.:: Iᴍᴍᴜʀᴇᴅ ::.. [Tsᴀɪʀ & Iʀᴏɴɪᴄ]

[Ironic]

It was rumored that an online virtual reality game would soon be available to the public in two years. The source was anonymous and those who heard about the big topic of discussion stereotypically shrugged their shoulders, saying that technology wasn’t that progressive enough to be able to create something so elaborate. Those who fed into the rumors continued to keep the idea of this new gaming style alive while many had given up on the notion. A year later after the gossips had been sparked a light was when NerveGaming, a distinguished gaming company, finally publicized what everyone was waiting for… There truly was going to be an online virtual reality game. Swiftly after the reveal they announced they would allow 50 lucky individuals to test the game before anyone else, sending those blessed victors the headgear and console required for the new age styled gaming. The name of the game was under construction at the time, later being revealed as “Scheme Online”, a perfect name for a game that was just getting started. A month passed before the release date was distributed, February 19th, 2023. It was January 3rd and the tension couldn’t be more glorified. The night before Scheme Online was released there were lines that protracted for what seemed like miles outside of the gaming shops. Everyone wanted to get their hands on the updated new world gaming equipment.

Zira was one of those folks who couldn’t wait to try out the raved product, waiting in line herself overnight just to get her hands on her new toy. She couldn’t sleep for weeks, wondering about all of the infinite potentials that she could manipulate within her new virtual home. Inopportunely she wasn’t selected to become a tester for the game, and though she was hurt she left her imagination to fill in the blanks until she could check out the invention for herself. Once she acquired her NerveGaming equipment she hastened off to swiftly get home and try on the technology she had been waiting for since the rumors had germinated. The setup only took a half an hour to her astonishment before everything was ready to be playable. Once the adrenaline settled in a sense of surrealism soaked into her body. Was she really about to dive into this unknown world? She shook the lingering pessimistic thoughts out of her head. There was no time to be so negative when she was so eager for this game up until now. Taking a seat on her bedside she gripped at the headgear and inspected its details. The surface was smooth, the logo of the brand sliding against her fingertips as it was engraved into the headwear. She felt ready now.

Gingerly she laid down on her back and pulled away her snow-white tresses so it wouldn’t get stuck in the headgear or cause any discomfort as she was about to place it on. Another lingering thought made its way back into her skull, nagging at her to think this over a bit before indulging. She had enough of the judgments her mind was giving her and grabbed the headpiece reluctantly before forcefully capping it atop of her head. She laid her head back and let out a long breath of air to simmer down her boiling nerves. It took a second before the gaming device roared with wind from the fans kicking on, causing her consciousness to drift off into another reality.

The white loading screen burst to life, the words ‘Scheme Online’ spewed across before the login screen shortly replaced it. Since this was a new game she had to create a character along with her username and password. It was always so difficult to pick out a badass username for others to see, Zira pondering on the idea for longer than she should have. A unisex name would best suit her and finally she came up with the username ‘Ziv’, meaning ‘bright and radiant’ in Hebrew. The username is short and sweet, just how she likes it, and she was surprised that she was able to pick something so simple without it already being taken.

"Hello, Ziv, and welcome to Scheme Online! Please choose your avatar and we will get started!" Bold letters read on her screen before the two gender icons rotated around, awaiting for her to click on one. Since she was a female many males would poke fun of her or attempt to reward her with riches just because, and she wasn't about that style of gaming. To take the ease off from her first time playing she chose a male avatar, picking him out to be a dagger wielder, meaning he was a rouge, with an Indian-styled theme to him. No one would suspect her true identity.

"Alright, it looks like you're good to go, Ziv! Have fun and explore this new world around you. If you need help, swipe and tap on the 'H' for further guidance." the words filled her vision once more before everything faded to black...

---

Ziv fell to the ground, rubbing his head whilst letting out a small groan as it ached from the impact. His eyes were hard to adjust to the new lighting, his hands rolling into gentile fists to rub his eyes to see if that would help to see things more clearly. Slightly his eyelids opened, letting his pupils adjust to the bright light that was the sun above him. He had just realized what had happened in this instant, pulling his arms in front of him to see that Zira was actually a he!

"No way..." He muttered under his breath as he moved his phalanges around as if he never had them to begin with. His chestnut hues dropped down to his somewhat bare chest, wanting to cover his skin in a natural reaction but reminded himself that he was indeed a he and no one would tell the difference. Stumbling up to his feet he brushed off the dirt and grass that clung onto his clothing before taking in the sights before him. There was a city nearby while everything around him was grasslands and forests. Everyone had to be meeting in the city to check out all of the action. His heel pivoted around as he pranced off into the city's direction. Entering inside of the gates he would see vendors, taverns, inns, bars, everything that you could ever imagine. His face lit up with delight before rushing around, scoping everything out for the first time.

In his inventory he started off with 100 Gold, which wasn't a lot but could do him well starting off. He purchased a beverage to wet his whistle that had become parched during his walk, the cold drink hitting the spot all the way down until the last gulp. There was so much to do, Ziv going towards the quest boards to pick a couple of quests up to get his level up and to see what his abilities were and what he was capable of. He found out he could perform any combo or attack he wanted and as long as he practiced he would increase his damage skill as well as parrying.

Time passed by in a flash, the sun starting to set but not enough to cause the cotton candy colored skies to be replaced with cosmic darkness. He sat under a tree by himself as he ate an apple that had fallen from it, savoring the taste as he enjoyed this magnificent sight before him. There was no such thing as having this good of a day back in real life. He had to savor every moment before he had to log out and go back into reality.

Suddenly, his avatar pixelated as it was being transferred. He dropped his apple in surprise as his hands extended outwards as he tried to grasp on what was happening. Did he accidentally click on something? He blinked and before he knew it he was sitting down in the plaza in the city, everyone's avatars popping up alongside him. At least he wasn't the only one experiencing this abnormality. Maybe it was another announcement since it was opening day.

"System Announcement. System Announcement." a female voice chirped repeatedly until everyone arrived. Tons of voices filled the air, all of them asking the same questions that were rumbling through his mind. Why were they here? What is this announcement about? Why does everyone have to be here? It was getting late and Ziv didn't have time to listen to the announcement, knowing it'll be on the website for him to check later.

Swiping his screen he opened up the menu, clicking on the log out option until the button disappeared as soon as he touched it. His eyes widened before tapping at where the button use to be to see if it had become invisible; a glitch that could've happened. Nothing wouldn't budge.

"H-hey! I can't log out!" A female voice shrieked into the air.

"What are you talking about. See, it's right here... Wait, where did it go?! I just had it a second ago!" A male voice replied to the girls, only to find he shared the same issue as her. Before long everyone was talking about how their log out buttons disappeared before a holographic masked figure appeared out from the sky, hovering above everyone. He was so large that his shadow casted down on them, the once warmth from the light turning dark and cold from him blocking the way.

"Attention Players. Welcome to my world." The Grand Master spoke aloud, his voice booming with power as everyone quietly ceased their chatter to listen to what he had to say. "My name is Orion Vesper and as of this moment, I am the sole person who can control this world." The chattering began, those speaking to each other asking what does he mean by his words until he started to speak again. "I'm sure you've already noticed that the log out button is missing from the main menu. But this is not a defect in the game. It is a feature of Scheme Online."

"A Feature?" Ziv spoke under his breath as he placed a thoughtful finger on his chin, thinking deeply on why it was a feature. Doesn't the Game Master realize that it means they're stuck in here?

"You cannot log out of Scheme Online yourselves and no one on the outside can shut down or remove the headgear. Your bodies will be transferred here to remove all possibility of you leaving." The Game Master continued, the crowd breaking out in dismay.

"Come on. stop joking around. This isn't funny." Someone shouted near the back. "You're just being an asshole now!" Someone else chimed in their two cents. "What's he talking about? He's got to be nuts!"

"I hope you relax and attempt to clear the game. But I want you to remember this clearly." He continued, his voice deep in sound and tinted with sadistic traits. "There is no longer any method to revive someone within the game. If your HP drops to zero, you will be forever lost." Gasps and shrieks were sounded off as they realized he wasn't joking around. "There is only one means of escape and that is to complete the game. You are presently on the lowest floor of the game, Floor 1. If you make your way through the dungeon and defeat the Floor Boss, you may advance to the next level. Defeat the final boss on Floor 100 and you will clear the game."

"Clear all hundred floors?! That'll take forever! The Beta testers never made it anywhere near that high!" A male shouted loudly for those around him to hear.

"Finally, I've added a present from me to your item storage. Please, see for yourselves." Everyone opened up their main menu and opened their storage up on their screens, a mirror hidden in there.

"When you complete the first floor boss it will change your avatar to what you look like in real life. That is when the transfer will happen." The deep voice rang in the air once more. The headgear covers players entire head with a high-density signaling device so it has the power to transfer ones body into the virtual world.

"Right now, you're probably wondering 'Why?' Why would I do all of this? My goal has already been achieved. I created Scheme Online for one reason... to create this world and intervene in it. And now, it is complete. This ends the tutorial for Scheme Online... Good luck players." And with that final speech he disintegrated into pixels, vanishing from their sight to leave them with nothing but the horror they are now faced with.

 

[Tsair]

Trevor had waited and planned carefully after Scheme Online was announced, doing all he could to ensure he would be one of the first people to play the game. The Nerve gaming equipment was top of the line, and he couldn't wait to test it out the way it was meant to be used. Full VR immersion, what could it possibly be like? He smirked quietly to himself in his apartment, looking at the equipment he had just set up. He would be one of the pioneers of this type of gaming, and he already could feel that it would revolutionize the gaming market and possibly entertainment entirely from hereon.

He reclined on his bed, making sure to set up a small amount of pillows to keep him from rolling off if he moved in his gaming state, he wasn't entirely sure how it worked after all. He put the headset on ten minutes before the games launch time, acclimating to the feeling of the headset. "Link, Start."

---------

His world shifted and rotated in his view as he was transported into the game to the character creation screen. He chose 'Raziel' as the characters name, after spending some time typing in various attempts that hadn't felt right. He spent most of his time altering the characters appearance to look similar to his own, though a bit more rugged. After a significant amount of time in the screen, he moved his hand along the selection wheel before him to hit confirm. While spinning it, while he was so focused on finding the correct button, he grazed the toggle for 'gender'. His character model went into an altered state to fit the new choice as soon as he hit confirm. A look of horror touched his features at the mistake as the game began to load. It's actually no big deal, I'll just log out and delete this character once I load in... Kill some time, but I have plenty, he thought to himself as the world seemed to form in around him.

This was Aincrad, Scheme Onlines world. In front of Raziel stood Beginner city, and she looked around a but uncomfortably as she saw the bustle of new players flooding the city. She immediately opened the menu, to quickly log out before anyone got too far ahead or tried talking to her and... No log out button. More searching. Nowhere to be found.

A very real sense of panic hit Raziel. If there was no log out button, she couldn't change her gender! It was going to be a big problem, but... Then it hit her. No logging out meant no getting out of the Headset.

"Shit... This is very bad," she muttered to herself, squeaking slightly at the sound of her voice. It was still coming from herself and she could even feel herself talking, but it was a very light feminine voice that came when she spoke. It felt very wrong, and Raziel began to worry. It wasn't a lot of time, however, before the announcement was made.

As the item was received, Raziel stopped paying attention, missing the last part of what was said. She was lost in thought and already beginning to worry about what would happen. This was to be life until they cleared the game... All hundred floors. And death... She shook her head, unable to think about it without becoming more unmotivated. From the beginning, it was her goal to win this game. This just meant it was no longer an option.

Determination struck, and Raziel glared towards where the ethereal man had been speaking. It was going to be a hell of a game.

 

[Ironic]

How was he supposed to react? Disheartened? Exasperated? There wasn’t much time to respond to this new overwhelming surge of emotion the surged inside of his internal core. It was becoming harder to breathe, each inhale growing hoarser with every gulp of air. Everyone started to take off in the same route but Ziv stayed immobile. His eyes were engrossed on the ground as his thoughts trailed off. Innumerable opinions and strategies frolicked about in his cranium, trying to figure out the best way to advance in levels and become powerful enough to gain access to the First Floor Boss. He had grown so infatuated with his calculations that the players’ sounds around him reduced out from his eardrums.

A girl bellowed in irritation before his side was vigorously pressed out of the way, causing him to stumble to the sidelines. The thoughts that once resided in his head soon vanished for him to forcedly come back into reality. He snarled before gyrating around to catch glimpse of the coward who dared to touch him in such an uncouth style, but it didn't matter. She was far too gone for him to be able to spit fire at her ill manners. Moreover, he had more on his plate to be concerned about other than a idiotic player.

Shrugging off the encounter he felt no need to rush in wandering towards the fields. The Boars would spawn soon enough and he had increased a level previously before the game went down in history. Unconcernedly he ran his fingertips through his tresses, drawing in a breath of air before sighing it out. “What am I going to do…” He tapped a foot on the cemented floor beneath him. It seemed as if on que his inquire was answered, the chat popping up with a long array of text that read:

“Hello everyone. I and others are meeting in the town’s gazeebo right beside the fountain to discuss details on gaining levels and pairing up with teammates in preparation for the first floor boss. We will get in grave detail once everyone has arrived. Hope to see you there, we’re depending on it.”

Ziv carefully read through the bold text before clicking his heels and marching off into the direction of the gazeebo. This would be marked as a great opportunity to meet someone and befriend them so he wasn’t all alone in this secluded world that was now deemed home. Briskly he walked until he entered inside the large gazeebo, others filling it up quickly as more arrived. Funny, how even though he was submerged in a room full of people he still felt like the loneliest person online.

“We will begin in ten minutes. I want to make sure everyone gets here before we start.” The party leader shouted above the prattle. Ziv took it upon himself to sit down on a nearby bench and waited for the meeting to commence.

 

[Tsair]

Raziel wasn't about to go down easy. She'd played enough video games in real life to be familiar with the basic grinding strategies, and wasted no time being one of the first out on the field, wiping mobs and testing out abilities. It wasn't long before an encounter with a boar had left her with below half of her health remaining, but she had managed to get a fair amount of experience before that. It wouldn't be hard to spam levels, and she wasn't about to sit idly as her rapier flashed in her hand, silencing the final pig. With a small 'ding', she broke level two, just as a message arrived in her inbox. A meeting.

Silently, she turned back to the city. This would be more worthwhile if she could get a partner, and she needed to heal anyway. It would be awkward to be the wrong gender when introducing herself, but Raziel practiced repeatedly in her head, not wanting to give it away unless necessary, and with their new reality, that time may not come.

When entering the gathering, Raziel took her time finding a spot, taking a seat on a bench with one other man, watching to see who had called the meeting. Raziel was slightly annoyed that she hadn't thought of doing something of the sort, but she had managed to make progress in her own way, so it hadn't been a wasted time. Now, just to see where things went from here.

 

[Ironic]

“Whelp, this looks like this will be our turnout.” Trezkin spoke aloud for everyone to hear, his eyes fixating on the group sitting before him. “Hey, my name is Trezkin and I am the one who decided to call you all together.” He started off explaining, hands folding thoughtfully against his armored chest. “The best way to beat this game is to work together. To become a team and to rely on one another.” His words were packed with meaning, his jaw tight as he spoke to the crowd.

“I am just as clueless as you are, my fellow players. It’s going to be dangerous, and I can’t vouge for everyone’s safety, but if you’re willing to help and make a difference then we are already off to a good start.” He dug his toe into the gravel, his eyes looking down for a moment before gazing back up at the group. His hand swiped up, selecting a few options before clicking one final button. Those who were near him received a message notification.

“I have sent out messages to you all so you can see who your partner is. I figured it would be best to get to know someone and team up with them. It makes this world less lonely if you can find someone to lean on. Besides, leveling up will be a breeze if you work together.” Ziv listened intently as Trezkin spoke. Just as he was raping things up he would click his messages and see that he was paired up with the username ‘Raziel.’ His eyes looked around to see if he could find his partner, but to his amusement she was right beside him this entire time. He didn’t even notice that there was anyone sitting beside him in the first place.

“Hello, I’m Ziv.” He said as he scooted closer to her. “Kind of shitty, the mess we’re in, aye?” He smiled before shyly rubbing the back of his head. He was never good at conversations, always not knowing what to say or how to carry it on. “I guess we’re stuck together, but that’s okay.”

 

[Tsair]

Trezkin immediately struck Raziel the wrong way. She was already uncomfortable, and now he was pairing them up randomly. No conversation, no compatibility requirement whatsoever... Hell, she'd have taken same gender at this point. It might take for an awkward conversation if any guy tried coming onto her. She looked at her hands, unused to how small they were in comparison to her real life counterpart. Then, she received the message for her pairing.

Ziv was the name in the message, also happening to be the name of the player that was seated next to Raziel. She was only slightly dismayed to see it was a man, but broke out her best smile anyway. He didn't want to let on that he was cross playing just yet, in case she needed to keep it quiet. It wasn't certain how long they'd be playing together, but they would definitely need to get along for now.

"Raziel. It's a pleasure to meet you, I'm... Well, I know a fair amount about the game from reading the beta testers blogs, but it became a drastically different situation, the whole 'dying will kill you' thing," she said with an awkward laugh. Her voice was still hard to get used to, and she found herself shifting tone slightly to try and get the best sounding pattern. It might sound weird to someone else listening, but it was something that'd need to be done eventually.

Raziel rose to her feet, extending a hand to help Ziv to his own. "We should get out to the fields to level. I figure we can probably hit level five tonight if we go out far enough to hit higher level mobs the others aren't touching as much yet, and can get further faster," she suggested. It was dangerous, but if things got troublesome they had each other to back up. It wasn't necessarily a race, but Raziel wasn't about to give up doing all she could to get the game over with.

 

[Ironic]

It was a relief to be talking to a girl. Ziv could act like himself without even trying. He may be portrayed a bit more feminine, but the male voice did well to mask it. Happily, he took her hand as she helped him up to his feet. Strange that a girl would offer that to a guy, but he shrugged it off. “You know a lot more than me, that’s for sure.” He admitted, following Raziel as they would venture off further and away from the crowd.

“I’m more of a rogue class, so I can sweep behind and attack. It would serve us well since you seem like someone to initiate head-on. Like a distraction.” He suggested, his hands gripping at the two daggers that he wielded. “I’m not too sharp in games. I did research on my class, but that’s as far as I went. I didn’t expect something like this to happen, obviously. Hell, I didn’t even get a chance to kill much yet.” He laughed, but more out of nerves than anything else.

In the distance, there were a group of bores. There were three adults and two babies. “Hey, over there! Think that’ll be a good start?” Ziv suggested before flicking one of his daggers in the air before skillfully catching it in his right palm. The base, of course.

 

[Tsair]

Raziel seemed to gain confidence as she determined that while Ziv seemed unfamiliar with the majority of the explored game, he still seemed to know his own style and abilities well. It would be a good way for them to coordinate, and it helped Raziel feel confident they could pull off her plan. As they came upon the small group of boars, Raziel nodded to Ziv. "These will be a good start. Not a crazy amount of experience, but night get us closer to Three." Her voice was kept low in order to not alert the boars too early,

She moved her rapier back into the position to begin her starting Sword Art, <Duelist Dash>. Almost the instant it hit the proper position, she launched forward at a high speed, her blade cutting through one of the small boars. With it's low health, it cracked into digital shards instantly, scattering into its drops. The fight was still on, however, and Raziel turned towards the other boars. Easy to predict, low health... Even with four left, this would be a breeze. They tended to attack one at a time, and always with a predictable charge. Raziel saw the first one setting up, getting into a stable stance in order to dodge at the last second and slash into the beasts side.

It dropped to about 40% health, which was quickly finished by a downward thrust into the monsters back. It scattered, and Raziel turned to Ziv to see how he was faring. "These guys are early level fodder, more for battle practice than anything. We'll make better progress if we move on, but... Well, then we'll really need to work together," she stated, in a moderate tone.

 

[Ironic]

Ziv stretched his hands around his waist to clutch at both daggers that were protected inside the waist leather strap he wore. He held himself in a stance, legs stretched to shoulder length as his head bowed down respectively. The air grew still, his moment of attack precisely calculated. In a flash he darted into a sprint towards the feral hog, digging the sole of his foot into the ground to help him propel into the wind. His body twirled once into the air as his wrists flicked unpityingly to heave the two daggers openly into the boars flesh. As foretold the tips sunk deep into its skin before the animal howled out in suffering before collapsing to its knees, huffing one final breath of air before it disintegrated into blue pixels. Experience was granted to both players but only Ziv could loot the bore.

“Sorry, I can be a bit of a show off.” He smirked before kneeling down to loot some skin and meat, saving it for later as he would increase his skills in cooking and leathering, or he could just auction it off in the future. "We should start looking for higher leveled creatures after this if we can handle this fairly well." He spoke, not even out of breath yet. The bores were finished, and it was time to scavenge around.

"So, tell me about yourself. What made you want to play this game?" Ziv asked as they strolled across the grasslands, his eyes directed in front of him towards the horizon. He thought to himself that it was strange that a girl was this good... He was a she but wasn't even good at all. Maybe whenever he finds the courage to admit his true identity is when Raziel will understand where he's coming from.

 

[Tsair]

Raziel watched as Ziv finished off the remaining boar. The moves were impressive, though it did seem excessive to not just use a sword skill to take them out. With no familiar mechanic like mana stopping them, the only limiter to the use of skills was the openings they left you with when setting up ot caught in the motions. She just gave an enthusiastic smile however, responding, "It did look cool. Just don't try it when we're up against the relevant mobs, they hit you in the air and they might combo off. Return crystals are expensive, and the longer we're out before needing to go back for health, the more of an advantage we have."

Her voice was encouraging, but she did hold a hint of fear. She was walking out away from the protection of the city with this man. While she would normally put trust into the situation, she wondered if he saw her as weak due to her gender. He knew she didn't have anything to loot, but a PK gave a hefty amount of experience. She felt she had a good chance in a fight, but even if she lived, the low health would make travel dangerous.

Then, as they walked towards the kobold dens, Ziv asked her a question. What made her want to play the game. "That's a question with a number of answers... I will say that 'mayyyybe it'll turn into a death game and we'll be trapped there' isn't one of them. I guess... Mostly it looked fun. It was a new experience, something that'll define the industry..." She scoffed. This would most assuredly be a defining part of the industry. "What about you? Not too broken up about being paired up with a girl, I hope," she teased with a smirk.

 

[Ironic]

Ziv nodded regarding Raziel’s suggestions. He needed all of the suggestions he could get his hands on. It was useless trying to play a game while trying to wing it. This was life or death, not a game anymore. Criticism was needed. “Thank you. Feel free to fill me in when you think it’s needed. I appreciate it.” It was funny, really, that Raziel found herself weak while Ziv was truly the weak one. Could she see right through him, that Ziv was a her? Was it really worth something to hide? Only time would tell, but for now he would push those linger thoughts outside of his busy mind.

Out of nervousness, Ziv laughed at her joke about this not being on her plan. “Yeah, I don’t think that was my plan either.” He sighed as he walked alongside her. He hadn’t notice how tall his character was once he stood beside her petite frame. It made him uneasy, usually always being the smaller one. It just reminded him of the awkwardness. Should he act feminine or masculine? If he were feminine it would look as if he were gay, or if he were masculine it would be portrayed as a try-hard.

He didn’t realize it was his turn to speak after he noticed Raziel staring at him for an answer. “Oh! Yeah, to be honest, I haven’t really played many games. I wanted to dive into the virtual world and experience this for myself. When I was growing up I would always pretend to be a superhero or someone who had powers. This was the closest thing I could get to that dream as a child.” He looked down and smiled as the nostalgic moment was kicking into overdrive. “It’s amazing, this power and the unique moves I can do. I can’t do this in real life, although I am pretty flexible and agile.” His hues looked down at her. “How old are you, if that’s okay to ask?” He was testing his boundaries.

 

[Tsair]

The question seemed to momentarily hang in the air as Raziel contemplated answering truthfully. There was really no reason to lie about it, but whether to answer at all.... He nodded after a moment, answering, "I'm twenty two. It's not something I'm opposed to answering, though you wouldn't be able to tell in this body," she said with a laugh as she looked up towards Ziv. It would be good to have a single target DPS in the group, as Raziel role would go more towards tanking as time went on. She considered his abilities and how well they actually suited each other as a party.

Then, she realized that they were nearing the kobold hills. "And you? How old are you? Feel free to answer while we fight, I don't think I'll need too much focus for this," she explained as the first kobold of the area revealed themselves with a yipping noise. Raziel darted in, angling her sword to the side. This activated her skill, <Evading Cut> which launch her in a semicircle around her target, cutting into their side. It was quick to activate, and lent itself well as a riposte.

The kobold dropped only a bit in health, and the battle continued. Raziel didn't seem to need help, but it was just a matter of getting used to the combat with a new enemy. They didn't charge like the boars, so it required a consistent watch for attacks.

 

[Ironic]

Ziv nodded to show that he was listening to her as they targeted their next victim. As she made her first slice through its side he would take the initiative to use a dagger and toss it towards its head. He attempted to cause a final blow to the head for a headshot but he had missed. “Damn it!” He muttered under his breath as he spat out the vile words. “I’m twenty, will be twenty-one next month. That’s if I’m still alive.” He gave a slight chuckle but it was out of his own defeat.

He couldn’t help to grow some sort of jealousy towards Raziel, though. She could play better than he ever could, and she was a girl just like him. It agitated him that he couldn’t even toss a single dagger to end the fight, thought it seemed that she had it under control anyways. He wouldn’t dare to allow her to see his true feelings, but he wondered if she viewed him at weak.

Another enemy came into contact, and with determination in his eyes she darted towards it before jumping into the air. <Triple Shot> was now activated as his daggers glowed in a neon green shade. Three tiny daggers fitted perfectly in the slits of his fingers, tossing them carelessly at the enemy. To his luck, they all hit, bringing it down to 20 HP. The daggers initiated a damage-over-time effect, the glowing green to them being poison. After it had fell to its death was when he regained his confidence.

 

[Tsair]

Raziel was careful to watch Ziv as they fought. She wanted to be sure that when the time came that they were facing tough enemies, she would know how he fought and whether or not he'd need help. They were a team, and if she let him die it was certain no one would trust her for the rest of this world, however long it lasted. Not about to have that mar on her record against measly kobolds, she smiled as Ziv displayed his competence and took down his own share.

Back to her own focus, Raziel dashed to cut another kobold that came out, a flurry of stabs followed by a jump back defeating the creature after only a minor scuffled. A small DING resonated, indicating a level up. Raziel opened her display, finishing her choices for level three. "We're technically not supposed to be facing these yet, so you should level up fairly quick. One through five can be done in an hour, from what I heard... That's going to be our goal," she stated confidently.

The leveling would take longer as they went, but the first ones would be simple to breeze through. Raziel looked down at her feet, noticing the kobold had dropped an item. {Quest: Kobold Clearing} showed up on her display, and a grin flashed across Raziel's face. "This quest is right up our alley... It'll take us to a dungeon that'll get us some good starter drops, and we should be able to afford our level five gear from it alone," she stated eagerly. It was a rare drop, and she was ecstatic that they'd gotten it so quickly. It would be dangerous, but with the beta testers info it was a very strict strategy, and they took very little damage.

 

[Ironic]

As if on que Ziv leveled up after causing a final blow on a kobold, his imagine glowing for a brief second before the new number hovered over in his profile. “It’s crazy, I feel a slight increase in power.” He spoke softly, almost to the point of him being able to only decipher his own words. His petit daggers danced in the air as his wrist flicked carelessly into the direction of a nearby kobold. The creature’s health bar dropped significantly lower than what he was accustomed to, and a cocky sensation washed over him. No, he wouldn’t let that get in the way, now that it meant life or death.

A silent ping reverberated in his ears as he swiveled around to see Raziel’s new treasure. “Oh, wow! That’s pretty neat! I hope it can be a shared quest for party members.” He said before standing over her shoulder to read the details. “It looks pretty risky, but I trust you to guide us. I know I’m not the greatest right now.” He coyly rubbed the backside of his head, feeling slightly embarrassed for his game play.

“I’m ready to try something new, perhaps we’ll get a few level boosts. I remember playing a game called World of Warcraft and when we started off in dungeons we would easily get boosted three to four levels early on. Maybe this will be the same? We’ll definitely be ahead of everyone.” He couldn’t help but feel excited, trying to enlighten the situation. “If you think we are up to the task I don’t mind if we do it now.” He encouraged, not wanting to make Raziel feel uncomfortable to dive straight into the dungeon without prepping furthermore.

 

[Tsair]

Raziel seemed to have an excited shift to her personality, going from collected thought and proper order to complete gamer competitive edge. Her desire to excel quickly and jump ahead of others was evident, to the point of being slightly unnerving in a life or death situation. She looked back to Ziv with a fierce grin, gripping her weapons excitedly.

"Now is good. We'll take it slowly and carefully, but honestly I don't know if dungeons are still instanced or if they're shared now, so we need to be the first to clear it," Raziel stated as she determined the quest marker for the pair, moving towards it while turning a blind eye to some of the creatures in the area. Her new sense of purpose and action seemed a drastic change, her attention diverted to finishing the quest first.

It wasn't long before they reached a cavern entrance, dark within to the point where it was likely they'd need a torch. Raziel lit one, looking back towards Ziv with an enthusiastic smile. "Keep an eye out in there, we need to check all corners. They don't spawn once we're inside, so we won't get attacked from behind if we check every turn," she stated before traversing the threshold of the cave.

 

[Ironic]

“I can tell that you live for these kinds of things.” Ziv mentioned as he couldn’t keep his eyes off from her new demeanor. He was the opposite and that was nervousness. His digits started to tap and intertwine with one another as they strode down to the cavern entrance. There it stood with creatures inside that could be the end-all encounter.

“I’ll try my best to… No promises.” He attempted to lighten up the mood for his sake, but fear still struck his core. He wondered if she could see right through him, even though he tried his best to mask his insecurities. Taking a large breath of air, he could straighten his posture before slipping inside of the darkened cavern.

The dimly lit torch lit up the darkened area, the scent of burning wood tingling inside of his nose as his head turned around rapidly in all sorts of directions; He wasn’t going to be off guard. Though if he was too cautious it could cause him to overlook everything. Regardless, he attempted to stay alert and wide-eyed.

A silent echo reverberated from the walls, coming from down the hall towards the right. “Did you hear that or was that just me?” Ziv asked before nervously scratching his right shoulder, nails digging into his skin.

Without warning, a ghoulish creature stepped out of the shadows, mouth opened more extensively and over-exaggerated as saliva dripped from it's maw like a rabid wolf. Out of instinct, Ziv tossed three daggers in its direction, only one missing the ghoul while two dug deep into its chest.

 

[Tsair]

Ziv wasn't quite as excited for the venture as Raziel was, that much was apparent. She didn't dwindle in her enthusiasm though, her excitement and readiness would need to be enough for both of them. As her partner reacted to some unseen noise, she responded, "No, but your senses are probably more spec'd at the moment, so it's probably someth-" she began before getting cut off by the moaning ghoul.

A small 'tch' sound came from her as she moved agitated after the daggers connected. She hadn't expected the ghouls to come up so quickly, but as long as she and Ziv could recover, their numbers would at least be reduced. "Be ready, the ghouls usually come in pairs. Not sure how many there'll be, but...," she said as she activated <Evading Cut> to slip around a claw attack from the monstrosity. It had a lot of power, but it's attacks we're far too slow to easily hit either of them. "Stay alert," she finished, the ghoul now at half it's health.

 

[Ironic]

"Since we're coming in at such a low level so quickly, they want to draw out a curve ball for us." Ziv said, his voice tensed as he swung his arm violently, activating <Chaotic Trio>, causing three blades to whiz past Raziel to struck the ghoul with a head shot. Soon the creature would crumble to the ground, dissipating into tiny blue pixels.

Three more ghouls followed after the death of the first, their mouths opened with saliva hanging from top-to-bottom. It was disgusting to look at, and they didn't smell the best either, but that was the least of their concern. "Roger!" Ziv bellowed before dodging a swing from one of the NPC's. Luckily for him, his reflexes were good timing and granted him enough time to duck as the ghoul attempted a right swing. "I think this is it for the first wave!" He shouted before drawing out a thick-bladed dagger with his right hand. Carefully he re-positioned himself and swung his arm to have the tip of the blade strike the side of one of the nearby ghouls.

He succeeded, but he had left this guard down and allowed another ghoul to hit him against his back. It managed to knock the wind out of him, but his temperament and determination did not falter. "This is pretty difficult." He muttered enough for her to hear, biting back his frustration as best as he could.

 

[Tsair]

Raziel held firm to collect herself before attacking. The attack had been unanticipated, but it wasn't something that could be helped, and it was something they'd be able to overcome easily enough. As Ziv took a hit, Raziel darted in, carving into the ghoul that had attacked him and drawing the aggro. Her movement was fluid and coordinated, seeming to place steps in just the right places to maintain balance and positional advantage against the monsters.

Her blade flew through the air, cutting into her foe as she did her best to maintain the fight, ensuring Ziv only had the one ghoul to deal with. Her fighting was as high in damage output as his, but her sustainability was better in situations like this. The second ghoul took a swing and she shifted her blade, parrying the attack to the ground before withdrawing and quickly riposting. Her eyes followed Ziv despite her combat, her own movements seeming almost rote as she remained ready to dart in if it looked like he was struggling.

A final slash, and her first foe fell, though the other ghoul still had a full health bar. "Keep calm, don't lose track of your surroundings. The kobolds could show up, if they start getting early hits we'll have a hard time in here," she emphasized.

 

[Ironic]

After regaining his strength, he finished off the ghoul that he had almost slayed before the full-health ghoul knocked him down. Raziel finished her opponent before the last ghoul was standing. “It appears that he has the most health, too.” He noted before pointing at his health bar. Only 50 more, similar to a mini-boss of the wave of ghouls.

Taking his hands, he drew them towards his side and quickly drew out four mini daggers, tossing them at the NPC but surprisingly it managed to dodge every one of them. “I’ll try not to lose focus.” He muttered, feeling irritated that he can’t prove himself worthy enough of not being able to defend himself.

He reached behind him to grab his poison spear, roughly tossing it to the ghoul. Lucky for him, the attack <Poison Toss> guaranteed a direct hit on the victim, leaving a damage-over-time effect as the poison did its work.

It landed on the ghouls left side, a hellish howl erupting from the damned creature as its fury intensified.

 

[Tsair]

It wasn't fair that Raziel was holding Ziv to her own standards, when she clearly had researched far more. She knew this, but she also knew that their lives could literally depend on their skill. If he took a big hit when she wasn't watching him, then she would need to fight far too defensively to be able to make good progress. It was clear that he was competent, and she was trying to force a lot of experience onto him in a short manner, but she didn't plan on backing down. If they were going to be partners, they were going to be ambitious.

Ziv had recovered from his hit, utilizing a secondary weapon. It wasn't a common tactic to swap weapon skills mid combat, but it paid off as Ziv launched a poison attack on the ghoul. The ticks of poison damage put the ghouls attacks off rhythm, giving Raziel an opportunity to dive in and set up a strong thrust, driving it deep into the monster. It's health bar dwindled, marching steadily into the red as Raziel jumped back and took a defensive stance, allowing the poison to finish the job. She glanced over to Ziv, saying, "Nicely done, didn't realize you divided into two weapon sets at the early levels. We'll let him tick down, just make sure to recover your weapon before we move on," before she turned away, looking down some of the corridors rather casually as the dying ghoul moved too slowly to present a threat.

 

[Ironic]

"Thanks, this class is pretty neat. It's nice for beginners in my opinion, yet very risky as well." He smiled before wiping the sweat off from his brow with the backside of his hand. The ghoul slowly fell to the ground, clawing towards them until the last tick of health diminished. A sigh of relief left his lips before tugging at his weapon from the corpse before it disintegrated into fractions of pixels.

A bit of unique loot was automatically sent into their baggage, unique to each of them for their desired class. "Oh wow, what did you get? I got some higher level daggers!" His voice grew in excitement as he equipped them hastily, staring at the new pieces.

"How long do you think we have for this dungeon before we clear out all of the Kobold's?" He asked as they searched deeper inside of the cave, their guard up 110% to ensure safety.

 

[Tsair]

Raziel finalized her survey to verify the coast was clear before smiling back to Ziv, the loot dropping. Her own item was an article of clothing, a duelist cape. She gave a small smirk as she equipped it, the flowing green material hanging less than a foot long, more of an accentuating feature than a full cape. "It's got fair stats and some health regen tacked on, exceedingly useful in this whole... Well, situation," she said with a gesture towards the caves.

It would likely lead to a lot of downtime, but health regen was likely going to be invaluable in the death game, and the duelist class happened to generally place buffs into it as a defensive capability. More leading her towards the tank position, she supposed. She moved along with Ziv as her breath steadied, giving a small shrug to her shoulders. "It's hard to say, it could be anywhere from ten to thirty kobolds. Hopefully on the higher end, it's pretty good experience," she said idly was they walked. Sure enough, within minutes they were upon a group, Raziel taking point and the pair easily dispatching the creatures as they began to learn each other's patterns.

 

[Ironic]

Thirty? That was way too many to be defeating in one go. Ziv felt as if he was merging with the game, feeling tired and exhausted. His muscles ached, and he almost regretted this decision. It'll be worth it in the end... Keep pushing!" He reminded himself before gripping onto his weapon readily, taking the situation more seriously and with positivity. "I'm not going to lie, but I can tell this is going to take a while." He mentioned, but he could already assume that she knew this. She was the one who wanted to take this quest on.

Just when they thought they would get a quick breather before another battle, fate was not on their side. Another group slithered by, hissing while raising their weapons and claws at them. Five of them. So, five plus four is nine, nine of them they've faced. "Stay on your toes, I'll try my best." He encouraged Raziel not to worry about him, but that wasn't going to happen. Two of them charged at him at once, and he unleashed his <Spinners Luck> attack. He whipped around in circular motions as small daggers rained like a hurricane upon his foes. It took a lot of damage out of them, and he was impressed by his work, but wouldn't get cocky.

"How are you doing?" He shouted over to Raziel before huffing out a breath of air before tossing another poison dagger to the kobold on his right. Thud. Dead. Taking the poisoned weapon that was still usable he would mimic the same actions to the other one. Thud. Deceased. Three more to go unless Raziel took care of some while he was slaying.