Complete Pormont A little help goes a long way

[Fina Drago]

The sound of blades hitting hard stone could be heard quite some distance away. A somewhat unnatural sound, perhaps. Even more so in such a peaceful area. However, the source was far away from any fields or orchards. It was Fina, fighting. The arena was nothing but a large field of tall grass and flowers, a beautiful scenery warmed by the golden sun, making it nothing short of picturesque. The only thing ruining it were small stone golems that were terrorizing the area. The feline had been hired to get rid of them.

She weaved between the small creatures, wielding a giant magical battle ax, its edge still not quite able to efficiently cleave such enemies apart despite its sharpness and weight behind each swing. She ended up crushing them more than anything. The fight itself wasn't particularly difficult, either. Though the girl did have a few scrapes and minor injuries here and there, there was absolutely nothing major, and she was clearly winning.

Still, she was fighting alone. Perhaps not the wisest of decisions, given what kind of game this was. But the area was mostly peaceful, and monsters here were hardly anything that could overpower an experienced player such as herself. All of her usual companions were also far too busy to accompany her here, resulting in the current situation.

@Kyra Vashtana

 

[Siondhe]

Kyra

Kyra had, once again, found herself shoved upon the road beyond her usual hangout points. The medical staff at the emergency encampment had requested her assistance with a situation beyond their borders, deciding - for reasons that Kyra still argued against - that the small beastfolk woman would be the best individual for the job.

"Because I definitely have the experience travelling about, and don't just sit in the encampment healing people all the time...totally makes sense..."

The sound of metal on...something...caught Kyra's attention, her eyes twitching in response to the sound. It was still a ways out, but definitely in the direction she was heading. Curiosity, as well as a sense of concern, began to rush over Kyra. She doubted there was any real danger in taking a glance from a distance.

Coming over the next rise, she saw what appeared to be another beastfolk woman fighting against miniature sized golems, her blade crushing them into pieces in what was appearing - at least to Kyra - to be a fairly one-sided conflict. She waited patiently, until the majority of the small golems had been crushed, before making her way across the fields towards the other.

"Uhm...hello. Any particular reason you're playing Crush-the-Golem in the middle of the field? Not that I'm questioning your ability to do so or anything, it just seems...err...odd? Then again, I'm new to the area, so what do I know. This might be completely normal."

She paused for a second, shaking her head in order to arrange her thoughts. Brilliant introduction there, Kyra. Absolutely wonderful. She's going to think you're the smartest individual in all of Terrasphere at this rate.

"You uhm...wouldn't happen to know of a nearby village requiring medical assistance, would you? I was sent here by the medical council in Lyrwick."

 

[Fina Drago]

As the number golems grew fewer, the challenge itself became easier as well. It might have been potentially dangerous to fight so many of them at once, but once the feline picked off a few, the danger of further injuries almost disappeared. It took a bit, but she finally managed to bring down the last one. As the stone crumbled to pieces, Fina let out a sigh of relief before she suddenly tensed up as she heard something behind her, turning around to face it with her weapon at the ready.

What she found was not a straggler golem as she expected, but a fellow beastkin who wanted something. "Huh?" it took the girl a moment to calm down and fully process what was being said. But once she grew more approachable, she pinned the handle of the axe into the ground leaned forward on the blunt edges of the weapon. "Well, we're playing a game, right? Killing mobs is what you'd usually do." She gave a half-joke answer with a smile. "Well, I'm here to help the local farms. Apparently these golems started appearing out of nowhere, trampling all the crops."

Then came a more sensible question. Fina didn't really know the area super well herself, but the fact that the other girl was capable of healing did interest her. "Mm, no clue, sorry. But there's not many settlements here, just fields, orchards, and the like. Shouldn't be hard to find your village, but... hey, if you can heal, could you take a look at me real quick? I'd rather be at full HP if I end up fighting again."

@Kyra Vashtana

 

[Siondhe]

Kyra

The girl made a good point - it was a game. Although, Kyra could've argued the purpose behind the game. She certainly didn't spend all her time wandering about obliterating small creatures just because she could...but maybe she was the odd one, in that case?

"Oh...yeah! For sure! Here, let's see what's going on with you..."

She moved towards the other, eyeing up the few injuries she could see, before prodding a bit to illicit pain reactions. She moved around the other, checking slowly from her head, right down to her toes, her fingers and hands prying into areas that the other likely wouldn't have expected from anyone but their doctor.

"Doesn't look too bad, here..."

She placed her palms upon the other's back, muttering as she called the magic into her hands and towards the other player.

"May this power which I imbue in you...give to you that which I no longer require..."

She felt the magic pull, a small squeak of pain errupting from her lips before she could stop it as the magic tore apart her essence once more to heal the other. The few bruises and lacerations healed over, disappearing entirely as if they'd never been there to begin with.

She gave a shaky smile as she pulled herself away and back in front of the other beastfolk, her hands falling her side.

"There...all better now? I think that should remove any sort of hinderances you may have had, at least for the time being...plus, it should make you feel a bit better too!"

 

[Fina Drago]

Fina was quite glad that this wandering healer decided to accept her request. It was a relatively minor thing, but the feline always liked to play things on the safer side when she could, especially when she was alone. And, well, it felt like a fairly normal thing that would happen in an ordinary MMO - support players running into someone on low health, healing them, refusing to elaborate, then leaving. "Ah, thanks!"

Though, not too long after, the girl started to have mild doubts. Specifically, after the healer started walking all around her and feeling her up. Sure, it felt close enough to what a doctor would do, but didn't people usually just heal others through masteries that did not require such an examination? Honestly, there was a brief moment where Fina considered whether she just fell prey to some kind of pervert that wanted to get physical. However, that idea was at least partially dispelled when Fina actually got healed up.

But there was still something rather weird. "Wait, what just happened-?" Her HP returned to full, she saw that much on her UI. But she also heard an undoubtedly pained sound from the girl. Her voice after also sounded as if she was just hit by someone square in the face. "H-hey, what's wrong? You don't sound so good, did your spell go wrong or something?" Fina even moved her hands out so that if Kyra were to fall forward, she would get caught.

@Kyra Vashtana

 

[Siondhe]

Kyra

Kyra gave a soft, pained smile and a wave of her hand at the questions. She felt herself waver slightly - the dizziness after the spell causing her to sway on her feet - before she shook off the feeling. Her ears perked up, and the tail behind her swayed lazily as she turned back to the other player.

"It's nothing...Just a minor side effect of the healing magic I use...it goes away with time."

She glanced around the two of them, finding only open fields. Her ears twitched, and she sought for anything to turn the conversation away from herself.

"So...does this mean that you're done your clean-up and ready to head back to the village? Or are there more mini-golems awaiting your judgement on their existence?"

She flashed a large grin, hoping her joke would be caught by the other. Her ears twitched again as she waited, debating on whether she should outright offer to tag along with the other, seeing as she had nowhere else to go right now.

 

[Fina Drago]

The girl might have said that it was nothing, but it certainly did not feel like it. What kind of mastery did the girl take to make her healing be so self-sacrificial? Not to mention, her wobbling made it seem like she was not in the best shape after only healing Fina's minor injuries. How the hell would she fare if she was locked in a room with an entire squadron of injured people?! Unfortunately, the feline did not manage to pry any further before Kyra decided to move the conversation along. With a sigh, Fina nodded and dropped the subject for now.

"Well, I think I'm done in this area, at least. The lander that gave me this task was really hoping I could figure out why these golems are even appearing around here since it's apparently not the first time. Not really sure where to even begin with investigating that one, though." She could just run around and smack around every stone golem she'd find, but that would hardly address the core issue at play. "I suppose I shall judge them for their sins of trampling the local fields some more!" Turning around, the feline looked about.

"And since you're looking for a village or something… mm, wanna tag along? Since I don't know where to go myself, we can just wander around until we find what we're looking for, be it your village or the source of my problems." Turning back around, she extended her hand toward the other beastfolk as a gesture of invitation. Usually, she'd be happy to have a healer with her, but she felt like she really shouldn't get injured now that she knew this one would suffer by healing.

@Kyra Vashtana

 

[Siondhe]

Kyra

She was already feeling better as she nodded towards the other's questions. Heading out in a pair would likely be smarter - and safer - than wandering alone, especially in an area that Kyra wasn't familiar with. She'd heard rumours that the area was safe, but with what she'd just been told, she didn't exactly want to run into randomly appearing miniature golems.

"That sounds good to me! I...have a couple ideas on how you could figure out where they're coming from. But we'd need to find a new group of them. And not immediately bash them all apart...and it would require some planning."

She placed her left hand on her hip, shifting her weight and leaning fowards at the waist slightly. She grinned at the other player slightly, before continuing to explain her idea in depth.

"Basically, we find another group of these things. Smack a couple of them quickly, then retreat and watch what they do. They may chase us for a bit...but if we can lose them, maybe they'll run home and lead us directly towards where they come from? Then we can find their momma base, or home, or whatever and we can figure out what to do from there! I doubt they just...spring into existence in random places...there must be some sort of main area that they come from. That's how these things always work, right?"

Her tail flicked behind her, hinting at the excitement she was feeling. It felt good to be away from the encampment, for once. To adventure. She would have to thank the one who'd given her the idea, even if she'd been reluctant to begin with.

"Besides...wandering around to find the right village will take almost as much time as searching for more of these golem things, right? I'm not in a huge rush, so...I wouldn't mind tagging along and helping a bit if I can?"

@Fina Drago

 

[Fina Drago]

Fina was eager to listen to whatever ideas the girl might have had. Though she narrowed her gaze a bit at the insinuation. "Hey, I'm not some barbarian that could not restrain herself from attacking others." It would be of no issue for her to let the golems be if they really needed them alive. Of course, the feline also didn't take the comment seriously, she doubted this healer would try to actively start something.

As for the rest of the plan, it made sense. Or at least Fina hoped it made sense. "I keep forgetting that this game was made to be as realistic as possible, so the enemies might actually lead us somewhere instead of idling in the same place indefinitely…" Resting her palm against the side of her head for a moment, the girl just had to take a moment to think about all of that again and how crazy it was. Sometimes, her prior experiences with games flawlessly worked against her when playing TerraSphere.

"But I got it. Worst case scenario, we'll have a nice walk along the countryside." It really didn't seem like there was anything bad that could happen. Even if the golems didn't lead them anywhere, they could hardly do anything terrible after losing a few of their numbers. Once Kyra was ready, Fina would start leading the way. Since these things seemed to spawn mainly around fields and orchards, that was the path the girl chose.

@Kyra Vashtana

 

[Siondhe]

Kyra

She nodded as the other seemed to get the idea - this game was unlike any other. Kyra had seen herself as enemies broke and ran, trying to save their own lives, acting in ways that only living, breathing creatures would be expected to do. Realistic, was selling it short. This game went for perfection, and Kyra had trouble arguing with the fact that it came as close as it possibly could.

"Exactly! A nice little walk at the absolute worst, but maybe a lead that would get you closer to finishing whatever it is that you're trying to accomplish for the local farmers, and folk!"

She smiled widely as the other turned and began leading the way, taking a final glance at the smashed golems before making her way after the other. She checked the scythe at her hip, ensuring it was secured, before skipping after the girl and chattering happily alongside her; bouncing from foot to foot as they continued.

"So...how long have you been playing Terrasphere? I know some people were here for...well, a while. And then something supposedly happened, but now they're back. I personally only just recently started...it's definitely felt like it's been a long time, but at the same time..."

She fell silent as she considered everything that had occurred since she started playing. There had been a lot, more than she thought would be possible in the small amount of time. She shrugged inwardly, turning her attention back to the other girl, curious to hear what she would say.

@Fina Drago

 

[Fina Drago]

Realistic to a fault, perhaps. At least as far as the idea of death having consequences was concerned. Seriously, what kind of sadist was behind this game to create such a paradise, truly a second life where one could look and behave however they wanted, only to fill this world with blood-thirsty atrocities that could not only end a life inside of the game, but eventually also outside of it? But that was going besides the point. Rather casually, Fina would toss her giant war-ax to the side as it suddenly dematerialized as the feline stopped feeding it mana, the weapon falling apart into small particles before dissipating completely.

"I've started playing almost just as the game re-opened. It took me a day or so to actually get a copy to install, but other than that… yeah." TerraSphere was almost an obsession for the girl when she first discovered it. Of course, that was when it was unavailable, but she kept a keen eye on how things were evolving, and it paid out in the end. She could now walk these fields just like she hoped she would be able to, with little care in the world.

Farm-side roads of Pormont
A peaceful walk

"It really is quite nice today, though…" The girl almost said to herself as they walked. "I never knew that there was a region this peaceful. If I did, I would have probably moved here instead of exploring Brisshal. But I suppose that had its benefits as well… I did get to meet a few of those veterans you mentioned as well. People who played 4 years ago before the game was shut down. They seemed really excited to be back here."

 

[Siondhe]

Kyra

Kyra nodded as she walked alongside the other girl, listening to the recounting of experience; the desire for the game that had led to a patient waiting period. It wasn't often that you heard things paying off as well as they had for the other girl, but Kyra was pleased nonetheless.

"Yeah...a few of the veterans I've run into seemed...at home? It really felt like they were over the moon, so to speak, to be back in the game. As if they'd had an emptiness for too long..."

Kyra wondered what that must've been like. She'd only recently begun the game, but she couldn't imagine it going offline - her life was quickly becoming this. Whether that is good or not, is an entirely other story. But not one to contemplate now, nor will it really matter.

She eyed the other player, questions racing through her head as she tried to figure out what she wanted to ask first. She eventually came upon one that felt most appropriate, if not a little personal - but what was getting to know someone, other than getting personal?

"So...what made you decide to play Terrasphere? I mean, what drives you to stay, considering all the...dangers?"

She wasn't sure if the other was aware of the three deaths, and Kyra figured the best way to bring it up was to simply assume - she could explain if the other seemed to be unaware.

@Fina Drago

 

[Fina Drago]

It made perfect sense that the veterans were delighted about the game's return. It was like a true second life here, but everyone could choose how they were portrayed to the world instead of being stuck the way they were born. The same was for Fina, who would have never answered Kyra's question honestly a week or so ago. But since then, she had discovered that sharing her reasons for being here was also freeing, in a way. She just hoped she wouldn't make things awkward.

"I'm bound to a wheelchair out there." She said so bluntly, but that was really all there was to it. "I've tried many different VR games and therapy softwares, but none could make me feel like I really had a pair of working legs. That's why I wanted to try this game so much, and it delivered." Hopefully that was good enough explanation for Kyra, sating the girl's curiosity.

To lighten things up a bit, Fina then laughed. "I don't think the dangers matter that much if you're not reckless. Life outside of the game also has risks but we don't just stop~" She joked to a bit, but there was truth to what she said. Working with the risks was often better than trying to avoid them entirely.

@Kyra Vashtana

 

[Siondhe]

Kyra

Kyra felt herself nodding along at the explanation given by the other beastfolk. It was true, that there was no other game like this - and Kyra had tried a few herself. None lived up to the realistic essence that Terrasphere offered.

"I'll skip the condolences that you've likely heard time and again...but it definitely makes sense wanting to spend time in here. As to life outside being dangerous, sure. But I think the general concept is that most of us don't run into armed combat - err...or roll into armed combat - as our daily doings. That being said, definitely still dangerous out there."

She gave a slight shrug, realising the girl had a good point - albeit one that seemed almost too naive, in many ways. Sure, the outside world was dangerous - but one didn't routinely expect to log into a game and actually die. At least, not one that she'd come across previously.

"Either way, I'm glad to have you here. It's nice to know I'm not the only carefree one, in that sense."

She glanced at the road ahead of them, before turning to look around the fields. She suddenly realised that she was not only following the girl blindly, but had no concept of how to even help at this point.

"On another note entirely, how did you find the golems to begin with? Did you just happen to come across them through random chance? Or do you have an idea of where they normally appear? Any patterns? Common places? Have you seen them appear in the same area twice?"

She'd taken on a thoughtful expression as the questions began rapid firing from her mouth, as if her brain was spewing the first thing that came to mind, without considering the next question before releasing it.

 

[Fina Drago]

"Thanks, I appreciate it." The girl had indeed heard enough of empty sympathies from others. She didn't need more of it while playing the game when she would much rather focus on what was around her and how she could interact with it all. In this case, by actually doing what they were supposed to - eliminating the golem threat so that the local sources of food could go on uninterrupted. It was indeed a job that would bring the two girls into a combat where it was possible to be killed, but Fina thought there was still an argument to be made.

"Of course, you won't get into constant fights that are life or death when outside of the game. But if a person is really concerned about all of that, well… this game can be enjoyed even when one does not pursue combat. It might be a silly thought, given that this is an MMO and killing is usually the main activity, but… I think it is possible to just enjoy a second life here, within the safe and comfortable walls of a major city." That was really all she wanted to say.

All of that aside, Kyra had some valid concerns about how they would even find more golems to hopefully follow somewhere interesting. "Well, the golems seem to be targetting local farms and orchards, like I said before. I was just walking between them until I found some before, figured we might do the same now?" Perhaps there was a better way, but an orchard full of beautiful blooming cherry trees was already coming into view.

@Kyra Vashtana

 

[Siondhe]

Kyra

Kyra gave a snicker of agreement to the concept of finding other things beyond just combat to do in the game. Her mind flashed images from the encampment, and before she knew it she was pouring out her verbal agreement, whispering quietly to herself - but likely loud enough the other could here.

"Yeah...I've spent more time healing random people in medical tents than I have doing anything else...one would almost say you come to this game as a second job, it's so realistic..."

She gave a shrug at the suggestion. She had no better options for how to find the golems, especially seeing as she'd never actually hunted anything in the game before. Instead, she gave a slight tilt of her head, allowing her ears to bow down towards the top of her head.

"Well...you've got far more experience in finding these things than I do, so I'm happy to just follow along. Besides, if you're randomly wandering the countryside, you're bound to trip and fall, and need someone to clean up your scrapes and such. That's where I come in!"

She gave a beaming smile, hoping the humour would reach the other - even if there was a hint of truth behind it.

@Fina Drago

 

[Fina Drago]

Fina's ears twitched as she listened attentively, not a word escaping even if the other girl lowered her voice. Not much could hide from the beastfolk's hearing unless there were an active attempt at such a thing. She smiled and muttered herself, pretty sure that the fox would hear her just fine as well. "Perhaps more like a second life rather than a job~" After all, people generally seemed to enjoy playing TerraSphere, and many people often did not enjoy their job, as unfortunate as that was.

She also felt like she had to sigh again when Kyra mentioned why she would prove herself helpful on this journey. "I'm not some kind of clutz that trips over her own legs, you know..?" She figured it was probably more a joke than anything, so she smiled as she said it, but she sure hoped that the girl did not mean it. That said, they managed to arrive at the orchard, and Fina's ears twitched once again.

"Hold on… come here!" Suddenly turning to the side, the feline grabbed Kyra's arm by the wrist and started running around the fence to the other edge of the property. While the gesture might have been a bit forceful, she made sure not to run too fast for the other girl, in case she wasn't as athletic as Fina was. Once near the end of the fence, the feline would crouch and let go of Kyra's hand, leaning and peering over the edge.

"I knew I heard something! It's another group… so, you say you heal more than you fight, hm? Do you want to try to lure the golems to see how it is? Don't worry, I'll back you up~" It seemed that the stone constructs were pouncing on the fence, so no real damage had been done yet. They had a bit of time to decide their strategy, and Fina figured she would help her helper to get some new experiences.

@Kyra Vashtana

 

[Siondhe]

Kyra

Kyra grinned as the other returned the jest in kind. She had just been considering her own rebuttle, when the girl caught her arm and dragged her forwards, pulling Kyra into a small area behind a fence. Fina glanced over the fence - clearly seeing something that she was looking for, a sudden light in her eyes - before turning back to Kyra.

She felt her ears twitch as she listened to Fina's plan. She would be the bait, summoning the creatures in, and Fina would pop out to support. A well thought out plan, minus the fact that Kyra would be the bait - something she wasn't entirely pleased with. You offered to help. So this is how you get to help.

"Alright...I'll draw them into a central area, once you're ready you jump in and clear them out."

She took a single, small breath in preparation both standing and leaping over the fence, landing on her feet with a soft thud. She spotted the golems - several metres away, pounding on the fence and apparently oblivious to Kyra's presence. Good. That'll make this next part easier.

She drew the scythe from her side, the chain rattling slightly as she let it slide in her right hand, the haft sitting comfortably in her left. Another small intake of breath, and then she was rushing towards the creatures, calling upon her magics to enhance her speed ever so slightly.

A sudden leap, and she found herself inbetween two of the small creatures, her scythe lashing out suddenly as it struck one of the golems, cleanly removing an arm. She gave a flick of her righ arm, and the small blade on the chain streaming across the air and taking a chunk out of the other golem with a [/i]chinking[/i] sound.

Almost as quickly as she had leapt in, Kyra was moving backwards, straffing away from the golems in order to try and pull them from the fence and into the centre of the field.

"Come on you tiny rock babies...come and get the foxy lady..."

She held her breath, waiting as they turned their attention away from the fence and began stumbling towards her. Then suddenly they were rushing across the open area, and Kyra felt a moment of fear tingling up her spine.

"Uh...shit...Fina! Fina! Now would be a good time...like now!"

@Fina Drago

 

[Fina Drago]

With Kyra's agreement made known, Fina simply nodded and smiled. They might have as well made this whole thing into a fun adventure, right? That said, the feline expected her fox friend to just jump out there and start yelling to draw the attention of the golems, then leave things to Fina. So it was a big surprise when the healer also dashed into the fray with a weapon to attack the mobs, even doing some decent damage to one of them. 'Wow…' Fina could not help but be at least partially amazed. After all, she figured the other girl was a pure healer from what was said before.

The lack of direct combat experience soon showed itself as the vixen started panicking when the golems sped up. Naturally, the feline did not intend to leave Kyra behind or let her get hurt. As soon as one of the golems got too close, a lance would pierce it from the side and send it flying into oblivion. Fina had tossed the weapon and then dashed after it, only to nearly bump into the healer. But instead of colliding, the silver-maned cat instead picked Kyra up and carried her like a princess.

"Good job~! That's one and a half of 'em down, time to test your theory and bail!" With those words, the girl would start sprinting away from the group of enemies while still carrying Kyra in her arms. Only after some distance would she put the other girl down and let out a sigh. "This might be far enough to lose the aggro. We'll see if they just go back to the fence or somewhere else… by the way, that is one mean-looking weapon for a healer." She teased the girl a bit, hoping to lighten the mood after that experience.

@Kyra Vashtana

 

[Siondhe]

Kyra

One moment, she was facing off a rushing horde. A small horde, but a horde nonetheless. The next moment, she was being carried away in the arms of the girl she'd just found - as if she were a helpless lady in some sort of fairy tale. For a brief second, Kyra considered protesting - then she realised there was likely no purpose behind it.

Then, just as quickly, she was on her feet again, gently placed down by Fina as the other began commenting on her weapon. Kyra felt a sheepish look cross her face, the embarrassment of the focus causing her to blush slightly. She mumbled her response, as the other continued speaking.

"Oh...thanks. I uh, kind of went for the whole Avatar of Death thing. You know, the Grim Reaper, there to guide you to the afterlife. Not like the modern version, where the grim reaper is the bad guy; more like the old stories, where the reaper is there as a friendly guide. To ease your pain and confusion as you move on to the next...err...part of life."

She shrugged as the other mentioned returning, having left the aggro zone. It was their original plan, and Kyra had no argument. She stepped in line behind Fina as the other began making their way back towards the small horde, curious to see if her theory would pan out. She'd seen it occur in one or two other areas, but that very well could've been a specific outcome that was pre-designed. She had no idea if it would occur here, as well.

"I so hope this works...I mean it is just a theory, after all. I've no idea if it happens with all encounters, or if the ones I saw were just...but even if it doesn't work, at least we can then clear out another small group, right?"

Her nerves were getting the best of her, coming out in her words and clear in her tone. She didn't want to have entirely wasted the other's time - but in the end, it was a few moments of running. It's not like they spent hours doing this, without success. Kyra doubted the other would be truly upset, in the end. Or at least, she hoped.

@Fina Drago