Location: C7 > B7 > B6
Vulnerable (ultra vulnerable if more people joined the explosive tile)
Meriam's heart was bursting from being protected by
@MAI and
@Aloe, who, despite being a lot newer to the game than her were doing everything they could to comfort and protect her. A pang of guilt stabbed Meriam right in the heart. She, who had been always been a crybaby and end up being useless to those around her, was completely overwhelmed by how she felt at that moment.
The Meriam in real life wasn't any different, just taller, and not as cute as the white-haired doll face she wore in-game. She met all the qualifications of a NEET, not in education, employment, or training. They might as well add an extra T in the acronym, because she was never truly "
There" anyways, despite occupying precious space in a house far too small for a family of six. She half-existed with three other siblings and middle-aged parents, who are so busy working to feed the kids that they might have given up on her.
She often wondered if they would kick her out if they hasn't given up, since she was taking up space and resources from the more ambitious siblings. She would prefer that. Despite what others might think about her condition, she got along with her siblings, though, her inability to leave her room except to go to the bathroom severely limited her ability to take care of or interact with them. They know why she locked herself in. They sympathized with her, but can't exactly help. After she had to be the one to take the first step, which she was never able to, despite how much help she had received.
Things changed when her siblings got her a VR Headset and Terrasphere. In that world, she became Meriam, a peppy albeit awkward midget, who was cute enough to be noticed by others. She took the first step at breaking out of her shell, exploring a fantastical world, fighting monsters, finding treasures, making friends, and even falling in love. Finally, she could live in a world where she was unfettered by the world beyond the glass.
Some people had told her that she was living in a fantasy and that it was all a game, but she had seen people who were UI-locked, and had seen confirmation of their deaths on dubious chat sites. However, she never stopped playing and checked off one of the three deaths allotted to her. She continued, knowing the risk. She couldn't stop until she could take that step out of her house, but no matter how much she played the game, true changes were impossible.
After the first death, Meriam was starting to fret at the prospect of dying for real, so much so that even when she had the opportunity to save her teammates amid a dungeon delve gone wrong, she opted to run. Retribution came quickly in the form of her second death when she failed to escape after deserting her allies. Some of those teammates disappeared from her friend list after that, which had stayed with her since. She never did talk to any of those players again. She didn't know whether they removed her or if they became UI-locked.
Since then, she gave up on the dangerous life of adventuring and took up a cozy job as an Astorean comms operator, where she could pass her time quietly in-game as the fetter from the real world began to creep up on her.
Things changed when she got tangled up in the mess at Camp Hope, initiated by Team Time EX, however. What started as a zany adventure turned into a massive plot thread involving corrupted magia, cold-blooded murderers, and her crush being UI-locked. And there it was, that deep and subtle horror of Terrasphere found her once more and presented her with its gambit. Would she be able to change before Meriam, the player is terminated? Whether or not the passionate Time EX members had inspired her, Meriam forced herself to take the wager. She was unable to ignore the fact that many people on the battlefield right then risked losing their real-life potential just to protect digital data. If they were going to do that then she, who had never been able to conquer the real world, would rather use her last life to protect the potential of those who could walk so much further than her.
After the faerin let out a sigh of resolution, Meriam ripped herself away from MAI and dashed toward Aloe, saying,
"N-no, I'll protect you this time."
When she got to Aloe's ballista, Meriam jumped off the wall and let her Mana Mantle, which took the shape of her scarf float her down to the Sky Lance Upgrade Pylon where she raised her staff and shouted into the flaming smokey sky.
"Andorea, Faelord of Divine Embrace, answer my call and heed my summon, for I, your faithful servant dedicate her life to beseech your protection to all those who are within my grasp!"
After which, the sky momentarily turned dark as a massive spectral stag rose from the pylon standing up on its high legs before crashing down onto the pylon, dispersing its form into a spectral coat that covered everyone within range.
Ultra Protect @MAI @Aloe @Kyra Vashtana
Twice Activated
Protect @Chrys
If anyone else entered the explosive tiles, Meriam will opt to go double Ultra Protect and take Ultra Vulnerability.
