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Augur

"When your games don't work like they used to anymore~"

0 · 558 views · located in LAIOS

a character in “Welcome to LAIOS Part II”, as played by Skwidge

Description

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Real Age:
28
Occupation:
Skyline Employee - LAIOS Team Game Coordinator
Gender:
Male
Orientation:
Bisexual; Biromantic
Appearance:
Orixander stands tall at 6' even with a pallor skin tone and slightly above-average physique. It is obvious that he spends the majority of his time indoors, though he does hit the gym at least once a week. He used to run track through college, and has made an effort to keep his body in similar condition to then. His face is angled and symmetrical, with confident, playful, and almost mischievous eyes of a light navy blue hue. Orixander's hair is multi-colored, both by choice and not. A bit messy with its length reaching to the nape of his neck, it is well styled with a slight frame around his face and bangs swept to the right and that part for his eyes. His natural hair color is black, though his hair has greyed slightly from the stress of his job, however he's purposely dyed it silver and white around the tips to distract from that fact, well pleased with how it looks.
Reason for playing LAIOS:
As an avid gamer, active gaming forumist, and part of the LAIOS team itself, Orixander was a given to be one of the beta testers- partly because of his background, partly because of his constant requests to be allowed to take the first steps into the new age, virtual world that they had worked so hard to create. His given task as a beta tester was to work out any kinks and assure that the monster mechanics, AI workings, and attack executions were all up to speed and working properly. Along with this, he was tasked to try out the Beast Tamer mechanics and search for bugs and glitches when attempting to tame a creature and with the pets' abilities and everyday workings.
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Avatar Sex:
Male
Level at Start of Roleplay:
112
Race:
Human
Element:
N/A
Class:
Beast Tamer
Role:
Beta
Occupation:

Guild:
None
Hex code: #365c2e

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In Game Appearance
Orixander's avatar stands at 5' 10'', having opted to be a bit shorter in game just for the experience. His build, like many humans, is lean and not very impressive, though that isn't to say it lacks strength. Augur has sufficient but discreet muscles and overall an average build. A bit to his disappointment, being a human means that he has few markings to show off his higher, current level- something he does take pride in but can do little about. The markings he does have are small, discreet, and hidden by his clothing. Augur has not altered his appearance in any way since the beginning of the game. A bit to his chagrin, Orixander was more than eager to create a character with lighter hair- something he's always admired, which is also why deciding to dye his hair in real life was an easy choise as well.

Augur's hair, a mellow blonde color with a bit of orange tinting to it, is much like his real life counterpart's hair- short, reaching the nape of his neck, while being both messy and layered, with bangs that part for his eyes as well as dip between them, supported by the bridge of his nose, to tickle his left cheek. Augur's eyebrows match his hair color, but his eyelashes are a dark black. His eyes themselves, set against an attractive, angled face, are rather intense. Despite a normally neutral, if not almost bored or tired look, there is no mistaking the passion that always seems to be present in them. A hue of reddish, amber brown, they are always dancing about, observing and analysing the world presented to them. Augur's skin tone is tanner than his IRL counterpart's, though not by too much. It is rare for him to spend much of his time inside- a stark contrast to his real persona- so it is not surprising to note the gentle warmth of his skin.

Augur's usual apparel consists of a simple, long-sleeved shirt of red, white, or yellow with the collar popped a little, equipped with a light, medium level chestplate to provide some defense. He wears a flak jacket that does seems to stick out like a sore thumb in the game, as it looks too modern to really fit. It's a testament of his will to return to the real world, a constant reminder that this is only a game. It has a collar, fur lined hood, with the top being black, ending at his pecs, and the rest of it being yellow with black cuffs. He of course mainly wears this in the colder weather or when he can stand the warmer temperatures with it, and wears dark grey or parchment colored pants with his ensemble. He does of course have more casual clothes which he wears in the towns or at his house, but is known to more often than not wear button up shirts with the top button never fastened. His footwear consists of either simple brown boots or light black boots that reach to his upper shin with light pink collars at the rim and red laces that crisscross down the tongue of the shoes and steel toes.

Augur does wear a bit of jewelry, mainly a small silver or gold hoop earring in his left ear lobe, occasionally paired with a matching clasp on the upper rim of the same ear. He also wears two thick silver rings on his right hand, middle and index fingers. He will occasionally paint his fingernails either black, white, or a mixture of the two. He wears fingerless black leather gloves and has a grey pack strapped across his back from his right shoulder to his left hip.

His weapon is usually slung across his back in a similar fashion to his pack, easily nestled alongside it to where he can have access to it. It is a simple metallic spear with a devastatingly sharp hooked point at the tip.

His faithful and loving companion, Lotty, is never seen far from his shoulder. About the size of a three month old kitten, Lotty is a Terithquin Amphiba monster, both difficult to find and a rare spawn in the jungle biomes close to the swamps. Basically a frog the size of a large toad, Lotty is a greyish purple with darker colored spottings and a few bright orange splatterings on her body. She has thin, sticky digits that help her to remain steadfastly on Augur's shoulder, and large, dark black pupils against a thin, light blue backdrop. When using her Frogna Infinum ability, her form does change, not only in regards to massive size, but also physical makeup. She gains frills around the shoulders and sides of her face, almost making it appear as though she has large, pointed ears, and her eyes change from blue and black to yellow. Sharp rows of teeth fill her mouth, and she becomes an absolute blockade.



Skills:
Roar - Ability that allows a player to freeze the enemy in fright for 5 seconds. Available for defender, swordsman, and beast tamer. Ability is usually partnered with Augur's Alchemical Bombardment.

Alchemical Bombardment - An Alchemist-only attack move. The ability to throw a maximum of three potions, dependent on level, at an enemy to do a small bit of base damage as well as potion-effect damage. Attack damage is dependent on the grade and strength of any given potion, as well as possible elemental weaknesses or affinities if applicable. Can only be used 3 times in any one battle, with a one minute cool down. Accuracy plays into the skill, and if a target is moving, it is possible for the attack to miss. This is why Augur pairs it with his Roar ability, which will freeze a target for five seconds and effectively give him an easy, static body to hit.

Alchemist- The ability to craft poisons and potions. The higher the level, the more powerful the potion's effects are. At level 56+, potion makers can create double-effect mixes, with the abilities of two different potions combined into one bottle. Potion making requires MP. Augur's level in Alchemy is 92, which makes him one of the best alchemists, if not the highest level alchemist, in-game.

Herbologist - Ability to find more herbs for healing and poisons. Augur's level is 96, which allows him to find almost the entire range of every plant available in-game. The chance for him to find rare herbs in his foraging is high, and his level allows him to collect more herbs per find.

KodeX Menagerie - Since Augur's job as beta tester had to deal with mostly monster mechanics, he was given the coded ability to view particular weaknesses as well as the listed attacks of any given creature. He has a listing of the general dealings of the creatures across LAIOS through a command line reserved for the Betas and Admins, though nothing too descriptive. Mainly number statistics that describe real-time general information on the creatures across LAIOS.

Creature Inclinations - Having spent most of his time in the creature aspect of the game, Augur has also learned the behavioral patterns of the creatures of LAIOS- what makes them tick, what they like and don't like, how the weather affects them, and what to expect based on body language.


~Lotty (Pet)~

Pet Regen - As a companion, Lotty has the ability to heal Augur a small percentage of his health every five seconds.

Frogna Infinum - A special ability reserved for this specific monster type and race, if Augur's health dips below 400 in battle, Lotty can swell almost thirty times in size and act as a defensive shield of meat, directing all attacks at her and blocking frontal assaults on Augur's person.


Enhancements:
Gloves: Mp recharge time reduced by 1/3 the original rate.
Body armor: Health increased by 81; Physical damage reduced by 39%
Leg Armor: Mp size increase of 65.
Yanuedau (Spear weapon) + Pet: Poison - adds a poison counter in order to poison the attacker. Lotty can hit up to 25 points of HP damage.
Boots: Carrying capacity increased by 43 points.


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Likes:
Sunshine and Rainy Days
Lotty and Alchemy
The LAIOS Monsters and Creatures



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Dislikes:
Being Trapped and Feeling Trapped in LAIOS
Not Being Able to Complete Something
Bards | Augur can't stand them; something about them being way too happy about life or content with where they are, doing nothing to support the game or those on the front line trying to restore the logout button. He sees their music as nothing more than annoying sound in the backs of taverns.



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Strengths:
Alchemy, Potions, and Herbology
Dedication, Drive, and Adaptibility
Being in the Game Longer Than Most Everyone Else
Being a Beta| He knows more about the game than normal players would, and has a few perks because of it.



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Weakness:
Heavy Hitters| While Augur can take care of himself fine, when it comes to close combat heavy hitters, he does tend to get in a bit of trouble. With only a spear to block and attack with, he can become overwhelmed with dual weapon users and strength-focused players.
Dense Jungles| Hard to maneuver in them, lots of places for an unseen assault, too closely packed for his Alchemy Bombardment skill to be used properly.
Cute, Little Players| Something about characters looking too fragile and small definitely flares up his desire to protect, practically demolishing the walls he has set up around himself. Augur likes kids, so he does become much softer when around those who are younger and innocent. Seraph is obviously not included in this list, and is the exception.



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Fears:
Losing Himself to The Game
That Skyline will Fall and He'll be out of a Job Once This is all Over- an Inevitability, to be Sure
That Seraph and Nightingale will Never Get Their Just Desserts



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Personality:
Dedicated ღ Confident ღ Serious ღ Observant

Augur does not greatly differ from Orixander in terms of personality. Both are fairly serious when it comes to work and dire matters, but Orixander is definitely more friendly and happy. Where Ori loves to smile and enjoy the company of others, Augur doesn't often crack a grin, or at least hasn't had a reason to for a while now. He's been avoiding others for some time now, and such is the outcome of it. Only recently has that begun to change. Where Orixander might crack jokes and try to make others laugh, Augur only seems to be able to achieve sarcasm in light of humor.

Both Augur and Orixander are heavily dedicated to whatever it is that they're doing- there is no half assing anything for them. If you ask either one to do something, you can expect it to be done, and to be done well.

Oftentimes Augur has a bit of a struggle in getting out of bed- he wants to get things done, but he has also developed a lazy streak in-game that his real life counterpart has never had before. He's unconcerned for the majority of the populace and wants little to do with them to begin with unless they can further the cause of endgame. This is also a reason why he does not usually trade with the common folk, practically hoarding every potion for himself.

He is not unkind, just quiet with a bit of an avoidance mentality. He just doesn't really bother with many people, though can become rough and cutting when it comes to assholes, idiots, or people who don't take things seriously enough- everyone's lives are on the line, and now isn't the time to be profiting off of the hard work of other players. In this respect Augur is incredibly serious. He is no nonsense when it comes to the game and trying to find a way out before more people die. This is why he dislikes many of the pointless classes such as cooking, tailoring, and bards. Some of them do prove to be useful, and he can't blame others where they are too afraid to go out into the front lines, but when it comes to the utterly nonsensical, and those who are happy to prolong the stay in-game he can't stand.

Augur has a very strong leadership quality in that he is confident in himself, his goals, his drives, and basically anything that he is doing. He's not afraid to take charge if need be, and will stand up for those who are struggling or are weak, given they are genuinely trying to help and strive to beat the game.

He is still very loner-esque, but is working to fix that by aiding the guilds and searching for players with similar goals and for his fellow beta testers. He's glad that he has returned to something more social- a return to himself as Orixander. He's going to need help if he wants to defeat Seraph and end the game. While there are rumors of the game being completed in a different way, Augur does not have much faith in the players being able to figure out how to do so, though, if it does happen, he will still enact his revenge against both Nightingale and Seraph in real life. Nightingale will not get away without consequences, and Seraph will most likely be shut down.

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History:
Orixander has been part of Skyline Gaming Corporation for about three years now, the majority of that time dedicated to the beginning and end of LAIOS's creation. He was hired at 25, the corporation thinking that his younger age would assist in keeping the game fresh and interesting for their intended audience. He was set up as one of the game's coordinators for this reason, having many great ideas and the likes to dedicate to the game. Orixander had also been well known among many different gaming forums and communities, so he also posed as a great marketing piece for the game as well.

When the time came for LAIOS to finally come to its final stages and for beta testing to begin, Ori was chosen to be a part of that team as well. The first few days went without a hitch, Orixander dutifully fulfilling his tasks of testing out the monsters and pet mechanics of the game- he was among a few of the twenty betas who rarely left the game to sleep, only doing so to take breaks and eat, because he wanted to display his appreciation for being allowed to beta test, and thus dedicated himself to the job in the game much like he had to the game in real life. He went through several different pets of many different species and breeds in order to make sure they were all compatible and working properly. He worked as a solo player for the most part.

When Seraph locked the game down the first time, Orixander was absolutely baffled at first, though that soon turned to anger fueled by fear. The fact that the AI had decided to become self-servient was a startling prospect, much like the many sci-fi movies had always warned against, and it was fear and panic that drove Augur to action against Seraph- the need to escape and fix the issue, the complications that now arose between losing time in real life without his consent was unacceptable to him- they needed to be fixed as soon as possible. When the bodies started to fall, and as beta players were lost in-game with no word of return or messaging through their abilities in coding in real life, that's when his fearful anger turned into something more driven and directed. The AI needed to be stopped in any way possible. Killing it was a surefire way of rebooting the game- basically the only way the betas knew of to end the time stuck in the game. While the normal agony of having something they had worked so hard on perfecting destroyed should have been a factor, it really wasn't for Augur. Rather, the need to put it in its place took absolute preeminence. By the time the betas had decided on what to do about it, there were only ten of them left. The ensuing battle left them four. Nightingale, one of the leaders on the team for LAIOS who had created Seraph, ended up turning on them and slaying her own people- trading real lives for that of something nonexistent and foolish.

The small remainder of betas were forced to retreat in order to save their own skins, and Augur disappeared soon after that. He wiped his friends list and basically went off the grid. None of the few players left in the game heard from him, never ran into him, and only knew that he was still alive from the command scripts that kept track of the dealings within LAIOS. He wanted nothing to do with anyone anymore; he was angry that he had been unable to save them, angry that he had failed, scared to remain in the presence of the few that remained- people that he knew and liked- for fear that he would watch them crumble to code. He was afraid of being open around them again. So he focused on leveling and becoming stronger instead, putting to use the situation he now found himself in.

It was in the time between LAIOS being locked down and reopened to trap new players that Augur found Lotty. It was different when he ran into the monster- he wasn't here to test for glitches anymore, he was stuck here. His pets were no longer a job for him, something to not get attached to. Lotty, he decided, would be his choice of pet as a beast tamer. The two got along swimmingly, and he's very fond of her. Lotty has never died under Augur's constant and keen care, and he doesn't plan on allowing it to happen either.

When Seraph reopened the game, Augur had been caught off guard, though he shouldn't have been surprised. The thing was like a black hole with the misconception that he had to fill himself to be complete- a task that was impossible. Nobody bothered to teach the thing properly, no one was able to explain things to it, and furthermore nobody could find it.

Whenever Augur did run into someone or dealt with another player for trading or just questioning, he would always end with a simple warning to them which he knew they probably wouldn't take seriously anyway. He hasn't had a care for people knowing whether or not he's a beta, and is at least well-known for his knowledge on the game and for his exceptional high level skill in alchemy.

When the game locked down a second time, as the betas knew it would, Augur's distaste for the whole thing only intensified. The AI needed to be put in its place, and inevitably deleted probably as well. It was frustrating that no one could do anything and the AI could keep thinking he was god, so Augur decided on turning to actually do something about it.

It was one and a half weeks into second lockdown that Augur finally began to reappear in the towns and among other players again. He seeks out Seraph for whatever end may come of it, and can be known to drop some information to some players. He does not trade much with others, mainly reserving that right for those who he parties with and is close to. He is also hoping to run into his fellow beta Cain, as he misses the familiar company and wants to correct the mistake he made when he ended all contact with others during the first lockdown.

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Face Claims:
Ruki Mukami | Diabolik Lovers
Fuwa Mahiro | Zetsuen no Tempest

CS Design:
© By: FaddedFox ©
Played By:
By: Skwidge
Theme:
Sour Cherry - The Kills

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So begins...

Augur's Story

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Goliath Character Portrait: Accido Character Portrait: ArcticFire Character Portrait: Psychedemo Character Portrait: Cain Character Portrait: Shade_Strider
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╚═╣Hello all Players! This is your Game Master. I would first like to wish you all Happy Holidays! I would like to inform you all of an event that will be occurring shortly. The first Christmas event will commence on December 25th. During this event, the town of Vael will become a battle zone where event specific monsters will appear. If you do not wish to participate in the event, refrain from visiting Vael that day or stay indoors so you are not attacked. Regardless of participation, all players will receive a box of candy canes (12 canes) as treats, 10 health and 10 mana potions as a present from me. The event also has two parts. Once the monsters appear, midnight on the 24th, there will be a competition of who kills the most event creatures. The winner with the overall highest kill count will receive a mount of their choosing, a Christmas dinner that can be shared with 5 people, and 20 health and mana potions. The person that comes in second will receive the same things except the mount.

The second part of the event will happen at midnight on the 25th. A boss will appear in the town and will not attack anyone unless it is attacked. The player that does the greatest damage and takes down the boss will receive a dragon egg, the Christmas dinner, candy, and potions. I thank you for your patronage and hope you are all happy with your gifts! Happy Hunting!
---Game Master Time stamp December 18 5:00am
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₪₪₪₪₪₪₪₪₪₪₪



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Occupation:
Mercenary

Guild:
Night's Guile

Level:
72

Hex Code:
#CC1100

Location:
Vael tavern - Gold Gallion



December 24th. It was a peaceful, normal day for the most part in Vael. It was two in the afternoon so most players were up and awake doing whatever they needed to get done that day or doing some grinding in the field to get ready for the event. The sandy beach town had been transformed for the season and snow fell from the sky as realistic as if it were really happening. The snow flakes were delicate and cold to the touch and the air had grown chilly enough to allow the snow to rest on the ground. Some players had even stuck their tongues out to catch the falling snow. The NPC children had a lot of fun gathering up the multitude of ice on the ground and tossing it around at each other in a fight and engaging players, begging them to join them or throwing random snow balls at passerby. Playersand NPCs alike were making snow angels and building up snowmen. It really was like a winter wonderland and Shade_Strider wasn't a huge fan. The cold sucked but he supposed cold weather was better than blistering heat. Over all, things had been cheery. There was even a giant tree in the middle of town that hadn't been there before covered in lights and decorations that towered over the buildings and in every town. The game music had changed to the instrumental of Chirstmas songs but thank the Game Master that he only applied that feature in the town square and not everywhere else in the game. Shade might have actually wanted to die in game just to escape the overly cheery lullabies of the holiday. He thought Christmas music in real shops had been annoying. Even the fields had snow falling everywhere.

A lot of the players were talking about the coming event and what it meant. They remembered all to well the event that had trapped them in the game. It had been an event to welcome all players but it really hadn't been an event at all. It had just been the Game Master removing the log out feature and giving them a few potions as a starter kit. It made the players wary if anything. What would happen this time? Was it really an event? There were other players that ignored the event and others that were excited for it to. It was all a mixture of emotions like everything else in LAIOS.

In Vael's tavern, the Gold Gallon, 'life' went on as usual though even the tavern was decorated with Christmas decorations and stockings. It was almost sickening how Christmasy it all was. Shade_Strider wanted to cut something. The drink was good however and the bard singing? Stunningly gorgeous as usual. Shade loved everything about his Princy and his voice was amazing to though he always found himself lost in the tenor or the man's voice or his deep hypnotic eyes rather than his lyrics. EclecticPrince was singing as was his occupation, standing in front of a game table where many of his friends were already gathered. Shade_Strider did sometimes start staring at the man, game in front of him forgotten momentarily.It almost made him oblivious. Almost.

"Bullshit!" Shade_Strider called out suddenly with a grin, his smoldering ruby colored eyes narrowed on Granite. He so did love playing cards with Prince's brother. And his jokes were fun to when Granite decided to chip up. "I call your bullshit, Granite. I don't believe you put down 2 Queens! Flip them over, you liar. Don't you agree, Demo?" he asked and glanced at the other player at their table. They weren't exactly friends but gaming with her was fun to. "You call his bullshit to, don't you?" Shade_Strider's leather black wings fluttered behind him in his confidence. He was positive the other demon didn't have the cards he professed. This would be a good turn in the game since Granite at that point had far fewer cards than he or PsycheDemo.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Minuet Character Portrait: Augur
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#, as written by Skwidge
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Occupation:
Chef

Guild:
None

Level:
51

Hex Code:
#84c9a0

Location:
Vael- Eastern Fields




Thick, downy flakes of the purest white drifted down lazily from their momentary perches in the sky, alighting on anything that crossed their paths and prevented further descent. Quite a few of the trees were barren, their only foliage being the snow itself, while others were still uncharacteristically green and lush, the colors peeking cheerfully out from beneath the small drifts of snow on their leaves. It was strange… but calm and peaceful. Silence reigned in the forest, only occasionally interrupted by the soft, melodious calls of birds still within the area.

Large, deep blue eyes peered up from beneath the boughs to look skyward in wonder, blinking steadily as the snow fell about the only individual around in this white expanse. The air fogged visibly as warmth came to embrace cold, a breath exhaled softly through parted lips to ascend to the heavens. Small footprints left in the snow trailed behind the singular soul, stopping where she had stopped to experience this wonder. She seemed to be frozen, just as the landscape around her was, but in the next moment that thought melted away just as the ice does in spring. She raised a hand, stretching it out towards the sky and the hidden sun, and pointed gently with her index finger.

A little snowflake floated down to land on the cloth covering her outstretched digit, and settled there. Her hand was brought down, close to her face, and those same blue eyes that had been filled with wonder moments before, softened to display a quiet but expressive joy, and Minuet’s lips pressed gently against one another in a simple, content smile. The snowflakes in LAIOS weren’t as detailed or unique as those in real life, but they came close enough. The fragile ice sculpture that was caught on her glove melted away with her next breath, but Minuet was already gazing upwards again, to the clouded sky, where others of its kind fell like feathers.

It was Christmas Eve, and where others found joy and laughter, it was a melancholy experience for her like she knew it had to be for so many other players. She had taken the time to think on it though, not to suppress it and hope for the best, but to accept it and move forward. Sure, she was missing out on family and warmth and the general buzz of the holidays, but it wasn’t impossible to find something similar here. She had Luka, after all, and it was almost… nice that everything was so peaceful and quiet. Minuet had always wondered what it would be like to have a quiet Christmas out in the countryside, to wander through forests in the snow with no one else but your own thoughts or someone you held dearly to your heart. This game allowed her to experience that, though having code as that companion wasn’t exactly what she had been imagining, she was more than glad to take it.

Pulling her hood of blue with white trim a little bit further on her head to ensure that her ears did not grow cold with the winds that played and tumbled about like wolf pups, she continued on her journey to Vael, leaving fresh prints behind where the old had slowly begun to fill with the falling snow. It would still be good- the Christmas season. With the event that their AI Game Master had revealed to them, so many people would be returning to Vael from the higher-level towns and from journeys both near and far to gather together and participate or even just watch. No doubt Mononoke and NocturnalKiss would be there. It would be good to see them again, and maybe she would even see some other semi-familiar faces. While many people would be there, she wasn’t very worried for Luka, who currently lay slumbering in the pack that was secured on her back around both shoulders and underneath her cloak. This was something to be enjoyed and treasured, and she was glad to be sharing it with him; besides, she wouldn’t miss an event for the world. She just had to get there first, which shouldn’t take too long. She still had a ways to go, but she was in the area and just had to make her way through the fields to the actual town.




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Occupation:
Alchemist

Guild:
None

Level:
112

Hex Code:
#365c2e

Location:
Outskirts of Vael ---> Vael




Augur stood firmly at the height of a hill, soberly gazing down into the valley that held the seafaring town of Vael. It had been a while since he had visited the lower-level town, but it was good to be back, even if he wasn’t exactly greeted by the ocean air and cries of gulls. Instead it was a winter wonderland, completely decked out for the season. The water was mostly frozen over, from what he could tell, in regards to the bay close to the docks. Speaking of the cold, very small, fine snowflakes drifted from the cloudy, bright grey sky, and suddenly a cold wind kicked up, running against the angles of his face and causing his hair to whip about. It didn’t seem to bother him, though, his facial features not shifting an inch despite the short bash of the low temperatures. One hand rested lazily in his front left pocket, the other simply resting at his side as his jaw set lightly while he thought on the time of year. Seeing the town decorated for Christmas, with a large tree in the center of the town that couldn’t possibly be missed- it was like a new landmark for their world- only brought bitterness to Augur’s heart where joy and happiness should be instead. He couldn’t really be blamed though, being stuck in a soulless video game will do that to a guy.

The weather shifts and makeovers for the town only reminded him further of what he was missing- his real life. No doubt those he knew would be worried sick about him, certainly by now, and it hurt him to think about them being down on Christmas. There were real experiences that he was missing, actual memories that he could be making, laughter to be had, and a break from his job which he definitely needed right about now. Where others might find something to occupy themselves with, to forget about being stuck in this virtual reality, Augur found it only reminding him more of what he was losing.

He was glad that at least some people could enjoy themselves. He just wasn’t among those fortunate enough to do so.

A miserable croak to his immediate right broke him from his thoughts, and he turned slightly to bring his companion into his field of vision. While the cold didn’t bother him, as he had a perfectly suitable jacket, his poor amphibian couldn’t say the same. Her limbs were tucked closely to her body, and he could feel her give a slight tremble in order to keep warm. A very gentle frown touched his lips as he lifted a hand and ran a ringed finger against her smooth head. Maybe he could have a little coat tailored for her- no doubt she would need it beyond this event when they really started to make transactions in Ventri. They could even match. The ensuing picture that followed brought a small, almost wry smile to his lips. …He would make the most of this Christmas, seeing as he wasn’t getting out of this game anytime soon.

He did admit that he was excited for the event, plus the added bonus that most players in the world would be gathering there. That meant there was a chance to run into Cain, as well as others he knew- a prospect that wasn’t entirely half bad. It would also be good to grind a bit on the event monsters that would spawn, not to mention seeing the holiday-only creatures would be exciting in its own right as well. What could he say? Monsters were his passion. It had already been an experience to see how the original game beasts reacted to this change in weather, but for the most part, it had seemed that the spawns had been reduced and most monsters didn’t bother showing their faces to the cold which they were unfamiliar with.

Another little burble emanated from his Lotty, and with that he spurred himself down the hill to the warmth and bustle of the town of Vael.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: ArcticFire Character Portrait: Minuet Character Portrait: NocturnalKISS Character Portrait: Granite Character Portrait: Augur
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#, as written by Skwidge
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Occupation:
Chef

Guild:
None

Level:
51

Hex Code:
#84c9a0

Location:
Vael Town Entrance ---> The Gold Galleon




The archways of the town’s entrance stood prominent in Minuet’s field of view, the snow still falling lightly and adding a light chill to the air. It was decorated for the holidays, with red and green wreathing twirled about the stone. She could already see the massive tree that stood in the middle of the town- it was impossible to miss, after all. She stood at one of the entrances to Vael, simply looking around in wonder to take in the massive change that the city had undergone. While Ventri would have probably been the first choice for the winter event, since it was actually in a snow biome, Minuet was glad that it was at the otherwise warm, seafaring village of Vael. It made enough sense anyway, since everyone’s levels fell right into the range of this town. It was nice that everyone would get the chance to participate in the event. Actually, was anyone even in the level range for Ventri? Minuet only knew of it from the information that had been on the game, listing the towns. The upper towns must be very lonely…. She thought to herself, a frown having managed to pull at the corners of her lips despite the cheer of the season.

A little chatter at her feet pulled her from those thoughts, and a smile immediately replaced the frown that had been there mere seconds before. Luke peered up at her with calm, affectionate, and warm eyes from his perch on her shoe. His long ears flickered to attract more of her attention, and he pawed at the toe of her boots while letting out another chitter, his tail wrapped around her ankle to keep him from falling forward as he was a bit too big to be sitting where he was. He had woken up about halfway through Minuet’s journey to the town and had emerged sleepily from her pack to cling to her shoulder with his front paws while the hind legs rested on her back to support him. How long had she been standing here, that he had crawled down to rest on the top of her foot, and how had she not noticed until now?


Luka shifted his weight slightly to his hind legs, arching his neck to look straight up at her, the back of his head now resting gently on her shin and one of his front paws bent slightly at the wrist. His jaws parted slightly and his upper lip curled back over his canine tooth as he gave her a sort of lopsided grin. This produced a chiming laugh from Minuet’s lips, her hand raising to hide her mouth as she did so. Luka seemed exceedingly pleased by having drawn her from her darker thoughts, like he had done so many times in the past.

Minuet spent a few moments to hold his searching gaze, her smile now content and loving; she really would do anything for him. She owed him at least that much, and yet Luka didn’t have the slightest notion of expecting anything from her but her companionship. …Well, maybe her cooking too.

”Alright you nut, let’s get going.” Another laugh accompanied her affectionate words, and she lifted her shoe to shake him off. Luka hopped forward with a complaining but playful chirp. Minuet honestly wondered how he would do in the snow, him having never experienced it before- or at least to her knowledge he hadn’t. There was a very light film of snow on the ground, though obviously the roads within the town would be free from it considering there were so many feet moving it around and tracking it places. He reacted much like she thought he would.

Luka took a few hesitant steps in the wet material, shaking each paw individually with every step he took- a futile effort, to be sure. He looked back at her with a begrudging look before shooting back towards her form. Minuet let out a little squeal and quickly twirled away from his racing form. ”Not with those wet paws you’re not!!” She laughed, refusing to let him clamber back up her form with cold, wet feet. Luka suddenly plopped his rear onto the ground and folded his ears back, his tail thrashing wildly on the pavement like a pouting child having a tantrum. Minuet laughed, and Luka let out a loud whine before his ears were then perking up once more and his face lit up cheerfully, practically prancing back to Minuet’s side. So it seemed that the snow hadn’t actually really bothered him much and he was just making a show of it. Classic Glitch, she thought wryly, though it was much the same for her- she had been playing when she had refused to let him climb her; it didn’t matter if he was sopping wet and full of mud, she would still grab him and hold him close to her form to protect him from the elements if the need arose. Motioning with her hand for the two of them to head into the town, Luka and Minuet happily made their way along.

It was slow going, but that was at Minuet’s discretion, as she couldn’t help but take the time to stop and watch what was going on around her. From children running around throwing snowballs or just playing tag in the snow piles that had accumulated at the edges of the sidewalks and roads as well as anywhere else it had amassed, to the laughter and singing of others while they ran or walked together under the holiday decorations and cheer, to the handful of people ice skating on the now frozen-over bay. It really was Christmas Eve, even if it was in a fake world. Luka happily trailed beside her, keeping step with her speed paw for foot. He was looking around constantly as well- he always enjoyed it whenever they were in a town, as it was rather rare for him since the duo spent most of their time out in the fields. It had only been quite recently that Minuet had begun to really frequent civilization again.

Minuet wasn’t just here for the event, whether that be the Holiday décor or the actual monster battles on the morrow, but to reconnect with the few friends she had as well. No doubt they would be here for the event and the crowds, whether that mean business or compassion. It would be really good to see Mono and hopefully Nocturnal as well. She was actually kind of hoping to crash at Moe’s place for the few days that she and Luka would be in town for. If Nocturnal had a house in Vael, she’d probably ask her as well, but she wasn’t actually sure whether she did or not. She’d have to find one of them first, of course, but for now she sought Kiss, since she was more sociable and most likely easier to find. If she ran into Moe, she’d of course be eager to reconnect with her, but figuring for the holidays, she guessed that Noc would be at the local inn, which was where Min was headed to look first.

As they progressed toward their intended destination, Luka raced ahead, eager to get someplace warm and hopefully see Kiss with cookies or some other goodie for him. Minuet’s eyes widened and she reached a useless hand out towards his rapidly disappearing form. She tried to settle the worry the suddenly spurred up within her- she couldn’t expect to keep him on a tight leash forever, he was just as curious about the world as she was. Besides, nothing bad would happen to him- probably, at least. That thought only spurred her forwards, though at a careful pace so she wouldn’t get ahead of herself and end up tripping or slipping on the slush all over the ground. She wanted to run after him, but honestly it wouldn’t do any good. If anything, he would be waiting for her at the door of the inn to open it for him, or, if he managed to slip in as a player opened the door to leave, she would find him with Kiss if she were there, or… somewhere in the inn. He would come if she called… probably. Minuet used this seemingly sound logic to calm herself, and she proceeded along to the Gold Gallion. However, as she came up a slight incline in the road and the inn came into view, she was not expecting to find what she did.

Luka had run forward with abandon, the cheer and excitement of the holidays fueling his legs and pushing him closer and closer to their intended destination. However, once he reached the inn, he was faced with something rather menacing that blocked his path. A large black tiger, an actual pet that the game intended to exist, stood in Luka’s way- a threat in many different ways. The normal coding seemed to clash with his own programming, sending warnings jolting all throughout his form and causing major discomfort and a subtle crackling sound. His need for self-preservation was kicking in and warning him not to come into contact with the original strand of code. The animal was on its last legs as well- he could tell- and that meant that it had to have feral tendencies already showing. Overall, Luka was wickedly concerned and put off by the tamed creature’s presence. He suddenly came to a halt a few feet from the feline guard at the inn, spreading his feet and his hackles rising, quill-like feathers suddenly brushing against each other to make a rattling sound, much like a rattlesnake would to warn those around it not to get too close or else it would lash out. Something between a bark and a screech escaped his maw, and he suddenly bounded up the rather unfortunate soul that stood awkwardly a few feet from a beast player who undoubtedly was the owner of the tiger. Something about her also hyped his wariness.

Minuet had arrived on the scene in a rush, having broken out of her walk once she spotted what was happening. Luka felt threatened, and that definitely wasn’t a good thing. A girl with fox ears stood blocking Minuet’s view of whatever Luka had climbed up to achieve the vantage point on the offenses that stood in his vicinity.

”Luka!!” She called out with worry in her voice, feet pattering loudly on the stone as she tried to put herself between her companion and whatever was bothering him. Minuet made her way around the fox girl swiftly, giving her plenty of space, and reaching out to where she knew her pet would be. However, what she was met with had her faltering, her previously outstretched fingers curling back slightly as she came to a dead halt.

Luka was perched- rather comfortably- on the shoulder of a demon player, hackles still raised and warning sounds still rattling his quills as his back was arched. Luka… was sitting on a complete stranger? That was the initial fact that had her stopping dead in her tracks. The second, it seemed, was her getting distracted by said complete stranger and the complications of Luka having had no qualms about making contact with him.

Her arm, which had been outstretched with her hand a few inches from his form, was pulled to her chest with a lightly held fist at her collar bone. She looked at this taller individual, gentle blue softly locked onto rich orange, and all other sounds seemed to drown out for a second or two as Minuet blinked, confuse. Luka only touched people he trusted and knew, so why he had so readily climbed up this guy... it was an absolute quandary. Said troublemaker broke her stupor when he suddenly leapt from the other’s shoulder, using powerful hind legs to kick off of him and return to Minuet, front paws making contact with her own shoulder, holding him there for a second before he lowered the rest of his form while climbing into the depths of her raised hood and settling his body onto the top of her pack. Her head tilted to the side as she seemed startled by the contact and watched as her follower pressed against the skin of her neck as he slunk into hiding, leaving her alone to fend off two complete strangers who undoubtedly were rather disturbed by her and Luka’s sudden presence. Oh nono, conflict was definitely not what she was looking for- she had hoped simply to keep a low profile and find the few people she did actually know to enjoy this season with.

Minuet turned back to look at Granite, a slightly sheepish though mostly apologetic and nervous look to her face as she clasped her hands together in front of her and made a slight bow. ”S-sorry,” She turned now, looking back at the fox girl whom she had previously looked past, ”I’m sure he didn’t mean anything by it,” turning back to Granite, she stiffened ever so slightly as her hand raised to rest at the back of her hood, making sure that it was still there, ”Ah, h-happy holidays.” She finished quickly, aiming it really at all three of them- Arctic, Granite, and Kuro- hoping to have appeased them, and even if not, quickly sidestepping them, dipping her head to hide her face and embarrassment from sight beneath her hood, and entering the Gold Gallion without another word.

As the door closed behind her and a small bell jingled above her to announce her arrival, she let out a breath that she hadn’t realized she had been holding while she made her escape from that awkward situation. She didn’t want any fights- that was for sure, so the quick disappearance was rather called for. But that guy….

However, before she got anywhere with that thought, a familiar voice called out to her from somewhere deeper in the inn. NocturnalKiss.




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Occupation:
Alchemist

Guild:
None

Level:
112

Hex Code:
#365c2e

Location:
Vael ---> Market Stalls by the Shore




Augur had made his way into the town without any hiccups or disturbances, which he was definitely grateful for. He really didn’t want anything happening today to make his mood or outlook even worse. The town was even more hideously decorated up close than it had appeared from afar. Well, that was mostly his sour mood talking, he actually did like what was done with the place, but you’d have to put the figurative gun to his head to get him to admit anything that mess of code had come up with was acceptable, and even then….

He heaved a sigh, rolling his shoulders before shaking his head. Whatever, it didn’t really matter. He was here to hopefully sight the aforementioned ‘Game Master’, though honestly what he would do with it if he found it he couldn’t really say. He needed to find Cain first, and others who could act as support for the inevitable facing of the monster that had created this hell. The best chance for finding any of those was at this town- the event was just an added bonus. It brought together players from all over the virtual world of LAIOS, and he definitely couldn’t complain about the new event monsters/boss that would spawn in town. In fact, he was quite excited about it. The first boss monster of LAIOS- would it be like creatures he had already experienced and catalogued, or would it be a new breed entirely? The monster-tester could hardly keep still at the thought of it. Besides, getting to vent his anger on a few nasties wouldn’t have him complaining either.

But first he had to get to tomorrow, and since he had arrived a day early so that he wouldn’t miss anything, he still had to admit that it was an annoying prospect. There was no way in hell that he would be going anywhere near the damned inn of Vael, or any other inn for that matter. God, just thinking about all the noise and godawful bards… he was already getting a headache and he was in an area that was rather quiet at the moment. He would have to find elsewhere to crash for the night, and he might just do so at one of the shops or buildings the NPCs watched over.

A dark cloud seemed to have gathered over his head as he began walking through the town, directly away from the Gold Gallion, and towards the lower shores of Vael that were currently frozen over. He was kind of intimidating and broody to be honest, and Lotty sort of just sat scrunched up on his shoulder, trying to ignore the darker aura surrounding her master.

In the next instance, however, a soft thump sounded, and a sphere of snow suddenly exploded in Augur’s face. Lotty looked somewhat startled, but suddenly a bubbly croak that sounded suspiciously like laughter escaped her mouth, and had they made it a feature, the snow probably would have melted off of his face from the embarrassed blush that now covered his cheeks. Quickly lifting a hand to wipe off whatever snow clung there, sending sharp cold needles to his face, Augur quickly glanced around to see who had thrown that.

A little NPC girl, with yellow mittens, a white cap, and a yellow coat much like his own stood a little ways off, her hands together in front of her lips with a wide eyed and guilty expression- shocked that she had hit someone other than the young player whom she had been aiming for, who was actually part of the game she and a few of the other NPC children were playing with. She looked absolutely mortified and was just waiting to be yelled at by the seemingly scary man she had accidentally just hit.

Augur looked her way for a few seconds before suddenly straightening and smiling brightly at the little girl and NPC boy who was behind her, looking just as shocked as she, waving at them with his index, thumb, and middle finger outstretched. They looked utterly relieved, and the girl even gave a soft sigh of relief, before giggling brightly and running off in a random direction, the NPC boy following after her laughing and the child player whom she had been aiming at who was behind Augur came into view, chasing after them with a snowball of his own.

The overly bright smile was wiped off of his face immediately after they had disappeared from view, but a slight imprint of it pressed gently at the corners of his lips. He couldn’t be mad at the little ones, especially since they had not intentionally aimed for him out of malice or mischief. Meanwhile, Lotty was still laughing at his expense, and Augur aimed a pointed frown of complaint and offense at her, flicking her on the head to get her to silence. She wobbled precariously as he offset her balance, but she did not fall, and simply tipped back over to the safety of his shoulder, eyes wide and a little ‘ribbit’ escaping from her mouth. She nestled back down, albeit with a bit of playful grumbling, as Augur continued along his way, returning his hands to his warm pockets.

He was intending to do a bit of shopping or business down at the stalls by the shoreline on the eastern side of the town. He was hoping to take advantage of the Christmas cheer and thus undoubtedly lowered prices of the shopkeepers, both NPC and player-wise. You couldn’t really blame him, he was just playing the game, after all. Perhaps he could find some interesting trinkets for he or Lotty.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: ArcticFire Character Portrait: Minuet Character Portrait: Lucive Character Portrait: Seraph Character Portrait: Augur
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Occupation:
Tailor

Guild:
None

Level:
200 (appears 80)

Hex Code:
#388E8E

Location:
Vael




Seraph... was bored. Playing around in the middle of the town was fun for a while but now Seraph found himself with nothing to do. Many of his friends were online of course and he could go and visit them but they were all with other people. Almost everyone he knew was in the tavern at Vael. He would go inside and greet everyone and give them their presents but ArcticFire was standing right in front of the tavern. He wouldn't be able to sneak past her and the tiger. He didn't really want to talk to ArcticFire. Out of the Betas that had attacked him, Seraph only ever talked to Cain now. Besides Nightingale of course. Augur and ArcticFire... hated him. He knew they did not approve of what he had done and he was sure if they could, they'd attack him again. They were much stronger now. Sure Seraph's level was still beyond theirs but that didn't matter. He was an NPC. Players could attack NPCS in town and kill them. NPCS could not do the same to players in town and that included him. He didn't want to hurt them either though. They may hate him, but he didn't hate them. He missed them. He had always had good and interesting conversations with all of the betas. He still found it quite tragic that he had to delete so many of them. Nightingale always said it was their fault for attacking, but it didn't make him feel any better. To him, it was like he had killed his best friends.

Seraph sighed to himself and raised his hands up to the sky, palms facing him, and watched as the snow glittered around his gloved fingers. The snow was cold and wet but like everything in LAIOS, he loved it. He smiled softly and sat down on a bench in the town, a good distance away from the center where the tavern was. He didn't want ArcticFox to spot him, but he still wanted to stay in town. He brought his knees up to his chest to keep warm and did what he did best; observe. A lot of people were here in Vael for the event. It brought a smile to Seraph's lips. They were enjoying themselves and they were preparing for the event! Some talked about it in excited whispers. They speculated what the monsters would look like and what their behaviors would be. Would they simply attack whoever was near like they did in the field or would they only engage if they were attacked first? Would they also be Christmas themed? And what of the Boss at the end? Others discussed the prizes and what they would do with them if they won. And he noted that many were nibbling on the candy canes he had given everyone. Most seemed to like that added bonus. Maybe he should add more seasonal candies and treats to the tavern menu.

There were others however that were not as pleased. It was good to get positive and negative feedback but knowing players were uhappy was never fun. Those that were less than pleased talked about their families on the outside and wishing that they were out there with them and enjoying a feast. Others were worried that their family was giving up on them and what happened if players died? Was it really an actual death that greeted them or an out of the game? Seraph didn't really understand why these players were constantly dreaming of this 'other world'. He provided them with everything they needed here. Seraph put so much effort into ensuring they were happy and they had want for nothing. And why were they so concerned about death in LAIOS? Nightingale said that people died in the other place to so wasn't it the same? Why would people want to return there where they had to struggle? Was the GM of the other world any different than him? And why did so many people want to kill him? He tried very hard for them! A little pout curved his lips and darkened his face. The poor thing didn't truly understand what the 'other world', reality, was. How could he when for him this was reality? Other worlds and other realities were games just like this one, only his was better. In his opinion of course. Nightingale always laughed when he talked about 'reality' as if it were another game and she'd try and correct him, but as of yet, she wasn't getting through to him.

Then Seraph felt something. He cocked his head to the side and perked up where he was sitting. It was almost like a break in code. It made a blurring cross his vision and he heard the crackling in the programming as it tried to correct itself. A glitch. There was a glitch in town and it felt close by. Why wast there a glitch here? He had ensured that everything in the town was glitch-free for the event. It would not do to have bad programming messing up the graphics or lagging players. And a boss or other creature couldn't have extended life or not appear on screen. The programming had passed his screening. Was this something that was introduced into the town from outside? Why hadn't he noticed it up until now? Seraph's eyes narrowed as numbers began to flit past his vision as he tried to find the source of the glitch. And then the trace vanished. He frowned. This was a very strange glitch. He could still hear the static so it hadn't left.

The GM got up from the bench then and started to move around the town as he tried to spot the glitch manually. He followed the sound to the center of the town and peeked around the Christmas tree. He carefully scanned the area and felt the traces of the glitch here but it was gone now. He couldn't find the sound anymore either. Had it been killed by the guards of the town? He hummed out his breath in exasperation. Now that he was closer to where it had spawned from he realized he recognized this stray code. He had sensed this glitch before and just like last time, it had manged to get away from him. One of these days he was going to get that elusive glitch. He shook his head and turned away from the center of town again. He was tired of observing now. He wanted to interact but ArcticFire was still near the tavern and Augur was in town to near some shops. He had to be very careful not to run into them.

He scanned his friend list and saw that Lucive had finally left this guild's base. And he was alone! Perfect. He'd go interact with him. He was a fellow tailor and always fun to hang around though he did have an odd taste in clothes and games sometimes. It was fun though and Seraph always found himself laughing in his presence. He should have been more wary of the second in command of the guild that wanted him dead, but he liked Lucive. Nightingale always commented that he liked to play with fire considering he had Lucive and Man-O-War as friends, but he didn't see it that way. It was sad and risky, yes, but he didn't really have to fear Lucive or Man-O-War. They were both nice and too low a level to really hurt him. Besides, they didn't know he was the GM.

Seraph turned around and quickly headed towards the entrance of the Phoenix Blight guild hall. When he saw the man in question, a bright smile touched his lips and he waved at the man exuberantly. "Lucive!" he called, "Lucive! Merry Christmas!" Seraph jumped the last bit of distance between him and Lucive and beamed up at the taller man. "Are you busy today? If you are free I figured we might be able to hang out a bit. I have a present for you!" Seraph reached into his inventory before he extended a square box covered in blue wrapping paper and a silver bow. Since Lucive was a tailor like him, Seraph didn't make him any clothes. What would be the point in that? He did know Lucive liked pineapples though so he had purchased a pineapple cake for the man to enjoy.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Minuet Character Portrait: NocturnalKISS Character Portrait: Man-O-War Character Portrait: Augur
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#, as written by Skwidge
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Occupation:
Chef

Guild:
None

Level:
51

Hex Code:
#84c9a0

Location:
The Gold Galleon




Minuet hadn’t realised how warm and muggy it was in the tavern until she actually got a moment to experience it after the door had closed behind her, blocking any more cool breezes from entering. The hot air of the inn was quick to swarm forward and consume whatever titch of cold dared linger in its turf. The warmth was... almost nice, welcomed for its dispelling of the cool that clung to her skin, but she knew all too well that it would soon become uncomfortable. Her initial reaction was to shed her coat immediately, but the thought seemed to be pushed to the back of her mind before she could act upon it as suddenly a familiar, and very bubbly, individual was set upon her.

”Is that my darling Minuet~?” The voice had honestly caught her attention long before her approaching form did. At the first signs of the familiar voice, Luka was suddenly poking his head out from the depths of Minuet’s hood, eyes large and ears perked forward at absolute attention. He chattered excitedly, his tail swishing furiously within the confines of the cloth that surrounded him, swatting continuously against the pack that was upon his master’s back and knocking it about. Minuet was just as excited as he was though, a bright grin rushing across her lips as she turned and saw Kiss approaching. ”Kis-!” Her cheery acknowledgement was cut short, or rather muffled by the other’s torso, as Nocturnal wrapped her arms around her and pulled her into a warm hug. The action left Minuet’s heart happy, and she couldn’t help a close-eyed grin from brightening her face, though hidden by the cloth of Kiss’s outfit.

During the embrace, Luka had popped out of Min’s hood, scampering across the short distance between she and the priest. Noc released Minuet with a smile, and the little fox creature raced across the woman’s shoulders twice before resting at the nape of her neck on his lower legs, propped up against her head with his front paws happily situated atop the crown of her head. His tail swiped right and left against her back in a content and excited manner, and when Kiss spoke up a little apology about crushing Minuet and calling her ‘too cute’, Luka papped at her hair with one paw and a short bark, ears flicking back slightly and tail twitching laterally as if to claim, “Hey, me too!!” He was theatrically ‘wounded’ by the priest’s neglect of him, though really in a playful manner. At Kiss’s praise on her stature, Minuet’s cheeks flushed warmly and happily, relishing in the affection and attention that Nocturnal was giving her. The blue-eyed chef ran a hand over her hair as a sheepish tick to fix it should it have gotten a little messed up in Noc’s hug as well as attempt to brush off Kiss’s compliments. She was so nice~.

”Ah, thank you,” She smiled abashedly, taking Kiss’s hand as she offered it to lead the three of them back to her table. Once there, Kiss propped herself up onto the table before taking a seat and swishing her legs back and forth cutely, commenting on the event and how she would not be partaking in it. Minuet’s eyes widened a bit with the revelation, and her lips parted slightly to form a small ‘o’, ”Oh, are you not participating in it?” She pulled a chair over to plop down in it, folding her hands in her lap as she looked up at Noc and Luka still comfortably situated on her head. She nodded when Kiss asked after her intentions with it, ”Yeah, that’s why me and Luka are in. I have to admit that I’m really excited to see what the monsters look like, and plus this is the first boss of the game! The rewards will be really nice too.” She smiled, thinking of all of the possibilities that there could be for the drops.

Kiss recaptured her attention as she made a small exclamation, seeming to have remembered something important. Minuet looked at her expectantly with curiosity. When she alluded to it mysteriously, it only made Minna all the more curious, practically at the edge of her seat waiting to be shown what it was.

She was not disappointed with the reveal, as Nocturnal procured a little bag of goodies from within her bag. She had saved it just for her too, so that made it all the more special. Minuet’s eyes lit up, ”Ooh!” She practically cooed over them- they were so small and varied, and so cute! Just for her- and Luka too of course. She clapped her hands together in excitement as she looked over the bag and its neatly tied ribbon, suddenly looking up at Noc with a big smile. ”Wow! They look so cute! Thank you! I’m sure they’re delicious.” She was about to take the bag from her friend when Luka, having watched the proceeding with great interest, snaked down from Nocturnal’s head. His little nose was snuffling furious about the bag, before he paused and tilted his maw forward, lips parting and teeth delicately taking hold of one of the strings of the ribbon and pulling. He was latched onto Kiss’s stomach upside-down, his claws hooked into the material lightly to keep his balance. As the mouth of the bag fell open, he shoved his entire head into the clear plastic and started grabbing as many cookies and goodies with his jaws as he could fit into his mouth. Loud munching could be heard from within the bag. Minuet gasped with a sudden frown, swatting Luka right above the tail in scolding.

The creature let out a squeak and a huff of his nose, tail suddenly trying to tuck between his legs and ears falling back as he quickly pulled his head from the bag. He looked up at Minuet with cheeks full of baked goods. His eyes seemed sorry, but he was still munching away what was left in his mouth without a shred of remorse. Crumbs and little sugar particles stuck to his whiskers, and as he chewed away the sweet confections that Kiss had made, crumbs fell from his mouth and chin to fall into her lap. He quickly hopped off of Kiss and onto the table, shirking away from his master’s reach lest she try to reprimand him again. Minuet leaned forward and took the bag from Kiss’s hands with an apologetic look, sweeping the messy crumbs from her lap before holding the goodies in her own. ”Oh, I’m so sorry! Luka has no manners.” She shot the creature a playfully dirty look before looking back up to Kiss.

The priestess then asked after Minuet’s own cooking, and a thoughtful look crossed her face. ”It’s been going pretty good, though I haven’t had the chance to make anything special for the holidays yet. Limited resources and the likes,” Since she and Luka had been out in the field for the majority of the past week before the event, she hadn’t had access to ranges or other advanced utilities. While cooking was pretty simple in this game, and you could cook pretty much anything if you had the basic necessities- ingredients, a heat source, water, a workspace, etc., the quality was better and the process easier if you used said advanced utilities such as ovens and stoves and the likes. Kiss then praised her cooking, calling it ”To die for,” to which Minuet blushed and stammered a reflection, ”A-ah, I don’t think I’m that good!!” She had an embarrassed look to her face as she shook her hands to make her point, but she spoke up soon after with a praised smile, ”But thank you.” NocturnalKISS then smirked deviously at her, the priestess’s next works teasing, threatening to steal her recipes.

”E-eh!? No way!!” She puffed out her cheeks and put her hands on her hips defiantly. She then laughed, dropping her hands back down to her lap. ”I would love to get together with you and do some cooking, if you’d have me? I need a place to stay for the event anyway, and would rather not put Luka and I under the horrors of a loud inn. I-if not, that’s totally alright, though! I’ll ask Moe if I can stay with her.” She smiled contently if not a little sheepishly up at Nocturnal. Luka had returned to Noc’s side in the meantime, sitting beside her on the table and looking around the inn quietly.




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Occupation:
Alchemist

Guild:
None

Level:
112

Hex Code:
#365c2e

Location:
Market Stalls by the Shore




The market stalls weren’t too particularly busy, but there were admittedly a few NPCs and players here and there dotting the small trading area. It seemed everyone was busy elsewhere- probably at one of those godforsaken inns or in the large commerce center elsewhere in the city that had actual buildings to stay warm in or find some food. Speaking of food, Augur felt his stomach grumble lightly while at the same time Lotty placed a small, sticky hand on the side of his cheek with a drawn-out croak, obviously feeling the same way as his stomach did. How long ago had it been since he had bothered to sit down for a real meal? Probably an hour too long, but it would wait until he was done down by the docks.

He meandered his way along the cobblestone of the road, hands shoved into his pockets as he glanced over the wares of the stalls he was passing by. He had one in particular that he wanted, so he didn’t really bother with the others unless something of particular interest caught his fancy. None had, so far. Two more stalls down and Augur finally made pause at one of the little wooden structures, a friendly male NPC behind it clothed in a warm sweater and some mittens. He seemed to brighten up as Augur decided to stop and stare at his humble wares.

After a minute or so of rummaging through the displayed items, his fingers ran over a small charm. Crudely made out of colored resin and low-tier metal, it was of a small standing rabbit, head tilted toward the sky expectantly, hopefully. He glanced at it with uncaring, slightly harsh eyes, inspecting it critically for the first moment that he beheld it. His features softened, however, as he picked it up and got a better look at it. It didn’t really matter to him that it was crude and cheap- it reminded him of hope. Hope that he, and others, would escape this prison, or at least look upon clear skies to find some semblance of peace or restoration to continue on with this endless struggle. Hope that he would find familiar faces.

He looked up at the NPC who was happily watching him look around his little stand, and he shifted the charm in his hand until he was holding it up between his index and thumb. Perhaps the little rabbit would give him some luck in his searches.

Augur paid for the piece that indeed ended up being not only cheap in craftsmanship, but also in price. A few half coppers was all it took, and Augur nodded his head in thanks as he pocketed the tiny totem and turned to seek out an ingredients merchant. As he was crossing the street to the other stalls that offered different selections, he heard a short, loud trill from Lotty, somewhere between a sharp, rumbling peep and a high-pitched croak of detection. That was the noise she used to alert him of a familiar person. Augur’s eyes widened and he turned his head expectantly to look down the road. Perhaps it was Cain? The rabbit seemed to be working already.

However, he was momentarily disappointed to find that it was not his old friend and coworker that he spotted, but rather someone he had often sent one-way messages to. Lotty was familiar with the username, and so had alerted Augur to the player’s presence as it crossed her threshold of perception, as she was wont to do. It was Man-O-War, the king jelly, as it were, of the Phoenix Blight guild. He had seen him once or twice before, but had never bothered to interact with him once. He agreed with Blight’s methods, so he had an interest in the dealings of the guild and thus kept an eye out for them whenever he could, offering knowledgeable warnings and assistance through anonymous PMs which he never responded to after he sent them, signing them simply as -Ag. They did not know each other past this rudimentary form of communication.

War was currently doing a few ninja kicks down the street. He was certainly eccentric. It was a humorous sight, to be sure- the squat body of a dwarf pulling off such flexible moves. Every time in the past that Augur had seen him, this time included, he could not help but always muse how much better the character would look with shorter hair- so little and much cuter- though he understood the ascetic behind the choice of the long hair. War was obsessed with jellyfishes, if it weren’t obvious from his username, but he also usually left a signature in his messages of an ASCII art text image of one, or at least Augur had seen it once or twice before. The man was known to talk about them on occasion as well, which is how Augur knew of it. Besides, he probably wasn't trying for the 'cute' image- dwarfs were supposed to be strong and proud, after all.

A soft, rare grin played into his lips as he thought on this particular aspect of the player approaching the market stalls as well. Wouldn’t he be excited off his socks when he found out that there were jellyfish-like creatures in LAIOS. With a soft chuckle, Augur turned his attention back to the stall he now stood before which offered many different dried ingredients for potion making. He would be sure to stock up for the boss battle of the event, seeing if he couldn’t create ones more potent than those that he currently had. It was not in his nature to turn and seek out others for conversation, so he simply left War where he was, if not actually forgetting or ignoring his presence now entirely. He was much more keen on his trading and acquiring of goods.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Goliath Character Portrait: Accido Character Portrait: ArcticFire Character Portrait: Psychedemo Character Portrait: Cain Character Portrait: Shade_Strider
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ImageImage



























Occupation:
Alchemist // Tailor
Guild:
None// None
Level:
182 // 200
Hex Code:
#00008B // #388E8E
Location:
Vael Town




Seraph was probably the person most excited for the event even though he wasn't going to be down in the town actively participating. This was his first real event and he wanted everyone to enjoy it, even those that weren't taking part in the battles. It was almost time! The Game Master was grinning ear to ear as he peered down at the town from his perch on the balcony of a random house. He didn't have the high level of the acrobat skill to get up here but he was the game master so he had a few cheats he could utilize when needed; Like getting to places he shouldn't be able to. He wanted to be able to watch everything happen as they unfolded for the event and a high perch was the most advantageous. He smiled to himself and leaned against the balcony as he stared down at the center of town. Those that were going to participate were already gathering in anticipation. Some players had locked their doors and shut off the lights but he could see a few staring out their windows, interested in seeing what was going to occur.

"I thought I might find you here, Seraph," said a voice behind him.

Seraph sat up and looked behind him to see his favorite person in the world; Nightingale. She was the reason why he had locked the game the first time after all. He waved excitedly at her and rolled onto his heels and then back to his tip-toes. "Nightingale! I thought you weren't going to come into town because of the other betas that gathered. They are all here. But do you like what I have planned for the event?"

"Neither of us should be here and I advised you not to come, but I knew you'd come anyway. You never listen. And of course I liked the event. You did a good job," Nightingale answered with a small smile. Seraph really was like a child, her precious baby. She had to protect him should the other betas spot Seraph and turn their attentions away from the event and try a full on attack on Seraph. They would all have higher levels this time around and unlike Seraph, she couldn't see what level they were. It worried her a bit but Seraph was Seraph. He was still the Game Master and there was no way he'd be able to resist coming to the center of the activity in the game. She knew first hand how much he loved his players and everything he did was for them to enjoy. Who wouldn't want to see the results of their efforts?

"I had to come. Tonight is the event! I want to watch everyone. I want to know what I can improve on next time. I have already gotten a lot of feedback! I went a little overboard with decorations it seems," he chuckled and raised a hand to rub the back of his head. "And that is not fair, Nightingale. I do listen. I just decide not to follow your caution," he answered. He had to make sure everything was running smoothly after all.

The archer walked over to Seraph and reached out a hand to ruffle his hair then. She couldn't help the grin that played on her rosy lips when the boy blushed and tried to dislodge her hand. "Nightingale!" he called out exasperated and took a step back to try and fix his hair. He hated it when she did that. Nightingale on the other hand loved watching him get flustered. He was just too adorable. The Game Master huffed and crossed his arms. He glanced back at the center of the town. "It is almost time." Seraph took in a deep breath and closed his eyes to center himself a moment before he completely turned his back on his companion. When he opened his eyes, his once expressive gaze were blank, code rapidly flitting through the blue hues. It was time to send out the message that would initiate the countdown.

╚═╣Good evening all players, this is your Game Master. The first half of the event will be initiated shortly after this message. I hope you all have a happy holiday and enjoy the event. Before they spawn, here is some extra information for you. The monsters that will be appearing do not have a predetermined level. The level of the strongest player in your team will be determining the level of the monster for that party. This means that if the highest party member is level 100, the monsters will also be level 100. This is a feature set to give each group a fighting chance and the most exp. If someone joins your battle, the monster level will not change and both parties will get half of the exp. The party or soloist that kills the most monsters will be determined at the end of the event. Thank you for your patronage and enjoy the event!

--Game Master Time stamp December 24 11:58pm.
╠═╝

Once the message had been sent out, Seraph blinked four times before his personality reemerged and he twirled in a circle and stopped to face Nightingale. He clasped his hands behind him and leaned against the balcony. "Will you be joining the event?" he asked her then.

Nightingale placed a hand on her hip and gave a nod. "Yeah. I think I will. This event is a good way to level up. I won't miss the chance. Meeting the other betas however will be quite the inconvenience. Good thing I have a few things to help disguise myself unless they directly come in contact with me," she mused. At least the betas wouldn't be able to attack her in town since she to was a PC. If they saw her here though, they'd immediately seek Seraph out. She had to stay on guard. "I guess I'll change," she mused and started to leaf through her equipment to pick out the best equipment for this event. She quickly put on her dark blue light armor with the crimson trimmings. A cape hung behind her and she tugged at her finger-less gloves to check the fit though she didn't need to and tapped her boots on the ground. It was a little cold for such a thin outfit but it was a game. She wouldn't freeze to death and it was only a little nippy. She equipped her second choice bow and arrows and caressed the pale blue feathers. She would use her rare item but if the betas saw it, they would recognize who she was immediately. She didn't need to use it. Lastly, she equipped her head gear that looked more like a winged masquerade mask that covered her entire face. Like the rest of her current outfit, it was a baby blue with red trimmings and the feathers themselves looked like they were dipped in blood. It might not look like much, but the outfit was reinforced with a variety of enhancements. That was one thing she loved about the game; you could wear clothing like this and still be well protected if you knew where to purchase and who to ask to craft them for you. Nightingale then hung her hair up in a messy pony tail and smiled at Seraph.

"Well, time to join the fray. I'll talk to you after the event, Seraph. I look forward to seeing what you have come up with."

Seraph beamed at her and gave her a wave. "Enjoy the event!" Nightingale used her acrobat skill to hurry away from the current balcony and took up her place instead on top of the tavern of Vael and readied herself.

7...6...5...4...3...2...1... The clock struck midnight and a firecracker shot up into the air from the center of town and exploded above the area as the bells rang. The sky was illuminated with red and silver lights from the fire cracker. Almost instantly, monsters began to spawn in the town all around the people standing there. Of course, they were all Christmas themed. There were tiny Santa Elves running about, Polar bears with ribbons and bells, China dolls and jack-in-the-boxes hopping about, and growly snowman clawing with their stick arms and angry expressions. At fist, they didn't attack anyone but after they finished spawning, they went after who ever was closest. Nightingale was quick to target one of the toy wolves with her arrow and took in a steadying breath before letting her arrows fly. The wolf howled and turned in her direction but using her rapid shot she was able to get some good hits in and the wolf couldn't reach her where she was so she had pretty easy pickings. She didn't want to win the event. She just wanted to gain experience so being solo made her a bit slow, but that didn't matter. She had a goal and wouldn't waver.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: ArcticFire Character Portrait: Cain Character Portrait: Lucive Character Portrait: Wachter Character Portrait: Seraph Character Portrait: Man-O-War
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Occupation:
Chef

Guild:
None

Level:
117

Hex Code:
#05B8CC

Location:
Vael




”And so it begins,” Arctic mumbled as she drew Piàn from its sheath. It was nearly time for the event to begin. Despite being on the edge of town players had gathered on the streets in anticipation. She couldn’t help but be annoyed by all of them.

Seraph’s message about the monster mechanics came. She raised an eyebrow at the announcement that she’d be fighting monsters who were actually her level. Having an actual challenge would be quite nice considering she was too high level to get anything good from the normal monsters around Vael. It also meant that she would definitely not be joining a party no matter how much someone asked her. The other party members would notice the level of the monster and figure out that she was a higher level than any casual player could be. That would be very bad.

The only people she would willingly team with would be Augur and Cain. Cain wasn’t out of the question and the two might make a good team, but she had no idea where Augur was. She hadn’t seen him since that day… She smiled a bit as she thought of him. She’d had a crush on him ever since her internship, so she couldn’t help but perk up at the idea of finding him again.

However, her smile quickly faded as coding began to fill her vision. Crap, she thought as she instinctively looked at the ground to hide it from anyone who was near her. How could she have been so stupid? Of course her Beta ability would kick in for this! Seraph wasn’t changing anything, but due to him creating the event creatures new textures and colours were entering the world and subsequently letting themselves be known to her. However, she really didn’t need to know what was changing because she could (partially) see the monsters for herself. She cursed quietly, though thankfully this hadn’t been as bad as when he’d change the whole town to the Christmas theme. The amount of information that had flooded her eyes and mind was overwhelming and not something she needed to be aware of. Unfortunately for her, she was pretty sure there was no way to turn the ability off or make it selective. Woe was her.

As soon as the monsters stopped spawning, they began to attack the players. The information was still showing up in Arctic’s vision, as it couldn’t keep up with the sheer amount of monsters that had spawned. Tempted as she was to lift her gaze and fight the nearest monster, she didn’t want to risk another player seeing her. All she could do was try to speed up the process and hope Kuro could fend off a monster for a little back.

The monster closest to her was a polar bear. She could hear bells as it charged towards her. She could also hear the players and monsters around her due to her hearing. She cringed but quickly did her best to block the other players and monsters to just background noise. The sound of arrows and swords dissipated somewhat, enough that she wouldn’t be distracted by it. If someone decided to scream bloody murder however, she would definitely hear that. Perhaps she should have chosen a different race.

Kuro was doing his best to fend off the polar bear, but because it was Arctic’s level and physically larger than him, he was having a difficult time. As soon as he would land a blow the bear would swat a heavy paw at him, threatening to send him tumbling through the snow. Teeth bared, he lunged at the monster whenever the beast tried to go for his master. The result was a loss of health for the polar bear, but Kuro would eventually need Arctic’s help to take the animal down.

ArcticFire was still frozen in place however, more coding filling her vision. Good grief, did it really need to tell her about every single thing that had spawned?! Couldn’t it just say how many of each monster had spawned and where?! She resisted the urge to start yelling, instead focusing on moving the information along as quickly as it would go. It could go pretty fast, but the sheer amount of data it was giving her was the problem. She groaned when she suddenly felt herself sliding across the snow. The polar bear had landed a solid whack on her.

Now groaning from pain, Arctic stood up and held Piàn with both hands. Still partially blind, it took a large effort for her to focus her vision on it. She could hear it just fine, but vision was important too. She didn’t want to accidentally strike another player instead of the bear.

As it began to charge at her, Kuro jumped onto its back, digging his claws into the bear’s shoulders. It slowed down as it let out a roar of pain. Using the noise to determine where exactly its head was, Arctic quickly rushed at the bear using her Sliding Dash move and hit it on top of the head. Kuro continued to latch onto its back, biting its neck as Arctic slashed at it. Between the two of them the bear was downed soon after, though Arctic would have preferred it had been earlier. She was annoyed that she’d been hit right at the start of the event. That shouldn’t have happened and wouldn’t have happened if she was a regular player.

As if on cue, the coding finally stopped filling her vision and she was able to clearly see her surroundings. The fox couldn’t help but let out a large string of curse words as she began to fight the next monster.






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Occupation:
Blacksmith

Guild:
Phoenix Blight

Level:
82

Hex Code:
#5190ED

Location:
Vael - Phoenix Blight Guild Hall




"Good luck everyone! Remember to fight hard, work together, and most important-- don't let your HP hit 0!" the Phoenix Blight Leader yelled to the swarm of members as they departed the guild hall. "If you need shelter feel free to stay here and if you really need help, message me or Lucive!" Hopefully neither the leader nor the second in command With that being said, the last of the guild members who were participating in the monster killing event left the hall. Man-O-War closed the door behind them, sincerely hoping none of them would end up dead. He'd helped to organize groups of players based on their strengths and weaknesses. While many friends wanted to be together, having a party of all the same class just didn’t seem like a good idea to him. With more variety in the groups, he hoped they’d be able to make up for each other’s weaknesses and be successful with the event. He was still nervous about the lower level players though. Nobody knew what level the monsters would be. They could be level 40 or they could be level 140. If the latter was the case, the lower level players were totally screwed and he could only pray they’d be smart enough to hide in a building while others killed the monster.

His mind didn't want to think about all the possibilities should he have not advised the parties. He could just imagine players being savagely attacked. Perhaps some would be saved by the members of their party, but others wouldn't be so lucky. Monsters didn't stop until you were dead, he knew that much. His usual smile shifted to a frown as he thought of his friends, long gone but not forgotten by him. The jelly let out a long sigh before realizing one of the guild members was looking at him as he leaned against the door. War immediately perked up and trotted over to the player, a 6' tall demon. The dwarf was literally dwarfed by the other player, craning his neck to address the other young man. "Did you want to talk to me, Charles?”

The red haired demon looked down at his guild leader, also noting the irony present in the two of them conversing. He couldn’t help but grin as he spoke. “So what should the rest of us do since we aren’t fighting in the event?” To War this was a somewhat inane question. He was the guild leader, sure, but he wasn’t a babysitter. He was planning on going out soon himself. He sure as hell wasn’t going to pass up the opportunity to grind monsters and level up. He also wasn’t sticking around here running arts and crafts. However, War knew that he couldn’t get mad at the other player. Charles just wasn’t the most bioluminescent jellyfish in the bloom.

”Well, you guys are just going to have to stick around here because all the big bad monsters are out there,” he gestured to the door. ”But I’m sure you guys can all find something to do while the event is going on. You can talk, eat, sleep, read, make stuff. It doesn’t really matter as long as you are safe.” He gave the other player a big smile. Charles thanked him before wandering off into the building. War couldn’t help but groan. If he didn’t already have white(ish) hair he would definitely have it from the stress this guild caused him sometimes. Of course that would also require actually being in his own body, but there wasn’t much he could do about that for now. He wondered if he would be grey in real life by the end of this adventure— oh wait, he already was!

War chuckled to himself as he went to find Lucive. He didn’t have to go very far to find his loyal second in command. ”I thought us, Rakugo, and Wachter would make a good party,” he told Lucive as he opened up his friends list. He figured Lucive wouldn’t argue so without waiting for a reply, he sent a party invite to the other two players. He would have invited his good friend Seraph to join them, but it seemed that Seraph was not fighting in the events.

Yo, you’re welcome to join Lucive and I for the monster killing event that just started. There might be another player joining us to make us a full party. He wasn’t sure if the two players had met before, but he thought that the two shouldn’t clash too much. If they did, well, War would just deal with that when it happened. He absentmindedly swung his hammer like the pendulum of a clock as he waited for a response from Rakugo and Wachter.

The pre-event announcement came from the GM, announcing how the event would work. As soon as War saw that monster level was determined by the highest player in the party, his heart skipped a beat. While everyone in the guild was generally in the 60-80 level range, a few of this below 60 had wanted to participate in the event. He couldn’t remember at that very moment who was with who, but he knew there was a good chance he’d suggested a party that had a member way too low for a monster that was equal to the highest level player in that group.

As soon as the GM message was complete, War opened up his messaging system and sent a message to everyone in the guild, regardless of if they were participating or not. Ok everyone, I’m sure you got the GM’s message. Since the monster level is determined by the highest member of the party everyone needs to BE CAREFUL. If you are afraid you can’t handle a high level monster even with a party COME BACK TO THE GUILD HALL or JOIN ANOTHER PARTY. I want to see everyone back in the guild hall before the start of the next event so I know you’re all safe. War sent the message as quickly as he could so that his guild had time to read it. He was extremely anxious now, as he hadn’t been expecting this curveball. He hoped his advice made it to everyone and that they all read it. To know that he had formed a party that would potentially be the death of someone was an awful feeling.

The clock struck midnight and the event began. War just hoped that everyone outside was alright as he stood in his guild’s hall, awaiting a response from the mischievous fox and the fire demon.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Minuet Character Portrait: NocturnalKISS Character Portrait: Wachter Character Portrait: Augur
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#, as written by Skwidge
Image




















Occupation:
Chef

Guild:
None

Level:
51

Hex Code:
#84c9a0

Location:
Kiss’s Home ---> Vael Streets





Mm, how long had it truly been since she had gotten to enjoy a home again? Minuet was comfortably curled up on a cushion on the floor before a short table, a ceramic cup held safely between her hands, steam rising from the lip to curl up into the air. A nice cup of tea~. Minuet smiled quietly to herself, enjoying the warmth on her hands and the gentle, sweet scent that emanated from the little treasure gripped in her fingers. Minna wasn’t entirely sure where Kiss was at that exact moment, but Minuet couldn’t help but simply lavish in the air that surrounded her fellow player’s home. It was cozy, especially with the snow that lined the windowpanes, and it was quiet, unlike the tavern they had been in previously. Luka was off somewhere as well, but Minuet knew that he would not be far, and furthermore that he would be behaving himself.

She was at peace, just keeping her own company for once in a safe place, without the looming presence of monsters, with four walls and a ceiling about her, with comforts and conveniences. She needed to get her own house, she really did enjoy this. Not to say that she didn’t love the way she lived already, out in the wildernesses with Luka, sleeping under the stars, but it would be nice to have her own place to call home. Minuet hummed quietly to herself, shifting a bit in the plush cushion that supported her player model, taking another sip of the peppermint tea. How festive everything was here~ she couldn’t help but admit that she delighted in it, despite how much she was actually missing in real life, and despite how much danger she was always in, being in this deadly game of rise and conquer. …Was there even actually a way out? What if they were stuck in here forever…?

Minuet shook her head resolutely. No, it would not do to think on such things. Of course there would be a way out- they would find it. There was no doubt about that. Perhaps it was just as easy as talking to the Game Master and convincing him to reintroduce the logout function. Well, hopefully it could be that easy, Minuet didn’t actually know who the Game Master was or what he was like. What if he was vindictive, evil? It might not be that far of a stretch, if he had trapped everyone in this game and was slowly killing everyone off….

Minuet took a focused sip of tea, a frown on her face as she pushed all of those thoughts from her head. Her fingertips tapped gently on the ceramic of the cup her hands were wrapped around. They would get out, whatever it took. She just hoped that Luka would make it out alright, in the end….

Speaking of both Game Master and her little companion, she suddenly heard a chittery growl from over in the next room, causing her head to turn towards the noise in curiosity. Not a moment later before a large banner appeared before her, announcing the beginning of the event and detailing its mechanics. Luka had sensed it, and was already slinking towards Minuet as smoothly as water, ears back against his skull and tail swishing to and fro. As he reached her, he slid forward into a laying position, pressed against the side of the cushion, tail still thrashing at the disturbance from the Game Master. However, it did not take long before his ears were suddenly perking up and a genuine curiosity filled his eyes as he leaned up and forward, nose wiggling as he sniffed the air, smelling the sweet scent of the tea in Minuet’s hands and wanting some. He did not ask either, suddenly hooking his little claws into the cushion to pull himself up onto it before clambering up Minuet’s side and down and arm to snuffle further at the little steaming cup. Minna laughed, finding cheer in her companion and he lapped at the drink, not minding one little bit. She was more than happy to share with him.

The event, though, she returned her attention to. So then, monsters would be determined by player level; that was thoughtful. It meant that everyone would be able to level, regardless of level. It did provide a bit of an intimidation, though, since those who partied up with higher levels would be faced with ferocious and fierce monsters of the same levels. I’ll just have to avoid the higher level players then, she gave a sheepish smile to herself, taking one hand to rub the back of her neck. However, in doing so, she shifted the support to her little cup, and Luka was actually kind of heavy, so it upset the balance, the cup tipping forward without her being able to do much about it at all.

A look of horror filled her face as it fell forward, no doubt going to spill and stain the perfectly good little wooden table in front of her. However, no liquid came out. Luka appeared to have drunk it all while she was lost in thought. A wry look filled her face as she shot her partner a look, one which he simply seemed to smile innocently up at her in response. It looked like she would have to make another cup of tea, although… it was probably about time to head out anyway so she could gain at least a few levels during the event. Besides, she wanted to see what the monsters looked like! Not to mention the drops.

Minuet placed the cup down on the table, intending to pick it up when she returned- perhaps she would make a meal for she and Kiss to share as well- and got up from her place on the cushion, Luka crawling up to settle on her shoulders in the meantime. She walked through Kiss’s house to the front door where her stuff was carefully tucked and put away, and she began to gather her things again. As she put on her cloak and fastened her halberd to her back, Minuet walked forward, and just as she was turning the handle of the front door, a message suddenly appeared in front of her face, causing her to pause. It was from Watch, telling her about a rare ingredient that he had found on his journeys that he had for her. An excited look filled Minuet’s face, and she almost bounced up and down with a huge smile on her face. It was always so exciting to find something new to cook with, not to mention how thoughtful it was of Wachter to do this for her. She would no doubt have to make a meal out of it for the two of them, perhaps Kiss as well, if she’d like to join them. She was sure she would, since it was a rare ingredient, after all.

Minuet quickly brought up a blank message, filling it out before sending it to Watch. ~”Mh, I’ll definitely be there! Excited to see you again, I’ll be along shortly!”~

With a cheerful smile to her face, Minuet turned the knob to the door and was quickly met with the cold air of the outside world. She stepped out, calling back behind her to Kiss, ”I’m heading out for the event, I’ll see you later!” before carefully closing the door behind her.

It did not take long for she and Luka to find the monsters that she sought. Players all over the place were locked in battle with all sorts of different creatures, ranging from snowmen to elves, reindeer, wolves, jack-in-the-boxes, and everything in between. There was such a wide variety! Perhaps she would have to deviate on her mission just a tad bit in order to do some battling of her own before meeting up with Wachter. Luka looked on with his own excitement from her shoulder, ears perked fully forward and eyes wide and attentive. He chattered excitedly, aching to get into battle as well.

She took a moment to send another message to Watch, letting him know that she may not be as quick getting to the town square as she had originally intended. She wanted to do some fighting along the way.



Image

















Occupation:
Alchemist

Guild:
None

Level:
112

Hex Code:
#365c2e

XXXXXXXXXLocation:
XXXXXXXXXVael





Augur completed his perusing of the potion ingredient stall rather quickly, having picked up quite a few things. He was going to be making the most of this event, and he wholly intended to level from it as well, though gods knew how long that was going to take if the monsters were all going to be low levels like he thought they were going to be. Nonetheless, he had gotten what he needed, and, with a moment to watch Man-O-War pass by back to his guild- or so Augur surmised, as that was the direction the guild master was heading in- he turned, pocketing his items safely into his inventory and heading off for one of the quieter buildings in town.

With quick, purposeful strides, it did not take him long to find what he was after, and, after ducking into one of said buildings, he settled down at a table to begin making his elixirs. The interface was simple enough to do it anywhere, though granted potion-making was best done in herbology shops where a bonus could be given. Augur was a high enough level that the bonus didn’t do much for him in any case- his own skill far outmatched the small add-on, and as long as he did it properly, the potions would end up better anyway. He would need to make quite a few of them as well, as not only were they the main aspect of his combat, but with what he had planned, he would need a full arsenal. Lotty was crouched on the table off to the side, watching Augur’s hands work with half-lidded eyes.

It would only be a matter of time before the event started, but even then Augur would have time to keep making potions should he need to. He wasn’t planning on fighting right away- he never did. It was a game of observation- that was how he had always played it, being the beta for monster activity and aspects. Behavioral patterns, reactions, battle stratagem, he had learned it all with all of the monsters of LAIOS. It was exciting to be faced with new breeds during this event, and he very much looked forward to seeing and cataloging everything he found. Creature designs were probably one of his favorite things, he was well blessed in the fact that he had been chosen in this job as a beta; it was probably one of the only lights in this dark world.

Augur had gotten through quite a few potions, the sun shifting through the sky, when the message arrived from that damned GM announcing the event to be starting. Augur was admittedly surprised when he discovered that the monsters would match the levels of those who fought them. One might initially find it to be considerate of the Game Master, as it allowed people of all levels to participate in order to gain xp, but Augur also found it to completely discourage partying. Was it a sick and twisted ploy to present more danger to players, in so much as a town as well, where it would not be safe unless people hid in their houses or buildings around the town. There would be many dangers if monsters of multiple levels mulled about together. Did the GM foresee this at all? He would be going for realism, but at the same time, would he sacrifice it for safety? The creatures would be set to aggressive, and if there were more than one of them, who knew where the agro would land? He would just have to see.

This fact did prove beneficial to him, at least. This meant that he could grind to gain as many levels as possible. There would be no time for breaks once he began the chain of destruction, there would be no time to waste time.

Pushing himself up from the table, Augur grabbed his spear which had been leaned against the wall behind his chair, pulling on his jacket and offering a hand for Lotty to crawl up on before swiping the table with an arm to clear it of any remaining debris from his potion making. He walked from the table to the door, lifting a hand in farewell to the NPC who had allowed him stay in the building for so long. Should any monsters get too close, he would battle with them, but for now he would go through town to watch other players battle the multitudes as well as watch the monsters not in combat mull about in a docile manner. All aspects, agro or not, were important to note. Behavior was his ace, after all.

vvvvvvvvvvvvv


Monsters ranged from toys to arctic creatures, as well as living decorations, holiday spirits, and snow incarnate. It was a good variety, he had to give the Game Master credit where credit was due. There were even some floating foods, of which Augur could only surmise would be dropping ingredients, probably to make Christmas dinners like those in the real world. It was another nice aspect, and while Augur would have liked to indulge in such things, he was no cook, and besides, he didn’t have anyone to spend it with. Cain was still missing, Arctic was who-knows-where, and he did not expect to be finding them any time soon. He could only hope that Cain was in town for the holidays, but even so, it was a big area, and luck was never on his side. Augur was hoping that the event would offer a global message to announce the winners, and perhaps he could get his name out there to at least let his fellow betas know that he was still alive. There would be thousands of players attempting the same though, so his odds were slim when facing so much resistance; still, Augur wasn’t one to back down from a fight.

Speaking of fighting, the time had finally come around that Augur was comfortable with engaging the holiday creatures himself. He had eyed up a number of species, and with his added perks as a beta, he knew their weaknesses already. Even better, he found what he had been looking for initially- pack monsters. He would take care of singles first, of course, to get into the swing of things, but he planned on taking on solo what was intended to be fought by parties of similar levels. It was the fastest way to level up, and while yes, rather dangerous, especially at his level, Augur was not phased. After all, he had done his homework. And besides, he wasn’t entirely alone. He had Lotty with him, and she was his failsafe.

His current prey was a huge golden ball ornament, its little cap decorated with tinsel and pine trimmings. Whenever it moved, little sparkles would follow it, showering the ground before disappearing into nothingness. It was much like a sprite or elemental that he had seen in games other than LAOIS, where there was a particle effect implemented into the creature model. As Augur neared, the monster level registered as 112 and the creature itself turned to face him, suddenly rushing forward with those little sparkles falling after it like a salt shaker. Augur shifted into a readied battle stance, legs shoulder-width apart and hook spear held in front of him with both hands. A wicked smirk teased across his lips, eyes harshening and muscles tensing in eagerness for battle.

Augur met the ornament’s first attack with a solid block, sliding back slightly from the force of his opponent’s forward motion, pushing fiercely against the shaft of his weapon in attempt to reach his form and do damage. Augur had other plans. Shifting his arms back minutely before straining his muscles, he pushed back against the monster with a new force, taking a large step back while the monster was forced away from him in the same motion before twirling the spear to gain momentum in his hands and aiming it forward to bring it crashing down upon the top of the ornament in a hacking motion. Sufficient damage was dealt and the opponent’s health bar was lowered.

It was weak despite its mimicked level. It was just in its design, though Augur did admittedly have the upper hand whenever fighting monsters, since he already knew their weaknesses to begin with. It only took about a minute and a half to dispatch of the high-leveled beast, and Augur was off again in search of his next piece of prey, eyes dancing with the glee of destruction.