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Cain

"I'm but a bird trapped in a gilded cage of my own making"

0 · 911 views · located in LAIOS

a character in “Welcome to LAIOS Part II”, as played by ianna_334

Description

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Real Age:
44
Occupation:
Skyline Employee
Gender:
Male
Orientation:
Asexual
Appearance:
Brown haired and brown eyed, Christian’s age is starting to show in the greying of his hair and the laugh lines starting to crease his skin. He is a tall, solid man, with the remnants of impressive musculature in his arms, although the definition has faded since after he gave up maintaining it about ten years back. He tends to dress in collared shirts, as formally as any of the other employees. He isn't very expressive, and quirks his eyebrow whenever he is pondering or judging another. Christian enjoys being outdoors and has a light tan. His most distinctive feature is his right leg, which appears oddly misshapen under his clothes. Damaged beyond repair, Christian has to use a simple wooden cane to support himself when he gets around.
Reason for playing LAIOS:
Well, it was his job to test out the game when asked, not that he minded particularly. The one thing Christian looked forward to in LAIOS was the fact that he’d be able to move freely and quickly again, with both legs working as they used to in his youth. Though he avoided a full midlife crisis, part of Christian is pleased to be able to regain a more youthful appearance. He was sent into the game to test several mechanics, most notably player-killing, which inspired his username. Loving a challenge, he chose the priest class, a traditionally non-offensive role, and still tested everything to his employer’s satisfaction.
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Avatar Sex:
Male
Level at Start of Roleplay:
120
Race:
Human
Element:
N/A
Class:
Priest
Role:
Beta
Occupation:
۞
Guild:
The Knights of Lore
Hex code: #5E2612

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In Game Appearance
Cain gave nods to both future and past with his design, with a youthful body and smooth face, but with the snow white hair Christian expects he will have in a few years’ time. The hair is straight and falls in front of his eyes, but is much finer than in real life, so it doesn't obscure his vision. Soft violet is the colour chosen for his eyes, but even the gentler shades can’t detract from his cutting gaze. He has kept his height, but gave himself a slighter frame to go with the image he was trying to project. He is clean shaven in the game, and his in game face is much more angular.
Cain’s appearance has changed very little since he entered LAIOS, as the human race doesn’t have visible indicators of levelling like many others. He changes his clothing only when it serves an advantage such as some sort of stat buff. Currently he wears a long flowing white robe covered by a heavy light brown cape with a hood, though he only wears the hood when he believes he may be close to Seraph. It isn't fully intentional, but Cain does look very much like a monk in his garb. Cain’s favoured armour is a polished silver, though it isn’t visible beneath the robe and cape. His gloves are elbow length, soft tan in colour, and are fingerless to aid with his healing ability. Tall pointed boots complete the outfit, and are a plain black. His staff is as tall as he is, with an extra 6 inches on top. Eight spirals create a cocoon within which floats a translucent white crystal.
The Cain within game is much more prone to gesturing when he speaks, often leading to near misses with his healing staff. He has two brown pouches at his hips, but his largest carrying bag is a brown rucksack on his back, beneath the cape - making him appear to be hunchbacked when seen from a distance in profile. His sword-and-shield tattoo is on his neck, usually below his collar. Strangely, Christian has given his avatar unusually long eyelashes. The rucksack is rigged so that he can slip his staff into a holder to free up his hands but keep his only weapon in easy reach. However, the avatar also carries four daggers, mostly for aesthetic...though he can usually get in a lucky strike is he absolutely must. Cain also has another outfit that he hasn't donned in a while. This outfit, looking like ordinary civilian clothes but unnaturally soft to the touch, help him sneak about and blend in, back when he still killed players. His high level means a lot of his body is covered by markings that appear to be like stylized pine needles. They are violet in colour and appeared from the feet up, so his face and neck are not yet affected, and you can only notice his dyed fingers if you stare exceptionally closely at his hands.



Skills:
Combat Skill - Sacrifice - Allows the user to half their own hp in exchange for mp points. Reserved for mages and priests.

Combat Skill - Phoenix - Allows the individual to revive a party member if used within the first 10 seconds of player death. Only for priests. LOCKED


Combat Skill - Panic Attack - Ability that allows the player to automatically hit the head of an attacker entering their personal space within reach of the weapon in their hands. This attack stuns the enemy for a small burst of time. Especially useful for low defense classes like priests and mages

Occupation Skill -Enchanter - Ability to enhance armor and accessories with upgrades. Cain has leveled up the enchanter ability to 92 and can create powerful enhancements and moderately higher combination skills.

Occupation Skill - Herbologist - Ability to find more herbs for healing and poisons. Cain's herbology skill is 84 and allows him to locate and harvest more herbs, including many rare herbs.

Skill - Premonition - Ability to sense a vague time and place for the appearance of the final dungeon within the game. Effective for a guesstimate with 3 hours accuracy and a location attached to a cardinal direction. An effect of him being a beta with programming know-how


Skill - Death List - Very morbid ability to see the names of those who have died in-game and what killed them. Result of being a beta with programming know-how


Enhancements:
Gloves: MP recharge time reduced by 50%.
Body armor: Physical damage reduced by 43%, Regenerates 14 points of health every 10 seconds.
Leg Armor: Any physical damage below 30% has no effect, registering as Cain taking 0 damage.
Staff: MP size increased by 72 points.
Boots: Stamina speed increased to 44% base rate.


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Likes:
Being able to move freely
Confusing the hell out of others
Knowing what others don’t



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Dislikes:
Being trapped in LAIOS
Making mistakes
Being injured both in the real world and in LAIOS



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Strengths:
Healing and self healing
Has highly levelled enhancements on everything he owns
Able to keep his cool in high stress situation whether it be racing against a deadline or trying not to die in a video game.
Extremely perceptive



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Weakness:
Low defense and attack
Occasionally gets really annoying and acts dismissive about pain and death...which does not endear him to others
The knowledge of all those who have died from this game weighs on him, especially as the numbers rise
Bad at keeping his beta status a secret



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Fears:
Dying in LAIOS
Being permanently crippled
Cars



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Personality:
Observant ღ Calm ღ Blunt ღ Droll

Outside of the game, Christian is an intelligent and calm man who loves a good joke. He is very competent programmer with a strict attention to detail and a perfectionistic tendency to get things right on the first try. Nothing frustrates him more than making little mistakes, because at least big ones can be attributed to a lack of knowledge. He is very caring, especially towards his family, and has many friends because of how easily he gives. He’s not very demanding and so doesn't take much, just expecting loyalty and companionship from others. He does have a slight tendency towards envy, though, and snaps very easily when people aren't considerate of his leg.
Inside the game, Cain is content with himself. He doesn't want what others have, he feels he’s done very well within LAIOS. However, he is also less caring, as he doesn’t consider the avatars in LAIOS to be fully real people, because it’s so easy to lie. He still loves a good joke, but he also takes a malicious pleasure from confusing others and has no idea where this surfaced from. Still helpful, Cain tries to keep his compassion tamped down, because in a game like LAIOS with death as an option, he doesn't want to send himself back to the dark place he was in after being discharged. He has kept his attention to detail, but in the game he is much less shy about using it on people to point out truths they may not want to face. Cain thinks there are enough others coddling and softening things in the world, so being one of those people that tells the truth as it is is okay.
Cain can be a bit of a nuisance, often following around players he finds interesting and keeping up a running commentary on their day. He does care, however, as shown by his class and the ability it gives him to heal. In a way, he’s just being helpful...even if the person doesn't necessarily want help. Cain loves a good challenge, as shown by his unlikely combination of race, class, and occupation. Taking into account his old hobby, this becomes even stranger. He loves to mess with people to see reactions, though extremely negative reaction make him feel horrendously guilty as that wasn't his intent.

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History:
Growing up in a very religious family, Christian had originally intended to become a priest. How he ended up in the military was anyone’s guess, but he served honourably for 2 terms before an explosion flipped his vehicle and badly damaged his leg. After this he could no longer serve, and combined with the deaths of his close friends in that explosion, he began to fall into a depression of sorts. Fortunately, his family was there for him, and between his brother’s priestly council and a therapist's advice, he got better. To occupy his time, Christian went back to school, deciding on programming because it required very little physical movement. Finishing his degree, Christian began to search for work and ended up with a position in Skyline Gaming Corporation. He was let in on the biggest and most ambitious project - the Learning Advanced Intelligence Operating System - and once it was complete, he was asked to be a beta tester. Christian accepted eagerly, and created his avatar Cain, heading into the game for its trial run. In those days, he was a PKer as part of the tests for that mechanic.
When Seraph locked down the game, Cain was furious, but didn’t approve of the plan to kill the AI, thinking it could be reasoned with. However, he reluctantly trailed after the attacking party, helping keep them alive. Even though he didn't agree with what they had tried to do, he still mourned their deaths. When new users started flooding in he tried to warn them...but many thought he was a funny NPC. He took a few distancing exercises from his therapist to the extreme, and when the lockdown started, he tried not to care.
However, he couldn't just stop, and eventually, he joined the Knights of Lore after stalking Psychedemo for an entire day and deciding she seemed like a good person. He is known for cryptic public posts that state a time and a location, and nothing else...

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Face Claims:
Varied
Zero Kiryu - Vampire Knight

CS Design:
© By: FaddedFox ©
Played By:
By: ianna_334

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So begins...

Cain's Story

Setting

Characters Present

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

Guild: Knights of Lore

Level: 76

Hex Code: #aaaaaa

Location: Vael-Golden Galleon


As he stood around the rather crowded table in the rather crowded tavern the others each began to greet him in their own friendly way. First it was Cain the odd but lovable healer and one of his valued Knights, to which Goliath greeted in kind. Even Shade spoke to him in a pleasant enough tone, even wishing Goliath a merry Christmas and commenting on his reputation. Something which caused the large Beast to raise an eyebrow in surprise. Goliath had never actually spoken to the man though he had plenty of information gathered on the demon assassin. To say he was expecting a friendly affable man would be a lie. "Well thanks! Always good to know that word gets around. Even towards Shade he spoke in his normal pleasant tone. Honestly he couldn't help it. Being recognized on sight was still a new experience for him and one he couldn't get enough of. And I of course have heard about you too PKer. I make it a point to learn about all threats to the people of Laios. This time he spoke in a slightly annoyed tone, trying not to make too big a deal of the killers presence while also making it known that he had no love for the man. There was no point in hiding exactly what he thought of Shade’s profession. Goliath’s dislike of Shade’s ilk was well known enough after all. Friendly or not a killer was a killer. Though it was Christmas and in the spirit of the holidays Goliath elected not to make too big a deal of it,
He gave a far more cheerful greeting to Eletricprince, his friend, fellow bard, and unfortunately lover of Shade. ” Aw you’re too kind Prince really. You’re much better, your music is almost electrifying.” He chuckled slightly at the pun. It was good to see his fellow bard again, they haven’t talked much since the lockdown. Though Goliath knew that he was mostly to blame for that. His guild it seems has taken over much of his time and that precious free time he did have he elected to spend on other endeavors. Best to avoid Shade and all, though Goliath did find it regrettable. Perhaps he would try to catch up with Prince later provided he had the time.
He turned his attention and his brightest smile on his Second in Command. Psychedemo an essential part of his guild, and as far as he was concerned a dear friend. ”Cards huh? Sounds fun enough I suppose bet you ended up with the victory huh!” He opened his mouth to speak more to the group when Prince, and Shade announced their leave. He gave a friendly wave to Prince as he walked out, not paying much attention to the bard’s paramour. Once they had left Goliath went to conversing with his friends and other residents of the tavern, intent to kill time until the beginning the event.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Goliath Character Portrait: Accido Character Portrait: ArcticFire Character Portrait: Psychedemo Character Portrait: Cain Character Portrait: Rakugo
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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.






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Occupation:
Blacksmith

Guild:
Phoenix Blight

Level:
82

Hex Code:
#5190ED

Location:
Vael - Phoenix Blight Guild Hall




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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: ArcticFire Character Portrait: Cain Character Portrait: Character Portrait: Character Portrait: Character Portrait:
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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.






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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 Character Portrait: Character Portrait: Character Portrait:
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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?”