Episode 01: Grand Reality, Grand World, Grand Adventure!

[Aria Baltise]

It had only been a short while since William had found himself within the game known as Elder Tale. It was all so sudden, so new, and yet so exciting! However, despite the obvious factor that he would need to discover a way of getting out and back to the real world, he would have to adapt to the potential reality of living here and adjusting himself accordingly. For one instance, he had no real way of identifying a particular track of time, since from what he had gathered before the new expansion, Elder Tale's in-game time moved at about twelve times faster than that of the real world, as most MMOs usually did. So if he were to look at it that way, a full day was equivalent to two hours, which would also mean...

"Gaaaahh!! What am I even thinking?! There's no point in all of that!", he said, scratching over his head in frustration. It was true. Even if William was able to deduce the time frame between the game and the real world, it would serve him no real purpose. His mind knew the truth, but he was fairly certain his body wouldn't be able to tell the difference. This virtual reality had become his new one, and he was going to have to keep real world trivialities out of it if he was going to do this right. The first thing he was going to have to do was start grinding; fighting monsters to gain EXP and Level-Up in order to tackle different areas and their monsters. Otherwise, if it was anything like the game itself, he would wind up back in London's Cathedral, and lose some of his EXP, ultimately, being stuck in a rut as a newbie. "*siiigh* It can't be helped. I mean, sure, I could make sense of this world inside and out, probably. But what good would that really do me right now?" The blonde would wander through the woods, thinking over it a bit as he thought his plan out loud. "Let's see...possibly the best way to approach this right now is to farm Slimes until I hit Lvl. 5, getting some Gold and whatever items they may drop. After that, it's pretty much rinse and repeat, though, it'll take time if I keep solo farming mobs by myself. I could try to form a party...but none of my friends show up as online. Does that mean...they didn't get caught in the incident?"

He'd muse out loud to himself as he wandered, soon stopping to sit underneath a tree and stare up at the sky for a while. His eyes would widen, and a smile lightly curled upon his lips, finding himself rather surprised. "Wooow...the sky stretches so much farther out in-person. If only this were simply a part of the game instead of somehow falling into it! Hahaha!" He'd found a way to laugh off the initial shock of the situation rather easily. He could still think of it as a game, just using his own body. Sure, the thought itself was scary at first, but once you get past it, it's a bit of a blast instead! Still, he had to get started soon, or else he was gonna find himself in trouble. He'd get up to his feet once more and take a good stretch, soon pumping his fist with a flip of his pompadour as he said, "Well then! It's time I got this show on the road!"

And so he would set out to find himself a few mobs to practice on, fully get a grasp of what his abilities were in this world. What sort of surprises would await him today?

Word Count: 622

[Ruin]

In a small glade at the entrance of Windsor Greatwood, a man metrosexual enough to carry a small, fold-out comb in his wallet and pretty enough to warrant the time spent on his appearance, waited, back against a tree, fiddling with his inventory. At this point in the story he had not yet gained the accoutrements that would make him known as Ruin, the Massacre Magician, or even the Joshua, The Guy That Dresses Like A Clown (Dammit Dude I Think He Might Actually Be A Clown Don’t Look At Him It Might Be Catching) and could almost pass for normal.

Which was good, because other than an eighty-two year old geezer who’d logged on by accident, and five year old girl who definitely hadn’t, he was currently the worst post-Catastrophe MMORPG player in all of the United Kingdom.

♣♥♠♦

Joshua examined his weapon for the umpteenth time.

Despite his efforts, it was still a stick.

He frowned, brown hair falling over his eyes for a moment before he brushed it away. It wasn’t even a very nice stick. He had seen more serviceable specimens just walking through the woods. Really, the only way it could be less useful was if it had already been broken, instead of merely looking that way. It had been carved poorly, notches showing where the woodworker had slipped up, some of the scratches nearly resembling some sort of pattern or design, but never quite managing it. It was only about half again as long and thick as your average pencil, and stained a uniform light brown color. The wood itself was cherry or maple or something equally soft: he could and had marked it with just the nail of his thumb. Whoever had made it hadn’t even bothered to sand it down, bits of soft bark provided a contrasting texture to the wood beneath. He spun it slowly across his fingers, lazily watching the light catch the pentagram that had been carved and painted into the knob of one end.

It would have been cutely satanic, had it been anything other than a bloody stick.

He supposed he could use it to jab someone in the eye, but other than that it was a piss poor tool of murder and chaos. Heck it was even a poor excuse for a stick. Most sticks had the good grace to be pointy at one end, instead of blunt at both. It looked less like a weapon than a toy.

Maybe it was a toy. There was a thought.

Joshua sighed. Maybe he could trade it in for something that rated a little higher on the murder-y scale. Or just snap it in half: he would be able to increase the number of pointy ends in his inventory by at least two.

Joshua flopped onto his back, shading his eyes against the sun. Those thoughts were distinctly unproductive given his situation. He was caught in a game. The entire experience was slightly surreal and he wasn’t sure if he could trust the information he had eavesdropped on and overheard. The gamer community was cringe-inducingly prone to hysterics. It just seemed so… silly and far-fetched. Gamers! Transported to another world! He wasn’t quite sure whether or not to be pleased by the situation, because while the panic and chaos was amusing, it was also wrecking havoc on his carefully planned schedule in real life. Myriel would certainly require a stern talking to, if he could ever find the girl.

Before all this science fiction nonsense, he’d been an overworked, underpaid law student. Technology more complicated than the toaster oven and Google had not been part of his everyday life. Trying to find Myriel through whatever arcane prompts this meshwork of a game and real life had been far too advanced for him and he’d elected to sit by the entrance of the forest until she showed up.

If she showed.

Word Count: 619ish

[Aria Baltise]

Moments later, it would not be the girl in which Joshua was looking for, but William instead. He'd finally arrived upon the entrance to Windsor Greatwood, an Outside Zone for beginner-level players to start grinding their way up to levels 5-10, perhaps a little bit higher. The platinum-blonde would stretch his arms and legs, looking rather eager to get in there and start grinding his way up the level charts. Part of his mind was still stuck on how surreal it all seemed, though, his gamer instincts began to take over as his excitement kept building, not noticing the stranger in the glade nearby. However, no sooner would he take a step toward it did he spot a Dull Green Slime from the corner of his eye. He'd blink a few times before smiling, soon drawing out his Starter Rapier and holding it in his right hand. It seemed that he'd get a chance to start earning his AP a lot sooner than he'd expected. "Well then, looks like it's time to get started!", he would say to no one in particular, lunging in towards the Slime before driving his weapon arm forward. It would hit its mark upon the gelatinous blob before it jiggled in place then thrust part of itself forward. Seeing it up close gave him a slight shock, moving to defend with a hint of panic! "W-whoa! That's actually surprisingly intimidating seeing it up close like that..!"

However, he'd soon regain his composure and a bit of his cool, smiling again as the Slime rattled in place, soon lunging for another attack. This time, he was able to side-step the attack before countering with a swift slash through the gelatinous mass. This turned out to be the final blow for the Slime. To say he was surprised at how easy it was would have been an understatement. However, considering how he was in a Level 1-5 zone for beginners, it probably shouldn't have been as such. But regardless, that was his first mob victory, the Slime having deteriorated and become a small handful of gold coins. "Ah, nice! Can never have too much gold, after all." He would pocket the coins before he blinked and finally took notice of Joshua over in the glade. How long had this guy been there? Was he just watching, or maybe it was coincidence? Also...why did he look like a clown? He'd never thought someone working as a clown played MMOs. Despite all the curiosity behind it, he would put on a smile and wave to the other in greeting. "Well, hey there! Was starting to think maybe I was the only one in the area."

He'd approach the other man casually, putting his Rapier away before bowing with a hand upon his chest. "It's nice to meet you. My name is Aria Baltise. But Aria works just fine." He would use his character name in place of his real name, as he did not know this person, and it would be somewhat strange to be so formal on a personal level right away. But of course, he did this with a sense of caution instead of just common courtesy. After all, most of the time in fantasy games like Elder Tale, clown characters were usually bad guys. However, he'd give Joshua the benefit of the doubt this time around.

Word Count: 561

[Ruin]

After putting away the stick, Joshua examined the book he’d arrived with. The cover was a dark, nearly black purple and the title, although once written in gold lettering, was nearly invisible due to the effects and ravages of time. He thought he could make out a highly stylized capital ‘G,’ but that was probably just hopeful wishing. The binding was old and weathered, the pages a crinkled yellow-grey that smelled of mold and libraries.

He had no idea why there was a thick layer dust along the spine and the edges of the pages, but he carefully brushed it off anyway, revealing a layer of dull, charcoal gray before opening the book.

The words themselves were disappointingly nonsense. While the calligraphy, in contrast to the book itself, was immaculate, written in black ink by a clear, careful hand, the letters themselves were utterly foreign, somewhere between runic glyphs and the sort of alphabet he’d seen etched into the One Ring while watching Lord of the Rings. There didn’t seem to be any paragraph breaks, or punctuation, or even spaces between the words. He regarded the book for a moment, flipping through its pages curiously, not particularly interested or disinterested in its contents, before shrugging his shoulders and placing it carefully back into his satchel.

A stick he couldn’t use and a book he couldn’t read. He grinned, his teeth seeming just a little pointier than the average. Interesting. Innnnteresting. Not exactly a promising start, but not an un-fun one either.

After all, it’d take imagination to make these particular items serviceably lethal.

He’d have to think on it though. The unorthodox had a way of being inconveniently difficult. Sitting back, he decided to people watch as his subconscious worked out the details.

At least it wasn’t boring. Almost to a man and woman they were brightly dressed, their avatars clothed in an eye-searing array of different styles and colors. Sizes and shapes varied wildly: there didn’t seem anyone of truly ‘average’ height, either they were midgets or giants. Some seemed to be part animal, with fox ears and a tail, others seemed to be mostly animal, their furred faces an oddity that Joshua couldn’t quite keep himself from staring at. Most were well armed and armored too. Although weapons tended to be charmingly archaic and medieval, he didn’t see anyone with anything less than a staff or dagger strapped across their back or on their belt.

Every gamer save Myriel seemed to pass through the entrance to the woods, either bustling in and out with the quick, purposeful strides of men and women in the middle of a journey; or the shy, awkward footsteps of the chronically unsure. The latter, while not huge in number, were still surprisingly numerous, their random wandering bringing them to the area in a slow, hesitant daze. They were usually alone, their eyes wide, their hands shaking on the hilt of their weapons, and usually made it to the edge of the forest before they shied away from some flitting shadow or hint of motion, unwilling to take the final step and confront whatever lay within the forest. Some went past the threshold, others didn’t, dragging themselves shame-facedly back into the city.

Joshua would wave and greet the quitters, giving them an understanding, sympathetic smile.

It was amusing at first, watching them either scurry away, beet red and ashamed as they realized their little display of cowardice had an audience of one, or turn around and charge at the forest, as if they had meant to challenge the training area all along. Either way it was surprisingly difficult to keep himself from laughing. Suppressing even the slightest smirk was impossible. People could so inane and fragile. Why should they worry about the thoughts of a stranger? To what point could it possibly affect their new lives? One would think that with the way their new bodies looked and dressed they would be far less easy to embarrass. Truly, it was a wonder they hadn’t already dropped off the face of the planet. Idly, he wondered how much it would take. A small push? A big one? Or could he get them to push themselves…

But alas, after a while even that pleasure was subsumed by predictability, becoming terribly dull.

He nearly went back to re-examining the contents of his inventory when an unfamiliar voice jolted him out of his internal contemplations:

"…only one in the area."

Joshua looked up. A young man, clean favored, and as Cummings might have put it, imperially slim, was putting away his rapier. Joshua felt an odd flash of envy, pushed the emotion away. There was no use coveting others’ weapons, he wasn’t even sure if he could take it. He certainly couldn’t use it, not proficiently anyway. Cricket and rugby were the sort of sports that did not transition over very well when it came to weapons in use five hundred years ago.

"It's nice to meet you. My name is Aria Baltise. But Aria works just fine," the young man continued, polite.

“Joshua, Joshua Paginfort,” the summoner replied, giving Aria a wry smile as he rose to his feet. His knees cracked a little as he did so, but he hadn’t used his hands so in his view it was still a victory. For a split second he contemplated mimicking the odd, fist over the heart greeting that Aria had given him before deciding against it. He hadn’t the faintest what it meant, and that could very well mean he would be insulting this Aria for returning it. When confronted by an alien set of social practices, it was always best to remain within your own comfort zone until you understood all the rules.

He held out a hand to shake.

“Call me Josh - or Ruin, if you’d like, I suppose it hardly matters now, what with all the... whatever this is,” he laughed, a little self-deprecatingly. “It’s been quite the exciting day, hasn’t it?”

WC: 1004

[Sin]

PICK UP MY DREAMS - FACE TOMORROW Σndless frame of what seemed to be not that of happiness, but despair. Where, where was he going? Hadn't not the slightest clue as to where he was transported to was beyond his recognition. Wandering about an endless land of fate that is soon to be not only his death, but his downfall, what could he truly call home now? A world that was filled with different beings, creatures, monsters, and people. This world was no place for someone of heart, but a deadly killer. This was not hell, but purgatory, a place for someone such as Izanagi should be. Having not the slightest bit as to where he was a young man by the mysterious figure with quite a lavishing look would be residing within a tree. He had been donning quite an odd fabric that he arrived with being a white tunic that was ruffled around the wrist of the long-sleeved shirt an the collar itself being open revealing the collarbone, he would wear that black breeches upon his below waist, and a pair of equestrian black boots upon his feet. This was the look of a Novice Assassin wearing that of leather armor like cloth, but where were his weapons? Concealed within his boots as he did not have any tailored belts upon his waist to carry his weapons. Concealing his Dagger's within the boots of his shoes was the best idea he could currently do at this time. He had been wandering about for quite sometime now as he had been moving silently within the trees using his tracker skill Silent Move, thus causing his speed to be reduced by 50% for the moment as he is in usage of it. As he is moving though it would not be easy for any monsters to spot the innocent bystander who was "seemingly" defenseless. The crimson eyed young man would look at the scenery he was in through his left eye which wasn't covered with a bang like his right eye. He would scope the area for any adventurers, but could not find any yet. The location he was currently within was a the outside zone of Windsor, Greatwood. During his arrival he had wandered toward the outside of the entrance safe zone he was within, but leaving he was wide open for attacks. He walked among the ground for a moment, but then he would make his way into a tree silently running into the shadows so that he could conceal his presence. Hiding within the tree it would seem as though the traveler who encountered a slime just now was coming from the direction of Windsor, Greenwood. He hadn't the slightest clue how he meandered back to the starting point, but he wasn't able to use his map to determine his location outside the safe zone. Looking as he would slay the slime creature quickly after toying with it for so long the mysterious figure would watch the Swashbuckler in action after that. It seemed the swashbuckler had met someone else, someone the Assassin did not see. Could these have been enemies that he should attack or not? It would seem as though the assassin could hear them both speaking among one another as the Swashbuckler introduced himself as, Aria and the other man introducing himself as Joshua. Whoever these two were he would have to remain hidden in the shadows until he could be sure if they were safe to approach for if not, he would have no choice but to attack. tag: Aria Baltise Ruin ▪ words: 593. ▪ ooc: ....▪ BGM: Ominous Music

BY KERRIA ♥ OF GANGNAM STYLE

[Aria Baltise]

The other would introduce himself as Joshua Paginfort, reaching out with a hand to gesture for a friendly handshake. The blonde would smile before extending his gloved hand and taking hold, giving that hand a shake as introductions were out of the way. He would soon take notice of other people walking up to the entrance of the woods and showing signs of fear, uncertain as to whether or not they could actually attempt fighting outside of the safety zone. William would put up a rather worried look as he rubbed the back of his head, honestly uncertain as to why everyone else seemed so scared to proceed. "What's up with everybody? I mean, sure, it's a shock that we all ended up inside of a game, but it's really not all that different, is it?" He'd then suddenly begin exuding body language to help make his point, making himself out a bit more dramatic than what was probably needed. "We should be embracing this opportunity! For this...this is a true marvel of gaming! Where the players actually dive into the game and become one with it! Everything is right before their eyes! Within their grasp! A virtual paradise to lose yourself in and to keep hold of the fantasy!"

His little starry-eyed display made people stop in their places, staring at him like he were some loon who had just lost it. However, he didn't seem the slightest bit fazed by the awkward attention he'd drawn to himself. Instead he would simply flip the tuft of his pompadour and cross his arms over his chest, looking to Joshua with a smile on his face. "At any rate, I'm about to head on in and do some grinding. Care to join me?" Well, regardless of whether or not Josh intended on joining him, he was going to go inside anyway, already stepping inside without a care in the world. The other players would watch after him for a while, looking at each other as though uncertain of what action they should take. However, one would finally follow in after, then another...then another...and another. Players would slowly but surely start to file in, still somewhat scared from the initial shock, but starting to come around. Did they perhaps see something in William that helped to put their minds at ease? Some sort of presence of leadership perhaps? Nah. That couldn't be. William never really considered himself the leading type, so that thought never crossed his mind.

As he wandered deeper into the woods, he would be slaying Dull Green Slimes and Young Pittered Boars here and there. He'd be sure to collect the gold and any items they left behind, the players from earlier soon following example and finding that it was actually rather easy to Hunt the monsters in the area. William would turn back to see this happening, smiling to himself, as he was happy to see that he managed to help in giving them that push they needed to enter the zone. For the time being, he would lean back against a tree, taking the time to wait and see if Joshua would follow suit with him. The guy seemed interesting and nice enough, so it would be good to have another person around to at least chat with while slaying the mobs within the hunting zone.

Word Count: 562

[Ruin]

Aria launched into a surprising, somewhat impromptu lecture that sounded somewhat like a riff on Robin Williams in Dead Poets Society. Carpe Diem! Seize the day! So what if the world has been irrevocably transformed into something out of your fevered imagination or an MMORPG game? Think of it as an opportunity, not a loss. Your parents may be gone, all but your gaming buddies scattered to the four winds, possibly on a different planet, but you – you are fine, are you not? You have magic and sorcery and power. How did the old pop song go… “Everything is cool when you’re one of a kind”?

It was an innocent enough thought. A little naïve, but that was only to be expected. Malice could be like that, sometimes. The problem with that line of thinking was that not everyone could live like that. There would always be the Neil Perrys and Richard Corys.

Or perhaps Metternich was the better example.

Joshua smiled and made a vague noise of assent as Aria started to expand on fantasy, politely failing to indicate that a world of magic and monsters was very far removed from the lived experience of everyone he was aware of, save for one sad, flighty old bat that he had hung around the theater troupe that he supposedly managed. She’d been convinced that, among other things, she was the daughter of Hera and went on monthly magical quests to prove her right to take a place among the Gods of Olympus. The last time he had seen her, she told him she was on a quest to kill the first of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.

She’d failed, of course. No one could slay the First of the Four. That would make life terribly, terribly dull.

But other than her, he couldn’t think of anyone that could adapt to such a dramatic change. Foreign as the notion to him was, he understood that friends existed, as did love. Too many things would not make sense if they didn’t. Not everyone would not want to give up their old life in exchange for the new, especially if the threats were unknown and the dangers unmeasured. People tended to like living. It was what made the propagation and continuation of the species possible. They also tended to like, despite repeated retorts to the contrary, a certain degree of predictability.

People would want out. He was sure of it.

Or was he?

No, to begin with this 'game' was a form of escapism. The likelihood of those who were fans being content with the situation was not unreasonable. How many would it be? As time went on they might even become resistant to the idea of returning to the 'real world.' Would a schism appear if people discovered a way back? Would it come to blows and arms and then finally war? Joshua smiled, very thinly. Even if it was just a mere hypothetical he found himself looking forward to that day... whenever it came. A week, a month, or a decade hence. He didn't particularly care either way because either way he highly suspected that he would be very entertained by the shenanigans that were to come.

Feeling surprisingly light-hearted, Joshua followed the swashbuckler into the forest. “I think I’ll take you up on that offer, Aria,” he said, smiling. He tucked his hands into his pockets, reaching around for his pathetic stick of a weapon. If he was extraordinarily lucky, he might be able to leverage a proper amount of force and… maybe kill something? The possibility existed, no matter how remote. Besides, other than the slight abnormality of embracing this brand new reality, Aria did seem to know what he was doing. That sort of experience might come in handy.

Word Count: 632
Tags: Aria Baltise Sin

[Sin]

PICK UP MY DREAMS - FACE TOMORROW Such intriguing people they were. Did the blonde hair male make such a speech that was made to be awe inspiring? Sin hadn't the slightest clue as to what caused him to say such a miraculous thing, but it seems Sin could come to only one conclusion as that said conclusion was simple, hope. Hope was the key to surviving this new life, this new land, this new home. Hope wasn't going to easily allow those without a heart crush into the sea of nothingness despise the obstacles that're in their way. People needed hope, people were counting on it. Watching from the shadowy portion of the tree. Would this blonde male be the sanctuary of freedom? A leader perhaps even? Sin was not yet sure, but he was quite of faint interest. Standing within the tall tree he stood he watched as they had begun to be on the move. The man dressed in a white ruffled tunic would disperse from the tree landing back on the land. It would seem as though as the two left he would follow trailing behind a certain distant. Following the two he would notice the boy slaying and defeating many different creatures, but as he watched from the trees themselves, he was not alone. Within the trees were Frenmic Rabbits being at least several of them. Looking at each with a simple stare he would remove one dagger from the right side of his shoe and another dagger from within his left. Twirling his daggers as one he would take the stance of a thief prepared to fight. Slowly his lips would quiver for a moment as he wanted to address the rabbits to come forth toward their deaths, but he remained silently. With a sprint atop of the tree branch he would cross both his arms in an "X" pattern like formation covering his face for a moment to predict their movement, but with his fast sprint he would notice one of the rabbits maneuvering backwards for there was no way they could move left or right unless they wanted to fall out of the tree. Delivering a swift slice to one rabbit he would be rid of them. Clashing his blade with their mouths as they tried to bite him he would kick won out of the tree slicing one rabbit in half the next. Launching out of the tree he would land on the ground where it seemed as though he would come into contact with the two men being both Joshua and Aria. The Assassin would have land behind them causing a light noise from the rustling trees, but it would seem as though before he could continue his battle the rabbits would disperse. Turning to face Joshua and Aria, if they looked back, he would wonder as to who they both were and if they were going to ask any questions of the old fashioned dressed Assassin in Cloth. tag: Aria Baltise Ruin ▪ words: 493. ▪ ooc: ....▪ BGM: Ominous Music

BY KERRIA ♥ OF GANGNAM STYLE

[Aria Baltise]

William was thrilled to hear that Joshua would be joining him, smiling as the other man came strolling up with his hands in his pockets. The blonde was about to march onward to find the two of them a target to slay, when two things occured to him. His eyes would look over to the upper right so as to see a mini-profile of Joshua presented to him. It seemed that the guy was a Summoner, which meant that he could be very handy in fights in Aria's mind. This was proving to be more exciting by the minute! But of course, then came the other thing, which would have to be taken care of right away. "Say, do you mind if I add you to my Party? It'll split up the EXP a little bit, but at least this way it doesn't become a fight over who gets to kill what and when. Plus, it'll give us both time to figure out how our roles in a battle properly function." During all of the time he had spent playing RPGs, knowing a class and its mechanics to the finest detail was always essential, especially in an MMO. They might have been transported to a world inside of the game, but that didn't mean that the properties were any different. This would surely be something that would give them an edge as they leveled up and tackled dungeons and more aggressive monsters.

However, his attention was soon driven towards the sound of rustling leaves behind them, the blonde turn around to find that someone had arrived from behind the scenes. Another person he didn't recognize, though at the same time, made his brow furrow as his mind went into thought. This guy had just suddenly showed up out of nowhere and finally revealed himself, just like a ninja! It was then that he recalled something when he had first created his character before playing for long. His eyes would fixate on the man, and a mini-profile would appear before him as the others' form was highlighted. An Assassin? Was this guy spying on them? Did he intend to PK them? For what reasoning would there be for it? As much as William wanted to simply level-grind without any issue, it seemed like it would have to wait until some kind of understanding was met. "An Assassin...and possibly a Tracker at that...otherwise we would've been able to hear you sneaking around...right?" He'd only briefly read over the classes and subclasses and their overall abilities, but there was no real way for him to confirm any of the man's actions. Right now, he was simply trying to stir something out of mere speculation. But even despite that, he felt slightly unsettled by it all, his armed hand slowly raising his Rapier and pointing it directly at the dark-haired man.

"Well? C'mon. It's not like I'm really lookin' for a fight, but I don't exactly take kindly to guys sneaking around like that, either."

Word Count: 506

BGM: Encounter

[Sin]

PICK UP MY DREAMS - FACE TOMORROW Who? Who was this boy? Who was he exactly? Having the thought that he could attack Sin? Why would he want to attack Sin? This made no sense, he did not make a fighting stance, he did not point his daggers at the man, so why must he point his at Sin? Sin would look with hold an appalled like expression upon his face, but it was only a light widen of the left eye. Sin would think as to why he chose this class for it only seemed to push those away. Looking down for a moment he would stare at his daggers thinking about his Assassin Class, he remembered why he had chosen this class exactly now. The Assassin Class was chosen due to his will nature of solitude. Assassin's may serve those that are within debt or gratitude of the person they admire or was aided by. An Assassin did not have to converse with those he did not know for they were enemies, everyone who stood before was now an enemy. This world they were in? Only he could survive alone and he would grow as an Assassin against those who dare to defy him. Sin would take a stance with both daggers staring directly at his opponents. Maneuvering toward his opponent as he would take each step, he was simply going to start out with an Auto Attack and would begin to deliver a rotational spin like three sixty degree bringing his left dagger to strike forth at his opponent, but he were to have been parry'd by his rapier than it would seem as though Sin had to create a counter action by delivering an upward slash from his right dagger, but he could not determine how this would play out as the battle scene had all occurred within his head. Taking a stance for this was now reality he would stare at the man for a moment. His cool down had to now have been done with for Silent Move. But even as an Assassin, he could not PK another player even if it is a game. He was a kind person, it seemed as though he did not have a bad bone in his body and has realized the situation they're within. So, placing his daggers back within his boots he would give a simple narrow eyed look at the man as he would walk over toward the young man with the Rapier. Looking at him as they had now stood four feet apart he would give a simple stare, that was it. Nothing more. Sin was not sure how to interact with this man, but he did not desire to speak toward him unless he were asked questions returning them with a simple response...probably. tag: Aria Baltise Ruin ▪ words: 466. ▪ ooc: ....▪ BGM: Ominous Music

BY KERRIA ♥ OF GANGNAM STYLE

[Ruin]

After Aria’s surprisingly chipper, if rather incomprehensible question, a pop-up appeared in the air before him, black letters floating on a giant off-white screen. An [X] surrounded by a red box lay in the upper right corner, as did a [–] sign. Its contents were loud, if a bit prosaic.

ARIA HAS INVITED YOU TO HIS PARTY!

WOULD YOU LIKE TO JOIN ARIA’S PARTY?

[YES] [NO]

Joshua stared at the pop-up.

The pop-up, inconsiderately enough, did not deign to explain its inexplicable presence. The summoner felt a twinge of annoyance, then a twinge of annoyance at the fact he was annoyed: why would the pop-up bother him when the fact he had been herded onto an alternate world did not. Still, this new development raised an awkward question he had thought answered: was he still stuck in a game or not? An alternate world, he had sufficient experience with science-fiction to at least appreciate as possible. A virtual reality where he was stuck, that too he understood.

This halfway between the two nonsense was getting on his nerves.

The pop-up continued to float, asking its question in loud, bothersome capitals.

“Yes?” he asked, answering tentatively as he raised a brow. Despite his answer the message didn’t disappear, leading him to believe that there was some way to manipulate it directly. He was about to ask Aria for pointers when, even as he watched, a fly buzzed through the screen as if it wasn’t there.

Joshua blinked, bemused. Either he had started hallucinating or some sort of intangible pop-up, the sort he might see while surfing the Net, could be summoned through a series of keywords and miscellaneous actions. As he walked forward it followed him, keeping an equal distance from his torso. Curious, he took his hand out of his pocket and tried to poke at the letters but only succeeded in distancing the message from himself. There was no resistance at all, it felt like A few experimental jabs and swishes later he accidentally discovered there was an entire interface available to him. He could see a number of tabs: his HP and MP represented in numerical form, a list of Friends (currently empty), his inventory, a number of other miscellaneous things and a skill list. He flicked towards the last one, interested despite himself.

[SUMMON FOLLOWER: SLIME]

There were two times associated with it: one that indicated how long it would take to ‘cast,’ and another which seemed to inform the user how long it took before the timer could be repeated. Still. Slime. That sounded less than wholesome. What on earth could a follower slime be?

His finger edged towards the button just to see.

Then Aria turned, attention caught by something that he had seen or maybe heard. Then he started talking, addressing what seemed to Joshua the empty air. A moment later, a tall, dark-haired fellow strode out into the light. Despite himself, Joshua was impressed: he had not thought that someone could remain quite so silent – nor that Aria would be able to observe them.

The way they were all interacting though, it did seem to scream fight or flight reflexes about to kick into gear.

“Well, isn’t this lovely! More friends!” Ruin said, clapping his hands together. He smiled wide enough so his eyes crinkled, but his gaze never quite left the dagger at the man’s hip. “Welcome, welcome – an assassin, was it?”

He smiled wider. “So. Are you here to kill us?”

WC: 580
Tags: Sin Aria Baltise