A Long March

[Elizabeth Lixshine]

Terrasphere. Each location is beautiful in its own right. The Tangleweaves beautiful and mystifying flora, the ominous yet fascinating crystals of Zalra, the towering plateaus of the Hylands that matched its low plains and the bright beautiful broken moon and more. Yet it is the roads in between that Elizabeth found the most beauty. Astorea may offer the safety in which many sought, it's even home to the Explorer's League, which she was affiliated with, however between the towns lie roads paved by foot, wheel and hoof.

Sometimes it is easy to forget that Terrasphere is a game. Elizabeth would sit on the roadside, the compacted dirt offered little comfort but it gave enough firmness to act as a seat, a first class view into the horizon as the sun quietly sets over the horizon and the fragmented moon rose in its place. Dirtied clothes meant nothing when she can enjoy a view like that from the comforts of a video game. Aimless wandering brought her many places, explored or not. They are minor bits, but each minor bit is a memory.

So aimless she wandered again, and as she crossed the dirt, she spots an isolated farm, with two figures idly chatting the afternoon away. As she paused in her path, she wondered if perhaps a companion would make the journey a little more interesting. Would the trip with another person be more fruitful to the mind? Elizabeth would never know until someone walks the same path as her.

 

[Hanno Futaba]

Seeing this world of game and fantasy once again made Hanno's heart throb with a nostalgia he didn't expect to have. Especially after what happened four years ago, he would think that the secret the game held of bringing someone from their real life to death would be enough for him to never wish to see this game again. But now that it was up, he felt like it was his duty to come in and protect those that insisted to log in.

Of course, he made friendships and he achieved things he never would expect in his real life in here, a world that was so realistic it felt like a second life, but there was still this creepy and dangerous feeling lingering in it. He knew what happened after you died enough times, and now many knew about it thanks to Raid and Brad. His one death in the game haunted him sometimes, even after the game had closed... But still, he still felt somewhat cheerful to be in it again. It was like an addiction, a dangerous one.

If anything, he could at least take the joys that the world had to offer, one of them being a wonderful exploration around it, sightseeing the beautiful lands that were mostly unchanged for 4 years, but there were some glimpses of changes, some that felt so natural that it probably wasn't some bug or anything of the sorts, but rather something done by players or NPCs themselves.

One of the changes was the creation of this road he was stepping in, for example, strolling carefreely until he eventually met his eyes with someone else. Someone else... Considerably taller.

A new soul in the game, it seemed at least. She was still in their place too, which made him wonder.

In his lips, a smile grew. "Hey, buddy! I hope you aren't lost." He said. "Or just uncertain? Be careful when standing alone on a road, around here should be fine, but anywhere else it is just asking to get ambushed by thieves or bandits." Hanno warned, adjusting his huge shield on his back.

@Elizabeth Lixshine

 

[Elizabeth Lixshine]

Her ears flick and twist towards the sound. Elizabeth might never get use to how her ears just act like that. Having animal features has opened her eyes to how animals perceive the world around them. Horses are capable of catching noise and pinpoint their direction with just the movement of their head top ears. It did make her really obvious if she is listening in on someone. Her head soon follows, and turns to face a person much shorter than she was. It did always stand out that she had been taller than most people in the game.

She eyes the shield on his back, it stood out more than his faerin features. Compare to his mint hair, the frankly ominous and unnerving shield was an entirely different case, and she can't even see the whole thing from where she was, it just sent shivers up her spine just being near it. Regardless, considering how he did not try to engage her in combat, it was safe to assume that the man is friendly at the moment.

"Hey to you too, I'm just admiring the scenery that's all," Elizabeth answers the concerns of the man. "And don't worry, thieves and bandits are the least of my worries."

As she talks, she folds her arms before staring out into the fields again. The farmers were gone now, and a gentle wind blows over their fields, creating a cascade effect across the golden stalks.

"What's your name? Mine is Elizabeth Lixshine," Elizabeth returns her attention to Hanno and extends a gloved arm, a soft smile on her fair face.

@Hanno Futaba

 

[Schilva Flasch]

"...and I better see that you've finished picking all those turnips before tonight!"

Those last words continued to echo in Schilva's ears as he lugged the bulging burlap sack of turnips up the road to the farmhouse, cursing his luck with every step of the path that he continued to trudge along. Why couldn't he have at least been given a wagon or wheelbarrow or just anything on wheels to carry all this along with!?

Well, he thinks morosely to himself, I did sneak into their barn and take a nap in there. Probably should have asked beforehand.
Such were the circumstances that Schilva found himself in when the very displeased proprietor of the farm prodded him awake with the business end of a pitchfork, demanding him explain his uninvited presence.

After much laboured discussion, it was agreed that the incident would be overlooked if Schilva went out and worked the turnip fields for the day in the farmer's place. In fact, if he came back in time for dinner at the farmstead, he might even get leftovers thrown in for dinner, along with accommodation in the barn, pitchfork awakening not included this time.

"...it sounded like a good deal at the time..." Schilva grumbles to himself, the reality that he'd been reduced to an indentured farmhand hitting him with every ripe turnip he uprooted and threw in the sack. At least he was back before the appointed time, earnestly looking forward to what rustic delicacies might be awaiting him for a job well down.

Although, the entrance to the farm looks a bit different than when he left in the morning. Probably because there were two adventurers standing about and chatting just out on the road. How could he tell they were adventurers?

"Hey. Nice shield, my good fellow. Where'd ya get that?"
Pulling his sack of turnips along with him, Schilva leans against a fencepost and admires the exotic armament that the Faerin shielder was carrying with him. No Lander would carry themselves a piece like that.
"Asking for a friend, of course. The great Schilva Flash already has everything he could ever need right here to defend himself."
Patting his sword confidently, Schilva bitterly reminds himself that he needs to get a better one urgently as he makes an introductory bow of the head towards the equine beastfolk.
"And good eve to the fair lady. What brings you two out here?"

@Elizabeth Lixshine @Hanno Futaba

 

[Hanno Futaba]

Unnerving reactions to his shield were part of what he expected on daily basis, but that only made him beam an even bigger smile, it was better to show everything was alright by being alright himself. His eyes followed her gesture, and he nodded eagerly at her words. "The scenary is really one of a kind." He said, casting a glance at her and adding: "Nor should my shield be, it is meant to protect, it looks a bit weird, but yeah-" Hanno reassured. "If I ever use it near you, it will be to keep your life safe, not otherwise" He winked.

He turned to face her again, taking her hand for a firm and kind handshake. "Name's Hanno, Hanno Futaba. It is a pleasure to meet'cha!" Hanno grinned, then turning to see another fellow appearing, for his surprise, and once again, his shield caught the attention of someone.

"Hey there, buddy!" He exclaimed cheerfully. "Just a small souvenir from a giant, many eyed aberration." Hanno shrugged, with his nose twitching.

"Seems like you got some neat stuff in your bag too. As for us?" He glanced at the woman. "I suppose we are just chillin'"

@Elizabeth Lixshine @Schilva Flasch

 

[Elizabeth Lixshine]

Her ears flattened and turned to the back of her head for a brief moment. To anyone horse literate, it was a sign of displeasure or perhaps fury. An aggressive stance to say the least without getting too deep into the details of how and why. Just as quickly however her ears stood back up straight, rotating as they shifted to listen to two people at once.

One was a boastful and rather arrogant individual, a human from the looks of it. Orange eyes definitely stood out, an uncommon sight among other Humans she had seen in the game. Must be a player thing to give characters such ridiculous details. Regardless, it was insensitive of her to think that way so she dispelled the thought immediately. What mattered was, this guy was loud and frankly a bit annoying. The "great" Schilva Flash better be more than just talk.

"Did the great Schilva Flasch get chided on and came here to run away from his duties?" Elizabeth asked, she had been watching the farmers after all, and she definitely did remember seeing an odd looking individual getting a pitchfork waved at him as they pulled turnips out the field.

Elizabeth's attention return to the more friendly faerin. After learning their name and a good handshake later, she felt a degree of acquaintanceship from Hanno. She was not going to question the origin of his shield if it can from a "many eyed aberration". She heard the horrors some of her senior members of the Explorer's League had talked about, and while it was her duty, she isn't exactly keen to find out.

"An idle chatter, nothing special. I'm simply making an aimless path towards the next city, and took a rest by the road side," Elizabeth would answer. She then pulls out the large polearm, a spear with a sword's blade at the end, on her back and stabs the head into the ground. A sigh of relief. It may be nearly weightless to her, but it did not mean it did not start to feel heavy after a while of carrying it. Using it as a pole to rest on, she looks towards Hanno.

"You seem much more senior to me, after all, you surely must have seen more of Terrasphere then I have, can you share a few tales?" Elizabeth asked, folding her arms under her bust.

@Hanno Futaba @Schilva Flasch

 

[Schilva Flasch]

"I see, I see..."
Taking the tale of the giant, many-eyed aberration in stride, Schilva nods calmly to himself while mulling over what that could mean. Schilva had no doubt that the shielder Faerin was far ahead of him in terms of experience. After all, with a shield like that for proof, it was a hard point to dispute.
Looks like an item you might get from killing a raid boss. It could be enchanted, but it's just as if more likely to be made from some kind of rare crafting material. I haven't seen 'giant, many-eyed aberrations' yet, so it's probably in a higher level area...

His internal monologue is rudely interrupted, though, by the 'fair lady' knight. The momentary lucidity one might have seen shining through his otherwise egotistical and aloof exterior vanishes in an instant as he begins blustering and rambling again.
"Wha- no, perish the thought! I was merely, er, volunteering my help in the untended countryside. Though I must say the way passing travelers cheered me was really what kept me going throughout the day!"
That part was true, if you overlooked the fact that the only passing traveler was the farmer from before passing by on a walk into town. Also, the cheering was less that and more jeering, threats and shouts for him to work faster because there was actually more than one field to clear before sunset.
"Why, with my speed, I could be anywhere I want! Yet, I still find that fulfilment comes of bettering the lives of the Lander commonfolk."

That part was also true, within reason. With super speed and no map also comes becoming super lost in the middle of nowhere, which was actually why Schilva ended up crawling into a random barn to nap. The mention of traveling to the 'next city' caught his attention, as did the massive polearm being planted into the ground. Raising an eyebrow, Schilva points off towards a random point on the horizon and begins scheming his way out of possibly getting suckered into future farmhand service.
"Traveling to the next city, are we? May I humbly suggest you enlist the companionship of a fellow Traveler on your journey? You know, such as myself? Nights are long and dangerous upon the uncharted road."
Jabbing a thumb at his chest, Schilva shows off he best dirt-matted smile and tries his damnedest to sell the idea.
"I, Schilva Flasch, assure you that no evil lurking in the shadow of night will dare trespass my blade!"

So please take me to the nearest city! I don't want to pick turnips anymore!!

@Elizabeth Lixshine @Hanno Futaba

 

[Hanno Futaba]

The woman's reaction surprised Hanno, with her being clearly displeased for a moment. He did wonder if she had seen something in him that he hadn't noticed. He was almost leaning in to whisper if anything was wrong, but as soon as she voiced it... Hanno instantly understood, and a hearty laugh came out.

Good thing to know that the guy wasn't bad news.

"Sounds like you had a rough day, buddy." He said, giving him a pat on the back.

"I say the more the merrier," Hanno said with a nod and a carefree shrug. "Whenever you guys wanna. I have no particular place to go, I'm still checking every place, I may look 'senior', but after four years a lot of things change. So I'm just as new as you guys, in a certain way." He chuckled, not wanting to feel like someone off the curve compared to the two buddies he had just met.

If the duo decided to move along, Hanno would just follow, if they decided to linger still a bit longer, the Faerin wouldn't mind either. He was as relaxed as he could be, with a nice company and a wonderful sight to see. "As for tales, it is all your choice: My first time in the game, escorting a nice merchant, facing a giant bat, exorcising spirits, exploring a cave filled with reptilian monsters, fighting a gargantuan eldritch abomination-" He elbowed his shield, grinning." Hanno was clearly proud of all of those, and very willing to share any of them with anyone that was curious enough to ask.

@Elizabeth Lixshine @Schilva Flasch

 

[Elizabeth Lixshine]

Elizabeth was slightly amused by the way the human behaved. Like a kind of dog that was eager to do dog things but at the same time refused to behave like a dog. A drama queen, an actor, a bit of an annoying patient whenever a client came in with those kind of dogs. A chuckle, one in the tone of mockery before giving a snark remark.

"So, I guess you didn't do a good job then if you were being scolded," Elizabeth brushes her fringe out of the way of her eyes as Schilva boasted about being kind and pragmatic. Kindness and pragmatic is best done if you can appropriately provide. From her observations, all he did was increase their workload. However another thing stood out.

Where Schilva pointed, was towards an area incredibly hostile. She heard the recommended setup to travel through there was preferably high mastery level and well prepared to face all manner of damage like poison and fire. Elizabeth was thankful for the map the Explorers have. To put it simply, it was not the 'nearest city' but more the biggest hell a newbie like her would find.

"Anywhere huh? Sure, get yourself killed in basically No Man's Land over there, nearest town is that way," Elizabeth points towards the horizon, and barely visible, is castle walls and balloons. Perhaps there was a celebration there. So she was not convinced he would be a good companion to have when he can't even use basic observation skills.

However Hanno was right. perhaps the more the merrier. More hands means likely no trouble with enemies. Picking up her spear, she makes her move towards the next town.

"My curiosity lies in the shield, but the giant bat has my most interest," Elizabeth asked, hoping to know more about the fauna of Terrasphere.

@Hanno Futaba @Schilva Flasch

 

[Schilva Flasch]

"Rough day? Nah, nahhh. I'm fine!"
Waving off @Hanno Futaba's motivating pat on the back, Schilva adamantly tries to hide his shock; did he really look that out of it? No, surely not - a day spent picking turnips shouldn't be more exhausting than the crossing of swords!
However, before he could recover from that, @Elizabeth Lixshine delivers a second blow to his already dented ego, leaving him tripping over his words as he tries to cover for himself.
"Well, I don't...er, you know, it's more volunteering than, uh..."

He trails off and sinks into a gloomy sulk as his story is punctured thoroughly by some well-placed Explorers' League insights into area where he had pointed off at, knowing full well now that he was only digging himself deeper into shame with this ploy. Better to just turn in his turnips along the wayside and follow along.

"...y-yeah, let's get moving. I have to stop by the farmstead before we leave, though."
Looking like he just aged several years, Schilva droops visibly as he gestures at the farmhouse that he was meant to drop his sack off at.
"If you lot want to get going, I'll be right behind ya once I'm done with that..."
With an almost pleading tone, Schilva nonetheless tries to look less beaten down than he feels, dragging his sack up the slant of the road to the farmstead as quickly as he can. He couldn't afford to be left stranded out here!

 

[Hanno Futaba]

The way these two interacted gave Hanno the mild impression that either they knew each other for a long time, or that in the same way love at first sight happened, loathe at first sight was also a possibility.

"Yeah man, that place over there is no good news. I mean, I could escort you guys through it. I would do my best to not let harm touch either of you, but honestly there are more calming and nice spots to stroll... so your choice" Hanno said with a grin, letting the other two to choose their destination. Though it seemed like Schilva was lost, so most of the decision relied on Elizabeth.

"If you say so. I think we can keep walking at a slow pace. You said you are quick, right?" Hanno grinned at the man, waiting for him to decide what to do before moving on in a slow pace that would make an old granny look like a cheetah, hoping to give time to the guy to come back as he started explaining about the giant bat.

"That thing was crazy. It was eating out sheeps and cattle from farms, wiping out everything and eventually it had settled down inside of a nearby mine." Hanno said.

"It was gigantic, like... if you placed four elephants next to each other, the bat would still be bigger-!" He started the story...

@Schilva Flasch @Elizabeth Lixshine

 

[Elizabeth Lixshine]

Slow was a bit awkward for Elizabeth. Not because she can't be slow, but rather her stride meant that the distance she had to move her feet was painfully little. Either that, or she simply slowed the pace she moved at, taking strides but letting the others catch up before she takes her next step. However that make her stride more like a schoolgirl in a cartoon. Thus, she kept her baby steps movement. As much as she wanted to leave the farmhand in the dust, she did n ot think Hanno would be on her side of things.

"Goodness, full on sheep and cattle? And not just one?" Elizabeth knew that the fauna of Terrasphere was different, but for a bat to eat multiple animals and still fly? Perhaps the laws of physics are also different, but the biological discrepancy in the way of flight. While she was a veterinarian, she can't help but be curious to dissect the thing and study the insides.

"Four elephants bigger?" Elizabeth's expression suddenly shifts from fascination to a stern stare. "Which kind? Indian Elephant or African Elephant? This is a very important question to help me discern how big we are talking about here."

@Schilva Flasch @Hanno Futaba

 

[Schilva Flasch]

You see, Schilva was fast. It was kind of his whole thing. If he had wanted to, he could have zipped up to the aforementioned farmhouse in the blink of an eye and been back down just as quickly, no sweat. So why was he going to all the trouble of lugging his sack of turnips up there at such an unimpressively slow pace?

Turns out that, after a repeated series of incidents involving the cargo of several different bulk delivery requests flying off his person, Schilva had learned something. That something was the fact that inertia was a cruel mistress; after having broken, shattered or otherwise obliterated through inability to control his deceleration many parcels of jam jars, expensive reagents, prized personal possessions and other miscellany, Schilva had to avoid taking such jobs for a while simply because it was too humiliating to admit that the bandits who kept stealing the goods while he was taking a nap...didn't actually exist.

So now, trying his best to not make things worse by busting up a farmhouse wall with a sack of flung turnips, Schilva resolves to make sure he's learned the skills to solve this particular issue before taking another delivery or timed fetch quest.

"So, ye showed up. About time."
The sunbeaten farmer appears in the doorway as Schilva tries the knocker fixed to the roughshod wooden door, curiously left open at this time of day. Was this area really so safe that people didn't bother to even shut their doors prior to sundown?
"Guess I can have me soup tonight, after all."

As Schilva gives a defeated grumble and lugs the sack over the threshold, which the farmer accepts with an equally begrudging snort as they begin inspecting the contents.
"Right, looks like the last of it. Step in for a bite if ye want, yer hard work after all. But else, yer free to go, I see ya got folks waitin' on ye."
Gesturing towards the road, where @Hanno Futaba and @Elizabeth Lixshine were barely inching along in consideration for Schilva, the farmer scratches their chin and shuffles the turnips behind them into the farmhouse proper.
"Who're them lot anyway? Friends o' yours?"

"Hrm, I suppose, yes, you can say that."
Smacking his lips thoughtfully, Schilva begins answering, but pauses when he sees the farmer narrow their eyes without noting the response. The mood of the meeting is suddenly no longer so hospitable.
"Uh-?"

His querying noise is met with a look of fear and suspicion from the rancher who had just seconds ago invited him in for dinner. A pointed trowel flicks into view from within their dirtied overalls and thrusts threateningly at Schilva's chest.
"...yer with THEM. I didn't leave Tertoria fer this."
The Lander hurls the words at Schilva, scowling and trying to quickly shut the door on him. They don't even bother to apologise, instead parting ways with a shout of disdain as the rough woodwork slams against Schilva's leg and causes the swordsman to jump back with a yelp.
"Ye can put that thing back in that damn abyss where it came from, and yer fuckin' friends with it!"

"Ack, shit! What gives!?"
Rubbing his injury, Schilva waits for the pain to dull into an ache before hobbling away from the porch, cursing.
Hanno and Elizabeth would find him quite swift on unburdened feet, zooming down the hill to join them without delay, eager to get away from that strange encounter.
"...well, that's been dealt with. Have you lot, er, done anything to the Landers in...uh, 'Tertoria'? Like, to antagonise them or something? Just wondering. For a friend."
He looks back to the farmhouse apprehensively, frowning.
"That one seems to really hate something about you two..."

 

[Hanno Futaba]

"Yeah, I'm telling you, that thing was in a complete bloodlust. Nothing could stand before it without getting a big bite." Hanno said with a serious nod, then finding himself in deep thoughts at Elizabeth's question, making him pause and frown deeply.

"... Uhhh-" The elephant he had seen in the zoo was an gray one, and the sign that had things written about it had shown they were...

"Ah-!" Hanno perked up. "Four african elephants, yeah. African ones." He nodded eagerly to Elizabeth, grinning and opening his arms to (very underwhelmingly) show how big things were. But before he could elaborate further, Schilva came back. "Hey buddy, Woah... What happened to you?" He blinked, looking at how bad the guy looked in a span of a few minutes.

His question was then concerning, making Hanno hold a breath and tilt his head.

"... I've never antagonized any of them, but if I had to guess, maybe it could be Ghast." Hanno nudged his shield, making it rumble. "They aren't fond of dissonance beings after all... I mean, nobody does. But those guys in particular-"

@Elizabeth Lixshine @Schilva Flasch

 

[Elizabeth Lixshine]

Four African Elephants big. It was probably the right size to catch something that as big as sheep and cattle with a membrane wings like those of a bat. Elizabeth nods, now able to picture exactly how big a bat Hanno is talking about. A true senior of the game she feels being able to fight against such a large creature with a shield.

As for Schilva, she simply shrugged at his comment.

"I'm new to the game, this is my first time being on this road," Elizabeth answered simply as she glanced down towards Hanno's odd looking shield. It was a little off putting, especially that one large unblinking eye that it had on its face. Perhaps that was indeed a cause of unrest.

"We best move on then, I see no reason to stay any longer," Elizabeth picked her spear back up and made her way towards the city. "Unless our farmhand friend wants to cause further annoyance and delay our leave."

@Schilva Flasch @Hanno Futaba

 

[Schilva Flasch]

Chalking the talk of 'four African elephants' down to some topic he wasn't privy to, Schilva rubs his chin thoughtfully when both his companions deny having implicated themselves in some sort of Lander-Traveler conflict. Of course, however, the problem wasn't the Travelers, but rather their equipment...

"Ghast? You, er, named it? Him? Her? Does it even...?"
Catching himself before his curiosity made things awkward, Schilva falls silent to ponder the implications of this being of 'Dissonance' wielded by @Hanno Futaba. A being, as in a sentient being? Then perhaps this was some kind of deep-seated lore issue that he needed more context on.

Soon realising with @Elizabeth Lixshine's words that he was probably not doing his own plight any favors by drawing out this journey any further, Schilva pats himself down to look a little less ruffled. The dirt caked all over him from the fieldwork, though, he would have to rid himself of later. Preferably somewhere that wasn't a river out in the wilderness, considering how dangerous the wildlife of Terrasphere seemed to be...

"Right, moving on it is. I won't prod if prodding's not the thing to do."
Getting the hint and falling into step, Schilva seems more subdued now than earlier, thinking mostly on the far-spanning reaches of Terrasphere's stories and lands that he had yet to discover.

But discover them I will, and in it shall be carved my own chapter, someday!

 

[Hanno Futaba]

"A friend of mine, Kepler, did." Hanno answered Schilva, looking at him with a grin. "I got used to calling her Ghast, and it seems like Ghast got used to being called that too." At least, the way the shield rumbled every time the name was mentioned showed that at the very least it acknowledged it.

"If this is your first time, you are in for a big ride, buddy. But remember to stay safe, all the time." Hanno said, starting to make his way to the city as well, walking next to the woman and glancing at the other guy. "The way you guys talk... Do you know each other?" He asked.

There was something in that exchange that made Hanno feel like the two were familiar with each other, in one way or another. Or Schilva was just quick to get on Elizabeth's nerves enough to get her to offer some harsh words.

@Elizabeth Lixshine @Schilva Flasch