Complete Eastern Brisshal Tasting a New World

[Lucy]

The room, empty and almost appearing the be a stormy and creamy off-shade of white. It felt warm and welcoming almost, yet cold and soft? Lucy couldn't tell how she felt about the room, however the point of her interest was that there was a copy of herself... In her underwear. Lucy shook off the uncanny feeling, and quickly made work of creating what she wished she could look like. Her long and curly locks being the most tedious thing that she had to create. Once she was satisfied, she pressed on 'name' and was loaded into the game. Lucy had no idea where she was, all she knew was her breath was sucked out her body. Without so much as a moment of hesitation, Lucy began to reach out towards anything and everything she saw. The way the grass felt in her fingers, it was all so surreal to her. A wide grin plastered on her pale freckled face as she experienced everything for the first time. Up till this moment she had only experienced her bedroom and a few streets in the city. Everything felt different here, she finally felt.. free. Realizing she had been holding in her breath she quickly let it out, before taking a deep breath in. The fresh scent in the air infiltrating her lungs. The small and quaint village she had spawned into was like that out of a fantasy novel, or rather a history book.

Everything felt new, fresh, and Lucy had her spirit filled with wonder. The trees that surrounded the small settlement that might have daunted other players enticed Lucy. She wanted to explore absolutely everything and shape the way that her path and future would take. Standing back up from touching grass, Lucy straightened the light dress-like tunic that adorned her body. She began to meander around in the form of a lighthearted walk. Each shade of vibrant color flooding her vision and filling her with more awe. Never in her life did Lucy expect to feel such things in a game. If she were to be honest with herself, she wasn't expecting much to come of this game that Shane had sent her. However to her delight, it was the exact opposite. Lucy knew without a doubt that she would be spending a vast majority of her time in the online game that she currently found herself in.

After exploring almost nearly everything that the dainty village had to offer (which wasn't much), Lucy found herself face to face with one of the many entrances to the forest. Many of the NPCs that she spoke to had advised her to be cautious and not go too far into the forest as it could potentially land her in a life or death situation. However Lucy wanted to witness and see things that she hadn't witnessed or experienced in her real life. She took one step after another, taking a brave stance as she entered the seemingly endless woodland. The trees branches creaking and the leaves twinkling in the slight breeze, the only other sound being from the village close behind her and the sound of birds chirping among the branches.

Lucy bent down once again and clasped her hands together in delight before she reached forward to pluck a flower. Not knowing much on the laws of the world, she said a quick blessing towards nature as she did not want to be cursed, if that was even a thing. Then she proceeded to pluck the flower gently, holding it in her hand. A massive grin once again lacing her lips as she stood back up. Now her attention being drawn towards what appeared to be a squirrel like animal nibbling on a nearby berry that had fallen off of a bush. Silently, she approached it closer until she had gone as close as she dared to not scare it off.

@Haru

 

[Haru]

It was a cute little creature. The little thing had an appearance that could more accurately be described as 'a sphere of undeveloped fluff with some legs'. As Lucy approached the darling thing, it took sharp notice of her, staring out at the new girl before beginning to waddle away into the foliage. A strong compulsion to follow the creature ensued. Who wouldn't, after all, want to see where the nut-shaped squirrel went off to?

To a grove, apparently. The open field served as a break to the tangled forest-side, one large enough that one would be excused for a moment to think that they had walked right back out of the forest entirely. The heads of trees just barely on the horizon seemed to disagree with such a notion, however. The only spot of note in such a grove was the large rock in the center, aptly dubbed by the HUD to be 'The Big Brisshal Grove Rock', which the squirrel was waddling towards.

It waddled into the waiting hands of someone who was already there. As it rest in his palm, Lucy noticed the faintest trace of a string between the squirrel and his wrist. Had the man just appeared at the base of the rock, relaxing in the sun, or had Lucy's attention span just been stuck on the walking sphere rodent? The strange man, nigh-ethereal in the peaceful grove as any other ray of the sun there, was an oddity among the pattern she'd seen of the game so far. He didn't have a name that showed up on her HUD, neither to show her he was an NPC or that he was a Player. Maybe it was a bug?

"There you are. Hello, miss. I'd been waiting for you for a little while now. A little friend under a tree told me that you would be coming here, you see. Ha, ha, ha..." No matter how off-putting his words could have been interpreted as, the relaxed tenor of his voice smoothed out the worry that could come with such a statement. He just sounded so... non-threatening. Tired, like a sloth.

"I believe you were looking for this critter here?" He asks, allowing the rodent to once again walk into the grass. It then sat there in the warm sun. The squirell looked very relaxed for something surrounded by two giants. Perhaps it would let her pet it? The stranger asks, "Might I have just a moment of your time? I'd like to relax while I'm still here, and have a little chat with you while I'm at it. There's quite a lot to talk about, and so little time to do it."

The offer seemed open-ended. The grove did not close off, and no cage appeared to trap Lucy inside. The most threatening thing that the lithe man seemed to have was a long, gnarled staff of wood. What was the worst that could happen, and how could it possibly compare with the opportunity of petting a squirrel?

 

[Lucy]

Holding in her breath, hoping that the fat squirrel would not notice her was to no avail. Lucy had been discovered... unfortunately. However rather than the normal behavior that a squirrel would have, prancing away at the first sign of danger, this weird squirrel waddled slowly in the most adorable way. Lucy instinctively had no choice but to slowly follow the darling thing as it took her through the trees. They continued to travel until the trees began to grow more subtle, thinning out slowly yet surely. It wasn't until Lucy followed the almost squirrel past the last thin line of flora that she realized the being had been heading towards a beautiful grove.

Her eyes watched the graceful squirrel-like fluffball as it continued to waddle into the hands of a person? Lucy wasn't sure as there was no information to indicate anything about him. The singular word she would use to describe the grove would have been breathtaking. Leaving no time for her to stare in awe at the surroundings, the man began to speak to her. His voice was calming and inviting yet sleepy like this man had been through so much, yet he still held kindness in his heart. Lucy pondered over each word that the man spoke, her attention drifting between him and the squirrel. The amount of fluff would probably tempt even the most evil of creatures, at least that's what Lucy thought. She delicately walked step after step closer to the squirrel, and step by step closer to the man that hovered near the base of 'The Big Brisshal Grove Rock'.

As soon as Lucy was close enough to the squirrel her attention instantly focused solely on the woodland critter. Her fingers slowly moving towards the squirrel and once she felt the soft fur a beaming smile returned to her face. Her eyes closing momentarily in bliss, and when she reopened them her brain was "I'm in no rush, in this world I feel I have the time of the world! I'm Lucy by the way, what's your name?" Lucy couldn't understand what the man meant by "so little time" so Lucy shrugged it off. Instead focusing on more important matters, Lucy observed a little more "Is this little guy your friend?" Lucy gestured towards the squirrel, whom was still currently being pet by her.

Judging by the wooden staff that the man was holding, Lucy imagined him to be some kind of wizard... Like a mix between Gandalf and Professor Dumbledore. "Are you a wizard?" She couldn't help but ask the question that as burning in her head, "Do you know any magic tricks?" Her eyes twinkled, what better way to experience this world than to see magic within the first twenty minutes of logging in?

 

[Haru]

"Ha, ha, ha... You could say that I know a few little tricks. I could even teach you one or two. Though, I must admit, what I do is hardly a sight to see. Without the right eye for what I can do, I'm naught but a fraud to the common man." The way he described himself in such a way, he sounded as if the notion were something amusing rather than an insult towards himself.

His wrist would flick, and fingers a-snap. The little light of flame above his fingertips was anything but impressive, yet the thought that he could do so without a lighter could be seen as impressive nonetheless. It waved in the calm breeze as any dying flame would, and Haru did put the small thing out of its' misery before nature took its' course. His palm closed around the flame, and naught but ash remained.

He let the ash settle into the grass. It settled peacefully in the earth.

"Could it be that you're interested in things that are beautiful? The way you look upon me, it seems as if you wish for a firework show. Ha, ha, ha... I am sorry, but such beautiful things are not to be found in a world such as this. You should be careful, girl, of what you're looking for. Everything in this world, even you, is fragile. Consider, for instance, why the little squirrel here has been walking so..." His words paused before the next word came from his lips. His gaze was sorrowful. The squirrel beneath her palm did not move. In fact, it felt ever-so-slightly stiff to the touch.

What had happened to it? The little frame did not rise nor fall. It did not move. It was almost as if...

"...Slowly. If you are not careful with what you look for, Lucy... You might find yourself at crossroads with a terrible end." ...As if it were dead in the grass. Had it been walking so slowly because it had been experiencing a heart attack?

What if she could die like that, too? That was the question that hung in the air, even if the quiet sage said nothing explicit of the sort. It's as if he found a way to take the words and hang them on a line in the air to display in full. He was warning her--this place was dangerous.

"You should consider carefully what you do here. This world is dangerous to Travelers such as yourself."

 

[Lucy]

Lucy's entire body appeared to light up, "I'll learn anything you can teach me to be honest, I have practically no knowledge of this world..." Lucy then witnessed something she thought she never could. She had imagined there would be magic in a world like this, but the fact that Haru appeared to use magic to light a fire made Lucy's imagination run wild. Lucy's attention was then guided towards the fluffball. It was lifeless below her fingers, not taking a single breath. "Oh... I must have been too rough. I'm sorry Mr. Fluffy...." Lucy's facial expression twisted, blaming herself entirely for, what had appeared to be a lifeless critter's untimely death. Haru's next set of words seemed to fall on dead ears, though Lucy only needed to take a moment to process what was said. Lucy gently scooped up the body of the lifeless Mr. Fluffy into her hands. She stood to her feet, turning towards Haru. His words had finally processed into her mind.

"Dangerous or not, I don't want to live a life that's hardly worth living due to being too cautious, where's the fun in that! Call me naïve, but life is a beautiful thing even if its filled with difficulty or even if there's death. I want to make as many friends as I can and help them all feel the happiness and positivity that I feel." Lucy's entire demeanor had changed, the sorrow she had felt for the small beast a thing of the past. Instead she was carefree and just overall optimistic, "Help me, we ought to give this little guy a proper burial so he can move onto his next life peacefully."

Lucy moved closer to Haru, towards the boulder. "I don't know where your home is, but somewhere as beautiful as here is a nice spot to get some rest." She was speaking towards Mr. Fluffy as she set him gently on the warm sunlit stone and crouched down. Her fingers began to dig away at the soil until a hole deep enough to be unbothered by predators searching for their next meal. Lucy then took the same flower she had picked earlier in her walk, before she had spotted the "squirrel" and placed it gently atop Mr. Fluffy. She then covered him up with the same soil she had dug out and stood back up. "Shall we say some kind words to help him move on?" Lucy looked at Haru expectantly, unaware to how dirty her hands had become from digging through the dirt.

"Mr. Fluffy, I didn't know you for very long, but you filled these past few minutes with happiness and I hope you have an amazing next life and eat all the berries you could ever eat!" Lucy would then wait for Haru, whether he chose to speak something or not was entirely up to him.

After the little scene ended, Lucy would then turn towards Haru. "So how do I use magic like you do?"

 

[Haru]

The quiet Sage watched on as she took the minutes needed to bury up the little rodent. He felt surprise that she would go so far for an animal. He'd forgotten the notion that someone could come from the character creation comet with a heart as large as her own. It was a reminder to the man that all sorts of people were given the link to this game, not just folks inclined to play a game.

As if to bring validation to her efforts, the man with robes of a freshly set evening sky would rise his hand. It was the hand that had yet to leave the staff which now stood perfectly upright in the grass, even despite the warped and bent nature of the wood. His fingers snapped with a sharp sound. Lucy could faintly see sparks on his fingertips, each far different from the spark that had alighted the flame.

What had happened? The man hadn't changed, but the smile on his face was one of a mind at peace. Lucy's gaze traveled back to the Brisshal Grove Rock, only to see that it had been adorned. A vibrant ring of flowers had grown around the stone in such short time, each bearing the striking color of the flower that Lucy had buried.

As if to finally bring her attention back to her question, the man simply replied, "You don't." The words were that of rejection, yet he turned and gestured with his hand for Lucy to follow in his footsteps anyway. And the two began to take a walk, one than ran deeper into the forest.

"Instead, I would take you to a magic that is far kinder that that of my own. I will take you to a teacher that would suit you... You, and that kind heart of yours. You could make new flowers bloom, just like that, all the same as I. How would that sound, Lucy?"

 

[Lucy]

Flowers magically appeared around the boulder, and that was when Lucy knew that if she could learn magic she could do some pretty amazing things. It was now truly the perfect resting place for Mr. Fluffy. The sour rejection that followed made Lucy a little sad. Though it didn't last for long as she knew that even if she couldn't do what Haru could do, she would still find something that would fill her life and purpose. "If you take me to this other teacher, would you and I still be friends and be able to hang out?" Lucy's shoe-less feet crossed over the floor of the grove as she followed Haru.

"You have yet to introduce yourself, by the way. Is there something I can call you other than Mystery Man?" The path that the two were taking changed from the soft ground of the grove to a more uneven ground. The twigs, pebbles and leaves crunching gently beneath Lucy's feet. The feeling of change didn't bother Lucy much as she was more of a carefree spirit.

If Lucy had taken a moment to think, she would have realized that Haru had avoided a number of the questions she had been asking from the first moment they spoke till now. "If I had any power in the world, I would want to be able to make people smile. If this magic you speak of has the ability to help me do just that, then i'll learn it no matter the cost."

The journey through the forest was simple as Lucy was quite literally just following Haru like a lost puppy, "Did you learn from someone else? Or did you teach yourself." Lucy's short legs had to move twice as much as Haru's as she was over a foot shorter than him. Yet that didn't stop her from wanting to follow him in the effort to really be his friend. Everything around her was beautiful, and it was changing as they headed even deeper into the forest. The trees grew denser, and it was starting to get near impossible to walk without brushing against various plant-life. They were drawing near to the heart of the forest, only what could be at the heart? One thing was audibly noticeable, the fact that the forest was eerily quiet, as if holding it's breath as the two of them trekked onwards.

 

[Haru]

Her constant stream of questions actually seemed to get her somewhere at this point. According to the man's account, his name was Haru, a 'former Traveler', whatever that meant. The term was especially strange when he also added, "Of course I still travel. Ha, ha, ha... It's my favorite past time, in fact."

The only other mention of the word 'Traveler' was in the tutorial of the game... It was a term that was used to describe Lucy herself. This was only reinforced in Honeyhome, where the residents called her such a word with awe-and a little bit of fear.

What did it mean? All players were surely Travelers, but what did that make this man, who clearly wasn't a player?

The thoughts were interrupted by a sight to see. Indeed as Haru had described on the way here, there was a great stone entwined with runic signature at the very heart of the forest. Haru himself stopped at the edge of the clearing which had been made as a stage for such an imposing, glowing rock.

"Ha... I'll watch from right here, Lucy. I'll come if you find yourself to have troubles. Just call for me." His words were assuring, and urged her forward into the grove.

[APPROACH THE SHRINE.]

This message only spurred her further inwards. A new journey was beginning for this woman, who walked towards an altar that beheld new opportunities for her. Haru had done his job well to guide this girl here. She would be happy to receive this gift, of that he were sure.

It was but a shame that he could not go with her. Just in front of his boot tip, the points of vicious thorns just ever so slightly peeked through the grass. A warning, it was, that he was allowed no further. He could not pass into such a sacred place anymore.

 

[Lucy]

Lucy would then present further questions, the little that Haru had revealed to her only filling her mind with more questions. Questions such as whether or not he was like her, from the other world. Questions on why the man was so elusive towards the questions she had asked him prior.

Lucy also didn't want to be too overwhelming, so she would typically add something along the lines of 'If you wouldn't mind sharing' or 'It's no big deal', that way there would be no way Haru would be forced to answer her endless stream.

Eventually the two of them had found their way at a beautiful scenic display. They were truly at the heart of the forest, the rock itself held inscriptions of what Lucy would decern as magical runes. This game truly was a fantasy setting. The terrain surrounding the stone, which glowed, could only be described as surreal. Vines and leaves overhanging, seeming to cover the stone from the sun. Roots and vines also lining the floor, spiraling outwards from the rock and creating an intricate pattern.

The slow pace that Lucy walked towards the rock seemed to take her ages, until she stood face to face with the rock. Everything else drowning out around her as soon as she placed her hand on the stone. The inscriptions glowing even brighter, surging through her mind. Her eyes open, yet she could no longer see what was in front of her. Her vision filled with dancing lights and nature. She was surged into the world of these visions.

Runes floating in the sky, and nature at the tip of her fingertips. It etched its way into her core memory as magic filled her body, bubbling like a cup that was too full. Thoughts of nature began to communicate with her, and to her surprise she could somehow understand it all. It was all so beautiful, inspiring... that was until the feeling of a terrible presence being a few paces behind her left shock coursing through her body. For some reason, nature seemed to reject this presence, sharing its negativity and spreading it through Lucy.

Her body naturally rejected and fought the feelings, gaining victory. If she were to learn this magic, she wouldn't let the negative feelings towards certain people or things get to her. She would use it to only spread positivity.

Lucy was then launched out of her mind and brought back to the present, the stone which had originally been bare apart from the runes was now covered with flowers and vines. The area surrounding Lucy had grown, even more flowers sprawling outwards, thinning out the farther they got. Their center point being, Lucy's feet planted barely on the ground. Lucy's eyes sparkled, a smile lighting her face. She turned back to her companion. "Haru! I did it!" She would then run back to him, away from the shrine. Her feet pattering silently on the ground until she got close enough to throw herself at him. Her arms wrapping around him above his shoulders. Her body lifting off the ground, without a care in the world. "Thank you so much Haru... I owe you big time. You're a great friend!"

 

[Haru]

She could feel him tense in a form of surprise at the display. It was probably the first time the sage could be seen at a loss. As he relaxed and accepted the situation, a gentle hand wrapped around the woman's side to keep her up and secure. His grip was firm as if an anchor for which to help Lucy temper her excitement. His other rest in her hair, gently running through the curls of her hair.

The forest itself calmed the ire it displayed in face of the sight-though perhaps it was so as to not level its' ire towards the newly christened herald. The thorns and threats were gone... for now.

"You did wonderful, Lucy. I wouldn't have done it better myself." Haru ignored the attitude of the forest. His attention was on this elated student of his. As a gesture to placate the Brisshal's ire, Haru decided it time to take his leave from the sacred grove. He held Lucy in his tow for the moment it took to re-enter the forest proper, allowing the woman one last affirming squeeze before settling her back onto the ground.

"You had more control over the guardian than I'd expected, even. Why, I'd thought that I would have needed to leave you there alone, so as to avoid the forest's ire. Ha, ha, ha..." His words were one of praise, yet they also held an ominous note beneath. He had all but confirmed himself to have been the presence that the Shrine rejected. Was he aware that she knew?

If he did, he had no intent to show it. He instead spoke of new adventure, "Shall we depart? There is new opportunity that comes with the door that you have opened. I shall show you the way, should you wish to find the secrets once hidden. Nature is a bounty that would behold much for you."

 

[Lucy]

Lucy began to glow with joy as Haru praised her, "It just sorta welcomed me, I don't even know how to explain it!" Lucy squeezed Haru tighter as he began to carry her as he walked, leaving the sacred grove behind them. "Careful not to lose your balance, i'm not the lightest of people." Lucy joked, before poking Haru's cheek.

"I honestly thought you weren't real and I would fall on my face when I jumped up to hug you." He set her down but not before he gave her a squeeze back. "So why does the forest have it out for you? I think the only difficulty was having to calm their emotions towards you."

A simple leaf of a flower had somehow managed to find it's way into Haru's hair and Lucy noticed it relatively late. Still, after noticing it, Haru still unaware she reached her hand up. Having to jump so she could reach Haru's hair, she made simple movements. Plucking the leaf out of his hair before her feet landed on the floor. A soft crunch letting out as she stepped on the leaves that coated the floor of the forest.

She began to play with the leaf as Haru brought up departing. "I think going on an adventure sounds like a lovely idea, let's find new secrets together! Ones that even you don't know." Lucy stuck her tongue out, "I can't be the only one finding new things!"

Lucy then offered Haru the flower petal but not before casting a silent blessing on it. One that would keep it in it's state, drawing nutrients from nature rather than itself. Along with causing other magics not to interfere that might cause it to wither. "It's for you, a gift to remember today by! And I'm sure we'll find more along the way." Lucy's eyes sparkled, "It also shouldn't die, I casted a little thing on it. I don't know exactly what it does, but it should keep it from withering forever!"

 

[Haru]

"It would be interesting to find something I had yet to know. Let us search for such a secret together, shall we? Away from this forest where I do not belong." The petal was taken and stored into his robe. Beneath the folds that others could see, the petal rest with other treasures just like it. Little petals and fragile trinkets lines the pocket that held his newest memories within.

He would answer her curiosity, yet not at first. Though it seemed like he'd ignored his question at first, it was actually that he waited until the two had walked further from the forest of Brishall's beating heart.

"I was once like you, you see. That is why I led you to that place. This forest is a place of peace, albeit under the coil of nature's displays of occasional force. Everything needs to eat, after all. Nowhere is truly safe from violence...

I no longer belong to this natural world. That is what you should know-the advice you had been given was not in ill faith. If you feel such a presence again, warned of it by the will of nature... it would be in your interests to keep away from that which gives off such a warning. Perhaps even myself, should you lose what little faith you've found in our first meeting. Ha, ha, ha."

He stops at the edge of the forest, watching as Lucy trekked past him for a moment before realizing that that the sage was not following. Haru watched the girl with intent. Perhaps she would take his advice to heart and leave in search of adventure alone. Perhaps she would still seek guidance. She might not even think of this as a test at all, asking why Haru had yet to move.

He wanted to see what kind of person this girl could be.

 

[Lucy]

𓍊𓋼˙༺❀

The forest began to thin out as the duo headed to leave the flora and fauna behind them. Secrets that even Haru didn't know would certainly be difficult to find, at least that's what Lucy thought. The man seemed to have seen everything that this world had to offer, but Lucy would not give up.

She clasped her hands behind her back as she paid more attention to the scenery this time. The warmth of the forest seeping into her soul as they walked. Everything was beautiful in this world and Lucy could actually see the sky. The air much more breathable than the streets of New York. It was perfect for her dainty florist's spirit.

Lucy leaned her head to the side and took a peek at Haru. "What do you mean by not of the natural world?" Lucy felt more questions bubbling inside her but she didn't want to overwhelm him. Her curiosity was growing stronger as she turned her attention back to the path just in time to avoid a rock she could have tripped over.

"I trust you, albeit we just met... But either way! I'll take your advice and be cautious of others if I feel the spirits of nature spark up like they did before I yelled at them." Moving to a stop once she was thoroughly out of the forest, she would wait for Haru to catch up...

Looking behind her, only to take notice that Haru had stopped. Lucy felt her face flush from embarrassment of not realizing sooner, she then frowned and walked back over to him. "I'm not gonna lose the faith or trust I have in you-"

Lucy then held up her hands and placed them on her hips, trying her best to look intimidating. "You helped me and you just said we would go find cute things. You can't get out of it that easily!" She puffed her cheeks, and all flustered she swung her head. Trying her best to not look Haru in the eyes, lest he point out her rose-red cheeks (that matched the shade of her hair).

Her embarrassment growing as she felt like she was being too pushy. Lucy moved her arms to be behind her, hands clasped together she began fiddling her fingers. She muttered under her breath in a way Haru would still be able to hear, "If you really have somewhere you need to be, I understand though. We could always rain check.."

 

[Haru]

"Oh, of course we could! Why don't we do that?" A short, amused laughter rang from his throat. Placing a hand to head as if to say 'how didn't I think of that?', the sage looked up to the sky in the very same moment, pulling his gaze up to see what lie in the vast blue.

He stay silent for a moment, long enough for the moment to become tense-or funny, in his own case.

"-Why no, there doesn't seem to be rain today. Ha, ha, ha... It seems that nothing is here to interrupt our journey together. Sad, is it not? I always love the sight of a storm..." Haru reminisced the thought of past rainfalls as he once more took pace past the girl with the vulnerable heart. He had no intent to stop their journey, not even to smell the roses or appreciate the way that Lucy's face lit up at the notion that he wanted to continue onward.

"Come now, don't fall behind. We have many a place to be, and many a sight to see." ​