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ArcticFire

"We are the real monsters in this game."

0 · 1,061 views · located in LAIOS

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

Description

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Real Age:
24
Occupation:
Skyline Gaming Game Developer/Designer
Gender:
Female
Orientation:
Heterosexual
Appearance:
Alexandra is a small, young woman. She stands at 5' 2" and weighs 110 lbs. Some have mistaken her for a teenager due to her delicate features, colourful hair, and short stature. Though her hip length hair is naturally black, she has dyed it light pink on a whim. She likes to pull back part of it into a braid to keep the long strands out of her face.Her eyes are naturally brown, but more often than not she is seen with pink contacts in to match her hair. She opts for a mixture of function and fashion in her wardrobe, often wearing a jacket or sweatshirt because she becomes cold easily.
Reason for playing LAIOS:
After working on the game as a designer, she wanted to put the game she helped make to the test. Alexandra also likes to play video games in general. They are a source of entertainment, but also a chance for her to immerse herself in fantastical stories and worlds. She can create herself however she likes and do whatever she'd like. She was looking forward to viewing the game from a developer and player standpoint. Since she worked as a designer, she was asked to check colours and textures in the game

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Avatar Sex:
Female
Level at Start of Roleplay:
117
Race:
Beast - Arctic Fox
Element:
N/A
Class:
Beast-Tamer
Role:
Beta Player
Occupation:

Guild:
None
Hex code: #05B8CC

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In Game Appearance
Alexandra chose to be of the Beast Race, allowing her to add animal attributes to her avatar's appearance. She chose to blend her appearance with an arctic fox, hence her username ArcticFire. Her hair is white, framing her face. She has white bangs, falling in layers over her forehead. They threaten to get in her eyes, but aren't quite long enough to do so. Her hair is shorter in the front but much longer in the back. It falls to her waist. Depending on her location, she will the the longer section of her hair back to avoid it getting in her way. Out of the top of her head come two white fox ears. These extra ears not only make her look adorable, but hear better than her human ears, allowing her to pick up on noises she wouldn't be able to hear otherwise. A large, fluffy white tail protrudes from her backside. Her tail can help to determine her mood, as she inadvertently moves it in accordance with her feelings-- much like a dog wags its tail when happy or drops it when sad. Though not covered in fur, she finds that she has a better tolerance for the cold than most players.

After leveling up, Arctic began to have markings on her body. The markings are most prominent on her arms and head. They are elegant swirls, starting on the back of her hands and going up to her bicep. She also has markings on her forehead and the sides and back of her neck. As she continues to level, the markings on her neck and arms will connect, the markings on the back of her neck will extend down along her spine, and the mark on her forehead will become more intricate. The mark on her forehead is a medium sized circle with two points at the ends and two swirls extending from either half on the top, much like the symbol of Taurus, except these swirls are delicate like the rest on her body. Her hair usually covers this mark, but if her bangs are out of the way you can clearly see it. The marks on her fingers and arms are normally covered by her gloves and clothing sleeves, helping to hide what level she is.

From a human standpoint, Arctic is a young woman with pale skin. She stands at 5' 7". Alexandra wanted her LAIOS self to be taller than she was in real life, but not too tall. Her eyes change colours, something she specifically added in for just her avatar. She is also able to change the colour of her markings. She can use a range of eye colours-- green, red, blue, pink, brown, etc.-- but normally sticks with red or blue. Though she doesn't look strong, she has a very athletic build due to being a Beast.

The arctic fox girl can commonly be seen wearing kimonos. Her two favourites are her white kimono and red kimono. They resemble those worn in Japan, featuring long, dangling, sleeves, a sash around the waist, and beautiful detailing. Her kimonos are not floor length, but rather are like a high-low skirt. The back of her kimono ends at her calves to prevent her from tripping on it when running or engaged in combat. The front of the kimono ends at her lower thigh. Inside of her kimono are a few pockets to store items, though most of her items are in a saddle bag she has her companion carry. Arctic wears light armour underneath her kimono and over top of her tunic. Underneath the kimono and armour she wears a basic white tunic, and white leggings. She wears black leather boots. White leather gloves almost always cover her hands, enchanted to aid her Sneak/Hide skill. They also work to cover her hands and the markings on them. Sometimes she will wear a white kitsune (fox) mask to add a sense of mystery to her. It also hides her face from other players and she believes it looks intimidating to others. She chose to use a yanyuedao as a weapon for the times before she had a pet. It's also reassuring to her to have a weapon instead of relying on hand to hand combat. She carries her yanyuedao with ease due to her increased strength. Depending on where she is, Arctic will either have her weapon strapped to her back or carry it in her right hand. The weapon, named Piàn (the word "slice" in Chinese) feels like an extension of her arm. She can use it with one hand or both, but using both hands is much more effective.



Skills:
Combat Skill - Roar - Ability that allows a player to freeze the enemy in fright for 5 seconds.

Combat Skill - Sliding Dash - Allows player to target an enemy and rapidly run to the target with a strong first move.

Occupation Skill - Cooking - The ability to make meals. Food regenerates health and adds to the enjoyment of the game. All food gives the impression of actually eating and tasting the food. The skill level determines the deliciousness of the meal and how much hp is restored. All flavors in the real world can be experienced inside the game if you know how to mix the ingredients and where to find everything; all things gained with levels.

Other Skill- Sneak/Hide - The ability to go undetected even if you are right in front of someone. This works best at night until the level is high enough to fool those in broad daylight.

Beta Skill - Back to the Drawing Board - Since she was checking colours and textures in the game, she receives information whenever Seraph changes the colours or textures of areas. She is able to see what he has changed and what it has been changed to.

Beta Skill - Colour Me Pretty - Arctic has the ability to change the colours of her avatar at will. This is limited to the features on/of her body and does not apply to any garments, armour, her weapon, or her companion. She has only used this ability to change her eye and marking colours, though technically she could change her hair colour if she wanted to.

Class Skill - Pet Health Regen- A small percentage of her health is regenerated every 5 seconds thanks to Kuro, her pet tiger.


Enhancements:
Gloves: Sneak - Makes Sneaking 30% easier
Body armor: Physical Damage Decreased by 37% | Health Increased by 70
Leg Armor: Carrying Capacity Increased by 100
Yanyuedao (Piàn): Add sleep counter to force attacker to fall asleep.
Boots: Speed Is 22% Higher


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Likes:
Her Pet - Her pet, a black tiger named Kuro, is a lovely companion and very helpful in combat.
Helping Others - Despite not being much of a people person, she does like to help other players. It's also a way to atone for helping make a game that is now causing players to fall into comas. She likes to think of herself of a guardian angel.
Wandering - Arctic loves having the freedom to go wherever she pleases around LAIOS. She likes to just walk around and see what's going on.



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Dislikes:
PKers and Bounty Hunters - The players should focus on killing monsters-- not each other. She knows what happens to each and every one of those players that dies and it hurts her to know she's remotely responsible.
Seraph - Arctic has a bone to pick with the AI Game Master for locking down the game again and causing players to go into comas.
The Desert - She really hates being in the hot desert part of LAIOS. It's so uncomfortable and having a big furry tail doesn't help.



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Strengths:
Enhanced Senses - The Beast Race has heightened senses due to their animal nature. Her fox ears also help her hearing even more.
Strength and Speed - The Beast Race is physically stronger than all other races. Arctic's speed is increased by 22% on top of the speed she has from being an Arctic Fox Beast.
Able to Have a Pet - Arctic is able to have a pet due to being of the Beast Tamer class. She would love to raise a dragon once she's leveled enough to go looking for nests.
Self Sufficient - Being a Chef, Arctic doesn't need to rely on others for food. This makes it a lot easier to travel on her own.



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Weakness:
Ranged Attacks - Arctic's companion and her own combat style rely on being close to the enemy. Ranged attackers pose a problem, unless she can get close to them or dodge their attacks.
Magic Defense - She does not have a very strong magic defense.
Her Pet - Harm her pet and she harms you.



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Fears:
Dying In-Game - She knows that she will go into a coma. Furthermore, that will be one less Beta for Seraph to worry about.
Seraph - He's in complete control of the world itself. That's a bit intimidating.
Never Leaving LAIOS - She's been here longer than she would have liked to been-- and against her will. Arctic would love to return to her life in the real world.
Being Blamed for What's Happening in LAIOS - Arctic fears that if players knew she worked at Skyline, they would blame her for what is happening and harm her.



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Personality:
Independent ღ Confident ღ Blunt ღ Helpful

Alexandra is fairly introverted, preferring to observe others socializing than doing so herself. She doesn't mind being around people, she just likes to keep to herself. When she does speak to others, many note how kind and easy going she is. She is sincerely kind and caring. She likes to please others, as she doesn't want to leave a bad impression on them or have enemies. Alexandra is normally very lighthearted. She likes to laugh and rarely seems to be stressed out. Truthfully, she stresses over her job and herself a lot. Being the youngest developer at Skyline, she feels like she needs to prove herself to her coworkers. She is always meticulous with her work and will correct any mistakes she makes. While not painfully unconfident, she does have doubts and worries regarding whether or not she is good enough for others. This is sometimes the reason she keeps to herself. She tries to push these thoughts to the back of her mind. Alexandra is particularly happy with her intelligence, artistic abilities, and memory.

In game, ArcticFire is a lone wolf. She doesn't want to get attached to anyone, because she knows they could die. If that happened, she would feel absolutely terrible since she helped to create the game. Plus, it's not like she'll ever meet any of these people, right? A player she meets could be the nicest person in game, but be a very mean person out of the game. Being an avid gamer herself, she knows that people adopt personas online. They could be just who they say they are and act just how they act, or they could be completely different from the avatar who is living in LAIOS. Just like in real life, she is content to be by herself and prefers it even more given the current situation. She can depend on herself and her companion. For her, this is enough. She can wander around and do whatever she likes without the burden of being with other players. She used to not mind being around others, but now staying around groups of people for too long makes her agitated. She thinks it's because of her underlying guilt and fear of these players dying. It's also because of being alone for so much of her time and a mistrust of others, because you can never know just what someone's intentions are.

While Alexandra was somewhat unconfident in herself and felt she had to prove herself to others in real life, Arctic is very confident. She isn't arrogant by any means-- she just knows who she is and what she wants. No one (with the exception of the other Betas) knows who she is. Just the way she walks and holds herself suggests confidence or elegance. With this confidence comes a tendency to be blunt. She doesn't have to sugar coat things for fear of what others will think of her. That's not to say she goes around trash talking everyone, she just isn't afraid to be direct. Arctic is honest, even if that honesty isn't what someone else wants to hear.

Alexandra has carried her kind nature into the game in the form of helping others. While she would help others in the real world, she does so more frequently in LAIOS. She compares herself to a guardian angel, as she'll help someone out and then disappear. It's her way of making sure minimal amounts of players die in game. It also helps to ease the guilt of having helped create LAIOS, though of course she knows she can't blame herself. She and the other developers couldn't have known that Seraph would lock down the game, but she still feels partially responsible for what is happening. Because of this guilt she also has a fear of being found out as one of the Beta testers. She is afraid that the players who are unhappy about being trapped in LAIOS will harm her or the other Betas, thinking that they caused the lockdown.

Known to be quite lighthearted and easy going in the real world, Alexandra has not carried these traits over into LAIOS. She's very serious in game, knowing that a wrong move could land her in a coma. She still has moments where she's happy to laugh and joke around, but for the most part she isn't as cheery as she used to be.

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History:
Alexandra played LAIOS as part of the team of developers for the game that acted as Beta players. She wanted to see all the work the group had put into the game culminate into the game itself. Plus, it was her job to make sure the colours and textures with the game were correct and running smoothly. An avid game, she enjoyed playing video games for their stories, characters, and the brilliant worlds that were created. In addition to being a passion, gaming gives her the freedom to be whomever she wants and do whatever she wants without restrictions or major consequences. She happily created her avatar as a human mixed with an arctic fox. Alexandra decided to become a Beast Tamer because she thought it was a promising option. Normally, she would play as an elf or mage type character with ranged attacks as she didn't want to get too close to her enemies. But there's always a time to change things up, so that's what she did. She decided to keep her habit of using stealth though. She was between a few occupations, but eventually chose Chef because she thought it would be fun. Alexandra can't cook to save her life, but her avatar can make a killer meal.

The first time that Seraph locked down LAIOS, she was shocked. She couldn't understand what would posses an AI to do such a thing. He had trapped them there against their will, which angered most of them. Alexandra didn't want to be angry with the AI, but it was hard to when her older coworkers were. She was the youngest one in the group and one of the youngest at Skyline. It was her job to do what others told her to do and so she developed some anger towards Seraph. It wasn't full blown though, until he locked it down the second time. It angered her that he had done it again. He had cut people off from their families and lives.

As one of the Betas still alive after Seraph locked down the game for the first time, she wasn't happy when he did it again. Alexandra, now known as ArcticFire, knew for certain what would happen when a player died. She's tried to warn who she can, hoping to spare them their fate and in turn her own guilt for having helped develop the game. Arctic has also tried to convince PKers and Bounty Hunters to stop killing players. While she is cautious around PKers, she isn't too fearful considering that her level is higher than regular players and she has a pet. Despite her common interactions with others, she is a lone wolf. When not warning players about the danger of dying in game, she can be found roaming towns and fields that are easy for her to handle. If she sees a player in trouble she will go to their aid, but will leave as soon as she is sure they will be ok. She often messages the Knights of Lore to let them know where the wounded player is. She wants to remain anonymous, feeling that other players would try to harm her if they knew she was a Beta player who helped develop the game.

Arctic wants to leave LAIOS. She's been here against her will longer than the regular players. LAIOS was fun. It was a gaming achievement for the developers and her first project at Skyline Gaming. But it wasn't fun anymore when she knew her actual life was hanging in the balance. As much as she loves her avatar, she knows that behind Arctic is Alexandra. Alexandra has a family, a career, and an entire life to look forward to. She doesn't want to live her life in an artificial reality. There's a reason AIs are called AIs-- they're artificial. As much as they may seem real, they aren't and can do terrible things. Furthermore, she wants to leave the game in the hopes that she can contribute something to help those in comas. Knowing she helped to develop the game, she feels guilty about those trapped inside and this in comas. Thus, she roams around trying to ensure that as few players as possible are dying in game.

As far as how to leave the game, she believes attacking the Game Master is a terrible idea. She knows that he's strong and truly a force to reckoned with. She fears that the players who try to kill him will all die and she doesn't want a massacre. Instead, she thinks finding an alternative way out would be better. It could take awhile, but it had to be possible. Even if it took months and months, it seems like the safer route than fighting the Game Master. Sometimes she'll check in with the Knights to see what information they have about in game and out of game happenings.

Arctic hopes to find a dragon egg one day and raise the hatchling. However, she is weary of going hunting for dragon nests just yet. She knows she'll need to go with a party and that it will be a difficult battle. Until then, she is perfectly content with having Kuro. He is still loyal to her, but after a few more deaths he will turn feral and leave her.

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Face Claims:
Kyouko Kirigiri - Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc
Amaterasu (Human Form) - Okami / Various


CS Design:
© By: FaddedFox ©

Played By:
By: SlightlyInsane

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So begins...

ArcticFire'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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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: ArcticFire
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Occupation:
Chef

Guild:
None

Level:
117

Hex Code:
#05B8CC

Location:
Auren ---> Vael




"I hate the desert," ArcticFire mumbled as she walked into Auren. If the tundra had more monsters, she would have gone there to gain experience. But the monsters in the tundra were few and far between. Instead of fighting the monsters in the fields around Vael, she'd decided to go to the desert. It had helped her gain more experience than she could have hoped in Vael due to her level, but she was quite unhappy with the heat. At least the winter season meant temperatures didn't soar above 100, instead settling somewhere between 70 and 80 degrees. Still, she was eager to leave the desert and go to Vael.

Arctic was looking forward to the coming event in the town. She was particularly eager at the prospect of obtaining a dragon egg from the second half of the event. Obtaining a dragon's egg through the standard means was no small task. It was also one that required a party. There was no way that Arctic would be able to defeat a dragon on her own. The young woman looked at her companion. If she did obtain the egg, she would have to let Kuro be free. The idea was a bittersweet one. It was a dream of hers to raise a dragon hatchling in the game. It was part of the reason she chose to be a Beast Tamer. But it would also be a sad moment if she had to relinquish Kuro back into the fields. She was quite fond of him, as they'd been through the entire game together. Of course he had died a few times, but he was still loyal to her. However, Arctic knew that after a few more deaths he would become feral and leave. That idea was also a troubling one.

She stroked Kuro's head as they walked. He purred contently. The two were walking towards the center of town, as ArcticFire was planning on using the Rune to fast travel to Vael. It would be much quicker than riding Kuro. Plus, she didn't want to put him through the pain of carrying her across the desert. She imagined he must be very uncomfortable as it is, due to his thick black fur.

Once they arrived at the Rune, Kuro gave a low growl. For whatever reason, he didn't like when the travelled by using it. "Kuro," Arctic said sternly. "It's either the Rune, or you're carrying me through the desert. Something tells me you don't want to do that." She looked into his large, yellow eyes. He made a noise, which she assumed was a response along the lines of, "Yes, you're right." She smiled and rubbed behind his ear. After doing this, she stepped onto the Rune. It changed from red to orange and a list of places popped up. She selected Vael.

The two were whisked away to their destination, appearing near the Rune within Vael. ArcticFire looked around, surprised at how different the town was. It was now snowing to accompany the fact that Christmas was just around the corner. It was a nice change from the tropical weather if you asked her, but she preferred the tropical climate to the desert one. She knelt down, picking up the cold snow in her gloves. She formed a ball and tossed it in front of her. Kuro chased after it. She chuckled and walked to where he now stood. Looking around, Arctic tried to decide what to do. She could go kill monsters in the field, but she'd been doing that for the past few hours. She could go to the tavern, but she really wasn't in the mood to talk or be in a noisy place with so many players. Perhaps she would pay the Knights of Lore a visit. If she was around, she would occasionally drop by to see if they'd learned anything interesting. Part of this was natural curiosity as to what was happening around the game. Another part was curiosity from a Beta player's standpoint. She wanted to know if there had been anything unusual happening that she should be concerned about. Yet another reason she would inquire about the information was in the hopes of finding an alternative route out of the game.

Her mind wasn't set though and so she continued walking down the street. Wherever her feet took her would be wherever she would go. Arctic considered placing her mask over her face to deter others from speaking to her. She decided against it, figuring if anyone did speak to her it would likely be brief. With Piàn strapped to her back and Kuro by her side, ArcticFire set off into the snowy town of Vael.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: ArcticFire Character Portrait: Seraph Character Portrait: WindsFate
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Occupation:
Tailor

Guild:
None

Level:
200 (appears 80)

Hex Code:
#388E8E

Location:
Vael-->Field around Vael




Christmas was here! This was LAIOS's, and his, first Christmas! He had the programs for all the events but of course he was given some leeway to make decisions on what exactly he wanted to do for the events. He knew about the holiday, the gifts, decorations, and music. He wanted everything to be Christmas themed and for the most part, he thought he did a pretty good job. There was snow and the giant decorated tree, the music, and all the fun of the holidays! As promised, he provided his cherished players with everything they could want this season, even presents! Everyone still in the game had received the candy canes and the potions. He did note that some players were sad or scared, but the majority were enjoying themselves and their smiles... their smiles meant the world to him. He wanted them smiling forever. And there were yet so many players he hadn't met! Maybe he could use this as a chance to make new friends.

But what should he do first? He wanted to visit with his current friends first. He could look everyone up and see where they were but perhaps he would just wander around Vael for a bit. He would have come with Rainne but she had decided to level up in the field far away from Vael. She didn't want any of the betas to see her which was understandable. Seraph didn't really want to see the betas either. Rainne had told him not to come to Vael since the risk was high that he'd get found out or the betas would be there but... but he wanted to interact with everyone. Most of the players would be in Vael! She would probably be angry that he had come here but Seraph would take the risk. It was one of his primary objectives to interact with regular players and an event was the best way to gather data. He could find out what players didn't like so he could improve for the next event. Besides, people were focused on other things right now.

Seraph was beaming as he twirled in the center of town, collecting snow on his person and pulled his floppy red Santa's helper hat down over his ears to keep the chill out. A well thrown snowball stopped him then and he blinked a bit surprised for a moment and looked up to see NPC children laughing as they gathered up snow in their hands. A snowball fight! Seraph quickly knelt down to gather up snow with his gloved hands and commenced with the good snow ball throw down with the children and accidentally got other players involved but most didn't seem to mind. Some even participated in the fight. By the end of it, Seraph had snow in more places than not and some of it had slid down his the inside of his shirt and made him shiver. He laughed in his joy and held his hands up in surrender to stop the engagement sequence before he hurried on his way, hoping not to get side tracked again though it had been fun. Seraph pushed his dark blue hair away from his face and rubbed his hands together as he debated what to do next.

Seraph's eyes scanned over the players and soon stopped in his tracks, his eyes wide. ArcticFox! He hadn't expected to see one of the betas so soon. His heart tugged in he remembered his betrayed trust and the fear and pain she and the others had put him through. He did not want a repeat. Seraph carefully backed away and moved completely around the woman and tried to hide among a group of players as they walked passed. As soon as he was behind her, Seraph rushed away till he felt safe, just outside of the town. Well, it looked like sight seeing had been cut short. Time to find his friends. He had something special for them and the players he knew his friends interacted with regularly.

The AI pulled up his list and scanned the names and locations of the players. Ah, WindsFate was close by. Perhaps he'd visit her first. She was one of his first friends so it only seemed fitting. He followed his internal compass so to speak, until he found the woman sitting down on a little hill. She looked peaceful. He smiled softly as he moved closer and waved his hand at her when she glanced up.

"WindsFate! Merry Christmas!" he called out. "I was hoping I'd find you today. I have a present for you! You can open it today or tomorrow, whenever you want," he said then. He pulled up the gift option in the interaction menu and selected a silver wrapped gift that contained a warm leisurely deep forest green jacket she could wear in towns or when she wanted to be comfortable. It came with pants as well. "I hope you enjoy them. If you don't like it, I can do something else for you. And why are you all by yourself out here? There is so much going on in Vael!" He did always jump topics a bit in his excitement. There were just so many ways their conversation could go! "Are you waiting for someone?"

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: ArcticFire Character Portrait: Granite Character Portrait: Seraph
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Occupation:
Chef

Guild:
None

Level:
117

Hex Code:
#05B8CC

Location:
Vael - Streets ---> Gold Gallion




Arctic continued to walk, feeling the cold snowflakes hitting her ears. Kuro walked beside her dutifully, his large black paws leaving tracks behind them. She was considering going to one of the NPC merchants to sell the loot she had gotten from grinding around Auren. Here it would be worth more since it was of higher rarity. It was never a bad idea to have money on you, nor was it ever a bad idea to carry potions. In fact, Arctic had quite a few even before Seraph added 10 to every account as part of the Christmas event. She now had candy canes as well. She looked forward to snacking on them later, but right now she wasn't hungry or in need of energy.

Kuro growled loudly, catching her off guard. She jumped a little, but composed herself quickly. She glared at her companion as a crowd of players shuffled by. "Kuro," she warned him. Arctic thought that her friend was growling at the sheer number of players milling about the streets. After all, the two were used to having only each other as company. Unbeknownst to her, Kuro had spotted Seraph in the crowd. However, the tiger had no way of verbally communicating this to her. His tail and ears lowered, causing him to look sad. He looked up at his master, big yellow eyes staring into her blue ones. She sighed and pet his head. "I'm sorry, Kuro. You just caught me off guard." The tiger's ears perked back up as he began rubbing up against her. She continued petting him for a few moments before the two continued on.

They reached the center of town in a couple of minutes, where they were greeted with NPCs and players alike. The large Christmas tree stood decorated and perfect (after all it was made by a computer) for the holiday season. Christmas music was playing, filling her ears. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, hoping she wouldn't get a headache from the music. She had no problem with Christmas music, but this music was loud. At least to her it was, due to having two sets of ears.

NPC children approached Kuro with curiosity. He let them pet him before they ran off, distracted by something else. ArcticFire made a gesture for the pair to move on and they did. She glanced around, looking at all the happy players. She didn't understand what could possess them to be so happy. It was Christmas, yes, but they were spending it in a game. They weren't with their families, their friends, or anyone they actually knew. Maybe some people in game knew each other from the outside, but more often than not the friendships formed in game were with people you would never meet in real life for whatever reason. How these players could just forget their lives, their families, and their hopes in dreams baffled her. Sure, life wasn't perfect, but it was real. It was tangible, livable. Real life didn't have health and mana potions. In real life, all these players were human-- nothing more, nothing less. They were all imperfect mortals once, even if they didn't see themselves as being so now.

She sighed, casting her eyes down. Arctic missed her family. She'd been trapped in game longer than these players. She'd seen her coworkers die. She knew without a doubt that the game was causing players to go into comas if they died in game. To know such things was a burden. The fox wished she knew what lie ahead, wished she knew that no one else would die due to the game she helped make. But nothing was certain in life, not even in a "perfect" virtual one.

Her thoughts were now dark and gloomy. She continued to think as she walked in the direction of the Gold Gallion. Beyond it were some merchants that she preferred to sell to. Arctic walked quietly, Kuro by her side. She paid no mind to the passing players and NPCs, to the snow that fell from the artificial sky.

As she walked, she decided to change her eye and marking colours to match the Christmas season. Her eyes still downcast and her markings covered, she knew nobody would see the colour change. She opened the coding for her avatar and edited it so that her eyes were now green and her markings red. Merry Christmas to me, she thought bitterly.

Arctic and Kuro had just reached the Gold Gallion. Figuring that she should get a room while she could, she turned to enter the establishment. However, she misjudged where the door was. This caused her to walk right into another player. Kuro, being more intelligent than his master at this point, had actually looked to see where the door was. He stood a few feet away from his master, as he had not followed Arctic right into Granite.

Startled, Arctic jumped back and took a look at her attacker-- or rather her victim. He was a player about her height, with white hair. He had the telltale horns of the Demon race. His eyes were pale amber int he current lighting, a colour she had not seen before in players. Perhaps she would have to try that colour out for her own eyes. He looked sad to her. She could also sense that something was wrong with him in an emotional sense. Being sensitive to others' emotions came with being of the Beast race. Realizing that she had just been awkwardly looking at him, she apologized for bumping into him. "Sorry," she told the stranger. She opened her mouth to add that she thought the door had been here, but quickly decided against it. It would only make her seem more foolish than she already was. Instead, she decided to see if there was anything she could do to help this sad player. "You don't look very happy," she told him bluntly. Arctic wasn't one to sugarcoat things. "Is there anything I can do to help you feel better?" If there was, she would likely do it to make him happier. It would also work as another apology for running into him.

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: Psychedemo Character Portrait: Cain Character Portrait: Shade_Strider Character Portrait: EclecticPrince Character Portrait: Minuet
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Occupation:
Bard

Guild:
None

Level:
48

Hex Code:
#1DA4E3

Location:
Vael Tavern--Gold Gallion




Prince couldn't help but self satisfied at the smile that blossomed across Shade's face. That was his smile, he'd caused it. His attention was pulled by the Priest, who introduced himself, his mouth moving rapidly, jumping from thought to thought. He ignored the pointed comment about Shade being a PK and shot the white-haired man a smile. "I'm flattered," he said, lifting the hand that wasn't wrapped around Shade to his chest. Then his mouth curled mischievously. "Though, it seems to me you might be a little jealous that no one's raising Cain?" He wrinkled his nose playfully, and turned his attention back to Shade as the demon kissed his cheek and made a not-so-happy comment about their new tablemate. So Psyche knew him too. Psyche, who rather abruptly hopped up from the table for a moment.

Granite picked this moment to get up from the table, and Cain made a comment. Prince was absentmindedly running his fingers along Shade's back, barely able to resist pressing his face against the top of the other's head. Cain's attention popped momentarily back towards him. "Don't mind my brother," he interjected. " he just needs to take a break to step outside and brood every half hour so his face won't get stuck looking too happy." In truth, Granite was probably overwhelmed. He'd seemed rather down recently anyway, Prince was surprised that he'd lasted this long without needing some time to himself. But Granite was a strong guy, he could handle himself. No need to worry about him. And it was better to make light of it, so nobody would get too worried about him and start needling him. He'd never been one to appreciate overly concerned friends hovering over him. Such a silly guy, he was.

When Shade's lips met his throat for a moment, a shiver darted up Prince's spine. He glanced down to meet the other's eyes, and Shade pmed him. His face brightened, and he tilted his head slightly as he responded. "You're the best present I could ever get. Say the word and we'll split." He settled closer to Shade and looked over at the other two members of the table as Shade talked to them. This would work out nicely. He'd been planing to ask if he could spend the night--Granite deserved a bit of alone time anyway, and Prince wasn't sure how much more gloominess he could handle. Plus the thought of spending some time alone with Shade made his heart hum.

Prince didn't have any interest in the event, he didn't care for fighting within the close confines of the city, and both Granite and Shade tended to be over protective since he was a lower level. He thought it was a cute touch though, something nice for the holidays. He hoped everyone would have fun.



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Occupation:
Treasure Hunter
Guild:
None

Level:
54

Hex Code:
#6E6E6E

Location:
Outside Vael tavern-Gold Gallion




Granite stood just outside the door, leaning against the wall. The cool air and the prickle of snowflakes against his skin was refreshing after the human mugginess inside the tavern. He let his breath out slowly, watching the fog swirl away from him. He kept his expression bent in a slight scowl so the NPC kids would know not to throw snowballs at him. It was stupid that he had to do that. This whole thing was stupid, this strange half-life where everything was real, but not quite. This was not the place he was supposed to be. And yet, somehow, he was still here. Mostly for Prince. And mostly because, where else would he go? The risk of dying was too high for him to level grind consistently or effectively, what was the point? Everything felt so useless.

All of a sudden, Granite felt something collide with him. There was only white in his vision for a few seconds, and he was about to snap at whatever kid threw the snowball at him, before he registered that it was another player. A....fox girl. He reached out to grab her in case she was going to continue falling, but she jumped back agilely, turning her large green eyes on him. She stared at him for a second without speaking. He shifted on his feet, unsure what to do. She was rather petite looking, though she was nearly as tall as he was, she was very slim.

She made a apology after a few seconds of silence, and he opened his mouth to tell her that it was no big deal, then she spoke again, and his mouth just hung open. Was there anything she could do to make him feel better? What? Had he really been looking so upset? Mentally cursing himself for letting his emotions play so blatantly on his face, he affixed a faint smile to his face.

"I'm fine, miss, I just have a melancholy looking face." He shrugged in a 'what can you do' type of manner, leaning back against the front of the tavern.

And then he was interrupted again by a small...thing making a rattling sound, hackles raised at a tiger standing next to the tavern's entrance. It screeched, and before he could even move, it darted up his leg then clawed up his back to perch on his shoulder. It hunkered down there, still making a hissing noise. Granite glanced at the fox-girl, lifting an eyebrow in confusion, though he kept the rest of his body perfectly still so he wouldn't disturb the animal on his shoulder. There was no telling what a startled animal would do, even if it was just a string of code shrouded by an avatar.

Another white-haired girl rushed up, this one rather small, but with huge blue eyes that fixed on him almost straight away. Well, on his shoulder first, then on him. She looked even more confused than he felt. She looked slightly nervous too. Was this her pet? He just stared back at her wordlessly. Well, until the animal decided that it was tired of his shoulder and pushed off him to jump to the girl. His body rocked back a bit, pressing against the wall behind him, and his tail arced, trying it little, demony hardest to keep him balanced.

The little creature had settled in the girl's hood, so it must have been hers. She was still staring at him, sheepish, nervous now. May the first annual meeting of the white-haired brigade commence, he thought wryly. He'd barely been outside for five minutes before being accosted by two different girls. He was just too popular for his own good, right? He smiled faintly as she bowed apologetically. "It's fine, don't worry about it," he said, trying to let her know that it really was fine. She seemed so tense. It was kind of sweet, actually, how nervous she was. Then she made a quick getaway, ducking her head. "Happy holidays," He said after her quickly retreating form, before she pushed into the tavern. He made a note to smile at her or wink or something if he saw her again, just so she wouldn't seem so...nervous anymore.

His eyes turned back to the fox. "Well, I don't think that's ever happened to me before." he ran one hand through his hair, sending another glance around. "Maybe I should find another place to stand," he laughed lightly, though it didn't really reach his eyes. "Anyway, name's Granite, sorry for obstructing your path," he said, proffering a hand to shake hers.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: ArcticFire Character Portrait: Minuet Character Portrait: Lucive Character Portrait: Granite Character Portrait: Man-O-War
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Occupation:
Chef

Guild:
None

Level:
117

Hex Code:
#05B8CC

Location:
Vael - Outside the Gold Gallion




Arctic resisted the urge to smile back at the other player as a fake smile fixed itself to his face. Perhaps it would fool others, but not her. Despite being one to avoid people, she knew the look he had on his face. It was the same look she'd seen and practiced in the mirror some days. It was a smile that was meant not only to fool the world, but in some cases the one who wore it. There had been plenty of days where she'd feigned happiness despite feeling like she was losing her sanity. Staring at different shades of colours for hours on end can do that to someone, even if they love what they do.

"I'm fine, miss, I just have a melancholy looking face," he said with a shrug. Arctic was about to respond when she was caught off guard by a rattling noise coming from nearby. She looked near them and quickly saw Luka.

As Luka had approached, Kuro turned to stare down the smaller animal. The tiger didn't know for certain what it was about this little creature, after all he himself was just coding as well, but he didn't like it. He let out a low growl as it approached. In turn, it made a rattling sound back at him as it took a defensive stance. Kuro growled at it again, ready to attack it. He did not like this little animal and was set on killing it, even if that wasn't what his master wanted. It let out a screech before darting towards the player that his master had run into. Kuro paced unsteadily behind Arctic, waiting for Luka to come down off of Granite's shoulder. The instant he did, the black tiger would be ready to devour the little fox like animal.

While this seemed like awhile for Kuro, it was only a few moments for Arctic. Before she realized what was happening, Luka had approached her pet, rattled at it, let out a bark, and then proceeded to climb the player she had just run into. The fox girl examined the creature as it sat, perched on the male's shoulder. It was rather adorable, but she could tell from Kuro's growls and unsteadiness that he didn't like it. As it sat, still in a defensive position, it continued to rattle its quills. Arctic wonder exactly what monster species this was. She knew she had seen a few before, but couldn't identify it by name. Augur would know, but she hadn't seen Augur in over a month. He'd basically dropped off the face of LAIOS-- not that she hadn't done pretty much the same.

The little creature's master approached, swiftly stepping around Arctic in a bid to get to her pet. Kuro let out another growl, agitated that this animal's master had come to its rescue. Knowing that he shouldn't attack a player, he laid down in the snow in defeat. He made it a point to set his gaze towards the opposite side of the street, like a moody child that hadn't gotten the toy they anted for Christmas. The small animal swiftly jumped onto the girl's shoulders. She looked at Arctic and Granite, clearly anxious. She offered an apology and wished them happy holidays before scurrying into the tavern. Granite let her know that she was alright and wished her a happy holidays as well. The fox girl couldn't help but think to herself that this was definitely not a happy holiday. A happy holiday would be sitting at the dinner table with her family.

Arctic looked back at the player she'd been talking to. He seemed to have a knack for attracting girls, though he seemed like he didn't want any attention. He seemed to have similar thoughts on his mind, commenting that something like that has never happened to him before. "Maybe I should find another place to stand," he suggested. ArcticFire couldn't help but smile at this comment. It would seem that standing outside of taverns was dangerous for one's health. "Anyway, name's Granite, sorry for obstructing your path." He offered a hand to her.

She shook his hand, hoping she wasn't squeezing too hard. Sometimes she forgot that she was stronger due to her class. "I'm ArcticFire. Or just Arctic," she told Granite. She looked behind her at Kuro, still laying on the ground in defeat. She gestured to him. "And this is Kuro." She looked back at Granite, again noticing his amber eyes. She smiled kindly at him as she briefly pondered his name. Granite-- like the rock. It was definitely a name she hadn't heard before. "You don't need to apologize, Granite. I should have been looking where I was going." Kuro made a noise that was a mix between a whine and a purr, as if to agree.






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Occupation:
Blacksmith

Guild:
Phoenix Blight

Level:
82

Hex Code:
#5190ED

Location:
Vael - Streets/Market by the Shore




The Mission Impossible theme song was playing in Man-O-War's head as he did a series of elaborate turns and kicks. To anyone who didn't know him, they probably thought he was insane. That wasn't too far from the truth, but there was a method to the madness... Ok, maybe there wasn't right now. War disliked the cold, preferring sunny or even rainy weather. He was someone who needed the outdoor temperature to be between about 50 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit for him to feel comfortable. Being in a town full of snow did not satisfy that requirement. Despite his dislike of snow, he was able to put a positive spin on it by pretending he was a ninja sneaking through the streets. Of course, there really wasn't a way for a man with iridescent hair, a colourful wardrobe, and a bright pink hammer strapped to his back to sneak through a town filled with white snow.

War continued down the street, enjoying the puzzled looks he got from others. It was as if they'd never seen a dwarf modeled after a jellyfish doing fancy spins and kicks down the street and through the snow before. Some people just hadn't lived their life enough he supposed. He briefly wondered what Lucive was doing, but figured his trusted Second in Command was making clothes. Technically, there had been no training scheduled for today due to the holidays. But a number of Phoenix Blight members had requested a training or field grinding session for preparation for the up coming event.

War himself was excited, looking forward to taking out the holiday monsters with his hammer. The second part of the event sounded fun as well, though he was also assuming that the boss wouldn't actually kill anyone. If it did, he would do his best to get other players out of harms way. He planned on participating in both events and was hopeful that he could come out on top. He didn't know what he would do with a dragon egg should he win it, but he could figure that out later. There were Beast Tamers in the guild that might be interested and if not, he could always sell it.

Continuing on his mission of checking in with the guild members in Vael, he approached a younger girl with long, black hair. Dots of white snow dotted her hair and he could tell that she was cold. He stopped showing off his moves and began walking like a regular player. Well this is no fun, he thought to himself as he caught up to the girl. He tapped her on the shoulder before matching his pace to hers. "Hello Anna," he greeted her happily. She was the same height as him, which was rare for most of the people he talked to. He had gotten used to other players towering over him, but he didn't mind it. They might be taller than him, but were they as awesome as him? He certainly doubted it.

"Hello War," she said, a small smile forming on her lips. "Did you need something from me?"

He nodded. "I was wondering if you planned on participating in either of the events coming up. I also wanted to know if you think we should hold a last minute training or field session to prepare." An NPC child threw a snowball at him, prompting him to scowl at the child. He was not in the mood for a snowball fight.

Anna let out a "hmmm" as they continued to walk. After the two had walked for about a minute, she finally responded. "I don't think I'll participate in the event. I don't think I'm high enough level," she told him, referring to the fact that she was level 50. She was fairly new to the guild and thus hadn't leveled as high as some of the longer members. "I think I'll just stay inside and watch from my window. But if others are going to participate, let them know my house is always open. A training session sounds like a good idea though. Of course, my opinion doesn't matter since I won't be doing the event."

She turned to walk away from him, but the dwarf stopped her with a firm grasp on her shoulder. "Hey, don't say that. Your opinion matters. If it didn't matter, then why would I take time out of my day to ask you what you thought?" He smiled at her and removed his hand from her shoulder. "Have a good day, Anna. Be safe." "You too," she said quickly before leaving to talk to a merchant.

Man-O-War looked around, realizing he had ninja kicked and walked his way to the stores by the beach in Vael. He sighed, wishing the town was its sandy, tropical self. He could use a nice relaxing swim. However, he was pretty sure jumping into the ocean right now would not be fun unless someone set him on fire first. And he really didn't want to be set on fire. He looked around at the merchants, thinking if he needed to buy anything. He already had a good amount of potions, a few regular food items, and the candy canes he'd been given by the blasted but very generous Game Master. Curse the Game Master, trying to buy him over with sweets. It would take a lot more than that to win War over! Of course, if the Game Master gave him a bunch of jellyfish to be his minions, he wouldn't mind. He couldn't help but wonder if jellyfish minions actually existed in LAIOS.

Focus! he told himself in his head. The little dwarf made his way over to the side of one of the merchants stalls before opening up the messaging system. He was guessing that Lucive wasn't busy and if he was, oh well. How would you feel about leading a training or field grinding session today? A lot of the members in Vael want to warm up for the events coming up tonight. After sending the message he closed out of the feature and for the hell of it, started ninja kicking and spinning down the street again. There were only a few other members he needed to contact, so he wasn't in too much of a rush.

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: Goliath Character Portrait: Accido Character Portrait: ArcticFire Character Portrait: Psychedemo Character Portrait: Cain Character Portrait: Shade_Strider
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Occupation:
Bard

Guild:
None

Level:
48

Hex Code:
#1DA4E3

Location:
Vael Tavern--Gold Gallion




Prince shifted a bit so his hip would be flush against Shade, a more comfortable position to observe the spirited conversation on all sides. Psyche made a wry pun about Granite that would have left the pale demon rolling his eyes. Prince grinned at her. Then Cain began squirming, snow down his back thanks to a girl with a heart tattoo on her face, but it didn't slow the pace of the conversation. It was growing to an almost bantery feel now, despite the demon's obvious displeasure at Cain's presence, everyone seemed relaxed enough. Shade was talking about how he'd met Cain, and then about the event, so Prince let his eyes wander through the tavern. They settled after a few moments on a pair of gray wolf ears coming in their direction. " Well, if it isn't the best bard twelve ways to Yelta," he smiled brightly, wiggling his fingers at the fellow bard.

At one point, before the lock down, they'd been pretty good pals. Done a bit of work with each other, bards gotta stick together, and all that. Playing music, hanging out, all that fun stuff. It had fallen a bit by the wayside of recent though, probably because he was so busy with the Knights of Lore. It was good to see him around, though. Unsurprisingly, the whole table turned their attention to greeting Goliath. Shade introduced himself, but Goliath's attention seemed to mostly be on the other half of the table. Cain did seem to be an attention sink, so it wasn't particularly surprising.

Shade's fingers tapped his side, and Prince immediately slid off the demon's lap, slinging his lute over his back and grinning as the dark haired male said goodbye to the others. Prince added his own farewells to the mix. "Sorry to run out on you like this, Wolfy, hit me up sometime so we can catch up, yeah?" He smiled at the other bard. Then he turned to Cain, inclining his head a bit and pulling up a lopsided smile. While Shade obviously didn't care for the Priest, he seemed like an interesting character to hang around. " Ciao, Preacher Man, pleasure to meet you! And take care, Psyche. Would you mind telling Granite that we left when he comes back in? Thanks, darling." He blew a kiss at the elf and wiggled his fingers at her.

Then Shade took his hand, kissing it gently. Prince flushed a little bit, grinning all over himself. Shade always knew just what to do. " Sweep me off my feet, my Knight." Prince pulled the closer and kissed him briefly on the mouth. Though he didn't want to pull away, he also didn't want to give the rest of the table a show, so he did so rather reluctantly, settling himself against Shade's side instead, humming softly to himself.




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Occupation:
Treasure Hunter
Guild:
None

Level:
54

Hex Code:
#6E6E6E

Location:
Outside Vael Tavern-Gold Gallion




She took his hand, her grip firm despite how slim her fingers were. ArcticFire. Looks like they had a theme going. White haired ice children. Then she mentioned her tiger. Of course it was her tiger, the large, dark furred creature was her aesthetic complement. Kuro. Black and white. Wasn’t it the same aesthetic he was going for with the darkness of his clothes against too-perfect ivory skin? Though, that was one plus of this godforsaken place. No acne. No vision problems. Everyone looked beautiful all the time. It still creeped him out a bit when he thought too hard about it. What would it be like if they ever reintegrated into the real world? If that was even a possibility? They’d be faced with non-symmetric faces and imperfect complexions.

It was a stupid rabbit trail to let his mind wander down.

Pleasure to meet you, Arctic, Kuro.” He nodded at each in turn as he straightened the collar of his jacket and shifting his wings under his cloak to give them a bit more space to breathe. When the animal jumped off him, it had twisted everything around just a little bit, leaving him less than coolly impeccable. When one had so little control over their appearance, naturally the instinct was to grasp what was left with a choke-hold, right?

The tiger made a chuffing sort of noise, as if he too was part of the conversation. Animals in this place were just weird. Granite didn’t spend much time chatting with them. And the hostile mobs weren’t that much for small talk anyway. More into biting and slashing and those types of things. Naturally.

Granite flicked his eyes back towards Arctic, a wry comment about the tiger’s discourse on his lips, when his gaze centered in on something over the fox-girl’s shoulder. He immediately stiffened, his shoulders lifting a bit and his eyes narrowing. One of those damn AI kids kept glancing in their direction, and now it was kneeling to gather a wad of snow in its bothersome, theoretically incorporeal hands.

Hold still for a moment,” he murmured to Arctic, staring lasers at the kid over her shoulder, leaning forward slightly as the kid wound back his arm and prepared to lob the snowball. He’d already had to deal with enough snowballs from his archer of a sibling, whose speed and accuracy necessitated acute defensive skills.

The stone boy shot out an arm over Arctic’s shoulder, careful not to touch her, his wrist pivoting to stop the snowball aimed at the back of her head. He did not manage to catch it—that truly would have been a feat of skill—but it did burst against his gloved palm and fall to the ground. He withdrew his arm and shook the snowflake dregs from his hand before they had a chance to melt and chill him to the bone.

Granite’s jaw was set tight as he resisted the urge to throw a snowball back at the kid to make him leave. But engaging the stupid AI would only encourage it. As much as he didn’t want to go back inside, his defensive maneuver had caught the attention of more of the stub-legged AIs and he didn’t care to be pelted with snowballs either. Maybe he’d had enough of a chill. Hopefully the group hadn’t multiplied exponentially while he was gone.

I think I’ve angered the beast.” He said, ducking his head a little bit, shifting his stance to lean towards the door to the tavern. “Now might be a good time to seek additional cover.” His face was flusher now, more animated as he glanced between Arctic and the growing rugrat threat. He lifted an arm, this time not to block a snowball but to allow the fox-girl to walk in before him so he could put his back between her and any well place snow-missiles.

Damn holiday,” he muttered under his breath as he crossed the threshold back into the sticky warmth of the tavern.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Goliath Character Portrait: ArcticFire Character Portrait: Psychedemo Character Portrait: Cain Character Portrait: Granite
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Occupation:
Chef

Guild:
None

Level:
117

Hex Code:
#05B8CC

Location:
Vael - Gold Gallion




ArcticFire and Granite's continued their introductions smoothly. For her, it was odd to be actually introducing herself to someone. Her usual conversations were very short or nonexistant when it came to those she interacted with and on very few occasions would she actually introduce herself. She preferred to remain anonymous, lest she be found out as a Beta user or run the risk of becoming attached to someone.

“Hold still for a moment,” Granite instructed her. Arctic resisted the urge to turn and see what had caught his attention. She trusted that he wasn't about to let something bad happen to her. Normally, she'd be weary of another player telling her to stay still as she had her back turned to something or someone else. However, Granite didn't seem like the type of guy who would let someone just attack her. It would also be quite stupid to attack someone in front of the tavern.

The fox girl's ears shifted as she heard the sound of a snowball approaching her head. At the same time, Granite shot his arm over her shoulder to deflect the snowball. Kuro rose then, growling at the NPC child who had thrown it. This did nothing to discourage the child and perhaps even encouraged him to make the poor tiger his next target.

The other player suggested the two retreat into the tavern before there were anymore snowballs thrown. Arctic gave a small nod as Granite extended his arm, gesturing for her to lead the way into the Gold Galleon. She entered the tavern first, holding the door open for him as he and her tiger followed. Kuro was unhappy with the sheer amount of people inside the tavern. They were all very loud. There was also the fact they he could sense that creature from before in the tavern but knew he wasn't allowed by his master to kill it. Oh, what was a tiger to do? He slunk past his master and the other player, seeking out a quiet corner to hide in.

Once they had cleared the doorway, Arctic turned to face Granite. "Thank you for saving me from that snowball." It sounded a bit overdramatic, but she hoped he would get the point. She really did appreciate that he hadn't let an obnoxious NPC hit her in the back of the head. I suppose I have Nightingale to thank for these overzealous, snowball loving annoyances, she mused as she looked around the tavern.

It was quite full today, with players eating drinking, playing games, and in general being happy. It perturbed her. How could these players sit here, chatting and eating as if the others at their table could replace their own friends and family in the real world? To her it was absurd that she should ever forget that there was a world outside of this one, where her loved ones had been waiting for over a month to speak to her.

She continued to scan the room for familiar faces. Arctic spotted a purple haired female, who she was confident was Psychedemo. She sat at a table with some others, including Goliath. Perhaps she could go chat with them after she finished her conversation with Granite. Arctic looked back to Granite. "Do you have someone who's waiting for you?" she inquired, assuming that he'd been with someone else prior to their literal run in with each other. She glanced back at the table where her... associates (she was unsure of what to refer to them as) sat and then noticed someone she hadn't seen in a very long time: Cain. Well, this was an interesting turn of events.

***

Hours later, Arctic was in the room she had rented with Kuro resting on the rug next to the bed. She sat, looking down at the snow white flowers on her red kimono. She wondered how long it had taken Seraph to make this, though she would likely never know the answer. It would be much more reasonable to try living exclusive in Yelta than to try and find or approach Seraph. Nightingale would literally have her head if the fox girl attempted to approach the Game Master. Her mood and thoughts darkened as she thought about the two of them.

After a few more minutes in thought, she rose from the bed nudged Kuro with her foot. She could hear the rate of his breathing increase as he opened his eyes, but he didn't move. "Kuro, it's time to get up." The tiger chuffed at her in response, not wanting to move. "Kuro, come on, get up." She nudged him again. He looked up at her, his large yellow eyes seeming to ask her why he was required to move right now. Couldn't he just sleep a little bit longer? Arctic sighed. "Guess somebody isn't going to get this fish I got for him," she said casually as she moved around him and went to exit the room.

Kuro quickly rose and followed her, happy with the idea of getting food. The two left their room and locked it before departing. Not wanting to have raw fish remains in the town where other players were, the two walked to the edge of town before Kuro was allowed to enjoy his fish. As he ate, Arctic stood watch for any monsters. She knew the event would start soon and she didn't want to be vulnerable to attacks just because she was feeding her companion.

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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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.






Image




















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: ArcticFire Character Portrait: Cain
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Occupation:
Enchanter

Guild:
Knights of Lore

Level:
120

Hex Code:
#5E2612

Location:
Vael Streets





"Considering the rumours of what death in-game means, I figured we should err on the side of safety." A glare sharp as glass locked onto the player killer. "You might not believe it, but what if you're wrong? What will you do then, made into a real killer? My motives aren't as black...or focused on you as you seem to think." the priest's voice lightened towards the ends of his sentences, and brightened considerably by the time he started snickering quietly at Shade's various titles.

"Fiiiine." he drawled the word, looking over at Psyche, making it seem like some great loss on his part had taken place. "And of course I did! You know me so well." he grinned at the girl, before bidding farewell to the bard and demon as they left with a loud "Save it for marriage, you two!". His attention returned to the conversation then, not noticing the beta at the door, instead teasing and joking with his usual I-have-not-a-care-in-the-world attitude.

Some time later, upon hearing the Game Master's announcement of how the monster levels were determined, Cain's left hand twitched, almost imperceptibly in his glove. "On the other hand..." he stated, not caring if he was interrupting any of the ones who were left, "I might not participate in this event after all. I'm heading home, Psyche. Mourn me if I die, alright?" and with that bit of grim humour, he slipped from the tavern, heading for the outskirts of the city as to make a large loop and hopefully avoid anyone who would expect the priest to join their party. His level was a dead giveaway of who he was, and there were players, he knew, that blamed the betas for creating the game, or for not warning the players of the AI's insanity.

I tried, you know, I did. The normally cheerful avatar's face slipped into a grim frown as he failed to avoid a monster in his path and found himself battling a gigantic teddy bear with a santa hat. I tried...And you all laughed and messaged your friends to come check out the funny NPC His staff came down in his automatic attack, stunning the 120 level monster long enough for him to get a decent hit in before dancing back. I wonder if anyone remembered it later he mused, dodging as the bear used the pompom on its hat as a wrecking ball, clipping his leg and sending him down onto a knee as he fumbled for a potion. Thought back and wished they'd believed it like those few that actually did? Right on time he used his movement to roll from deadly range and struggled back upright as the bear advanced. His hand closed around one of the daggers at his waist as he dodged and then threw, repeating the pattern until finally, the mass of stuffing collapsed and the surge of exp flooded him. Forcing a smile, Cain continued on his way, now paying more attention than before to the creatures in the streets so he could avoid more fighting.

Or rather, that was the plan, until his peripheral vision had him freezing to avoid what he thought was a monster, only to see his fellow beta ArcticFire locked in battle, already bearing some signs of damage. Mouth once again sliding into a thin line, Cain set his sights on the monster and rushed forward, feeling himself drawn into battle.

"Hello Arctic!" He called, bracing himself for an mp drain as he set up a healing spell. "Want help? If not, too bad, you've got it!"

And with that said, he cast.

Setting

Characters Present

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

Guild:
None

Level:
117

Hex Code:
#05B8CC

Location:
Vael




Having downed that irksome polar bear monster, Arctic set her sight on one of the toy creatures. It was a rather innocent looking China Doll, smiling down at her. How is this a-- OH MY GOSH, Arctic thought as she observed the door, its face abruptly becoming demonic. Alexandra was a fan of horror movies, but it still didn't make her immune to a jump scare. The doll charged at her, prompting her to toss her sword to the side and take a diving roll towards it as the monster approached. Its attack missed as it slammed a hand down onto the ground where she had been. Grabbing Pian, Arctic rose to her feet and took a slash at the doll.

Meanwhile, Kuro clawed at the back of it. Arctic took another swing before narrowly missing the monster's hand hitting her. The monster decided to turn its attention to Kuro, who was still furiously clawing at its back. It spun around, sending the tiger flying into a pile of snow. The fox girl took another slash at the doll while it still had its back turned.

"Hello Arctic!" an all too familiar voice called. Arctic rolled to the side, dodging another swipe of the doll's hands. "Want help? If not, too bad, you've got it!" With that being said, Cain cast a healing spell on her. She was thankful that he'd decided to help her, not that he could really go along with anyone else, but she couldn't help be feel annoyed that he hadn't showed up while that damn polar bear was attacking her.

"Thanks Cain!" she called to him as she dodged another attack. Arctic continued to alternate between dodging and hitting the monster. Kuro joined back in on the fight, pouncing on the demon doll and clawing at it. It wasn't long before the doll fell, showering Arctic with EXP and coins.

It was far from a time to celebrate, but this little reunion between her and Cain called for at least a brief hug on her part. Before they could encounter any other monsters, the arctic fox ran to the priest and gave him a hug. She pulled away quickly, not wanting to be attacked by any nearby monsters. Joining a battle ready Kuro, Arctic selected their next victim-- a snowman.






Image




















Occupation:
Blacksmith

Guild:
Phoenix Blight

Level:
82

Hex Code:
#5190ED

Location:
Vael - Phoenix Blight Guild Hall




It wasn't long after War had sent the guild his urgent message when he received a reply from Wachter. "Thanks, but I think I'll stay solo for the event. I'm sure you'll understand. Let me know if you run into any trouble though, and keep your guard up." The Jelly King didn't reply, not wanting to distract Wachter if he was already out fighting. He looked at Lucive, sitting calmly but surely ready to go out and fight. No doubt the Jelly Prince would come up with a plan on how to attack the monsters strategically. War was much more of a "let's run in and kill everything" kind of guy, but his time spent in LAIOS was opening him up to less chaotic ways to go about attacking. He knows stealth and strategy was an option, but Nathan had always been more interested in watching things go boom or doing some sort of shenanigan. The whole planning before attack was still a different experience for him.

Lost in his thoughts, War was surprised as a red tail draped itself infant of his face, tickling his nose in the process. Eight other tails soon found a place around his little dwarf body, a telltale sign that Rakugo was present. "Hello to you too," War told the kitsune as he accepted the party invite. Honestly, War had little idea what Rakugo had told him last night, given the information was always delivered in riddles. The fox had spoken of another kitsune, but that was really all War could figure out at the time. He was a little preoccupied with the upcoming event, but nonetheless enjoyed Rakugo's company and eccentricities.

Man-O-War tossed his hammer in the air and then caught it, repeating this a few times as the red fox took an interest in Lucive. They would make a spectacular pairing and War would be happy if they could just flirt with each other instead of him. He didn't swing that way, but it didn't stop either of them from subjecting him to some very awkward moments. "It's just Lucive," War told Rakugo with a grin as he walked over to the guild hall doors. "His effect on you will wear off pretty soon," he commented with a laugh as he opened the door. Had the dwarf been any taller, he would have gotten an arrow in either his head or chest. Fortunately for him, the arrow whizzed over his head before clattering to the floor. Someone needed to learn not to aim at doors.

The jelly stepped out into the monster and player filled chaos of Vael, waiting until his two companions were outside before closing the door. "Let's do this!" he cried, running and attacking the nearest level 0 monster. Its level changed to 84 to match Rakugo's. The monster, a giant toy soldier turned toward him, crossbow in hand instead of a gun. It took aim at him, but the little dwarf dodged by rolling on the ground. As Lucive began attacking the solider as well, it turned its attention to him. This gave the little dwarf enough time to launch himself into the air. With his pink hammer in hand, he gave a powerful swing as he sailed past the monster's face. Of course, he could have done the same thing at its feet, but where was the fun in that?

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Accido Character Portrait: ArcticFire Character Portrait: Psychedemo Character Portrait: Cain Character Portrait: Rakugo Character Portrait: Lilac Sin
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Occupation:
Information Broker

Guild:
Knights of Lore

Level:
84

Hex Code:
#9C6B98

Location:
Town of Vael




Rakugo couldn't help but laugh. Lucive, huh? Well he was a cutie. He didn't have much time to focus on that however. His little dwarf friend was already running gun-ho out the door. Of course, his favorite jelly was always running head long into things. He would really have to watch out for him. He didn't want to turn around and find his friend dying because he couldn't keep up with him. He took most things in this world as fun and games since LAIOS was supposed to be a game, but matters like this were less silly. Stranger or no, Rakugo wanted to ensure that as many people as possible survived to reach the outside world again. The fox put a smile on his face and put the Noh mask back on before he rushed after Man-O-War and brandished his blade. "Don't leave us behind!" he called out. Of course he was the only one lagging. Lucive and Man-O-War were already fighting a Toy Soldier. Rakugo let out a battle cry as he spun, slicing at the giant toy. He was the one doing most of the damage considering his level matched the monster while the others were lower level, but with the three of them, the battle ended quickly.

Rakugo beamed as they got their exp and items. "Good job, boys. We make a good team," he mused. Rakugo took the moment to glance at everyone else in the direct vicinity. Ah, he saw that white fox again. His only clue. He was 90% sure she was a beta and he wanted to approach her and try and glean some information from her, but he could not. Not yet. This event wasn't going to be conducive for that right now. And oooh, who was the priest beside her? He remembered seeing him out and about but he hadn't really investigated him any. If he was partnering with Ms. Foxy, then he needed to be on his list to. He would get to the bottom of this. Though he liked LAIOS and all it offered, it was a game. He couldn't let appearance wipe away the memory that he was really out there, not in here. "I will find you, Game Master," he cooed to himself more than anything.

The fox's ear twitched when he heard a jingle and turned just in time to catch the massive scythe that was coming at him from a deceptively adorable rag doll. "tsk, tsk, darling. Such rude manners." Rakugo was forced on the defensive as he blocked the onslaught of rapidly moving swings. "A little help, guys?" he called to his party. He was relieved when the doll was finally stunned thanks to Man-O-War and Lucive. Rakugo coated his blade in poison then and began a flurry of attacks of his own.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The first part of the event lasted a few hours with the monsters never pausing. They just kept spawning just when you thought the mob was thinning. There was an infinite number and the only way to escape the war zone was to hurry into the tavern or into one of the houses that covered the streets. Players and monsters were vanishing left and right. Rakugo and many of the others that were higher leveled tried to help those weaker but even they had limits. Many players were losing their footing against the mob. Thankfully however, the GM did finally allow a brief reprieve. A message went out to the players signally an hour break so people could go ahead and stock up on potions and the like. The damage had still be done however.

Lilac Sin, Psychedemo, Mononoke, Angus, Accido and Lucive were gone. Yes, even Lucive. And Rakugo blamed himself for his death. Rakugo had gone off to protect a little girl that was running from a monster and when he had turned around, he wasn't able to get to Lucive on time. He had tossed a potion only to have it touch Lucive after his HP hit zero. He was shaken about the death of his party member and could only imagine the guilt and hurt Man-O-War would be feeling right about now. Rakugo put away his sword and tore off his mask as he walked over to his friend and gripped his shoulder. "Man-O-War..." he called softly, "I... I am so sorry for your loss. I should have paid more attention to you and Lucive."

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: ArcticFire Character Portrait: Psychedemo Character Portrait: Cain
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  1. Cain's message to Seraph is also meant to be a bit of a joke about how inaccurate voice-to-speech tends to be :P

    by ianna_334

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Occupation:
Enchanter

Guild:
Knights of Lore

Level:
120

Hex Code:
#5E2612

Location:
Vael Streets





Cain clutched at Arctic tightly, his strong grip saying more than his mouth ever would about his worry for the young woman under his tutelage in the real world. He released her quickly, though, because they had to fight. He stood back as she engaged the snowman, mostly providing vital backup in the form of healing and distractions when she tripped up. Not to say that Arctic misstepped often, but it did happen, and then he’d swoop in, watching the girl from the corner of his eye as he ran in to deliver a blow upon the head and then backed off so she could kill it and earn that much more XP than he would be killing a lower level challenger.

”Good job.” he said shortly, passing her a healing potion, and then using his staff to select their next challenger.

An angel, it stood peacefully with its hands pressed together, head bowed and eyes closed, but the second Cain stepped into range, it took off with frightening speed. The wide-eyed priest fell back, touching his aching cheek in shock. His hand came away red, and he snapped back into it.

”The wings cut you!” he yelled to his companion, while trying to keep the white monster at a distance. As his partner entered the fray, he retreated to middle-ground.

The window flashing up stunned him and he was nearly hit again, causing him to growl as he stepped back after yelling a warning to Arctic that he was lying low for a bit.

House Notification!
Number of Registered Residents: 0
Resident Removed: Psychedemo


It told him, and Cain blinked. Had the girl finally gotten fed up enough to buy her own place and get a bit away from him? It was somewhat likely, but a cold dread swirled in his gut and checking on ArcticFox – who was doing just fine, for now – he opened up the small list that was one of his special GM abilities. The Death List, and there were so many more names that it made him ill and there, flashing to the top before vanishing – Psychedemo. She’d fallen in battle…

May her soul be at peace… she’d been such a strained girl, smiling through everything though he could sense there was more to it. He’d been helping her, he liked to think but now she was gone, and the Priest scowled as he scrolled up to capture the name before screenshotting that image.

”Share. With SERAPH” he said curtly, then shot a healing spell to Arctic again before charging into the fray himself as he fought more viciously than before, leaving one of the wings hanging raggedly and thankfully, reducing the thing’s speed by half. As he fought, he spoke into the small floating microphone icon by his mouth, the words quiet, but the anger in them clear. And finally, as the angel fell from the sky and shattered, he looked at his message.

Seraph, young man, you listen to me now! If you're going to insist on keeping us here, at least for Turner damn ability to resurrect in game! You're going to be left in the world of 0 people at this rate, and I'll be boring, not to mention so much easier for Las Vegas to hunt you down! Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but your friends are dying just like everyone else, so what are you going to do about it?!


It stated, which was close enough, especially as Alexandra had already been re-engaged.

“Send.” he ordered, hearing the ping that said it was done, and then ran after the blasted woman. His face was once again calm as he entered that battlefield, watched the monster fall, and found a break announced before the big boss showed up.

“Sooooo,” he drawled conversationally, uncorking a healing potion for himself. “Can you believe we can create an AI sentient enough to get lonely, but we still can’t create a voice-to-text processor that works correctly?”