Pormont Exploration With a Healer x2 (Private)

Beautiful. This was the only word fitting the area she now was in.

The sun shone gently onto the swathes of plains. With the gentle breeze, the plains glimmered akin to a river of molten gold, darker here and lighter there, as if ready to swallow any unwary adventurer.

This was the scenery that Ilusa was seeing, drinking in, eyes shining with excitement, almost heedless of the other occupant of the wagon; the lean faerin. The air was crisp and fresh, as it could only be in untouched nature. The temperature was pleasantly warm, yet not too hot, making the time spent at watching the scenery much more enjoyable. Even the slight wobble of the transport vehicle did not get in the way of the appreciation of nature this felis was enjoying.

She was plastered to the window, kneeling on the seat, tail swaying excitedly, ears twitching and letting out tiny gasps at something new and beautiful; animals and plants as splashes of different colours on the plains.

Yet after some time passed, she realised that ignoring the other could be taken as rude, so reluctantly she tore her gaze away from the outside world and returned it to the inside.

Red eyes landed firmly on the other, taking in, possibly his, look and gear, before giving him a beaming smile. “Hello.” This greeting was accompanied with a wave of a hand. Then Ilusa changed her position, or rather stopped kneeling at the seat and stood up, before properly sitting down. Still, her tail was peeking out and swishing with bit dimmed, but still existing excitement. “It’s a beautiful place, isn’t it? I would not mind spending an hour or two just watching it.” She freely admitted but kept to herself that she dearly hoped that travel will not take as much all the time.

Still, she took this wagon because she wanted to see a new place, take in the new sights and perhaps get to heal somebody; it was harder to find hurt people now at the starting area and she felt confident enough in her skills (why she memorised the few spells incantation and did not have to tap their icon anymore!) to branch out and find new people in need of a healer… And find new unknown reagents!

Yet, the moment she thought it, it was time to disembark. With another smile and wave, she left the wagon… But so did the fearin. Taking in a big breath of the fresh air, she glanced at the other curiously, then asked. “Are you here to explore too then? If so, how about we go together?”

@Zaos Rocyne

 

Wagon travel sure beat walking, even if it mean handing over some of his gold. Zaos relaxed as the wagon rumbled along, unconsciously mirroring his companion's actions by staring out at the golden plains. The grassland seemed to ripple before his eyes, brushed by a gentle breeze that helped to keep the summer heat from becoming unbearable. Did monsters lurk in the sea of golden grass, waiting to pounce on any traveler brave enough to leave the narrow path? Part of him wanted to find out, but the wiser half of him was equally as content to sit in the wagon and watch it safely pass by.

Eventually, his attention turned from the rolling grassland to the other person in the wagon. The female felis seemed as enraptured by the view as he had been, and he smiled slightly, watching her tail flick back and forth. She was dressed similarly to himself, so he assumed they shared several of the same masteries. Was she traveling to Svenkarr as well, or somewhere further afield?

He straightened slightly as he gaze landed on him, hoping she wouldn't think he had been staring. "Hello," he said, returning her greeting with a smile and wave of his own. Glancing out at the scenery for a moment, he nodded. "Yes, it's a very beautiful place." So different from the bustling city of New York, or the dry fields of Texas where he had spent his youth. The conversation looked like it was about to end as they arrived in Svenkarr, but they both ended up getting off of the wagon.

"Yes, I heard there was some quests here, so I decided to see what the place was like," he replied. At the offer to go together, Zaos nodded eagerly. "Joining forces sounds good to me! Now, where shall we start?" The village itself was fairly small and seemed to be primarily focused around farming, so he doubted there were any battle quests here. Which was fine, since he wasn't well-outfitted for them anyway. There was sure to be simple quests around, they just had to find them.

@Ilusa Nakhalee

 

“..? Quests?” Ilusa blinked her red eyes, openly confused. It even showed in her body language, head tilt and shift of ears. It was a completely real reaction. After all, she was pretty sure that there were in fact no quests in this game. The closest one could get to it were the ‘contracts’ she heard of and learned one could initiate it by themselves. It made discovering the land feel more real, as there were no ‘quests’ in real life. Yet, there were contracts, yet there was the ‘scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours’ deals. As there were cheaters and thieves. And slavers. And killers.

After a moment she just shrugged and instead smiled at the faerin who agreed that it was better to go in two than alone. Even if she was pretty sure the other was a character player, she still did not initiate the creation of a party. Instead, she looked around the village, checking the small and fresh buildings, before spotting an inn. Bit of ale, or other alcoholic beverage and use of her charms would surely lose some tongues and-

“Ah!” Her eyes widened at sight of a hurt farmer who was leaning against a wall, wife and children gathered worriedly around him. The man had bandaged torso and arm and something akin to crutch laid next to the wall.

This was it! The time to heal a person and gather herself a goodwill needed to hear the latest rumours and just how the man was hurt. “Let’s go!”

Grabbing the hand of the smaller avatar, she pulled him, showing the situation and hoping he understood.

Once she reached the family, she let go of his hand and smiled at the family. “Hello. By the grace of Iedi, I am a wandering practitioner of the magical healing. For no coin, I can heal what ails you, but if you would be so kind to offer me few rumours and words about the area, I would be most glad.” By using religion (and Goddess whom she did claim as her Matron Goddess), hopefully, they would agree to this request.

Seeing a hopeful look on the wife’s face and the man agreeing with a nod, she took a breath, closed her eyes and concentrated.

Without using the shortcut, without tapping the icon, she used the Words of Power, the remembered incantation, letter by letter, syllable by syllable, the alien words were spoken and the mana gathered around her hands, feeling calm and welcoming, warm and soothing even with the spell not yet finished.

@Zaos Rocyne

 

Zaos stared blankly at her confusion for a moment before everything clicked. "Ah, right! There's no quests in Terrasphere." He grinned and waved a hand. "Sorry about that, I'm used to other MMOs having quests and stuff." Really, for someone who was playing the game in order to research it, he should have remembered that. Maybe he was getting old? He looked around the village as well, admiring the architecture of the place. The middle of the plains was an unusual spot to find Viking-inspired buildings, but he supposed historical accuracy wasn't a concern in this game. There were several small shops were he assumed he could find gear and potions, as well as an inn.

"Hmm?" Surprised by the other player's words and grab of his hand, Zaos found himself being pulled along in the felis' wake. It was then he noticed the hurt man and the people gathered around him. Ah, was she going to help?

As they approached, Zaos opened his menu and equipped his staff, trying to recall what he had read about the religion of this world. While the other player spoke, he quickly called up his spell menu, scrolling to the one that looked the most suitable. "I am Zaos, servant of Idna and a healer as well," he said when the felis finished, smiling at the family. "Please, allow me to assist." The man nodded, and he lifted his staff and began to cast his spell alongside the other healer. Hopefully, their combined magic would be enough to heal the man.

@Ilusa Nakhalee

 

One could almost say that the two of them were an overkill. Both were not bumbling beginners, even it seemed that her light might have been brighter. That could be caused by many things of course, from a simple choice of spell, through the difference in the advancement of their chosen specialisation.

As the light dimmed, as the spell finished, Ilusa sighed a little, feeling a smile spread on her face.

The man’s wounds healed, not even leaving a scar. Such was a power of Illumancy, such was the power of magic. The man and his wife, hastily took off the bandages, looking almost disbelieving at the miracle that just happened.

And no wonder, to the average NPC of this world, especially one in a small village, the Magic was whispered to exist but never seen. The woman was crying, out of happiness, for where earlier the horrid wounds were, now was nothing. No sign of it, as if it had not been there earlier at all.

As the family enjoyed the boon she and the faerin given them, she glanced at the other, noticing that he had a crude staff. Cruse it might be, it was still better than what she had. Which.. Was one big nothing. This world was odd and while she got lots of little things for comfort and living, none of it was something that could make a great difference in her casting, no equipment, no potions, no quest items. It made it different from what she heard of the games and while expected, it still surprised her.

She also wondered if the other had also a specialisation in more battle oriented magic, that he chose Idna as his patron Goddess. At least it was a Goddess who her own Goddess was in a good relationship in.

“Ye wanted the rumours and what’s known about the area, yes?” The man spoke, shooing his happy wife and rubbing the head of one of his kids. “How about we invite ye both for dinner? I can work now and ‘tis the least I could do to such kinds strangers like ye both.”

Ilusa glanced at the small faerin and gestured for him to decide. She was not against it, the NPC usually had tasty foods, even if they did not give any bonuses (sometimes they gave some food in gratitude too and they could put it in their inventories).

@Zaos Rocyne

 

Zaos smiled and rose as the spell ended, leaning his staff against his shoulder. The farmer's wounds had healed completely thanks to their combined magic, and he chuckled softly as the family rejoiced. They would be able to keep tending to their farm and producing food for the region, which would help both their fellow NPCs and players like himself and the felis. It was interesting to note that the game relied on NPCs to function, unlike in other MMOs where non-players were mere quest-givers and mostly treated as background scenery.

At the offer of dinner, Zaos smiled broadly. "A meal would be lovely, thank you." The healing spell had made a small dent in his energy levels, but some food would be more than enough to refill it. "And yes, we are looking for rumours and the like. It doesn't have to be a monster we have to kill - simply helping others like we did you is enough for us." At least, it was enough for him. From the impression he had of his felis companion, he couldn't see her disagreeing with his words. The farmer nodded and began to lead them towards the edge of the village, his wife following while his children dashed on ahead, laughing and skipping about.

Glancing again at his companion, he held out his hand. "I'm Zaos, by the way. We make a good team by the looks of it!"

@Ilusa Nakhalee