Open Eastern Brisshal A Moment of Respite

[Sean Poteitoku]

Life has been tough for Sean. Being stuck in Terrasphere has led him to have a lot more to worry about than before. Where he'd been able to just check the refrigerator for food and drinks, now he has to go out of his way to find them himself. He also has to make sure he always has a place to sleep, considering he doesn't have family in this world. I guess this is what being an adult must feel like, Sean sometimes thinks to himself.

Sometimes... I just need to get away from everything.

One day, Sean had picked up a kitsune mask on his travels. He hadn't realized it at the time, but that mask would eventually become one of his favorite possessions. Whenever he wanted a break from everything, to not have to worry about others' demands, he could put on the mask and act like another person. Sure, it wasn't perfect, but it did the job just fine. If a time were to come where the mask stopped masking his identity, he would figure out what to do from there.

Thankfully, the day I have to part ways with the mask hasn't arrived yet.

His kitsune mask resting upon his face, Sean took upon a leisurely stroll through the forest. He had been frequenting the forest in recent days, finding the wildlife a good distraction from his everyday life. He still had his blade and armor, since he could never know when he'd have to spring into action, but otherwise he wasn't carrying much. He was simply a masked swordsman relaxing in the woods.

"The forest doesn't make demands of me... It doesn't ask me to give it money, or risk my life... It feels so refreshing."

 

[Ru Ning]

Despite his qualms regarding the dubious nature of how he had stumbled upon the game, Jooyoung had connected anyway. For most folks, perhaps a cursory glance before deleting a suspicious looking email would have sufficed. But for him? No, curiosity had gotten the better of the good doctor, resulting in his current predicament. Curiosity and desperation to escape from this current world culminated to him willingly diving in, head first, to a supposed death trap of a virtual reality game.

Having spent the better half of the day customizing his character, the world weary man nodded with satisfaction at his avatar's prolonged ears and somber appearance. Though perhaps a bit macabre in nature considering the scattered scars littered across it's body, he found it to be the perfect vessel for his new escapades. Unsure what to expect (aside from the scandalous articles circulating about the web) he promptly initialized the launch sequence, loading into the game for his first time ever.

At this given moment, yet another shooting star dashed across the sky, indicating the arrival of a new presence in Eastern Brisshal's forest. An arrival soaring through the sky, rapidly descending to the earth with ungodly momentum towards what was supposed to be Jooyoung's, or rather now Ru's landing point. … And was inconveniently enough, currently occupied by a masked youth with bright red hair. Eyes wide as he experienced his descent in real time, the Lepis waved his hands frantically while calling out towards the individual in hopes that he'd gain their attention. "UWAAAAAAAH?!?---" Eyes shut for fear of impact, Ru tucked his head as close as possible while bracing himself. Was the game supposed to start like this? Had everyone else experienced such a chaotic landing? … Or had he been unfortunate enough to experience a bug within moments of entering?

Regardless of whether the man had collided with dirt, material flesh or substances otherwise, the end resulted in him lying sprawled and dazed out of his wits. Taking a moment to sputter up a clump of grass that had been uprooted from his arrival, a harsh cough sounded from his lips as he slowly got up to look at his surroundings. "Oh jeeze, my back… hope it's not always like this--" His voice paused abruptly upon remembering the individual he had spotted while descending. "Umm... hello? Are you ok?... Or alive?..." Hopefully he hadn't committed manslaughter against his tutorial guide.

@Sean Poteitoku

 

[Sean Poteitoku]

Sean had taken to looking up to the sky during his walk, admiring the shooting stars. "How long has it been since I saw something like this...?" He doesn't dwell on it too much, admiring the view as he stretches. It's difficult for him to keep track of every individual shooting star, but he can still admire the collective beauty as they streak across the sky... except for one he can't help but keep his eyes on.

Is that one... getting bigger?

...Wait, no, it's flying right at me!

Upon noticing that one of the shooting stars has entered a collision course with himself, Sean dives out of the way just moments before it lands. Landing with a thud thanks to his armor, he stays on the ground for a few moments to gather his bearings from the sudden near-miss. "Wow, that was close..."

...Then he hears the voice. Wait, that's...

"...A person?" Sean picks himself up, first making sure his mask is still covering his face, then dusting himself off. He looks to the source of the voice. "I am fine. That looked like quite the fall, though. Are you okay?" He rests his arms at his side, trying his hardest not to look threatening to the one who just fell out of the sky.

@Ru Ning

 

[Ru Ning]

Upon hearing a voice in response, the tension strung within Ru's body finally began to unwind and relax. After letting out a sigh of relief, he continued to lay there for a moment before wrangling what strength remained within his body to sit upright with a heavy and beleaguered groan. "I-I'm okay… I think… hold on." With a final heave, the man slowly sat upright, his ears standing erect and dangling above his already considerable stature. Yet another groan followed as his body gingerly stretched it's limbs in order to test their function. "Oooaaawwwh…. Ooo—okay, a little slower. Aaaand… I think I'm good."

Legs crossed in a seated position, he'd shuffle around in order to face the other person, confirming their well being. Though still in a bit of a daze, given a moment or two his eyes slowly grew wide as his head tilted with curiosity. "A person! Well, at least I hope you are… You're not a spirit are you? Not quite sure how this all works considering it's my first login. Oh… are you an NPC? Sorry, do you know what a login is?" Unsure on how to approach breaking the fourth wall with natives of this world, Ru scratches his head in confusion before standing upright and stretching his limbs once more. He eventually settles on trying to fit the mold of this world and sticking to character. "Hail, traveler! It must be fate for our paths to have crossed. Are you in need of assistance?"

Quietly praying on the inside that he was doing... well, whatever it was correctly, the man fervently began wishing for a tutorial.

@Sean Poteitoku

 

[Matilda]

Hehe, I really do like this forest. Even with my house gone it's peaceful. Maybe after all this is over and I've turned the little goblins that built the airships and blew up my house into mush, I'll build another house here.

Having only recently returned to the digital world, Majolica wasn't quite sure what to do with herself at the moment. Her home was destroyed and after all this time she wasn't sure if reaching out to her former friends was a good idea. Still, she knew she needed to do something. She had to move forward but in what direction was the question.

After formally declaring war on the airships and whoever created them, Majolica knew what she had to do but it was a question of how. From the looks of things no one knew much about the airships at all, which made revenge against them all the more difficult.

There's so many things I need to do it's hard to know where to start, hehe.

As it so happened, when thoughts about which path to take or decision making came into play, Majolica typically retreated to the forest. Four years ago, this forest had been her home and make-shift base of her friend group the Witch-Ops. Now, the only thing left were memories and a small crater where her house had been.

To make those idiot's pay for what they did I'll need power. More than I already have, hehe. I'll also need information. Maybe I should look into joining a group. I can't be the only one trying to figure out things about the airship. Hehe, I guess I could try reaching out to my friends.

Majolica stopped momentarily fix a stray hair that had fallen on her face.

No, who knows if they'll even remember me. Hehe, it's been four years.

Guilt over being gone from the digital world was ripe on the witch. It hadn't been her fault, the game had forcefully ejected her and try as she might, she couldn't get back in. Still, during those years things had changed, people were gone, and she was alone save for her frogs. Or at least she was at the moment, because a few seconds later, fate would step and guide the little witch to her first major reunion.

Hmm... hehe there's three major groups I could join that could help me figure out something about the airships, but which one would be best... decisions, decisions...

Suddenly, from out of nowhere, Majolica heard a loud crash a little way off.

Is this it?! Are the airships back?! This time I'll be ready for whatever it is. This time I'll make them pay, hehe!

Thinking that perhaps another airship, or something related to the airships had reared its head in the forest, Majolica rushed towards the sound. A few minutes later she arrived at the scene.

I should be careful, hehe. Who knows what the sound could be and it would be better to get the jump on whatever it is rather than have it get the jump on me, hehehe.

Hiding behind a tree, Majolica peeked out and saw two people, one masked warrior-looking type and a long eared Beastfolk. From behind the tree, she didn't immediately recognize either of them.

Hmm... hehe, they don't look like anything from an airship. I can't be sure they're good guys either though.
Clearing her throat and still hiding, Majolica called out to the pair.

Hehehe! It seems you've found yourselves in my forest. Perhaps you didn't realize that this is a witch's forest, hehe. Or perhaps you did and thought yourself brave! Either way, Identify yourselves! I would also warn against taking up arms in this situation. I am a kind witch, hehe, but I have little tolerance for little goblins that try to attack me.

@Ru Ning @Sean Poteitoku

 

[Bradwynne]

Eastern Brisshal. This is where every new person that chose to play Terrasphere will spawn first. At least before it was a death game, all of its players wished for an adventure of a lifetime. Including Bradwynne himself. Also, because of its nature as a new player spawn point, the weakest creatures were situated here, so that the players can assess their strengths and weaknesses, and if they were fit enough for the foray into the virtual fantasy world. A lot of mistakes might happen in this world, and even fatal mistakes in what was supposed to be a safe location for training (or farming for gold and EXP for those still hung up in RPG terms), but everyone thought that this is just an ordinary game where people could die and respawn for an infinite number of times. Until Titanius happened.

There were rumors of people dying in the real world around that time, and most people, including Bradwynne himself, did not believe it until he had experienced it himself: he found that his UI was not working the way it used to be, like the rumors said would happen. He had become one the denizens of this world in every way, shape, or form, and whatever attachment he had to the world from where he was from was now gone. He had deeply regretted the decision to play this game, but what had been done was done. At the very least he hoped that he had played a character with the youngest age when he would be really old and close to dying, had he known about this fact beforehand. And it looks as if many other people had got his drift, as he then saw again a lot of people spawning again in this area after four years.

As Bradwynne was hunting down wolves as part of his training to get himself back to shape, he had met a lot of players that had spawned after seemingly barred from playing the game by the VRSA... or so he thought about the acronym of that federal agency. These people knew that this game was illegal; these people knew that it was a death game; but they still logged in anyway. It had seemed that the VRSA alternatives are too lacking for their taste... or so he thought again: it was actually BECAUSE it was illegal; it was actually BECAUSE it was a death game; that they decided to log in. Some of them, he overheard, were even sick, old, and infirm; and decided on this place as their new life. Some crazy people among them even tried speedrunning their own deaths in this game as if they were aiming for a Guinness World Record. It was fun to watch of course if it is a normal RPG, but it is actually second life for Bradwynne and all the other UI-locked people, and so the image results, even if it was available in the outside world, would instantly qualify for a lifetime ban in any social networking site.

Bradwynne then continued hunting so that he could gain his form back, when he heard something crashing. He then rushed in to see what crazy shenanigans these new people had, but it seemed that it was just one of the normal things that will happen on first spawn: someone spawning on a fairly high part of the atmosphere and then suddenly falling down on the ground, or in this case, an unlucky someone. Quite rare, but still normal in his standards as he had seen far too many situations of the like. He then moved quickly towards the two, but it seemed he was late. The person on the ground had barely been missed, but of course it would be preferable for the falling person to hit them, so that the person would not fall on the cold hard ground, which of course happened. He continued anyway, so that at least he could heal, or in the worst case, revive the person. It seemed the person who fell managed to stand up after the ordeal, but still.

"Hey mister, are you all righ..." He then let his voice trail for a moment, as he saw a really familiar face just near them. He really knew who this person was, and then stopped to greet her. "'Ey boss, long time no see."

 

[Sean Poteitoku]

"...Login?"

The mask hid Sean's expression quickly switching from confused to shocked as he takes a step back. He has to be messing with me. There's no way... "...I do not know what you mean by a 'login'. It does seem that you are the one in need of assistance, though, instead of me."

Sean completely failed to notice the witch approaching as he talked. Once she started talking, he yelped and jumped back a few feet, drawing his sword. From that position, he examined her for a few moments, then put his sword back away, letting her finish. "...My apologies, I thought you were hostile." They seem... familiar. A witch... No, there's more than one witch, it can't be her. "My name... does not matter. I am but a swordsman, making sure the forest is a safer place."

Then Sean noticed the other new arrival. He makes a sweeping glance to make sure nobody else is around, which doesn't go too well because of all the trees, then turns his attention back on the two people who had just arrived. "Where are my manners? Would you mind telling me your names? You must be either extremely confident or very powerful to claim this whole forest as yours. Last time I checked, this forest belongs to nobody."

 

[Ru Ning]

With one appearance after the other, Ru quickly began to feel overwhelmed by his current situation. “Arms?... What arms?...” He looked down at his empty hands and… linen tunic in confusion. Was this the famed tutorial information dump commonly seen in video games? As welcome as one might be, it seemed a bit chaotic and hard to digest given his current circumstances. At a loss on how to proceed, an idea crossed the lepis’ mind as he let out a soft “ah…”

Closing his palm into a fist, and then opening it once more, Ru paused for a moment to stare at the interface hovering before his eyes. “There it is…” His eyes began to emit a subtle glow as he looked around once more to better process the sensory inputs before him. Still under the assumption that these NPCs would wait kindly for his response, he began to mumble softly to himself while neatly sifting through the information presented.
“Ok… Huh… this is kind of useless… Unknown, unknown… yup… unknown. A bit harsh to not even label tutorial guides.”

Discontent with the yield gathered, the glow within his eyes subsided as he turned back to respond to the figures that had approached. Perhaps it would be best to follow the script provided lest he lose out in their guidance. “Greetings young knight, esteemed witch of the forest… and her servant underling… I am Ru Ning, adventurer ordinarie. I look forward to your guidance.” He waved awkwardly with a single hand, unsure whether it was more appropriate to bow or not.

@Sean Poteitoku
@Majolica
@Bradwynne

 

[Matilda]

Well, I guess you have a point. It's not really all my forest but I did used to live here, hehehe.

Majolica strode out from behind the tree after recognizing to of the voices that had responded. Walking into the sunlight, Majolica smiled letting herself be seen.

But, now that my house is gone due to the stupid airships, I really don't have a place to call home at the moment. Hehe, it has been a long time Sean and Bradwynne. I'm glad to see you're both doing good. As you might have guessed, I'm back hehehe. I took four long years, but I'm finally back.

Majolica gave Bradwynne and Sean a small wave then turned to Ru Ning.

And you, hehehe, I don't know. But I'm glad to make your acquaintance. My name is Majolica, former commander of the Witch Ops and current friend of the two people you just met, hehe.

Majolica wasn't exactly sure how or what to feel. It had been so long and yet here in front of her were two of her former comrades. What had they been through? What were they doing here?

Lots of things have changed in this world, huh?

Majolica looked upwards towards the sky spying a bird as it flew above.

Still, hehe. It's good to be home. Oh! Hehe, I know! Maybe you two will remember these guys.

Holding out her palm, Majolica began channeling spirit magic. Suddenly a few spirt bi-pedal frogs appeared. Majolica turned them.

Look, it's Bradwynne and Sean, hehe. Remember them?

The frogs nodded and waved. There were so many questions that Majolica wasn't exactly sure what to say. Finally, the witch spoke again.

"Well then, hehehe, what's everyone been up to?"

@Bradwynne @Ru Ning @Sean Poteitoku

 

[Bradwynne]

It might have been not planned in advance, but it seemed that there had been an ongoing Witch Ops reunion of sorts currently happening in the area. Bradwynne could only imagine the newcomer's confusion regarding this matter. He might have thought that they were a bunch of NPCs and he was the lone player character in this small area, when in fact all of them four are players. Two of them are just basically like NPCs, but still. But as these thoughts lingered in Bradwynne's mind, anger started to bubble up within him again as he was reminded of the fate of one of their own, but he bottled it in instantly. He would need to reserve it for those who truly deserved it.

Now, as for this conundrum of what should he say to this newcomer, he then briefly decided on which route to pursue. Maybe he should catch on to the drift of Sean... err the mysterious swordsman of the forest? He can't really remember what he said back then. Majolica might also catch on the drift as well if he tried anyway. No need to confirm or deny to this person that they were fellow players: yes they are, but a role-play as main story characters should be interesting. The newcomer will arrive at the same thought they three had very soon anyway, even in this very day, in this very conversation.

Bradwynne then faced Sean... err the mysterious swordsman, and then said to him, "No need to get really jumpy here Sean, I am sure that the Grand Witch knew the circumstances at hand and meant no harm here." He said these words to him with a worried smile, but he then turned to Majolica, this time with a more serious demeanor, only smiling a bit when he saw the frogs that reminded him of the glorious past. "Yeah, a lot had really changed in the past four years, unknown airships did a lot of focused strikes and a large one landed in Vintergard, driving and killing off its citizens..." He then bit his lip in anger so hard that blood started to flow from the wound that was made, " ... and worse of all some bastards who claim they are superior to us started to kill off some of those who remained in this world... including Ivàn. Absolutely unforgivable. I wanted to go to wherever they were and rip their hearts out, but alas, I am too weak, and Ivàn is one of the strongest amongst us. I really need to train more so that I can deliver swift justice to them."

He turned to the newcomer and then said, as he quietly let his anger subside, "As you may know already, my name is Bradwynne, Bradwynne Lambert. And those two people here, the mysterious swordsman is Sean Poteitoku, one of the best out here, and here is the Grand Witch Majolica, who only had a few peers in terms of magic arts. If you would need advanced lessons in those two specialties, feel free to bother them. As for me, I can only teach you the basics, but I assure you those basics will be much more important than the forms you might see in any learning tomes."

 

[Sean Poteitoku]

Sean paused to process the information being presented. The Witch Ops... Wait, former? Also, there goes the disguise. He slid off his mask and sighed. His expression looked slightly pained, but otherwise not too upset. "I was trying to remain anonymous, guys... Tell nobody else about this."

...Wait. It... really is Majolica. But she's a player... So... is Ru Ning telling the truth?

...That has to be it. This isn't someone pulling a prank on me. Sean tried his hardest to hide the emotion swelling within him. He tried to give a smile, but the tears still started falling down his face. He noticed his body starting to feel slightly heavier as he slowly made his way closer to Majolica.

"...It's been so long. So much has happened. I... don't even know where I should start. I guess the players really are finally back." Sean tried to hold himself back. He had to stay strong. All this time stuck in the game, everything he experienced... I should be stronger than this. Everybody's going to come back, though. Everyone... "I've missed everyone so much." Sean fell into Majolica, silently crying into her shoulder as he hugged her.

@Majolica @Ru Ning @Bradwynne

 

[Ru Ning]

"Ah…" At a loss for words, Ru continued to watch the trio's interactions with curiosity as he began to pick up clues from the dialog. The congregation before him seemed friendly enough; their heartwarming reunion even more so. A smile crossed his face as he watched on fondly, suddenly coming to the realization that perhaps there were other players currently present. Wait a second… I guess the players are finally back? All things considered, it made proper sense. The VRSA had previously banned access to the game based on the rumors he had read. If that was the case however…

A moment of understanding and hesitancy dawned upon Ru as he turned to face Bradwynne who was currently making his own proposal. Under normal circumstances, perhaps Ru would be thrilled at the offer of a tutorial; however with his newfound context this seemed closer to a mentorship? "I-I…" He paused for a moment, again at a loss for words. What the hell? Why is he pretending to be an NPC then? Or is he also roleplaying right now? Has he merged with his persona?...

Unsure on what to think, the lepis shrugged once while looking skeptically at the other two still embraced in a rather highly moisturized hug (from tears of course). They seemed rather preoccupied for the time being. "I would like to humbly accept. Though I am curious… are you a native or a player? Is it basic etiquette to stick in character the entire time?"

A belated question struck his mind as he'd pose it to all three of the trio before him. "Also, what exactly is the deal with this game? Almost every mention of Terrasphere has been scrubbed entirely off the net. I couldn't even find any gameplay footage or starter tips…"

@Sean Poteitoku
@Majolica
@Bradwynne

 

[Matilda]

There, there, hehe.

Majolica hugged Sean back and patted his head.

It's been hard hasn't it, hehe. I'm sure it has. I was very worried when I got logged out. Everything we all built together was suddenly taken away and no matter what I did I couldn't find a way to get back in. I failed you, hehe. I failed all of you. I should have been here to help. Maybe if I did than Ivan, Corvella, and Ashiore...

Majolica stopped herself.

No, hehe. We can't think like that. What happened, happened and all we can do is move forward carrying their memories with us. Hehe, I made an oath to myself and to all of you that I would take vengeance upon this world that has hurt my friends, hehehe. That means the air ships, and whoever caused what happened to those that aren't with us anymore. Hehehe, I'll grind them into dust and when everything settled, I'll rebuild our home.

Majolica took a few steps back.

But for now, I have work to do.

Facing Bradwynne and Sean, Majolica continued.

On my honor as Grand Witch, hehe, I have formally disbanded the Witch Ops. We can't move forward without all of our comrades, hehe, so with their loss we must disband. But that doesn't mean our bonds are broken, hehe, the trials and friendship we built along the way will be remembered and strengthened and from the ashes of the Witch Ops, will rise a new group. A legendary party of friends from all walks of life, hehe, from different guilds, and groups, and nationalities. I'll bring them together with one purpose, hehehe, to decimate the airships and make this world one that our lost friends would be happy to see! Hehehehe, I swear this in the name of Grand Witch Majolica!

Majolica smiled widely.

So if you're interested, hehe, maybe you two can help me. I need to find the others. If I made it back then I'm sure they did. Hehehe, once we bring everyone together then we'll talk about the next steps to take. Hehe, maybe over some kari.

Realizing that she had left one person almost completely out of the conversation, Majolica turned to Ru Ning.

Hehehe, sorry. I bet none of this makes any sense. You're new here? Well, in that case, hehehe, a welcoming is in order! I Majolica, former commander of the Witch Ops welcome you to the world, hehe. Ah, but there is something you must remember. This isn't a game and the sooner you quit thinking of it as a game the better. This is the world, hehehe, Landers and Travelers, the meek and the powerful, we're all here together. You can be hurt here and you can be killed, you can be great and you can be forgotten. Hehehe, that's what this is, it's not a game, it's real. It's life, hehe.

@Sean Poteitoku @Ru Ning @Bradwynne

 

[Bradwynne]

As he watched the erstwhile respectable and legendary hero broke in tears while hugging Majolica, Bradwynne could not help but also shed tears and break into crying himself. After all, Sean and himself, although they were posing as respectable gentlemen, were still children at heart and forced to grow up after their own young lives were taken away in the world where they came from. If they had known this is an illegal game, they should not have played it, or at the very least they should have been careful. But as he again steeled his resolved as he wiped away his tears with a towelette that he produced from his pocket, what was done was done, and they could only warn the other people what had happened here.

Which would bring the point that this newcomer raised up. Of course all mention of Terrasphere had been wiped from the face of the Internet, might even have been wiped from the Dark Web also, based on all the delusions he had heard from the other newly-spawned players saying that the FBI and the VRSA had a hand on everything, etc. Which might be for a good reason anyway, but one could not discount any thought of an ulterior motive. On the question the newcomer asked about himself, as he still watched Sean hugging Majolica, he then replied, "Well I am a player, but I also became an NPC. Complicated, I know. TL;DR: Isekai. Will explain later. But for now..." He then intently listened to the words of Majolica as he stopped himself.

The first series of words summed up their own frustration from defending the ones they loved. Yes, they were all angry at what happened to their peers, but they should not delve on their anger alone. Action should be done and be done in a calculating matter, seeing the current job at hand. Even with their modern knowledge, fighting against the airships should be a really serious task, knowing that these contain technology far superior to even the modern world, let alone this High Medieval Age world. Every step should be planned beforehand so as not to cause a lot of casualties on their side.

"I am really honored to fight alongside you all in ridding the world from these wretches that dared destroy our cities and killed our friends. All right, I will try to search for those who I joined the former Witch Ops with, and I hope that they too share our dream."

He then turned again towards the newcomer and then said, almost echoing Majolica's latter words, "If you really wanted to, you can join this endeavor. But I might have to brief you about something important. Do you know the reason there are no playthroughs and tutorials for this game from the Internet? It is because Terrasphere had been sanctioned as illegal by the VRSA, and most likely, the FBI and the Interpol had been finding ways to locate the server of this game, if it even exists in that world. The reason: Terrasphere is a death game. I, as well as Sean over there, are two of the few people who had died in our former world while playing this game. Now, if you really do not want to continue playing this game, you can log out right here right now and forget about it. I will not fault you, in fact I should have done that earlier if I had known beforehand. But if you want to continue..." He then moved his hand on his back, released the sheathed ootachi from its shoulder strap, and them slammed it on the ground as if it was some kind of a staff. "...Banish the thought that any system assist will save you most of the time: it will not, and it will not definitely save you when the fateful day comes at you. There is a reason why those prissy HEMA practitioners utterly despise the spinny and flashy shite you see in movies and anime: they speak harshly but they speak the truth."

 

[Sean Poteitoku]

As Majolica stepped back, Sean pulled himself back upright. He wiped the tears from his face and put his usual smile back on. The time for letting my emotions out is over. He patiently waits for Majolica and Bradwynne to be finished with their speeches before starting himself.

"...From what I'm hearing, the players had been unable to log back in for... I don't know how long, but a very long time. In that time, I've been in here fighting for my and others' lives. I got a new suit of armor, and a lot of experience, but... I don't feel like I'm strong enough. I still need to get stronger, to protect others."

Sean pauses for a split second.

"...If I can give you any one piece of advice, it's to value your lives in this game like your actual one. Three deaths, and you're stuck in here. I was unfortunate enough to end up stuck here, I... don't want anybody else to have to go through what I did. So, for everyone who cares about you on the outside, and me... Do your best not to die. Please."

Alright, enough of that. Sean turned to Majolica and Bradwynne. "I'm glad I have friends like you. I feel like together, we can handle anything. What will our first stop on our journey to reunite everyone, my Grand Witch?"

@Ru Ning @Bradwynne @Majolica

 

[Ru Ning]

Information overload. That was the best way to describe Ru's current predicament as he frantically tried to process everything as it came flying at his face. Not able to digest it all, he paused momentarily while searching his UI for a chat log. Unfortunately such a thing didn't exist and resulted in him missing out on even more of their warnings.

"Just to make sure I'm getting this right… this is a death game that I can freely come and go from? But after a certain point… I'm stuck here? And you all are players that either got banned from the servers, or were trapped inside the game for the last few years?... " He paused to point at Majolica. "And you decided to come back knowing this?..."

He facial muscles struggled as best as they could to not form a smile. Whether it was from disbelief or something… else however was hard to determine. Three deaths and I don't have to go to work? Three deaths and I don't have to pay rent, or taxes or get drafted in the event of another war? Three deaths huh? Duly noted, huhu… It appeared that the lepis' mind had already strayed towards the wrong path due to Sean's words rather than serving as a warning.

His voice didn't sound very convinced but at least the others had done their part. "Still not sure this isn't some poorly scripted dialog but… caution is warranted for the time being. So where exactly do I go--" Ru's words were abruptly cut short by a loud roar from the forest as an angry bear appeared!

@Sean Poteitoku @Majolica @Bradwynne

 

[Matilda]

5 / 6 LP

2 Bears have 6 LP (40 DC) and 30 Retal.
-1 LP from Majolica attack
Majolica takes 30 damage

"Ah, that sounds like a bear, hehe. Well everyone I guess we get to dust off the cob webs. Or I guess in Mr. Ning's case it would be time to learn how to grow cob webs, hehehe. Very well! If this bear has decided to make us a meal out of it, hehe, then we'll just have to make a meal out if it instead!"

Majolica readied her Fiend's Eye focus and prepared herself to cast spells. As she did, she poke up to Bradwynne and Sean.

"Hehehe, I trust you two aren't against fighting along side your former commander again are you? Hehehe, let's make quick work of this beast! Mr. Ning, if you'd like to participate go right ahead, hehe, but I'll warn you I don't have much in the way of healing magic so use your head and look for an opening!"

As Majolica readied herself, she quickly realized that it wasn't one bear they were fighting, it was two.

Gathering Dark Magic into her hand Majolica readied herself, the shot a beam of Dark Magic.

"Witch Blast! Hehe, man this really does feel like old times!

Unfortunately, her blast of Dark Magic didn't do as much damage as she would have hoped.

"Hehe, uh oh. Seems like things are tougher in the world these days. Hehehe, we might really need to work together for this to work out!"

Rolls

@Malzel
Normal Attack
1d100 (66) + 25 + 20 = 111
111 damage
Dark Magic | Majolica | Thread Code

Play Sheet Link

@Sean Poteitoku @Ru Ning @Bradwynne

 

[Bradwynne]

175 / 205

Before Bradwynne gave his answer to all of the newcomer's questions, he heard a snarl from another part of the forest, and he instantly knew what they were facing. From one glance it would just look like an ordinary grizzly bear, but one should not be deceived with this appearance and approach it without caution: these had the temperament of polar bears and would not hesitate to kill anything for its food. It was one of the worst mobs one would face in this forest, and there were two of them approaching. They need to deal with this incoming threat, and fast. It would be worthless to die to even this mob, at least if one should give its life up to Terrasphere, it should be for something more than this.

"The answer to all of your questions would be yes," Bradwynne said to the newcomer as he partially drew the ootachi from its scabbard, and then swished it so that its 2-meter blade would be fully drawn, the scabbard flying harmlessly towards the ground. "Any half-decent person will never leave their friends in peril and will try fighting tooth and nail in order to save them. That is what true friendship is." He was then cloaked in an immense light as his back had grown wings and his head was surrounded with a halo as if he actually was an angel.

"Now, Grand Witch Majolica, Sean. Let us instantly finish this. This is something that a newcomer should not encounter yet."

The first to act however was Majolica, delivering a blast of dark magic towards one bear. But instead of dropping down and dying, the bear only got enraged at the action and started bearing down on her... wait a minute that was a pun as Bradwynne thought. But as he was just thinking about it, his body then started to run towards the bear charging down on the witch and then delivered a devastating kick towards it, the sole of his boot leaving an imprint from the smiting force of his divine magic and his efficiency in martial arts combined as the bear staggered for a while. While the bear was still staggered, he then delivered an ascending diagonal slash from his right, the intensity of his divine magic instantly cauterizing the wound that was made by the ootachi. But this did not kill the bear instantly as he might have hoped, as the bear raised both of its paws to swipe at him. He then raised both of his arms to anticipate the swipes, but the force of the swipes made the joints of his hands and feet creak due to their sheer force. As Bradwynne finally stabilized his own body against the bear swipes, he then shouted, both with pain and sheer determination, "IS THAT ALL YOU GOT YOU BUNCH OF WEAK TEDDY BEARS? COME AT ME, BOTH OF YOU, I WILL MAKE STUFFED BEARS OUT OF YOU BOTH!"

Rolls

Normal Attack
1d100 (49) + 25 + 15 = 89
89 damage

Taunting (Taunt)

Bears Remaining LP:

4 / 6

Play Sheet Link

 

[Sean Poteitoku]

100 / 160

Sean was caught off guard by the sudden arrival of not one, but two angry bears! It took him a moment to get out his sword, considering the sudden arrivals. "Really? Bears now?" He took a deep breath and focused as a flaming red banner appeared in his free hand. As he lifted it skyward, it seemed to radiate divine energy as he let out a rallying cry for his current allies. Then, he looked back to Ru Ning. "If you want to fight, don't make yourself vulnerab-"

Sean was immediately able to demonstrate what happened when you took your attention off the enemies by getting launched away by one of the bears, headed directly for a tree. In a single motion, he planted his feet on the tree and pushed off it to put himself back into the fight, sliding to a stop. "Well, that hurt. I really need to stop multitasking. It is not good for my health." He gave Ru Ning a thumbs up without looking. "I've been through worse, this is nothing. Just... don't do what I just did."

Rolls

Power Buff (AoE)
2d100 (63 + 6) + 5 + 15 = 28 (Total divided by 3)
+28 buff to 3 targets for 1 post (@Majolica @Ru Ning @Bradwynne)
Gain the Vulnerable state

Play Sheet Link

 

[Ru Ning]

70 / 100

Buffed (+28)

As abrupt as the bears' assault was, the trio responded almost instinctively. They were clearly well-seasoned veterans judging by their reaction speed and decisiveness. Ru on the other hand was left in utter confusion as he watched their assault begin. Unused to the rich immersion offered by Terrasphere, he found himself at a loss on how to act. Despite having already selected some basic masteries while at character creation, the game itself had no offered any guidance on how to activate them.

"Uhh… how exactly do I do that?..."

His voice sounded unsure as his hands awkwardly began to fumble in the user interface. Quickly speed reading and scouring for the correct menu, he'd select "skills" and begin a poor imitation of the virtual instructions demonstrated. Eerie, blue mana began to coalesce between his hands, tinged with a hint of fire (perhaps from Sean's banner earlier) as he concentrated. Upon discharging the orb, a slight recoil was felt as the bolt flew forth, striking the one tangled with Bradwynne. Its body slumped forward, no longer moving.

"Heeeey! A bit confusing but that felt pretty goo– OHCRAP --!"

Upon seeing its companion fall, the remaining bear let out a furious roar, becoming even more enraged as it began a lumbering charge towards Ru in an attempt to bite his leg. "GET-IT-OFFGETITOFF!!!--"

Rolls

Normal Attack
1d100 (70) + 0 + 0 + 28 = 98
98 damage

Spirit Magic | Ru Ning | 194C1

Bears Remaining LP:

3 / 6

Play Sheet Link - (I woulda had all E ranks at this point so no modifiers!)

@Sean Poteitoku @Majolica @Bradwynne