Xinnidy Posted May 18, 2019 Share Posted May 18, 2019 (edited) All things considered, it was fairly simple getting to the guild, the main building definitely stuck out, multiple stories tall and large enough to be mistaken by some wealthy noble's manse. The signs at the entrance, however, exposed its far more communal purpose. Pushing the entrance doors open with one hand, Alf spotted the group rather easily --the table they had picked wasn't terribly hidden, and Alf made sure to remember the appearance of at least one of them: The tall red oni stuck out in a crowd, it helped. "Mnn... put, me down." Charles had woken up sometie during the walk. His groggy self didn't process how he was being carried, slumped over his friend's shoulder, but instinct pushed him to ask to get down before he could process it. With feet on the ground again, both Charles and Alf made it to the group's table. "Hey! Hope we didn't miss out on too much!" Alf was a bit more sociable than his friend, quickly taking a seat. "What's going on?" Charles was still struggling to pick up the pace from his sudden nap, rubbing his eyes some... they were still fairly reddish, a sign of his somewhat recent crying. "Hi... um, so, we're going to be a group, right..." Edited May 18, 2019 by Xinnidy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ursali Posted May 19, 2019 Share Posted May 19, 2019 The trip to the chapel had been more sobering than anything else up to this point. The fact that it wasn't just that one guy, Paul as Mysty called, really drove home the risk involved with going along with this game. Honestly, the bodies staying behind as, well, bodies was kinda freaky. This was a game, right? Why didn't they just pop into crystals or fade away into nothing? Thinking about it, she wasn't sure if that'd be better or worse for the friends, maybe family, of the deceased. Thankfully they didn't tarry for long, but their newest addition in the form of a half-orc by the name of Alf managed to blow Mysty's, or Charles', cover. She wasn't too concerned by the revelation, having been friends with more than a few of those kinds of people over her MMO experiences. Thankfully without an uproar, they moved onto the guild short one Alf and Mysty short while they finished burying their friend. The Guild hall was a cozy enough place for being a part of their virtual prison and it wasn't long before Clarissa was bringing more topics to the table, literally. Standing, rather than sitting, she gave her take on this party leader business. "Not really gonna help with making a decision, but I'm fine with either Jack or José. Haven't been in a leadership position before, don't really want to start now. 'Specially not with all the added risks here." Mysty and Alf had returned, finished with their task. "Nah, we just got here too. Just talkin' about who should be group leader. Clarissa, Felicity, and I have already dropped out of the running so, unless either of you want to hop in, it's just between Jack and José... Er, Ocelotlalli." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nanami Touko Posted May 19, 2019 Author Share Posted May 19, 2019 "Well... I don't know either of you, and you both seem good enough at surviving here. You killed a bunch of them, Jack, and Ocy, you managed to tank several hits and keep me safe, so... As far as combat is concerned you both have your merits... Oh, hey... Misty." The kid seemed pretty upset, and given what they'd just had to do, she wouldn't give them a stink eye. Not this time. "Okay, so, if the two of you are up for leading, what do we do next? What would each of you suggest?" She wasn't going to jump into the ideas wagon unless asked, though her first thought was to get them registered as a party. If the guild's info tab was accurate, when she'd looked at it before, they could register their party here and start taking on quests immediately, even getting some sort of bonus for being a big party. She didn't know what, but it said something. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Acacia Sgt Posted May 19, 2019 Share Posted May 19, 2019 It seems most opted out on being leader. As for himself, he already had weighted in on the matter. Still, perhaps it was time to weight in some more. "Well, I would not consider our battle performance as tied to the ability to lead," he replied to Nyahrissa. Or Clarissa, as she would better prefer. "Anyway, as for suggestions, well, I would say we start taking on quests already once we have this group business sorted. We have that Labyrinth thing to deal with as our end goal. So we should start preparing for that. Unless any of you plan to stay trapped here any more than necessary. I certainly don't." He frowned. He was quite aware of his own limitations. He wasn't fully sure on the ages of the others; but he himself knew he wasn't young. Sure, sixty-five may still be quite a while from the average life expectancy; but he couldn't discount on becoming an outlier. Bad already was the prospect of dying from a monster, or any kind of hazard this game could throw at you. It would be it's own brand of tragic if old age claimed him while still trapped in the game, far (in spirit if not in body) from his own family. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phoenix Posted May 20, 2019 Share Posted May 20, 2019 The situation reeked of indecision now, though Jack blamed himself for that as much as anyone else. They had only just met after all, and different combinations of individuals could have coalesced into a party in any number of ways. "I guess we're going the Co-Consul route til things make a bit more sense? Well, questing's definitely a good idea. We're not beating this game as level 2s, but if there's anything important we can get done while we're here, let's take care of that first." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xinnidy Posted May 20, 2019 Share Posted May 20, 2019 Ah, leadership. Charles was used to being the loudest voice between his friends ...as long as Paul wasn't up to his antics. He was used to mediating big communities --boys listened to him fine on the internet--. Between a bunch of strangers that already knew his identity, though? Right after everything that happened? Alf seemed pretty fine sitting this out, getting comfy on his seat. "I'm fine with not doing the thinking until fight time." All he really wanted was to live right now, really. He was more the grinder type anyways, watching numbers go up for that cathartic feeling. "Me and Charles were just going to go through the story quests until we could make a guild. We figured that'd be the quickest exp source." "The jump between this island and the next is big enough that we should focus on getting stronger..." Charles spoke up again, figuring he'd transplant some of his ideas to this group. "I'm pretty sure we'll need our own airship to access some of the later islands, too..." Most of his knowledge was from speculation sites, not having been a beta tester like Jack. "Quests related to the king should be the right track." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ether Posted May 20, 2019 Share Posted May 20, 2019 "So it's settled then~ Jack and Jose... hmm... you wouldn't make a good Jill... oh well~ Anyway, they'll be making all a'them executive decisions and whatnot for now, until we come across some sorta better configuration and whatnot, maybe one is better than the other, maybe one of us plebs turns out to be an adventuring genius, nyahaha~" Felicity chimed in, getting out of her chair with a twirl as she circled the table playfully, meandering over to the quest board. "Hmm hmm... so in my humble opinion, after a nice sunbath to regain our energy and for our castey-type individuals to recharge their magic tanks, we should grab one a these here quests and start carvin' up the countryside like adventurers tend to do~!" The enthusiastic catgirl added, pulling down one of the quest notices at random from the board and slapping it down on the table. "Plunder, booty, and lusty barmaids await~" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nanami Touko Posted May 20, 2019 Author Share Posted May 20, 2019 (edited) "Then... Okay! We have some leaders. Great." It was a bit calming to know she wouldn't have to string ideas along by the nose anymore. "Uhm, if we're all fine with each other, we should probably register the party. The NPCs should still function the same as they did before... Someone wanna go tackle that?" She would, if asked. Until then-- Nope, the other cat was being... Her. Clarissa had known her for less than a day, but was someone in this situation really able to act so ditzy and be super comfortable with it? It just felt weird. At least they had a quest now, so... Oh. "Goblin Subjugation?" Clarissa poked at the sheet, pulling it closer. By order of the Crown: A band of Goblins has been roaming the hills, pestering and harming travelers, merchants, and those caught unawares. Deal with the horde and be rewarded with gold fit for what you kill. EXP rewards: 200 to the party upon completion Gold rewards: 50 GP to the party upon completion Location: Chimore Highlands, Dusty Cavern Enemies present: Goblins, Kobolds, chance of Hobgoblin spawn "Certainly nice that they lay it all out like this for us... Gives us a bit of a chance. People up for it? Cavern, though... Not really sure how up I am for some spelunking, but it's just a game... A real game... I'm, a Feyline now, this shouldn't be difficult." The race was supposed to have better reflexes... Edited May 20, 2019 by SnakeMomMelissa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xinnidy Posted May 20, 2019 Share Posted May 20, 2019 (edited) "Horde killing right off the bat..." Charles was definitely less than enthusiastic off the bat. "I guess it gives more rewards than your usual fetch quest, just... I'm going to stock up before we live. I don't want to be KO'd in one hit again." Details about enemies present were what bothered Charles the most. "Goblins... chance of hobgoblings... ugh." Picking wizard was suffering. "That seems like a good choice to me. Don't think the enemies get easier than goblins and kobolds, and the reward is good, it seems." Alf was far more comfortable about it, not having been brought to death's door by them. "It'll be fine if you just trail behinds us, Mystia. After all, you're level 2 already, right?" He attempted some words of comfort to his friend, patting Charles' shoulder. "Pourquoi..." Edited May 20, 2019 by Xinnidy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phoenix Posted May 21, 2019 Share Posted May 21, 2019 "Seems simple enough," Jack shrugged, not having any other thoughts on the quest itself. Mystia's friend Alf suggested the former stay in the back essentially, which Jack thought was a good approach in any version of this game. They were all getting the same exp, and the consequences of individual KOs was potentially severe, so they should take every advantage they could get. "And yeah, anyone who's vulnerable should stick behind our tanks for now. No one's gonna blame you for taking the game seriously after that announcement ... anyway, I'll go get us registered, I guess. We're not missing anyone else are we?" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nanami Touko Posted May 21, 2019 Author Share Posted May 21, 2019 "Uhhhhhh..." Clarissa took a look around, counting on her fingers. "Ammy, Felicity, Misty, Alf, Jack, Ocelot, me... I think that's everyone. I don't think there was anyone else in the crowd with us at the time... If there were, they're gone now." The NPC running the guild was a middle aged looking woman with a rather intricate dress on. It was lined with pockets, likely to hold onto things, one of which a notepad and pencil could be clearly seen poking out of. She was standing at attention at the desk, likely waiting for interaction from any of the players. "Looks kinda... I mean, I know this is still a game, but with how real everything else feels, seeing NPCs standing around like that... It's... Upsetting. Sorta." Clarissa peaked at the NPC, who was staring off into nothing. "You'd think they'd have idle animations or, something." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phoenix Posted May 22, 2019 Share Posted May 22, 2019 "Not sure how long this thought experiment is going to last," Jack glanced around at the NPCs Clarissa mentioned, "but it wouldn't surprise me if these folks became self-aware. This is already pretty realistic. ... anyway ..." No one missing save for Paul then? Alright. Jack took mental notes of the group, checked and accepted some, though not all of the friend requests there ... some were from people he hadn't seen before, but had probably seen him in action over in the square ... and with that, he was ready to get them registered. Since they were already grouped up, he hoped the process would be rather simple. Unfortunately, Jack hadn't spent his beta testing days exploring the group content. He'd been too busy walking and having an absolute blast doing so. Jack approached the NPC running the guild and waved hello. "You handle registrations?" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ursali Posted May 22, 2019 Share Posted May 22, 2019 Leadership got sorted nice and civilly so there wasn't more to add to that conversation. Jack and José would be doing a joint leadership thing until further notice which, barring a severe lack of communication and coordination, should work out fine. It was quickly decided that, aside from forming a party, questing would be the next step on their long road to escape their escapism. Seemed like they already had a quest too, a little bit of goblin subjugation. "Yeah. Everyone was pretty spread out 'cause of that jackass just dropping monsters on us last time. If we're prepared we'll be sure to protect ya, Mysty. We got..." There was Alf, Jack, José, and herself, "four frontliners. Shouldn't be too hard." Amaterasu wasn't absolutely sure how combat worked in this game just yet, but she wasn't going to let that ruin her confidence. She was sure it would work out fine in the end as long as they prepared. "Though I'm a bit curious about that Hobgoblin spawn. Wonder what the exact rate is and how much stronger it's supposed to be." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nanami Touko Posted May 22, 2019 Author Share Posted May 22, 2019 "Oh, ugh, I hope they don't become self aware... That'd be a whole new mess to deal with..." She didn't want to think about bundles of data freaking out as they realized there world was just a game and that when it was all done they'd shut down. Too much to handle. "Wait, but I wanna be frontline too." Clarissa looked over at their oni, pouting. "I even bought a shield and a longsword to get ready for it..." She wasn't as big as the others, but she didn't want to sit in the back and toss spells at things. She wanted to hit stuff... Before this was all real, but she could steel herself for the rest of it as long as she had people with her. Hopefully. The NPC startled idling as Jack approached, checking over notebooks and smiling as he spoke. "Howdy there. We do handle registrations. Here to set up a party for questin'?" She had a bit of an accent, smile wide. "Just need ya to write down your party members so I can officially toss you inta the guild's logs." She slid a book over to him, a prompt appearing in front of him. It had a drag and drop box, for him to drag the names of people on his friends list into the party submission box. Simple. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Acacia Sgt Posted May 22, 2019 Share Posted May 22, 2019 "After that stunt on the park, I can't put my full trust it may be just a 'chance'," José weighted in about the quest. "In any case, we should at least treat it as if it will happen." As it was, there were other things he to comment about as well. "I would advice against it," he said, regarding Clarissa wanting to be a frontliner. "If this was still a game, it would be one thing. However, with our actual lives on the line, we should prioritize our survival." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phoenix Posted May 24, 2019 Share Posted May 24, 2019 Jack realized just how effective Edwin's stunt with Paul and the VRX had been. Even with menus popping up in front of him constantly, his immersion remained untouched. That was just the way 'reality' worked now, he supposed. Stiff NPCs, little elf girls named Charles, and floating menus. This is why both Verner and Jack didn't drink ... "Got it in one, Miss," Jack nodded playfully. He pretended to write down the names of the party's members with one hand while dragging them over in the menu with the other, not sure if the Guild woman would notice or care. Considering how oblivious they seemed, she'd probably be more interested in him ostensibly being a lefty ... "There we go," Jack smiled once he was finished, "Anything else we need to take care of before we get going?" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ether Posted May 25, 2019 Share Posted May 25, 2019 "Some proper lines would be good... I couldn't really use my bow very well in all the chaos of that frenzied melee..." Felicity noted, nodding her head at the assessments made so far. Goblins and Kobolds shouldn't be much of an issue with proper combat lines, and while a hobgoblin could be problematic... the chance seemed to be low, and they would be prepared for the possibility. As for those lines themselves... "Having an extra frontliner couldn't hurt... more targets means you'd hope for a better spread of damage. If she wants to try it, I'm willing to trust that she can handle it. Just retreat to backline if things feel dicey." The Feyline chimed in, glancing over at Jack. Was he pretending to write in the book while menuing? Well... commitment to roleplay and all that... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xinnidy Posted May 28, 2019 Share Posted May 28, 2019 "I-I'm only safe on the backline as long as you guys can handle... I hope we don't take more than we can chew. Ever." Charles wasn't very comfortable with the idea of having his life depend on the whims of a dev's sense of game balance. Ease of trial and error was what oftentimes made some challenges fair, but they lacked that luxury here... "I should've gone main cleric..." "Well, we can't get out of this with nothing ventured. We'll just need to do our best all the time." Alf tried to reason. In truth, top performance all the time didn't sound that reasonable, but they didn't want to think about making sacrifices if it came to it either. It was a measured response. "What's done is done. Just figure out the big threats and take them out before they wreck the frontline --we've got a pretty balanced team--." That much was true. It seemed enough convincing to calm Charles for the time being. "It'd be more comfy if our cleric wasn't a frontliner as well... I'd prefer you at the back, Clarissa." It was reasonable to want the healer safe and focused on healing duty, but Charles was honestly more concerned about having a healer close to himself. "B-but, if you want to be up front... well, I suppose you are well-equipped." Maybe Charles would need to invest on some healing himself... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nanami Touko Posted June 3, 2019 Author Share Posted June 3, 2019 "What? Hey! I was just unprepared, like everyone, when the fighting started. I'm fine now... I've got the equipment and the stats for frontline, you know? Shield and sword and everything... And my class can do it, so don't just count me out." Clarissa sighed, at least it was just the old man against her. It was still kinda lame to get shot down immediately... "I'll prove it to you through this quest. Just trust me. I'm not trying to throw my life away, and it'd be better than tossing frickin', magic missile from the back..." Hopefully she'd made her case. At least the wizard had more than just magic missile, hopefully, and the other cat had a bow. She'd bought a crossbow, but... That was for emergencies, not regular use. "Well, I figure I should let you know, each island has a special dungeon on it. Yer party starts at rank E, y'hear? Every party has to beat the main dungeon on the island to get access to the next. They won't even let you buy an airship unless you do! So make sure you all can handle yourselves before jumping into things. Don't want none of ya dyin' out there... Otherwise, you're all good. Party's registered~ Thanks, mister! Feel free to order somethin' before you head out on any quests!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phoenix Posted June 3, 2019 Share Posted June 3, 2019 "I should head back first," Jack said, "May as well order as a group if we're ordering, right?" That bit of information about airships was interesting, though. Jack wondered how much they cost and how the party would go about acquiring one. As a formal air force hopeful, Verner had a fondness for aerial vehicles, even more so than for the wings he now sported on his back. Compared to a machine that could fly, his wings were more akin to his legs in this world. Heading back over to his party, Jack said, "We're good to go, guys. We should grind up as fast as we can, too. We're stuck on this island until the main dungeon's clear ... by the way, anyone wanted something to eat here? Might not want to fight on an empty stomach." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Acacia Sgt Posted June 4, 2019 Share Posted June 4, 2019 José sighed. "Fine, if you insist," he said. He still wasn't on board on having the only dedicated cleric to be on the frontline, at least this early; but he knew better than trying to argue about it. If this proves to be more trouble than its worth, I'm prioritising on my sub-class, he thought. It was a good thing the class combination he had. Soon, Jack had returned. "Oh, we're doing the quest right away? Well, I'm fine as is. I already ate not long before entering the game. I can still wait for dinner." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ether Posted June 5, 2019 Share Posted June 5, 2019 "We may as well get right to it, then. If anyone wants to eat, they should be fine to grab something road-worthy. It'd suck if another group partied up and beat it first!... Err... is that how things work in this game? Can quests be sniped out or something... I guess we'd have no way to know unless it said somewhere in some promo stuff I didn't read... oopsie~" Felicity replied, eyeing the menu posted on the wall. It wasn't an actual interface, but it was probably relatively accurate to what the vendor would sell. "Ooh, they've got those big mutton drumsticks you always see! I wonder what it tastes like..." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ursali Posted June 6, 2019 Share Posted June 6, 2019 "...Do we even need to eat in this game? Like, do you think we'll actually feel hungry and stuff?" The game had been toted as an immersive MMO experience, so she could imagine there would be skills devoted to useless but otherwise time-consuming, and arguably fun, skills like cooking or fishing. Whether that led into a hunger mechanic was another matter entirely. It wasn't like they would have time to grind them up anyway, a fast escape seemed to be at the top of their list. "Actually, what about sleep, anyone got any ideas if we still need to do that too?" "I agree." Ammy uncrossed her arms and stood up straighter. "No need to wait around, 'specially if we're gonna need to clear the main dungeon before we can even leave this tutorial island." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xinnidy Posted June 7, 2019 Share Posted June 7, 2019 "So we need to go through the main quest, like I thought." At least this was a constant, even if the nagging feeling that the stakes were increased to their lives still kept Charles on guard. "S-so, we should prepare as much as we can before leaving... I don't believe there's a hunger mechanic, however." Would they need to keep track now as well? That would mean even more supplies, if stuff like thirst and hunger were implemented. "Mechanics or not I'm getting a bite of something! Food helps calm the nerves." Alf interjected his friend with a hearty chuckle. Why couldn't they reward themselves after a cascade of bad news? They weren't at the peak of mental strength, as Alf saw it. Besides, food was food! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nanami Touko Posted June 12, 2019 Author Share Posted June 12, 2019 "Eating? I don't think there's a bar for that anywhere... Maybe for sleep, but... Now I'm worried about our bodies in the real world." Especially mine... Is... Is my mom even going to notice I'm not around? Maybe when I don't come out for dinner... Ughhh, don't think about it... You can't do anything about it now. "You guys can eat if you want, or whatever. I'm not interested." Everything was incredibly real, though. If she did eat, it would probably smell and taste real... Would that mess with her body's digestion? Would the brain process food, when there wasn't any? Stop thinking about it! Too much to consider! Fed and prepared, the group made their way from the town towards the Chimore Highlands. Sprawling plains and rocky outcrops, some of which housed caves and one of which housed the island's dungeon. This quest was far and away from such a place, leading them through the grass towards a small cave opening. The blowing wind tussled with Clarissa's dress, the girl grabbing onto it a moment as the breeze passed. It smelled so nice, the sky was clear, things were almost serene. Maybe if her life wasn't on the line, she could get used to this sort of VR. "I guess they're all in there? Should we peek in, or...?" Goblins in a cave felt so cliché, but here they were... "Who, uh... Who wants to go first?" The cave opening stood roughly fifteen feet tall, light disappearing some twenty feet in, though it clearly did not end there. The dripping of water from the ceiling could be heard echoing out, but nothing else. No wind howling, wherever the cave led, it very likely did not have another entrance. Barely visible on the ground of the cave were footprints, likely of goblins and kobolds that had come in and out. If this was their stronghold, it would contain whatever riches or items they had stolen and held onto. Exploring that far, though... Torches would be a necessity, to say the least. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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