[Open] Entry to a new world

[Deleted]

The sound of birds chirping nearby drilled themselves into his consciousness in the fashion of such creatures when one has been sleeping. Although...now that he thought about it, Aidan didn't remember his bed ever being so uncomfortable, nor his pillow quite so fuzzy. A twitch against his nose had him sneeze loudly as he opened his eyes to try and figure out just what was going on. The first thing the young man saw was white fuzz, an odd sight that confused him greatly, especially when he poked at it and felt the touch coming from the fuzz itself. Ears flat against his head as he pushed himself to his feet Aidan glanced around in bemusement at the buildings overgrown with foliage, the remarkably quiet streets, and then down at his own body. "I...have a tail...." he commented finally, watching as said appendage twitched involuntarily behind him. The rest of his body seemed unusual as well, alien and strange compared to what he was used to, too short, a little differently shaped (tail and ears excluded), but if he thought about it he hadn't felt this good physically in his life, free of the minor aches and pains that generally came with being a human.

He recognised his body fairly quickly, after all he had only recently gone through the character creation process to make it. Jacoben the Sorcerer, a chance to escape from everyday life into a world more suited to his own preferences. It seemed that this escape was a little bit more literal than he had been expecting. After spending a few minutes simply testing out his new body and trying to become accustomed to it, particularly the oddity of having a tail and fox ears on the top of his head, Aidan...no, he was Jacoben here...took a better look of his surroundings. It looked sort of like the cities he was used to, just a lot more damaged and overgrown, based on the name of the area it was probably modeled after London but he had never been to the English capitol so he wouldn't have a clue where he was exactly. Of course, there were bound to be some differences to this Londinium, but being a very new player he wouldn't have any idea of where to go either.

Instinctively raising his hand in front of himself, Jacoben's mismatched eyes widened slightly as he brought up the game interface, the menus and information seeming to float before him like a hologram. Checking his friend list Jacoben stared for a moment at the unfamiliar name for a familiar person, the only person on his friend list at this point in time, and who was apparently online as well. That made sense since they had started playing together, they should have both been online at the same time to play the game together. Following another instinctive motion he brought his right hand to its respective ear and focused on his friend, activating the telepathy ability as he tried to contact his friend.

"Hello? Is this thing working?" he thought towards the other player, feeling just a little bit silly doing so.

W: 524

[Jane]

If the altitude change hadn't been enough to tip Cedric off that something was wrong, the change in everything else had probably overshot the mark. The massive blank where a series of memories was supposed to be sitting was actually the first thing he started to notice, before trying to walk a few steps towards what looked to be a vantage point of the surrounding area resulted in him suddenly finding himself flat on his face, the sound of clanging metal echoing all around the small area his body had was taking up. "Okay, so I'm not the most stable person on my feet, this isn't anything new, no need to panic."

Of course panic was building on its own and there was nothing Cedric could do about that, but that didn't mean he couldn't try and bluff his way out of it! It was going to fail miserably, and he was already seeing it fail miserably as he looked down at his own armour encrusted body. The armour part he could get over, he accepted that sort of thing considering what his mind was slowly piecing together, it was the body he could feel under that armour that meant the panic was still on the rise. Stumbling to his feet again the guardian would finally make his way to the edge of the building he had found himself upon when he came to, and gazed out at the world around him.

He'd been to London once or twice as part of the odd convention so it wasn't all unfamiliar, but it wasn't exactly familiar either. The world around him was too alien for even a slight familiarity to push through and he pretty much had to accept it. He was in the game, as a tiny girl covered by platemail, and the last clear memories he had was logging in to play that new MMO his friend had convinced him to try out. For the first time in forever he'd played a game where character creation hadn't taken him seven hours to pull off and now he was regretting it. If he had to be stuck in someone else's body, why did it have to be Jane's?

Suddenly an entire menu system lit up before him along with an annoying ringing sound that he immediately wished he could turn down somewhere. Something to think about later considering the menu seemed pretty complete from what he was seeing. Cedric took a few odd attempts at trying to physically tap the floaty buttons before he successfully accepted the call, telepathy the game called it right, and a familiar voice came over to his mind.

Letting them talk for a moment and leaving a uncomfortable pause before answering. "When I find you I am going to punch you in the arm to let you know I hold you responsible for this, then I'm going to hug you to let you know I'm happy I'm in here with you and not alone and also because you wouldn't let me hug you last time we met. By the way, thanks for convincing me not to take the name Batman just because it was free at the time."

W: 533

[Deleted]

"That's not fair, this isn't my fault!" Jacoben responded agitatedly, flailing his free arm as though to emphasise his words, not that the other gamer could actually see him. "Now I'm not so certain I want you to find me, so I don't get punched or hugged" he grumbled quietly as his tail flicked in agitation. He wasn't really big on that whole 'physical contact' thing, despite his Welsh friend's overwhelming need to initiate such contact fairly regularly. "Batman would have been a poor name for your character anyway...and very unoriginal" the Kitsune added after a pause, mentally grumbling at the thought of such a stupid name being used.

Stepping out of the side street that he had awoken in, Jacoben wandered onto the nearest main road, which happened to overlook the Thames. Around him he could hear other people calling out or panicking, the sudden realisation that they were somehow stuck in the world of the game causing distress in most of the other players. He supposed that this was a normal reaction, but for himself the new world he found himself in was assuredly preferable to his actual life. Granted, he didn't know enough about Elder Tale to know for certain, but surely it would be good enough to be considered an improvement.

"You have to promise not to hit me, or hug me, if I tell you where I am" the Kitsune stated emphatically. While he too was glad that he wasn't alone in this strange new world, he was very leery of the idea of getting beaten up or embraced by his friend. He wasn't quite sure what he would do if the other didn't agree, it wasn't like he could just ignore the older man and try and stay hidden over something so little an unimportant. Plus it might lead to even worse punches or hugs if he kept trying to prevent it from happening.

Leaning against the railing at the edge of the river, Jacoben pondered the situation. Stuck in the video game that he had been playing with only a single friend to his name... things could be worse he supposed. Still, he hoped that Cedric would agree to his request rather than go through his threat to both punch and hug the young Sorcerer. Regardless, he would eventually be cajoled into giving up a description of his surroundings to allow his friend to come and find him. After all, when you were lost the best thing to do was to stay where you were until found.

His body had changed, changed rather significantly if he thought about it. Sure there were no doubt others who had even greater differences, such as the people who had made characters the opposite gender, but he was suddenly dealing with an entirely new limb in the form of his tail and the sudden difference in how his ears functioned. Not to mention the fact that his senses were slightly sharper than he thought they should be, even for a human being. Sight, smell, hearing... it probably wasn't enough to give him any particular advantage over others, but it was abnormal enough for him that it made things a little more difficult.



But what could he do but become accustomed to it? Who knew how long he would have to use it after all.



W: 557

[Jane]

"Be that as it may, you're the one who convinced me to play this game with you. If not for you I'd probably not be here at all." Cedric grumbled into the air, his mental voice faltering slightly as his initial irritation and excitement at hearing Aidan's voice wore off a little. "Come on now, you know you're going to get hugged no matter what, it's the punching you have to talk me out of."

Thinking on all he knew of the game for a moment, and nether MMOs besides that he eventually added in a sort of musing tone. "Then again, isn't there usually some sort of anti-violence thing in towns and things for games like this?" Not being at all familiar with the system of the world they were in was going to be a pain, and there were a few things he wasn't willing to risk right now. Then again, being as it was a game, it might still be fun to try a few out.

"Hay, Batman is an AWESOME name no matter who you put it on. And when have I ever been creative?" This was of course a stupid question from the man who often DMed, GMed and generally ran tabletop games where a creative story often meant the difference between getting a group to play with you and having half the party leave in the first session. Or at least that's how he saw it, plenty of people would have been fine with a premade setting, but doing that didn't sit right with him for some reason.

"I guess I can resist punching you for now. You're probably more adorable than I am right now though, so the hugging is probably unstoppable. I'd rather not make a liar of myself and say I'll be able to resist." It really wasn't Aidan's fault that he was the right type of adorable to get hugs all the time from Cedric, and considering the race he had picked it was going to be even harder. It had taken a fair amount of restraint on his part to avoid making his own character a Fox Tail upon creation, which was probably the only standard aspect he had stuck with when he made Jane.

"You're just going to have to bear with me on this one, I'm stumbling and bumbling enough in this body that you'll probably be able to outwalk me if you really want. I'm distressingly short and if there is an opposite word to vertigo, then I'm suffering that. Everything else is fine though, I haven't felt this good in years!" He paused for a moment as he considered re-meeting his friend again before adding, "Just... make sure we're alone for now, I'm going to need some time to work on a voice for this character, it's not just this magic one that's keeping its normal charming tone."

W: 483

[Deleted]

Tail swaying agitatedly the Fox-tail responded even as he waited for his friend to arrive, "You were the one who wanted us to play something together, how was I to know that this particular game was going to do this?" his Scottish accent coming even stronger as he began to get more emotional over the matter. He had always been interested in Elder Tale, but its lack of British servers pretty much meant he had no chance of properly playing it, but just because he wasn't too torn up about the turn of events didn't mean he wasn't at least slightly distressed at the circumstances he found himself in.

It only took a few minutes for the small blonde figure in plate armour to come into view, and Jacoben had to double take when he noticed the name hovering over the character. Sure, he had seen Cedric's avatar when they had first logged in, but seeing it on a screen was very different seeing it in person. After a few moments of shocked staring he began to giggle, trying to hide his grin behind his hand but even beneath his robes the laughter straining his body would be visible and amusement was easily apparent in his body language.

"I know you said you were short, but I didn't realise it was quite that tiny," the younger male stated between chuckles, the sheer oddity of seeing Cedric in such a form overwhelming his basic concerns. "And this is the character you were thinking of naming Batman? That's wrong on so many levels."

He would let Cedric take the lead for now, it was better for the both of them if Jacoben didn't try and steer their conversation or actions in any particular direction. He wasn't particularly interested in being in charge, he just wanted to figure out what they were going to do next and then work out what had really happened to them. If they were stuck here permanently.... well, he had the one friend that he really couldn't be without, everyone else wouldn't be too badly missed. Especially not when their loss meant he got to live in a world like that of Elder Tale, it was so much better than his normal life.

"So...besides working out a voice that fits your new look, what are we going to do? Who knows how long we're going to be stuck here," the youthful Sorcerer stated seriously as he looked out over the Thames, watching some others on the opposite bank gather and talk with one another. They clearly weren't the only one consolidating with their friends about the whole mess that they were in. No doubt the more experienced players would be able to sort themselves out rather quickly due to their familiarity with the new world. Glancing at his older friend (who now looked younger) Jacoben was starting to think that perhaps they should try and find someone who would be willing to take them under their wing.

Of course, he wasn't about to just decide that all on his own without Cedric's input. If the Welsh man wanted them to go off on their own then he wasn't really in any mood to argue, even if it seemed like it was probably a bad idea. Ah well, he needed to wait to hear the other's thoughts before anything could be worked out.

W: 565

[Jane]

It probably took Jane twice as long as it should have to march across the town to meet up with Aidan, but in Cedric's defence he wasn't that used to being Jane yet and despite the body's obvious ability to wear all that armour he still didn't feel quite up to lugging it around like this. He wasn't really looking forward to his friend's reaction to his current situation. He was probably projecting the kind of reaction he would have in the Scotsman's place if their positions were reversed but even the socially inept would laugh at this kind of a situation when it fell into their lap.

Jane just rose her eyebrow at Jacoben's reaction, Cedric knew how hard it meant Aidan was laughing on the inside so he just stood there. Looking as cross as he could in this adorable little body Cedric waited for his friend to calm down enough to talk again and considered the pros and cons of jumping at him for a hug right that second before dismissing the idea as it would probably hurt considering all the armour Jane was wearing. "Yes well, if I made her any shorter the proportions would go all silly. At least I didn't do what I bet some guy out there is regretting right now, this armour is hard enough to carry around without the extra weights I could have added if I was so inclined."

Cedric ignored the Batman comment with as much dignity as he could muster in his tiny female form and Jane stepped in close, blocking Jacoben's escape with outstretched arms and hugged the Fox Tail as hard as she could, her head resting on his chest. "Alright, now that that's out of the way." he said, Jane stepping away from the sorcerer before the flailing could get any worse than it was bound to be right that second, "We should probably look for a good place to meet up if we ever get split up. It's easy to find each other with this telepathy thing but having a set destination makes that even easier. It has to be somewhere with a view, though I guess a lot of people will be looking for those right now so maybe not."

"You know what? Let's just go around until we find a nice quiet place, give me some feedback on what you think as we go and I'll have something down for this Jane character down faster. After that we should consider going out and actually playing the game, after all, if we're in it we might as well enjoy it while it lasts." Cedric fully expected this all to be a temporary thing but in case it wasn't he still had some sort of an idea what to do. "Once we have a better idea of how this all works we might want to try looking into some other aspects of the game to see what we can do. You're the one that plays these games more than me so I'll leave that up to you."

Decision making done Jane would spin around on the spot, probably the fastest movement she'd done since coming to, and try and figure out a good direction to start moving. Everyone was so disoriented at the moment so those that got oriented first were probably going to be the best off right now. That's what he figured anyway. It probably didn't matter though, all this aside a game was a game so the only way to move forward was to play by its rules, whatever those happened to be.

W: 602

[Sketch]

"Ngf... f-five more minutes..."

The pair, in all of their catching up and attempts to figure out their strange new predicament, may not have noticed through the large, stocky man slumped against the wall of a nearby building. The tufts of hair covering where ears were expected to be made his Wolf Hair origins clear, while the instrument case gripped firmly in his right hand coded him pretty quickly as a Bard. He shifted to and fro sluggishly in his slumber, mumbling this thing and that, before waking with a sudden start, sitting upright as his eyes shot open. He blinked once, then twice, staring somewhat perplexed at the ground below him. "I-I wasn't drinking last night. Why the hell am I sleeping outside...?" The man reached up to rub the sleep from his eyes, and only after doing so did he notice he was wearing gloves. And not his normal gloves either. A rough stitched pair of gloves, each with a hardened leather panel stitched into the back.

Almost immediately he tried to stand, stumbling a bit awkwardly as he did so, clearly not used to the fair bit of added height and bulk attached to this body. Looking over himself it slowly became more clear just what it was he was wearing. It seemed almost medieval, not so much in an accurate sense as a stylized one. His body, once a touch short and fairly out of shape, was now decently tall and fit. The glasses he was so used to constantly needing were gone, but that hardly mattered. He could see perfectly. He could feel an odd weight at his back, something similar to a loaded backpack but not quite the same. Only after reaching for the mystery item did he figure it out. A sword, two handed. A claymore. Just what in the hell was going on...? Granted, he was starting to garner a sneaking suspicion, but... maybe it was best to actually figure out where he was first before jumping to any conclusions.

Glancing about his surroundings showed a rather decrepit looking London. He'd only visited the city once or twice in his life, but it was hard to forget such a specific landscape. His sleep-addled mind slowly began to put the pieces together. This... this had to be...

"... g-god, I really am pathetic, aren't I?" He chuckled a bit to himself in his own foolishness. "Of course I'm dreaming about Elder Tale, why wouldn't I be?" It was all he could think about before falling asleep, after all. And if it weren't for those damn connectivity issues he'd probably be playing it right now as opposed to just dreaming about it. "Never had one of these 'lucid dreams' before, though. This is actually kinda cool..." Finally he managed to look over in the direction of the other two adventurers, smiling meekly after realizing the scene he just caused for himself. He didn't say anything, but he did manage to offer a single, awkward wave at the two.

W: 503

[Ducou]

Opening his eyes and seeing the streets of what he recognized as London was probably part of the greatest thing that had happened to Dorian for a long time, possibly ever since he got paralyzed and put in a wheelchair. His eyes shifted back and forth as he took in the vision of run down buildings and lots of people walking around, most of them minding their own business. A few seconds passed before he looked down and saw himself standing up with a lack of wheels in the vicinity. He jumped out of joy, but he learned quickly that not using his legs at all for 4 years had made him quite rusty. As his feet touched the ground again he lost his balanced and his fast greeted the ground with a thud. Face meet ground, ground meet face. Dorian lay still for a couple of moments, trying to remember what it was like to walk, before he rose to his feet again. Well he tried at least, but he fell over again and landed on his rear. Rubbing his face he realized that he should probably get used to moving his feet before trying to do the walk.

Sitting still for a minute or two Dorian worked slowly with getting used to his feet moving. He had not even noticed the fact that his body was a bit different from his original one or that he was wearing fancy clothes and a pair of rapiers. Not that one could blame him. He was capable of walking again...kinda at least....

More minutes passed and he seemed to have gotten the hang of the whole walking part. For now he was simply focusing on learning how his newfound body worked and swinging his weapon around, obviously without hitting anyone. Had he hit someone he might have gotten to learn what it felt like to die earlier than intended. Anyhow, he had read a little about how menus and stuff worked before diving into the world of Elder Tale, so he swiped his finger in the air in front of him and a ringing sound could be heard. At first he turned his head to see what could be making that noise, but since he saw nothing and it didn't ring again he figured that it was the opening sound for the menu. Here he simply clicked around in the inventory and other menus to get a feel for it. So far he liked this world. Even if he was stuck in it, he could get used to move like a normal person again. "Now what to do...?" Dorian, no he was Ducou now, mumbled and began slowly walking forward in the direction of the unknown. While he focused on putting one foot in front of the other and playing with the tips of his new pointy ears, he tried to listen to the rest of the people around him to see if they knew what was going on. They probably didn't, but it was worth a shot. That is until he saw an odd couple, well as odd as everything else at least, talking and there was a third figure as well. A fox, a really short girl in armor, and a fairly tall man. Taller than Ducou at least.

Ducou would walk up and try wrap his arm around the awkward man, his mouth turning into a slight grin. "You have to do better than that my friend~" he mused and chuckled lightly.

W: 584

[Deleted]

It figured that he wouldn't be able to avoid the hug, the Guardian's strong grip squeezing around his waist and causing him to flail in distress, his ears flat against his head as he tried to free himself from the other's grip. Thankfully it was a rather short hug so he was able to pull back and straighten up his robes even as he glared at Jane with mismatched eyes. He would get his revenge somehow, at some point. Unfortunately he had no real idea how he could gain some measure of vengeance and thus he would have to let it go for now.

Tuning into what the other player had to say, he caught the gist of the elder's idea and pondered. "A meetup place?" Jacoben inquired, his hand coming up to rest against his chin as he thought about it for a few moments. "Well, we're in London...sort of, what about Big Ben? That's a fairly well known even if it doesn't have the best view ever, he suggested, shrugging slender shoulders as if to say it didn't really bother him either way.

"I wonder how different it will be to do this now that we're actually in the game...." the Foxtail mused, tail swaying behind his head as he contemplated the potential difficulties in combat when you were forced to fight in 'your' body rather than with an avatar onscreen. Of course there was also crafting and doing whatever RP subclass you chose as well, so it wasn't like they would necessarily be forced into fighting for their lives out in the wilderness.

The groaning of a bearded man nearby caught his attention and he turned to stare, blinking slightly as the man seemed to assume that he was simply dreaming. A reasonable enough theory he supposed, probably more reasonable than his own immediate acceptance of having been transported to the world of Elder Tale. Between the two of them Jacoben's was most certainly the less normal reaction to the situation that they found themselves in.

The arrival of an elf player completely changed the situation, the other silver haired male leaning on the bearded man and seeming to be acting rather familiar with the Bard. This would probably disorientate the Wolf-hair even further as the Elf acted as though they were long time friends....well, assuming they weren't he supposed. After all, he and Cedric had managed to meet up, who's to say others weren't finding their own friends and coming to terms with their new situation together? It wasn't like he would have any idea who knew who after all.

With the arrival or awakening of the newcomers Jacoben began his usual tactic around strangers, withdrawing into himself and relying more on others to handle the social interactions if he could. In this case he had Cedric with him so he had no reservations in looking to the older male for guidance in what they should do in this situation. Bottom lip caught between his teeth in nervousness he waited for whatever was to come.

W: 509

[Jane]

"Does Big Ben even exist in here?" Cedric asked curiously, glancing around the place in an attempt to catch sight of the tourist attraction within this world, "If it is it'll probably be some important building or market or something like that. I guess that'd work out fine but we should probably check it out first, just to be sure."

Just as Jane was about to start leading the way, or at least trying her best to figure out what way it was, a sound from behind made her jump with a start. Eyes immediately locking onto the man who she hadn't registered as any more than the rest of the background around them she immediately stepped between Jacoben and the larger man. Cedric couldn't really tell if his actions were more the sort of habit he expected to have around the Scotsman or some sort of instinct his class had given him, but he stood firmly. Just as he was about to question the, what was his race again? Wolf something? It couldn't be tail because that was already covered by the Fox Tails, so maybe it was something over the top and evident on the person that was coming to before her. Maybe hair? That seemed a bit silly but so was this whole situation.

Both that sudden train of thought and the sudden appearance of another man stopped Cedric seconds before speaking and gave him a moment to compose himself. Which, considering he was about to speak without even trying to put on a good voice, was probably a good thing. Clearing his throat and frowning at the two strangers Jane turned back to Jacoben for a moment before facing back and asking in a slightly too high pitched voice "Do you uh-" he coughed again, trying to fix up the pitch and tried again with a slightly better pitch this time, "Do you really think this is a dream? You should consider pinching yourself maybe, or maybe try taking control of the world around you if you're so convinced it's a lucid dream."

It wasn't a perfect voice but it would have to do for now, Jane took a moment to glance back at her friend to see what he thought of it and awkwardly shuffled back a bit so she was further away from the two men. It was a little annoying that Aidan was so withdrawn in these sort of situations, Cedric wasn't much better to be honest, he just had the skills in certain situations. This wasn't exactly one of them. While he was more than happy to hug a friend, there was something a little off putting at seeing strangers so close as these two were just now. He fully understood Aidan's reactions to his hugs after all, he just knew that they were needed sometimes to help bring someone out of their shell.

"Do you two know each other?" Jane asked, putting on quite the frown with her adorable little face, "If you want us to leave you alone we were just about to leave..." Cedric was fully prepared to walk off right then too, going so far as to nudge at Jacoben a little to see if he could get his younger friend moving before the two strangers even had a chance to answer.

W: 554

[Sketch]

The Wolf Hair's eyes widened a bit at the sudden appearance of the Elf. Friend? That was weird. Maybe it was his subconscious trying to break him out of his shell a bit? As he attempted to gather his thoughts and say something back to the new arrival, he was cut off yet again, this time by the slightly off but never the less absolutely saccharine voice of a young girl. 

A teenage fox boy, a tiny girl in armor, and a devilishly handsome silver haired man. If there were any doubts about the game's Japanese origins they were almost immediately dispelled.

Not only that, but said tiny girl was also quite the smart ass, apparently. Just what kind of dream was he having here? Was mind trying to ruin his fun? What kind of dream actually talks back to you? Either way, the yellow haired figment of his imagination did raise a good point. He hadn't quite tested out all the stuff you're supposed to be able to do in these kinds of dreams quite yet. That was supposed to be the best part, right? "Um... this is... weird. But you've got a point, I guess. Hold on." The Wolf Hair shuffled away from the embrace of the lanky, overly friendly Elven individual and focused in on the task at hand. "And no. We don't know eachother. Or well.. at least I'm pretty sure we don't" Flying should be simple. It seemed like it would be anyway, at least compared to shifting landscapes or messing with the people around him. After a deep breath he felt he was ready. Time to take off into the skies! Just a single bound, and...!

The Bard fell back to his feet with an unexpected stumble, nearly falling over from the surprise landing. For a minute there he was sure he had it. He'd jumped a fair bit higher than he ever could in the waking world. But then... nothing. A simple quick return to Earth. He blinked with surprise, having obviously fully expected to launch himself into the stratosphere. Maybe.. he just wasn't doing it right? He tried again. Jump. Land. Nothing. Just what the hell was going on here? Was his mind busted or something? You're supposed to do whatever the hell you wanted in dreams like this, it didn't make... any...

Dreams.

Something did come to mind has he silently poured over the oddities at play here. He already had  a dream that night. It was coming back in fragments, sure, but he was starting to recall the details. It was something mundane, something to do with highschool or of some similar ilk. And he didn't recall ever actually waking up from that dream and falling back asleep so he could be having this one. Unless of course he did  wake up. On the streets of some shady back alley in a post-apocalyptic London, to be exact. With a trembling hand the man reached up to the exposed skin of his neck and pinched at it as hard as he possibly could.

OUCH! Damn, his hands were stronger than he remembered, that really hurt!

And yet the world remained the same. Things stayed in place, and he was still standing before a small ensemble of fantasy creatures, himself included. His former amusement and excitement was rather quickly replaced with a state of panic. Frantically he made attempts to access some kind of in-game UI, which to his surprise, was still there. Albeit, with out a loggout button. The one thing he was hoping to see. The Wolf Hair's eyes went wide with the sudden realization of what was really at play here. Some how, some way, he'd been physically placed into the the world of Elder Tale. He was in a land unfamiliar and a body not his own, and for now at least, he was pretty well stuck there. "NO... no no no no no. No, this can't be happening!" His posture had grown a bit shaky and his hands curled tightly into fists. His eyes slowly began to shift as a Wolf Hair's often do in times of combat or otherwise violent stress, their blue color starting to give way to a bright yellow. He was almost tempted to strike out at something, say a nearby wall or innocent passerby, but he managed to cool himself down just a little before lashing out. If there was a time for his temper to unleash itself this certainly wasn't it. "D-DAMMIT! Come on, I've got a major exam this week, I can't afford to miss that!" The man was, needless to say, furious, if not trying desperately to contain it. A pair of wolf ears slowly began to poke themselves out from the top of his head, and it was only then that he realized just what his anger was doing to him. As a human he was at least able to silently sit with his anger and work it out without much notice from others. But not anymore. That temper of his had physical traits now. And considering it may not be the best idea to scare off the first group of people he'd met in this crazy, messed up situation, he had to calm down. Straightening himself out and closing his eyes he took a few breaths, attempting to clear his mind. In. Out. In.. and out. The pair of ears began to shrink away as he did so, retracting back into place. And when he opened his eyes once more, they were back to their original shade of blue.

The girl's word's of potentially leaving struck him off guard. He hadn't quite registered them at first, what with trying to fly and all, but they all of sudden felt absolutely crucial. "W-Wait, don't go!" Only after saying that did he realize just how foolish and desperate the statement must have sounded. Never the less, he didn't wan't anyone to leave. Not yet anyway. "I, uh... look. If we really ARE stuck inside of Elder Tale, and I mean, all signs are pointing to yes on that one, we should really stick together here. The UK servers just launched. Even if any of you were playing over on Yamato or the US servers or something this is still new territory. We have no idea what to expect, hell, we have no idea how this world even works! But right now our best guess is that it still works like an MMO does. We all have access to the game's UI and everything, and by the looks of it, we have the standard HP and MP pools as well as character levels. And if that's the case, we're gonna survive a lot longer if we party up." The Bard looked over his company and nodded slightly as he looked over they equipment. "By the looks of it... a caster, a tank, melee DPS," he pointed to each person as he rattled off their class roles, ending with a finger extended at himself, "support. I'm not sure if any of you can heal, if you could than this would be perfect, but as of right now we've got a pretty balanced group by the looks of it. At low levels like this our survivability goes WAY up if we work together on this."

W: 1223

[Zyrune]

"Hey guys and welcome back lets play Endertales"

A groan past his lips as Levi came to. Gradually the young man regained control of his senses as he came closer and closer to consciousness. The first thing he noticed was the cold hard surface beneath him.

Letting out another groggy groan, his eyes flickered open, shutting again in an instant as the light blinded him. Taking a deep breath, he let it past slowly over his lips, allowing his eyes to adjust, he opened them again, this time slowly.

Straight ahead of him, he noted stone, cobble stone to be specific but it looked old and weathered. Using his hands, he steadied himself until he was sitting, still unsure of where he was. He winced again as the light caused him to strain. Gazing around he appeared to be in a large room, all made of the cobble he sat on, most was overgrown or ancient looking, strange patterns adorned the walls.

Bringing a hand to his face, he rubbed forehead, feeling drowsy and a little sick. What had happened?  Taking a breath, he tried to remember something, anything.  Levi could remember, last thing he could recall was returning home after a long day and switching on that game... Endertales. He had intended to play for an hour or two, maybe level up before the gang logged on, but then... But then something must have happened.

Staggering to his feet, he stretched his arms out and craned his neck, they felt so stiff as if he hadn't used them in days. Scratching the back of his head, he looked around as his eyes adjusted to the lack of light and saw what appeared to be a archway, it was overgrown but light poured through the cracks of vegetation.

Tearing aside the ivy, he immediately brought a hand to cover his eyes as light poured onto him, blinding him once again. Taking a step forward he gasped as he took in the sight before him. Stepping out onto the large balcony, Levi stood breathless as an vast city lay stretched out before him. The buildings were ancient and vegetation covered most buildings.

His mind swarmed with confusion, beneath him in the street below he could see some people. Some were sitting, some were standing, some were even walking around or talking to each other. Normally this wouldn't have been cause for concern but each one looked like they were cos-playing at some convention.

His heart jumped and he cast his gaze downwards. He too had adorned a strange looking costume. It seemed remarkably similar to what his character Zyrune from Endertales wore.

Reaching up to rub his temple, he gasped as flashing icons appeared before his eyes causing him to fall backwards onto his butt. Closing his eyes, he groaned. However when he opened them the icons hovered before him flashing. It only took a moment for him to recognise it as the Endertales interface. What is happening? Have I gone insane?

Letting himself panic for a few moments, Levi slowly collected himself. His mind swarmed with ideas and notions of what was happening and how it could happen. Biting his lip, he reached out towards the icons. There were so many of them, but his details were also displayed such as his hp and mp bar. Tilting his head, he wondered what would happen if his hp ran out? Mp normally returned after a break from using it or by the use of potions, but hp was a finite source, you had to use potions or spells to restore it, without those any hp lost would remain lost.

A shudder ran down his back. If he did lose his hp would he respawn or wake up? But what if he did neither... His heart jumped at the thought. Shaking his head of the idea, he decided it best to get more information, surely he wasn't the only one in a panic. From what he saw in the steets below, he knew others were also confused.

***

Levi or Zyrune as he supposedly known wandered the streets, his staff clutched tightly in his hand. He needed answers. He had over heard a few people talking, apparently some big expansion had been planned for the server and something had gone wrong in the implementation because any player logged in during that time now found themselves stranded within the Endertales world, unable to leave.

His hands tightened around his staff as he thought of his sister. If something had happened to him and he truly was stuck inside this game, he wondered what had happened to the real him, the one who adorned the the goggles and held that controller so tight, he prayed he was alive, he prayed his sister wouldn't find him like that, anyone, anything else was better than his sister finding her brother's lifeless body slumped over, clutching the game that she had begged him to play.

Shaking his head, he sighed. No no, this wouldn't do. He needed to be positive. There had to be an explanation, he just needed the right information.

"If you doubt that a support can heal what makes you so sure a caster or a tank or even basic melee works either?" Zyrune surprised even himself at the answer, he had been leaning against a nearby wall, hoping to take in as much information as possible, but something that he was supposed to think, he actually blurted out.

Looking up at the group, he scratched his cheek. "I mean... uh.. If we are trapped that means that the physics of things have changed right? Doesn't that mean that anything right now is both possible and impossible?" It only dawned on Zyrune after he had spoke that perhaps the man was simply asking if any of them held a healing skill rather than the physics of the game. "I mean I'm pretty sure doing anything here is more difficult now that we are inside of  Endertales right? I'm a druid though, healing is my specialty, if I can't do that, then I can't do much here can I? "

Tagged.
@eleri Jane Sketch

Word Count: 1023 words

[Ducou]

Ducou couldn't wipe the grin off his face even if he wanted to, he was just too excited with being able to walk again that everything else just seemed distant. He didn't respond at all when the tiny little panzer asked whether he and the wolf-hair knew each other, but judging from the concerned and awkward looks she and the fox gave each other he figured that the two of them were friends since before...or at least acquaintances of some sort. The big man released himself from Ducou's embrace and began a really odd looking routine that reminded him of something trying to fly. A chuckle escaped his mouth before he regained his posture and coughed lightly into his fist. It was quite the sight he had to admit, but laughing straight into someone's face was just plain rude, even for someone like him. Ignoring the wolf for now he turned to the adorable little girl. Unless she quickly removed her hand, Ducou would grab it and give it a light kiss. "Enchanté" he would say with a smooth voice and a light smile in her direction. It was a classic and possibly cheesy as hell, but he didn't care.

When the big sad wolf where having a mental breakdown he would pat him on the head as a calming gesture, he was a dog like creature nowadays after all. The sight of a shorter man pat a big man on the head was sure to be a hilarious view, which was part of the reason behind Ducou giving him a good scratch behind the ear. He would stop, however, when the wolf yelled that the girl and the fox shouldn't leave. Ducou had barely noticed that they were about to leave as he had been focused on the big guy after giving the girl a light flirt. To be honest he felt like he was being ignored, possibly not the truth, but he was a fan of attention. However, he wouldn't do anything about it for now. Adding fuel to the fire was something that he didn't want to do, not with the current status of people. The crowd was uneasy at best, bat shit panicking at worst.

The silver elf listened to what the wolf had to say about HP and MP and partying up for a better chance of survival in this new world. He had to admit that he was right. While probably most of the "travelers" had played the game before and knew the game information from experience, this was completely different from playing a game with a mouse and keyboard. Ducou rubbed his chin lightly and stared into the ground for a few moments. "While the silly wolf is correct, I'm not entirely sure I want to place my life in a strangers hands. No offense to your pretty hands, mademasoille" he gesture to the little girl with a straight face. He was about to say something, but got cut off by another fellow. "Oh my, someone sure has a sense of timing..." another chuckle escaped him.

[Deleted]

"Well, it's pretty likely to have at least some of the major landmarks," was the Sorcerer's response to his friend before the area seemed to become suddenly far more crowded than he had expected. Too many people at once, it was making him kind of nervous, and he was more than willing to begin shuffling off at Cedric's direction, taking a few tentative steps away until the bearded man had gotten over his apparent breakdown and begged them not to leave. Brows furrowed as he took in what the Bard was saying, his ears twitching in confusion as he considered the words.

"You're talking as though we plan to do something that would require a full party...even if we did go into a combat zone we're probably capable of surviving on our own. It's not like starter zones are supposed to be impossible for a single new player," he stated quietly, looking in confusion at the now three newcomers who seemed to have gotten the impression that any of them had plans for doing anything more than figuring out what on earth had happened to them all.

They were, for the most part, strangers and yet they were all acting as though they were at least familiar enough with each other to form an effective party. Sure, PuGs were a viable option in most MMOs, but they at least had a clear and uniform goal in mind when formed. You didn't make a party until you knew what you were doing and you found others who wanted to do the same thing. Well, the long white haired elf seemed to be thinking similarly about getting together in a group with a bunch of strangers. Although he was a bit more blunt about it than Jacoben would have been, something about him seemed a little bit creepy to the Sorcerer, a bit slippery, someone who you have to be very careful around.

"I'm fairly certain that we can't fight in a city, so we should be safe here for now. What's more important is working out what has happened, and what to do now," the Fox-tail stated uncertainly, not sure if he should be leaving or not. On the one hand Cedric had been indicating they should go, but on the other the bearded man had begged them not to go just yet. Perhaps having the input of more than just himself and Cedric would be useful when it came to figuring out just what it was they were going to do. Considering their relative inexperience compared to others who had played Elder Tales on other servers, it was likely that the strongest players would be the ones who ended up deciding what happened in the world. That meant newbies like himself and Cedric should focus more on what they personally were going to do, and leave the new world order to the ones who were going to be able to set it up.

Hovering on the edge of uncertainty, Jacoben waited to take his companion's lead once more.

W: 508

[Zyrune]

"You're talking as though we plan to do something that would require a full party...even if we did go into a combat zone we're probably capable of surviving on our own. It's not like starter zones are supposed to be impossible for a single new player,"

Zyrune didn't realize the fox like character could speak until that moment. He sounded very unsure, nervous and unlikely to help unless his friend was convinced first. Zyrune bet that the only exciting thing about him was his eyes, he wondered what kind of person the fox might have been in the real world. Perhaps he was a young mousy girl, the kind that knows their stuff, but doesn't like to draw that much attention. Or maybe he was a young boy, who was bullied on the bus to and from school every day. Then again he could have easily been a high school jock or an elderly old man, everyone logged in literally became their characters and there was no way to tell who was who. There was even the possibility that one of the avatars walking around was his sister. He shuddered at the thought.

"I'm fairly certain that we can't fight in a city, so we should be safe here for now. What's more important is working out what has happened, and what to do now,"

Leaving out a soft sigh, Zyrune pursed his lips. This wasn't going to help. He needed information and yet here he stood talking as if these low level players really were all he needed. Studying the young fox again, he couldn't believe how narrow minded the kid was being and yet he understood. Everything about this world was new and anything that might have resembled the game would be very different now that it was a reality, everything scary and horrible but the game also under went an expansion which made things far worse. The kid talked about how the game was designed as if it still was a game. Frowning Zyrune shook his head. He could feel the breeze on his skin, the breath pass over his lips, this wasn't a game any more, the physics of reality have changed, anything was possible. Zyrune had hoped for the most part that these players being of a similar level to himself would have been more open to forming a party. This world was new, everyone in it had their own motives and they still were unsure of what was possible and what wasn't. They were trapped in this new reality and they did not know for how long, surely they could see the benefits of forming an alliance rather than facing those unknowns alone. As much as this whole thing could have been an accident, it was equally possible that someone trapped them inside this game, he still wasn't sure that this wasn't some coma induced reality. Zyrune studied the individuals around him, at the moment going on the old game mechanics and with their levels being so similar, the group was well rounded enough to train and level up fast. Something to do with the new expansion had caused this and unless the rose to level 100, they didn't stand a chance to find out what that was. Unless they took an active role in figuring this out, they couldn't be sure of a result.

It wouldn't be long before the adventurers or players started testing the limits of their new reality, no community was safe and if they didn't level up fast enough the might be swallowed whole. This was the real world now and in order to obtain food they needed money. Normally this would be achieved by hunting monsters who in turn would drop a small amount once they were killed. Still unsure if this was even still true, Zyrune was sure that the hunting ground surrounding the town would soon become a mad ground for players. The high level players who were comfortable with this life would soon take over the hunting grounds and make it impossible for players like himself to train. He had seen it before in countless movies and various communities, even on social media where he put his videos, the strong and selfish abused the system, letting the weaker smaller channels fend for themselves. Gripping his staff tightly he blinked not realizing he had been staring at the fox lost in thought this whole time. Shifting his gaze, he went over his skills in his head. Zyrune more than anyone needed an alliance. A low level druid with only one attack skill that wasn't very high and a low defense was going to be monster bait if he left the town borders, maybe the others could last a bit longer, but he certainly needed help. Taking a breath, the druid held his tongue, decided it better to hear what the other players had to say before making a decision. If forced, he would figure this out, he had to, if not for himself, but for his sister.

Word CountL 841
Tagged 
Jane Ducou Sketch

[Jane]

If this were any other situation Cedric might have tried to hide his amusement at the tall Bard's antics. He really had no idea what sort of action the man was trying to take in his 'dream' but the immediate reaction made Jane smile. Cedric wasn't normally one to take pleasure in someone else's misfortune but the reaction just seemed way too over the top considering the circumstances, especially when he started to change from what he could only guess at was anger. He probably shouldn't have got distracted by it though, considering he was trying to usher Jacoben away at that moment. When this fact registered in the Bard's mind his whole attitude changed.

"Eh, for all we know this might only last for a day or two, only reason I'm trying to organise myself is on the off chance it isn't." Jane clarified, "It would be fun to play around if it does last though but I'm not exactly in the mood to go out and figure how this fighting stuff works and... eh?"

The small Guardian's words were cut off as the elf, after all what else could you call a pointy eared humanoid in a game, approached and took her hand. Cedric frowned internally at the other man's action for a moment before he kissed Jane's hand and he remembered that not everyone knew who he was on the outside world. Immediately Jane's face deformed into a grimace and the little Guardian took a step back, pulling her hand free and moving behind Jacoben so she could try and sneakily wipe her hand off on his robe. Didn't people take other people's feelings into consideration in times like this?

"I should tell him, shouldn't I?" Cedric asked his friend telepathically, some degree of panic evident in his mental voice, "I really don't want to deal with what that could mean but at the same time I don't want to deal with him doing things like that. It's all fun and games when you're playing an MMO but this is different!"

"As I was saying." Jane continued a few moments later after another stranger had decided to come along and join in on the conversation. "And I guess Jacoben was too. I'd rather settle myself down and figure things out today, once that's done I'm more than happy to go out and try fighting the monsters in the starter areas where solo play is easy. There are bound to be a few people willing to charge out right away and gain a few levels today out there that you can join if you really want."

Cedric didn't really want to hang around strangers right now, though there was certainly a sense of safety in numbers after all, so it was probably worth considering later on. For now he just wanted to figure out how things were going to work for him and Jacoben. Would they need to purchase a house to rest, did they even need to rest. Money was probably going to be what it came down to in the end but for now figuring out how much money would be needed was probably the best option.

"If you are worried about dying or even just how that works I guess the best place to go would be wherever the respawn point is." he added in Jane's voice, "It's probably a good gathering place too so someone there is bound to have some sort of idea or advice. We're all in the same boat at the moment thanks to the servers only just having gone live, there are no high level players or guilds or anything so everyone is bound to be looking for something right now. Once we have the basics down it'll be worth looking outside the city to earning money for whatever it is you want to do with yourself here. For now though..."

Jane stepped back and brought up the UI, clicking through the unfamiliar options and choices until she stumbled upon the friend list. Bringing it up so she could see the three strangers for a moment she really thought on it, glancing at the creepy elf and the druid that had rung in randomly with his talk about physics and things. Cedric figured Delphron didn't really understand what physics was considering the way he used it but he still seemed pretty sure of himself, which probably meant he wouldn't need help or encouragement later on. Decision made he would drag Flynn's name and add it to the rather empty list above Jacoben and ignore the other two unless they demanded it or something. He could always remove them later if that was the case.

"If you decide to go out or just need a hand with something give me a call. I doubt I'll be much help but I'm really not in the mood to start up a party just to walk around the city, we can try something later. If you want to come with us to check the place out you're more than welcome." The offer was more meant for the Wolf Hair than the other two but it was open enough that they could come along if they really wanted. Cedric would lead Jacoben off to try and find their way to Big Ben to check the place out for a good meeting point, his mind would be set in 'travel mode' which lead to Jane's face being creased in concentration while her little body would set a brisk pace that didn't really give much time for talking as they made their way off to the tall clock tower as quickly as she could lead them.

W: 949

[Sketch]

The Wolf Hair didn't so much as hear the multiple suggestions and replies to his little outburst as he did vaguely comprehend a backdrop of voices against his racing thoughts. The sheer number of things that this situation could possibly mean were all too staggering to think over. But think he did. And think far too deeply at that. 

An already obsessive mind was hard at work trying to dissect the inner workings of this strange predicament. What was going on in the outside world? Was he there at all? Maybe he was comatose, lying in bed at home, tucked away from sight and mind within his small apartment. What if no one found him? Would he die of starvation before anyone bothered to look for him? And if he WAS actually transported, body and all, into this virtual realm, what kind of implications did that have? The wasted search efforts and broken hearts left behind in his disappearance would be too much to bear for anyone. Outside of all that, there was of course the world before him to worry over. Monsters, combat. Death. It was all just one, huge, panicked question that he couldn't seem to find an answer to. 

And then he managed to realize that, despite however desperately the situation deserved it, panicked over-thinking wasn't going to help anyone out right now.

With yet another deep breath the Bard managed to calm himself just enough to focus in on the new world before him. He'd need to at least get a good feel for it if he was going to get anywhere here, after all. As the others discussed things like the possible implications of being stuck in Elder Tale and just how necessary or unnecessary partying up actually was at the present moment, he was scoping out the landscape and looking over its populous. It was ruined... as he'd expected, of course, the game was set in a post apocalypse, but the buildings seemed to be in at least stable condition. A number of people crowded the streets, each of them looking bewildered and confused in their own special way. It was starting to look like this wasn't just an isolated incident. At first he'd considered that it might be possible that only a select group of people within, say, a select area of the UK were affected, but the sheer volume of adventurers wandering confused and aimless through the city made that pretty impossible. The more and more he thought about it, the more it seemed that, perhaps, the entirety of the UK playerbase was sucked into the world without warning. Thousands, possibly hundreds of thousands of people lost in a world that they could never hope to understand. And he was right there with them. 

Fantastic.

Catching a few words about "early areas" and "solo-ability" caught the large man's ear as he was snapped back into the conversation. Probably not the best idea to keep spacing out. This wasn't really a time for daydreaming just as much as it wasn't for his previous bout of rage. He couldn't help but quirk an eyebrow at their level of confidence, however. They raised a fair point about how easy low level areas were, sure, but they all seemed to be forgetting one thing. "Hey everyone. Raise your hand if you've ever had to fight a goblin before. Outside of games I mean, like a real, full on combat scenario. The weapon doesn't really matter, sword, spells, whatever. Just curious." He nodded to himself a little, glancing over the bevvy of reactions. "Yeah... that's what I'm talking about. Sure, the low level areas are full of equally low level mobs, but I think you're forgetting something pretty major. We aren't big damn heroes like these characters we built were supposed to be. We're people. Normal, boring, everyday people with normal, boring, everyday lives. We don't know how to fight whatever the hell is outside the city gates. Our characters were built to fight, they were pre-trained in combat so to speak... but we weren't. It's just ridiculous to compare their ability to kick ass to ours, you know? And I for one don't feel like dying anytime soon just because I thought I could solo some low level content." The Wolf Hair let out a sigh once he finished his little ramble. It was probably the most direct he'd been with someone face to face for quite a while. To be perfectly honest, on the inside he was nervous as all hell. He could hardly believe the little speech he'd just given. But from his perspective, for the sake of survival, it was worth getting uncomfortable assertive and flippant. Even if it did make him scream internally. Fake it till ya' make it, man. 

He had to admit, though. They raised a good point about staying inside the city, at least for now. Who knows, maybe this would all be over in a few hours. He let out another nod, glancing at the two original arrivals, then the two newer ones. "I.. well. Yeah. Yeah, you're right, you're right. There's really no reason for us to venture outside. F-For now, at least. I guess we could-"

He was cut off by the rather abrupt ding of an incoming request. Moving his hands out in front of him to access his UI, he noticed a small, flashing indicator above his Friend's List tab. "JANE WOULD LIKE TO BE YOUR FRIEND" is what it read, out in big, bold lettering. The Wolf Hair couldn't help but crack a smile as he accepted it, glancing down at the tiny Guardian as she spoke. Again, her points were perfectly valid. It didn't make much sense to go through the trouble of setting up a party just to take a tour around town. "I'll keep that in mind, thanks. Never know when you might need a shield-toter." He could finally feel himself beginning to relax, the initial shock of the situation starting to die down a bit. "And yeah, I'd love to-"

By the time he'd spoken up the teeny shield knight was already a good few paces off into the street, her foxboy dragged behind her. "H-HEY, WAIT UP!"

Thankfully, a combination of his new, athletic body and significantly longer stride than the girl's made it easy to catch up and match her pace. "D-Damn, you move pretty quick, dontcha'? You have a destination, or are we just... wandering around?"


W: 1080

[Zyrune]

"Eh, for all we know this might only last for a day or two, only reason I'm trying to organise myself is on the off chance it isn't." The Guardian clarified."It would be fun to play around if it does last though but I'm not exactly in the mood to go out and figure how this fighting stuff works and... eh?"

Zyrune shook his head. No one was talking about playing around for fun. He looked at the guardian and the fox haired kid, they really didn't have a clue did they? They were going on the idea that this was temporary and by some pure luck of time and divine intervention they would be returned back to the previous world. He wondered how old they really were behind their avatars. The physics of the world had changed, literally something that was 2D on a flat plane existing in the digital format was now physical and their reality. Even if scientists back in the real world were now working on a way, this world existed on a different time basis. In other words, one day in the game equals two real world hours. In other words for every 24 hour day they spent here, 2 hours past in the real world. so 6 days meant that 12 hours past back home, so a day back home meant 12 days here. So every week that past back home, they spent 84 days here.  They were looking at a least a month real world time if not longer that meant a year in game, a year would have to pass, who knows how long each extraction could take or how they would start, maybe youngest first or eldest, alphabetical order maybe or how they were going to locate everyone trapped within the game? The more time the real world took, it meant double the time that they had to spend here.

"Yes but two days back home means that we spend 24 days here. There is a time difference, that difference could be greater or less depending on what things are like now that this is our reality." The druid spoke but it was clear she nor any of the others were paying Zyrune or the elf  any attention, so wrapped up in themselves, they couldn't even extend their gaze. 

Not only that but in order to save them, they would need to be aware of every individual within the game currently and where their physical bodies sat in the real world. Even if they managed to figure all of this out and had a solution, there was no way they could be sure to rescue everyone. And perhaps they were all aware of this, maybe they were already working towards a solution but Zyrune couldn't be sure. And say that they did find a solution but that solution was that each player had to reach level 100 and defeat the final boss of the new expansion pack? In order to be sure, he would need to work towards that goal while assuming people back home were working towards another.

"As I was saying." The guardian continued. "And I guess Jacoben was too. I'd rather settle myself down and figure things out today, once that's done I'm more than happy to go out and try fighting the monsters in the starter areas where solo play is easy. There are bound to be a few people willing to charge out right away and gain a few levels today out there that you can join if you really want."

Zyrune shook his head once more, she really didn't understand what the bard or he was trying to say did she? They weren't planning on running straight out and attacking everything in sight as a party, leveling up as fast as they could manage. No they were trying to form a temporary alliance, give them the safety and security that comes with being a group while the gathered information, along with that between them they would have more resources which meant more food and money split between them, perhaps extend the time they could stay within the town before venturing outside. Clearly the two weren't thinking about anything except for right now, Zyrune studied the two, wondering how much they actually knew one another, did they meet in the game or perhaps knew each other outside.

"If you are worried about dying or even just how that works I guess the best place to go would be wherever the respawn point is." The guardian continued. "It's probably a good gathering place too so someone there is bound to have some sort of idea or advice. We're all in the same boat at the moment thanks to the servers only just having gone live, there are no high level players or guilds or anything so everyone is bound to be looking for something right now. Once we have the basics down it'll be worth looking outside the city to earning money for whatever it is you want to do with yourself here. For now though..." Again she was talking out of her butt. Together they had a better chance of gathering information, they could split up, do some recon and gather back at a suggested safe place and piece together whatever information they could gather and perhaps form a bigger picture than any of them might manage on their own. That was why he and perhaps the bard suggested the idea of a party.

Zyrune watched the guardian as her hands moved before her. He guessed she was on the menu doing something, however it wasn't until the Bard spoke that he realized what. She had added him. "If you decide to go out or just need a hand with something give me a call. I doubt I'll be much help but I'm really not in the mood to start up a party just to walk around the city, we can try something later. If you want to come with us to check the place out you're more than welcome." Pursing his lips, Zyrune didn't even wait for her to finish before turned and began walking down the street. He was growing tired of the exchange and it was clear the two couldn't see the bigger picture, at least not yet. He guessed they needed time to think, take in what had actually happened to them. However what happened if they didn't have that time? Everyone kept talking about being safe within the town's walls, however what if that was no longer true or what if only using one's abilities in town classified as an attack, there was still so much they didn't know, so much they were unprepared for. He only looked over his shoulder to see the bard run and try to catch up with the odd couple. He shook his head. "You choose the wrong side my friend, those two are only looking out for themselves, I wouldn't be surprised if they used you for all your worth and then left you behind, they can't see past themselves right now." Zyrune muttered to himself as he gripped his staff and continued walking. 

"This can't be happening..." Zyrune over heard as he past another group, they must have been discussing the current state of the world. He watched as people continued to grow more upset and angry with each passing moment. It was clear that they didn't have time to sit around and think before order was placed on the town, the fast thinking and strong would survive, the weak and slow would be left behind. His devotion to his sister helped clarify his mind. Countless lives were now stuck within a digital world that he couldn't even be sure that was digital any more. Gazing at the sky, he frowned. Judging from the sheer number of people he past as he wandered he wondered how long it would take someone from the other side to save him. The scientists wouldn't just act, they would study, perform tests and then carry out one extraction, maybe two, see if they were okay before carrying out some more.

Something that only happened in fantasy novels or manga had actually happened to them and just because it didn't take long for them to arrive he, he was assuming, he couldn't be sure that the reverse of that process was the same. The best option was to assume that they were here for the long run, prepare for the worst. Right now that meant gathering as much information as possible, he needed to know more about this world as possible. As he wandered the overgrown and ancient streets, he wondered how similar the Endertales version of London was to the real thing. Being from Ireland, he had never explored the real thing. Standing at the bridge to the low level training areas, Zyrune let his gaze wander, the road seemed to extend on forward, the sky seemed endless too.

No, not yet. The druid thought turning slowly on his feet, if the town did indeed offer protection, he might as well find out as much as he could about the town before leaving. Maybe he could find another group of adventurers, people who shared his mindset and understood the need to band together, especially in times like this and not look out for themselves first and foremost. The druid noticed a group had gathered in front of a large object he recognized as the inter-city transport gate. However the device looked ancient and unusable. Offline for the first time since it's creation, Zyrune guessed. Other than London there were several other cities recreated, he couldn't help but wonder if Ireland and Dublin had been included perhaps in the expansion. The two separate countries were often lumped together, especially in games like these. However with the gate currently offline, teleporting elsewhere was impossible unless they used fairy rings, however this was a new server and the rings locations lay undiscovered, plus there wasn't any way of knowing where they led and at what time they actually led there. That meant in order to go somewhere, you would be walking. It was clear that groups were already starting to form, discussing their next moves, what they were going to do. It was clear that not everyone had logged in on their own and even though most of them were familiar with the world of Endertales, this was a new land, new monsters, it also had been upgraded with the new expansion; the Novasphere Pioneers. Anything that may have resembled something that were familiar with may be different, in fact now that this wasn't just a game any more, he was certain things would be different.

Letting out another deep breath, the druid tried to calm his mind, he needed a plan of action. "Maybe something happened?" A male voice broke his train of thought. "Leave them be, Adventurers were always strange." Another voice, more deeper than the first seemed to reply. Looking up Zyrune noticed two individuals standing a little away from the group, it was clear they were non player characters or people of the land as they were referred to within the game. They appeared just as confused as any adventurer. Curious. The druid mumbled to himself as he studied them. Zyrune continued walking, making sure to listen in on what people were saying as he past. If someone said something interesting, he would linger for a moment or two but other than that he kept moving, he set his sights on the guild building. It was the most recognized building in any Endertales server, it was core to the game mechanics and anyone who knew anything would want to meet there.  

Word Count: 1713
Tagged: Anyone want to post next? @eleri Jane Sketch Ducou
Notes: Jane Please note that my name in game is Zyrune, delphron is only my username on the forums, it isn't connected to anything in character. Thanks :)
Also in case any of you are sensitive, Zyrune's thoughts are not mine. You are all lovely people, Zyrune is just frustrated with your characters. 

[Ducou]

Ducou couldn't really handle all the seriousness that this conversation brought upon the group and almost began shaking in his boots, well not literally speaking. It was clear to him that there were two groups with different mindsets in the vicinity, well for the most part he thought that the groups were two sides of the same coin really. The first group apparently wasn't in the mood to create a party just to explore the city, while the other one felt that it would be for the best to group up. The more the merrier basically and the more eyes, the more you see. The wolf seemed to agree with the little girl to some extent and sooner rather than later she added him to her friend list in case he needed her help when he decide to venture further out than the city gates. Ducou felt that that was quite generous of the tank to add someone who more or less bothered her for the short time they spoke to her friend list.

Once again he couldn't help but feel ignored, especially as everyone just left him standing there. This time, however, he didn't feel like that this party thing was for him. So he left the scene, figuring that he would either do fine by himself or find some other group with less hostility towards each other.

EXIT

[Scarlet]

OOC: still Chi here, just a different character :D

Word Count: 518
The young woman simply stood there, scratching her chin lightly, as she looked out over the familiar city of London. It certainly looked differently from what she was used to, with all the moss and ancient looking buildings. To be fair the city of London, in the real world, looked rather old as it was, but this was on a whole new level and Samantha actually quite liked it. It gave her hometown such an eerie and mysterious feeling, which really fit the theme of a fantasy online game. It had not quite struck her yet that she was stuck inside the world of Elder Tale, but she would surely panic about that later. In overall she seemed to be quite fine the movements of her avatar, as she had based it one herself for the most part, but it still felt a bit odd. She had not felt this good in years to be honest and she had to admit that the feeling of wearing armor was a pretty nice one. The girl felt as if she was part of the game, which was true, instead of simply playing it. It was more immersive than anything she had every played before.

Samantha would stretch and jump lightly in place as she looked down on the crowds from the balcony she was standing on. She figured that it might be a good idea to get to know some people or at least take a walk around town to see what was new in the city or if it was the same as the one she was used to.

As she strolled down the street she couldn't help but notice the air of despair that oozed wherever she went. Of course there were nothing that actually smelled, it was more like a feeling she got from all of the scared faces others wore. About now Samantha had figured out that they were stuck in this world and she could admit that it scared her a bit as well, but if that was the case then there were pretty much nothing she could do about, except make things as comfortable as possible. ”You reap what you sow” as they say. So she kept the usual smile on her face and continued to venture forth down the road.

Turning around the corner would Samantha, or Scarlet, would notice a group of three. A wolf-hair, a fox-tail, and a human judging by the their looks. She had read quite a bit about the world of Elder Tale and its races before logging in herself, so she knew at least a little bit about it. The group didn't stand out per se, but the oddly short girl in plate armor just looked out of place. Without even thinking first Scarlet would squat down and pat the little girl on the head ”Wow, you are really short, aren't you?” she would say with a curious tone before realizing what she had done and shoot up on her feet again. ”Oh god, I'm sorry!” she apologized and rubbed the back of her head lightly.