[IC] ✲ Thalam Online ✲

[ERode]

A part of Vasilisa felt like a mad scientist, but another part of him felt like this was the sort of thing he should take advantage as soon as possible. Travelling in real life was painfully expensive, and he was pretty certain that travelling in fake life was going to be pricey too, nevermind the fact that it’d also be dangerous as hell going off into the unknown. But Vasilisa came to Thalam for the express purpose of doing things she couldn’t do in real life.

So there he was, skulking in a dark alleyway, his broad shoulders and barrel chest at odds with how narrow his illicit rendezvous point was. The cleric had no idea whether or not Mimika was as painful to interact with in game as they were in chat, but then again, if impressions were bad, he could part ways with them real easily. With that in mind, he sat on a barrel, humming a song to himself.

Soon enough, the aforementioned Mimika appeared at the alley’s entrance - the sunlight behind her cast a menacing shadow deep into the space between buildings. However, once she stepped into the backstreet and made her way closer to Vasilisa, her true form was revealed: a cute, petite elven cleric. Mimika waltzed down the alleyway with a smirk on her face, growing even more smug as she paused and looked Vasilisa up and down.

“Sooo I’ll have you know my E-RP rates are kind of high. Game’s still new, can you pay? I also accept gift cards - in real life, of course,” she said, twirling a strand of hair around her finger. The other cleric’s vague message in the game’s chat log didn’t really give her any idea as to what he wanted, so she could only assume.

“Huh?” Vasilisa made a face. “Aren’t you here for business? Like, playing the market and all. Whatever you people do to make money.”

Mimika looked at the beefcake with a deadpan stare. “Uh, yeah. I am trying to make money. That’s why I’m charging you.”

Vasilisa blinked. Maybe econ majors just couldn’t read subtext. That’s the price you paid, huh. Without another word, he reached into his Inventory and drew out the Nativity Tunic, handing it over to the midget cleric. “Blue Slimes drop these. Easily as well. You’ve been to the shops yet?”

She took the tunic in her hands, scrutinizing it. It looks similar to the tunic that the blue slimes dropped, true… but it was cleaner. Wait, didn’t they drop ‘slime-covered tunics’? This was anything but slime-covered.

“Did you… like, wash this off....?” she murmured, turning the tunic over in her hands. She didn’t have one of the slime tunics herself, but her party leader had gotten one pretty early on. It really seemed to be the same thing, just with a different name. If that was true…

“I haven’t been inside them yet,” Mimika said, handing the tunic back to Vasilisa. “Are you telling me you can turn the slime-covered tunics into a better item? You wanna resell them for profit or something? ‘Cause that’s… actually a pretty good idea, I think.”

“Same thing with the sword.” Vasilisa pulled that one out too, rotating it. “Doesn’t take too long at all to clean off the slime. Could do it faster with soap, probably. And I have checked the shops. Nothing else this early on comes close to matching these in stats or effects. Before anyone else realizes the value of the slime-covered items, we should take advantage of it.”

A pause.

“I need lotsa money if I wanna go far. Can you make early money into bigger money like those investors do in Wolf of Wall Street?”

This dude’s plan is sound, Marcus thought to himself. Mimika touched a hand to her chin as if thinking it over. She could take this info and run, but then her reputation would drop hard. Better to go into business with him. His reference was a little dated, but she got what he meant.

“I think I can do that,” she said, smiling. “We need to get a bunch of slimey items, clean them and resell them, ya? Shouldn’t be that hard. I can sell things with this pretty face of mine~” the cleric chuckled to herself before continuing. “Uh, we would be selling to the other players, right? That would make us more money than selling to shops. I can already see a problem though…”

Mimika didn’t have pockets because she had a neat UI inventory, but she made a gesture as if pulling a pants pocket inside out.

“I don’t have any money. Neither does my party. We can sell them to the people that have cleared the tutorial quest already, but that’s like… I dunno, 20 copper?” She didn’t bother checking the quest info. “Although if we take everyone in the server for their quest reward money, we’d probably already be the richest people in the game.”

Vasilisa shrugged. “What if we offered enhancement services instead? They provide money and the equipment, we provide the miracle method.” A pause, and his eyes slide towards the market. “Maybe hire an NPC to serve as the front?” More pondering, more contemplation. “Or just sell this information to a shopkeep, and get a cut of the profits.”

“No, no giving info away - “ Mimika spoke up quickly. Her ditzy personality was melting away as the conversation went on. “Besides, who knows if an NPC shopkeeper could even do something like that? An NPC frontman might be good though. He takes the items and cash and passes them off to us. We could probably get away with only paying the NPC pennies too. Min-wage. Yeah… this could work.”

She grinned at the other cleric. “The two of us together and I think we can make this happen!”

“Alright.” Vasilisa nodded, before storing his equipment back into his Inventory. “I’ll do some price-checking on resell value; you can find someone to serve as the frontman. Keep in touch, Mimika.” He extended a hand for a shake. “If all goes well, we’ll be the richest players on the server...for all of one day, maybe.”

Mimika grinned and took the other cleric’s hand, giving it a firm shake. Wow, day one and she’d already found a get rich quick scheme.

“Can do!”

[SilverPaw]

@Kinith Vesper got invited into the targeted group by Lothair, the mage, joining the fray somewhere in the middle. Fighting against the level three blue slime from that point was, in one word, grueling. Even with five – five! – people, they struggled greatly. After defeat followed a sense of relief, but also frustration. Wow, is this bow shitty or what? And my stamina burns so soon! No way could I solo even a level one slime. Urgh… That was Vesper’s realization; she’d have to stay in a party. Then, the mage and the healer of the party left, and the three were left, though the rogue was disconnected or fell asleep or something. Still, not about to give up now that she had gained one level and one slime jelly, Vesper and Lynir coordinated via the party chat to hunt lower level slimes. With a light feeling of embarrassment, Vesper accompanied the warrior back towards the beginning of the plains. Encounter 2: Green slime A green slime suddenly appeared before the ranger and warrior pair as they advanced closer to the town of Bellview. This one seems to have been angered by the two for some reason. Disregarding the pest’s pesky emotions, the warrior proceeded to slash the enemy with his sword, gradually chipping at its health, though each of the jelly-ball’s regular counter-attacks also damaged Lynir minorly. Meanwhile, Vesper used her Aimed Shot skill, and though one attempt failed, two were critical hits! When the enemy hurled those green sludge balls at her, her fellow party member blocked them diligently. The warrior once again performed a trio of slashes, reducing the slime’s health even further, but it reactively splatted out its body in fear of death, and dealt quite some significant damage to Lynir. However, after resorting to basic attacks, and even choosing to implement even their body parts as a weapon once their stamina ran out, the warrior and ranger finally killed the slime. Each member received one (1) slime jelly and 333 experience. A “Green Bandana” head piece was granted to Vesper. The duo made fairly easy work of their second enemy, though comparing a green slime to a blue one was likely unfair. The most amusing thing was, that once she ran out of stamina, and Lynir had managed to exhaust the slime’s hp to 1, Vesper had run in, and with a “Hah!” mightily kicked the green goop in its side, dealing exactly one damage, and finished it off. Each party member got some experience, and besides one more slime jelly, Vesper also gained a shiny new Green bandana. It was not visually appealing, but at least its color somewhat matched her hair. More importantly, it had the additional stat bonuses of plus two armor and plus one technique. So, even though she was saving that one point she could invest into any of her stats until later one, the head gear gave her one stat for free! Perfect. Now, three more for completing the quest. I wonder, should we try to kill more to grind? I don’t really want to with how tanky these slimes are, but what if all the in-game monsters are like this? Vesper shuddered as she considered that. Hopefully, her concerns would prove to be unfounded; else, she could never turn solo with a DPS class. While she considered her future in-game, her health, mana, and stamina were swiftly recovering, and soon, she was ready for another round. Encounter 3: Green slime Lynir and Vesper were able to get a long enough respite to recover, but before they even tried to head anywhere else to chase a slime, a green one rolled in their direction, outraged at its companion's miserly death. Who knew slimes had such a desire for vengeance? Though usually a ball-full of bouncy cuteness, this one had a heavy frown on its face, its jelly-like surface vibrating in warning. Entirely used seeing the slimes as an enemy, Lynir simply charged at it, proceeding to slash it in what was becoming an established tactic for the warrior. Similarly, Vesper used her Aimed Shot, though embarrassingly enough, she failed or dealt very minor damage more than once throughout the combat. Undeterred, the duo continued slowly but steadily damaging the slime, Lynir blocking the ranger from the slime’s disgusting projectiles. At one point during the combat, Vesper lost the grip on her bow, and barely saved the weapon from falling to the ground – not due to quick reflexes, but because her clumsy fumbling somehow or other caught the bow in time. When Lynir reduced it to low health, Vesper finally got a lucky break, and performed a critical attack dealing 32 damage to the slime, splitting it apart in half with the force of it, and killing it. Each member received one (1) slime jelly and 333 experience. A “Green Bandana” head piece was granted to Lynir. Oh goodness, can RNG be a bitch or what?! That had been an utter failure. Complete and utter failure, I said!! Vesper glared off into the distance moodily, gripping her bow so harshly that its durability may have been soon in danger, but then she huffed and relaxed her hold. At least the very last attack against the slime had vindicated her. Seeing her weapon deal the highest amount of damage it was capable of with the Aimed shot skill had been nice. Very nice. Nice enough for her to forgive this Basic Bow and not forsake it. …Besides, if she sold, lost, or otherwise got rid of this bow, what would she be left with? Her bare fists? Ha! Shaking her head at her own ridiculousness, Vesper re-focused on the task at hand: Slime-killing. Encounter 4: Green slime and Encounter 5: Green slime Lynir and Vesper had to actively seek out a lower leveled slime, but eventually, they were able to corner another green slime. The monster turned to face them reluctantly. Practices at disposing of green slimes, the duo attacked it at once. When their stamina ran out, the warrior and ranger both resorted to kicking and stomping the slime, eventually killing it. Having seen the duo's struggle against its compatriot, a fellow green slime roiled towards the warrior and ranger, its surface bubbling in rightful anger. However, this time it was practically murder on the side of our heroes, as the ranger managed to deal two high critical attacks, melting 5/7ths of its HP. Lynir and Vesper only had to let loose a few basic attacks, and the gelatinous substance was obliterated from the face of Thalam. “Wheew,” Vesper sighed, stashing her bow. With a glance at Lynir, she said, “It was good working with you. If you don’t mind, we can just stay in the party like this,” she shrugged, offering the warrior a pleased smile. “Anyhow, I’m off to the city~” her laughter rang clearly like wind chimes, voice higher-pitched in her amusement than the lower but no less pleasant sound she’d set for regular conversation during character creation. Giddy with success, and feeling lighter for being rid of the burden of the quest and the slog of getting through five measly slimes it had necessitated, Vesper twirled into the air, and proceeded to fly towards the town. Of course, even though she’d invested all her points into technique, that meant only one minute of complete freedom and dazzling airborne maneuvers. Then, it was back to the ground. Vesper sighed. Now that she was paying more attention to it, that yellow arrow pointing to the person who was presumably Tu Tauri Al. “Tsk,” she muttered, suddenly irritated, and with a couple of blinks, turned the guidance off. She could find who she needed on her own. Or rather, she could still very easily follow the throng of players heading that way, or even ask an NPC. Actually, some exploration didn’t sound like a half-bad idea.

Online Queue Class: Ranger Level: 3 104//104//110 Stats & Info Body: 4 Spirit: 4 Tech: 9 (+1) Equipment: >Basic Bow >Green Bandana Inventory: >Slime Jelly (5) >Green Bandana

[Haha]

The Barracks

The barracks of Bellview was the centre of defense within the bustling little city-town. It was the place where young men and women decided to put their lives on the line, swearing to the Guard Captain that they would spend their time training their skills and honing their talents for the sole purpose of defending Bellview. It was also where the Scouts under Tu Tauri would return with whatever intel they could muster from outside the city walls in hopes that this knowledge could be used to better protect their homes.

And what respect does such a location get from the newly arrived players of Thalam? As the faekind player Neres opened the building’s door and stepped inside, she would be swiftly responded with four heavily armored individuals charging at her from different angles. Before she could react, the girl would be dogpiled upon, each guard pinning her down to the floorboards, the largest one pressing an iron-reinforced knee into her back. It was different than normal combat, though she seemingly was - as her health slowly depleted slowly down and down, and down until it stopped at a meager ten points.

^{Status Changed:
Immobilized
SIlenced}

It wasn’t long until another player slipped in behind her, though a good hundred or so players watched the two players enter - they smartly watched from a distance to watch and see how it plays out. The dwarf player would watch as the person they followed was pinned down by the protectors of the town, though they also were not so lucky, as a towering behemoth of a guard standing seven feet in height had made his way to the loud commotion and quickly stepped into the fray dropping a reinforced fist upon the dwarf’s head - the weight of the clenched hand would be enough to knock the dwarf flat onto their ass or perhaps incapacitate them completely.

^{Status Changed:
Stunned
Silenced}

The ruckus would alert both people of authority within the building, Tu who was within her office heard the loud thuds and clammors of people - but simply hummed in response and returned to dipping her quill into an inkwell and scripting upon the parchment before her. “[i]I hope we get some worthwhile adventurers in today./i]” a sinister smirk raising from cheek to cheek as she uttered the words quietly to herself. Captain Fumb, a mysterious figure, nobody even knows what he looks like beneath that tin-can helmet of his - but he was actually working with some new recruits on combat training in the small training grounds they had behind the building. After the two were detained, the guards would silently open the door and toss the two out toss them out. No weapons, no skills, the guards were just on another level compared to the players that even while holding back and engaging them - the two were left at nearly zero health. What a world they lived in, eh? IF they were quick enough with their senses they would notice that the guards actually had a class associated with them beneath their NPC name very similar to that of players Guardsmanp. But nonetheless, they left beaten within inches of their life and left out to try directly outside the turn-in location of the Tutorial Quest of a game which had just released. What a game, it really didn't pull its punches.

---

Shopping District

[Guy0fV4lor]

Logging On.... Welcome to Thalam _______________ You have been tasked with slaying 5 Slimes and returning their slime jellies to Tu Tauri Al. Upon completion, players will be awarded: 25 Experience and 35 copper. Finally! After what felt like hours stuck in loading screen limbo-- BLITZ KRIEGER could finally show the world the power of SUPERIOR GERMAN SPELLCASTING. Raising what he had thought to be his staff to the heavens with his absolutely chiseled GERMAN musculature, he found things were not as they should have been... "DIE ARSCHMADE!!!" roared an uncharacteristically thick accent from the nearly effeminate form that Blitz most certain DID NOT FUCKING DESIGN; and furthermore-- THIS WAS A WARRIOR. HE DESIGNED A MAGE!!! "SCHIZA!! ZIS FUCKINK GAME DIDN'T SAVE MIEN FUCKINK SETTINGS!!!" Quest FAILED! As the HUD mercilessly added insult to injury, the proud GERMAN warrior felt a blood vessel in his eye burst as pure, unbridled rage coursed through his veins. It wasn't enough that he got in late. It wasn't enough that his settings didn't save... But this KUHSCHEIßE??? How the fuck could he automatically FAIL the first quest???? He wanted to hack something to pieces. And he was going to do just that. "MOVE! GET OUT OF MIEN WAY!" he roared, barreling through any players that stood between him, and the slimy little punching bags that awaited him outside of town.

Online BL1TZ_KR1EG3R Class: Warrior Level: 1 107//103//105 [actions: Being Angry] Stats & Info Body: 7 Spirit: 3 Tech: 5 Equipment: >Basic Sword >Basic Shield

[Aviaire]

The minute Neres entered the barracks, she was immediately pinned down. She watched helplessly as her health dropped down, and down, and... Okay, so maybe handing in the quest wasn't as easy as she thought. She really should've expected this. The guards were much stronger than them, probably to prevent people from ravaging a helpless village right off of the bat. Nevertheless, she made a silent vow to return some day and get her revenge. When she was done with the eternal grind, she would come back to Bellview and beat up all of the guards. That actually sounded like a lot of fun, so she made a point to try to not forget it. Pulling herself off of the floor, she left a quick message in the chat to figure out what the hell she was supposed to do. [Lothair]: Gotta treat the game like real life, fam. Kinda illegal and rude to walk into a military barracks irl without permission It was astonishing how much sense that made. It wasn't completely clear how she would get permission to go in - she couldn't go into the barracks to ask for it. Then it would make sense for there to be someone else she was supposed to find around the town. That was the logical conclusion, which she hadn't been making a lot of lately. Classic developer tactic to force you to explore. However! She would complete this task with utmost efficiency. Determined, she strode into the shopping district, still looking very dishevelled. As soon as she got close enough to the other people, she yelled as loud as she could: "Hello! I need someone to show me into the barracks! Like, now!"

Online N3R3S Class: Warrior Level: 2 10 // 105 // 105 [actions: -] Stats & Info Body: 8 (+4) Spirit: 3 (+2) Tech: 5 Equipment: >Basic Sword >Basic Shield >Red Slime Hat >Slime-covered Tunic

[Yankee]

_{(Collab with @Haruharara)}

Mimika stepped out of the alley way, quickly skipping away from the area. Her mind was filled with options to make Vasilisa’s plan a reality. Well, first things first though. They needed a frontman. The cleric made her way down the cobbled streets of Bellview, passing by shops and the barracks where hordes of people congregating. She violently pushed her way through the crowd, and once on the other side she looked back at the mass of players and raised a brow Huh, this will probably be the best place to set up shop, she thought. Continuing on, she eventually came to the town’s tavern. She threw open the doors and marched up the counter, flashing the bartender her brightest smile. “Hiya barkeep! Where can a gal find someone for hire? Store front position!” The barkeep looked at the small girl with slit eyes, the vision of the elder human man glancing along her body - unamused or perhaps just disappointed? He cleared his throat, the bar was rather empty, and spoke with bellowing voice that echoed throughout the wooded interior. “You think you’ve got enough money to hire someone in Bellview?” He raised a loft brow. The man’s expression had Mimika straining her smile, and she could feel her eye twitching in annoyance when he questioned her. What the hell, she was super cute! Old geezers especially should be fawning over her, or so she thought. “What makes you think I don’t?” she questioned back, trying to appear as polite and innocent as possible. “Well, even if I don’t, I have a business partner, and we’re looking to hire.” The man grumbled, slumping down and resting his jaw into an open left-handed palm. “Very well, there’s a small area of working teens and young adults behind the southern merchant strip. They’re not old enough to be masters of a trade, but not too young to work, I’d recommend you head there.” He nodded to the girl. “Southern merchant strip,” she repeated, “Yay~ Thank you~!” The elf winked at the barkeep and turned away. He was right, she didn’t have even one copper to her name at the moment, so it wasn’t like she could tip him for the info. Even if I could, I probably wouldn’t though! She strolled out the door, taking a few seconds to look at the map once she was back in the daylight. She had considered asking around the Adventurer’s Guild, but she really needed an NPC that wouldn’t ask questions, so merchant strip it was. Mimika hopped along, heading towards the market. Once there she kept an eye out for any kids she thought might make a good front man for them. Someone charming, that could calmly deal with players. A girl would be nice, Marcus thought, letting Mimika idle for a moment while he mentally made some notes about the area, and the plan in general. Really hope I remember this when I wake up. Maybe I should invest in like, an in-game notepad. Eventually the cleric found her target: a pair of young women chatting outside of a shop. Bet they’d like some extra spending money. Mimika approached them with a smile, waving as she got closer. “Hi ladies! I’m Mimika, nice to meet you! I have a business opportunity if either of you would be interested?” The taller woman dressed in shades of gold and green turned to respond first, likely a bit older than the other. “We have working military men for husbands, they’re members of the guard? You seem new to the peaceful Bellview, I doubt you’d understand.” The woman batted her eyelashes and flipped her bronze locks out of her face. The younger of the two squinted at her partner, shorter brown hair and a much friendlier appearance exemplified the difference in the twos personality. “We are former maids to a lecherous lord, excuse her for the rudeness. But, I don’t mind hearing the proposition - profiteering is always a valid venture.” “Good,” Mimika continued, keeping her polite smile plastered onto her face.Outside she was the picture of etiquette, but on the inside she thought, What the hell? Dumb fantasy world rednecks. Do you want to depend on your fake husband forever?! The cleric cleared her throat taking a few seconds to cobble her pitch together. “This will be no cleaning service - for you, at least. I’m looking for someone willing to run a store front. Accepts orders, smiles at potential customers, that sort of thing~ All the hard work will be done by my partner! It’ll be a service for adventurers. Still with me so far?” The two silenced themselves and nodded to the small adventurer on attention. Though this was briefly broken by the taller, older girl speaking. “We don’t know if these new adventurers are dangerous. Can you promise our safety?” She snipped. Mimika blinked. That was a great question. These NPCs are kind of believable, Marcus thought, not for the first time impressed with the game. Still, not to be seen as unsure, Mimika quickly answered the woman. “Right now we plan to open up pretty close to the barracks - ” Of course, Mimika hadn’t discussed any of this with Vasilisa, but hey. “So not only will the guards be nearby, but my partner is a giant. A gentle giant, but emphasis on giant!” She paused a moment before continuing, “If that still doesn’t make you feel safe, we can invest money into a private guard. Help keep people from doing anything dumb. We are a budding business though.” Yeah they definitely wouldn’t be able to afford to hire a guard at the start, but honestly some muscle to keep the business safe would be a good idea down the road. “Whaddya say~?” The two women then exhaled in relief, the taller one rolling her eyes to the short-haired one before nodding to one another in acceptance and saying in unison. “We’re in.” "Excellent," Mimika's smile was nearly devious. So far, so good! She brought up the chat menu and quickly messaged her partner, and after some fiddling actually did find a note-taking function in the UI. They really thought of everything huh? [cherryblossomblues]: HEY @Vasilisa I got em where u wanna meet back up [cherryblossomblues]: 1 cute 1 got a tsun vibe [cherryblossomblues]: @ me wehn u can The cute cleric happily addressed her new employees that they'd be meeting with her partner soon, and went ahead and added the two girls to her current party - yet again without permission from the party leader, Neres. With that done, the trio made their way back towards the center of town. With Mimika leading the way, the group were mostly absentmindedly wandering. Hope I don't have to kill too much time... oooh is that a shop? She ducked inside in order to sell the cudgel she'd started with, as the staff she'd traded for with Neres was a strict upgrade. Finally some coins in my pocket! Hehehe- The enraged German shouting caught Mimika and the girls with her - as well as several others in the area - off guard. He was really loud. Mimika sighed through her nose and rolled her eyes. Wow, what's this problem? Is it even possible to get so mad over a game? After a moment thinking about it, actually, yeah Marcus had seen plenty of videos of people smashing their computers. At the memory, all he could do was [cherryblossomblues]: LOL

Online cherryblossomblues Class: Cleric Level: 3 110 // 130 // 110 [no action] Stats & Info Body: 5 Spirit: 7 Tech: 5 Equipment: >Red-Stone Staff Inventory: Slime Jelly x5

[Heyitsjiwon]

The small girl quickly turned to look towards the mage, grimacing at the appearance of an Imperial man in their city acting so friendly. "One copper for a slice, five for a loaf. We've also got some cheese for the bread, but that'll raise you another five copper, but it's really going to transform the taste!" Angie's salesmanship was stronger than her disposition towards others, all paled in comparison to the great and mighty coin!

Lothair smiled at the ambitious, young entrepreneur. She kind of reminded him of himself when he was younger. Lothair fished out two copper coins and replied "Just one slice for now, but if you're up for it. I'm pretty new to the town. Mind showing me around the town for a bit for a little bit to get yourself another coin? You look like you know the place well and I'm trying to find a certain Tu person to hand in a quest. Anything else interesting in the town that you think would be helpful for an aspiring adventurer like me would be appreciated... might even be more coin for you if its really fantastic."

"Ahhh? There's guides in town pal. If you want my expertise for thart sorta stuff, it'll run you more than a handful of copper. You have any silver? The Adventurer's Guild Secretary here is my older sister." Angie flashed her toothy smile to the mage, though would quickly snap from her wit and jump up attempting to swipe the two copper from the man's hand. She would then wink at him playfully, stepping back for a moment before speaking. "There's lots of new adventurers in town - nothing makes you special Mr. Imperial. Though, I will sell you some bread!"

Lothair chuckled and replied "Never claimed to be much more than a potential customer. Still, thank you for the little bit of information, Miss." as he lowered his hand to give the girl the two copper coins. "Now, I at least know who to come to for fresh bread in the morning. Pleasure to meet you, my name is Lothair." as Lothair reached for a handshake as well. He planned to wrap up the conversation and try to get the little girl's name. The Adventurer's Guild seemed like a good place to go to. Someone there could probably help Lothair meet with this Tu fellow.

"Angie Sanguiram, make sure you tell any adventurers you see that my bread is the best or I'll tell the guards you made a move on me." The young girl's hand reached out to shake Lothair's hand, clasping it delicately with her small hand. "And if you decide you're willing to drop a silver on some guidance, I'm your gal! But yeah, adventurer's guild is right next to the entrance of town - the building is too large to not notice." She smiled and nodded the man off before turning on her heel to walk away and continue selling to adventurers.

Lothair waved at the girl as she continued on her way. James on the other hand, decided to follow Angie's advice and check out the Adventurer's Guild and began to make his way to the large building and see if he could find some information there about Tu or anything else that seemed interesting.

As the mage entered the large redwood building he would find that it was filled to the brim with NPC adventurers sitting at tables with steins of ale, there were women in cute uniforms perched against the walls standing in attention awaiting someone to approach them and ask for information. The tavernkeep was an eldlerly man, muscular and tall, grayed hair, whereas the Guild Secretary who sat at a desk near stairs that were gated off simply glanced around the room making sure to keep the peace.

---

A few moments later...

---

After talking with one of the girls at the Guild Hall, Lothair stepped out of the giant Guild Hall where the helpful lady pointed out that he would find a guard standing by. He approached the nearest one and began to speak "Hello Guardsman, one of the ladies working at the Guild Hall told me that I should speak with you. She recommended that I speak with Tu and a certain Guardsman Fumb at the barracks. Would you mind bringing me to them? I have a quest to turn in to Tu and well... the lady told me I could find more work there as well."

[stone]

As Relica entered the barracks after a fey warrior, she was immediately whumped upside the head by the guard. The HUD wobbled about, emphasizing the dizziness that Devon was feeling through the neuro-link. "Agh!" she shouted. "I'll.. beat you up! Nobody attacks Devon Doralt and... lives to..." The heavily armored guard eventually picked up Relica and the fey and tossed them unceremoniously outside. She landed on her ass and cursed internally. I'll get them for this, she thought. They don't know what's coming. Relica began to plan her revenge. The first thing she needed was better gear. Relica picked herself up and strode away from the barracks in a huff, ignoring the pointed stares and stifled laughter. She pulled up the minimap and made a beeline for the shopping district of Bellview. The marketing district of town was the busiest area, more so than the slime-occupied grasslands and the beach close by. It was so congested that some of the fae and dwarf players would often get swept up by the tides of people shoving through the paths between buildings, kiosks, and merchant stalls. One squeaky voice would stand out over the roar of new players dazzled by the sights and smells. “Get your fresh hot bread! Ignore the scummy armor merchants! Get your fresh hot bread! My mom is young and she bakes well! The white stall next to the bakery, or look for me! Fresh hot bread!” Angie was quite the popular figure in the district, though for exactly what reason was uncertain. Near the center of the district was a large hollowed out dome made of brick, mud, and stone, overpowering heat and the smell of coal plumed out from every opening. Two brave players would approach the denizen within, the dwarf inside scarred on every inch of his body, slamming away at a strip of steel on his anvil. “Sir, are you a blacksmith?” One of the two asked, a dark elf player that was definitely helmed by a timid player. “Wh’ it loo’ like y’dark’n — qu’ starin’or y’ wann’ b’ somethin’?” The dwarf’s broken speech was really prominent, players would likely pray to whatever deity existed in this world that not all dwarves spoke in such a way. Relica was still seething from the earlier loss. “I need to get better stuff. It’s because my gear wasn’t good enough that I lost to those guards,” she muttered to herself. “I guess I can go back to killing things…” She came upon the smoky dome. “Ah! That’s one of those… um… ‘smith’ things! Maybe I can get better gear there!” Relica strolled in with the confidence that only a completely self-unaware person could give off. “Hello! I am looking to buy a really good armor piece!” The fireborn dwarf snapped his beady brown sights over to Relica, a scowl painted plainly across his face. He dropped his hammer and stood from the small stool he sat upon turning to face the player all the while maintaining his expression. “Wh’ th’ do ya’ think I am? M’not gun’ just gif’ye arma f’free. Y’ think I ca’ afford t’ jus’ waste mater’ on ye’?” The dwarf was missing most of his teeth, many of those remaining were in the back of his mouth. Relica was unfazed by the dwarf’s speech impediment. Devon was used to odd speech. Foreign college students, North Dakotans, and plenty of people with missing teeth for various reasons. “I’ll pay.” She reached into her money pouch and held out 2 copper. “Is this enough?” “Y’ f’saken ******* **** y’ think I a’ y’ th’ **** ********.” The fireborn dwarf’s profanity painted the one break of immersion in the game, profanity censorship. Of all things, why would they implement such a system? Yeah, kids would be playing this game but the stuff said by live streamers and even media was probably worse right? Nonetheless, the dwarf shook his head and pointed to the anvil and spat out at the girl. “Make’r y’self!” <<Quest Unlocked: Armorcrafting>> Relica jumped back in surprise. She still wasn’t used to the game notifications just appearing. “Quest? Oh… like the slimes! Hell yeah! I accept!” The dwarf cut Relica’s excitement off with a disgruntled. “The h’ ye’ talki’ bout? Get’ta anvil!” His arm extended out to the structure, the blacksmithing hammer placed on the ground right next to it. “Alright,” Relica said. This was good. She could learn how to make armor and hopefully get something out of it too. She scurried over to the anvil and picked up the hammer. It felt rather unwieldy in her hands. “What next?” As Relica picked up the hammer a menu popped up before her eyes, it was a transparent grey with white text placed over it. The menu displayed as follows: Rough Iron Armor Rough Iron Helmet Banded Shield Relica thought for a moment. I already have a chestplate, even though it’s gross. I think I’ll get a helmet. She picked the second option. “Helmet time.” As the helm option was selected Relica would find a transparent schematic sitting atop the forge. Slightly above the design was a small list of the materials required to forge it. The dwarf would on cue glance back and state plainly. “Y’ can’ use t’er o’er in th’ sack.” And then raised his arm with an extended finger to point to the bags of ore behind the girl. “Alright. Ore in the sack…” She walked over and fished out what was identified as iron ore. “Got it.” “Th’wa er’tha waitin’ for? Make’en ye’armor! Slam’en th’metal till’er fits!” The dwarf again roughly spoke, clenching his fist and smacking it into the palm of his other hand a few times and nodding. Had Devon any workmanship experience, he would have known that the process of smithing was a far more complicated endeavor than hitting the metal into the shape of a helm. Unfortunately, he had taken his elective in percussion, not crafts. And so, with the delight of a child given free reign over bubble wrap, Relica began smacking the ore into the rough shape of a helmet. And what a rough shape it was. A four year-old’s rendition of a play-doh bucket would fit the description of headwear more effectively. When Relica finished, the completed product was akin to a metal pot shaped by a blind man given nothing more than a picture of a pot, a lump of iron, and a hammer. The bucket would quickly snap itself into the shape of a plain looking iron helmet with a visor and everything. It sat on the anvil waiting to be picked up by Relica, and the dwarf simply nodded in approval. “S’good’uf now g’the’el here.” the blacksmith waved his hand away from the forge, pressuring Relica to leave his hovel. <<ROUGH IRON HELMET ACCQUIRED>> “Hold on. How do I make even better things?” Relica grabbed the helmet and equipped it. The dwarf would scowl once again, grabbing his hammer and throwing it to the girl before pointing at her almost tauntingly. “Git good.” He shook his head before turning on his bootheels and returning to work. <<FIREBORN SMITHING HAMMER ACCQUIRED>> “Ahhh! Thank you!” Relica rushed out of the forge, practically dancing. It was going to be a good day. ...Except for the fact that she had forgotten to turn in the quest.

Online DevonDoralt132 Class: Mage Level: 3 106 // 111 // 103 Stats & Info Body: 3 (+3) Spirit: 10 (+1) Tech: 3 Armor: 3 Equipment: >Basic Staff >Slime-covered Tunic >Rough Iron Helmet >Fireborn Smithing Hammer

[SilverPaw]

Collab done with the GM in Adventurer's Guild tab Upon entering the city, one of the very first things Vesper saw was the adventurer's guild, which is exactly where she went. Getting to an empty counter was a bit of a struggle, but once she was in front of one of the free attendands, she immediately greeted them. "Hey! Do I need to register here or something?" ”Regist’ fa’ wa’?” The gray-haired dwarven barkeep shouted across his countertop over to the newly situated girl. The barking of the drunkard was quickly admonished a guild girl politely pulled a small leather container out from beneath the counter and placed it atop. “Register a Guild, or were you looking to formally join the Adventurer’s Guild?” Vesper blinked, bemused at the dwarf's minor outburst. Then, she turned to face the official employee. "What benefits are there for joining the Adventurer's guild formally? And what would it cost me?" the Fae ranger wondered, head cocked slightly to the side, a small polite smile playing about her lips. “The fee is 10 silver pieces, and the benefits are that you’ll have access to the Guild’s information channels at all times. As well as free harboring in our facilities and if you gain ranks, a retainer.” The guild girl said with a plastic smile, she was very professional. “Though, you will not be able to join another guild if you join ours. Which means you’ll be restricted in some ways, killing other adventurers is completely unacceptable for example.” "Whew, I don't even have the money for that, but once I do, I'll come around and ask more about the ranks, restrictions and other guilds. For now, is it possible to get some very basic information even though I'm not a member?" “Of course! I can answer any questions about the immediate region, and also the town!” "Hmm, well first things first...I've completed that Welcome to Thalam quest, you know, the collecting of five slime jellies for Tu Tauri Al? There's kind of a huge crowd of play-" Vesper suddenly cut herself off, coughed a bit, then continued "uh, adventurers gathered around where I'm supposed to go. It's actually kinda hard to find the right person because of that," she said, which was half-true. Even if she'd kept the arrow-pointer, there were just so many people, trying to blink through all of them to find the NPC would probably turn out to be a nightmare. “Tu is found in the barracks, though you’ll need someone to guide you inside as it is restricted to outsiders. We’ve had an influx of werewolf sightings in the area, so we are a bit on guard.” The guild girl nodded, shifting her weight forward to lean into her elbows and canting her head. “Anything else?” "Hm, I see. Just who that 'someone' who could guide me in could be? And where could I find them?" “A guard member of scout who works under Tu would work! Or one or the town guides that may be wandering around!” "Do they all have the same uniforms? I might have seen some by the entrance into the town, but I wasn't much paying attention, honestly..." Vesper trailed off, trying her hardest to remember what would obviously be a throw-away NPC in another game. No luck. How could she have known that it would be important? “Silver and Blue armor with a bell armband or engraving for the guards. Scouts are typically dressed in dark gray or brown, harder to differentiate them - though they’re undercover typically.” "Thanks! I'd tip you, but," the fae shrugged, long green hair swishing left and right as she did so, a brief wry smirk appearing before she smoothed her expression with a shake of her head. "Maybe next time I come around I'll have at least a few coppers to my name," she grinned. Vesper exited the adventurer’s guild, wandered around until she found one of the guards – which was fairly simple now that she knew what they looked like; even in such a crowd, a known uniform was easy to spot. She approached the guardswoman, a wiry blonde with her hair tied in a bun, sharp cheeked and with stormy grey eyes. However, the town’s peacekeeper was amiable enough to lead her and some other adventurer tagalongs towards the barracks. The fae couldn’t help but wonder how all the players would be able to fit into the building, considering the game was realistic enough that only one person could occupy a particular space.

Online Queue Class: Ranger Level: 3 104//104//110 Stats & Info Body: 4 Spirit: 4 Tech: 9 (+1) Equipment: >Basic Bow >Green Bandana Inventory: >Slime Jelly (5) >Green Bandana

[Yankee]

@SilverPaw@Aviaire@Heyitsjiwon@Cu Chulainn

---

"Huh? More adventurers? Jeez, took ya long enough."

As most of the players moved into and throughout the town of Bellview, they were hit with a roadblock. The barracks, where their tutorial quest completion arrow was guiding them, was mobbed with players and NPCs of all kinds, and entering it willy-nilly was grounds for a guardsman beat-down. Still, some of the clever players found a way in.

Vesper, the Fae ranger, was guided in by one of the many guards found about town. If the tall blonde guardswoman was one for words, it would have been obvious she was happy to do it. Bellview was in dire need of more hands to take on quests, and any adventurers that simply asked a way in would find one.

Neres, another Fae, would find her way in by screaming in the middle of a shopping plaza for aid. Many passerbys stared at her tussled clothes and hair and simply laughed in her face. Even some of the town guides and guardsman, whose job it was to lead players into the barracks, jeered at her and turned away. The guild didn't need such... low-level troublemakers! After some time, an unscrupulous looking guide approached the woman.

"I'll get you in, but yer gonna owe me."

Ukkonen, already a semi-infamous rouge rogue, explored the town with an eye and ear out for the things that interested him most: getting into the barracks to turn in his quest, and any sign of how to advance his class. It wasn't long until he heard the commotion of Neres shouting. A quick peek in that direction, and he might have just found two leads at once.

Lothair, for his part, was also one of the clever players to ask around the guildhall and find a guard to lead them in. The guardsman looked Lothair up and down for a moment before he nodded. "Sure, you look capable enough. Follow me." With that, the guard hefted his spear and started off toward the barracks. He made some light conversation as they traveled, but it wasn't far.

The inside of the barracks, though one of the four had briefly seen it already, was made of brick and stone. It might have been called 'cozy' if the tensions within weren't running high. There were guardsman pacing about, some chatting nervously, but some not bothered at all by whatever had their comrades disturbed. A few of the guardsman recognized Neres and gave her the stink eye, but didn't try to throw her out again.

"Tu's office is right at the end of the hall," the guardswoman said to Vesper and the group at large, "Good luck." With that, she and the other two guides exited the barracks, leaving the players alone to venture down the hallway. Once inside, Tu Tuari Al herself - identified by those that still had their quest arrows turned on - leaned against her desk. She had a sly grin on her face as she sized the group up.

"Finally! Do ya know how hard it's been to find good help these days? Here, gimmie those jellies ya should have brought and take one of those." She gestured to a pile of little badges on her desk. They were barely an inch (2.5cm) across, and somehow clipped easily onto any kind of armor should the players want to display them. Upon entering the inventory, the badges were named: Tutorial Completion Badge!

"Slimes might have big health pools, but they're easy pickings. I need people I think can handle an actual fight. We've had a bit of a... wolf problem recently. If you complete this quest, come back and we'll talk. By the way, those badges should get ya back into the barracks with no problem."

"Wolf Problem"
_______________
^{You have been tasked with slaying 5 wolves of any kind by Tu Tauri Al. Upon completion, players will be awarded: 75 XP, 40 copper, and Wolf Pelt Cloak.}

"Got it? Good. Any questions, ask Fumb out front. Big armored guy, can't miss 'im. Break a leg out there." And just as quickly as they were ushered in, the players were sent back out. Tu was the quest giver, certainly, but she had no time for greenhorns. Fumb and the rest of the guardsmen would take care of them.

[Heyitsjiwon]

To Lothair's surprise, a familiar group of people found their way to the barracks. "What a coincidence." He commented to the group as theycwere led into the building. Lothair looked around the barracks and was impressed it was a cozy, sturdy building, very well designed. The devs took a lot of time with the artwork and paid attention to the little details.... or maybe... this was just designed by the NPCs? If so the AI was VERY intelligent to be able to do some serious architecture and interior design. This game world was HUGE. If the entire game was this well-designed... James couldn't help but wonder how many hours developing all this took as Tu Tuari Al began to speak to the group with natural charm and convincing personality.

Lothair equipped the little badge that they had received though it seemed more like a cosmetic item like his cape as it difn't seem to have stats based on his cursory look. Still, it would likely help him stand out in the wave of new adventurers. Lothair looked around for this Fumb fellow. Every guard seemed pretty big and armored, but then he spotted one who seemed particularly big and armored. Lothair approached the man and said "Hello Captain Fumb. I'm Lothair. I was asked to help with the wolf problem that the city is having and wanted some advice as Tu Tuari Al pointed me to your direction if I had any questions. So, I was hoping to find out where the wolves are, and learn a bit about them before I set off. If you have a bit if time, I would love to learn things like: How do they fight? Anything I should look out for? And what's going on that the city is suddenly having wolf problems? Are they a pack that just happened to recently migrate here?"

Lothair also made a mental note to visit the market to see if he could get new equipment before setting out to fight the wolves. He got some coin from the slime mission after all.