Learning by Heart [M-ADV]

Learning by Heart

Alpha waited alongside her two beastly companions. Whilst Terry, the more ferocious of the two, sat still and quiet, exhausted from hunting a school of fish in the river back at Pormont; Corn, the hedgehog, hurried around, sniffed, and explored the area with his little nubby nose. They had wandered out one of the questing taverns at Brisshal (the Crimson Barmaid to be exact, one of the few establishments around there that don't deny patronage to minors except in the case of alcoholic consumption). They had gotten news that there'd be several mentors around in Adecus Forest who have opted to pass down their skills and knowledge to the next generation, willing to teach essential masteries to whoever had enough experience thus far. Dempsey, she supposed, had seen the request as well and they had both messaged each other about it. They were supposed to meet up at Adecus Forest at this exact spot to find the quest-givers and, hopefully, gain an extra skill or two.

Alpha had been a bit overzealous and excited about the event and had come a few minutes earlier than expected and, regrettably, it resulted in her current situation of waiting for Dempsey. She rested her head soundly on her backpack, watching the clouds in the sky and laughing a bit whenever she spotted one that looked a tad bit like a familiar shape. "Look, Terry! That's a car!" she pointed, but the dingo gave her no attention or awareness as to what a car actually was or how it looked like. Sometimes she forgot that the residents of Terrasphere didn't have the same unique inventions and knowledge that she did. Unfortunately, no matter how much she tried to convince Terry about the existence of this advanced machinery, he hadn't believed her one bit despite their bond and, while that made Alpha a bit bitter, she knew that it was one of the peculiarities of the game that had been instilled in all the NPCs and so on.

The dog gave a whine, his paw twitching in his sleep in the most adorable way. The dingo was probably dreaming about chasing rabbits or something but Alpha gave it no mind. She was already pretty used to how cute the dingo could be in his sleep (although it doesn't stop her from cooing every now and then). These were the times that she wished the game had a camera function or something (maybe there was and she had yet to discover it) so she could cherish these idyllic (admittedly dull) moments.

"When's Dempsey going to come?" she asked no one in particular. She supposed that every cloud has its silver lining and, perhaps, maybe the long wait was to calm her nerves down. Then she shook her head, laughing her thoughts off. Who was she kidding? This was just the most boring, mind-dulling thing ever.


​

@Dempsey Fabijain

 

Dempsey crested the last hill that peaked from an uphill slope of the shallow gully she'd followed here and saw Alphabet laying in the grass, and as always she was talking to her Dingo. before introducing herself again, she used her detection vision and gave the surroundings a cursory once over, just to be sure. It was well ingrained into her nature by now to always err on the side of caution, even when it came to idyllic scenes like this one, especially when the barometer was Alphabet, whom impressed her as being so careless she almost consider the child self destructive. the fact that the last time the two crossed paths in Adecus, they wound up in a desperate struggle to defeat three forest trolls.

Choosing to make her presence known only after she was assured that all was well, she raised her arm in a casual wave and braced herself for twenty minutes of alphabets nonsense, though she supposed this was as good a time as any to stop for lunch, but she was impatient to get this over with. She'd spent several hours agonizing on what the next step in her progression should be, and had finally settled n Mudra, the art of empowering ones self through Mantra recital, and the activation of her own Qi. It seemed like the most effective route available to her in order to shore up a glaring weakness in her skillet which currently rendered her ineffective against non-humanoid opponents.

She un-slung her pack and fetched a cloth wrapped parcel, holding it up and remarking "Want to stop for lunch before we head out? We don't know how long this is going to take, and this kind of stuff is always dangerous after all. Also, who doesn't like sandwiches?"

 

Alpha cheered when she saw Dempsey coming over, waving and casually strolling forth. Her eyes shined upon seeing the felis, a distinct juxtaposition from Terry's irate growls and snarls. She couldn't help but be marveled by how absolutely cool Dempsey Fabijain was! The woman was also so smooth and, well, nonchalant about everything. The woman was basically the reincarnation of Han Solo or Johnny Depp or something! Alpha quickly lifted herself off the ground and sat excitably next to her backpack, rocking herself back and forth. Corn, squealing and frightful of any feline creatures, grabbed onto Terry's coat as the dingo stalked the area and watched the cat-woman warily, ready to strike.

"Lunch?!" Alpha exclaimed, so gleeful at the simple and mere prospect of everyday eating schedules. She watched intently as Dempsey took out a box from her bag, wrapped in some kind of white cloth. Alpha's mouth watered, her stomach growling at the mention of sandwiches. Terry sniffed the air, hungry for more (despite eating at least a dozen whole fishes) yet too tense to approach the woman for food. Alpha thanked Dempsey and hastily grabbed the box, opening it up with deft fingers, and pulling out some sandwiches! She quickly handed the box back to Dempsey with three sandwiches in her hand and gobbled one up, her in-game hunger bar slowly refilling. Unlike her previous meals, Alpha didn't oblige herself to fully taste the sandwich, much too distracted to appreciate any sort of taste whilst she was starved and pumped up for the quest.

After gulping it down with a long swallow, a grin on her face. She tossed a sandwich in Terry direction, which the dingo consumed in a single bite. Afterwards, she tore a small piece out of the remaining sandwich to give to Corn. The little hedgehog began cutely nibbling on the piece while Alpha teared into the last sandwich. "That was delicious!" she laughed, complimenting Dempsey on that fabulous lunch. Terry smacked his lips in agreement and Corn was still slowly working his way through his afternoon meal. She stared at the two with a gentle, caring glance and then looked straight back at Dempsey, her soft look now replaced by pure, youthful energy. "Let's go!" she demanded, taking Dempsey's hand into her own without even making sure the white-haired woman had eaten yet. She hastily grabbed her bag and attempted to drag the lady to their destination.

"What're you gonna get for your fourth thingy?" she asked as she struggled to pull.

@Dempsey Fabijain

 

"Yes, lunch. Have some."

She watched Alpha snarf down her share of the meal almost incredulously. While it was true one could simply tap a few buttons on the palm menu and the food in question would immedeatly dissolve and be added to a players nourishment, she wondered why Alpha even bothered eating it if she were almost literally inhaling sandwich after sandwich instead of just using the menu. She enjoyed the act of eating in Terrasphere though. Everything was still so new and exciting and refreshing.

Regardless, she shook her head and took back her box, removing a single crustless sandwich finger, carefully prepared and presented by the elderly neighbor she overpaid daily to prepare her days meals for her. She'd learned quite some time ago that the games economy was built in such a way that the a significant portion of the NPC population of Terraspehere depended heavily on income from the players to make ends meet, and she couldn't help but feel sorry for the kindly old woman even if she was little more than a digital construct.

In time she finished her meal and turned to address Alphas question, seeing no reason to avoid the subject with someone whom would be there when she learned it. she replied plainly as she dusted crumbs from her hands; "Mudra. I think it'll make me a little more versatile, even if the chants take up some extra time. I've found that there are definitely weaknesses to my technique, and i hope that the potential versatility will make me more well rounded. The possibilities fascinate me. It was a hard choice though... How about you?"

She repacked the leftovers, thinking to save something for the trip back and followed behind Alpha as she began strolling off in what Dempsy hoped was the right direction.

 

"Mudra?" Alpha asked before shaking her head. "Never heard of it!" with a shrug of her shoulders she began skipping and playing a game of imaginary hop-scotch. Then, after a few minutes of thoughtless skipping, she came to a complete, sudden halt. Her eyes widened and she stopped breathing. Something clicked in her brain and she whirled back, spiraling to see Dempsey with a serious, stoic face. Then, all at once, it broke and she gave a sloppy laugh. "That's from Naruto, isn't it?" she asked, already knowing the answer. "I used to read it a few years ago but stopped and I remember reading about something called Mudra in there or whatever! Are you sure this isn't copyrighted or something?" she grinned.

She turned to Terry, the dingo rolling his eyes once again at Alpha's bout of nonsensical words. The dog couldn't comprehend anything about the outside world and had simply marked Alpha up as one imaginative kid and Corn, the hedgehog, was still munching on his sandwich with some breadcrumbs along the sides of his face. Alpha resisted the urge to coo to focus solely on Dempsey. "So you're gonna be like a ninja, right?!" she stated enthusiastically. "That's so cool! I've always wanted to meet a ninja and now I can show off to everyone that a ninja is one of my friends!"

After a few minutes of talking nonstop about ninjas, pirates, zombies, and potatoes, she coughed and looked at Dempsey sheepishly. "Sorry 'bout that, ninjas are just really cool!" she enthused. As she continued along the path, it suddenly struck her that she should answer Dempsey's question. "I'm gonna be a Nature Ranger!" she informed the lady. "I'm gonna protect all the animals 'round here and everything!"

@Dempsey Fabijain

 

She hadn't even thought of the popular anime title until just now, but she had to admit after a moment of thought that the concept did sound extremely similar. She shrugged. there were dozens of skills and mastries that could be described as being "just like that one anime" in Terraspehere, and she had a plan for herself and her progression that couldn't be hampered by something as simple as coincidence. She needed this power in order to progress, and so she would have it. That was all there was to it.

She decided to humor Alpha and remark on her observation.

"Yes, I suppose if you put it that way, I'ts very similar. Since I plan on taking the other advanced mastery called Inner spirit, I can't claim any of the schools of magic as masteries, and this will allow me to emulate some of the more advantageous aspects of magic, namely boosting my own power and casting chakra based attacks. From a technical stand point, I don't see why Mudra isn't considered a school of magic, but I'm not going to argue. with them too much. I need to be less of a liability in combat, and this is how I'll achieve my goal. It's fairly simple if you think about it. Don't you have Rogue too? Why aren't you taking the skill, since you're so enamored with the concept?"

She asked her question simply, and continued walking. While she didn't actively wish for Alpha to step in a hole or a trap, she was beginning to reach the point where she wouldn't mind as much if she did. Small doses and whatnot. She let lose with a sigh that she attempted to disguise as a yawn at the last minute, then found something terribly interesting to look at in the trees to her left.

@Alphabet Chocolate

 

Alpha thought about the question for awhile, thinking hard as to why she didn't decide to take such a cool mastery. After awhile, without stopping in her tracks, she answered. "I'm curious," she said simply, bending down to pick up a pebble in a pile of fallen leaves. She looked it over, fiddled it in her hands, and then threw it, watching as it bounced a few times and then laid still on the dirt floor. She explained her words. "Since I got Terry and, well, since I started really becoming a beast-tamer with Corn and all...I just started thinking..." she drifted off, deep in her thoughts for once.

The giant crab that she fought over the prism shard with had screamed in pain and agony as she pierced its eyes, blinding it. It was all just a game and that was her entire mentality. It was just one incredibly realistic, amazing game for her to play; her very own sandbox world. She hadn't cared for the human NPCs and, even now, she could barely regard them as human. Yet, when she faced the pained cries of her beastly enemies, it stabbed straight into her heart. She could feel their suffering. It tore apart her very soul and she found herself stuck. She loved this game world to the point where she had completely adopted the identity of 'Alphabet Chocolate' over plain old 'Katherine Sutton'. She longer interacted much with reality other than simple actions to fulfill basic living requirements. At this point, Terrasphere was more real to her than anything else. Yet she still saw it as a game and there was the problem of basic human decency. If she accepted all of this as her new 'world' then wouldn't that have meant that she had been cruelly murdering real lives the entire time? She knew thoughts like that came during and after adolescence (despite her youthful body as Alphabet Chocolate, Katherine Sutton was still nineteen years old) but now she found herself in a crisis about her very identity and morality.

"Naturamancy is life magic, right? If I get it, I can understand how deep that life goes around here! I can understand the trees and plants and bugs and dogs; everything, Demps!"

She could see if it all actually mattered. If her feelings of guilt and pangs of sorrow at the loss of these game creations were acts of murder or acts of childish, harmless fun. She had to know. And those were the deep, dark thoughts of the energetic, bouncy Alphabet Chocolate as she walked around and weaved through the dense forest life into their destination.

@Dempsey Fabijain

 

Dempsey paused, taken back that Alpha actually put that much thought into it. She derided to bite and attempt to continue the conversation with her own thoughts on the matter.

"That's an interesting way to look at things. I suppose I never put that much thought into it, which is something I need to start working on. One could look at it one of two ways though; either we're not supposed to be here and all we do is intrude on these beings homes and loot and pillage for fun, or that they were created to provide us with adversity, so in challenging and being defeated by us, they are fulfilling their own manifest destiny. You want to know which is the real truth then. That makes sense."

Dempsey continued walking and dwelt on the subject in silence for several minutes before asking again "What if you're right, and these life forms are recreated so realistically that they do feel pain and fear. what would you do then?"

Dempsey looked to her side to make eye contact with Alpha as she asked, genuinely interested in the girls response. It would put Alpha in a fairly dire situation, all things considered. The truly humanitarian thing to do in that worst case scenario would be to abandon terraspehere altogether, and petition in the real world for the rights of these virtual inhabitants, which anyone would see immediately as a lost cause and a fools errand at best.

 

@Alphabet Chocolate

 

Alpha was stunned that Dempsey seemed to know all her deepest thoughts after she had spoke only a few sentences on the matter. She shook her head, thinking about Dempsey's question. After awhile, she puffed out her cheeks and stomped her foot on the ground. "We're here!" she proclaimed, relieved that they had reached the destination so quickly. She didn't want to think about Dempsey's question and instead decided to continue onward, sparing not a second thought to that problematic mess. It was enough serious talk for her for the day and Terry and Corn seemed to share her feelings on the matter, happily sighing as they saw two figures ahead.

One was a druid draped in leaf and leather. The other was a man who seemed like the stereotypical type of monk you'd find in a 1980's American martial arts movie made-for-TV. He wore beads around his neck, had nine neatly-placed dots lining his large forehead, and wore monkish garbs in an orange-brown color. Sometimes Alpha marveled at the duality of the game. Sometimes, it seemed ingenious and the game design almost surreal. Other times, like this, she wondered what they were thinking.

"Hiya!" she awkwardly waved, kind of embarrassed to be seen with those two (despite the fact that the Adecus Forest was now most likely barren and untouched by anything other than the wildlife and infrequent travelers). Terry gave a cute bark and Corn stood on his tiny hind-legs and cheered. Finally!

@Dempsey Fabijain

 

((Sorry... got off on a tangent and forgot to double check your post))

She continued in silence for several moments, staring at her won two feet as she plodded forward. this would be a big event in her progress, and as they drew near, she became more and more anxious of the experience that would come. Would there be trials, tests, or lessons? She could only imagine what lay ahead. She was well aware that she and alpha were likely among the first in Terrasphere to undergo this process, and confronting the unknown was never comfortable for her. As Alpha spoke up, she startled slightly.

"We're here!" she heard Alpha call out. Dempsy shook the cobwebs from her head, and walked out to greet the robed man whom was clearly her trainer. She turned and said back to Alpha "So it would seem. I'll see you when this is all over, and we can show one another what we've learned."

With that, she engaged her trainer in conversation, though the monk refused to speak, and instead gestured for Dempsey to follow him down a winding foot path that lead off into the brush and disappeared eventually into the thicket of the forest.

Not once did the monk speak to her, instead gesturing for her to follow until she reached a quiet clearing with nine monuments erected in a ring around a central fixture; a massive stone slab taller than her, and twice as wide as it was tall. The entire surface, front and back was covered in writing, it became apparent to Dempsey that this monument contained the teachings that formed the Mudra style. She moved to examine the other nine monuments, which seemed to bear carvings of hand formations, obviously the nine Mudra themselves. Her curiosity was rewarded with the sharp sting of a thin rod struck across her back. she looked back to the monk who simply pointed once again to the stone monument.

She got the hint. Although being struck was quite irritating to her, she turned her attention to the stone monument and began reading. Little of it made sense to her at all, but she felt compelled to continue, until the words of the stone began echoing and resonating somewhere in a darkened and dusty place in her mind that she had never thought to explore or exert until just now. Everything went blank, and it was several hours later when her senses returned to her. Her mind was awash with new thoughts and ideas, and a newfound understanding of the Mudra techniques. she understood enough to know that she had only been gifted the most basic of basics.

She rose to her feet and shook off the last of the dreamlike trance, and as she did, the silent monk offered a solemn nod of approval. He produced a scroll case from his robes and offered it to her, then stepped back into a strangely deep shadow and disappeared. She knew instinctively that these 9 statues represented the first of many Mudra she would come to learn over time, and as her knowledge grew, her control over the art would become more powerful, precise and efficient.

She walked to the first statue, already knowing the Mudras inscribed upon it by heart, and repeated the gestures of the mantra while chanting softly to herself several times, until she felt a new and delicious power rise from the very core of her being. It flowed outward from her torso, down both arms and gathered in her fists. Her already formidable striking power had just been doubled, and perhaps even tripled, and would remain so until her energy was depleted or until she performed another Mudra that canceled the effect.

She held the scroll case that had been gifted to her at eye level, and pondered at the cases contents, as well as just how much the events of the day thus far would change her destiny here in Terrasphere.

No matter. She would return to the agreed upon meeting place with Alpha, go home, take a bath, and celebrate the end of the beginning of her story.

 

Dempsey and her went their separate ways with the promise of returning with greater skill than before. The druid had led her, Corn, and Terry away from the spot in favor for some sort of field of life and natural beauty. It was beyond anything Alpha had ever seen before and the sight had knocked the breath right out of her. Deer, butterflies, wolves, and snakes. A meadow of flowers highlighted the idyllic place, hidden from view from all trespassers along the Adecus Forest. They all lived in peace and harmony and it seemed just like one of those fantasy stories where, even as a kid, you knew it'd be an impossibility. Yet here she was. A place where predator and prey, flora and fauna...could all just live happily together. Alpha never knew ambition or desire for much else than childish fun and play before this. As she watched, however, she couldn't help the trickling thoughts that popped into her head. She, from the depths of her heart, wanted to see more of this. She wanted everyone to experience this epitome of peace and prosperity.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" the druid spoke, his voice the sound of running water through a thicket of leaves and stone. It was refreshing, calm, and clear. He spoke with authority yet gentleness and he placed a hand on Alpha's shoulder, staring nostalgically at the sight. "This is the Elysian Fields. A place where animals, regardless of their strength or appearance, could coexist for a certain period. Eventually, they would begin to starve and head out, hunting prey and proper food, but this is a sanctuary for them to stay if they wish for a moment of rest and safety."

Alpha could feel the collective feeling of safety and happiness exuding from the temporary residents of this natural paradise. They were happy and, upon looking back to make sure Corn and Terry were alright, found that the two were also obliging themselves in the river-stream, playfully swimming with Corn using Terry as some sort of floating boat. She laughed as Corn squealed for Terry to go forward, go faster, as the hedgehog clung to the dog's hairs. She could just imagine a set of shades on the critter, so confident in himself despite the size difference due to his selected mount.

Smiling, she sat on the blades of grass, careful not to upset any of the smaller creatures running around. The druid merely looked at her knowingly, the man relaxed and eyes kind. "What're we gonna do?" Alpha asked, taking in a breath of fresh air. While the place had definitely calmed her down, she still felt the constant energy and anxiety rumbling in her stomach. She was never the one for peaceful times despite her want of it for others. It was simply not fitting to her rough-and-tumble, fast-paced life.

The druid sat beside her, laying down on the grass with his eyes closed and with a content smile. After a few lasting moments, he opened his lips with a small smack and explained. "Naturamancy is the magic of life on this planet. Despite misconceptions, you do not actively control nature, but you connect, understand, and can communicate with it. You can empathize with the living creatures, understand the cycles which life itself is based upon, and speak with the very essence of life and compromise."

There was a moment of silence as the man let the information soak into Alpha's head. By this point, it seemed a bit less of magic and more of the ability to socialize with trees. Alpha didn't display these thoughts and simply nodded from her position, enthusiastic but unwilling to break the peaceful atmosphere with her loud, excitable voice. "The first step to learning this magic, then, would be to tap into the wealth of vigor in these natural creations. You would have to understand the feelings of beings which most think of as inanimate. You have already done so."

Alpha shook her head in agreement. Since she had gotten Terry, she couldn't help but feel and understand the animals in this world during her battles. She felt connected somehow to the beasts and she felt an endless, boundless sort of love for most things; as well as the feelings of pity and despair as she fought some of the more uncompromising creatures. She closed her eyes, waiting for the man to continue.

"So you're done."

The words were so simple yet so strong that it shocked Alpha away from her sleepy state to blatantly stare at the man. "W-wait, what?!" she rasped out, startled and forgetting her reasons as to why to keep quiet in the first place. Terry and Corn took a worrying look at her before resuming their festivities after she gave them a reassuring wave of the hand. Was this just like the movies where the main character had the 'power-within' the entire time and they went on the entire journey for nothing?

"You have already learned the art of this magic," the man clarified, face twisting as if he wondered how dumb Alpha was to not have gotten it.

"Isn't this, uh, magic and stuff? And I've been doing that from day one so, like, it doesn't just appear like that, right?!" her words sped up and she sounded a tad bit unhinged at the prospect. The man rolled his eyes. She dimly wondered if the game was trolling her and that this was repentance for all her childish misdeeds (such as burning down that Honeyed-Clam stand on Druuk Island because those things were disgusting). She quickly opened her game interface with the opening of her tightly closed fist and stared at the screen awaiting her.

Without another word, she whistled for her two companions to follow her as she used her Rogue skills to hurriedly speed out of the Elysian Fields. Maybe she could make up a story to Dempsey about it. Maybe she had went to an entirely different continent, had slain a dragon, and came back with Naturamancy all before the day was over. She buried her face in her hands. Dempsey would laugh at her if the woman knew that this was all she did.