Open - Healer: Another Link

A deep breath.

Yeah, the air here was incredible.The bitter chill of late winter. The leaves rustling through the trees. The sounds of who knows what kind of fantastical creatures lurking just beyond eyesight. Heh... pretty impressive. Actually beyond impressive. This was probably twice the frame rate of the last VR game Leon had played. VR games were always a thrill he remembered but this was truly like just another day in reality. Well, if that reality was in a forest and looking like...

"I hope this was a good idea. I don't play..."

Healer covered her mouth with her hand to stop herself. Better not even to say it. Guys played female characters all the time in games. Rping one in a VR simulation was also not that rare. It was probably too common in fact. Since this was a different life... it allowed for a lot of sickos to fulfill some twisted fantasies. This was not Healer's, or rather Leon's intention.

This character was for his sister. If anyone could find her here. It would be someone like Healer. It was not like he felt comfortable looking this way or anything... not at all! Healer sighed as she stretched and took a few steps. Then jumped a few times. Then punched a tree with her hand.

"Owww... okay Healer is not a fighter without those masteries. Got it."

Flexing her aching fingers. Healer opened her UI and saw the magic list was empty. So she had no spells yet... No weapons, no fighting abilities and no spells. This was like hard mode by default. Not bad. Leon felt his inner tourney player wanting to come out but he resisted. This was actually pretty damn serious.

Wendy, he was going to find her in here. Then he was going to wake her up somehow. His biggest concern was why she was not leaving herself. Maybe she was trapped by something? Petrified and the game glitched out?

Regardless for now. He had to just play the game. This was Healers journey until he found her. Healer... kind of sucked frankly. So time to do the beginner thing and go find a town while punching whatever beginner tier monsters she could find.

 

Quick steps in the snow-laden soil carried the magical ranger with grace. Her footprints were shallow and cleared by the soft snow that fell in Maithe Woodlands. The air was refreshing and although she had returned to Terrasphere shortly ago, it still brought back some good memories. Before the siege, the war, and when everyone first started out, everything seemed just so impressive and new. Despite all that, if her time playing terrasphere was anything to go by Ju huan Xiang learned that the game took its sweet time before everything crashed down and the world revealed its fangs.

Behind her reasoning for being here was the fact that Huan Xiang was a fool that couldn’t neglect helping someone in great need. Her goal - to find a lost family brooch of great value and bring it back to honeyhome. How an accessory so valuable got lost in the late winter was something she decided to not investigate any further, least she’d get annoyed at how dumb people could be sometimes. With swift and acrobatic maneuvers, Huan Xiang ascended to a tree’s bough in order to get a clearer view of the area surrounding her. She continued her search jumping from one large branch to another, her movements masked by the leaves rustling thanks to her ability at remain unnoticed until she came across something — no, someone.

Ju landed on a bough near the pink-haired girl and a quick glance revealed that the girl was likely a beginner. Despite all the warnings in reality, of all the rumours running about, it seemed people still joined the game. Ju herself was a prime example. The pinkhair’s punches made the leaves near her rustle, and her reaction made Ju’s lips curl in a light mile — she used to fight that way. “I believe that regardless of your masteries, punching a tree is always a bad idea. It’s not going to punch back, you know?”

Should @Healer Q look above from whence Ju’s voice came, the magical ranger would land right beside her, pulling back her thick cloak’s hood and revealing her face. She raised and revealed her hands in order to not scare off the newcomer. “You seem… Pretty lost. Are you new?” She feigned ignorance, hand weaving and adjusting her straight black hair. “I could help you out, if you are willing to help me with something in return. What do you think?”

She could have used more welcoming words and simply asked if Healer needed help, but Ju wanted to teach her that Terrasphere wasn’t the wonderful fantasy escapism it seemed to be. The magical ranger waited for the pink haired girl’s response, before she turned and started walking towards the general direction of honeyhome. “I am looking for a valuable family brooch. How about we look for it together? If you find it, you get to complete the quest yourself, promise. It has a nice reward to it.”

She continued walking regardless of the girl’s response. Ju Huan Xiang wanted to look back and see her response, but she wouldn’t hold hands here, no. Not in this fantastic world that was like a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

 

Instinct alone took over the moment Leon... oh right, Healer Q, heard the voice from above. There were always players known as player killers and trolls that liked to camp spawn points and repeatedly kill newbies. He... she honestly forget about that. That short of mistake would cost her. This game already claimed Wendy and who knows how many other people if the news and underground channels were anything to go by.

"Yeah I guessed th-"

Oh right... newbie meek little healer girl go. Righto.

"O-oh... thank you. I never would have thought of that. I'm a total newbie and have never... um..."

Nononono. Not that bad. Or she'll have to constantly hold back and it will become a real chore. Everything in moderation...

"I have a bit of VR experience but not much. This game is pretty advanced. I was just checking to see how powerful a normal punch would be... um without a punchy mastery you know?"

She made a few punching stiff karate style punches in front of her to add punch to her point so to speak. She then decided it probably best to be nice to the first player she met in this game, especially if they were any kind of pro. Pros knew their way around and making friends in high places would only help things considering her mission was a man, or more like sibling hunt.

"...uh. Yes, I could definitely use a hand. Thank you."

Being with a high tier player, if this person even was, would be good while she figured out the basics. Which in truth should not take long. Some basic grinding would be good to get starter equipment... but if a quest had truly any reward and she helped this person. It could be a great boon to her start!

"So a brooch? i think that's a fine start. Yes, yes of course! Let's get going then!"

Healer realized pretty fast that it wasn't even necessary to say that. This girl was already on the move! Hmmm, alright she could play along with this type too. It made things easier actually. Time to do this. The sooner she got strong enough to explore this world, the sooner she could end this nightmare the Quinn's have had to endure. Especially whatever Wendy was facing right now.

"Sooooo... what's your name? You should introduce yourself first when you appear! I'm Healer!"

@Ju Huan Xiang

 

See, the part about hunting and trapping was that it tended to work best when other people WERE NOT around. The winter might not be the best time to hunt, but it was still much better than when you had loud, and not to mention new, players that were around every turn. Granted, she couldn't call herself a veteran just yet. But people were still newer than her, and she wasn't a slouch in any fight, so she figured she could go tell these probably new people off and be on her way, back to trapping. Hell, she might as well see if she could bully some gold out of them while she was there.

The bladewoman stayed low, cracking her neck and working her way through the brush, abandoned rope trap hanging from a tree. Slowly, slowly, she didn't want to make noise now, she was working her way towards them when she realized they were already on the move. Cursing to herself silently, Eyas was forced out of cover by the fact that they were gonna find her anyways. No point trying to hide if that was gonna cause more problems than it was worth.

She could tell at a glance that despite her earlier plan, one of these people was not worth fucking with. Maybe she could take them in an ambush, but that archer was gonna be a huge pain in the ass to deal with if they decided to just shoot her. Especially since, hey, she couldn't cut arrows and bullets out of midair. Yet. No, instead, was time for the passive side of things. A.k.a. the New Jersey method of not getting your ass kicked.

Keeping her left hand on the hilt of her katana, she stepped onto the path, dark hair whipping back in the breeze, she vaguely considered making herself look more... open. Then she remembered she had chronic bitch face syndrome. Open wasn't an option. Especially not with her working on a stick of deer jerky. "Hey, can y'all do me a favor and do whatever y'all's doing a little more quiet? Tryna do shit here, would prefer not havin' everything in a ten-mile radius scared off if y'all don't mind."

 

Ju’s eyes narrowed ever so slightly while she listened to healer. The pink haired girl stuttered about two times, prompting Ju to wonder if she was doing something out of ordinary for her, or if it was just all the information flowing in at once. Perhaps she wasn’t as much of a newbie to virtual reality as she thought? Unfortunately, reading people wasn’t one of the best skills under her belt. “Yes, a brooch. It has the shape of a butterfly and is ‘white and blue like the sky’, as per the owner’s words. Don’t tell anyone once we reach honeyhome, but I think that description is a bit silly.”

She listened to @Healer Q ask about her name, the newcomer’s words flowing a bit more naturally now — Ju couldn’t help but wonder if she was too strict with her introduction a few moments ago. Before she could open up her mouth and answer Healer, Ju could swear she heard something, and in her eyes that was bad news. First, considering the fact that beginner players often hunted on their first few steps around the area, monsters were a minority. Second, animals were definitely harder to find because of winter, so…

“Hmm, Healer? Suitable for a game, I’d say.” Not that she considered Terrasphere to be a game, personally. She lived in it for a few moments after all, “If you put your index and middle finger to your temple, you’ll activate investigation mode. It helps with a lot of things, but it drains your energy while active. It should help you see the name of things and people, including mine. Feel free to call me Ju.” Despite her words, her attention was focused on their surrounding. She couldn’t let the beginner be the victim of an ambush on her first day in the game.

In the far distance Honeyhome could be seen, and they finally reached the main path. It was then that Huan Xiang abruptly stopped and raised her arm to her side to stop Healer from walking any further. From the late winter scenery, someone else showed up and addressed them. Her words weren’t the friendliest out there, nor was her face. Truth be told, Ju wanted to tell her to scram considering this was an area that suffered with over-hunting, but instead, she had an idea. In her mind, it was time to test what were Healer’s intentions in playing Terrasphere.

“Hmm, that is an unfortunate problem. We happen to be looking for something we’re in great need as well. It’s honestly a bit strange that you are hunting around these areas in late winter.” She eyed the huntress, polite words in contrast to hers. A katana, for hunting? Huan Xiang was no hunter so she had no right to judge. Maybe the huntress was fast on her feet? “Could it be that perhaps you are hunting a chaos wabbit? They’re odd little creatures that appear out of nowhere, after all.” She was almost sure neither of them would understand the reference, but that was fine.

“What do you think, Healer? I was personally looking forward for that reward, mhmm...” She put up a musing act as she talked with Healer. Conflict of interests were a part of everywhere, but in Terrasphere they could be quite vicious and this was the perfect opportunity to let the beginner learn that. She was curious to hear Healer’s response.

@Healer Q @Eyas Amari

 

Off on a quest it seemed. Not a bad start. Healer took this moment to watch Ju as she strode ahead of her. The uncertainty of whether this player was experienced or not was gone in a instant. Ju was someone who probably had a few month's if not most of the games lifespan under her belt. Healer decided to continue her playing dumb routine but made a mental note that this girl might just know some good information.

"Yes, I thought it would be good to just make my name simple for people to call on. Healer, Healer! Haha. And nice to meet you Ju!"

Good. that was the way to go for now. As they traveled along. Healer took in the sights, using investigation mode. It was beautiful even in winter here. She could only imagine what great places to paint there might be. One thing she would do while here is paint the most beautiful places she comes across. That was not her priority though.

Her thoughts and sightseeing ended when Ju halted and raised a arm. Healer stopped in her tracks as well. Someone was approaching. Oh... just some some punk. She was ready to retort in her own way when Ju spoke up first. She mentioned a Chaos Wabbit. The heck was that? Healer had a hard time believing that a game that put her RL sister in the hospital also housed Looney Tunes.

Ju then asked what Healer wanted to do? What she wanted... well, that was a bit impossible at the moment.

"Uh...Chaos Wabbit sounds like it might be stronger than a beginner can handle right? I'd rather hit...ahem, visit a local village Like that one up ahead."

She pointed in the distance and could not help but hope that her accidentally bad chose of girly vocabulary wouldn't cause any problems.

"I have someone I'm looking for playing the game. I... want to partner with them since we're related. They aren't very good at video games. L-like me. So we will need to get together and help each other out."


@Ju Huan Xiang @Eyas Amari

 

Well, the archer would be right about Eyas not understanding the reference. She halfway sensed this going south real quick, and the other half told her to get the fuck out of dodge before this lady decided to just shoot her. "...no. Something else." Even as the other one, the new player, spoke up, she didn't take her eyes off the archer, knowing damn well that losing her focus could end up with a bolt in the head. Not something she wanted to deal with quite yet. "I'll leave you to... whatever th'fuck you were up to."

She could listen, sure. She listened to the both of them, ears instinctively twitching as she picked up on that little stumble of Healer's, then immediately passing it off. People put up acts all the time in-game, no point in bugging them about it. If they wanted to sound all eloquent and shit, more power to them. Eyas didn't give a rat's ass about being more presentable, and it showed with the sheer casualty she addressed both of the players before her with. "Village's always a good place t'find leads, I guess. Good luck with that shit." And with that, Eyas started slowly backing up, offering a curt nod to them both as she made her move back towards the brush where she could fall back and get the fuck out of that archer's line of fire.

@Ju Huan Xiang @Healer Q

 

Her eyes narrowed on Eyas as she answered her question. The huntress seemed quite alert, and that made things easier for her. She’d rather not fight anyone in the beginner area — it would detrimental in many ways. She listened to Healer, a sigh escaping her lips as her answer remember some precious yet quite bitter memories nowadays. “Something else, hmm? I hope that doesn’t include fellow players.” She commented, her monotone voice matching her neutral facial expression perfectly.

She half turned to look at Healer, “It’s not the beginner part that used to be the problem, the thing was just… Way too fast to hit, you could say. It was like... Trying to kill a fly with a nail, if that even makes sense. In any case, it’s a good thing you’re trying to start out with someone else.” She returned her gaze to Eyas, flipping her hair to adjust it before speaking, “In any case, as I was saying, we were looking for -- oh.” She noticed she was a bit late as the bladeswoman was already on her way to vanish amidst the white and green all around them. She decided to just let her go and be on her way to avoid any problems, but then--

What she saw on her leather belt was the thing she had been looking for a while now. The butterfly brooch definitely lived to its namesake — the colors were so vivid that she could easily see them despite the distance between herself and the huntress. “W-wait a moment, you there!” She asked as she lost her cold composure for a moment, “The butterfly brooch you have with you!” Ju swiftly gestured with her right hand and opened her UI, pulling from her player inventory a leather pouch. “I’ve been looking for it. I’m willing to trade it with you for fifty gold pieces.” With a few steps forward, she left the leather pouch on the green-white ground before returning.

“All you need to do is toss it this way.” She was willing to trade, but she would never risk coming any closer. Distance was the ace in the hole of every archer out there, after all. She approached Healer and muttered near her, "If she tries anything funny, stand back." before returning her full attention to the huntress. She had to retrieve that small accessory. Ju Huan Xiang was aware of its value. Someone else anxiously awaited for it...

 

@Healer Q @Eyas Amari

 

Too hard to hit? That made sense if it was a hare. Most likely was some kind of bonus monster for loot drops. Leon used to love that stuff but the addiction was just too much. Needing to get down the board gold equips was not on Healer's to do list. Well, not unless it was a necessary evil to find Wendy. Although Gold equip was not the max in this game was it? She would have to ask someone eventually. This game was so realistic, it may use a completely different scaling than what other games do.

The katana wielder was already leaving which was not a big deal for Healer, she seemed like a bit of rough individual to party with for a starter. Healer just folded her arms and watched the two talk for a few seconds, followed by Ju calling after the swordswoman to toss over the brooch. That was the item for the quest then?

That was fast.

If the brooch was given that easily that is.

"Easier quest than I expected... "

@Ju Huan Xiang @Eyas Amari

 

Eyas had mostly faded into the branches and leaves when the archer had called for her to stop. Steely grey eyes locked back on with a dangerous glare, her hand going to the hilt of the katana. No. Wait. She just wanted to trade. Fifty gold pieces. She figured she'd only get half that at one of the other markets. Maybe three-quarters if she got lucky and found a nice, easy-to-trick buyer. But. She didn't trust this archer at all.

Fine. Slowly coming out of the brush, keeping her hand on the trigger mechanism of the blade (and having a thought at the same time that she should really name the weapon), the huntress took things nice and slow. Her free hand went to the small knife at the small of her back, flipping it in hand as she thought briefly about chucking the thing at the archer and making a rush for the woods. She could likely get away - lots of cover, places she could hide. Thick branches she could use to block shots.

No, not worth the risk. "Fine." Cutting the brooch free, catching it in her left hand and flipping the blade back around, she sheathed it back at the small of her back. Then she tossed the brooch on over, with it landing in a small snow drift and rolling to Ju Huan Xiang's feet. "Toss the pouch. Then I'm gone."