Halp I died!

[Crim]

[nospaces]

Crim, Shaman

HP: 100% MP: 100% RH: Staff LH: QS: AR: Chain Armor

WC: 568 TWC: 568 Tags @people, @people, @people, @people Theme Song For Your Entertainm Credits Cortana

 [break][break]

    "How am I ever going to figure this stuff out if I just keep going outside of the city and dying." Crim sat on the ground with a bit of a disgruntled face and a twitching eye. He was a irritated because he couldn't quite figure out how everything worked. Crim wore loose clothing. A royal purple tunic with long sleeves waved with the wind. Black trousers that looked like they where made of silk covered all of his legs. Simple boots had the bottoms of the trousers tucked. Over all that was a basic newby chain armor and a basic staff. His hair was a shortly-spiked black color. His eyes where just as dark. "I just don't get how this whole thing is supposed to work." Crim was being a total whiner about the whole situation because after weeks of being stuck in the game he was just now deciding to get up and do something with this new digital life of his. A person with ambition and drive he was not. He did always show up for the pretty gals and gents though. A pretty face was the best way to get him up and moving.
[break][break]
  He was sitting right outside the cathedral. People walked out very rarely, but he had just came back for the second time within the last four hours. A few people laughed at him as they passed by as if reminiscing about their first times out and about. The sky was bright and the air was fresh. It really was the perfect day to put your boots on and get going. All of that inspiration he had to start his adventuring had just turned into stagnant water. He wasn't about to move another inch until he could pull himself out of this muck, but who knows how long that would be. "Can you help me learn the basics?" He asked a few passerby's, but they ignored him. Worst is that others judged him. Granted, they had every right to be skeptical about helping a guy who was just not starting to desire learning. "Why now?" A few asked. "You should have thought of that sooner." Others would answer. IT wasn't enough that he felt a bit bad for how long he waited, but to be turned down and judged when he finally pulled himself together? Crim was one sad Shaman newb. 
[break][break]
 "You know what?" He said to himself. "I have hotties to impress and I don't have time to just sit around." He picked himelf up off the ground and walked away from the cathedral. "I am going to keep trying until I finally get it." He walked right outside of town and found the first monster he could see. It was a tiny little creature and it wasn't even in a mob. "I can take this guy easy." Crim ran forward and slammed his staff against the creature. It flinched or only a second. "Oh damn." The hate that was pouring out of this little things eyes was killer. "Please no. I am so sorry." The thing tackled him right off of his feet. He struggled under the thing. Who knew such a small thing could kick so much ass. "Why?!?" He yelled. Yet again he found himself walking out of the cathedral with a long sigh. People where starting to give him the pity looks. "Pity isn't sexy guys."

[Bailin]

[nospaces]

HP: 100% MP: 100% RH: Saurum Progressive Riffle (lvl 20) LH: Sarum Progressive Riffle (lvl 20) QS: Golden Hilt (lvl 21) AR: Flak Jacket (lvl 21)

WC: 367(*1.25) TWC: 458 Tags Fletcher Crim Theme Song TS Credits Cortana

It was a fine day for a stroll. The warden was walking through the streets of Londinium. When he reached the vicinity of the Cathedral there appeared to be someone making some sort of ruckus. Getting closer the warden noticed a shaman clad in chain armour mentioning something about pity not being sexy. With a sigh the warden started walking at a higher pace, until he came behind the chap. There, without slowing down he reached out his arm, intending to grab the shaman around his waist and slinging him over his shoulder. Before the shaman could possibly be aware what was happening, mostly due to the fact that the warden had no intention of slowing his pace or missing his mark, the warden grabbed him at the lower part of his back and in a fluid motion placed the shaman upon his shoulder, as if he were carrying a log or sack of wool. Once he had secured the shaman in a hold that he could easily maintain and keep the shaman off of the ground, leaving his feet dangling in the air and allowing the shaman a beautiful view of the warden’s back and what was behind them. With solid and speedy step the warden carried the shaman to the outskirts of the town, where he put down the shaman on solid ground again. [break][break] “You are new.” The warden stated coldly, running a thoughtful hand through his beard, his eye staring a bit up at the shaman. The shaman was a few inches taller than the warden, as he had guessed before he had bothered to pick the shaman up and was relieved he did not attempt a foolish act of dragging the shaman through town by his collar, a sight that would be both humiliating and very inefficient. “You have several choices, the more obvious are to allow me to help you or to walk away.” The warden continued; his voice cold and blunt. The way the warden looked at the situation was that the shaman had very little choice, either he could continue making trips to the cathedral or he could learn and survive. [break][break] “I am Bailin, a warden. The other classes are of little relevance or importance at the moment.” He continued. This was the second shaman he had encountered as far as he could recall and, whilst staring up at the shaman, tried to think of the roles and skills of the class. They were support based but they did have some fancy tricks up their sleeves, which allowed them to do some things alone as well. [break][break] “Who might you be?” Bailin finally asked of the shaman. It was true that names and classes floated above players, but there was some form of respect and etiquette in asking who someone was. [break][break]

[Fletcher]

For Fletcher, things like lower levelled adventurers rocking up at the cathedral seemed to be more commonplace the further he distanced himself away from being in the same boat as them. Granted, he had only been anything but level one for only a short while, but it was nice to be free of that stigma. For whatever reason he had found himself by the cathedral, sitting on a bench nearby with a good view of the steps. The dwarf assumed it was intended for a resting spot for people waiting for their party members to respawn or just as a place to wait given it was a central location to pretty much everything else in town. Carbuncle sat next to him, and the pair of them were enjoying a sandwich they had bought off one of the vendors that had stopped in to the inn after travelling all night and was preparing to turn in for some sleep.

There was one adventurer that had seemed to have emerged from those doors a few times today already, causing the small fox some confusion as Fletcher couldn’t help but chuckle at an all too familiar sight. This guy had only just decided to take his first steps outside of town and from the looks of things it wasn’t going too well. A few other passerbys had refused him help, some had even scoffed; if Fletcher wasn’t already in the middle of a meal he’d have struck up the conversation with the poor guy and asked if he needed help. What he lacked in experience, the Shaman had in gusto, as he set off again only to end up emerging from the cathedral a short time after as Fletcher finished the last bite of his sandwich. ”Master?” Carbuncle squeaked, turning to look up at Fletcher. ”Does that man need help?” Fletcher nodded, smiling wryly. Carbuncle seemed to agree and went back to watching, saying nothing more on the matter.

The dwarf then spotted an all too familiar face coming down the road at a brisk pace. Bailin seemed intent on something and was making a beeline for the new guy. Carbuncle made a move to intercept but Fletcher stuck his hand out and stopped the fox from going anywhere. ”Hold on, Carbuncle. Let’s see what happens.” The fox relaxed and the pair of them watched as Bailin in one fluid motion hoisted the man onto his shoulder and walk away. It was almost elegant to see two men of that height interact in such a way. Fletcher took up Carbuncle and placed it on its usual perch on his shoulder before making to follow the pair. Bailin headed outside of town, dropping the Shaman and then proceeding to talk to him about something. Fletcher was too far away to listen in, but figured there was no better time to introduce oneself than to wander right on up and do so.

”Greetings, gents!” Fletcher called out at the point of the conversation where Bailin seemed to ask the other person something. ”This guy in trouble, Bailin? He’s died a few times from what I’ve seen already, if you were going to rough him up that doesn’t seem very sporting.”

Word Count: 535

[Crim]

[nospaces]

Crim, Shaman Lvl: 1

HP: 100% MP: 100% RH: Staff LH: QS: AR: Chain Armor

WC: 941 TWC: 1509 Tags Bailin, Fletcher , @people, @people Theme Song For Your Entertainm Credits Cortana

[break][break]

Crim spotted a dwarf and a fox as they seemed focused on something. Then the dwarf had to ward off his fox from attacking someone. Crim was extremely confused as he was hefted onto someone's shoulder. "Uh." He couldn't gather his wits. One minutes he was standing and moping. The next minute he was being hefted through town. Crim took his time to stare at the man's butt and then he looked around at everyone around him. chuckles and giggles could be heard from everyone. "I don't know what you think...ummff."How does one even talk while being carried like this. His stomach was pressed in my the guy's broad shoulder leaving him a bit light on breath. He looked at the Dwarf and his pet with a look of almost desperate request. He couldn't even see the guy's face or his name on the menu screen because he wasn't exactly in a position to see it. "Can you just..." A sharp pain caught his rib while moving. Guess I will just wait until he has taken me where ever we are going. Crim settled a bit more and shifted his weight to a more comfortable position. Not that being carried over the shoulder can ever truly be comfortable. Crim sighed as he could see that they where heading out of town. I swear this is going to be one terrible day for the books if he takes me out here just to kill me. The man tried to put Crim down, but Crim's natural clumsiness prevented such a kind gesture. Crim landed hard with a thug against the ground.

[break][break]
 "Yes, I am new." He looked the cold and stern looking man over. Crim had the height advantage and yet the man still looked intimidating staring up at him. Crim could see that the man wasn't exactly cute, but he did look like the mean general type. This is what I get for sweeping people off of their feet. It's like the hell for failed knights in shining armor. He listened as the man went on to make him an offer. "You want to help me?" Crim took a sigh of relief. I thought for sure you where bringing me out here just to kill me." Crim straitened his back and pulled his shoulders back. "I mean, you would have tried." A good bluffer, Crim was not. Crim wanted to walk away. He hated the idea of the general sergeant dragging him out into the woods and then offering to help. Crim could easily imagine getting his butt jumped by more bunnies several more times. Who am I kidding. No one else is going to help me. He tapped his foot a bit annoyed, but kept his voice calm. "Fine, I accept your help." Crim put out a hand to shake on it.

[break][break]
 Crim looked Bailin over again. "I would say it's nice to meet you, but I can't say that your greeting was very nice. But please, don't let me seem ungrateful. I am Crim. I am a level one Shaman. I plan to focus on support and battle mitigation. Thank you in advanced for your help." Crim didn't know much about the game. This was going to be his first character, but he wasn't new to mmos or fantasy adventure games. He hoped that the prior experience in those games would translate at least a little bit to this game. "I hope that I can be of some use and maybe even impress a few cuties while I am at it. Who doesn't like a support character?" Bailin looks tough, so he must be a high level. I hope this guy can get me the pointers I need to do at least decent. Decent enough to take out one of those bunnies would be nice. Crim chuckled to himself for a moment before looking around at the forest. The scenery was misty, but still amazing none the less. Crim almost hated himself for not going to look around outside of the city. It felt like a crime really. 

[break][break]
"Hey, your that dwarf that has been watching me. Granted things worked out in the end, why didn't you stop him from taking me? Do you often watch kidnappers taken people into the woods?" Crim couldn't help but feel silly at this point. "Never mind. It's not like your a cop or something." Crim looked the dwarf over. He wasn't that much higher of a level than him, but he wasn't the one getting killed by fuzzy rabbits. Crim stared at the adorable fox. Don't squee, don't squee. What ever you do, don't squee. Crim quite nearly made a squee sound. "Adorable pet you have there. Wait, you know this man? This can't be." Crim looked back at the stern man. "You have friends?" He tried not to act surprised, but it was written all over his face and tone. 

[break][break]
Crim stood there staring between them and did his best not to adore the fox too much. "So, what do we do first?" Crim knew that if he was going to get better, he needed to be better. He had to put his best foot forward. He used to run a gaming and internet cafe. I know I can do this. I just have to want to. Time to stop acting like a bothered child and get something done. Not to mention the hotties. Crim's face flooded red as he imagined a hot elf chick and a studly human guy on each an arm. "Oh sweet dreams." He shook his head free of the thoughts.

[Bailin]

[nospaces]

HP: 100% MP: 100% RH: Saurum Progressive Riffle (lvl 20) LH: Sarum Progressive Riffle (lvl 20) QS: Golden Hilt (lvl 21) AR: Flak Jacket (lvl 21)

WC: 454(*1.25 = 567) TWC: 1026 Tags Fletcher Crim Theme Song TS Credits Cortana

Silently the warden looked the shaman up, head to toe. The shaman was tall, that was hard to miss, and he was dark of hair and wore spectacles. The shaman had a poor choice in clothing as far as the warden was concerned, what proper man would wear leggings and silken at that. From underneath his chainmail shirt showed hints of purple, making the warden doubt the shaman’s tastes even more. ‘I figured that much, either that or you are hell bent on suicide.’ Thought the warden, keeping it to himself. The shaman kept talking a bit; eventually mentioning he would accept the warden’s help and sticking out his hand, either as a polite gesture or as a sign of him accepting the help. Firmly Bailin shook it. [break][break] “I choose the more effective and time efficient way.” The warden coldy stated as Crim disagreed with his… friendly abduction. The shaman then continued on about him being a supporter and that he was mostly in it to pick up chicks. Before Bailin could respond to any of it, a familiar voice rang out, asking if the shaman was in trouble and that he had died several times already, as well as being worried about the warden roughing the shaman up. ‘I doubt that would be needed, just toss a fluffy bunny into his face and watch him squirm himself to death would also do the job…’ the warden thought, keeping his face as stern as ever. The shaman, or rather, Crim, reacted to Fletchers arrival faster than Bailin, and it sounded as if Crim was slightly offended at Fletcher’s… lack of heroics. ‘This kid has a lot to learn.’ [break][break] Suddenly the conversation shifted to Fletchers pet and back to Bailin, as if Crim was surprised that Bailin actually knew people and had friends. [break][break] “Fletcher.” Was all the warden responded, clicking his heels together as a greeting to the summoner. “No. He needs help, with both his manners and survivability.” Bailin said cold as he would normally do when speaking. “Crim, tell me of your skills. What ARE they? What do they DO?” he continued, placing deliberate emphasis on certain words. If Crim had been fighting as a tank whilst only having healing skills, it was not that strange that the chap had kept dying over and over again. [break][break] “Perhaps there is another lesson to be learned first. If you die, you lose memories.” The warden stated. It was what he had been told from nearly the start as well as things he had heard from other people as well over due time. If the shaman had died so very often already, a proverbial sword of Damocles was hanging above his head, or rather: his memories. [break][break]

[Fletcher]

”Guilty, as charged. Fletcher shrugged with a warm smile on his face. ”As for watching kidnappers, no, I can’t say I do that at all.” The Shaman seemed to be embarrassed by what was happening, and Fletcher had some sympathy for the poor guy. After dying a multitude of times, then being abducted by Bailin, then followed by a dwarf that made no attempt to save him. When putting it like that, it made sense, but Fletcher had to brush it off otherwise he’d start to feel bad. ”Well, I can’t say I’ve ever been a cop, but I am a dentist.” Fletcher would’ve given the much taller man a toothy smile if his moustache didn’t cover the majority of his mouth. The Shaman’s eyes came to rest on Carbuncle and the fox chittered softly to itself, noticing the reaction it was provoking from the man just by existing. The shaman then commented about Fletcher and Bailin knowing one another and that was apparently a surprise.

Fletcher shot the Warden a look as he was greeted. The Summoner rapped his closed fist against his chest twice in quick succession, palm down, performing his own kind of salute in return. Seemed the new guy needed help with surviving in the wilds, although the cold, almost scathing remark about the shaman’s manners was what caught his attention. Now it could have just been because the Warden spoke in that way, but highlighting a lack of manners almost seemed cruel. At the end of the day though, it didn’t really matter, it was the new guy that needed the help, and he’d need to impress Bailin if he didn’t want to be potentially insulted further. He did raise a valid point of asking about what Shamans did though, Fletcher had no idea and couldn’t advise, granted, outside the summoning arts he really phoned it in to the professionals.

When Bailin finished up about dying and memory loss, Fletcher had to cut in. ”Memory loss? You can’t be serious. This is not only the first I’m hearing of this, but the poor lad here is a walking sieve with how many times I’ve witnessed him die already.” The dwarf thought about it. He couldn’t not remember anything in particular. Granted, here was the chance that he’d forgotten about forgetting something he’d already forgotten. It was worrying, troublesome, and brought a new danger into the equation. He’d only died once, so it’s hard to verify if what Bailin said was true, but the Warden was generally on point with information. However, there was always the off chance that it was a scare tactic, which would’ve brought the younger lad into line, but could they afford to take that risk? ”Regardless of if it’s fact or fiction, we need to get you sorted. Let’s try to not die again so soon, hm?” He furrowed his brow and gave Crim a serious look, awaiting a response to Bailin’s questions.

Word Count: 492

[Crim]

[nospaces]

Crim, Shaman Lvl: 1

HP: 100% MP: 100% RH: Staff LH: QS: AR: Chain Armor

WC: 1055 TWC: 2564 Tags Bailin,Fletcher, @people, @people Theme Song For Your Entertainm Credits Cortana

[break][break]

Crim looked at the two of them and sighed a bit. He couldn't deny that the man's method, though rude and surprising, was a bit more of a needed proverbial kick in the rear. One that Crim needed. Erik was a go-getter and a hard charger. Crim was always his lazy side. A lazy do-nothing and a flirt. It was time to merge them sense he was stuck in this world. He had to make a choice. Having a stern attitude around him would give him the needed push to get busy and make something of himself here. "Well you're not wrong." He shook his head a bit and smirked. "Just a small warning next time you decide to hall me off would be most appreciated." Crim looked over at the Dwarf. "Sorry, I kind of snapped at you. It wasn't your problem to deal with." Crim eyed the dwarf again. He hadn't talked much about what he used to do in the real world and it almost came as a surprise that someone else would mention what they used to be. "You're a dentist? Well, that's a rather impressive job. Not that it means much here in the digital world. Consider me impressed. I don't much like going to the dentist, but I have respect for what they do." Crim's knees nearly buckled when the little thing chittered.
[break][break]

Crim had to make a physical and mental effort not to stare at this adorable fox looking thing. Stop it. Pay attention. That big man is going to hit you if you keep staring at this adorable little creature. I just want to cuddle him so bad. Stop it. Stop. Focus. Crim looked very distracted by the fox, but slowly pulled his eyes away from the creature and onto both the dwarf and the grump. He watched the Dwarf do a strange salute to Bailin. "Oh, are you guys in a military guild together?" Crim liked the idea of joining a guild, but what guild was going to take in a free loader. Granted he never asked to join any guilds and no one asked him, so it was an even dismissal on both sides. 
[break][break]

"So you do know him. I would not have pegged you for a person who has friends." Crim regretted it before he even finished saying it. Blow this and no one else will help you. "And my manners are fine. I am not the one going around and abducting...I digress. Thank you for agreeing to help me." Crim knew he had to get his mouth under control. He never had a problem voicing his thoughts online as Crim, but as Erik he always had perfect social timing and the right words for the right person. I am going to need to get back into the habit of not being a dick. "My skills? All of my skills are support type. " Crim began reading off his three class skills. "Damage Intercept, a barrier skill known as the signature move of the Shaman. Forms either a stationary barrier or a barrier around a target that continues to exist until the "energy" of the barrier expires. Energy will decrease slowly over time and decrease from damage taken. This skill has a casting time of 1.5 seconds and a cool down of 5 seconds. Then I have Purgatory Barrier, this skill is initiated by casting the spell and creating a small sphere that can be thrown at a character or object. Upon contact, the sphere will form a barrier around the target and causes it to float about two meters into the air, suspending the target in mid-air inside the barrier. The barrier is broken as soon as it is struck by any sort of attack, giving it the fan name of "Purgatory Bubble." Of course, once the barrier is broken, the target will fall the full two meters, causing minor fall damage. This skill has a casting time of 3 seconds, a maximum duration of 5 seconds, and a cool down of 15 seconds. Lastly I have Prayer of Recovery, a Shaman's unique healing magic skill, allowing for a small amount of healing with a short casting time and cool down, although with a low base healing effect. When cast, bright blue magatama jewels surround the target and the sound of small bells can be heard. Is often called "Mini-heal" by many, and can be used as a form of encouragement to others. In the post-Catastrophe world, the sound of bells this skill makes are often interpreted as "greetings or prayers of a Shaman wishing for a safe return". This skill has a casting time of 1 second and a cool down of 5 seconds." Crim took a few seconds to breath as he pretty much read the skill descriptions right off of his menu screen without stopping for air. "On a basic level. I have one small heal. I have a short barrier that catches damage if I time it right. I also have a bubble that capture's someone and takes them out of play for a couple of seconds. My skills are pretty awesome. I am just no good at supporting myself with them. I would be better off with someone who can go out and do damage while I try to mitigate the damage they take."
[break][break]

Crim knew the cost of dying, but he had to do something. He didn't take the opportunity to go level up with people he level, so there weren't many that he would benefit being around. That and the idea of forgetting everything about his old life didn't really seem like that bad of a thing. How can you miss something you do not remember. "Yea, I heard about that. Hopefully I didn't lose too much memory. Things seem way foggier now, but I remember all the really important parts." Crim wouldn't purposely try to die in order to forget his old life, but he wouldn't cry over it when it happened. Crim kicked the back of each of his boots. He began to stretch and look at the two. "So, now that you know my skills. Where do we start?" He made a swift salute to Bailin hoping it would get him brownie points. Oh no. Now I want brownies.

[Bailin]

[nospaces]

HP: 100% MP: 100% RH: Saurum Progressive Riffle (lvl 20) LH: Sarum Progressive Riffle (lvl 20) QS: Golden Hilt (lvl 21) AR: Flak Jacket (lvl 21)

WC: 353(*1.25) TWC: 1467 Tags Fletcher Crim Theme Song TS Credits Cortana

Fletcher and Crim seemed to be getting along pretty nicely, which was a good thing. Both joked a bit regarding Fletchers occupation, though eventually things turned back to the matter at hand. Bailin let the chats continue as it would ease of most of the tension and shock. Fletcher also gave a personal salute, either a dwarven thing or something he had come up with himself, which prompted the question from Crim if they were in a military guild or something akin to that. “I know not about Fletcher. I am the second in command of Vylbrand Academy.” The warden responded. “A guild offers many options, especially for you. You are built to support, not fight. It is a good thing Fletcher is with us to make things more exiting and realistic.” The warden continued, having listened to Crim naming and explaining his skills. [break][break] “You should have acted differently. At your current levels, skills and equipment, you will die over and over again. Unless you find yourself a party, preferably a guardian whose skills will keep the enemy off of you, or a summoner who can both support you and its summon, hence Fletcher.” The warden explained, talking longer and more than he had before. “Focus your attention on keeping Fletcher or his summon alive and safe. Place your first barrier, damage intercept, over him or it first. When you see it is nearly destroyed be ready to use your purgatory barrier, keeping Fletcher or the summon out of harm’s way. When either is about 50% of health, use your healing power. That should avoid any incidental deaths on your end or theirs. The key is timing and practice. If you want I can teach you how to fight with your staff as well. However, for now I think it would be best to start with a little practice. I will keep over watch. The monsters here are very low level and as such should pose no problem to me. It does not mean, however, you can slack of or keep relying on me.” The warden explained and ended rather harsh and cold. [break][break]

[Fletcher]

Fletcher laughed. ”That’s not uncommon. Not everyone likes people putting things in their mouth, or telling them that they should cut out soda from their diet. Or coffee. Or that they should floss more.” Fletcher frowned, cutting himself off and looking thoughtful, dropping his gaze to Carbuncle. ”That’s why I went into dental surgery. A bit more hands-on, but it’s a little more rewarding.” Fletcher puffed out his chest and smiled warmly with pride.

Crim then asked about guilds. ”I’m an up and coming member of the no-guild club. No one’s put out a formal invitation for me to join, nor have I found any that suit what I want to do. Bailin extended the idea of joining Vylbrand Academy but it was more part of a business deal more than anything else.” Fletcher winced as Crim shot back with Bailin not seeming the type to have friends. Harsh, and then he followed it up about how he was abducted from the cathedral and brought to where they were standing now. Now Fletcher couldn’t fault him for that much, but keeping one’s mouth shut, especially his own was going to be for his own good. The sooner he learned that, the better. He then listed off his moves, what they did word for word from his menu. Fletcher stopped paying attention midway through due to Carbuncle getting distracted by something up in the tree nearby, murmuring in the tongue of the Followers for Fletcher to check to see if it was dangerous or edible. Fletcher sighed and shook his head at the fox before catching the summary of what Crim had said.

Bailin broke down in no certain terms that Crim was doing it wrong. What it boiled down to is that he was built for support and needed someone to support in order to be effective. Doing anything else would end up with him dead and back at the cathedral in a short period of time. Fletcher was a little confused as to what was required of him straight away, wondering if Bailin was the one that was going to be attacking him and Crim had to stop him from dying. It then clicked that Fletcher was just going to start attacking things with Carbuncle and have the new guy patch him up. Stretching, Fletcher readied himself for what was to come next with Carbuncle dismounting off his shoulder. ”Alright, let’s get this started, then.” Fletcher took out his whip and looked across the field outside of town and lined up a rabbit. A low enough monster in level that there wasn’t an immediate danger to his life, but not weak enough that it would be felled in one blow. ”You’re up, Carbuncle.”

Carbuncle made a mad dash for the Frenmic Rabbit, bounding its way across the ground towards the bunny. As soon as it was in range, it leapt at it and the two monsters started scuffling, HP being chipped off from both HP bars in the mix. Fletcher looked to Crim briefly before jogging closer to where the engagement was happening, just in case.

Word Count: 517
Total Word Count: 1544

[Crim]

[nospaces]

Crim, Shaman Lvl: 1

HP: 100% MP: 60% RH: Staff LH: QS: AR: Chain Armor

WC: 1090 TWC: 3654 Tags Bailin,Fletcher, @people, @people Theme Song For Your Entertainm Credits Cortana

[break][break]
Crim nodded as Bailin explained about his guild. "Being in a guild must be nice. Being second in command must be very busy though." Crim could only imagine what being in charge of a bunch of people would be like. He hardly took days off from his Gaming Cafe and tried to keep his list of employee's short. He was never good at depending and trusting others. It's not that he doubted the competence of other people. He just never took the time to really plan out what he would do. So, everything he did was on the fly and he was able to make those command like decisions on his own. This way if something went wrong the blame was on him alone and the solution would have to come from him as well. This means that he was going to have to get over that. He had selected to be a support character and now he would have to depend on others to do their part while he made sure they where always able to. He looked at the Dwarf as he spoke. "That's true. No one likes being told what their doing is wrong. Going into surgery has to be more fulfilling. It's not like people are coming in to ask you if there is something wrong and you have to break the bad news to them. You're just there to go in and fix a problem they are already aware of. I can understand that." Crim wasn't sure what had the man looking down and then proud, but he did know that talking about their past lives had to be difficult. He knew it was hard for him. "It's noble and needed work to say the least. I may not like going to the dentist office, but I couldn't live without one." Crim thought abit more about the idea of a guild after listening to Fletcher. "I guess being apart of a guild has to be more of a personal decision than anything else." He watched as the cutest thing he had ever seen left to explore. 

[break][break]

Crim hated that he was being reprimanded, but Bailin was right. Crim had been doing everything wrong. A support type class is meant to support. Though he could swing his staff it didn't do much damage to anything. Not to mention, all the skills he picked where defensive skills. He did so because all of his friend who where going to play wanted to be anything, but the healer. So, to compensate and make for an awesome team in the game he decided to suck it up and play support. Crim didn't mind the idea of keeping the adorable creature Fletcher had out of harms way. It was too cute to get beat up. The strategy Bailin had gave him made sense. A barrier before an attack to start off with a bit more beefyness. Then a purgatory bubble to mitigate the attacks received from an enemy. Then of course the heal. Crim decided that using the barrier would have to come about four seconds before an attack would normally hit. This would mean that the next barrier would be ready to use just before it would run out. Basically keeping the person always protected. Granted Crim wasn't sure how well that would work out if he had to protect more than one person at a time. Experimentation through experience would have to be done before he could figure that out. One thing at a time.
[break][break]

Crim understood what he meant by not depending on him too much. IF Crim banked on the fact that Bailin would get him out of trouble then it would be very hard to take any fight seriously. Which in turn, would ruin future fights where he didn't have Bailin's assistance. "I get it. You don't want us to lean on you. You're not the perfect height for a person my size to lean on comfortably any ways." Crim smiled hoping that the joke would be taken as that and it wouldn't just be an invitation for Bailin to shoot him in the face. Crim doesn't like getting shot in the face. "Do you think I could do any real damage with this thing?" He looked at his staff with a doubting expression. "I guess when enough smacks anything can can be used to bring something down." He shook his head imagining fighting a dragon with a branch from a tree. The thought amused him. "Don't you worry little adorable critter. Crim the Shaman will make sure not a hair on you is singed! So what are we fighting first?"
[break][break]

Seeing the small fox thing take off at a targeted enemy nearly startled Crim. He didn't have time to intact his newly thought up strategy, but when you don't express what your thinking it's hard for others to know. Crim ran forward with Fletcher and got within skill range. He held out his staff and summoned a barrier around Carbuncle. "Damage Intercept!" Crim yelled out his skill as the barrier flashed when it was being hit. Crim could see that even though he was a low level, his barrier skill still took a bruising before busting. Just before the barrier bust he quickly slammed the bottom of his staff on the ground. "Purgatory Barrier! A circle appeared under one of the bunnies and it was then enveloped in a bubble and taken out of play for a few seconds. These skills worked great in hindering damage.  "I have an idea. So long as I place the barrier onto Carbuncle about four second before an attack would get to it I would have plenty of time to put up another barrier before the first one would dissolve. That would give us a good advantage at the beginning of a fight." Crim wasn't new to mmos and he knew well that timing tended to be everything. The spells where going off in a timely fashion which kept the little bunnies from getting too much damage onto Carbuncle too fast. "Prayer of Recovery!" When cast, bright blue magatama jewels surrounded Carbuncle and the sound of small bells could be heard. The healing wasn't very potent, but it didn't have to be with the damage mitigation.  The five second cool down would make this a great spell to make sure his allies health was going up at the same pace as the hindered and slowed incoming damage. "This is working out better than I expected."

[Bailin]

[nospaces]

HP: 100% MP: 100% RH: Saurum Progressive Riffle (lvl 20) LH: Sarum Progressive Riffle (lvl 20) QS: Golden Hilt (lvl 21) AR: Flak Jacket (lvl 21)

WC: 317(*1.25= 396) TWC: 1863 Tags Fletcher Crim Theme Song TS Credits Cortana

“It has many benefits." The warden stated, “Busy, on occasion, but we are always welcoming new members.” Bailin continued, leaving an invitation to a topic of conversation open, as Crim and Fletcher continued their chat about dentistry. Eventually the chat came back to guilds, the conclusion being that joining a guild or not was a personal choice. [break][break] After a short while Crim cracked a joke about Bailin not being the ideal height to lean upon, and that he got what Bailin was trying to say. The next topic was the staff and whether or not the shaman could actually deal some damage with it. Crim luckily got to the proper conclusion himself, guessing that if one whacks away at things long enough, it would, eventually, bring things down. [break][break] Fletcher in the meanwhile had found them a nice target for practice. As the fox dashed forward and started gnawing, biting, scratching and being a general… well, fox on the hunt for rabbit, Fletcher shot a glance to Crim, as if he was beckoning the shaman to tag along. A few seconds after that Crim promised that he would do his best to make certain the fox would be fine. As the battle commenced and Fletcher, Crim and Carbuncle were committed, Bailin swung his riffle from his shoulder and chambered a cartridge, looking around them and seeing the flow of battle. As the three were battling it appeared things were going rather well and the warden’s assessment of Crim just needing someone to support, rather than doing the fighting himself, was quite accurate. Slightly pleased the warden kept following the battle; the fox biting and clawing, getting bitten and clawed at, the shaman doing his best to keep the fox safe and the dwarf remaining on direct back up. It appeared that they all knew the rudimentary part of fighting in a group. It almost made the warden smile. [break][break] k]

[Fletcher]

Carbuncle was doing well, and Fletcher had expected nothing less. These rabbits were no more than level five, so being twice the level of them and an extra for safety, Fletcher realistically didn’t need to do anything to secure a victory. Hell, it was entirely likely that Carbuncle’s innate HP regeneration was going to keep it mostly healthy while they found the next monster. The thought crossed Fletcher’s mind about losing memories and his attention drifted elsewhere, wondering which memory he had lost in the one time Carbuncle wasn’t able to back him up. It was a scary thought not knowing, although not knowing what he would’ve lost after he had lost it was even scarier. What if he forgot literally everything but his time here? The trauma that was undoubtedly going to ensue when the realisation hit that he remembered nothing before meeting Carbuncle.

Then the next logical step would be to doubt Carbuncle, he’d condemn the fox for being a memory eater and banish it for good. While having other followers was on the table, it wasn’t going to be the same, the loneliness would sink in and being unable to die, would become catatonic from the lack of options. He was visibly dazed and out of it to the outside world, to the point where Carbuncle had also stopped fighting just in time for the hare to be lifted from the ground by the effects of Crim’s Purgatory Barrier. Fletcher snapped to it and Carbuncle did as it was trained and used Phantasmal Heal on Fletcher to bring his MP back up to full given no other spells had been cast from the dwarf’s MP reserves. If Fletcher was wearing anything to reduce the cooldown of Phantasmal Heal, then it would’ve been possible to cast it on Crim first without Fletcher’s MP becoming too taxed. Granted, when Carbuncle’s tie to the material world was measured one to one by Fletcher’s MP, it was hard to put anything above making sure that number was above zero.

Seeing the battle, Fletcher cleared his throat, sweat covering his brow and frowning as his whip cracked, drawing aggro from another rabbit. In party situations, someone accidentally pulling an additional monster was going to have to be something the Shaman was ready for, and while there wasn’t any immediate danger in Fletcher doing this, it was going to be interesting to see how the newbie responded to an additional threat with a rapidly dwindling reserve of mana.

Word Count: 415
Total Word Count: 1959

[Crim]

[nospaces]

Crim, Shaman Lvl: 1

HP: 100% MP: 45% RH: Staff LH: QS: AR: Chain Armor

WC: 1105 TWC: 4759 Tags Bailin,Fletcher, @people, @people Theme Song For Your Entertainm Credits Cortana

[break][break]

Crim watched as the Fox fought with light attacks and even lighter footing. It could not be denied; this adorable little fox was quick, agile, and extremely useful in this fight. Crim looked back at Bailin to see if the expressionless man approved, but if he could Crim couldn't tell. Crim was honest about his thoughts and could rarely hold back what he was thinking. It was always stressful for him not to know what was on someone else's mind. He didn't want to be a mind reader, but people could at least give social cues via expression or body language. Bailin must have made for a great second in command for his guild. You need people who can hold themselves together and keep their cards high. Anyone could guess what Crim was thinking at just about any given moment. "Damage Intercept!" Another barrier went up around the fox preventing several hits from doing any real damage. The fox was very easy to keep at full health. It must have had it's own regeneration capabilities. Crim wasn't having too hard of a time keeping up with combat, but this was a lower level fight. Who knows how difficult things can get when you're dealing with more trouble. "So, I guess a guild has become more like a family here. I know it used to be just a gathering of like minded people, but now it has to mean more. You have no family here unless they played the game, and while that is possible; it's unlikely." Crim kept his attention on the fight and did his best not to keep looking back to Bailin. Bailin seemed to have his eye on the field round them. Crim didn't suspect they would have many surprises out in the outer forest, but Bailin would know better. Fletcher seemed distracted by something, but his fox didn't seem to lose attention just yet. Hopefully, it would be a short distraction.

[break][break]
Crim knew that this world was still new for everyone. While he had waited so long to get started others had been dealing with the realities that came with living here much longer than he had. Denial offers you no solutions, but it does offer you a bit of peaceful ignorance. You can't feel bad about a situation when you just simply don't come to terms with the reality around you. Crim went day to day not thinking about it. When it came up in conversation Crim would change the topic saying, "Oh, don't worry about it. There are plenty of amazing people here that have the needed creativity to get out of here." Crim just convinced himself that they where days from getting back to the real world. Getting back to families, friends, and a life they left so suddenly. It wasn't until now that he knew he just had to suck it up and deal, but that wasn't going very easy for him. Granted it didn't seem to go very easy for anyone really. Crim knew of only a few people that where happy to be here. This was strait out of a fantasy novel. It was every nerd's dream really, but Crim had a good life out here and he had just put his life together. Things where just getting to where he wanted them to be. Life couldn't have been better before this happened. Why now? Why this game? Crim couldn't answer those questions, but now wasn't the time to get distracted by them.

[break][break]
Crim was surprised how natural it felt to be doing what he was doing. The spells flowed in a timely manner and he was able to keep a decent watch on when it was appropriate to use a skill at it's most usefulness. Crim could see Fletcher out of the corner of his eye. The dwarf looked like he was sinking deeper and deeper in to thought. "I hope I didn't do anything to disturb you. I know that I can be a bit rash and sometimes a little too honest with my words. Are you okay?" Crim didn't need to ask because the dwarf seemed to snap back into focus. The fox cast his own spell and then went back to work on the bunny. The creature didn't have much left when Crim had a moment of panic. Fletcher had aggro'd another creature. Crim's barriers where great, but split supporting would be difficult for a Shaman to do. It's not like he had big heals to keep multiple people up and running. If one of the people taking damage started losing health quickly Crim didn't have a big heal to get them back up. Crim wasn't much of a healer. It would seem that a Shaman wasn't made for healing damage, but instead they slowed damage down. "Hey wait! We aren't done with the first one and I don't know if I can keep both of your Health Points from going down" Crim yelled and then looked at the next enemy as it closed in. Crim looked the Bailin, but he remembered what the man said. I can't lean on him. I just need to spread out my skills a bit thinner. The fox seems to have it's own healing ability over time, but surely the dwarf doesn't have that ability for himself. "Damage Intercept!" A barrier went around the Dwarf a few seconds before the new monster got to him. Sense I have to wait a bit longer between my skills, I guess now would be the time to add a bit of damage. I won't do much damage, but if I can help the fox kill that one even two seconds sooner; that will be one less enemy to worry about. Crim charged the original monster. He swung his staff and smacked the rabbit. The staff did only a few percent of damage, but the fox was able to cut down the rest. "Ha!" Crim shouted and looked at the next enemy who had just broken through the barrier on Fletcher. "Let's see if we can get this one down a bit quicker." Crim drew a sigil in the air and the sigil lines glowed. Crim seemed to pull the sigil onto the palm of his hand. Crim walked over and placed his hand on the fox's head. The sigil shined on the fox as it was complete "Let's see how much a five percent boost to the fox's agility helps." Crim had yet to use his sigil maker subclass for more than just helping crafters around town. This would be a great use for his subclass.

[Bailin]

[nospaces]

HP: 100% MP: 100% RH: Saurum Progressive Riffle (lvl 20) LH: Sarum Progressive Riffle (lvl 20) QS: Golden Hilt (lvl 21) AR: Flak Jacket (lvl 21)

WC: 336 (*1.25= 420) TWC: 2283 Tags Fletcher Crim Theme Song TS Credits Cortana

Brooding in silence the warden stood, observing the fox, the dwarf and the druid dealing with some rabbits in their own way. Somewhere there would probably be either a movie or musical reference in the scene, yet for now it all seemed to flow rather well, it was how the lower levels usually fought their first battles, distracted, scared or exited, occasionally looking over their shoulder, hoping to catch a glimpse of their teacher, mother, father, brother or sister or whomever they had to watch over them and teach them how they should act. Scolding, yet silently pleased, condescending, yet deep down a feeling of certain pride. Certain things had become so obvious, things he had never thought of. Yet those thoughts were now to be dismissed, this was neither the time nor the place for such things. The task at hand was to protect the two rookies from any serious harm in their fight with the rabbits. [break][break] So far things had gone as expected, Carbuncle was nicely chipping away at the rabbit’s health, Fletcher was keeping guard, probably as to allow Crim to learn his spells and timing. Suddenly Fletcher appeared to have become very popular with the rabbits, rather than the ladies, as a third one jumped out and went straight at him. In mere seconds the battle had shifted a slight bit, and this was the moment for the warden to start paying attention. He could probably save the day with two or three shots, yet that was not the purpose of the training. Crim appeared to be taken aback a little bit, obviously hesitating on what to do. Eventually he chose to help Carbuncle dispatch the rabbits and then shift his attention to Fletcher. During the small reprieve after killing the two rabbits Carbuncle was fighting, and after a dashing charge which made the warden cringe a bit, but it worked out fine in the end, the shaman put something on carbuncle and the two of them dashed onwards to help Fletcher. [break][break]

[Fletcher]

”Oh! Oh. Yes, I’m fine.” Fletcher spoke in a soft tone, still visibily recovering his dazed state. Thinking about all of the dangers that this place held, how in danger his very memories were. The other rabbit came in closer and Fletcher snapped out with his whip, deterring it from striking him further. What the Shaman didn’t know was that Fletcher was built for survival. He wasn’t one of the healing classes, but his summoning arts could definitely give proper healers a run for their money. There was no way of telling that looking at Fletcher though, as most summoners fulfilled a more supplemental damage role in standard party makeups.

As Fletcher made to attack again, the rabbit sidestepped his lash and a barrier rose up to intercept the incoming retaliation. Meanwhile, Carbuncle was thrown off the rabbit by its strong back feet and readied itself to jump back into the fray. It lowered its front, ready to pounce before the Shaman came in and gave it a beating with a large stick. Fletcher didn’t use a large stick, so that was a little odd, but the rabbit didn’t seem to like it. Snarling, the fox leapt and clawed the rabbit while it was recovering from being bonked on the head, finishing it off. Back to Fletcher, his whip was just not suitable for close quarters combat, and the rabbit kept pummelling him with attacks. The barrier thrown around him broke, leaving him wide open to another slew of attacks. He had to start busting out the magic if he was going to ensure his survival; play time was over. As he brought his hand back to ready his spell, a streak of blue fur rammed into the rabbit with its head, displacing it from its position and pushing it back. Carbuncle took up position between Fletcher and the rabbit, its ears and tail twitching at an accelerated pace. Fletcher knew this sigil that was emblazoned onto Carbuncle all too well, and readied his spell once more, striking out with a bolt of light elemental energy. ”Elemental Bolt!”

The rabbit was in poor shape, and Carbuncle made no effort to finish the thing off, feeling the side effect of the Elemental Bolt. Fletcher looked at Crim and gestured to the rabbit, indicating that the final blow was his to take if he wanted it. If he didn’t, Fletcher would take it with his whip now that the striking distance was secured with Carbuncle warding oncoming attacks.

Word Count: 416
Total Word Count: 2375