Aaron had several strong beliefs, varying in degree of how serious they were. The strong should protect the weak. The young should open the doors for their elders. People who are veterans in an MMORPG should help out the new players. It was this last belief that led him to where he was today. In fact, several veterans were doing the same, working with other new players they had been randomly assigned to go on some simple quest. The newbie Aaron was supposed to be helping was @Magdalyn Rose, and that was about all he knew about her. He had arrived to the meeting point early, a specific tree in the forest that the quest would guide them to. He checked the game's built in clock. He had arrived an entire hour early. He sighed, frowning a bit. "Ah man, this is probably too early," he muttered. He shook his head and began reviewing what he knew about the quest. "Wolves in the area acting aggressive because of the disturbances caused by the number of players logging in, make the area safer by ending the threat from 1 pack of at least 5 wolves, plus their alpha." Aaron bit his lip. "Still a bit miffed that the game designers used the whole 'alpha wolf' thing that's been disproved so many times. Oh well." He stretched, and made sure all his equipment was ready. He muttered an incantation, and his sword lit up with glowing light. "Alright, seems like everything still works the same," he said, rolling his shoulders. The light from his sword disappeared and he sheathed it. He closed his eyes. "Elysid, grant me courage and honor. Let what I teach be accurate, do not let me lead the one entrusted to me astray. May we complete this task with no great injuries, and may my action shine your light into this world."
Though she was still new to Terra, Brisshal had already worked its way to the top of her favorites list. There was a gentleness to the air that captivated her, and she found herself wasting hours wandering the countryside. Perhaps it was silly, to waste precious game-time simply enjoying the sites, but it brought her comfort. It helped her expel words like "differentiation," "growth," "data," and "standardized" from her mind, and fill it instead with memories of northern Michigan. The towering trees, rolling hills, and lush, green grass snapped her back to her time spent at home, and worked to dull the sharp edge of homesickness. Now, if she only had someone to wander with, she might be able to combat the loneliness as well. It was with this in mind that she signed up for aid from a more veteran player. The concept of working with a complete stranger made her a little nervous, but also excited her as well - it was about time she make some new friends. If she could learn some gameplay specifics in the meantime, then everyone would benefit. Still, the familiar "meeting new people" jitters lingered, and dug their talons in deeper when she spotted the sandy-haired man standing by the tree. Was that her trainer? It had to be, considering he positioned himself at their exact meeting point. But she was still a full half an hour ahead of schedule. Now more nervous than eager, and doubting her own time-keeping skills, she jogged the remaining distance. "Hey," she greeted, giving a small wave as she slowed to a stop a few feet away. "Are you Aaron? And, uh, am I late?" @Aaron Marone
Aaron looked up as he heard Magdalyn's voice calling to him. He smiled at her and waved back. "Hello. I am indeed Aaron, so I would say it's safe to assume that you're Magdalyn? You are..." Aaron trailed off and double checked the time. "Absolutely not late. Thirty minutes early in fact." He took a step forward and extended his hand toward Magdalyn for a handshake. "Right, I will say, this is about only the second time I've helped train someone in how this world works, but I'll do my best. We'll be hunting a path of wolves that have grown unnaturally aggressive. The exact details of our quest states we need to 'end the threat', which doesn't necessarily mean kill them. There's a possibility it's like that old legend about the bear with the thorn in it's paw." He cleared his throat. "I'm a support slash tank hybrid. I can buff and heal with my illumancy magic, and with my shield and heavy armor, most weaker creatures will have difficulties even scratching me. I can handle my own with my sword as well, and even utilize some offensive light magic. It's important for us to each know what the other is capable of so that we can put all our of abilities to the best use. Lastly, how familiar are you with the mechanics of this world? If there's anything you need explained, I will do my best to help with that." Aaron examined Magdalyn for a bit. Starting gear, so her armor wasn't really specialized any one way or the other yet. She wasn't bad looking, either. A few months ago, when Aaron first joined Terrasphere, he definitely would have flirted with her. But that was before the war, before Astorea. Times had changed so much. @Magdalyn
"Thirty minutes early is practically on time, if you ask my grandpa. He says 'on time' is late, and I guess that's stuck with me." She grinned back at Aaron, feeling some of the tension leave her. He was friendly enough, and anyone who greeted her with a handshake was okay in her book. She pressed her palm to his, gripped, and shook. "Pleasure to meet you, Aaron. You're welcome to call me Mags if you want. Less of a mouthful." At his comment regarding the wolves, hesitation ghosted across her face. Her voice was steady enough, but some of the recently fled unease took up residence in her blue eyes once more. "I had a run-in with a wolf already," she confessed. "A wolf pup. My partner at the time aggroed it, but it stopped before it attacked me. I've started to improve my beast taming skills, but I still don't have a whole lot of control over it. Could that explain why it didn't attack?" Then, softer, "Do you think that'll keep happening? Combat is great when I'm fighting something that is actually attacking me, but I don't want to beat up on something otherwise." She gave a small shrug, unsure of how Aaron would react to her concerns. Would he think less of her for letting her strict moral code keep her from playing the game? She hoped he might be understanding, considering the way he had mentioned killing was not necessarily required. Magdalyn was great at thinking outside of the box, and perhaps he would match her critical thinking. "I don't really have a specialization yet," she told him, "but I like the idea of support and DPS. I think my naturamancy lends itself nicely." Then her smile returned, because despite the anxiety regarding beast taming, the concept of mastering her nature-based magic excited her. "Not that I know much about that yet, but I'm eager to learn." @Aaron Marone
Aaron smiled at the girl's anecdote of her grandfather. "Early is on time, on time is too late, too late is unacceptable. My old man used to say something like that as well. It's a pleasure to meet you as well, Mags," he said as they shook hands. His face furrowed a bit as the woman talked about her previous experience with a wolf pup. "That could have been for any number of reasons. There are some skills that cause creatures to aggro specifically against the user, and there are some passive skills that cause creatures to aggro something other than the user. Likewise, it could have just deemed your partner the bigger threat, or even the easier target. It could have made the decision randomly and stuck to it, it even could have been a glitch. Too many factors to consider, I couldn't say for certain. But most likely, if you hit something hard enough, it'll want to hit you back. Of course, as a tank, it is my job to make sure it hits me instead." He thought for a bit. "That said, the beast tamer mastery does seem to have an effect on wild life that isn't corrupted by some force or another, even when it's not actively being used. One of my friends, Alphabet, is a beast tamer, and multiple times wolves would take more to attack her then they would to attack someone else." "Naturalmancy and beast taming combo? Pretty solid for a support and dps hybrid, though I would predict a lean toward support. Naturalmancy has some potent buffs and healing abilities, I've been on the receiving end of them a few times. But once you tap into it a bit more and you can control plant life, even by yourself you can have an entire enemy camp surrounded. Add in your beast taming..." Aaron whistled. "You've got yourself a small army, so long you're not in a city or wasteland." He paused for a bit. "And some people may disagree with this, but... with naturalmancy's healing abilities, if you accidentally go too far and you almost kill someone you didn't intend to, you can heal them. I don't like killing unless I have to, so I'll admit that I've healed more than one enemy of mine. People have pointed out to me that they're just fragments of data on a computer, but... this is their world. It's as close to life as they have. Why take it from them if they're willing to change?" He shrugged. "Sorry, not trying to lecture you," he smiled. He clapped his hands together. "Right then, we ought to get started. With beast taming and naturalmancy, you're actually a perfect fit for this quest! Go ahead and activate your investigation mode, focus on these tracks here," he said, taking a few steps forward to where a wolf pawprint was visible in the mud. "See if you can determine anything using those masteries of yours about what the wolves we're gonna be facing will be like. Lesson number 1 for any game, and really life too, is always be as prepared as you can, learn about what you'll face before you do it. That way you don't have the element of surprise going against you quite as much." (I am so sorry this took so long! I thought I replied to this on Wednesday and I saw today that apparently it didn't post!)
"That's..." her voice trailed, and she offered a sheepish smile, reaching back to scratch at her neck awkwardly. "... a lot to take in." She paused for a moment, sorting through everything he had said, before she spoke again. "I'm really glad you think my setup is okay. I'm not a seasoned player, of really ANY game, so I'm feeling things out as I go along. Picking a build seemed like a pretty scary and permanent choice, but I'm finding it isn't so bad. It takes a lot to actually gain experience in any one field, and at this point, I'll probably benefit from improving my skills in anything. And I kind of like the idea of healing people, but also raising an army if I need to." The woman's cheeks warmed a bit as she let her hand fall back to her side, and met Aaron's gaze. "I also appreciate the fact that you feel the same way I do about killing things. I feel like I've only met the people like you've described - people who see enemies here as a source of experience, or practice, or crafting materials. And while I guess I can understand it, I just don't see it that way. So it's good to know I'm not alone." It was easier to focus on the game itself than the morality of it, especially with someone who struck her as so knowledgeable and accomplished. So Magdalyn shifted her attention from her teacher to his lesson, studying the damp earth only a few paces away. As she shifted to investigation mode, something she (thankfully) had practiced before now, her icy blue eyes turned a warm, dazzling orange. In the crowded city, investigation mode had nearly overwhelmed her, filling her vision with words of varying size and color. Here, in the relative stillness and solitude, she was able to more easily focus on the print. Nothing leapt out at her immediately, which she figured was due to her low level skill. Maybe I should have invested in hunting. Focus on what you know, she told herself, hunching over to study the print more closely. "Well," she began slowly, "it looks bigger than the print I saw before. The other time was just a pup, so I'm going to guess that this is an older, larger wolf. The prints are really spaced out, so I'm going to guess it was running, though, not just walking aimlessly. Maybe chasing something else, or being chased? And there are no other prints, so it's alone." Magdalyn loosed a small shrug, and with a smile, said, "That's all I've got, but I guess it's a start."
