Discontinued Western Brisshal Falling from skies

[Hanno Futaba]

In a healthy stroll across the border, Hanno was on his way toward Astorea. His intentions were clear, of doing the usual resupplying on Finweald, solving some Lions Pride businesses on the bases it had, and eventually going to Vintergard to continue his investigations.

Not fond of taking wagons all the time, Hanno was getting his feet to work, carrying his enormous shield and his backpack, each by a side of his back as he moved through.

As he went past a dense spot of the forest, a welcoming clearing appeared, allowing sun to bath Hanno's face along with the wind, brushing his hair and bringing a smile to his face as he continued his path.

But before he could take his way to another treeline, something eclipsed the sun, making Hanno frown and look upwards. He noticed a figure, humanoid certainly. The silhouette wasn't clear, especially with the blinding sunlight, making Hanno take a defensive stance at first, unsure if it was a harpy.

The figure then seemed to lose height, starting to approach him with an unexpected speed. As a second passed, Hanno noticed it was a beastfolk, plummeting toward the ground.

"HEY, BUDDY!"

Hanno's eyes grew wide, throwing the shield and backpack aside as he rushed to open his mana wings, jumping to try to catch them before they fell, bracing himself for the impact.

@Verya

 

[Verya]

Flying around was still so new to the part-falcon that it still felt like paradise. It took some amount of intense focus and effort to stay aloft, much less without nauseating herself, but once she found a good glide Verya couldn't help but to close her eyes and just enjoy the feeling of the wind rushing past. Even with the vibrant world far below, it was just a lot more relaxing to try and not think about how high up she was and how she might mess up and fall.

Alas not all good times can last forever, as the wind had begun to pick up. It already had been for a few minutes now, but it wasn't really a worry until now. She opened her eyes and chuckled, speaking aloud to herself. "Okay, maybe that's enough for now." She folded her wings to try and drop, which became its own problem very quickly.

It wasn't just windy, it was incredibly windy, with how so she now plummeting to the earth below, and try as she might those wings just weren't strong enough yet to properly flap against it. She struggled still all the way to the ground as the wind ripped past her ears, and she began to suddenly jolt here and there, to and fro, fighting against the turbulence of her path even as she heard someone call out to her.

"HEY, BUDDY!" A man's voice called out. Instead of causing comfort, she felt her heart cease its panicked pounding for a moment as she realized she was getting close enough to the ground to hear people. She fell as her wings all but gave up fighting the forces of nature, and she tensed as she braced for impact. Maybe she should have considered logging out a little sooner.

It hardly mattered though, as she crashed like a comet into the gr-

Wait, this wasn't the ground. Verya opened her eyes to see a person. A person that had somehow caught her, and was holding her. Stunned from the turn of events for a few seconds, she finally spike up with a nervous smile. "Uh... thanks, dude. Like, really! Ahahahaha..." She couldn't help but to let out a bout of nervous laughter.

@Hanno Futaba

 

[Hanno Futaba]

As soon as the impact came, Hanno's mana wings wrapped around the falling beastfolk, wrapping her in protective mana before the force made them crash against the ground.

The air escaped from Hanno's lungs, but he kept the hold tight, embracing her protectively until everything seemed to settle. His teeth gritted, feeling an aching going across his body, making him cough and breath dizzily for a moment, shaking his head and trying to recover.

A hint of concern pang Hanno's chest when he noticed the silence that lingered for a moment post-impact, wondering if the beastfolk had fainted or worse-

However, soon her voice reached his ears, a sigh of relief escaped his lips. "Y-Yeah, you are welcome, buddy." He said with a small smile, groaning while loosening the hold to allow her to move freely as he rested his head against the ground.

"... I think that has put my bones back to their places, but at what cost?" Hanno chuckled, turning to look at the beastfolk. "Are you alright though? That was a hell of a fall." He asked.

@Verya

 

[Verya]

"Uhhhh..." She gave her status bars a quick examination. "Yeah, actually! I scraped a few limbs, and my wing feels kind of sprained when I try to flex it," she demonstrated by wincing as she extended her left wing a good fraction of the way out before folding it back in as much as she could without hurting it too much either, "but I'm fine! Sorry for crashing in on you like that!" She crossed her arms and rolled her shoulders a couple times. "I'm pretty new to the game, and I can't say I have much practice using my wings outside of it!"

With a beaming grin, even her crash landing hadn't seemed to dampen her high spirits. "You alright, though? You kind of tanked a whole body. Actually, it was kinda cool! Like something you'd see in an action movie, right? Hahaha~!"

"I guess I owe ya one, man. So, what's the damage?"

@Hanno Futaba

 

[Hanno Futaba]

The beastfolk's reveal made Hanno's expressions frown a bit. Of course a fall that high would get the other hurt, especially considering she went straight toward a man using heavy armor. He winced when she tried to stretch her wing and couldn't, making him a bit more worried. "If that's the case, let me give it a look. It is better to heal a wing before it is too late." Hanno said with a concerned tone in his voice, gesturing for the woman to approach.

"Heh, unless you are a birdfolk lander, I am sure we don't usually have flying practices on our lives." Hanno said, waiting for her to approach if she would, casting a glance at his own body when she asked about him.

"I won't say it didn't hurt, but I am pretty bulky... Besides, you are light, so it helped." Even though anything, as light as they are, is pretty dangerous going toward anyone at high speed.

"Don't worry about owing me anything, buddy. Your well being is enough for me." He grinned. "The damages... Probably a portion of my HP and a messy hair." Hanno huffed a chuckle, looking up at his hair, messy after his armored headress pretty much tilted with the impact.

@Verya

 

[Verya]

"Hah! Guess it's a good thing I made myself so petite after all, huh?" The falcon grinned, putting her right hand out for a shake. "Call me Verya." She would at least introduce herself before moving closer to allow him to look over her wing. "Now, when you say 'heal', you don't mean you're about to just, do surgery right here, do you? It's healing magic, right?" She asked half nervously, half jokingly. She knew there was healing magic in this game, but that didn't mean this guy had any. In fact he didn't look like a healer at all, unless he was some sort of paladin. She wasn't an expert by any means, though.

"So you're another player, right? What's the up and up on getting quick money for some new clothes? As good as a nice breeze can be, I'm starting to get self-conscious wearing a skirt all the time." She nodded upwards. "Especially when I'm in the air, y'know?"

@Hanno Futaba

 

[Hanno Futaba]

Hanno chuckled. "Petite is cute, so it is always a good choice." He said, shrugging. "I made myself quite small, but I'm pretty heavy- So I guess I'm just compact." At the time, he had made himself like that because he liked the idea of being very different from himself in the outside world.

"Pleased to meet'cha, Verya. Name is Hanno, Hanno Futaba." He introduced himself, carefully reaching for her wing and resting it under a hand, raising an eyebrow at her words as he gestured with his free hand. "Nah, I won't make a surgery. I'm a chef, not a medic." Hanno smirked, taking a moment to focus on a power from beyond, bringing the warmth of Rhiannon to the palm of his hands and the tip of his fingers.

❰ Goddess Call - Soothing Touch ❱

Brimming with divine magic, Hanno's fingers touched Verya's wings, gently brushing on the feathers and the wounds, numbing any pain the touch would cause for a moment and allowing a nice warmth to spread through the beastfolk as Hanno continued to talk to her.

"I'm a player, yeah. It isn't too hard to figure it out, most of the time." Hanno said, blinking for a moment and having his cheeks grow slightly rosy at the comment regarding the skirt and flying. "O-Oh yeah, that's probably tough, huh? Well. Quests you can find in Adventure Guilds are the easiest way to snatch some coin for new clothes... If you don't have enough, or isn't secure about going for a quest by yourself, I could give you a hand to try and get something for you." He explained, along with an offer.

@Verya

 

[Verya]

"Nice to meet'cha, Hanno!" She was about to reply to the man, but as he worked at her wing, a shiver ran down her spine, causing her to lower slightly and arch her back just a bit diagonally. "Ha-a-ah~!" She let out a long sigh as the warmth of his divine light poured into her wing, and she as well became cursed with rosy cheeks as she grinned at him. "Hah... I'm not used to people touching my wings yet, but if that's how it's going to be, remind me to mess 'em up more often! Hehehe~!"

All the upbeat energy the falcon responded with did well to mask how awkward the whole situation could have been otherwise. Verya was used to socializing after all, but she was a social bird, not a social flower. "Well I'll keep all that in mind, but I've learned not to say no to free stuff, ehehe!"

@Hanno Futaba

 

[Hanno Futaba]

"Hey, don't mess 'em up just because of that." Hanno chuckled and shook his head in disapproval, but smiled anyway at the fact she was liking it. It was much better to see someone enjoying themselves despite the bad situation they were in than seeing them suffering and in pain. "Besides, you don't need to be hurt to get your wings touched." Hanno shrugged.

"Ever heard of massages? They are pretty good even if you aren't hurt, especially if things are stiffy." Hanno said, giving a soft squeeze on the wings, which thankfully now were healed.

His eyebrow then raised at her words, nodding partially. "I mean, that's a good way to think. If it is being offered, it doesn't hurt to accept. Especially because I think it is more of an emergency before your flights get a bit too daring for a skirt." Hanno said, handwaving. "So whenever you are feeling better, we can do it."

@Verya

 

[Verya]

Her wings tensed and even extended and jittered in a couple light flaps as Hanno gripped them, and Verya put a hand over her face, though she still grinned. "H-Hey! Easy, man! A massage might be a bit much out here in the open like that!" She laughed, though with her cheeks still pink it was simple enough to tell that it was nervous laughter at least in some fraction. "Maybe later, though!"

"But at least I can say my wings don't hurt anymore! Thanks again. I don't know what I'd do if I broke them already!" She reached up and stretched, arching her back as much as she could, and then again towards the front. Once she was done, she stood back upright and did a little hop. "All right! So where's the place, how're we getting there, and what's the budget?!" She seemed pretty fired up. Then again, it was all too fitting. Some girls just loved to go shopping.

This wasn't that, but it was definitely easier to just assume it was and get on with your day for sure.

@Hanno Futaba

 

[Hanno Futaba]

Hanno slipped laughter at her reaction, raising his arms when letting her wings go. "My bad, my bad. Later then, if you want!" He said with a playful wink, then resting his hands on his hips as he watched the beastfolk stretching her wings, squinting to see if she was wincing and actually fine before nodding satisfied. She was in a good shape!

"Seems like you are fine then" Hanno said, gesturing behind his back. "Honeyhome has a few cloth and tailoring shops, we could check them out." He said, at first before pondering. "As for a budget... I mean, I am a veteran player. Budget isn't really a word I use for something like clothes. So have fun." Hanno said, a bit carefree. Truth was that he had so much gold piled up he needed to find a way to get rid of it, which was most of the times making donations and helping this world to become a bit better.

Even then, there was always something left.

He turned, starting to take his path as he gestured for her to follow, if she wished. "By the way, you don't happen to be new at this game, are you?" He asked.

@Verya

 

[Verya]

Her eyes lit up as the word budget was removed from the duo's collective vocabulary for the time being. All the outfits she could hope for? She was about to blow Vera away the next time they meet.

"Yyyup! Just started a couple weeks ago! Granted, I haven't played but a few times since then, so it feels more like I started yesterday, but new's new, right?" She began to mess around with her UI, obvious from the telltale signs of making gestures and glances at things that simply weren't there.

"Yyyyep, no experience and about a couple hundred gold to my name that I got for throwing a party, but I had to spend it all on the party, so, ehehe~!" She scratched the back of her head. "So when you say veteran, how long have you been playing? The game's only been out for like, what, a year? Something like that?" She obviously wasn't really savvy on the game's history by any means, but most people didn't join Terrasphere because they were MMO history enthusiasts.

@Hanno Futaba

 

[Hanno Futaba]

The joy of the girl when Hanno revealed there was no budget in the way made the faerin both happy for seeing her smile but also remotely worried that maybe he had just set himself on a path without return. Well...

He looked at her, who beaming cheerfully.

Alright... It was worth it.

"So you are very new around here, hmm?" Hanno said, now focusing on the new information as he continued to take the path. The fact she has been in the game for around weeks should probably mean she was already very aware of the condition that game had, however, at the same time, she didn't seem to show that much experience for someone that is 2 weeks old in Terrasphere.

The mention of her feeling like she had just started playing yesterday was worrying too, if anything, everyone that actually plays the game says in just a few days that it felt like they have been at it for years.

... He should probably make sure of it.

"So you are a party type. I guess you are in this game mostly to have fun, and not to hunt down monsters and stuff, yeah?" If that was the case, maybe he wouldn't need to worry that much. "A year... No, you don't see the news about it, huh?" Another worrying information.

"This game is very old, but it stayed four years locked away by the government." Hanno said, before explaining: "I played this game four years ago. And I've learned plenty about this game, and the people in it... And the world it holds. And of course, I've returned now that this game came back to the... Well-" Open quotes. "Public" Close quotes.

@Verya

 

[Verya]

Verya at least seemed to stop and consider Hanno's info dump given that she crossed one arm over the other and put a finger to her chin in thought. Soon afterwards though, the grin returned to her face and she simply shrugged. "I mean, when's the government not trying to stop a good party? I've already thrown one Terrasphere party, and once I master the art of drunk flying, there's going to be a lot more!" She chuckled, all but nudging Hanno with the glance she gave him. "Flying while intoxicated's not illegal here, is it? Ehehe~!"

"Anyways, thanks again for buying me some new outfits! Someone told me I should buy a sword first, but style over function, at least for a party animal like me! And don't worry! I'm positive I can find a way to repay you for it on the quick! Besides those adventurer's guild quest thingies you were talking about before. Speaking of which, ya might wanna show me where those are at some point, too! Haha!" She flexed her wings, then folded them again, letting out a satisfied sigh. "God, I love having wings..."

@Hanno Futaba

 

[Hanno Futaba]

"Yeah, but the government has a good reason to block this game. You do know about it, don't you? The main reason this game is a menace." Hanno said, looking at her intently, wanting to see her reaction to know if she truly understood the nature of the game. If she didn't, he needed to make sure she would know before it was too late.

At the nudge and the question, Hanno's expressions eased, and he breathed a chuckle. "If it means you will fall on people, it is better to avoid." He said, raising an eyebrow. "I did fly and glide drunk before though, and I didn't cause much trouble. It is certainly safer than driving, I guess." At least in the first you had control of your body, even if drunk, the latter was a machine that would obey all of your stupid commands.

"You don't need to repay me, so don't worry about that." Hanno said, looking at the girl and smirking. "If you really want to repay me though, when you become a veteran yourself, make sure to help a newcomer just like I'm doing right now." He then paused, looking at her joy regarding the wings and slipping a happy sigh.

"Yeah, it is nice to have things you can't usually have outside of here."

@Verya

 

[Verya]

"Eh? Well, yea. Isn't it because you can feel pain very realistically?" She shrugged, seeming confident she understood the scariest part of the game. "But then there's all these upsides! I'm not going to let a little pain scare me off!" With another seemingly signature Verya chuckle, she continued.

"Paying it forward, eh? Sure, sure, I can do that eventually! Sounds like it'll take a few years, but I'll get around to it!" At his final comment, she gave her wings a notable flap. "But you're preaching to the choir for sure! It always feels weird logging out and having to drive a car to work again, ehehe~!"

She scratched the back of her head and looked over to Hanno with an odd grin. "Among other things. For example, I can see in full color! I can see why people make such a big deal out of it now! Plus, I'm pretty sure being part falcon gives me better eyesight too, so it's a world of difference! What about for you, though? You're one of those... uh, what are they called again? Like, the little fairy things, right?" She chuckled again.

@Hanno Futaba

 

[Hanno Futaba]

Hanno's expressions fainted at the girl's words, and he held an answer back for a moment, looking at her and shrugging slightly. "Make sure you are resting properly before work. You still need to sleep even if you are connected into the game and your body is 'resting'." The brain activity skyrocketed in this kind of game, after all. Especially with all the stimuli it brought.

He then carefully listened to her mentions of the many things she could do, with the mention of seeing full colors catching his attention. "So you are colorblind, huh? So you can see in full color in this world even if you can't out there? That's cool, actually." Hanno wasn't entirely sure of how far the game changed people from their real selves, but it was nice to know Verya could experience something she unfortunately lacked in real life.

"... But as amazing as this game is, pain isn't the only reason this game is illegal." Hanno said, looking at Verya's eyes. "Don't ask me why, because I am unsure myself. I just know it happens, because I saw it with my own eyes, and it is a known thing from this game. But upon your third death, you become locked into this game, and your real body dies." He said, as genuinely as he could muster, knowing he would probably be laughed at at first.

@Verya

 

[Verya]

"Eh? Hey, don't worry! I get plenty of sleep! Even that time I passed out while I was still logged in after that sick party! I logged out and felt just as hungover as I expected to!" She declared a little too proudly.

She listened to his warning with an awkward grin at first, and of course laughed a bit in response. "Right. Guess I shouldn't be saying 'Bloody Mary' into any mirrors while I'm playing either, huh?" She waited for Hanno to affirm that he had been joking, but such a time never truly came. That was when she tried to fully brush off her concerns, though her wings folded tightly against her back subtly betrayed her confidence. "Well, it's not like I wasn't going to die young in the first place anyways! At least I can have a little fun first! Besides, I can just not die a third time and everything'll be okay! Hahaha!"

She took a deep breath and, once again, scratched the back of her head, showing she was a creature of very few habits. "Besides, I've got something to do here that I can't really do in real life, besides fly and see in full color, and it's a little more important than either of those things as weird as that sounds. Ehehe..."

She sighed and looked away almost uncomfortably for a few seconds, then looked at Hanno again quite suddenly. "Hey! Mind if I keep trying to fly the rest of the way? I still need to get used to it, especially closer to the ground. Maintaining a stable height and all. Sorta like gliding!"

@Hanno Futaba

 

[Hanno Futaba]

"Course I will worry." Hanno crossed his arms, pausing to look at Verya's reaction toward his revealing, and frowning slightly at how she was taking it as a silly take. Of course, she wasn't doing it to mock him, but it still proved something different from MAI, for example. The Magia girl was cautious, and she had full awareness of the danger she was on, being prepared to face it.

Verya was different. She was cheerful and carefree, which by itself was fine-- But if combined with this carelessness, it could be a dangerous mix.

"I'm not sure why you think you would die young, but I can't accept letting you just go around and getting yourself killed in this game. I am being serious, on third death, you are a goner in real life." Hanno said, leaning closer. "On fourth, unless you are lucky to have someone that can revive with you, you are a goner. Both out there, and in here." He said, perhaps a bit somber, but he needed a message to be passed.

As he leaned away, he pondered at her request, and he shook his head. "That's fine, as long as you don't fall again." He said, mustering a faint smile. "Do you want me to glide with you?" He asked.

@Verya

 

[Verya]

Verya's smile slowly but surely weakened until it couldn't even be found at all, leaving the falcon to peer at the ground in front of them as they walked. After considering his warning for a long time in silence, she suddenly went wide-eyed, then looked over at the slightly shorter man. "EY?! Wait a minute, I'd be stuck like this?!" She gestured to herself all the way down. "I mean don't get me wrong, I like the wings and the eyes, but there's no way I'm going to be a-" She paused suddenly, making a few aggravated noises of confusion, at a loss for words all of a sudden.

She sighed and brought a hand up to press fingers and thumb against either side of her forehead. "There's just no damn winning for me, huh?" With another even more aggravated sigh, she tilted her head back and took a deep breath. With her exhalation, both her shoulders and wings fell, the feathery appendages nearly tickling the ground at the tips. "... Well... All right, then. Thanks for the warning, but..."

She managed to bring some manner of smile back onto her face. "All that means is I've gotta get good quickly! So! If you wanna glide along with me-" She broke into a sprint and leapt as high as she could, extending her wings in a fairly amateur attempt at gliding, more akin to jumping on the moon than anything that could be considered flying. "Let's get going, slowpoke!"

@Hanno Futaba