100 HP

MAX HP

98 EN

MAX EN

The strange instance he had with @Indra from 3 days ago really stuck with him as he felt like she’s been rather cautious around him while they were in the wagon together. What is her problem?! He thought to himself, so what if he saw more than he should have, she was objectively attractive and should be appreciated. Quinn stared at Indra inquisitively while the wagon got a lot bumpier from all of the rocks slowly phasing out the smooth dirt road. Though, he kept his distance from her as he thought about why she was so strange, but he couldn’t figure it out; he was denser than uncooked quinoa.

Instead of dwelling on it, he spent the precious wagon time getting to know fellow party members, namely @Comet , the chick who was as tall as him. “Your hair color matches my scarf, I think we’re going to get along swimmingly, yo! How long have you been playing?”

@Eileen Dover Although he was a bit curious about the foxy blond lazy who was eyeing everyone, she spooked him out quite a bit. His natural instinct told him to avoid her, though for what reason, Quinn did not know.

@Magdalyn was a confirmed newbie, whom Eileen was teasing quite a bit before the trip, though he couldn’t quite get a good read on her for the moment.

@Elmyra Cressen And finally, there was the chick who looks like someone squirted pomegranate into her eyes, which gave her both the ruby-red eyes and a permanent resting bitch face.

After running through the list of his party members, Quinn just came to the realization that he was the only dude in a party of ladies and he stuck out like a nail. In any case, if they succeed their mission, he and Indra would be able to expand their network of potential party members in the future.

After three dreadful days of traveling, the wagon finally came to a full stop as the coach driver informed them that their group will have to walk the rest of the way, up to where the massive watchtower stood erected.

Thanks to his mobility-focused setup, Quinn found himself light on his feet, tackling the long trek with impunity as he used the night to cover his track. “So, for anyone who has hardly spent time in game, how does it feel to be farming wolves one day and suddenly going on a mission to rescue players right off the bat? Did you guys make sure to turn on simulated pain, it hurts a lot when you go with the realistic setting.”

Quiet Advance
Tracker / Roll
87+20=107
[ Outpost Distance: 107/1000 ]​

 

100 HP

MAX HP

99 EN

MAX EN

Eileen wiggled her toes against the rough terrain, stretching out her tired limbs. It had been a long ride to the base of the mountain, and now they'd have to walk the rest of the way. How irritating. No, no. Spending the entirety of the trip being ignored by the only guy on the team (what was he, gay?!) was irritating. Having to walk uphill AND be ignored? It pissed her off.

For a moment there was silence as they took in their task. And then @Quinn insisted on speaking. "You realize it's a stealth mission we're on, right? We do the sneaky sneak and keep our mouths shut before they spot us?" she said, tone bored and just a note off scathing.

Eileen's eyes flitted about, trying to take in as much of their surroundings as possible. Their route seemed to be set in stone which made her slightly… uncomfortable. Only one way in and one way out. As they walked, she would have to keep an eye out for any escape routes that might've been missed. The scouts probably hadn't looked for those kinds of things after all.

Her light cloth armor would do little to protect her in the heat of battle, but at least in this moment, it made the climb a little more bearable.

"How about we try getting there before the next century?"

Quiet Advance
Tracker / Roll
38 + 15 = 53
[ Outpost Distance: 160/1000 ]​

 

100 HP

MAX HP

98 EN

MAX EN

Thanks to the whole ‘not taking the wagon because it’s incredibly conspicuous’ approach, Elmyra had to haul the whole supply of potions herself. Of course, she won’t complain much – and still doesn’t technically, at least not out loud – if it’s just a normal slog while keeping their head down in the middle of the enemy territory. No, they just have to keep their head down and at the same time climb a steep rocky cliff…while she needs to haul the whole supply of potions herself.

Thankfully, it seems that whatever fantasy filter that had tempered the realism aspect of Terrasphere mandated that one woman hauling a wagon’s supply of potions is totally a-okay, somehow. At least, Elmyra didn’t feel the detrimental effects of carrying such a large load inside her bag just yet, despite her currently trying to defy the effects of gravity by propelling her body upwards of a stone cliff.

Must’ve been all the herb picking exercises.

…Well, anyway, the intra-party relationship has been pleasant…if rather strange if you just dig beneath the surface. Aside from the fact that the tank of the party had been the only male around – which kinda brings to mind all of those trashy harem fantasy shows that used to be popular a couple of years back – there seems to be a bit of an…awkward tension between him and a couple of the other female members.

Yes, that also brings to mind those trashy harem fantasy shows. Go figure.

Trying to not distract herself in playing an impromptu psychoanalyst right now, Elmyra tried to concentrate on hauling herself up on the stony path instead. Progress had been…rather slow actually, but mainly because she had been really neglecting the development of her agility and movements stuff in favor of her alchemical masteries. Something to consider for if she survives this ordeal relatively intact, for sure.

“We haven’t been overly loud, and according to this map the outpost is still a while away so I think he can be excused.” Elmyra said to both @Eileen Dover and @Quinn , her right hand grasping on one of the ledges upwards in an attempt to propel herself faster. With a rather limited success. “Though I’ll keep an eye on the possibility of an advance patrol nonetheless…and perhaps tone down the voices down a little…”

Quiet Advance
Tracker / Roll
38 + 0 = 38
[ Outpost Distance: 198/1000 ]​

 

100 HP

MAX HP

98 EN

MAX EN

Magdalyn had spent the wagon ride in general silence, and that had suited her just fine. She had dozed when appropriate, logged out occasionally, and spoken when she was spoken to. That particular arrangement allowed her to fly under the radar, drawing no unnecessary attention to herself. She was a woman who did not mind the attention, and she could handle it - she was a teacher for goodness sake. But in front of the classroom, she had the answers. She had the plan, and she was in charge. Here, in Terra, she was still out of her comfort zone. Coming up with ideas was her forte, but even she recognized when she was too inexperienced for such things.

So the blue-haired player had been content to pass the time browsing her menus, and asking questions about basic gameplay. She tried to keep the latter to a minimum, considering the disapproving looks some members of her wagon gave her. It was no secret that at least one team mate had their reservations, and she could hardly blame them. She was brand spanking new, a foal trying to find her legs. And you signed yourself up for the Derby.

When the wagon rattled to a slow stop, Mags was one of the last to climb down. Let the others lead, she reminded herself, in all things. Even something as basic as beginning their climb could potentially be dangerous, and they had a far better idea of what to expect. They were also far better equipped to handle whatever was thrown their way.

A warm breeze streaked through her layers of already unruly hair, sweeping it back from her flushed face as she peered skyward. The path was steep, uneven, and appeared treacherous even beneath the veil of darkness. She could practically feel the tiny rocks skittered beneath her feet, throwing off her balance as she attempted the climb. Nothing said "I'm completely unprepared" like falling, quite literally, on her ass.

She drew in a deep breath, and forged ahead anyway. When the tank asked her a question, she opened her mouth to answer, but was interrupted by the older blonde from before. Back to silence, then.

Quiet Advance
Tracker / Roll
14 + 0 = 14
[ Outpost Distance: 212/1000 ]​

 

100 HP

MAX HP

95 EN

MAX EN

The pink-haired woman rolled her eyes. @Eileen Dover easily took care of problems for her, which eased the pressure placed upon her shoulders quite a bit. "Better safe than sorry, amiright @Elmyra Cressen?" she stated, lightheartedly, but with the clear intention of quieting her teammates. The rest of the group might have not been able to see what lay beneath Comet's agreeableness or act of confidence, but it certainly wasn't pretty. The perfect plan would've been ideal for the controlling woman but there wasn't any time for that, unfortunately. She paused to check on @Magdalyn in case she required aid but quickly moved on in order to keep up with the rest of the group. Seeing the - was it timidness? - of Magdalyn had Comet whispering a sympathetic, "You're doing just fine. We'll all be fine,".

Her words jinxed the safety of the green group. Right then and there her movement had been brought to a halt. Precise and calculated; Comet immediately grabbed her bow upon the sound of strange noises as well as barely being able to sense nearby, potential predators. Her focus had turned from scaling the mountain to clearing it. "We don't need a distraction holding us back," she shook her head in disbelief, stated her reasoning, and drew back a bow that would deliver deadly arrows into any nearby enemies in sight. They'd lasted a long time without Wagons, climbing mountains, dealing with @Quinn... perhaps it really was due time for things to go wrong.

Engage the Beasts
Tracker / Roll
82 + 20 = 102
Beasts: 398/500 ​

 

100 HP

MAX HP

95 EN

MAX EN

If only she wouldn’t look like a weirdo, Indra would have curled up in a ball a while back already. Her eyes had managed to register everything within the wagon while the group were on their way to the mountain, but her eyes did not meet the eyes of the staring green-haired male not even once. According to info relayed to them by scouts through the game’s message system, their task was to deal with forces within what appeared to be a small watchtower. Whether there were any fellow players within it was beyond their ability to investigate. Eventually, they had to leave the wagon behind and face the uphill way to the outpost.

“Sarcastic. Were your first few monsters wolves? One of my first quests had my group dealing with several oversized beasts.” Although she ignored what @Eileen Dover said about Quinn’s attempt at communication between the group members, she couldn’t help but notice the way Eileen looked around. No wonder, Indra may be a complete newbie in terms of stats, but she had had her share of problems and things to deal with in this virtual world to a certain degree, and her gut feeling told her that her fellow teammate looked for escape routes. Let her be, she thought, knowing when to run was a good thing. Perhaps someone else was in need of help or assistance... Anything to keep her mind off the grasstalker for now!

Indra approached @Elmyra Cressen , “Worried. Will you be okay carrying that much? I can help if you need.” Should the party member agree to share some of the burden, she’d help her carry some of the potions. When Eileen commented that they should get going already, she responded, “Agreed. Remaining here for long will do us nothing.” For the time being, Indra turned on her Investigation Mode to check their surroundings and the path along with Eileen.

“...?!” For a moment, she could swear she saw movement somewhere. “Worried. Quinn, we have enemies.” Shortly after, screeches from above could be heard, followed by bestial growls approaching at a fast pace. “There are too many. We’ve been found out already.” The magecrafter fought back some of the beasts by using her mace enchanted with an arcanamancy spell to keep them at bay.

Engage the Beasts
Tracker / Roll
67 + 0 = 67
Beasts: 331/500 ​

 

100 HP

MAX HP

95 EN

MAX EN

Quinn ran his hand through his lush green hair as he responded to @Eileen Dover, "Don't worry, I guarantee you we're going to get spotted and end up having to fight our way through, there is no way you're going to convince me that we'll be able to get through unscathed. Look at this map design, there's literally only one way up, they are preparing a welcoming party for us."

Well, Quinn's prediction came true, considering that @Comet went on alert and readied her weapon the moment she spotted a horde of animal literally leaping at the party out of nowhere. "Whoa there!" he voiced his surprise. "Oi, incoming zoo!" he shouted at the other party members who have yet to notice.

Then, he turned toward Indra, "Don't get too close to the mountain tigers, I have fought a few of those a while ago, they have really strong close-range engages that do a ridiculous amount of damage."

After he had sounded his alert, Quinn grabbed one of his wooden arrows slung diagonally across his back and nocked its tail against the bowstring, before he drew his breath in and began tightening his upper body as he drew it back. Despite being adept with ranged weapons, Quinn made it his mission to only play the game in realistic mode. Through it, he found himself absolutely sucking at aiming and will spend a lot of time practicing. Even with the hours he had spent refining his aiming with a variety of ranged weapons, it took a wolf leaping at his face for him to be able to get the cinematic-worthy shot where he launched the arrow and it goes into the wolf's head via one of its eyes. The kill was kind of gross, if he had to describe it, but a kill is a kill.

Engage the Beasts
Tracker / Roll
68 + 40 = 108
Beasts: 223/500 ​

 

90 HP

MAX HP

96 EN

MAX EN

The stampede of animals was upon them in an instant, and Eileen joined the cacophony of noise with her own snarled swears. "Way to jinx us, jackass! The idea was to get as far up as possible so we wouldn't have to deal with this shit the entire way!" She hoped @Quinn could hear her. He may be cute but she doubted there was anything between those ears of his.

She ducked under the claws of a mountain tiger, rolling forward and inching towards the outpost. The fighters could handle the beasts and Eileen would keep them going forward bit by bit. As pointed out, she'd yet to spot a way out of here other than straight back, and that seemed just as equal a death sentence.

She nodded to @Comet and @Indra, who were doing decent jobs holding off the beasts. They wouldn't need her help.

"If any of you brats die here, I will personally revive you just to kill you myself!" Her eyes seeked out @Magdalyn, hoping to really punctuate her point with a glare. Unfortunately, splitting her attention between navigating and pinning troublesome noobs with disapproving stares proved dangerous for her health. Her shoulder bloomed with an intense pain as sharp talons dragged through the exposed flesh there.

"Gah!" Okay, that hurt!

Slapping a hand over the open wound, Eileen grit her teeth and whipped back to attention. The damn bird had flown away, straight into the swinging mace of doom that was Indra's weapon. If Eileen had watched, she might've been satisfied with the instant show of karma. Alas, her attention was fully redirected to keeping out of the way.

When she reached the top of this stupid mountain, she'd force whoever ran this circus to dance themselves to the death.

Heh. That brought a smile to her face.

Rapid Advance
Tracker / Roll
51 + 15 = 66
[ Outpost Distance: 278/1000 ]​

 

100 HP

MAX HP

93 EN

MAX EN

She heard the birds first. The high pitched cries echoed off the mountains, giving the sensation of coming from all directions at one time. Had that split second of clarity continued, Magdalyn probably would have been able to pin-point the exact source, her eyes squinted against the inky blackness. But as a chorus of snarls joined the symphony, the staccato slap of paws on hard-packed earth filling the spaces in between, Mags knew that chaos would soon descend on the small party.

Even with the quick mental preparation, the woman found herself scrambling when the beasts finally reached them. One hand fumbled wildly over her shoulder, before clumsily yanking her beginner spear from its sling. Everyone else had fallen easily into their positions and roles, while she was left trying to decide what to do. She had no magic, no armor, no experience. What she did have was a pointy stick, and it did not take a genius to know how to work it.

Comet said we'd be fine, she reminded herself. And they would be, as long as she did not piss Eileen off. So, by extension, she figured they would be fine as long as she stayed alive. Stay alive, avoid the mountain tigers (per Quinn's advice), and whack at things. I can do this.

Perhaps it was her own dumb luck. Perhaps the game, or the universe, took some pity on her. But the wolf that slowed to a stop before her was much smaller than its brothers. It crouched low, hackles raised, emitting a deep growl that rumbled in her own chest as well. The canine's lips quivered as they drew back to bare sharp fangs. Magdalyn grit her own teeth, accepting the challenge before she lunged at her first virtual threat. Fortunately, the spear's pointed end found its mark.

@Comet @Eileen Dover @Quinn

Engage the Beasts
Tracker / Roll
59 + 0 = 59
Beasts: 164/500

​

 

100 HP

MAX HP

90 EN

MAX EN

Comet glared daggers at @Eileen Dover's retreating figure, once they seemed to lock eyes, for the split-second she had available to turn away from the predators' attack the group. An unpredictable woman would also mean she's a dangerous one, too. With a twisted face, in obvious disgust, Comet replaced her spite with the determination to ensure the safety of her teammates. Not that she cared much about them more than herself; deep on the inside she knew that trouble would arise sooner or later if the mess of animals had been left behind for them to procrastinate tackling as an obstacle. If she couldn't plan everything herself she might as well try and take control whenever the opportunity presented itself. As of now the pink-haired woman, with furrowed brows and quivering hands and a face that held anything other than a friendly attitude, felt akin to a warrior. Trash armor and a pathetic bow couldn't overcome trained marksmanship nor any amount of selfish desires Comet held.

Luck laced her bow, skilled hands more in the area of secondary attachments, along with each arrow dug into each foe she caught with her eye. A few quick dodges here and there, Comet remained attentive and with one goal currently in mind. "Not such a newbie move," she commented in regards to @Magdalyn's moves that seemed better than the poor woman often let on. "Confidence would suit you much better,"

Engage the Beasts
Tracker / Roll
46 + 20 = 66
Beasts: 98/500
​

@Elmyra Cressen

 

85 HP

MAX HP

93 EN

MAX EN

The sudden animal attacks had left Elmyra on an awkward position. It’s bad enough that she had to haul the supply of healing means, her lack of anything resembling movements in the middle of climbing the mountain, the sudden assault from above by various vicious beasts mean that her already slow stride had grinded to a halt. Realizing that the most important thing to do right now is to find a solid ground to content with, Elmyra dropped down with a heavy sound on a rocky platform below.

Unfortunately, her less-than-nimble movements, as well as the sound in which she made her landing, made her a juicy target to the incoming beasts. Already arriving down much faster than their ‘companions’, the vicious – probably even omnivorous – birds started swiftly converging on her, their sharp beaks managed to find the gaps her leather-made armor can’t protect. One of the birds even managed to find one of her unprotected eyes and dove in, drawing blood.

With the amount of adrenaline in her system pretty much in overdrive, Elmyra let out an uncharacteristically animalistic growl. Coinciding with several arrows making their marks in thinning the flock, Elmyra took that opportunity to grab one of the overzealous birds currently trying to pluck one of her eyes out.

Shrieking, the bird struggle to try and set itself free. However, without bothering to aim or even see where she’s going with it, Elmyra managed to throw its frame and managed to hit a couple airborne members of its flock. The act didn’t manage to thin the flock considerably – well except the one bird being thrown, that guy’s just done – but at least it managed to stun a number of them to be easy pickings for the rain of arrows.

With half her vision red thanks to the trickling blood from her eye, Elmyra took one look at the surrounding terrain. More specifically, the number of beasts that had been significantly cut down thanks to the efforts of her party members. “Their number is thinning!” She barked another uncharacteristic order, which really sounded like she just growled the words. “We need one more push at their ranks.”

Engaging the Beasts (-15 HP, -5 EN)
Tracker / Roll
6 + 20 = 26
[ Beasts: 72/500 ]​

 

100 HP

MAX HP

90 EN

MAX EN

After hitting the giant bird that managed to get a taste of Eileen with a vicious crack, Indra glanced back at Quinn to try and understand the info passed down to her about the mountain tigers. She panted from trying to hit airborne enemies and used the small time interval to respond and catch her breath, “Cautious. Mountain tigers… Hm. Have you tried using phantasmia in one to pet it? Petting a tiger must be a good feeling.” There were many things she could have said in response, but considering their situation, it wouldn’t hurt to try and live up the mood a bit, right?

One could say it was karma, but just as soon as she finished communicating with the green-haired man, a large mountain tiger advanced with a pounce against her. Thankfully, Indra rolled to her right and avoided the beast’s attack. As soon as she stood up, however, the tiger closed in again, this time clawing at the magecrafter. Indra used her weapon to keep the enemy at bay by swinging her mace, against it, but given the difference in size, her disadvantage led her to retreat a fair distance. Realizing that trying to deal with the enemy by using her physical attacks alone wouldn’t work, words rolled off of her tongue as a magic circle was summoned below her feet, “Balle chsee powel…” She briefly stopped for a backstep and resumed right after, “powel elle manaf!”

manaprism transmutation

​

In response to her chanting, the magic circle under her feet glowed brighter while her mace receiving a blue magical aura around it. Indra stopped her retreat and stepped forward to attack the tiger with her glowing mace. Thanks to her spell, the increased reach and impact managed to hit the tiger before its attack could cause any damage to herself. Cracking bones could be heard as the weapon made impact with its right flank, forcing to roll on the ground. Indra watched at apparently dead creature on the ground, heavy panting denoting the dangers of using physical combat and magic at the same time. Once she was convinced she received no response from the tiger, she turned to the rest of her party members.

She watched as @Magdalyn finished one of the wolves on her own, “Good job... “ the blonde muttered to herself amidst the chaos that ensued their path. Much to her unfortunate surprise, her ears caught notice of heavy steps. Indra turned back to the tiger, only to notice it was already back up to its feet, enraged paws clawing on the ground with great strength as it prepared to surprise attack Quinn, “Afezeria oz Manaf!”

Install Manaprism

​

Her eyes glared down at the running tigger, the energy on her mace coalescing into a mana prism charged with arcanamancy as the spel lwas completed, “Quinn! Behind you, catch!” The blonde launched the prism to the fellow party member. Should he use it to attack the tiger, the prism would cause a small aracanamancy explosion in contact.

Engage the Beasts
Tracker / Roll
42 + 0 = 42
Beasts: 30/500 ​