Shadows embrace when light betrays (Full Group)

[Hadrian]

St. Pancras Station was a wonder to behold in reality. A wide open platform allowed for natural light to shine down on its visitors through the curved ceiling littered with glass windows. The way it looked in the game however was far short of its once romanticized label of the cathedral of the railways. Now it was a mere shadow of its former glory much like everything else in Londinium. The ruins had a charm though, that echoed to adventurers an irresistible desire to explore its hallowed halls. Alex had heard about the ruin’s entrance from some adventures at one of the random pubs in the area.

They spoke of a dark dungeon which had been infested with kobalds and had yet to be fully explored. It wasn’t hard for someone who lived in London to have a map of the tube system. What was hard was to expect that the usage of that knowledge would be of any benefit in a game that was made to challenge reality. He had no illusions that the underground would be the same. Even then his knowledge extended to the entrances and exits of the London tube system, not the exact patterns of the rails themselves. It was impossible to resist however the desire to explore. Some part of him was reminded of fall out three, the game that allowed him to run around the subway of a post-apocalyptic Washington DC.

Naturally though Alex was well aware at his level it was certain death to explore alone. Such as it was he managed to hang a few flyers in the hopes that some adventures as inquisitive as him would answer the call. Over several days while many seemed interested only a few brave souls had stepped up to the challenge. The plan was to meet near the old parliament building at 10am and hoof it from there. If Alex remembered correctly it was about 4 kilometers from parliament square. That should give the rather unfamiliar group some time to talk over skills and a general strategy. Only one of the adventurers he had the chance to meet ahead of time but that was some time ago. Back when he and Tyonis had just started the game. Of course now that he thought about it, level one wasn’t that far ago.

Alex leaned against the building and waited for the others to arrive. His combat gear was simple, a chainmail shirt, white short jacket, red gauntlets, black trousers, a red scarf, and black boots. None had any sort of stat boost since he was still mostly wearing his starter gear. The claymore rested easy across his back as his eyes merely looked up into the sky. Alex couldn’t help but wonder how deep into the underground this group could make it. Certainly higher level groups had managed to uncover new passageways but Alex knew how convoluted the London underground was. So long as the group worked as a well-oiled machine they might be able to push rather deep.

WC: 504
Tag: Tyonis, Franny Stein, Steel, Darko Lipowitz
Sign Up: Down the in Londenium Underground (LFG)

SPOILER: Click to show

{Spoiler}Just a reminder that this was for level 1-5 Characters. So for those who are 5+ just RP level 5 and all is good. Have fun!

[Tyonis]

Power perceived is power achieved!

-Tyonis [Samurai]

Tyonis was rather eager for any excuse to explore the Londenium Underground. Sure, had been there quite a few times already, but each time he went, he inevitably discovered something new and intriging. It was a rare occurrence for a game to develop such replay value during its lower levels. As an MMO veteran, Tyonis was almost always oriented toward pure progression as opposed to exploration so the fact it attracted someone of his playstyle spoke volumes of its merit.

Then again, exploring the Unfounded Kingdom was akin to one gigantic vacation. With monsters.

In his hand, Tyonis held a simple flyer asking for members to dive into the Underground. There was no real goal, apparently, just the desire to reveal more of London's dark mysteries. On the other hand, if they ventured deep enough, they might find some rare monsters. Unlike the forests outside, it was practically suicide to grind alone in the Underground. That meant it was relatively barren of Adventurers. And that meant any rare spawns wouldn't be immediately found and slain.

The idea of combat and loot brought him out of his musings.

Marcellus Hadrianus, a Wolf Hair Sorcerer, one he had run into during his first few hours in Elder Tale, was patiently waiting with his trademark claymore strapped across his back. Honestly, the min-maxer within him screamed at the apparent sacrilege of a perfectly good ranged DPS class. Tyonis had no idea what the Sorcerer was planning to do later on. Sure, for now Hadrian lacked the hard-hitting, long cast time spells most Mage-types were renown for. But could he really tailor a Sorcerer build to suit close-range combat? Why not just roll as an Assassin if he wanted to use a sword so badly?

The Samurai shook his head as he approached.

"Had," Tyonis called, using a nickname he tagged onto the Sorcerer shortly after they first met. Like before, Tyonis still couldn't pronounce the Sorcerer's name. "Still need a tank or DPS?" He needlessly asked, idly flipping through his Interface to check on the Sorcerer's level progression.

Level: 16 HP: 100% MP: 100%

Status Effects: None

Skills Used: None

Word Count: 340

Notes: ...

Made by Zirnitra of Elder Tale

[Franny Stein]

A few days after her cave incident it occurred to Franny that she simply lacked Intel on the rules and ways of her new setting. Frequenting her new-found bar at the rather welcoming dwarf’s guildhouse, she had been weary, but determined to learn. Listening in on conversations and taking notes between a sip or two and at times a handful or other of complimentary peanuts, Franny had eventually come upon a flyer that meant to set up a manned expedition into the London underground. Deciding that this was likely her chance to observe some proper adventurers in their natural habitat, she pocketed the advertisement while making a note of the date and location. Franny made plans to be there early.

There’s a saying, she thought, fake it till you make it.

Figuring that mr. skeleton was more or less a natural murderer anyways, she guessed it would be upon her to learn to shepherd it in some protective company quickly. She hated to drag others down.

Across the street she saw her objectives gather, and after watching them greet each other, wore her best smile in approach.

So I'll be intruding on some clique, she thought feeling stupid, but why post a flyer then? Weren’t flyers for the ones without any friends?

She held up one hand as a saluting wave and with the other held the advertisement in a way the two could see.

“Hayo, you guys wouldn’t happen to be the ones posting this around town are you?”

Figuring they were she continued:

“Nice to meet you, I’m Franny, a necromancer and support.”

[Steel]

"Yosh, Time to do this!" Steel exclaimed to himself with vigor as he ran towards the meeting place he was told to go. He and some other players were planning on going into the London Underground and go hunting. After some running he found some players already there. "The name's Steel, a swashbuckler. I'm going to assume that you guys are the ones who posted that notice. I'll serve as an Off tank and an Bleeding Effect dealer. Nice to work with you all."

[Darko Lipowitz]

After Darko finished his studies within a library ruins, he moved towards the boundary between London and Windsor Greatwood to study more creatures living there. Although he had found something new in the library, the new information left a bad taste in his mouth. There he discovered about some things still left within the city of London, primarily the old subway system under the city proper. It seemed to be the one frontier that he had not yet explored, and it had to be within the living area of the city, underground at the very least. Irritated about this new-found knowledge without knowing where should he start the search for hidden entrances to the underground, he decided to exhaust himself hunting, and then go within numerous pubs to find the hidden information under the guise of poker playing, while taking a rest from the hunt.

It was when he was near the boundary of London city proper that he saw a flyer inviting some people to explore the underground of Londinium. The flyer, as he read it, is full of nonsense, but as he read between the lines of nonsensical words, he found out that what the flyer said about the buried subway system is real. The first location of the meeting seemed to be at the old parliament building at 10am. That might mean that the unearthed entrance to the subway system might be near the area. Although it would be a party meeting, as long as he kept secluded from most of the party at least, it would not be much of a bother. The only problem is if one would provoke him enough while his mood is still foul from the thought about not finding the subway earlier.

When Darko arrived at the meeting place clad in his starter gear, there are already four people there. One seemed to be a warrior-class, wearing chain mail under his starting equipment and a claymore sheathed at his back. He could easily take the role of a forward if needed. Another one, from the looks of him, was a samurai also able to take tanking duties. Still another person looks like she was from either a support or mage class due to her equipment, and she might take the rear of the party. And finally, he saw a light-armored person with two swords sheathed on his back, which identified his class as swashbuckler and ergo the flank-hitter of the group. With Darko joining the party it would seem that the battle arrangement was complete.

When his turn came to introduce himself, he replied, in a calm baritone, his voice rusty due to not using it for a lot of days, "Darko Lipowitz, sorcerer that could do support duties. I prefer that no one of you would mess up here."

[Hadrian]

It was a relief to see that Tyonis had shown up. If the group had been made up of total strangers it would have been that much harder to survive in the underground. They had only fought together once but the guy seemed to be a fellow veteran of mmos. “Hi Tyonis. Tank, we have an interesting group from what I’ve gathered.” His eyes looked at each newcomer as the statement was made and began to look at each of their classes in the in game menu. One by one when each adventurer introduced themselves Alex sent out a group invite and used Evaluate to get an idea of what each member could offer. “No dedicated healer but the two of them could pick up the slack” he thought to himself once the fact that the summoner and sorcerer could use the heal skill. Mental notes were made of all of their names since it was easier to remember names than look at the party window every time. "Good to meet all of you. The names Marcellus Hadrianus, but you can just call me Marc or Hadrian."

“I’m sure we all feel that way” , his response directed at the other sorcerer. Alex new the intent behind the sorcerer’s words and easily played it off as something each of them would hope for. In reality Alex would have said something blunt like that if not for his tendency to always hide apathy behind a friendly smile and naturally charismatic charm. For now it served no purpose to let animosity spawn even if the comment rubbed others the wrong way. While some may not notice someone who was no shy from voicing an opinion was always useful.

“Glad you all found me easy enough” he said to the group with a smile that was warm and welcoming. It’s a small hike over to St. Pancras Station. Once all the group invites are accepted we can head on over. Until we get there figured everyone could share their abilities so we could format a general plan for exploration and combat.” Alex wasn’t the type to demand a leadership role. Lately he had just seemed to fall into it due to his extensive experience with Elder Tale over the years. If someone else in the group proved to be better fit to lead then he would not have an issue with it.

“I’m a Wolf Hair Sorcerer, jack of all trades I guess but playing to role of dps. My spells include Inferno Strike for an offensive buff, Serpent Bolt for a defensive buff, blink to increase mobility, and mana arrow to stay ranged. I tend to share the buffs with whoever needs it rather than just casting them on myself.” Alex managed to move his eyes from group member to group member as he spoke to make them all feel included. It was best that he tried to manage some sort of social cohesion. Personality didn’t matter so much before the Apocalypse. Now it seemed more important than ever especially when about to head into a dungeon. Once done he turned his attention to Darko and commented “I think I’ve seen you before. Spend time in the library often?”

WC: 537
Tag: Tyonis

[Tyonis]

Power perceived is power achieved!

-Tyonis [Samurai]

Tyonis nodded at Hadrian and let the Sorcerer evaluate all of the other potential party members. They had fought together once before. Briefly, but it was enough to develop some measure of sociability between them. Enough that both of them were comfortable with each other. The others, not so much. When Hadrian made a point to socialize with someone aside from the Samurai, Tyonis followed suit and patted the white-haired girl on the head shortly after she introduced herself.

"You're such a cute kid! Is this your first MMO? You know, there aren't any actual necromancers in the game." He corrected with a playful smile, coming down to a kneel so to speak to her at her head level while wagging his finger at her. "Don't worry, Franny, right? My name is Tyonis, but you can call me Ty if it's easier for you. I'll be your tank, so all you have to do is heal. It won't be that hard, I promise!" He patted her on the head again and ruffled her hair before turning to the rest a grin still plastered across his face. They were all eager if nothing else and their enthusiasm was quite infectious.

Objectively speaking, their party was built for DPS burning. Meaning the goal would be to kill whatever they were fighting before his HP ran out. It would be his responsibility to help burst down mobs whenever possible while maintaining threat on all of them, lest the mages pull agro and break formation.

Luckily, his latest addition to his repertoire included an AoE taunt.

Level: 16 HP: 100% MP: 100%

Status Effects: None

Skills Used: None

Word Count: 260

Notes: ...

Made by Zirnitra of Elder Tale

[Franny Stein]

As Hadrian began speaking, Franny followed suit by assuming a kind of relaxed pose as a means to establish her role quickly as a hands-off sort of persona, someone to be considered but not really minded. Folding her hands behind her back, her staff rested between them as she shifted weight onto one leg, crossing the other behind. She was attentive, but her gazed wandered to her surroundings and the sky as she nodded in time with Hadrian’s address. For the moment, she decided to leave her interface hanging so that she could offer proper attention to the man's words. When she felt that Hadrian had been sizing her up, however, she flashed him a sidelong winking grin like a parent might to their child from across the room at some party. From his posture, it seemed to her that this Hadrian guy had automatically slipped into a role of authority, Franny figured she may as well follow his lead. He seemed to her like an alright enough of a guy, didn’t really wear his heart on his sleeve per say, but well that was probably itself some factor of consideration for this motley crew. If he wanted to play it cool, that was just as well, or so she figured. Though that all business nonchalant attitude in itself risked its own special flavor of arrogant.

Clicking the party accept with an exaggerated one finger push, she saw the red one approach her specifically.

"You're such a cute kid! Is this your first MMO? You know, there aren't any actual necromancers in the game."

Franny’s head tilted. And her whole body seemed to follow suit rocking slowly back and forth under the immense weight of the samurai’s hand. This man was patronizing her, though in such a way that it didn’t seem purposeful. She decided not to hold it against him, but she noticed that as he continued with his waggling finger that his delegation of her role seemed to be something of a challenge to the current chain of command. Looking past the hunched red samurai, Tyonis as he had said, she met Hadrian’s eyes curiously. Flicking them back, she noticed that Tyonis had already turned away, it wouldn’t do for her not to get a word in.

“Nor you an abrams,” she called after him coyly, “But the slang implies something, no?”

Franny smiled

“Mr. Vanguard.”

Patting his shoulder twice from behind, though it took her to the very tips of her toes to do this, she rejoined the circle that Tyonis seemed to be edging toward the middle of.

So this is us.

Of the other two she hardly minded. She could tell the sorcerer with the disposition was going to be an absolute ray of sunshine… and the other guy? His seemed valuable by way of circumstance. Like how one might come to appreciate finding that one last sheet of paper in your notebook just before a written exam.

Really, what a pack of yoohoos… when it comes down to it we’re all deficient. Though if we’re all idiots, we may as well dance.

Franny looked around from her left to right with an internal sigh.

If we were ice creams…

Hadrian is certainly mint,
Tyonis, I think that was his name, is probably coffee,
Sunshine’s without a doubt a certain strawberry,
And poor Mr. Paper…. Well what else? Vanilla.

Franny folded her arms, her gaze again falling upon Hadrian. She waited for whatever was next.

Your move mint-wolf.

[Steel]

"Now then, let's begin to discuss strategy." Steel said as he began looking over the other members who's status screens could be seen once focused on. "My skills include Mirage Dealer which helps for surprise attacks, Dart Tack Target, which allows me to get the aggro of the enemy directed to me, and Viper raise, a skill to inflict bleeding into the enemy. After looking at your status screens and main classes, I'd like to propose a battle formation. In front will be Tyonis, the samurai and tank of our group. Behind him will be me who can deal damage while redirecting the enemies attention if needed. We'll switch positions to do so. Behind us will be Hadrian, Franny and Darko, the magic users who will be in triangle formation with the point facing towards the two of us. Because we only have one tank who's at the front of the group, I'll be the temporary tank if an enemy attacks us from behind. I'll switch places with the point person of the triangle formation." He then breathed out a bit of a sigh after having said all of that at once. "Anyway, this is only a suggestion and it can be changed based on our abilities but based on our classes, this is what I believe will work best. Either way, without a formation, our party will fall into chaos in combat."

[Deleted]

This was one of the few times Ceidi was ever alone from her father. Of course, all the times she was alone was always for personal things like changing clothes or bathroom breaks. But other than those times, this was, for all intents and purposes, her first time walking around Londinium without being her father's shadow. It was spontaneous as well. He had said something that upset her, she stormed off. She doesn't even remember what he said that set her off. It didn't matter anyway, she would find him again and return as his shadow soon enough. She didn't trust herself to be able to survive in this world herself for very long alone. Her biggest handicap was the fact that she had no weapons. She was clothed fully in plate armor with two large shields slung onto her back. She could use the shields as makeshift weapons, but they wouldn't really kill anything on their own. She had no spells aside from healing spells and Holy Rampage, which was basically an AOE knock back spell. If she got caught in the field alone, she would last a while, but the monsters would eventually kill her.

She decided to wait at the guild hall for her father to return. While waiting, though, she looked over the bulletin board and spotted an ad for a party that would be exploring the subway system beneath the city. No, it wasn't an ad announcing a party, it was an ad looking to form a party that would be exploring the underground! This was her chance to participate in a party without her father! She quickly memorized the details on the paper and made her way toward the meeting location as fast as she could while wearing the heavy armor. When she got to the location of the meeting, five people were already there. She hoped she wasn't too late and they would have a spot for her in the party.

She approached the group, not sure who the leader was. If she had been with her father, he probably would have taken over leadership, so it was probably best she was alone so that she could see how others lead. "I-I'm not too late, am I? I got here as soon as I could." She was incredibly nervous and it was probably noticeable in how she spoke. She stood there while they probably evaluated her, hands clasp together in front of her trying to keep some degree of composure. "I-I'm a cleric. My build is set for heavy defense and healing. M-my subclass is pathfinder, so I am most valuable at the front. My name is Ceidi, n-nice to meet you all."

Any long time player of Elder Tale would probably recognize her build as one of the most commonly double-played and botted builds in the game. Players would either run the game twice on their computers and have a shield cleric as their off-hand account while their DPS, their main, was the focus. The shield cleric would tank and would be one hot-key away from healing either themselves or their main. Or in the case of botting, the shield cleric would do these things automatically and would be following the main automatically as well. And that's just what Ceidi was meant to be. She was a bot that gained sentience because of the Apocalypse. She hoped no one would question her on it too much, though. She wanted to be as human as possible in this world. And she was human in this world, just with an odd origin on Earth. An origin she didn't want anyone but herself and her father, her programmer, to know about.

She took note of everyone else. A wolfhair sorcerer, foxtail samurai... odd choices. Those should really be reversed, shouldn't they? A short race of ritual summoner, a half-alv swashbuckler, and a human sorcerer. There really wasn't much of a tell as to who was meant to be the leader of this group, so she would push aside preconceptions until someone sent her a party invite... if someone sent her a party invite.

Then she remembered they might like to hear of her skills, "Oh! My skills... Well, I am not good for attacking anything really. I hold two shields in each of my arms. I can still cast healing spells and I know an AOE knockback spell that I can use if I'm surrounded. Also, since I am a Pathfinder, I can see enemies from further away than most. I hope you have room for someone like me in your party."

[Steel]

"We definitely have room for a cleric. It'll be a great help." Steel said to the newcomer named Ceidi. Steel began to look her over, looking at the armor she wore and her shields on both arms. She looks like she's my age but for some reason, I feel like there's something different about her from the average teenage girl. He thought to himself but decided that he didn't want to pursue the topic. "Anyway, with her in the group, I'll change my suggestion for our formation slightly. Instead of a triangle formation behind me and Tyonis, I'll suggest to have a diamond formation with Ceidi at the rear point. I think she can tank and it would give us time to help her out when needed. Her pathfinder subclass will come in handy to figure out where monsters are coming from." He then turned to Ceidi again. "Anyway, I'm Steel, nice to meet you." He said with a friendly grin holding out his hand for a handshake. 

[Hadrian]

Alex over heard the conversation between Tyonis and Franny. Really he would have made the same mistake based on her appearance if it had not been for Tyonis genuinely trying to be a nice guy. As the self-proclaimed necromancer’s eyes met his it became clear that her appearance was not as honest as Tyonis had tried to be. He couldn’t help but flash her back a smirk and continue on with the rest of the group. It was far too early for him to evaluate anything other than what skills each member had. Personality had become excessively dominant in Elder Tale now that it was up close and personal.

Alone, just the act of each of the party members simply discussing what they abilities they had wasn’t enough. Although Franny did catch his attention as someone perhaps a bit more like him with the way she responded back to Tyonis. Fondly this group reminded him of the fun the game could be. Meeting new people, learning how to fight together, all of the little things that had kept him logged into Elder Tale for so long. Steel seemed more like Tyonis though, the straight forward honor and duty type of fellow. As the Swashbuckler spoke about formation Alex listened and nodded in agreement. At least for the moment the formation seemed to work. “I can take that point on the triangle for you to switch with” he commented to Steel. Technically the two of them were the fastest of the group, Steel just based on class and Alex being able to use blink.

Steel had a grasp of the game which was good to her. The more adventurers that spoke up in the group the better. Simply put none of them were level 90. It wasn’t a matter of being on an alt and having prior knowledge. At this point any idea was at least worth some attention. Thankfully Steel had mentioned the fluidity of the idea which was something most of them should be aware of. The ebb and flow of battle was something to be manipulated but rarely controlled. It was that manipulation that he hoped this particular party, which would yield high dps, could do. What they lacked in sheer defense Alex hoped their over powering offense could take them deep into the underground.

Though when another voice spoke up Alex’s eyes immediately shifted from Darko somewhat abandoning the question he had posed, and diverted his attention to the newcomer. Nothing caught his attention about her mannerisms or skills or anything other than the fact that she used two shields. Before the apocalypse he had barely met anyone which opted for that cleric build unless they had a bot. Even then that type of cleric tended to burn heals on them. However, when he looked over the group one more time she did offer a nice counter balance on the defense side. But before he could return her welcome Steel had been rather enthusiastic to welcome the cleric.

The new formation seemed to work well enough again similar to the way the previous one did. Steel was right to welcome Cecil enthusiastically. Cecil had found a party of misfit combinations, Alex knew her contribution would be welcomed. “Glad to have you along Cecil. You can just call me Marc or Hadrian. Feel free to speak up any time. For now we need to start walking on over to St. Pancras Station.” One last group invite was sent to their new party member Cecil. If the group wanted to maximize the time spent in the dungeon they would have to leave soon. As he walked past some of the members Alex patted Tyonis on the shoulder. “When we get down there it’s your show. Here’s hoping we do better than we did against the boars” he joked with the samurai telepathically, casually striding along the road that would eventually lead to the Underground’s entrance.

WC: 656
Tag: Tyonis, Darko Lipowitz

[Tyonis]

Power perceived is power achieved!

-Tyonis [Samurai]

Elder Tale was renowned for having an active botting community. A proud one, even. Sure GMs would occasionally initiate a bot purge, but those were few and far in-between. They were rare enough that some Japanese bots were famous. The one Tyonis recently read of was the Coppelia series on the Japanese server, Yamamoto. Ceid1's equipment was a practical carbon copy of the one he researched. No real player would use two shields for ANYTHING save for the most unique of situation and mostly during raid-orientated combat where roles and positioning were better defined. A little dungeoneering through a low level area was the furthest thing from 'unique.' After putting two and two together, it wasn't hard to deduce what the cleric was.

Hell its name had the number 1 in it.

"I guess a bot healer is better than none," Tyonis concluded offhandedly as he inspected Ceid1. It wasn't the same analytical gaze he used on other people. More like how someone would scrutinize a sword or product. It was obvious he saw the cleric as something less than human.

"I'm honestly amazed. It's acting like a person." He commented, stroking his chin curiously as he continued his inspection of the bot. Even as Steel began to speak strategy, the samurai was still thunderstruck by the cleric's realistic personality. Eventually, he was forced to turn his focus away from the bot when Steel suggested the cleric stand in the back.

"Why put it in the back? If its heals can draw agro off of the rest of the party, it can stay in the front, next to me. It has two shields, plate armor, and can see monster spawns ahead of us, so it'll pose as good cover and a warning system. If things get bad, just hide behind it and wait for it to heal you. It's what most dual-boxers do when partying with it." Tyonis suggested as they made their way to St. Pancras Station.

"I suggest a line formation. I'll take center point, Steel on my right, the bot on my left, Had next to the bot. Both ranged DPS can trail behind five meters. In the case of a surprise attack, we can leave our rear to Franny's summons until we deal with the threat in front of us."

Level: 16 HP: 100% MP: 100%

Status Effects: None

Skills Used: None

Word Count: 384

Notes: ...

Made by Zirnitra of Elder Tale

[Franny Stein]

Franny raised an eyebrow at Tyonis’ new found attitude toward the newest addition of the party: the watermelon flavor and less importantly a healer with she imagined would ease up some of her own responsibility.

Probably better to say nothing…

To a newbie like Franny, it felt like everyone was talking at once. Formations more or less made sense to her, and between everyone’s suggestions it seemed like she would always remain at the back, so she considered that she probably wouldn’t need to worry too much. As for them wanting her summons in the back, that didn’t seem the wisest use of resources, but back there she wouldn’t complain if people failed to notice any instances of summoner-error.

Just smile and nod Franny…

When there was a moment of silence, in between the sounds of their march through the city, it felt to her that things weren't quite settled. Hating lose ends and improvisation, Franny decided to speak up:

“Maybe it’s time to pick one of those random strategies, yeah? Theory’s about to make way for practice.”

Franny looked at the entrance to their destination and sighed shaking her head. The stairs down into what she assumed was an ex-subway had seen better days. Out of the corner of her eye she turned her head to see a butterfly flutter off as if to really drive home the contrast of where they were headed. Even the walls down were worn upon, covered in great thick vines, as if some massive tree grew through the lot of it. Franny squinted but could make out nothing further, she was somewhat relieved that she would not be the first down.

Out of the pit and into the pit….I don’t remember setting my subclass thingy to spelunker.

She turned to the party with a wicked grin:

“Maybe nobody’s home?”

[Deleted]

Ceid1 Human Cleric Lv. 1

HP 100% MP 100%

STATUS: None

---

It hurt. It hurt more than anything that had hurt her before and she was a living damage sink for crying out loud. She had hoped it wouldn't be so obvious what she was. She was wrong... she should have stayed with father... The more the Samurai called Tyonis spoke, the more angry she got. Was that the right emotion for this kind of situation? Because that's what she felt. Not embarrassment for being found out. Not shame for being what she was. It was utter hatred for the man who was treating her like she was no better than an animal or canon fodder. The last "it" was the final straw.

She lifted one of her shields off her right shoulder, held it by the leather strap, and with as much strength as she could, she spun the shield over and beamed him square in the back of the head with the metal shield. She was so angry at this point that she didn't care if this brought the city guards down on her. It would only make it easier to get away from this man. But it looks like she found a non-combat way of dealing pain without lowering HP or sending her into combat mode. If he retaliated in any way, she would be ready with her left shield.

She was not as nervous as she was when she first came upon the group. She would speak in a way that made her sound like a completely different person. No stuttering or nervousness. Just anger. "I was born May 3rd, 2018. I took my first breath in this world, I spoke my first word in this world, I ate my first food in this world, I felt my first pain in this world, I bleed in this world, I cry, laugh, and boil with anger in this world." She lifted her right arm to her mouth and bit, hard. Her teeth broke the skin and the taste of the iron of blood filled her mouth. She dropped her arm from her mouth and spit the blood in her mouth to the mossy cracked asphalt. A few lines of blood streamed down her arm and dripped to the ground. Her mood lightened after that little bit of self-punishment. "I didn't choose what I was on Earth any more than you chose your eye and hair color. This world made me human, just as human as the rest of you. I don't deserve to be treated like an 'it'."

She hoisted her right shield back onto her back and brought up her game menu. With a few fluid movements, the others would notice her name disappear from the party list, as she left the party. She turned from the group and started to walk back to the city. She shouldn't have gone off on her own, she needs to find her father. While walking, she lifted her left shield onto her back as well. Provided no one tries to stop her, she will return to the guild building and look for Ineircied. If someone did try to stop her, they would see tears streaming down her cheeks after that confrontation.

---

Skills Used: n/a

Tags: Darko Lipowitz, Steel, Hadrian, Tyonis, Franny Stein

NOTES: Sorry for posting a bit out of turn, I think? Darko seems to have gone on hiatus and I wanted to write this up sooner anyway.

[Steel]

"Shut it." Steel said to Tyonis in a somewhat cold tone. He could tell that Ceidi was very upset over being referred to as an object rather than a living being as she had decided to leave the group and began to walk away. "Ceidi is a 'she' not an 'it'. She's human just like us. Don't give me that crap about how she's just a bot. Remember the People of the Land? They were just NPCs before but now they are humans, probably more human than us adventurers. In that respect, she's as much of a human as we are." Steel said in a somewhat upset tone. He then walked over to Ceidi and put a hand on her shoulder. When she turned to face him, Steel could see the tears fall from her face. "You really are human aren't you? There's no way that a program could show such earnest emotion." He said with a kind smile as he tried to wipe her tears. It reminded him of the times he did the same for his little sister in the real world. He also began cleaning the blood that dripped from her and wrapped a cloth around it so the bleeding would stop. "Here's one definite way to dispel other people's doubts and show that you are a true person. Cry when you feel like crying, laugh when you feel like laughing, just live true to yourself. Once you start doing that, nobody's going to think that you're anything but a living person. You're already on a good start with you crying right now." He said that last part trying to ease the tension. "In any case, I believe we'll be facing off against some strong foes soon, we'll need your help. As a person asking another person, please lend us your strength." He said as he offered his hand as a sign of friendship. This feeling, it's nostalgic. Steel thought to himself as he remembered the past a little. Except last time, it was Kyousuke who said that to me and stretched out his hand in friendship.

OOC: Wow, I feel like I said a lot.

Tyonis
Franny Stein
Darko Lipowitz
Hadrian
@ceid1

[Hadrian]

Human nature was a funny thing. Philosophers had debated the definition of what it meant to be human since before written record. It was precisely this sort of unnecessary emotional irrational back and forth that Alex didn’t like about people. Yet it was exactly situations like this that allowed him to use his utterly annoying yet abundant charismatic nature to manipulate the situation. Through it all he watched as three of them went back and forth on something rather irrelevant to their task at hand.

More importantly it provided a window into the minds of his newly found party members. Each of them had unique personalities that he needed to understand better if they were going to succeed in the dungeon. All the better that some of them had willingly been so brazen about it.

As Steel, Tyonis, and Ceid1 talked things out; somewhat of an understatement; Alex opened a telepathic channel with Franny. “Keep up the observation. If you notice anything about the party just let me know.” He shot her a kind smile in the hopes that she took the true meaning of his statement to heart. For whatever reason Alex had a feeling that Franny was going to be more useful than her rather quite persona gave off. It was always the shy kids in school that paid attention to their surroundings the most. Not to mention that summon of hers was far more flexible than many gave credence to.

As he and Franny stood at the entrance of the dungeon, only to see Ceid1 leave the group with Steel right behind her. “Well then I guess we just let ourselves in. Looks like they left the door open for us” he joked back with Franny, very much in appreciation of her attempt to keep their main goal as a target. From what he could make out of Steel’s speech it seemed like a good one. He was certain Ceid1 would be swayed to stay with the group.

Not that he necessarily agreed with what was said, by any of them really, but the words spoken were full of genuine emotion, concern, and acceptance. Alex’s hand could be seen moving back and forth as he made a quick run through of the in game interface and sent Ceid1 another group invite.

His eyes shifted over to their tank. “You must have been a real lady killer back home” he jokingly teased Tyonis. Tyonis had experience, Steel had concern for the emotions of other players, Franny had observation, Ceid1 had something to prove and a desire for acceptance, Darko was blunt, all of their traits worked perfectly in Alex’s favor. “I’ve decided on our formation” he said rather loudly so everyone in the group could hear him.

The statement was followed by the large clang of the tip of his claymore being driven into the ground before his feet. Both arms rested easy on the bottom of the claymore hilt as his friendly smile and entrancing eyes focused on the party.

“For the record, this is just for now until we find something better. Some of the tunnels are rather narrow; others are wide, based on what intelligence I’ve gathered. All the input everyone has given was helpful and I’d like for everyone to keep speaking up. The first glace he gave was over at Tyonis “You will take point; I’m counting on you to lead us.” A slight shift in his gaze wondered over to Ceid1 and Steel. Even though Ceid1 hadn’t accepted the group request yet there was no doubt that Steel’s words would reach her. “Steel, Ceid1, and Franny will follow behind with Ceid1 in the center.

That will give her the best view to heal and stay safe. I’d rather Ceid1 spread the heals than use them on herself. Steel and Franny you two will control the flow of battle to free Tyonis from having to back pedal if mobs get past. Steel’s speed and Franny’s summon should give us the best shot for flexibility at this.” Alex shot a quick smirk Franny’s way in the hopes that he had guessed how to best use her but more importantly that she would be comfortable with the freedom he had tried to give her to make her own choices in combat.

“Darko and I will take the rear. If we happen to be flanked I can buy sometime until Steel and/or Franny provide help to maintain the rear. That will allow Darko to still stay ranged and bombard as he sees fit.” A nod was sent over to Darko who he figured would want to keep a sense of control.

“One last thing everyone” it was time for him to clear the air on what had just happened by not even brining the subject up. “This is the entrance to the Underground. We are all going in, we are all coming out. Just because we all just met doesn’t mean anyone is expendable. Elder Tale is no longer a game. It’s our reality. If anyone here would willing let someone who fights at their side die in reality…” his demeanor while still kind had turned serious and firm “… then there is no place for you below.” Alex lifted his claymore out of the ground and strapped it back to the sheath on his back. He turned around without waiting to hear if anyone responded and walked back over to the entrance. “After you Tyonis. Lead us to victory.”

WC: 914
Tag: Tyonis, Darko Lipowitz

SPOILER: Click to show

{OCC}Wanted to get in a post now since I'll be most likely unable to post from 11/2 - 11/6 so If my turn pops up skip me.

[Tyonis]

Power perceived is power achieved!

-Tyonis [Samurai]

If it weren't for his superhuman endurance, the Samurai was sure that blow to the back of his head would have cratered it and killed him. Rather, it only sent him stumbling forward with a rather large bump. Too shocked to cry out, he just rubbed the spot, one eye clenched shut as he fought back the pain. His eyes narrowed at the bot and then at Steel once they stormed off. Rather than stop the Swashbuckler, Tyonis chose to simply shake his head in both a dismissive and medicinal manner.

"That guy must have some weird hobbies. Well a bot is fine too, I guess." He said sardonically. Tyonis shared a common viewpoint over bots thanks to his life as an MMO gamer: he absolutely hated them. More often than not, they destroyed a game's political and economic stability, sometimes rendering the game unplayable for newcomers who were unable to adapt. Elder Tale's notorious botting community was one of the reasons why his friends from other MMOs chose not to follow him into the game.

At every single opportunity, he swore to PK the mindless bastards over and over again until the GMs finally auto-banned them. Was this Ceid1 any different just because it could talk, cry, and breathe? No. Humanity was something far more complex. Even someone as dense as Tyonis could understand that much.

When Hadrian began going over their formation, Tyonis could only nod in acceptance, drawn from his reverie. He still had his qualms about creating a protective parameter around the bot, which was, honestly, better armored than he was at this point. Objectively speaking, having it spam heal itself would generate more agro than he could at this level. Combined with its two shields and plate armor, it could function as a self-sustaining meatshield without having to put anyone else at risk.

Maximum performance with little risk.

But he was not the party leader and thus it was not his job to make any final decisions. Even though the Sorcerer told him to lead the way, ultimately, he was just a vanguard, as Franny had said. It seemed Hadrian preferred to lead from the rear, rather than the front.

The Samurai drew his sword an inch from its sheathe, the slow sound of metal grinding against metal echoed through the empty ruins.

"Don't worry about the front, Had," Tyonis replied, glancing at the party over his shoulder with a confident smirk. He took an advancing step into the darkness and licked his lips.

"It's a brave new world."

Level: ## HP: 100% MP: 100%

Status Effects: Name (Duration)

Skills Used: Name (CD)

Word Count: 424

Notes: ...

Made by Zirnitra of Elder Tale

[Franny Stein]

A shiver ran down Franny’s spine as Hadrian’s message buzzed in her ears. Looking to the left and right, the girl’s brows furrowed in discomfort.

That was extraordinarily creepy…

Resting her eyes on Hadrian, she place her hands behind her head as she held one eye closed in the style of a somewhat annoyed wink.

Great now I’m the favorite…

She was glad that he had attempted to establish some semblance of order. She could appreciate a decided tactic at the very least. It was shaping up to be a very long day, but she reminded herself of her original intention, to observe and learn. Franny sighed at the thought.

Everyone’s too damn sensitive…

Waving a lazy salute at Hadrian with the semblance of a ‘yeah, yeah’ attitude to confirm she’d been listening on all fronts, Franny scuttled to catch up to Tyonis. For a subway station, the place was relatively spacious. One could tell the field was man-made in more ways than one as the path forward was relatively smooth, far less than any true wild.

The glowing mushrooms for lighting are a nice effect. Ambiance mixed with a touch of practicality. Anyways...

Matching his steps two for one to stay beside him she shot him a sideways glance.

“Armor isn’t worth much if we’re all wearing our hearts on our sleeves.”

Franny laughed.

She hoped the other two heard that too.