[Full] A Bear In the Woods

[Sark]

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STATUS

[Sweaty]

HP: 100% MP: 100% - EQUIPMENT - Starter Greatsword (2h) Starter Leather Armour -- SKILLS - None Active - Words: 366 Tags: Let’s get rolling~. OOC: --

It was late in the morning, but the sun still hadn’t fully crested the few empty skyscrapers of central Londinium. The plaza beneath these skyscrapers was busy with activity while the various peoples moved about, keeping to the shady areas where they could. While Summer had officially passed into Autumn, the heat of a dying Summer still warmed the land, making the pavement and moss uncomfortably warm. The constant, humid wind that blew off the Thames didn’t make the matter any better, and left Sark tugging at the collar of his grey turtleneck. It was tucked into a pair of beginner trackpants, making him look distinctly dorky. It was his lack of style that had brought him in part to his current situation. Wiping the sweat from his brow he hoisted the sign above his head a little higher. The sign had been made by hand, and it showed. This one was his fifth attempt. It had been difficult to make, as without a subclass in carpentry he couldn’t make something the universe considered ‘carpentry’, so striking a balance between something sturdy and something flawed had taken some practice. In the end he had used a length of butcher’s paper pasted between a pair of brooms. It was rudimentary, and ugly, but a sign nonetheless. The sign, in poorly painted handwriting read LOOKING FOR PLAYERS. LEVELS 1 – 15. BE A HERO. FIGHT SOME SLIMES. BE IN THE SHADE & IN THE PARK. So far no-one had taken him up on his offer, and as time had progressed he had been forced by the advancing sunlight further and further into the main thoroughfare. Soon enough he and his sign would be lost in the general flow of people. Hoping to avoid this, Sark stretched onto his tippy toes, raised his aching arms up once again and waved the sign energetically about. Standing at four foot tall, the extra height he gained was almost negligible, especially given the height and girth of many of the adventurers around him. ”Come on,” he muttered, ”Surely someone wants to go the park. How else am I supposed to get the AP to get out of these clothes? Come on…”

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[Celebrimbor]

Was the Swashbuckler on the ground... not even close he felt no reason to leave his position on the top of a roof in the vast expanse known as Londinuim. Portions of it had fallen into disrepair it seemed though others, that held more people were being ever so slowly released from the various plants that sought to consume the buildings hidden underneath. For the moment he was lounging up high above the people enjoying the view as he munched on fruit... An apple half eaten was in his hand as he considered his options. On the one hand he could go and fight some of the wildlife on the other he could perhaps just jump about the city... or even perhaps get around to making a new sword... maybe a pair of them...

Naturally, or perhaps not so much was the fact that for a gamer he tended to avoid other players... Not really out of fear but rather a lack of understanding. He had no problems with watching them but joining them was something that he avoided... but on the other hand being in a party had benefits in the long term. The real question was what did he want to do on that day, it was not like he had some specific schedule to follow as he wondered around figuring out the ins and outs of this world.

Making a decision, though it was perhaps one that while logic said was the best option for here... for himself it was hardly a good choice. His eyes roamed along the roof line, planning his descent, he knew he could jump strait down but the likely hood of taking damage with that much of a drop was extremely high and more importantly it could kill him. So he took a more circuitous route. His body bounding from roof to roof, as he slipped through the mid day crowds by slipping along as a shadow above their heads.

It was a rather random moment when he saw... the sign... was it a sign. He was sure it was supposed to be a sign it had words though he was not entirely sure as to what it actually said as he dropped, with an elegant control from the first floor roof to the ground to stroll over to the player. Much like himself he seemed to have really cruddy armor that was of questioning effectiveness in regards to actually protecting himself... and he figured the sword the man carried might be in the same condition. A newer player like himself he was willing to assume... unless he was a person crazy enough to not realize better weapons could be either found of made.

It was easy to see that the swashbuckler, as Celbrimbor obviously was, seemed to be studying the sign carrying player... he was unsure of what to say or how to really approach this and frankly he considered just running away now that he was staring at the other male...

Word Count: 501

[Shizu]

Shizu had been looking for work for some time now. She has been doing just about everything on the spectrum at this point, clothes buying, food sampling, subclass training and sword forging. She hasn't really been making a name for herself in the field of battle, which was frankly a crime. It was about time that she head out to try and do what she could to help the people of this world. She was level 11 by now, mostly due to hunting, not really any epic quests that she took part in. She hoped that her second sword would be ready soon, but for now she would have to do with just one. She decided that she would do her usual strategy for finding anything in this town, standing in the center of town and yelling for a few hours.

Once she reached the center of town. She saw something peculiar, someone who wasnt her standing like a complete idiot to try and gain people's attention. She finally felt like she wasn't so much of an idiot and walked up to him and bent down a bit to see what his sign said, accidentally and involuntarily entering his personal space. She had to read closely because the sign wasn't written in the most legible way possible, it was the same incident with the board in the crafting district, just in broad daylight. She hoped that this person talked smarter than they wrote and quickly backed up, "Well I am willing to help..." she said awkwardly, still not really getting the hang of verbal interaction with people.

After a few minutes of awkwardly standing there in front of the dwarf, the shy girl eventually spoke up again, "well... Im Shizu... a... Level 11 Assassin..." she said slowly and cautiously as she tried not to piss off or alienate the person in front of her. This was her big chance to do something kinda worth while in the new world that she found herself in. She wondered what kind of quest that they were going to go on and hoped that it would be something cool. She played enough rpgs to know that it wouldn't be something like slaying a dragon, but something to keep her entertained. She hoped it wasn't one of the generic get ten of some random item you get from a random mob in a random place that I need for some completely random reason. Especially if the item was something boring or nonsensical, like kobold flanks. Why would anyone need kobold flanks? What even are kobold flanks? The worst part about those quests that sometimes the monsters that clearly have the item on them don't drop the item, like when a zebra or horse doesnt drop its hoofs. She then realized that she spent the last 5 minutes lost in thought about fetch quests. She hoped that the people around her didn't think she was crazy, even though her mind raced alot. Although you really shouldn't get her started on escort quests.

Words: 506
Notes: Rant Time! I have no regrets! You'd think a bedridden character would think alot.

[Sark]

stat widget coded by Oxford of ET

STATUS

[Excited!]

HP: 100% MP: 100% - EQUIPMENT - Starter Greatsword (2h) Starter Leather Armour -- SKILLS - None Active - Words: 660 Tags: Let’s get rolling~. OOC: I've tried to leave some gaps so you guys can react to things, but I've also tried to move things forward. Hope that's OK! If you have any qualms let me know ^_^ Happy to be flexible.

The wait continued as Sark continued to energtically swing his sign back and forth. As the minutes dragged on, sweat began to drip thickly from his nose, and the wolf-skin pelt on his head became uncomfortably damp. Although his arms burned with exertion and the wolf-skin was starting to smell of wet dog, he did not give up. A determined frown has cemented itself onto his brow. 'I wont give up. This is my time to grow! If I give up, then I've given up on improving! I won't go back to apathy, I will find a group!' Despite his enthusiasm and determination, pure exhaustion won out. Ten minutes later he had slowed the sign to an almost complete stop, and it had dropped down to rest on his shoulders. He was thirty, and starting to fall into despondancy as the adventurers continued to flow blithely past him. It was at that point that a shadow fell over him, and he smelt something other than the Thames & his own BO. He looked up to see the chin of a girl. She seemed to be about the same age as him, but taller, with black hair and eyes which were focused on his sign. That she was all but pressed up against Sark to do he barely noticed, so focused was he on someone joining him to fight. Her clothes looked non-descript and fairly plain like his own, meaning she was either a fellow novice, or really, really advanced. Hope and near giddy joy swelled up inside Sark as he eagerly watched her read the sign.  Finally she spoke up. She spoke so softly that Sark had to strain to hear her offer of help. A huge smile split his face and he leaned forward in enthusiasm, as if to get closer to his goal. "Really? You will? Wow, that - that would be great! We can do this, you and me. We can excel at this even!" He crowed on, but the girl's expression was vacant, and she seemed to be muttering to herself under her breath. Sark tried to interrupt once, but seeing her focusing still and muttering something about 'escorts' he took a wary step back. Maybe this girl had never spoken to him, but had only been speaking to herself? He eyed her again, taking in her weapon and pack. She seemed like an adventurer, but with the People of the Land these days it was always hard to tell. It was only from this scrutiny of her that he noticed someone else standing still in the flow of traffic. It was an elf with a pair of crossed swords over his shoulders, who was staring directly at Sark. The other adventurer seemed althetic and slim, and his subtle, unconscious motions to avoid the other folk in the street seemed graceful. He had the hallmarks of a swashbuckler, one of the most famed classes Sark had heard.  If he had this swashbuckler and this unidentified lady, he could never fail! Just as he was about to approach the third party, the girl spoke up. "Well... I'm Shizu... a... Level 11 Assassin..." Sark whipped back to her. 'Level 11?! And she was talking to me!' Once again a broad smile broke over his features, and Sark agreed that they should start the hunt. Spying that the third figure was still there, Sark wasted no time and went to grab Shizu by the hand, before darting over to the Swashbuckler. "Ho! Me and Shizu here are gonna go fight some Slimes! We could use someone with yours skills. Even better, we can form a PARTY!" He nearly bounced at the idea of a party. He had been in Elder Tales for so long now, yet he had never once formed one since the Apocalypse. "Come on - we can figure out the particulars on the way there. I'm Sark, by the way, and the forest is this way!"

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[Celebrimbor]

What was he doing... It was the question most pronounced in his mind as he stood their staring at the dwarf. This was not something he should be doing, definitely not... plus he was joined by some girl... he didn't know why he had even been interested in the banner... sign thing to begin with. Perhaps it was just the weirdness of it... perhaps it was something more he did not know as the dwarf, or at least he looked like a dwarf though he could just be a hairy hobbit what disliked being barefoot... who was he to judge. Either way he was about to flee... no really he wanted to run and punch himself in the face for doing something so stupid as to stare at another person... staring always drew attention anyway... and attention was never a good thing in his experience.

"Ho! Me and Shizu here are gonna go fight some Slimes! We could use someone with yours skills. Even better, we can form a PARTY!"

Then his chance to escape was dashed by the darting overly excited dwarf... which made sense really a dwarf was supposed to enjoy the whole Axe flailing... ale drinking stuff... Not that this one had an axe... no he had a massive sword that might have been bigger than he was... Not that he was measuring or anything along those lines. Either way he was excited and that did to a degree worry him... though the mention of slimes did not help.

The idea of going after slimes again after the last time worried him at least a little... he still had the bruise from that slime bowling him into a Boar and then getting chased through the forest by the thing... to be fair the entire event had been worth his effort. But he really disliked the idea of getting chased through the woods again... on the other hand, being in a party would make logical sense... Sure it looked as if the three of them were all fighters of one sort or another but fighting as a team in any MMO had advantages so would not this as well... Either way the short stocky guy was off again nearly as soon as he arrived as he yelled back.

"Come on - we can figure out the particulars on the way there. I'm Sark, by the way, and the forest is this way!"

Yup this was going to be bad... potentially fun... but bad for any number of reasons... particularly due to the apparent fearlessness of the person leading this particular expedition. Either way he made the decision to follow, safety in numbers or something like that right. It was an easy thing to catch up with the Dwarf as he offered his own name in greeting though the words were quiet... he could not remember the last time he had spoken to anyone unless it was about buying something at a market stall. Heck he wasn't sure he had ever spoken to any of the adventuring types at all.

“Celebrimbor is the name... “

Not that he said anything more beyond that... not really sure what to say at the moment anyway. Slimes were slimes in the long run after all...

Word Count: 544

[Valandil]

The sun lazily made its way across the sky invoking a pang of wonder in the young man. How the mechanics of this game...of this world so closely followed that of the real one. Well, when it felt the desire to do so. Of course, he was referring the, seemingly, random instances that this world deemed necessary to follow the mechanics of the MMO he played while sitting comfortably behind a PC screen.

Going by the position of the Sun, Valandi - also going by the abbreviation, Valan – judged it to be around mid-morning. “What to do, what to do”. He needed to make his way into the woods for several reasons. One being that various ingredients for potions resided in the forest and potion would be needed for survival. He was a level one Swashbuckler...level one with a character suited for optimization at much higher level. Survival necessitated health points and leveling up his main class, which dictated potions to battle and gain experience. The proverbial gears of his mind churned to produce a solution and his finger strayed to the kunai tucked under his cloak. The habit of sheathing and unsheathing his weapons he seemingly carried over from when it was still a game.
Due to the world change – the game becoming real – going solo into the woods would be possible. He could cancel-break and combo attacks that compensated significantly for the restriction placed on his character and class when this was still just a game.

“About a sixty-percent survival rate if I don’t encounter an area boss...that dropping to 37% if I do” he murmured to himself as he ran the numbers in his head. It was in this state of calculation, making his way towards the entrance to the woods, that he saw a three people gathered. This would not have struck him as odd or tickled his interest if not for the mangled looking attempt at a sign the dwarf held. "Looking for players" Val read the words out loud while squinting to make out the rest.
“This would increase my survival rate significantly” he mused. “if they would take me...” he decided after a moment’s hesitation. Thus, estimating it to be the best course of action, Val strode towards the party – lowering the hood of his brown, nondescript, cloak as he approached .

“Room for one more?” he inquired, sporting his best attempt at a cheerful smile.

Word Count: 403

[Shizu]

Shizu was really unsure of what she just got herself into. This dwarf was extremely excited about the quest that was in front of them. And she wasn't sure what to make of his clingyness. She didn't like to be touched, much less dragged somewhere. She hated the idea of someone trying anything against her, and it didn't help that she had absolutely no warning this time. She got reminded of a certain encounter with a fox tail for another example of this. Shizu quickly freed her hand from his grasp by the time that he found another person for them to converse with. Great, just what Shizu needed. More eyes to stare at her as they talked. The thought of their four eyes around her scared her at first, but she decided to try and put it behind her. Just as she was trying to though, another person walked up to them. She really shouldn't jinx herself with these things. One thing after another was just happening so fast so she just decided it would be best to roll with it. She hated the idea of just rolling with this people but what else could she do.

Shizu eventually escaped from her thoughts and turned to the three people in front of her, "Hello Sark..." she said cautiously as she debated just running away. Doing a quest with 3 people seemed to be pushing what little social skills she was able to develop upon entering the game. When you spend your entire life talking to your family, therapists and doctors, you dont get the best ability to work with others. She still managed to speak up again and said, "Nice... to... meet you..." she said struggling to get out just about every word. She hated how shy she was being, but she didn't really have an option, her body just could not say the words fast enough in the presence of all these people.

After a few minutes she looked to Sark, cautious as to whether to listen to this person. "Okay..." she said before quickly drawing one of her swords, "Tell me who to kill and I will." she said as she walked ahead of the rest of the pack. Partially since she was an assassin and tracker, so she was best suited to scout. Partially since she was now in guild where her main goal would be to travel with a scouting party to determine the location of various things. But the main reason was that she really would prefer to not be in talking distance with all of these various people. At this point she pulled the hood of her coat up, partially so it would be harder for them to look her. The hood acting as a shield for her mind, so they could not get to it easily. She would never be betrayed by her "friends" again, so, the simple solution was to not have friends. Some people were excluded, like Hiro who did nothing but help her. She just wanted to try and stay safe from anything negative that they could throw at her.

Words: 521
Notes: Shizu = Awkward

[Sark]

stat widget coded by Oxford of ET

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HP: 100% MP: 100% - EQUIPMENT - Starter Greatsword (2h) Starter Leather Armour -- SKILLS - None Active - Words: 482 Tags: Let’s get rolling~. OOC: --

”Celbrimbor is the name... “ ”Cel-brim-bror … Cel-bim-b…” The word sounded awkward in his mouth. It was all hard constants and strange vowels. That meant it must be Welsh. Sark narrowed his eyes suspiciously at the flame-deco swashbuckler. Could he be Welsh, or had the poor soul chosen the name without knowing its origin? Sark held the grudge for a moment, before it evaporated away in his tide of excitement. Welsh? Who cares! Not Sark. ”Great to meet, you, Celby! I’m sure we’ll take out those slimes, and even the boars! The three of us shall slice our way to FAME!”  He cried the last. A flock of nearby birds were disturbed and flew up into the sky at the noise, not that Sark noticed this. Lowering his arms, Sark didn’t want to wait any longer. Three was a great size for a party – they could have a forward, and then someone on each flank. There’d be no rear guard, but Sark was never one to wait for the perfect group. With a beaming smile at Celby & Shizu, Sark started to herd the group from the plaza. It would be an hour’s walk to the forest, and Sark didn’t want to wait any longer than he had to. He was already planning ahead to where might make a good lunch-stop in the forest, when a voice sounded from behind. ”Room for one more?” Sark whipped about, trying to locate the source. There was just the flow of adventurers. The words had come from the air. Maybe not the air. Maybe a ghost.The dwarf’s eyes widened, and a cold sweat broke out on his forehead. He’d heard of player ghosts, but until now had thought them only a campfire story. Those players who don’t revive at the Cathedral, but are forever doomed to haunt the lands, trying to get into a party so a healer can revive them. Sark swallowed thickly, and began to edge back to the safety of his travelling companions, when from the press of bodies the most ordinary person appeared. They were hard to describe, with their clothing, size and appearance all screaming ‘unassuming.’ It was only the pair of kunai that gave them individuality. Sark spent a moment trying to regather his compsure, before putting on a small smile. ”Sh-sh-sure! Any living adventurer is welcome to join on in.” He was starting to get fired up again. ”Yeah! With four we can take the forest! Please do join us, Kunai!” Sark quickly distributed the PARTY REQUEST forms, and with Shizu leading the way they left the plaza. They should reach the forest by noon, and Sark was hoping to entice one of the others to take the party to an appropriate levelling spot – he had never been out of the city. The thought of leaving the city was both exciting and nerve wracking; what if he died?

STATUS

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[Celebrimbor]

He offered his name while somewhat quietly it was pronounced at least fully before the dwarf managed to mangle it and then dub him named after a Pokemon... which he was not... no he was a renowned Elvish blacksmith... to be refereed to as a flying plant was almost painful to hear to his ears.

”Cel-brim-bror … Cel-bim-b… Great to meet, you, Celby! I’m sure we’ll take out those slimes, and even the boars! The three of us shall slice our way to FAME!”

It really was almost painful to hear his name mangled by a dwarf... though at least it was a dwarf that was mangling it than another Elf... it was an elf unable to speak their own language well that would just be horrible... though he wondered if this game used an actual elvish language at all or if it was simple not part of the game. Perhaps Quenya or Sindarin were the bases for the language the in game elves might use... It really was an excellent question to be had in all honesty.

“Its pronounced keleˈbrimbor you refer to be me as Cele for short I would rather not be refereed to as a Pokemon dwarf...”

Yes he called him a dwarf, but that was because unlike the girl he had not heard his name before... It hardly seemed to matter as the girl seemed to use his name after allowing him to know his name and perhaps avoid calling him dwarf in the future... though it was possible that remembering his name did not matter to him all that much. He did take notice of the way she was talking... almost as if she might have the same issue talking to people as he often did.

Soon enough another swashbuckler made his appearance... It was pretty much a full party at that point matching the basic makeup for dungeon runs in World of Warcraft... other than the lack of a healer for the group. It could cause trouble on the long run but it was hard to say. After all he had been hunting for a while now and wasn't quite level one anymore. The assassin had him by a number of levels though but at least he had some experience in the field... sure It had been less than amazing but he had no problems with that.

Soon enough he received the party request and joined the party with the dwarf as the lead... at the least he seemed the most competent for such a position or at least the loudest of the bunch. This told him all their names as well as their status information appeared near his own. A samurai... that would be the tank and it would be his job to hold agro in the fight. Another Swashbuckling Acrobat along with the lone assassin who seemed to running the scouting position ahead of them.

He considered their positioning for a moment and thought of how it might work. Swashbucklers were weapon specialists but they specialized in doing damage while avoiding taking it... its why acrobatics was a good choice for them. The Samurai had high damage and combo potential but also had massive cool-downs... and for the moment it did not seem like they had much in regards to range techniques though he wondered about the other swashbuckler as he had knives equipped.

He pushed that to one side as he, at a rather random spur of the moment fell into a tumble, rolling suddenly before coming to his feet in a single movement and then jumping before the motion finished... This allowed him to leap a good ten feet at least, his body rotating in the air before he came to a landing... instead of landing on his feet though he rolled mostly for amusement as he came back up in a walk without seeming to even break stride...

“So what can the lot of you do in regards to skills?”

He questioned... sure he was not a social person by nature but that did not know he did not know how to be around people... his mother was a politician after all you don't live that life without learning something of conversation after all...

Word Count: 709

[Valandil]

Joining the Party

HP 100% | MP 100%

Valandil found the dwarf’s reaction rather amusing. He seemed both startled and on the defensive from a simple inquiry and this induced a tug-of-war within the Swashbuckler. On the one end a smile threatened while at the other end, Val tried to keep his composure in order not to give any offense.

It took a few moments for the dwarf to locate Valandil’s position. This was not peculiar given the number of adventurers presently going about their business. Even in the close proximity of the party, he had to step aside for the occasional by-passer, this obscuring the line of sight to him from the dwarf. The fact that Val wore a very unassuming cloak did not necessary help his cause either. He tended to naturally blend into a crowd, preferring not to draw to much attention to himself. “Some things just don’t change” he pondered while waiting for the dwarf to lay eyes on him.

Only when the dwarf named Sark – Val gathered this from hearing one of his companions call him that – addressed him with a slight stutter, also from the way he put emphasis on the word “living”, did Val realize why Sark reacted the way he did. Val had heard the tales of ghost players. He didn’t pay it much attention. Every culture in every world had myths and folktales. Why would this world be different? People did not like the unknown and they filled the gap with possible explanations even if the explanation were farfetched and supernatural in itself... Or perhaps not... Perhaps making up stories – folktales and myths included – was just societies’ way of coloring the mundane and establishing culture. Wasn’t stories and essentially coloring the mundane what drew them all to Elder Tale? “Enough of that” Val mentally pushed the unnecessary philosophizing aside. He was not one for that sort of thing anyway.
The dwarf’s sudden burst of enthusiasm brought a genuine smile to Val’s face. It was refreshing and infectious. Valandil nodded to the dwarf and his fellow companions; accepting a sheet and completing it in the process. He fell into step with them moments after the task was completed.

Valandil trailed a few steps in the party’s wake as they headed to the forest entrance. He mentally analyzed each member of the party as he individually looked them over. The dwarf was sturdy and of class Samurai. He had an inclination to enthusiasm and the tendency to nickname you according to some characteristic he found. Val surmised that he would be solid in an encounter. The female Assassin was of higher level and reserved. She was difficult to read beyond that and Val found it a bit disconcerting that he could not place her. His fellow Swashbuckler was also of subclass Acrobat, like himself. He was given to streaks of flamboyance Val decided as he watched the adventurer’s display of skill. He would most likely take the roll of striker in the team which suited Val just fine. Valandil would preferably hang back and settle into the role of ranged striker, only to close in quickly and sweep when the moment presented itself.

Celbrimbor inquired to their skill a moment later and Val regarded from beneath his hood – that was now pulled up again. He recollected the conversation he overheard between the dwarf and swashbuckler on the pronunciation of his name and noted to pronounce it accordingly when needed. “Subclass, Acrobat. Ranged Swashbuckler. I believe it was called a Juggler Swashbuckler when this was still just an MMO.” He answered hoping he supplied what was needed and mentally braced against the frown that was sometimes prompted by his chosen class build.

WORDS: 610
NOTES: Post Format WIP
Active Effects: None

[Sark]

stat widget coded by Oxford of ET

HP: 100% MP: 90% - EQUIPMENT - Starter Greatsword (2h) Starter Leather Armour -- SKILLS Denkosekka Words: 687 Tags: --. OOC: Sweet template Valan! Also I posted this just before I saw you replied, so sorry Chloe >.< I've editted now to include the stuff you advanced~

The group strolled purposefully through the suburbs of Londinium as the sun cleared the skyscrapers and began to beat down mercilessly on the hard pavement beneath their feet. Hoods were pulled up for their meager protection, but it did little to stop sweat building and sliding down uncomfortably between shoulder-blades. Much of the overgrown vegetation around the city had withered, drawing back what it could to hide in the shade until England's weather once again turned wet and dismal. The plantlife wasn't the only thing that had withered in the sun. The group trudged on, an awkward silence hanging between them. Sark's mind hopped too and fro between excitement of finally leaving the city, and nervousness about the dangers he was walking into. He fretted that his party members were withdrawn, and were already regretting the trip. Try as he might, Sark could not keep the gusto up to enthuse them all. At times, his mind skipped back to Celebrimbor correcting the pronunciation of his name. Sark's treacherous mind kept injecting tones of disgust into the elf's tone, and a placed a sneer on his mouth. It took real effort for Sark to keep the true image, of someone patiently explaining their exotic name, in place. Sark stole glances at his team-mates. There was Cell, who seemed the most comfortable in a group, Valandil, who was off in his own world walking a few paces behind, and finally Shizou, who was debatably in the group at all with the way she walked ahead of them and had her hood up. Sark scratched his ear in frustration. He had to make this work, and he had to finally start improving! Yet he was paralysed by the thick cloak of heat, and his nervousness. Thankfully, he didn’t have to break it. Cell smoothly tumbled, leapt, and rolled before casually returning to his pace. Sark’s face split in two; it had looked just like a circus performer! His hands had formed into fists which he pumped up and down excited as he hopped left and right. ”That was AWESOME!” He enthusiastically shouted. When Cell asked what the others could do, Sark excited looked to his other team-mate for them to show off what they could do. Kunai - Valan - briefly explained that he too was an acrobatic, but kept his skills in reserve for now. 'Where's the fun in that - you gotta show your skills!' Sark naively though. His previous lethargy forgotten, he bounded forward. Sticking his nose into the air a little, he bragged that he too, was an acrobatic. Sark stepped forward a second time, and drew in a long, slow breath. He closed his eyes, and tried to find a calm center. This was something he had been practicing in private, dim alleys and within empty halls. A tired arm reached for the handle of his overlarge sword, with fingers suddenly slick with sweat he pulled his sword free. It was the largest, heaviest sword he had been able to find in the starter’s kit, and a key component to his martial style. With one final fortifying breath Sark activated a Samurai Skill. ”Ace Move: Denkosekka” There was a crackle of electricity, a smell of ozone, and Sark was surrounded by a shimmering fuzz of electricity. His limbs felt light, and his mind clear. The ability significantly raised his movement speed, improving his agility and dexterity. With a deft flick-and-pivot he raised his sword above his head, before performing a standing backflip. The greatsword’s weight reacted with his momentum, allowing him to land tight and in a crouch. Without letting the momentum stop he trust the weapon forward. As he reached his maximum reach he pivoted the long handle, slamming it into the ground and using it as a pivot to flip over. As he landed he was able to perform a quick, over-the-shoulder slash just before the electricity subsided. Looking through a sheen of sudden sweat, Sark straightened. ”Tada! I made …. Myself … like this,” he indicated his short stature, ”to try that out. I’ve still got heaps to learn, but it’s fun!”

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[Kaika Kokoro]

Kaika Human Monk Lv. 1

HP 95% MP 100%

STATUS: None

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Kaika sighed heavily, and stared out the window. Sunlight was filtering in through the curtains of her room in the inn. The past year and a half had been a roller-coaster of emotions. When she had first arrived, she was delighted to find herself in a new body, then devastated to find that she had kept her old voice. She had managed to wander her way into the forest afterwards, and almost got mauled to death by a wild boar. Of course, if she had died, she would have just respawned, but she had no way of knowing that on day one. For the next seven months, she had basically been a shut-in. With her voice as a dead giveaway to her past, she avoided human contact, only speaking in hushed tones when necessary. It was a lonely life. But then, just when she had started to lose hope, a miracle occurred. Out of nowhere, her voice had quickly begun changing until it matched her new body. As euphoric as she was incredulous, it took several days before she was sure enough to start talking to people again. To her dismay, though, most of the other adventurers had been spending all this time making friends, and it was much harder for her to fit in and meet new people. She had tried joining some groups, but they were only looking for higher-level players, so she passed the time by doing odd jobs for People of the Land, and sulking in her room.

Today, however, was her day off, and she spent in relaxing in the park. The warm sun and gentle breeze felt heavenly, and she felt herself dozing off beneath a tree in the mid-morning. She awoke sometime around noon to the regular sounds of people, talking and playing on the grass, and walking along the various paths through the park. Kaika yawned and stretched, taking in the view. Even after all this time, it amazed her just how real this world felt. Aside from the menu interface, she found herself sometimes forgetting that she wasn't back on Earth. She was about to head back into town for the day, when she spotted a dwarf standing in the shade across the path, holding up a sign:

LOOKING FOR PLAYERS. LEVELS 1 – 15. 

BE A HERO. FIGHT SOME SLIMES.  

BE IN THE SHADE & IN THE PARK.

The Dwarf himself was barely four feet tall, and covered in a visible sheen of sweat. Despite this, he was waving the sign around energetically and even hopping a little, and Kaika couldn't help but giggle. '...wait a minute. Levels 1-15? ' She hadn't seen a party looking for adventurers at her level in ages. 'This is my chance! I can finally get out of this town and do something for a change! ' Her excitement was quickly growing, and she rushed over to meet the Dwarf, only to stop short. 'Oh, shoot, all my gear is back at the inn. Gotta hurry!' The young monk ran back through the streets, dodging around merchants, carts and shoppers. Two workers crossed her path, carrying a large beam of wood. Without thinking, she dove and rolled underneath it, coming out of her somersault  to continue running. "Hey! Watch where you're going!" came the shouts from behind her. "Sorry! In a rush!" The man grumbled something about adventurers under his breath, but Kaika was far out of earshot.

By the time she returned to the park, however, the Dwarf was nowhere to be seen. 'Aww no...' Kaika managed to spot a familiar-looking group of people, playing something resembling a sport nearby. "Hey! Did any of you happen to see a Dwarf holding a sign here earlier?" 

"Oh, that low-level guy?" One of the players offered. He was at least six feet tall, and built like a linebacker. 'Sheesh, do steroids exist in this game? '

"Uh... yeah. Do you know where he went?" 

The man shrugged, as the other players began to look impatient towards her for interrupting their game. "He got a couple of noobs, and went off that way." Rather than risk asking The Hulk any more complicated questions, she thanked him, and made her way quickly down the path he had pointed to.

It was a good ten minutes of jogging later that she spotted a small group ahead, with a Dwarf in front. "Hey, wait up!" She called out, panting and resting her hands on her knees as she reached the group. Sweating from head to toe, with her hair in an unkempt and messy ponytail, she offered a hand towards the party. "Name's Kaika." *cough* "I hope it's not too late to join."

[Word Count: 779]

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Skills Used: N/A

Tags: N/A

NOTES: Gosh, I sure hope she managed to pack everything she needed! She was in a pretty big hurry.

[Celebrimbor]

The Acrobatic Trickery of the Swashbuckling swordsman was not without purpose... no he had discovered since he had been brought into this world that using ones skills aided on in not only mastering them but learning them and gaining levels. So walking like a normal person utterly defeated the purpose of being an acrobat. Had he wanted to ignore notice and not stand out it would make sense to make a tracker or hunter type build and just veil himself with the skills that they had at their disposal... But an acrobat was a performer and the world was the stage so why not make use of ones talents of flips, twirls and hand stands when one had the chance... perhaps an off point of view but one that made sense to the young man trapped in this world and forced to live by its rules. Rules that he himself hated and wished to be able to ignore...

Either way, Valan seemed to not want to be very showy... which was his prerogative... and while he did not understand the idea of a throwing weapon build for a Swashbuckler it had some sense to it with the right skills. Plus having a few good knives one could still mix it up in melee if needed. Sark, went an entirely different route using a skill and then basically being a showoff regarding his own skills and how he fought. Seeing it allowed Celebrimbor to observe his style and perhaps figure out a way to work with him better in a battle.

"Name's Kaika.I hope it's not too late to join."

Eventually someone decided to sprint up to the group... that Celebrimbor thought to himself he had seen before. It might have been to many hits to the noggin in recent times but her voice reminded him of who she was and the name did help. He did remember her... she was the girl that had the run in with the boar... the really tough one... how they had pulled that one off he had no clue but they had managed to do something... Either way he did remember her though he did wonder if she might remember him.

“Kaika, I believe that we have met before... Over a boar I believe it was...”

He offered to the new arrival leaving it to Sark to do the inviting if he so decided to do so. Celebrimbor himself turned back towards the assassin that was running the front of the line... she was a scout and it likely made sense to have a scout to make sure they did not run into anything more than the group could handle. They would likely be fine in the short run with plenty of breaks... this due to the lack of support healers in the group but they would be fine... or so he hoped...

Word Count: 480

TAG:Sark Shizu Valandil Kaika Kokoro

[Valandil]

Skills to display

HP 100% | MP 100%

Valan surveyed the spectacle unfolding. Sark grabbed the invitation to display individual skills with both hands - literally for the Dwarf was carrying one of the largest swords Valan had seen in Elder Tale. A mere moment passed before he activated one of the Samurai class skills. Electricity suddenly flared into existence embracing the dwarf with dancing, crackling strands of fuzzy energy. Next, Sark started to display a handstand to overhead tumble that made Valan think for an instance that the dwarf had a subclass similar to Acrobat. This thought was promptly packed away as Valan decided it was probably a main skill and he did not have sufficient information to make any further conclusions - he did know very little about the Samurai skills.

With a sigh of resignation, but a grin that belied his outward submission to the situation, Valan quickened his step. The increase in speed lasted for about four paces before he jumped into the air. Not a display of anything special, however the moment Valan reached the apex of his initial jump, he stepped as if pushing off an invisible platform and subsequently shot into the air the full length of the first jump. This was the high jump ability accessible by the Acrobat subclass. Valan was not done displaying his skills yet. Reaching the peak of the second jump he abruptly stopped in mid-air as if a giant hand grasped him. Just as quickly as his motion stopped, his body was propelled ninety degrees to the left – an action that seemingly defied physics. “Fold step” he said as he landed.

Valan had just finished his declaration when someone new showed up. Another adventured to join the party. She introduced herself as Kaika and Valan deemed, judging from the personality of their impromptu leader, that she would be accepted without much hesitation. He had to admit that he liked that.

WORDS: 315
NOTES: Short post
Active Effects: None

[Shizu]

Shizu was really unsure of what she managed to get herself into. There was already 4 other people in their group, and she decided that was too much for her to deal with right now. She sent Wake a friend request and started to use her Silent Move to go into some nearby bushes once they made it into the woods. She decided that she would rather watch from afar. So she made sure that she kept a close eye on the others as she made an effort to go undetected. She knew not to step on any twigs or make too much noise by alerting animals or breaking the wood of the bushes when she went to hide. Luckily she normally wore black so it was simple given how the sun was starting to set.

Once she felt confident in her ability to be undetected by her supposed party members. She took a moment to take inventory of what she was working with. She had her starter sword fairly sharp and ready for a conflict if it may present itself to her. She desperately wished she had a better sword at her disposal. She made a note to herself to get onto that later. She looked ahead to see what the group would be dealing with, which she decided would be a few of the nearby animals of the woods. She made sure to look down at Sark from her perch in a tree with a small light shining so he knew her location. "Friend me and order me where to go." she said before disappearing back into the trees behind her.

Words: 273