Megathread - Link Start: Open Area

Astor looked like a headless chicken as he ran through the woods following the pillar of light. While dodging low-hanging branches and jumping over thick roots, he swiped his dirty arm across his face, clearing his vision which was hindered by the streams of sweat dripping down from his brows. Unbeknownst to him, he spawned in the middle of a wolf’s den, which its inhabitants were absolutely terrified when he materialized with a blinding light.

It only took a few seconds for one wolf to respond and snapped at the hem of his pants. With a tight clutch, it started pulling him, effectively rooting him while while another wolf leaped at his rear, sinking its teeth into his ass and set him off on a maddening run through the thick forest after he somehow shook off it off.

“WHAT THE FUUUUUUCK!!!” Astor yelled as the pack of wolves followed him in hot pursuit. It seemed the game has played a cruel joke on him, for that is not how any newbie should start their new virtual life.

 

Full dive games. What a blessing this would be.

Maya had placed herself into the game after much hemming and hawing over what her character would be. Being something strong and reliable was a absolute must. The role of being useless and meek was for her 'real' life. So Minerva was born. Or generated or whatnot. Regardless. Maya hated to do anything without knowing everything there is to know first. So upon first spawning in the game... she immediately began to scroll through her menu and see what everything was about. All the while keeping her sword arm ready if a beginner monster showed up, or some trouble maker.

Luckily she was at a fairly safe spawn point. A plains land between the coast and the city of Stokbon. She found a lone tree and began to fiddle around. In the distance were the sounds of players going about their own first time experiences. People really weren't something Maya wanted to deal with in her little fantasy right now. Best get used to this first and make a good first impression.

 

It was only when Lucia finally opened up her eyes to the new world around her, the world of Terrasphere. What clicked first wasn't her surroundings, but instead the fact that her body was different. What was once average, easy to ignore became fit and enchanting with long raven hair and tight clothing she wasn't brave enough for in reality. "... Finally, that horrible me is gone again..." Lucia exhaled a sigh, as if trying to breath out who she was in reality to let 'something new' fill her instead.

Finally noticing the world around her, it seemed a little desolate, neither monster nor other player around her. It was to be expected, but rather then dwelling on it, she clenched her fist repeatedly as she slowly began to walk towards the direction of the bright light. Her figure pushed tall reeds and grasses apart as she learned about her new self, her new reality reading as much information as her menu offered. Trying to be as informed as possible, she advanced leisurely testing out her skills, particularly her magic on her quiver.

As she got closer to the light, or other people who might happen to find their way to her first, she'd draw her hand out from her novice quiver before adjusting her expression and wearing a bright welcoming smile. There was plenty of time for making sure her arrows were as heinous and unforgiving as possible later... For now, she finally had another chance to be sociable and find friends.

 

Getting into the game for the first time, Gw-- No, Lilianna now had to give herself a second check. Legs? Check, Arms? Check, Butt? She thought glancing back bringing her hands to her backside with a firm nod-- Double check. She made it into the virtual world; completely oblivious to the fact that this was a digital journey and losing a body part during the loading process was unlikely to say the least, she still approached it as if she'd survived a critical event. Looking up to the sky, seeing how blue it was, using a hand to block it out, she took in a fresh breath of the natural air that didn't have any of the city's pollution in it clearly refreshed.

Letting it out, she started feeling a little more in her element when surrounded by trees and nature, at least, more then when her partner was explaining the technical process of net-diving or whatever it was called. "Alright then... Now, where is she." She murmured glancing around curiously. They'd come to this strange place side by side after all, she didn't think her partner would be too far cupping her hands, she started calling out through the woods, believing that real life logic still applied; that most creatures would avoid a loudly shouting confident person in the woods who didn't assume the pose of prey.

It was during her investigation that she heard the cry of wolves and shouting of curse words. It dulled her reaction for a flicker, but eventually a grin came to her face as she started to jog towards the sound. Normally, when someone was in distress and freaking out, being chased, you would typically run AWAY from that person, but Lilianna who didn't quite grasp what was going on began to jog towards the fleeing man. Unintentionally presenting herself as new prey she timed her pacing with the one frantically charging through the woods to outrun the beasts. "Hello there friend! I'm sorry to bother you, but I think I'm lost-- You see, I'm currently looking for my wife. She looks--" Lilianna began to happily describe what her partner looked like, only it didn't dawn on her that she had no idea what she looked like in the game, or even that this strange person would have no idea who she was talking about. But people who had the same hobbies were close right? They were all playing the same game so they had to know each other somehow Lilianna deduced unaware of how these games worked.

Instead, she merely continued sprinting not too far from the man but not exactly close enough to be tripped as a distraction for the beasts behind them. Sprinting and forest runs were certainly Lilianna's element though, it was clear from her laughing and smiling expression that seemed to have no understanding of the pains of death.

@Astor Balthas

 

The menus were easy enough to figure out. It was all seemingly designed to be accessible even to those who never played a virtual reality game before. Maya's level of experience was not all that great but constantly seeking to escape reality can bring one into these games more often than not. Her parents were always making it difficult and keeping hold of one was impossible. She still had to figure out how she would ensure this game wasn't taken from her. This new life, ripped from her by the people who gave her life in reality.

After a bit more analysis. Minerva nodded contently. Closing the menu, Maya had learned the basics. Unfortunately more detailed stuff, like the actual world and peoples, religions, countries, how everything fit together. All of that would be found at a in game library. Or she could just question npcs constantly. No thanks. Pushing herself from the tree trunk and looking around the vast plains around her. Maya felt the sheer vastness of Terrasphere for the first time.

"Incredible. Yet it is all a fantasy."

Sighing, she decided it time to work on her poise. Her face and her glare. Minerva was to be the inner powerful woman trapped in a meek outer shell that was Maya. So, she had to get used to putting her 'game face' on. Moving her arms and legs, checking her armor pieces that looked strong but were actually like foil armor upon further inspection and a fairly average looking sword. It became apparent quickly that she was not all that great right now. At least her body was in tip top shape. That was worth every second Maya spent in this game.

After taking the focus away from herself again. Minerva's eyes would see a bright light in the distance. She checked to see if there was any information about it, but nothing. The beginner guide was pretty bare bones for sure. She would assume that other players were heading there. Probably a type of scripted event that everyone was meant to do. If that was the case... maybe she should go...

Sighing and not wanting to be told what to do already on her first time here. Minerva trudged slowly towards the light. Taking the time to fight some and keep to herself.

 

A land of magic and mystery, a place where gods power was greater. Races that no longer existed or that simply could not exist in such a distant plain as hers wandered the land. Appearing in the form of a white haired girl covered in black and streams of black billowing behind her. Merkaba was a intimidating character regardless of stats. It was not her intention however to scare away anyone. Only to invite them to learn the truth.

Stupendous!

There was no doubt that this is another dimension. Elizabeth had experimented with the full dive technology before but it was banned for a time after the SAO incident. Of course there would be mishaps. To cross into another dimension would have it's consequences. According to her research, this place shall be known as the 33rd dimension. It is magnificent! It is a land closer to the gods. So of course it allows for powers unseen in the prime reality. A dark presence even in avatar form. Merkaba strode across the land in her new body. A body crafted from the digital wiring that connected this world with her own.

"The power of technology is nothing more than witchcraft itself."

Merkaba smiled gently as she saw another player getting used to their surroundings. Approaching them she would speak softly before continuing towards a bright light in the distance. Certainly it was a message from her gods that this was where these travelers into the new dimension should go. Elizabeth would use Meraba to reach out and see if she might guide these people into a understanding of the universe and the many other universes that exist.

"Is it not grand to be in a world beyond your own? Look, we are beckoned..."

Merkaba would continue past while the player gave a awkward look at her from behind. They would all have to get accustomed to this existence if they were to learn anything of importance. It was trivial. For now her main goal was to learn and grow while seeking more of the truths of the 33rd dimension. It would further her research.

 

"Oooh."

Whatever Alpha had expected to find when she connected to the game client was, by leaps and bounds, surpassed by where she had found herself in. The festival was simply stunning with the bustling crowds and glorious decor! Exotic foods and drinks littered the stalls and the pillar of light which had drawn her here had eclipsed the world! Never before had she ever seen a magnificent sight like this in her nineteen years of life and, along the same line, never had she ever experienced the vigor and excitement that took place in being in a new, unfamiliar territory.

A grin forced itself onto her face, forming the ghostly impression of a mixture of JIm Carrey and the antithesis of Victoria Beckham. The analogy sent a shiver down her spine and she resolved never to use that metaphor ever again.

Shaking her head to rid herself of that thought, Alpha took another look around. The scenery had blinded her before and, now with her head slightly cleared, she took a more informed view of the fair. A woman, peculiarly dressed in a way that distinguished her from the rest of the men and women who attended, caught her eye.

The lady was dressed in lace that appeared to be something out of an old Victorian novel (perhaps something straight out of Edgar Allan Poe or some Gothic fantasy). Her dark colors and her positively ancient yet endearing dress gave Alpha both a sense of foreboding and wonder. Alpha knew she had to meet her; someone who looked so regal that it seemed to be part of a dream!

"Oh, uh, hello there!"

Alpha gave her best smile, tapping the lady's shoulder. Well, as far as she could reach anyway (this was the first time she ever regretted the very obvious size difference she had created her character with).

@Merkaba

 

The bright light ended up being a marker of sorts for something much less... dramatic than Merkaba would have liked. A festival or a marketplace in the middle of a forest. The trip was nothing of import. Merkaba gave her starting weapon, a farmer's scythe that she altered to a black color, a good workout. Her magic choices were also perfect. She could feel the dark power of her gods growing within her. It would be worthwhile to see if any of the chants and energies of the 'mana' in this dimension would have a impact on the prime dimension. It was so much easier to do things here. Without hours of setup.

The dark lady was like a sore thumb in the bunch of players and merchants. Several others would give her a look of distaste. This world had many in it that also did not understand the dark arts it seemed. Elizabeth had a great deal of work ahead. For now she stayed in one place and began chant her own 'blessings' quietly. She needed to keep herself from falling prey to the idiotic creatures indulging in silly happy things around her.

"May the dark show me the path..." she murmured.

A finger tapping on her shoulder would cause her to stop. Already others were being attracted to her aura. Just as it was outside of this place. Her head turned slowly as her red eyes, amazingly the same color as those she held in her other body, fell upon the short person behind her. Her words slid out like a serpent but was not antagonistic. Just creepy.

"Yessss? What do you seek little one?"

@Alphabet Chocolate

 

Pink hair or purple?

Stripes or no stripes?

Glossy lipstick or matte?

Ugh. Customization was such a pain. She hadn't wanted to look herself. It was a frickin vrmmo game, where you could be anyone you wanted to to be. She embraced it, it just meant a heavy investment in time to micro-manage every bit of her blob of an avatar, right down to the fluffy tail. Course, she had to do it. She'd had to play her avatar for a long time, and re-customization was another pain. Who knew how much RL currency one had to pay to get to change again?

Satisfied at her voice customization, she clicked through the name generator. Her half-orc bard from her weekly DnD 10 edition was called Uma. Pretty name, and one she intended to re-use. Giddy with excitement, with one motion of her hand, she selected the start option.

Round and round the loading screen went. She had expected lag, but the quickness of the log-in surprised her. Damn good servers. Before her eyes, she emerged in a small forest clearing.

Her nose-no, it was Uma's- twitched. Her silver eyes widened at the vast depth of green that surrounded. Truly, it felt that she was eye to eye in a park. She reached out to a bush, and idly brushed one of its leaves, the velvety feel was so soft, it was remarkable.

Her left foot went first.

Then her right.

She reached up high above her to touch a branch.

Oop, yes, she was taller now. Ha. The stripes on her cheek moved in response to the wide grin on her face, as she moved out into the wide word of Terrasphere and into the festival area. She couldn't wait to see what trouble she could get herself in-game.

 

The Dive was, less of a pain than other games he played. It was a smooth transition with none of the built up sensory overload he usually felt when logging into a Dive MMO. Usually when he had done it his brain had issues connecting instantly with his newer senses - thus giving the wonderful feeling of vertigo induce nausea mixed with blaring headaches and ringing in his ears.

Speaking of ears - his new ears were fluffy dark indigo blue, triangular, and twitched at even the slightly breeze. His other appendage happened to be a matching colored thin tail that fluffed out the further it got to the ending tip. This wasn't a surprise, after all he chose the Felis race for a reason.

"Huh? Well ain't that interesting?" He spoke silently surprised at his baritone voice. With only sample clips to go with he didn't know full on what his virtual voice would sound in game. He was pleasantly pleased with his new deeper, darker, almost animalistic tone which he felt fit him perfectly. Quirking an amused smirk the young adult Felis began testing his avatar's bodily functions. After a few stretches, finger movements, and practice movements later - Vincent felt confident enough in his maneuverability.

"Now.... Where am I exactly?"

Looking around for what felt like the first time, Vincent realized he was in just the outermost parts of a dense forest that went up into a steeper and grittier mountainside. It seemed he was one of the luckier ones, blessed with safer (if more rugged) landscape.

Unfortunately, it also meant he was even further away from the 'Light' that was his destination. Well the long journey didn't bother him much, he wasn't sure how badly it may affect his virtual self.

"Well, beggars can't be choosers..."

Mumbling he began his trek towards his first ever objective in this new virtual reality...

 

Alpha couldn't help but stare up in fascination. The way her eyes flash a crimson red and the eerie feeling which seemed to coat and ooze off the stranger simply attracted Alpha to her even more. She could sense mystery and adventure and, if there was anything that Alpha liked, it would be a thrill. Ignoring the goose-flesh which sprouted from her toes to the tip of her head, she introduced herself.

"My name's Alphabet Chocolate---you can just call be Alpha, though--- and, well..."

She trailed off, unable to think of anything to say. How would you explain to someone that a sense of omen had led her to them. That was an obvious bad move regardless of how idiotic or socially-stunted someone may be (and Alpha gave herself a kick in the head for even humoring that option for a single second). Still, she wanted to stick around with this mysterious lady, if only for a little bit. The game was still quite new to her and she needed not only a guide but some kind of excitement to kick-start her entire soul-searching, cliche journey.

Resolved, Alpha straightened her back, trying to be as level with the lady as possible and looked up with determined eyes.

"Would you like to group up, miss? I think it'll be fun having a partner in this instead of going off alone, you know?"

She gave her best attempt of a nonchalant shrug. She was being honest and what better way to show it than to act all cool and casual? That'll definitely earn her some brownie points if she could match up to this strange lady in terms of casual coolness.

@Merkaba

 

After fixing her equipment, taking the time to apply a bit of twisting and villainy to her tools, she felt a lot more confident about the world around her. Even if it was just a temporary situation, she'd at least found time to make her arrows a little better then normal. It was only fortunate she had the foresight to make a good enough cover as an archer and alchemist. Her quiver was kept strapped to her lower back, the fletching could be seen poking out of the end, it was a full quiver at least, though the arrows were normal and typical looking even with her add-ons. Her bow prepped in her hand, one arrow drawn and ready, on standby as it were, just in case she was ambushed by a monster, it wasn't as if she were a physically fit woman or someone experienced in hunting to know these tricks and tips. Instead she only knew from her experience gaming that it was good to be prepared in case something suddenly appeared.

The more unusual part, perhaps the more noticable one was the book hanging from her hip. It hung just a bit lower then the quiver at her hip. As if it were a holstered gun, it was bound to her thigh tied down and hung by her belt. As if it were a quest item, it was bound and tied tightly to prevent people from opening and reading it. What could be seen of it was it's purple color with portions of different textures as if it's cover was sewn together from different materials. It was something Lucia tried to bring only a moderate amount of attention to, to set her apart but at the same time make it so people wouldn't instantly finger her as some kind of villain.

Confident, proud of her appearance that she'd meticulously sculpted and tirelessly worked to a level of perfection she left her hilly spawn location in favor of a forest close by knowing that that glowing light in the distance that had been nagging her may not calm down unless she approached it. She walked with a moderate amount of caution for her surroundings, but the sound of another person trudging through the forest growths made her perk up her attention. Trying to quiet her steps as much as possible, she followed the sound to see a man trekking on through the trees and brush ahead of her. For a moment, she drew back her arrow, the very faint sound of the string stretching the bow's frame into a crescent creaked as she drew the arrow back. The metal arrow head was normal metal, but it had almost a sinister sheen to it in the light that made it seem a little unusual.

With bow drawn, she put thought into trying to take the person down, she did need to kill a lot of things, and slaying a newbie who was just as new as she was seemed easiest since she had an advantage in range... After some thought though, she slowly relaxed the taunt bow deciding not to shoot. Instead, she pulled the arrow back down knowing that even if there was a chance she could win with an ambush like this, it wouldn't be as important as networking. "Hey. You doing okay there? You're playing a game, be a little more chipper." Lucia decided to call out with a chuckle. Her voice was low and warm, the kind you might expect to hear from some smooth jazz singer draped over a piano. The arrow was still notched, but relaxed and held at her side making it clear she didn't intend to fight.

@Vincent Stark

 

King had been luckier out of the other players that had entered the game.

His transition in had been an entirely new one as his senses from the real world turned into that of the game world, and he felt his conscious slip into it. He spent the longest time in the character creation, adapting it - there was the concept he could be whomever he wanted to be. Thankfully, he only changed subtle details about himself - forming an exaggerated appearance. After he was happy with it, he loaded in.

He had kept his eyes closed for the duration of it, but it wasn't until he heard the sound of leather that he knew he was there. Taking one final breath through his nose, he opened his eyes. Other players were joining in, and they seemed like they knew what they were doing.

Unlike the other players, however, King took the time to observe the new things in his way - checking out himself, just like everybody else. But then he went through all of the equipment, systems - he essentially had nothing. Then all of the menus. He took a solid ten minutes in his own position, before allowing himself to move properly. "Wow..." he spoke out loud. This had been exactly what he was looking for. In his brief time of playing Gun Gale online, it was definitely not his thing. This... rustic place was much nicer. It fit his bill.

"I can be anybody I want..." unconsciously, his back began to straighten. A pillar of light? His first objective, no doubt. He began to jog, the light wind on his face.

He was greedy. He wanted everything. This was the grand opening, the official Beta. Everything was up for grabs. He wanted it all. The land, the power. To be King. The King. That was the reason for his name, and his pride would allow him no less. He would be treated like a King. A grin spread across his face. The area he was in was a non dense woodland, and rather than going balls deep into a dangerous zone, would keep outside of anything dense for the moment, taking in the wildlife: from the touch of plants as he jogged through them, the slight dampness of his nose as he would breath, a small drop of sweat on his forehead - he could feel everything.

For now? It was the bright light, that was his object. And he saw people. Many people.

 

Turning to the source of the voice his feline ears twitching softly the tall, muscular cat male leveled his amber gold eyes with the woman's own distinct irises. Part of him wanted him to tell her to shove off, but the real him - the one behind the avatar felt that wouldn't be prudent when just starting out. 'Especially since I'm nowhere closer to civilization or my objective...'

"....Yeah. Force of habit, ya know?" His tone while gruff held sincerity in it making it pretty clear to the keen observer that he wasn't as crude as he seemed to be at first glance.

That, and the slight pink blush of embarrassment that dusted his cheeks. "Anyways..." He started looking everywhere but the beautiful woman who he may or may not have made a negative impression on.

"Ya wanna join me on the road yonder? Safety in numbers and all that." Quirking a cheeky smile as he rolled his shoulders eager to be on the move before starting to traverse onward to their destination not bothering to sit there and wait for her to reply. "I dunno about you but I rather not stick around to see whatever nasties are out here waiting to make us their dinner."

In his mind, if the lady could talk said lady could walk just as easily while talking.

@Lucia Mierz