Arriving at Spawn [P]

Liam had been looking for a change. Something fresh in his life. Soon after his 16th birthday, he received an email telling him about a game called Terra Sphere. He'd never been much for games, nor did he play any. Most of the games he played were spooking passersby as they walked through his family's cemetery. However, this was different. Liam felt that this could have been the fresh change that he needed to liven things up. He knew his parents had a decent amount of money lying around. So, he asked for a NerveGear a time after receiving the email about Terra Sphere, and received it with no questions asked. When he had the time he immediately installed the game and equipped the NerveGear. In the instructions for the NerveGear, he'd read that to use it properly he had to say "Link start." He did so, and was the game started up. Once it finished booting up and he got passed the main menu, he began to create his character. He didn't make the character too different from his actual appearance due to the fact that he wanted more of a sense of realism than what he was about to get, although he still made the character interesting enough to look at. Once he was finished, he was whisked away into the world of Terra Sphere. He looked around the place he spawned in, and noted he was in a forest area.

 

"Introduction Post"

Letting out a sigh Elyssa gently set the cellular device back on the table, acquaintances that played at being friends. They didn't know the struggle she had gone through, yet still tried. Turning to face a slender and simple coat rack, the girl slid off her large jacket. letting it hang sloppily on it, with no real care of making it look neat. left in her skirt and tank top she walked slowly through her house, making way to the living room. Passing dark hallways and long since been open doors her footsteps bounced of the walls. Empty. After the incident Elyssa never bothered turning the house into her own, or even changing it. Inheriting the building, her parents companies, and mass wealth should have delighted her but, in reality it just annoyed her. It was a thorn in her side, a permanent reminder of who she used to be. A taunting call and gateway for her to return to her old ways...

Rounding a corner the girl plopped down onto a messy bed, the once glorious and spacious living room was now cramped and littered with humps of laundry mostly. Her old caretakers stopped by once a month to help her reorganize, to at least keep the establishment tidy and hygienic. Not for free of course.

Lost in her thoughts Elyssa frowned as her curiosity began to tear away at her. Something feral in her craved for adventure once more. Rolling over, the ebony haired girl gazed at a box. Neatly wrapped with white ivory paper, and tied with rose red ribbon. She had known what it was before departing for Africa, she had requested it. A devilish grin forming on her expression she stood and made way for the box. If the VR world was as real and expansive as her...acquaintances had led her to believe, maybe her cravings would be satisfied.

"Link Start." Stating the words the manual had instructed Elyssa was hurled into a world of spinning colors, rotating and fixating. Redesigning her reality. 'Character Creation' Gazing up at the large letters the girl slowly directed her gaze downwards to find a silhouette of a person, basic in every way. A small brush floating beside it. "I guess this would be my character?." mumbling her words she grasped the tool and set to work, going through many hours of trial and error.

'Are you sure this is the character you wish to create?' Looking at the small window, Elyssa softly pressed the circle, confirming her choice. In a flash she was in a lush forest, grass and trees blanketing the world around her. The gentle and soothing breeze nearly startling her, it was weird. She knew this place was a figment her and other people shared in their minds...or however it worked. Yet it was so real...

"Wow..."

 

Liam looked around his immediate area for a bit. This forest had to be the largest wooded area he'd ever seen. And that says a lot based on the general area where he lived. After a lengthy period of examining his surroundings, it occurred to him that he wasn't sure was his in-game name was. He knew he'd made one, but he had blown through character creation so quickly due to his anticipation that he didn't pay too much attention to it. With a small motion of his hand, he brought up his player info. At the top, he saw his name which was rather simplistic: Mortemer. At the time he must have thought of something simple to hurry the process along. He shrugged and thought to himself "Oh well." closing the menu. He figured he might as well refer to himself as 'Mortemer' while in-game, not that he cared the people knew his real name or not. He didn't really understand all of the safety stuff people had to deal with when there was a plethora of ways to obtain the information anyways.

After a bit more looking around and losing himself in the ambient sounds around him, Mortemer set off in a direction that seemed like it would take him somewhere. As he walked, he listened to the various sounds around him. He quietly listened to chirping birds, chattering squirrels, and the hammering of woodpeckers. He stepped softly as to not disturb the pleasant environment around him, although he knew it was futile in the sense that small animals like birds and squirrels would run if he got too close, no matter how quiet he was.

After what he would assume was a half hour of walking, he stumbled upon a small river. It wasn't small enough for him to jump across, but it also wasn't large enough for him to have no way across. Mortemer quickly scanned the area and found a toppled tree. He ran over to it and quickly ran across to the other side of the river. It wasn't for about another half hour till he found himself at the edge of a clearing.

In the clearing was tall grass growing atop a small hill that peaked in the center of the clearing. There was a single tree at the top of the hill, but there was a clear view of the sky otherwise. Mortemer turned his gaze to the sky and admired the great blue majesty of it. There were hardly any clouds in the sky, and if there were they couldn't make a dent in the sky's massive presence. It was a pleasant thing to look at from afar, but his legs were tired. He decided he'd take a small rest underneath the tree. Mortemer slowly stepped out into the clearing in case there were any animals about to leap out. Once he was sure there was nothing coming into the clearing, he began to make his way over to the tree.

As Mortemer climbed up the hill, he began to feel more and more exhausted. He figured working in a cemetery most of his life would have made him more physically fit, but he then wondered if that changed when he entered the game. Finally he reached the top of the hill, and let out an exhausted sigh. Before he had any time to react, a swarm of birds fled from the tree where they were perched, unbeknownst to Mortemer. "Oops." he said, feeling slightly bad for scaring off the birds. He quickly got over it and shrugged. He couldn't help scaring of something he didn't know about.

Glad to finally be able to rest, Mortemer sat down under the tree, letting out a long sigh, happy to relieve the stress on his legs. He leaned back against the tree and held the back of his head in his hands. He propped himself against the tree with his right leg and shut hit eyes, letting a breeze roll over him. "I better be careful." he thought. "I might fall asleep if I rest here for too long." Mortemer began to take slow deep breaths, enjoying the fresh air of the forest.

 

Wandering the wilds it felt as if something was off, as if she wasn't as adept as she was in the real world. It's as if part of her own personal abilities were blocked. Frowning she looked down at her hands, expecting to find her own, yet they were foreign. So the character creation thing was who she was to be in this world. Examining the rest of her body as best she could an amused smirk came to the girl. Square one, as a new person...no. She wouldn't be a new person, she would be who she always was. A name given to her by the tribes and villagers of her pride's territory. Lai'ordi.

As the blonde walked along the forest floor she read through the tools and tips, practicing the required motions it would take to access her information panels. Closing her hand into a fist then reopening it quickly a small window opened, revealing several gauges. Monitoring her basic needs. If she understood this was basically life the game but, with fantasy creatures and magic. If so she would be able to climb into power rather easily. After all, nothing is more difficult than survival in the real world.

Coming to a river Lai'ordi rested on both knees and bowed her head towards the water, splashing herself with some water to cool off. As the water rolled off of her head movement on the top of her head brought the girl to full alert, swiftly moving her hand tightly grasped hold of something soft and furry. a confusing feeling of annoyance filled her as she just as quickly released the thing. It was as though she grabbed something on her own body?. Frowning Lai'ordi looked down at her reflection. Surprised to find two cat like ears on top of her head. "Ho-...why?." asking the question out loud an image came to her mind, under race it had said Felis. Did that mean she was some kind of cat woman?. Lost in curiosity a furry tail swaying back and forth behind her only confirmed her question. She should had been more careful, at least it made sense in a way.

Moving on from the river the cat girl couldn't help but keep touching her body, it wasn't human. Only human like, there had to be things inside of it that worked differently than what she had adjusted to. Maybe that's why she felt off in the beginning?. Not really focused on being observant she continued walking through the forest. Approaching a clearing. Reaching behind herself she grabbed hold of her tail, examining it as best she could before getting fed up of the sensation. Sleek and slender, blonde like her hair, with a little puff at the end. Like a lion's, Naturally.

Letting go of her tail Lai'ordi looked up to see a small hill in a large clearing of the forest. As she stepped out of the tree line, a flurry of birds erupted from the tree. Disturbed most likely by an invading animal. Letting her instincts kick in, the girl kept low to the ground, hiding with the grass. Moving with the wind she climbed the hill.

"So that's what it was..." confirming her thoughts, Lai'ordi peered through the grass. Her gaze sweeping over the person. a male, slender and relaxed, with red hair. She took notice of the same style of garbs he wore, similar to her own. Starting gear. NPCs or more experienced player's would have more extravagant things, it's just how this kind of stuff worked from what she knew. Staying crouched low Lai'ordi continued staring at him with her ruby red eyes, debating on what she should do.

Letting out a rather loud sigh the girl gave up and stood, if she had chose to been hostile she may have ended the player. As it seemed he was dozing off, it miffed her a bit. "Hey!, you know you're lucky!" She spoke loudly, hoping to startle the man from his little nap. "How can you let your guard down when you're in a dangerous area like this!?" she chastised the man for his lack of instinct, not caring if she didn't know him at all.

 

Mortemer, against his own thought, had fallen asleep. He had a dream he would call pleasant, however gruesome it may have been. During a peak moment of his dream, Mortemer was woken by a sharp loud noise. He sluggishly looked around to see if he could find the source of the noise, but all he found was a girl standing a short ways away. Mortemer figured he might as well be polite and talk with her before trying to kill her in some way. He put on a smile and gave the girl a small wave. "Hey." he said through with a tone that suggested he was still half asleep. Mortemer rubbed his eyes and looked over the girl with a bit more care. He noticed she was wearing clothes that were similar to his. "You just gettin' here?" he asked, getting in a more comfortable position against the tree. "I've been here for a while... At least I think I have been." Mortemer looked up that sky to see if the time of day was different, but he couldn't see much under the tree and as far as he could tell, not much had changed so he probably wasn't sleeping long. He shrugged it off, not thinking much of it.

"Name's Mortemer." he said, continuing to converse with the girl. He didn't think she'd be capable of much since they were both just starting out, but of course that meant the same for him. Should he chance trying to kill this person, he'd have to put some effort into it. He knew that she had to have been watching him for some time which could have given her time to formulate some kind of plan or identify weak spots. Still, he didn't think that outcome would be very likely. If she wanted to kill him she would have done it while he was sleeping, and he wasn't awake enough to fight back or start a fight. Instead, Mortemer decided to keep going with the conversation and ask more questions. Even if he wanted to get up, he was far too comfy to get up at the moment.

"What's your name? Did you see anyone else on the way here? Nice day out, eh?" he asked, trying to talk about multiple things at once.

 

Narrowing her eyes as the man awoke with a slow reaction Lai'ordi couldn't help but lightly judge him, such a carefree aura. Spotting the welcoming gesture she slowly approached him. Did he not here her?, or was he choosing to ignore her words?. Deciding to not think too much on it she opted for conversing with him, getting the answers she sought through simple conversation. "Yeah, I haven't been here long. I don't even know what my goal is right now." she answered, sitting herself down on the soft grass next to him.

Listening to the man ask his questions Lai'ordi just shrugged and turned to the sky to see what he was looking at, a little curious as to what he sees. "I'm... Lai'ordi." She answered, still debating who she would become. "I guess you can call me Lai if it's easier." She offered. Shaking her head she returned her red eyes to the man. "No, You're the first person I've seen." she answered. "and if it's not snowing it's always good weather." she spoke honestly, despising the cold conditions of her real life home.

"Hey Mortemer, what's your goals for playing this game?" she asked, deciding to be straight forward in gathering information. Not having her own thing to do would drive her away from this game, so she would just have to help others until she found something to work towards. She was being open purposely, acting friendly would allow her to take a vital first step. and if she made early alliances she could use them as stepping stones to further her own needs. whatever those may come to be. Laying down on to the grass she had made a temporary nest she eyed the red headed man. Not just that, since they were both beginners it was safe to assume he wouldn't attempt anything too risky.

"I don't really care what you do, but I think it would benefit both of us to work together. And I don't have any real goals myself, so I could help you get to there faster." She stated truthfully, of course leaving out the fact she would expect payment when available.

 

"Alright. Nice to meet you Lai. Call me Morty if you like." he said, beginning to think about her next few questions. He didn't exactly have a goal, per se. It was more like he was figuring it out as he endeavored into a fresh experience. He might stop to kill somebody here and there to keep himself from murdering a village, but other than that nothing big came to mind. More or less, he'd expect to do what he usually did in the real world; live in a graveyard somewhere, kill intruders, explore, the simple things. Other than that he'd probably just tend to the graves most of the time to feel at ease, but then again, that would defeat the purpose of trying out this game. Mortemer wanted something new, and doing stuff like he did in the real world wouldn't help him accomplish that.

"I don't really have any goals." he said plainly. "I guess I'll just figure things out as I go along." Ultimately, if he could do something on a more extreme level, he'd be fine with that. He didn't really care about making too many friends. If he did, then that would something that just happens. He never had any real life friends anyways, so that might as well be the next best thing. Mortemer then began to think about Lai's proposal. True, he could benefit from being allied with someone from the get-go, but one of the big questions that stuck out in his mind was what could she hope to gain from allying with a new kid like him? There wasn't much thought to put into it since they would be progressing at a relatively similar rate. Besides, the more man power on his side, the better.

"Okay." he said, finally. "I'll work together with you for a while." He may not have known what Lai was after, but Mortemer did know that if it came down to it, he could use her as a shield. Not a very manly thing to do, but he didn't care about that stuff one way or another.

 

Nodding in understanding Lai'ordi extended her arm to the sky, laying down on the soft grass she begin moving through and accessing her panels. She was unsure if he could see the panels or not. it might have been a setting she had to enable somewhere but she didn't care one way or another. If they were going to be working together then it would be best for them to know each other's weakness's and strengths. "I'm going to send you a party invite, then make you leader. It'll make keeping track of each other easier." Giving a glance his way she confirmed the invitation to be sent and closed her panels. "Not just that, I don't fully trust you. and to be honest probably won't ever. But I ensure that I won't turn on you until you turn on me." She stated bluntly, slowly sitting up.

"Though I wouldn't mind staying partners even if we go our separate ways, allies are better than enemies. Even the wildest of animals understand that..." She trailed off, letting Mortemer decide to answer or not.

Letting silence fall upon both of them she looked off into the distance, examining their position. It was currently advantageous but, if they didn't move soon to find lodgings it wouldn't end all too well. "So, where to?" she asked, eager to make progress.

 

Mortemer thought for a moment. Up until now he'd never had any plans to go anywhere specific. He was just going. If he had to go anywhere, he'd want to find a place where he can set up a base. Not necessarily a home, but more for operations and such. That being said, the place he'd like to go the most is a graveyard, despite wanting to do something different. There wasn't really any place he could have that would make him feel comfy. Besides, a graveyard would be more homey. With a destination in mind, wherever that may be, Mortemer pushed off of the tree and stood up.

"I don't know." he said, accepting the party invite. He looked out over the trees wondering what direction to set off in. "We just go until we find a place, I guess." Thus Mortemer picked a direction and started walking. If he could find a graveyard soon, that we be dandy. His legs were still sore from an hour of walking and he was dying for a proper rest. If he couldn't find one, it wouldn't be that big an issue. He knew he'd find time eventually, so he'd just have to bide his time until he did. Lai said she wouldn't betray him unless he did something first, so that's a start to something. He was certain he could lead Lai until he'd found a proper graveyard to set up a base. However, a question he'd never be able to stop asking himself stayed in the back of his mind: How long would he be able to lead her on?

 

Smirking as he accepted the role of leader Lai'ordi stood, not bothering to brush the dirt and grass off of her body. "I wasn't asking for a specific destination, just a direction." she stated. deciding to walk beside the red head rather than behind of in front she made a few more motions with her hand, making the man her party leader. "I'll keep track of that clearing, if we don't find a place in a few hours we should make way back here. The spots advantageous in many different ways. Rather than just hunkering down where we are at." She comments. stepping over roots, fallen branches, and rocks. she follows the man deeper into the forest.

Moving her gaze to Mortemer she frowns as she notes his silence, earlier he was so upbeat and talkative. Now...this was just eerie. Sighing she turned her attention to the trail ahead of them. "Listen, I don't care for schemers. Or people who hide things, it makes working them more difficult. What are you thinking right now?, my instincts are a bit blocked right now. But even a blind person could see you're in thought." she pointedly asked.

 

"Do you really not trust me that much?" Mortemer shrugged his shoulders. "Not much, really. A bit of home, a bit about the surroundings. Mostly where we're headed, but other than that I'm not thinking about anything too important." He said, keeping his gaze forward, looking around in the trees every now and then. He wasn't really hiding anything. He was leaving out a detail, mostly cause he wasn't sure of how soon they'd be able to find a graveyard. Nonetheless, he would march on going from place to place until he found one.

"You seem to be a very attentive person. What's your story? Were you a preppy at school, or were you a bookworm? Maybe one of those geeks or super nerds that play DnD?" Mortemer didn't realy care for most types of 'cliques', although occult clubs often interested them, despite the fact they were mostly into summoning demons and such, but it didn't matter to him. More so it wasn't as interesting as it could be.

 

A swaying tail bumping into tree's and branches as she walked an annoyed expression formed on her, she would have to train to get used to her new body. It wasn't as heavy as a human's and the tail and ears could prove to be an issue and even a lethal danger. "No it's not you..." she trailed off, distracted a bit trying to keep her tail still. looking at it every now and then to get adjusted to the sight of it. "I instinctually don't trust anyone, though like everyone that can change." she commented. Deciding to leave her extra appendage alone for the current moment she ran a hand through her blonde hair, freeing stray strands from her face.

"I was a prep, miss moneybags, and stepped over people like they were nothing." She answered. Keeping her gaze forward she continued. "Some...unfortunate events happened, or fortunate really. looking at it from a different perspective. My friends and family were murdered, and I was kidnapped..." Remembering the ordeal she let out a sigh, the looks of the investigators faces when she said she was saved and lived alongside lions. "You're lucky, I wouldn't tell you this normally, but I'm not a hypocrite. My kidnappers were attacked by lions, I was saved. for two years, I lived with them, hunted, survived." She stated truthfully. Not caring his reaction mocking or sympathetic. He didn't seem like the kind to do either anyway.

"So, I'm different then almost everybody I know. Actually...if I'm honest, I'm the only person that I know to be like this. Turned into a hunter by an animal that should have killed me." She commented as the duo walked.

 

Mortemer turned around with a smirk on his face holding his hands behind his head. "Ooh, rough." he said beginning to walk backwards. "I haven't seen many animals where I come from, but hey, lions are better than poisonous animals that could kill you in one bit in a way. I mean, with lions you know they're there. Scorpions? Cobras? Not so much." Mortemer turned back around, a smirk still painted onto his face. He then began to think how different his life would be if he were raised that way. Not necessarily by lions, but more so raised to be a survivor. Things wouldn't even reflect against the way he lived now. He then began to think about the way he grew up and wondered what his life would be like if his upbringing was a mix of the two lifestyles. More than likely he'd end up some kind of serial killer or a guy that plans out his kills and leaving elaborate clues for the police to try and find him. He was happy with the way he grew up and how things are, though, and he wouldn't change a thing no matter the offer he was given.

Mortemer looked over his shoulder, now smiling. "So, did you ever kill them?" He asked. "The guys that kidnapped you, I mean." There wasn't much about her background that interested him too heavily. However, he was very curious if anything happened to her kidnappers.

 

Listening to his response Lai'ordi slowed her walk, and completely stopped. Staring at Mortemer dumbfounded. "Are you stupid?, p-poisonous animals are everywhere...and have you ever seen a lion take down a gazelle? They don't need poison!" scratching her head furiously the girl moves forward to catch up with her partner. This guy must have been messing with her, that smirk. It unnerved her. As if he knew whatever he said, he could get a way. The same kind of smirk she had when two guys tried to mug her at a bus stop... it was a look you gave when you could get away with anything...

spotting the man staring at her, her ears perked up as he spoke his words. "umm, yes and no." She stated, not sure how to answer a question like that. "I..." groaning Lai'ordi placed a hand against her forehead. "A couple were put down by my pride, one was left alive...barely. I put him out of his mis-" stopping herself a sudden realization dawned on her, She wasn't Elyssa anymore. She was Lai'ordi. Smirking a dark look glazed over her face. "No. I didn't." She chuckled. "I watched him suffer, stabbed him under his knee's with his own knife to make sure he couldn't run. But he crawled quite the ways, when the lions didn't drag him back that is. Hours, almost an entire day before he kicked the bucket, and I enjoyed every last second."

 

Mortemer stopped as Lai she finished her story. He couldn't help but be intrigued by her story. By far, it was the most interesting thing he'd ever heard about in his life. Although Mortemer and Lai were two very different people, something about her story was... relatable. He looked over his shoulder giving Lai a teeth baring smile. He chuckled a bit. "You and I are going to get along fine." he turned around and continued to walk. His smile persisted as the thought of having a murder body tickled him pink. For a long time he'd never been so excited. Not since homicide became a hobby. He started to quietly giggle. The more he thought about it, the giddier he got. He kept thinking to himself that he had to pull himself under control, but he simply couldn't help it.

"Perhaps..." he thought. "Perhaps this will work out better than I thought?" After a bit more quiet and manic giggling, he began to settle down, stifling his giggles. Mortemer took a deep breath and collected himself. He stared forward, wondering what adventures lie before him. He couldn't wait to step out into the wide open world before him.