She was beautiful. With tears in her blue eyes and her frazzled blonde hair, she tearfully implored those around her. Her hands linked in front of a demure bosom, her clothes blood strained and burned, her cheeks gaunt and her arms thin. Winter was coming, and she had nothing, the invaders had taken it all, killed her family, and she had fled. She was here looking for help. If only a brave soul would venture back to the village and at least retriever her personal chest. There would be money, she could pay! She was just afraid that those…those things would still be there.

Things? came Emil’s voice from the small crowd, his lithe frame easily stepping forward so that he could speak. He cleared his throat, smiled, and gave a small tilt of his head to indicate she should continue speaking.

“Oh ye-yes m’lord. Massive b-b-beasts with snarling mouths and l-l-long claws. Eyes like amber and t-t-teeth long as knives.”

A few murmured voices surrounded him, but Emil paid them no mind. It seemed the wolf creature he fought on the Eastwatch wall were still running rampant in the countryside. It made sense, considering the razing that had happened, the farms that were destroyed, the abandoned houses due to death or otherwise. It was a perfect breeding ground for bandits and otherwise untoward persons to congregate.

And who knew what other interesting things Emil would find in other abandoned houses.

I’ll go, he said, crossing his arms over his chest as her eyes lit up and she tearfully thanked him.

“However, sir, I do believe it smart to take another with you. The area is quite dangerous…”​

@Orion Sage

 

This was a quaint little town. At least from the outside of it anyway. As soon Orion entered the town’s roads it seemed to be far busier than he anticipated. The sound of incomprehensible screaming filled the streets accompanied by babies crying, dogs barking, and carriages being drawn; creating a chaotic symphony one could not ignore, however hard he tried. He had forgotten that the world was in utter dismay these days. Orion was on his way to head to a local tavern to rest his feet fill his belly, and maybe even browse the local wares, even if he had little to nothing to his name. That was before he noticed the slightly denser group of people gathering around an obviously distressed woman. Orion, being the size that he was able to look most over everyone to notice that a blonde woman was frantically speaking to the crowd, though from this distance he couldn’t make out what she was saying exactly; neither was an excellent at reading lips, and even if he was, the rate at which her lip quivered matched the rate at her tears flowed from her eyes.

Orion easily made his way to the crowd and noticed a woman already thanking a young man for his help. He couldn’t tell much of the man in front of him except that he stood a few inches shorter than him and his hair was a lot darker than his own. But aside from his physical features he obviously had volunteered to help this woman in need, so he ought to be a stand-up guy, or so Orion at least thought as much; so when the woman noted at another should go with him, Orion’s single deep blue eye gleamed with fervor. He immediately pushed forward to the front of the crowd and looked upon the distraught woman. “Pray forgive me miss, I know not what you request, but the gallantry of this young man has inspired me. I will be honored to be at his side with your request. “

His towering physique completely overshadowed the woman’s whose eyes welled up with more tears, of the grateful variety. “Yes! The both of you will really go?”

Orion nodded and gave her a reassuring smile. He then looked upon his haphazard partner. He grabbed the man’s shoulder and squeezed firmly. “You are a good man. My name is Orion and I shall fight at your side with honor.” He said probably crossing too many lines and assuming too much of the young man. Though Orion was committed and excited, to say the least. This was his first real adventure in this world…

@Emil Trevelyan

 

Subconsciously, Emil stood up a little straighter and even smirked at the words that he heard over his shoulder. Gallant, him? Well, he didn’t think of himself in those terms, but he wouldn’t denounce the claim either. Instead of saying anything, he gave a nod of his head and turned to the man whom had complimented him in the first place. Apparently, this massive beast of a player would be venturing to this village with Emil? His brows furrowed at that and the smirk dropped, his lips pursing. He couldn’t exactly rummage through people’s houses and collectibles with someone there to rat him out…

Are you sure about adventuring with me? he asked, his tone smooth as butter and his words slick with honey. The village will be dangerous, as the woman mentioned, and I have seen these…beasts in battle. They are vicious, bloodthirsty creatures, more animal than man. His lip curled slightly in distaste, his fingers tightening on the lapels of the robe her wore. It wasn’t grand by any stretch of the imagination, but it was better than the obvious starter gear set Orion was wearing.

Side glancing back toward the woman, – whom seemed to be watching their conversation with rapt attention – Emil cleared his throat and rocked back on his heels. There was more he wished to say, like confess that he didn’t know his way around the dull end of a blade, but the last time he had spoken about magic around a group of NPCs, everyone freaked out. Not wanting to relive that experience, he tsked to himself, sighed, and allowed his weight to even out.

If you are sure, then I am no one to stop a man such as yourself from seeking out adventure. We shall do this task for the young lady together.

Turning back to the woman, Emil was slightly startled to see her holding out a map and what appeared to be a letter. The former was obviously to help them get to their destination and this figure out which house was hers and the latter was a list of her personal items she had left behind because of the attack. Emil, ever the gentleman, bowed his head and pivoted, his slender legs catching up with Orion’s more massive ones. The man was built like a truck.

Emil Trevelyan, he murmured, tucking both sheets into a breast pocket. Pleasure to make your acquaintance, Orion. Tell me, how are you enjoying your first few days in TerraSphere? Oh, we shall be catching a carriage to the outskirts of the village and then walking the rest of the way. Sadly, I have no mount of my own just yet.​

@Orion Sage

 

Today was Orion’s lucky day. Well, maybe it wasn’t. He didn’t know the rate at which people acquired the ability to help out. It could be super common, or this could be something rare. Whatever the case he was excited, and getting the chance to go with another player was just the cherry on top. He was so excited that he didn’t notice the sudden change in expression when the young man had turned towards him. So excited in fact that he almost missed his words. His brain took a second to catch up that he had even been asked something so he stood there just staring at the boy’s face with a goofy grin on his face. He probably appeared one of those ‘special’ people that just smiled and stared at people.


Finally, after a few moments, his mouth caught up with the situation. “Oh! Right. Umm.. Don’t worry about me, young sir. Besides some may say I’m also more animal than man. Perhaps we are kin!” He flexed one of his arms, causing the overly dramatic bulge of virtual muscle to strain the cloth clothing surrounding it to the point of where one could have sworn that a stitch or two probably even came loose. Immediately after Orion let out such a hearty and deep laugh that it startled some of the NPCs around them, causing them to squeal, jump, flinch, and all manner of reactions to the startling boom coming from the equaling startling PC. “I swear I shall be an asset to your endeavor, young sir!” Orion reeled it all in. He wasn’t even aware that his future would-be partner was attempting to dissuade him from coming for all but noble reason but instead looking out for his safety. The naivetés of a new player were bliss, for sure.


Orion had no idea that NPC’s had an adverse reaction to magic. He actually knew very little about this world, and gaming in general. The flash drive with the game's client was left on his work desk one evening, and he had just plugged it in. In fact, the game and its client stayed untouched for over a month until he actually gave it a chance. And now it’s been a little less than a week and he was hooked. Well as much as his job would allow anyway.


“I am sure!” he confirmed with his new partner. This was it. It was happening. He was going on an actual adventure with someone. Without any knowledge of how weird it looked to be looking at his hand, and that no one else could see the UI elements Orion hurriedly invited Emil to his party, and with beaming pride at that. He’d been wanting to do it since he learned about the feature.

Invite

Orion has invited you to their party. Accept?

“Pleasure Emil. I’m sure we will meet this with great success” the overgrown ‘little boy’ said with even more excitement. He was like an energizer bunny of positivity; he just couldn’t turn it off. Ever. Orion nodded with Emil’s instructions and headed off towards the edge of the village, not before waving back to the young miss they were agreeing to help. “I’m loving it! It’s definitely a lot to learn, but I’m up for the challenge. I’m just glad to be here really. And thank you for having me” Orion stated as if the boy actually had a choice. Orion basically gave him no other choice. Strong-armed him in a sense. How could he say no when the young blonde so much wanted another to join him. It would have been awkward if he refused Orion’s offer. Maybe. Orion didn’t really know this Emil. Just yet anyway. "How about yourself? How long have you been playing? You look like quite the veteran" Orion said looking down at him with a corny smile. "Well at least compared to myself and these rags," he said pulling on his own tunic.

@Emil Trevelyan

 

More animal than man, eh? Emil couldn’t help his slightly elevated eyebrow nor the inquisitive spark within his lone working eye. There was a savagery to some men that Emil often found himself attracted to. He didn’t think there was a savage bone in Orion’s body, including the one between his legs, but his comment did leave the male magician wondering. Instead of opting to speak on the matter – surely it would be awkward air between the pair – Emil nodded his head, gave a brief smile and began to lead the way to their carriage.

Orion was…excited. It made sense, of course, and Emil was just as enthusiastic when he started the game. The sounds, the tactile sensation of everything, the beautiful detail that the developers wove into armor, weapons and magic was sensory overload. And Emil reveled in it, bathed in it, cut his teeth on every pristine blade of grass until he was too full to function. And then he came back for more. So he could only chuckle at the excitement his party member displayed while accepting the request to become an actual party.

It can be a bit overwhelming, he finally murmured, his gait quick, his slender body angling this way and that as they made it through the crowd. The hustle and bustle of the city never waned, never stopped, and because of the recent war, immigration was on the rise. Plenty of people without a cent to their name looking for a new start. Sad really.

Not long, actually. Perhaps a month or so, give or take? You lose so much time playing that you don’t stop and think about it. You do what you must out in the ‘real’ world, then come home and log in. Ah, this one is ours.

The carriage in question was a very plain wooden one with two brown horses pulling it and a young man in a duster with a mustache. He looked friendly enough even if his nose was large and his eyes mere slits beneath two large, bushy brows. He asked if they were going to the village that the young woman had mentioned, Emil answered that they were, paid the fare for both, and climbed in.

Once comfortable and sitting across from Orion, he gave another polite smile and held his hands out, palms up. He muttered a word and a poof of smoke appeared between his hands, a large tome manifesting as the smoke curled away and out the windows.

The, ah, citizens of Astorea are very…skittish around those of us whom delve into the arcane arts. My element is fire, by the way, so let us hope that we do not encounter too many dangerous foes on this adventure, hm? I haven’t a healing skill in my repertoire.

@Orion Sage ​