“So will you help me?” Magdalyn watched the woman, whose young face was a study in fearful concern. The NPC could not have been much older than herself, but the deep lines that creased her forehead and clung to the corners of her eyes were telling. This woman lived hard, facing problems that Mags would never even fathom in her comfortable, privileged life. “Of course,” came Magdalyn’s easy answer. The stranger could have asked for just about anything, and the player would have agreed. How could she not? The NPC, who had revealed that her name was Mary, appeared to deflate right before Magdalyn’s eyes; much of her stress was exhaled with a whoosh of held breath. “Thank you,” she stated plainly, but her tone held oceans of gratitude. “Thank you so much.” Mags offered her a small smile, but had only taken a few steps away before turning back. “I wanted to ask,” she began, “what was it that made you seek me out?” “I beg your pardon?” Confusion replaced worry now, though the same line criss-crossed her brow. Magdalyn hesitated, trying to better word her question. Players were forced to tread carefully around NPCs, as they were unaware that they were in a game. If she simply asked what she had done to trigger the quest, and what the requirements were, the woman might morph from confused to agitated. So instead, she asked, “You picked me out of a crowd to ask for help. Why me?” Mary nodded, indicating that she understood the question, but her eyes were still narrowed with puzzlement. “You looked the most powerful,” she explained, her tone suggesting she thought this was obvious. “I need as much power as possible.” Magdalyn was far from self-important, but the ghost of a smug smile still remained even two hours later. Had soft, cautious Lena ever been hailed as the most powerful person in the room? Never, and she probably never would. This was just one more thing to add to her why-Terrasphere-is-amazing list. A sudden stutter-step from the horse beneath her startled Mags from her reverie. “Whoa,” she cooed instinctively, collecting her reins and Altivo’s head. The stallion gave an annoyed snort, tugging back against her hold. Her lips pursed, but only momentarily; she had bigger problems than her temperamental mount. Ahead of her, the trail dipped dramatically, plunging into a wide valley. Mountains reached heavenward on three sides, the fourth occupied by the dense forest she had just traversed. At the base of the steep trail, a small town spread, tucked into this little hideaway. Cozy, Mags mused, shifting her weight in the saddle to urge the white stallion forward. Her more logical side urged her to slow down, be careful, think through her plan. In truth, she had no plan whatsoever. The NPC had begged Mags to track down her brother, who had gone to Odinfeld to make a delivery, and never returned. She feared sabotage, and was convinced that her loved one was injured or worse. Mags, however, had a hard time seeing it. Even as the midday sun teetered on its zenith, there was a sort of soft peace to the collection of buildings. It was delicate, and fragile, and called to the woman who had always dreamed of such a safe haven. As it drew her in, drew her closer, the town made up her mind for her. There was nothing unusual about Odinfeld. @Mugen
A few days prior was Dexter's first time logging in. Since then, he was fairly prompt to begin exploring throughout the lands of Brisshal. Though his sense of direction wasn't terrible, it was certainly ill-adjusted to the lands of Terra-Sphere. Needless to say there were a number of things that Mugen had to quickly acclimatize to in order to properly experience the video-game, and ultimately his second-form of life. Fortunately for the relatively curious young-man, he spawned in an uninhabited zone in Brisshal and granted him some time to putter about and get a grasp for how the simple mechanics of the menu. A handle on things like the nations and varying factions that strew around the lands, and ultimately his wanderlust was immediately spurred into motion. As days progressed between his regular life, and the new hobby of Terra-Sphere. Mugen devoted most of his time to travelling and seeing the sights of the lands. Brisshal was what he would consider fairly typical for a beginner's zone, it was lush, expansive and generally quite welcoming. Beyond simple encounters that he was generally able to evade, given his rather destitute equipment condition; it was an ideal scenario that played out. Little was he aware, his first adventure was about to unfold. Much to his character, he was going to have to figure things out- And quickly. "What do we have here...?" Mugen's attention was readily caught by an interesting object. A crystal, about the size of a palm and the tips were encased by a rustic golden metal; anyone with any sense of luxury would quickly come to the conclusion that whatever it was- Likely would rake in a few handfuls of gold. Given his current financial situation, and the matter that he found himself in a new area known as Pormont. Accumulating some funds became a rather critical necessity. Mugen tossed it in his palm a few times, ascertaining some level of its weight and perhaps a general gloss over what he figured it could fetch. After sometime, he simply determined bringing it to an NPC that was more suited to the appraising would do him some justice. So he strung it up to his belt and began through the forest he found the crystal in. It only took the young-man some few minutes afore he emerged out and revealed a well-trodden road. And a woman, mounted atop a rather stellar white horse. Mugen's expression displayed a varying level of displeasure having run into someone; but something underneath suggested to him to finally start working on his people-skills... Besides, she didn't look like a terrible person- Or, no worse than himself at least. So he made an effort to close the distance, with some brisk walking. Up until he was about in her peripheral vision, a hand rose and waved towards her. It was then that the monotoned man began speaking "Yo...?! I was wondering if you knew somewhe-.." Nearing the end of his sentence, he caught sight of the settlement in the distance. "Mh... Well, that was what I was going to ask-- Actually; don't suppose you're interesting in purchasing an incredibly valuable crystal?" He had drawn out the crystal from his sash, revealing it to Magdalyn. All the while, she would have quickly caught the dour-eyed man's bearings; he certainly carried himself with an air of confidence, but beyond simple posture, his expression and tone. He clearly only adorned simplistic equipment, and was anything but a veteran to the world of Terra-Sphere. @Magdalyn
The man's appearance startled her. An instinctive hand shot to her spear, which was shoved in a sling on her saddle. She had nearly drawn it entirely before her more logical side took control. Look at him, she scolded herself. Is he really a threat? He wore the most basic of gear, and though that was not always a sure-fire indicator, it was rarely wrong. Not only was she better prepared for a fight, she was also mounted, providing further advantage. Just another player, who had managed to sneak up on her (intentionally, or not), using the cover of the trees. Shame on her for being lulled into such a false sense of security that she stopped paying attention. Magdalyn shook her head once, as if to chase the last of the fog from her mind. "A crystal?" she echoed, when she was finally able to focus on the man. Such questions made her think of a NPC, offering her a quest. But had she not already determined that he was another player? Odd. Magdalyn blinked down at him from atop Altivo. Then, she shook her head again. This time, the action was slower, more deliberate - a refusal. "No, thank you," she answered him. "I can't think of any need for that sort of thing." Her words were genuine - why would she need a crystal? Was it some sort of currency? Before she could stop herself, the always curious Magdalyn had succumbed to the mystery of it all. "Where did you get the crystal, if you don't mind my asking?" The leather of her bulky saddle groaned in protest as she swiveled within it, leaning down for a better look. @Mugen
"Twitchy..." Mugen quietly muttered to himself. Though her jump to potential hostility was fast, and predicated as it appeared. The young Yladian had a brow arch ever so slightly given that he was at least prepared to respond with a back-step. Though, he figured if she really meant to assault him- That chance would have slipped away rather quickly. Given his halted stance, and a hand held up in earlier response to her show of position and presence. Mugen eventually let himself shift to something of ease. Given the pacing, his dour eyes didn't seem to adjust themselves all too much- or give themselves much life to his moment to moment interpretation of her own motions-- She was certainly animated. "That's too bad, was hoping to make some money out of it... Whatever it is." Mugen pressed the thought too himself a moment. It was clear by the slight intonation change of his voice, he was being sincere with his lack of knowledge on the object. Dangling by his hand a moment, he shifted into a shrug and stowed it away at his sash once more. Resting either hand on his hips, Mugen stretched his back ever so slightly while they dallied in their spot for the moments of conversing. "In the woods I came from." Mugen had thumbed back to the tree-line. "Though, if you're not buying. I mays' well see if anyone in that town there wants to buy it." Mugen had diverted his attention to the small gathering of buildings, their detail escaping him just barely from the distance. "Say, looks like you're heading that way. Mind if I trail alongside you? As much as this whole thing is a game, I'd rather avoid the stabbing of other people that are just as weapon-happy as you. And they might be less eager to listen to the reason in their heads." Mugen turned his attention to Magdalyn. Interested in seeing her expression- and response to the request. "Name's Mugen, if that matters any to you." @Magdalyn
Magdalyn pursed her lips in thought, lingering on one part of what he had said. "You just found it, lying in the woods?" she mused aloud. After a soft hum, she added, "That's pretty odd. Maybe it is a building material of some sort? Or a quest item? Was there any sort of prompt when you picked it up?" Then, "No, probably not. Never mind." If there had been, would he be so eager to sell it? Would he not have mentioned the start of a new mission? It was only then that she recalled something else the man had said. She feigned offense, but her lips curved into a smile before she could even finish the sentence. "Me? Weapon-happy? If I were truly weapon-happy, you'd be a newb shish kebab." She shook her head, sending her mop of blue hair cascading over one shoulder. "Nah, I'm just cautious. I never really know what I'm going to find out here, y'know?" With a hand still loosely clutching the reins, Magdalyn motioned further down the trail. The sudden movement tugged at Altivo's head, and his ears melted back, indicating his displeasure. It had little effect on Mags. He was never actually pleased. Sourpuss. "You're welcome to tag along," she told him. "And names do matter, actually. I'm a bit of a stickler for them. My name is Magdalyn, but you can call me Mags. Everyone else does." As she shifted her weight, asking for her stallion to walk on, she had this odd scratching at the back of her mind. Was there something she was forgetting? Her reason for visiting the town, maybe? "Hey, any chance you saw a guy out in the woods with you? Six-two-ish, NPC, probably riding a black horse?" @Mugen
Mugen dipped his head in casual acknowledgement to Mags name introduction. He continued by foot along side the stallion; keeping careful eye on its speed and trying to make due pacing with Mags. "An NPC in the woods? Hm.. No I don't recall seeing anyone. Especially with a horse." Mugen had commented rather dryly, looking onward at the approaching town. It was still the better half of an hours walk from where they were, but it was clear enough to keep well within' sight. Mugen's attention drifted idly to the mounted travel-companion. "Don't suppose this NPC you're talking about is something of a quest objective?" He left the question in the air for a moment, listening the crunch of his weight every step. Up until he decided to devise something of comfort and slid his hands into his pant-pockets. "Truth be told, I haven't seen too many players or NPCs out here- Or at least in this region." Afterwards, Mugen was mostly quiet for the remainder of the travel. With odd bouts of responses and idle chatter, he was capable of entertaining. After nearing an hour of time passing, the sun in the sky had teetered ever so slightly to an angle. Casting the slowly-growing shadows. The town itself had made itself within' cleanly rendered distance and the details were coming into focus; there were visible townsfolk that meandered about throughout the streets, homes and shops as if naught was wrong with the world- Which for them, and the most part- was correct. While none were eager to pay much attention to the new entries to the town, they didn't appear displeased either. Mugen then looked to Mags, offering a dip of his head. "Well, I think I'll let you do what you need to do. I'll be around perhaps for the night. Going to see if anyone is willing to buy this item though." Mugen peered around the horizon, spotting what looked like a general-store placard. Given his discovery, he angled an index finger to point at the shop. "Probably there... Right, well then- Best of luck, or however people say it here." At that, he proceeded further into the town. If Mags stayed long enough, she would witness him as he said- Heading to the General Shop. As he entered the building, Mugen noticed his head started gathering a bit of fuzz. Interference with the device maybe? He mused the thought, but hadn't continued with it much further; figuring it may pass. At the greeting of the Shopkeeper, Mugen approached and presented the crystalline item. Placing it on the counter, "So, will you buy this? How much do you figure it's wor--?" Mugen's attention was quickly stolen by two things. The first, was that the crystal which was formerly dormant, had a slight glow too it- How long has it been like that? The second, was that the Shopkeeper's expression was comfortably between panic and excitement. Albeit creepy, Mugen thought. A strange itch crawled along his spine as he witnessed all this. Why am I here again? He thought, odd. But the crystal before him sure looked interesting. "Of course sir! We'll uh... Purchase it. Just give me a minute, and I'll get it appraised by our jeweler; he's just in the back!" Proclaimed the scruffy looking man. Seemed legitimate, after-all he was an NPC; not like he could do anything particularly malicious. Right? Well the NPC go-doer, decided to rather quickly grab the crystal and shimmied off into the back of the shop. "Huh... Well he was rather eager." Mugen stated. After a few minutes of nothing he started tapping his feet idly- And growing ever so slightly impatient. He squinted, eventually caving and decided to hop over the counter and trace back to where the man had left to have it appraised. Nudging the door open, he was met with a second door that was dangling open. And inconveniently no shopkeeper. "What the hell?" Mugen muttered, a bit confused by the fact an NPC went rogue... Was it an NPC? Nevertheless, he rushed outside the door. Leading to the back of the shop; open air and looking about the streets of the town. With the shopkeeper nowhere to be immediately found, what now? @Magdalyn
