She pondered his words for a moment, choosing her answer carefully as she pushed onward, weaving through the cool and shady forest with practiced ease, keeping a wary eye on their surroundings as they progressed closer to the main highway which would return the two to civilization. "Here's the thing that a lot of people don't see the intrinsic value in initially; You can invest in all three armor types without any penalty whatsoever AND these points still count toward unlocking your fourth and fifth mastery slots. Once you become more specialized in one style or another, you can re-spec and receive a partial refund of these points. It's expensive for sure, but when you're just starting out, anything you can do to make sure you're well equipped outweighs a marginal sacrifice of a few gold and mastery points that will seem insignificant a year from now." She would turn and offer a slowly spinning pose; offering the man a view of her current mix of light and medium armor, hoping the visual aid would drive home her point. While her torso was in fact covered in a sturdy leather chest plate, the rest of her body was adorned in sandals, plain loose cotton pants, and a black hood which was worn down, hanging over her shoulders and almost completely concealed by her thick white hair. Also equipped, he noticed, was a katar of some sort, held to the small of her back by a leather sheath. "For example, I have invested in both medium and light armor, so I can change up my equips based on the situation. Medium armor is great as far as compromising between mobility and protection, but if I don't intend to do much fighting to achieve my objective, I can simply switch to light armor. Aside from being even more stealthy, light armor enhances energy regeneration slightly, and is ideal for people like us who use special abilities routinely." She stopped and turned, making sure the man was listening, and that her point struck home. though she did enjoy the conversation and a pleasant stroll through the woods, it would annoy her to no end if her companion weren't paying attention. They still had a good bit of traveling to do before reaching the city, and it wouldn't do to have the man already losing interest in her words. She didn't want to have to resort to parlor tricks and gaudy theatrics to keep him entertained for the evening, but there was only so much she could tell the man, and a lot of it was fairly dry information involving common knowledge and less than thrilling theorycraft. She decided to change gears for a moment, inspired by the mans somewhat pedestrian motives. "I want to experience all the things that are out of reach to me in my past life. I want to eat, drink, fight, and fuck. I want fortune, fame, prestige... all of it.." She would cock her head slightly to the right with a wicked grin, then clasp her hands together, forming a strange hand sign. she vanished in a cloud of grey vapors and was nowhere to be seen or heard for several moments until a disembodied voice whispered in his left ear "I want to grab this world by the balls and steal it's goddamn lunch money." @Noah Krane
Noah continued to walk behind the cat woman, her movements were so fluid compared to him. She was able to gracefully maneuver around branches, it was almost as if she really was a cat. Perhaps though this was thanks in part to her high level skill in the rogue mastery. While Noah was stumbling behind her, while his movements were gradually improving, he was still snapping twigs, kicking leafs, and brushing against branches. Compared to her, Noah was a bumbling baby trotting through the forest following after a white cat. As he was gradually comparing the two in his mind, Dempsey started to speak once more about masteries and mainly about the comment he had just made. As he listened to her, half of his focus was left to following her and being aware of his surroundings. Perhaps he would not be able to live up to that offer he had just presented her, he was seriously considering placing all of his mastery points right into the rogue mastery right here and now. Though he would have to ask Dempsey how one did that, for all he knew he would have to go to an npc to actually place them like some games made you do. She discussed the benefits of not putting all your points in one set of armor, as she did so she did a slight spin for him so he could see her medley of different armor styles. At first he did not notice that but now that she was commenting on the pros of light and medium armor he took note. Really her makeup was probably ideal for him as well. As somebody that did not suspect to deal too much with up and close combat, heavy armor was not really in his immediate need. Medium armor was what he would be able to craft, therefore that would most likely make up the bulk of his outfits, though peppering in some light cloth style armor might be of some benefit. At least while in the field the medium armor would be the most important but when on more stealth missions or objectives, switching over to a light based one would be best. It would be wise for him to find a friend that could craft these light armor, perhaps he could even trade his medium armor in return. “Hmm interesting...I think I should probably for now focus mainly on medium armor. Seeing how being new my vitality will be lower compared to higher players and beasts. Also, the fact that crafting medium armor is one of my masteries it would make sense that I supply my own armor if possible….Though I get what you’re saying about having this mix or certain armor for certain situations. It would be wise for me to get a few pieces of cloth armor, who knows when a situation that calls for it will arise. I’m iffy about putting much in the heavy armor mastery though. I feel as if it would hinder my natural skill set, though I guess it wouldn’t hurt to have a bit of those around in the case that I came across a powerful enemy.” Dempsey’s desire for the game seemed to be primal, at least that is how her word choices made it seem to be. The way she spoke, it almost seemed that in the real world she was being held back by something...Was she crippled or sickly? He had often heard of hospitals and other places using VR systems to help patients that are not physically well in the real world to live vicariously in the virtual one. While Noah was intrigued and wanted to press further with his curiosity, it was not polite to flat out ask if a person was crippled not in the real world and definitely not in the world that they are possibly escaping to. Her face held a peculiar grin that almost made Noah feel uneasy. A simple hand sign she wove caused a cloud of a smoke like substance to fill the area. As it cleared Dempsey was nowhere to be seen. His immediate thought was that the woman was a trickster cat, she had possibly led him deeper into the woods than he already was and possibly would kill him...or worse fuck him… As his heartbeat increased the hairs on the back of his neck rose just as the woman’s voice filled his left ear. Her word choice only made him more nervous about the fucking him part. With a few quick steps he spun around to see the white cat standing right where he once was. “You’re a curious one Dempsey… makes me wonder what kind of person you really are in the real world. “ a half hearted chuckled escaped his chest as he stared at the woman. “That hand seal...was that some sort of magic skill? Were you perhaps tricking me about your skill set earlier?” @Dempsey Fabijain
She shrugged and laughed at his reaction to her theatrics, tossing him a plain glass vial filled with a cloudy liquid, then continued onward casually as if nothing happened. The display had it's desired effect, and furthermore, it was just fun to do. She hated the aspect of the game that forced players to travel manually everywhere they went, and often played these little games to pass the time. "Smoke in a bottle, and the vanish ability rogues get once they have enough points in it. And a bit of theatrics because I felt like it. Open it. It smells a little oily, but it's harmless. Mostly just a nifty party trick, but never underestimate a bit of misdirection and showmanship." She continued on, and guided the two up a steep incline that would level offas the rough woodland gave way to a wide swath of hard packed dirt what was the main highway leading est toward Stokbon. "Recognize where you're at yet? The roads are usually pretty safe just from having so many people traveling them. They don't always go exactly where you're headed, but stick to them as much as you can. It's a lot safer that way. i ahvent bothered to write up a map, but there's a couple little vilalges and inns along the road on the way to the city proper we could stop in on if you're that hungry?" She offered a hand to pull the man up the last bit of the steep incline, then stood and brushed herself off. "We've still got a ways to go, but we're getting there, and it's smooth sailing from here on out." After several moments of silence, she wordlessly thanked her own luck. She didn't want her new associate learning of her ace-in-the-hole ability quite yet. She didn't want to give up all of her secrets right away, and if she hadn't made a strong enough impression yet, she reasoned that her time would be better spent elsewhere. @Noah Krane
Dempsey threw Noah a small simple glass bottle, as he attempted to catch it the glass slipped right through his fingers causing the vile to smash on the ground letting out a small puff of smoke. While it was nowhere near as large as the amount that Dempsey had just released, it was enough to cause a bit of a scene. He would have to remember that little trick later down the road...it could prove useful. It was clear though that his cat like mentor was having a bit of fun with Noah. While he was still trying to figure out if she was safe to be around or not she was having a ball. “Hmm...that is an interesting trick...I could see that coupled with a few other skills become quite useful in certain situations. “ The casual walk in the woods was about to become a bit more tricky. It seemed that this area was not as leveled as he begining to believe. While Noah’s stamina was already low after running like a buffoon through the woods, Dempsey was able to truck right up it without any issue. By the time the two of them were at the peak, Noah was huffing and puffing, which was sad since it really was not that step of an incline after all. At the top of the incline there was a wide stretch of patted dirt, with clear footprints and wagon tracks. Perhaps this was a major road that ran through the woods? If so it would lead to a town or a city correct? While the incline whooped his butt, traveling on a set road would be easier on him than the woods, though there was the chance of running into bandits or other mischievous people. “So, are there many bandits or thugs that roam these roads? I figure a new player area is probably pretty easy pickings for these types of people or player killers.” While he was starting to trust Dempsey pretty well, he was still unsure about this area. He had yet come across any other human or humanoid like creature. For all he knew the two of them were the only occupants in this stretch of the woods. Dempsey was probably a bit higher in strength terms than him, so he felt decently safe with her but how could she fair against multiple enemies at once? His mind drifted back to the thought of putting his points into something else rather than leather crafting right now. That way if they were attacked he could at least defend himself slightly...the question is what to put his points into rogue or one-handed weapon? “Dempsey… seeing as how you’re still feeling me out before trusting me with that rare recipe, what do you say about me putting my mastery points in one of my other masteries? If I placed some points in my rogue category I could do acts like that smoke in a bottle right? But placing some in the one-handed weapon would let me be able to handle my own in direct combat...What do you think I should do?” He was curious to see what his cat friend would tell him to pick. On one hand by improving his rogue skills he would fit into that guild that she was discussing earlier a bit better. He could also probably keep up with her better. On the other hand though his one-handed weapon skill would let him handle direct combat a bit better. This would be useful in his own protection whenever she was not around. Though there was always the third option of placing an even amount in both. This would leave him to be a pretty well rounded character starting off and not boxing him in any set one category. Really he could not make the decision himself so getting a second opinion would help him out immensely. @Dempsey Fabijain
She strolled down the road, listening to the man as he spoke at length on his thoughts. Upon hearing his incorrect assumption about her smoke in a bottle, she made a mental note to correct him on that particular point before he got himself into trouble down the figurative (and possibly literal) road. That would open up a whole new topic for discussion though, which was almost a relief. The trip was starting to drag on and her usual pace of "as fast as possible" wasn't going to happen with the new player in tow. She hated waiting, she hated being bored, and most of all, she hated wasting her time. "Oh, well.. No. the smoke in a bottle thing is an alchemy thing. When you get good enough, you won't need anything to vanish. It just sort of.. happens when you want to disappear. It's really handy. The real advantage of alchemy for me is that I can patch myself up without a healer around, and make poisons. As long as you can anticipate what you're going to need a head of time, It's an extremely useful skill to have." She trailed off, letting the mans imagination do the rest. It was a genuinely valuable skill for those creative enough to utilize it to it's full extent. She'd taken the skill more as an income source, however. She was more than a little irritated to learn that the game required her to purchase a ridiculously expensive shop in order to monetize her trade, however. That was another problem for a different day, however. She pondered on the mans second line of questioning a bit longer. She was tempted to try her luck with simply attempting to convince the man that it would somehow be in his own best interest to dump as much mastery into his leather working as would be required to craft her coat, and then wash her hands of him, but that wasn't a viable plan for any situation besides her own short term gratification. Sure, it might even work, but he'd soon realize that he'd made a mistake, either on his own or because someone else explained to him that he'd been given faulty advice. She pondered as to what she thought would work best for the man instead, and spoke when she finally reached a conclusion; "first of all, It's not even a matter of trust. I think you and I both know how things would end if you double crossed me. I'm not trying to become a PK flagged player over something like a crafting recipe, but you'd be amazed what someone can live through in this game" She knew the threat was a bit cliche`, but things became trope and cliche because they worked. She sighed and continued "Besides, I can tell you're smarter than that. Coming with me was the smart thing to do, because you'd probably be getting shit out of a giant snake by now if you hadn't. The questions you're asking only make sense if you're thinking two steps ahead, and that's a good sign too. You probably already understand too then, that making enemies of the people who are going to be coming to you with recipes to sell in the future probably won't be in your best interest either. No... I trust you to act in your best interest explicitly by now" While slightly more subtle than her previous threat, her words still held a soft whisper of dire consequences. She changed her tone completely though, and answered Noahs question as if she hadn't been threatening him with terrible pain and professional embarrassment just moments ago. "Drop at least thirty into each of your skills, and then get one-handed and rogue up to at least one-hundred. Spend what gold you can on the poor quality recipes you can, but keep in mind that you still need gold to buy materials to make things too. Also a weapon. Your focus right now should be filling out your equipment slots with poor gear till you're completely outfitted. The lower ranks of your masteries will go by fast as long as you're keeping busy. The trick is to cap your leather working at two-hundred for the time being. That's going to keep you good to go for quite a while. I don't even know that a green quality recipe has even dropped yet in the game." She paused to stretch and do a lazy forward kart-wheel, then continued; "You have to remember that rogue by itself isn't a combat skill, but it makes you more agile and able to take advantage of light and medium armor. level it and your weapon skill side by side until you figure out how you want to play. You might even decide to take a magic skill as your fourth of fifth mastery, and then you wouldn't need your one-handed at all. Make sense?" @Noah Krane
So the smoke in the bottle was the byproduct of an alchemy skill, which made total sense. Alchemy seemed like a particular useful skill, being able to craft poisons, medicine, and other tricks like this seemed like an invaluable skill...perhaps he would have to look into investing some time into this mastery once he unlocked his fourth slot, though he speculated that would take some time before that was open to him. Though he should not model himself entirely off of Dempsey, that was defeating the purpose of the game and all the different masteries. If anything he should look into either a magic skills set or some sort of range one, rogues, scouts, and assassins should not solely rely on close combat. While medium armor allowed them to move decently fast it also had the shortcoming of a lack of real defense, which would be dangerous if he came across a knight or some similar style of character. As the two walked in tandem, Noah anxiously waited her advice on his main question, what should he invest his skills into right now. As he waited he pulled up the menu by looking at his hand. He started to scroll through the different screens, trying to get a feeling as to what he was capable of investing his mastery points into. As he finally made his way to the screen, his eyes widened. It seemed that this little parade through the forest and learning from Dempsey had allotted him a nice chunk of mastery points. He would be able to really rise more than one skill up a decent level. A small smirk crossed his face as he thought of the different skills he could utilize by placing a few points in his rogue column. That was when Dempsey broke the silence and finally spoke on what she had been thinking over for the past few minutes. “Well, it's nice to know that you’re not gonna kill me or torture me over something so trivial… would led to a bad start of the game.” Her advice on him getting the simple recipes made sense, while it would be costly now he could possibly make a small profit off of them. The very least he would ensure that he was well equipped for the start of the game at least. The items that he had started with had miserable stats, in fact he doubted that they offered much protection or increase in damage at all, he could possibly be better off with just his bare fists. “You’re right, Dempsey. Perhaps I should just do this…” He clicked a button on his dash and started to place points into the rogue, one-handed, and leather crafting masteries. While he had originally shown her that he had just a bit over a hundred, now he had close to three hundred in total mastery points. He placed 100 points in both one-handed and rogue. This would bring him up to trained in both of those masteries, while placing 60 in the leather crafting mastery bringing him just 40 points shy of being considered trained in that mastery as well. Perhaps by the time the two reached Stokbon, he would have enough to bring that up with the other two. Once he had the three starting ones at trained, he would start to focus more on his armor and perhaps his rogue stat a bit more. But he would need to get some new items, armor, and perhaps some allies. As the stats were placed, his body glowed a slight bit signalling that they were finalized. Just as he did so, it became quite clear to him that his body seemed to move much lighter and fluid like. While he was nowhere near Dempsey’s skill level, he was starting to mimic her movements more similar than he did a mere moment ago. “Well… hope I don’t regret that placement… But at least now I should be able to handle somethings on my own.” A smile crossed his face, curious to see how Dempsey would react to his sudden action. Just then the smell of smoke reached his nose. It was different than the smell of wood burning, there was something else mixed in with it, though he could not place his finger on it. Just then the forest seemed to thin out and off in the distance a small gathering of buildings could be seen. Surely this was not Stokbon but perhaps a small inn where new adventures could rest, get some food, and perhaps some information. This must have been that place that Dempsey had mentioned earlier. “Would you let me treat you to a nice meal and some ale for all the guidance you’ve given me Dempsey? Perhaps we can talk more about your idea for that guild as well.” @Dempsey Fabijain
She nodded, accepting the mans offer. The trip was taking longer than she'd thought it would, and a chance to sit down and have a drink and some snacks would be a nice change of pace. She figured it was about time they came upon one of the smaller settlements that dotted the road, and despite doing better than a lot of players in terraspehere, she would seldom turn down a free meal. Accepting offers of that nature was both polite and practical. She nodded her approval of his offer, scanning the road ahead for signs of civilization that matched the distinct smell of meat roasting over an open flame. Plenty of time to discuss things like guilds and future ambitions while they ate, so she remained silent as she trudged down the path, until finally they had reached their destination. It was little more than an inn, an outhouse, and a small stable intended to accommodate both horses, and mounts of a more exotic variety, including a stall on the far end lined with iron plates and barred doors. The place was fairly standard as far as roadside commerce went, but she was a bit disappointed to see that there was no bath house in sight. She'd have to wait till she reached stokbon to wash the dust and dirt of her most recent adventures from her body. She looked to her side questioningly as she strolled to the door of the inn. Before she opened the door, she offered a word of caution; "I hate to always be all doom and gloom, but be careful around places like these out on the fringes of civilization. Player Killers use remote places like this as their bases of operation, and generally consider it good luck when an easy target strolls right in for the taking. Player killers can't enter the cities. Anyone looking to play the hero and get in some PvP experience are on them like flies on stink, but out here they can operate in relative anonymity and use the sparse concentration of players to their advantage." She pushed the door open and lead the way in, surveying the room with the detection vision that all players had before stepping through the threshold and allowing Noah access. while this may be interpreted as condescending and patronizing, she didn't feel like getting dragged into a violent confrontation with player killers, easily recognized by their player names being presented in bright letters instead of the typical white. Her caution was unwarranted, as they were the only players present, though several NPC characters milled about their oblivious existence. She peered to the menu board suspended behind the proprietor of the decently sized establishment for something interesting, but only saw the usual fare typical of these establishments. Stew, roast meat, ale, liquor, and an assortment of unappealing potato based dishes. She stepped aside and let Noah do the ordering, since it was on his dime. "Some roast and and some beer will do the trick for me. I can pay for myself if that's going to strap you for cash though." @Noah Krane
It seemed Noah’s speculations were correct, player killers lurked in these easy to prey areas. He bite his lip thinking about how he was going to be able to handle them on his own. Though now that his rogue skill was in the trained range, he would be able to get by them a bit easier now. He did have to take Dempsey’s words to heart though, rogue by itself was not a combat class. He would need to use its strengths in conjunction with his sword skill to really bring out its full potential. While the two approached the inn and other small buildings in the settlement, he had to gamble on the fact that Dempsey was strong enough to handle them. “Surely the game has some sort of mechanic in place to protect new players? The creators must have guards lurking these woods or patrolling the roads, if not a group of sadistic player hunters could as you say, just pick off new members one by one. It would lead to most people to give up and quit the game in a matter of a week or so…” That was when it dawned on him, he had not been born into this world at some chaple, nor in an inn, but most importantly there was not another soul around him when he was born. “Hmmm… is the mechanic they use to counter this in relation to where people spawn when they first start? Far away from any other player but in the same general region? It would make sense if it was so…though it does leave us newbies a bit confused.” he chuckled as he scratched his head thinking about his own experience. The two entered the small inn, Dempsey seemed to be on edge, she scanned the room before fully entering, a wise move out here in the sticks where player killers could be. Noah took his cue from her and entered. She seemed to think it was safe, therefore so did he. Noah approached one of the nearby areas that had the menu posted. As he glanced over it, trying to decide what his first in game meal would be, Dempsey just made a quick call on her choice of food. She generously offered to pay for his own but he quickly waved her off. “No no… I have enough to cover you… If you will not let me call you master you can at least let me buy you a meal for all the help you’re giving me.” Noah was having a challenge picking out what he was going to dine on. Nothing sounded that great. Perhaps he would go the route that Dempsey wanted to take, rost and ale sounded decent. That was before his eyes saw the roasted rabbit skewers and vegetables. “Why don’t you go find a table Dempsey and I’ll order our food, okay?” He found a nearby NPC, placed their order and went to go find Dempsey. It seemed that most of the tables were taken minus a single one by the window of the inn, why people did not want a prime spot like that was beyond him. He sat down, quickly followed by the NPC waitress with their beer. As she placed them on the table Noah took a sip and let out refreshing ahhh. “So Dempsey, tell me more about your idea for this guild. I’d love to hear more if you’ve fleshed out anymore of it in your head. I know I’m still a noob, but one day I’ll perhaps be on par with you.” He chuckled at that last statement, followed by a wink, and a sip of his drink as he awaited her response. If she really did not have anymore ideas perhaps she would steer the conversation towards something she was interested in talking about. @Dempsey Fabijain
She nodded wordlessly and headed over to a small table tucked into a corner. It would give them both a good view of the room and allow them to easily watch the door as well. She wasn't normally this paranoid, but she wanted to drive home the need to be constantly vigilant if one wasn't well assured that they were somewhere safe. She entertained herself as she waited for Noah by reading graffiti carved into the well worn tables surface, and when that got old (which it did quickly, because these particular artists were more persistent than they were creative) she began to make up imaginary backstories for the NPCs that populated the small inn. the owner lived a double life as a dance enthusiast, the unwashed man hunched over in a corner bar stool had just returned from a long trip deep into the wilderness, and the barmaid that put more effort into looking busy than actually doing her job was actually the head of a secret order of cartographers. This too quickly became futile as she ran out of patrons to assign stories that made them far more interesting than they would ever actually be. Counting things also lost it's appeal when she realized there wasn't that much to count. fortunately, Noah didn't take much longer to complete his business and return to them with cartographer barmaid in tow carrying carefully balanced trays and dishes in either hand. Dempsey paused while Noah got himself situated, then nodded a wordless thanks before speaking "Since you've asked more than once, I'm going to have to disappoint you just a little bit. A guild isn't something that I have planned for the near future." She paused to take a drink from her mug before continuing "Maybe someday when I know more people and have that kind of money to casually throw around, but for now I want to stick it out on my own and see if a more affordable option presents itself. Maybe someone else will have the same Idea as what I was musing on about earlier, and they'll go ahead and cover the considerable expense as well." She pulled a chunk of roast meat from the considerable slab on her plate and popped it into her mouth, then continued "Global chat has been a fuster-cluck of guild recruitment spam, and though it may sound egotistical, Any guild I choose to join would be lucky to have me. As for you, leather-working is going to be your meal ticket." She scratched at the side of her head as she looked curiously at the man. Her previous conjecture may have had some ambitious ideas, but the more she thought about it, the more she agreed with herself that her current plan was the way to go. she shrugged and added "Now, if you're talking about a few months down the road when everything has shaken out and we know who's who, that's a whole other story. I wasn't trying to bait you or anything." @Noah Krane
Noah understood what Dempsey was saying, it seemed that it was a bit too soon for him to be jumping on the guild ship. Plus he figured guilds took a great deal of money to start up. There was bound to be a few players already lumping up together to start guilds, the game had been around for nearly a month now. Surely there was players that even surpassed Dempsey in raw power, in fact Noah really did not know too much of Dempsey’s true skill suite. For all he knew she could have been just a few tiers above him, why would she be in the new player’s region if she was a master rogue. When she mentioned global chat was when it dawned on Noah that there was possibly a global chat. He figured that since the game was so life like that there would not be a large chat group like that. Being the curious as the cat before him, Noah opened up his palm display and found the icon that signaled the global chat. Upon clicking it he saw the numerous different icons of people chatting. There were trades, quest groups looking, and like Dempsey said, a slew of different guild recruitments. It was almost too much to keep up with, Noah must have been lost in that mess for at least three to four minutes while Dempsey chowed down and Noah’s food just sat there cooling off. Noah pondered on her bit of advice about his leather crafting still, he was almost bummed that he spent only 60 points into it while raising the others so much higher. He closed his palm, dismissing the screen and gazed up at the woman. “Hmm… perhaps I will have to focus on my leather crafting for a bit… might be nice to have a group that can run me thru crash course instances to gain experience and nice items while all I have to do is make a couple pieces of armor.” He finally took a bite out of the meal before him muddling over the information he had just gained. While Dempsey’s rogue guild idea was awhile away, it seemed like more fun than being a crafting whore for another guild. If he wasn’t a take or a healer then he might be seen as second class or expendable. He would need to polish up this leather crafting skill and think deeply on what he would pick for his fourth mastery, that was what was going to set him out from the others. “Well Dempsey…. I think you might be onto something. Might as well join an established group right now. Save some gold and learn a thing or two on somebody else’s dime. Just gonna be tricky to find the guild I can mesh well with for the time being… Perhaps once we are in Stokbon, it will be easier to discover which one is more my style than others. Global chat is too hard to really get a feel for them, their all so generic in their sales pitch.” He gave her a smile before popping another bite of food in his mouth. Stokbon would most likely be where he would be staying at for the first month or so. There was bound to be a couple of people there that he could group with and train. The trouble is, he would need to find players that would want to have leather based armor over heavy or light. Mages were going to want the light armor for the energy boost and how easy it was to move in, while tanks and warriors would want the heavy armor for the defense it would bring... He was gonna have to find hunters, rogues, and other range or DPS style players that would need the mobility that leather gives but still some sort of protection. @Dempsey Fabijain
She sat and listened while eating with enthusiasm. Expending the energy that powered players skills and abilities tended to make one hungry faster, and unlike a lot of players she was constantly utilizing her skills; she loved running and jumping parkour style from place to place whenever possible. She would never tell anyone, but she had a running game of "the floor is lava" going in the city of Stokbon, which she only allowed herself to cheat when she had to do shopping or interact with people who would rather not have a discussion with someone hanging from a drain pipe. She nodded enthusiastically to Noah, glad that the man didn't feel slighted by her change in plans. While she made a point of never acting too hastily, she did have the bad habit of thinking out loud, and this has lead to more than a few misunderstandings over the course of her adventures. "Don't worry though, I do intend on keeping my promise. The recipe is yours as soon as you're skilled enough to use it. I might be a little scatter-brained sometimes, but I never go back on a promise... Though, that IS exactly what a liar would say too, so there's that." She shrugged helplessly and continued eating. Her dove chose to make a brief appearance, manifesting on the edge of the table and taking a look at the two companions enjoying food and drink. It hopped over to Noah's plate and peered up at him with a slightly tilted head, then stooped to inspect his meal. satisfied that all was satisfactory, the bird fluttered down onto the floor of the rural inn and began having a look at the floor, suspecting that if it were persistent enough seeds or bread crumbs would magically materialize. Once Dempsey was confident that the bird wouldn't be causing any trouble, she turned her attention back to Noah and continued the conversation "That's the thing though; Everyone is tripping over their feet to be the first, best guild on Terrasphere, but how many of them actually stopped to consider that recruiting their membership was going to be the hardest part. I want to wait it out until they start getting desperate." As soon as she finished speaking, the sound of a nearby thunderclap made her jump in her seat. The unexpected noise was followed by the sound of a sudden downpour of rain, which she thought was quite odd, given that the sky was reasonably clear when the two entered. teh weather here was always a little unpredictable in that manner. It followed the natural weather patterns of the northeastern united states, and having lived there most of her life IRL, she knew how quickly a bad storm like this could roll in out of nowhere. @Noah Krane ((Sorry that took so long. Had DM stuff to do again >.>))
Noah couldn’t help but laugh at Dempsey’s statement. She was a funny one, glad he met her right out the gate of this game. She seemed pretty genuine, at least from what he could tell from their brief encounter so far. She not only had helped him get a basic feel for the game but also made it aware to him that not everybody in this game was going to be a total jackass, though there was bound to be at least one or two. She seemed keen on letting him have her crafting recipe eventually, though he would need to get his leatherworking skill up a bit. It seemed that he should focus the next bit of his points to raise his skill up to proficient, then he could make a quick bit of coin and be wanted from guilds. As they sat there enjoying their food and ale, Dempsey’s little dove appeared. It was a curious little thing. It hopped around the table inspecting the food that they were enjoying. It even gave Noah a nice look over. He gave the bird a wide grin, it was a cutie. As it hopped to the ground, Noah figured he would find out a little information about the little guy. “Your bird seems well behaved and is rather cute. What’s it’s name?” Noah was curious what his egg would hatch to become, something like this bird or perhaps a cat? The bird was a good ally for a rogue who has to blend in from time to time. Noah agreed with what Dempsey said, people that were rushing these guilds would scoop up a lot of players, mainly for the fact that people want a place to learn and be safe right off the bat. The bad thing is that many new players quit games rather quick, plus the game was so early that the world has yet to see what kind of classes are in short or high demand. He speculated that there was probably a good deal of tank classes and mage classes already. Artisan and crafting classes would be hard to run into, most of the time players made these accounts for the sole fact of helping their guilds or fund their main accounts. Though the rule for one character per player would make the latter of the options impossible to do. Unless people started to pick their fourth and fifth mastery as the crafting one's, chances were that these masteries were going to be rarer to see. Among the crafting masteries the ones that would be picked were most likely the ones that made armor and weapons, seeing how those two fields were going to always be in demand. Ones like the farming one, the builder, and the music ones would be much more rare to see. These players might not be the first pick for a dungeon but they would be in high demand for guilds… “You’re right. These people opening up the guilds right now run the risk of getting noobish players that might not stick around or they will find themselves with a ton of very similar players. While I suspect rogue mastery is not the most rare one out there, it coupled with other certain masteries will be. For instance, my sword skill and rogue might be rather common pairing, though adding in my leathercrafting gives me a whole new skill set. Same could be said for a rogue like you that also can double as a walking pharmacy. It really makes the fourth and fifth masteries the more important ones than the original three in some regards.” As he finished his thought a loud sound outside seemed to draw the attention of everybody in the inn. It even caused poor Dempsey to jump a bit out of her seat. The sound was followed by the sound of rain pelting the side of inn. Noah glanced outside seeing the dirt path that the two just came from quickly transform into a muddy wasteland. “Well, this is gonna make getting to Stokbon a pain in the rear end...perhaps we should just continue drinking here and see if it blows over. If it's anything like New York, it will pass in an hour. Though perhaps we might want to find a wagon or something that can keep us out of the mud.” @Dempsey Fabijain don't worry lol.
She smiled fondly down at the bird, and as if to remind her whom was in charge, it looked up at her and promptly vanished. she sighed, a little annoyed by the rebellious behavior. For reasons she may never fathom, the bird never paid her much mind when other people were around. At times she had to wonder how intelligent it actually was, and also how much of it's actions were deliberate and decided, and how much was simply the bird being a bird. It was an exceedingly valuable pet, no longer available after the a recent patch had stripped the things from the games loot table. There would only ever be two of these birds, and she was in possession of one of them. The man seemed unaware of this, and she didn't feel the need to flaunt her good fortune so she simply replied "I named it Whisper. I don't know why I bothered, because it's not like a dog that comes running when you call for it, but people kept asking me what it's name was, so I just came up with one" She listened further as he shared his opinions on the burgeoning abundance of guilds. she was more or less disinterested in teh subject, so choose to acknowledge his statements with a compliant nod. She choose instead to direct the conversation toward the weather and the road ahead. "You're probably right. The roads to tend to get bad, and Stokbon is still a ways off. Unless this rain goes all night, we'll be able to make it there with a reasonable amount of daylight left, and I don't know why, but Stokbon seems to get extra humid right after a good rain. I think it's because so much water doesn't have anywhere to go so it all winds up evaporating into the air. Either way, I hate it." She turned her attention to her food and drink for a while, then continued "If you want to hire a wagon, be my guest, but just like real life, there's enough things to waste your money on around terraspehere that you'll never get ahead of the game if you aren't careful with how you spend. Also, I'm perfectly fine with the whole idea of getting wrecked and sleeping one off here. Also, a waste of money, but way more fun than bouncing around in the back of a wagon for an hour. See, then we can walk home and tell ourselves that we were responsible with our money, because we only splurged a little bit. And have you ever rode one of those things with a hangover? It's.... I don't recommend it". She would empty her mug and wave down the barmaid for a refill, indicating that her mind was already made up about how she'd be spending the afternoon. While more often than not she was hard working and diligent, when one lived in a virtual world where there was little downside to alcohol abuse, she decided that it was OK to live a little, and by a little, she meant at least once a week. She eagerly fished through her pack for something, only pausing to place an order for another round and two shots of whisky. "Ever play Quarters? You have to cheat a little because these gold coins don't bounce all that well, but it's still fun." @Noah Krane
Noah was curious how the two of them came together, Noah had his own egg that he started with, but it had not really given him much information on it at all. The bird played around for a moment before blinking out of view, a neat little trick. If only it were more trained, then it could be a great ally for a rogue. He wondered what his egg might hatch to become, perhaps a bird like hers, a dog that could walk through walls, a hamster that could teleport? Who knew what sort of creatures this world was filled with. So far the ones he had seen and came across were modeled after counterparts in the real world, though the deer, unlike Whisper, seemed to have no uniqueness about them. It might just be due to the fact that he was in the noobie area that the creatures were so bland, minus the longdragon that was. You wouldn’t find a snake like that anywhere in New York minus the zoo. As the rain continued, Noah felt his trip to Stokbon washing away further and further, which was alright. He was enjoying the time with Dempsey, while in the real world he had a few girl friends this was mainly due to the phenomenon known as the fag-hag, or a girl that mainly associated with gays because they make them feel some ways. Noah did not mind his fag-hags, but it was nice to make a friend that was not focused on his sexuality but rather his personality. The way she talked about Stokbon reminded him of Queens in the summertime. It was a furnace on earth, he dreaded walking the street after a rainstorm, it was like being cooked alive in a lobster boil. Perhaps Stokbon would be best to visit early in the morning or later in the evening. His job offered a bit of flexibility and to work from home from time to time. He would have to log on during these hours so it would not be so hot. He smiled at her offer to get wasted here and goof off. When was the last time he really turned up? Plus it would give him a chance to see how the game handles mechanics like alcohol. He grinned at Dempsey. “Well, I can’t think of a better way to wait out the rain then a few rounds.” She mentioned the game quarters, he had played a few times in college but was never really good at it, perhaps on here though he might be a bit more lucky. “It’s been a bit... I’m sure I’ll figure it out as we go along though” @Dempsey Fabijain
((So, I took yesterday 'off' and didn't get around to posting. I hate to make people wait, but I was starting to feel a little burnt out.)) Dempsey smiled at the mans reaction. Why play a game if not to have fun sometimes, after all? Also, anyone who was not a felis with exceptionally long and thick hair on their head and tail would never truly understand how unpleasant getting wet was, outside of a nice bath house. She would do almost anything to avoid the rain, and had been saving money for an exceptionally expensive leather coat for just that reason. She grinned widely as her order finally made it's way to their small table, with lazy barmaid in tow. She paid for the order and kept an extra coin aside for their game of quarters before Noah could protest, then divvied out the drinks evenly. "I mean, why play a game if you're never going to have any fun? Besides, I fucking hate getting wet when it's not in a bath house. It takes hours for my hair to dry and my tail gets super heavy, and i wind up getting cramps in my back. I mean, worse things have happened, but I don't dive face first into misery and discomfort unless i'm getting paid." she hefted her shot glass and urged Noah to do the same as she downed the contents of the glass. She fought back a grimace, not prepared for the burn of low quality liquor served in the fringe establishments like this one, but made no complaints; she knew what she was getting herself into when she ordered. The storm gave no sign of letting up, and she was perfectly happy to spend the rest of her afternoon drinking and goofing off in the nondescript tavern. Despite the spartan surroundings and her general preference for nicer surroundings, the place was cozy enough in a pinch. @Noah Krane
