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Lars slowly stalked the unsuspecting group, keeping a few corner distance behind them.

He couldn't quite put a finger on it, but for some reason he kept his pursuit. This world made him feel different. His thoughts, his actions, something new drove him to act unlike he normally would. Perhaps the aftershock of being isolated in such a strange world, maybe he had a deep fear of losing his chance of meeting new friends. 

He always figured himself a social outcast in the real world. Being unable to interact properly with people, he normally led an isolated life. With no one to rely on, he found himself drifting toward the virtual world. It was easy to take the mantle of another character, He could be loud, obnoxious, or strong and silent, all behind the safety of his keyboard. No one would be the wiser. But ever since arriving here in this place, maybe he really believed this was still the game world. Perhaps with that thought, he could alter his persona and be something he could never be in real life.

His thoughts were disturbed by a random ping, alerting him of a new notification. Glancing down, he noticed a party invite. Opening the tab, a spreadsheet of characters appeared before him, consisting of the ragtag group he had decided to stalk. Among the throng, he noticed Xenos's name. That sly dog, how did he get so far ahead of him so quickly. He had of course interacted with Lars before this so he imagined it was quite easy for him to present himself to the group and gain acceptance.

A smile spread across his face as he floated his hand above the accept button. With a tap, his name was added to the group. Changing tabs, he swapped out to his inventory screen and equipped the one-handed sword from his starting gear. Instantly materializing near his hip, Lars rested a hand on the hilt as he sped up towards the group. Having to use such a horrendously inferior weapon went against everything Lars stood for. As soon as he could gain some quick cash from mob kills, the faster he'd get something more up his alley. Gazing up in thought, he scratched his furred chin as he contemplated his sub-class. Food Fighter, maybe that explains his sudden obsession with finer quality objects.

Closing the gap between his new associates. He heard the one called Kuwan mention something about moving on. A few more steps would put him in the social perimeter of the new group, a slight edge of nervousness scratched at the back of his throat. Shaking it off he faced the group as he raised an arm in greeting. "Yo", he smiled.

This game looks pretty awesome. I hope it has an awesome multiplayer mode.

Lars snapped out of his thoughts as another body placed themselves next to him. Glancing over, he was greeted with another face that seemed blatantly normal. Some of his features seemed to be a little off and he could have swore he saw some tattoos. Hmm...must be one of those ritual race things.... He found that the newcomer was staring at him so Lars returned the stare back.

"If you're referring to the awfully feminine Thor verbally assaulting the fox, then yes, some probably more than others." Lars said in response to the other man's question.

Lars spotted the fox beginning to depart, followed by his two new companions. Finally, he pushed himself from the wall and decided to follow this group around till he got bored. Standing still was never a strong point for Lars, in the real world and apparently this virtual one as well. Passing his new friend, he turned his head and smirked at his general direction. Pointing with a finger in the direction the group was going, he gave a wink as he turned away from the other man and made his pursuit.

Breaking from the crowd, Lars was at a loss of what to do. Slipping over to a shady spot, he gazed up at the towering town gate. It matched the town's run down demeanor, bits of rubble surrounded the monument, while spots of wildlife lightly began to grow among it. Judging from what Lars saw, it looked like this gate hasn't been used in some time. Still, it stood out from the town by it's sheer mystery. It seemed something powerful must have been used to power this ancient device, but us Adventurer's seem to have arrived after it's run high and dry.

With a slight twitch, his ears picked up the distress of what sounded like a young female, accompanied by a male voice. As he gazed over, he was only greeted with the sight of a large, blonde male over-towering a smaller Fox Tail. The character design of the larger one looked oddly familiar, but was disturbed by the way they held themselves. The bigger one seemed slightly skiddish and scared. speaking with a feminine voice. Behind him was a calmer looking male Fox Tale, apparently trying to calm the larger one down.

Good luck to ya mate, I'd hate to be in your shoes. Lars chuckled to himself as he leaned against a wall and opened up his character menu.

Browsing through his inventory, noting the basic armor and inventory items in his possession. Something he quickly noticed was a lack of task bar, or quest giver. If this still was a game, wouldn't he have received a notice typical of a starting character in any MMO? There was no note to find some NPC to talk to, or to head to a particular area, his inventory only filled with his items and stats.

Switching through his character menu's, he checked over his professions. He was still labeled as a Swashbuckler for his main class, and apparently had chosen Food Fighter for his sub class. Hmm...must have been hungry during character creation. 

Still running through his menu's, Lars heard a third party speak up to the strange group near him, asking something about if they were real people or whatnot. The shock and alarm of people finding out they were in a video game was beginning to wear on Lars. "No sense fretting about it now..." He gave a sigh as he closed his menu. Man, he wished interesting would pop up somehow.

Lars was beginning to feel more at home in his new form as he walked the broken city streets. His form was a little taller than his actual body, so taking longer strides felt quite different to him. His new ears picked up sharper sounds, sending his body into alarm over the over sensitive sense. He wasn't quite sure what to think of the tail, it felt "alien" to him still, but seemed to respond like moving any other limb.

Picking his destination at random, he seemed to have wandered into an older abandoned part of the Seattle server. Broken buildings and overgrown blocks encircled him. Holographic signs could be seen floating around some, offering hefty price tags for the opportunity for purchasing property. Small groups of people seemed to be huddled under supporting structures as most kept to themselves. Lars gathered them to also be people who were sent into the game, worry and fear was apparent on their faces as they tried to cope with this new world. Then there were other groups he noticed that fit into the backdrop, almost matching the crumbling buildings as they ran shops or muddled around town. Perhaps they are the People of the Land... he wondered. It seemed whenever these people gazed upon his presence they either seemed to look past him like he wasn't there, or give him odd looks. What's wrong...never seen a walking cat before... he would often think to himself, never bothering to voice any vocal opinion on the matter.

Suddenly stopping in his tracks, a slight scowl crossed his face as he gazed upwards toward the tall buildings, trying to gain any insight on where he was. All of the street corners look the same here, how am I supposed to know where I'm supposed to go? As he tried to gain his bearings, a sudden idea came to him. Perhaps with a higher look, I can find some sort of landmark. He wasn't sure if it was the fact he was in a game world, but Lars felt amazing amounts of energy running through him. If this truly is the game, may as well have some fun with it.

He had put a lot of thought and work into creating Lars. Eager to try something new, he wanted to go for a quick, agility build for a character, something that can move quick and act fast on their feet. He merged these thoughts with the Werecat race to give him the maximum benefits toward his Dexterity and Agility, and created Lars.

Without a step of hesitation, he hopped over toward a low wall and braced himself to leap for the edge. Firing off on the energy building in his legs, he bounded away from the ground and toward his desired destination about twice his length up. Within seconds he was reaching out with his hand to grasp the edge, but quickly realized a slight miscalculation. Not accounting for his new height and build, he instead overshot the edge and found himself rising above it, his body slowing as his torso rose above the edge and collided with it, tearing the air out of his lungs with a thud. Reeling from the shock, his arms shot out along the roof to find something desperately to grab so he didn't plummet back down to the bottom. Claws out, he managed to sink his hand into enough of a crevice to slightly support his failed attempt, his feet scratching along the wall till they found a crevice to rest in.

Taking in a deep breath to recover, his raised hairs began to settle, an embarrassing expression of shock on his face. He sure hoped no one was around to see that. He pulled the rest of himself over the edge as he stood, patting the dust off his clothes. He gestured with his hands, smoothing back the unsettled hair on the top of his head as he sort of whistled a short tune gazing about.

This time, slightly more fanciful, he climbed up some crumbled blocks to find himself on top of a destroyed building's roof. Cupping a hand above his eyes to block the sun, he began to take in the surrounding elements. The city seemed to stretch quite a ways in the distance. Noticeable bodies of water surrounded a good portion of the land, with rising hills scattered around the horizon with what seemed like normal houses dotting throughout. He was only slightly familiar with the actual Seattle, so he could only recognize some of the more major landmarks. As he gazed about, something did manage to catch his eye. The town gate stood off in the distance a short ways from him. Eying a reasonable path along the streets, he picked out the best route to get there. Perhaps some more level headed players would be there to provide some answers.

Keeping to the rooftops he could reach, he leaped and bounded along his destined path toward the gate.

The sun was hanging high up in the sky when Lars made it near the gate. Bounding from his rooftop perch, he landed with a solid thud on the ground below, absorbing the impact of the landing through his legs. Quick observation pointed out larger groups of people huddled around the area, some inspecting the apparently shut-down gate, others seemed to be looking through shop stands, leaving with new weapons and armor selections. His ears perked up at the thought of browsing through the weapons stands. Working his way through a throng of people, he stopped at the front of a weapon stand and gazed up on the wares. Swords, maces, shields, bows, this stand seemed to carry it all. Every piece polished and set out in a dazzling display, Lars could be blinded by staring too intently at some of the shiny bits.

"Hey buddy, try notta rust the merchandise with all the droolin'." a largely disgruntled looking blacksmith grunted behind the stand. Polishing a broadsword with a cloth, he eyed Lars up and down, then passed his gaze onto other customers.

Lars smirked and shifted slightly away from the table. Browsing through the inventory, his eyes fell upon a pair of fencing sabre's. His hands shot out as he snatched them off the table for closer inspection. "How much for the blades pops," he blurted out, pulling out slightly out of his scabbard. The gauntly blacksmith gazed in Lars direction. "More than what you probably have." Lars ran his hands through his pockets, pulling up nothing. Remembering his game UI, he popped up his inventory menu and looked for the gold amount, a whopping value of "0" glaring back up at him. Ears drooped, he returned the blades to the table and turned away from the table. Looks like he'll have to find a way to get some cash.

[spoiler]http://youtu.be/2_kKFjwpwqc?list=LL8AvS7dIPEHp5e4QhVdDkZg[/spoiler]BGM

A brisk wind brushed over his face, leaving a cold aftershock. Annoyed, he turns over and grasps at blankets non-existent. Shouldn't have left that window open. He brushes it off as he tries to get back to sleep....wait.....what window???

As he could recall, there was no window in his basement headquarters.

Opening his eyes, he was greeting by a near pitch black scene, surrounded by grass in an open space. The sky was beginning to brighten, the calling of the coming dawn. He glances up toward where his ceiling should have been; instead, was greeted by an explosion of stars in the sky above. The annoying scratch of the grass was beginning to dig into his back as he lay there, gazing up at the expansive sky. Not standing for it any longer, he rose up to a seating position to get a better sense of his surroundings. With his eyes adjusting, he could begin to make out large shapes in the distance, looking more and more like tall buildings. Another breeze ran by him as he sat there, causing something on the top of his head to twitch.

Reaching up, he grasped at something fuzzy, giving a slight tug. Whatever it was twitched underneath his hand, sending chills down his spine, followed by a sharp pain at the top of his skull. It seemed to be latched onto his head. Shooting up to his feet, he caught something snake-like whip around behind him. His reflexes shot out as he latched onto a brown object. Again, this responded similarly to his head leech, sending a shock at the lower base of his spine, spreading along his lower back. Was....it...attached to him as well. In a confused stupor, he looked around for anything to see his reflection. Spying a small sandy beach, he noticed a calm body of water with slowly receding water nearby. Letting go of the strange object, he dashed over to the water and slid onto his knees at the waters edge. Panicked, he gazed down at a blurry reflection on the disturbed water. As the water stilled, he was greeted by a face he did not recognize. In fact, he wasn't even sure if it was even human.

Staring back, was the image of a humanly proportioned head, but replaced with cat features. Eyes, teeth nose, all surrounded by a brown covering of fur, littered with spots of a creamy tan color. What he thought was attached to the top of his head was what appeared to be his ears, perked up and hair standing on end, much like he would see in a disturbed house cat. This cant be real... He reached up with a fur covered hand and pulled at the whiskers on his face. A sharp pain rang out as his face scrunched up in reflex. Sitting back away from the water, he began to look himself over. His whole body seemed to be covered in fur, claws for nails, and a full on tail protruding from his backside.

As his nerves began to calm, he tried to get a grasp on the situation. Given that he woke up in an entirely different body, let alone a whole different species, he thought he was taking this at a decent leveled reaction. Raising up his hands, he gazed at the new claws garnished at the end of his fingertips. Flexing his fingers up and down, he could feel how alien this new body felt to him. Stretching his arms out, a small holographic box appeared midair in front of him. Cautiously, he relaxed his arms and reached over and touched it with a finger. A new dialogue popped up in a large square, filled with what looked to be stat listings and character equipment. Gazing upon this new discovery, he began to get a familiar feeling of seeing this before. He browsed through the tabs and ended up at the character menu, displaying a large cat-man with assorted stats and skills. Lars..... he spoke out loud. That's the name of the new character he created in Elder Tale that very evening.

Sudden realization struck him in the face as the dilemma began to come clear to him. Judging by the appearances, it looked like he was stuck in the body of the character he created in a video game, but what does that tell about this place. The rising sun began to eclipse through the gaps of the distant buildings, striking his eyes. Raising his hand up to shield from the sun, he gazed out at the city, deep in thought. He knew he should at least investigate the area, perhaps he could find a clue as to where he is and how he got here, maybe finding a way to wake back up in his own body and out of this crazy dream. Humming to life, the world around him seemed to begin stirring with movement and noises in response to the morning sun. He took his first step toward the city in a desperate plea to find out what in the world was going, but deep down he knew, he was in the world of Elder Tale.....

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1YehXAPi3Spi61WgCuqtW72EnFu6p5pqyQ34jvhYxI_c/edit?usp=sharing

The Sheet

[spoiler]
Name: Lars Dampiere
Race: Werecat
Sex: Male
Age: 25
Hair: tan/black
Eyes: Blue
Height: 6' 4"
Weight: 170
Class: Swashbuckler
Sub-Class: Food Fighter

Str	| 13 |	1
Dex	| 15 |	1
Con	| 12 |	0
Int	| 11 |	0
Wis	| 12 |	0
Cha	| 17 |	2

Memory Points: 100

Skills:
Blade Artist
End of Act
Dense Macabre

Racial mods:
1 to dex ability score   1 to Defy danger with dex  1 to discern reality
Detriment: Werecats lose double memory (Due to drastic detachment from original physical appearance of player)

Traits:
Short attention span
Traplover
gullible

Likes:
food, dance, small groups, battles, exploration, new things[/spoiler]

Sam quietly slipped out of the room and waited around the corner for Roman to finish his conversation. "Better to approach while no one is around, makes it easier to talk with no distractions." Standing in silence, he could hear the energized Roman discussing non discreetly with some of the classmates. "Are you coming or not...." drifted out of the doorway to an unsuspecting Sam.

"Wait....someone else might get involved?" Being someone who thought one was company and two a crowd, letting even another person or two could throw off his entire day. Despite his fretting, something stapled his foot to the ground. He was curious about asking Roman about what he knew, but was something else edging him on. Was he possibly getting excited about something in the real world for a change? Sam crossed his arms and leaned against the wall. "You need to get some sleep man..." he muttered to himself, "you're obviously falling over the deep end."

Sam grasped the nearby desk for support as he pulled himself up to a sitting position. "Why do those bells have to be so loud," he thought to himself as he grabbed his backpack. Packing the pillow away, he groggily rose to his feet, his chaotic bed head matching his upset mood. He considered himself of superior imagination, but the creepy old lady in the the robes left him confused about what to think. "...emotions....key....." he muttered, losing himself in thought.

A not so distant conversation rose him from his thoughts as he thought he heard Roman saying something. "I'm going to head to the Nurse's office.....records....physical changes....."

An opportunity came to Sam's mind. This could be his chance to confront Roman about what he knows and gets some answers for himself. "But...to the Nurse's office?" Sam scratched at a few of the fresh scratches on his arm in frustration. "It's...so far away though..." He didn't have to go. Instead he could sit down in his quiet little corner and vanish into his void. Looking about the room, he was once again reminded of the shirtless man that seems completely oblivious to his topless nature.

A scowl crossed Sam's face as he thought of his options. "Taking a slight walk wouldn't be too bad I guess." He slings his backpack over his shoulder as he makes to follow Roman out the door. "Better than dealing with some crazy kid whose mind apparently rotted under too much sun. Which is why I don't like going outside."

Sam meanders toward the back of the room and plops himself down on an empty seat. Being careful to not be near a fellow person, he tries to shrink back into the corner as much as possible, evading the rays of light coming in from the window. Propping his head up with an arm, he glances over to where the foreign kid was sitting, talking to his friend. "The last thing I want is getting in the middle of a social interaction," he thinks to himself. "But the only way I can tell I'm not hallucinating from lack of sleep is unfortunately confirming my suspicions with another person."

Sam sighs to himself at the thought of having to trouble himself with the thought of actually picking up a conversation with someone. With all this club activity, he came to the sad realization that he had not chosen the easiest clubs he could possibly think of. What happened to his slacking time? Everything was perfectly planned out, he would use the downtime from the clubs to sleep, thus continue fueling his late night game runs, High ranked tournaments were beginning in a few weeks and he had to stay on top of his game, but now that he has sold his soul away, he feared the worse.Even how significant it was, he had a duty to uphold his reputation with the online community, after all who else would they hand the title to.

Still deciding on how to approach the foreign kid with a few quick questions, a rustle of bodies and feminine squealing stirred him from tempting sleep spells. Darting his eyes, he noticed an unfamiliar kid quickly rise out of his chair, obviously frustrated about something. With a lightning quick pose, the random kid ripped his shirt off his torso, catching the attention of everyone in the room.

Shocked and a little confused, Sam pressed his head in his hand closing his eyes, resting his temples between his thumb and middle finger. What has he gotten himself into now? "First nosey intruders, and now this! Crazy Exhibitionists who strip on a whim." "Perhaps it was not too late to change Homerooms again?" By this point he deemed it impossible to engage in one on one conversation with the foreign kid and rose out of his seat. Placing his backpack on his desk, he fluidly opens the large compartment and pulls out a pillow, followed by a light blanket. Emptied of contents, the bag holds no more value to him as he tosses it over to the side, proceeding to clear a small section in the back corner for sanctuary.

After these crazy people go away, he decided he'll slip a note into the foreign kid's desk and hopefully catch his attention sometime tomorrow. Unable to fight off the urge to sleep, he plops his pillow down on the ground and disappears from the world.

Sam floated down the emptying hallway, a slight scowl plastered across his face. Classes were over, by this time he should be well on his way home, back to his cave where it's just him and the comfortable virtual world he resides. New regulations force him to attend TWO, yes not one, TWO clubs! Sam had tried to sneak away but increased hall security swept him up faster than thought possible and ushered him on his way.

Turning the hall corner, he arrived at his destination. He glances up at the small square next to the door that boasts the room number of his impending doom, as if taunting him to social interactions. Below it, a simple crooked sign leaning oddly to the left, simply claiming "Art Club". Sam felt this club should be safe enough. He envisioned snotty, high nosed artists that are so absorbed into their work they would not care to notice a simple person like himself. If he could claim a spot in the back corner he could disappear for an hour or so so he could leave on his way home. After all there were unattended games that demanded his attention.

Giving a defeated sigh, he straightens the club sign to a more even position and rests his right hand on the doorknob. "Alright, move in quietly and discreetly, with any luck they will not notice you," he mentions to himself. With a slow turn, the handle gives way without alarm and pushes the door open.

Name: Sam Johnson
Age: 16
Race: White
Gender: Male
Hair color: Brown
Eye Color: Green
Hieght: 5' 10"
Weight/build: 150

Favorite things: MMORPG's, sleeping, the dark, Pringles, Vanilla Coke, isolation, Anime
Hated things: people, messy food, loud noise, the sun, attention, anything energetic,

Personality: A complete shut-in. Dislikes going outside, much less dealing with anything resembling a person. Considers video games the only thing that seems to understand him. Extremely hard to influence or get to do anything, but once his mind is on a task it is near impossible to get him to stop, especially with anything game or problem solving. Views things in black and white and lives a gray lifestyle, and would much prefer to keep it that way. Despite his lack of motivation, he boasts an above average intelligence that he uses to set himself apart from the average joe.

Background/ general personal history: A local family of the area going back for generations. Never seen much of anything outside the city. No siblings and busy parents left him to fend for himself on most nights when he was old enough, thus developing an internal personality, and never got along with any usual kids his age. Learning to fade into the background, he avoids people with the least amount of interation.


At least two NPC you share close bonds with: 

Evan: Another Sophomore he has known since Kindergarten. Since such a young age he has followed Sam and considers him his lifelong rival, trying to best him at every turn, no matter the subject. Though he has no luck of beating Sam at usually any topic, he is still persistent to try. Considered more of the jock class of high school, though not good at sports, he still hangs out with the cool kids but isn't too high and mighty to say hello to just about anyone, highly sociable. A little dim-witted, but charmy.

Alex: A girl from the same class that is possibly even quieter than Sam. With confusing feelings towards him, she is constantly caught glancing towards him or generally seen in the same area. A constant annoyance for Sam that he can't seem to shake off, no matter how much he tries to avoid her. When he is around she usually shuts herself up and quits any activity she was working on as she tries not to make eye contact.

Attended Clubs: Art Club, Gardening Club.

Hello all, I go by Mumble.

I was dragged in by my good friend and will now haunt these pages with developing story writing and shenanigans.

I am but a simple artist going to school for my BFA in Animation. I love video games, comic books, and reading in general. I am always eager to strike up a conversation regarding Elder Scrolls and am currently wrapped around Guild Wars 2 at the moment.

I hope to write some good stuff here in the forums and look forward to meeting you all down the road!

Till next time,
MD  :o