Open Eastern Brisshal A Budding Do Over

[Harveste]

It was a day like any other... Except it wasn't. With nothing to do and being an early riser like she'd become over the years, it was barely dawn when Harveste logged in for the first time in four years. Things were different now- her life was different now. But having to choose new masteries due to a change in the system had surprised her. But that wasn't the only thing that had her shocked.

"This forest sure brings me back." She said softly, giggling to herself. "I didn't think it was possible for it to feel more real than before, though..."

She took a few steps one way, then the other. The feeling of the grass under her feet was rejuvenating, in a strange way. With a curious mind, she tried to focus her magic into a song. "Right, they changed things and I didn't choose Harmonics yet..." She sighed deeply. "I'll have to practice magic later, when I have a foci."

She walked towards a flower patch and knelt down next to it. "They're so pretty~!" She watched them with a cheerful smile. Looking around though, she frowned ever so slightly as she realized something was missing. "No one seems to be here... I forgot how lovely nature can be, but also... It's kind of lonely..."

 

[Sylpha Astarte]

It's been a long time since I last walked in this forest. Sylpha thought as she strolled through the forest, picking a few familiar berries as she went. It had been four years since she last stepped foot in here... perhaps even longer, but generally every player she ever spoke to agreed it was four years. Sylpha herself couldn't remember.

Sylpha attempted to find the river where she had a very unsavory encounter in an attempt to jog her memories, but failed. Sylpha guessed that even when the forest looked the same, the paths and it's exact layout did not. Or it might have been her memory failing. Worst case scenario, the answer might even be "all of the above". Either way, she was lost again.

Coming to a patch of flowers, the blue-haired elf caught sight of a small, humanoid figure. She seemed to be talking to herself, but that wasn't the kind of thing that could be heard from this distance.

Shrugging to herself, Sylpha approached and made herself visible.

"Hello there." She started with the most boring of openers.

 

[Harveste]

The tiny Faerin jumped in both elation and surprise when she heard a voice not far behind her. She wasn't the most graceful of jumpers, however. She stood straight, knees locking as she attempted to twirl towards the voice that had startled her- but with locked joints came pain, and with pain, a small yelp. She could hear her knees crack slightly when she managed to unlock them. "Some things don't change no matter what world you're in, I guess..." She tried to laugh it off, then gave a soft wave of her hand to the elf that had approached her.

"Good morning!" She chirped, smiling broadly. Well, she thought it was morning, anyway. Time zones didn't matter in Terrasphere, did they? Honestly, the girl couldn't remember.

With an outstretched hand and a grin a mile long, the young woman couldn't seem to contain her excitement. "I'm sorry if we've already met... My memory has never been the best. It's been so long, I can't really remember any of the faces I once found friendly..." Putting her free hand towards her face, she put a finger on her lip. She then dropped it, shaking off the concern. "Well, I'm Harveste! It's nice to meet you, Miss...?"

 

[Sylpha Astarte]

Sylpha took a few steps in an attempt to rush forward to support the faerin when she jumped up. She was too far away and too slow to make it with just physical movement. She hadn't even got within arms reach when she had been waved off.

Unsure if the other party would appreciate her help, Sylpha decided to just not say anything about it. "Good morning." She replied back. As long as the sun wasn't going down and was still in the sky, Sylpha would treat a good morning as a valid greeting.

"Sylpha Astarte" She met the faerin's hand with her own. "You can call me Sylpha. I don't think we've met, but I might not have remembered it either."

She wasn't confident in her memory to remember every single person she's met, regardless of if they were players or NPCs.

"I'm a little lost here." She admitted immediately. "I thought the forest would be more or less the same after four years, but I guess I was wrong. I was searching for a certain river to see if I could jog my own memory, but I ran into you instead.

How about you?"

 

[Harveste]

Harveste's hand was small, but her grip was strengthened slightly by her choice of offensive mastery- martial arts. Still, it was just a modestly firm handshake. It was her attempt at being confident. In the other world, her grip was that of a toddler's. In this world, she could be strong.

"I'm a bit lost myself," Harveste admitted. She pointed at the flower patch that had garnered her interest just moments before. "Things have changed. I don't remember seeing this kind of flower before. The bird songs feel different too. They changed a lot in four years, I guess."

Biting her lip, the faerin looked around hastily. "I don't recognize this part of the forest better than any other. Shall we look for a town together? If I remember correctly, it's usually safer in numbers... I don't know about you, but I didn't get a starter item for my magic. Luckily, one of my masteries is martial arts, but... Not being able to use equipment from the beginning could make this dangerous if we're not careful..."

 

[Sylpha Astarte]

Sylpha didn't know anything about the faerin's strength complex, just like how the faerin knew nothing about Sylpha's height complex. She said nothing about the handshake, thinking that Harveste was simply a little too enthusiastic about meeting people.

As for Harveste's situation, it was more or less the same as Sylpha's: Entered the forest, forest was not as they remembered it four years ago. They got lost, then the lost found each other. It's almost like a law of this world, that the easiest thing to find for those who are lost are other people similarly lost. Perhaps that's just how the game operated. Sylpha didn't study VR worlds, how would she know?

"Sure, let's look for a town." Sylpha easily agreed to the faerin's suggestion. As for equipment, Sylpha was much better off. Raising her right arm, she gestured towards the metal bracelet she wore on it.

"This bracelet allows me to use magic if I need to. Easier for me to just get something I can always wear on my person instead of searching for something to hold. Doesn't get in the way when you need to do other things, too. Most convenient thing for anyone dabbling in magic if you ask me."

 

[Harveste]

If Harveste knew about Sylpha's height complex, it would have made her giggle. In reality, she had one as well- which made people wonder why she made such a tiny character in the first place. The little girl simply smiled obliviously to Sylpha's worries, especially of the way the world seemed to work. When Sylpha showed her the bracelet she had, Harveste pouted ever so slightly.

"Where did you get it? Am I gonna have to beat up a bear to get my equipment? Though I'd rather make the bear my friend." With a soft laugh, she let go of her frustration, her worries. "Well, I guess I'll find something eventually. I'm not fond of metal anyway. It's a weird thing of mine. I'll probably get myself a wooden staff or a tome or something. And maybe something to wrap around my body so I don't get as injured fighting with my claws."

She didn't really have claws of course- but the Faerin playfully pretended she did, laughing merrily. "What kind of magic do you do? Mine is nature. The ground and I are friends, so I thought I'd make it the same for my enemies by tripping them with roots and plants."

 

[Sylpha Astarte]

Huh? What? Beat up a bear? Sylpha shot Harveste a look of confusion as she processed what she just said.

Where in the world did Harveste get the idea a bear would have a metal bracelet for her to extract from it's carcass?

It took a bit before it clicked and Sylpha's expression went away. Oh right, game world stuff. Sylpha wasn't very familiar with gaming, but spend some time in Terrasphere and a few years missing it and anyone would learn a little.

"I bought my bracelet in Sto... Stock... Stokbon? The capital city in this region. Forked over quite a sum for it back then, so I wonder how much it goes for these days."

Unfortunately, the faerin didn't like metal. It's not like there were no solutions, though.

"If you need wood of the magically enchanted kind, you could always just consider looking for imports from Elven territory. Surely they've built it up enough to export something like that by now. Worst case scenario you sit through a few classes in Yladian and try your luck going there yourself."

"As for me, I use the most generic arcane and water magic. I like them because they're versatile and reliable, especially out of combat." It actually wasn't the full extent of Sylpha's capabilities, but the fact was... she forgot. She couldn't say something if she forgot it, right?

 

[Harveste]

Harveste felt some sweat on her neck as she scratched at it, laughing nervously. "I forgot, this game is more realistic than most of the games I play. A bear wouldn't have any sort of amulet or accessory with magic imbued in it, would they?"

She took mental note of some of the information Sylpha gave her. She hadn't been to Stokbon in four years or so, and thinking about it made her wonder if it had changed as much as these forests felt they had. Elven imports were a good idea though- surely somewhere in the city, there was bound to be a shop that sold imported goods.

"I don't see any particular magic as 'generic'. Each one is unique. I chose nature magic because I've always loved plants, but have never had a green thumb."

Stretching herself backward, she groaned slightly. "My flexibility went down since the mastery change, I think. That or I just really need to stretch more." Giggling, she then asked, "How are you feeling so far being back, Sylpha?"

 

[Sylpha Astarte]

"Yes, unless the bear is sentient... Then again, that doesn't seem too out there for a world like this." Magic already existed in the first place. A bear that owned magical equipment and could talk might probably exist somewhere.

Regarding magic, Sylpha didn't say anything. Until Terrasphere the only 'magic' she ever knew was patisserie executed to perfection. She figured going into a fantasy world meant she should pick magic, so she took the thing that seemed closest to the base form of magic: Arcane magic, now known as Arcanamancy. Anything else was just extra stuff she got as time went. Now, the new mastery, Magitech, looked like the kind of thing she wanted. She could possibly build modern patisserie equipment by using magic in place of electricity!

"Maybe the game took it as your virtual body being asleep for four years, so it needs to move more. My own movement isn't impeded, but I'm no martial artist so the only demand I have of it is that it can walk and get to wherever I need to go."

Sylpha took a few exaggerated steps. No discomfort.

Continuing to walk, she tried to bring up a new subject.

"Got any travel plans? Places you want to hit up now that you're back?"

 

[Harveste]

Harveste laughed as Sylpha pointed out the idea of a sentient bear. For Harveste, that did invoke an image of a bear talking. She wondered if, with her beast arts, she could manage to talk to a bear and learn to understand it. That sounded like fun, actually. "Hm... Might have to try to find a bear when I've upped my game."

Unlike Sylpha, Harveste's idea of magic was a little different from others. She thought a lot of things were magic, due to reading an old novel from the 90s or so. The book treated everything as magic- even the heroine's fondness for the Fibonacci sequence. To Harveste, a beautiful sunrise or time spent with a loved one could be magic... just like the magic she felt when a story came to life on her page.

"I hadn't thought about it really," She confessed when asked about her travel plans. "Probably Astorea? I just want to see how everywhere's changed. Oh, and maybe set up a flower shop or something. Or a farm. Though that might be a bad idea if I decide to go exploring..." Realizing she had taken over the conversation with her rambling, she laughed nervously. "What about you, Sylpha? Anyplace you want to go?"

 

[Sylpha Astarte]

While the Faerin only thought of going to Astorea, Sylpha had a longer itinerary. "Astorea's on my list as well. I'm going to see if I can take some classes in elven languages there before I head to Yladian territory. After that, I intend to try my hand at going to Tertoria. I heard it's quite a sight.

I'd even like to try going to Zalra again at the end of all that, but I'm already having second thoughts about that." Zalra was more dangerous than all the previously mentioned places combined, and not without reason. It wasn't really worth risking her life for a second visit so soon.

"Because of that, I won't have enough funds for both travel and buying a place to call my own. Flower shops and farms aren't bad ideas, but a bakery is more up my alley. Unfortunately, that would mean I'd open it somewhere more populated and that would end up costing a lot more than your own store." Sylpha always planned to get a kitchen in the virtual world to call her own, but for now she could make do with using an existing kitchen in real life and renting ones from others here in the game.

 

[Harveste]

"Learning languages is fun... I've been trying to learn Japanese in the other world myself actually. Slowly but surely, I'm getting a lot better at it. Maybe I should join you in learning another language here too!" She giddily clapped her hands together. She hadn't thought about how it sounded- it sounded like she wanted to follow the elf around. It wasn't intended, but she only likely made it worse when she added to it. "Tertoria... I don't remember if I ever went there. I wonder what kind of plants grow there? It'd be neat to see the animals too."

Harveste had a habit of not planning anything except her stories. Her day to day life was usually a 'go with the flow' kind of deal. She shuddered at the thought of something dangerous like Zalra, however. She wasn't a planner by nature, but she already still had one death in the game from years and years ago. Unless she got frustrated or unstable, she wasn't intent on dying again. "I might try Zalra when I'm stronger... and have more friends to go with. But not now. Not for me."

When Sylpha mentioned her concerns about funds, Harveste clapped merrily. "I know you're probably not rushing to buy a bakery of your own, but when you do, I hope I'll get to visit! I really love baked goods... They're so tasty!" She felt herself salivate at the thought of fresh bread. "Now I'm kind of hungry," She laughed, wondering what was edible of the plants around her. She shook off the feeling and glanced to Sylpha. "By the way, Sylpha, I forgot to mention this but... Your name is really pretty!"

 

[Sylpha Astarte]

Learning Japanese? As a half-Japanese, she knew the biggest difference between English and Japanese. She wouldn't say it, though, choosing to keep to the game world. "Even if you don't end up learning the language of Elves, there should be other languages for you to choose from. I believe the Faerins also have their own language, the name of which is escaping me at the moment..."

Regarding Zalra, the reason why Sylpha had second thoughts was precisely what Harveste muttered about: not having confidence in their own strength. She went when she was blissfully ignorant and didn't know how much danger she was actually in until after she returned. Sylpha wouldn't add to that as a means of hiding her own embarrassment at how reckless she was.

What Sylpha didn't expect was a comment on her name. "It was partially inspired by... the inspiration behind a masterpiece that defeated mine in a patisserie competition. I came here in search of inspiration to beat him. Never actually did participate in that competition again, though."

Okay, that was half a lie. Sylpha wasn't looking for some kind of key to beating him. She just wanted inspiration in general. What wasn't a lie was that she sometimes wondered if she could beat him if they were to compete again.

"As for you, you said you liked plants, but what about the rest of nature in general? Big fan?"

 

[Harveste]

Harveste was unaware that Sylpha was keeping to focusing on the game world at the moment. She just figured the woman wasn't aware of how difficult the language learning process between English and Japanese was. Still, it didn't bother her, really. She opted not to continue that route, instead focusing on the game herself. "While the language of the Faerin would probably be more helpful for me as someone who chose the race for herself, I think the language of the elves would still be interesting too. I might try to learn both... If I can remember what Faerin speak besides common later."

The story behind Sylpha's name was inspirational in its own way for the writer behind Harveste. The woman had taken part in a patisserie competition? And used the inspiration behind what defeated her? That was truly inspiring in its own way. "I've taken part in writing competitions, but I don't know anything about patisserie competitions. They sound interesting! If you ever go back to that competition, let me cheer for you, okay?" The girl grinned eagerly, before being asked a question herself.

"I've always loved nature. Plants particularly, but animals too. I watch a lot of documentaries about animals, and they always really amaze me. But did you know there's a language based on flowers? Each flower and color of flower has a different meaning... And a lot of plants we don't think about have medicinal properties! Nature is just really amazing!"

 

[Sylpha Astarte]

Writing and baking were two different arts, but both were subjective. "They're really not. Especially one-man competitions. Far too much effort for a single person to do. Much better if you go in teams, which is why every truly prestigious competition competes in teams... But sure, I'll let you be the cheering squad if I do."

She didn't mind adding an acquaintance to the audience. As long as Harveste didn't mind sitting through the four or so hours of completing a large patisserie showpiece, she could come.

As soon as Sylpha heard about the language of flowers, she knew what Harveste was talking about. It was sometimes used in her bakes. "That's right, but in a world like Terrasphere, we have a completely different language of flowers here. Well, the plants here all range from the mundane to the magical after all, so it's reasonable. Unfortunately, I know nothing about where to find a book about it, or any educational material for that matter.

But before all that, let's go find a town first." Clenching her fist, Sylpha opened up her palm menu and started fiddling with it. Soon, two notices would appear on Harveste's UI.

Notice

Sylpha Astarte wishes to add you as a contact.

Party

Sylpha Astarte has invited you to join their party.

 

[Harveste]

Smiling brightly with a slight giggle in her throat, Harveste was more than happy to hear she was welcome to cheer on her new acquaintance. "I can only imagine how hard it would be. I watch a lot of baking competitions on TV, but they never show the full effort put into the work. They just cut to the bits they think will be fun for the audience at home." She knew enough about TV studios and how they worked due to a variety of reasons- mostly because her father used to blabber about how it worked, to remind her not to take everything that happened at face value.

"You're right- the language of flowers is probably different here! I will endeavor to learn that. If I do, I can give more thoughtful gifts, since giving the right flower for the right occasion will be easier."

Her grin was going from ear to ear. When she got the two notices, she was quick to accept both of them. She felt herself fighting an urge to hug Sylpha in thanks, but managed to use her words instead. "Thank you, Sylpha! It's always wonderful to make a new friend! Please don't hesitate to contact me anytime, okay?"

 

[Sylpha Astarte]

The blue-haired elf was rather startled at the Faerin making such a large grin. Perhaps it was because Sylpha treated Harveste as an adult. Yes, Harveste looked like a child, but that was a Faerin on the other side. Treating them as children was often a quick way to earn their ire.

Returning a smile (nowhere near as large as the other party's), she replied: "Sure, you too if you find anything interesting."

Continuing to trudge through the forest, the pair quickly came upon the sound of running water. Sylpha quickened her pace in curiosity. Soon, a river came into view.

"Oh look, it's a river. I wonder if-"

Sylpha stopped herself short. It looked familiar. The width, the position of the rocks along the sides.... She knew this river.

Then, after that, came back the memories... a meeting with a certain beastkin, and the fruit that turned the encounter into something Sylpha realized she was better off not remembering.

"...It's this river alright. God damn it." Sylpha muttered the last part under her breath.

 

[Harveste]

Harveste began to relax herself a little. Her cheeks hurt from smiling so much! "It's been a while since I've enjoyed a day outside. I know this isn't really the same, but... It kind of makes me wish I got out more."

Having always loved nature, even without a green thumb, it often surprised people that the woman had a habit of keeping in her home unbothered by the world. Sure, she did go out from time to time- usually to shop or go to promotional events for her work- but otherwise? She'd stopped going out almost entirely a few years prior. Around four years, to be exact.

"It's a nice river," The girl said with a nervous laugh. It was nice, but somehow, Sylpha seemed off when she looked at it- not that Harveste really understood what she was noticing. Taking off her shoes and lifting her dress, the Faerin took a few steps into the center of the river, laughing slightly. "The water feels nice and cold!"

It reminded her of a silly memory from her childhood, but that was neither here nor there. Right now, the goal was to regain Sylpha's attention. "What got you into games like this in the first place, Sylpha? For me, it's an escape... mostly."

 

[Sylpha Astarte]

Sylpha's gaze only became more inexplicable from a mixture of emotions as Harveste played in the river like someone connecting to their inner child. Sure, the water Harveste was playing in was not the same as the water that was there 4 years ago (unless the river somehow didn't run), but Sylpha remembered the things she did there.

Harveste's voice, however, managed to gain Sylpha's attention. "Ah, I uh, never played VR games before Terrasphere. I really only took up Terrasphere as a super long shot attempt on finding some source of inspiration.

It's been four years since then and I can tell you that it's worked. I've made many a showpiece in the real world based on things I've seen in the game. I've even attempted a sugarwork sculpture scene of Zalra's scenery three years ago. If you look up 'sugar crystal forest' on a certain social media site, you might find some pictures of it. It's not completely accurate, but if you've never been there I can say it's like, what, 40% accurate?"

The reason why it wasn't more accurate was just due to Sylpha's lacking skills and effort. Making a more accurate replica was going to take more than sugar, and she insisted on only using sugar at the time.