Fantasy Thriller Drama The Meaning of Hero

Araarsa

It is said in Kenya that rushing is not important, making sure is. And that is something he lives by. It is how he just made the string of advertisement deals for Nairobi Designs. There were other companies who had desired the numerous time slots he had acquired for his company, competition to be had. But you know what they say.



All monkeys cannot hang on the same branch.



Now work is done and he can relax with the prize in his clutches. A reward from Heaven for his hard work and faith. Moving to his car, it could not be helped that he was a little bit giddy. Inside this box was the thing dreams were made of. He could hear himself as a little boy dancing up and down as just the idea of the Hermes and virtual reality. Such youth may no longer be with him, but that enthusiasm he would never let die. Getting inside his car, the leather seats welcoming him with their luxury, he knew he would reward his inner child that mother kept talking about. Before bed, there would be play.



He did not live far from his work. This was a boon. In twenty minutes he was home and fast walking eagerly through the door. If you asked him what he had for his late dinner, he would not be able to answer you even forty minutes later. He scarfed it down like a lion that hadn’t so much as smelled a meal in a week! It was not hunger that drove him though, it was that box staring at him. It was funny how the longer he went, the louder that inner child got.



“I hear you Araarsa, I hear you!”



He cleaned up his meal in record time too. Probably not the best job. Make up for it later. He pulled the box open and got it all set up just as quickly. The suit was so fancy! Felt softer than he had expected. The gloves were ok, they fit nicely. The helmet was cool. Made him feel like he belonged on a motorcycle, nodding at all the ladies he drove by on the night time streets. Maybe he could do that in a future game? Not this one, too fantasy. Not a usual genre for him either, more Pulp Fiction and The Matrix for him. Not so much Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter. But could be fun. Getting everything on was what made his young Araarsa loudest. He was so demanding as a kid. Have to thank Mother later for dealing with him. It was relaxing at last when the helmet came on and Hermes booted up, with a grin on his face. Young Araarsa finally quieted as the world that would make him forget about this one for awhile, finally came into view.



Tag: @Darth_Elu

 

IC: Ryo - and then - Bear
Sakuma Home, USA

I took another puff of my cigarette, rolled it around my mouth with my tongue, and tasted the nicotine as it went. I tugged it from my lips to exhale, before replacing it in the ash-tray. I mean, I could afford much more pricey fare; cigars, or maybe a harder narcotic, but that wasn't my scene. That, and I like being reminded of my poorer days, trying to break even and fighting for my first big break. Of course, that bestseller had came, eventually, but not soon enough for the marriage.

I couldn't help but wince, even as I thought the thought.

Alright, alright, that's enough, Ryo.

I had been staring at The Odyssey of Fantasia box for about half an hour now.

Teddy had last text to say he hadn't won the contest, and he had sworn enough that I believed him. As much as he was a brat - and even I admit that, privately - he wasn't much of a liar, not when it mattered to him. So here I am.

I mean, I could sell it; make a mint on the Gray Market.

I took another drag, flicked the butt into the trash can; missed, but all I checked was that it didn't burn the carpet.

After a pregnant pause, I looked back at the game.

I mean, it was pretty expensive...

I found myself thinking about that old SAO anime, and the considerably better games which had predated it. I still have all the old MMO versions of the World, ditto the short novels and manga's built around the lore. But they were in a box somewhere, and I daren't track it down for fear that mildew or rot had clawed its way into my precious memories...

Memories.

That was the only reason I carried on this admittedly desperate pursuit of Teddy; for the memories of what we once had, as Pa and son. I hadn't played a game for myself for, well, years. More than a few years, to be honest. It wasn't healthy, as my shrink had told me, and my many ex's since the divorce, and my parents, before they had passed, and even my agent -

Maybe it was time. Time to buy into the hype, and believe in the fantasy - in the wish fulfilment.

Ugh. When did you become so old, Ryo!

I unpackaged it, not all that delicately, and donned all the fancy modern attire and tech.

Surely I need a catch-phrase when I log-in. I briefly entertained the notion of taking a pose and shouting out some kind of saying. No, let's not pretend you're a teenage protagonist.

With a flick of the switch, I dove in. Nothing happened, insofar as much as I had expected some kind of emotional stimulus... had I burned myself out, with the divorce? Or the writing? Or was I never a real, fully formed person?

Maybe I'll feel some thrill of excitement later.

Tag: @Darth_Elu

 

​

JOE
The Ultimate Gamer Cave​

Yeah!

It was time. After years of searching, Joe had found it. The ultimate gaming machine.

The world wasn't ready. His character, Yorr Muarhmah, was the perfect creation. A lean, mean, killin' machine. The noobs that would inevitably have the ultimate gaming system would be destroyed. No one would be able to reach his level. He was Joe.

He ripped open a bag of nacho cheese Doritos. The patented gamer snack, and cracked a can of Mountain Dew open. Original flavor, as God intended. He had put on the suit and donned the ultimate VR experience machine. He giggled out of excitement, and shook his hips to the music he was blasting in his gamer cave.

He hummed the melody, before bursting out in song with the yeahs that Usher sang gloriously.

They ain't ready for the Joe! Best gamer in the world.

He looked up at the banner with his iconic gamertag, GetGood42069, and winked. His palms were already sweating! He had been told to work out, but this was his workout. He grabbed a handful of Doritos and stuffed them in his mouth, before licking the coveted cheesey powder of his fingers. Then he took a sip from the nectar of the Gamer Gods, and cracked his knuckles.

It's time.

He booted up the system, and prepared for the ultimate gamer experience.

GetGood42069 had entered Korr Avana.

TAG: @Darth_Elu

 

IC: Kenny Oliver
~Oliver Apartment, New Zealand~

“We on? Right, ok. Can you guys hear me out there? Thumbs up in comments section please!”



“Right, ok, that works! It’s ya’ girl, K to the O to the Liver! We’re about to go live with this new game. Click subscribe in the link below to view more content made by yours truly and don’t forget to click the Like button so I can keep paying me damn bills, right? Right, ok! Let’s get started now!”

“Don’t mind me eating this chocolate bar on the stream. Didn’t have time to grab an actual meal after class and this’ll do. See what I do for you monsters out there.”

mmhmm

mmhmm

“Let’s go, KO. Lets get into it!”

“Now this is sick!”

Tag: @Darth_Elu

 

OOC: Cutting this update into three parts only because of the 5 Media Per Post requirement, honest!

Odyssey of Fantasy
~Getting Started~

As the helmets of all 25,000 people across the globe kicked on and began their very first journey into the Hermes System, the excitement would only continue to build. With all of their senses tied to the login screen, blue and black in every direction but their attentions brought to the fore with the actual login sequence; there was no way they wouldn’t feel their adrenaline rising.



That same color background permeating the area, they then heard a pleasant voice giving them their initial setup instructions.

{Greetings User, to the Hermes System. As this is your initial login, please go over just a few things.}

It asked for them to speak their name aloud for authentication purposes, as well as speaking a few other personal details such as their birthdate, billing address for future purchases, etc. Financial information was deemed not needed as of this time. For those unable to speak, it offered a choice of a floating keyboard and other selection buttons to input information effortlessly.

It then proceeded to have each player touch specific areas of their body or look in requested directions when indicated to make sure the suit and helmet were functioning properly. There would be no problems.

It then prompted them with another question.

{The game, Odyssey of Fantasy, is loaded and ready for you. Start game?}

….

{Very good. Starting Odyssey of Fantasy now. Enjoy!}

From there, any remaining sensation of their physical body seemed to melt away casually as the first screen came to them, beginning their time in OoF.

Odyssey of Fantasy
~Start Your Story~​

As soon as they stated their desire to start one more time, the words faded away and the view seemed to pan upwards into the sky, lifting them up into the clouds where things softly faded to a fluffy white.

Character Creation

Is what it said before them. It then began prompting them, through a gentle voice, what specifics they wanted. Telling them to ask any questions they had regarding classes, races, or the four starting nations. The information given back was basic, but enough to answer anything they had.

As they changed their appearance via those same verbal commands or floating keyboard and buttons, they would see their very bodies change as desired though there would be no sensation to it. There was a full length magical mirror floating nearby so they could see themselves and even tell it to change angles as if a camera, if needed.

In time they would finally finish their avatar to their liking and the game would check in a final time.

[Are you content with these settings?]

….

[Very good. And now, your story begins…]

The mirror would disappear and their surroundings would fade gently away until there was nothing, but this would only last a few seconds before —

*****
Empire of Drahkabor
~The Ukk’nash Plains~





The wind would howl as the snow would kick up all around in a wondrous flurry. And there standing amidst it would be Yorr Muarhmah. His chiseled Orkra physique obvious to anyone else. This place, the Ukk’nash Plains, were the frozen ancestral homeland of his chosen people in the game’s lore; so starting here was not a surprise if Joe had paid attention.

What might be a surprise was the actual feeling of cold. It wasn’t too much, not enough to be uncomfortable…but it was without a doubt there. The wind. The snow. His new Orkra body. He could actually feel them!

Opening and closing his hand, looking around, whatever he did his body responded as instantaneously as if it were not virtual but real life. Every movement was also felt as it would normally be. He was not Joe of Earth anymore. He had truly transformed into the warrior known as Yorr.

Others were also exclaiming nearby, players who had also chosen the Orkra as their starting race.

“Eh!? What’s with this excitement, you Youngbloods are showing?” growled a deep voice, footsteps crunching the snow as they moved toward them.

Looking over they would see another of their kind (a strange thought) with light armor on and a mace dangling from his belt. Clearly an NPC then…but had the logic of no player being able to possess such armor and weaponry yet been there, there would have been absolutely no way to tell the NPC apart from a player.



The Orkra eyed them all curiously.

“Hmph. Alright, you want to be excited about somethin’? I’ll give you somethin’ to be excited about.”

The powerful man a few paces ahead of them and pointed into the frozen tundra, with the snow reducing visibility within a half mile.

“Boar. It’s that time of the year they come through here and you lot are going to go hunting for them. If each of you could gather five, that’ll help our reserves.”

Laughter was the reply from a couple of the other players, one grinning at the NPC who had his eyebrow raised. Instead of some scripted character, he actually had an expression reacting seamlessly with the sound.

“Yeah? With what starter equipment? Can I have a weapon to start off with? Lets see, where should I…”

“HAHAHAHAHA!”

It was now the NPC’s turn to burst out laughing and shaking his head in both bewilderment and bemusement.

“Starter equipment?”

The player who had talked, blinked, very surprised by the actual natural-sounding reply.

“That’s the point, Youngblood! You’re Youngblood! Gotta earn some money to get that fancy weapon you been wantin’! To do that….”

He pointed into the snowy plains a second time. “Boar.”

A sigh from a female player…er, avatar anyway?, next to Yorr. “Looks like this is our intro quest.”

“Not sure what you mean,” the NPC stated immediately as he was within earshot, “But sounds about right. Now get to it!”

He would then march back toward a little camp not far away, tucked in close to the mountains behind them that they were at the foot of, while some of the players began jogging into the tundra, holding up their hands to shield their faces from the snow.

“This feels so damn real!”

The hunt for the boar was on. It was as good a place to start as any.

Tag: @Yorr Muarhmah

*****
~Norkahn River~





The very obvious first thing they would notice was the river. It was not raging, but it was moving with a strong current nevertheless. They would blink in realization. The river…

“My god!!” exclaimed someone nearby, clearly another player.

It…was real! Or it felt like it. As real as it could possibly get. The sound of the river. The sight of it. Even a light spray from the water droplets as it hit them, if any were standing close enough. The wind, light as it was, could also be felt. It was chilly, but not terribly so. Just comfortable enough.

Their movements, the direction their head turned as they moved their neck. Everything was as instant as any real body would be. Opening and closing of their new hand, a running of it through their hair. They had truly become their avatars.

Tyson was standing a little further away from the river, closer to the nearby tree-line of the surrounding forest, a small smile gracing his face. He would not be surprised by anything, but it would also feel so different this time.

Kang would be one of those standing right by the side of the river, able to peer immediately into its depths. He’d even spot a few fish, as realistic as any on Earth, dart by. His reflection in the water was as clear as could be expected, allowing him to really take in again his new avatar.

Bear was standing about in the middle of the group of new human players aligned with the Empire of Drahkabor. His gaze peering over the area of Korr Avana for the first time. There would be no denying its breathtaking beauty and the sheer realism was almost too much.

“Duuuude,” came one girl next to him with long brown hair and sparkling green eyes, “Can you believe this? Normal VR already has nothing on this!”

Suddenly a whistle pierced the air, causing all of their heads to snap in its direction, forcing them to locate the source. An armored man with a sheathed sword and a crossbow in his hands came emerging from the trees.



“So you lot are the volunteers I was told about?”

One player, a man, bounded up to them in their enthusiasm and nodded, playing along. “Uh huh!”

Even he was immediately dumbfounded as this obvious NPC casually nodded and patted their shoulder as he walked by. The reply as casual and natural as it could get.

“Good. Glad you all gathered in one area, makes things easier.”

Stopping at a central point in the middle of everyone, he waved to make sure he had all’s attention.

“Alright. Now we need to do a little hunting and some gathering. We’re not far from the border with Othya, of course. We need to make sure the game is a little less for them on their end while securing our reserves for the coming cold seasons. And we’re running low on healing herbs. If each of you could get a deer, be crafty as you don’t have any weapons it seems, and four Haranna Flowers; it’d go a long way.”

He held up the proper amount of fingers to exact his point as he spoke, then produced a Haranna flower in his hand.

“Come get a look if you don’t know what the Haranna actually looks like. Can’t have you foraging blind.”



“Our camp is just within the forest, there,” he pointed in the general direction of where he had come from. “So deliver the goods there. I’ll stand here by the Norkahn River to keep an eye out and incase you have any questions. Move out!”

It would look like their very first quest would be a simple one. Well…maybe not the deer so much. Still, should be interesting!

Tag: @Shao Kang @Bear Korr Avana @Darth_Elu

*****
Republic of Atra Zarryn
~Woods of Sanctuary~





The sunlight of the morning, despite it being late afternoon where a certain Mike O’Reilly was, streamed through to the deep forest floor. The amazement began immediately, like it probably was for everyone else everywhere. The sensations, completely without difference to true reality, were instant. The wind was scarce currently, but when it blow through gently, he would feel it. It felt like…wind. Exactly like wind.

The grass. The trees. The feeling of the bark and leaves, even the perception of height was accurate. Being so used to being a tall human in the real world, the difference of being a short Keldbi was startling. Instinctively he would know that just by having chosen a Keldbi, the immense forests of Atra Zarryn…just suddenly felt even larger than they would have.

The weather itself was pleasant, with the sunlight itself feeling mildly warm.

The large boulders nearby felt exactly like rock, especially the halfway split one he appeared into Korr Avana standing right next to. His body would respond just like it would in life, except his hands were now undeniably not human…..

Another sudden realization. A girl player not far off somewhere, or maybe it was just an avatar?, was giggling as they came to this epiphany at the same time as Meek.

Their tails. His tail. It swished behind him as he wanted it to, feeling an odd sensation at his tailbone when he did. Curling it around himself, he would be able to place it into his hands and feel if he wanted. So this was what it was like to have a tail. A “real” tail.

“Where the hell are we?” came a male voice.

“Atra Zarryn is pretty much all forest. Didn’t you do any research?”

“Not really.”

The sound of a door banging open close by made most of them jump. It came from what appeared like a giant boulder at first glance, and maybe it was, but had somehow been converted into a building or even home of some sort. There was a wooden door, the one that was now open, windows, and even a chimney with smoke pouring out of it on top.

Another Keldbi came hurriedly out.


(Imagine a tail on him)

He shut the door, mumbling under his breath, then turned around and leaned on his staff with an almost shocked expression on his face. His eyes casting over all of the new players. Instinct would tell them that he was an NPC, but otherwise he would have been indistinguishable from anyone else.

“Wow…so many of you…” he trailed off breathlessly before shaking his head and clearing his throat.

“Right! So, um, I’m glad you all came into our Woods of Sanctuary to help out! As Keldbi, we need to be ready to pitch in to help Atra Zarryn however we can! Least we could do after this land took us in! So…uh…”

The NPC looked around some more and scratched the back of his head, “Now there’s a couple of ways you can do this today. You can each bring in five squirrels for food reserves or locate five bliss crystals, as they grow in this area. Up to you.”

He held up a few in his hand to show what they looked like.



“I’ll stand by here so Magister Qeba, who is inside conducting magical research, has my assistance but also in case you have any questions.

There was a pause as he looked at them all and many of them looked up. He made an uncomfortable face and scratched the back of his head again.

“Uh. That’s all?”

Tag: @Meek_LongEars

 

Republic of Atra Zarryn
~Osir Mountains~





It all came to life in the most symbolic way possible. With the abundant sounds of life. The birdsong from the morning birds of the region were the first thing to greet Eshe and the other new Anub-khet players. Intakes of breath were heard from various players as they took in their new reality.

Reality it might as well be called. The wind. The ground beneath their feet. The trees, plants, and rocks all around them. They felt it all as they would normally. Their eyes, ears, and rest of their bodies taking it all in as normally as their real one would.

And that was another thing. Their bodies. Changed to their own specifications were as realistic as they could have imagined. The first thing they’d notice there was the perception of height. If they had ever wanted to know what it would feel like to comfortably stand at over seven feet tall…they did now. Their large ears taking in the sounds perceptively far away and of course…the fur. From the elevation they found themselves in at their start within Korr Avana, as well as the wind rustling their fur, and the sounds of rain not at their location but not far away…they could instinctively tell it was cooler where they were. Not cold, but close enough.

Yet they felt mildly warm. The fur was doing its job already. Not that they couldn’t feel the coolness of their surroundings, but it was having trouble penetrating their skin underneath it all. For them, as actual humans in the real world, this had to be utterly amazing.

Not all anub-khet had tails either, but for those players who did, that was a whole other sensation to feel. A strange sense at their tailbones as they swished their tails on mental command as if it was, and always had been, natural.

“Anyone else feel like they’re in a dream right now,” muttered one anub-khet player close by.

There were a few murmurs of agreement.

“The dream is about to get a lot less fun, volunteers,” came a voice that easily carried over all of theirs. Getting their attention, they would notice another anub-khet strolling down the mountain path from a higher location.



Given the situation, it was easy to tell they were an NPC, but otherwise they would have been indistinguishable from themselves! And the fact they so casually replied to an off hand comment not originally meant to them showed this was leagues beyond any AI script used in gaming past.

“HI!!” Chirped up one excited new player.

The NPC paused to look at them, seemed to laugh a moment, then waved at them. “Hi.”

Folding his arms, the anub-khet male looked them all over and then nodded. “I have some boring work set aside for all of you this morning.”

“Usually is in the beginning,” stated one player.

“Hm…you could say that,” the NPC shrugged, “But these mountain paths are pivotal for our commerce in the capital and there was a lot of damage from the storm that passed through recently. Need some fallen trees moved off the roads. Not glorious, but I guarantee you’ll have a lot of grateful merchants and travelers back home.”

“This should be fun,” whispered one player close to Eshe, “Still…to do it in this body? Wild.”

“Work together in small groups and if each of you can end up moving five trees off the roads, that’ll be very helpful! I’ll be overseeing from that rock ledge over there,” the man pointed to one not far off where he could see from a higher vantage point, “Come see me when you’re done. I’ll make sure you are well compensated for the trouble and can answer any questions you may have.”

With a clap of his hands, he signaled them to begin and moved off for the mentioned rock ledge. It would also become apparent not long after they started and began moving around that all along the mountains, there were distant groups of npcs moving trees and other debris off the roads. An interesting mundane event to begin things.

But the realism made it all worth it.

Tag: @Eshe

*****
~The Troshian Coastline~





The very sight of Korr Avana that greeted them was the Qi’yan Sea. Its waves lapping up and down the coastline they, the very first zeltron players of Odyssey of Fantasy, now appeared on. Everyone’s eyes would widen at the sight and the sound of the ocean. Even the faint smell of it was present. The wind was rather heavy here and it only added to the coastal ambience they were now suddenly in the middle of.

From their homes to this? This was something else!

Alusan, like the others around him, would also note and feel the sand under their feet as they moved about. It felt like…well, sand. There was no differentiating it from the sand of reality. It was a perfect replication. The wind whipped their hair about and as they held up a hand to brush it away as necessary or shield their face…their colorful new skin would jump out at them again as it had during character creation.

Every movement was as seamless as in reality.

“Beach episode to start! This is awesome!” A player exclaimed with mirth. Laughter greeted this.

A round of applause close by caught their attention at this point, along with a trio of laughter from three zeltron women in what appeared to be swimsuits of all things and sitting on a log. They were grinning.



“How nice you all came out at our request for aid!” stated the one in the middle.

“If you think this beach is awesome, then you have good taste! But you’re still gonna have to work a bit if you want some real fun afterward!” stated the woman with the darkest hair.

The one with the blue hair stood and stretched casually before pointing out across the water, having them all follow her finger.

“Out there is what we need! By we, I mean Naburze of course. Our little slice of the world. We’re running low on fish for our food reserves and guess what? You’ll help us get them!”

Some laughs and some groans came to this.

“Now, now. You can practice your swimming and otherwise have a great time on the beach while doing this! Win-win!”

“Plus,” cut in one of the other women again, “You’re not going out into the deeper portions. Just stick to this area where it’s shallower. We need you to get the Coastal Guffers swimming around here, doesn’t matter if you’ve never seen one before. It’s the only fish around here that comes so far into the shallows.”

The last zeltron held up a finger from where she sat, “Plus they’re actually pretty slow for fish. So each of you go ahead and collect six for us and bring them here where we have buckets set aside for them. Aside from the fun, I promise you’ll be compensated for your time!”

“Richly,” teased the blue haired zeltron with a sultry voice. For those who weren’t prepared for zeltrons, they were in for a rough time with the constant teasing these NPCs would bring.

Within moments, some of the players were already splashing into the water and looking for their first quarry of this world. And already exclaiming at the feeling of the water the moment they stepped within.

“It really feels like the ocean! This is unreal!”

Tag: @Alusan Zaruul

*****
Kingdom of Othya
~Scarlet Cove~





The ocean and the warmth of the sun. These were the first two things every new siren player, especially Achelous, would see and feel. The sights, the sounds, even faint smells of the beach were all around them. While not immediately by the ocean, they were tucked away just a little distance from the main beach of the area, within a beautifully colorful cove.

“Oh wow!” Exclaimed a siren player nearby.

It wasn’t hot, but pleasantly warm. The type of warmth that if one wasn’t careful, could easily seduce you into a nice nap on the warm sands they now stood upon. The sand that felt like real sand, no different from anything they could have possibly experienced or imagined back on Earth. Was this really virtual?

Their bodies, their new identities in this world of Korr Avana, reacting to their thoughts as perfectly as their real body would. Better perhaps depending on one’s physical situation ‘back home.’

The trees, rocks, water, everything around them was as realistic as it got. It looked, it sounded, it felt exactly how it should. In fact, many of the new siren players were starting to aimlessly wander around and just touching stuff to experience it. Wide, ecstatic smiles on their faces.

And of course, for those without…they would rediscover voice. That single greatest feature of the siren race and something so taken for granted by the vast majority of the world. This one or the other.

“Hello everyone!” A voice suddenly exclaimed. It took them a moment, but they’d see the siren now popping up halfway from the water, a grin on his face.



“Looks like quite a few of you responded to the call for help. Happy to see it!” The siren held up a triumphant fist for a moment before looking them all over.

“First quest time,” mused another player near Achelous.

The siren in the water seemed to slowly swim one way and then another, making sure everyone heard him as he talked.

“It’s pretty simple really, and with this many of you, should take no time at all! Mur Qaotra is in need of some materials right now. If you can each grab about twenty handfuls of the Othyan Coast Grasses, useful in a number of things, and put them in those nearby bins. That’d be great!”

The man pointed at a number of large bins that were indeed set aside on the sand further within the cove. He wasn’t done however.

“After that, if you could each grab about four of the Bluefin Cove Fish swimming around in here, that would really help our food stores in the city! You’ll be compensated for the trouble naturally and if you need any help or have questions, I’ll be right here.”

The long grass required was fairly abundant and should prove no trouble for Achelous, it was just a matter of time and enjoyment of being in a new world while doing it, but the fish might prove to be an interesting matter. But seeing as how some of the new players were already exclaiming at the seamless transition to their aquatic forms as they got into the water (and thought about switching forms), it seemed like it might not be too bad.

And under the water, when he got around to it, did not disappoint either. It was just as realistic and well designed as above the surface. The Bluefin Cove Fish (the name giving away the trait to look for), among others, darting every which way in this most plentiful cove.





Being under the water was also a startling experience in that, it didn’t take long for Achelous and the others to realize they had absolutely no discomfort at all there. No need to hold their breath and no panic once submerged with the aquatic realm. Their swimming movements more graceful than they ever could have imagined in real life except if perhaps a professional swimming athlete. And even then, it would be a close comparison in skill.

Playing a siren was going to pay off big, without a doubt.

Tag: @Achelous

*****
~The Celes Grove~





The soft babbling sounds of the nearby creek reached them first. Everything else came right after and as with all others wherever they were, it was an amazing experience! The morning sunlight streaming in through exquisitely arching wood and treetops. The moderate wind teasing the grove around them as well as themselves. The soft feeling of the grass and dirt under their feet, the feeling of the trees around them. Not just the sound, but the sight of the flowing creek close by. It was all magnificently perfect. No differences from reality to this at all! Just how was this possible?

Their bodies, so very different from their own, were now their own. It responded as instantly as a real body would. The dark celestial skin with essence of the universe so readily apparent on them like fantastical tattoos. All the other istiel players just starting out as well with their glowing eyes, knowing that they themselves had the same. Yet their senses were unchanged. The gliding of their hands upon their own skin would reveal that incredibly soft texture to their new skin. As soft as cashmere wool.

“This is the best thing ever!” roared a new player nearby.

They seemed left to their own devices for a few moments as they were able to aimlessly wander about the area, but there came a voice soon enough before anyone wandered too far.

“Do not leave so soon, please.” The voice was soft and calm, yet it carried with an impressive strength that got their attention nonetheless.

A figure jumped down from one of the arching trees, getting a few players to back up surprised. Vaarra among them.



“It would seem you have all felt the call to assist Othya as I have. This is very good as I have been asked with gathering others to gather some much needed materials that our mages and craftsmen have been running low on. What that is, is the one thing only we can find. You know of what I speak. Starlight Prisms.”

“No idea what that is,” muttered someone next to Zarithea who were standing next to one of the arching trees further down.

It would appear this obvious NPC, who seemed no different from them aside from circumstances designating him for what he was, heard. They turned to face the one who muttered and seemed to ponder this a moment.

“Odd. I figured it was clear to any istiel. No matter, the starlight prisms are something only we can detect due to our connection to the stars and are very useful in magical and crafting endeavors. They look like this, since some of you do not know.”

The man fished into his already space-like hand into a pocket and then produced a little gem for them all to see.



“They are formed by starlight touching down on Korr Avana on certain nights, much like the previous one. If you could all gather ten each, that should be enough. And do be careful! While this area is relatively safe, it does have its own dangers if you are unwary. Now let us begin our search!”

Their first quest in a much larger world had just begun.

Tag: @Vaarra Cudol @Zarithea Netherward

 

Kingdom of Othya
~The Greenhearth~





As they appeared within Korr Avana at last, the sounds of the massive forest would envelop them. The birds, the wind, the trees, and even some insects (wisely staying away from them currently, but heard). It was like they hadn’t transported from one world to another , but had just teleported from their homes into this forest. But they knew better otherwise it could have fooled anyone. It was as realistic as you could get! Everything perfectly life-like in every way.

Their bodies responded to them instantly just as a body should. The feel of their hair, skin, even the clothing upon them. It was all replicated in such a way as to be unable to tell the difference from Earth to Korr Avana. The only thing for some, like Roderick, was that he knew well that he was no actual man.

The mind behind the avatar, Sam, would marvel at the seamless gender change by entering this game. She was now He. And it felt so natural! Talk about helping the acting department out a lot!

There were a number of quiet exclamations about the new reality they found themselves in, some not so quiet, but the comment that stood out the most from another new player was:

“So, where do we go now?”

There was a pause as people looked about, but then a woman’s voice carried over to them all from a tree not far off.

“I can assist you with that direction.”



The woman adjusted her red coat a bit then refocused her attention on them all as she moved to where they all could see her. She waved her hands a few times to make sure this was successfully achieved.

“Ok, I think I have everyone’s attention now. Good. Well, thank you for all coming out to assist with the game situation. We need to replenish our food stores and were in desperate need of help with this task.”

“Ah, here we go…” murmured a player.

“In addition, we need to show our neighbors in Atra Zarryn that we are still very much active in this area. They have a number of scouts trying to sneak around to see if they can spot any opportunities to reclaim the region. As I’m sure you know, they’ve never really forgiven us for taking a part of the Greenhearth from them.”

She gave an apologetic looking expression, looking so realistic for an NPC, “We had sent some hunting equipment sent to assist you volunteers. But it would seem they are running behind…The recent rains probably making some of the paths hard for the wagons, I imagine. I’m afraid we’ll have to get started without. We are hunting for the Emerald Pheasants that are native to this region at least, and for such birds they are flightless and rather slow-witted so it should not be as difficult as it sounds. If you could each hunt five of them and bring them to me, it would be appreciated.”

The woman held up a finger, a stern look crossing over her face, “But be careful. As I said, there could be Zarryn scouts in the area. If you see any, do not engage but report them directly to me. Thank you!”

And that was that. It would appear their first quest in Korr Avana was relatively simple, a good test to get used to moving around in a new body.

Tag: @Roderick Clifton

*****
Sovereign Union of Yerkoskei
~Northern Narahul Jungle~





One of the first things to leap out at the new Xskiva players as they appeared at last within Korr Avana, was the fact that it was humid. Not uncomfortably so, the game keeping it from reaching that point, but it wasn’t far off. The sounds and sights of a true jungle coming into being all around them. Before they could focus further on the amazing environment around them though, there was something even more attention grabbing.

Themselves!

They had a little preview during the character creation period of course, but it felt far more real now that they were really in. It responded as instantly and naturally as a real body would and they could feel the hard exoskeletons of their bodies that their chosen race was known for. Insectoid after all.

Opening and closing their…four…hands, they could marvel at the realistic beauty of it. So this was what it was like to have four arms and hands. The majority of the Xskiva players spending their first few moments playing with the sensation and getting used to it. Pax was likely no exemption to this.

Gradually their attentions would shift to the environment and how they could see, hear, and feel everything around them without fail. There was no distinguishing one reality from the other. Not one bit.

“This is going to take some getting used to,” stated one player nearby though with the sound of excitement in their voice being evident.

“Excuse me,” came one voice that came from above them. As they looked up they noticed another Xskiva flying down to them through the canopy, coming to a soft landing upon the jungle floor. Without a doubt an NPC, yet they seemed no different than they!



“I’m glad you all made it! With this many volunteers, we might actually get this task finished relatively quickly. Great!”

Swinging a satchel off their person, unlatching it, and then setting it on the ground before them; the Xskiva nodded to them all.

“Go ahead and take a wand from this satchel. Sorry, they only have limited use so no point in stealing. Now you see all these Giant Ardelias around?”

The instectoid man used all four of his hands to calmly point out the large blue and purple flowers dotting the region around them, the ones with the upside down bell shape with the glowing style (as it is called in botany) protruding upward from the inside area.

“Little do our adversaries know, but these flowers are our early warnings incase they try anything funny. With these specially charged wands, you will be reapplying their warning enchantments so that our towns are notified of any one suspicious moving around. They’ve been weakening lately and it is time to reapply. Just tap them gently to the flower, that’ll do it. Given the amount within the jungle, the more people we have doing this, the better. Now take a wand and lets get started!”

It would seem the introduction for new Xskiva was playing with flowers. In a way, but already they were being introduced to the particular stylings of Yerkoskei with their subtle tactics.

Tag: @Pax Vikkin

*****
~Caves of Illythea~





As all new illithid players appeared into Korr Avana, they found themselves not on the surface, but underground. How fitting of the race so keenly associated with the underdark in most settings. Their gifted dark vision would serve them well immediately, but it mattered little.

For while they were under the ground, it was bright. Luminescent crystals pulsed softly without sound all around them and the sounds of a stream within the cavern presented itself. It didn’t take long to find it from where they all were standing. Indeed, Minzim would find himself (another new thing Kenny would be experiencing!) right next to the stream.

“Hell yeah!” exclaimed one player elsewhere, their voice echoing off the cavern walls.

It was hard not to see why they were so excited. Everything was just as realistic as it was in…well, reality. There was literally no difference it felt like! They felt the stone walls and floor just as certainly as they knew they had just been in their homes a minute ago. They could feel the crystals, which also felt just like they should.

The sight and sound of the water dripping from above as well as the stream carrying along beside them was indistinguishable from the real thing. Touching it….felt like water! Minzim and anyone else testing it out, wound find themselves as wet as one should expect from doing so as well.

And of course, there was the fact of their new bodies. These brave pioneers, these adventurous souls who went straight for the ill-reputed and darkly twisted, Illithid. The sensation of their tentacles upon their face was strange, but one they would likely find themselves getting used to over time. With just a thought, they would quiver and twitch as one would expect a body would respond like. Yep. That would take time. But undeniably cool.

“Wish I had some of these crystals in my room,” stated one player to some laughs.

“Indeed,” came a rasping voice that immediately caught everyone’s attention and struck them quiet, “These Core Crystals are quite something aren’t they.”



This guy had just come through from a deeper passageway that opened up into their starter cavern. Obviously an NPC, but had he not spoken and had nicer clothes than the rest of them at the moment, he would be completely indistinguishable from the rest of them. An amazing feat for a game!

“It is said from our people’s legends that in times of great tribulation,” the ‘mind flayer’ continued in his eerie voice, “these crystals would darken one by one depending on the level of crisis. Forcing us to use our own eyes and prove ourselves worthy of fighting through to another future.”

The Illithid leaned against the cavern wall, his eyes seemingly meeting Minzim’s own before moving to look at others.

“I rather like that tale myself and in appreciation, we shall be dealing with these core crystals today. I am heartened to see others heed the call for crystal cultivation, those who appreciate them as I do. Their uses are innumerable and today our capital of Ahriziss has found its supply of Green Core Crystals rather low. These are very useful in magical remedies and an enhancement to healing salves particularly so we should act now. I need you all to gather ten of these core crystals, of at least seven inches in length please. Green, remember, and these are usually rather spread out from each other only growing in smaller clumps. Get them and bring them to me and you will find yourselves rewarded for the labor.”

And thus, in the Caves of Illythea, Minzim and the other Illithid would begin their adventure…

Tag: @Minzim Malaza

*****
~Unknown Location~





As bubbles floated through the air, the merriment merely continued for a while longer. Soon food, oh so delicious blueberry pie, exchanged hands and satisfaction sank deep into their bellies.

Twylla would not immediately notice as she ate, but one of the happy voices would quiet. A figure would stand.

This ‘Valley of Happiness’ continued to enjoy…but a shadow had begun to loom in the distance.

Tag: @Twylla Mirtheart

*****
Odyssey of Fantasy
~For All Players~

Within just a few moments of starting their quest, they would notice a slight sensation in their necks. Almost like an itch, but instinctively thanks to the game, they would somehow know to check their game tabs. Scrolling through quickly once they activated the menus, they would find what they were looking for in the Skills Menu.

There was a little disclaimer stating: Congratulations on Level 1! (Level 0 for Twylla)

It faded as soon as they noticed it and then noticed the number to the right of the area that stated their character name, race, class, and the currently N/A for specialization. 9.

9 SP were already now theirs to place where they were among their Skill Charts before continuing on their very first quest.

Tag: Everyone

@Shao Kang @Pax Vikkin @Meek_LongEars @Vaarra Cudol @Eshe @Achelous @Twylla Mirtheart @Zarithea Netherward @Alusan Zaruul @Bear Korr Avana @Yorr Muarhmah @Minzim Malaza @Roderick Clifton

 

Mike O'Reilly now Meek Longears

"Wow....."

These were the only words Meek managed to sputter out as he gazed in awe of the life-like detail of the woods of sanctuary.

The wind grazing against his body, the sound of the leaves rustling against one another, the refreshing smell of various plant life and flora that one could only find in a greenhouse of sorts in the real world.

Everything was so....realistic. If it weren't for the other players muttering and shouting amongst themselves, Meek would've forgotten that he was playing a game.

Meek was also surprised at the number of players around him; he thought that the Keldbi would be the most unpopular race to play by a long shot, maybe it was, but the number was still shocking.

That's when a weirdly attractive male Keldbi NPC showed up. Well, Meek assumed it was, but its mannerisms and responses were so....human? The irony of his description was not lost on him.

But after listening to the guide, he came to realize one thing.......

This quest sucked!!!!

Like really? The first quest in the entire game is a fetch quest and not just any fetch quest but the worst kind.

Meek decided that he wanted to create some excitement and maybe test out the limits of the game and his character. So Meek checked his stats and grinned as he strolled up to the NPC and stood side by side with it and asked a question.

"So what does a Keldbi have to do to kill a Zabrak around here?"

Of course, this was a diversion. Meek had no intention of having his question answered satisfactorily; he just wanted to loot the NPC using his sleight of hand skill, hoping that it would work.

If it did work, maybe he could get lucky and find an exploit so he could skip this entire quest and move on to another one.

@Darth_Elu

 

Jae Dong Kim
~Incheon, South Korea~

He had pressed the play button and for a second, everything went dark, infinitely so. Jay held his breath without even realizing it, his body trembled with expectation, his mind raced nowhere fast, expecting everything and nothing all at once. Then the three dimensional blue construct against the dark space appeared. He heard himself cry out involuntarily: “YESSS!!!!”

Jay pumped an unseen fist and felt a wide smile upon his face, his heart racing from sheer excitement. “This is so happening right now!”

Eyes darted everywhere, taking it all in. Every word and every nuance. Wait. words. Hermes was speaking!!

{Greetings User, to the Hermes System. As this is your initial login, please go over just a few things.}

“Yes, please!!” Jay heard himself saying, his voice coming in clearer than he’d ever heard it before.

Being so excited, Jae Dong spoke both in English and Korean, just to make sure the Hermes system’s voice authenticator recognized his two default languages. Thankfully, keying the different areas in his body from his current position was only slightly challenging, but he was too excited to really care.

“Hermes, can you boost my synaptic interface and threshold to maximum, I’d like the best response possible.”

Even as he said it, Jay found what he was looking for in the [ Player options Menu] and did it himself, since he had not engaged voice activation. Well, until now. [Voice Activation: Enabled/ voice Jae Dong Kim/ recognized]

{The game, Odyssey of Fantasy, is loaded and ready for you. Start game?}

“Are you kidding me? I’ve only been waiting for this moment all my life.”

There was a pause as the system waited for an answer, at which point Jay realized he hadn’t actually answered the question.

“I mean, yes, YES, please start the game, please!”

He was feeling giddy, almost like a six year old at Christmas. Why was this taking so long, or at least it seemed that it was. Such delightful teasing of the senses and expectations. It literally felt as if he would burst! Maybe he could find a shortcut next time.

{Very good. Starting Odyssey of Fantasy now. Enjoy!}

From there, any remaining sensation of their physical body seemed to melt away casually as the first screen came to them, beginning their time in OoF.

Jay’s body shivered in response to the transition as his senses were filled with ambient sound and music, beautiful and immersive music.

“Oh…wow…….oh wow……..OH WOW!!!!” he kept saying as he felt himself really flying and descending through clouds. Amazing!

Here, Jay’s favorite part of joining any MMORPG came to play. Character Creation!! To say the least, Jay was already prepared!!

“Hermes, please access my personal cloud account and search for my files on Shao Kang: King of the Mountain. Please copy his likeness for my in-game avatar with the greatest detail possible.”

Jay currently could not see himself and had assumed he would see a rendered 3D image of the character, but instead, he stood speechless as chills ran up and down his spine. He slowly began to see himself, visually appearing on the magical mirror provided, fully rendered as the titular character for his manga and fan fiction, down to every detail. The musculature, the hair, the beads, the dragon tattoo and its scales, every detail made real, right before his eyes.

“&$$@#! -YEAH!!”

oops!

Jay covered his mouth, suddenly aware that his mom might be able to hear him in the ‘real’ world, but seeing himself again quickly brought him back to his immersive VR experience. This was Deep Diving for real!!

“Woah!! I can hardly believe it….!!”

Jay suddenly realized he was actually standing and was suffering no discomfort whatsoever ( despite being in bed in the real world).

“What? No way!!! No way!!” He began laughing excitedly as he felt the small of his back with the back of his hand, then applied some pressure with his knuckles. There was no discomfort.

“YEAASSS!!”

Jay immediately performed a celebratory 720 ( quadruple spinning kicks ), which was a bit reckless of him if he was wrong but he was not. “YAHOOO!!! No pain, no pain!” He yelled in jubilation, pumping a fist in the air.

“Wait…did I even name my avatar?” Waving his hand, he accessed floating keys to find his account info, even as Hermes still interacted with him. “Did I even pick a class? That’s in my character bio right?”

[Character name: Shao Kang]

[Class: Monk]

[Are you content with these settings?]

“Heck, yeah. Believe it!” Was his answer.

[Very good. And now, your story begins…]

The cheesiest grin ever was now plastered on Jay's face. He was more than ready!

"Oh wait, wait, set a meal alarm 3 hours from now. Hermes, did you hear me?"

****
IC: Shao Kang

Empire of Drahkabor
~Norkahn River~

Shao Kang blinked and found that he was in a magnificent new world.

A river ran nearby, drawing his attention. He could see the water, hear the currents, feel the ground under his feet, feel the change of temperature and the ambient light adjust to the correct time of day.

It was simply breath taking.

“My god!!” exclaimed someone nearby, clearly another player.

“I know right!” Kang answered, grinning as he glanced over to the other player before moving towards the river which beckoned to him.

Kang was beyond impressed. No words could describe the sensation of being transported to an almost literal other world. He could even feel the droplets of water carried in the wind. That was an insane amount of programming!

Everything felt so real. Kang could feel himself breathing real air, in a fresh open space. It certainly didn’t feel like he had a helmet on ( a though he quickly set aside ). He was standing right by the side of the river and his eyes caught sight of actual fish!

“Look!” He said, kneeling down, smiling and laughing at the amazing realism. Without hesitation, Kang splashed some water on his face and felt how real it was, how it cooled his skin. Cupping his hand, he took a drink. Woah, that felt and tasted like real water? How was that even possible?

Still feeling giddy with excitement, he even waved at his own image reflected on the water. This was just too incredible, he thought as he got up, and for the first time looked at the other players.

A male player stood near the tree-line, a contented look on his face. Looks like he was the ‘loner’ type, or maybe just the ‘observant’ type. Too early to tell.

Another male with blue face paint was looking about, probably trying to orient himself.

“Hey, Hermes.” Kang whispered. “They have no name plates. Can I see their names, or do I have to ‘mouse over them' to see it?”

Kang waved a hand in the general direction of the two players to no effect, other than him seeming to wave a strange looking hello.

"Is there even a map of the area?"

“Duuuude,” exclaimed one girl next to him with long brown hair and sparkling green eyes, “Can you believe this? Normal VR already has nothing on this!”

“Full Dive VR Baby!” Kang commented back proudly. He would have commented more if it weren’t for the whistle that pierced the air and drew their collective attention.

“Ouch! That was loud.” Kang would whisper, making a face as he shook his head lightly. His eyes narrowed in curiosity as he took stock of the approaching armored man. He bore a crossbow, which pointed to the floor and not at them ( thankfully ). Kang became painfully aware that he only had ‘cloth armor’ and no weapons. A million questions about gear suddenly came rushing to his mind.

He was about to ask the man, but the stranger spoke first. It was hard to tell if he was friend, foe, player or NPC. That fact was both thrilling and unnerving, as Jay was not a real fan of PvP servers and preferred to level his characters in PvE servers. He didn’t recall having a choice to select one at any point. Being a Noob Killer in a fighting game circuit was much different from being one in an MMORPG. It was actually in bad taste. But none of these concerns could be addressed at the moment.

“So you lot are the volunteers I was told about?”

“Volunteers?” Kang echoed, then after the other player bounded up, he understood. “Quest giver.” He half turned and said factually to the girl, while silently noticing that his avatar voice was quite good, but might need a slightly more heroic edge to it. Thankfully, he could adjust that at any time. Except for right now.

“Good. Glad you all gathered in one area, makes things easier.”

Kang stepped closer so he could hear a little better, because there was no simultaneous scrolling speech text to read. He had to pay attention like he would a real person, or he might miss something important. Did that mean there was no playback feature? Or maybe there was a running text in the chat menu. Wait. Was there a chat menu?

“Don’t get distracted.”

“Alright. Now we need to do a little hunting and some gathering. We’re not far from the border with Othya, of course. We need to make sure the game is a little less for them on their end while securing our reserves for the coming cold seasons. And we’re running low on healing herbs. If each of you could get a deer, be crafty as you don’t have any weapons it seems, and four Haranna Flowers; it’d go a long way.”

Kang rolled his eyes and groaned inwardly. A hunter-gather quest? Well, that wasn’t very exciting, but it made sense. They had no equipment, no gear, no currency, no skill sets, no reputation, or anything at all. They had just been generated to the game. Didn’t they get an exclusive ‘pack’ or something?

”I seriously need to pay attention here.”

Kang moved further up to take a look at the Haranna Flower. He already resolved to gather more than was necessary for extra coin and probably to have the items appraised, just to see if it had any special properties. A few other ideas came to mind, despite it being an item found during the entry quest.

“Our camp is just within the forest, there,” the Bowman pointed in the general direction of where he had come from. “So deliver the goods there. I’ll stand here by the Norkahn River to keep an eye out and incase you have any questions. Move out!”

Kang waited until most everyone had moved out of earshot, as he did have a question. He didn’t know enough about the game to figure-out if gathering alone was better than together. Would the flowers respawn after they were gathered, or were they abundant enough for everyone?

“Well, uhm.. excuse me, sir. Is there a sub-quest I can take instead of hunting deer? I’m not into killing animals or getting their blood all over me, know what I mean? If you have a bag I can put the flowers in, I can get five times the amount you asked. Maybe I can double my EXP in the process?”

Kang shrugged his shoulders. "Do we have a deal?"

It was worth a try.

As he waited for a response, Kang made an almost instinctual gesture and opened the Skill tab as he read his first system message:

There was a little disclaimer stating: Congratulations on Level 1!

He now had 9 SP to spend.

Needless to say, he automatically took to allocating his first leveling points.


Tag: @Darth_Elu, @Bear Korr Avana

 

IC Jule Smiray, Vaarra Cudol
Mol, Belgium/The Celes Grove

Jule’s nerves began to fray in the first few moments of darkness. The system reminded her more and more of the Mobile suits, until black and blue colors began to float around her, taking up what seemed to be all the space around her. It only moderately assuaged her nerves as she waited for the boot up to finish. The system asked for her login as it continued and she verbally gave the information.

Once she had, a soothing voice spoke.

{Greetings User, to the Hermes System. As this is your initial login, please go over just a few things.}​

Once again, she followed instructions, answering the questions the system asked, verifying who she was. Luckily they were few but specific.

She almost, almost, chuckled when the system tested the biometrics of the suit, calibrating it to her movements and ensuring that it was fully functional within her body’s movements. The only hiccough came when she flexed her artificial fingers and moved her biomechanical leg. The system didn’t lag but there was a moment of darkness as though it were processing data about the artificial parts of her.

{The game, Odyssey of Fantasy, is loaded and ready for you. Start game?}
​

….

At the pause, Jule nodded her assent to begin.

{Very good. Starting Odyssey of Fantasy now. Enjoy!}​

Her body disappeared and she seemed only a floating awareness as the game began. The sensation disturbed her but at the same time had almost the same comfort of the beginning of the meld in her old armor.

Odyssey of Fantasy

~Start Your Story~​

”Start” she said softly, nervously.

Her disembodied mind, whatever she was now in this VR world seemed to rise into the clouds until everything around her was white and then another set of words filled her view.

Character Creation​

The soothing voice returned and began to guide her through the process of choosing her ‘self’ in the game. When she’d read through the brochure and all the information available she’d considered a couple different classes.

The H’trae had been one, the earth affinity beings were interesting and seemed to be one that would be worth trying.



And then she came across the Anub-khet, the jackals that made the H’trae fade from her mind. They were warriors, strong, fearless, powerful. Seemingly in line with how she used to see herself.



She almost stopped reading through the guide at that point but made herself consider everything that the story had to offer. She’d almost cried when she reached the Istiel. They were perfect, strong, intelligent, mystical, but peaceful. Peaceful in a way that made her think of herself and her fellow veterans. Something that the guide didn’t say but she felt was that they had been through some conflict, something that had taken them and made them desire the peace they worked towards.

So when the time to choose came, she did, working through the various modifiers to create the Istiel she hoped to be. From time to time there were little spots of darkness as she made choices, as though the system itself were making decisions.

Finally, she stood before the full length mirror that let her see this Vaarra Cudol, this other self of hers, that she’d created.



She smiled at the image and it smiled back through the mirror.

[Are you content with these settings?]​

….

At this pause, she nodded her assent. In the last moment before the screen began to fade and the last prompt came up she swore she saw the image in the mirror waver and change slightly. But before she could say, or do, more that final prompt for her as Jule came up.

[Very good. And now, your story begins…]​

_____________________________________________________________________________

Vaarra opened her eyes, to a world that was vibrant, colorful, full of the deep, rich, earthy scents of forest. It was the sound of running water that had brought her to her senses and she began to move slowly, sitting up first then moving over to the creek. Looking down into the water she saw the colorful, galactic swirl of her skin. When she touched her face she was amazed at the soft, downy feeling under her fingertips.

She’d ignored the others when she woke, but the yell from one of them made her flinch. In what felt odd to her new form her body fell into an unarmed combat stance at the noise before slowly relaxing again. Where did that come from? drifted through her thoughts as she began to explore around the little brook.

A different sound, a soft but commanding voice, drew her attention and then she found herself moving quickly, pressing her back against a nearby tree, as a male Istiel dropped from the trees. A low growl rumbled in her throat again startling her at the vehemence in how she was responding. She wanted to flee but the voice continued to speak. He began to explain what they had been gathered to accomplish. The device, the gem he spoke of made her think, trying to recall what it was he meant before he drew one from his pocket and she finally recognized it.

He explained that each of them had been chosen to gather ten of such gems and that the previous evening had been why they’d been gathered specifically today. Finally he released them to begin hunting for their quota. Before she departed she attempted something. Walking closer to him, since he had not replaced the gem in his pocket she reached out questing fingertips. When they closed on the gem she opened her mind to feel the touch of the mystical side of the gem. Her fingers felt the warmth, the life that was in the gem as her mind catalogued the sense of it.

She nodded to the male then turned and leaped into the trees, deciding that sticking to the ground would take too long, be too slow, and would give her a vantage point she wasn’t sure the others would consider. Sticking to branches that held her weight, she moved through the canopy, keen eyes on both the branches and the ground as she let her mind quest outward, trying to feel for the gems as much as use her eyesight to spot them.

She passed several other Istiel as they searched, sweeping the forest floor, in her questing. Eventually she felt a sensation similar to what her mind had felt with the one that had been shown to them. Her eyes quartered the clearing she approached as the sensation grew. At the edge of the clearing she dropped to the grass. She searched, eyes shifting back and forth across the ground as she stepped forward slowly, feeling the sensation growing even stronger. A glimmer in the grass finally caught her eye and she sped toward it. The sensation sung in her mind as she reached down and lifted the gem from the grass.

Smiling, her plan had worked, at least once. So it was worth repeating. Slipping the gem into a pouch in her robe she leaped back into the trees. Moving faster this time, but still keeping an eagle eye on the forest floor, she moved through the trees. The second was faster to find than the first, it was in a second, smaller clearing only a hundred meters from the last clearing. This time, she leaped as closely to where the sensation seemed strongest as seemed safe. The glimmer caught her eye just as quickly and as another of the Istiel entered the clearing she stooped and scooped the gem into her pouch again.

Smiling at the other, she jumped up into the branches again, scurrying from branch to branch. The third gem confused her when she grew close to it. She couldn’t see it, even when her mind screamed that she was directly on top of it. She dropped to the forest floor, between the trees. Walking around the narrow open area she searched and searched. Almost giving up in frustration she pressed her forehead against the bark of one of the trees. And then a sound reached her ears, another little creek. She hadn’t checked in the water…

Walking up to the shallow flowing water she looked down into it. The play of light on the water made it difficult to see so she stuck her face under the water, her long, black hair spreading out in swirls as the water shifted it. Opening her eyes she shrieked, pulling her face from the water and falling backward. She started laughing as she realized what had startled her, she’d opened her eyes and a fish had been swimming right past them. Taking a deep breath, she stuck her face under the water again and looked around. There it is! she thought. Her hand slid into the water and scooped the gem from the bed of the creek.

She took a moment to dry her hair and pull it back up into a tail after she deposited the gem with the other two. The following six gems were easily found, although she had to travel further afield to find them, the others were discovering their own and cleaning out all the tiny clearings near where they had been gathered. Her pouch bulged with nine of the gems, a weight at her waist, as she searched for the last that she needed.

She almost missed it as she raced through the trees. The sensation of the gems presence fading, instead of growing stronger was what warned her. She skidded to a stop on one bough, turning back the way she’d come. And there it was, nestled against the join of the tree limb and trunk. Securing the final gem, she began racing back how she’d come, dropping to the forest floor now, dodging through the trees.

Finally she reached the clearing, the male Istiel was still there, as were several of the others. She hadn’t been the first but she was also not the last, not even close to the last. Not knowing if she needed to present the gems to him or not, she slumped against the trunk of one of the trees, suddenly tired as though she’d been busy all day long.

Her eyes closed and she fell into a deep slumber.

_____________________________________________________________________________

Jule opened her eyes and what she saw was a beautiful clearing in a forest. However it wasn’t completely perfect, it was more as though she was looking out of someone else’s eyes. There was more as well, a pricking to her neck that she’d not noticed in the adrenaline rush of the first quest her character had undertaken.

As soon as she acknowledged it, it faded and a menu bar became part of what she was seeing. Reaching a finger, even though it didn’t feel as though her body’s hand moved, she clicked on the menu. Scrolling through it she saw that the Skills Menu was highlighted. Clicking on that icon a message flashed before her eyes.

Congratulations on Level 1!​

As soon as she saw it the message faded and she noticed another portion of the screen. There was a list.

Character: Vaarra Cudol
Race: Istiel
Class: Assassin
Specialization: N/A
Skill points available: 9

She searched the menu until she found the Skill Charts and began researching her options.

TAG: @Darth_Elu

 

IC: Randal Smith
Odyssey of Fantasy
~Getting Started~

Finally getting the suit on and checking over everything meticulously to make sure nothing was damaged in transit took a bit of time. Still, the alarm went off he had set letting him know it was time, the earliest time he could login and he finally pulled on the gloves. Flexing his hands to make sure he had them on good with a presses to get them sitting right, and then he settled the helmet on with a few calming breaths that did not calm anything! The Hermes System greeted him with blue and black in every direction but his attention was brought to the fore with the actual login sequence; yeah, those calming breaths were officially worthless.

He then heard a pleasant voice giving him, probably everyone right now, the initial setup instructions.

{Greetings User, to the Hermes System. As this is your initial login, please go over just a few things.}

It asked for him to speak his name aloud for authentication purposes, as well as speaking a few other personal details such as his birthdate, billing address for future purchases, etc. Financial information was deemed not needed as of this time. *Well wasn't that a relief!* he mentally retorted.

He felt a bit of anger and sadness welling up in him for that request, like a burgeoning pocket of fire contained in a bubble just threatening to explode. He could feel his hands shaking from the sickening and heart rending thought that this system might be for the speech enabled only. He was just about to take off the helmet and search for where he left his voice box to see if that might work? Maybe? When he noticed the symbol in the corner. For those unable to speak, it offered a choice of a floating keyboard and other selection buttons to input information effortlessly. Swallowing his fear he nodded, blinking a few times to clear his eyes and his head before he began figuring out how to use his hands to properly work the system settings. It was straightforward enough.

It then proceeded to have him touch specific areas of his body or look in requested directions when indicated to make sure the suit and helmet were functioning properly. There were no problems, just a simple hepatics. He heard some of the old systems his parents played had these kind of things for gaming systems like the Win - no, no the Plumber game, what was that? Nintendo system, old people really loved it, named after that noise when faking it. . .Whee! That was it, the Whee had had something like this for the controller to TV pairing.

It then prompted him with another question.

{The game, Odyssey of Fantasy, is loaded and ready for you. Start game?}

*Click yes, that is why I went through all this.* he idly thought.

{Very good. Starting Odyssey of Fantasy now. Enjoy!}

From there, any remaining sensation of his physical body seemed to melt away casually as the first screen came to him, beginning the time in OoF.




Odyssey of Fantasy
~Start Your Story~

The words faded away and the view seemed to pan upwards into the sky, lifting them up into the clouds where things softly faded to a fluffy white. He smiled softly, it was a nice visual, as good as any space pad or floating rune for character creation he had seen.

Character Creation

Is what it said before him, got to keep it simple in case anyone didn't pick up on the clues. It then began prompting him, through a gentle voice, what specifics he wanted. Letting him know to ask any questions he had about all the options. Cycling through he saw what he often leaned towards in fantasy games, Elves. He was about to choose that one when he noticed the allied race that was also a playable race. Siren. Reading about the voice he felt strongly to choose it, still just to be sure from the write up he clicked over to Zeltron. After a quick scan he shook his head, good looking sure but that was never his color. Not to mention chemical drugging of others just struck a wrong cord in him. With a firm click he went about resetting his choice to Siren.

Escapism was all about having what you didn't in real life. Like the ability to be a badass and go out there and fix the world! Be the hero! And use those extra lives when you make a mistake! All the things that you wanted to do or be but just, just couldn't. He wanted to look flawless, handsome and he changed his image to make that feel right. He wanted to try long hair despite the fact he never could have it as he couldn't stand how hard it was to manage in the real world. Go for the shock value that he always thought was so cool with silvery hair, unrealistic sure, but that was the point! Silver eyes, because why not?!? Same with scale color because he was sure there was probably going to be dozens sporting black tails with racing stripes or something. He still wanted to be unique somehow and tried adding some blue scales for a bit of flare and a silvery spine down his tail.

As he changed his appearance via that same floating keyboard and buttons, he enjoyed seeing how his very body changed as he requested it. He didn't feel any different, but he didn't expect to either, it was just a game after all. There was a full length magical mirror floating nearby so it was easy to see what he was actually causing to change and it even had ways he can tell it to change angles as if a camera, if needed.

Next was his body, thin and lean. Unrealistically in shape. He 'accidently' hit the gender option button just to laugh at what changes it caused. He never could play as a woman, but he knew plenty of people did and would. In a realistic viewer like this he just had to grin as he had to admit it was really weird to do the old Freaky Friday classic thing in the mirror, seeing her mimic his motions. Enough fun and games later with the character creation screen and he was finished with his male avatar for the game. Clicking the submit button he waited.

[Are you content with these settings?]

*Double check everything with another look over, and yup. All good.* he mentally talked himself through his actions. An odd habit he started after loosing his voice, it was kind of the only way he could keep his voice alive in his own head at first. Now it was just habit.

[Very good. And now, your story begins…]

The mirror disappeared and the surroundings faded gently away until there was nothing, but this would only last a few seconds before —

*****
Kingdom of Othya
~Scarlet Cove~




The ocean and the warmth of the sun. They came upon Achelous, a name he calls himself. It was a sensation so real he closed his eyes to feel the light upon them. Then he noted it, the sounds of the waves and even faint smells of the beach as if he was truly there! He saw he was with a group and they were tucked away just a little distance from the main beach of the area, within a beautifully colorful cove.

“Oh wow!” Exclaimed a siren player nearby.

Sighing he nodded at that. He didn't have a thought to add to that statement. It was complete. It felt real, comfortable. It was nearly warm enough and felt real enough like he should of brought a beach towel and be risking a sunburn right now by napping. Wiggling his feet he noted that it felt real, the sand felt real! Just like that beach in Texas along the aquifer. It was, "Awesome." whoever said that was right. It was.

Many of the new siren players were starting to aimlessly wander around and just touching stuff to experience it. Wide, ecstatic smiles on their faces. Being a bit more of a cautious player he simply watched them with a grin on his face, feeling his own face with his hands to note that it was making whatever expression he wanted it to!

"Amaz-" he felt his breath catch and his eyes water at that. With his hands feeling his face there was no denying where that voice had come from. It was, it was his voice. He tried to work his jaw, hold it back. "It's me. That's. This is me." he softly breathed in catching gasps as he lost the fight. The silent tears starting to pour down his cheeks amongst ragged breaths that broke down into chuckling laughter! It felt like someone had his heart in a vice and was squeezing! He never knew that joy, pure joy could hurt so much! It was something he taken for granted for so long before he had lost it unexpectedly in that fire.

“Hello everyone!” A voice suddenly exclaimed. It took them a moment, but they’d see the siren now popping up halfway from the water, a grin on his face. Sniffing back his snot and wiping away his tears Achelous looked at the one speaking to them.



“Looks like quite a few of you responded to the call for help. Happy to see it!” The siren held up a triumphant fist for a moment before looking them all over.

“First quest time,” mused another player near Achelous.

Grinning slightly at that, "I don't care." he softly spoke in his private wonderment. They could ask him to pick up grains of sand and he would do it with a smile right now! Taking a moment to realize he had just said that out loud and having to fight back the choking motions his body was experiencing as he tried not to break down more into tears on the beach. The siren in the water seemed to slowly swim one way and then another, making sure everyone heard him as he talked.

“It’s pretty simple really, and with this many of you, should take no time at all! Mur Qaotra is in need of some materials right now. If you can each grab about twenty handfuls of the Othyan Coast Grasses, useful in a number of things, and put them in those nearby bins. That’d be great!”

The man pointed at a number of large bins that were indeed set aside on the sand further within the cove. He wasn’t done however.

“After that, if you could each grab about four of the Bluefin Cove Fish swimming around in here, that would really help our food stores in the city! You’ll be compensated for the trouble naturally and if you need any help or have questions, I’ll be right here.”

Turning he took note of everything, "Coast Long Grass is long and plentiful." he idly nodded in appreciation for the rather simple name system.

Then he felt it, a slight sensation in his neck. Almost like an itch, but instinctively thanks to the game, he somehow knew to check the game tabs. Taking a moment to remember how to trigger it, which fantastically enough was triggering it he took a look at what the system had to say. A quick scroll and he found it, the Skills Menu.

There was a little disclaimer stating: Congratulations on Level 1!

It faded as soon as he noticed it, which was pretty cool. Then he noticed the number to the right of the area that stated his character name - Achelous, race - Siren, class - Monk, and the currently N/A for specialization. 9 SP.

9 SP was already now his to place where he wanted among his Skill Charts before continuing on the very first quest.

Taking a minute he read over his skill chart before starting to assign the points.

Some of this was confusing. It seemed like there were several versions of most natural skills, or at least things he was not used to being separated in games. Special race skill, right he had read something about that. Looked like he could improve his senses as well if he wanted, that would be cool. Probably had to do that now just to see how it changed things! Magic was not his boat so he scrolled on by. Weapon Skills, his body was his weapon! Heh. General skills, not much going on but useful things. Supplemental, has to mean the whole bonus to actions thing, healing was normally good to have a boost in early on to conserve health packs. Charisma, that was an odd list. "I charismatically read your lips! Hehe." he chuckled to himself as he went down the list. Performing skills, well he had to have one of these. Could not do Louisiana proud without a little bit of something! Secrecy skills, or basically how to be a Rogue skills. Adventuring skills were a bit odder, not really sure how washing and cleaning were different skills. Language, well that would be interesting to see how the game handles that mechanic later on in the game. Profession Skills - also known as how to do some basic crafting skill to make something and earn gold. Well not gold, he had read that that wasn't a thing in this game it was something else, yeah he had not a clue what that was at the moment. Last, but not least - Unknown Skills. That has to be a hidden game plot somewhere as he could not even look at it.

Clicking as he went through showed a relatively simple problem. He had clicked more than 9 things, or was trying to anyway. Letting go of some things he sighed looking at the point he had payed into improving his Sight. It was really the only thing that didn't feel like it would change much, but with a shrug he had kept it and deleted what he figured was likely a healing bonus. Instead he focused on the other objective, "You are either frugal with your money with skills so you need to use less items, or you use the skills to make money faster so you don't care how much you need to spend." Submitting and closing the menu he looked around the beach at the long grass.

Mesmerize: 1 point
Dexterity: 1 point
Sight: 1 point
Martial Arts: 2 points
Focus: 1 point
Mercantile: 1 point
Music: 1 point
Scribe: 1 point

Setting out on task he knelt down and began pulling handfuls of grass. Instinctively he whistled as he worked, an old classic 'Whistle While You Work'. Only as he worked and whistled he realized, he could sing it as well! Enjoying the sensation of just hearing and using his own voice he noted others talking about fishing and seeing them going for it gave him a heads up for later. It wasn't like most of the players were being quiet! Speaking of which there didn't seem to be a filter to tune out local players, very realistic. He was not sure how long his enjoyment lasted, but he had a good pile of grass he was lugging around, probably 25 or 35 handfuls. Taking it to the bins he set out to wade into the ocean. Stepping in he wadded until the water was about chest height before diving in!

Holding his breath he focused on holding his breath. He was embarrassed to admit, he didn't really focus on changing until he looked over at the other Sirens in their water forms swimming about! Feeling his body shift he let himself sink and bob as he curled his tail and just was for a minute. Breathing. And feeling a bit embarrassed he had been holding his breath in a video game as a character race that can breath under water!



It all seemed too realistic down here as well, well aside from him breathing freely without any gear. The Bluefin Cove Fish (the name giving away the trait to look for), among others, darting every which way in this most plentiful cove. Swimming after one he had to follow it through it's twists and turns that he never could of done in his old body! It was all so fluid and natural! It wasn't long before he had caught his first fish, and accidently remembered or figured out how to use the inventory system at the same time as he muttered about "Where do I put this, or this one of those endless running games." just before the fish vanished into his inventory. "Ah, that'll do - talking under water. Awesome. Talking." Grinning with a shake of his head he darted off after another blue fin he spotted swimming by.

Everything was so amazing! he was sure he would have the needed fish in no time! He couldn't help but laugh at the wonderful experience he was having, enjoying the simple sound of his own laughter after so long merely brought up more and more!

Tag: @Darth_Elu

 

IC: Lily Shepard/Zarithea Netherward

She couldn’t believe her eyes. A forest grove greeted her in the virtual world. She knew it was a game, but it seemed so real! The gentle breeze, the sounds, and detail of the environment made it easy to forget it was just a game. It was unbelievable.

The red haired girl, now appearing as an Istiel, took a look about herself and even down at her own body. Where skin should be, was replaced with stars and a celestial look. The players around her with glowing eyes.

“Do not leave so soon, please. It would seem you have all felt the call to assist Othya as I have. This is very good as I have been asked with gathering others to gather some much needed materials that our mages and craftsmen have been running low on. What that is, is the one thing only we can find. You know of what I speak. Starlight Prisms.”

There was confusion in the players around her.

“Odd. I figured it was clear to any istiel. No matter, the starlight prisms are something only we can detect due to our connection to the stars and are very useful in magical and crafting endeavors. They look like this, since some of you do not know.”

The male Istiel withdrew a gem for them to see.

"They are formed by starlight touching down on Korr Avana on certain nights, much like the previous one. If you could all gather ten each, that should be enough. And do be careful! While this area is relatively safe, it does have its own dangers if you are unwary. Now let us begin our search!”

They were officially beginning their first quest. Zarithea offered a quiet nod and set off to search for the requested gems, but also took in the soothing forest surroundings.

Tag: @Darth_Elu

 

IC as Twylla

The blueberry pie was delicious! Just like she knew it would be! Twylla ate away and grinned at those seated with her before noticing the one standing up. She blinked, wondering why that was.

What does he see?

After a minute of wondering and going back to her dessert, she finally turned and looked from her seat. Just what had quieted him so?

Tag: @Darth_Elu

 

IC: Ryu Hyun/Pax Vikkin

Hyun felt like she spent five years just going through the basic information on every race and the lore background of the various different aspects that were available to her. Her mind was vivacious and often quite sponge-like, absorbing everything she came across. It was not that she needed consideration on what race she was going to choose, that decision had been made long ago, but she still wanted to know as much as she could, after all knowing more couldn't hurt.

After what felt like another five years she finally had finished putting the final touches on her creation. While she had known from the get-go what race she wanted t play, class selection took her far longer. Although she was inspired by reading some of the background lore regarding the calm, serene nature the Xksiva had taken due to their past transgressions, thus her mind settled on a monk.

She began to daydream about who this character was, who Pax was, his backstory, his goals, and motivations. She felt herself get giddy with excitement as she loaded up the game, satisfied with her selections.

The experience was surreal and beyond her wildest expectations. She marvel as looked down at her...wait...his? Was kinda weird to be in a male insect body too. She then laughed to herself as she unfurled the pair of wings curled up in her back, give them a brief flutter as her attention turned to the various NPCs that were now speaking.

“Little do our adversaries know, but these flowers are our early warnings incase they try anything funny. With these specially charged wands, you will be reapplying their warning enchantments so that our towns are notified of anyone suspicious moving around. They’ve been weakening lately and it is time to reapply. Just tap them gently to the flower, that’ll do it. Given the amount within the jungle, the more people we have doing this, the better. Now take a wand and lets get started!”

A bit of a lame starting quest if she was being honest with herself, come on the first time in the world this technology existed and the opening experience is to play with flowers? Nothing to establish the wild possibilities that existed? She gave a little sigh, noting the pop-up about skill point allocations. Pulling up the menu she scrolled through the options. Only nine points? But there were so many choices!

She began to eliminate the less useful skills, she was almost tempted to dump in all nine into 'Martial Arts', but that would probably be a bad idea. After making her selections, she began to hover over to the nearest flower, pulling out her strange wand as she began to start the quest. It was even more mundane than she thought.

TAG: @Darth_Elu

 

IC: Ryo and Bear
Getting started

I took a moment to acclimatize myself, but it wasn't easy. I made a few adjustments to the settings so I had US English confirmed as my language of choice, and my time zone set - though I knew Odyssey would have its own.

{Greetings User, to the Hermes System. As this is your initial login, please go over just a few things.}

It requested that I speak my name aloud, so I did, and confirmed all the boring bits and bobs. The floating keyboard was a neat addition, but I could use my voice so I did. I recalled an old anime where disabled users would login a game with a Dive program so they could experience walking like other people.

I touched myself as appropriately, amused by the specificity of the instructions. It made me feel like an actor in a film or, well, a computer game. But all games were acting, as was all writing. I had the slightest hankering for a cigarette, but I could handle it. Maybe I should have had some nicotine gum...

I tuned back in as another question popped up.

{The game, Odyssey of Fantasy, is loaded and ready for you. Start game?}

Start game without my son...

I swallowed.

It was my time now.

Start!

….

{Very good. Starting Odyssey of Fantasy now. Enjoy!}

Ryo felt his physical form slip away, and he was aware that he was creating a character that he would become.

He hated deleting a character and starting over - it made him physically shake - the idea that he had deleted an entire world-line, an alternative universe where he had been someone else. No matter what tragedy's would befall him, he would stick with who he made.

As Character Creation appeared, Ryo ended up being somewhat rueful.

He may as well, hadn't he?

Picking that self-same anime as a starting point, he ticked through the classes, races, and so forth, and adjusted himself to appear as a heavy-set man with minimal but appropriate attire, and a full-body tattoo of two colors; a pale blue and a soft brown that was almost grey. He'd preferred the flashy and gaudy, and once or twice the entirely inappropriate, but inevitably settled on a relatively basic sense of self that he liked to think mirrored himself offline.

Ryo always thought of his adventures in cyberspace as online and his time away from the Interwebs as offline adventures.

None of this - real and unreal; he believed the time he dedicated to gaming was as real as any other electrical impulse that entered his mind. The moment someone reference their real life Ryo usually tuned out.

[Are you content with these settings?]

"Sure am!"

[Very good. And now, your story begins…]

~Norkahn River~



Ryo blinked as reality, well, became, softly coming into view and he found himself staring at the water.

He was about to work out what he was looking at when someone exclaimed for him -

“My god!!”

Bear jumped, and turned, feeling not a single gap between his intention and his movement; if anything his actions were more crisp than they were offline - age meant he felt a definite lag in Ryo's movements.

In his movements.

Alright, he had to let go of Ryo now.

Now he was Bear.

“Duuuude,” came one girl next to him with long brown hair and sparkling green eyes, “Can you believe this? Normal VR already has nothing on this!”

He bellowed at the person who had made him jump. "Of course it's real, man!" Bear's eyes scanned the crowd, all humans, all aligned with the Empire of Drahkabor. He attempted to exchange nods with a few of them, saw the group was quite large. He was in-character now.

He managed not to jump at the whistle, because Bear wouldn't have jumped. He turned to regard the newcomer.

“So you lot are the volunteers I was told about?”

“Uh huh!” Bear narrowed his eyes at the speaker. That's no way to speak to a fellow adventurer!

The man patted the speakers shoulder in such a seamless response that Bear wasn't sure if he was an NPC or not. “Good. Glad you all gathered in one area, makes things easier.” Bear turned his head to keep up.

“Alright. Now we need to do a little hunting and some gathering. We’re not far from the border with Othya, of course. We need to make sure the game is a little less for them on their end while securing our reserves for the coming cold seasons. And we’re running low on healing herbs. If each of you could get a deer, be crafty as you don’t have any weapons it seems, and four Haranna Flowers; it’d go a long way.”

Get a dear.

Bear grinned at the mannerism.

“Come get a look if you don’t know what the Haranna actually looks like. Can’t have you foraging blind.”



It was certainly colorful, which usually meant poisonous rather than medicinal, but Bear also knew that many flowers could be death to one species and life to another.

“Our camp is just within the forest, there,” the nameless chap pointed in the general direction of where he had come from. “So deliver the goods there. I’ll stand here by the Norkahn River to keep an eye out and incase you have any questions. Move out!”

I dove in, and went through the obligatory mundane discussion.

Bear was unarmed, as he said, but he wasn't perturbed. The skill climb would be slow but steady. In-fact, if you drove yourself hard enough, the gap between you and your colleagues could become quite immense in these early stages.

He loved a skills menu, but for now he wanted to get to questing rather than prodding numbers.

Real experience was no comparison for statistics.

“Well, uhm.. excuse me, sir. Is there a sub-quest I can take instead of hunting deer? I’m not into killing animals or getting their blood all over me, know what I mean? If you have a bag I can put the flowers in, I can get five times the amount you asked. Maybe I can double my EXP in the process?”

Bear's eyes nearly popped out at the speaker. He glanced back. Asking about EXP in-game?

Talk about ruining the experience.

Shaking his head, and determined to never go anywhere near someone who broke character at the first hurdle.

@Shao Kang @Darth_Elu x 2

 

Tyson Atarak IC:
~The Start, Hermes System~

Hyun-Sang watched the Hermes login sequence and merely smiled where he lay on his couch. Yes, this was it. This time was different, he could feel it. His dreams would be realized from this point on, no more building them up, but simply living them.

Unlike the others around the world that went through the initial setup, he sailed on through. As Hermes’ creator, naturally he was already setup for such things. His system was well synced to him by now.

{Welcome back, Bin Hyun-Sang. Are you ready to play Odyssey of Fantasy?}

“I have already played in Korr Avana for all these long years, Hermes,” he whispered, “It is now time I lived.”

The system was quiet, unable to ascertain what to do with such a response. Its ‘father’ just smiled once again.

“Start, Hermes.”

{Very good. Starting Odyssey of Fantasy now. Enjoy!}

Yes, I think I will.

At the Menu Screen, he took in the imagery and music with a deep breath. As if drinking it in. At this point, he had officially arrived at the starting line or so he viewed it.

Odyssey of Fantasy
~Start Your Story~​

His eyes crinkled around the edges beneath the helmet, the smile deepening while trying to hold back emotional tears.

“Yes. Start please.”

The view panned upwards into the sky, just as it should and he felt it paralleled his heart. Soaring into the clouds serenely.

Whereas others came face-to-face with ‘Character Creation,’ he alone would arrive at ‘Character Select.’ Oh, what a decision to make! So many faces had he worn during development, from each of the races. All the classes tested and enjoyed, even during the refinement phases. But what would he inhabit as he embarked on this life altering journey?

What would achieve his player goals in world?

He furrowed his brow in thought for quite some time. What faction would suit him? What race did he wish to be? Impossible. Just impossible. He, Bin Hyun-Sang, was all the races. All the kingdoms.

All the world.

“I suppose it comes to sentimentality then,” he mused while standing on the glowing circle with the character’s floating name at its base.

The moment he stood within it, it pulsed a few times and then his appearance was immediately overlapped with his new one. That of Tyson Atarak. Yes. The very first character he made for his development phases, though all the stats from that time would be lost. No, he would not allow himself to just start at maximum level.

That was not his way. He would achieve it the way he had always envisioned it. As a player. For what was a creator, if not the painter who craved to be a part of the canvas he made a masterpiece on? You could never convince him that Thomas Kinkade never once wanted to be in one of his pictures.

[Select this character?]



“Yes.”

[Really start over from the beginning?]

“Yes. For the last and first time.”

[Very good. And now, your story begins…]

Bin Hyun-Sang faded then at last. And Tyson Atarak rose to take his place.

*****
~Norkahn River, Drahkabor~

The reactions were immediate and expected. Tyson allowed himself his first smile in-world, savoring the others’ joy. Yes. This was what Korr Avana should bring. Joy. He allowed his gaze to take in his place close to the tree-line, further away from the river than most of the players. Naturally, the vast majority of them wandered over to check the water and revel in its simple wonder.

He stayed where he was, his gold eyes searching for the spot where…Yep. There he came, emerging from the direction of the camp. The whistle rang out, catching the others by surprise. But not him. For now, he was content with that.

“So you lot are the volunteers I was told about?”

Thus it begins. While they were to enjoy their first little quest, he could easily slip off and take part in the wider world. There were no penalties to such things and he could do it easily without being seen. But as he watched the NPC enthrall the players with his natural reactions and speech, he hesitated.

“Good. Glad you all gathered in one area, makes things easier.”

Hm. Tyson found himself slowly wandering over to the group and where he could listen further. Perhaps…perhaps just for this first quest, he could remain with the others. Watch and partake of the enjoyment before going his own way?

He had firm plans for what he wanted to do now that he was truly here. One of his old ideals when he was younger, now that he could act them out in full ‘reality.’ But a slight pause to it for the sake of experiencing what a first player truly should and to watch how they all really took it was not a bad idea. Was that not so?

“Alright. Now we need to do a little hunting and some gathering. We’re not far from the border with Othya, of course. We need to make sure the game is a little less for them on their end while securing our reserves for the coming cold seasons. And we’re running low on healing herbs. If each of you could get a deer, be craft as you don’t have any weapons it seems, and four Haranna Flowers; it’d go a long way.”

Ah yes. The weaponless hunt for deer. Originally an accidental oversight on his part, but after some thought and constant re-editing, decided to leave it as was. Pure whimsy, imagining the antics of these new players. Perhaps it was karma he now found himself there as one of them. He nearly laughed aloud, but held it in so not to draw attention to himself.

“Come get a look if you don’t know what the Haranna actually looks like. Can’t have you foraging blind. Our camp is just within the forest, there. So deliver the goods there. I’ll stand here by the Norkahn River to keep an eye out and incase you have any questions. Move out!”

The others did so, with only a couple lingering near the quest-giver. He was curious what they might ask or do, so he lingered as well, putting in just ahead of them: “Ah, can I get another look at the flower?”

“Of course, but don’t gaze too long. We’re here to gather, not bask in its pretty colors,” came the gruff yet friendly reply. Tyson chuckled and nodded while pretending to look deeply at the flower being held up to him, a hand tucked under his chin.

In truth he was just waiting to hear the others.

“Well, uhm.. excuse me, sir. Is there a sub-quest I can take instead of hunting deer? I’m not into killing animals or getting their blood all over me, know what I mean? If you have a bag I can put the flowers in, I can get fives times the amount you asked. Maybe I can double my EXP in the process? Do we have a deal?”

An opportunistic, if interesting fellow. Another man with tribal tattoos over his character (a solemn nod of approval in Tyson’s head at this due to the clear understanding of Atarak Human lore pre-login) made a face and moved away. He had a feeling why, but was understanding. Excitement at joining Korr Avana for the first time…

While still being made at the time, he remembered his first test foray as well. Very well indeed.

“Do I look like I have any bags on me to give?” replied the quest-giver dryly, though his eyebrow arched upwards amused. “As for the deer, well, I’ll let you figure out that little problem on your own. Ha!”

The man, with some tattoos of his own Tyson now noticed with a smile, seemed to be looking at his menus. He cleared his throat to get his attention as well.

“We can work together, if you wish. I do not mind assisting.”

“Teamwork is never a bad idea,” nodded the hunter overseeing them.

“Highly agreed, Grayson.”

With that, he motioned for Kang despite not knowing his name, to follow him closer to the river. The NPC nodded approvingly again before pausing as his brow furrowed. Had he given his name and not remembered? Strange. Ah well.

When by the river, he turned to the new player and chuckled. “Since he is an NPC, I don’t think he’ll understand you when you speak typical game terms.”

Of course, he didn’t ‘think,’ he actually ‘knew.’ But he wouldn’t tell him that.

“Anyway, as real as this place looks. We are still in a game, right? Just use your inventory. Should be enough space for the flowers and deer. We can just coordinate to pin it down then set in there. What do you think?”

Stopping to help the ones just “born” to his world. Perhaps he was even softer than he thought, not that there was anything inherently wrong with it. For this first quest and the celebration of this very first day…

Worth it.

“If you agree, we should get moving. Don’t want to be too far behind!”

Tag: @Shao Kang @Bear Korr Avana

 

IC: Sofie Althaus/Eshe

Sofie felt a rush of adrenaline when the log in sequence began. A pleasant voice met her ears, providing instructions for initial set-up

{Greetings User, to the Hermes System. As this is your initial login, please go over just a few things.}

The system took her through all the information needed, from Name to birth-date and billing details. Next, it prompted Sofie to perform various checks and brief tests to ensure that the suit and helmet were working properly. No problems presented themselves. She was good to go.

{The game, Odyssey of Fantasy, is loaded and ready for you. Start game?}

"Start"

Sofie instructed, a ball of excitement and nerves dancing in her stomach.

{Very good. Starting Odyssey of Fantasy now. Enjoy!}

After the first screen and a further prompt, She found herself within the character creation menu. She took a while to consider the playable races on offer, but her attention was drawn almost immediately to the avatar of the Anub-khet. The accompanying lore that had been provided on the race helped to cement her choice.

She selected the Anub-khet avatar, gasping lightly as she witnessed her body change into the canine like being. From there, she could adjust the appearance as she saw fit. After some time, She looked at herself in the "mirror" to view the final product. Bright purple eyes stared back at her. Her tall body was covered in black fur, decked out in a default starter outfit of a long white skirt, top and bronze adornments.

Satisfied with the look of her character, she next had to consider the name and class of her character. She interacted with the floating keyboard and inputted a name and selected a class

Character Name: Eshe
Class: Mystic

[Are you content with these settings?]

"Yes"

[Very good. And now, your story begins…]

~~~

The mountains in which Sofie found herself in were absolutely breathtaking! Birdsong found her ears, and for a long moment all she could do was stare as she took everything in, taking time to process what she was currently experiencing. The majestic snow capped mountains and vibrant forests, full of life and energy. Her fellow Anub-khet players appeared to share her sense of wonder, Intakes of breath could be clearly heard from the various players as they too took in their new reality.

Everything that made up the environment felt so...real! The trees, plants, and rocks all around them. The wind gusted softly, and gently ruffled the fur that covered the body of the Avatar she now inhabited.
She looked down at her fur covered arms, and ran her left hand along her right forearm, the textures. no...textures looked real, these...felt real! The midnight black fur shifted under her touch, dampening the chill of the mountain winds. Her fingers then met the cool metal of the bronze decorative cuffs upon her wrist. She reached up with a hand and touched her face, exploring her new "form". Where she once had a human nose, she how had a snout! and long pointed ears which picked up sounds from far away. She could hear rain. And her height! They weren't just controlling these avatars, they had truly become the avatars. She was no longer Sofie here, but Eshe of the Anub-khet....

"Wow, this...this really something!..." She breathed out under her breath, startled briefly by the sensation of her tail swinging upon a mental command. The voice of one of her fellow players brought her out of her thoughts and explorations

“Anyone else feel like they’re in a dream right now,”

Truer words had never been spoken and many murmured in agreement.

“The dream is about to get a lot less fun, volunteers,” came a voice that easily carried over all of theirs.

Sofie, no, Eshe, turned her head in the direction of the sound, and noticed another Anub-khet strolling down the mountain path from a higher location. From experience she knew this was an NPC, but this NPC had something very different about them, and this was especially evident in the way he reacted to one of the players enthusiastic greeting. He paused to look at the group, laughred for a moment and waved "Hi" The interaction was fluid, natural. Eshe regarded the NPC with her purple eyes. He Folded his arms and looked them all over and then nodded.

“I have some boring work set aside for all of you this morning.”

“Usually is in the beginning,” stated one player.

“Hm…you could say that,” the NPC shrugged, “But these mountain paths are pivotal for our commerce in the capital and there was a lot of damage from the storm that passed through recently. Need some fallen trees moved off the roads. Not glorious, but I guarantee you’ll have a lot of grateful merchants and travelers back home.”

“This should be fun,” whispered one player close to Eshe, “Still…to do it in this body? Wild.”

“Work together in small groups and if each of you can end up moving five trees off the roads, that’ll be very helpful! I’ll be overseeing from that rock ledge over there,” the man pointed to one not far off where he could see from a higher vantage point, “Come see me when you’re done. I’ll make sure you are well compensated for the trouble and can answer any questions you may have.”

The man finished his instruction, and with a clap of his hand, signaled them to begin the task.
Eshe nodded her head and made her way over to one of the nearby fallen trees. As she waited for her fellow players to join her, she felt a strange sensation in her neck, almost like an itch. Instinctively she went to check her game tabs, finding the skills menu. A message appeared

Congratulations on Level 1!

9 SP was available to assign to her skill chart. She took a moment to consider her options, assigning to those skills and traits which she thought would marry up well with her character class. Once all the points were assigned, she closed the menus and returned to the task.

She took up a ready position alongside a few of her fellow players and proceeded to help move the debris as instructed. Players and NPCs alike were clearing the debris away. A mundane first task? Probably. But an important introduction into the world they were now a part of.

TAG: @Darth_Elu

 

Araarsa/Alusan

He watched as the login sequence began, its color and design amazing him from the beginning. The Hermes device certainly knew how to keep the hype building. Of that, there was no question.


{Greetings User, to the Hermes System. As this is your initial login, please go over just a few things.}


It asked for a number of basic information, which he gave freely. It needed it, so he gave. In the end however, he was just ready for some fun! He made sure the suit was also working, mildly amused at the process, but got excited again when prompted with the following question.


{The game, Odyssey of Fantasy, is loaded and ready for you. Start game?}


"Yes! Let us do this!"


{Very good. Starting Odyssey of Fantasy now. Enjoy!}


The opening screen was very beautiful and the music matching its harmony. Araarsa closed his eyes for a full two minutes, just listening.


"Yes. I enjoyed that, but now I must: START!"


Character creation after that was fun, but he wanted to just play all ready!! He sped through the process, taking the most time going through the races at least. The idea of the zeltron with their pink skin of all things amused him! What would that be like? The entertainment of the idea won him over.


[Are you content with these settings?]


"Yes, may I get to the game, please?"


[Very good. And now, your story begins…]


"There we go."


[Break]


It was the waves that made him stare first. He could not believe his eyes. They seemed so real! Had he not been transported to the ocean instead of a game? He even felt the wind upon him. The smell of it and the feeling of the sand underneath were mesmerizing.


Sand! His mind now registered that too. He could feel the sand, his eyes now staring at the stuff as well as his pink feet. PINK! For some reason he just could not get over that fact. The absurdity of it in his mind was having trouble accepting how it looked in what would now pass as reality.


A small chuckle escaped him, turned into a laugh, then erupted into a bellow. PINK!!!


Flexing his toes for a moment, he took it all in to the utmost! This was no game, but another world in truth! It was too much! Too magnificent! Before he could lose himself in that brilliance, some applause got his attention. It got the attention of the other players nearby too he guessed.


Oh. OH! The women over there. Who knew ladies in vivid, radiant pink were so appealing? Huh. This was something he would not forget.


Their subsequent teasing was effective and he could feel a slight blush coming onto his cheeks. How did that look on a zeltron, he wondered idly and turned to look at the ocean while still listening the details of the quest. To catch six fish bare handed? That had to be a proverb somewhere. They did say they were slow though.


When everyone finally got started, he began wading into the ocean as well, while sneaking glances toward the three ladies on the log the entire time. Actually, some of the other players' avatars were good looking too! It was funny, he had selected based mostly on humor, but this selection was turning out to be more and more of a plus!


The water was amazing as he moved into it. It felt wet. That sounded obvious, but in a game?? Unreal. The shallow ground under the water, the sensation of small rocks her and there in that sand, all of it! And there came the darting movement of a fish nearby, which caught his eye. He turned to follow, only to find another player scooping it up with a holler.


Grumbling mildly, he moved to where he saw some other fish swimming around in the other direction. About three others seemed to swarm the spot, laughing and playfully fighting over the aim of their quest. He was starting to feel a little slow himself at this stage, with the other players constantly getting in the way. Looks like he would have to wait till some of them finished their quests, just so the crowd thinned out before really attempting it himself.


"This might take me a while."


Tag: @Darth_Elu

 

Tahnu IC:
~Woods of Sanctuary, Atra Zarryn~

The Keldbi NPC raised an eyebrow as Meek came to stand next to him, but paid no further attention as he watched the others for a moment. The other players getting to work, though a few stood around and talked as they delayed the quest.

“So what does a Keldbi have to do to kill a Zabrak around here?”

Tahnu blinked and pivoted on his heel to look straight at his fellow Keldbi, bewildered by the out-of-the-blue question. Meek had managed to quietly get his hand into a pocket of the apprentice mage, but the question that was meant as a diversion…

Turned out to be a little strong for the NPC’s programmed demeanor. Then again, he likely had never experienced the naturally feeling reaction from a game NPC that he was about to, before.

“W-W-What!? Are you that bloodthirsty? And w-why would there even be any zabrak this far into the Republic?”

The keldbi, at least clearly not noticing what he had been attempting, just stared at him before moving back closer to the door of the boulder hut.

“A-Anyway, please just go collect the bliss crystals or find somewhere else if you really want to go kill something.”

The facial expressions showed that Tahnu, not that Meek knew his name, was still bewildered and feeling a bit uneasy. Well, it was programmed to appear that way at any rate. Still, pretty amazing! ….If also, not quite the success he had been hoping for.

Going by what happened, it appeared his sleight skill was looking good, but a couple of other factors seemed to come into play that prevented the success. One was his choice of wording, clearly. The other…?

Might have to take some thought and playing around with skills perhaps. Nevertheless, it was a good first experiment.

Tag: @Meek_LongEars

*****
Grayson and Others IC:
~Norkahn River Area, Drahkabor~

As ‘Jay’ crossed into the realm of Korr Avana after Character Creation, there was a faint response from Hermes as to his last question. Sounding farther away because of the timing of its with the transition sequence.

[Confirmed. Alarm Set.]

Once within the game of Odyssey of Fantasy, the NPC hunter known as Grayson just watched the others calmly. He had already had his little interaction with both Kang and Tyson, so they were set on that front regarding the attempted ‘deal.’

They, as well as Bear and all other new players, would go on to quickly discover that the Haranna Flowers were all growing around the bases of trees and seemed to grow in two patches of three flowers on one side and these dual patches were all about fifteen to twenty meters distance from the next tree that had them growing. The other players quickly swarming the area made harvesting from just one location rather more difficult than it otherwise would have been.

In any event, this is what they would learn once they began the quest in earnest. Deeper into the forested region, they would begin hearing other players begin to exclaim loudly to each other:

“DEER! The deer are over here!”

Naturally, the noise sent the creatures scattering every which way, so the hunt would be on! The nimble beasts able to gracefully bound along quite swiftly and moving in zig zag patterns through the trees. They were, perhaps, slower than real deer back on Earth thankfully…but it was still going to be quite the chore.

Tag: @Bear Korr Avana @Shao Kang @Darth_Elu

*****
Otaren IC:
~Celes Grove, Othya~

The istiel NPC stood where he was, both not far or close to the stream in the area. He seemed to just tuck his hands into his pockets and gaze about the arching trees around them while he waited for the players to complete his quest. Not that he likely thought about it in quite that terminology.

He had just watched calmly while Vaarra had gotten the feel of the Starlight Prism he had used as an example, but nodded in return to her when she was done and watched her run off. If he had full thought and not been an NPC, it would have been most curious what he thought of this ‘crop of istiel.’

Vaarra’s plan to use the trees was also well thought out. It granted her enhanced speed and good vantage points…the only problem was, her agility was not quite up to the task with keeping up. She managed to get up with a little effort and nearly slipped a few times as she ran and jumped, but eventually slipped she did and she would tumble into the second creek from a decent height. She would feel the impact, but no pain. Just enough sensation to feel like it would almost hurt, but not quite there. Thank the game creator for that!

A health bar briefly became visible in the upper right corner of her vision, where it flashed red for a moment as it appeared. It stated:

96/100

Then faded gently from view again. There were no further mishaps, but it may or may not serve as a warning. Among such acts, there were plenty of roots and uneven spots hidden by the placement of trees and rocks, that one would have to be careful of as they moved too.

Zarithea would soon see that there was no particular rhyme or reason, at least that she could make out, for the placement of the Starlight Prisms. They were simply scattered hither and thither. It was a little harder to gather because of the others also searching for them at the same time, forcing her to move quite abroad in the grove to retrieve them all. But it wouldn’t take overly long.

In the end, Vaarra would notice and eventually so would Zarithea, that Otaren (not that they knew his name) was indeed accepting the prisms. As players came up to him, asking what to do with them, he would smile and produce a bag out of nowhere. Magic? Perhaps.

He would place the prisms in the bag, pull some pouch strings to tighten it, then hand it back to the other players. They would then leave the area after some additional chatter, both with the NPC and then with whispers to one another.

What was he telling them? Only one way to find out. Complete the quest and once done, approach him with the prisms.

Tag: @Vaarra Cudol @Zarithea Netherward

*****
Another Player & Fishies! IC:
~Scarlet Cove, Othya~

A few other players, though not many, took notice of Achelous quietly crying on the beach within the cove and raised eyebrows. Most of those few seemed to pass it off at the beauty or some such and just smiled, going about their business, whereas one in particular seemed to cock her head to the side and really study him from afar for a bit. She was unnoticed by him for the time being and she eventually forced herself to move on after one last glance toward him.

What was that about? That looked like more than just overwhelmed senses…Ah well. Probably just overthinking it!

As Achelous went on to whistle and then sing the ol’ classic song, ‘Whistle While You Work’ a few others also joined in after some laughing. It did not take long to gather the Othya Coast Grass that was requested and he was the only one to gather more than the necessary amount. Not that he particularly cared at that point in time.

Moments later, Achelous was in the water like many others, splashing and swimming about better than they ever did in the life outside the game (or most likely!). One Bluefin Cove Fish down, three to go.

The fishes definitely sensed them darting through the water toward them and would scatter at every opportunity, their small bodies making them hard to catch. To their detriment however, these players were playing sirens and thus their speed advantage was not by much. It was only a matter of time until they were caught and hauled back to the NPC Quest Giver.

As he chased his third fish however, Achelous would have to come to a sudden halt at one point as he and another siren nearly collided with each other. She would come to a fast stop as well, panting at the unexpected moment. The woman would laugh a little then before noticing him fully. It was that guy from before…



“Ha…Sorry about that! We nearly ran…er, swam into each other!”

She glanced about as if not sure what to do then. Almost as if she had more she wanted to say, but was not really sure how to just go about it. Possibly awkward in social situations?

“Um…The name’s Sarene. My - My character name, I mean.”

Possibility of social awkwardness rising.

Tag: @Achelous

*****
A Looming Future
~Unknown Location, Yerkoskei~

As even Twylla moved to see what was now unfolding, the others began to do the same. Silence had now fully consumed this place that had just moments ago been so full of uncontained glee.

All she would make out were horses. And people atop them. They were moving fast.

And before she knew it, so was she as she was handed off to another. Carried by one, with a second running beside…they went another way. Fast, as fast as they could go.

Why? Why were they running?

And why were the other two staying back there with such sad faces…?

Tag: @Twylla Mirtheart

*****
The Jungle IC:
~Northern Narahul Jungle, Yerkoskei~

The quest given was seemingly mundane at the start of this grand Odyssey of Fantasy. And it was. It really, really was. Pax was able to easily just go about mindlessly, tapping the Giant Ardelias with the supplied wand. Still, the getting used to the male Xskiva body and watching the flowers glow more for a brief moment when the magic was reapplied was neat. Plus the hyper-realism of their surroundings.

Perhaps that was the reasoning for such a simple first quest? Basic orientation. But who knew for sure. Nevertheless, as they all went about their quiet business (at least for most of them), the NPC yelled out:

“Now, just about twenty will do for each of you!”

Sounded like a lot, but with the simplicity of the task…shouldn’t take long at least. That is until ‘he’ finished ‘his’ seventeenth flower and began moving toward the next.

One of the jungle bushes off to Pax’s left began to shake lightly. And then, a low growl began to emit…Now it was hard to tell whether an ambush of whatever it was, was imminent or if it could be avoided. And if so, how?

There was a path off to his right as well, but it seemed to full of Venus Flytrap looking plants along the sides that appeared dangerous and hard to avoid due to abundance. And an Xskiva’s hover speed was not the greatest, nor did Pax have much experience with the experience yet.

Of course, the new Xskiva monk could just decide to engage in immediate combat as well and hope for the best without knowing what he was about to clash against.

Things to consider.

Tag: @Pax Vikkin

*****
Other Players & An Disgruntled Intruder IC:
~Osir Mountains, Atra Zarryn~

The task was mundane and strenuous, Eshe would be able to actually feel her muscles working (though it never got too much thankfully) or what felt like her muscles working as she worked in groups with the other new anub-khet players to move the trees.

A lot of ‘Heave Ho!” was heard in the area, both from the NPC groups and other players mimicking them for the fun of it.

“Man, talk about getting a workout in from the start,” joked one male player.

They kept working and their overseer kept a close eye on them all, letting them know where to move the trees and to watch out for anything underfoot that might trip them up. Coordinating all the groups into neatly putting the fallen trees and other debris into concentrated areas off the roads.

“We’ll have plenty of firewood!” the overseer NPC stated with a chuckle at one point.

Then there came the commotion after Eshe and her group finished their fourth tree, with only one remaining for the quest.

“Look out! We got an Osirian Ram entering into the area!” The overseer shouted. He seemed to be alerting the NPC groups, not the player groups. But the commotion grew a bit, with a few shouts.

“Careful! Just spread out and give it a wide berth, looks like a cranky one!”

A few tense moments passed and then up from around a bend came one anub-khet NPC running for his life as this ram….this very large ram bounded up right behind him. It was going all out with irritation aplenty throughout its furry body.



“WATCH OUT! JUST GET OUT OF THE WAY!” Shouted the overseer, who began scrambling from his vantage point to come help. It would take him a bit too long though.

The ram would strike the anub-khet in the back, HARD, and both the impact force coupled with the fact the horns seemed to pierce him as well, made him collapse onto the ground…where his body prompted disappeared within seconds. The overseer would halt, just briefly and express deep sorrow, before beginning to run in again.

The next problem was that while the NPC’s demise dropped a bag of money that pretty much anyone could claim, it happened quite close to where Eshe found herself standing.

And this ‘Osirian Ram’ was now turning to look right at her, its nostrils flaring. It was still mad and there was absolutely no indication of its level...

Tag: @Eshe

*****
Other Players IC:
~Troshian Coastline, Atra Zarryn~

It took a little while, just as Alusan assumed, but sure enough…the players started thinning out bit by bit. At least those doing the quest, as some seemed to linger in the area for a while to just enjoy the coast. Quite a few sitting down to just chat amiably. The more social types within the gaming circles evidently.

It would not take long for him to gather the six Coastal Guffers required as they were slow and the only fish to stick in the shallows, just like the NPCs had stated before.

When he was halfway through the simple quest, one of the other men hailed him from close by.

“Hey! Got an extra one by mistake, you can have it if you want.”

If accepted, he’d toss the fish over to Alusan so he can put it in his inventory and gave him a thumbs up. The guy seemed pretty comfortable with his surroundings already, but it was hard to say much else about him currently.



“Pretty amazing stuff, am I right?”

Not only was Alusan now faced with continuing his quest and the decision whether or not to converse with the friendly player, but also the dawning realization that for being a world wide distributed game…he had yet to have any issue with language barriers. Given there were only so many Africans playing the game, he had probably expected to run into problems by now. Yet so far there were none in that department. With everyone conversing nearby amongst themselves, he could make out what they were saying if he really wanted to concentrate on it.

How was that possible? Did the wonders of this game never cease?

Tag: @Alusan Zaruul

 

Meek Longears
Mission successfully failed?

Meek busted out laughing; the NPC's reaction was so life-like that it was absolutely funny how uncomfortable he made it feel. Plus, there was so much that Meek learned in this one little interaction;

1. He met the skill requirements, but he failed because he didn't implement them naturally and correctly.
2. For the deception and persuasion skill to work, one must consider the personality that it was being used on. Very different from what he was used to in video games.
3. There was an unknown element he was missing. Meek wasn't sure what it was, though. Maybe Intelligence? Questions for later.

Anyway, Meek probably disturbed the heck out of this life-like NPC with his laugh just now, so he made himself scarce and ventured out through the woods of Sanctuary. Meek wondered what he would do; collect five squirrels or collect five crystals.

Well, Meek checked his skills, wondering what he was best built for. After a thorough scan, Meek thought it best to pair up with a group if he could, preferably one that consisted of a fighter and healer who are easily malleable to his will. So Meek kept his eye out for people like that as he searched through the forest, deciding that it would be easier to look for the crystals.

If he couldn't find a group, then it wouldn't be too much of an issue. Worst case scenario Meek would probably start looting other players and stealing their rewards; he needed practice anyway.

@Darth_Elu

 

IC Jule Smiray/Vaarra Cudol
~Celes Grove, Othya~

Jule scrolled through all the options she had available for the skills chart. She made her choices and when all of the points she had been allocated in the chart were used it flashed and asked if she was satisfied with her choices. She nodded to the Yes icon and when she did a second message popped up asking if she was sure that those were the selections she wished.

Nodding at the Yes again, the new skills were added to the list of others that her character had come with. She scrolled through other menus and scowled for a moment at the lowered health. She’d have to figure out how to get her health back to 100.

But, for now, it was time to get back to the game. Trying to remember what the manual said about immersing herself again, she closed her eyes.

***

Vaarra opened her eyes, feeling that she’d rested for just a few minutes. She was a little sore from her fall from the tree but nothing bad. Watching others walk up to the one that had given them the task she saw that that was what she should have done in the first place.

Scooting up with her hips and back, against the tree, she brought herself back to standing. Slowly she made her way over to the Istiel male, ”I have the ten Starlight Prisms that you requested.” holding them out to him.

She waited, knowing the others had been given their prisms back then told something before moving off. Hopefully it was the next thing they needed to do. But, she then felt a rumble in her stomach, ”Where can we find food? I think I need the energy from racing through that task.”

Tag: @Darth_Elu

 

IC: Achelous
~Scarlet Cove, Othya~

As Achelous had gone about his work singing he was happy to note others joining in and others laughing! It was a good feeling, to be heard and to feel joined by the others in what they were all doing instead of that odd way of being separate that was a part of his normal life. Where often you are an invisible cog in the machine. The gathering went quickly, although he was reassured that he had gathered enough by the sight that no one else seemed to be turning in as big a pile of the Grass as he did.

Swimming though was now a whole new world, especially now that he was down here - breathing! Having one of the Bluefins down and three to go he was happy to figure out how the inventory system worked, he was sure he had read about it before, but he was sure he had forgotten.

Feeling inspired he had started to sing that classical music 'A Whole New World' from that old Genie movie as he went after more of the Bluefins.

The fish were quick and small, but he did not care. It was more time to sing and experience swimming in a new way that this literal new world afforded him and the others.

Being distracted by singing, or sometimes humming, and the new experience of swimming with a tail meant it was taking a while to gather the fish. He was on his last one when he was laughing at a sharp turn he made following the fish when he very nearly swam into another character. Stopping impossibly fast he found himself face to face with a female Siren that had stopped as well. Both of them were breathing heavy, her laugh causing him to grin and chuckle in response.



She was pretty, of course she had made herself that way just as he had tried to make himself handsome, but it still took him a moment to actually hear her talking. “Ha…Sorry about that! We nearly ran…er, swam into each other!”

She glanced about as if not sure what to do then. The realization slowly dawned on him that he was grinning and floating there like an idiot! Just staring at her.

“Um…The name’s Sarene. My - My character name, I mean.”

Well that answered the unasked question of if she was a PC or NPC. Waving he started signing as he spoke, "Hi! I am Achelous, my character name." he said with a shrug. He had spelled it out in sign without any thought. "You made a very beautiful character." It wasn't until he signed his next words that he realized what he was doing, specifically when he signed that she was 'Beautiful' as his fingers waved over his face before tapping his chest with his hand in a 'C' shape to indicate 'character'.

Turning a bit red himself he lowered his hands self consciously, "This game is amazing! . . .Sorry. Forgot I don't have to." He was making a right fool of himself wasn't he?


Tag: @Darth_Elu

 

IC: Shao Kang

Empire of Drahkabor
~Norkahn River~

Kang got his answer, but it wasn’t quite what he was expecting.

“Do I look like I have any bags on me to give?” replied the quest-giver dryly, though his eyebrow arched upwards amused. “As for the deer, well, I’ll let you figure out that little problem on your own. Ha!”

Shao Kang made a face which showed his surprise and mild displeasure. This quest-giver wasn’t very helpful at all. But before he could voice an objection another gamer spoke up.

“We can work together, if you wish. I do not mind assisting.”

It was a dark haired Atarak human male. Kang paused to consider the man’s words as he appraised him. Was that starting gear he was wearing?

“Teamwork is never a bad idea,” nodded the hunter overseeing them.

“Highly agreed, Grayson.”

Kang found himself nodding in agreement, mostly because he would need help. He had no clue how to catch a deer. He was a product of urban living for crying out loud. Besides, it was kinda exciting to meet another gamer here inside the game. As he was beckoned to follow, he absently wondered about who the player might be, but such was only a passing concern. He was here for the ‘deep dive’ after all, a fully immersive experience.

The two were now by the river and the newcomer seemed pleasantly amused as he turned.

“Since he is an NPC, I don’t think he’ll understand you when you speak typical game terms.” The Atarak man said.

“Yeah, I keep forgetting not to do that. I need to get into character, right?” Kang rubbed the back of his neck, trying to hide is slight embarrassment. He wasn’t new to the MMORPG genre, but this was like nothing he’d ever experienced before. It was going to take a moment to get used to all this…awesomeness.

“Anyway, as real as this place looks. We are still in a game, right? Just use your inventory. Should be enough space for the flowers and deer. We can just coordinate to pin it down then set in there. What do you think?”

“Wait…” Kang said, holding up a finger. “You can do that?” he blurted out in surprise, his fingers already tapping floating keys and opening his inventory. “Don’t tell me….” He said, shaking himself in the forehead with his hand. He was being way too literal[ in his approach. Inwardly he blamed the realism of the game world, it made him forget it wasn’t actually real.

“I feel like such a doofus!!” Kang exclaimed with a laugh, before clearing his throat and closing the inventory menu.

“If you agree, we should get moving. Don’t want to be too far behind!”

“Ok. Let’s do this!” Shao Kang beamed, quite relieved there wouldn’t be any need to hunt deer in the real sense.

“Oh, and by the way, I’m Shao Kang. Pleasure to meet you.”

Kang put out his hand to shake the helpful newcomer’s.

****

In short order, everyone was collecting Haranna Flowers. Kang was getting a bit frustrated as his little Q&A with the quest-giver forced them into a late start, no players were camping all the Haranna Flower spawn points for themselves.

'Well, that’s just peachy’ He thought, looking on sourly. The last thing he wanted to do was troll another player for a patch of flowers on the very first quest. That was plain unthinkable and not fun at all. We’ll their best bet would be to travel deeper into the forest or wait for someone to be done camping a spawn point.

‘I think this game is giving me a headache’ Kang chuckled as he mused to himself. The realism was beyond belief, yet he had to force himself to think in game terms, but act in character. This was so very exciting and mind-altering all at once.

Finally managing to spot an unclaimed patch of Haranna Flowers, Kang began to move towards it in earnest, unless some other player grabbed them first. Of course, that’s when he heard someone yell: “DEER! The deer are over here!”

Kang immediately turned in the direction of the voice. Thankfully, there seemed to be more than one deer.

“Let’s go!!” he said to his Atarak companion.

As he ran towards the area, Kang barely had time to evade a deer that bolted past him. Both he and the deer were startled by the near collision. “Gaaaahh!!!”

“Crazy deer!!” He yelled as he gained back his wits and resumed running after the feeling and zig zagging cervidae.

“Wait, how are we supposed to catch them again!?” he yelled back at the his new Atarak friend, even as one hand began to fumble with the floating keys. He didn’t even have time to wonder if anyone else was having better luck with this part of the quest.

Tag: @Darth_Elu, * ( @Bear Korr Avana )

 

Yorr Muarhmah
~The Ukk’nash Plains~
​

Joe's hands were dripping with perspiration. This was the most monumental moment of his life, even better than the time a girl told him he was a 'nice guy'! The game booted up, and he was then surrounded with the wintery landscape of Drahkabor. He grinned. He had extensively researched this area before he had gotten the game.

He turned his head and surveyed his surroundings.

​

Yorr, or Joe, shook his head. This was his worst nightmare! All around him, as far as the eye could see (well, not really), were the scum of the earth... The worst of the worst...

noobs.

He shook his head. Surely, surely, the devs knew that they had JOE, a.k.a GetGood42069, playing their game? He chuckled, and made sure to let all the others players know who they were dealing with.

His attention was then momentarily turned to an NPC who approached the group of pathetic noobs and the one amazing player. He listened to his words closely, and nodded in understanding.

He snorted when some of the noobs complained about a lack of equipment, but Yorr suffered from no such weakness.

"You guys all suck, watch me become the best player in this game." He drawled, with his signature Get Good baritone voice. He turned his head towards the boars. Heh, an easy task. He had herded thousands of sheep in Farm Simulator 67, and he knew what he was doing.

He charged forward, and roared out to herd five boars together, hoping... no... knowing his plan would work!

@Darth_Elu

 

Pax Vikkin

Hyun decided to fully immerse herself into the roleplay, after all, wasn't that why she was playing this game to get away from reality. It would not take long for Pax to go from flower to flower, the task was as simple as it was seemingly pointless.

Still, the quiet meditation pleased him, he gave him a moment to relax his mind, quiet moments were so hard to come by, and being able to relax was a blessing.

Pax began to breathe in deeply taking in the rich atmosphere once more. The jungle was beautiful, more beautiful than he could ever possibly imagine. It was at this moment that he realized he was seeing in a completely different way, not like a human whatsoever.

He was viewing the world through the eyes of an insect. The experience was mind-bending, to say the least

Some of the jungle bushes began to rustle as he touched upon another flower. He straightened his back, surveying what could have possibly caused the noise. He spied the Venus Flytraps, he slowly wandered over to them, making sure he was still at a distance that they could not get at him.

He bent down with one knee, his long antennae trailing on the ground.

"Hello my plant friends, will you allow me to pass?"

TAG: @Darth_Elu