[LH] Our New Home?

[Mysticsage]

Xen smiled slightly as he saw the message pop up. then responding to Kuwan's question, "I checked the friend status menu as soon as I logged on, but they are mostly based abroad and have to transfer their characters to this server. Since the game lists friends on a different server as offline I can only hope they are safe. One of my friends is listed as 'Away' though. If she was actually logged on and not just AFK then she has to be around here somewhere. Or, out living it up she is rarely fazed by things that would cause normal people to freak."

He clicked the accept button quickly before someone could stop him. At least he wouldn't be bored for the time being. They could use another damage dealer though if they were going to party for the time being. Then, he saw Lars swooping round a corner. he might just fit the bill. Quickly he began waving "Hey Lars, Over here!" he waved. "Hey do you guys mind letting him join? I owe him because he helped me down from the ruins where I spawned in. I kind of owe him for the help." It was a bald faced lie though it might make things fun.

Quickly he sent everyone follow up friend requests before closing his menus. "So Kuwan, what were you thinking of doing? There is no telling what we might find out in the wilderness. Though gathering information here might be difficult till things calm down a bit. "

[Linwelin]

"Is it...even possible to be 'AFK' in this environment. I mean, there's no separation from the avatar anymore. How can you be away?" This was somewhat rhetorical, as Kuwan was simply voicing his confusion. He shook himself of that train of thought, "In any case, none of your friends are available, and most aren't even on this server. Considering the fairy gates are down, that means we may not be able to meet them. so we'll delay that idea of meeting up with them for now." He pondered a moment how to best get more information about what had happened, and why they were here.

That reverie was broken by the friend notification he received from Xen, which he calmly accepted. Right as he was about to recommend what they do next, Xen pointed out a passing cat folk, one that seemed oddly familiar. Doing so made it apparent that most of that random crowd that'd been following him had dispersed, though a couple stragglers remained. Is it strange I'm relieved? Kuwan thought to himself.

"Ah, sure, if he accepts, he's welcome to join in." Following this statement, Kuwan quickly sent an invite to the familiar stranger. He took this opportunity to look at the classes the group composition. A druid, a guardian, an assassin, a summoner and a swashbuckler. Amazingly there wasn't even a single repeat class. Kuwan whistled in appreciation, though some of the group was probably a bit confused with why he did so.

"As for what I plan to do...I'd say it's best to figure out how combat works before actually fighting. As level 1's, we're likely to die if we're not careful, and we still don't know what death entails here. My thoughts, thanks to Rico's suggestion, is that we head to the ruins between the city center and the market we're in right now, and test out our abilities. If worst comes to worst, we can test on each other, and I can heal." It suddenly dawned on him that he was the only healer of their members, which made him sigh slightly. This is going to be a bit of work...

Suddenly, Kuwan's stomach growled, leading to a rather embarrassed look as he scanned his new friends' faces. "Looks like I DO need to eat..." The fox tail said, sheepishly laughing. He popped up and scrolled through his short inventory until he came to the bread he'd gotten early on when he'd first tested the game out. Selecting it, a loaf of bread suddenly popped into his hands, to his surprise, and he was sure everyone else's.

"Well that was...interesting. May as well see how it is." Kuwan stated, leaning in to take a bite. That 'bite' was one of the more disappointing experiences he'd had since entering this world. "Ugh...it tastes like...soggy crackers...bleh." He stuck out his tongue after swallowing. "Well, it's bland, but it does the trick. Can't explore on an empty stomach." He told himself this more than the rest, motivating himself to eat the whole loaf and be sated.

Halfway through the 'meal', Kuwan turned toward the ruins he'd mentioned. "Well, shall we?"

[Mumble Dragon]

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.

[Kirhart]

Rico heard someone say "Yo", and he turned around to meet the voice.

"Welcome Lars. Good to have you." Rico said, secretly doing an inspect on Lars' gear and stats.

The party was hastily assembled however there was a very good balance for classes, abilities, and races.

Rico nodded at Kuwan, motioning that we should continue.

As they all reached the edge of the ruins Rico scanned the area, searching for threats or possible targets for practice. He pulled his dagger from its sheath, he found it to be unbalanced and slightly dull. The tip however was pointy and it was something he could use if he were in the real world to take someones life. He suddenly had a nervous tingle up his spine, would he retain his real life strength and skill or would the game world hold him back?

The time for doubts was over, now was the moment for action. Rico was ready, he flipped his dagger downward and pressed it against his forearm, concealing it from anyone except those directly behind him. When it was time for him to strike he would live up to his class, he picked assassin for a reason, it was familiar.

He began to get into the zone, taking a stance which could easily allow him to strike or defend. His countenance was serious, eyes slightly squinted as he scanned.

"Ready or not, here we come." He said under his breath. It was a phrase often used by his father. No matter how much you dislike someone you can still absorb habits if you are around them enough.

[Throndir]

Aria Blanchette
as Sir Hemsworth

As the conversation went on, Aria had to admit that she was completely lost in whatever in the world they were talking about. As the saying goes, "it's all Greek to me", and to Aria she didn't understand half the things her companions had been saying. She knew she had to learn quickly, if only to keep up with the people around her. This was her first time playing any serious video game, and she couldn't help but feel lacking in that department.

Words like A. F. K.? What does that stand for? What are fairy gates? Abilities? Healing? They mean with bandages right? Weren't all these people American? This is the North American server. Did everyone who play this game talked like them, or was it an American thing?

She continued listening, but couldn't bring herself to ask any questions. The conversation was at a whole different level. However, everything was confirmed a moment later when a voice behind them spoke a single word: "yo".

Yup, must be an American thing.

It didn't do her any good that she was tired and exhausted either. By her estimate it was already midnight or even past midnight. At least where she lived in the UK. All the recent events and being trapped in this game world kept her adrenaline high, and it was easy to ignore the pangs of hunger and weariness that was slowly becoming more and more pronounced as she started to daze off from the conversation her party members were having.

Then Kuwan pulled out a load of bread. The fox-person had said something then, though Aria was far too fatigued to pay attention. She only watched as that fox person took a bite after bite from the bread. Each of Kuwan's bite chomped down on the morsel as Aria slowly and unintentionally smacked her lips together. Aria had been staring intently, and as the loaf of bread became smaller and smaller, it felt as if each bite had been a mocking blow.

Moments later, there was a loud rumbling, deep and foreboding. It was a sound that could have only come from one place:

Thor's stomach.

[Linwelin]

Kuwan patted his stomach upon arriving. It may not have tasted good, but the bread certainly hit the spot. The destination they'd arrive at? Some ruins off the beaten path between the city center and the markets. Considering there were "For Sale" signs throughout the area, he assumed it was simply unowned land, perfect for testing abilities. Nodding to himself in approval, he turned back to the group. Rico seemed prepared to try something, which meant that this location would work. But as he scanned the group, he picked out one thing. Their faces displayed upset expressions. He wondered why, until his eyes rested on Hemmingsworth's person.

Is that...drool...? Oh. Oh geez. Don't tell me...

"None of you have eaten since you got here...?" The growls from a few of them, loudest being Hemmingsworth, confirmed that. "Why didn't you say anything!? Well, I don't have much to share...who else did some of the starter quests, or otherwise have food to share, before we became like this? While the hungry eat, those that aren't can test some skills." With that, Kuwan scrolls through his inventory and takes out another loaf of bread, breaking it in half and handing one half to the obviously-most-hungry, Sir Hemmingsworth. "Remember it tastes...well, it doesn't have a taste. But it'll get rid of hunger. Anyone else want the other half?"

[Mysticsage]

Xen was oblivious until he heard Hemmingsworth?s stomach growling. He was used to staying up all night playing games eating mostly nothing and drinking water. Since he had just started up the game right before he had logged on he made sure to have a rather large meal. If he had to take a long enough break to eat, or if he dared eat while at the keyboard Lorelei would have crucified him for it. They had all built their computers from scratch at her instruction if they did anything to break them.

He visibly shuttered at the thought.

?I?ll be fine for a while. Though if we due need to eat for the time being I remember my friends telling me about the instant food crafting menu that anyone can use regardless of class. If you go to the crafting menu and have some basic ingredients there should be a basic list. Though I cannot guarantee the taste. He shrugged as he kept looking down into the entrance of the ruins.

?You sure you want to do this guys? From what I remember about battle in this game from what I watched battle works with a semi turn based system that uses skill cooldowns. While not all that uncommon for MMO?s we don?t know how monsters will react now that we are in the game. Plus, from the quick glance through the systems menus it looks like we might have to have our systems menu open the entire time and click on the skill we want to use for it to activate.?

Though to be totally honest with himself when he saw that singular summon that his friends had gifted him for joining it took all his will power not to press the button there and then.

?So how do we want to go about this??

[Kirhart]

Xen: "So how do we want to go about this?"


"I would prefer to eat some meat, can we kill an animal then eat that?" Rico asked.

"If there are some nearby they may be a good trial for our combat abilities."

Rico knew there was no way to avoid coming across a combat situation and it would be better if they encountered it on their own terms. If they initiate the combat it is much more likely they would be able to strike first.

Better to not fall upon a random encounter unprepared.

"We can't put it off.. We should just get it over with." Rico quipped.

[Linwelin]

Even Kuwan almost drools at the mention of meat. "Ohh now THAT would be good. At this point even a critter-level creature would do for something." But then he quickly snapped out of his meat-induced trance. "But if we run across a beast, we'll have to fight. And mobs in this game never seemed to travel solo from what I saw. I just really hope whatever's nearby isn't too high a level for us. Either way, for now, let's get some ingredients if possible."

Kuwan begins to wander down toward the cavernous entrance to the ruins, "These ruins are fairly grassy, so we may be able to find some rabbits, or even boar. Let's just hope there are no smiles or the like here JUST yet." The fox laughed nervously, then peered through the cavern opening into the ruins. He honestly hadn't expected there to be a zone within the city limits. The fact that there was unnerved him a little bit, as cities were supposed to be safe areas. He takes his crude, beginner staff from where it's fastened behind him, then turns to face everyone.

"Someone else is going to have to lead, I have no offensive power yet nor defense, as a healer. As there's no longer an action bar, I guess I'll have to keep my skill menu open so I can immediately cast whenever you're in trouble. I'll make sure you don't die!" He says confidently.

Why did I have to pick a group-dependent class? He thought to himself, sighing internally, disappointed he couldn't move as he pleased as he was.

[Throndir]

Aria Blanchette
as Sir Hemsworth

When the fox person had offered the food, Aria's hunger seemed to increase tenfold. She looked casually at the other people, but they didn't seem so interested, at least from how they were acting. Sir Hemsworth bit his lip, a strangely uncharacteristic gesture from such a large 'man'. The others had been talking about fighting things, and this was supposed to be a game after all, but she couldn't quite focus on that, too focused was she on her hunger and the loaf that Kuwan had with him.

"Before we do anything Kuwan. That bread."

Her eyes were pleading, and it was easy to tell what she wanted.

[Mysticsage]

Xen threw her a piece of bread from his own inventory. Looking at the size of the Guardian she would most likely be eating four times everyone else to keep up with her size. Walking over to Hemmingsworth he grabbed her hand gently, "Here let me help you. Starter players start with five rations when they join in the game I'll show you how to access your inventory." Even though her status screen was invisble to everyone but her he used his own inventory as a reference to guide her through the process. He first showed her her basic inventory and food systems menus. Then he quickly showed her the status symbol overlays, and how to equip and unequip her gear.

The last part had required a little more fast learning on his part, but they eventually both got there. The final thing he showed her was her skills menu if they were going to fight monsters she would have to know those basics. He could not tell her when to use them however he was going to be winging fights on his own.

With the quick lesson done he smiled, "I'm sure it's alot to learn if you have not played online before but we have your back so just try your best and it will work out. If you forget something after this just ask me and I'll make sure to write it down for you next time." he began walking back to the ledge by the cave then turned. "Oh and if you end up still being hungry after you eat just say something. I don't eat much in general so I always have spares. If you end up getting hungry and losing focus in battle there is no telling what could happen. We support you and you keep the monsters off the weaker members. You have to keep yourself at your strongest at all times or we'll all end up dead remember that." With that he returned to looking through his own menus trying his best to memorize the layout.

[Linwelin]

Kuwan watched as Xen led Hemmingsworth through the ropes, leading him to realize something astonishing. "Wait...Hemmingsworth...you've never played an MMO at all?" it dawned on him slowly, but made quite an impact. It explained why they rarely offered any sort of technical opinion about the game, but why didn't they SAY they needed help understanding? Kuwan though to himself. He did his best to avoid a facepalm and a sigh as he watched the extremely built 'man' munch on the soggy-cracker bread with gusto.

"That means you barely understood what we've been saying..." This last realization left Kuwan somewhat speechless. All the game terminology that was used just went straight over Hemmingsworth's head, and they didn't ask a single question for clarification. Kuwan was slowly starting to lose hope in being able to deal with this one. A newbie is fine, but one that doesn't try to learn is...well, not easy to deal with.

This time, Kuwan DID sigh. He left the 'giant' to Xen while he began searching for some form of beast to fight. It was looking like they'd need to enter the cave to find anything.

[Mumble Dragon]

Lars chuckled a bit as he observed Xen walking Hemmingsworth through the ins and outs of the game. He subconsciously walked a short distance from the group, probably his habit of never getting too close to people he didn't know.

Turning around, he tried to keep his eyes out for anything unsuspecting he could poke. The safe zone limits of the city seemed to be quite extensive, so he wasn't sure how far they would have to walk before they saw any sort of wildlife. A sudden jerk of his ears gave him a shock as his attention was drawn toward a lonely Kuwan staring off at a cave. Stepping farther toward the entrance, he leaned over and tried to peer deeper into the cave. "Hmm....wonder if anything could be hiding in there...." he said aloud.

Grasping his sword hilt, he drew it out a few inches, testing the condition of the blade. He grimaced as he looked upon his horrible possession. Lv 1, no good stats, starting weapon. Even touching it, Lars felt uncomfortable and wanted to throw it down the deepest hole he could find. He knew he'd have to tough it out though, new blades aren't cheap, especially the nice ones, after all, one should go after the finer things in life. Refraining from touching the blade for any longer than he had to, he snapped it closed with a finger, shaking his hand slightly as if to knock loose any sort of bad luck it could bring him. Without waiting for anyone, Lars broke from his pose and began venturing into the cave.

[Throndir]

Aria Blanchette
as Sir Hemsworth

She had eaten the bead with much gusto. The first bite, had her nearly gagging, and she had almost spat it back out. But the stares of her newly found companions would have been too much so she had forced herself to swallow. Eventually the bland taste of the food started to become a bit more bearable, and she couldn't help that she was already starving.

When Xen began attempting to teach her how to use the inventory, Aria simply nodded as he guided her to the various options on the screen. She kept glancing his way however, more curious about this tattooed person called Xen. She didn't really care so much about tattoos, but she found him intriguing at least. There were guys back at home who would make slight moves or suggestions, but this was certainly the first time willingly held her hand - gently too, even though it was for simply learning a game. She may have blushed in another time, but with the events that had transpired, and the fact she was uncomfortable with the lack of food, and rest, she had so much more things to deal with.

"Thank you Xen..."

"Wait...Hemmingsworth...you've never played an MMO at all?" Kuwan asked. Aria stared back, unsure what to say. Was she caught? She didn't want to be called stupid or strange if she admitted she didn't know, nor did she want to be the outsider of the group. These people were the only ones she knew, excpt perhaps her friend who had invited her to the game, and though she had felt guilty about it, she nodded.

"N-no... It's just that... It's just that this game is a lot different than other games I played. And we're living in it now or something right? It's just confusing!" She responded hastily.

That wasn't really lying... This game is a lot different than anything I've ever done. She thought to herself, justifying her words.

[Linwelin]

"Huh...well if you're not new, you're not new. Doesn't really matter, just wanted to make sure all this wasn't going over your head." Kuwan had turned to look back from the cave entrance, "Survival counts on understanding, after all. Looks like someone's got that covered, already." He was of course referring to Xen. With a smile, Kuwan turned back around, "I'm going to follow after Lars, can leave a DPS without a healer or tank at this point!"

Kuwan rushes on ahead into the darkness, catching up to the Swashbuckler. He was truly surprised by the detail of this world, he could even feel the dank humidity of the cave, and hear the dripping of condensation along the walls. Fantasy had turned to reality, and after spending a day or so in this world he had mixed feelings about it. Realizing it was getting quite dark, Kuwan dug through his menu and used 'Magic Light', causing the end of his staff to glow like a torch. After a short while, Kuwan speaks up, "So what do you think of this situation so far, Lars? Scared, homesick...or excited?" Kuwan gave him a curious look. He had no idea what this person was like, so he figured this question was a good way to gauge that. Plus, it went along with his ow n thoughts; he could use a second opinion on it.