People. Lots, and lots of people. That was simply the sensation Sarah felt while waiting in the enormous line at her local GameStop. Were there even this many people in town? She shook her head. This was insane. So much hype, over one video game...though she couldn't blame them. Sarah herself was probably a bit too excited. In her black leggings, light gray boots, and an oversized gray hoodie to keep her warm, the girl with a brown ponytail waited in a line of at least 100. No, way more than that. Yet here she was, nearly at the front. Anticipation danced across her skin, sashaying down her spine. It teased her. A brand new world was only minutes away.

A news report came over someone's radio, one who had been camping all night, reinforcing this fact. Just a bit longer... Sarah told herself. The line moved, a young man racing out of the store practically making out with the MAELSTROM box. How...nice. Focusing on the hot coffee in her hands, courtesy of her boss who was also in line behind her, Sarah moved another inch, taking time to reflect. Three paychecks. She'd used three paychecks to pay for ToK. That was college money, money for a new car, moving out. And she spent it on a video game. Though, she couldn't find the kernel of regret she was looking for. In fact, it only made her more excited.

Lost in her thought, it was her turn. Stepping into the cool store, the familiar beep sounding as she walked in, Sarah stepped up to the counter to hand the employee her card, validating her preorder. The skinny young man, with long brown hair, handed her the box with a smile. "Careful. They say it's like heroin." Sarah laughed, and put the box under her arm. "I'll be sure to remember that." She said with mock concern. Leaving and placing the box in the back of her rather junked-up car, Sarah managed to putter on home, burst through the door, and run up to her room before her mother could ask "How was the wait, dear?"

It was time. She ravenously ripped at the packaging, removing the sleek cylinder inside. "Beautiful." The young woman breathed, before hooking it up. It had to synchronize, so...what now? Sarah paced her room in her socks, layed on the bed, and groaned into the pillows. Her suffering was only relieved when the chime signaled the coming of the end for this world, and heralded the coming of another. Sarah raced to the console, turned it on, and grabbed the headset, slipping it on and flying onto her bed. Her chocolate eyes felt heavy, and soon she was filled with a state of calm.

<<WELCOME TO THE THRESHOLD OF KAKOPHONIA>>
<<STATE YOUR USERNAME AND RACE>>


Oh ho ho, yes. Here it was. After thinking about it for a second, Sarah replied, "Username: E,L,I,Z,E,A, space, R,O,R,I,A". There. That sounded pretty. Now it was time to choose a race. She was already a Human, so no need to go there again. Nobelle seemed cool, but she wasn't a fan of the look or the play-style. Veni Yan...now, there was something she could get behind. A race in tune with the world around them, enough to channel spirits? Definitely cool. Sarah stated clearly, "Race: Veni Yan". The feeling of weightlessness turned into one of substance, and the feelings of a fresh new world greeted the newly deemed Elizea. She sat under a shade tree, near a cobble road leading to a town not too far off. The sun shined beautifully, and the breeze carried with it the scent of possibilities. Which was reminiscent of grass and flowers. Who would have thought?

Standing, Elizea began walking to the town, already hearing the shouts and hollers of excited players. A smile broke out on her face, and she couldn't stop herself from jogging to the area. So many people...well, why hold back? Figuring out how to open the menu with frantic gestures, Elizea turned on her mic, and let out a resounding, "Hell yeah!"

Amy stood in line with about a hundred other people, at the nearest Wal-mart, for about the last thing anyone would ever expect to find the local trackstar in line for. Threshold of Kakophonia, a VRMMO, and the thing that Amy had looked forward to for a long time. Mack, the young boy who was new to the team, was one of the betas for this game. He, of course, sang it's praises, which is why the Captain of her school's Girls Cross Country Team, and Track Team, found herself 2 towns over in line with more than a few 30 year old virgins without a life.

Whenever Amy did anything, she did it to the max, and she did it to win. Which is why she'd been here for two days, having borrowed some camping supplies and getting a ride from her uncle, who lived in town. Thankfully, he was a very avid gamer, which is why he was behind her in line and had served as her tent mate. Amy had found this funny at first, considering he was another part of her family's military tradition, particularly he'd served in the Army for 8 years. He insisted, however, that being in the military didn't mean one couldn't enjoy a good game.

Amy was snapped from her thoughts when at last, the line began to move. This meant the game had just officially released, and the line moved at the speed of light. Thankfully, the tents had all been packed up long age and stowed in her Uncle's pickup, so Amy had nothing to worry about as she moved. She was dressed in a set of running clothes, and she was aware that after these two days she smelled just as bad, if not worse than, she did after a race. However, it was all worth it when her turn finally came.

Taking out her wallet, she reached in and fished out the appropriate amount, handing it to the clerk. Of course, first she had to confirm her pre-order, which she did with a small card that accompanied the dollar bills. She was given her bags, and escorted out by her uncle who got his gear shortly after. Walking out to her Uncle's truck, she climbed in with her bag carried near her chest as though it were a newborn baby.

Arriving back at her house, Amy rushed a thank you to her uncle and lept from the truck. Rushing into her room, without stopping to say "Hello" or "Hey mom, Hey dad, I'm back!", she was in her room before anyone could really react. "One of the benefits of being a sprinter" She thought mischeviously as she withdrew the precious cylinder that had cost the entirety of the money she'd gotten from her birthday. Plugging it in, it revealed that it needed to sync up. Agitated, Amy came to the decision to go for a quick run while she waited, since it always calmed her down.

She stretched in her room until she was ready and then bolted from the house again. Her family was used to this of course, Amy was hyperactive and was always running somewhere, whether it be school or to meet with friends. She smiled the whole time as she ran a 4 mile run within 30 minutes. When she arrived home again, she was breathing heavily and mildly tired. Her parents, of course, were able to catch her before she reached her room this time. She was allowed to go play her game, but of course, she was first forced to shower.

Another 10 minutes of, at least according to Amy, pointless time wasting later, Amy was in her room. She was ready to get into this game and get good at it, that way she could hunt down Mack no matter where he was. He would, obviously, be higher levelled than her so it'd take some time and effort to reach his level. It was funny to Amy, though, since he was doing the same thing with her in real life, trying to catch up to her.

Amy read the manual, the cautious side of her, as small as it is, demanded this much at least. Then, she lay on her bed and slid the visor over her eyes and gave a slight, placid smile as she also pulled some blankets over her body. She was struck by a slight feeling of vertigo, and then suddenly it was if her room didn't exist. Of course, according to the signals currently being sent to Amy's mind, it didn't. Then, she heard the words she'd waited two long days to hear.

<<WELCOME TO THE THRESHOLD OF KAKOPHONIA>>
<<STATE YOUR USERNAME AND RACE>>

"Hmm, what is a good username? Hmm...I want something that sounds pretty, but not something as bland as my real name. OOOH, I know!" These thoughts raced through Amy's mind at the speed of light, and soon she was saying "Username S,E,R,I,N,A" Then came Race, of course, but Amy already knew what she was going for. She'd read about the various races in the manual, and she'd already decided to pick good ol' Humanity, since she liked the almost "Middle-Ground" It provided. "Race, Human." Almost as soon as these words left her mouth, Amy was struck by the same vertigo, and soon she felt the world building itself around her.

She was standing near a town, and looking down she found herself wearing a ragged set of what could be called armor. Looking back up, she noticed the HUD that sat comfortably in her vision. Examining the various icons, she surmised that they must be things like your Character, Inventory, Options/settings and other such Video-game features. Amy, or rather, Serina was eager to explore this new world. So, with Amy's trademark grin adorning Serina's face, she dashed into town, and soon was surrounded by people who were in a smiliar state of awe. Serina noted one important thing, however, in this world, she was actually taller than 5 foot. In fact, she could almost be called tall, or at least for a girl, and that made her very happy. So, with a grin, Serina began to talk to others, and learn about this world, the Threshold of Kakophonia.

"Oh look at all these giddy fellows" murmured the college student as he approached the enormous human snake that stretched far beyond the interior of the humble games store. No one nearby was supposed to hear that, he had simply been adding a statement to the anxious atmosphere. Unlike some of the more enthusiastic gamer, whom he had hoped weren't still standing here, Nathan hadn't camped out by the nearest store, coped up on caffeine to stave off sleep while quivering for the release of a "world shaking phenomenon", instead he opted for complying with normality and hobbling into college for a few hours of education. It was a half day anyway, not that his decision would be any different. One way or another he was going to nab a copy today missing on a few day 1 deals meant little to him and he was certain stores were over stocked from fear of angry nerd backlash.

And so at 2 in the afternoon, Nathan stood with the line shuffling a few feet every few minutes, thankfully having the foresight to eat something before turning up. There was a strange serenity to the centre, the few passerby that were glanced in their general direction, probably because it was the largest gathering of humans any shop within 10 miles had seen, in fact probably much further than that. Nathan wasn't one for over exaggerating, but he'd have to agree with anyone that figured the town's entire collection of gamers had turned up for the occasion. Naturally the reason for the gather went without question, ToK had taken the net by storm, absorbing an unfathomable amount of money during it's development stage, and producing an unreal level of "hype" following it's successful birth. Now that mere mortals were being granted the opportunity to be graced by a real dream-come-true, Nathan was more surprised that society hadn't been scarred by flocks of men and woman abandoning their jobs for this day.

An hour and a half later, mercifully earlier than he had expected, Nathan strolled homewards swinging a rather large plastic bag back and forth. He was ever grateful for the student "funding" that had partially went in to the greatest time black hole he had ever purchased, grinning to himself over the irony of the purchase. Perhaps the dull minutes spent walking were the calm before the storm, it was at least a fitting way of putting things. Home was quite, as usual, despite living with his parents, it was more accurate to say that he lodged in their home, the house would be empty for at least another two hours. He listened to the kettle bubbling he waited for the obligatory Malestrom synch process, he imagined it was a rather torturous time for some, but a necessary evil to open Paradise's doors.

The Maelstrom was finally done by the time his mug was half empty, Nathan immediately snatched the headgear he had kept within arm's length, quickly checking the fitting before slipping it onto his head, he would have let out a small whistle is amazement as super advanced technology sprang to life infront of his eyes, but his lips had already spread to a massive grin "Afternoon, Paradise" He said, leaning back into the single padded chair in his room.

<<WELCOME TO THE THRESHOLD OF KAKOPHONIA>>
<<STATE YOUR USERNAME AND RACE>>

"Ah, voice only?" He asked the air, half expecting an answer. Immediately characters flew onto the space before him, followed by a harsh error sound. "Oops, urrm...B-I-S-H-O-P no error this time, it was more sensitive than he'd realized. He was nowed faced with a choice, fully pretend to be a different character and forget his humanity for his time in game, or go with a bog standard human. He'd already decided this one before his purchase though "Race: Human, can't ditch my little fighter now" He then immediately released a "Whoa" as he felt the hold of reality's laws become overwritten by new artificial ones, the screen briefly faded to white forcing his eyes closed from the harsh glare.

When he reopened them he was greeted by a pleasant mix of light green and deep blue, a lazy afternoon sun cast a peaceful light over the new land in stark contrast to the white from before, fields of green swayed slowly in a gentle breeze, and a select few windmills dotted the distant view. Though that wasn't all that was visible in the distance, easily nabbing his attention was large(ish) village, fairly closeby though he assumed stamina from walking with a non-issue. A cobblestone path lay before him, clearly leading him towards the village, he sighed happily as he took his first few virtual steps, a reliably generated beginners zone, he had seen it countless times, but it had been a long time since such a sight had actually pierced him with a sense of anticipation, that silly grin from before was still plastered on his face as he made his way towards the hearty cheers that floated out from the village.

Walking through the shopping mall was a young man accompanied by an elderly man and woman. His name was Adrian Winter.

Adrian wasn't comfortable at all. Being an 18 year old with his parents wasn't exactly the ideal image, and it didn't help that they were intending to skip the giant line of people altogether. If it was up to Adrian, he would have rather waited in line like everyone else, but his parents persuaded him that it was a waste of time; time which could be spent in his studies and training instead. He gave in when they said that he would not receive a copy of "Threshold of Kakophonia" if he did not spend the 2 days before the release (the amount of time people waited in line) in their personal library. So instead of having Adrian wait in line, his parents chose to have their local GameStop reserve a copy for them, and have it be given to them upon arrival. The store would not refuse them. After all, they were the owners of the Winter Group business conglomerate.

The closer they got to the store, the larger the line seemed to become. Adrian started to wonder if he would've regretted waiting in line if he forced it. Still, he had to admire the devotion of some of the gamers here. He loved video games in his own way, but not in the way that others were willing to spend two days and one night in a line.

As they approached the entrance, some people gave them strange looks Some even told them to get at the back of the line if they were here for the MAELSTROM console and ToK copy. However, some people recognized Adrian's father as Norman Winter, and started gossiping. Some of the journalists covering ToK's release overheard them. "Would you look at this, folks? Even wealthy businessman Norman Winter appears to be giving in to the hype. Let's see if we can get a few words from him." A female reporter said to the camera. Adrian's father, sharp as always, tapped him on the shoulder. "Son, head to the store with your mother and talk to the employees. They will arrange our purchase. I'll take care of this." He said. Adrian nodded and went towards the entrance. He could overhear his father speaking with the reporter.

"Excuse me, we're with PC Gamer holo-magazine and we'd like to ask you some questions, if it's not too much of a problem." The woman said. "Go ahead." Norman replied. "Is it true that the Winter Group helped finance the new VR game, Threshold of Kakophonia?" She asked. "We sent several donations, yes. But we did not directly interact with the companies who created it." His father replied. Adrian couldn't hear the rest of the interview as he walked away. He thought about how his father failed to mention his "donations" were several members of the Winter Group who invested in the new VR game trend, and owned shares of both MAELSTROM and ToK. Apparently, everyone knew how big of a hit the new games were going to be.

Upon approaching the entrance, they were stopped by the security guard who pointed at the far end of the area. "Back of the line, buddy." He said. "Umm... My name is Adrian Winter." Adrian said rather awkwardly. The guard thought for a moment, then looked surprised. "Oh! So sorry about that, sir! One moment please." He said as he went inside the store and spoke with the employees. A while later, an employee came outside carrying a bag containing the preorder set (complete with ToK poster). "Here you are, sir. We hope you enjoy it." He said with a smile as he retreated back into the store.

Looking down into the bag, Adrian could hardly suppress a smile. "I'm finally going to be playing a VR game, online!" He thought. His mind was already overflowing with ideas on what he was going to find in that virtual world. His mother tugged gently at his shirt. "We should get going, dear." She said. Adrian nodded and turned his head up. His smile disappeared when he saw the line again, with several people looking enviously at his bag. Adrian started to not feel so good about the purchase, but he couldn't return it nor give it to someone else, considering it was bought with his parent's money and not his allowance. With that, they walked away from the store and met up with the father.

"Well, I won't take up anymore of your time, sir. I'm sure your son is dying to try out his new video game." The reporter said, looking at Adrian, who half-heartedly turned away from the camera. "Well there you have it folks. An exclusive interview with Norman Winter." The reporter continued as the family walked out of the mall.

---

Arriving at their large home (and unboxing his set), Adrian quickly headed into his room to set up the MM console. His room was large for that of a teenage boy's room (considering he's had it ever since he was in elementary). His bed and study table was on the far side, next to a large window with foldable blinds. To the right of the room was a flatscreen TV on the wall, along with a gaming PC near it at the near corner. On the left side of the room was a large bookshelf for leisure reading, and a glass drawer containing multiple kinds of game merchandise from franchises he's played (including Tekken and Kingdom Hearts), with several posters on top of it.

Since the Winter Group had already invested in the VR industry, Adrian had the privilege of testing some of the earlier models a few days before their commercial release. The MAELSTROM was the latest, most advanced, and most user-friendly of all the gaming models. So, he didn't have much trouble setting it up with his gaming PC. The next step was installing "Threshold of Kakophonia". He loaded the game into the MM, which showed a message on his PC saying that it had to be synchronized first. Adrian was already used to this, and decided to use the time to set-up the poster and read the manual.

He plastered the poster on the corner of his room where his other game merchandise were. Except he reserved a spot for it right in the middle of all the posters. Taking the box of tacks on the bookshelf, he carefully positioned it in the middle. Satisfied with his work, he grabbed the memory card inside the box labelled "Instruction Manual" and loaded it on his personal 3D Mobile Pad as he lied down on his bed. Habitually skipping the terms and conditions, Adrian tapped on the links in the table of contents and read through everything he needed to know about installing and running the game. His PC was about on par with best recommended system requirements, he already knew the basics of an MMORPG, he didn't have any epilepsy problems, so on and so forth...

Adrian looked up and smiled when his PC said that synchronization was completed. He clicked off his Pad, stood up, and grabbed the MM headset. Before putting it on, he felt a little bit of guilt when he remembered all of the people in that line. But he managed to push away that thought by convincing himself that in a few weeks, about half of the world will own a MAELSTROM and a copy of ToK. With that thought, his excitement returned, and he slowly (and rather shakily)put on the head-set as he fell back down on his bed. He felt his body start to numb as the visuals of the game started to kick in, and he began seeing a beautiful, vast world in the background of floating text...

<<WELCOME TO THE THRESHOLD OF KAKOPHONIA>>
<<STATE YOUR USERNAME AND RACE>>

Adrian always somehow incorporated the word "Winter" into his IGN's (or at least something that had to do with snow or the cold. For a while he thought, and then decided to use the name of a Greek god he read about in history books. He spoke loudly. "Username: Apollo... Winter" He said, pausing for a long while after Apollo to signify a space. <<USERNAME: APOLLO WINTER>> <<CONFIRM?>> The text said. "Confirm" He said in response. The next step was to choose a race. He wasn't all that interested in the Veni Yan (as they struck him as the usual Mage/Magic class in RPG's), and the humans were of course too common. Lastly, he spotted the Nobelle. "A race of small intellectuals with advanced technology? Perfect." He thought as he selected the race and felt himself float through the air as the text and background disappeared, and his avatar materialized in the game world.

A mirror appeared before him, and he could see his character in unbelievable realism. He appeared to be a shorter version of himself with pale white skin, big eyes, and white clothing. "Japanese people call this 'Chibi', if I'm not mistaken." He noted. He saw several items laid out on a table before him such as combs, paintbrushes with paint cans, and many more objects that seemed to be geared towards personal grooming. The first thing he did was remove his glasses and throw them away; he didn't need them in the virtual world since his vision was automatically corrected. The next thing he did was grab a paintbrush. He was unsure of what he was supposed to do, but he decided to figure it out as he went along. Dipping the brush into the white paint, he coated the bristles with the viscous liquid. He put the wet brush to his head, and watched as his hair suddenly turned completely white. "Interesting..." He thought.

He didn't change much else of his looks, and took one more look at himself at the mirror. "It's amazing how different I look without my glasses, and only a change of hair and skin color." He thought. Satisfied with his appearance, he confirmed it, and began feeling as if he was floating in the air.

---

Adrian (or rather, Apollo) found himself on the outskirts of a lively town, not to different from that of the usual fantasy starter zones.He never felt so happy and excited about seeing one before. The first thing he noticed was the Heads-Up Display (containing everything from inventory to options). He wondered if he could minimize it just to increase the immersion. After messing around on the icons, he found that he could. Once the icons were away, he took a look at the countryside landscape.

The 2nd thing he saw was the amount of people heading into town and talking with each other. Assuming they weren't NPC's, but actual players who were lucky enough to get a copy as fast as he did, Apollo decided to enter the town and see how other people felt about the new VR game.

There were times she wished she had never left.

Wished she had not so forcefully ended the ties that she called meaningful or important to simply move out of the slump she had found herself in. It was cowardly, a last ditch effort to run away from the person she had so helplessly become over the years. Maybe there was another way, she kept telling herself, someway to have stayed on that island and still move forward in life. To be with them and be happy. Every time she told herself that, a part of her wanted to laugh because she knew the truth.

There was no happy ending for her there.

The tea kettle whistled violently, demanding to be spared the agonizing pain of having to hear this dull narrative again. Naomi simply scoffed and removed the ungrateful hunk of metal from the old gas stove, before pouring herself a cup of tea. The light of dawn peaked in from the cute kitchen window, silently lighting up the small personal kitchen. It was as beautiful as it was depressing.

She sat down on a beaten stool near the counter, placing her cup down on some papers that her brother had left on the counter this morning. The brunette sighed as her fingers circled the rim of the cheap Chinese cup. Were detectives always so messy? Her eyes danced around the kitchen. What was probably once joyful bright orange paint was now dull and faded, peeling as if the walls themselves rejected their shameful coat. The cupboards were loose, or more appropriately loosening. Papers! She slumped over on the counter. Don't get her started about the papers! There were papers everywhere. All over the floor, under the sink, tacked onto walls... Once she had so uncharacteristically made the attempt to clean them up and he walked in, oh boy did he lose it. Point given...

Not lifting her head, she looked solemnly out the window at the wispy clouds that now covered the sun.

...the whole place screamed neglect.

Naomi took a deep breath.

...and neglect smelled lonely.

The red framed clock that hung over head mocked her, each second repeating the same sad note of the statement she had just made in her head.

What else did neglect smell like? Happiness?

Turning the other cheek, the Japanese girl closed her eyes. She tried so hard to wake up early in order to catch him before he left. She wanted to have meat tonight. Beef, chicken, lamb...anything really. She remembered the sizzling sound of three 12 ounce pieces of beef tenderloins, the beautiful antique china, and their three combined laughter under an expensive chandelier.

It had been a eleven months since she left and three days since she's talked to either of them...

…when her consciousness began to drift, the brunette helplessly struggled against her heavy eyelids. They were calling to her; fond memories and sweet dreams. Temptation wrestled her into submission, and with that her mind and heart drifted away from the small messy kitchen.

The clock struck six; its gentle tones echoed through the empty house on that fine brisk fall morning.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
“Hey, you wouldn't have any idea why this was in the mail would you?”

Replacing the deep, slow voice was the sound of a plastic rustling against paper. A container of some sort. Slowly opening one eye wondering if this was some sort of bait, Naomi found herself staring at some machine dragon barring its fang against some sort of knight. Opening both eyes, she slowly reached for the box that was placed in front of her. The English characters came slowly as the girl attempted to read the pop out text that she assumed was the title.

“T-Thresholud of Kaako...phonea.”

The box was quickly and smoothly taken from her fingers. The tall figure set down a box of take out in front of her before leaning against the counter and casting her a tired smile.

“Threshold of Kakophonia, it's the new virtual reality game. People were raving, so I decided to hop on the bandwagon as well. Didn't know I would have a copy delivered to the house.” Holding up the foreign copy, the man examined them closely, but seemed to have absolutely no interest. “Apparently time goes by five times faster in the game, but it still feels like real time of course. I thought it could help me catch up on sleep or think over my cases.”

Naomi opened the plastic foam box to find a somewhat wet cheese burger surrounded by a mix of french fries, tots, and onion rings. Popping a handful of tots in her mouth, she wiped her fingers on her jeans before taking the game from her brothers hand.

"So any idea?" he asked again.

“Do we even have this MAELSTROM console?” she muttered, walking out of the small kitchen.

“Living room, all plugged in and ready to go,” he answered, hanging up his coat as he yawned, “Planning on taking it for a spin?”

“Don't want you wasting money.”

“Then eat the burger.”

Lying down, she reached for the headset-visor before carefully sliding it on.

“You have it. Take this too.”

With a swift gesture, she slid the unopened copy of the game to where he stood before giving him a playful grin.

“See you on the other side?”

She heard him sigh.

Then for a single second, reality crumbled and peace swept over the girl. There was pure brightness that seemed to illuminate the dark corridors of her uncharted soul. There was a pause in life. A beautiful silence and tranquil stillness which, as fast as it had come, silently and quickly slipped away.

<<WELCOME TO THE THRESHOLD OF KAKOPHONIA>>
<<STATE YOUR USERNAME AND RACE>>

She paused for a second.

“Username: K-A-N-A-M-I.”

<<PLEASE SELECT RACE>>

A mirror appeared before her.

<<VENI YAN>> Amazement swept her. Standing there, she watched the tattooed figure stare back with bewilderment. It took a few moments for her to recognize that the wild eyed, spirited girl before her was none other than herself. Very...rustic. Giving herself a quick spin, she struck a pose before smiling daringly at the mirror. It was too lively. What was she in natural terms? A nymph?

“I'll pass.”

<<HUMAN>> A reasonable choice. She stretched side to side, watching the dynamics of her human counterpart. Her skin tone was slightly darker in the reflection, not to mention she felt somewhat older. She had a hard time telling whether she liked it or hated it. Giving the reflection an annoyed look, she struck an aggressive pose before dishing herself a high kick.

“What else?”

<<NOBELLE>> She felt her heart skip a beat. Starring at her was a beautiful figure with the fairest complexion she had ever seen. There was a softness that was unattainable by normal means. A purity that escaped the tragedies of reality. For a second she felt her entire body quiver in anticipation. The figure stared at her with pure admiration, the eyes lacked detail and life but they were hauntingly vivid. Naomi closed her eyes and took in a deep breath of air.

The figure smiled and her eyes lit up as if there was not a thing wrong with this world.

Naomi spied the small comb at the corner of her vision. The game, as if understanding her desire, presented her with a sea of cosmetics dyes and packages. Her hands silently went to work. Shorter hair, a lavender dye, cyan blue eyes, more detail on the eyes, more, more...

Everything was perfect. If the original Nobelle representation was a childish, pure version of herself then...

The figure's cold emotionless glare frightened her. There before her stood Kanami, who's cold eyes and locked heart seemed to give no opening, no weakness, and no sign of regret or anticipation. She was the knight, the dragon, the beast that guarded the innocent girl who locked deep within the confines of her own heart.

“...CLASS: Nobelle”
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The smell of grass was strange. The air was anything but clean, instead it was rather congested with the smell of...life? Nature? Loss for words to describe the scent, Kanami opened her eyes for the first time. Interest seized her as she began to move slowly, each step into a world that seemed to be tethered down by a single string. There was no fear or confusion in her step, just a type of confidence that could be defined as rash stupidity or courageous disregard. Pacing slowly, but surely forward, Kanami outstretched her arms letting both her hands brush against the wheat the danced on either side of her. It was magnificent. Beautiful. Striking. Bold. Lovely...

There was no sense of gaming. The feelings she felt, the air she breathed, the thoughts she thought were all real for the first time. For a brief moment in time as the girl unknowingly and silently danced towards town, Threshold of Kakophonia had become reality.

“I’m back.”

His deep voice echoed from the front door as the young man closed it behind himself. A female arm lazily rose up from the couch and waved. A high pitched, airy, but recognizable male voice answered.

“Welcome home, son! I just started dinner; tonight we are having stir-fried beef with broccoli with a side of white rice,” he put extra emphasis on the word white, which garnered a thumbs up from the woman on the couch. The young man started untying his shoes as the aroma from the mentioned dinner reached the front door again. He picked up his shoes once they were off and started towards his room, but not without a word to the silent woman lounging on the couch, bottle in hand and book spread on face.

“Mom, you know Dad doesn’t like it when you drink on the couch,” he warned offhandedly. The mother’s free hand grabbed the book and slid it off of her face, revealing a terrifying grimace from a face that looks quite a bit like that of a criminal’s, even if it was bright red. Like mother like son, one could say. She opened her mouth to speak but immediately shut it, rolled off the couch, and sprinted towards the bathroom with her hands pressed tightly against her shut lips. The young man watched her for a moment, and then sighed as he set his bag down and went to work cleaning up the mess she left behind.

Continuing on towards his room, bag in hand, he bumped into the second obstacle barring his path. Even if he considered himself tall, this girl that stood in front of him was nearly half his size. Unlike him and his mother, she was lucky enough to gain her small, cute face from her father. A flash of excitement touched her eyes but she quickly forced a serious expression and smirked.

“Thank goodness you came back, brother. I was just getting ready to go get you myself,” she said calmly in her squeaky voice. “I was afraid that you’d have been captured to get to me, but you obviously fought them off didn’t you? No one can beat the brother of the famous Mia, after all,” she was looking over her shoulder with a confident smile when she spoke. He had already grown used to this behavior, despite always trying to bring her back to reality.

“You shouldn’t pretend to be some hero like all those Japanese anime you watch,” he responded, a slight hint of irritation in his voice.

“Hah?!”

“Don’t ‘hah’ me. You should give it up and try living in reality again.”

She made some strange noises, like she was trying to say something but couldn’t. The young man walked around her as she stood angrily in place. He reached for the doorknob but a jump tackle shoved him hard into the door. He managed to keep his bag, the whole reason for his absence, from hitting the wall. She started punching him, though her flurry of swings felt more like a bunch of rubber balls bouncing off of him.

“What are you-” He started, but was quickly interrupted by his sister.

“You are the one who should live in reality, Viktor!” She cried out as a small fist pressed hard into his back, though she suddenly became aware of herself breaking character. “B-brother.” The man silently pulled her hand away from him, frowning. “You always play games alone in your room. It’s creepy. Why don’t you hang out with some friends?”

“I’m playing with friends. Why else would I play online?” He retorted, mildly irritated. He held up his bag and continued, “It’s the reason why I’m going to play right now.”

“No girl is going to like a gaming otaku like you.”

“No boy is going to like an anime nut like you.”

“You don’t know that!” She yelped, her small face bright red.

He shook his head, reminding himself that he has a friend waiting for him in game and is already late enough with his detour. She stuck her tongue out with an audible (and obnoxious) hum when he opened his door. He turned around quickly and opened his mouth, but she was already running away to the safety of one of their parents. He sighed angrily and closed his door.

Finally home. Finally alone. Finally able to play. It was strange, though: he thought he’d be more excited for the game. Instead, he just felt tired. Deeming the origin of his weariness as from waiting outside for three days and taking a few detours just to get back home, he still wanted to play it really badly. He reached into the bag and pulled out the console. The MAELSTROM; he still found it funny that they made an entire system just for one game, but perhaps that’s what it takes for a virtual reality. A quick scan of the manual and a brief wait for the console to sync was all took to be able to enter a new world.

The chime from the console gave him a newfound energy, and before he knew it he had visor firmly on his head and he was lying on his bed. His breath was heavy, excitement quickly droning out the sounds around him until all he heard was the pumping of his heart and the ambience of the game.

<<WELCOME TO THE THRESHOLD OF KAKOPHONIA>>
<<STATE YOUR USERNAME AND RACE>>

That was… different. Usually a MMORPG asks for someone to create a username, but this one asked him to state it. Amusing! A smile stretched across his face. And he just so happened to have one ready. “Username: O. H. K. A.” he stated loudly and clearly. As for race, it was another obvious answer. Both the Nobelle and Veni Yan look interesting (though he stifled a laugh when he saw his avatar in a Nobelle form) he was sure that his friends would pick them. Plus, he was always a human in online games. It was strangely comfortable for him. And, in a type of game that few have ever played before, it is best to play comfortably, right? “Race: Human.”

He started to get ready to choose a race when a blinding flash flooded his world with white. He winced and held up his hands to block the light. As it died down, he could hear murmurs and whispers all around him. He lowered his hands and saw a flood of color spinning in place, slowly snapping into shapes, and then objects. The sounds got clearer and clearer. Talking. Laughing and excitement. He felt his weight slowly come back, his feet starting to press against the ground. He closed his eyes and breathed in slowly. A goofy grin forced itself on his face when he discovered that he could taste the air, feel the breeze and grass. He quickly looked to the ground, half laughing out of excitement and half exhaling to calm himself.

Once he was adequately able to contain his excitement and happiness, he remembered that he was supposed to meet up with his friends at the nearest town. He quickly glanced around and discovered that he was standing just a few hundred feet from one which had people flooding in and out. That must be it. He decided to take a leisurely pace so that he could go over the basics for his User Interface before he got there. Surely it couldn’t be too much different from a normal MMO game, right? Quickly discovering that the arrow closed and opened the UI, he started with the Options first. It was a habit of his to examine the options of a game before he started to actually play it. His only problem was that he was already in town by the time he finished studying the Options.

Bishop hummed a little rhythm as his feet met with the cobblestone path, realizing that he would have to make a personal vow to stop repeating the term "It's really quite amazing" or he'd start to sound like an NPC from the oasis itself, but he allowed himself a little more time for self indulgence. His steps were overtly heavy, sort of like little kicks to affirm how real it felt, in fact this game might be quite dangerous if not for the HUD mercifully reminding him that he had not been transported to an alternative dimension. As he edged ever closer to the town he started to pass by other engrossed players, some being a bunch of friends taking an extended detour while others were still trapped by the landscape that they had been greeted by. Bishop made a little chuckle every time he saw one, the smiles everyone wore was rather intoxicating.

The town was, unsurprisingly, bustling with all kinds of characters transforming the likely quite lakeside town into a commotion big enough to rival cities twice the size. "Oho more giddy people, Ah!" He spied a shop-looking-thing not too far from the entrance, immediately making a bee-line for it despite being unaware if the game had even given him an ounce of currency to begin with. A well built woman draped in simple, but colorful garments stood by the front counter, whom Bishop promptly greeted with "Why hello good lady", which she immediately responded with "Please feel free to browse our wares!" which seemed to trigger a menu to drop down the right half of his vision. For a moment he silently scanned the list before hollowly murmuring "Merchant's Renowns, Noble Renowns...." He could see his own personal level in the top opposite corner, immediately prompting a childish scowl, "Not even a Merchant's, oh how cruel!" The NPC simply stared at him with her set small smile, "Bah never mind then, I'll be back soon enough~" and he turned back to the hearty crowds.

Though, now that he thought about it, said crowd seem to be focused somewhere further in the crowds, convinced that the rest of the shops would only inflict him with greater despair, bishop started off further down the main road. Sure enough as he continued further down the road he came across a much larger collection of players who had, for some reason, all gathered to a very specific spot by the side of the road with a steady stream of players both entering and leaving the crowd. On approach the reason soon become clear, within the crown, though spaced from the players by a few feet, stood a man saddling a very large rucksack and clad in mostly brown colours, a merchant if ever he'd seen one. "Hmm, I wonder if perhaps..." Bishop approached the merchant, who immediately turned to him as he stood at the front of the crowd. "Ah you there! I'm sorry but we're rushed for time and could use all the help we can get to get this working" "I don't mind, what's this about." "Ah! The village would be very grateful for your help, you see we're holding a local festival to herald this wonderful occasion, but we're a little understaffed to meet the deadline, here please take these nails to the village blacksmith, boy am I glad to have spied a fresh outsider!" Bishop glanced around to the other players with a little grin as the NPC finished. At the same time a little notification popped up on his HUD, and another telling him of a new key item in his inventory "Oooh first quest!, 'kay I'll get this little errand done!" he saluted the merchant before whirling around, once again, to trace back his steps

"I didn't mean to pay her another visit this soon" he chimed along the way

Time seemed to pass with intense precision, each ticking of Lance's wrist watch proved agonizing. He watched the doors to his local Gamestop with anticipation. All he could think about was rushing in and grabbing up a copy of what may be the most exciting and revolutionary game of all time. Lance was practically salivating at the thought of entering a new world of virtual transcendence. He was excited to test the mechanics of the game and meet all sorts of new individuals while challenging some of gaming's most intense enemies. He had been reading up on the game for months and now he had a golden opportunity to seize the day, as they say. So he waited... and waited... and waited. And suddenly in a giant burst of excitement and adrenaline the crowd quickly pummeled each other to besiege the metal door to the game store. And within that crowd stood a goofy young man plowing through the front lines and up to the counter. He was third in line, and within minutes he had achieved what he believed to be a fantastically executed feat. Of course, the feat did include camping outside the store for two whole days so he was bound to get something...

Nonetheless, Lance paid a fortune for the game and briskly rushed out the store and pranced home like an enthusiastic school girl! The run home seemed endless, and soon Lance was well out of breath, but he wouldn't... no... he couldn't stop! He had to get home as soon as possible to start the damn game. His mind was racing with tons of character ideas and anticipations of the game's layout. And soon the door was in view! Lance charged through the door, still running at full speed. His mother shrieked as he breached the front entrance and Lance heard the clanging of a pot followed by a splat noise, which Lance could only assume was breakfast. "Sorry, mom! It's just me! I'll be upstairs..." He heard her reply with an angered response, yet he couldn't really make out what she said... not that he really cared either. Lance's bedroom door closed behind him, and he clicked the lock before opening the neatly constructed package for ToK. A wide grin spread across his face as he lifted the console and virtual head piece up to his face. The salivating turned to drooling and Lance let out a weird giggly noise. It was a sound he had never once emitted until now. Then he looked in his mirror with regret and shook his head disapprovingly. "Okay, calm down Lance. It's just a game. Just take a breath and set up the game and start playing. Quite simple." ANd so he did, and then he started it up. He took a deep breath and then...

<<WELCOME TO THE THRESHOLD OF KAKOPHONIA>>
<<STATE YOUR USERNAME AND RACE>>

Interesting start... Lance thought to himself as he scanned the race options and was instantly drawn to the Veni Yan. But a name? Ha! Lance didn't even think about it. After all of that waiting and reading and pining, Lance hadn't thought of a character name. So he began thinking quietly. I definitely want something that fits the race and has a medieval feel. Hm. And suddenly it hit him. "Sarecyn FurLance," he said with a bold tone. The name appeared on the screen above the race section and Lance smiled. "Veni Yan," he uttered next. And suddenly the system went white and Lance lost feeling in his body. He instantly panicked and wondered what was happening. Is this how this is supposed to feel? Or is this some strange bug in the system? Lance tried to move, but he couldn't tell if he was even successful. Not until, of course, the sounds started. Voices. Wind. General scenic noises. Then the flash of light settled into a gorgeous surrounding. The feeling in his body slowly came back, yet it wasn't his physical body anymore. He darted back and forth, taking his surrounding in for the first time. He breathed in fresh, foreign air that seemed so real. The sights and sounds were real too. With an awkward jump, Lance raised his fist and exclaimed a notable "Yeah!" A few others looked at him with mixtures of contempt and laughter. He didn't mind, really. He was too blinded by sheer excitement. And now it was time to start his wondrous journey through the outlandish world of ToK!

---

Lance acquired the skills to maneuver his new body relatively quickly and he was soon walking around aimlessly within this strange town. It seemed there was some sort of festival taking place, which only excited Lance more. Soon he was bumped by an older man who then dropped a crate that he was carrying. Lance felt embarrassed despite it only being a game and quickly jumped to the man's aide. He looked elderly and so Lance could only assume he was an NPC. However, he looked as real as the other player characters he had encountered. And he moved fluidly and without pause. He even spoke as if he were a real human being.

"Sorry about that, young one. Didn't see you there..." He bent down and then immediately jerked his body upward. "I'm not the man I used to be," he said solemnly as he held onto a vendor stall nearby to support his weight.

"No... no... this is my fault. I wasn't paying attention. I'm sorry!" Lance stacked the crates one on top of the other and brushed his hands together afterwards to remove the soot that had covered them. "Do you need any help with this stuff?"

The old man paused and then smiled. "Ya know! I could use a hand from a young lad like yourself." Suddenly, a quest indicator appeared in the left part of Lance's vision.

"From merchant to merchant? Hm?" He fiddled with the dynamics of accepting a quest in real time without the use of a mouse and keyboard. The old man gave him a strange look and scratched his head.

"You going to help me or what," he asked? Lance hit accept almost immediately as he asked his question, and with a big smile Lance nodded!

"You can count on me!"

The old man smiled back. "You're a bit strange, but I like you. Anyway! I need you to bring these crates to my good friend down this road here. She is our one and only produce vendor, and she's quite the looker." He cackled and slapped his own knee. Lance tried to fake a meek laugh as well and quickly grabbed up the crates and began his first quest!

Lance scanned the area filled with market vendors as he walked carefully down the road. Carrying the crates was actually difficult, or as difficult as it would be in the real world anyway. But Lance didn't complain; he was truly enjoying his experience within the game world. Suddenly, he saw a colored marker over this woman's head just a ways away. He hurried over and placed the crates at her feet. "A...um... delivery of crates from one of the other merchants. An old man, the carpenter I think."

"Oh yes! I've got to make sure I make him something special as thanks." The woman smiled and shifted the crates next to her stall before looking back at Lance. And with that, the quest indicator appeared again and showed that he had completed his first quest of the game. A feat he would never forget...

To be continued

Following the cobblestone path laid out before him, Apollo neared the town. Not too far away, he could see other groups of people heading inside as well, walking on several branches of paths leading into different gates. Each gate had a signt hat said "Welcome to Windswept Oasis".

Stopping at the stone gate just a few paces ahead of him, Apollo took a deep breath. "This is it. The start of a new life for me..." He thought. With that in mind, he entered the town. Already, he could see crowds of people gathering before him, players interacting with both NPC's and each other. Apollo was aware of how realistic the NPC's were said to be. He supposed that roleplaying as an adventurer would be fun as well. Immersion was one thing that he had found lacking in other online RPG's. Looking around the general area, he spotted someone at the gates.

It was a Nobelle, like him. But she seemed to be curled up against the stone wall. Apollo couldn't tell if this was an NPC or a player, so he just decided to smile and wave at her. If it was an NPC, it might trigger a quest or event. If it was a player, they would hopefully take kindly to it. Seeing as no pop-up or notification appeared, Apollo assumed it was a player (or an NPC whose only purpose was aesthetics, or a later quest). The girl seemed a little startled at the friendly gesture, and Apollo thought it wise to leave her to her business. He walked off further into the town. on the world

As he walked along, he could spot several people carrying all sorts of crates and sacks. Some of them actually looked like players. "Interesting... Is this some sort of mass quest? Is the village preparing for something? Apollo asked himself. He had also heard about how quests were more than just ways to earn wealth, and actually had an effect on the virtual world. He wondered how he'd be able to get in on the action. His question was answered almost immediately as he unknowingly wandered into the village market, and saw a woman running one of the vegetable stalls. She waved at Apollo, as if gesturing him to approach. The Nobelle complied and walked towards the stall. By now, he could see that another player was there was well, a male Veni Yan by the sight of the tattoos.

"Do you mind giving me hand? Things have been hectic lately and there just aren't enough people to make deliveries." She said. A quest notification popped up on the side of Apollo's field of vision. Smiling, he decided to accept the quest. "Of course ma'am. What can I do to help." Apollo replied. "Great. Ok, I need you to take this crate of produce to the Inn. The village has had a lot of visitors recently and the Inn needs enough food to feed everyone." The vendor said. Apollo nodded. "Understood, I'll take care of this." He said. "The Innkeeper will make sure you're compensated nicely." The vendor assured him.

Picking up the crate, Apollo realized it was about half the size of his body. Most likely because the Nobelles were the shortest of the three races. It was rather heavy, but he felt that he could manage. It was then however, that he realized that he had no idea whee the Inn was. "Damn... I should've explored more before taking my first quest. I guess I got too excited." He thought. He decided to ask for directions. Turning towards the Veni Yan at the stalls, Apollo spoke.

"Excuse me, would you happen to know which direction the Inn is in?" He asked the player.

The rush, the noise...it felt great. Elizea bounced around the plaza, avoiding the streams of people, so as not to get in their way. Some seemed to be players, all carrying crates and packages...was it an event? Probably...she'd have to find a way to get in on it. As she skipped by a window, Elizea halted and backtracked. Her reflection...it was her's, right?...stared back at her. Long pink pigtails, vivid pink eyes...and an absolutely adorable pink outfit! She traced the tattoo under her eye, and on her arm, a vine-like design. "This is beyond cool..." Elizea mumbled. She had opted to go with a random appearance, and it was definitely worth it. It was such a vibrant, fun look!

Without her noticing, a man realized her staring in the window. Walking over and opening it, he caused Elizea to jump. "Oh, sorry, my dear...I noticed you looking into my shop. Interested in some new clothes?" He questioned, and Elizea noticed a tape measure and some thread hanging from the front pocket of his white, ruffled shirt. She glanced up at the sign above his door...on it, some thread and a needle were emblazoned. So he was a tailor? Sweet..."Uh, no thanks, sir..." Elizea said, a bit confused on how to proceed, before asking what was on her mind, "...but could you tell me what's up with all of these crates and things?"

"Well, haven't you heard? There's to be a festival in Windswept Oasis! Oh my, speaking of which...would you be willing to help me? You see, I have some bedding for the Inn, as they were a bit short. However, I can't get away at the moment..." The tailor asked, and Elizea jumped on the opportunity. "Sure, no problem!" She accepted with a smile. The tailor grinned, handing her a medium-sized box. "Thank you so very much!" Before she could ask where the inn was, the tailor was back to work. A notification appeared before her;

Quest started: From Merchant to Merchant

"My first quest!" Elizea said giddily, before realizing...she had no idea where the inn was. Walking among the stalls, Elizea kept an eye out, but couldn't see anything in the crowd of people...how was she going to navigate the world without a mini-map? With a sigh, Elizea was passing the produce stall, when she heard a young man asking another where the inn was located. Ears perking up, Elizea walked over. "You're looking for the inn, as well? I'm glad I'm not the only one a bit lost..." Elizea greeted, chuckling a bit sheepishly to herself. She hoped the Veni Yan, as it seemed from the tattoos, knew where to go. Maybe she could follow the smaller Nobelle to the inn, just so she didn't get more hopelessly lost in the throngs. The crate wasn't the lightest thing, after all.

Lance stepped back with an air of accomplishment. His hands sat on his hips and he wore a goofy smile that quickly faded into embarrassment as he heard voices from behind him. He jerked his head, followed by his body, around to greet the voices. There stood a Veni Yan like himself and a smaller Nobelle looking to him for information. It seems they were both looking for the inn. Lance looked back down the road he had traveled already. Then he remembered seeing a sign that read "inn" just outside of a building near the place Lance had met the elderly carpenter.

"Uh... yeah... the inn. Right. I think I passed it on the way from the carpenter's store. We can go together!" He smiled at them as he put his hands behind his head and gestured for them to follow. "You up for it?" Lance stood there awaiting a yes or no from the first two individuals Lance had come into contact with. He was eager to meet new people and outside of his contact with the NPCs, he hadn't really interacted with anyone real up until now. But now he had the chance to make a few friends and just the idea made Lance smile more. He proceeded to walk a few steps forward assuming they'd follow.

Hybrid post between Keia Vewyx and Bikko.
Never. 3k word count. Ever. Again.

" There were questions she wanted to ask...

About the sky that stretched forever, who's beauty was as eternal as it's cool blue reach.

How long would it take before someone would first fly the course of it's lonely tale?

How cool would its gentle winds be, as they wraps around her?

Could there be happiness in these skies? In something so blue? "

A soft smile. A grim grin.

Could there be happiness in these skies? In something untrue?

How strong can its terrible gales blow, until it affects performance?

How high can one soar before the game forces them back down within its invisible walls?

About the many different skies that existed in this world, their images stretching further and further.

These were the answers he sought... "

...

It was festive. So much...activity. Liliz had lived in a 'busy' city before, but people rarely ventured out on the streets. In a world where cars were the norm and no one had the time to walk on their own two feet, she had never seen more that five others on the streets at once. Compared to that, the 'small' town of Windswept Oasis, which she assumed was to have the image of an idyllic, countryside town, was much more active, an uncountable amount of players and NPCs milling about, as the players tried to figure out where they should go to get their quests and the NPCs seemed to be busy doing other stuff.

Heck, now that she thought about it, the white-haired girl couldn't even tell players and NPCs apart, with the only indication being the fact that players wore rags and NPCs wore normal clothes. It looked as if the town was being invaded by job-seeking hobos, actually, an image that the young girl found amusing. Smiling to herself as she wandered through town, with more of the attitude of a tourist sightseeing than an adventurer looking for easy money, she tried a couple of odd hand signals, wondering whether they would do anything. They didn't and after a few more failed attempts, she realized that it was better for her just to use her HUD. Pressing the 'scroll' button that was right below her HP and Ki bars, her mouth opened in a small 'ah' as a window came up, a light blue circular message box with an arrow in the center. Was that supposed to be herself? Using one hand to press 'down' on the message box and keep it in place, Liliz then turned around the rest of her body and smiled slightly as the 'direction' that the arrow pointed also went that way.

Yep, that was her.

Amongst the others around her, Liliz could see that she was apparently the only person thus far that had stumbled upon the map function. It seemed like it was something that had to be done manually though, mapping out the world by themselves. Seemed a bit tedious, but it was also a dash of realism that she enjoyed. Placing her index finger on the screen, onto the 'arrow' that was herself, Liliz took in a deep breath, and began to walk, tracing the path of one of the main, cobblestone roads of Windswept Oasis, marking down any notable locations as she passed by them.

A blacksmith woman that was swamped by male adventurers giving her nails, hammers, and iron ingots.

A bearded potter who was unintentionally scaring a little Nobelle girl.

A mapseller who seemed to be making a profit...selling physical, scrolled up maps.

An inn that seemed more high scale than most other buildings, bearing the name of 'Watercolor Paradise'.

A small food stall that was selling discount meat ball skewers.

A whole avenue that seemed to be filled with makeshift stalls, merchants laying their vanity items on richly embroidered carpets.

It was only ten, maybe fifteen minutes at best, but she had already marked out quite a few interesting areas, and even went as far as to mark out 'openings' to other major streets, remembers for her to explore later. Who knew that mapping out a town, of all things, would be so much fun? There was truly a sense of 'exploration', of seeing new faces, of watching professions at work that were obslete in the real world. And through her exploration, Liliz had come to the conclusion that the 'beginner' quest was that of a delivery quest, most likely to just have people walk around and get used to doing so. There were a few players who were travelling in fancy mounts such as cash shop cars and ostriches, but the density of other players made such things rather undesirable.

She grinned as one particularly stubborn player was trying to urge his beast-mount to just bulldoze other players over, but either it was part of AI programming or some outside law, but the mount refused to run the other hobos over.

But, back to the problem at hand, that of actually getting some questing done.

Oh, wait, that was easy. She just had to latch on to another player, and join their party to leech off their own quest completion! And the last place that she had observed as a 'quest completion' area was the Blacksmith Lady. Referring to her handy-dandy map with a cocky smirk, pleased that her work had already reaped her some benefits, Liliz adopted her usual running posture once more, and ducked and wove through the crowd, cutting towards the blacksmith's shop.

It took her no time to find a player who was also making a rather obvious move towards the smithery. Running in front of a raggedly dressed player with weird, dark-blue hair (even though she wasn't one to talk with her white hair), Liliz said with a refreshing grin and an extended hand, “Hey there! You're a player, right? I'm Liliz! Let's party up for questing! What's your name?"