18+ Private Western Brisshal Red Riding Wolf

[Ueno Mizuki]

As for as days went this one wasn't particularly amazing, with grey clouds covering the sky and casting large shadows that made noon look like early evening. The ground was covered in snow, a white blanket which had been allowed to build up for several days now thanks to the absence of direct sunlight. The trees were barren, stripped of their leafs, and many animals had holed themselves up to stay hidden until winter had passed and spring arrived, upon which life would return to the world and a constant biting cold wouldn't threaten your life merely by being outside.

On the other hand, it wasn't as cold as one might expect for midwinter, and at least there wasn't a lot of wind. All things considered, Mizuki wouldn't rate this the best day but wouldn't say it was one of the worst either. Up in the Hylands she had experienced blizzards that would make this weather look positively welcoming in comparison.

The reason why Mizuki was here, waiting for Cleo at the edge of the forest, was that she realised that if she and Cleo were to act like a pair from now on, working together and spending a lot of time together, she'd have to make sure Cleo could also get along with Mizuki's pack. It wasn't a big pack, but they were the closest thing Mizuki had to kin in this world, so smooth cooperation between her kin and her partner was vital.

Hopefully Cleo wouldn't be slowed down by the snow too much and would arrive soon. She'd told her packmates to wait deeper inside of the forest, but if she waited too long they'd get hungry and start hunting again.

@Cleo Looker

 

[Cleo Looker]

It wasn't exactly the nicest day in the world, though Cleo could appreciate a snow day or two, though it wasn't heavy and even stopped at times whilst she travelled. Having been separated from Mizuki for a bit in game, it took a while for them to link up again, especially at Mizuki's request, something about meeting some friends or something like that? Cleo wasn't too sure what to expect, but it wasn't exactly surprising that Mizuki's friends would be out in the wilds, considering her girlfriend spent a lot of her own time out there.

At the very least, she thought as she crested a hill and looked in the direction she'd just come from, watching as a winter storm rolled over the land behind her, she was glad that she'd avoided the bad weather. Using Chronomancy to outpace it may have been a tad childish, but she'd had no intentions of being caught in a blizzard. And luckily for her and for Mizuki, the storm was blowing away from the direction of their meeting place.

And then, turning back in the direction of her destination, she saw Mizuki standing there waiting at the edge of a forest. Cleo grinned, quickly sliding her way down the snowy hill and jogging as fast as she could through the powdery snow until she stopped in front of the wolf woman, stepping forward to throw her arms around Mizuki and plant a chaste kiss on her lips.

Hi. I got here as soon as I could. Luckily I beat the storm. I'm not too late, am I?

@Ueno Mizuki

 

[Ueno Mizuki]

As her biology was suited for this kind of weather Mizuki herself had little difficulty enduring it, her thick fur keeping out the cold as her mismatched eyes gazed out over the landscape. Behind her the trees were sparse, only getting denser as one went deeper inside of the forest, but here at the edge there was now a vast expanse of white with only the still-running river and the occasional tracks interrupting the pale sea. However, that was soon to change as her ears twitched and she caught the sound of something making its way through the snow. Swivelling her ears forward the luna wolf focused, recognising the sounds quickly. A human female, which meant that it was most likely Cleo.

Her expectations were met when her girlfriend's red mane popped up above one of the few small hills that adorned this region. In the far distance there was the sound of rushing wind, but since it didn't get any closer Mizuki ignored it and instead focused on the lancer who was now quickly descending from the hill, kicking up snow with every step in a manner that might have irked the huntress if they'd been on the prowl.

Instead she smiled as her girlfriend got within reach, embracing the red-haired beauty and returning the kiss as her tail wagged behind her.

Good afternoon love. You're... on time, I should say, although it also depends on whether they could wait this long. (She looked back into the forest, furrowing her brow.) We might have to track them down. That's on them though, so don't worry about it.

Once the hug was complete she stepped backwards, looking Cleo over and noting how snow was sticking to her figure in some places, specifically from when she slid down the hill. It wasn't anything out of the ordinary, but it reminded Mizuki of how convenient her own fur was.

How are you doing Cleo?

@Cleo Looker

 

[Cleo Looker]

It was with no small amount of amusement that Cleo glanced at Mizuki's wagging tail, smirking at it. Mizuki would probably never be able to hide that from her, no matter how hard she tried. It was a nice level of honesty, the way Mizuki's more animalistic traits could betray her true feelings like that. It made things a lot easier to the detective, who was used to searching for the smaller clues to piece together how somebody was feeling or what they were thinking.

Right, well, either way, sorry I couldn't be here a bit earlier. Though, I'm excited to meet these friends of yours.

She still had no clue that Mizuki was introducing her to wolves, rather than just other people like Mizuki herself that preferred the wilds, though if Mizuki was excited about it, then she was excited about it. Watching Mizuki step back, Cleo grinned, wondering exactly what thoughts were going through her girlfriend's mind, as the wolf woman looked her up and down.

I'm doing good. You look like you're doing good yourself. What's that look up and down for? You didn't invite me out into the woods just for a quickie, did you?~

She smirked, stepping up next to Mizuki and wrapping an arm around the woman's waist, chuckling slightly at her own teasing joke as she turned to face the forest.

So, are these friends of yours going to be hard to track?

@Ueno Mizuki

 

[Ueno Mizuki]

While it had taken some effort to get her caenis body under control Mizuki was fairly proud that these days it was as natural as controlling her own body. Of course, that didn't change the fact that preventing her tail from wagging was like trying to not laugh when something really funny happened: it was possible, but it often took more effort than it was worth.

I'm sure they'll be happy to meet you as well. They're friendlier than they look, but that might also be because of me.

Caenis had a natural advantage when it came to interacting with wolves, but that didn't mean that every caenis could be friendly with every wolf. Mizuki's pack was also not the norm, where a caenis was the leader of a pack of quadruped wolves. That these two had a caenis as their alpha most likely had made them more relaxed towards bipeds in general.

As Cleo remarked upon her look Mizuki blinked, her cheeks reddening slightly before she shook her head.

If that was on my mind I'd do it somewhere that you'd be warm. As it is you'll just have to stick close to me to help ward off the chill.

Huffing under her breath Mizuki turned to face the forest as well, shaking her head to answer Cleo's question.

They might still be where I left them, but if they're not finding them shouldn't be too hard either. We'll just have to follow the smell of blood.

@Cleo Looker

 

[Cleo Looker]

Friendlier than they look? Because of Mizuki. Either Mizuki had made some particularly violent people, or these friends weren't actually people at all. Cleo was starting to suspect it was the latter, for a myriad of reasons. Not that such a thing was bad, of course, but she could never see herself really forming a bond with anything that was inherent to Terrasphere. Sometimes the thought of forming some kind of relationship with what were just computer programs seemed fairly laughable.

It was, however, a pretty unpopular opinion, so she kept it to herself pretty much all the time. And besides, if these friends were AI animals, then that was fine. She could treat them like regular animals.

And, well, it was nice to make Mizuki blush so easily and quickly. Cleo grinned, taking a step closer to Mizuki as the wolf woman remarked that she'd have to stick close. Though when Mizuki mentioned that they'd need to follow the smell of blood, she turned and gave Mizuki a deadpan look, chuckling.

Well uh, I'll leave the whole 'follow the smell of blood' thing to you, considering my nose isn't nearly sharp enough to detect the scent of blood.

She could maybe look for tracks, she was extremely observant after all, but there was no doubt in her mind that Mizuki tracking by scent would be WAY faster.

Lead the way, then. I'll be right behind you.

@Ueno Mizuki

 

[Ueno Mizuki]

Mizuki raised an eyebrow. Even if Cleo was cursed with the limitations of human senses, the stench of blood should still be something her nose should be sensitive to. After all, it was one of the easiest ways for prey and predator alike to know that danger was nearby.

I'll lead the way, yes. They shouldn't be too far.

With those words she dropped on all fours, her tail swishing behind her before she began to move. While she refrained from running wild she still set a decent pace, expecting the nimble chronomancer behind her to have no difficulty following her. She'd occasionally stop to smell the air, either continuing their course or changing direction depending on what information she obtained through her nose.

So, how've you been love? I'd ask if you're busy with work, but... (She glanced around.) I don't think that would keep you from showing up in this world.

To the ignorant having a game as your job might sound like paradise, but Mizuki knew better. Cleo's job wouldn't be quite as bad as those unfortunate souls who were stuck doing quality assurance, but even then the lancer couldn't take her time doing whatever she felt like.

@Cleo Looker

 

[Cleo Looker]

She was pretty sure that basically no human could smell blood unless they were basically like, right on top of it. Though it was possible that she'd gone nose blind to the scent, given the kinds of scenes that she'd stumbled upon during her days as a crime scene detective. There were more than enough shootings in America to make sure she'd been intimately familiar with how crime scenes looked, sounded and smelled once the dust had settled.

Still, she followed behind Mizuki as the woman dropped to all fours and began to move, nimbly hopping through the snow to keep pace with Mizuki, smirking as she watched her girlfriend sniff and track using her nose.

Work barely keeps me busy anymore, so I keep finding a lot of free time to hop on in here. I pretty much only need to actually go into the office once a week, if that.

Granted, that was always for a psyche evaluation and meeting, which was never fun. She'd taken to hiding the fact that she'd met her girlfriend in Terrasphere, just to make sure the VRSA didn't suspect that she was growing soft on the game. Going native, they called it. It felt like such an archaic term.

@Ueno Mizuki

 

[Ueno Mizuki]

One of the things that Mizuki liked about Cleo was that she didn't make too much of a fuss about the caenis's insistence on embracing her wolflike nature. Of course, when they met for the first time the human lancer had been very adamant that one shouldn't let Terrasphere influence them, but as they'd gotten to know one another better it seemed like she'd grown fond of Mizuki's oddities, enough so that at least the huntress didn't have to worry about snide remarks.

I see. I guess they want you to write reports about what you've been up to in the game and any news you've discovered? (She turned her head to look over her shoulder at Cleo.) Any idea what they're thinking of your discoveries so far?

As they went deeper into the forest the trees became more numerous, but as none of them had any leafs to help keep out the light they weren't cast in utter shadow like what would happen at other times of the year. Instead the branches formed a network of stark shadows on the snow, sunlight reflected from the white floor to create a stark scenery. Still, the density of the forest meant that it'd be difficult to see more than hundred meters ahead.

@Cleo Looker

 

[Cleo Looker]

Hoo boy, she did NOT want to talk about the reports she had to write up, especially considering the language and terms she had to use. The VRSA liked it when she used negative terms to describe everything in game and it kept them from discovering that clawing desire to figure out what the hell was actually going on with Terrasphere, so she often filled her reports with more distaste for the game than she actually felt. And she DID feel distaste for the game.

But it was more the distaste that somebody felt when they watched another person squander all of their potential. Terrasphere had the potential to be the greatest game that had ever existed, but instead it had essentially driven the final nail into the coffin of VRMMO games, before they even had a proper chance to live.

She just felt bad for other developers out there, now slapped with so many restrictions that they could never achieve their creative vision.

I'm not sure any of the discoveries I've made so far have been super impressive. The Red Fever incident definitely had them concerned, though. The game being able to affect emotional states like that was considered to be cause for concern.

And since playing the game was outlawed, nobody could legally go and see a therapist or psychiatrist about it without courting the law. It was a shitshow...

@Ueno Mizuki

 

[Ueno Mizuki]

With everything that had been going on recently Mizuki had completely forgotten about the Red Fever event. To be fair, her own emotions had mostly swayed into the direction of rage and enthusiasm, both of which she could experience without any external assistance, so all things considered the expedition hadn't affected her as much as it had other people. From what she'd heard more than one Traveler had taken a break after that.

Oh, right, I imagine they wouldn't like that. (She nodded.) I can't really blame them for finding it concerning. I find it concerning as well.

Mizuki could hardly deny that she was addicted to Terrasphere. For her it was an opportunity to be free in a way that she couldn't be on Earth, where civilization had boxed everyone in. She agreed with Cleo that it would be much better if people didn't have to fear death in this world, but she considered it an acceptable tradeoff for what it allowed her to be.

Right now it allowed her to be on all fours in the middle of the snow-clad forest, her hands and feet covered in fur to help ward off the cold as she confirmed that her packmates had indeed moved. The scent of blood was also in the air, which made it much easier for her to track them down.

They're this way. (Leading the way forward she spoke again after several seconds.) You haven't told them about the magia yet?

@Cleo Looker

 

[Cleo Looker]

Cleo couldn't actually remember what effect, if any, Red Fever had had on her, though she knew for a fact she'd been quite lucky with it, as opposed to the people that had been captured by insects and been put through god only knows what. Some had bounced back faster than others, though she also hadn't actually looked into whether or not anybody was suffering from any lingering effects that were related to the whole Red Fever thing.

Yeah, they're pretty concerned about it, especially about the fact that the technology has apparently reached a point where it's capable of doing that. The problem is, they can't really see if the effects have lingered into reality, since if anybody came forwards for it, they'd have to be arrested by law.

And that was why, even if she'd supported shutting down the servers, she hadn't supported making the playing of Terrasphere a criminal offense. Granted, she'd not heard many cases of somebody being prosecuted for it, but she hadn't kept her ear to the ground in that way.

Huh? The Magia? Why are you bringing them up?

Cleo really had no idea what Mizuki was talking about.

You mean the fact that they harvest NPCs to make more Magia? They don't really have an interest in what happens to NPCs.

@Ueno Mizuki

 

[Ueno Mizuki]

A BCI having reached the point that it can directly influence your emotions is a terrifying thought. (Once again she agreed with the VRSA.) Mind you, I think it could be useful for therapeutic purposes, but I'd rather not that someone with the know-how had that much control over other people.

So far as she knew there had yet to be a hacker who managed to mess with Terrasphere's code, but the possibility still existed. And she knew that Cleo would argue that what Terrasphere itself had done was bad enough already.

A frown adorned her face as Cleo called the Landers NPCs, but what caught her attention was that her girlfriend apparently thought the issue only applied to NPCs. The luna wolf halted for a moment to look at the human lancer again, a quizzical look on her face.

I was more thinking about how the same can happen to Travelers. Didn't you hear about that?

They weren't here to talk about the VRSA's opinion in depth, but Mizuki did think it was important for Cleo to at least know about the Traveler who had already been turned into a magia. She hadn't heard of that strange girl in a while, but the memory was still vivid in her mind.

@Cleo Looker

 

[Cleo Looker]

I think the issue is that it isn't being used for therapeutic purposes and that it's very hard to actually police the ability to influence the thoughts and feelings of another person, based off of how impossible to prove those kinds of things really are.

Still, it did mean that Terrasphere had to be the work of some incredibly influential and well educated people, if they were doing things that even most experts in their field weren't quite prepared to say was possible. It was a bit bone chilling to know that it was possible to actually influence somebody like that.

Thank god there had been no confirmed case of somebody actually managing to hack the game. If that was ever confirmed, she was pretty sure that shit would hit the fan.

Though, even more bone chilling was what Mizuki said next. Though it was still annoying to remember that the colloquial term for a Player was a Traveler, it was worrying to hear that somebody had been turned into a Magia.

You mean an actual person got converted? Do we know what happened or how it affected them? Are they in control of themselves now?

Dear god, what could the ramifications of this be? Cleo frowned.

Well, I'll definitely bring THAT up in my next meeting.

@Ueno Mizuki

 

[Ueno Mizuki]

The more the two of them talked about Terrasphere the clearer it became that the main difference between them was that Cleo found the downsides and the risks unacceptable, whereas Mizuki acknowledged them but wasn't willing to work against the existence of Terrasphere because of them. They both knew what the problems were, they both saw them as problems (for the most part)... they just had different priorities.

With how humans are it might be impossible to set up a system to allow it to be used for therapy without running the risk of great harm being done.

How could you possibly vet therapists so thoroughly that you could confidently say that they never would use such technology to brainwash others? It had to be possible, if they could mess with emotions like that.

I thought you knew. (She paused before answering the other questions.) Yes, someone got converted... it happened just before Camp Hope got attacked. I don't know the details, but from what I've heard they're still themselves, it's just that they're magia instead of human now.

A part of her was unhappy that Cleo would be telling the VRSA about this, but as much as she loathed to admit it they couldn't afford to just ignore the developments in Terrasphere. Instead, she just nodded and quickly changed the subject back to something more pleasant.

My packmates are close now. They're currently eating, so when we approach make sure not to appear threatening: even if I'm with you they might think you're after their meal, and I'd rather have your first meeting be peaceful.

@Cleo Looker

 

[Cleo Looker]

It made sense that they had different priorities. Cleo had always been focused on keeping people safe, whilst Mizuki was very clearly more focused on her own happiness and the happiness that others felt when they played. Cleo could almost understand, even though she hadn't quite experienced happiness when she was playing Terrasphere. It had brought her amazing things, like Mizuki herself.

It was closer to say that Cleo found Terrasphere incredibly interesting, as a mystery. Despite all the thought she'd put into it, she could never figure out exacty what was going through the minds of the developers. Why throw everything away to make a game that killed people?

This is the first time I'm hearing about such a thing. Still, if they're still themselves, then I wonder what the VRSA would even think about it. It's possible they'd just brush that off as a quirk of the game. Like how you became Caenis after, well, y'know.

She didn't exactly like to think about the fact that Mizuki had eaten somebody's heart, even if it had just been an NPC. It was easier to just move on.

Right. Like I said, I'll follow your lead in this, love. No sudden moves.

@Ueno Mizuki

 

[Ueno Mizuki]

Cleo brought up a good point, that if the transformed Travelers were still themselves after the metamorphosis the VRSA may not consider it anything noteworthy. Mizuki would have thought that enforced transformations would also be considered concerning, but maybe she was overthinking things.

Now that you say it like that I guess that's a possibility.

Her own feelings regarding her transformation into a caenis were mixed. She definitely didn't dislike being a caenis, and the exact itself didn't exactly bother her, but... she didn't think she'd be able to explain if somebody asked. Thankfully, most people left it alone.

With Cleo's agreement that she'd not do anything that might set off Mizuki's packmates the luna wolf led the way to where a somewhat gruesome spectacle could be found.

A goar looked a lot like a boar, but one and a half times the size of its more commonly known kin. Its tusks were noticeably larger, clearly meant for brutal combat, and they had an additional pair for double the agony for anything it charged. Osseus protrusions formed a pattern across its torso like some kind of studded armour, making it a devil to take down as most weapons would have difficulty finding purchase between the bone plates. It was clear that these creatures had been made for a territory where they'd have to fight for their survival.

A goar specimen was splayed out across the ground, its eyes lifeless. The surroundings looked like they'd been trashed, with trees missing bark and the otherwise smooth layer of snow an absolute mess. Huge clots of dirt had been thrown up, dark sprays contrasting with the stark white.

Two wolves were busy feasting on the carcass, one ripping a morsel of flesh from the goar's belly with its fangs, where fur and skin had been torn apart to reveal muscle and ribs. Blood had already flown from the wound, but as the beast had died its sanguine essence was quickly coagulating, fresh vigour turning to dark crimson.

When Mizuki and Cleo showed themselves the wolves didn't immediately react, already having sensed their approach before they came into view. However, the one which had just acquired a new bite to swallow looked at Mizuki, then at Cleo, uncertainty clouding his mind before he walked over to Mizuki, his tail wagging as he let out a happy whine. The other wolf remained focused on the meal, although he did move so he was between the carcass and the unknown human.

Cleo, meet my packmates.

@Cleo Looker

 

[Cleo Looker]

Mizuki had been through that kind of racial transition, so she probably had an idea of what it might be like, though it was clear from the jump that there were a few contextual differences that were definitely important to consider. Still, with the knowledge that this kind of thing wasn't totally unprecedented, it was hard to say for sure whether or not the VRSA would treat it as anything more than just a game mechanic. She really would need to wait and see if there were any other side effects before she could just report it.

That was when the two of them had emerged into quite a gruesome scene, reminding Cleo of more than a couple of the crime scenes that she'd seen over her years. Some kind of large boar had been hunted and killed, splayed across the ground, where red spilled out into the snow, with two wolves ripping the flesh to shreds in their efforts to consume it.

It was like something out of a nature documentary and Cleo couldn't help but watch in morbid fascination for a moment or two, until the wolves seemingly notived the two of them, one breaking off from the kill to greet Mizuki.

Ah, uh, right. It's nice to meet them?

Now felt like quite the bad time. Wolves didn't like being bothered when they were eating, she was pretty sure. Cleo made sure to barely move, aside from twisting her neck to look at Mizuki.

Do they have names?

@Ueno Mizuki

 

[Ueno Mizuki]

Mizuki watched Cleo carefully once they came upon the two feasting wolves, ready to catch the human lancer if she looked like she was feeling faint. She didn't think that was likely to happen: Cleo was a detective, after all, so she would've seen bodies before, even bodies in particularly bad shape. Still, it was a possibility that coming upon the two wolves like this would catch her unawares.

Thankfully, Cleo looked like she was all right, if somewhat fixated upon the sight. Mizuki let out a small sigh of relief as she answered her packmates greeting with one of her own, wagging her tail in return while licking the wolf's muzzle. Taking advantage of the fact she had hands she also scratched the wolf behind his ears, which made him close his eyes as he enjoyed the touch, for the moment more focused on his alpha than the human companion.

I realise this isn't what you expected, so you don't have to fake it. (Finishing her greeting Mizuki looked up at Cleo.) Just let them inspect you at their own pace and they'll get used to you.

It went without saying that Mizuki's presence smoothened things a lot, the two wolves smart enough to know what their alpha wanted. The one who'd greeted Mizuki first now turned to Cleo, his ears moving backwards slightly as his tail went up. After several seconds of uncertainty he stepped towards her, lowering his head to sniff at her hands before lifting it to sniff at her neck, then her face. Like the goar he and his brother had taken down he was bigger than you'd expect a wolf to be.

The other wolf now also slowly stood up, taking his time ripping more flesh from the carcass before walking over to Mizuki, wagging his tail as well as it was his turn to greet and be greeted by his alpha.

Names... in a manner of speaking. Nothing that translates to human language, but we can identify each other.

@Cleo Looker

 

[Cleo Looker]

I mean, it's totally fine, it's not like I'm disappointed or anything. These wolves clearly mean a lot to you. I'm just...trying not to be too excited unless I set off some kind of nervous energy or something. I've heard how defensive wolves can get around a kill.

And, well, if they did attack her, she hoped that Mizuki didn't expect her to just sit there and take it. If she was attacked, she'd be forced to defend herself and she didn't want that. The last thing she wanted was to be put in a position where she'd have to hurt something that Mizuki cared about and loved.

Still, there wasn't much she could do but stand still and hold her hand down with her palm flat, giving the wolf something to sniff and get to know her with, which it did after a few moments, approaching her. She swallowed, allowing the larger than average wolf to familiarize himself with her, wishing for the first time that she'd taken Beast Arts to smooth this out a bit.

Well uh, do you mind if we name them so that my human self can identify which is which, somehow? I'm not quite as plugged in to nature as you are, my love.

@Ueno Mizuki