Complete Private Eastern Brisshal (Reaping Season I) The Hazards of Howling

Nymoria · Oct 9, 2022

Her first day in Terrasphere had shaped up to be far more exciting than Nymoria could've expected. She'd actually managed to make it out of the starter forest, to some small village named Honeyhome - of all things, of course the first village would be something like that. She'd spent a while shopping in the small village, coming across a set of kama's, an axe like weapon that she was rather pleased with, as well as the Ice Claw and Blood Claw daggers, the former sheathed on her left thigh, while the Blood Claw was sheathed on her upper left arm - just below her shoulder, with the handle towards her forearm for ease of drawing.

She'd also managed to find something that she'd never even thought would exist in a game like this. It even carried a name that she couldn't resist, tagged as the Hidden Claw, a set of greaves that contained blades hidden away in the underside. A bit of tinkering by the seller, and Nymoria had a set of weapons that were designed specifically to her needs.

Content, and more than impressed with what she had found, Nymoria had headed out to find a use for her new toys, hoping to put them to good, hard use as quickly as possible.

Which is why she was currently standing in front of a poster, which clearly requested help with...

"...a werewolf. Seriously...? A werewolf? This has to be a joke..."

She read the poster once more, trying to figure out if someone was messing with her, or if she had simply...misread something. This is stupid...so, so stupid...

Weird Noises In the Night

Recently I've heard some weird noises from Jaylene's house.

The third house just outside of the village, on the southern side, for those of you who don't know.

I haven't seen her around in the last few weeks much, but the few times I have seen her, she looked tired and ragged. More so than usual.

At night, there's these weird sounds coming from the house. Like howling, and yipping and other weird dog noises.

I'm worried that Jaylene may have been bitten or something. By a lycan. Or maybe lycan-like thing.

Could someone look into it, and help Jaylene?

She shook her head again, trying to make sense of it. If it was a quest, it was the weirdest quest request she'd ever seen.

"Who the hell just puts up a public poster claiming someone's a werewolf? Seems a bit rude, if you ask me."

@Yua

Yua · Oct 10, 2022

"A werewolf..."

Yua tightly clutched the the worn flyer, bringing it so close to her face that her nose almost touched the slightly yellowed paper. K̸̭̺͈̱̦̹̅̀́̋̑́u̸̧̱͔͕̮̤̺̍͘ŝ̶̪̫̟͎͓̮ͅó̴̪̞͓̟͜ͅ had thought that it was a prank at worst, and not worth his time at best, but Yua wasn't so certain. If there was a chance that there was a real (well, as real as one can get in a game) live werewolf prowling around the streets of Hovelis at night, Yua had to do something! Thankfully, with that much, K̸̡̳̜̈́͠ụ̸̪̀̐̽͌̐̈́͜s̵̰͎̻̣̝̤͋̃̎ó̶̥̩͎̖̼͉̓̀̚͝ had agreed, and told her that she best investigate.

If an investigation was what K̴̯̙̘̮̺̰̐̀̂͘ū̷͚͕̼̟̗̻͖ṡ̸̢̟̻͉͂̅ǫ̶̗̫̖̯͉̃͊̃̇͆́͠ͅ wanted, it was an investigation he'd get! Though Yua didn't have the monocle or snazzy pipe (or really any experience in investigative work) the girl was confident in herself, or at least confident enough that she could walk into a house and follow the howling. That should work, right?

With her nose deep into the flyer as the small girl tried to navigate her way to Jaylene's house, the girl nearly ran into a beastfolk. "Oh, sumimasen," the girl apologized, dipping her head towards the other, surprisingly smaller, women. "I should have been watching where I was going."

@Nymoria

Nymoria · Oct 10, 2022

Nymoria felt the bump as the other person bumped into her. She turned, snarl on her face as she thought up the numerous insults that she was going to unleash, ready to let into the person dumb enough to not be watching where they were going. Her threats and insults died away instantly as she saw the poster in the girl's hands, and her attention immediately snapped to the other person. Human...well-built...looks like someone who can hold their own...might be useful.

"Yeah, you really should be watching where you're going. Is that the poster about the supposed lycan on the edge of town? Were you planning on going after it, or something?"

The sly grin that spread across her face was certainly anything but welcoming, the twin canine's that were clearly longer than the remainder of her teeth likely taking away from the cutesy raccoon look that the rest of her presence gave off.

"If you were, you can tag along with me. I was headed that way, anyways. And it doesn't make sense for the two of us to go there if we're not together. That would be stupid. And you don't look like a stupid girl. So, let's get going."

She spun on the spot, heading in the direction that the map - if you could call it that - had drawn out for the path to Jaylene's house. Nymoria walked slightly slower than normal, waiting for the other girl to catch up.

"So...been around here much, before? I'm new to the area. Actually just dropped in a day or so ago, so this'll be my first...well, quest, if you can call it that. What about you? Done a lot around these parts? Or maybe somewhere else?"

She had no idea if the other person was a player or not, and hoped that they understood half of what she was saying. Well, if not I can just brush it off as...outlander?...or whatever they call it, speech. No big deal.

@Yua

Yua · Oct 10, 2022

Everything happened so fast. First, the beastfolk was telling Yua to watch where she was going, then she insisted they work together, and then all of a sudden, they were walking together towards their destination. Yua would have complained about being steamrolled if she hadn't been prepared to make the other woman the same exact offer.

Even still, Yua was a little...annoyed? unsettled? all of the above? with how quickly the the girl had just talked over her, and had her scurrying after her. Catching up to the beastfolk, Yua crossed her arms whilst wearing a rather sour look on her face.

"No, this is my first time in Hovelis," Yua answered pointedly, her curtness due to both her agitation and objectivity when it came to a task. Continued chatter would only distract from their objective. "We should knock. If we don't get an answer, we should find another way in," the girl said, ignoring the beastfolk's other questions, as they weren't relevant.

@Nymoria

Nymoria · Oct 11, 2022

Hovelis. Interesting. How had she missed that name before? It seemed to Nymoria that the girl was worth more than just the additional weapons, something that she would have to keep in mind after they had dealt with...well, whatever was waiting for them at the house.

"Knock...? Why bother knocking, we can just ram our way in and apologise later. Clearly there's something weird going on here, and we shouldn't give whatever it is the chance to escape. That's like...standard game tactics right there. Rush in, overwhelm, figure it out later."

Was this girl new to gaming? Why bother knocking, when they could just kick a door in, or a window, and be inside before the thing could even properly react.

The house was less than Nymoria expected. Ramshackle, worn down, the utter picturesque of a haunted house in a small time village. She felt her lips curling into a harsh smile as she stared at the place in question.

"Yeah...yeah this place is fucking haunted. Or something. I'm going to kick the door in."

Nymoria made her way up the small pathway towards the front door, carefully drawing her kamas as she did so. A quick, deep breath and she raised her leg in preparation to slam it into the door, a wicked grin on her face as the thrill of the moment began to catch up with her.

@Yua

Yua · Oct 12, 2022

Yua didn't bother arguing with the beastfolk. It hadn't taken very long for the girl to figure out that this beastfolk wasn't going to listen to her. Yua's life was filled with people like her anyways, those who simply thought every thought and idea they had was the best one to ever occur on God's green earth. Yua had long since learned it was pointless to try and argue with those kinds of people.

Coming upon the ramshackle building though, the walls hardly able to keep out the bitter cold, and the roof clearly leaking in more than one spot, Yua couldn't blame the beastfolk for assuming the best course of action was to burst in with weapons drawn. It looked like a witch's hovel after all! Maybe that was why this town was called Hovelis...

Still, it would probably be better for the pair to enter quietly, assess the situation and then-

"I'm going to kick the door in."

"W-wait!"

The beastfolk's foot exploded through the door, practically knocking the barely held together planks of wood off their hinges. The door swung open violently, slamming against the wall as Yua scowled at the beastfolk and drew her sword. Too late to change course now.

The girl rushed into the building, weapon held in a mid-guard as her eyes scanned the room.

@Nymoria

Nymoria · Oct 12, 2022

Empty. The room was empty. Nothing rushed out to attack them, nothing screamed at them. In fact, the room was so empty that there weren't even any pieces of furniture in the front room they had entered. Nymoria growled in response, disappointed in the lack of a fight.

"Well...that was disappointing. I guess there's nothing here."

She could see a doorway at the far end of the room, likely leading to either a bedroom or a kitchen, although she couldn't see from her current vantage point. The other girl had already pushed on in ahead of Nymoria, and for the moment, she decided to let the other one take the lead.

"Think the entire place will be like this? Empty? Maybe there's like an underground cellar, or a basement, or something where the owner is hiding, screaming into the night in the hopes that someone will hear them and come rescue her from whatever beast or person has them trapped down there?"

She grinned at the thought. Wouldn't that be something, discovering that the quest was actually about saving some hopeless damsel in distress from the big bad thing. It wouldn't be better than facing a werewolf, but it would certainly be a hilarious twist on the whole situation.

There was a single second of falter in her grin as Nymoria's true feelings pushed through - the doubt about it all. The game had seemed so realistic, even to the point that her first few interactions with the Landers - what people called the NPCs around here - had left her wondering if she was truly in a game. Hard to be all gung-ho killer when they seem so real, isn't it...

She pushed the thoughts aside as she stepped into the house proper, glancing at the other girl with the sudden realisation that she had never actually introduced herself properly.

"Hey...by the way my name's Nymoria. If we get into danger, I've got your back, yeah? So I expect you'll have mine too."

She flashed what she hoped was a winning grin at the other girl, waiting to see what she would say in response - and silently hoping they had some sort of idea what to do next here.

@Yua

Yua · Oct 12, 2022

Yua lowered her weapon as she too came to the understanding that there was no immediate danger. Even still, she kept a tight grip around her katana, lest either of them be mistaken, and something dangerous leap out at them.

The room was strangely empty, devoid of furniture. A thick layer of dust coated the floor, their footwear leaving behind imprints as they moved about. It seemed like the house hadn't been touched in years.

Yua paid little attention to the beastfolk's theories as she softly began to walk through the rooms, her sword at her side. All of them were just as equally true and false at the moment, nothing more than possibilities. They were here to investigate and find out the truth, not jump to conclusions. But so far, their investigation had come to a grinding halt. There was nothing but years and years of dust and rot.

"Hey...by the way my name's Nymoria. If we get into danger, I've got your back, yeah? So I expect you'll have mine too."

Yua spared little more than a glance at the beastfolk as she introduced herself, her eyes quickly flicking to the next room as she entered. She took a moment to look around again before replying. "I would not be so certain," she said, not offering her own name.

"I'm confused, I thought there were reports of strange noises here. But no one has been here in years."

@Nymoria

Nymoria · Oct 12, 2022

Well, that was rude. Nymoria glared at the other girl, a slight curl to her lips as she held back the snarl that she wanted to let loose in response. Instead, she turned her attention to the room, letting her eyes wander as she tried to look for any sort of signs that would inform them of what was going on.

She moved through the room, glancing into the next room to find a similar scene - empty, dust covered, very obviously abandoned for quite some time. No furniture, no signs that anyone was using the residence at all, in fact. Sighing, she decided the least she could do was check the other doorway on the far side off to the left.

"Hey if I'm not back in like five minutes...ah, who am I kidding you'll probably just leave."

She shrugged, heading across to the far doorway. A quick glance inside showed her a smaller room, covered in dust. She had just begun to turn away when something in the corner of her eye caught her attention. She peered back in, squinting a bit against the darkness in order to see properly.

"Yo...Noname, you better come check this out! Window's smashed and there's a blanky on the floor! I think someone might be spending the nights here."

It wasn't much, but the blanket, the few scraps of food, and what looked like a possible toy. She frowned as she waited, wondering what it meant.

@Yua

Yua · Oct 13, 2022

"Hey if I'm not back in like five minutes...ah, who am I kidding you'll probably just leave."
Yua didn't even look as Nymoria headed towards the other door. For a moment, it seemed as if she had no intent of replying. "I will come for you. Your death wouldn't benefit our investigation." I wasn't much of a reassurance, but it was the truth at least. Though Yua didn't like the beastfolk, she couldn't deny the fact that having a second set of eyes on the look out would help her. She was a girl of objectivity, not cruelty or spite.

While Nymoria went through the doorway to the otherside, Yua chose investigate the room a bit longer. Though, there wasn't really much to investigate. This room was just as empty as the others. Deciding to test out a theory, the girl quietly stamped on the floor boards, looking for any give, a hollow sound, anything to indicate a hidden compartment. Frowning when that failed, the samurai went to the walls and began to softly tap them with a fist, ear pressed against the wood.

"Yo...Noname, you better come check this out!" Nymoria's voice called out to her.
"Coming!" Yua called back, heading in the beastfolk's direction.

What Yua came upon puzzled her. A lone blanket, thin and frayed. Food scraps, a worn out toy. Yua knelt down and picked up the item, turning it over in her hand before looking back at Nymoria with a confused look on her face. "A child? Maybe they're a runaway."

@Nymoria

Nymoria · Oct 13, 2022

A child. Great, that was going to change how she dealt with this whole quest. Couldn't exactly run a child through and not expect some people to get upset by that. Which means this game likely wouldn't have her murdering children who made weird moaning sounds in the middle of the night.

Nymoria's gaze shifted towards the window - broken either through time, or on purpose, she couldn't quite tell. What was clear, though, was the blood that had dried on the wall from whomever had crawled through the broken glass.

"Someone's used the window as a door...explains the lack of footprints, or any other sort of travel throughout the rest of the house. Do you really think it's a child? Doesn't that seem a little...weird for a quest? I mean..."

She glanced at the other person, wondering how they'd take her concerns. She doubted that any sane person would be okay with murdering a child, but she didn't know this person. Didn't know if they would even care.

"...it's not like the game would have us killing children, right? I mean that would definitely be...there's like, limits, right?"

The game was supposed to be realistic, but she couldn't imagine it being brutal. Not to that degree, at least. There had to be some limitations, because people wouldn't continue to play a game that had you doing horrible things like that - she couldn't believe that there'd be people willingly to do things that horrible.

Yua

Yua · Oct 14, 2022

Yua set the toy down gently on the worn down blanket. For someone to have brought it with them, despite having so many other needs and necessities, it probably meant a lot to them. The girl stood up and, like Nymoria, could also make out the dried blood on the wall, the dark brown color only barely visible in the lowlight.

"Wouldn't they have to land on their feet on the other side? Or vice versa? There should've been some kind of footprints..." Yua said, a puzzled look on her face. But then again, who knew how long these things had been here.

"...it's not like the game would have us killing children, right?"

Yua narrowed her eyes at Nymoria. Not out of malice or skepticism, but rather how strange and off putting the question was. "We were sent here to investigate and find out what's been making the sounds. Not kill anyone," Yua pointed out. Why had the beastfolk's first thought been killing?

"Don't worry, we won't have to hurt anyone unless they try to hurt us first," the girl reassured Nymoria. "Either way, we need to find out who, or what, was here, and how long ago."

@Nymoria

Nymoria · Oct 16, 2022

Not kill anyone? What was the point of the game, if it wasn't about killing things? She had to drag her thoughts away from it as the other girl continued talking, explaining their need to investigate things more. This girl sure likes investigating...I wonder if she's a Sherlock Holmes fan? Or if she even knows who Sherlock Holmes is...

"Alright...any ideas on how to figure that out? I'm not exactly a Crime Scene Investigator who can look at a patch of blood and know the exact number of hours, or minutes, it's been on the wall for. Although that would be pretty awesome..."

She glanced around the rest of the room, but there was nothing else of value visible. Beyond the window was the forest, almost eerily blocking out the little amount of sunlight that would've otherwise made it into the room. Nymoria's brow furrowed at that, an uneasy feeling coursing through her veins in response to the thought and the view before her.

"Creepy forest...I guess we need to head out there to figure out some further clues, don't we? Seems right...send you into the dark, spooky place in the hopes that you break down in fear and then boom! Attacked by a werewolf. Typical."

She rolled her eyes as she spoke, her voice dripping with sarcasm. Could the game designers come up with something a little bit more original? I mean this is like horror story one-oh-one. Predictable.

For now, at least, she was willing to follow the other player. They seemed familiar with the investigative part that was required, which meant that until something popped out at them, Nymoria wasn't likely to be much help.

@Yua

Yua · Oct 16, 2022

At Nymoria's mention of not knowing how to investigate, Yua's eyes began to glow as she booted up her Investigation mode. The world suddenly dimmed in color, contrast lost as specific things of interest began to highlight themselves in yellow. Nymoria for one. One hundred HP, a new player like herself. Yua might've felt a sort of kinship with her based on that fact alone if she didn't already dislike the girl.

Yua tried to scan the blood, only a small amount of information becoming available to her as she did so. Blood. B-. Dried. But no other information. Ultimately unhelpful, but as the beastfolk pointed into the dark forest, the girl's head swiveled, quickly picking out something highlighted in yellow. "Someone left behind tracks," the Samurai said as she knelt to the ground again to take a closer look. "They're small. Maybe the child's?" Other tracks began to highlight themselves, forming a long trail that headed deeper into the forest. "Kuru, stay close."

@Nymoria

Nymoria · Oct 16, 2022

The other girl left the room, making her way out and into the forest. Nymoria had only a split second to consider her next steps, her eyes glancing between the forest that appeared dark and unwelcoming, and the village in the distance. I have to go with her. What if she gets attacked in the woods by...something...I wouldn't be able to live with that.

A deep and heavy sigh later Nymoria was making her way after the other player, only a few seconds after the other had left. She flexed her left hand, bringing the menu up before searching for anything that would assist her. Her eyes glanced over the sub-menu labelled as Mastery before moving on to the optioned labelled only as Investigation.

I bet this is the thing that she was using. Probably gives some sort of...like searching bonus or something. Her finger pressed the button hovering in the air. Almost immediately, the world around her changed, everything taking on a violet hue. A shift to her left caught her attention, a green footprint highlighting itself in her vision.

Footprint.
Yua.
Recent passage.

"Whoa...this is awesome...this definitely makes the whole quest a hell of a lot easier..."

She'd managed to catch up to the other girl, the woman highlighted in the same green colour as the footprints. Next to the woman's torso, as if hovering in the air was a set of text.

Yua.
One Hundred HP.
Friendly.

"Alright...this whole investigation thing is awesome...this is gonna make things a lot easier. How many other tricks does this gam- world have?"

@Yua

Yua · Oct 17, 2022

It took a few moments for Yua to realize that Nymoria was, in fact, not following her. Turning around, the girl watched as the beastfolk made some jabbing gestures in the air with her finger, presumably navigating her palm menu. Waiting until she caught up, Yua chose to scan the area around them, on the lookout for...anything. Threats, more clues, anything that could be of help.

"I don't know," Yua replied to Nymoria after she'd caught up, beginning to follow the trail again having found no additional clues. "I am new to the game too. I'm still learning." Everyday it felt more and more like K̸̯̊̈̄̄͂ű̶͇̒̈́̀͂ș̴̡̬͎͍̮͇̂̇̓̓o̴͎͓̓̍ was leaving her behind, in the dust. He kept getting stronger as he went out with his friends, while she was left to learn the ropes all on her lonesome. The only one who'd been so kind as to help her so far was Luthien.

That small reminder was enough for Yua to feel a little bad about being so cold to Nymoria, who was probably in the same shoes she was. Is. "You can focus in on highlighted things with Investigation mode," the girl tried to explain, not really a good teacher. "Sometimes it'll give you more information. Try the footprints."

@Nymoria

Nymoria · Oct 17, 2022

Something about the other girl's manner towards her had changed. She wasn't quite sure what, but the girl seemed...nicer? Not that Nymoria was too concerned. She was giving her good information, and that meant more to her than simple behaviours.

Focusing on the footprints, she tried squinting a bit, trying to bring her attention to the small steps in the dirt in a stronger way. The information suddenly changed, the pathway that the individual had taken suddenly highlighted - leading into the forest slightly more before disappearing.

"Oh...ohkay that is cool. It looks like it leads this way...deeper into the woods of course. Definitely child-sized, looks...hmm..."

She began following the trail, her attention so focused on the steps in the dirt that for a few moments she forgot about the other girl who was alongside her. She stopped, after nearly a kilometre of walking, as the footsteps took a hard left into a cave. The highlighted details faded away, the system confirming that the steps were too light to find properly.

Well, I guess the system has some limitations then...good to know. It was already amazing that it had gotten them this far. Definitely a helpful tool, and one that she wouldn't regret. Her eyes shifted over to the other player - she was sure now that they were a player, they seemed too realistic to be an NPC.

"Okay so, it looks like the child went in here. Think...do you think it could be dangerous? I mean it's a child, right? We've probably got nothing to really worry about?"

Her left hand reached down to the blue coloured blade that was sheathed on her left thigh, casually resting it on the pommel. She wasn't sure they'd need it, yet somehow it felt safe just to feel the piece against her hand. Her kamas, now hanging gently from her hips, were almost forgotten in the moment.

"I mean...how dangerous can a child be, right?"

@Yua

Yua · Oct 17, 2022

Yua nodded along as Nymoria came to the same conclusions as she had about the footprints left in the dirt. Though they were both novice investigators, Yua felt a little more confident in her deductions now that someone else had corroborated them. "They can't be that old, I think," Yua said. "If they were, they might've been washed away by now, seikai?"

The pair continued to follow the path, each step bright and easy to see while in Investigation mode. Until they weren't. All of a sudden, as the trail led up to the mouth of a cave, they stopped, for reasons that Yua couldn't quite understand. She was about to ask if Nymoria saw anything that might indicate that the child had been snatched up by something (God forbid), when she suggested that the child might've gone into the cave. "We shouldn't assume that it is just the child in there," Yua said, her fingers tightening around her katana again. "Kiwotsukete, we should be cautious."

Yua went in first, her Investigation mode still active as she looked around for the trail again, more clues, or something leaping out at them. Careful to not step on anything and make too much noise, the samurai put one resolute foot in front of the other.

@Nymoria

Nymoria · Oct 17, 2022

Not just the child. That would make sense. Caves were natural, which meant that - especially in a game like this - one should expect there to be some sort of creature in the cave. It would only be logical that something would be keeping the child from them, maybe something that was protecting it in some weird way. Looks like we're going to have a fight after all!

"Caution is always good...this is going to be fun! I haven't been in any major fights before, especially not as a main force."

She drew the Ice Claw from her thigh, giving the dagger a careful flick in her hand, spinning it softly before following the other girl into the cave. Things were getting far more exciting now, and Nymoria felt herself almost bouncing on her feet in response.

"Hey...do you think we're going to run into like...minions on the way in? Like giant spiders, or something of the sort? Like things to farm while we make our way over to the big boss?"

The smile that spread across her face at the thought of the coming conflict was far more wicked than it likely should have been. An excitement in the raccoon girl's eyes that bespoke the tension that was throughout her frame, an anticipation of the thrill of combat. This is going to be so much fun! Soooo much fun! No more nice girl!

@Yua

Yua · Oct 18, 2022

Yua had never understood other people's fascination with combat. Most games tried to make it interesting, yes, but since playing Terrasphere she'd found that there was no thrill in this combat. Even with the embellishments of magic and Masteries, Yua had discovered something about herself when she was holding a weapon and not just a controller, a proxy to control someone or something else. Fighting was just another means to an end. And she would approach it with the cold calculus it required. Anything less and she might die. Or worse yet, K̴͕̱̗͎̥͕͜͠u̵̢̜͐s̷̢͉̦͆̔ȯ̴̙̳̌̊͝.

Though they were just rumors, Yua still worried about what a death in Terrasphere would entail. But the other players in the game, they seemed certain about the three death rule, enough to curb any suicidal tendencies the more eager of the bunch might have.

Well, all except Nymoria, who practically squealed like a giddy schoolgirl, bouncing up and down, ready to leap at the first chance to fight something that she saw. Though Yua was doing her best to be nicer towards the beastfolk, she still couldn't help but cast an annoyed glare at the woman. "Perhaps. But that is why we must be cautious and quiet."

@Nymoria