Private Eastern Brisshal That time I went into starter town and accidentally adopted a little sister in a VRMMORPG death game.

[Brutus Dahlgren]

It was another beautiful day in Honeyhome.

To be fair, every day in Honeyhome was a beautiful day. It only rained when certain events were afoot, or if some nasty plot was in motion. Usually those were early warning signs, leaving Brutus on edge. Today, he found himself in the market square staring at the large posting board. Various jobs of all sorts were gathered here, and it didn't matter how big or small they were, Brutus would do his best to attend to them with his full attention.

Just the other day he had gotten done helping Old Lady Gertrude visit the Mudsprings, which was a rather uneventful quest. He was half expecting Goblins to jump out of the bushes and cause a tussle, but no, it was just a nice little day trip that had earned him an apple pie as a reward. He was looking to see if any of the locals needed help with something, stalking along the board listlessly looking for handwriting he recognized.

Big guilds tended to use pretty stationary with fancy symbols, what he was keeping an eye out for was plain paper, sometimes ridiculously sized for the note scrawled on it, handwritten in sloppy ink usually. Unfortunately, these notes were proving hard to find.

"Damnation, am I going to have to go on patrol and look for people in distress again?"

@Azykia

 

[Azykia]

It was almost just as the mountain of a man boasted of his intentions to the vast number of people around him who don't respond to rhetorical questions that someone a couple feet shorter than him stepped up to the board. A young girl with long blonde hair and bright, pupil-less eyes almost similar in color to the walking stick in her hand. The stick itself, which tapped against the side of Brutus's leg gently once, was a curious thing, obviously made using magic from the Arcanamancy mastery school. It looked more like a smooth staff or a cane, but the way the younger girl held it in front of her and carefully waved it about in front of her at shin height (for most people) made its purpose clear almost too quickly.

As she muttered a sorry to whoever's leg she tapped, she placed her left hand against the board and slowly, gently, began to move her fingers against the board. More particularly, she used her sense of touch to find the top left of a piece of paper, then fanned out her fingers to try and find the start of the note, after which point she would try to see if the note she had effectively rolled was written with enough pressure for her to deduce what was even on it to begin with.

Usually it took a minute for people to realize Azykia was blind, but this was one of those moments where everything about her made it obvious. Her head wasn't even looking up at the notes she felt at as her concentration primary fell to trying to decode the requests of the people in Honeyhome.

@Brutus Dahlgren

 

[Brutus Dahlgren]

The giant squinted, squatting down low to look at the young woman as she went about her work. Talk about handy capable, she navigated the board in spite of not being able to see. He watched as she worked her hand across the board, then watched as she tried to read the note in spite of it not being in braille. He could basically hear the gears in her head whirring as she went about her work, but after a moment.

"Excuse me, miss?" He would ask from her left. "I cannot help but notice your situation. Would you like any help with finding what you're looking for?" He raised an eyebrow and cocked his head to the side, not that she would see the gesture, but it was strictly instinctual.

He was curious, he'd never seen someone with a disability in this game. He was half certain that the sort of thing just didn't happen. Something something VR voodoo magic or whatnot.

@Azykia

 

[Azykia]

It took Azykia a few whole seconds after the end of the man's question to realize that no one else was responding, so he was most likely speaking to her given that he was right down next to her from the sound of it. Her hand paused in place against the board. "I'm not particularly looking for anything. It's just that with how frequently I walk around Honeyhome, I like to make sure that I can help people here and there since I'm out and about anyways." Well now it made sense if it didn't before exactly why she was at a post board like this.

The younger girl turned her head towards Brutus, where he could get a clear look at the missing features of her bright eyes, though they didn't seem to manage to look right at him. "And I feel as though the more I struggle and succeed, the more comfortable I get living a life like this."

It was then that she turned the conversation on its head, like the friend who showed up to the sleepover with the Beyblade that spun the opposite direction and caused pieces to fly everywhere. "Was there anything you needed help with? I may be able to help so long as it isn't too intricate."

@Brutus Dahlgren

 

[Brutus Dahlgren]

"Well," he paused, slightly unsettled that she was looking at him, but not making eye contact with him. He'd interacted with blind people IRL, and it always made him slightly unsettled. "I too, like to help the people of the town when I'm out and about. Would you like to work together?"

He'd thought about several ways this could go sideways on him, walking around with a blind woman fighting goblins could be quite the hassle, hell just about any job with a blind woman would be tricky, but at the same time he wasn't very happy about leaving someone out or being discriminatory.

"If you wanted to help me, I suppose it's important we figure out how we work together as a party. If you're starcalled, would you mind telling me what sort of skills you have? We could compare notes and figure out what sort of combinations we might be able to make. All sorts of paths open when you use your skills synergistically."

@Azykia

 

[Azykia]

"Starcalled... Ah, that means not being from this world, doesn't it?" She asked half-rhetorically. "My capabilities may be a bit disappointing, as I chose them all based on self-preservation." She raised her magical cane for a moment. "My name is Azykia, by the way. I'm blind, but I can see magic, so if I use Ar-can-a-mancy," she still struggled with that word after all this time for some reason, "I can create objects I can see. For example, if I need to eat using silverware, I could make a fork out of magic so I don't pierce my face when I try to take a bite."

She lowered her cane and placed both hands atop it one over the other, maintaining a level of dignity only the most self-aware of people could manage. It had to be something carried over from her life outside the game, or at least that made more sense than presuming this girl had mastered the proper way to carry oneself with grace with such a low playtime under her belt without even knowing what she looked like in the process.

"And if I get hurt, I can't always rely on others to be there to save me, and I can't see the friend messages menu, so I can't call for help. That's why I decided to take Divine Magic. Outside of that, I don't really know what I'm doing. I've just been trying to memorize the layout of my new home."

@Brutus Dahlgren

 

[Brutus Dahlgren]

"I see." he paused, thinking on it for a moment. "By the way, where are my manners?" He cocked his head to the side. "The name is Brutus, Brutus Dahlgren." He would offer her a hand to shake, then realize how rude that was before retracting it. He would pause, and then squint.

"Can you see all magic? Like if I..." He would channel a little bit of pyromancy throughout his body, a trick he often used to warm himself up in the cold, or to make himself glow slightly in the dark. "Do this, can you see this?"

Doing this non stop wouldn't be too terribly much a problem, given that it was a low strain on his abilities and his latent skill with pyromancy..

"Or what about this?" He would cup a small spark in his hands, a lightly flickering fire. If he could figure out a way for her to see him better, that would be a good start.

"As for my own skills, I fight with a canon. If they're far away I blast them with it. If they're up close I smack em with it. I'm also one hell of a bodyguard." He grinned.

@Azykia

 

[Azykia]

"Mhm. Each variety of magic seems to bear a different color of sorts." She explained, shortly afterwards seeing and feeling the glow of warmth around the man, who was admittedly much bigger than she had expected him to be. Not like that was a problem of any sort. "I can. It's not so powerful as to be painful to look at, either."

"Fighting, though..." She gave a pitiful chuckle in expression. "I don't really do that unless I really have to, and even then, I'm quite terrible at it." She reached up with her right hand and brushed her hair over her ear, only for it to fall back down seconds later as her hand returned to the top of her cane. "Most of my focus has been overcoming my newfound lack of sight. I apologize if that means I won't be of much help to you, Mister Dahlgren."

"If you ever need to know where to find a delicious cinnamon bun or a very kind tailor here in Honeyhome, though, I believe then I could offer you worthy assistance." She gave him a kinder smile.

@Brutus Dahlgren

 

[Brutus Dahlgren]

"I happen to be an expert on finding delicious cinnamon buns, but a tailor?" He paused and looked over his jacket that was well worn from all of his adventures. "I could use a tailor honestly, if you don't mind pointing me in that direction." The idea of her being the guide tickled him pink, the blind leading the unawares around.

Comical really.

"Now, if you're going around asking people if they need help, surely you've gotten a couple of people asking you to go pick herbs or fetch things yeah? If you want I can help teach you some of the safer routes to the forest, show you were the herbs tend to spawn and whatnot? How's that sound? A trade of sorts?"

Once again he raised his eyebrow, once again he felt stupid for doing so. The idea of playing a VRMMO blind sounded like one of those crazy challenge runs, like the dude who beat Dark Souls with a guitar hero controller. The idea of aiding her in the process resonated with the giant, and thus he resolved himself to help her.

@Azykia

 

[Azykia]

"A tailor?" She tilted her head up slightly in thought, almost as though she were staring at the board itself. "Let's see, from the request board, it's approximately..." She took a slow, cautious, and almost robotic step back, followed by another, and then one more. "Sixty-four steps that direction, then you turn left about seventy degrees and walk for twenty-eight more Then it should be just to your right." She giggled, bringing a loosely curled knuckle to rest in front of her mouth as she looked down with a smile on her face. "Of course, you might want to fractionalize the number of steps. You're a bit taller than I am, after all."

She thought about his offer, and while at first she was tempted to politely decline, she began to actually consider the benefit of having safe routes for such purposes, and once she likened it to another challenge to overcome and use to better herself, she grinned just a little bit. "I don't need for it to be a trade, as I'm more than happy to assist you as many times as you'd like. That being said, I do appreciate the thought that I might be able to find safer routes that I could use to increase my usefulness to these people. Would you please show me such places, Mister Dahlgren?"

@Brutus Dahlgren

 

[Brutus Dahlgren]

Brutus listened to the woman with rapt attention, then squinted when she got to the counting via steps and then he was lost. She was two feet shorter than him, and his gait was long and ambling, he highly doubted her pace was anything close to that of his. Keeping his magic on so she could see him, he stood up straight and cracked his neck.

"Tell ya what, why don't you show me the way to the tailor, and I will show you around the outskirts? A bit of Quid pro Quo eh? Either way, I am a hero of the people and cannot simply let another aspiring hero go without help. Many hands make light work and all that jazz."

Thjs was a tricky situation. She obviously didn't want to be coddled, but every instinct in his body was tensed to ruffle her hair and hold her hand through all of this. He would have to feather the line between enabling her to find these things out rather than flat out doing them for her.

Tricky indeed.

@Azykia

 

[Azykia]

"Very well." She answered with little hesitation, already convinced that this trade was far too heavy on one side of the scale, in the opposite way one would expect. While showing this man where the tailor is would be a simple task compared to his proposed side of the trade deal, even accompanying him might be dangerous. After all, she didn't have all the flashy reminders that this world was some sort of video game, so a stranger was a stranger. "Although, I don't think I aspire to be something so great as a hero." At the same time, the kindness she had experienced thus far in this world was so invigorating for Azykia's player that she hardly even minded the consequences of being betrayed to begin with. People would be sad, but she wouldn't.

So she began walking with her ar-cane out in front of her in measured steps. The need to make every step measured and fit into a rhythm which made counting her steps in large number easier also produced a gentle grace she never could have hoped to acquire in her real life. Alas, it was only for the eyes of others, as she hardly even realized it while trying to lead this man several times bigger than her to the last place she bought clothes.

"So you're a hero of the people? Does that mean you're highly revered in the area? If so, I apologize for not having heard of you already." She was also pretty good at sucking up to people. One day that habit would die.

@Brutus Dahlgren

 

[Brutus Dahlgren]

"Well first of, a Hero is just someone who helps others, no matter how big or small. One could call you a hero just for helping me find a tailor." The giant chuckled, "But as for me, I'm only a big deal in Honeyhome because it's so easy to recognize me on sight. I smash goblins and save people, I wouldn't fault you for not knowing who I was, nor would I get mad about it. The only people who do that are douchecanoes."

He would keep pace with the ambling princess, keeping his aura up so she could see him properly, and occasionally he would stop something from falling in her way, or put a hand out to stop another pedestrian from rushing into her path ahead of her. When all was said and done, he found himself standing in front of a tailor alright, although based on looking in through the window he didn't quite think they'd be making anything for him given the mannequins bearing frilly sundresses and cute hats.

"Ah yes, I see. The tailor." The giant did his best to keep his voice measured, not letting out any disappointment. Maybe they could work on his coat.

Maybe.

@Azykia

 

[Azykia]

Azykia laughed in response to his very strong opinion. "I don't think I've ever heard language quite like that. A canoe, you say?"

Anytime he suddenly moved to keep bad luck from pressing its weight upon her, the girl's eyes immediately homed in onto him as though he were the only thing worth looking at. Understandably so, as he was literally the only thing she could look at.

Once the duo reached the tailor, she giggled a bit, and pointed to the building next to the one the two were standing in front of. "I believe it's right about there as well. You see, there's two different tailors here, but they both make clothes on request. Just as out in the real world, you should never buy clothes from the first store you enter. Ask them to help you get what you want first, and then go back to the better store after leaving for a bit." She turned to look up at Brutus. "I wouldn't suppose a man would know a... 'mall rule' like that, but you should try it sometime. It's worth the time and effort, I promise."

"Perhaps it would do you well to engage both shops in questioning, then go walk around with a cinnamon bun to enjoy for a bit. It sounds fun, doesn't it?"

@Brutus Dahlgren

 

[Brutus Dahlgren]

Perhaps looks could be deceiving. He'd not though much of @Azykia at first, but she was starting to turn into a profound font of wisdom. The two tailors right next door to each other probably had a bit of a feud going on, and were willing to race to the bottom of their price point to spite the other. He nodded along, something she could probably see given the nature of his aura.

"Ah, the good ole Mall Rat strategy. I don't get a chance to visit them much, too much of my time has been spent squatting out on fair grounds dealing with vendors who're WAY too into their medieval roleplay, but in this case it might play into my advantage. Let's give it a shot." He would walk into the first one on the left, holding a door open for the blind woman allowing her to enter first. A small jingle of a ball would alert the clerk to their presence, and the giant found himself milling around the shop floor starting at various fabrics and example models.

As it turned out, they did make jackets. Some were formal, some more akin to his navy officer looking one, and some that ventured into more your typical anime adventure hero, cowboy, or school shooter. He would pause, musing upon some, occasionally turning to the blind woman.

"How does this texture feel to you?" He would ask, holding up a particular textile or leather for her to run her hands across. He would then shrug off his jacket and, with her permission, guide her hands along the chainmail and splintmail lining along the inside of his coat. "Do you think it'll shred if rubbed up against the metal too much?"

@Azykia

 

[Azykia]

As she wasn't used to the motions as much anymore as she once had been, it took a few seconds of Brutus's magical shape standing there with the door open for her to realize he was holding the door open for her, at which point she gave a polite nod and continued forward with her walking stick in hand. At least until she got inside. As it was unwise to go around the inside of a store swinging a stick around, she dismissed it and decided to follow Brutus around, staying a careful several feet away so as to not stumble into him should she trip over something loose.

Azykia complied with his request for her opinion, carefully reaching out towards his hand until she felt the offered fabric and began to feel at it in every manner of direction. She then did the same for the armor on Brutus's person, thankfully with his direction. It was only now that after a thoughtful hum, she gave her opinion.

"We should start by saying that, at least in terms of real-world fabrics, there is no sort of cloth or leather that can withstand constant abrasion against metal forever. If I had to give an educated sort of guess, you would want something made of a thick and durable material, like a jean jacket." She looked up at his head mostly as a formality as she continued. "However, there's a simple solution to your jacket problem as well. If you want to lengthen the longevity of your jacket..." She removed her hands from his offered fabrics and gently pulled at the collar of the off-white section of her kimono on the inside, rather than the pink portion that covered it.

"A jacket is something you can wear everyday, rather than having to wear a different one every day, and I would assume the same of your chains. Get a jacket made of something durable, but not rough. Then, as long as you wear something between the two, like an overshirt or some sort of tabard, you can change that shirt every day and extend your jacket's life. By the time you would need a new one, you would likely want a new one for styling reasons anyway."

 

[Brutus Dahlgren]

"I could probably also just look into magic too..." the idea flopped across his brain like a fish out of water. He'd just hooked it, and it'd slipped out of his hands while he was in the middle of taking a trophy photo. Jesus christ look at that sucker go, that poor fucker.

Brutus would shake his head, "Though your idea does work. though the idea of having a fuckload of layers sounds...sweaty." He rubbed his chin, stroking his beard. There were a lot of options, and many ways to go about fixing the problem. The idea of denim seemed...hilarious to him. Something along the line of looking like a biker thug instead of the usual gallant soldier/hero.

"I suppose I should go with this. It's the same color red as I imagine my magic might look." He would hold out the surprisingly smooth but durable fabric of a red coat for her to run her fingers across and test the feel of. "I wonder how much this would be at the other place..." he rather loudly asked.

@Toko

 

[Azykia]

"Well, normally it would be a bit 'sweaty'. Thankfully, mail made of chains breathes very well, especially if you intend to be moving around fairly often. Besides, there are shirts that are made to be super breathable, usually for athletes. You might be able to have such shirts made custom with your own heroic sigil if you so desired. Wouldn't that look 'cool'?" The young one giggled, running her fingers across the newly offered coat. "But I suppose it isn't very wise to take fashion advice from a blind girl, now is it?" She laughed a little, but it hurt.

Little did Brutus understand the impact of his words as he invoked the formal yet forward passion of the woman currently tending the store as she came over to evaluate what he was looking for. Instead of letting the tailor press him too much, Azykia was there to occasionally sweet talk the tailor in circles and ask questions to test her knowledge. Stupid things, such as, "why don't they make dresses out of this material?" Which she asked while pointing at and pressing one finger against Brutus's chain shirt.

The little girl wasn't the strongest magician, but she seemed all too able to play someone like a fiddle. If the notion had a real-world equivalent, it would be like she was one of those incredibly slippery salespeople that could sell someone their own car. It was all too much like that, just painted over with the dignity and manners of young lady who couldn't possibly impose on anyone in Honeyhome, much less this experienced tailor, and even less so while standing next to the giant of a man widening the gap of contrast probably further than anybody else could have.

@Brutus Dahlgren

 

[Brutus Dahlgren]

The giant, for all his perceptiveness, failed to notice the woman feeling slighted. He would idly chat with the tailor and the little noblewoman. "A heroic sigil? I don't even know what I would do for that." he chewed his lower lip as he thought about how he would plan something like that. A Lion? A canon, A lion wielding a canon? A canon shaped like a lion? The possibilities were endless.

After a while, Brutus would leave with a new jacket slung over his shoulder and a grin on his lips. "Ay, Azzie, good work on sweetalkin me into that deal! How about I get us some cinnamon rolls to celebrate eh?" He would offer her an elbow to grab if she so wanted, and would lead the way over to the bakery stall with several trays of Cinnamon rolls cooling in crisp spring air.

The giant would drop some coins on the counter and would turn to offer the bun to her, being sure to make sure his arm was lit up and he waggled his hand a bit to make it clear he was offering her the roll, even if she couldn't see it. "Eat up, we'll need a snack to hold us over while we walk to the woods."

@Azykia

 

[Azykia]

She took the bun with a careful hand, then grasped it carefully in both hands. She wouldn't be using that ar-cane anytime soon, but so long as she could follow Brutus around she didn't really need to. "You're a generous man, Mister Dahlgren. For this cinnamon bun alone, you really are my hero." She let the resulting laughter she let out reside before sinking her teeth into the sweet treat she craved more frequently than any other since coming to this world. She let out a hum of delight, and then another even after she swallowed.

"I can't believe it, this is simply exquisite!" She began to giggle, taking a deep breath in through her nose as the sugary saliva in her mouth maintained the aftertaste for a duration she always enjoyed patiently waiting out as the flavors layered together more than ever before. "You see, Mister Dahlgren, I also recently lost my sense of smell, but if anything it has only improved my palate! Would you think that magic could smell so delicious when paired with brown sugar and cinnamon? Never in a million years, right~?" She continued to gush, seeming more and more like a person of her age for once.

@Brutus Dahlgren