Is this... London? (open, Ceres)

[tehm]

tehm HP: 100% MP: 100%

+[BATTLE PERCEPTION] [BLIND] [SOBER]

As the sounds of civilization grew louder tehm began "seeing" people of the land moving carts, performing chores, and generally getting on with their lives as if this were just another day. As he continued along a man with a hoe slung casually over his shoulder: <Steve> Lvl 1 Farmer, smiled as he walked past him.

"Hello sir! How are you today?"

Looking slightly startled, the man replied, "I'm well! Good day for farming I'd say"

"A good day indeed! Listen, I've just arrived here and I'm sorry to say I have no idea where "here" is. Could you tell me what town this is?"

Looking somewhat incredulously at the bedraggled adventure the man replied "London... Are you alright sir? Beging your pardon, but you don't look like any adventurer I've ever seen before."

"This is a dangerous land good farmer. I'm sad to say I was accosted by the fiercest of beasts and the strain of the battle has left me in this most bedraggled state of appearances. I daresay I would have lost my life had I not run away. I believe you call these ferocious creatures 'rabbits'.

The farmer barked a short laugh, "Aye, fearsome beasts they are" he said mockingly.

Tehm smiled self-effacingly and continued on towards the town.


As he grew closer to what he imagined was the village common he noticed his first adventurer since entering the game: <Ceres> Lvl 1 Monk.

"Hello there! I see I'm not the only adventurer who got trapped here."

Tehm put on what he could only assume was a hapless grin given his sorry features while studying the girl in front of him.

It was a fluke that this girl was the first that he met, however, it was perhaps the best bit of luck that he could have hoped for. Although he certainly hoped that she would return his friendliness, should she choose to attack him it would likely be the fairest fight he could hope for in this land and his chances of living to run away were quite high.

Word Count: 340

Made by Sifr of GS, Synesthesia and Adoxography.

[Ceres]

"Objects of the mind can only be understood by the mind."

"Eh?"

Ceres slowly turned her head and glanced downward as if only just discovering that she was being spoken to. A long pause followed afterward. It couldn't be certain if she was trying to understand what was being said or if she were attempting to produce an answer. Instead of replying she turned her head back toward the various tools lied out in front of her, an Artisan's resource shop, gazing specifically at a canvas' direction without truly acknowledging it Nearly a minute passed before she replied. It seemed she'd actually thought before she'd spoken...

"Are we trapped?", she'd question with an honestly confused expression.

What about such a statement confused her? Were they not trapped?

More specifically...was it safe to assume that she was trapped?

Her head turned back toward the canvas again as if the thought had awakened a revelation with-in her. Yet still she found it in herself to hold her thoughts to the side for now, as she was certain she'd leave the poor man that spoke to her behind if she continued any further. Instead, then, she decided to turn her thoughts toward his appearance. Her eyes slipped back to carefully scan over his form and make what she could of his current state---both in appearance and in what the status of his character could tell her. Soon she understood that this man was the same level as her. Also an adventurer, which meant a player from the other world...Slowly his question began to make sense in the appropriate context. Yet...in her own context she still wondered...

Was she really trapped?

"...Sorry," she mumbled,"I'm saying weird things."

Her eyes became dull and focused on the reality in front of her. Her tone sounded mildly disinterested---but she didn't seem like she wouldn't hear him out. After all he had the personal confidence to speak with her regardless of the outcome. The least she could do was listen...

"Yeah...I guess I am like you, to an extent. Did you want something?"

Tags :
tehm

[/div]

MADE BY ★MEULK OF GS

[tehm]

tehm HP: 100% MP: 100%

+Battle Perception [-BLIND] [-SOBER]

"I'm so sorry miss, I didn't mean to disturb you.", said tehm with chagrin.

"...it's just that you're the first, uhm... real person I've seen here, and I have to say that this is a pretty shocking series of events that's transpired today!"

"I can't say I have any idea what's happened to us, but, unless I'm dreaming, we're in Elder Tales. Like, actually in Elder Tales. That's impossible! Right?"


Tehm realized that he was rambling, and that this quiet girl was probably not one to suffer fools lightly, but he had been quietly panicking for hours as the events of the day had unfolded and to finally be able to speak with another person about it, perhaps one with more insight into what had happened, elated him.

As the girl quietly pondered his words and seconds passed he began to feel his jubilation quickly turning to embarrassment as he ran a course hand through his now shaggy hair. Tehm turned his head for a second to break the tension and thought momentarily he could faintly hear something several yards behind him.

Word Count: 182

Made by Sifr of GS, Synesthesia and Adoxography.

[ichor]

Ichor stopped skipping. He was too fascinated. He saw a strange swarm of bubbles circle and gather, growing quickly in number. They began to fuse with one another and as they did they took on a new appearance. As the colours mutated a form began to appear and he was finally able to make out certain features.
Certain unattractive features.
Maintaining distance for safety, Ichor waited for the character to materialize and read the name Tehm. A strange name, but then again a strange looking character as well. Ichor waved smiling and wondered how it might be that people would still be joining the game. Was there some strange layover from logging in to obtaining consciousness in this world. Either way the man did not wave back. Instead he seemed wildly distraught over something., waving his hands in front of his face. Disturbed Ichor began to back away quietly, remembering that he should have tracker skills to move silently even if slowly.

Tehm was finally on the move, whatever
difficulties he was dealing with having been apparently resolved.
Briefly, Ichor contemplated the possibility this man was insane before
realizing he did not care. Keeping up with Tehm was by no means difficult. The queer man seemed unsteady with something so Ichor could keep up even while moving slow enough to avoid making a sound.

Tehm, in the meantime, seemed to be coming to terms with something and Ichor recognized several gestures for interacting with the Adventurer interface. soon after the man removed his shirt and tore it up to create a bandage. It seemed so simple and yet Ichor had never thought of actually using materials normally. If this man could make a bandage then perhaps Ichor would be able to manually create that blanket he had been wanting. After all he did know a few sewing basics.

Ichor continued following Tehm but his mind was occupied with the possible ramifications of what he had seen and so he was almost surprised when the pair had reached the capital. He continued following the monk as a matter of course for the time being. Besides, Ichor still had not figured out how to break into the clock tower with all the plant growth surrounding it which was why he had been out in the first place. Although to think about it, he realized that very little of what he was doing applied to that particular problem.

The mental train came to a screeching halt when Ichor noticed another Adventurer approaching. It looked like this Ceres was about to just pass by but it seemed like Tehm took an interest. Ichor decided it was time to drop the stealth act and was approaching the two when he heard the monk speak.

"Hello there! I see I'm not the only adventurer who got trapped here."

For a time the monk spoke to the girl who seemed, herself, in a daze. Until she finally responded fully. It seemed like there was not going to be a better opportunity. Ichor strolled up to the pair.

"My, my, my. It seems there are many adventurers milling about if you can spot them. My name as you both can plainly see, is Ichor Duskwaltz."

Ichor laughed.


w/c 539

[Ceres]

"When one is on the outside looking in is it not the same as being on the inside looking out?"

She watched the body language of this man. His actions and expressions spoke much, even with the blindfold that covered his eyes. Just by watching his actions, listening to the way he spoke, and other cues of viable information...she could not only tell that he was telling the truth. It was also notable that she might have caused this situation to be more awkward than it had to be. Yet she felt no need to apologize for it...the question was an important one to consider. Yet still she'd attempt to focus on the matter at hand first before worrying about her own realizations and musings...

All these thoughts and more lead to her eventually moving to speak again, but she was interrupted.

Another man would also introduce himself to them and the willowy monk would acknowledge him with a soft glance of mild curiosity. Suddenly the boy she'd met much earlier came to mind, as did a certain werecat she'd ran into a while ago. Not too long ago she'd asked questions akin to what this fellow monk was asking her now. She was mildly certain this new appearance would also ask similar questions...yet unlike those whom heard her questions, she was not so certain she could so easily answer. Mostly because...she couldn't accept it. After a long amount of time thinking on her own...and wandering about London...she just couldn't accept what her ears had.

The words of the blind to the blind...

"Nice to meet you two, I guess.", Ceres began,"But...before that I have a question for you both..."

The tall woman turned and leaned slightly against the booth she'd been 'window shopping' for art supplies from. Naturally when she did this she took the time to look over both and check their character data for what she could learn about them. Then she went quiet again as if trying to mentally process how to word what she was about to ask...At the very least while doing this she hoped to project that she wasn't bothered by the appearance of either party. That they were welcome to speak with her---though without much indication but her actions to remain where she was...

"Isn't there a limit to how realistic things can be? If so...are we really right to call this 'Elder Tale'?", Ceres after saying this much paused at her own words.

She wasn't sure how she was coming to this conclusion---or really what she was saying anymore. Though...to be honest she could instantly tell that these words, for all they meant, really didn't affect her like it would anyone else. But she'd thought this from the start. She thought this from the second she opened her eyes in this place for the first time, to the moment here where she was speaking to these 'players'. When she thought about this...she had to wonder something that she was hesitant to completely accept. She had to wonder how correct she was and whether or not the accuracy of her assumptions was truly trustworthy. Not because of the objective nature of her thoughts...but rather how objective they were.

"...My name is Ceres. It's not my real name...but I don't think that matters anymore."

Tags :
tehm
ichor
Kumori

[/div]

MADE BY ★MEULK OF GS

[Kumori]

Kumori HP: 100% MP: 100%

"In order to live, I will continue to fight. In order to retain my humanity, I will continue to destroy those who mean to harm my friends."

Ryuunosuke’s ears perked up at the question of this real world. Was it real? To his complete knowledge: “It is as real as you and I are… every sensory organ perceives this to be our reality, so to my knowledge, it is real…if not completely, it is in our perception,” he would answer the Wolf Hair’s question. Heavy words that were backed with nothing more than his own logical reasoning in order to make sense of this reality. However understanding whether this was reality or a simply an illusion, it was no longer a matter that was important. Their focus should be on growing stronger and turning this game mentality into a life. Every step they walked was a step forward in the game of life. Ryuunosuke was cloaked and his demeanor was much like an old sage upon approach, but he was simply saying what he had gathered so far, even if he was the same level as they were. “My name is Kumori, it is nice to meet you, Ceres…” he said while walking to her, revealing his face after removing the head and offering his hand through the sleeves of his cloak.

“Level 1 Assassin… I assume most of you are in the same boat?” he said, announcing himself to them. It seemed that these would be his first friends. These were his first allies. He wondered if he could prove to be helpful to the world. He hoped he could be as good as he needed to be.

Other than Ceres, there were two males. One was a Ritual. His tattoos were a dead giveaway. From the on-screen information, it seemed that his name was Tehm and his class was monk. The other man was Ichor. His initial thought was that he was human, but as an assassin, he could never be too sure since humans and half-alvs looked too similar. In this case, he’d place him in the human category, until he was given more information about him. The on-screen information told him that he was a Sorceror. Ceres was a Wolf Hair and a monk. To his knowledge, it seemed that they were in the same boat as he. Lost, alone, unsure. “To call it Elder Tales would be inappropriate… instead, let us not call this universe Elder Tale… instead let us interact as if this is our life… that each city, each person, and each life is real. Idle hands will only make things worse… let us move forward.”

He said with a smile. Kumori would offer his hand to Tehm and Ichor after shaking Ceres’ and then he would drop it back to his side. “May we get along harmoniously,” he said with a bow, right hand over his heart.

OOC NOTES: 458 words

Made by Sifr of GS, Synesthesia and Adoxography.

[tehm]

tehm HP: 100% MP: 100%

+Battle Perception [BLIND] [SOBER]

Tehm was silently cursing himself for the turn of events which had occurred.

Although everything seemed harmless for now, this was the exact situation which he most wanted to avoid--If he had been suckered in by the defenseless looking monk there was nothing he could do to escape the situation. This assassin could likely remove most of his health in the opening strike and there was no way he could escape without getting tagged at least once by the sorcerer...

He laughed heartily.

"Well said Kumori! It's a pleasure to meet everyone.", tehm said warmly.

"At the risk of sounding presumptious, perhaps we should avoid angering this poor merchant any longer and find someplace more appropriate to conversation?"

Tehm knew that traveling with this group was dangerous, but the square was too open and his limited perception left any place more than a few yards away a blind spot. If he could just make it to an inn or a bar he'd have fewer means of escape (as if escape wasn't already out of the question), but less of a chance of an ambush by further adventurers...

Word Count: 187

Made by Sifr of GS, Synesthesia and Adoxography.

[ichor]

Two monks and an assassin. Where had the latter come from? Perhaps he was also a tracker. The sorcerer with white hair pondered the possibility that one of these three might attempt a PK. Certainly, the one called Tehm was the least likely. Having observed Tehm since he spawned the only way he could be coordinating a PK was through telepathy with someone already on his friend list from before. Ichor doubted this monk had expected so many to appear. It was, however, it was possible the woman and the assassin knew each other.

Still, there were a few things he needed to know. If any of these three knew how to craft they were needed for the moment. Listening to the assassin Kumori, Ichor decided to take the boy at his word. Nevertheless he had a goal.

"How did you get that blindfold?" Ichor asked, ignoring the assassins formal greeting.

The group paused at the sudden question.

"Well, unless we find a way out I see no point in considering whether this is just a game or real but I do need to know a few things. I don't remember the option for a blindfold in the character creation, so I'm curious. Are you a tailor? And why do you wear it anyway? Surely it impedes your sight."

The group was silent for a moment.

"I ask because I can't get my crafting menu to work. Even if you didn't make it surely someone did. I just want to know how to make things work. I never played a virtual game before so, real or not, I'm having trouble getting my bearings."


w/c: 273

[tehm]

tehm HP: 100% MP: 100%

+Battle Perception [BLIND] [SOBER]

"Crafting? I didn't... well?... hrm."

Tehm fell silent for a few seconds. He had not yet considered the implications of how crafting would function now, but upon reflection it was a question tied closely to the one that had been consuming him for the last few hours; what does "combat" mean now?

It seems a simple question, but in reality the idea of combat within Elder Tales, at least the way it had been before, bore little resemblance to actual combat.

Were tehm to spar with Ceres now, using Elder Tales systems, they would stand circling each other, throwing out one punch or kick per second with Ceres likely using a slightly more damaging attack skill every 10 seconds, or whatever the cooldown on that skill happened to be.

This kind of combat was not scary to tehm--it was laughable. Were Ceres to try attacking him in this manner he could easily evade every predicable attack and counter with impunity.

This is what scared tehm. The fact that he didn't have to use the combat system to fight means that they didn't either; that made this land just as dangerous as walking through a medieval, lawless Europe populated by armed super-humans.



Tehm cocked his head up as if looking at the sky or listening for something that no one else could hear.

"That wasn't crafting Ichor, this character's a Brewer. I tore my shirt up so I could make this blindfold because I was in a panic. As you guys have surely noticed these aren't our bodies, they're not our voices, they're not our eyes.", tehm paused for a second.

"That's probably a good thing. If any of you needed glasses in the real world, you wouldn't need to try to find the right prescription here. The reason I needed the blindfold is because while the theory seems sound, it's not working."

"My eyes are surely doing something, when the sun came up I thought my skull was going to cave in from the pain, they're just not... working", tehm waved a hand in front of his face to illustrate that he could see no less with the blindfold on than off.

Word Count: 361

Made by Sifr of GS, Synesthesia and Adoxography.

[Ceres]

"There is safety in numbers, but only if those numbers are equally safe."

"I'm sure the merchant doesn't mind the attention. Besides...I was here shopping until you all appeared.", Ceres replied.

The willowy monk wasted no time in denying the offer. Out of nowhere three men appeared to speak with her as a group. A monk, sorcerer, and assassin...easily a perfect team to perform a coordinated PK. One that might or might not have an advantage over her if true. Though at the very least in the forefront of her mind she understood it was only possible for the three of them to have a main-class skill each. The rest would be a crafting skill, and the final would be their role class skill. Considering the nature of all the skills she'd seen while choosing them during character creation...she welcomed the assumption that each only had one truly offensive skill. The rest would have to be done outside of the system. But then...with this logic came another question. She already knew that food had to be cooked in a manner outside of the system...and she realized the easy potential of how it may affect other things entirely...Could one produce a skill outside of the system as well?

What else could be done outside of the system? Did the system have any hold on anything anymore?

"Once I've completed my shopping I'll consider going where ever you suggest. But it won't be outside of the city and it won't be inside of a building. Those are my conditions."

After speaking, her mind produced a clear plan of what she intended to do if anything strange happened between her and these three men. She was aware of the 'security' system the towns in Elder Tale had were still very present in this 'iteration' of its existence. All she'd have to do is use an AoE attack on all three the second she realized her situation as being dangerous and most likely the city sentinels would spawn and one-shot them all. After that they'd all die. Ideally, however she would telegraph it to make sure all whom would be a threat would see her do it. She'd likely die first due to being stuck in the animation until the attack completes. Depending on their reaction she'd have a miniscule head start after being revived. But if luck was on her side they'd likely not be killed as fast as she would be...and thus she'd be able to ditch them outright.

'This is of course assuming there's anything odd going on. I do somewhat doubt I'm about to be attacked. These three don't entirely seem as if they know each other...'

After speaking she turned toward the assassin,"At any rate...I do agree with what you've said. This world is not Elder Tale and we may very well be intruders in this world, or worse...the world we knew may no longer be."

She moved her hand outward to shake the assassin's. At level one it was unlikely that he had any means to paralyze her without using a skill. Even if he did, he'd have to risk doing it here out in the open---which would either warn her in advance whom all was present against her, if there even was such an enemy, or not. In the amount of time she spent shaking his hand she remembered Quinn with the thoughts of how he reacted so harshly to seeing a strange he didn't know approach him without warning. It was now none too hard to understand his reaction. However...unlike him she would not be hasty in her reactions. She'd allow them the benefit of the doubt, only just enough so that she could expose them for their intentions if they truly had any. Had they none...she'd likely either see them hang around unphased by her suggestion or leave outright due to distrust.

Because she already had a group of people she mildly trusted...this would be no large loss on her part.

When she took her hand back she listened casually to the boys talk while looking over the various paint brushes and paint she could buy. They were all rather expensive for her at the moment...she was certain it was all chomp change considering how level 0 crafting works in most games...but at the moment she felt overwhelmed.  She needed something that matched the exact amount of gold she had on her for that particular moment. She'd been using the bank...so she wouldn't be straight up poor after purchase---but she had to make sure that if there was an enemy they wouldn't win even if they got her.

The thought actually made her smile awkwardly.

"I'll be sure to figure out how to make you ice cream by hand, Quinn.", she mumbled to herself.

Tags :
tehm
ichor
Kumori

MADE BY ★MEULK OF GS

[ichor]

I have no intention of trying to PK. So your 'conditions' are unnecessary.

The statement was leveled at the woman monk. Perhaps Ichor had just considered the possibility the others might but being suspected for intent to PK irked the young sorcerer. His tone remained icy.

I would, however,  like to know what the aversion is with buildings. I suppose there is a player combat restriction in cities then? Don't speak, I think you've already answered. Meantime, Tehm I'd like to offer you a friend request. It's always good to know someone and I think you could be trusted as long as you trust me. I am a tailor by the way, so once I figure out how to craft properly in this game, world or whatever, I'd love it if you came to me for your clothing needs. Meantime I'm working on setting up shop here in the city. Perhaps I'll see you all again. If you need me I imagine you'll find me near one of the bridges. That goes for you too, Assassin Kumori. Bring tea.

The last was added as an afterthought. Ichor had spent too much time on this already. He needed to find someplace secluded to try his hand at stitching in this world. He stalked away whistling, arm raised in a parting gesture. He did not bother wondering if the monk was aware of the implications of a backhanded peace sign, although he was tempted to worry about leaving a bad impression with the Assassin. He shrugged and added Tehm to his friend list and hoped that he would hear from the blind one soon.


w/c 272

[Kumori]

Kumori HP: 100% MP: 100%

"In order to live, I will continue to fight. In order to retain my humanity, I will continue to destroy those who mean to harm my friends."

It was rather true, what Ceres mentioned. The merchants wouldn’t mind so long as they were not keeping customers away from them. “The merchants won’t mind our loitering unless we’re taking away his business… I feel, in order for us to remain safe, we should remain in a public setting… Since we all just met, it is difficult to say what can be done and who would be luring who. I don’t meant to be so mistrusting, but with the circumstances, it is difficult to do so without thinking of the consequences. Hopefully through this interaction, we can decide whether we are trustworthy enough to be friends,” suggested Kumori. While he had no problem defending himself, he felt the need to ensure the safety of a woman. Three men speaking to a single woman would be intimidating, even if the three did not know each other. In terms of caution, Ryuunosuke thought the same. It was necessary to be cautious, for it was impossible to know who or what was capable of deceit.

Because Ryuunosuke was an Assassin, it was typical for him to be the center of the need for caution. A class whose skills were based on hiding and subtlety along with boasting the highest attack damage for weapon specialist classes, it was only natural to be distrusting of him. This was town, however, so doing anything of the sort would only lead to the guards coming to stop the fighting within town. His suggestion to stay in a public setting should remove any doubt of his reason here. He was looking for friends, for allies. For a world with people who could snap you in half with a single move, it was only natural to look for people to befriend and help. “Before we go anywhere, I have to ask… have any of you played this game before?” he said, trying to determine their experience. While Ryuunosuke had played to completion before making another character, there were still some things he did not know about Elder Tales. He was still a neophyte compared to many of his other comrades he had once played with.

It was true that all of crafting was different. It seemed that selecting things from the menu no longer gave good results. It was necessary to do manual crafting. With the differences of crafting, it seemed that crafting was now limitless. It was only limited by the materials that could be collected by the players, but aside from that, it was possible to open up paths to new forms of technology, technology they were not able to make in the game. Technology that was only available while they were in the real world. He kept this information to himself, however he knew that soon, it would be wise to tell others of his discovery. The more people knew, the more they could do.

Ichor had decided to answer him in terms of the PKing or at least addressing his caution. He shrugged and allowed him to do what he thought was right. Kumori used a waving gesture, moving his hand from his pelvis, outwards to his hip, to signal that he was free to go and that Kumori would not stop him. “People will do what they will… however, I think you should know that it is not simply the act of opening a shop that will allow you to make a living. Being able to travel into the danger zones to fight and train are important. It is something to keep in mind before you decide to burn any other bridges…” he said to him as he left. Kumori shook his head and watched Ceres look at paint brushes.

“Are you an artisan?” he asked. They were all a bit pricey, but from the looks of it, they weren’t things that a regular person would purchase. “You don’t have to answer if you don’t wish to… I was just curious,”

OOC NOTES: 658 words

Made by Sifr of GS, Synesthesia and Adoxography.

[tehm]

tehm HP: 100% MP: 100%

+Battle Perception -[BLIND] -[SOBER]

As Ichor walked off, hand raised in what Tehm thought was probably a peace sign, tehm pondered the import of his words. Although the sorcerer could presumably double-back, he could see no reason for it, if this were to be a mugging there was no reason for him to leave as he had.

If the man was truely a stranger to Ceres, as it seemed that he was, then his words lent cover to the monk's strange request. Tehm knew that when this was a mere game there was a guard system which protected players from PK in towns, but then, this was no longer a game was it?

Is it common knowledge to the people who've been here longer that the guard system still functions, or are they just making assumptions based on the game as it was before? Then again, if they are just making assumptions on the way the game worked previously, why the aversion to a building which had the attack flag off? Do flags merely prevent the use of the combat system but not violence itself?


Sighing quietly, tehm decided that this was the most likely explanation and accepted the friend request proffered by the sorcerer.

"I apologize for causing your mistrust. I played the game years ago and know about the guard system, however I had no way of knowing if it was still in effect given... all this", tehm replied with a half-hearted wave of his hand.

"You had fair cause to wonder why I wanted to move the discussion inside, but it was hardly so that I could mug you. Unlike the guard system, I could have tested the "no attack" flag as soon as we entered by simply bumping into someone. Had it functioned then I would have known we were safe, and if it hadn't? Well... at least I'd have been able to account for everyone around us."

"I'm not sure why, but apparently being a pathfinder gives me something of a 6th sense for what's going on around us.", As he spoke tehm slowly moved his hand out index finger extended and thumb up as if a child weilding an imaginary gun and pretended to "shoot" Kumori, Ceres, and then reached over his shoulder to "fire" at the merchant standing behind him. "Unfortunately, that doesn't extend very far, so for all I knew you could have had 50 friends standing just over there." tehm said nodding in the direction of the main road.

Tehm turned to Ceres.

"I'm sorry for mistrusting you miss, it's just when I said 'Hi' to you and suddenly an assassin and a sorcerer swooped in I thought ya might have been... well... bait."

Tehm's cheeks grew hot as he turned his head to the side; listening to the bustle of the village square.

Word Count: 469

Made by Sifr of GS, Synesthesia and Adoxography.

[Ceres]

"Lasting friendships are made through trust, yet the execution of trust is not as simple as it may seem."

Ceres visibly relaxed and moved casually to take hold of a small set of art supplies. Mere low quality level 1 items that likely would not lead to a well fetched price. It was obvious that she intended to work on her craft now if it weren't previously. So she felt no need to hesitate with her answer. A casual smile crossed her lips and she stood straight before turning to the two men. It seemed her wager was successful...If that Ichor man was a threat or not he was gone. Meanwhile the other two showed no signs of particularly minding her request--however unusual it may have seemed. At this point she could truly say she was safe for the moment---at least until what she was implying by making the suggestion in the first place wasn't completely understood and accepted.

"I don't think you should be apologizing. After all I also distrusted you---and we all had good reason to have our suspicions. If anything this merely proves that the group I'm with right now are neither made of idiots or unfounded idealists...In which case I can find myself able to relax at least a little.", she replied.

After speaking she paid for her items and put them away in a starter quest bag she'd just recently obtained.

"Kumori, is it? Do you know of any particularly decent places to talk? My conditions still stand, but for an entirely different reason...", after asking her question she paused and nodded once.

"Yes, I am an Artisan."

Tags :
tehm
Kumori

[/div]

MADE BY ★MEULK OF GS

[Kumori]

Kumori HP: 100% MP: 100%

"In order to live, I will continue to fight. In order to retain my humanity, I will continue to destroy those who mean to harm my friends."

It seemed that trust was an issue, amongst many others. It did not matter how powerful you were. A single miscalculation and a single moment of which your guard is down, someone else could strike you down. While the real world was similar to this, this new world was much more dangerous. With everyone able to destroy you, it was only natural for everyone to feel insecure.

“It is only natural…” he said as he replied to Tehm’s apologies, “that all are cautious about what happens. Not everyone has a kind nature, and we should not assume that others will be the same as us… it is best, instead, to think that every and all people are enemies unless they prove otherwise,” he said, offering a simple strategy for the future. However, maybe it wasn’t something new, it was a good thing to be reminded of.

“As for a place to speak to each other in private… near the river, under London Bridge. There usually isn’t too many people there. We can speak there without too many peering eyes and we’ll see anyone who attempts to snoop on us. Obviously, I wouldn’t be able to tell you if there were other assassins, since I’m only level 1. I doubt, however, that higher level players would care about us, at least not yet…”

He pointed towards the direction that would take them towards the river of London Bridge. From what he remembered of the river that flowed below it, it was large and difficult to cross without the bridge, however if the bridge was still intact, and the water was there, their words would be drowned out by the rushing water of the river. It was a tactical and probably the safest place they could be without leaving the grounds of the town.

OOC NOTES: 302 words

Made by Sifr of GS, Synesthesia and Adoxography.

[tehm]

tehm HP: 100% MP: 100%

+Battle Perception -[BLIND] -[SOBER]

Tehm listened to the words of the assassin and smiled inwardly. Tehm hadn't thought of it before, but something the assassin said made him consider the possibility that stealth would have no effect on him. When Elder Tales was still a game Pathfinder had been the natural counter to the Tracker subclass and as he had no eyes to be fooled, the idea that invisibility would affect him seemed remote. Still, it was worth testing...

"I think that sounds like a splendid location Kumori."

Tehm started walking slowly in the direction which Kumori had pointed. As he passed the assassin, he stopped for a moment and spoke quietly...

"Say, you seem to be a tracker, do you think you could 'stealth' for me for a couple of seconds? I'm curious about something."

It was a risk. It was likely that Kumori could work out the reason for such an odd request and if the assassin intended to jump him on the way to the bridge the knowledge that he might ignore stealth would be a valuable piece of information to him. It was also possible that he could pretend to activate the skill and attempt to fool tehm into believing he could detect players in stealth when it may not be true. Tehm discarded the thought.

(Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.)

Now that the sorcerer had left it seemed increasingly unlikely that this was an ambush; it was too poorly scripted. These didn't seem the practiced lines of players looking to deceive a new adventurer, they seemed the honest feelings of people reacting to the same bizarre and dangerous turn of events that he had experienced.

Word Count: 280

Made by Sifr of GS, Synesthesia and Adoxography.

[Aeon]

Aeon had burned through hard he had, had himself a many encounters after his first slime battle which he fell into, he had headed back out after he got his head in game and had burned 12 hours or so at least into levelling himself up nonstop, working as hard as he could to build up his power.

He had, had to stop at the occasional village for a strategic resupply. With his occasional breaks he had been able to keep himself going, he was rather glad he wasn’t like his real world self as he would have most likely died from this much activity in his real form. It wasn’t because he was fat, because he was actually very close to being underweight in real life, and struggled with ankle injuries and was terrible at most sports.

Still with slime on his boots from the slimes he had crushed under foot, Aeon had come back to London for a break for next daybreak, he planned to push ahead of the other players who seemed to be off foot slightly panicked not knowing what would come next, he didn’t want to be on the killing fields looking for sparse prey.

Aeon had made himself a Cowled Cape, sitting on a wall he found himself observing people, it was always good to observe anyone or anything you saw, as the more you know about the easier it is to defeat that prey, you watch them observe there movements and find their weaknesses then you target those weaknesses and split them asunder. Aeon wasn’t the sort to trust people, and most likely didn't look that friendly with his face shadowed by his hood.


Word Count: 281

[Ceres]

"To understand the secrets of the world one need only tune in to its constant whispers."

The willowy monk silently followed after the two, giving her own kind of quiet consent to the river being their meeting place. She thought it was the perfect place, as well...though her reasons were more so that she could attempt to connect with this new world she'd found herself with-in. After all, she had decided if this were to be the world she was to live in now...she'd have to become acquainted and accustomed to its existence just as she had the world before. 

So with her art supplies in mind she decided to take in the visual aspects of her surroundings. She'd make note of the people present, the things they did, and feel all the life that surrounded her just as she might on a morning walk in the world beyond. She'd listen to the musical chatter of many voices mingling. She'd view the various colors that passed by as rivers of individual. Then she'd relate them to the world devouring canvas that already was colored by a history that she'd only recently been exposed in the most small of amounts. As she did these things she emptied out her heart of the old world and allowed the new to wash in. Though it was true her heart was not quite ready to let go of those things...she'd do so anyway if only just so that she could ascertain that her mind was prepared to do what it would soon attempt.

"...Ah. This river.", she'd murmur.

Her memories betrayed her. She'd forgotten this world carried ghosts of the previous world. When she'd seen the bridge she recognized it instantly despite it's unsightly state. Then again...when she opened her heart again she saw it's beauty resurrected.  The metal. The vegetation that clung. The abandoned machines of the past that remained.  As the gigantic rock and steel clad 'giant's walkway' distance became shorter, and yet stretched even further into the distance, she felt the impulse she was expecting to feel. The desire she was hoping to feel and all the emotions that would quickly follow as she would consider acting on this impulse.  Though she had no means to feel the art items in her bag, they resonated strongly in her mind and introduced the illusion of weight. 

They wanted out.

They wanted to be used.

The canvas she'd purchased long before knew the secret image that was to be uncovered by the repeated splash of color...

"What is the name of this world if it is not Elder Tale?", she questioned her companions. 

There was no special philosophical answer to her question. 

Every world had a name---and that name deserved to be both known and used.

Tags :
tehm
Kumori

[/div]

MADE BY ★MEULK OF GS

[Kumori]

Kumori HP: 100% MP: 100%

"In order to live, I will continue to fight. In order to retain my humanity, I will continue to destroy those who mean to harm my friends."

“By stealth, do you mean to conceal myself completely? I am unable to do that at the moment… but maybe eventually,” he explained. It seemed that Hide was a more advanced skill that he would get to take later. Judging from his question, however, he could only think that his subclass was a pathfinder. It seemed that he did not know the limitations or the abilities of his skill. As a former player, he remembered that Pathfinder was only useful for knowing that someone was present. What his purpose for it or how he wanted to test it, he was unsure of, but he knew the basic workings of the skill.

Kumori was pleased that the two had no problems going to the river. He was unsure of what they wanted to do, but it seemed the perfect place to be away from prying ears. The river flowed generously through, to their side, and vision was not obscured by too much. His eyes began to move around, looking at every hiding place he would have hidden in order to get information as well as to watch, if he were attempting to spy on a group that was here. His eyes met with a mage’s cowl. His eyes did not linger for more than a second, averting his eyes so that it did not seem like he knew of his presence. He was close enough to watch them, however he was not close enough to hear them; the river ensured that. The person was quite obvious. He did not attempt to make it look like he was doing something other than watching them. On top of the wall, he was less conspicuous than a penguin in a dessert. As he turned back to his group, he smirked.

“So what was it that you wanted to do here, Ceres?” Kumori asked, attempting to ascertain what type of conversation they would be having. Telling them of the stranger’s presence seemed unnecessary, as at the present moment, he did not pose a threat. If, however, this man would decide to come down upon them, a fight in town would not be tolerated, and so it was unnecessary for him to be too worried. He’d keep the occasional eye on the stranger, but he had no intention of making known his knowledge of the presence of that man.

“We should call it how it is named… the ‘Unfounded Kingdom’ as that is what the server is called, and I believe what the People of the Land call the lands…” he said, hoping it made sense. “It is the only way we can refer to this place without calling it Elder Tales.”

OOC NOTES: 446 words

Made by Sifr of GS, Synesthesia and Adoxography.

[tehm]

tehm HP: 100% MP: 100%

+Battle Perception -[BLIND] -[SOBER]

As the adventurers made their way past the square, the paved walkway narrowed with walled buildings constraining the number of directions in which tehm had to remain wary. In response to Kumori's question tehm ran a hand through his shaggy hair before responding

"Perhaps I misspoke, Invisibility isn't what worries me, these eyes don't see anything to begin with and I'm pretty sure that my perception isn't linked to them. Most path finders can't see through walls--they don't affect me at all."

Tehm paused for a second, collecting his thoughts and trying to think of the best way to describe what he wanted to say to the muscular assassin.

"What I'm worried about is my ears, if you tried to sneak up on ceres right now I doubt she'd consider you much of a threat, but if I can't hear you, well..."

Tehm trailed off unsure of how to continue.

As they arrived at the river tehm leaned back against the stone archway and listened briefly to the calming sound of the water flowing by.

"Damn I wish I had my pipe." tehm cursed softly, turning his head towards the cool breeze coming off of the river.

"What I wanted to ask you about is combat. Have either of you tried it?"

Word Count: 212

Made by Sifr of GS, Synesthesia and Adoxography.