At Least It's Not Silent Hill (Casual/Closed-ish)

[Deleted]

It was the perfect time to sit back and enjoy a new game while sipping a tall glass of ice-cold cola. Perhaps that cola would taste even better with some fresh strawberries in it. And perhaps... no. Actually, anything would be better than her current predicament. After she looked around a bit at the slightly familiar place, and after she got used to the interface that initially stuck itself right in front of her face, the player named Caerbannog sat down to assess the situation.

First off, she was someone sucked into a game. Something like that could not be explained by the laws of the real world, right? Thus she did not struggle to come up with an explanation. It was simply “magic”. Being sucked into a game was not half bad. Was there any gamer out there who never wished for something so improbable to come true? And she was sucked into the world of an MMORPG, even! Though she was not used to Elder Tale yet, though it happened out of the blue, and though it was not normal at all... at the very least, it was not Silent Hill.

Secondly, and this was something that worried Caerbannog, she could not log out. There seemed to be no way to contact game support either, or rather, there was no reply. She wondered if her real body was still in the other world, if only her consciousness was spirited away into the game, if she was drooling like a lifeless vegetable on her computer table until her father found her and rushed her to the hospital. There was no way to know which is which and what is the truth, not unless she got off her ass and started asking around. But while getting off her ass could easily be done, Caerbannog was not inclined to chat with other players just yet.

The third and last thing that mattered to the player was her character design. She looked just like her own self. Normally that would not be a problem; in fact it would be easier to walk around with the same height and appearance, she wouldn’t have to get used to any differences from her real-world self. Unfortunately, it was her class that was the issue. Caerbannog had a stroke of genius and decided to start playing a game that was completely new to her as a class that she was inexperienced with. She was stuck in the body of a tank.

If she messed up, other players would remember that she’s that bad tank with that plain face. Even if she somehow managed to get out of the game, people would recognize her. She could have made a caster, one of those cat people even but nooo... she just had to try that road not taken! Caerbannog resolved to hide her face somehow, or to at least not party up until she grasped how the game’s roles worked. Now, that was a good idea, she thought. How hard can it be to avoid people in... an MMORPG.

OOC Notes: Other RPers are actually welcome BUT do consider Kyuu's personality. She might bore you.
Words: 511
Tags: @dindeen

[Deleted]

Once Caerbannog finished sulking, she looked around for familiar landmarks. It seemed that she was completely lost in her thoughts, because the player failed to realize that she was right in front of Westminster Abbey until she was done moping. That, or it was probably her uncaring nature. Though she’d been to London a few times, she did not care about what went on around her; people, events, an erupting volcano- none of those things got her attention.

Caerbannog had her own little world in her house, in her small bedroom where she was surrounded by books and videogames- most of which were read or used only once. Whenever she went outside her house, the player whose real name Kyuu would bring her little world along. Half the time she would daydream about the characters in her books or games; or she’d think of an achievement that she could unlock for that day once her working hours were over.

So- it took quite a while for Westminster Abbey’s appearance to sink in. And when it finally did, it was as if an imaginary light bulb glowed brightly in Caerbannog’s head as she let out a positive “Oh!” The player would have gone in if not for the sudden realization that since the Abbey was, well, an abbey; there would be recently revived players there. Not a good place for hiding! The black-haired one turned around before she spotted the faintest movement around the building, and then she ran off into one of the darker, lonelier streets.

- Should I really avoid people or not? – was all in her head, - If I stay away from them, I can hide my mistakes. But I can’t ask them what’s going on either! –

If only she had friends in the game, even just one of those fair-weather friends who only spoke to her when they needed something, then she would not have to be so alone. They could ditch her at the first sign of trouble, or not heal her, or click Need on all the loots, or attract unnecessary aggro; she would not mind as long as they had some answers. But, it seemed, that even fair-weather friends would be difficult to find in a game that was new to her. Caerbannog would have to go out and find the answers by herself.

The girl walked on, out of the darkness and into a slightly busier street. No familiar faces or names, she kept her face as neutral as possible as if she was a lifeless NPC; the Landers probably looked more life-like than her. She could probably keep that up for a while. Maybe an air of aloofness would keep other players away. Later on, once she was used to the game’s combat system, perhaps she could join a party out of necessity. But before that, she’d need a mask to hide her expressions; feigning a lack of emotions could not possibly be good for her mental health. Two posts in and no player interaction; so far so good!

OOC Notes: (see OOC Notes of first post)
Words: 507
Tags: @dindeen

[Stryke]

Leo wandered aimlessly through the streets of London, usually his walks in the real London weren't really interesting but in Elder Tale's it was a complete different matter.

Nature had grown over most buildings and it was interesting to see how the city would look years after an apocalyptic event. The thing that most amused him though wasn't the scenery of horror movie around him, no, it was the kind of people living in that world.

funnily enough you would see the streets filled with cat people, elves with their pointy ears and people with fox ears and tails just roaming in the city like nothing. Leo wasn't completely different from them though, he was just thankful that his wolf hair physical features only showed up during intense battles or nervous situations.

Sill, people adapted rather quickly to their new bodies, they had to, right now there was no way of leaving the game and crying too much because you now looked like a giant bipedal cat wasn't going to do any good.

Leo chuckled as he looked through the crowd for some particularly funny character models, It was obvious that some of them were created just for the purpose of creating an ugly and improbable character, too bad that the persons behind those characters were now forced to live for an undetermined amount of time in their character shoes.

Once again, Leo thanked his good star that he didn't try to create a joke character to mess around while he got used to the game, or else he would now probably look like a fat middle aged chick with a purple afro on her head.

Leo shivered from the thought and continued his walk, maybe he could start spreading this type of game he invented to pass time once things got a little less dramatic, he was sure that "Spot the joke character" would be an instant success, but then again, he was also particularly sure that those players would try to kill him if that game got popular.

In the crowd of furries, elves and ugly humans alike, there were also the ones called people of the land, which served as NPCs prior to the apocalypse. They also caught much of Leo's attention, many of them didn't even look like NPCs, it was really common to find that the person you had been conversing for an half hour in reality was one of them.

There were some defining characteristic that helped adventures spot landers though, most of them still lived a life of misery and so their expression were mostly soulless and apathetic. Leo felt bad for them, it was by now clear that they weren't just NPCs in the current state of the game, they were capable of emotions and had a mind of their own with memories and dreams for the future, to Leo they were becoming as real as the adventurers that got transported to that world.

Suddenly Leo's stomach started to grumble, he rested an arm on his belly and remembered that he had nothing to eat all day. Leo groaned at the thought of consuming one more tasteless meal, sometimes he wondered if hunger was a more enjoyable feeling than eating the "food" that landers sold to adventures.

He couldn't go on without eating and after another session of hunting he was now famished, sighing a the thought of eating tasteless food, Leo looked through the crowd to spot a lander to ask directions for a near restaurant, bar or anything that sold something edible.

After some seconds he spotted what he was looking for, that soulless look in the eyes of a girl that passed by.

Leo traversed the crowd and tried to keep his eyes on the girl to not miss her, eventually he was able to get past her and wave to get her attention,

"Excuse me, lander, can you give me directions to the nearest restaurant or bar?"


WC:659

[Deleted]

They’re not your family. They’re not your friends. They’re not your neighbors. They are just people passing by, moving forward with their lives in their own ways, dealing with this inexplicable act of the universe as best as they could. As Caerbannog walked on, that was what she thought. She kept her chin up, her expression lifeless; if they could all just look past her, she’d survive the day.

But the player was not a robot; she was not automated. Eventually, as the unlikely samurai walked on, curiosity got the best of her. Every now and then, her eyes would stray from the straight path that she tried to take. Her sight would rest upon buildings which, though aged and worn within the game, looked familiar. She did not know their exact names because names usually eluded her. Things were this and that; humans were him and her. Those thoughts aside, she thought that she caught a glimpse of a small space that was much like its real world counterpart.

The name was worn out, possibly made to look that way, but it was evident that the place still sold food. Caerbannog took note of that little spot which strangely enough had a lot of hungry patrons. She might need to purchase something for sustenance after all. That was when it dawned upon her that she had not tried in-game food. Since she took the chef crafting class, the samurai hoped that she could craft her own meals from loots. However, the fact that she actually had to fight for her food now dampened her spirits.

While she wondered whether a dead mob creature would vanish in a display of sparkles, or lie dead in a pool of blood and guts, Caerbannog’s face momentarily passed by another player’s line of sight. All it took was that one glance, and the player seemed to have decided that she was, of all things, a lander. Though the brown haired man approached her, the samurai looked ahead, unaware that she was being tailed. When he waved at her, Caerbannog was slightly confused until he spoke up.

- So he thinks I’m an NPC? – she thought, her face emotionless as she stared at him, - Good! –

Without a word, and while noting that the other player was as tall as a tree, Caerbannog pointed towards the direction of the very small shop that she passed by. She looked at where she was pointing just to make sure that she was not wrong, but all she could see were people. People everywhere! She could not even tell which ones were adventurers and which ones were landers! It did not help that the shop was basically just a neat hole in the wall of a large, dilapidated building.

She fought the urge to facepalm when even more people obscured the shop from view. Her eyebrows furrowed a bit at the inconvenience but without a word, she put her arm down calmly and just motioned for Mr. Messy-hair to follow her. He would have to keep up with her pace as the smaller player weaved through the crowd. Once she reached the shop, she would wait for the other player to catch up then she would be on her way. Or maybe she would stay for a meal of system-generated sustenance.

OOC Notes: I'm sorry! I went treasure hunting and wasn't able to reply quickly.
Words: 554
Tags: @dindeen Stryke

[Stryke]

Leo looked at the short girl in front of him with a questioning look, she appeared to be even more lifeless than your normal lander. She didn't even respond back, all she did was pointing her finger in the direction where presumably a restaurant was located.

Leo looked in that direction but it didn't help at all, all he could see were the buildings over the street and the increasing masses of people, it was difficult to even distinguish one building from another.

Leo looked back at the girl to ask her more detailed information but she anticipated him by gesturing him to follow her, then she disappeared in the crowd. Leo was left in confusion with the behavior of that girl, she was behaving a bit strange even by landers normal standards, at least the other replied you back when you asked them a question.

Fortunately for him, Leo's height made his search of the girl much easier than he thought, although, she walked at a steady pace and her little height made her easy to lose in the crowd. Leo fastened his walking and caught up with the girl, who stopped near a little shop.

There were definitely too many people in the streets, Leo didn't know that even in this game there were busy hours in the city, at least everyone was finally living their new life instead of spending it soing nothing all day.

The shop was little and it didn't look like it offered much in terms of edible food but Leo couldn't care less about it, the food here had all same taste after all. That was the only positive thing about having no difference in taste between foods, it literary made no difference where you ate and you could always expect the same thing everywhere.

Leo put his hands inside his shirt's pockets and looked back at the short lander,

"Well, thanks for showing me this place"

He said and then started to go inside the shop. Once he was near the door, he stopped for a second and thought a bit, the meal wouldn't be exactly a good experience, he really needed something for him to not think about the food he would be eating.

Leo looked back at the lander, from what he got to know about her she wasn't exactly the talkative type but right now there weren't any other options, he turned around and spoke back to the girl:

"Hey, since we're both here, would you like to eat something with me? I need someone to talk to keep my mind off the terrible taste of this city's food"

It was surprising how easily he asked that girl to have meal with him, he definitely couldn't do the same with a real girl. Somehow deep within himself he still needed to accept the fact that landers weren't just NPCs anymore, so he was a lot calmer when he talked to landers girls, a part of himself still saw them as mere NPCs without a real life.

WC:505

[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."

Kumori was around the market that was near the cathedral. He was trying to find something that tasted edible instead of soggy, stale crackers. His approach was simple, looking for a restaurant that had the most people, but to his dismay, everything seemed to be equally terrible. He drank what looked like juice, but instead was met with the blandest of waters. It may have been that his brain was expecting sugar, but instead he got water. He sighed and slammed his head into the table, trying to cope with the horrid taste of the food he just ate. “Why, why, why, why, why… Why can’t there be anything to eat that is enjoyable?” he demanded.

While his arms were sprawled out in front of him, he turned his head to the side and saw a short woman who seemed familiar to him. Kumori squinted his eyes and then slowly raised his head. He pointed at her, jaw dropping. His eyes now widening to their fullest extent and then his other hand slamming down on the table. “K-ky--?!” he let out and then placed his left hand over his mouth, stopping himself from saying her real name. He lowered his right hand to the table slowly, as to not draw more attention, and then used his hands to lift himself from the table. He looked around, checking that he did not make too much of a commotion and all the landers would think him crazy and then he cleared his throat. He’d approach the man and the woman, simply saying one word that he hoped would pique her interest. “BlackSky” he’d say to her, seeing if he’d only be seen as crazy or if this was really his friend, Kyuu Schwarz whom he had skipped many classes just to play cooperative games with. The uncanny likeness to Kyuu was so high that his assumption had to be right. He clicked on his friend list and prepared to add the person to his list. The health bar above her popped up and said [Caerbannog]. He promptly moved his finger to add her to his list, assuming that this was his friend. He had hoped that she was who he thought she was, but alas, sometimes your mind thought things that weren’t true.

“Sorry for my intrustion,” he’d reply to the man that was labeled Stryke. He held out his hand and introduced himself. “My name is Kumori… it’s nice to meet you. The food really sucks here doesn’t it? Heh,” he said with a half-laugh, trying to dispel any awkwardness that may have been created due to his sudden entry. It was unlikely though. His commotion earlier and his now awkward intrusion made things seem worse than they already were. “Um, let me buy you guys some food… treats on me,” he’d say, trying to take responsibility for his actions, “it’s the least I can do,” he said with a smile to both of them.

OOC NOTES: 495 words

Made by Sifr of GS, Synesthesia and Adoxography.

[Deleted]

It wasn’t just that the shop was small; it was also obviously catering to more patrons than it should perhaps due to its proximity to a respawn point. Every seat had an occupant, some landers, the others were adventurers most likely. But it was difficult to tell which was which, and so Caerbannog was able to successfully hide her identity within that crowd. However, standing in a room full of humanoid figures was not as easy as it would have been if she controlled her character with a mouse and keyboard. Because of the different point of view, the samurai felt suffocated in a place that would seem manageable from a third person perspective.

- He said something about the food, - the girl noted when the other player spoke up, - How bad can it be? –

When the invitation for a meal came, she was hesitant. But the street was just as busy as the shop, and truth be told, due to her stature, Caerbannog could barely move. She looked to the left and right, and found two humans speaking casually. Their meals were already finished, and they were just sitting there on their wide bottoms while other patrons walked in looking for seats. The samurai looked at Mr. Messy-hair and she nodded over to the side, towards the idle chatters. She would have kicked the occupants off their seats if not for a nearby commotion. Some guy just slammed his head on a table. Caerbannog slowly moved towards the opposite direction, not wanting to be around someone who was the center of attention. Unfortunately though, she caught his attention for some reason.

- Go away. Shoo. Shoo! – were her thoughts; she wanted to scream when the person walked towards her.

A bit of worry showed on her face when the weirdo stopped close to her, but she wasn’t so desperate that she’d ask anyone for help. Maybe if she stepped on his foot, he’d go away? Caerbannog was about to do just that when a familiar voice and the accompanying word BlackSky reached her. Her face lit up for a moment, her eyes wide and sparkling, if at all possible. But then she caught herself, simply turned to that weirdo and nodded at him. She’d usually put the word ‘black’ or any of its translations in her in-game names, alluding to her family name.

“ Food’s that bad huh? “ the samurai finally spoke up while looking at Mr.Messy-hair, but only after the guys exchanged pleasantries.

She did not say anything else and would just wait for the other two to order whichever food they wanted. If asked for her choice, she’d point at the simplest, smallest sandwich in the menu. In case the food really was too horrible for consumption, at least she’d have less to waste. By the time that the two finished their conversation, if any, Caerbannog was back to her usual lifeless expression. She did notice Commotion-guy’s gestures earlier and all that while, she’d been wanting to fiddle with the interface that she could not fully control yet. In front of a computer, the samurai could just click some keybind or hotkey; no such luck in the current Elder Tale though. While waiting for their meal, she’d gently tug at her real-life acquaintance’s sleeve and softly ask “Friends List Shortcut?”

OOC Notes: (≧ω≦) I haven't RPd for a while. So far this is going great! Thank you!
Words: 556
Tags: @dindeen Stryke Kumori

[Stryke]

Like before, the lander just nodded and entered the shop without saying a word, Leo wondered if it was really a good idea to invite her to eat something. The inside of the shop was just as crowded as the street outside, all the tables were occupied and some of the people who were sitting weren't even eating anymore, they just occupied space for chatting.

The not-so-talkative lander once again gestured Leo to follow her, He looked at her curiously as she made her way to the group of idly chatters. If she only told him what she had in mind it would have been great, maybe she wanted to ask those people to leave the table or something. To be honest Leo saw it as a lucky situation, she had to speak to make them leave so he could at least hear what her voice sounded like.

Then again, she turned around and changed direction as soon as she saw that someone slammed his head to the table. Leo looked at her confusedly, did he perhaps pick the only lander in all Londo who was still bound by an A.I.? The funny thing was that it was highly probable thanks to his usual luck.

Suddenly, the guy who slammed his head to the table got up and went to talk to the lander girl, strangely enough it seemed that the adventurer knew that girl. Leo just didn't understand anything at this point, why things couldn't be simple for just one time?

Leo sighed silently and massaged his temples with his thumb and index fingers, this situation was already giving him an headache. The other man finished talking with the lander and then he focused his attention on Leo. He introduced himself as Kumori, a young looking man with a medium corporation and long brown hair tied into a pony tail. He raised his hand to Leo and cracked a joke about the food, he seemed a bit nervous.

Leo politely shook his hand and responded:

"Nice to meet you, I'm Stryke, and yes, I'd prefer eating glue rather than these tasteless things they call food here"

He feigned a half smile and then Kumori offered to buy them some food, Leo shook his head in disapproval,

"Thanks but I have to decline, I don't want you to spend more money, it isn't fair"

Leo wasn't used on being on the receiving end of such gestures, he was usually the kind of guy who tried to help everyone, so he tried to be fair with people every time he could.

"If you want, though, you can pay for the lander if she lets you since you two seem to know each other already"

He finished, then something magical happened: the lander spoke her first words. Leo looked at her for a lengthy second with a half surprised look,

"So, cat didn't bite your tongue after all"

He thought, still what she said didn't make much sense, why ask him if the food was that bad if she probably lived there since her bi......

OH....

"Say....You aren't a lander.....right?"

Leo asked while looking at her with his eyes half closed in annoyance, now it all made sense, even why Kumori knew her. Leo didn't know why she didn't say in the first place that she was an adventurer like him, why would she pretend to be a lander? Leo didn't even know how to feel, confused, irritated or ashamed for making himself look like an idiot in front of the other adventurer.


WC:591

[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."

Even it was only for a second, when Kyuu looked up at him after he had said the magic words, he saw a sparkle in her eyes. It seemed she was lonely for the last few days.

Kumori looked at Caerbannog after Stryke had refrenced her as a lander. He smirked and shook his head. “Lander, eh? Typical…” he said as he pat the girl’s head. “Don’t feel bad buddy… It took me a year to get her to say hi to me… she’s not fond of meeting new people,” he explained. It was a typical act by Kyuu who was rather shy and stayed away from human interaction when it was unnecessary. Rather, the People of the Land actually gave her quite a decent cover, should she ever find herself needing to hide for any reason. Kumori would sit them down at his table, inviting them to relax. “I know her from school, which is why I came up and made a huge commotion. I didn’t think I’d meet anyone that I knew in real life, but Caerbannog, at least, she wasn’t too much of a surprise. On my part, it was more relief,” he told Styrke, “So she really means no hard feelings… she’s just a cute little girl who doesn’t know how to communicate well,” he said trying to dispel any anger that may had been forming within the mind of Stryke. It was a natural occurrence, and many times Ryuunosuke stood to be the mouth for Kyuu. This also meant he was able to keep away any potential men that tried to hit on his friend.

He smiled, knowing all too well that she hated being called little. It was a way to rile her up and get her to talk a bit more, and since her stature is pretty much the same stature as she was in real life, as was Kumori, nothing would change when she’d try to kick him or punch him… though he would have to be wary of her headbutts. Those were painful if he was not prepared to intercept them. Knowing Kyuu, though, she’d headbutt him when he’d least suspect it, so regardless of if he prepared, he’d never really be prepared for it.

After Kyuu tugged on his sleeve to ask how to access the menu, he explained quite thoroughly. “You should already see several things on your heads-up display. You should be able to see it in a 3-D field, which will allow you to click by using your finger. There’s a rather weird sensation when you push buttons this way, but anyways, the menu looks exactly the same as they did when it was a Computer game. The only difference is that it takes quite a while to get used to the combat system… You’re used to pointing and clicking and what-not, but in this world, it’s now fused with your true physical actions, he said. The food had arrived, and not a moment too late… well that is if it were real food. “Anyways, just click “Friends” and you should be able to access the friend list rather easily,” he said to the Samurai.

OOC NOTES: 528 words

Made by Sifr of GS, Synesthesia and Adoxography.

[Deleted]

Meeting new people wasn’t the worst thing that day- it was their circumstance that killed the atmosphere. Of course, shops and streets near a respawn area would be naturally busy; the samurai felt that she would get lost in the crowd. To add to her thoughts regarding the sheer amount of figures around her, and her questions about the game interface, Mr. Messy-hair who turned out to be named Stryke said that he’d rather eat glue.

- Glue... wood glue or just glue- glue? – she wondered by herself as she stared at Kumori’s table.

Since she was lost in her thoughts, Caerbannog missed whatever Stryke said until he asked her if she was a lander. Crap! Her cover was blown. At this realization, she looked up at the gigantic player (well, to her, he seemed gigantic) ; her eyes wide open and pupils all dilated like some deer in headlights.

“ Uhm... uhm... “ was all she could say as she looked at Stryke with that shocked expression.

Darn. Being used to not speaking could really be troublesome at times. Thankfully, there was Kumori who- wait. Did he just pat her head? Before she could swat his hand away, Oshiro-san was already inviting them to his table. He was also chatting on and on and... wait, did he just call her ‘little’?! By then, Caerbannog’s expression had gone from shocked while looking at Stryke, to annoyed while looking at Kumori. That was when she finally spoke up and asked about the Friends List to prevent him from saying more personal things to a stranger.

“ Stranger danger, “ she turned to Stryke after Kumori’s explanation about the interface, “ So let’s be friends. “

At that, she added the first player to her Friends list: Stryke. With a cross look plastered across her tiny face, the samurai then turned to Kumori and grudgingly added him to her Friends list as well. Afterwards, their food arrived. She stared at the sandwich that menacingly sat on a small plate. Was it possible to daydream within a game? Because that’s exactly what happened as Caerbannog stared at her meal.

“ Please don’t eat me. I’m not tasty, “ the sandwich said to her.

Of course, the girl did not respond. Who would?

“ I have a wife and three kids! “ the sandwich screamed.

At that point, the samurai took a fork and stabbed it angrily in the sandwich while mentally screaming LIAR! Her imagined non-conversation with the head-of-the-family sandwich washed away her annoyance at Kumori, and gave her the courage to try in-game food. When she finally took a bite of that sandwich, the girl expected a very horrible experience. To her surprise, it wasn’t that bad. Or rather, it wasn’t as bad as her mother’s cooking. Half the time, their meals at home were inedible and such a waste, so the girl would just eat PB&J sandwiches or cereals. As she grew up, she learned to cook for herself... though at times her dishes turned out weird-looking despite their acceptable taste.

“ Hunger leads to death? “ the girl asked her two companions once she finished her sandwich, looking from one to the other until she got a reply.

OOC Notes: ---
Words: 538
Tags: @dindeen Stryke Kumori

[Stryke]

When Leo asked the girl named Caerbannog if she wasn't really an adventurer he got a strange reaction, she seemed panicked and only muttered some "ehms" as a response. Leo didn't understand why it was so difficult for her to answer an extremely basic question like that, it was obvious that this girl didn't like to talk much but even introversion had its limits, why would she go on such lengths to not letting him know if she was an adventurer?

Fortunately kumori stepped in on the right time and gave Leo quite an extensive answer to his question, apparently he and Caerbannog knew each other from school and that definitely confirmed her status as an adventurer. It was interesting to see how those two guys complemented their personalities, one was extremely quiet and seemingly lifeless while the other more talkative and easygoing, it was truly a blessing that kumori appeared in that shop to at least letting Leo know what the hell was in that girl's mind.

After Kumori finished talking, Leo closed his eyes and began scratching his hair,

"Yeah, it's okay, to be honest I basically ran on assumptions the whole time, she actually never confirmed to be a lander"

Leo reopened his eyes and looked at him again,

"But she never denied it too, though"

He said while showing a half smile on his face, fortunately Leo wasn't a guy to take things like these personally, everyone had its own particular personality anyway.

The adventurers finally sat at Kumori's table and ordered their food, Leo didn't care what he ate, everything had the same taste anyway, instead, he chose his order only by looking for the food that could fill his stomach the most. He was simply famished and those awkward moments from before only served to increase his already great hunger.

While waiting for the meals to be served, Kumori explained to Caerbannog the basics of the menu screen and other things regarding the game. Leo took the opportunity to distract himself and think a little on his schedule, his hunting sessions the windsor plains were giving profits and he was getting stronger by the day but he was beginning to feel really tired of that place, he would soon need a change or the grinding could become even more tedious than it already was.

While thinking of his possible next hunting grounds, Leo looked at the other adventurers in the shop with little attention, they all seemed to be getting used to their new lives and so was Leo. The young swashbuckler adapted to the new situation rather quickly, but he honestly missed his real life too, he had worked hard and he was still building his future in the real world, also he really missed his guitar, he wondered if one day the technology here would develop fast enough to let someone craft an electric guitar for him.

Leo was suddenly brought back to reality when Caerbannog spoke to him, even this time her discussion didn't make much sense but apparently she wanted to register him as a friend,

"I think I'm going to need a dictionary with her"

Leo thought while crossing his arms and feigning another grin, then his meal was finally served by one of the landers who worked at that shop. The food in particular was a giant sandwich that looked delicious, great emphasis on looked, he grabbed the sandwich with both hands and finally got a bite.

He wanted to cry, the difference between the delicious look and the atrocious taste of the sandwich was almost intolerable for him. Thankfully Caerbannog asked a question, at least his mind could drift for some seconds from the terrible taste of the food to answering her question,

" Just one advice, don't think this is a game anymore, our bodies here feel the need to eat, drink and sleep just like our real ones would. That lends me to think that they would react accordingly if any of these necessities were to lack."

Leo responded, his tone was more serious than before, adventurers barely knew anything of this world and there were still many things to clear, everyone needed to be prepared if they wanted to surivive in this new world.


WC: 710

[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."

Kumori nodded his head in agreement when Stryke had told them to not think of this world as a game. Kumori had learned that the hard way. While he was in complete and utter shock at the first notice of the Catastrophe, he has since then been able to work towards bettering himself and the community. The food had arrived a few minutes prior, and Kumori had been closing his eyes, regretfully and almost unwilling to look at the food he ate or the drink he drank. It was a simple way of forcing himself not to know what it looked like so that his taste buds would not be disappointed.

Kumori would follow suit with Kyuu’s request for Stryke to be friends. Since they had met, Ryuu would do the same thing. You’d think it was more than coincidence that Kumori’s name was Ryuu and Kyuu’s name was Kyuu, but it merely was coincidence, especially since the writer doesn’t like writing Ryuunosuke all the way, every single time. Ryuu clicked on his friend list and requested a friend invite to Stryke. Ryuu smiled at him. “I hope we’ll work together well, in the future,” he replied. He was thankful that Kyuu didn’t make her first enemy upon her first arrival. She was a good gamer, but she had never been a good communicator.

“I know you’re higher level than the both of us, but if for whatever reason you need some help, I’m sure we can provide you with some back up… We’ve both played this game before, at least before the Catastrophe. I started a new Assassin, trying to figure out a new build. I don’t know why Caerbannog is level 1, but I believe it’s probably for similar reasons, he told the Swashbuckler. He then clarified: “We’re not looking for any freebies… we like to pull our own weight, so please don’t feel obligated to help us, rather it’s just if you need any help taking on mobs or something of the sort.”

Kumori took the bill from the waiter’s hand and paid for the entire meal, being the typical and kind Asian as he was, he’d foot the bill because he felt inclined to. “Don’t worry about the food… as terrible as it is, but it’s on me. So as a courtesy, please accept it this time, and you can treat me next time,” he reasoned with Stryke.

OOC NOTES: 402 words

Made by Sifr of GS, Synesthesia and Adoxography.

[Deleted]

As if the suffocating atmosphere within a small area full of people was not enough, Caerbannog’s question brought about more gloom. She wasn’t sure if she should be surprised or scared, and so the girl just kept her usual expressionless facade. A few moments later she realized that Stryke was just trying to help them out by telling them what to expect from the game-turned-reality. So far he’d not been kidding when he said that the food was bad, so the samurai had no reason to doubt him.

While Kyuu was still thinking of ways to express her gratitude to both players, Kumori had already offered his help to Stryke for whatever future event he may be needed by the messy-haired guy. Or rather, Kumori offered his AND Caerbannog’s help. Where did that come from? Just because they’re ‘friends’ in the game didn’t mean...

“ We’ve played this game before- “ he said.

- No! I have not! – she wanted to protest, but that remained in her head.

“ – figure out a new build, “ he said.

- Well, that’s kind of true... – she thought.

So, lost in her own mind once again, the samurai failed to clarify that she was, unlike Kumori, completely new to the game. Not new to MMORPGs in general, but she knew diddly-squat about Elder Tale and had to figure things out as they came. As she thought about that, Kyuu clasped her hands together and stared at them for the longest time. She even twiddled her thumbs and seemed to be mesmerized by it, while her face had a very worried look. In truth, she was thinking about what Kumori said regarding freebies... and how he’d just paid for their meal. Now she owed him, which meant that she’d have to pay it back later somehow. Perhaps she should start learning her craft soon and earn some gold, or tame some animals and make money out of that?

To others, it might have seemed forever. Kyuu was usually like that in the real world too. She played games to avoid highly social situations, but with their current predicament, she had to be social in the very game that hoped to use as an escape. Thinking back to what the other players were discussing, she finally had something to ask from the more experienced adventurer. She stopped staring at her hands and looked up at Stryke, who seemed to be even taller than she remembered.

“ Questing or grinding? “ she asked Stryke.

Whether it was his preference, or the availability of such depending on the game system; the question could be understood either way. And while in the back of her mind, she knew that it was confusing, Kyuu struggled to find words to explain what she really meant. So the other adventurers could answer the question any way that they wanted, and the samurai would just listen intently to whoever was speaking. Perhaps it would be a bit of relief or surprise on the swashbuckler’s and the assassin’s part, for Caerbannog now had an attentive look on her face, quite unlike the lifeless expression that she had earlier. It was as if a child was waiting excitedly for a bedtime story.

OOC Notes: ---
Words: 538
Tags: @dindeen Stryke Kumori

[Stryke]

Leo gave one more bite at his over sized sandwich, he tried his best to not think about its taste and promptly failed, he just couldn't understand how something that looked so delicious wasn't nearly as good as its looks suggested, it was the best example of the old saying looks can be deceiving.

Kumori was the next to talk, promptly shifting the discussion from the consequences of hunger to a mor light hearted one in which he proposed to Leo his help if he ever needed one during his days of adventuring and hunting.

It was a nice call to change that subject, people these days were only starting to get over the events of the apocalypse, talking about grim matters wasn't a good idea to raise their spirits. Kumori finished talking and then he added a friend request to Leo, the young swashbuckler opened his menu and then played around the screens to accept both Kumori and Caerbannog on his friend list.

His own list wasn't much crowded, there were only some people he met once or twice during his training sessions, it was ironic, they all were on his friend list when none of them could really be called friend by him, not currently at least.

Leo also wasn't prone to get attached to others quickly, sure he acted friendly towards others if they showed him the same friendliness but he also kept his true feelings to himself all the time, what he showed to others was only the tip of his personality.

When Leo accepted both the requests, Kumori quickly decided to pay for his meal too while Leo was distracted. Leo sighed and crossed his arms, it would mean that the next time Leo would be the one to pay.

Leo thought about what Kumori had said earlier, something about both him and Caerbannog already playing this game before the catastrophe. Leo was sure that the British server was only activated during the day of the apocalypse, maybe they played in a different server?

Leo decided to keep his question to himself, it didn't really matter at this point.

"Sure, I'll remember to give you guys a call one of these days of hunting, just don't look at me like I have more experience than you, the apocalypse has only started since few days and I'm sure you two are way more acknowledgeable to me on this game"

Leo said, responding to Kumori's offer. While the two other guys talked Caerbannog remained silent with a detached look, that girl was a complete mystery to Leo, he just couldn't tell what she could be thinking or if she had any emotions at all.

After a while the girl finally decided to speak up with a question directed to Leo, the strange thing was her expression, it looked like she finally snapped from her void of emotions, she almost looked like she was interested for real in Leo's answer.

Leo looked at her with an inquisitive look for a fleeting moment, she continued to get more and more complicated as time went on. He crossed his arms once again and rested his back on the seatback and responded to the question:

"Normally I would say questing, grinding is boring on the long run. Right now the situation is a little bit different though, I can honestly say that I have no idea if in this new world there even exist or not. I've yet to run into exclamation marks or whatever the game uses to notify you of quests and the people of the land have become so life-like that you can end up in a hours and hours of discussions about their life.

The grinding here though isn't as bad as I imagined it to be, for once you fight with your body and not behind a keyboard which is pretty exhilarating once you get used to it, but the thing that I like the most is the adventuring part. There's so much to see in this new world and many strange creatures to fight which all have their own strategy and personality, in the end you find out that you've spent the entire day grinding without even noticing."


WC:703

[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 Stryke hadn’t figured out how to quest yet either. Ryuken was attempting to inquire about it before, but he didn’t get far. In the end, he ended up talking to the Landers and getting more back story and information than he cared for. In the beginning, it was rather interesting, being able to learn about every person, however it soon became a mass of information that wasn’t as necessary as he thought. He had occasionally forgotten that the Landers were now people, so after speaking to a few of them, and getting annoyed once in a while, he was able to get back to realizing that they were life-like people with souls.

After every story, he’d sigh, but sometimes he wasn’t sure if it was because of the sad back stories they had or the fact that he had to keep listening some of their complaints. He’d take their complaints as quests, sometimes, but there were no rewards associated with them. “Fighting has indeed become much more exhilarating than it once was. It’s a lot more fluid and simply makes you look like a bad ass all the way. It takes some time getting used to… took me a few fights, definitely, before I could fight properly against a level 1 mob. A lot of things, you must treat as if it is real, because now, it is real. When you drink a potion, actually drink it. When you use an item, actually use it… All things are as real as our past reality.” he said. It was the exact same concept as eating and drinking. There was no difference when it came to satiating your hunger. It was required and while it wasn’t eaten as if it was like clicking an item and consuming it, it was actually eating it. That was when it dawned upon him. “And… what if we treated food like that too?! WE MIGHT GET GOOD FOOD!” he said. He took a salt shaker off of the table and dashed a bit onto his finger tip and then tasted it. His taste buds were working fine. It wasn’t as if he had his ability to taste removed. He was able to use all his senses. “I think.. I think maybe instead of treating ingredients as items, we should treat them as ingredients… and well… the normal recipes we have unlocked are probably the ones we can make,” he said while opening ups his menu of food recipes. He looked at the only page available on it and all it said was Sunny Side Up Eggs and Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich. He looked at his two companions. “Maybe, just maybe this’ll work…” he said. He went off to go buy the separate ingredients for the PB&J and then brought it to the table. He took the bread out and slathered both peanut butter and jelly onto it. He cut the sandwich in fours and passed a piece to each of them. He looked at it, his mouth watering. He looked at the other two. “Here goes nothing…” he said before he popped the quarter of the sandwich into his mouth and tasted it. The melding of the salty sweet peanut butter and the sweet, sweet strawberry-like taste of jam exploded in his mouth. His eyes closed in ecstasy and his sound box let out a loud moan of enjoyment. “IT’S SO GOOD!” he said. He looked at the other two and wondered if they tasted the same thing. It was a slight long shot, but he definitely found it enjoyable. Unfortunately for him, he wouldn’t be able to level up his cook level because he wasn’t a cook. He sighed, but he was still grateful to have learned that he can make Level 1 recipes by themselves.

“I might actually enjoy this place now,” he said, making another Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich, one for each of them to enjoy.

OOC NOTES: 658 words; I couldn't figure out what to write, so here's to Food discovery, level 1 :D

Made by Sifr of GS, Synesthesia and Adoxography.

[Deleted]

While the samurai listened to Stryke’s and Kumori’s experiences about the game, she felt as if she was on the verge of a heart attack. It would be the first time ever for her to suffer such a condition, but she could swear that her heart pounded so fast that it was ready to drop dead at any moment. This, of course, did not show through save for a slightly worried frown on the girl’s brow. Of all the classes that she could choose, Caerbannog had picked one which required close quarters combat. She did not have any actual combat training, so how would she know what to do?! Her thoughts drifted farther and farther away, until a change in the discussion brought her back to that reality.

When they turned to the topic of landers, Caerbannog looked around and true enough, she could barely tell adventurers and landers apart. Or... perhaps it was her unsociable nature that made it difficult for her to tell them apart. Notably, much like what Stryke said, Caerbannog did not notice any telltale quest symbols such as exclamation marks either. Going by the pattern of every MMORPG that she ever played, Elder Tale should have made the player spawn right in front of a guide NPC who would give the starting quests. There was no such thing when she arrived though.

Everything seemed so real, and Kumori’s next words and actions only served to strengthen the point that Londenium was their reality now. Thus, while the assassin rejoiced at what he discovered, Caerbannog sat on her chair lamenting the end of her gaming days. Elder Tale was not a game anymore. It was reality... how that happened, well, “magic” as she figured before. She stared at Kumori’s sandwich and put it on Stryke’s plate.

“ Not hungry, “ she simply said.

Then, she remembered the sandwich that she ate earlier. It seemed to have meat and vegetables, but where did that come from? Vegetables could grow in the fields... but meat? Caerbannog shuddered at the thought of having to mercilessly slaughter animals with her own hands, especially since they were now ‘real’. Though hesitant, she turned to the more experienced adventurer; more experienced at least in terms of playing in Londenium.

“ You... kill monsters? “ she asked a most obvious question, but the follow-up was what she really hoped to have an answer to, “ Do they become sparkles... or bloody corpses? “

And of all things, her crafting class was that of a chef. Will she ever have the guts to kill, skin and cut up an animal, no matter how different it looked from Earth’s creatures? Caerbannog shuddered at the thought. Bacon was always good, but if she’d have to murderize an actual seemingly-living creature to obtain it, then perhaps it was time to turn completely vegan. Or maybe just vegetarian; milk and its derivatives did not require animal killing, so perhaps she could make dishes from milk, butter and cheese.

OOC Notes: ---
Words: 500
Tags: @dindeen Stryke Kumori

[Stryke]

This discussion about whether this was still a game or a completely new reality made Leo question a few things, what was this place anyway? The confusion inside his mind was also fueled by the fact that in this world there seemed to be rules that belonged to a game world and rules that instead belonged to the real world.

The combat in this world was a prime example of these mixture of rules, you had to actively fight by moving your body, just like how you would fight in real life, but there were also skills available to players and to activate them you had to navigate the menu screen or concentrate on the skill itself, the resulting skill would activate a preprogrammed animation and your body would move on its own to complete it.

Leo couldn't possibly be inside the game he had known, it seemed like this was a world based on that game's system and setting, a sort of alternate reality.

Every time Leo thought on these matters his head started to ache a bit, there were too many questions inside his head and his mind raced to find possible answers without the slightest hint of a starting point, his thoughts just circled around and around till Leo was overwhelmed with headache.

Leo looked at Kumori, judging by his bright expression he had something big going on in his mind, it almost appeared like a light bulb turned on his head, then he suddenly shouted about using the same real life laws to make better meals. Kumori clearly suggested to bypass the menu screen and make food with your own hands, Leo had already heard about people trying that system to cook some meals but they all ended up failing horribly.

Kumori was highly optimistic though, he stood up from the table and sprinted off to buy some materials from landers, mainly some bread, butter and jelly. Leo wasn't as optimistic as Kumori, he had already resigned to eat tasteless food for the rest of his permanence in this strange world even though he secretly wished that Kumori's idea would be successful.

The assassin returned in a breeze and started preparing his special meal, he cut the bread and spread some butter and jelly on it, in a matter of seconds the sandwich was ready to be eaten. Judging by looks only, the sandwich looked delicious but Leo knew better than being fooled again by meals in this world,. Kumori finished preparing everything and brought his own made food to the mouth, Leo sighed as he knew that nothing good could come out of it,

"Just a second and he'll realize that thing is the same shi-"

"IT'S SO GOOD"

"Wat?" 

Leo remained speechless as he stared at Kumori devouring his sandwich, he couldn't believe what he was witnessing, there was really a way to make edible food then!

Leo recollected himself and shook his head hard, no, that must have been denial, maybe Kumori wanted his sandwich to be good so much that his taste buds actually fooled him into thinking it, there was no other option.

Leo stared down and looked at his own sandwich prepared by Kumori, cold sweat started producing from his face as he couldn't decide whether being optimistic or pessimist. He brought the sandwich to his mouth and then he finally gave it bite, he munched and...  BOOM!

finally there was it, that sensation in his taste buds that clearly told him that food had actual TASTE! Leo's eyes were wide open, his wolf ears suddenly appeared along with his tail and pointed on the heavens, then he lost all faculty of rational thinking and went on a eating frenzy like a wild beast.

In a matter of few seconds the sandwich was already erased from existence, its remains ready to be digested in his stomach. Leo was in a state of bliss, finally he could eat something good but that one meal wasn't enough for him,

"MOAR!"

He thought, then Caerbannog suddenly moved her sandwich on his plate. Leo looked at her strangely, in that moment it was like she was throwing off a cliff a pot full of gold. The hungry wolf-man didn't let her think about retaking her meal and completely devoured even her sandwich, his ears twitched during the frenzy and he happily wagged his tail from the excitement of the good meal.

In the meantime, Caerbannog asked him a question but he was too caught up in his meal to pay attention to anything she said. He finished his meal and finally returned to his usual state of mind, he looked at Caerbannog and remembered she asked him something about...something,

"Ehm...did you just ask me something?"


WC:790

[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."

Kumori watched as his new friend began devouring the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches like a monster. His eyes widened, but then his expression of surprise and disgust had turned into a smile, one that completely understood why he was in such a state. It was because of Kumori’s thinking that he was able to obtain such happiness, and well, the same could be said for himself when he was so jovial to receive such food with taste. As Kumori watched Stryke devour his sandwich, a quiet voice asked him a question, one that made sense, especially with Kyuu’s sense of peace and dislike of watching people hurt things. He looked over to her and shook his head and smiled at her. “They become sparkles, like you would see in the game. When they drop loot, they usually become pieces of meat around a single bone. Though if it’s anything like the original game, being a cook allows you to ‘use’ more of the animal you kill/loot, so in the end, you get more meat or cooking materials if you’re of the cook subclass, though how that works, I’m not completely sure,” he said.

He looked over at Stryke who asked if someone said something. “Keep eating… you’re fine… though might I suggest you try not to tell everyone. I’m not completely sure how much of an uproar we’ll cause if we go announcing it to the whole world… I figure we can keep it our little secret, until someone else manages to tell everyone about it,” he suggested.

OOC NOTES: 259 words

Made by Sifr of GS, Synesthesia and Adoxography.

[Deleted]

While Stryke was completely preoccupied by the sandwiches that Kumori put together, the latter answered the samurai’s question. He said something about loot and cook and such and such. But Caerbannog’s mind had wandered off to something else by the time that Kumori finished his explanation. She just sat there, fixated on whatever she was looking at, and soon it would be apparent that she was staring right at Stryke.

“ Suddenly... “ the girl, wide-eyed, pointed at Stryke’s head, “ Fluffy ears. “

She reached over and tugged at Kumori’s cloak. The tugging would become more frantic as time went by. If the assassin brushed her hand away, Caerbannog would momentarily stop, but soon she would tug at the cloak once again. Like a mischievous child, she would pester the human and boldly point at the other player who was a complete stranger just a while ago.

“ FLUFFY. EARS. “ she repeated while still pointing at Stryke’s wolf hair features.

It seemed that the girl was unaware of the features of her chosen race, or rather, it was because she had not experienced it herself up to that moment. It could also be due to the fact that although she was reclusive and boyish, Kyuu was not without some girly aspects such as wanting to touch cute, fluffy things... simply because they were cute and fluffy. And so she kept tugging the assassin’s cloak, as if asking for permission to pet the other wolf hair adventurer. Someone would have to do something, and quick! If allowed to pet the fluffy puppy, Caerbannog would be visibly overjoyed but she would be gentle. If not allowed... well, that’s a story for another post.

OOC Notes: ---
Words: 283
Tags: @dindeen Stryke Kumori

[Stryke]

Leo blushed a bit upon seeing the two adventurers looking at him with somewhat disgusted eyes, he finished the rest of Caerbannog sandwich and quickly recomposed himself to avoid any more embarrassing moments for him.

Maybe from a different point of view than Leo's you could say that his reaction to good food was mostly exaggerated, but from his own eyes that was the first time he had a decent meal in days, he was already beginning to forget what taste was all about.

Fortunately Kumori shifted the attention from him by responding to Caerbannog's question ( the one Leo was too busy from eating like an animal to actually hear what she asked), which apparently was about what happened to mobs in this world if they were killed by adventurers. Kumori's answer was exhaustive but there was a little particular that he fortunately omitted; mobs turn into sparkles when they die, true, but what happens in between the time where they are hunted and their death is as realistic as it gets, which means that blood baths, dismemberments and other violent things were definitely possible in this world. Leo decided to keep his mouth shut on this matter, clearly Caerbannog was more than concerned about violence and he didn't want to scare her.

Kumori answered her question but something about Caerbannog told Leo that she wasn't paying much attention to him, why? Because she kept staring at Leo's head with a creepy look for the whole duration of Kumori's speech. Leo tried to keep a poker face, Caerbannog continued looking at him like she had seen a ghost and her piercing stare was starting to creep him out. Leo's wolf ears twitched nervously, then Leo finally understood why she was looking at him like that, his wolf features suddenly appeared without him knowing, like always.

Leo was more than annoyed for his wolf parts than anything, they kept appearing out of nowhere when he felt strong emotions like joy, nervousness, anger and also during intense battles, they were apparently designed to give wolf hairs a boost in stats whenever they appeared but for Leo they were only an annoyance. For first, the sensations of having dog like ears and an actual functional tail was beyond creepy, the fact that he could feel them when being touched like any other part of his body and being able to control them with his will was the strangest thing he ever felt. Secondly, people kept looking at him strangely whenever they appeared, and things could get even more complicated when there were kids in the area who promptly decided every time that his tail was a fluffy toy to play with.

The girl finally stopped staring at him and pointed on Leo's head:

"FLUFFY EARS!"

It was Leo's time to stare at her now, it was kinda strange that all it took was a pair of fluffy wolf ears to make her drop her quiet act. Leo let his head fall forward and sighed, his ears responded by falling too on the sides,

"Yeah, fluffy ears, it's the curse I get for deciding to choose a non human race for the first time in my entire gaming career, everyone thinks I'm a damn puppy..."

He said with a defeated look on his face, he hoped that everyone would soon get used to seeing humans with wolf ears and tails but at least he was much luckier than the ones who choose that were-cat race.


WC:582