Private Valley of the Sun Terrasphere VRMMO? Nah More Like Farming Simulator!

[Lucy]

𓍊𓋼˙༺❀

"Sun light, sun bright, First sun I see today; I wish I may, I wish I might, Have the wish I wish today!" Lucy had skipping in a new area, her determined mission of finding new places to explore to show to her new friends on her brain... That was until she had been intercepted by a young farmer boy, who had asked for her help with daily chores...

So there she was, in the middle of a field of soil, hoeing the ground as if she were a nature. She wiped sweat off her forehead, which was the result of her hard work. It wasn't as nice as exploring new places but it wasn't that hard. It was nice to be surrounded by nature. Lucy stood out amongst all the other farmers, for one she was literally...

The only one with bright red curly and unruly hair. Along with her taste in fashion, at least today, she didn't look like a farmer. She looked like an adventurer, just like any normal adventurer... Only the vines that she had kept wrapped around her feet were wrapping upwards, forming a massive leaf above her head to try and help shade her from the sun and the heat.

@Jin

 

[Jin]

The mountains that stretched out beyond Astorea climbed high above the clouds, and the steppe that stood atop seemed to stretch even further. Wild grasses were kept manageable by grazing beasts, both mildly domesticated and otherwise; though for his part, Jin noted none of the latter within view. He ascended to Hylands mostly to gather information.

Travelers had mapped the area fairly well, though the fringes were still the farthest flung areas of the available world. Every path within view had been worn down by many footfalls already. The prospect of caverns, dungeons, and ruins that had not been explored, those were what brought most people this far out of Astorea and Faldaren.

For Jin, it was knowledge. Untapped and wild, the prospect of native spiritualists and naturalists sharing their secrets enticed him to hear out their rare requests for help. When he saw someone who was not a Lander working the fields, he immediately assumed that they might be of a similar mind.

But after listening to the exchange between the Lander who had drafted her for farming duty and another passerby, he quickly learned that she had no such designs on information. Why anyone would want to do yard work for a negligible amount of in game currency baffled him.

It was not an overly warm day, but at this high altitude, where less of the sun's rays were ablated by the o-zone and where the air was thinner, it was an understandably arduous chore.

"Did you ask for more money?" he leaned over one of the wooden fenceposts that separated the field from the path. "You're essentially doing work they would delegate to slaves."

@Lucy

 

[Lucy]

𓍊𓋼˙༺❀

Thoughts that had been swirling in Lucy's brain snapped at the sound of footsteps. Her eyes swiveling to the corner as she continued her work. Dark hair, red eyes.. Creepyyyyyyy... Though Lucy knew better than to judge a book by its cover! She halted her work, placing her hoe into the ground. Resting her left hand on the handle, she turned towards Jin so she could speak to him properly. He was leaning over the fence, the very fence that had not been managed too well, the rotting inside of the wood caused the wood to scream out with the added weight. Somehow Lucy hadn't noticed it before now, but now that she did she pointed to the fence.

"Best not to lean on something that's beaten up like that, especially since I haven't had a chance to fix it yet!" She first addressed the potential danger of it breaking, should it break before Jin moved to stop hanging over it. Now it was time to address his question.

"I'll be honest, I didn't ask for any money. I would much rather be exploring and finding new things. Secrets, further techniques to strengthen my ties with nature... But here I am, what can I say... I was asked to help by the cutest kid!" Lucy smiled at Jin, obviously she was swayed by cute things.

Her hair fluttered in a very small breeze that swept through the valley in the middle of the mountain's mouth. Lucy held her hair back, away from her face as she addressed him again. "So what are you doing all the way out here, from what I know... Not many Starlanders come around these parts. It's supposedly dangerous and as such, no one comes here unless they seek out death." Lucy was obviously refering to the NON-PLAYER Traveler characters as Starlanders, a phrase that wasn't widely used. As of such, Lucy had no expectations for anyone without a brain (like herself) to know what she meant.

@Jin

 

[Jin]

As if in response to her warning, the surface upon which the Bloodsworn had rested his weight proved that it was no longer load bearing. The integrity of the fence gave way, and he took a step back as it crumbled under the pressure. "Ah," he managed to respond to the situation, clearly nonplussed by the sudden act of wanton destruction that was almost entirely his fault. "If it was allowed to be reduced to such a state, it was already beyond what could be fixed, and at the point where it needed to be replaced anyway."

Words within words.

When the woman mentioned that she hadn't asked for money, he almost sneered outright. "You can't stay fed on good deeds," he mentioned casually. "Though, I admit to some interest in secrets and new knowledge myself." It was far more practical to steer the conversation away from chastising the woman and making acerbic commentary. There was nothing to be gained from making her hate him.

The idea of taking action just because someone was cute, however, did earn his immediate contempt. He understood that somehow at a core level, somewhere beneath the façade he wore. Instead of allowing that emotion to manifest on his face however, the dark figure looked out into the distance. "Best to be wary of beautiful things," he muttered.

A child at play, filled with innocence could be considered that way, perhaps. Something that plucked at heartstrings and prompted a melody from within the soul to play. A memory of childhood, or a wistful desire for children of one's own--

For Theo, it had been Her.

But enough about that.

The man wore a look of frustration now as his immersion broke, even if only for a second, and he was reminded of something- "Danger is a fact of life in a world like this one," he replied to her question simply. "And even in worlds beyond. Existing in constant fear of danger, limiting oneself because of that fear- is that truly something one can call "living?"

Jin stepped over the ruined fence and promptly perched himself on the rubble, squatted. "Secrets and knowledge," he repeated those words for a second time. "Of all things, the prospect of learning about the Beast tribes' spiritual and religious practices. I find such notions tie into practices regarding magic, and to that end, hoped to perform a case study."

@Lucy

 

[Lucy]

.
𓍊𓋼˙༺❀

child of nature...

And just as she had said, the fence gave way... One could now clearly see the amount of rot that lay inside of each of the wooden bars and posts. But that wasn't the only thing that happened, Jin would speak to her in a way to not chastise her; yet instead just offer her advice. It reminded her of the advice that Haru had given her on her first day. "You have a point in that people need to be wary of beautiful things, though so far I haven't had the misfortunes of a beautiful thing turning sour."

The man continued to speak, as he stepped over the fence and sat on the rubble. "If we both happen to want to find secrets and practices, then why don't we go out together? I haven't been very keen to exit the city, for I am no fighter. I relish in life rather than bringing about pain and death... I only want to heal and spread joy. I could use your help."

The faerin abandoned her hoe in the ground and made her way to the fence, she crouched down and began to inspect it. Her fingers gently touching the fence, slying away from the rot. And staying a few feet away from Jin. She would pick up the pieces that had successfully fallen off, and ripped off the ones that were close to falling off;;; save for the ones that Jin was sitting on. Once she moved them out of the way, the area surrounding the red-haired girl began to glow. Small particles of glowing pollen surging towards her, entering her aura as she focused.

Opening her eyes, she would walk over to the closest tree, placing one hand on it, the roots began to shift the ground, surging towards the fence. Popping out of the ground around the pole that was dug into the ground, it would wrap around the pole and trace over the places that each wooden plank had been.

Once she finished she would remove her hand from the tree and walk back to her hoe, hand on it, as if she had never moved. The fence had been replaced by tree roots, it looked rustic, yet it seemed like it would hold better than the previous fence. "So what do you say? Want to go on an adventure?"

@Jin

 

[Jin]

Many people, when faced with the opportunity to learn from the wisdom and experiences of others, often chose to reject that opportunity. Whether it was because of blind positivity or an express need to learn from their own experiences, Jin never bothered to question it. It was far more amusing to watch them make their own decisions, and even more entertaining to watch the consequences unfold in real time.

This instance was unique in that the woman told him directly that it had never happened to her, and so, she continued to walk her chosen path without wavering. That prompted a wry smile from the Bloodsworn. A characteristically honest individual was rare indeed; but for someone to exhibit that level of trust openly in a world like this one...

She offered to him directly. From one traveler to another, one who did not like violence to one who reveled in it. He practically beamed, albeit with a set of teeth that looked more feral than friendly. Jin observed her efforts to salvage the fence as he listened to her words, and he understood the meaning implicit to those actions, and the thoughts that she expressed.

"An adventure," he repeated, feigning deep thought with a hand pressed to his cheek. His eyes half closed, he lazily observed her as the new growth took root and twisted into a form that was sturdier than its predecessor. "I wonder," he tapped his chin.

"Why not?" he concluded at last. "It will be more interesting than standing by and watching you work the field, and probably even more so for you. Pray tell, what manner of adventure have you convinced me to embark upon?"

@Lucy

 

[Lucy]

𓍊𓋼˙༺❀

​

child of nature...

The man had agreed, and she felt her body flood with delight. Another adventure with another kakkoii adventurer! Man... Toko was rubbing off on her. Though, first things first... "Wait just a second mister! I don't even know your name! My name is Lucy."

Working in the fields isn't thaaat bad... She would kick the floor as she let her thoughts run wild. She perked up after a little bit, (letting some time pass for Jin to do his thang). Now they could go on their adventure, "I don't know where anything is, I could either commune with nature, or we could just wander around till we find something that calls to us! It's your pick!"

Lucy picked back up her hoe and began heading towards a shed close-by, "Second things second, I gotta return this hoe." She opened the shed when she got to the door, placing the hoe inside before turning back towards Jin. With one hand on her hip she stuck out her thumb to let him know she was ready before walking directly to his side so they could walk side-by-side.

@Jin

 

[Jin]

"Ah." He was ever reluctant to give his name, or to be at all memorable. In this world, the ones who stood out were the ones who everybody watched with great interest. It was difficult to live free when subject to the scrutiny of the collective. With a thin line drawn in place of his former smile, he supposed that to progress here, he had to leave some trace of himself. "How thoughtless of me."

His gaze moved to the horizon and he watched as the wind blew the grass gently, like waves across the surface of a verdant ocean. "Jin," he told her at last, after what seemed like far to long to keep someone waiting. She mentioned that she didn't know much about their surroundings, and that was true of most people. The Hylands region was largely undiscovered, unmapped, and inaccessible. Whatever areas were navigable posed significant dangers to anyone who braved them.

"I have ways of searching for things, but if you are able to talk to nature itself, I think you may be more successful here than I would." Jin disliked admitting that he was less inclined to be successful than anyone else, but if he could convince her to use the skills she did have to his advantage, the Bloodsworn hardly saw the harm in it. "Ideally, we could find something that would sate both of our interests. Some place or someone with forgotten knowledge, perhaps?" he planted the seeds of suggestion.

It would fall to the woman whether or not they bloomed into anything, or failed to take root at all.

Jin watched as she returned the hoe, then hurried back to join him. How strange for someone to so quickly agree to join a stranger for an adventure, especially someone who's name she had just learned. So, she must be the trusting sort, he mused.

Good.

@Lucy

 

[Lucy]

𓍊𓋼˙༺❀

​

child of nature...

He had taken quite some time to introduce himself, but Lucy was still happy that he had ended up doing it. It gave her something better to call him that Mr. Suspicious Pants. Hoe returned, Lucy back by Jin's side she would ponder over what he had said. "I very well could use my magic, hmmm... What skills do you have though? I fear I might have to be a tad bit closer to the kind of source we're looking for... That way the information I get as feedback isn't super vague... Like let's see.." She channeled her magic, reaching out into the void. What answered in reply was an entity with a subtle sense of nature, Lucy's eyes snapping forward.

The interaction fresh in her mind and her eyes widening further she would stand dumbfoundedly at Jin. "I-I genuinely don't know what I just reached out to.. But, there's something interesting on this mountain range. I think we should head that way, we can walk and talk." She pointed towards the direction that the mysterious entity had come from in the void. It was towards one of the taller mountains.

@Jin

 

[Jin]

"Mmmm," he watched their surroundings passively as she probed him about his skillls. "Mostly, my skills are centered around my blade and close combat," Jin told her. It was not strictly untrue, but it did omit any information about his magic. In this world, a great deal of what he knew was considered taboo. Best not to mention that openly. "Some defensive tools, the ability to activate investigation mode, and a generic offensive skillset," he paused for a moment, then added, "every group needs a vanguard, after all."

And thus, he sold himself as the consummate front line fighter. Useful, unassuming, not pretentious. Other than his shady appearance, he did not seem to be anything to write home about.

However, he agreed with her assessment. "If there is anything up here, I doubt we'd pick up much from a distance," and usually, it was that way by design. The greater the risk they took to get close, the higher chance of being rewarded with something tangible. Whether it be riches, experience, or information, they had to find out the hard way.

Thus when she mentioned that she had reached something, he was genuinely surprised. "Your magic must be high ranking," he commented as he glanced in the indicated direction. A mountain, and a massive one at that. I can't imagine that it won't be dangerous, Jin mused as he tapped his chin. He cast a sideways look toward the woman who had already told him her skills did not extend to fighting, at least, not in a truly meaningful way.

"...alright, I'm willing to check it out with you," he said at last. If there was danger, at least it would be what he came all this way for, rather than spending time loitering around the peaceful folk on the plains and their uneventful lifestyle.

@Lucy

 

[Lucy]

𓍊𓋼˙༺❀

​

child of nature...

Lucy grinned widely at Jin, "Although I only have one skill in this game, nature magic! I am very high ranking indeed! I'm super super close to S rank! I imagine if we do find something today I'd be able to hit it! Hopefully I can meet some kind of druidess or nature spirit on our adventure. Or maybe another nature user!" Lucy was positive about their entire trip as she took what Jin said about his abilities in heart.

"Honestly I admire you, fighting is something I don't think I'd ever be able to do. I'm much more suited for the backlines, offering support and healing wherever I can. I genuinely can't wrap my head around the courage that it takes to fight something head on. So thanks for being good at that, so I don't have to be!" She gave him another thumbs up.

The two now beginning their trek towards the mountain as Jin agreed to go with her. It would be a kind of long journey, the mountain looking close... But actually being pretty far away, it was just... big.

@Jin

 

[Jin]

"Nature magic?" he repeated thoughtfully. That would be useful on a wide open plain surrounded by mountains, certainly. "Well, it shouldn't be a problem for us to grind out the last of that rank for you on the way," he said. It wouldn't take them off track, and certainly, as long as he didn't have to put in any effort more than he already intended, it would hardly be a chore. And with that mastery at its apex, she might prove even more useful in the long term.

Admittedly, Jin had yet to determine what the "long term" was, in this scenario.

"Everyone has their part to play," the Bloodsworn told the girl, his words somewhere between reassurance and disregard. "Without the warriors to fight, the battle never ends; without support, the warriors cannot continue to stand. Courage is secondary to that. Simply fulfill your role, and others will do their own part. You can never be inadequate if you are doing your job."

He was never good at taking complements or thanks anyway.

"Stay alert," he instructed. "This area isn't as well known as other parts of the world, yet."