Open - Should be a Breeze

Chris slowly opened his eyes into the new world he found himself in. The process of emerging into a virtual world was familiar to him, and at the same time different. His eyes adjusted to the new light from the sun above, and a gentle wind drifted across his exposed face. Looking around he had expected a city or a village where players go in order to learn more about the game. Instead he found himself in the middle of a field of grass and rolling hills. Did the game mess up already? He was already cautious about downloading the game from email, even after he had heard the rumors going around the internet about the government banned game. Letting out a sigh he turned his thoughts to the task at hand. Maybe he downloaded an older version of the game by accident, and the city/village was no longer in the new update.



Holding out his hand palm forward Chris spoke in a clear voice. ”Status.” Nothing happened. He frowned in confusion and spoke again. ”Status screen.” Again nothing happened. ”Inventory. Character. Settings.” Still no hovering window appeared. Frustrated Chris put his hand in various positions in front of him trying to call the in game menu into being. Nothing worked. Maybe my copy is corrupted. If that was the case then he needed to find a way to exit the game and redownload the file.



Letting out a sigh he dropped his hand and looked around. The world was beautifully rendered and had a surprising amount of detail of an ‘unofficial’ game. Most of the creatures he saw were ones you’d find on Earth, so he wasn’t sure where the ‘fantasy’ aspect came into play. And without an in game menu or a starting city to teach him Chris didn’t know if he could use ‘magic’. He had selected three magical ‘mastery’, but he didn’t have any way of accessing them. So fighting something like a pack of wolves might not be the best idea. No, the first thing I need to do is find a safe place. After that I can try and figure out a way to leave. That decided he picked a direction that was free of potential hostile enemies and began walking. And immediately fell on his face.

@Chaol

 

Chaol was endlessly intrigued by the lost and confused. Perhaps it was a little twisted, but considering that overcoming obstacles was his main focus of study, newly-arrived players were the perfect specimines. They were dropped into a world they had never seen, using a completely unfamiliar system. Terrasphere was one-of-a-kind, meaning that even experienced gamers were at a serious disadvantage. They were forced to learn everything all at once, a trial by fire. And from his seat on a low-hanging tree-branch, Chaol could witness it all.

The challenges presented by the game drove some players to anger and harsh words. They expected to adapt easily, and when they did not, they lashed out. Others were saddened by the struggles, growing moody, and even tearful. Many, however, rose to the occasion, excited and motivated to do better.

And others, it seemed, took to talk to themselves and wandering aimlessly. Chaol made a soft "hmm" of thought as he observed the darkhaired youth. It was only once the man went sprawling, face-first, that the man leapt down from the tree.

"You look like you may need assistance," he said in way of greeting.

@Seenter

 

Chris lay mumbling something incomprehensible through the mouthful of grass. Maybe his immersion until was malfunctioning as well and robbing him of his motor skills. A chilling thought followed that one. Did I download a virus? That thought was the worst. It took him a lot of ‘creative purchases’ in order to buy the equipment without his parents finding out. If he had to buy it all again then he was going to be pissed off.



An involuntary twitch came from his backside at the same time he heard someone approaching. For some reason that seemed to bother him more than the person approaching. Why would his backside twitch? Again he felt the same twitching sensation, and he focused on where it was coming from. It felt like it was coming from his tailbone, but even more than that. He could feel something there; something long and sleek. Like extra muscle and bones to form….A tail?! Thinking back he had made his character a Felis; a catfolk in the game. He didn’t think much of it at the time. Most of those kinds of races were cosmetic. But this…



His ears swiveled in the direction of the man’s voice. His ears. "You look like you may need assistance." He looked up from his prone position in order to see the speaker. A man taller than himself by a few inches stood over him. He was well built and muscular in appearance. Chris wondered if that was how he appeared in real life, or if the man took some liberties with his appearance. He spit out the stray grass in his mouth. ”You think?” He pushed himself off the ground and into a sitting position. He began brushing himself off as he looked the man up and down. ”PC or resident?” It was a common question in most full immersion games. If a character was an npc then they’d give a canned robotic response to indicate they were computer generated. Some players would act like jerks and try to repeat the robotic phrase, but usually you could tell the difference in game.

@Chaol

 

The man's first response was sarcasm, which could be taken to mean a few things. First, the man was truly the arrogant sort, and felt the need to rub Chaol's nose in the obvious. Second, he was startled and/or frustrated, and the cold lash of the words was his first line of defense. Or, finally, perhaps he was the good-natured sort, and more engrossed in his own shortcoming than Chaol's words. It was difficult to tell, considering the other player did not smile, or offer any further indication. So Chaol merely forged ahead.

"I'm a player," he answered in a brisk, matter-of-fact tone. "Though you may want to be careful with that particular question. In this game, rather than some automatic response, most of the NPCs get agitated quickly. The confusion, I imagine, but it leads to all sorts of negativity." In fact, Chaol had heard rumor of the NPCs forming an angry mob after one party would not stop asking trying to convince them that they were all in a game. Terrasphere was quite realistic in that sense.

The man straightened his well-tailored suit, which had been provided by his employer. He had taken an immediate liking to it, as being dressed so well had led people - players and NPCs alike - to treat him differently. He certainly did not mind being treated like the aristocrats he worked for. "I'll assume that this is your first trip into the game, then? Do you have any sort of plan for what you will do next?"

@Seenter

 

(OOC-Sorry, I had posted under my OOC account and not my character account.)

Chris gave a nod as the man spoke. He thought the NPC would act differently in the game. It was considered an unregulated game after all. He’d have to be careful how to phrase the question in the future to find fellow players. With an unregulated game you never knew what action might result in a ‘permanent’ ban, and he mentally shuddered at the creative method the developers might have made for that punishment.



Turning his attention to the man Chris tried to stand up. He wobbled a little upon straightening. To keep himself steady he grabbed a stick that was laying next to him to help support. He managed to get to his feet easier with it. Walking with the tail would be annoying. ”Right now I think I should probably log out.” He looked around at the grassy plains and the few trees that dotted the landscape. ”I think my version might be buggy. It sent me here instead of the tutorial town. And I can’t access the game menu no matter what I say.”



To illustrate the point Chris held out his hand at chest level and spoke in a clear voice. ”Menu.” Like before nothing happened. ”Inventory.” Looking at the stick he held Chris realized it was actually an old walking stick with a cracked dirty grey gem at the top. Chris figured it was the starting equipment for the skills he chose, but without the menu how was he supposed to inspect it. He lowered his outstretched hand as if he made his point.

@Chaol

 

Buggy? Chaol thought, skeptically. Or perhaps someone did not read their handbook. It was a common enough occurrence, from what the player had experienced. So many newly-spawned men and women struggled when they first arrived, using hand gestures and commands that had worked elsewhere. But not here.

"You could log out," came Chaol's smooth reply, "but I don't think that you need to." He closed the distance between them in a few strides, long legs eating up the space easily. When he stood directly in front of the shorter man, Chaol held out a fisted hand. Then, forcefully, he threw his fingers outward, opening up his hand. "Like this," he stated plainly. The menu that popped up resembled a phone, with various options to choose from. He began to flick his fingers through the air, making selections, and then scrolling through menus. "And then, like this."

"It is called your palm menu," he continued, "and it should have everything you need." A cool breeze rustled the leaves overhead, and combed through Chaol's shaggy hair. He turned his head into the wind, enjoying the feel for just a moment, before he spoke again. "This is where a lot of new players find themselves dropped. Do you need me to direct you to the nearest town?"

@Chris Seenter

 

Chris watched as the young man (he could only guess he was young in real life) closed his hand into a fist.. At first he was worried the man intended to fight him, as that was common in pvp games for new players, and he flinched slightly. However when the man opened his fingers suddenly something changed in his eyes. It was like he saw something that Chris could not. And the tapping with those fingers….



Holding his left hand into a fist Chris imitated the man’s motions while gripping the staff in his right to keep balance. As soon as he opened his hand quickly a palm sized display appeared in his hand. He looked at the display in surprise, and closed his hand experimentally and the menu disappeared as if closed. The man explained a bit more of the world. ”Well that’s an interesting way of doing things.” It would take some getting used to. Feeling his tail twitch from side to side seemed to emphasize that point a bit.



When the man offered to point him in the direction of a town Chris hesitated. As much as he’d like to take the man up on the offer; he wasn’t confident he’d be able to make it on his own. Walking was going to be a challenge to begin with, and he still had no clue how to use the battle system of the game. If he was attacked by a hostile mob, even a weak one, Chris had no doubt he’d be killed within the first minutes of the game. But I need a town to start from anyways. He looked at the man and nodded. ”That would be good. If you can walk with me a little bit until I can get used to this…body I’d appreciate it.” He motioned to his tail. ”I didn’t expect this game to be so ‘real’.”

@Chaol

 

Chaol let a smile warm his features, which had grown a bit rigid during the interactions. Easy, Chaol, he cautioned himself. Appear too standoffish, and the player would drop him at the first instance. That would make following him, and gathering intel, far more difficult. He had deemed the man an interesting specimen, thus making staying close to him Chaol's main focus. It was a new challenge, and the man did enjoy a challenge.

The other player, who still remained nameless, was beginning to open up to Chaol. This is good, he mused silently. It would make learning more about him less painful, and more natural. Natural was good. He inserted just a little more ease into his tone as he said, "Yeah, it does take some adjusting to. I did not expect the game to be so life-like either. Sort of thrilling, isn't it?" Using the game to study how the human mind worked? Terribly so.

He matched the other man, stride for stride, as they approached one of the nearby beginner towns. It would be incredibly simple to find guidance there, as the NPCs and locations were all programed for newly arrived players. Chaol could easily take advantage of this, making it seem that he was doing more for the other man than he truly was. Other man. He needed something else to refer to him as, if even in his own thoughts. Besides, it would strengthen the bond they were forging.

"My name is Chaol. What is your name?"

@Chris Seenter