18+ Private Dunnstads Sunshower

[Lily]

‎

Having all the sounds return the way they did, it almost felt like the girl put her hearing aid on again after a long time. In that sense, she glanced at Vina and contemplated for a bit. She wasn't really sure what kind of message to send, or if she should even send any at all. But, her fingers did ultimately start moving on the virtual keyboard once again.

Lily

@Vina Skysong
Complete silence isn't too bad.

Not that she would ever fish her own condition on others. But, being someone who lived most of her life in the absolution of silence, and a portion of her life in the deafening noises hurled from her hearing aid and the people of this world... she was pretty decently sure that people could eventually get used to just about anything.

Lily

@Vina Skysong
I haven't seen anyone casting 'silence' yet, so it might be a novel idea in this world. You could be a pioneer of the new age of wizard-haters.

@Vina Skysong

 

[Vina Skysong]

Vina blinked as Lily reminded her that, being born deaf, the elf was used to complete silence. It wasn't like the vixen had forgotten about that little fact (it was the reason she'd tried out removing all the sounds in the first place, after all), but it might have made her sound a bit callous.

...Sorry Lily.

Although it wasn't like Lily had looked like she was really accusing the vixen, so the songstress's smile quickly returned as she read Lily's next message.

I don't know if it'd work, but it could be fun to try. Not that I'd call myself a wizard hater: there's lots of fun to be had with magic as well~

She laughed softly, casting a glance towards the trees that surrounded them.

Unlike myself you don't seem to need to vocalise to cast your magic, so it wouldn't be very effective on you, would it? (She gestured towards the water.) I could silence you all I wanted and you could still splash me all day long~

@Lily

 

[Lily]

‎

An apology. Lily didn't really like it when people apologized for things that didn't really warrant it, at least in the girl's opinion. If she was displeased with something, she would have vocalized it as such, but this was different. She didn't grace it with any response, not really wanting to engage with the apology in any way. But Vina did quickly move on, which was for the best.

Lily

@Vina Skysong
Isn't this how it works for most players? Didn't see you chanting anything to start flying over the water, either.

It wasn't like she had to choose a starting class before she was thrown into this world, either. Just the mastery she used to manipulate water, but as far as she could tell, the fox was using something similar, so surely there would not be any significant differencing aside from the elemental affinity, right?

Lily

@Vina Skysong
Well, I don't really understand how magic in this world works yet, but I'll figure it out eventually, probably.

@Vina Skysong

 

[Vina Skysong]

My magic does involve music though~ (She hummed briefly.) It lets me shape and control my magic better, so if somebody else were to silence me it would limit me. When I guide the winds to help me fly I use music to attune myself to the winds first.

The vixen hummed another brief tune to demonstrate, the winds gathering and whistling around them for several seconds before the songstress dismissed them again, the winds spreading out towards the lake surface to form an expanding field of ripples before finally the air quieted down again.

I think there's a lot of different ways to use magic, so it might just be whatever works best for you. I've always been musically inclined, so I didn't even think about using music to help me channel my magic~

Magic in this world did appear to be very dependent on the caster: two Aeromancers could implement their elemental magic completely differently, both in how they cast their magic and the effects. Vina smiled at Lily as she tilted her head, one ear flicking briefly.

Maybe it's like art~! All types of different schools which aren't even bound by the same rules~

She cast her eyes at the heavens above, the blue skies slowly turning darker as the afternoon continued. In the distance she could hear the soft sounds of creatures and critters moving about through the forest, and if she really strained her hearing she thought she might also hear something from the lake... but the wind song didn't reach into the waters, so the sky druid could only guess.

That sounds a lot more fun than if everybody has to follow strict rules, don't you think Lily~

@Lily

 

[Lily]

‎

So maybe things were not as straightforward as they first seemed. But that made sense, in a way. Lily somewhat doubted that this many people would play a game with rigid structure and strict rules, after all. There must have been something drawing all of these people here, and such a freedom of expression when it came to... well, just about anything, given how the two girls even looked like, simply made sense.

Lily

@Vina Skysong
I guess there's no point in trying to worry about it anyway. But good for you that you know exactly what you want to be doing with all of that magic.

Lily herself wasn't exactly sure yet. She figured that she would find out eventually, try things out, and stick with what worked for her. But seeing how she was still new, she wasn't exactly in that position yet. And would probably not be for quite some time yet.

Lily

@Vina Skysong
For now, I'll just stick with... water.

@Vina Skysong

 

[Vina Skysong]

Vina nodded at Lily, her tail cheerfully swishing back and forth behind her as the playful vixen agreed with the aquatic maiden.

It's interesting to think about, but I agree that there's no point in worrying too much about it. So far it seems like everyone's been able to find some way to use magic in a way that fits them well, so whatever the rules are, they let us do as we see fit~

She wouldn't say she was exactly worried, but she could imagine that some people would be driven mad if they tried too hard to figure out the secrets of magic.

Thank you Lily~ I'm just mixing bards and druids with a slice of sky, but it's a lot of fun~ I hope that as you explore the world you'll also learn more about what you want to do and how to do it.

For those who were new to the world of Terrasphere there was still a lot to figure out: it'd take many adventures and journeys to really nail down what somebody wanted to do with the countless possibilities they had.

But water's already a good start, and you've taken to it very well I'd say~ Like a fish to water, almost~ (She chuckled.) And you can do lots of different things with water, right?

@Lily

 

[Lily]

‎

Vina might have been going for some sort of compliment, but the exact reason why Lily had chosen to start with hydromancy was because she figured that water was a rather versatile and malleable element. Where fire just kinda burned things and wind knocked stuff around, water could be shaped, controlled, form a barrier, was usually associated with healing in most video games, and much more. In other words, she had chosen it precisely because it could do a lot of different things and seemed like a safe choice, not because it particularly fit her.

But perhaps she would eventually grow into it. Waving her hand in front of her, the surface of the water rippled similarly to when the fox showcased her wind powers, but that was about it. She'd probably be able to get a bit more creative with things, but she didn't really feel like it unprompted. Unlike Vina, she wasn't super into the idea of just showcasing one's abilities... especially since she didn't have any established yet.

Lily

@Vina Skysong
It could do a thing or two, I guess. Unless spreading out would weaken my abilities, then I'd have to figure out what kind of specialization to go for, I guess.

@Vina Skysong

 

[Vina Skysong]

Vina was curious to see what kind of abilities Lily had to show. Given that the elf was still new to this world the vixen didn't exactly expect anything grand, but if Lily had already figured out how to enhance her underwater movement she was a quick learner.

The actual demonstration ended up being... well, very restrained. Vina tilted her head as the water surface rippled, watching the ripples for several seconds before turning her attention back towards the maiden.

I'd say just go with what comes naturally: worrying too much about if you're getting the most out of your efforts gets in the way of enjoying yourself~ (She folded her hands in her lap.) Like with sports or arts, you'll steadily become better at whatever you practise, so the easiest way to find out what works best is to go on adventures and see for yourself~

It was possible to min-max like in other games, but Vina felt like that was a waste in a world as immersive as Terrasphere.

But if you really want to focus your abilities I'd say the first thing to work on is preventing accidental rain~ Not that anyone minds, but that's a lot of water.

@Lily

 

[Lily]

‎

Lily

@Vina Skysong
I'd add that some people actually derive their enjoyment from the fact that they are extracting the absolutely greatest amount of value based on their effort.

Was Lily one of these people? Who knows! But meta-gaming was always part of any game, regardless of its type. So surely it must have existed here as well. It did make the girl curious as to how such a thing might work, but she doubted she would pursue any such efforts, even if she did discover them.

Lily

@Vina Skysong
And I'll keep that in mind...

Still, Lily did like rain. So the fact that she could apparently summon it was a nice bonus. Even if other people might have not been as appreciative, for various reasons. It was already making her wonder how she could use this fact to her advantage, in any way possible. Although her mind was coming up with blanks for the time being...

@Vina Skysong

 

[Vina Skysong]

That is also true. (She nodded.) If you like to put your all into figuring out the best approach that's also fine, since it's about enjoying yourself~ But I think there's a lot of things to enjoy in this world, with interesting people and beautiful places, so focusing too much on what works best isn't for me~

Given that they'd only met earlier that day Vina wasn't about to assume she already knew everything about Lily, and if the aquatic elf was the kind of person who really enjoyed that kind of challenge there was nothing wrong with that either. The playful vixen looked up at the skies again, then at the lake below, the clear surface cleanly reflecting the blue heavens, only marred by the presence of green trees around the edges.

So! With all that in mind, would you like to go on an adventure sometime Lily~? Maybe we can find inspiration for how you want to develop yourself, or we'll just go sightseeing in places you'd never see on Earth~ What do you think?

Vina would eagerly encourage anybody to explore the world of Terrasphere if possible, because even if there were things in this world which were dangerous and terrifying it was also amazing and beautiful. She smiled encouragingly towards Lily, her tail swishing from side to side behind her as she awaited her new friend's answer.

@Lily

 

[Lily]

‎

Somehow, Lily figured as much just from the brief time she had spent with Vina. The fox didn't exactly look, nor behave, like a meta-gamer. Or, frankly, even like someone who treated this as a game. Which was still one aspect that the girl herself struggled with. The world was awfully realistic, after all- far more so than anything else that was available on the market. So at times, the level of immersion was perhaps a bit dangerous.

Lily

@Vina Skysong
It would probably be pretty boring if all I did in this place was sit around. So I guess adventures are something I will not be able to avoid regardless.

She wrote so with a bit of humor, of course. There was no way she wasn't gonna go on adventures regardless. But the idea of someone coming to a game like this expecting to not be part of any action was somewhat amusing.

Though... some of the proposed ideas by Vina did sound exactly like that. Exploring new places, going somewhere that looked pretty... definitely something that sounded very nice, but Lily figured that combat was the heart of this game and the real reason why most people went on adventures.

@Vina Skysong

 

[Vina Skysong]

Vina's hopes were clearly answered when Lily finally replied, even if her reply at first glance looked rather reluctant. However, the druidess was too happy to receive an affirmative answer to worry about it, so her smile just widened as her tail wagged a bit faster.

Great! I'm looking forward to it~ (She laughed softly.) And don't worry, most adventures end up being a lot of fun, especially the ones I go for~

Granted, she probably couldn't introduce Lily to all the types of fun she encountered, or at least not the first time around. Still, even without the more esoteric types of entertainment there were many adventures the two of them could go on, so the playful vixen wasn't worried about running out of ideas.

Since you're new to this world we could start with something easy: the further you go in any direction the wilder it gets, but there's plenty of fun and interesting places close to home as well~ I could go ask around and see if there's anything going on in the region and then come back to you with it.

While they could just pick a random direction and walk until they found something, Vina found that having a quest or job of sorts did help give direction. Or, barring that, at least the knowledge that they were heading for a place where something of note was happening, like a piece of the Tangleweaves were there was a lot of fey activity for some reason. Although given Lily's aquatic affinity the vixen's first thoughts went to either the ocean or some other place with lots of water...

So far I haven't seen a lot of the ocean yet myself, so maybe we could go there together Lily~

@Lily

 

[Lily]

‎

Lily listened to what Vina had to say, all of it, before she smirked a bit and started typing something out. Shortly after, the message arrived, with its usual tinge of cheekiness.

Lily

@Vina Skysong
Figured you probably weren't the type to go on a Souls-esque adventure, repeatedly facing all but certain death in hopes of finite glory that would be quickly forgotten, bashing your head against the metaphorical wall that is a seemingly unbeatable boss with a bullshit attack pattern.

But the information about distance was certainly interesting and seemingly something to remember and abide by, at least until the girl would be exposed to something that would suggest the contrary.

Lily

@Vina Skysong
You say 'the further away', so does that mean this world has a 'center' from which you'd measure this? And does it have an equivalent of the 'far lands'?

They were all questions spurred on by curiosity, but the girl didn't actually expect the Vixen to have much in the way of answers there. Especially since her questions might have been a bit on the more abstract side of things. Although they were still inside of a game, so surely there were some strict rules the world followed.

Lily

@Vina Skysong
Ocean sounds good. Maybe it'll not be as hot there as it is here, with the oceanic winds and the water. But you don't strike me as someone who might be into deep-sea diving, with all of that fur.

@Vina Skysong

 

[Vina Skysong]

Vina smiled as Lily's next message arrived with clearly some amount of wit attached, as well as a generous amount of commentary towards a certain type of game.

I did enjoy Elden Ring, but you're right that I'm not much of a challenge seeker~ At least, not the kind of challenge which only ever goes deeper and deeper~ (She spread her arms.) A game where you can explore the world and have fun with others is much more my speed, you know?

In a way, Terrasphere was very fitting for Vina... although the whole dying thing still got in the way of it being perfect. She liked many different types of games, but RPGs and MMORPGs were certainly on that list.

But a hack and slash or a dungeon crawl can also scratch an itch~

It looked like some of her words had sparked curiosity in Lily, the elven maiden suddenly asking her more about the world of Terrasphere, or more specifically Arcia, the continent they all resided on. Humming a melodious tune with a rising tone, as if asking a nonverbal question, Vina looked around and then picked up a thin twig that had fallen from one of the trees in the week before. With the two of them seated at the edge of the lake Vina could use the ground itself to start drawing a simplistic map of the explored territory of Arcia, explaining as she drew.

I don't know if this world has a centre, but without modern technology there's a lot we haven't explored yet~ Astorea and Falderen are the centre of the known world, from where expeditions are led~ (She moved her twig further outwards.) There's big sea monsters keeping ships close to the coast, so adventurers usually head inland~ There you could find what you'd call the far lands, like Zalra which has crystals instead of sand~

She wasn't a Whistle so she wasn't as educated on what lay beyond the known world as those brave explorers, but Vina knew enough that she could at least tell Lily a little about the basics.

But since this world is filled with things like monsters and disasters exploration is slow. It's possible that there's even bigger civilizations out there, but for now we don't know.

Lily's next message was assent that the ocean seemed like a good place to explore... or at least the coastline, given the aforementioned sea monsters. Vina had been on boats before, but she was pretty clear on not heading too far away from land. Her comment on Vina's fur earned her a chuckle from the playful vixen, whose tail swished around to stroke the elf's slender arm.

I like swimming though~ But you're right that the fur can be a bit of a hindrance sometimes Lily. (Another stroke.) Luckily I've found a way to deal with that for the most part: if I know that I'm going to be swimming I can treat my hair and fur so I won't look like a wet cat~

@Lily

 

[Lily]

‎

Lily

@Vina Skysong
The game from like a decade and a half ago? Pretty good taste, I suppose.

The answer was rather straightforward. Frankly, Lily didn't imagine that Vina would be a vintage gamer like that. But there was no written rule that a person could not enjoy old games alongside the modern marvels of technology such as... well, the world they were in right now, practically indistinguishable from reality. And that was their focus right now, so Lily watched as the map was drawn.

Lily

@Vina Skysong
So you've suggested going toward the waters first, while already knowing that there were giant monsters that can pull ships down to the ocean's floor, huh...

She didn't mean it seriously. At least not fully, clearly, these things were not close enough to the shore to be pulling people from the beach, or at least that was how it sounded to her. Still, somewhat amusing.

Lily

@Vina Skysong
I can understand hazards and enemies slowing down the exploration, but it is kinda surprising to see that there seem to be... a lot of unexplored area. I mean, hasn't this game been released more than half a decade ago by now? People have managed to explore other treacherous worlds in other video games in mere days or weeks.

@Vina Skysong

 

[Vina Skysong]

Vina laughed softly as Lily pointed out that the druidess's example was old enough to be considered vintage by this point, the playful vixen's tail swishing behind her as she nodded.

Legends never die, do they~? (She winked.) It's been a while since I played it, but I enjoyed it a lot.

Compared to the technological marvels available today Elden Ring was certainly dated, but it still had a lively fanbase so far as Vina knew: the biggest challenge had been keeping the game available on more modern setups, but thankfully there were enough fans who were also tech-savvy enough to answer the challenge.

But the more important question was where they would go for their adventure, with Lily quickly pointing out that the ocean would be a rather dangerous place if it was filled with giant sea monsters. The silver-maned songstress blinked before shaking her head with a smile.

You don't want to see the ocean floor then Lily~? (She stuck out her tongue.) But there's plenty of water between the coast and the forbidden zone, so we should be able to find places to explore. Maybe some unknown islands filled with long-lost lore~ Or maybe there's pirates to rescue sailors from!

In the end, Vina joined this world because she wanted to have fun adventures, and dealing with pirates was one of those things adventurers did. Even if, realistically speaking, she'd much rather everyone just got along... She usually didn't dwell too much on the internal inconsistency.

Lily's next question was valid, the playful vixen nodding in agreement before drawing some lines from Astorea into the areas to the west, carefully moving the tip around the Hylands.

I thought so as well, but this game does make it a lot harder to explore... like the lack of waypoints or teleportation. (She jabbed at a spot far to the west of the explored area) If you're all the way over there the only way to get back is by travelling. And since distances are realistic but the wilds are also filled with all kinds of dangerous things, if you want to go from there to here you'll be walking for a while~

She tapped her chin with the tip of the branch as she thought about that, her vulpine tail idly swaying behind her as she looked at the map she'd drawn, now with several lines connecting it to unknown nothing to the west.

I think everyone is wondering what the developers had in mind~ But what it means is that this game is impossibly big and filled with many places to explore, and we'll probably be discovering new things for many years yet. Which sounds perfect to me~

@Lily

 

[Lily]

‎

Lily was, generally speaking, not adverse to dangers. Quite the opposite, games generally encouraged engaging with the 'enemy'. As the old saying went, if you are unsure of where to go in a game, simply follow the trail of enemies. However, it was easy to notice that Terrasphere was a bit different, in that it offered awfully realistic pain response experience. And since she was not sure she could reliably do a no-hit run of TS, so to speak, she steered on the side of caution for now, and perhaps her first adventure would help her make a different decision.

That said, Vina did try to suggest that plenty of the ocean was safe, unless they went to this 'forbidden zone' as she called it. That probably meant covering a lot of previously-treaded paths. After all, love for exploration in games, or even in real life, was not a trait particularly rare. And the chance of getting eaten by a giant angler fish on a treaded path was surely pretty low-

Lily

@Vina Skysong
People managed to explore vast majority of Earth as well, I'm sure it's just a question of time... Although, given the magical setting and all, it sounds a bit weird that there are no supernatural vehicles. Or at least, like... A coal-powered blimp.

@Vina Skysong

 

[Vina Skysong]

There's the Explorers League: they challenge the frontiers and try to expand the borders of the known world~ My friend Ruby is one of them. (She smiled.) That it's taking so long just shows how big this place is, and how many things there are to discover~

Vina understood Lily's curiosity, but she also thought that the elven maiden would quickly understand why the world wasn't fully explored yet once she saw a little bit more of it.

And it's not like we explored all of Earth in just a few years, is it~?

The other question reminded Vina of the half-buried mechanical monstrosity that had apparently occupied Vintergard for years now, and the many metallic mobs that had spawned from it. The playful vixen hummed briefly, looking up at the skies before turning her azure gaze back to Lily.

Those do exist, but it might be difficult to make them... There are people who do a lot of tinkering, with and without magic~ Did you know that there's robot people as well?

Her gaze went back up towards the sky, imagining giant blimps and more fantastical forms of transportation colouring the heavens. Her tail swished behind her as her ears twitched.

It would be fun to ride an airship though... but the only one I've seen so far crashed, and was filled with baddies anyway. (She looked at Lily.) There's a lot of things going on as well, but I won't bore you with all the details. Let's just say that you never have to get bored in this world~

@Lily

 

[Lily]

‎

A fantastical world having entire organizations of people dedicated to exploring it all was about as surprising as the earth being covered in grass, or the sky still being blue. The whole 'dangers' part was really far more confusing, but at this point, Lily could only assume that there were no insane people, or huge badasses, who would charge into the unknown, disappear, and then return like a year later with half the unknown world charted.

And there were clearly many things she had to still learn as well. For example, the fact that there were robot peop- for a moment, the girl narrowed her eyes as she stared at Vina.

Lily

@Vina Skysong
I thought I saw something like that in the character creation, but... that doesn't sound very fantasy-esque. Robot people, but no airships seems like a bit of a weird choice for this world.

Of course, it could have just been one of those game things, something that did not make sense because the player was never really supposed to pay too much mind to it, think too hard about it... but it was still plenty weird.

@Vina Skysong

 

[Vina Skysong]

Vina tilted her head as Lily stared at her, wondering what the elven maiden was thinking. That question was soon answered as Lily opined that robot people didn't make much sense for a fantasy setting, to which the playful vixen nodded in agreement.

I made my character before they were added, so I was surprised as well when they showed up once the servers were back up again~

Returning to Terrasphere after four years of the game being unavailable had definitely been an experience: some things hadn't changed at all, yet other things were completely alien. The songstress shrugged.

But they run on magic instead of electricity, so maybe they're closer to golems? Either way, I don't mind them~ The more the merrier I say~

The magia did somewhat clash with the fantasy theme Terrasphere was known for, but Vina wasn't one to sweat the small details. Aside from a certain unfortunate incident the magia seemed to be no different than other people, so the druidess would greet them all with a smile.

But even if we can't use that crashed airship I'd bet that some of the tinkers are trying to build their own, so if we're lucky we might be able to ride one very soon~ (She drew a circle on the ground.) There are portals and such, but I don't think anybody knows how to make new ones. A friend of mine found a portal which led to a bunch of islands floating above the ocean~

@Lily