A New Life (Sword Art Online-based RP) [Yuna & Malin's 1x1]

LadyYunaFFX2

LadyYunaFFX2

Pulsar
Joined
Nov 1, 2012
Location
Boone, NC


The light buzzing and humming of Suki's cell phone had been what woke her up. Yes, the cell phone ... not the doorbell. When she was genuinely tired, she could sleep through almost anything. But maybe it was the fact that few people had her number whereas the use of her front door could have just been some prankster. Her cell? Not as likely. A light groan passed her lips as she sat up in her bed, rubbing the sleep away from her eyes as she flipped the screen open.

"Your package for ... " Stopping in mid-sentence, Suki almost instantly felt wide awake as the rest of the words reflected in her eyes. Without a second thought, she rose to her feet and darted to her door. Sure enough, said package was indeed there, awaiting for her. And she knew that inside was what she'd been awaiting to obtain for several months now. An MMO -- but not just any. It was more like virtual reality. Slip a visor on and you could be inside the game you play! Setting her cell phone down, she carefully grasped the box then began pulling it into her room, using her foot to close the door again.

Ugh, thank gods that at least this is a damn efficiency and nothing overly huge ...

Because of that, it didn't take quite as long to get the VLG into her room. Using a switchblade - something she had hidden away in her room as break ins were sometimes common in the area she resided in - she flipped it open and began working on giving herself access to the device.

Suki had read the online instructions over the past weeks and already knew what to do. And now .. here it was. The visor that would allow her to change her life, completely. All the drama and crap like that ... she wouldn't have to endure it again, or so she hoped.

As far as Suki was concerned, she had little to no life at all. She'd hated it for years, loving at most the ability to learn at school. But she'd never had any real friends, her parents had died when she was a young age, her guardians had been pricks ... it made her wearily sigh. Her left hand lightly clasped around one of the last gifts given to her by her mom; a pendant and lightly squeezed it as she thought about them.

She was doing what was correct ... wasn't she? So why did Suki suddenly feel hesitant? She swallowed softly, glancing down at the visor again. "... What more do you have to lose?" She murmured softly. "This is what you've been waiting for anyways, yes? So ... "

But before she logged herself in, another thought came to Suki. It'd likely be wise to change into ... something that wasn't a nightgown. Setting the visor down upon her bed, she pulled her pajamas off, grabbing a new pair of panties, bra, pair of denim jeans and comfortable tank top. Nothing was supposed to happen to her body but on the off-chance that wasn't true -- she didn't want to be in such a vulnerable state.

Her body shook slightly as she lied down on her bed, upon her back. Semi-shaking hands took the VLG and slowly slid it over her eyes, gently pushing the ON button to activate the device. Still, despite her anxieties Suki couldn't help but smile. After entering her username and password, she saw the character creation. Another nervous swallow left but this time she exhaled deeply to keep herself calm.

The name part had been easy, she'd thought of that for quite a while. It was filled in with a simple and yet elegant name all the same; Tsukihime, literally translated as 'Moon Princess'. It was a popular name, even used as one for another anime but she referred to herself and her love for the night over the day.

Scrolling carefully over the classes, Suki had a few that she'd contemplated on. A Templar wouldn't be too bad, especially since they could heal. Even the Blade Singer had gotten her attention for a while. But in the end, she decided on the Shadow; the thief or assassin more or less. She'd done a few similar characters in other MMOs before and thoroughly loved them. She assumed stealth would exist here .. or even if not, the speed that came with the class should. And with the latter racing through her head, Suki had a theory on how to do this well enough.

Sometimes it's not having an overly stronger character which can give one the best head start but faster. And hell, rogues were actually really good with DPS. Most basic quests gave potions real fast so even if she tried to solo a few dungeons and such ... she should live. That, of course, was the easy part of Suki. Now she had to choose her appearance.

Hm ... nothing exactly like the real me ... She inwardly mused. As much as Suki loved her actual body, it'd be ... nerve-wracking for complete online strangers to figure out she was a raven-haired teenager with blue eyes. The eyes she kept, albeit not nearly as bright as her real ones. The hair, though, was a bright blonde hue, more along the lines of 'champagne blonde' to be exact. It was also a hell of a lot shorter than she'd like but none of the 'long' hairstyles had gotten her attention much. They seemed like they tried a tad too hard so she'd gone for something less complex. But what had been most unique on her choice of hair wasn't the length or color but rather it's style. It was incredibly wild and untamed, seeming to blind her vision.

But in a way ... this was a good thing. It would give the 'mysterious yet beautiful' look about her. And that was definitely what she was aiming for. After all, assassin-like characters weren't meant to easily reveal themselves, right? What better way than to keep people guessing?

A nervous but genuine smile crossed her lips as another gentle exhale from her nose and swallow left. Well ... that's it. Reaching a finger slowly up, she hit the "Log In" button and closed her eyes behind the visor. By the time they opened again, she'd be in "Sword Art Online". Suki was incredibly nervous .. but so very excited all the same. Her eyes slowly opened, adjusting to see what now was before them ...
 
Erin Stalt,(Online Username: Spice)

Dear god the line up seemed like it took forever. Midnight releases sucked. Sitting in line with all the cos-players had been interesting enough, talking game strategy had been something else entirely, but it was the spoilers he hated. So many of the people around him were obsessed with the beta testing rumors. "Did you know this, and you could do that." Still when he finally got to the counter and finally got the copy of sword art online, when it was all said and done, Erin couldn't help but feel a wave of satisfaction.

Turning around his chair he waved a not so fond farewell to the people around him and rolled lightly towards the door. Yes, Erin was paralyzed from the waist down, and he used a wheel chair. When he had been small he had been hit with his families car, his body been tossed like a rag-doll and his spine had been dislocated and broken. It had been an accident of course, and he was long used to the idea that he would never really walk again, as he rolled up to his house. He was tired, really it had been a long day, and it was well past midnight by the time he rolled through the door.

Setting his computer up, he let the install go, and he hopped himself from his chair to his bed. Stripping he dropped onto the bed. He watched the progress bar fill as he laid back in his chair, in the morning the servers would go live, and he would able to play, but for now the computer needed to go through the dozen drivers for the headset, and not to mention all the memory space, and added features this game had. Closing his eyes Erin slept through the rest of the night in eager anticipation.

The setting of sword art online was fascinating an MMO, that chose to have no magic, and very few ranged attacks, instead choosing to focus on challenging sword skills. There wasn't so much of a class system as there was a starting weapon, and even if you didn't like the weapon you chose initially it wasn't really hard to train up a secondary or even third weapon set. The game had enough content with things like fishing and crafting that it seemed like it would be able to last for years.

It was so far stuck on Erin's mind that sleeping didn't actually sleep for very long, it was barely past the crack of done before he had to get up. Getting himself to the washroom he went through his morning ruitine, before finally taking his place at his computer. Sure enough it was showing installation was complete, and servers were ready to start.

Character creation, Erin let out a small sigh as he started to model his avatar, he had chosen a non name, well actually it was part of a tittle from an old anime he had used to watch, and he had even gone so far as to model his avatar after Kraft Lawrence. Not for any reason in particular, aside from the fact that they were around the same age, as Erin was around 23. He would have stood in at around 6' but thanks to having to sit it didn't really show. His red hair was something he had never really liked, and always wanted to bleach, but he made do with what he had.

Lawrence on the other hand had a more desirable look to him, tall profound, he looked older and dignified. It was the kind of face that Erin wished he had instead of the one he was born with. His low self esteem was something he knew needed to be worked, on, but there was something more important then that at the moment.

Erin's breath felt cold at the moment as he held up the visor to his face. A vr mmo, a game that not only looked real, but felt it too. It was kind of idiotic to think that was possible, but at the same time what he wouldn't give for those adds to be telling the truth. As Erin placed the visor on and went through all the set up, he finally got into the log on screen.

The flash of light that accompanied the log on was blinding, He blinked, his eyes adjusting as he felt his weight shift, he felt stiff for a moment, and his arms went to rub along his face, waiting for the blur to end. When the world finally faded in, and the colors returned to his vision he found himself looking at the ground. His long legs, felt stiff at first... they hadn't moved in ten years , but as he rose up to take a step he felt his weigth shift, and his balance go with it, falling head over heals and flat on his face. "Ow." Getting to his feet slowly this time he tested his new legs out. His attention was so focused on his feet, that he really wasn't paying attention to the crowds around him, or the vibrant colors, of the mmo world. He was more or less just excited that he was slowly but surely relearning how to walk.
 


A few more blinks was all it took for Suki to feel her vision finally adjust. She panicked for a few brief moments, hardly able to see. But when her hands moved up, she 'felt' the reason; her hair in front of her eyes had merely blocked the scenery. ...Well duh. Ugh, gotta get used to this new body I suppose ... A smirk crossed her face as more scoldings echoed in her mind for a while. Her right hand took a portion of the new blonde hair and pulled it away, enough to see all that was now before her. The smirk almost instantly faded away as her mouth opened, her breath taken away even. "... Holy .. wow .... "

It was all she could muster and verbally say aloud. She loved her hometown of Nagasaki, Japan, and had deemed it one of the most beautiful things she'd seen in her life. But this .... had a new aura and beauty about it. She couldn't fully explain it or place it to herself. Then again, sometimes it was the reactions that was all one needed to make any verdict of sorts too. Her head gazed around, Suki's right hand continuing to keep her hair held away before an idea came to her. All first level characters were given basic equipment, yes? So .... where was hers now?

No backpack over her shoulders ... and for a bit, there seemed to be no hints on where to find her gear. " ... You're fucking kidding, right?" The seventeen year old murmured, panic trying to take over once again. Curiosity dominated her mindset though as she found a device similar to a PDA or iPhone at her side. After a few manipulations and navigations, she found the 'backpack', seeing even that was more of a virtual thing as opposed to having to carry every single thing around. In it's own way, it was honestly a bit of a blessing. She thought back on other games which didn't have any system even close to this ... and inwardly cringed. One likely could become easily overburdened with far too much weight if this were any other MMO.

But alas, it wasn't.

Scrolling down through the list, Suki found a few basic pieces of armor and the item she had been seeking out at first for her idea; a dagger. The pride of all assassin-like characters. Pressing each item on the list, they slowly appeared on her, the blade literally in her hands within seconds. She swallowed softly, gazing and admiring down at the weapon. Seeing such a thing on television shows and similar media methods was one thing. But to have one? That was something so very new. It held a sense of power and danger simultaneously. Her head shook no as she managed to mentally convince herself her hands were much more stable; at least enough to avoid being stupid and wounding herself. Exhaling softly, she lifted the dagger up towards her face.

With a deft, graceful movement, she cut a bit of the bangs away, letting them fall upon the grass. "There .. " she murmured, grateful to now have an easier view of ... well, everything. The grass, land, sky ... any and everything. Her hand rested near her side, the blade remaining grasped firmly within it. A genuine smile replaced the more typical smirk that she tended to have upon her face. Kneeling before a nearby pond, she noted Suki had cut off the exact amount of bangs she'd wanted. While it did allow her to see everything, it still kept her eyes somewhat concealed, enough to keep the 'mysterious' feel around her.

"Good ... " She murmured, standing up as she began going through the quest list. It was basic, of course. Then again, most MMOs didn't have anything overly fancy at the start. Besides, drop items and equipment would no doubt show up later on. A small chuckle passed her lips as the word 'pigs' caught her eyes. Cliche but ... ah well. Any starting point was better than none. Clicking on the tracker, she began to follow the map, passing several other figures along the way.

It was selfish ... but she hardly paid heed to any. Most other MMOs Suki played, she did solo -- for the most part, anyways. She did dungeons with others but that was generally the most. Besides, in her mind, it seemed more fitting for an assassin ... didn't it? She nodded slowly to herself. Of course it does, especially the 'freelancer' types. No shame in doing things without help .... Her anxiety began to kick in slightly as she counted past ten in the amount of individuals she walked by. Without thinking, her hands reached back and carefully pulled the hood attached to her cloak up, concealing most of her face from the sides. One would have to be directly in front of her by this point to see the Aryan-looking female.

Soon enough, she arrived in front of the pigs. It was gathering their skins to turn into an NPC. Pulling the PDA up back again, she began scanning around to look at the section on how to do Skills. There appeared to be no hotkey. Well ... this would definitely be a productive day, if nothing else. The thought made her smile. It hadn't been more than five minutes of being within Sword Art Online but already, Suki was loving this life much more than her 'old' one.
 

Walking or rather learning to walk, had taken Spice an embarcingly long amount of time. He had people starring at him, asking if he needed assistance, and eventually when he had figgured out balance he had managed to get out of the view of the crowd. It was silly sure, but he hadn't used those muscles in a long time, and he was already feeling kind of tired. Still it was... breath taking really, not just the fact that he could walk in this world, but the world it's self was vibrant and unlike anything he had seen before.

Choosing the starting weapon was certainly an activity, walking through the shops he sighed, it was a bit of a chore honestly. Axes, swords of all shapes and sizes, daggers, none of them seemed to have the impact that Erin was looking for. Eventually he decided to re read the skills, and charts, swipping his hand over the air it was like magic as the several dots appeared. The book he had gotten had told him all about the menu and interface, but seeing it was believing it really.

Moving through to find his skill set, he sighed finding all of them at a flat zero. It was only natural of course that he had no skill set he had just logged on, but at the same time it was kind of heart breaking for him. Spice checked and rechecked the weapon lists, lances, for fighting at a distance, one handed swords for sword and shield, daggers for assassins, could be combined with various poisons through the alchemy guide, he shivered slightly the idea of being hit with a paralyzing dagger not being at all pleasant to him.

Smiling as he settled on his weapon he bought his starting equipment and made his way to the starter questing area. Peased enough to walk through the fields, he saw the arena of wild pigs, and only a hand full of players going about their fights in the rings. Drawing his new weapon the heavy warhammer smacked the ground with a satisfying thud, leaning against the pole arm he rested his chin on the long handle. It was a two handed war hammer, and he watched the others.

There were very few solo players, most had already formed small groups and guilds, but in truth Spice didn't even have a clue on where to start with the combat. He just stood back letting the more experienced players fight, a kind smile on his fight as he admired the work of others. It was his first time playing this game, and more then that he still didn't really know how any of the combat worked in this world. ~God I must look like an idiot standing here like I am.~
 


It'd only taken a couple minutes for Suki to understand that there was a damn good reason for the lack of skill hotkeys. Why? Simple ... one didn't learn them from an NPC. No no, individuals in Sword Art Online actually performed them. She'd been slashing her dagger through the air for a good while, working on her technique and handle on the weapon. Each swing had given her more confidence, a stronger sense of power ... it was as exhilarating as the game thus far. And dear gods she was loving it ... even if a bit more than she likely should. But the hell with that ... why should she mind or care? She shouldn't ... after all, that was what games were for, right? To enjoy oneself?

Well partly. Regardless, she was definitely doing just that. The very abrupt noise of something heavy making impact with the ground not too far off, though, nearly made her jump. Exhaling softly, she glanced back behind herself to see a lone male wielding quite the massive warhammer. He was likely going for an up-close DPS role if not a tank, going by the weapon more than anything. She would almost add appearance in .. but that would be hypocritical of her. For one, she hated people who judged solely on looks. After all, it wasn't as if she seemed to fit the role of an assassin-like player, now did she? Not likely. And two ... she temporarily forgot.

Ah well ... if it's important enough, it'll return to you .....

Her heart raced slightly and after some more hesitation, Suki finally spoke up, keeping her gaze in front nearby the pigs. "You need to work on this quest also, I'm guessing? I should be done soon enough if you want me to move and avoid kill stealing ... " The voice was gentle yet hinting she could easily make it turn stern if and when needed and gave easily away her gender. For the time being, though, Suki didn't overly feel like giving too much away of herself, in game or her actual identity outside the MMO.

Whilst waiting for the male's reply, she kept true to her word and finally began - quite literally - cutting the pigs down. They only needed ten ... and she was already close to half-way done. If nothing else, she was clearly two things; a woman of her word and a hell of a fast learner.
 

"Mmm?" Spice was caught from his silent stairing as one of the players in the field walked up to him and spoke. Shaking his head lightly in a no. He smiled and stretched slightly picking up his hammer it felt odd sure it was heavy but nearly as heavy as he would have expected a weapon of that size to be. Smiling slightly he kind of just wanted to walk away after his thoughts about how daggers were his worst nightmare he had to admit that being approached by a woman shrouded but also holding such a blade, was a little more then terrifying for him.

"Sorry, I was just thinking I didn't mean to disturb you." The truth was he had no idea how to access quick commands or even fight with his chosen weapon. Even so he gave the woman a kind smile. She actually seemed rather nice, well for an assassin anyway. She was probably gonna end up playing pvp with those daggers, a thought that gave him a cold chill really. Then again she actually seemed to have a better grasp on the combat system then most of the others around him, and it lead him to the inevitable question he had to ask.

"Actually... uhm... I really have no idea how to play this game." Spice scratched his head lightly as his face was still so vacant. God he must have looked stupid, jumping into a game without any clue on how to actually play, but it wasn't exactly like he had any friends who played this kind of game, rather he didn't seem to know anyone, and that was gonna be a problem sure enough. Solo players almost never got very far in this type of game, then again she was also a solo player, maybe she would want to form a team with him? "If you could spare some time, maybe you wouldn't mind teaching me?" His voice was very polite, and he even gave a small bow towards the girl. Sad as it might have seemed a fast learner Spice was simply not.
 


Really? He didn't want to disturb her? That ... was honestly something new Suki had never heard of before. Then again, this was the first MMO where she was playing as the character she'd created instead of remaining behind her screen so ... it was already so very different from what she was used to. An amused smirk crossed her face, only concealed by the cloak remaining in front of her face as she gave a slow but noticeable nod, signaling she heard his reply. "It seems like one is more likely to break focus than disturb another, especially with how skills work going off of this ... "

And there came the magical question; if she could teach him. It was ... intriguing and another thing she wasn't at all used to. In fact, she'd likely be given hell if this were back in the real world. It was a 'trend' given to her for being smarter than most other people. Her grip tightened upon the blade but she mentally reminded herself that Suki wasn't out there. She was in here, in Sword Art Online. This had been a good reason she'd bought the game, to start anew, create a new life for herself. There would be no sense on dwelling in the past here.

"Mind you, it's still somewhat new to me also. But I can give pointers on what I've noted thus far, I suppose, as this is not my first MMO. Merely the first which has allowed me to literally be within it." By the time Suki finished speaking, she had finished the quest. Her hand lowered at her side, simultaneously avoiding stabbing herself with her own weapon. "Well ... before you try to work on your skills, have you even equipped your beginning gear? The cloak, for example, is mine. There should be some key pieces exclusively for your person. Get those on; you won't need the armor and hit points as much with these ... but later on? Definitely."
 

"I'm already equiped with my starting gear." He said lifting the hammer. His 'class' did use the heavier hammer it was true, and he was wearing padded clothing, he could feel the heat from it, but nothing he was wearing was particularly hard, except for the chest piece, he had to guess that as time went on he would get actual metal armor, but at the moment everything was just padded, and that wasn't really a bad thing he honestly doubted that these pigs would last even one whack with his hammer. There was something else that crossed his mind with this girl as well, something he couldn't quite place a finger on.

Looking around the field he saw the other players finishing up with the quest, but also they were practicing the thing that combat revolved around the sword skills. Powerful blows that made their swords and weapons glow as they struck dealing extra damage. They came in all shapes and sizes so it seemed, but that was the very thing that Spice was having a problem figuring out how to use. He was sure he could swing the hammer around as much as he wanted, and not really feel all that fatigued by it, but there seemed to be more then just swinging wildly, figguring out that would be the key to his success in this world.

"Actually this one is my first MMO, I never really played video games before logging into this one, well I guess that's a lie I had some baisic stuff growing up, but nothing like this." The only reason he had managed to save up and buy this game at all was via his new part time job, which he got so he could afford this game. This was the life he had wanted to have, and chosen for himself rather then the one in which he was... he shook his head.

"So yeah I would love some pointers, I know our classes are a little different, my weapon probably takes longer time between swings, but i'd bet that a heavy war hammer like this one, does more damage then those tiny daggers you got." Spice said with a small smile. "By the way My name is spice, what's yours?" The name may have been dumb, but to all hell if he wasn't gonna keep what he had chosen for himself, and in truth he could do with having a friend around right about now.
 


So he was a beginner and not all at the same time. He at least knew to put the armor on and how to wield the weapon well enough. That in itself was a good enough start, she supposed. Suki went silent, thinking on where best to start. Well .. if he knows of skills but not how to activate them, likely around there somewhere ... Finally turning to face, as he addressed himself, Spice, Suki silently tried to size him up. At least one could easily guess that was something she was doing .. which was half-true. She was curious how well he may end up doing and sometimes it was easy to guess by looking at someone and noting certain things about them. Steadily, her semi-concealed eyes went down to his hands and her head tilted lightly.

"For one ... does that grip feel natural to you? If not, you should probably adjust it until it does. As far as damage output goes ... normally, you're right. But some systems - most in fact - take critical hits into account. And between the two weapons, daggers are far more infamous for those. So on a normal hit, you'd definitely win. But if one focuses on their appropriate skill to land a deadly blow ... it can outdo most of any weapon as far as wounds go."

Waiting for him to adjust his grip if it was needed, she held her blade in front of her and at the ready. "Now to use a skill ... it relies heavily on your initial motion input. Timing is everything ... essential, moreso in this game than most others. Likely because we actually use them instead of the usual AI." Hidden blue eyes remained upon one of the pigs nearby as her ankles tensed. Hopefully this Spice character would be able to learn somewhat easily by watching. Most others she knew did so ... this should work, even if only a bit.

"Wait until it feels right ... then .... " Her arm deftly moved horizontally in the air and as fast as it appeared, the boar soon vanished as it's life was taken away. "Release the skill. Do it too soon or late and it won't work nearly as well. My name ... is Tsukihime." Her arm relaxed and went back beside her once again. "Now you try." Her eyes remained in front of her as she prepared to watch ... and see if she'd made the lesson easy enough to comprehend. Hopefully he could get this down in at least ten tries or less. If not ... well ... thankfully for him, Suki was somehow incredibly patient. Where that trait came from was beyond her knowledge, especially to these days.
 

Spice physically winced when she said her piece about deadly blows. he really didn't want to mess with her weapons, in fact he was starting to realize he may actually be afraid of daggers in general. More so because they were a very much a pvp weapon. He knew this was just a game but part of him also had read the part in the book where if he took damage it would hurt in the moment. Sure he might not die, but damn it he really didn't want to experience being stabbed by other people. Shaking off the feeling of instant mistrust of someone who tried so hard to look like an assassin, he set that aside and listened to her explanation on powers and how to use them.

Taking up his war hammer he breathed, adjusting his hands so that he had a good grip on himself he took a small swing with it. Turning away from the assassin but still keeping an eye on her he took a few practice swings. Sighing feeling more ready then he had been in the past he smiled and turned back to the woman who had given her explanation. He nodded it didn't seem like there was any kind of UI past the digital one he could bring up, and the health display, but there was one thing he wanted to ask.

"Okay then before I start out on this quest, would you mind if I asked a small favor?" It was almost kind of embarrassing but he swallowed his pride any way and asked. "I actually don't know anyone inside this game, would you mind joining a team with me? or at the least giving a friend invite?" Spice scratched his head, he didn't even know if that was appropriate to ask but at the same time he honestly didn't know anyone, and she was kind enough to teach him how to play. Well at least teach him the part he didn't understand, That and she was more knowledgeable then he was when it came down to these games. Having someone near him who was an expert was more then helpful when it came down to the idea of staying around someone else.

"You don't have too if you prefer to play alone, but I don't really have a community of any kind. I'm sure that later on there will be guilds I can sign up with, but for now no one has really started any of those. There's just us solo players, and those with friends." He had to admit that he regretted not having any friends who enjoyed this kind of gaming. So maybe he was better off learning how to play with some of these people. In fact that would probably be for the best, hanging around with more experienced players would do him well.
 


Peripheral vision allowed Suki to see Spice adjusting the hammer, as she'd advised. Well ... he at least knew how to listen. It was a good start though mainly for himself. Her focus went back to in front of them and not but seconds after she did this, he spoke up ... bringing up everything she'd sworn to avoid doing in the midst. Her teeth found her lower lip and gripped it slightly, her head tilting up in thought. The immediate answer was 'Hell no!' but before the thought passed her lips, the girl began to seriously think on the entire situation along with some of Spice's words. Technically, she didn't expect anyone else to know another individual from the game, or few in amount if any. So she shoved that portion aside and thought of her future while in here.

Solo gamers could only get so far ... and technically they stopped being 'alone' upon going with parties to dungeons and instances. But more than that, he was giving her something that no one else back in the real world had even attempted to hand over. Kindness, caring, a damn chance ... and hell, he was treating her more like a woman - let alone human being - more than anyone since her parents had. Her head lowered slightly as she found herself gazing at the ground now. A hand reached up and subconsciously grasped around where the pendant would be .. but was reminded it wasn't there. It hadn't transferred over ... which made her scoff lowly in annoyance. If nothing else, it couldn't kill her physically to accept. A tad of her pride, maybe, but nothing too major.

"It's true ... I don't generally do such things. However ... you're already doing more for me than anyone in the outside world would so ... yes." Pulling up the PDA, she first entered Spice's name into the Friend's list, soon doing the procedures for a party invite. Two notifications would soon appear for him, one for each respective request.

It was odd in an ironic like way. Suki had been sure and hellbent this wouldn't happen ... not on the first day at least. And yet, here she was .. going against her mental promises. Hopefully this would be for the best and hadn't been a mistake.
 

There was an odd ping noise as the two notifications popped up. He smiled towards Tsukihime. She may not have wanted to do this get together, but her agreeing to it, made him feel better. He finally had someone on which he could rely or at the least someone he could talk to while he was online. It gave him some strength knowing he had a friend he could contact, and work with. It made the world far less threatening than he had originally thought it would have been, and he was sure that it would make playing this game at least a little more fun. Though he was shocked to hear that he was doing more then people on the other side did for her. Honestly spice thought he was being a pest asking constant questions.

Spice happily accepted both the invitations, and looked to the corner of his eye as suddenly his UI flashed and added not only her name but also her life bar just his own showing that they were now in a party. "Thank you Hime... Um If i can call you that." He knew that most people would cut out the later part of a name to make the nickname, but Spice was nothing if not a little odd. He felt more then a little honored to have a new found friend and even gave her a small bow extending his hand with a smile.

"Well then as Lawrence would say, it's an honor to do business with you." Spice was more then happy that he had made his first real friend. But of course there was something else he should have been focusing on. The mission was still being displayed as his current goals. It was getting into the late afternoon, and the sun was actually starting to turn orange.

Spice found his new comrade to be a little odd. Not only was she an assassin, but apparently also a loner, and what had she meant by more then the people on the other side? As much as Spice would have loved to inquire into that statement as it had been an oddly unique thing to say, it would have most likely caused problems, and that was something that Spice wasn't here to do. Not to mention if he started asking questions then Hime would have the right to start asking questions and Spice didn't really want to talk about Erin or his life on the other side either. So the two could just be friends on this side of the game, the other side just wouldn't matter so much, at least not while they were logged online.
 


The decision and request to address her as only Hime and not Tsukihime was .... intriguing. In her own experience, last parts of names were usually used when a user ID was too long. She hadn't thought hers was though ... each to their own? Meh, there wouldn't be any harm as far as she could see, albeit it was incredibly ironic. Her head nodded after a bit more contemplation, giving Spice a polite bow. "You may, yes." In her own eyes, however, she didn't see herself at all as a 'Hime', a princess ... which was where the irony kicked in. But hey if he wanted to address her as such, Suki wouldn't protest. In fact, she'd take the subconscious and subtle spoiling of sorts; it was certainly a much better name than most others she'd been addressed as before.

Her head tilted slightly as he mentioned some 'Lawrence' person. "Hm? Lawrence? Is ... that who you based yourself off of?" Unless, of course, he was referring to his real self in third person; but Suki doubted that. Few people, if ever, truly did such tasks. Whilst waiting for the reply, her right arm raised again as she began to assist him with killing his share of pigs. It'd be a simple task .. laughable even and take almost no time or effort to finish, she knew. Truth be told, it wouldn't likely be even somewhat challenging until maybe .. level ten? A bit sooner?

Assuming it follows the same experience curves as other MMOs, anyways .. She quickly reminded herself, noting this game had already been very different to most others. But ... they'd surely find out, one way or another.

Another glance of peripheral vision showed Spice to be .. pensive? That's what it seemed, anyways. "Something bothering you?" She finally asked, wondering if there was a reason he appeared to be hesitating with swinging his weapon once again.
 

Spice laughed lightly as she asked who laurence was. "um... right sorry, it's the name of the character I modeled this avatar after." He said lightly. "It's from an anime, one of my favorites actually. I'd recommend it if you ever have the time to watch something." He said with his smile and lifted up his hammer taking a few steps away from her and picking out his target from the crowed of wild boar.

Spice hadn't expected the pig to land a blow, nor had he really expected that blow to hurt, and yet he had nearly been struck onto his back in just one blow. The boars were not difficult and his health hadn't even lost a sizable chunk in the attack but the entire experiance had shocked him. One moment he had been getting ready too attack, standing beside Tsukihime, and then he had chosen his target, and shortly after that he had been knocked flat on his ass. So when Hime had asked him what was bothering him, and why his body seemed more tense that it had moments earlier he wasn't really sure what the answer was.

Spice wasn't a coward, true not many people would fight a guy in a wheelchair, but he wasn't new to pain. In fact he was very familiar with it, as pain had long been a part of his life since the accident. In here however there was no pain, He had mobility that he never thought he would have again, and for a short while he had forgotten about his legs, and forgotten, but in that short moment when he had been knocked down he had felt a thick tingling through his spine, and for that moment it had brought back the fear. Suddenly his body was vulnerable, suddenly there was a pain, and the wierdest part of it all... he realized he couldn't actually feel his legs.

They worked here, sure, but when he had been there should have been pain, as they had folded over him and he had bounced on the ground he should have felt pain, and sure his ass felt kind of odd, his hips had felt the blow, but his legs past his thighs hadn't felt like anything. It had been alarming and for the moment had even caused his immersion in this world to break. It brought with it a fatigue he hadn't expected. He was standing again sure, but his body was moving slower, he was more cautious because he was afraid now of what could happen. Biting his lip he forced himself to calm down and reply while at the same time still trying to attack with the hammer. "Yeah... I just... Didn't expect this thing to be so heavy in combat."

Honestly it wasn't that, he had felt the hammers weight he was even getting used to it, even as he brought it down and smashed the boars skull before it could get back up to hurt him. He let out a long heavy sight, the hammer was fine, but the combat was heavy.
 


"Hm, I'll probably see about it." She mused softly, beginning to feel the toll from the constant fighting take place upon her body, especially around the arms. Fatigue was likely a mere side effect. Then again, a lot of sci-fi shows or things with futuristic concepts hinted this to be true, anyways. Sheathing her dagger away after helping out with the quest, Suki stretched her body out, her back cracking a few times in the process. It was rather annoying to have already felt so weary. She wanted to do more and her body was fighting to avoid giving into the temptation of logging out. So, she proceeded onto what seemed like the next best thing and sat down upon the grass, sighing softly.

Despite Spice's words, she couldn't help but feel there was a bit more he was refusing to bring up. But she wouldn't pester for him to elaborate. She hated that, after all, when others did such tactics to her. "I suppose I feel what you mean. Admittedly, I didn't either, not to this extent or for it to kick in so fast. It's ... irritating, honestly." She replied, a soft chuckle leaving after the words. "I don't wanna stop but hell if this is already happening now .. I doubt remaining her too much longer would be smart. But I'm gonna see about resting for a bit and maybe my body will adjust to the new world a tad easier. You don't have to remain in here though, if you don't wish."

She pulled her PDA out and began to instruct him how to log out, on the off chance he didn't know how. "You go to Options and then .... hm?" Her head tilted and a small frown crossed her face. "... What the? Hey ... check your options. There should be the Log Out around there somewhere but mine's ... gone. I .. think it's bugged or something. Is .. yours also or .... ??"
 

Spices hammer hit the last of the boars he needed to kill smashing it into pieces as he listened to Hime. He was feeling exausted, but he had also leveled through the killing of the boars. He was feeling at least a little good about that. He breathed heavily waiting for her to log out. He remembered that if someone logged out in a non safe zone supposedly they could be killed by animals or other people, so he fully intended to watch over her till she had actually left, that was until she said she couldn't log out.

"What?" Spice couldn't see how something like the log out button could be glitched. That didn't really make any sense, if there was something that big in the works then every single person on the pay roll would have to be working around the clock to fix it. Moving his hand he swiped the air and brought up his menu, checking through it to the settings, and seeing the blank space where log out used to be.

He blinked thinking for a moment. It felt like a giant cosmic joke, here he was standing in a game that was supposed to be his escape from reality, and suddenly having a cold realization that it was actually more like a prison whene he realized that he couldn't log out. His escape just became his reality, and there was actually something both haunting and pleasent to that thought. "Mine doesn't work either, but... It has to be some kind of bug they probably have every system admin they can think of working on this thing." His first thought that it was some kind of launch day error. In the past servers had often shut down because there wasn't enough resources to handle the load. Maybe this was something like that only instead of denying people from logging on, the problem was somehow inverted.

Spice had to admit that there was a deep sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. Something was terribly wrong.
 


Suki's heart sank as she heard that Spice's 'Log Out' button was gone also. "... Huh? But ... something like this ... you'd think they'd fix it before the game's released." Her teeth found her lower lip as she gripped it, her hair concealing the anxiety that was dominating her eyes. She glanced down towards the grass, her mind racing a mile per minute if not faster. Was this for real? She continued trying to seek out the function that appeared to be missing but it all seemed to be in vain. Her hand shook slightly, panic trying to overtake her. Her head shook no, making the new blonde locks move from side to side.

No, no, no. Don't let it win. It's not gonna do shit. Think ... there's gotta be a reason for this.

"Well ... " She finally mused aloud, getting up to her feet. "If this world follows a similar enough layout as I'm thinking it'll have, there should be an inn somewhere further in the town. Or at the very minimum, a town square of sorts. Either of those should have either others with the same problem, someone who knows what's going on, maybe both. Usually though, GMs will show announcements for major maintenances near the top of the screen. Something should be hinted soon enough so ... we may as well try to head to the main part of town and see if anyone knows or anything of the like."

Her ankles tensed, prepared to move and guide Spice. Whilst waiting for his reply, though, she pulled the map up and began reading it. She'd keep it up to help her navigate around fine .. but she wanted to try to use it as little as possible, if it could be done. Suki liked being independent, sometimes too much for her own damn good. But it was clear now wasn't the time to be that stubborn or adamant.
 

Spice got a sinking feeling in his gut. He knew this was wrong, and he couldn't help but think Hime was right. If this was a glitch or an oversight something like this would have been handled or at least reported on during the beta, and none of the beta testers had ever had anything like this happen before. He had read the technical posts, he knew most of the game breaking glitches and bugs, this... wasn't one he knew about.

Spice turned to Hime trying to think of something to say to her when there was a loud ring. Far away from them in the church of the town of beginings a bell was ringing. It gave a loud toll that stole the words out of his mouth, before he and then Hime were suddenly lifted from the open green field. A blue aura of transpiration took them away and performed a mass transit. They went from standing in a small green field with only a small amount of players around them, to massive arena, and it was packed to the brim with players.

Almost as an instinct Spices hand reached out and grabbed Hime's holding her so that he didn't get seperated from her in the mass of people. "Wha? A... Mass teleport? is that even..." His voice was low, and practically non existent against the frightened crowed of gathering people. There was an air of anticipation, and chaos, the amount of people around them was staggering, and Spice had never done well in crowds. His breath was tight, and his grip against Hime only seemed to tighten as he realized how outnumbered he was. Then as if wanting to make matters worse, the sky turned red, as the clouds above them replaced themselves with the words system access, and the sky rained a thick red mist that formed into the system admin.

Spice swallowed, he couldn't believe what he was seeing. "what... the fuck?" This was a terrible way to address a massive number of people, he was already frightened, and with this... how the hell wasn't this supposed to cause a panic?
 


Suki hadn't even gotten past two steps before the odd blue aura appeared around them. Normally, she would have smacked someone who dared touch her. But right now, her mind was doing anything but thinking clearly and she seemed to allow it .. for now. The sound of the bell ringing made her cringe. Anyone who read enough literature - especially Edgar Allen Poe or people from around the same era as him - knew this was not, more likely than not, a good sign. It was often a more subtle but still powerful way to suggest death, otherwise used at weddings. But the confused crowd made it very obvious it couldn't be the latter. There would be a different air of emotions ... and besides, she doubted it would require everyone to be dragged here. No, anyone who wanted to be there could do so on their own accord.

"W-wait ... that's true. There's not supposed to be any magic here. How ... ??" She hadn't thought on it until Spice was trying to figure it out. "So .. is the creator doing this somehow?" She added, seeing few other ways this was happening. The admin was 'God', more or less, so even in a world without magic, they had the capability to do what seemed as if it were impossible. Yay for having played other MMOs; it definitely had it's perks.

"Oi, not so tight ..." She murmured, her attention going from Spice's hand to the sky. Yeah, that clarified one thing. There was no way that bell was meant to signal anything good. The clouds turning to words did indeed prove her guess to be right and she soon expected another figure to appear. One ... somewhat did and yet didn't all at the same time. She'd expected something more along the lines of another avatar like herself and everyone else in the game. Instead, the mist seemed to suggest that it was the creator.

Her head shook, unable to find a reply let alone words to Spice's last question. "Fuck if I even know. But there have been more than ample hints to spell out one thing. This ... especially if it's regarding the Log Out function ... is definitely not at all a good thing." Yeah so it seemed like something he could retort "Well no shit" to but the hell with it. Something really was wrong, very much so. This wasn't just a mere bug or glitch, the mass teleportation was proof of that. This ... was clearly something more.
 

Spice's apology for squeezing her hand was lost in his throat. His eyes were locked onto the sky. Her thoughts echoed his own and he was certain that they echoed just about everyone elses. No one in this place would really know what was going on. There was no way to know what was about to happen, and the entire time he just felt more and more a surging panic running through his body. He was unsure of what to think or do about this situation, but he was dead certain that this was going from bad too worse, and would only get worse as time went on.

The mist formed into a giant robed figure, massive compared to the rest of the world, but aside from the visible red hood and robes there were no real features to this. It was pretty much a public address system. with no way to truly know who was inside that cloth the players just had to assume that they were coming face to face with the creator of this world. Spice took an instinctive step towards Hime. He knew that she probably didn't want him too, but at the same time He was bracing for the worst. Spice wasn't a coward, but he had enough sense to know when to be close to someone and when not to.

"By now, you may have realized that there is no log out function. We would like to inform you this is not a glitch, it is by design." Spice's eyes went wide. He looked up astonished on just what he was hearing. This was it, this was the worst news he could get at this moment. They had just became hostages inside a video game created by some kind of madman. His mouth went dry and he swallowed lightly, his grip on Hime's hand only seemed to get worse with time, as he looked up his expression dry.

News articals and massive tv station reports popped up in front of the admin. "All over the world the reports are flowing in on this situation, but there is more. If someone's health drops to 0, and they die while in this game. Their minds outside will die." All around spice and Tsukihime voices were starting to cry out in anger, and sadness every kind of reaction was going on, and yet spice was shocked into silence. He didn't have any reaction he could spare his legs were trembling. only a few minutes ago this game had been the greatest thing that had ever happened to him in his life, and yet at this very instance that game was poisoned, and became the greatest prison ever made.
 


Suki felt her own eyes widen behind the blonde bangs. What?! They made the game this way?! Are they fucking insane?! Why wasn't this ... The last question was finally revealed as it was hinted that dying here would, essentially, cause one to perish for real. Her head lowered as she thought long and hard on this. While it was true that she didn't like the real world much at times, hell if she wanted to die! But worse than that, even if she didn't, even if she survived here ... what would happen to her body?!

Living alone had it's good points but now a new list of bad ones quickly filled her mind. She could be raped, beaten, hell what was stopping her from not being killed in the real world? Each new thought made her stomach clench and heart sink as her own body steadily began to tremble. ".... Fuck ... " She stammered, her legs threatening to give away and make her fall on them. But she couldn't ... not yet. The admin only said there was no way out of the game from the typical ways, not that there wasn't one period.

So .... what could they do? The only thing coming to her head ... was beating the game? She was still so very worried about her body but right now, nothing could be done about it. Finally managing a light swallow, Suki gave a tug on Spice's hand. "Come on. We don't need to listen to this prick ... " She murmured in a clearly annoyed tone, trying to let it dominate the fear swimming inside her. "We need to think ... plan .... " Suki added, beginning to lead them away from the plaza.
 

There was a pulling on Spice's arm as Hime was trying to leave. It took some convincing for his legs to actually start moving. They felt as heavy as their real world counter parts, but there was more to this. The admin was talking now about how in order to win the people would have to travel up the hundred floors of the dungeon. Hime was right if Spice and her were really to try and survive this prison, then they had no choice but to gather a plan. Turning with her he followed her through the crowed and retreated quickly. Honestly it felt tense, as they left it felt like there was bound to be some kind of riot and honestly he didn't blame anyone if they panic'd Spice was just about to do the same thing.

As they left the arena there was a ding in their inventory, but Spice didn't even spare to check what kind of item they had just been given. He didn't want to know right now, and there was more important things to figure out. They needed a plan, to scale all one hundred floor dungeons. It was a tough one for sure, but together maybe they did have a shot at getting out of here alive. Thinking back suddenly there was something even colder about their previous try in attacking the pigs, when he had been hit and knocked back, suddenly the pain made sense. This virtual reality was as much the real world as they would ever get. Things like death and pain in this world were real.

Moving away from the arena they found a tavern across the town of beginnings. It was quiet because everyone else was still at the stadium. There was a long moment of silence as Spice took a seat. "It could take a year or two before we are even half way done with all the floor dungeons. Not to mention the dangers of it all. During the beta the testers only reached the tenth floor, and they had six months." Spice's voice was on the verge of bitterness he certainly didn't like the thoughts and options he was giving into. "If... were gonna make our way to the top, we need to make a guild. There are too many advantages too having the extra man power. As solo players we don't stand a chance."
 


Suki's steps were fast but not so much she failed to hear the admin confirm her guess. They would indeed have to do a dungeon crawl and pass all one hundred floors of it. The sheer amount was enough to make her shaking increase, her own grip tightening upon Spice's hand without a second thought. The ding from her inventory was heard but like Spice, she ignored it for now. Whatever it was could wait. This plan could not. It literally meant the difference between life and death, here and in the real world. Deep but steady breaths left Suki's lips before she glanced up to Spice, her hands finally going to her lap.

"Maybe just join, not necessarily make. I ... I'm not good with being in charge of things like guilds all the same. But .. yes we do need something like that." Her heart sunk further upon hearing even the beta testers hadn't gotten far in half a year. Wait .. beta testers ... Her fingers snapped. "That, actually, might be our key. If any of the beta testers are here by chance ... " It was a huge coin toss, she knew. But any edge and advantage would be worth it in the end. Her eyes closed as another deep exhale left.

Well .. all the jobs she'd mentally thought about taking up would definitely help out in the end. Cooking, alchemy and maybe some weaponsmithing on the side. The first two would definitely assist in their own ways. And without the ability to use magic in this game, alchemy for potions would be practically essential. Nodding slowly, she began to express her thoughts. "Job wise, do you know what you were going to do? Some, more than others, can probably increase our chances of living through this."

She hated it, hated knowing that Spice was correct on not being able to make it even if it remained just the two of them. But .. that was indeed true all the same. They could get maybe a fifth or fourth of the way alone. But after that? It'd only get worse from there on. She didn't need to be a beta tester to figure that much out. It was just a rule of thumb. The higher one got in level and through dungeons, the tougher the opponents and monsters were.

"Did you happen to note anyone who has already made a guild by chance?" She added, wondering if they would really have to make their own or just join one. As long as she didn't have to be in charge, she was fine. Second in command? Fine but actually being the leader? Hell no, she couldn't.
 

Spice leaned back there was a posting board near the plaza where in people could post things like recruiting adds, but he had never even checked it. He honestly didn't know how he would feel about joining a group already made, he wanted to keep things small, they had a better chance with a small well trained task force, then a large army. Sure the larger army could cover more ground, but they would be too spread out, and eventually experiance gaps would start to show between members. A mass group would just make a mess of things.

Spice shook his head. "My favored skills are almost all support I put points into them when i first leveled, listen, lock picking, and armor craft. I could select others, but that means erasing the ones I already chose, and I have to admit I don't know how to do that." Armor smiting was probably the most useful. He had chosen the listen skill because he didn't want to stumble into ambushes and so the extra sensory skill seemed like it would have been useful, and lock picking had been rather selfish because he had wanted to explore. It was funny just because he was the one weilding the hammer he had ended up with a skill set more in line with an assassin then the actual dagger user.

As for beta testers, well that wasn't really impossible but he didn't know anyone who played this game, let alone anyone who had beta tested it. He gave a small shrug. "I think I could remember a hand full of old forum names from back when I was reading information on the game, but as for actual beta testers, not a clue." He said with a small shrug. He kind of felt powerless. the game was putting him in a new situation and it was one he didn't really like. "Sadly aside from you I don't really have anyone inside this world. Everyone I knew was on the other side, and to be frank I don't really care for them all that much. So I hate to say it, but I don't have any life lines when it comes to people."

Sighing he sprawled out over the table. "I don't even know where to start." He said with a small muffle, there wasn't much he could do right now, and in fact there was something on his mind. The ping he had received. "Did you... get an item?"

Sitting up he moved his hand over the air bringing up the virtual inventory, sure enough there was something new in the inventory, an Item marked <mirror>. He blinked for a moment unsure what it did, or even if he should touch it, but curiosity was slowly winning the battle. Why would the head admin hand out an item like this to everyone? Part of him wished they had stayed for a few minutes longer just so he could have found out the reason why.
 


"If nothing else, you can add points into other skills later on. It ... should balance out, somehow." She replied, trying to reassure herself more than anything. It wasn't exactly working but it was definitely a start. Suki felt way too anxious to sit so she resorted to pacing quickly back and forth. Wasn't there something else they could do? Another way to get out beside the massive dungeon crawl? There didn't appear to be .. and it infuriated and terrified her. So much could happen in between conquering the floors and levels. What happened if they found a boss that was too difficult and killed them when they were so close?! Her head shook no frantically, her heart pounding in her chest by now.

And ... the more Suki thought on the idea of the beta testers, the more she scolded herself for it all. Honestly, forum names didn't mean shit. They likely chose many different in-game screen names. It'd take far too long to actually find any. Her heart began to sink as the dawning of all that was happening hit her, like a damn brick. Her breathing began to quicken as anxiety steadily overtook her.

Gods this is for fucking real! Shit, shit, shit ...

Only when Spice brought up that his own ding had been heard from the inventory was she able to begin to snap herself out of the depressing thoughts. "I ... yeah, it did." Seeing him pull his PDA out and check the item, she followed suit. "... Mirror?" She murmured, exhaling softly. "Well ... no sense in trying to guess on what exactly it does. Besides, it may be timed, meant to only last for a certain amount of hours or less. I'd rather figure it's use out now than later."

And with that, she let a shaking index finger lightly press against it, swallowing as she waited to see what would appear.
 
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