Private - Triple A Game?? Hello??

Bad game design or bad luck. For a world full of leaves and sunlight, Taka attested that it could only be one of the two. He had expected to get thrown into the nearest generic town with symmetrical cobblestone paths, or at least materialize upright. Instead, dirt crept between his fingers and half dead half damp leaves stuck to his avatar's hair like it was the newest fashion trend. "Naturamancy..." He breathed out. "May not have been the best thing to start with." Scarred eyes squinted. "Or maybe it was 'cause of Malefimancy."

Grumbles rumbled in his throat as he sat up. Everything sort of felt real, at least enough that the dirt that clung to his clothes reminded him of actual mud. Taka looked down at his gloved hands. The material squeaked as he made fists and tested a few things. "So far so good." With a grunt, the black haired newbie stuck a hand against the nearest tree trunk and wow that definitely felt more realistic than a game should have.

With a glance, Taka took the chance to observe his surroundings. With no other player in sight, the Japanese male cracked a grin and began testing the limits of his new body. Memories from gym class were pulled to the forefront of his mind as he commanded his avatar to go through the usual routine.

Push ups. Squats. Jumping jacks.

Mind numbing but useful. That and it freed up his head for space to think. Mostly on what kind of character he wanted Taka to be. There was a part of him that wanted to try playing the straight up good guy. Said part died an ugly death. Which also meant that he had to focus on the more important things now. Namely, gitting gud and gitting better. He had invested far too much time into video games to actually suck now that he himself was his own avatar. With that thought in mind, Taka stopped his exercise routine and began to fully immerse himself into this new character of his.

...Existentialist memes could probably wait until after he logged out.



@Alkali

 

Finally. Golden eyes glanced once, twice, thrice over her planner. The square remained blank and empty each time she checked. Within seconds the small calendar was tossed aside and the blonde dashed frantically over to her computer. Oh sweet lord Jesus she had been waiting for this day to come. While Terra had been gaining popularity Riley was left in the real world to scorn the "virtual" one with her friends. Friends being a loose, shallow term. Finally, she had time to explore the virtual reality she had been secretly drooling over.

However, one last obstacle stood in her way; character creation.

Character customization was always an abundant source of indecision and agony. Add in the factor this new avatar would be her. With fascination and awe in her eyes, Riley fiddled with nearly every single function that could be messed with. What had meant to look like a version of her began to spiral out of control, transforming into an ideal she could never achieve. It started with a small adjustment to her cup size and before she knew it she was face to face with a stranger.

"Haah.. She looks a little too kickass, doesn't she?" That wasn't Riley. As she reached for the reset button, though, she hesitated. In her own body her true personality was masked by closely monitored actions. Everything she did was perfectly calculated. This woman looked drastically different than her but maybe that was just what she needed. "Ugh. Why am I getting all introspective now? Let's just get into the game."

---

Sunlight gently brushed across her closed lashes, urging her eyes to open. "Wow." Riley Alkali was stunned by the breathtaking beauty of her surroundings. Born in a city of asphalt, naturalistic sceneries were drastically lacking in her life. The cool bark of the great oak tree she gently brushed her hand across felt all too genuine. This world was incredible to say the least. If given the chance she would opt to stay here and enjoy the nature that felt so alive. Oh, wait. She could do just that. All the choices were hers. Of course that would make for a dull game after a while. Something told her this was just the beginning of incredible sights she would see; so much better than the inside of a shopping complex.

After her brain fully absorbed and processed the sights around her in, Alkali knew it would be best to become accustomed to the games interface. While the forest seemed docile there was no way of knowing what she encountered. What did the instructions say to do again? A blank stare crossed her face as she dug through the archives of her mind for some sort of information. Didn't you have to swipe? If anyone was watching she must have looked like a madwoman, pawing at the air as if something was supposed to happen. I'm certain something-

Alkali jumped when the interface popped up, a small noise of surprise escaping her mouth. Quickly she glanced around, thankful that no one appeared to be around. "Okay, let's see what we have here." A nifty little "help" button gave her a rundown of how things worked and Alkali made sure to actually store that information for later this time. Alkali had noticed she was equipped with absolute garbage items but that was how most games operated. It would be best if she found items that could provide some use soon. Walking around without useful equipment in a video game was the equivalent of walking around naked in real life.

With the basics of the user interface comprehended, Alkali questioned how her physicality worked. In real life her strength was the equivalent of a potato at best, although that might be insulting to the potato. Hm. Tentatively she made her way over to a tree. Last time she climbed a tree she broke her arm.. Hopefully this time would go better.

Much to her surprise, Alkali found out that it was easy to pull her weight from branch to branch. Even her equilibrium wasn't failing her for once in her life. It was such a thrill! Unfortunately, the video game couldn't erase her fear of heights. The moment Alkali looked down panic welled in her chest. Oh gods how was she going to get down. She clung to the tree with all of her might as she looked for some sort of solution. She'd just have to.. keep climbing up. No, that was dumb. That'd only make things worse. But still! It wasn't as if she could go down!

As she feared how much damage she would take from a fall - and how freaking high this damn tree was - she dared to look down once again. Wait was that..? Another player! Or an NPC.. "Hello! Uhm.. are you a player?" Please, please be another player.

@Taka

 

"You are an orphan of circumstance." That was the core idea. "Parents murdered right in front of you. Any vestige of a happy life buried with them." Piece by piece, and with old lessons dug from YouTube, did the image of his character come to life. "The scar on your face is a reminder of that. Yet with age comes doubt. You no longer know what to feel about it."

The words spilled past Taka's lips. Backstory and origin crafted on the fly, with this practice an anchor to help keep him focused on what he wanted his character to be. "Driven, but aimless." It reminded him of his grandfather's stories. How he made characters and wrote them down on paper. Little aspects jotted down to help distinguish the creations from their author.

Though, the newbie mused that this little exercise of his should have been done before he made his avatar. Too late for that though, and it wasn't like he couldn't just reinvent himself. The black haired mage slapped his cheeks where red began to spread. Taka grunted as his focus shifted back to the dull oaks that took up most of his vision. Not only that, for the oak's trunk he leaned against dug into his skin as well as the smell of soil that clogged his nose.

He was a city boy through and through. New York City wasn't all that different from Shibuya, and that's what made it so great. Sure there was more clutter, but it was manageable compared to all the dead leaves that made it a habit to stick to his clothing. Well, not like this was the place to think about home. Even if there was little to think about it regardless.

"And you hate the outskirts. You learned Naturamancy out of necessity rather than passion." Another note tacked to his character sheet, and one that required little effort to actually show. With that settled, the city boy allowed himself a few more minutes of personable silence. For soon, he would find himself battling monsters and beasts nonstop. Honing what skills he had and learning more of what he did not. All in the name of becoming stronger so he could leave his mark on the world. And if such mark resembled the scar so prominent upon his face, then Taka supposed that it was nothing more than happenstance.

Objective settled, the mage had but taken a step towards somewhere when a voice called out. Years of distraught sociability slammed into the back of his head like a slasher flick's money shot. Taka froze and inch by inch did he crane his neck to face the person responsible. It was just another player. Nothing he hadn't dealt with before. Therefore, despite what others could have said, the scarred mage swore to every in-game deity that his breath did not hitch as his eyes met hers.

The world was just not fair!

And with no words to actually use, Taka simply stared with a face as blank as a window. He took in the stranger's form and tried his best to memorize it, even if that was something his mother always chastised him for. Women, regardless if they actually were, did not appreciate being stared at. Not that he could help but look. Physics was helluva thing, and whatever aesthetic this player had, it certainly was top notch.

Only when his mind finally regained functionality did he, with whatever eloquence existence has bestowed upon him, raise an eyebrow. "...?"

@Alkali

 

Oh my god. He's deaf. No other conclusion could be drawn from the lack of response. They were in the middle of a quiet forest which caused her voice to stand out like a sore thumb. It was her luck to run into a freaking deaf person in a video game. If only things like encounters could be rerolled. There was no way a player would make their character deaf so this raven haired man had to be a non-playable character. She was so screwed.

If she logged out would she still be hugging this very tree when she logged in? Alkali groaned. It wasn't as if she didn't know how unreasonable she was being. This was a video game. If she let a tree defeat her how was she going to fight enemies? She had to face her fear and - No, no, no. The ground was way too far away and she wasn't sure how everything worked in this game. Yes, not knowing if she would go "splat" was a perfectly good explanation as to why she was not about to risk falling from this insane height.

Alkali was dragged out of her thoughts when the previously assumed NPC eyes caught hers. "Uh?" Her gaze focused in on the scars - burns? - that were permanently sculpted into his pale face. She had to remind herself that it was rude to stare although it made her wonder if inflicted damage had a lasting effect on your avatar. Well, she still didn't know if he was another player like her or not. One thing was evident, though; his manners were 404 not found.

"Take a screenshot. It'll last longer." While her reply was snippy she couldn't help but feel proud that she created an avatar worthy of being stared at. At the same time.. it was creepy. Being catcalled in reality was never a wonderful experience and it seemed like that sentiment was tenfold in virtual reality. There was no way of knowing who was thoroughly examining every inch of your body.

The man held his tongue when it came to her question. Okay, this was really frustrating. If she wasn't stuck in this tree. "Catch me." Conversation clearly wasn't working but there was evidence that the male could respond. Her request was simple enough for him. For her it required jumping out of a tree and onto a potential pervert who may or may not actually catch her. Well, if he didn't catch her maybe he could break her landing..

A science and math nerd at heart, Alkali attempted to picture the angels in her head. Could tinker help with movements? Honestly, this could all end with her going splat but.. Before she could regain her senses and talk herself into a better course of action, Alkali launched herself out of the tree and directly towards the silent, scarred NPC/player.

@Taka

 

'Do not retaliate. Do not speak.'

Again. One word after another. And then again. Taka repeated the mantra in his head and made sure that he did not actually take a picture. It went against everything his internet persona stood for, but breaking character was not permissible. Otherwise, all that time spent thinking and moulding would go to waste! Sure it wasn't even half an hour, but still!

Still, he did try and open his mouth. An attempt in emulating speech, and one that he ended as his teeth audibly slammed against one another as he closed his mouth shut. With that option cut out, Taka assumed that standing around to wait for her to come down would be his next course of action. It was a course of action that he was fine with for if nothing else, it meant he got to stare longer.

And maybe try to figure out how to get a screen shot without breaking character.

And then the stranger decides that he had to catch her like she was his responsibility! How did her thought process even work?! Taka's mind began to race. Moving at speeds comparable to individuals who were taking their most crucial exams! So many useless answers, and even worse responses, and did she just jump?!

The mage didn't even know if he had the strength stat to catch her, let alone not fumble her around! He wasn't supposed to be this kind of character! But as the fates would have it, and before the system could give him a suitable list of options to choose from, Taka did the next best thing his brain could provide.

He reached out both of his arms, and promptly missed every nonexistent quick time event in that scenario.

The girl was way too thin, and despite it being virtual reality, Taka couldn't quite bring himself to actually make physical contract with a girl. She wasn't even 2D to begin with! As such, the human-sized projectile slipped past the mage's defenses and with the power of physics, slammed her torso right at the poor newbie's face. Legs buckled against the force, barely any resistance against such overwhelming firepower, and the scarred avatar crashed to the ground in a heap.

Mouth and eyes shut tight, Taka forced himself not to shout as pain blossomed at the back of his skull. It was not a welcome feeling, and distantly did it bring a resolve to maybe look up if he could adjust the pain settings before something worse happened. Given the situation though, Taka had to survive first. The flashing oxygen meter in his HUD certainly didn't help matters any.

Pounding a hand on the ground, the pathetic scrub tried his best to tap out.

First time being under a girl and this was the result? Figures.

 

Time ceased to exist, the second hand refusing to move, mid-flight. Wind embraced her cheeks while her heart rapidly assaulted her chest. Instant regret plagued her mind. The agony of leaving results up the fate - pure chance - was something she wasn't accustomed to facing. Up until this point in her life, everything was done with tactful purpose. Consequences were carefully thought of before she committed herself to an action. But now? Now there was nothing Alkali could do to reverse the tragedy in motion.

Well, she had mentioned she wanted a change.. but this was too drastic, too fast.

Alkali was fully expecting to meet her demise, muscles tensed and braced for impact. Grass could only protect her so much. Any skilled player, any well programmed NPC, would be able to move out of the way. From their brief encounter it was safe to assume the scarred man did not particularly like to react with others. He hadn't said a single word to her and she expected him to catch her.

"Oomph-" Time resumed and what felt like an eternity was merely a second. Her body collided with something hard but, at the same time, soft? Alkali didn't move for a few moments, struggling to catch the wind knocked from her lungs. That, that was supposed to hurt a lot more. Then again this was a virtual video game. Expecting any serious pain was, in retrospect, silly. All's well that ends well -

Thump, thump. Uh, what? Eyes widened as she regained her senses. Oh.. oh. With an unfamiliar speed she jumped to her feet, watching the broody man pitifully trying to tap out. Alkali wasn't sure whether to laugh, feel extremely embarrassed, or irrationally angry. Instead of reacting so decided to simply examine him. He hadn't moved yet, at the same time, he hadn't caught her either. Did that mean he tried..?

"Uh.. you can stop tapping out. I'm off." Wow, okay. She should have chosen her words more carefully there. That sounded rather risque. "I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to attack you." Honestly, she wasn't sure what came over you. "I just.. couldn't get down from the tree." Alkali muttered under her breath as if she didn't want him to hear that part. Oh, who was she trying to kid? She definitely didn't want that part exposed.

@Taka

 

"Sweet! Merciful! Air!" Were the first words Taka's replenished lungs gasped out. He rolled out of the way when the other person finally stopped trying to crush his face, and stopped on his back. No more annoying blinking meter in the HUD. No more actually feeling like he was suffocating. Definitely needed to get that stupid pain measurement thing adjusted so he didn't have to worry about actually dying in real life.

Coughing out a few more mouthfuls of over indulged oxygen, the scarred mage decided that it was for the best to just sorta lie there for a bit longer. Maybe not hate the world for a few more minutes. Almost an afterthought, the gold eyed newbie craned his neck to look at the girl that decided he was a good enough cushion.

His brain took a bit to wind itself up. Skirmishes between concern and frustration the focus of his thoughts. Eventually, one side won and tipped the owner that it would be better to actually sit up. "There goes all that effort into staying in character." Taka tried but couldn't help scratch the back of his head. Not to mention those stupid leaves somehow stuck to him again.

Hands slapped against the outsides of his thighs as he glanced at the white haired chick. "You okay? Dunno if you fixed the pain receptor setting thing you've got but fuckin' hell!" A groan. "Back of my head hurts like a bitch still." He would have liked nothing more to just lie down again but he was already half way to actually standing up. No reason to waste any more effort on his part. With another grunt, Taka moved his legs under him and wobbly got up.

"Why'd you climb a tree anyway? Looking for something?" Asked the male as he patted down the actual dirt that got caught in his clothing, before stuffing his hands into his pockets and facing the girl in question. "Actually, are ya new? Or like, know where the hell we are? I've been at this for 20 minutes tops and I legit have no clue what to actually do."

@Alkali

 

The previous silence that surrounded the mage might have been more comfortable to deal with than this dramatic display. His first words were in stark contrast to his dark, brooding appearance. Her gaze flickered around their surroundings, praying that no attention was drawn to them due to his melodramatics. As of right now they appeared to be the only living souls in sights; any animals now thoroughly chased away by the hysterics.

Was this all really necessary? Alkali couldn’t help but roll her eyes. With a human cushion to leverage her fall, she didn’t realize the actual pain this world could cause. The physics were remarkably accurate thus her momentum wouldn’t have been decreased by video game logic. There was so much to take in, however, that Alkali has yet to take notice of this. Rather, her ears were turning red at the thought this was all an implications that her body weight had crushed him.

A voice yelled at her to spin on her heels and stomp away. Indecision caused hesitation, though. There was that other little tiny voice that told her that the correct option was to make sure the guy she forcefully made her pillow was okay. He could have hit his head which caused him to become outright deranged. That wouldn’t weigh well on her consciousness.

Fears slowly began to dissipitate as the black haired man sat up. Staying in character? Pfft. Alkali nearly snorted, albeit managed to suppress the urge. Well, at least she knew now that he was another player.

”Now that you mention it, I remember seeing a pain receptor option while looking over the player interface.” Alkali murmured mostly to herself. Which could only mean. Oh, ow. Her “little” stunt must have really hurt if the receptors weren’t on an appropriate setting. What she had believed to be melodrama was a real reaction. Honestly, it was incredible that the game could create such real sensations. It was really fascinating although the other player probably thought differently.

His questions were reasonable with the last set revealing an interesting tidbit. So, he was new like her. In a way this news was comforting yet, at the same time, it would have been nice to encounter an experienced player. ”Unfortunately, you’ve encountered a fellow noob who has no idea where we are. We have to be equipped with a map of some kind, though.” All video games had maps.

Alkali sheepishly rubbed the back of her head, ”As for your former question, I wanted to test my physical physique in this world.” It was a simple enough explanation even if it didn’t explain why she couldn’t get down. Based on the why she folded her arms across her chest, however, she clearly did not want to say anymore on the subject.

@Taka

 

There was a muttered curse just beneath Taka's breath as he stopped rubbing the point of impact on his head. The sharp pain began to subside, leaving behind a dull ache to take its place. It was far more manageable, that much was true. Sure, he had to deal with another loser but he supposed that her being pretty more than made up for it. Then again, the stranger did end up forcing him out of character and having to go back into it just screamed too much effort to do anything about at the moment.

"That's that, I guess." Supplied the male as he waved his hand in a flippant manner. Not much could be done with the circumstances anyway. "If we had to go with sheer realism though, I'd bet on us actually needing an item called 'Map' to even see where we are." Grunted out the scarred mage as he began to fiddle around with the settings. "Speaking of, couldn't you have tested your 'physical physique' by trying to climb down the tree?" Added Taka, his free hand adding actual air quotes to his sentence.

"Or," Taka continued even as he closed the menu, too frustrated to actually go through the entire thing. "I dunno, maybe look for monsters to kill? It's a video game. I'm pretty sure killing things would test things out better." Opening up his menu again, as if he had forgotten to check something out, the newly logged player continued to mutter to himself. Choices popped up and drooped golden eyes began to scan about for anything that might be useful.

Snapping the thing closed when he found his little spell book and directing an incantation, Taka once again turned to face the girl. Only half ignorant of anything she might have said whilst he perused through his list of available attacks. "Actually. Have you seen anything we can kill? I really wanna see how magic works in this game, and I'm pretty damn sure you wanna do some of those kung fu wizard anime things too."

A beat.

"Actually, ya think we can start off with something quick? Like a slime or anything that doesn't aggro just because it saw us?"

@Alkali