sellin' gear, though; most adventurers are only buyin'."
"That must be good for you, then," Alisea answered with a smile. "I'll sell them both and purchase that rapier, please."
The smith rang up her purchase and Alisea thanked him graciously. Then she herded her companions back out and along the path to their next stop. As she did, Alisea again sent a trade offer to Reylan. "If you won't accept it as a gift, accept it as a loan," the magess insisted. She turned to face him and smiled--gently, brightly, but somehow that smile held a small, menacing chill. "You aren't allowed to die. Understood?"
Aster nervously shook her head, glancing away from the dealer. "Oh, nothing for me, thank you. I should be alright for a while now. I've got my katana, and it seems solid for the moment." She stuck close to Alisea, largely unsure of how she felt about Reylan. He seemed nice enough, but then, he was also someone new, and she had never been big on that characteristic. Not that it mattered; she would have to push down all of that difficulty and just forge onward. Heh. Forge. She smiled to herself, then remembered something she'd been considering.
"Umm, Alisea? No hurry or anything, but I think I'm going to go check out the textile merchant over there. I'll be right back, though. I just want to grab something real quick." With that, she hurried off, and after a few rushed steps, came to a little stall with a colorful sign advertising the sale of cloth and related accessories. Aster spoke quietly to the NPC running the shop, a nimble-fingered man of at least 60 years, then handed over a few low-denomination coins and accepted a strip of silvery-white cloth, bowing politely in thanks.
Her purchase stowed in a front pocket, she now felt more prepared. It wasn't much, but it wouldn't hurt to start developing a secret weapon. She didn't say anything upon her return, but rather simply rejoined the two other players as they continued onward.
Reylan felt a bit disheartened he couldn't afford the rapier just yet and that Aster seemed keen on ignoring him for the most part, but tried his best not to be too bothered by it. He didn't say a word as she left after telling Alisea where she was going, it would be rude to put himself in the conversation when she directly addressed Alisea.
He looked at the exchange with uncertainty, that was more Renn then they got for the boar quest though he couldn't shake this odd feeling. That's about 250 Renn, why is she selling it now? A feeling of light queasiness filled him as Alisea bought the rapier, did she intend to give it to him? Guilt flooded his mind, surely she could use that Renn to purchase equipment for herself and increase her chances of surviving. Silence fell upon him until they left and even though he expected it, he was startled when the trade request popped up on his menu. He looked at the item's image then up at Alisea, this was a loan then? Reylan wasn't sure how she managed to make such a nice smile feel so intimating at the same time, his face froze at first but it was soon replaced by a smile of his own, an understanding spark in his eyes.
"Alisea, I.." His eyes lingered over the trade display before turning back to Alisea, halting his objections, before nodding affirmatively feeling he had no choice but to accept such a thoughtful gesture "I accept those terms. Thank you." As his finger pressed the 'accept' button, he felt like he had just made a very important promise. Next thing he knew the rapier showed up in his inventory and now that his hesitation had been overcome, he got excited about owning it. His smile only got brighter as he equipped the weapon and immediately unsheathed to get a feel for it, just as Aster returned to them "Did you find everything you wanted?" he asked her, moving the blade through the air. It felt light and nimble just like he had hoped, one could tell how pleased he was with it by the teeth-showing smile he currently had.
