(inv)Exploring Norfova (Beatle, Amane)

Finally, this was it. This was the call to Arms that Beatle had been Looking for. A major power of the world of Falderen was finally requesting something, and Beatle would be there to fulfill the duty no matter what.

In hindsight, perhaps the 'no matter what' was the wrong phrasing. As Beatle read more deeply into the quest, it became clear that they would be exploring Norforva, a desolate wasteland that appeared after the first world boss that Beatle had heard so much about. Little was known about the new region, but Beatle was no Cartographer. Hopefully a map wouldn't be requested? Either way, it was a chance to gain some valuable reputation, as well as some insider knowledge of the new region. The quest posting listed that a second person would be required to start the quest, so Beatle preemptively began typing out his introductory message. "Why can't this game just let me copy/paste this message?" He muttered inaudibly.

As he finished typing the message, he entered the quest, opting to be paired randomly with another player. "These quests are like a friendship lottery..." He snickered to himself, imagining a giant lottery machine spitting out people instead of coins. A ridiculous thought, but entertaining. Just then, a notification appeared on his HUD, alerting him that he'd been matched. After accepting the match, he was teleported to a docked boat, next to @Amane Hirota.

She would receive a message shortly after, as well as a party invite.

Beatle the Bard

Hiya, im Beatle! I'm a bard/Naturamancer, but I can't speak due to a glitch in my headset. Don't worry, it shouldn't hinder us... well, it hasn't been a problem yet at least. I look forwards to working with you!

Beatle bowed respectfully to his new comrade, anticipating a verbal answer.

Thrown die:

40

 

Well, at first glance Amane thought the quest seemed like a pretty good deal. Compared to scouting hostile territory and spying on trained soldiers in an army that was on the verge of invading, exploring an only potentially dangerous region appeared to be far less harrowing, not to mention life threatening. For what looked to be around the same amount of reputation, too. The felis was fervently counting on those facts; her current stats left a lot to be desired, and this time she had no over-levelled player to guard her back. And while she could probably still hold her own in a fight, she had no idea what kind of partner she would be assigned to, from the experienced to the utterly clueless.

Upon accepting the quest, she'd immediately been teleported aboard a boat, her partner for the next few hours or so having already boarded. Taking a seat herself, Amane took the time to give him — or as the words suspended above his head proclaimed, Beatle the Bard — a quick once over as the boat started forwards along its journey. From his clothed attire and his diminutive stature as one of the faerin race, he was probably another spellcaster, which could pose a major issue when it came to synergising their masteries. Then again, the guitar slung over his shoulder marked him out as a muse user. So I'll be doing DPS, and he support on the off chance we get dragged into combat, she thought. They'll still be in hot water when it came to defence — but as more of a scouting party, they shouldn't be actively seeking out fights either. It could have been worse, she allowed. More importantly, Beatle had a youthful, affable face — she might have struck gold again in getting paired up someone friendly.

She opened her mouth to introduce herself, but before she could, a chime from her interface notified her of an incoming PM. Focusing on it, Amane opened up the menu, curiously reading the message within. She instinctively raised her fingers to the interface, about to type out her own reply when, a little belatedly she realised that while her companion couldn't speak, it would be more efficient if she conducted her half of the conversation out loud. Mouth pressed in a sheepish line, she gave Beatle a reply after her brief embarrassment faded.

"That's perfectly fine!" Amane said, referring to Beatle's inability to talk. "I don't mind text communications. You might want to just get a new headset if possible though, especially if your current one is still on warranty. Who knows, you might one day face a situation where quick communication could be the deciding factor." Without a voice, you couldn't scream at people to dodge, or give last minute warnings, and she imagined that it might pose a problem when casting spells as well.

"I'm a mage myself, with Astral, Arcane and Light magic." She continued. "It's nice to meet you too." Fishing around for a conversation starter as the boat drew alongside a bank in Norforva, the scenery around them bleeding from verdant foliage to russet sand, in the end the felis settled with asking, "So...why Muse and Naturamancy?" She hadn't seen any player with either of these two masteries before — muse and music in particular seemed like especially rare choices. Disembarking and entering the new zone, Amane wondered if Beatle had an interesting reason for picking such a build.

OOC: @Beatle the Bard

Thrown die:

86

 

As they began to walk, Beatle couldn't help but lose himself in her Majesty. Sure, he'd seem that most players in the game looked good, but never before had he seen someone so...

Beatle looked down as she asked him about his masteries, blushing slightly. It was impolite to stare, after all. Then the question she asked registered in his ears. "Oh uh... uh... huh. Why did I choose those masteries?" Beatle cupped his chin in thought, trying to remember what his plan was with his character. "Was there a plan? Did I have a clue what I was doing when I made Beatle?..."

Beatle began typing out his response as he walked, trying his best to focus on surveying the land around him without falling over his own feet. Multitasking was already hard enough without the distraction of attraction.

Beatle the Bard

Ya know, I didn't really plan my character through very well. My first time playing a roleplaying game, i made a bard because it sounded fun. Nowadays, it's just kinda... my go to, ya know?

The Naturamancy was mainly just because I had to fill another spell slot and wanted something more practical. I figured "Hey, why not have some real healing spells?" Plus it apparently comes with some decent snares/roots and probably some offensive stuff in the future."

Beatle shrugged to himself as he sent the message, thankful that he wasn't able to talk in this situation for fear of stumbling over his own words.

Thrown die:

46

@Amane Hirota

 

As she waited for Beatle to type out his answer, his fingers moving quick with practiced ease, Amane noticed the bard turn away from her abruptly, with what she thought was a faint blush coating his cheeks, before he looked down and his hair covered it from sight. Though he seemed to want to avoid staring, Amane had no qualms about doing the same, her companion's embarrassment bolstering her own confidence. The boy was cute, though not her type, and it was quite flattering to be considered attractive. He reminded her a little of Avi, in fact, though they had vastly different mastery builds. At least, Amane assumed he considered her striking, and wasn't looking away for some other reason entirely...

A notification flashed in front of her, and she tapped it open, reading the contents with part of her attention, the rest of it spent scanning the environment around them. They were on Norforva now — completely unmapped territory, with a history of blood magic and likely bloodshed as well. Though the quest didn't specify a difficulty level, nor did it have a minimum mastery requirement, if the two of them were careless she doubted that they'll come out unscathed. Surely an area as away from civilisation as this would be filled with hostile monsters, and maybe even hostile people as well.

"Makes sense," she said, nodding after she was done. "Healing is useful, but roots sound like they'll be amazing, both solo and in a party." It's no geomancy, but for a squishy support character it'll probably provide a small measure of defence. Not that Amane really knew what Naturamancy entailed, but if it was anything like its name, being able to control plants sounded like an extremely versatile ability.

"Believe it or not, I've never actually played any MMOs before. Terra Sphere is my first," she continued, divulging a bit of her own life in return. "For a first game, it's a pretty bad choice, with its difficulty and learning curve and all, but the players here have been remarkably helpful. So when I made my character I didn't really think about my masteries either," Amane admitted, a slight giggle slipping out from between her lips. "I just wanted to be one of those Japanese shrine maidens, you know? But fancier, with powers and such, like the Mikos you see in animes. So Astramancy, Illumancy and Arcanamancy it was." Now that she had been playing for a while, she was starting to realise that she probably should have spent a bit more thought on her build — but it hadn't failed her yet, and she was already contemplating ways to make up for the power drop and decreased utility that came with foregoing Magical Tools as a mage. "So, do you enjoy the game so far?"

OOC: @Beatle the Bard

Thrown die:

48

 

Beatle nodded, expressing his enjoyment of the game. He considered typing out yet another message, but as he began opening the menu, a plateau came into view, not far from their current position. If mapping/scouting the region was their goal, then what better place to do that from than atop a plateau? It would give them a great view of the surrounding area, and surely wouldn't be too difficult to climb.

Beatle plucked his guitar to get Amane's attention and pointed at the plateau, then put his hand to his brow to block the sun from his eyes and squinted, pretending to be observing a large area. A crude game of charades, but Beatle was pretty sure the point would get across.
As Beatle began making his way towards the plateau, He typed out a response.

Beatle the Bard

I love this game. It puts a completely new spin on the games I've played in the past, though I won't claim to be an MMO expert. It's kinda crazy just how many different combinations of masteries and spells there are, and how versatile they all can be!~

Beatle pulled out his guitar after sending the message, playing a nice travelling tune that seemed to involuntarily make them both move faster. If Amane checked her HUD, it would alert her to the "Song of Winds" buff that Beatle's music was causing. It was true, he really did enjoy the game. No clients, no numbers, no hunching over a desk for hours at a time dealing with other people's financial mistakes. Just him, his music, some magic, and a crazy, fantastic world. What could be better than that?

Beatle seemed to trudge ahead of Amane slightly. He tried not to show it, but it was definitely pretty awkward having a part verbal, part message conversation, as to anyone else it would appear that he was just ignoring her questions. Beatle was thankful that the people he'd met thusfar were willing to work with him despite his flaw, but he knew that he'd come across someone less tolerant at some point. He just hoped that by then, his skill in the game would be enough to suffice.

@Amane Hirota

Thrown die:

37

 

Amane watched as Beatle mimed several gestures, before looking at the plateau that he'd pointed out. That was smart; while not quite a birds eye view, they'll be able to see further by standing on the elevated ground. Who knows? They may spot something interesting in the distance, and get a larger reward this way. Giving him a nod, she followed after the bard — languidly at first, but Amane picked up her pace almost unconsciously when a wind blew through her hair, carrying with it the sound of sweet music. Glancing to the side, she noticed that Beatle had taken out his guitar sometime after replying to her, strumming a couple of chords in a lifting, enlivening beat. Though she hadn't been tired before, now a foreign strength coursed through her, the desolate wasteland suddenly seeming a lot more appealing, an eagerness to explore hastening her steps.

The climb wasn't easy — again, Amane wondered if she hadn't made a terrible mistake, going with a Japanese theme when it came to her gear's aesthetics. If she wasn't so vain she would have swapped it out by now, and every moment of Terra Sphere was reminding her of why practicality was so important in a game as realistic as this. When Beatle trudged slightly ahead, she found that she couldn't fault him for it; she was lagging behind a tad. As she struggled to keep up, she wondered if that was why he'd began giving the both of them a buff, and found herself grateful for it. Though her stamina in the game was largely dependant on her energy bar, which was now full, having cast no spells recently, a more mental fatigue lingered, discomforting her without actually tiring her out. The faster they reached the top, the better.

As she finally crossed the last step, lifting herself onto the flat platform at the mesa's peak, she breathed a sigh of relief, taking a few seconds breather before she moved to the edge. Peering at the distance, Amane tried to spot anything that stood out — the supposed blood beasts that she'd heard rumours about, other creatures corrupted and driven mad by dark magic, but no such luck. "You see anything?" She called out to Beatle, turning to see what he'd been doing. For now, all she could see was sand, rock, and the occasional tree, so hopefully he'd fared better than her.

OOC: @Beatle the Bard

Thrown die:

89

 

The duo encounters the crumbling and sand swept remains of a long abandoned settlement. the abandoned cluster of buildings is mostly burred, and all the two can see is the occasional rooftop poking above the surface, and here and there the remains of collapsed buildings. It would take a full team to excavate the ruins, save for a building or two that may possibly be accessed through an exposed window or partially buried doorway.

there are no signs of life, nor any indication of apparent danger, but the ruin somehow emanates a sense of foreboding that discourages the two from exploring further on their own.

((Your individual and cumulative score have been added to the appropriate totals toward unlocking the next dungeon, and the vanity item giveaway. You can continue this thread as long as you'd like, but rolls are no longer necessary or counted toward your total.))

@Beatle the Bard @Amane Hirota