Complete Private ✪ Stokbon A Review of the Formal Applications of Magical Properties Considered Questionable in Nature

[Siondhe]

Kyra

She felt her vision waver as the other was speaking. She could hear, as if from a distance, as her new assistant started making points. Many of them were good, but Kyra knew that in her current state she wouldn't be able to properly debate anything.

"Yeah...yeah a bit of a rest may be good. I'm just gonna..."

She leaned backwards and splayed out on the plastic, closing her eyes as she sighed heavily. She wanted so badly just to sleep, to rest for a while, but she knew that she couldn't do so just yet. There were still notations to make, records to update with the new information she'd obtained, lay out a hypothesis, consider alternate research and development...oh, and of course, there was the other beastfolk in the room.

"We should...correlate information. And...make notes...oh, and we need to plan our next steps on the review, figure out...what else we should focus on. New experiments, new focal points...we need to consider..."

There was so much going through her mind, so many new ideas and concepts. So many thoughts that she couldn't focus on what needed to be done next. Maybe she did need to rest a bit, recouperate after everything that had occurred.

"Then again, maybe a bit of rest would be a good thing...should...should we maybe take some time to relax, maybe eat a bit? Uhm...do you...do you need to head offline at all? I'm good for another...few hours at least. But if you need to head offline, I can...wait here."

@Ash Vargold

 

[Ash Vargold]

Ash blinked as Kyra dropped onto the plastic. He began to half stand, worried that maybe she had pushed herself too far, but... no, she was still talking, though obviously tired.

...well, she had drawn her own blood as well, and she'd done a lot more magic than he had.

How about we start with the food. Hold on a second, I've got something better than trail mix in here...

He flicked through his inventory. He'd been planning to save this for later in the day when he inevitably got hungry again (when did hot metabolism show up on his character, anyway?), but it seemed like it was an emergency now. A couple of taps summoned a large thermos and a foil wrapped tube.

It's not substantial food, but I've got some tea and a sandwich I was saving for later. I think you need it more than me, though.

He uncapped the thermos, and the smell of sweetened tea wafted out with the steam. He poured some into a cup, ready to offer it to Kyra if she reached for it.

I don't really have anything to do for a bit... my sleep schedule's kinda messed up right now. At most I'd just need to dip out for a bio break or something.

@Kyra Vashtana

 

[Siondhe]

Kyra

There was the sound of crinkling, similar to tinfoil or some sort of aluminium-based foil. The mention of food, and tea caused Kyra to flip onto her hands and feet with a speed that would have made others swear she was using Dynamism. Scooting in front of the man, she glanced up at him with an almost pleading look, staring between the offered cup and the food, before taking the cup carefully.

"Thanks...thank you. I uh...just moved in here, and...well...I haven't really picked up any food yet. Speaking of...I should probably get a cooler system, or a fridge or something to keep stuff..."

Her eyes glanced over the area, considering the lack of fundamentals in the room. She'd need to change that up a bit, if she was planning on spending any serious time here. Make it a bit more homely.

"Hey, where did this even come from? I didn't see you carry a bag of food or anything in here."

She began glancing around the figure, looking for any sort of pouches, or bags laying on the ground near him. She didn't see anything, and her curiosity only increased as she realised he hadn't brought anything sizable enough to carry the thermos. The sandwich, she figured he could've hidden away in one of his pockets, but the thermos was another story.

She glanced at the cup in her hand, brow furrowed as she considered the possibilities, before she suddenly smiled widely.

"Ah! Some sort of summoning, or creation magic, right? You make the food earlier in the day, and then summon it to your location? Or...maybe just create the food using magic? I mean, it's good either way...very good...can you teach me how to do it?"

Her ears twitched at the sudden thought of learning how to create food and drink with magic. She was sure that would be a very useful skill indeed, if she could master it.

@Ash Vargold

 

[Ash Vargold]

...

Ash stared. Then, with a deep sigh he buried his face in his hands and mumbled.

Couldn't put a goddamn tutorial in this game... I swear, I'm gonna start distributing pamphlets...

He eventually lifted his head from his hands, exhaling loudly. It wasn't her fault, of course. Terrasphere had no guides, and even the one Aisling was writing had to be kept on the down-low to keep it from being erased like everything else. Once again he found his thoughts turning angrily to VRSA. How many people were playing this game completely blind because of them...?

...sorry. Not angry at you. Just the game in general.

I bought the sandwich at a shop on the way here. Same with the tea. I was just storing them in my inventory. I'm not exactly a spellcaster, and definitely not someone who can magic food out of EN. Convenient as it would be.

As if to demonstrate, he opened his palm menu again, this time pulling out a second, chipped cup. He poured out some tea for himself as well, taking a quick sip before continuing.

It's got a weight limit, and things still decay and rot while it's in there... but anything in there doesn't weigh you down or get messy. It's very convenient.

@Kyra Vashtana

 

[Siondhe]

Kyra

She watched as the man summoned yet another cup from his inventory, the familiar palm movements bringing realistation to Kyra, albeit a bit slowly. She smiled sheepishly at the other, ducking her head a few times to show her understanding.

"Oh...right. The UI. Err...I kind of forget that exists sometimes. I uh...well, I really only use it to log out. I...well, as weird as this may sound, I play for the realism. So to speak. So..."

She waved a hand at the room around them, motioning the other's attention to the few items that were placed about, or stored away in various containers.

"I...tend not to use the inventory or anything like that. If I can't carry it, or store it somehow physically, then I generally don't have it...I guess that has its limitations, but in a world like this...it just seems wrong to use the inventory in the UI."

A twitch of her ears, before she realised something else. The question came out slowly, as if hesitant to even bring it to light at all.

"So...does that mean you use the auto-assist and pain limitations and...well, everything? I don't mean to pry...I've got everything turned off. No pain limitors, no auto-assist...like I said, I go for the realism."

Another sheepish smile as she glanced at the remainder of the sandwich. She refrained from asking for more, hoping that the beastfolk would simply eat it and take the temptation away from her.

"I can definitely see the appeal, though. Of the UI capabilities. It certainly makes some things easier, I guess. Like not needing to remember all the intricate spell-casting, or movements for fighting...or even needing to carry a whole bunch of stuff. But...I don't know, I just can't see myself using any of that. Maybe other players, sure. But not me. I like the-"

She was about to say challenge, but it wasn't even that. She just liked the fact that it made this world seem more...real. More like home. There was no ease of transportation, or using things. It was as difficult - sometimes more so - than the real world. Sure, this one had magic and everything else, but she still needed to learn, to expand her capabilities. Practice.

Another glance at the sandwich, before she decided to simply acknowledge the fox-in-the-room. She glanced at Ash, smiling sheepishly again.

"You uh...gonna finish that? Then we can go pick up something else, if you're still hungry? I mean, I wouldn't mind going out for some lunch."

@Ash Vargold

 

[Ash Vargold]

Playing for realism, huh... it was easy to understand that. Terrasphere's entire appeal was offering a whole new world to live in - permanently, for some people. For him, though...

...I guess for me, I prefer to maintain the distance. Remembering that this a game - that it should be a game - helps keep me grounded. So I don't forget that this game is... well, dangerous.

...a danger that, lately, he seemed to be rushing towards with increasing speed. Lately he'd considered turning off the assist, but he was hesitant about it.. It felt like committing to this world, to treating his presence here like his body rather than his avatar. Ash... Aisling wasn't ready for all the troubles that might cause.

Sure, it means I probably won't be as skilled as other players on the battlefield, but I'll take the safety and consistency. Believe it or not, I'm not actually a six-foot green wolfman in real life, and I don't want to mess up my muscle memory any more than it already is.

Ash glanced down at the sandwich Kyra was looking at. He picked it up and unwrapped it - it was a sub-style sandwich, filled with beef and cheese and vegetables. He separated it into two halves and offered the longer one to Kyra.

Go ahead. I've got plenty of rations and the like in my inventory if I get peckish later.

@Kyra Vashtana

 

[Siondhe]

Kyra

She barely even managed to pull the half out of Ash's hands before beginning to devour it, the lady-like appearance gone in the ravenous hungry that took over. She chewed for a moment, finishing half of the half that she was given, before realising she should slow down a bit - perhaps actually continue the conversation.

"I get that...it's...it's not for everyone, so to speak. I mean safety is definitely a big concern, considering the danger...but..."

A pause, as she continued eating for a moment, considering her choice of words carefully. She didn't want to appear to be pressuring the other in any way - she was happy that he was happy with his choice. Still, it was enjoyable to speak to someone else about their experiences, their ideologies and considerations.

"...well, I look at it this way. The auto-assists and such are great, because it allows the game to ensure everything is done right. But does that mean it's safer? Isn't there...a lag time, as the game considers your action, and what you want to do? Besides, pain was developed naturally as a way to keep us careful. I mean - I don't want to dissuade you, you need to do what's comfortable. I just think it's interesting the different concepts, the different ways of looking at it."

She shrugged, hoping that her choice of words wasn't coming across as pushy. She enjoyed debating with the other, passing back and forth ideas and concepts, and learning more about the style of thought and behaviours. She just wanted to keep that going.

"In the end...we all need to be safe, otherwise this will become home. Which for me...I don't know, I don't know if I would be upset to be stuck here. As bad as that sounds. I mean I don't want to die - not by any means. It's just...this place isn't so bad, compared to the real world. In some ways, at least."

Another half-shrug as she turned her attention to the sandwich again. Her thoughts balanced between the new conversation, the concept of their ideas towards the game, as well as trying to figure out what she had learnt from their little hemomancy experiment. There was so much more to learn there, so much more to explore, and yet she wasn't even sure where to start. The issues with a good hypothesis...your questions can take you down far too many paths, and you find yourself held in place by indecision.

@Ash Vargold

 

[Ash Vargold]

Ash chewed on his own sandwich more thoughtfully - though he would have happily devoured it as quickly as Kyra was eating hers.

As far as sword fighting goes, I still have to know the initiating move, and then the system does the rest. The biggest issue is that you can't string one move easily into another, so you can't get as creative. As for the pain... well, you still have numbness, and your body reacts as if you're feeling the full brunt of it. Turning it off is how you get the ability to ignore it, paradoxically enough.

He gestured idly to the runestone focus still orbiting him, the one overtly magical thing he owned. It spun a little longer, then dropped into his palm. He stowed it away for now - he didn't really need the magic, and he was starting to feel the drain. He took another bite of sandwich and continued.

Spellcasting technically wants you to mess with the menu to pick spells, which is definitely more of a delay, but I'm not really a "mage". Most of what I'm doing is less incanting and more... asking, or commanding spirits. I can do that with plain english.

It was fortunate, really. The idea of actually using magic, like how Kyra had manipulated the two portions of blood, just seemed unnerving. Improved senses and extra bits were one thing - a whole other way of interacting with the world was something entirely different.

He fell silent as Kyra continued. It was inevitable that the subject of being UI-locked would come up in a conversation like this, but the thought still made him shiver. He knew some people were less concerned with the idea than others, and some people might even prefer it, but...

...I have a friend who said that we at least have two shots in this world, where we've only got the one in real life. But... considering I've already got one death? I'm not looking to pick up another. I suppose we all have our methods of choice when it comes to being safe. I don't think one's worse than the other.

At least, he hoped one wasn't worse than the other.

@Kyra Vashtana

 

[Siondhe]

Kyra

Kyra smiled, an almost sad touch to her expression. She understood all too well what the other was getting at, even if it differed from her own opinions. She could empathise.

"Yes, I get that...there's something to be said about maintaining that disconnect, the idea of reality versus the game itself. And like you said, everyone is different. I just...find it funny how at home I feel here. It's like going back to the real world is..."

Is what? Troublesome? Unreal? Unenjoyable? She wasn't sure were she was going with that. She didn't want to find herself trapped here, but at the same time, she knew that the UI-lock wasn't going to dissuade her in any way. Different mindsets, after all.

"I think...I think it comes down to what you want from the game, in the end. Some of us - like me - aren't afraid of the idea of being trapped in here, for any number of reasons. And not all of them are bad, or dark, or...sad. For instance,"

She shifted on the plastic, leaning back and placing her hands behind her as she looked up at the ceiling. She was good at listening to others, but when it came to sharing her own feelings, her own thoughts...somehow that was still difficult. Ironic.

"for me, I'm not scared of being trapped here. Like I said, it's not that I want to die. I like living, I enjoy being alive. I have no desire to end it. But...in the real world, I'm a social worker. I help people with problems, day in, day out. But...the thing they don't tell you about social work, is how gruesome and dark it is. You help people, but...repeat customers, you know? That guy with mental health issues that you got set up on aid care and in a proper home last week? Today you find him in a ditch on the side of the road, shooting up, or something. It's like...going in circles. You do the same dark thing, over and over again."

She lifted her left hand, still staring at the ceiling as she moved it in a lazy circle. Outside of her vision, the blood moved in a similar pattern in the bottle, slowly circling in the air.

"But in here...in here I can mend the bones, the afflictions, the...whatever, and make a difference. Sure, there's always more people needing help - that's the same as the real world. But I can see the difference I'm making."

She dropped her gaze back to Ash, unsure of what impact she was making, or what she was even trying to explain. The words were simply coming out at this point.

"So for me...well, this world isn't so bad. But that's not the case for everyone. Some of us have real lives on the outside. Things they want to accomplish, people who-"

She stopped, her expression suddenly twisting in an odd way as a single tear hovered on the edge of her vision. People who still want to see them... The thought was on the tip of her tongue, but she didn't dare speak it aloud.

She sat up, glancing at the swirling blood in the container, her expression a dark, thoughtful and distant look. A few seconds passed and she shook herself, the smile returning as she turned back to Ash.

"Should we get back to work?"

@Ash Vargold

 

[Ash Vargold]

Ash quietly munched on the sandwich as Kyra said her piece. Talking about one's actual life in Terrasphere wasn't a thing people did often, and doubly so with a random stranger, but... well. It seemed like she needed the vent, and he was as good a recipient as anyone.

And really... what could he say? That she was still making a difference in the real world? That making itself seem better than reality was all part of Terrasphere's trap? That the people in Terrasphere weren't real and that what she was doing didn't really matter?

...you've thought a lot about this, huh? I'm glad - it means you're taking things seriously.

No, it was better to keep those thoughts to himself. It wasn't what she needed, and it wasn't as if he would change her mind. That she was willing to speak her mind at all was more trust than he would have expected.

...maybe one day he'd be willing to be just as open with someone. But for now, he seized Kyra's change of subject like a lifeline.

Only if you're feeling up to it. You're the one who's doing the work and spending the energy, after all. I'm just the blood and sandwich donor.

...though if we ever do this again on another day, we may want to see if someone's invented syringes yet.

He rubbed his hand - he wasn't exactly looking forward to biting himself again, but he was at least ready for it now.

@Kyra Vashtana

 

[Siondhe]

Kyra

Three quick blinks as she'd considered what the other said, before she stood and crossed to her desk. She spent a few moments rummaging around in one of the drawers, before pulling out a collection of needles - the tips capped off for safety sake.

"Uh...I guess I should've mentioned these before, huh? My bad..."

She beamed her smile at Ash, hoping that her cuteness would make up for the lack of consideration. The needles had entirely escaped her thoughts, so focused on the experiment itself. Besides, they weren't necessarily common in Terrasphere, she'd had to hunt these ones down.

"Yeah...I should be good to continue though. There's still a lot to learn here. Uhm..."

She suddenly glanced at the notes that Ash had been taking, her mind spinning as it began working again. She crossed over, taking a quick glance over the paper before nodding approvingly.

"Good idea...the notes, I mean. I would've done it myself, but it's a bit hard to multi-task in this instance. Thank you, by the way."

She settled herself in front of the glass bottles again, taking a few deep breaths before closing her eyes. She focused on the flowing blood, urging it back to life. It didn't take long for her bloodflow to respond, slowly creeping up out of the bottle and re-connecting with the other collection.

"I'm going...to try and slowly...making connections. See if I can't...control the flow of information a bit."

She fought back the connection as she spoke, before eventually letting it slowly seep forward. Flashes of images passed through her mind, and she tried mentioning anything that appeared even slightly important.

"Alright...connecting...lots of image...err, I see some sort of...is that a cat? I...okay...you should definitely see a doctor about that...oh...we have the same....same beastfolk abilities...hearing, smell...."

The words suddenly stopped as she realised something that she had missed before. A connection that could be made, outside of the verbal words. She wondered...

Can you hear this? She reached out with her mind, trying the mental connection that she'd yet to use, wondering if the other would be able to return the communication. If I'm reading this right, you should be able to think back to me, sort of...like telepathy, I guess. Oh man I hope this is working, otherwise I'm going to look so weird...wait, am I saying this out loud too?

@Ash Vargold

 

[Ash Vargold]

Ash looked at the syringes with a weary smile. In the end, this woman truly was a scientist - focused so sharply that everything else fell by the wayside. Notes, tools... honestly, he could respect that sort of dedication.

It's no problem. It's easy to get excited and forget things. God knows I've done it a few times...

He finished off his sandwich and wiped his hands on his pants before he picked up the notebook again. As Kyra dipped back into her trance he returned to noting down what she said. Things that were worrying, things that were confusing, things that-

The sudden presence of a foreign voice in his mind had long stopped being startling, but the fact that it was Kyra's voice was. His ears twisted as if trying to pinpoint its location while his expression twisted into one of confusion. Kyra would have been able to feel him responding with shock and confusion, but...

Weird - I'm not used to living people being able to drop words in my head. Is that a hemomancy thing? Because I don't think I can do something like that...

His words were out loud - it seemed like whatever communication he sent back across that channel was entirely emotional, and something he was unaware he was doing in the first place.

@Kyra Vashtana

 

[Siondhe]

Kyra

Kyra's eyes popped open at the other's words, a look of shock on her face. Did he just say words? In his head? That's...wait, did I do that? She felt her brow furrow as she considered the implications.

"You...heard the words? I...didn't it just come through as emotions, or...or like a feeling? You're sure you heard words? Actual words? It must be a mistake...must be..."

But there was a doubt in her mind. She'd made a connection...was it possible? She had to at least consider the possibility.

"Okay. I know this is going to sound weird...but what if...what if there's a connection? The blood, a connection. Like it never left you. Like it's still...still holding on..."

She waved a hand in the air, as if trying to emphasis everything going on. There was so much to consider, so many new theories to focus on, it almost felt overwhelming. Sliding across the floor, Kyra pulled open her notebook, writing as she continued speaking, the pen scribbling across the pages in a frenzy.

"Okay...hemomancy connects with some essence of the original blood-owner. Possible to read...the physical conditions...connections to real life? Able to connect telepathically? Possible extensions beyond?"

She glanced up after she'd finished writing her notes, her thoughts finally somewhat collected, she turned her attention back to new assistant. She didn't want to appear like she was ignoring the man, especially after everything he had already contributed to the process.

"So...are you sure you heard a voice in your head? My voice? I don't want to sound like I'm doubting you, but...I want to make sure. I have a hypothesis, which is essentially just...the hemomancy does more than just let you manipulate your own blood, but could possibly do more, but I...we don't have enough information. Yet."

She made sure to emphasis the point of teamwork, as best as she could. Behind her, her tail was swaying with excitement, causing the plastic to crinkle noisily.

@Ash Vargold

 

[Ash Vargold]

I'm pretty sure. I tend to... draw spirits to myself, and they have a way of worming into my own thoughts. I've gotten good at separating out my own from other ones...

...ugh. Saying it out loud just made him shiver. It was something, how much he'd gotten used to that aspect of this world. He scratched the back of his neck, ears pinned back. He would just... move on from that thought as quickly as possible.

It could be blood, but I've also heard some beastfolk have the ability to... communicate wordlessly somehow? If you haven't checked your UI much, you might have that trait and not even know. It could even be interacting with your hemomancy somehow, making it stronger?

It was just a theory, of course. Ash crossed his arms again, eyes on the flasks of blood. Even in the real world a drop of blood could contain volumes of information, but here in Terrasphere, where magic was involved...

...there are so many beliefs about blood and its possible mystical properties. None that come off the top of my head, but one or perhaps several of those are true here.

He found himself yawning, suddenly. Not that he was that tired, but there was a fair amount of social energy being expended here. He smiled sheepishly at Kyra.

...ah, sorry. I guess I'm a little more drained than I expected.

@Kyra Vashtana

 

[Siondhe]

Kyra Vashtana

220 / 220

Her ears twitched constantly as she considered everything the other was saying. There was a logic behind it all, things she hadn't considered, ideas that could change her theories - or craft new ones, perhaps something worth looking into at a later time. Shrugging for the moment, tossing on a smile that matched Ash's own, she considered everything they'd learnt - glancing down at her notebook as she muttered aloud.

"Well...this definitely didn't go the way I expected. Not that that's a bad thing. I mean we learnt that there's definitely a positive usage for hemomancy...maybe a bad one too, but we'll leave that for another time. The whole communication bit could be...interesting. I wonder if there's a range limitation, or a racial restriction? Do you think only beastfolk...?"

She suddenly scratched a few notes - reminders for herself for furhter investigation at a later time. Things that had come to light that might still be worth following up on at a later time. Future research projects with MIT that might be worth taking into consideration. I wonder if I could get some sort of funding for that...

"Wow...this is...so much more than I expected. Thank you."

She beamed a smile at the other, before it suddenly disappeared - an almost horrified look upon her face as she leapt to her feet and crossed to the chest underneath the bed. She'd caught a glimpse of the sun coming through the window, realising that hours had already passed as they'd been sitting there - far longer than she'd thought they'd been at work.

"Uhm...I only have fifty gold on me right now, but I can get some more a bit later if that's not enough for today? I...this went far longer than I expected, but it's been amazingly helpful. And...I had fun today, too! I mean I hope you did as well..."

Another twitch of her ears before she opened her palm in front of her, flicking through a few menus before finding what she was looking for.

Notice

Kyra Vashtana is sending you a friend request!

@Ash Vargold

 

[Ash Vargold]

Ash shook his head at the offer of money.

Don't worry about it. I'll do this kind of thing for free. I'm always willing to sit around and theorycraft.

Ash stood up and immediately wobbled - not because he was ill, but because sitting cross-legged for so long had inevitably resulted in his legs falling asleep. He shifted his weight back and forth in an attempt to dispel the sensation, tail swinging in an attempt to maintain balance.

I'm guessing you're taking this to the MIT, then? It seems like the sort of thing they'd like. Far fewer qualms about what's 'taboo' and what isn't over there.

...actually, I'd say they don't have enough qualms...

He shook his head as the numbness faded, then turned his attention to the notice. A few quick taps in midair, and...

Notice

Ash Vargold accepted your friend request!

There we go. Don't be afraid to send me a message if you need a test subject again. I'll be in Stokbon a little longer - trying to find a printer that'll take a commission.

He stretched, joints crackling as he did. Even in game sitting too long was a menace, huh? He glanced out the window as well and made a face - so much for fixing his sleep schedule in the real world. Either there was going to be a lot of caffeine, or a lot of napping...

Good luck with your experiments, Kyra. Seeya later.

He raised a hand, then went to get his shoes back on. There was probably a convenient place to logout somewhere nearby...

(Exit~) @Kyra Vashtana