Passive Abilities: Inspiring Presence: Whenever user takes damage, they have a small chance to either recover 100HP or have target nearby friendly gain 50HP. Vengeful Smite: User has a low chance to deal magic damage to target that has managed to deal melee damage against user. Fortress of Wood: User gains a small, permanent, irremovable damage reduction. Works for all kinds of damages.
Shield [Round] (Equipped) Full Plate Armor (Equipped) Longsword [Uncommon] (Equipped) Rosary of Courage (Equipped)
Interactions: None
Quickly, Theo realized the error of what he had done - there was no reason to test his abilities on other players. Especially considering he would have to go get healing anyways - it was simply a waste of time and energy. He would test his skills later - for now, he simply needed to relax. Spending time on his own would let him wind down - relax and cool down after everything that had happened. He could grind later - preferably when he gets access to some form of cheap healing. Quickly Theo rose from his seat, and made his away from the group he was spying on - he didn't need to fight anyone.
Not in a game where people are constantly fighting everything. He needed time to let loose.
By Noon, Theo had made his way back to the Inn, and upon arriving, greeted Julia and Hans cheerfully. The pair had grown on Theo considerably - even if they were apparently just a string of code. Making it into his room, He began to swing his sword through the air several times - before he shook his head. He couldn't go all out, especially since he was trying to avoid breaking anything. Groaning, Theo realized his mistake - there were plenty of training dummies all the wy back at the arena. Groaning, he began the arduous journey back - he stopped halfway there, however. He was groaning for some petty inconvienence, when the chance of death was incredibly real - to the point where it nearly outweighed his survival chance. It caused him to grin somewhat - Dirk probably would have laughed at the thought, before exclaiming that the chances of death were "Less than 0%!"
Dirk was a rock. A grounding rock, that could bear the weight of the entire party. He needed to e - and that's what made him strong. Theo, on the other hand, could barely stand the weight of even a single human life.
The dummy had little resistance, but no matter the force that Theo poured into his blows, it refused to topple. It must have been one of the enemies that most MMO's had for new players - a passive enemy with ridiculous health, solely there for players to hack away at. Theo slashed into the dummy until the sun had long since set, and it wasn't until 11 PM when he finally ate and laid down to sleep.
He was a rock. Supporting, sturdy, and strong.
Day 8 - Just the same as all the others had been. Theo repeated the same ritual - paying for his room for that night, Taking a shower, and eating the same meal that he had eaten every single morning and night before. This time, however, he was busy - he immediately returned to the arena, and wailed on the same Dummy he had the night prior. He had learned the best way to train without wasting the precious few Renn he had to his name - Wailing on the dummies with normal attacks all day was tedious for most, but Theo had the perfect motivation. If his sword skill was high, he would at least be able to grind alone somewhat quickly - as it stood, every mob he faced at the moment would be a war of attrition, and that would be far too draining on his health when he was already relatively poor. The thought of getting a somewhat practical crafting skill crossed his mind - perhaps once he had risen his acting to an appropriate point.
Heh, appropriate. Theo was almost positive he was the only player in the entire game that had risen his acting this high already. Still, it was the best for his needs. His mother would probably have a stroke if she knew that her son was the best actor in the death game that he was trapped in. Whether it would be pride, shock, or despair that her son was "wasting" his skill points, Theo had no idea of knowing.
Hours passed and, by the time his arms were aching more than ever before, the sun had set once again. Theo was a very avid fitness nut when he was in the real world, if only as a way to relieve stress - and even then, he had never felt more pain in his arms than ever before. Still, it was worth it - if simply training raised his skill levels, theoretically, beating the game would be incredibly easy. It would obviously take a long time, but training and grinding on weak enemies would allow a party to easily steamroll dungeons-
What the hell was Theo thinking? That's not what Dirk would do - Dirk trains extremely hard, but he never spends an extended period of time on it when he could be doing incredibly dangerous activities. Dirk was a man of adventure and power, not someone who walked the balancing line of life. Theo would report for a quest the next day - for now, at 9 PM, he simply needed a warm meal, and a nice place to sleep. Maybe he would spend the day with Julia on the festival? Day 8 quickly closed, Theo making plans in his mind of ways to make the most of his little bit of free time he had remaining.
Xenos grumbled to himself as he awoke, feeling barely rested and sore everywhere after the scouting mission. 'Never say yes to River again. Noted.' The tinkerer thought irritably as he stretched, his body more than happy to remind him exactly where he belonged. Anywhere but a god damned scouting mission. He'll leave that to the rogues next time. And River, the hyper active child he is. Maybe going alone would help burn off some of that boundless energy. He sighed, resigned to the fact he wasn't going to drift back to sleep, and wriggled his way out of the bed, careful not to wake up River.
“I need a bath. I feel so gross.” He muttered, grabbing his stuff and heading down the hall. He had dropped into bed without bothering to eat or wash up and he regretted it. Missing meals for projects and fun is one thing, missing meals for actual work is an entirely other apparently. At least yesterday wasn't a complete bust. Simple dungeon, right out of the cliché low level dungeon list--Tons of trash mobs, railroad track path, big evil boss thing, big pile o' treasure.
He sighed again as he finished up his hygiene routine, the haunting image of his undoubtedly useful passive from two nights ago floating into his thoughts. “Would you like to trigger Curiosity over Money?” the prompt had asked. He remembered hesitating, the sixty odd Renn itself not much of an issue but the potential for loss stilling his hand. How do you price a point in tinkering? Sure it was sixty something Renn this time but what happens when he has to burn a few hundred? A few thousand? But, he told himself, this was a problem for future Xenos and not present Xenos! With a quick confirmation, he watched a fourth of his awarded Renn disappear into the system and a single up tick in his tinkering skill appear. What he does for skill points.
His stomach interrupted his pity party, reminding him loudly that breakfast was necessary and soon. He hurried down into the dining area and ordered the first thing on the menu and water. He tucked himself into a corner to enjoy it, letting his thoughts wander back to the dungeon yesterday. Trash mobs galore man. Level ones, threes, and fives littered the path to the door and that was basically it. The dungeon itself wasn't complicated, just annoyingly packed. And he, Xenos realized,was going to be completely useless. Reloading this rifle took so damn long, the party would have probably wiped a good chunk of enemies off the floor by the time he got out. He pulled out his book as he ate, chewing slower now that the edge of his hunger had been dulled. He started brainstorming, jutting random words that came to mind.
Goblins. Weak. Lots. Mobs. AoE. Magic? Machine gun? Fire? He lookedat the last word and quickly pulled up the main screen's data base. He was sure he'd seen... Ah! A shit eating grin spread across his face. Grenade Oh now wasn't that an interesting little thing. Sounds like possibly a grenade launcher might be just what the party needs. Plus some upgrades but he'll work on that later too. Xenos started a to do list on the next page.
Return books to library. GET VOTED INTO THE GUILD. Work on creating a grenade launcher. Upgrade everyone's equipment at least to a +1 if possible. Actually create grenade launcher. Rain death upon those bitches!!!!
Content with his plans, he sent a message out to Reylan before sketching a few ideas about a launcher while finishing his food.
Hey boss man, got a few questions for you when you have a chance. Just hit me up when you are free!
Summary: Woke up HYGENE IS IMPORTANT Ate Decided blowing things up is always a good idea
Shiba had been to put in a single word busy. He had been working on getting the new blacksmithing shop set up. He had borrowed money from the guild so he was both excited and nervous to get it up and running but the fact was he wanted to do this because he knew that this would be a big investment that would no doubt set the stage for their guild becoming one of the best. After all, it wasn't cheap to arm an army and once Shiba started to see a profit coming in he would work to expand and make the shop well known to both players and NPCs. He had to spend a full day just getting the place built and up to code and once he did that he spent another day to start getting to work with the meager supplies he had on him. He needed to wait till the guilds deal went through and he could get a constant supply of iron which was the lifeblood of a smith.
It was only last night that Shiba was able to get a full nights sleep. He didn't think he would feel tired in a game but maybe it was mental fatigue rather than physical fatigue. He had been so absorbed in getting the place set up and working he forget to let the guild master know that it was up and running. He then walked out of the building and he took a screenshot with his menu and he sent a PM to him "Just got the place up and running, when you get the iron send on over and I will get back to work"
As Xenos got off from the bed River could almost instinctively feel the new found space and warmth and began to sprawl over to his side taking up the entire bed. Exhausted from a long day yesterday he slept more than his usual over sleeping as his muscles appreciated the warmth of the blankets coating him. It wasnt until noon that River had awoken and began to wipe the grogginess from his eyes. He attempted to sit up in the bed and it appeared his body did not want to agree so he rolled over towards the edge allowing his legs to swing off so that he may sit up. " Man I didnt think thered be so many monsters in that dungeon that I'd have to use my whip as well. But we did gather some valuable data yesterday."
He stood up making his way towards the baths, shuffling his feet along the way. As soon as he reached it River sunk into the bath all the way down to his mouth blowing bubbles as Pepper sat beside him mimicking his actions. " Today we should sell what info we have, there isn't much money more we can do besides beat the boss it seems so perhaps a day to unwind, gather some money and relax is in order. Maybe I can help Aster train, or study that Tamers monster. I hardly had time to study it as there were hordes of monsters to fend off."
River lifted his hand, drops of warm water dripping down and off his fingers. He pulled up the menu and send a message to the entire guild
Guild Chat
>> Hey guys, i just wanted to say great job yesterday and that we gathered a lot of information. We should focus today on selling that info for some coin for the guild bank and allowing ourselves to unwind after a hectic day. There isn't much more we can gleam from the dungeon unless we send some very stealthy characters to peek at the boss but that may be too dangerous.
After about an hour of soaking River finally made his way out, dressing himself into his battle gear and making his way downstairs for some food. He got himself some shepherds pie and water sitting down to eat at the bar. It was indeed a lazy day and it washed over him like waves erasing prints off the sandy shore.
The afternoon looked like it would be a pleasant one. There hadn’t been a bad day yet, though knowing what she did of their host Alisea suspected a thunderstorm was only a matter of time. That made it important to utilize a day such as this. And after two full days locked in the library, she welcomed the bright day. At present she was sitting on a grassy field outside Genesis City, recording notes on her day’s research.
“Limbs don’t break or tear away; perhaps there are specific skills for causing those conditions.” Alisea’s finger tapped across the screen as she spoke, writing out her words in a message to Fyaira. “The boars react to a physical stimulus without damage, so their programming accounts for ‘pain’ as well as ‘attacks’--a strong indication there are non-damaging skills to pull an enemy’s aggression.”
To her side, a weak snort was all the cry a nearly-crippled boar could make as it tried to charge once more. Without even looking, Alisea raised a hand and cast Nether Push, halting the beast’s advance. Immediately she switched to a Nether Pull, toppling the boar forward and grinding its snout into the dirt once more.
“The starting mob has no intelligence, so its attack patterns are discernable and predictable. Also, the terrain is capable of causing damage to the mobs, so it is likely the same for players; a bad tumble may cost you HP.”
The boar stood once more, its HP bar scarcely containing an inch of life. This time Alisea let it start into its charge, building some momentum. Then she Pulled it forward once more. Unprepared for the extra speed, the boar’s legs faltered and it tumbled to the ground, coming to a stop not a meter away from the magess. She was mildly irked it hadn’t slid close enough to allow her to remain seated.
Alisea twisted her body and reached out with her hand. The boar was trying to stand once more; a Shadow Bind brought that to a stop. Alisea’s hand drew near, but the creature couldn’t move a muscle. Panic filled its eyes--a feral look of a cornered beast. She devoured that look, her own gaze swallowing it without empathy. The magess placed her hand on the creature’s eye and began to drain the heat.
It tried to shut the eye against the pain. It howled from deep inside as best it could without moving its jaw. Everything that wasn’t locked in place by its shadow squirmed and fought, but her hand remained in place. She counted the seconds--five, ten, twenty--and pulled her hand away. The eye remained whole, undamaged. In one last effort, she jabbed her fingers into the boar’s eye with all her strength. The blow hit and bounced off, just as though she had punched its side. Its HP dropped the last portion and the boar tipped over, slain.
The magess let out a sigh and returned to her typing. “Similar to the limbs, eyesight cannot be impaired through simple damage; again, I suspect specific skills target these capabilities, and interfering with them is impossible without those skills. The only good news coming out of this is that the same will apply to adventurers: normal damage will not disrupt our capabilities. We cannot lose limbs (or the use thereof) nor our eyesight, hearing, smell, or taste unless a specific status causes it, and skills or abilities causing such will be limited and identifiable.”
The body of the boar shattered into droplets of light and disappeared. Sixty seconds after the time of death, every time. That didn’t answer definitely whether a player was killed right away or after those sixty seconds, but it just might have been possible the GM left a grace period and some way to resurrect an ally--perhaps with a miracle. But that was one suggestion the magess dare not say aloud.
With that test subject lost, Alisea cast her glance around for the next. No more boars remained nearby; other players were pulling them away to train themselves. Embarrassingly, even though they were a week into this world, she had seen a player die under these simple mobs. As best she could tell at a distance, he had failed to maintain his gear and it broke during the combat. Foolish mistakes were certainly costly in life--especially this life.
Alisea sent off the message to Fyaira--now those notes would be saved for the both of them, at least for a month--and started another message. She spent a few moments in silence, pondering what to say. Finally her fingers began to move again.
“I hope you did not mind my slipping out early, Aster. You returned so late yesterday, I wanted to let you sleep longer. And you had Kyo to keep you company; she is a good assistant. If you need to access the storage, or if you want to have some fun, I have almost finished out here in the fields. Maybe we can find a salon to prepare for tomorrow’s festival!”
She sent that message, then started yet again:
“Reylan, I hope you enjoyed the trip! I have some thoughts to share with you when you have time--not the least of which is how adorable Kyo is! We had a lot of fun at the library yesterday, and she was a tremendous help! I hope you take good care of her today. Good luck with the search and everything else!
P.S. She may still be with us for the festival tomorrow, so make sure you plan for that possibility.”
Alisea nodded to herself as she sent the message. As it was for Reylan, leaving mention of the festival in the middle would be too little; tacking it onto the end should help the word lodge in his thoughts. She couldn’t count how many times she’d made sure to mention it over the last three days. Surely by now he would be thinking about it instead of worrying over Paralyze or other insignificant things. And as long as he was thinking about it, he would realize (he would, right?) he still hadn’t asked Aster to accompany him.
With her housekeeping finished, Alisea stood to look for another subject. More players had appeared on the field, so even fewer chances would present themselves; rather than waste time waiting, Alisea turned and started her jog back to the city. With the spare time she could…
An idea struck her. She opened her messages again, slowing to a walk only long enough to type out a short note.
“Hello, River! Do you like pastries? Baker Josef has a special right now leading up to the festival, if you would care to join me.”
“Do I! I'm always up for some pastries. Red bean buns, Taro! Tiramisu.” River’s eyes glazed over at the thought of the sweet confectionery delights.
A few moments later another message arrived for River with a soft ‘ping.’ “Wonderful! Meet me at the plaza in 8 minutes!”
River quickly got up and ran out the door. Fighting was fun and all but food was even better, especially if they're sweets. Once he reached the plaza he wandered around looking for a place that was easily seen and had seating. He chose the mana fountain.
The area was busy; adventurers hustled about from one end to the other, gathering in parties, calling out items they hoped to sell, and generally making it difficult to spot any one face in the crowd--especially a face he had seen so few times. Fortunately, the face spotted him.
“River!” The cloaked figure of the magess appeared out of the crowd, taking confident strides toward him. Her hood was down, letting her long, brown hair tumble down her back. The cloak covered most of her, but with each step her long skirt would come out, then retreat back into the overcoat. A pair of sturdy boots stuck out the bottom. Covered as her body was, her exposed face--those clear, blue eyes in particular--was more than enough to grab a man’s attention. Especially when she called his name like that.
“Did you have to wait long?” she asked as she drew up next to him.
“Not too long no. I was gonna send Pepper to scout for you so that it's easier to find me but you seemed to do okay yourself.” The trainer sat there with his hands folded onto his lap atop a book with a blank cover. His blue cloak shrouded most of his top and his skirts’ pants swayed as he kicked his feet back and forth on the fountain. “So what's this about pastries you were saying?” his eyes beaming as a smile spread across his face.
“Come with me; showing you will be faster.” Alisea extended her hand, parting the cloak and revealing a long-sleeved, blue blouse as nondescript as the cloak covering it.
“So, mister trainer, have you had a lot of practice in combat yet?” she asked lightly, filling their walk with conversation as she lead the way toward a different street.
River placed his hands behind his head as they walked. Relaxing and allowing the day’s breeze and warm sun to hit him as he followed Alisea. " I suppose you could say so. I had a very...dark beginning to this game because I'm a trainer and so I spent the first few days outside the city walls grinding away at the monsters that spawn around here.” he looked up reminiscing about his time before he met Xenos, the twins and the guild, his ginger hair glowing in the light as his bespeckled face tried to shake off the tears. "Aside from that I've tried my hand at the first dungeon but didn't beat the final boss as you guys have. That's about it really.”
A sparkle filled Alisea’s eyes as she glanced at him. “Oh? With that much time, you must be good at monster flipping. Maybe you can help Dubstepp learn some tricks.”
Confusion began to fill his face in place of his previous disposition. " Monster...Flipping? I don't follow what you mean.” his gaze now turned to face her as they walked. Pepper gently gliding down atop his head and curling up.
Alisea pursed her lips. “Mmm. How many monsters have you tamed since the game began? Can you count them?”
" Not including Pots here, just the one I caught with Shiba. We did it for the Council’s quest to bring a live White Wolf to them. I figured the easiest way was to tame one and bring it to them then release it. Why?”
Alisea turned forward again. She did a remarkable job of keeping her face passive, but a small sigh did escape her lips. “Because… Well, again, it will probably be easier to show you than to tell. But that will be for another time; welcome to Josef’s Bakery!” Alisea announced, spinning around and extending her arm toward the building to River’s right. It had a plain front, but the sweet smell wafting from the partially-open door was mesmerizing.
Again, Alisea led the way in. “With the Festival of the Sun tomorrow, Baker Josef started making seasonal cakes. Sun-shaped cookies, cakes with sun-dried fruit, cakes with fresh, sun-grown fruit; and this,” Alisea ended with a flourish. “The honey-suns. Regardless of the cutesy name, they smell absolutely to die for.” The confection in question was a bright, sun-shaped bun, the crispy, brown exterior glistening with a honey glaze. Alisea drew in a deep breath, then let it out with a happy sigh. “It truly is amazing what they can do without sugar, yes?”
The sigh didn't escape Rivers notice, but he wasn't about to pry into the matter. He began to wonder if she truly understood what it took to tame a creature, not just in combat but also the literal skills required to do so, as well as their cost. River lifted one of his hands from behind his head and began to pet Pepper as he thought how he believed she was more than enough for him.
Once they made it to the bakery, all previous thoughts melted away. The sweet aromas floating in the air, luring him into a dream like state. Once inside his eyes danced around the shop staring at every item and taking it all in. " Ok I can’t spend all my renn here because I need it for the festival...but oooooh this all looks so good!” His thoughts were cut cut short as Alisea began to introduce him to the new seasonal pastries that the shop had created for the sun festival. Each pastry sounded more delicious than the previous and then finally leading up toward the Honey-Suns. The name was amazing, perfect even, the pun, the adorableness, the nostalgia of home. He had to have one.
Having noticed that she asked him a question River just nodded in agreement. He was too entranced by all the options to be able to fully devote his attention toward all that Alisea was saying to him. " I can't wait to try them! They all look so good!”
Alisea shared a smile with River, a light giggle slipping out. Certainly everything smelled heavenly, and no doubt it would taste it, as well. Tragically, each had a price tag to match those heights. Even so, Alisea didn’t hesitate to turn over 3 coppers for a pair of honey-suns. She watched River expectantly, curious what he would pick.
Unable to help himself River went up towards the counter and shyly motioned at three different pastries. He asked the keep if he could have a cake with sun-dried fruit, a cake with fresh sun-grown fruit and then to top it all off one Honey-Sun. Each pastry was wrapped in a thin, translucent paper and placed into a single box then handed to River. His mouth almost drooling at the anticipation of eating these newly acquired delectable sweets.
“Come; I know a place we can sit and enjoy.” Alisea led River out of the shop and into the alleys behind it. Two turns and a short stretch later, she stopped and hopped atop a barrel lined against the back of a building. Several more stood beside it, along with a few large, wooden crates.
Now seated on her perch, Alisea’s cloak had fallen open revealing--if such a word can even be applied to such a modest discovery--her blue blouse and long skirt that reached clear to her boots even while seated. She placed her box happily on her lap and opened the lid, reaching in to retrieve her first prize. She took one small bite and an enormous smile filled her face. A small moan of approval escaped her. “So, can you tell me about yourself? And Pots too, of course, beyond those days of grinding in the forest.”
River followed behind Alisea as he eyes the box that was tempting him to open it before arrival. Once there he elected to sit on the floor with his legs crossed and back against the crate next to hers. River watched as Alisea took a bite from her pastry and moaned with happiness. His decision would be tough on which to start with first. Pots had moved down towards his shoulder so that she may be fed as well, expecting a treat as was the usual. River had plucked off one of the fresh fruits and began to move it towards Peppers mouth when Alisea asked him a question. His hand steadied just far enough away that Pots couldn't quite reach it but close enough to taunt. River sat there contemplating the question wondering what she was looking for and what exactly there was to tell.
"Well, I'm not sure there's much to say. If you're asking about life outside of the game I'm sure there's quite a bit I could tell but Pots doesn't exist outside of here so I assume you mean in game. If that's the case then I suppose there's this, me and Pots share a special bond. I'm not quite sure how to explain it but I don't feel the need to tame another creature because she's my number one gal. Sure she's small now but as I grow she will too and between you and me…” River stood up and propped himself onto the crate so that he was closer to her and whispered ”She’s a dragon. his voice went back to its normal tone as Pepper jumped forward snatching the fruit from his hand. " So needless to say when she grows she will be an even bigger force to be reckoned with. As for me, well I decided I want to win this game. Not just for myself but for those who can't, those who are being forced into parties or guilds because they can heal and are being threatened. I want to help those who don't have a voice...and I need to go back home. I have so many animals counting on me…”
“That… sounds wonderful,” Alisea remarked before biting into her bun once more. It was hard to tell behind the pleased face she made over the bun’s taste, but River could sense something of how she was mulling over what he had said.
River stared at his fresh-fruit cake for a moment longer before finally picking it up and taking a bite. The fruits were so sweet and juicy it was unbelievable. The cake was a soft spongy bread that allowed for the fruits juices to perfectly blend into it and coat the entire mouth in an eruption of pure, fresh, flavor. River sat there for a moment with a smile plastered onto his face before picking off a piece of cake and fruit and feeding them to Pepper simultaneously so that she too could taste the experience he did. Silence clung in the air for a second, but it was enough to feel like eternity. " Enough about me, what about you? Tell me about yourself.”
“My story is hardly as interesting as a dragon. I found a few… friends to stand with me. We conquered a dungeon, we shared meals, we bought clothes. Oh, but you know hardly a thing about me since we never fought together! My class is mage, and ice is my strongest attribute. As any good magician, though, I have a bag full of tricks. I prefer not having a weapon, so if I must engage I do so unarmed. My role is more that of a supporter--pressing damage and status debuffs to keep Aster and the other frontline fighters safe. And from now on, helping you and Pots, too!” she added with a smile.
"A bag of tricks? I haven't heard of that item yet. Is it a rare drop from the dungeon boss?” He continued to eat his cake as he thought ”Well I wouldn't consider myself a frontline fighter, though in a group setting I'm not quite sure what I'd be...even with Shiba I used my switch tactics to make sure neither of us gathered too much enmity from the monsters. I have healing spells and am optimized to be able to heal without taking a toll on my mana, actually I gain mana but that's neither here nor there. Aside from that I have a support spell to strengthen my allies which I use on Pots typically but can easily use on myself or others. Pots deals aoe damage as well as aoe healing, and to top it all off I'm proficient with a whip so I can fight if need be.”
Alisea chuckled kindly at his pun. “You already have Essence Gain, then?” she pressed, a deep interest in her words. “I am a mage, remember? You can use the actual names for spells; I know what they all do,” she added.
" Oh, true. I hadn't thought of that. Yeah, I have Essence Drain as well as a Wand of Affinity so I gain back mana as opposed to losing it because my spell cost ends up being less than my payback. Honestly it makes healing that much easier.”
“And how many of the training upgrades have you learned?” Despite the great enjoyment she had displayed eating it earlier, the half-eaten bun in her hands was being ignored. Her attention focused solely on River.
River purses his lips as he thought, not noticing as Pots slowly climbed down his arm and began to nibble on the cake as he spoke. " For Trainer Class I have all my level one spells as well as ‘Make Monster Permanent’ and ‘Increase Monster Cap 1’ as for my body...um that is my body spells, I have ‘Strengthen’, ‘Healing Beam’, ‘Attuned to Ones Body’, and ‘Essence Gain’. I also have a few actions as well.”
“Mm.” Alisea turned back to her bun for a bite, then glanced over at River once more. “I have an idea for training, but it will work better if you increase your cap for summoned monsters.”
"Well what’d’ya have in mind?” his emerald green eyes staring back at her glistening the way gems do when held up to the sun. " I know Dubstep is a Trainer as well so if you need multiple monsters that's one way to go too.”
Alisea smiled--a small smile, really for herself more than for River. “No need to bother him; this training is for you. One monster is enough, but it does mean Pots will have to spend some time resting in her totem.” A look of apology crossed her face, just briefly. “But! No need to worry about that now. This would be after the festival, at the earliest. It might have to wait until after we clear that dungeon, but… Well, I hope we might try it before then.”
River gave it some thought, the idea that Pots may need to rest inside her totem at some point. It never truly occurred to him since she rested with him when he did. " I suppose so… I'm just not too keen on the idea of using someone else aside from her you know? She’s She’s my partner, though I suppose if I increase my summoning cap then I should be able to keep her and another monster out at the same time.”
Alisea’s eyebrows arched up. “‘Someone’ else?” she echoed, the hint of a tease in her voice.
The tease went right over Rivers head as he sat confused on what she’d meant to imply. "Yeah, like another creature, you know?”
Alisea blinked twice, watching his earnest expression. Finally her customary smile returned and she resumed eating her dessert. “I believe I do,” she answered, her eyes closed.
"Although, if there really are an expansive number of worlds in this game...I really hope there's one in which I can tame a dinosaur. How cool would it be to ride in on a T-Rex or have a pack of velociraptors at your side with a dragon swooping above?”
Alisea gave an involuntary snort. “Sorry, sorry!” she apologized quickly. “I mean no offense; that just sounded like something my little brother would have said.”
River leaned back letting out a childish laugh. " I suppose that most boys would think that way huh? Still, the chance of a lifetime to get as close to these creatures as possible...it’s something you just can’t turn down.”
The magess finished the last bite of her bun, giving one final hum of approval, then placed the box with her second bun in her inventory. As her fingers raced through the menu, she remarked, “Then we should hope such a floor exists. We probably need a lot more practice before we try battling dinosaurs, though. After the festival, okay?” She hopped off her barrel and brushed off the back of her cloak, preparing to leave.
River followed suit packing the items up as he watched her prepare to leave, just barely missing Pots being able to snag another bite as she bit into the air. "Here’s hoping. Though I agree I will definitely need some more practice before I take on one of time’s most fearsome predators.”
“You will be hearing from me. Have fun tomorrow at the festival! Ah, but… do keep your equipment ready, just in case. Events can be dangerous in worlds like this.” Her piece said, the magess began to walk away.
Loss and more loss. His mind torn between fighting against the injustice of this game and enjoying all of its wonderfulness. Never before did he feel so strongly the duality of being both free and caged. On the outside, He pretended like nothing was bothering him and that he had moved from Paralyze's death with a new determination. But inside, Questions attacked his thoughts constantly without end. It frustrated him that he could not leave them behind and enjoy the game as the rest did. If it were not for his guild-mates, Reylan might have gotten himself killed days ago. Were they all simply amusement for a twisted sociopath that reveled in their deaths? Or was it someone with a massive god-complex who wished to have a world where they ruled? Reylan knew they might never get a proper answer.
A tug on his sleeve broke him from these troubled thoughts, his arm resting on the wooden top of a dining table. Across from him was the girl named Kyo, a person whom that they rescued one night while doing the night patrol quest. The Legion of Wolf had officially taken her in until they could find her parents or relatives. That had been most of his day along with a few errands, such as informing the council member of their success of the mine quest. While he wasn't able to obtain a permanent supply, there was a small crate of the metal given to him for his work. That was promptly split between Xenos and Shiba, since both of them needed it the most "Are you okay, Master Reylan?" Kyo asked from across the table. The area between his shoulder blades tightened, he REALLY didn't like hearing that title in front of his name but Alisea had already gotten her hands on Kyo.
Reylan let out a slightly nervous chuckle "You don't have to call me Master Reylan, really." His teeth gritted once his mouth closed, why did Alisea have to do this? "Miss Alisea said you were the guild-master, so I had to call you Master Reylan or there would be trouble." She said almost too innocently "Troube with who?!? You know what, nevermind..." His hand slid across his own face slowly in exasperation "I am fine, Kyo. There's just a lot on my mind." He left it vague, no need to trouble her with his personal problems "Anyway, how's the food?" He asked, hoping to change the subject away from him. Kyo took another bite, as if to make sure "It's good. Thank you." The excitement in her voice was soft. Despite not being very expressive with her face, Kyo seemed managed to make her mood known just fine.
A small smile came across Reylan's face "I'm glad."He looked at her for a moment then went back to eating his own dinner. It was only a few bites later when he decided to ask one more time "Are you sure you don't remember anything about your family? Maybe something has come back to you?" All day he had Kyo tag along hoping that someone would recognize her or at least point him in a direction, but he had no luck. Kyo swallowed and shook her head "No, There's nothing before that night..." She said sadly, the look in her eyes tugging on Reylan's heart making him feel guilty for bringing it up again "Ah well, until we find them we'll take care of you so don't worry!" He did his best to reassure her. Kyo seemed to pick back up with this assertion, a tiny smile spreading across her lips before eating once more without another word.
Reylan let a mental sigh go, never did he think he would be taking care of someone else in this game. They left the restaurant after they paid, and walked through the town square where the festival would be held tomorrow. Already the decorations looked amazing. The Festival....Alisea had hinted pretty hard that she wanted to attend it with him but there was something that had been bugging him about it. Even as he picture it, there seemed to be something missing from the mental picture he projected. Reylan held a blank face for a few seconds until his eyes widened suddenly "Aster!" He unknowingly said aloud "Aster?" Kyo repeated confused.
Reylan rubbed the back of his neck, slightly embarrassed to have said it out loud so carelessly "Uh yeah, I should probably go ask her if she wanted to attend the festival with me and Alisea tomorrow." Kyo stopped and stood on the tips of her toes, extending her head up but far from matching Reylan's height "I want to go with you and Miss Alisea too!" She stated firmly, in her soft tone. Reylan nodded despite an uncertain look in his eyes "Of course! Now let's head back to the inn before it gets too dark." He didn't want to say that they might meet her family there and give false hope.
He had thought it strange at first how Kyo seemed to be fascinated with nearly everything new she found. With amnesia, that turned out to be a lot of things. Reylan was pretty sure it was not a player but what kind of NPC would loose their memory? And not initiate a quest? It didn't change the fact she needed their help, which Reylan was happy to give. Now he only hoped Aster would be at the inn so he could ask, after all it was only a festival, right? Most of the festivals held in his part of England involved drinking either directly or indirectly. Having been through the streets of the city quite a few times, he made his way to the inn in record time. The wooden door opened wide as he held it for Kyo to walk past him, hoping to seem some of his comrades already there.
Xenos rubbed at his eyes, mouth set in a sharp frown. His pen lay discarded next to his book, looking worse for the day after flinging it across the room irritably several times, and his ink was running low. The grenade launcher plans weren't going well to say the least. Several attempts had been made but the system detect errors in his plans and canceled the operation. He leaned back in his chair and sighed. More than once, the barkeeper and server had asked how he was doing but he’d been rude in his responses. He’d have to apologize for that eventually. With another sigh, he let his eyes wander the room. It had started filling up recently- ’Dinner rush, I guess.’ he thought to himself- and it was getting loud. He shrugged, determined to finish his project tonight and started pouring back over his notes.
A few minutes more passed, the noise level only increasing. The background hum had grown to a murmur when a clear voice cut through it over Xenos’s head. “Xenos, I presume? And I believe Reylan said you are a Tinker, too.”
The words took a second to process and he paused for a moment before looking up at the unfamiliar voice. ”Um, yeah.” He spoke hesitantly. “Something I can help you with?’ He reached to adjust his glasses as he forced his eyes to focus on something other than his tiny, unintelligible handwriting. His finger tapped the bridge of his nose. He stared at it cross-eyed, confused, before remembering he didn’t wear glasses in-game.
The brown-haired magess smiled down at him. “Plenty. May I sit?” As Alisea slid into the chair opposite Xenos, her eyes flicked down to the paper he was working on, then back up to his face. “My name is Alisea, my class is mage. I assist Reylan as our guildmaster, so I was hoping I could come to know you more. If you are busy, though, another time may be…”
Xenos spent a long while just staring at the woman, attempting to will his eyes to open fully again. He looked her up and down for a few more moments and decided to fuck it for the night. ”No please by all means. Give me just a sec to…” He said quickly as he pushed the books from the library he still needed to return off to the side and closed his workbook along with it. ”I’ve been working on this bullshit since I woke up and it. Just. Doesn’t. Work. So please, interrupt me. Want a drink?” Xenos asked as he flagged down a waitress.
“Only a water. I am still underage, even if that means little in Talrae.” Alisea planted her elbows on the table and laced her fingers together, resting her chin on the backs of her hands. “Could you tell me more about how the Tinker class works? I met only one, but he left before I could ask questions.”
”Odd that he left.More people means more money and that is something us Tinkerer’s desperately need.” Xenos responded after placing his order. He paused a moment to think of how to explain it. ”The Tinker class is both the weakest and most powerful class Talrae has. We struggle out in the field, limited by stunted skill point growth, long reload times, and an overabundance of passive skills, but we are the only class that can literally change the game. The class revolves around what inventions we create and the Tinker class, given enough time, can create anything. In theory, at least.” He said the last part a little bitterly, glaring at the book he had been working in. ”Apparently, there are some unsaid guidelines but trial and error I guess. Was there anything specific you wanted to discuss about it?”
Alisea shook her head lightly. “I want to know all I can about it; as you said, it has the most potential to change the balance in Talrae. Enchanted gear is my first hope, but I have no firm idea of how long it will be before you, as a smith or a tinker, are capable of producing such.”
“As long as its metal, I can give it a +1 enhancement pretty easily and a bit better than 50/50 on the +2. Once I join the guild, I should be funded to upgrade all the Guild’s armor and weapons. Or at least I’ll run it by Reylan since the next dungeon is full of massive trash mobs.” Xenos thanked the server as she passed by with their drinks and he sipped at his. “So, what else? Invent is the skill that lets us add items to the game but only us Tinkers can use what we invent. We can swap blueprints but that's about it. We have upgrade skills, all consumable unfortunately, for our inventions. And that's the real price of the class. It's expensive on every resource. We literally have a passive that can consume a fourth of any Renn given to us from the game for a single point in Tinkering. And since we get a stunted amount of skill points to start with, it's incredibly necessary.”
Alisea sipped at her glass as she listened, her clear, blue eyes never leaving Xenos. “That is troublesome. Not the cost, per se--three fourths of my income go to spells, that will simply be life in Talrae--but the limit on users. You must be able to create consumables, right? Hand grenades, mana stones, fire starters--smaller items that avoid falling into the category of weapons.”
“Yeah, absolutely. Items that already exist in game I can make for everyone. It's just new ones that suffer that limitation.” He took another sip and frowned. “Of course, there are several different crafting skills. Fire starters, for example, would fall under the Crafting skill while armor falls under Smithing. Sure, Tinkers do have actions that allow them to substitute their Tinkering skill for it but like all actions, they eat a ton of Mana so it's an unsustainable method at these levels.”
“The class specialty is in the weapons, then…” she said more than asked. Her eyes closed for a period of deep pondering. “Versatility,” she breathed at length. “You can use weapons for the frontline or backline, with high power or high area of effect, that damage or drain or distract or divide. But your limit will be your funds, the quality of materials available, and your ingenuity.” The magess’s eyes came open, the crystal blue of her irises sharp even in the lamplight. “Is that an accurate assessment?”
Xenos tilted his head as he considered her comments. ”Mostly. It's true that our strength and weakness is our versatility. A Tinker can overcome any situation in all reality with enough planning. But weapons don’t have to be our specialty. It happens to be mine, weapons and armor, thanks to the particular skill build I have. Tinkers can create anything and with the proper skills, so can anyone else. It just depends on what the Tinker wants to specialize in really. Could I make a portable forge? Yes, eventually. Would it be easier to make a sword? Yes, because I have the skill build for it so I can make them at higher quality and faster than something that falls under the general crafting concept.” Xenos took another sip and tapped his fingers lightly on the table. ”There are already a few Tinkers discussing the future possibility of aircraft design actually and I’m hoping to put together a steam powered omni-directional device in the future as is. Though I’m thinking cannons are going to be my main focus honestly. After all, how many things can weather a few volleys of cannon balls?”
“Only two come to mind: floor bosses and Dirk.” Alisea smiled and resumed sipping at her water. “Then-” she began again. Something behind Xenos, near the entrance of the inn, pulled her gaze away for only a moment. It flicked back quickly, this time with a firmer smile beneath it. “Then we will be counting on you for that. I missed the chance to see you in battle before; what position did you take while scouting that dungeon?”
Xenos snorted. “The back. I’m the artillery darling. I’m barely useful at long range, get me up close and I’m like a fish out of water.” Xenos made a face as he thought back to the scouting mission. “I am very much not made for combat. I’m here to keep people’s gear in decent condition, upgrade your stuff, and shore up your team’s shortcomings as I can with what I produce. I am a full on support member. Not particularly glorious but it keeps people alive when it counts. And yourself? Where do you like to stay in a fight?”
Alisea’s eyes glanced over Xenos’s shoulder again. “I like,” she began, drawing out the word as she leaned in conspiratorially, “to be just a step away from the danger. As our guildmaster here can tell you!” she concluded, falling back into her seat and waving Reylan over. “I stand by Reylan in the middle. Being closer gives me more accuracy for my magic, and I have skills to intercept attackers before they reach Karma in the rear.”
The girl barely waited for Reylan to reach their table before she stood and grabbed onto his arm. “And being beside Mister Reylan is the best place. I never see enough of this wonderful, white hair.” Alisea traced a finger from his temple to behind his ear, pulling back the longer strands that were hanging loose and tucking them neatly away.
Chari waltzed right into the inn after spending the day slaying monsters on the outskirts of the city, practicing the stealth mechanics of the game on easy mobs before she tried it on anything beefy. Politics and meta-gaming weren't really her cup of tea, truly she just liked breaking stuff and monsters. Her eyes immediately picked up on Alisea talking to Xenos, and Reylan with the little birdie Kyo "Yo guys!" She spoke loudly before sitting down at her favorite seat at the bar. Briefly, she turned to the barkeep "Give me my usual, 'kay?" She asked with a deceiving pleasant tone. A few players might be finding their wallets a little light, which was enough to make her happy. What better calling is there for their money then to pay for her drinks after all?
A devious smile came up on her lips "Oh, did you guys see Shiba out there today? Looks like he got himself his own little stand. Must have come into a bit of money." She spoke idly, recalling her fellow rogue manning the small shop. Her mind changed to thinking about sparring with him, since it would be good to see how another rogue fights. Once the two mugs arrived they spent little time on the counter before reaching her lips.
It was nighttime when a girl with a grey cloak and staff walked into the inn, nobody could see her face for she bored a skull mask that his most of her true self beneath. That would not be much of a concern had the name above her shown an alarming sight, a red tag, which showed to everyone that this person was a murderer. She could already feel eyes burning into her, such was the way of life for Uchaka now, but she was used to it. Her eyes scanned the room before she silently walked forward to the bar so that she may acquire the one thing that she had come here for.
”Dried Fruit and Smoked Meat,” Uchaka stated simply and forwardly to the NPC bartender, only a slight bit of aggression in her tone. When the NPC simply stared at her for a moment she grew annoyed and commanded, ”Now.”
That seemed to work as the NPC got out the two pieces of food that Uchaka had demanded, in kind she placed and equivalent of 40 Renn in front of the NPC before she turned and walked to a corner table that no one was occupying so that she could eat in relative peace. Now hopefully none of the other patrons would pay her any mind so that she could actually eat. Most of the time the red name would keep others at a distance but one could never be to certain as even NPCs could react rather strangely around murderers of her kind.
As the door to the inn opened, a statuesque woman with clear green eyes raised an eyebrow at the unusual tention. The inn was only this quiet in the wee hours of the night and morning, the relative silence was disconcerting to say the least. Even some of the more rambuctious individuals were more reserved than usual. Being one of the people who often added to the exuberant air, Ms.Tress was not comforted in the least.
"Did I walk in on a funeral?" She asked the room with a playful upturn of her lips.
Raking her gaze across the room, the long haired woman was a bit surprised to note the bright red tag connected to a player sat by themselves. She had never met a PK'er but she was also a firm believer that appearances are not all the seem and many players are victims of circumstance. Malgoth knows she couldn't judge others on their coping mechanisms, however destructive they might be. Still she didn't take kindly to those who brought her favoured haunt into a state of, subdued, disarray. Hovering by the counter for a moment, she caught the clerks attention with a rap of her nails against the wood.
"Let me get some smoked meat and fresh fruit." She said, leaning against the counter before adding, "if you could rush that I'd really appreciate it." with a flutter of her eyelashes as she placed one silver coin and three copper coins in front of the clerk.
It was in short order that had Ms.Tress with her purchased items as she walked over to the lone woman with look in her eyes that was hard to place. Unceremoniously planting herself in the seat across from the Red Tagged individual, the dark haired woman started on her fruit before nonchalantly asking a question.
"So self-defence, enjoyment or desperation?" A piece of fruit held between her fingers as she brought it closer to her mouth.
Everything had been so peaceful for a split few moments until, unfortunately, some hag had to come to her table and begin what seemed like small talk with Uchaka. The murderer had given the woman a blank stare as she spoke, not really registering the words of the fellow patron until a few moments afterward where, in response, Uchaka merely narrowed her eyes. Yet, the cloaked girl merely looked down and silently continued eating until, yet, another schmuck decided to begin stomping towards her. Except this time, the player was less curious and more angry, with grit teeth and a harsh condescending attitude about him.
Yet again, Uchaka barely registered the man's word, not bothering to speak and instead being more complacent to eat and refill her hunger rather than talk to two people who were judging her either way. After a few moments, Uchaka let out a sigh before speaking in her own harsh tone, looking up at the man who dared question her with her skull mask hiding her face while her eyes seemed to burn into him with an eerie resolve, "I suppose the question is why I would kill? The answer is simple, hunger and the human desire of greed. That is all you need to know and that is all you will ever know." Her head turned back to her food, before her scalding eyes looked up to the first woman.
"Now, I would appreciate if I could eat in peace. After I am done, I will go back into the wilderness and grind for things to sell and if anyone is to be dumb enough to come after me then I will kill them too."
Her words were reflected in a tone of a light bit of eerie sadism as a warning seemed to be more of an effort to egg someone on to try and attack her. However, she shook her head and merely continued eating.
Things were wrapping up and Alisea certainly felt ready to sleep, but a remarkable visitor entered the inn. A player with a red tag walked through the room to order food (a fairly plain meal), and ripples moved out from her. Alisea could swear the temperature dropped a few degrees as people stared: some with fear, some with anger or disgust, some just in pure shock. If the red tag wasn’t already enough, the skull mask covering her face left no doubt in observers' minds that this person was a psychopathic murderer.
And yet…
Alisea felt the tips of her fingers tingle. The girl was certainly a mage. She was conscious of the stares on her as she ordered, as she ate; but she kept a wall around her that prevented anything from outside molesting her. The way Paralyze acted had been different; his eyes were seeing something that wasn’t there, always jumping somewhere else. This girl was sane, but… red, and flaunting it. That begged so many questions Alisea found any trace of exhaustion dispelled by fascination.
Evidently she wasn’t the only one. Another woman, one Alisea could remember seeing on previous nights, slid into the seat opposite the ominous newcomer. They started a private conversation, and Alisea needed to be a part of it. Opportunity arose when Hans came by, but… River.
Alisea could have choked the brat when she heard what he said. No tact, no empathy, no thought of any kind; he just vilified her in his mind and dared her to tell him he was wrong. Alisea came up beside him, planted one hand on his head, and pushed it down. She couldn’t move him into a full bow, but she could break their eye contact and hide his face. “I apologize for my companion, miss,” Alisea said, bowing her head slightly as well.
Before River could object, she leaned in close and whispered into his ear. “Not every mage could get away,” she breathed, “and girls have it worse,” she ended in a hiss. With that, she released his head and firmly nudged him back toward the rest of the guild.
River glared daggers into Alisea’s eyes but behind his anger there was a whirl of confusion. His lip quivered like a child that had been scolded, it was very apparent he didn't like confrontation and that he wasn’t yet accustomed to it all. River managed to stiffen his lip for a singular sentence “If anyone else gets hurt...that's … that's on your hands.” River’s hands trembled as he spoke, his voice shaky but the tone was all still there. As Alisea attempted to nudge him back towards the guild River shoved his shoulder away from her and made towards the inn’s door. " I'll be outside gathering more monster data and practicing my skills in combat. If anyone needs me, don’t.” As far as anyone could tell this was as cold and distant as River has been since his first encounter with the players that attempted to force his arm.
Alisea watched him go, briefly. That hadn’t really fixed the situation, but at least a brawl was no longer imminent. Turning to address Uchaka, Alisea put on a smile. “I know this is, well, not much, but please take this as way of apology.” The magess opened her inventory and withdrew the glazed bun she had left over from the afternoon, depositing it on the table in front of Uchaka. While her menu was open, she extended a friend invitation to Uchaka as well. “I hope next time we can meet in more enjoyable circumstances.”
She gave one final, small bow to Uchaka, offered another to Ms. Tress seated opposite, and turned to go. A few moments later, she finished typing a private message and sent it to Uchaka as a follow-up. You can reach me by PM anytime. Pleased to make your acquaintance, Uchaka."
Ms. Tress has sat by passively as the two, then three...then four people had their conversation. It wasn't the first time she had been ignored and it probably wouldn't be the last. As she waited for the other's to finish up their conversation, Ms.Tress continued to eat her meal. Only raising a perfectly arched brow at the Welcoming of the Skull masked woman to the guild.
"I'm starting to feel like a wallflower here." She announced before licking the fruit juice from her fingers in an obnoxiously seductive manner.
"Anyway my...colourful friend, You will get no judgement from me. This place ain't exactly a cake walk. My lips are sealed on how you deal with the shitshow we have to call our lives for now." She added, with an almost vulnerable look in her eyes. The look didn't last long before it was quickly replaced with a cocky smirk.
“That is a lie, all people have their judgements no matter what I say. You, along with everyone else, will do what is the reality of human nature, judge,” Uchaka stated in a rather analytical manner. Nonchalantly she opened up her menu and stared at the friend request for a few moments. “Humans are driven to isolate outliers, like myself, and seemingly push them away.”
Her eyes burned into Ms. Tress with a blank stare through her mask. Then, she accepted the friend request that she had left open on her menu, also adding the gift the woman had left to her inventory.
“At least that is from my own observations,” the skull-masked one added as she turned her attention back to Ms. Tress.
"Everyone deals with their shit in their own way. I've got no delusions of morality in a situation like this. All of us are human, and as such we aren't infallable. We may break at times, sometimes physically, more often mentally." the Trainer responded while leaning back on her chair, front legs rising from the floor. She had completely forgone her smoked meat in favour of the conversation.
She couldn't tell if the blank stare Uchaka was leveling her with was a front to cover for what she was really feeling or if the woman's experience in the past few days had really burned out her emotions. It didn't matter either way in Ms.Tress' opinion. She wasn't planning on backing down.
“Nonetheless, I spoke my mind when the idiot came by. ‘Twas hunger that killed the greedy players,” Uchaka stated, not bothering to continue fighting the woman’s philosophy studies.
"To hell with them then. In times like these, we should be helping each other when we can." The statuesque woman replied.
She was beginning to grow weary of the topic, so with a wink she brought a foot underneath herself, forcing her body at a slight angle. "Anywho, aside from that bout of misfortune. What does a girl like you do for fun? I'm becoming dreadfully bored of my day to day, maybe a fresh perspective might help?"
Uchaka merely shrugged, fun hadn't exactly been a top priority for her since she essentially became a bandit to make profit enough to live through the game. Though, she looked up, thinking to herself for a moment about what she used to do for fun, "I suppose I like to analyze things. In the real world, I used was a business analyst so stuff like that so I guess that was fun."
"Actually wait, I like reading"
To say that Ms.Tress was surprised by the information about Uchaka's life outside of Talrae would have been an understatement. While she admitted that she had a bit of a talent for getting people to talk, she expected the skull masked woman to be tougher to crack than this. Refusing to look a gift horse in the mouth, Ms.Tress decided to share some of the information she could remember from before she came to be.
"Same on the reading. Was actually a librarian, and no I was not the naughty kind." Her lips curled into a playful smirk at the end.
"So, will you take up the idealist over there," She pointed to Xenos before continuing, "On his offer to join the guild. Might offer my services as well." Her eyebrows wagging suggestively at the word 'services'.
"Didn't know there was an offer," Uchaka said simply, looking over to where she had pointed, then back to Ms. Tress, "Not really interested. Guilds don't tend to like me." It was hard to tell if she was ignoring Ms. Tress' suggestive nature or was simply oblivious to it, her nuetral tone certainly did not help.
"Might as well try. If they really don't like you they'll just kick you out. Their moral compass' won't let them do much else." She huffed when her teasing neglected to get a rise out of the other woman. She settled back into her seat and started on her smoked meat.
[color=mediumorchid]"Besides, the two of us could liven up that uppity lot. A couple of morally ambiguous women surrounded by a bunch of rightous...individuals, for lack of a nicer term. What could possibly go wrong?"[/color' Her words with full of mirth.
"They lead us to our deaths?" Uchaka suggested, an eyebrow raising behind her mask.
"Come on! Live a little! Life's too short, especially at a time like this." Ms.Tress responded in kind. A cocky smirk back on her lips.
Uchaka let out a sigh, this woman was tiresome and she did not want to deal with constantly being pushed into things she didn't want to do or say. "You aren't going to give me much of a choice are you?"
Ms.Tress laughed heartily at the put upon sigh. "Not really sweetheart. I tend to grow on you, like Ivy!" Her smile was nearly blinding.
Uchaka gave a look of annoyance before getting up and starting to leave the inn, having completed her meal and brought her hunger bar back up to where she wanted it to be. "I'll think about it," the skull-masked one said in a less than convincing voice, simply trying to get Ms. Tress to stop getting her to do things. If it worked, Uchaka may actually crack a smile, and if it did not, then she would just have to go along with things until she could eventually get away from the woman.
"Hope to see you soon Sweetheart!" The trainer said with a wave before continuing her meal. If the guild accepted both of them, they'll be in for a big surprise.
As Uchaka left the inn, the suggestive woman would soon find a request appear to her, a friend request.
✧ DAY 10 - Central Square of Genesis City - 10AM ✧
6/25/2076
Weather always seemed to be identical in Talrae... or at least on Genesis. Warm, gentle breeze accompanied by a shining sun. Perfect weather to be enjoying the outdoors for all intents and purposes. Normally you would have considered it lucky to be holding such a large outdoor meeting on a day like this but such weather is to be expected by all at this point.
A large group of Players were present at the square... you never expected such large, open area to be packed with people. It reminds you of that fateful moment during the first day of the game, when Malgoth forcibly summoned all Players to demonstrate to them their current fate. It only feels like yesterday that such has happened... Before you can get any more nostalgic, you notice that in the middle of the square, a circular open stage has been constructed. It was fairly large, large enough to hold 2 dozen tables and chairs (which it did). They were arranged in a circular fashion so that those seated all may face each other. A few Players were already occupying several of them. Others, whom didn't have any claims to the tables, started taking seats on the ground on around the stage.
"All Guildmasters, please come up to the central stage and claim a table! Everyone else, please take seats anywhere but make way for others!" A booming male voice carried over the air. You look up and see a young, slim man with long hair standing infront of the gigantic crowd on the stage. The speaker was flanked by several armed and armored Players. He had an item of some sort in his hand, held up to his mouth. You figure that it was a megaphone-equivalent of sorts. The square began to calm down as people finished moving about and settled down in comfortable spots. A few already began breaking out snacks, as if this was a picnic. All the tables on the stage were filled by various Guildmasters, Reylan among them. As soon as the last Guildmaster was seated, the slender man spoke again while holding up a metallic cylinder with a crystal sticking out on one end up to his mouth. With it, his voice carried over to all corners of the square.
"Greetings, all. I appreciate you gathering here... as you may have assumed, I am Aramo. Guildmaster of the Astral Blades." Aramo swallowed and continued. "The item I hold in my hand is the Sound Amp, a rare drop found in 'The Ravine' dungeon. Since we only have 1 of this item among us this day, we'll have to pass it along to the speaker, in order to make this meeting public for all players. I ask that when you use this item, you introduce yourself to all of us here and know that you are speaking to what is essentially the entire player population of Talrae."
Aramo's chosen aid, a friendly looking Swordsman, pushed a scroll of agenda infront of Aramo. Starting from the top, Aramo began.
"First order of business, I'd like to establish a minimal self-governing body of organization among us players. It has been more than a week since that fateful first day and none of us have managed to log out nor establish contact with the outside world. This means it is very likely that we will be stuck here whether we like it or not for some time. Thanks to our friends in Data Link 66, we have been seeing a good drop in deaths due to what we think are disconnections from the outside world. This means that the appropriate authorities are dealing with the situation outside and most of us can rest assured that our bodies are safe and in care. In order to prevent chaos and panic as well as prepare for our future, I believe it is beneficial to establish structure. Basic laws and guidelines, as well as public systems of assistant that may help less fortunate players. I have already been getting reports that there are many who are having difficulty getting used to our new reality."
"Excellent point, Master Aramo. If I may..." A silvery Paladin in armor gestured towards Aramo for the Sound Amp. Aramo's aid delivered the item to him quickly. "I am Reinor, Guildmaster of Imperial Saints. I'd like to announce first and foremost for the benefit of all, that we Imperial Saints are a guild focused towards helping those in need." Reinor's voice was confident and firm, like well-forged steel. "If any Player is needing housing or food, they are welcome to come and visit our Guild house near the market district. We also have many players who are trained medical professionals in real life, including counselors and psychiatrists. If you have been alone, scared and in need of help, Imperial Saints are here." Reinor gestured towards his aid, another paladin, who took the Sound Amp back to Aramo.
"Thank you Master Reinor. Would it be acceptable then, if we all referred our troubled colleagues to you for now?" Reinor gave Aramo a big thumbs up. "Once we get some sort of public financials with funding set up, we will make sure you have the resources to continue doing good for all of us. Speaking of which..." Aramo looked around at all the Guildmasters, some 30 to 40 of them. "Are we all in favor of creating an organization? In the case we do, all of the players in this game will be agreeing to its terms and rules, and of course take advantage of its existence. If you are opposed, raise your hand, we shall decide by popular vote." A few hands went up, but quickly were shot down after the owners judged the atmosphere of the meeting. A few, very distinct ones remained. "It is decided then. I realize that this vote doesn't represent the interest of the entire player base of Talrae, as many players remain un-Guilded. However, I believe all of here together represent about two to three thousand players, which is about a third of us that remain. The reality of the situation is, without the advanced bureaucracy of the real world, this is the best we can do so far. Once our systems are setup, we'll make sure to register more fair and accurate polls and votes."
