Eastern Brisshal Those Left Behind

[Asher]

Hummus with garlic flatbread.

It's the only thing on Asher's mind as he shoulders open the worn door of a smaller tavern at the edge of town. He yawns as he does so because the sun is bright and warm and he overslept to the point where he doesn't feel rested at all. Just more tired. And his stomach is in knots because he didn't eat something before he slept which, of course, means he has a headache as well. Overall, a great start to a beautiful day for the Minotaur.

The dim lighting inside is heaven-sent for his senses and he plops down atop the nearest bar stool with a groan. Slumping forward, he immediately rests his forehead against the cool bar-top and sighs even as his stomach clenches and another hunger pain ripples through him. He's gathering up the energy to lift a finger and order something, maybe water to begin with, when a voice tickles his awareness.

Peeking from the corner of his eye, he notices another individual, smaller in stature than himself with a large shield sitting at one of the smaller tables near the back. The person he's speaking with? Asher knows them. Well, more like knows of them in the same way that many people knew of other Travelers who got stuck inside the game after that fight with—

He doesn't complete the thought and stops the shudder from tripping down his spine with sheer willpower alone.

Dragging himself to stand, he shuffles over as the other person is leaving and, without introducing himself or even greeting Hanno, sits down in the vacant seat. He gives another wide yawn before shaking his head and pinning his crimson eyes on the Faerin.

"Hi," Asher says once he settles in, his eyes wide, a soft smile hanging about his mouth. And then he winces because he's hungry and it causes him physical pain.

"Hey, I know this is super rude, but are you Hanno? I think I've heard about you from some of the other, ah, folks that are...locked in." He swallows, embarrassment climbing up his throat and settling in his cheeks, turning them pink. "You're looking for information or something, right? Uh, well, I'm...one of them. Not that I want like any...fame or anything." Asher shakes his head, long stark-white locks drifting back and forth around his shoulders.

Hurriedly, he ties them back into a ponytail with a length of twine.

"I'm Asher, by the way. Nice to meet you."

@Hanno Futaba

 

[Hanno Futaba]

Hanno looked at the list that was slowly filling up, becoming more complete as time passed. Thanks to Cleo, the work of filling it up has been much easier. Together, they covered much more ground, and meeting others became a much quicker work.

As he was finishing talking to another locked person, he offered a faint reassuring smile and a nod. It was the least he could do, in all honesty, to try and make sure that at least every UI Locked was taken note of, as long as they wished, and to try and guide them to places where they could be protected in case they were a newbie and, once again, wished to do it.

When a man suddenly sat down, Hanno looked up and then around, noticing that there were plenty of tables empty. "Heya, buddy." Hanno smiled, resting the list on the table, tilting his head as he asked about him and started explaining what he wanted.

Another one? Today there were so many being found.

"... Yeah, I am Hanno. It is nice to meet'cha too, Asher." He smiled. "... I am sorry to hear that. Me and a friend, Cleo, we have been trying to fill a list of Lion's Arms about UI Locked players." Hanno explained, looking at the list and then back at him.

"And checking if the UI Locked need anything, like checking how their family or friends are in Earth." It still felt weird to speak like that, but it felt much more sensible than saying 'real life', when this was now their 'real life'. "- Or getting any news from there."

@Asher

 

[Asher]

"Hanno," Asher finds himself repeating with a nod and a small smile. "I'll be honest, you're the first I've heard that's even interested in, uh, those that got—well, you know what happened." He lifts a hand to his head, one finger tracing the small horn that sticks out from his hair. He taps the tip, winces, and places his hand back in his lap before clearing his throat.

"I haven't officially joined Lion's Arms yet, but it's on my short list of things to do." He nods again, his body leaning forward toward the table, his hands folding atop it while his left leg begins to bounce. Thankfully, the table does not shake due to his movement. "But, uh, family? You guys...just...calling up people and telling them that we're still here?"

There's a twinkle of...something...that sparks to life within Asher's ruby-red eyes and when he smiles this time, there is nothing small or hesitant about it. His cheeks dimple and one hand slaps the top of the table in exuberance. "I mean, wow. That's...that's so nice of ya'll. Well, my family was...in New York. Brooklyn to be specific—if, ya know, you know anything about the states."

He clears his throat and ignores the clenching in his stomach. "Uh, my mom was—is—Evelyn Baccal. Works at the Brooklyn Hospital Center on the night shift." He opens his mouth to say more, but the grumble of his stomach makes him groan enough that speaking is impossible.

"Hey—I'm sorry, but can we order some food? I've gotta eat and I haven't had breakfast yet. Woke up late."

@Hanno Futaba

 

[Hanno Futaba]

Hanno listened to Asher attentively, smiling faintly and nodding. "Yeah buddy, you aren't alone." He said, as an reassurance that wasn't really asked for but existed regardless.

He went ahead mentioning his mother and a family and Hanno was about to respond him before the stomach grumbled so loudly that it warned they should eat something.

"Sure man, it will be on me. A treat from a fellow, future faction mate." Hanno grinned, just not as widely as the usual because he still needed to get used to dealing with people under the UI locked condition. The feelings about it varied a lot depending on the person. Some thought it was a dream, most thought it as a nightmare.

But regardless of their thoughts, the only certainty was that someone out there missed them.

While Asher ordered what he wished, Hanno began answering his previous questions. "Your mother working in Brooklyn actually makes stuff fairly easy. I live there." Hanno admitted, looking at the man's eyes.

"As for calling up people... that depends on you, really. Some want to just send a goodbye message to someone. Others want to keep in contact. It can get a bit slow, but I am trying to work on something to be a bit faster." Hanno explained, then following to ask his order when Asher was done.

@Asher

 

[Asher]

Another genuine smile stretches across his mouth, putting his slightly elongated canines on display. For a moment, his leg stops bouncing and he instead nods his head in what could be considered thanks. Waving down the serving person, the order that Asher puts in would have been enough to feed a small army. He realizes his mistake almost as soon as it's made and cuts himself off from ordering anything else even as his stomach continues to clench and a few beads of sweat appear on his brow.

Order placed, he turns back to Hanno with an inquisitive arch of his eyebrow. "You're...in Lion's Arms too?" he asks. "I...don't know much about them, to be honest. I didn't really start looking into any of the factions until after the stars started falling again—well, you know. I guess that meant the game was back online or something." His shoulders bounce in what could be considered carelessness, but the hand resting atop the table does tighten into a fist.

Otherwise, his body language remains relaxed and open, approachable even. His leg begins to bounce beneath the table once more.

"Oh, uh, well," he begins, allowing his gaze to skitter away and bounce around the rest of the tavern. "I don't—I mean, my mom has always believed in God, you know? Heaven, hell; everything in between, and she was never too keen about videogames in the first place. I get the feeling that telling her that—well, I don't really know who might've—what might've happened after...my last..."

He tapers off into quiet before clearing his throat. "I just don't think she'll wanna keep in contact, you know? Might be hard for her. For them. I've got like, heh, three brothers and three sisters—had, three brothers and three sisters. I dunno if I still do. I hope so...at the very least..."

@Hanno Futaba

 

[Hanno Futaba]

"Yeah, I am from there. Recently joined it, coming back after all these years, I figured this time they are the ones I need to be around." Hanno grinned. "I like every faction though, they all have their strengths." He wasn't really fond of the banter and rivalry between them, that sometimes looked a bit unhealthy when they could all be working together to achieve a greater good.

"It must have been... Tough... To stay here without any news." Hanno said, exhaling from his nose and then nodding along with his explanation, pondering about his family, seemed to be a more complicated situation, especially depending on how deep his mother's belief was.

Still, he was ready to do any job Asher needed. He needed and deserved something, and so did his family.

Hanno nodded, offering him a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, I won't do anything you don't tell me to do... I catch that you would rather do something less... Obvious?" Hanno crossed his arms.

"Or maybe you just want news from them? I don't mind checking to see if everyone is still okay. I have plenty of ways to excuse a reason to go talk to her... I work in a restaurant, so I could be delivering her some food at her work," He quoted with his fingers. "By accident."

@Asher

 

[Asher]

"She, uh, does really love Philly cheese steaks, double cheese, light onions with waffle fries, and a chocolate malt milkshake."

Asher rattles off the order with a crooked smile and a tilt of his head. His eyes jump from Hanno's face to the top of the table and the hand that had rested there, clenched, relaxes and pushes backward through his hair. He then swallows the soft chuckle that bubbled up from his chest. "Dunno why cheese steaks are her favorite, but, you know, you don't really ask. You...get her what she wants."

He scoots his chair forward then and leans forward so that his elbows dig into the rigid tabletop and his hands cup his cheeks. "I just—I should've known better, you know? Especially after the first two deaths. But I just...didn't think it was a big deal. You die in video games, in MMOs, all the time. And then you respawn and you just keep going on about your day. You move onto the next quest."

His tongue sneaks out, wetting his bottom lip and the sigh he heaves is one filled with guilt and regret. "But...she knew something was up. She kept saying I didn't look good. I wasn't sleeping and I couldn't stop thinking about the game and—it's all I wanted to do. I finished high school fine, but, over the summer, when that big...tentacle world boss appeared?" Wincing, he shakes his head and peels back, putting distance between them again.

Popping his knuckles, he clicks his tongue. "Well, you know what happened..."

@Hanno Futaba

 

[Hanno Futaba]

"Oh, that's some good taste." Hanno grinned at the order, taking a mental and physical note of it, pulling a notepad from his bag and writing it up so he wouldn't forget. Or so he could read it several times before leaving the game and took the note inside of it offline. "Mothers are like that, buddy. We give what they want because they gave all we need."

Of course, there were a few unfortunate exceptions, but judging by the way Asher e spoke, it didn't seem he was in bad terms with her.

When he mentioned that he should've known better, Hanno took a deep breath, with the mention of Titanus battle making him pause and remind himself about that dire day. "That was the day shit really got to hit the fan." Hanno said, muttering to himself and looking up to Asher.

"This game meddles with your mind even if you don't reach your final death. Through all these years I carried the consequence of the one death I have in it. Honestly, it makes it clear to me this isn't just a game." Hanno said, looking away.

"Don't blame yourself. The fucked up minds that thought this was a good idea are the ones at a fault. You were just wanting to have fun."

@Asher

 

[Asher]

He really does want to agree.

Asher, in this iteration, is not an argumentative person. He allows other people to have their opinions, even if they swing wildly away from anything that he would ever think or do. They're their own people and entitled to live life the way they wanted to. But in this instance, he can't help but shake his head. He opens his mouth to offer a rebuttal, but the waitress appears with all the food he ordered and the argument is forgotten.

For now.

Asher reaches for the one thing that has been on his mind since he awoke today: garlic flatbread with hummus. The plate and dip are barely settled before he grabs a piece, dips it, folds it, and takes a hulking bite from it. A groan forces its way past the food and his jaws make quick work of it so that he can swallow and take another bite. He grabs for a mug of water, takes a few gulps, and goes back for another bite while his free hand reaches for the slim-cut pieces of chicken on a stick. Without slowing, he turns his head and devours a piece.

Chew, swallow, chew swallow; it's all Asher can do for the next three minutes or so. The sweat that appeared against his forehead abates, his pallor looks ten times better under the muted light of the tavern, and his leg even manages to stay still while he eats. Consequences of having an overactive metabolism, he supposed.

He pushes the food in his mouth into a cheek so that he can speak. "There were other ways to have fun," he says before swallowing. "Go outside, ride a bike, go to the movies, chill with my siblings; but I was always in my room playing that—this—damned game. And it...cost me my life and my mother, a son." He reaches for a napkin and wipes his fingers and then his mouth.

"Nobody did that to her but me."

@Hanno Futaba

 

[Hanno Futaba]

With the food coming, Hanno got slightly distracted at first, especially since the other man went for the meal similarly, though in a ferocity bigger than Hanno, something that would impress the faerin if it wasn't for the fact their conversation was a bit somber in a way.

The eating remained silent for a while, and Hanno didn't dare to speak up until Asher spoke his mind, something that was clearly on hold after the waitress interrupted them.

When he spoke, Hanno could feel a bitter taste in his mouth, almost enough to get rid of his appetite- Certainly a rare occurrence.

If there was one thing that Hanno didn't like, was to put the blame on the victim, and for him, everyone in this game was one. Asher with his UI-Lock, Corvellia who was gone from the real and the virtual world, the families that lost them, and even Hanno himself that lost friends and found himself harmed by all that was happening.

He placed the mug on the table. "I won't be here to convince you otherwise, buddy." He said, knowing better than trying to argue about it, though he still had to share his mind.

"Perhaps you should have stopped playing and... Found something else to do. Honestly, I've been trying to tell newbies to do exactly that ever since the game came back." He said.

"But at the time? You couldn't know. I couldn't either." Hanno frowned, then shook his head.

"... How have you been faring in this world though?" He decided to ask.

@Asher

 

[Asher]

It's with great difficulty that Asher slows down. The food tastes amazing and the only thing he can focus on is scarfing down more servings of mushroom soup, hummus, garlic bread, grilled sausages, boiled eggs, and chicken satay. He has to remind himself that the food isn't going anywhere and he has the rest of the afternoon to gorge himself if he really wanted to.

Additionally, with the return of the travelers, there would be more lucrative ways to make coin in order to buy such grand feasts whenever he wished to. So, he takes another gulp of his water and drags the back of his arm across his mouth, clearing it of grease and liquid alike.

He's thankful that Hanno doesn't press the issue. He's lived with the guilt for four long years and someone telling him that it wasn't his fault, that he couldn't have known better, while appreciated, would do nothing to remove it from the marrow of his bone. It would sit there, heavy and cancerous, until his last breath. And he would pick at it the only way he knew how: by helping others not make the same mistake he did and saving those who unknowingly tried to.

"I've been okay," he says after a long pause. "It's been...weird. When I woke up, I didn't have any of my stuff. My armor and weapons were gone and all my coins were scattered everywhere. A lot of shit was missing." His mouth quirks to the side and a sad glimmer enters the crimson of his eyes. "Thieves, you know? Damn bandits." His chuckle is hollow.

He's always had a sinking feeling that it wasn't bandits that stole from him...

"But, uh, since then, I've just been training. Helping where I can, moving from tavern to tavern to sleep at night. It's been nice." A frown crosses his features, tugging at his brows until they connect over the bridge of his nose. "Cept...there was this weird thing—two weird things—that happened. These...airships...crash landed one day, long way from here, and then there was this...red comet."

Another prolonged pause encompasses the table. Asher's fingers clench around the spoon in his hand and he lifts it to his mouth, shoveling another serving of soup between his lips. It's enough to snap him out of his memories.

"I, uh, can't use swords anymore. Weird, right? I dunno. I just—I'm not as good with them as I used to be. I'm better punching stuff now, real back room brawler kinda...style." And a strawberry flush colors his cheeks.

@Hanno Futaba

 

[Hanno Futaba]

"... That's horrible. It is the same way we found Sean back then." Hanno crossed his arms, pursing his lips and looking up at Asher. "It only makes the third death more dangerous, if you just respawn like that in a bad place... Defenseless." He said worriedly, knowing that there were temples existing on places that were far too dangerous to fare without a proper equipment.

Hanno took a piece of a bread, sinking on a broth and sending it right into his mouth before going for another sip of his drink, listening attentively at his words. "You mean the dragonfall? Honestly, I've been trying to know a bit more about it. I've visited Vintergard twice, and that became a wasteland." He sighed, peering at Asher and smirking a bit at him.

"Helping others? Then you are a good guy, aren't you? It is nice to know there are fellow buddies helping around... Despite everything you went through." He said, then shrugging. "Honestly, fists are better than swords. How they will disarm you if you don't use a weapon? Only if they cut off your arm, but even then, you have legs to kick, head to headbutt-" Hanno said a bit too confident about it.

@Asher

 

[Asher]

The name doesn't mean anything to Asher and he blinks in what is obvious confusion. However, hearing that the same thing happened to another person, that they awoke stuck in this game without their weapons or armor, makes him clench his jaw. Obviously, there was nothing he could do about it now—he didn't even know the person that Hanno was speaking about—but it shouldn't have happened to begin with. These UI-locked individuals should be helped, not stolen from.

But Asher was just one man. There was no way he would be able to enact change on that big of a scale.

"Wait, wait," Asher says in an attempt to interrupt the Faerin, a smile stretching across his mouth. "I totally wanna keep my arms though, even if I can headbutt and kick people." He gives a good-natured laugh before continuing. "Uh, yeah, a good guy. I...wasn't, before, uh, like, out there." He lifts his shoulders in a shrug and reaches for another stick filled with chicken.

"I wasn't bad, just—you know how life gets. Scraping by for everything, getting bullied, being hungry; it sucked. But here, well, I dunno, I adapted better? And after I got stuck, I didn't want others to also get stuck, or...go through...all that pain of dying." He wets his lips before taking a bite from his food. "So, yeah, I try to do the right thing. And I guess that's better than completely forgetting yourself, abandoning your humanity even if, you know, who knows if we're actually even human anymore. Right?"

@Hanno Futaba

 

[Hanno Futaba]

Hanno laughed at Asher's interruption, raising his eyebrow. "I mean, keeping your arms is probably a good idea, yeah. You never know if anyone will be there to give you a hand if it happens." He shrugged, reminding himself once again of Titanus battle. Luckily in that case, he had a lot of hands with him, too bad that didn't stop him from dying horribly.

He crossed his arms, tilting his head. "People change all the time, buddy. Nothing is absolute." Hanno smirked. Be it for the good or for the bad.

"The world is far from fair. We need to do what we need to do sometimes... If you are adapting better here, at least it is one good thing that came from all this... Mess. I think." He frowned his lips, usually being rather optimistic, but saying that getting stuck in a virtual world had good perks didn't sound exactly right. As real as the world was, and as much as Hanno wished to protect it despite knowing it didn't really have... A soul.

"I honestly don't know what happens to UI Locked people. I don't know what even Landers are, to be honest, they really feel... Way, way too real for me to think of them as just... things. It is weird. But if you can think and can see me, you are Asher. Human, beastfolk, or whatever. That's what I believe." Hanno grinned, once again focusing on his food.

"Think therefore I am, or something-" He muttered with mouth half-full.

@Asher

 

[Asher]

Asher snorts in obvious agreement before taking another piece of flatbread and dipping it in the hummus. Biting into it, chewing, swallowing, he takes another gulp of water before speaking. "Mess is right," he tells the smaller male sitting across from him. "I mean, you get so used to just opening up a menu to see your items or relying on the aim-assist program to help line up your attacks. Now?" He shakes his head. "It's all on you, on how good you are. And if you aren't good, well..."

The way his voice peters off and the shiver that wracks his shoulders is telling enough of what he won't say.

"People are nicer here than in New York, if that counts for anything." He gives a small smile. "I mean, I guess they gotta be to a certain extent. When you can wind up lost in the forest and hunted down by Dire Wolves or massive Honey Bees, it's better to make friends than enemies with your neighbors."

Lapsing into quiet, Asher's chewing slows and he takes more sips from his mug of water until it is empty next to his plate. Turning his head against his shoulder, he burps, loudly, before patting his chest. "Excuse me," he mutters, sheepishly.

"Hey, uh, are you looking for help with...well, helping the UI-locked people? Like, do you think the Arm's would be open to making a division or something? Because, I'd love to help if so. Well, even if not. It's—It's terrifying getting locked in and not knowing how things actually work, learning it on your own. And maybe the transition would be easier," he winces even as the words come out of his mouth, "if they had help, or a place to go that they knew they'd be safe."

@Hanno Futaba

 

[Hanno Futaba]

"Honestly I stopped using all of my UI functions, save for communication. Exactly because I know of what can happen." Hanno said, looking at Asher for a moment before his smile became fainter. "If worst comes to worst, I want to be ready to continue fighting." Was it silly to continue going for a game that could end up killing him? Probably it was, but just how many lives they could save if they continued?

"I can tell that you are probably good, if you are still around, buddy." He grinned, a bit brighter and then letting out a laughter at his words. "Hella yeah, here the sense of community is a bit better." Hanno said, reminding himself of the many times he fought next to others, even strangers, and all of them got together to defeat bigger enemies without leaving each other.

When Asher burped, Hanno chuckled, handwaving briefly to let him know it was fine. "Better out than in, buddy."

Then, the man's next words made Hanno look at him in a mix of surprise and warmth. Of course, someone UI Locked like Asher would have far more knowledge than anyone else on how to survive this world, and to think he would be willing to share some help, Hanno couldn't help but feel grateful and happy. "A Lion Arms division... Not exactly. But me and a friend of mine have been working on it. For now we just patrol the beginner's area to try and make sure they are safely brought to Honeyhome and are explained of the risks of the game." He said with a small smile.

"The buddy that works on it is a red haired woman, Cleo. She looks a bit serious and quiet, but she has a heart of gold. Maybe you have met her somewhere, but even if you didn't, it would be nice for you two to meet if you'd like to help. I know for certain that I would love to have more eyes and hands in this mission." Hanno nodded firmly.

@Asher @Cleo Looker (Sorry for the tag, but just in case you want to read something she is mentioned!)

 

[Asher]

He finds his head nodding in agreement. Turning off the auto-assist and forgoing using the UI entirely wasn't something that everyone would be comfortable with. And doing it meant, in a way, that you were accepting the risks that came with playing this damned game. You knew that you could die and you were preparing for it, which, when you thought about it like that, was pretty fucked up.

But so was base jumping, hang gliding, and diving with sharks. You were always a moment away from death, weren't you? Even walking down the street wasn't necessarily safe anymore. All it took was one glance away from the road, one stray bullet, the foundation of one building to buckle just slightly, and then, you were nothing.

Asher clears his throat and wipes his hands on the napkin before leaning back in his hair and tucking his hands into his armpits. The muscles of his arms bulge with the movement and he sucks a breath through his teeth. "Beginner's area, okay," he murmurs by way of reply. "I haven't been back that way in a long while, but yeah, I can do that. Uh, and if you need, I dunno—like if you talk to your superiors and they need proof or like, uh, more evidence? I dunno the word, but I could do that. Like, tell them my story to insist that this gets done, you know. That the UI-locked can be taken care of."

Hanno mentions a red-head woman that Asher has never heard of nor seen before, but he commits the description to memory. Maybe he would look her up, get to know her, see if she really did have a heart of gold. She probably did; Hanno didn't look like the type to keep friends with people who weren't pure in their intentions.

"I'll look her up when I get back near Honeyhome," he says with a small smile. "I'm...glad you're doing this Hanno. Real glad I met you too." A light blush covers his cheeks and his maroon eyes fall to the table before looking back up at him. "Thank you. For the food, for the conversation, for even...thinking of doing something like this."

@Hanno Futaba

 

[Hanno Futaba]

"You will get some nostalgia when you get there then," Hanno said with a half smirk, looking at Asher and then having a more fond expression on his face. "I don't think we need too much proof for this sort of deal, but of course, these are always welcomed. A lot of this UI Locked situation is being a lot based on trust, especially since it is so hard to detect who is UI Locked and who is in danger." Only some exceptions needed a bit more searching.

Hanno continued to devour his food, this time with a bit less restraint when noticing the time flying in their talk. Soon he should be patrolling before he had to log off and sleep for the next day's work.

"Good luck on trying to find her, buddy. Though honestly, she is hard to miss, you will notice when you find her." Hanno grinned, thinking that Cleo was fairly catchy for the eyes. "I'm glad to meet you too and very happy that you will give us help." He said, looking at the minotaur and nodding happily.

It was good to know there was a helping hand everywhere, even between those he was trying to help.

@Asher End~!