[Closed: SE] Fool's Gold.

[Ryker]

Ryker - Level 1 - Cleric

HP: 100%

MP: 100%

: Words :
1225

A massive, huge water wave splattered into the air as an extremely large object slammed into it, exploding outwards and away from the massive body of oceanic blue liquid it was once a part of. Moments after the first wave’s appearance, several other tidal waves of the sea burst away from the impact point, cascading outwards in a rapid fashion as they assaulted everything around them. In addition to massive waves being created, there was a large spray of the salty liquid jettisoned into the surrounding atmosphere, raining down on everything around the impact point of the large object. However, all of this violence and deathly action was taken over by one, single, sound… bloop. Yes, the sound of bait being cast by a fisherman.

“And now I wait…” Ryker chuckled to himself as he sat with a smile on the edge of an outcropping of rocks. With his punitive fishing rod in hand, the Fisherman had cast his line and now was watching the water suspiciously. He searched for movement, for life, or just anything in general. Much like he did in reality, Ryker scanned the ocean’s blue veil with a set of eyes which dissected every single movement his mind could register. Even if that movement was a leaf falling onto the water thirty feet away, Ryker observed it. Why? The answer was simple; unity.

The world Ryker was invading with his bait was one which was unified. It was a world which he could only be a part of for moments at a time and one he wished he could have been born into. The world of nature was one which turned and twisted, ignoring all outside forces acted upon it, and sustained itself with great ease, and great care. It was a world which anything could affect anything, a world where a slight change could cause a rupture somewhere else. It was a world that no man could change no matter how hard he tried. It was beautiful, deadly, and enlightening. For Ryker, it was also inspiring.

To have such perfection in such huge proportions was something to be marveled, and Nature did it so easily that it was faultless. Simply being able to look at such magnificence was something Ryker took pride in and he did everything in his power to try not to upset the balance. Though, he did need to eat and he needed to survive. Ryker fished both because it was necessary to his own life and because it also helped him support the lives of others. His catch would feed the hungry, support families, and keep a husband from sleeping on the couch. The fish he would bring home would allow families to keep roofs over their heads and help maintain stability. Of course in the world he was currently in there was a much lower need for such measures, but it was something Ryker still felt he needed to keep on his mind. Fishing was not a sport, not a profession, but a way of life. To Ryker, fishing was more than just throwing a line and killing such beautiful creatures. To Ryker, fishing was his way of keeping the world together.

“Oh…?” As Ryker took in a breath, he noticed something near his line. The fisherman’s eyes narrowed, his vision focused, and he became numb to the world around him. Everything which was important to Ryker vanished and the only thing left was the small shadow lingering just beyond the surface of the ocean.

The body was small, tiny, but alive. It wiggled, twirled, and nibbled. Those nibbles sent tiny vibrations through the line and into Ryker’s fingertips, much like that of an insect poking at a spider’s web. They were soft, teasing, taunting, but important. Every single vibration had meaning and the information passed along with each of them was invaluable. Was the fish curious? Was it hungry? Did it know the bait was a trap? No. It wasn’t curious or hungry, it was starving. The fish was aggressively poking at the bait and was pulling. It was pulling hard and its hungry mouth was taking larger and larger bites. It was at this point that Ryker’s hands began to squeeze very gently on his rod, gripping onto the shaft of it tightly.

“Little more…” Ryker whispered, eyeing the surface of the water where his line vanished beneath the blue. His line was twitching a little, but not enough for him to eject just yet. The pull was too light. He needed more… so he gave the line a gentle wiggle. It was so subtle, so carefully maneuvered, that the amount of disturbance in the water barely changed. However under the surface, his bait jiggled like a juicy steak in front of the frantically eating fish. Not even a second after Ryker brought his bait to life, there was a hard bite. The single oversized tooth in Ryker’s mouth appeared.

The water blasted into the air once again and the line which Ryker had sent out into the ocean reappeared! Out from beneath the beautiful water came something even more so! It was short, stout, slender, and shinned in the sunlight with such a glory that the gods above would be jealous! A creature from the depths was revealed, and its mighty figure was latched onto the trap which the fox had laid out. Immediately as it appeared, Ryker’s display updated with its name; the Rainbow Minnow! Its body reflected the name as its scales flickered with various colors as it soared through the air. It was a fine sight, and one which Ryker could only aspire to be as it came towards him.

“YES!” The ecstatic exclamation erupted from the fox’s lungs as he reached out, catching the flying treasure in his hand to fully ensure his success. But, that didn’t last long! Just as quickly as he caught the fish, he began to move to save it.

Setting his fishing pole down to free up his hands, Ryker placed it within the safety of a cluster of nearby rocks so it wouldn’t be lost. Now that he could work without restraint, Ryker quickly unhooked the Rainbow Minnow from the hook stuck in its mouth and then leaned far to his left to where a pitiful excuse for a helmet was set up. It was Ryker’s starter platemail helmet, and it was filled with salty ocean water. Well, now it also was the living space for the Rainbow Minnow as Ryker placed the tiny fish inside of the metal object. Rather than dispatch the creature to his inventory, Ryker relied on his instincts and what he learned in reality. Freshness was much more important when handling food than anything else and there was no way in hell he was going to risk losing his catch to a video game.

“Well, that’s one.” Ryker laughed as he watched the beautiful Minnow dance about the inside of the helmet-bucket. There was plenty more where that came from! And he had a lot more bait as well. So, Ryker snagged his fishing pole once more, attached another tiny nightcrawler to his hook, and whipped his line back out into the water. Patience was key here, so Ryker would remain so as he began to watch for the next creature which wanted to keep him company.

Coded By Saber of L33T T3@M

[Ryker]

Ryker - Level 1 - Cleric

HP: 100%

MP: 100%

: Words :
845

Although, catching just one more fish wasn’t enough for Ryker. Instead, he caught another, and then another, and then another. One line toss after another went out into the salty sea and attracted dozens of fish to the player. With every pitch of his bait, another fish was put into his helmet. It was actually quite strange to see such a thing happen as it usually took him a minute or so in between fish to get another bite. Instead, the time it took to catch another poor soul was rapidly declining. It was so weird to have such a reaction, but that didn’t matter. What mattered was that Ryker had to keep his pace. If he wanted to keep the fish in one spot, he had to keep them looking for food, so he moved with as much haste as he could without risking his own performance. Wasting bait would hurt him later; he had to make every casted line count.

Keeping that in mind, Ryker gently snagged each dead herring he had onto his fishing hook by its head. He pierced deep into the skull and ensured the bait was fashioned onto the metal barbs tight. Once he was sure it was secured, Ryker would give the line a slight wiggle and then he would simply toss the dead fish out to sea. Almost immediately upon disappearing below the surface, Ryker quickly began to feel things moving near the bait, taunting and teasing him. They were subtle and barely recognizable, and the waves weren’t helping, so it was hard to tell what was causing the ruckus. However that didn’t exactly matter one-hundred percent. It was the nibblers which mattered for it would be those nibblers that would share the fate of their friends which sat in the helmet beside the fisherman.

“Who will be brave…?” The question made Ryker grin and the impending doom for a willing creature made him chuckle. Oh he was a vicious man that was for sure. He enjoyed the sight of a fish being plucked from the water and liked cooking them even more. That could just be instinct and wish for survival, but just watching the creatures squirm and gasp for some sort of air made him smile. It was strange, but that was okay. Ryker didn’t care; he just wanted to fish dammit. Though, he also wanted to eat. That was important. Now that he finally had a fishing pole, blessed to him by the gods (the game’s creators), Ryker could finally eat! Oh yes, he could now stuff his face with delicious seafood instead of the crappy soups and disgusting meats that most people sold back in London. Self-sufficiency was something Ryker prided in. With his rod now ready to be used, or at least one for the time being, Ryker was much closer to his goal; separation.

Yes, it was something Ryker wished for beyond many things; he wanted to be alone. Now that could be considered bad or pitiful by most people but for Ryker it meant stability. The man could handle other people and he had no qualms with a single living soul, whether they were tainted or innocent. He simply enjoyed the peace and quiet. The sounds of nature and the cool breeze were far more attractive to the white fox than the noise of conversation and heat of bodies. It was a strange taste to have for his age, yes indeed, but Ryker couldn’t care less. He enjoyed being alone sometimes and he made sure he could be. In the real world, Ryker lived alone and distanced from society. The only time that changed was when he brought some of his catch to sell at the marketplace or to have dinner at the church. Those were the only times the Fisherman showed his face to the public. The rest of the time he sat on his dock with a line in the water, or he lay in his boat just to watch the heavens above. That was peace. That was quiet. That was life. And yet when he started to play Elder Tale that all changed.

Ryker quickly equipped himself with social skills and plunged into conversations on a daily basis. He created a massive social network of people, friends, allies, and even became hated by some players. It was as if the game had become a portal and revealed the true person inside of Ryker, the person he thought didn’t exist. He knew he was friendly and he knew he was helpful but the game had helped him build friendships far better than he could in reality. The game also helped him keep them whereas in reality he simply made acquaintances. There were people he wanted to see now and people he missed. There were people he wished would come fish with him some day and people he wanted to help. There were people he cared for, much like those who came to see him every night at the church. It was nice to feel like one belonged again.

Coded By Saber of L33T T3@M

[Ryker]

Ryker - Level 1 - Cleric

HP: 100%

MP: 100%

: Words :
955

“Wow.” After steadily throwing his line out to the sea for about an hour, Ryker decided that he should probably look at how many fish he had caught; he probably shouldn’t have. The helmet was stuffed full of fish and looked as if it would overflow if he wasn’t careful. With no cooler to really store them in, Ryker was left with two options. One; he could stop fishing and carry the helmet back to London where he could get some ice to store them. Two; he could risk it, deposit the fish to his inventory, and continue fishing.

Either option would work for the moment as Ryker didn’t exactly have any real reason to keep the fish fresh aside for his own personal practices. He had no clients that were waiting for him to bring back a load and he didn’t have a store to even sell the things at so for the most part he was simply fishing for experience and to satisfy the game’s requirements for leveling. However he probably had around thirty fish in his helmet, all wiggling and flopping for air. Wasting them would be terrible as nature had put a lot of work into their creation. Ryker was torn, but not broken.

“Well, I guess I have done enough. No?” The little reminder of why he was fishing made Ryker’s decision a little easier; he was fishing at the moment for experience. He wasn’t doing it for money or food. He had enough food from the city to last him for a few days and money was never a problem; he had too much of that stuff because of selling wood he found. There was no reason to risk nature’s work.

With that in mind, Ryker gripped onto his helmet and picked it up firmly in his hands. Then, he stepped up onto his rock, firmly braced himself, and threw the fish into the air and back out to the sea. The sight was indescribable (but I’ll do it anyway). Every fish was a flying image of beauty; their scales reflected the sunlight coming from the heavens above and the fish shinned like Gods as they soared back into the blue kingdom below. Thirty or so flying rainbows filled the air, wiggling, shaking, and gasping for air before vanishing just as quickly as they had appeared. Exchanging money for that was quite worth it in Ryker’s mind, and he did not regret his choice. Instead, he wished he could see it again. But first, he wanted to do something different; he wanted to say hello.

The Fisherman deposited his bait and fishing rod to free up his hands and then began to strip. Well, there wasn’t really much of that. All he really had to get rid of was a shirt, a robe coat, his pants, socks, and his sandals. No armor, no weapons, no facemasks or hairpins, just clothes. That was the one benefit of traveling light; he didn’t have much to carry. However it did get a little breeze as he was now standing in only his underwear. The cool sea breeze whipped at his body ever so casually and the man quivered a little at the feeling. He even got the sensation of goose bumps on his body but the game didn’t render such details so he was left with the tightening feeling of his skin. Yet, not a single worry about the cold went through Ryker’s mind. Instead there were much more devious thoughts…

“Feast your eyes on true beauty, my brothers and sisters!” Ryker shouted to the heavens as he took a powerful stance, showing off his manly body! The years of fishing, swimming, diving, and hunting the seas had left him with a body so manly, so ripped, and so beautiful he considered himself a glorious being when naked! His body was chiseled out of stone! Muscles and veins popped out of his limbs as if they gasped for air! So manly, so sexy! HE WAS RYKER, THE FISHERMAN!

“YEAAAAAAAAAA!!!” The manly roar echoed out into the air as Ryker leapt off the rock he stood on. As he descended, the yell was cut off and Ryker inhaled deep. The water rapidly invaded his personal space and a second later he vanished beneath the surface. The many fish he had just released as well as the other whom had begun to gather, waiting for the impending food from the skies above to come down, suddenly scattered when the foxtail broke the surface. Ryker almost laughed at the fearful sight of the fish running for their lives but resisted opening his mouth. Doing so would cause him to taste the salt, and that stuff was nasty.

As he floated there, pedaling casually near the surface, Ryker got an idea of his surroundings. The area was lit near the surface but light very rapidly dissipated as the water’s depth increased. That was expected, but what he didn’t expect was his sightline. The Fisherman could see extremely far, much farther than he could in reality, and he could see with great detail. It was amazing. Yet, Ryker would have trouble searching everything. The reason for this was the timer ticking down in the bottom left of his visual display; two minutes was where it had started. To be safe Ryker assumed that was his oxygen. At the end of those two minutes, he would drown, so he would have to swim smart. One minute of swimming straight down was the furthest depth he could go and remaining near the surface just in case would have to be priority when swimming laterally. Even so, he was a curious man and this was a new ocean to explore!

Coded By Saber of L33T T3@M

[Ryker]

Ryker - Level 1 - Cleric

HP: 100%

MP: 100%

: Words :
789

“Down we go!” Rolling over his head, Ryker flipped himself over and began to kick away from the surface and the rocks he had once been steadily fishing from. The feeling of the water coating his body and wrapping him in a tight blanket was amazing. It felt as if he was home again, and that made him smile.

With an eye on the clock, Ryker’s feet kicked rapidly through the water, propelling him down to the sea floor below. As he swam further and further from the beach, the depth he was at increased because of the ocean floor expanding down. Much like in reality, the ocean’s body moved in a rapid slope down with the angle of descent increasing very quickly the farther one swam out. However, what Ryker didn’t expect was it to keep going. Well, he did but he expected some sort of drop off. After swimming for a certain amount of time in the real world, there was usually some sort of drop point where the slopped floor turned into a frightening cliff face where only monsters dared to dive down. Elder Tale was different.

After swimming for almost a minute, Ryker quickly escaped to the surface and popped out of the blue wall. He inhaled fresh oxygen and filled his lungs with his underwater fuel and took a moment to check where he was. The mainland was still close but he doubted anyone just passing by could see him without actually eyeballing the water, which meant that he was a good distance away. Swimming was second nature to the humanoid sea lover so moving quickly underwater was easy for him, even if it was a game. With hundreds of hours spent in, near, and under the water, Ryker had become extremely proficient in navigating the liquid bodies. He was almost a fish himself. Still, he was restricted by his lungs and he would have to pay a lot of attention in his current situation because he didn’t have the lung capacity like he used to have.

In reality, Ryker had trained himself to be able to hold his breath for almost six minutes while diving for the treasures beneath the water’s surface. That time had been cut significantly due to the game’s programming and now Ryker only had two minutes of air. It wasn’t difficult to adjust his operation bubble as he would simply have to keep time in mind, but it was the fact that he had grown so used to long dive times that could potentially screw him. In addition to that, this was a game world. There would be monsters coming after him under the water that he would most likely have to fight. The real world had monsters, but nothing he couldn’t take with a knife or a harpoon; he only had a katana here. Until he could get either of the other weapons, Ryker would have to play defense.

Releasing his mouthful, Ryker let out the oxygen he had just inhaled and let himself relax. Then, he took in another and flipped backwards. Like a whale showing off, Ryker’s feet kicked up over the surface and then vanished beneath it as the man descended straight down, quickly returning to the seafloor. As he reached it, Ryker placed his right hand into the sand and gripped onto it tight. The once loose sea-dirt became a stiff handle for Ryker to kick off, helping the Fisherman jettison himself forward for a few feet. He didn’t need to go a mile but the swift acceleration allowed him to cut time and he was moving quickly in half the time it would have taken him by just using his feet.

With his eyes vigilant for any visitors, as well as any amazing sights, Ryker followed the almost blank sand down into the depths of the Thames Ocean. Yes, this was home. This was where he enjoyed living and where he wished he could stay forever. At times like this he wished he was a fish but was also thankful he wasn’t. If he was a fish, Ryker would want to see the land because of him constantly living under the water so being a land-based mammal was probably better for him. It was simple psychology, maybe. Ryker was no intellectual but he was no idiot either. However, what the hell was psychology? He knew the word but… wait, that was the brain science right? Yea. That one. If he was a fish, he would want to see the land but couldn’t because gills. As a human he wants to see the ocean because lungs. No, that was anatomy. Wait, psychology?

“What the hell are you talking about?” Nothing. Just keep swimming,
“…Right.”

Coded By Saber of L33T T3@M