Open ✪ Finweald Adventures, Shenanigans and Friendships

[Ornthalas]

Ornthalas was a new person in this world. After his initial landing and finding a strong group of allies, he had split off temporarily to learn more about the world. He had been reading up on the world lore, different areas and disasters that had befallen the lands of Terrasphere. It was definitely good readings, but he realized that there wasn't a whole lot. A lot was closer areas, or areas that are charted. Maybe there were new areas that hadn't been explored. That was what interested him the most, and he wasn't entirely sure anyone in his group would want to go as far as he does.

"Maybe I need to find some new people.." He muttered to himself, flicking through his inventory. He didn't have much. His armor, and a single knife he found with his friends to throw. Not very good for his build, but he didn't know where to go to find weapons or armor. He still hadn't figured out if there were map settings for him to use, he hadn't seen any on his HUD or in his inventory. Maybe it was in the settings in a really mundane spot where he wouldn't expect it to be. "Okay Lucien, first things first., get some better equipment first, then we head out to explore, maybe find a dungeon." He stood from where he had been relaxing, and looked at his immediate surroundings. He had been studying near a giant obelisk, more than likely made of what looked like obsidian. He had seen a few people going to and from this little place but other than that, he didn't have a clear direction on where to go for what he was seeking. He scratched his head, his hair getting slightly frazzled by the irritation.

"Equipment... Equipment..." he said, circling and looking at different signs. All were different, but none of them shouted 'Bows and arrows!' and he sighed. "This... should not be this hard."

 

[Tetsunosuke]

Finweald. The capital of Astorea after Vintergard had fallen to the Dragonfall incident 4 years ago. While Vintergard was the most cosmopolitan place that one would see in Astorea, Finweald was a rustic one in comparison. Although many player structures could also be found here, the atmosphere here would remind people of Stokbon in Falderen: a medieval city, only about to see the Renaissance dawning upon them. But even so, this was the capital of the player nation that the great Astor Balthas had founded, and so a lot of players would be found here, their peculiar equipment betraying the atmosphere of this town. A particular one; who was wearing a blue shirt over a dark-blue sweater, green pants, and black laced harness boots, and sporting a peculiar jetpack; was among them.

But Tetsunosuke had paid no heed if he might be destroying the atmosphere of this town, if ever, he thought that this town should go forward with the times. Vintergard's atmosphere of the former times should be the norm for Astorea as a whole at the very least, and if ever, the creatures that spawned from the Dragonfall should cue them about what should be done here. If they do not have the needed technology to stand against those robots, then they were doomed if ever they invaded. Finweald's defenses were not even that much improved as compared to Vintergard, and these should fall faster as a result. And so he endeavored to make this town improve on its defenses and atmosphere as soon as possible.

As Tetsunosuke was thinking about those things, he then spotted that same guy roaming around the area, as if he was searching for something. He had been like this for more than three times now, and he had no clue why he was doing that. Maybe that person was lost, Tetsunosuke thought. And so, he then approached the person, and then asked him, "Are you searching for something? You seemed lost."

 

[Ornthalas]

As he had found himself looping the Obelisk for the third time, his mind trying to make assumptions at to what some of the signs could mean, he head a voice emanate to his left. He turned to see a player with a sweater, green pants and some sort of mechanical wonder on their back. He was a bit confused as to it, but he decided to ignore it for now.

"Oh, hi there. Uhh yeah, yeah I'm definitely lost." He said with a laugh. "I just dropped a few hours ago, and I'm trying to figure out how to find shops. None of the signs are making much sense, and I'm pretty sure I should get some better upgrades." he showed off his flimsy-looking dagger. If anything he would want armor before he got new weapon, as his basic cloak and flimsy cloth were not going to hold up against a monster attack.

"Oh, I'm sorry where are my manners. Ornthalas, pleasure to make your acquaintance." He spoke with a smile, holding his hand out politely to shake, sheathing his dagger with the other hand and making it disappear beneath the dark cloak and out of sight, almost seeming to be made of the shadows themselves, swaying with the wind and causing ripples to be made.

 

[Tetsunosuke]

As the cloaked person (@Ornthalas) said that he was looking for upgrades, Tetsunosuke could only cock his head with disbelief. This was a role-playing game, or at least a world that might have been based on a role-playing game, blacksmiths should be always present within a marketplace; hell even some cities back in the real world always had one or a few hardware shops or tool sharpening centers or hobby centers. He simply did not understand why someone would ask that question in a large city like Finweald. His confusion only became stronger when he presented a knife to him. Blacksmiths had always been represented with either a hammer striking an anvil, or two crossed swords or hammers with or without a shield or anvil behind. In fact there was one at the front of him for that matter: one that had the sign of a hammer striking an anvil. A newcomer in the RPG world? Might be, there were too many people new to an RPG world in here nowadays.

"The name is Tetsunosuke. Nice to meet you, Ornthalas." He would shake the person's hand, but the way his joints would feel might be strange, and so would his skin for that matter. It would be as if one was shaking a hand made out of rubbery plastic with a skeleton of steel, but strangely had the warmth and the texture of a human hand. "As for the upgrades you are seeking, I am a blacksmith by trade, but I delve more in other things. Also, it will take us a lot of time if you choose to have me craft your stuff, and so I will just point you to a nearby one if you like." He then pointed at the building with the hammer and anvil sign. "Hammer and anvil, the trusty tools of many a blacksmith of all eras."

 

[Ornthalas]

Orn saw a look of confusion on the sweater-wearing player in front of him (@Tetsunosuke) and suddenly felt a tad embarrassed. He apparently had missed something important in the game, a easy way to tell what he was looking for. He wasn't sure what he had missed, but this game being his first full-body vr, or any sort of roleplay game in general, it definitely didn't help his case. He just wanted to play a cool game where he could explore, but he realized he had a lot to learn if he was going to step even a foot out of a main settlement.

The person with the metal backpack, who held a hand out and introduced themselves as Tetsunosuke- which was a mouthful and he was sure he would forget in about ten minutes- seemed to be a nice person overall. He took their hand, and something felt a bit off. It felt like a normal hand, but just... something in his mind clicked as off. He couldn't put his finger on what it was, but he wouldn't press the issue too hard.

Tetsu talked about blacksmiths, and Orn mentally smacked himself. Of course it would be that easy. If he had thought about it a little harder maybe he would have gotten that. Tetsu offered to lead him to one, and he nodded. "Absolutely, any help is appreciated." He said with a smile. They walked a small ways, changing their direction slightly and they pointed to a building with a sign of- as they said- a hammer and anvil. He suddenly felt even more embarrassed. That was super easy to recognize, but he thought it was an upgrade place, not a place to buy equipment. "Ah, right that makes a lot of sense doesn't it?" He said with an embarrassed laugh. He turned to them and gave a nod. "Thank you kindly."

 

[Tetsunosuke]

As Tetsunosuke then heard @Ornthalas' response, he then sincerely thought that this person might really be a newcomer in the world of RPGs. That realization made him really worried about this person's well-being. In addition to this game being an RPG, this was also a death game that should be avoided by those who have something to lose, or pussyfoot on it at the bare minimum, and so every person who chose to play this game should always be intelligent and vigilant on what they were doing, and it fell to veterans like him to aid and protect the new ones in case of danger. And so, Tetsunosuke decided to guide this person until he could fend for himself.

"You're welcome." Tetsunosuke offered a nod as a reciprocating gesture towards Ornthalas. "Now that I think of it, may I accompany you in buying your needed weapons? I could suggest some good ones if you like." As far as he was concerned, although there might be a lot of good blacksmith shops in large cities like Finweald, there might be some shoddy ones. And so he went ahead and saw for himself if it was of the latter category.

Fortunately, from the first glance it had seemed that the proprietor of this particular blacksmith shop had a good head on his shoulders. Although the storefront was quite small as compared to other blacksmith shops in Finweald, it seemed to have a good stock. All kinds of swords, daggers, polearms, axes, bows, and the like were displayed on their respective racks, and some of the others were in barrels, presumably of the cheaper stock. Within some barrels were also arrows, crossbow quivers, and throwing weapons, and behind the counter there was an adolescent salesman, while there were sounds of a hammer being pounded on some sort of metal behind the counter, and also sounds of sharpening metal on another side. Tetsunosuke then took a detailed look towards some of those in the display, while he waited for Ornthalas to enter.

 

[Ornthalas]

Orn nodded in thanks, and then Tetsu offered to come in with him, and was not against this in the slightest. This player definitely knew a lot more about this game than he did, and his opinions would more than likely help him come up with a choice. He let Tetsu walked in before him to survey it, and he seemed quite satisfied with the outcome, from what he could see from outside the door. He walked in and his eyes sparkled with amazement as he saw all the different weapons and armor. Everything from swords, maces, bows and axes, all were set in an array for a customer to come and look at for decision making. Orn looked around for awhile, but he couldn't entirely see anything that poked out at him. He knew he would have to choose a ranged weapon, since that's what he had for a mastery, but the bows seemed a bit too cumbersome for him to carry about, and the crossbows were far too heavy for him to use in combat.

"Hmm..." he scratched his chin, looking about when he saw something that caught his eye. A bracer of sorts that you would see for armor, but it had a metal mechanical machine on top of it. He picked it up, seeing a button with a keyhole atop. He pressed the button, and out sprang a crossbow atop the bracer. A comfortable size and compact enough for him to carry easily. He saw that a key was attached by a cord of rope, and he turned it in the button, which allowed the crossbow to become slack, and collapsed it back into place after a minute of fiddling and figuring out how it went back inside.

"How much for this piece." He spoke aloud, bringing the bracer to the young-looking blacksmith. He took it in his hands, and thought for a second. "Oh yeah, had someone come and sell this to us since they didn't want it no more, from a dungeon or some kind of loot. I'll give it to ya for 20 gold, and an extra 5 gold for plenty a ammo." He said, and Orn looked back at Tetsu for confirmation that this was a good price

 

[Tetsunosuke]

As @Ornthalas finally entered the shop, Tetsunosuke then went from admiring the weapons to taking close watch on him. He would make sure that he would buy the right weapon for whatever his talents were, so that he would not have a problem later. But it seemed that Ornthalas was looking for bows and crossbows, and it seemed that he could not find the perfect one for him. So he was a ranged combatant. Tetsunosuke was thinking that aside from bows or crossbows, people who specialized in ranged combat also went for guns, but it seemed that there were none available in this shop, and by the looks of it, he might not favor guns anyway, given his sharp ears. But, if it comes to it that he would want to use guns, Tetsunosuke would provide him with one. But as of now, Tetsunosuke waited, because he had seen a peculiar thing on display that might actually tickle Ornthalas' mind.

And it seems that Tetsunosuke was definitely right, now that Ornthalas had picked it up. That one was a concealed crossbow, very similar to one that the protagonists use in that assassin game, and it was a perfect tool for tight spots where a bow would be too cumbersome to carry. It was also not as heavy as a crossbow which also was good in those scenarios, and so, it was a perfect tool for dungeons. But of course there are some weaknesses.

As Ornthalas then looked at Tetsunosuke for confirmation of his choice, he then said, "I presume that the people sold that bracer because it either does not suit their needs, or its draw power might be too weak. Unlike ordinary crossbows, this one only relies on the lock on the bow to hold itself together as well as impart the necessary force on the quarrel, which both limits its lifespan and the draw weight it can support. Fortunately the length of the draw mostly offsets those disadvantages, but there is yet another disadvantage: the effective range of this crossbow would be the same or lesser than any other composite crossbows of this size, which should only suffice for a really short range. But of course, the most effective weapon is the one you have, and you always have that one, ever ready for action, just in case. And in any urgent situation, the first one who blinks, loses." He then left Ornthalas to stew in that opinion so that he would know what he will do next."

 

[Ornthalas]

Orn listened to Tetsu's thoughts and opinions openly, taking them into consideration as he held the weapon in his hand. As they explained the downsides on the weapon, he would look at the parts and see that they were right, for the most part. He was unsure about the range, since maybe he could strengthen it with some tinkering and practice, and make it at a medium range at least. He definitely wouldn't be shooting from a mile away to make his mark, that much he was certain. But with enough practice he might be able to make it work.

He turned to the shopkeeper and handed over the 25 gold pieces he asked for, equipping the crossbow bracer on his arm with a smile. The shopkeeper gave him a bundle of bolts and he put it into his inventory, then gave him a nod and turned to Tetsu. "Thank you for your help, seriously this takes a load off my mind." He said with a smile on his face, happy that he had made some progress today. "Now I feel ready to actually leave the walls of this town and go exploring, maybe find some new things while I'm at it!"

He adjusted the crossbow on his arm, tightening and loosening it as to find his comfort spot where it wasn't too tight to cause pain, but not too loose for shots to be off their mark, or the gauntlet falling off his arm at the worst moment. All in all, even though it was a smaller weapon, he couldn't be happier with his choice.

 

[Tetsunosuke]

As Tetsunosuke saw @Ornthalas deciding to buy the bracer crossbow, he could only hope that he could maximize its advantages and minimize its weaknesses. Of course, it would be up to the wielder if the weapon would be effective, and training should be essential in that aspect. He hoped that he would train enough so that his use of the weapon would always be on point and he would not hit any snags come the actual battles.

"You're always welcome. Glad to be of help." Tetsunosuke then flashed a smile as he said those words. He could only hope that Ornthalas would take his word seriously about the crossbow so that he would not have many problems. But it also seemed that Ornthalas was also eager to explore beyond the walls of this city now that he had a weapon. He thought that this could only result in a disaster if he was not really used to the weapon yet, and so he might also need a little help in that regard.

"Maybe you should test out first your effective range for the use of that crossbow before anything. The numerous creatures just outside this city should be a good start for that. I might also accompany you so that the training would go without a hitch. I will focus on support duties though, so you can attack and find your bearings without worrying about your health."

 

[Ornthalas]

Tetsu seemed a bit hesitant, from what he saw of him in the corner of his eye. From what he could read, maybe he was worried that he wouldn't be a good shot, since a weapon like this is a bit weird and could take some getting used to. It made sense, but he hoped that the Ranged Mastery that he took would help him aim true, which would make it easier to use such a unique weapon.

He then said that perhaps he should test his range on some creatures outside the town. This was a grand idea, as he wanted to fight something since the game started, but now he felt finally ready to give an attempt, and perhaps it would help him level his abilities far faster than he had just doing basic fetch-em quests. Like the Gillie seeds, so many gillie seeds. He nodded and smiled towards Tetsu.

"Tetsu my man, that's the second best idea you've come up with today. With your support I know we wont have any issues. Lead the way, and I'll attack on your signal. You'll be able to read the monsters and their strengths better than I will." He adjusted the strap one last time, finally finding a tightness that felt right, and he equipped a small quiver on his right hip, so he would have easy access to the small ballista arrows for the fight to come.

 

[Tetsunosuke]

Tetsunosuke thought, by suggesting @Ornthalas to help him in training his aim, he might have been belittling the latter's abilities in using the crossbow bracer. But as he was seeing too many people die in this game, and the rumors that were spreading surrounding about what happens after the third death, he could never be too cautious. Although he was here because this place satisfied his inner desire to invent a lot of things that he could never do in the real world, he could never abandon the love of his life and his child because of it. Surely this person also had loved ones who might worry if ever the worst thing happened here, and he would never let that happen to another person.

Fortunately Ornthalas agreed on Tetsunosuke's suggestion, and so Tetsunosuke then racked up his mind on what creatures they could hunt for target practice.

"All right, Ornthalas, I have some reports about some people who were going in and out of this town having a frequent problem with random bear and wolf attacks. I dare think that their lairs were somewhere near those areas. Now if we could..."

Just as he was saying those words, another resident of the city burst through the door and shouted at the proprietors of the place: "Bad news! Bad news! A party of gnolls have raided your village! Let's go there before they all get killed!"

As Tetsunosuke had heard of the news, he then said to Ornthalas, "Well, it looks like we have to help them. right? We might reach that place immediately using my jetpack, but if you really are ready for a ride of a lifetime." He then moved towards the harbinger of the bad news, and asked about the details, before turning towards Ornthalas again.