Private Eastern Brisshal Training some newbies

[Yaxhin]

Yaxhin barely hears what Aaron says, their eyes fixed on the now crushed body of the wolf in front of them, grotesque and way too real.
They've killed animals before, of course, growing up on their family's homestead, but it was always much different than this, always had a purpose. With this kill... Surely there's something they can harvest? Is wolf edible, and does anyone here care?

Their eyes snap to Aaron and the wolf in front of the paladin when he calls to them. Tame that one? When they just killed its companions?
Yaxhin just gapes for a moment, before it gets through their brain that they could care for this one, and not kill it right now.

"Right, yes, uh- Taming a wolf, nothing special!"

They hurry over, staff returned to its sling on their back, and face the wolf.
Beast arts, right. Instinctually, they offer a hand to sniff, like they would to a dog, and their hand goes right to petting the wolf without hesitation.

 

[Aaron Marone]

Aaron smiled slightly at the fact that both beastfolk were shaken from their experience killing the wolves.

"These wolves are dangerous. They make travel difficult for the natives of this world, and they have no predators to cull their number except us players. We're essentially part of the ecosystem in this world. That said, I'm glad neither of you are too thrilled to have killed. It feels so real, doesn't it? I suppose neither of you need to be warned to never turn your weapons against one of the natives, then. Some players have, saying it's a game, why can't they kill NPCs? But I disagree. Some of the natives here I'd even go so far as to consider my friend."

Aaron watch the agender beastfolk attempt to tame the remaining wolf, fascinated by it. Amazed at their boldness to just start petting the creature, Aaron chuckled.

"Beast arts sure seem amazing. What are you gonna name it?"

 

[Rakka Deltorra]

Rakka forces herself to take several deeps breaths, gripping the grass tight in her hands.

She looks up as the odd paladin speaks again and focuses on him, smiling a little as Yaxhin approaches the wolf and pets it. She snorts softly at the end of his words.

"It's too realistic, if you ask me. I get that's part of the appeal, but..."

She shakes her head with a sigh.

"Anyway, I've never been big on PvP. PvE is more my style, but honestly I prefer focusing on crafting and homesteading elements anyway. Who are your friends here? Is there a friends list feature?"

She shudders a little as it hits her the other beastfolk was so readily petting one of the wolves bent on killing them just moments before.

"Are we gonna... are we gonna do more combat training or was that all our gold bought us?"

Rakka raises an eyebrow at Aaron, then works on standing up again and brushing herself off.

 

[Yaxhin]

"I can't imagine... with how realistic everything is, how could people want to kill someone who looks, for all intents and purposes, like a whole person? Even... Is it possible to harvest things from these wolves, would they be used?"

Yaxhin turns to Aaron, looking to the other two wolves with a sadness in their eyes, before looking back to the slowly calming wolf ahead of them.

The beast arts really are potent... Almost too potent. It's jarring, how quickly the wolf lets go of Aaron's arm and lets itself be pet, even reluctantly, by this beastfolk.

"I don't know what to name it quite yet. Do beast companions have hunger meters like we do?"

They'll have to figure out what wolves eat in this world, if they do, and if the ecosystem is as well simulated as everything else. In any case, it'll be nice to have a companion, and hopefully on they can dote on.

They smile over to Rakka at the mention of homesteading and crafting.

"I'm hoping to get involved in those elements, too! You'd think living on an actual homestead in real life would be enough for me, but, I guess not."

 

[Aaron Marone]

Aaron shook his head.

Sorry, I don't know much about crafting and harvesting resources. I know there is a crafting system, I imagine you'd be able to harvest the claws and the teeth and the pelt and make something out of them, but I'm not entirely sure how. As for killing the natives, yeah, I don't understand it either. But some players are convinced that since it's all just a game, they can do whatever whim they fancy at the moment. Afterall, there's no real law enforcement here, not that can affect us. We die, we respawn. We get imprisoned, we can just log out. There are no consequences to our actions.

When the agender beastfolk asked about the wolves hunger meters, Aaron nodded.

Yep, they have all the same needs as us. Just like they're a real, living being. Wild wolves slaughter whatever who ever they can to eat. A tamed one can be fed your leftovers so nothing gets wasted. Plus they get pets. It's an immensely better life for them. As for more training, I'm here until y'all don't want me anymore.

 

[Rakka Deltorra]

Rakka beams shyly at Yaxhin.

"Oh wow, what makes you want to spend time here then if you've already got that? Ah, you don't have to answer if you don't want to..."

She regards the wolf once again, tilting her head and crossing her arms.

"Um, depending on your sense of humor Pelt might be a good name. Feynir also comes to mind, but it's probably a bad omen to name a pet wolf that."

She bites her lip, the name 'Wolfie' also coming to mind but knowing that's too ridiculous to suggest as a name option.

"The... NPCs, or natives as you call them... they don't have their own law - right, you did mention jail... I - there's no moderation for this game?!"

Her ears flick and shoot upright as she looks at Aaron in alarm.

"There's no bans or kicks for players... no mod team running around as players... I thought that was standard for this type of game? Are you really saying there's none of that?"

 

[Yaxhin]

Yaxhin focuses on the wolf, sitting down in front of him- apparently- and coaxing him to settle down and get pets.

"That's right, it's alright, you're safe, big boy. I'll get some food for you soon, promise."

They glance up to Rakka, smiling widely as they listen to the name suggestions.

"I think I'm going to mull over the name for awhile. Those are some good suggestions, though!"

They listen to the conversation about mods, inwardly musing that of course there isn't an official mod system, the game is literally illegal! Hopefully the players can figure out some way of managing themselves...


The wolf quickly gets fed up of just being pet, and bowls Yaxhin over, eliciting a yelp of shock.
Thankfully, the wolf seems content just to thoroughly investigate the agender beastfolk, sniffing all over their face and shoulders, before settling right on top of their chest.

Yaxhin grunts under the weight, grinning wildly.

 

[Aaron Marone]

The natives do have their own laws, but like I said, it can't do much to players. There's no official moderation team or anything of the sort either. There are some players who are teaming together to try to enforce a sense of order, but I don't know how effective they are. Besides them, you also might run into the occasional vigilante, but as always with those, it's a toss-up on which side of the law they should actually fall on. After all, if you kill a killer, the number of killers in the world stays the same. So, kill at least two.

He chuckled and shook his head.

That's a joke, by the way.

Aaron watched the wolf sniff and then lay on Yaxhin. The creature seemed to warm up to them fast. Was that the power of Beast Arts?

So what do you two wanna do now? Want some more combat training, got any more questions about the world or mechanics or anything?

 

[Rakka Deltorra]

Rakka smiles a little at Yaxhin's compliment, smothering a chuckle over them getting tackled by the wolf.

"Looks like you've got a ways to go training that one yet."

She nods, taking in Aaron's words and purses her lips.

"You've... certainly got a dark sense of humor. I've gotta admit, I wasn't expecting that from a paladin."

Her posture relaxes as she mulls over what she's most interested in doing next.

"Hmmmm.... I'll definitely take more combat training, don't want to get caught off guard if I end up on my own. I took Magitech for non-combat reasons, so I'm not really sure how to utilize it with my other masteries during combat. Do you have any suggestions, Aaron? Or if that's not your expertise, got anyone you recommend I reach out to?"

She shrugs

"Honestly, I'm pretty new to all of this so I'm open to any and all advice you have on where to start. Do you have any preferences, Yaxhin?"

 

[Yaxhin]

Yaxhin laughs, as well as they can with how crushed they are. It comes out more like a wheeze than anything.

"I'll need to get this wolf off of me, eventually, at least!"

As if the wolf understands, it sits up, freeing Yaxhin, and paces a small circle around them, before laying down again.
Yaxhin finally gets to stand, blessedly free of the giant canine on their chest.

"Well that works, I guess... Right, I took a race trait for that. Is that right, good boy, you get that I'm going to care for you?"

The wolf whuffs, standing and shaking out his fur. Yaxhin grins widely, their tail flicking lightly behind them in excitement.

"I think I'd be up for more combat training, maybe find something other than a wolf to hunt and feed my new friend?"

They look between Aaron and Rakka, bolstered and eager to keep going.

 

[Aaron Marone]

I get that a lot, actually. I try not to be one of those paladins with a stick up their ass, but there are certain things I don't budge on. But all in all, I think it's better to make people laugh, and dark humor works for some people.

He shifted about, scanning around for any signs of danger. It was the beginner area, so there wouldn't be much, but it was still in good practice to always be looking around.

Magitech is a support Mastery, right? Then I don't have experience with that specifically, but support is my primary role. If you've ever heard of an old game called Dungeons and Dragons, then you're basically an artificer. You make stuff to solve problems. I'm not exactly the most creative person, so I wouldn't be able to come up with too many ideas. But you could always put a rocket on your hammer, give it an extra burst of speed when you swing. That'd be cool. As for more combat training, we can do that. I'm not sure it'd coincide with hunting for your wolf, though. What do wolves eat? Rabbits, deer, stuff like that, right? Not exactly combative. We could try hunting a bear. He's probably not picky, any meat will work for him. Though wolf meat would probably be in poor taste, huh?

 

[Rakka Deltorra]

Yaxhin's enthusiasm is infectious and Rakka breaks into a grin.

"Which racial trait did you take then, Yaxhin?"

She considers Aaron's words and nods, frowning a little.

"I suppose that makes sense, but don't you worry treating death so lightly will only encourage player character deaths? It... definitely works as a distraction, I'll give you that."

The paladin checking their surroundings prompts her to do the same, and her ears relax when she spots nothing alarming.

"I've heard of Dungeon and Dragons... my dad had some old books based off of it. The rocket idea is definitely interesting, but I'm worried about losing my hammer if I did that... do you think I could do something like fire landmines? It'd require some planning to use them, but maybe?"

She shudders at the paladin's last comment.

"I'd think that'd be in very poor taste indeed. And I'd think it'd be traumatic if it went into a frenzy again and Yaxhin had to put down the friend they just made. I'm voting for the bear hunt."

 

[Yaxhin]

Yaxhin continues to scratch behind the wolf's ears, enamored at immediately having made a friend. Even if it is with Beast Arts... and even if this wolf is digital... It's still nice, and the fur feels so realistic that it's great fluff therapy.

"I took primal aura- it lets me communicate simple ideas to any creature, one-way. I'm sure it helped in calming this sweet boy down."

Yaxhin looks around as well, taking in the view around them as much as they are looking out for danger. Being in the woods is so nice, even in game.

"One of my friends plays Dungeons and Dragons, though I've never had quite the free time to devote to it. It might be cool to look through those books your dad has, see what inspiration you could get from it?"

The wolf watches around them, starting to pace idly and sniffing at the ground, and Yaxhin watches, a wide grin on their face.

"My vote is bear hunting, too. Surely we can get plenty from a bear, both to feed this one and to take back and see what's wanted."

 

[Aaron Marone]

On the contrary, I think the lightness I treat things is important. It means when I do get serious, people know that something is about to go down and to stop testing me.

Aaron nodded at the beastwoman's idea of fire mines.

Those sound badass, yeah. Funnily enough, old books my dad had is the same way I learned about paladins for the first time. And look where that landed me! Sure it can be fun to sit around with some books and paper and roll dice, but nothing beats actually doing the heroics yourself.

He clapped his hands together at the decision to go bear hunting. Normarlly beginners wanted to avoid bears, but these two seemed willing to give it a try. Worst case scenario, he could revive them if anything went wrong.

Alright then. Yaxhin, do you and your wolf wanna take the lead? Let's go fuck up Winnie the Pooh.

 

[Rakka Deltorra]

"Ah, Primal Aura. That would do it. You gonna take Homebound next?"

Rakka watches the wolf, eyes narrowing a touch and her ears swivel backwards. She notes where the handle of her hammer is in case it decides to not be friendly anymore.

She breaks into a grin at the paladin's praise, glancing away from the wolf to look at him.

"Nice! Glad you like it, I'll hafta work on brainstorming a couple more uses."

Her grin shifts back into a frown.

"But you're still not really doing it. It's just a bunch of codes and data.... not you doing it..."

She trails off into a mumble, ears drooping and she shuffles her feet

"Ah. S-sorry if that was rude, I don't mean to offend. It's just... good to keep track of reality... I think. Sorry."

She tries to deflect with a smile, but her posture fails to match.

"A-anyway, onto Winnie the Pooh, and maybe Piglet next?"

 

[Yaxhin]

"I probably will take homebound next, yeah. I'm kind of hoping to find a place to set up camp on the edge of town or something."

They watch the wolf as well, trying to consciously use that Primal Aura, and make sure the wolf knows the other beastfolk is a friend, not a rabbit to hunt.

The wolf pads over to Rakka, idly starting to sniff over her.

"I'm trying to tell him you're a friend, I hope it works?"

The sounds of the woods do distract the wolf soon enough, and the wolf doesn't try to harm Rakka, instead padding off to sniff around in the undergrowth.

"Right. Winnie the pooh, maybe piglet- is a bear a good idea, do you think? Or would wild boar be easier? Are boar around here? Come on, but, let's go hunting."

They head off deeper into the woods even as they ponder, patting their leg as if expecting the wolf to heel.
He does, for a moment, before moving to walk between Yaxhin and Aaron. He's much less sure that the metal man is a friend...

 

[Aaron Marone]

You say it's not really me doing it, but I disagree. I feel the soreness in my back from carrying my armor. I feel the wounds in my arm from where the wolf bit me. I feel the wetness on my face when blood sprays across it. I feel the weight of my sword when I swing it. Sure, it may be all ones and zeroes, but what is our brain in the other world but a meaty computer? Synapses either fire or they remain stagnant. One or zero. Our perceptions dictate our reality. Sure, it's important to remember what reality is, but as far as I'm concerned, this world is as real as the other, even if it is digital. Spend an hour talking to one of the natives, ask about their lives, the lives of their father and their father's father. See if you can call them NPCs after that.

He paused.

Sorry, that got preachy. I apologize. It is a game, I shouldn't tell you how to play.

Aaron exhaled heavily.

As for our hunting target, boars are surprisingly more dangerous than bears. Their meat is better, though. We'll see what we come upon.

 

[Rakka Deltorra]

Rakka lets out a nervous yelp and jumps back from the wolf sniffing at her, ears flattening back against her head.

"D-Don't tell him I'm a friend, tell him to leave me alone! Keep it by you! St-Stay back!"

She crosses her arm bracers across her chest, trying to ward the beast off from approaching her. Her eyes follow the wolf warily, refusing to let it out of her sight.

"I guess we'll have to agree to disagree then? I'm not really here to play, anyway...

She sighs in relief as the wolf loses interest, scurrying to position herself on the opposite side of Yaxhin. Leave the wolf between the two people not bothered by it... her ears perk up a little, eyes now alert to their surroundings as they head off again.

"Sounds like it'll be Winnie the Pooh then Piglet then... maybe a bear, some more wolves, then a boar is a good order? How much grinding do you think we'll need to do to be ready for a boar? Or is getting good at attacks and positioning more important than leveling up?"

 

[Yaxhin]

"Sorry, sorry!"

Yaxhin's eyes widen at Rakka's clear fear of the wolf, somewhat shocked.

The two of them continue on into the woods, the wolf darting ahead every once in a while to investgate some interesting smell. He never stays away long before looking suspiciously at Aaron and returning to his spot in between the Aaron and Yaxhin, guarding his new friend from the one that taunted him.

"How do we find a bear, then? Just keep going?"

Hopefully, their wolf will be a little happier- and more bonded- with some bear in his belly. And, maybe they can harvest something more from the bear, see what sort of things are available to craft.

They look behind them, still feeling bad at leaving the wolf carcasses just to the wild... but hopefully there are vultures or something that will make use of the meat.

They think they remember crafting being something they had to choose, though... they'll have to look into that.

 

[Aaron Marone]

Well, last time I was looking for a bear, I just made a post on an app from my phone, but there's no sort of third-party integration in this world, and I don't think the type of bears we're looking for use phones anyway.

Aaron chuckled at his own joke.

In seriousness, though, finding a bear would be a good test of your expertises. Use your awareness expertise, see if you can find any bear tracks or pellets. Remember, if they're small and smell like berries, it's a black bear. If they're large and smell like pepper spray, it's a brown bear. That's.... that's a dated joke. Sorry. Plus, I think I forgot the setup of it.

Aaron cleared his throat. He raised his free hand to his mouth and called, though not too loudly, out.

Oh Yogi. We've got some pic a nic baskets. Come out, come out, wherever you are.