[CLOSED] Vexxing Exploration

[Isley]

"Just finding poetry in the fallen snow…" ☒ @open ✐ 000 ✉ Wandering Samurai! Isley Lv1 Availability: Open (2 slots)...If there are no takers I will reply to myself every 24 hours but will leave the thread open until those slots are filled. Location: Outside of Horunka, Late Afternoon/Early Evening. Weather is dry and arid, ground cracking from recent dry spell. Notes: Isley has come upon the quiet town of Horunka while exploring, he had heard rumors of a quest in the area from informational NPC's in Tolbana and has come to investigate/explore. Any other PC's could be chasing after the same quest or simply come into town looking for a break from grinding. Isley scratched his chin as he approached the village of Horunka…It all seemed confusing that a village in a game, known for its realism (especially given the much more real circumstances) be so exposed. The Swede’s eyes narrowed a moment in his vexation, finally shaking his head to clear the thoughts of doubt from his mind. He walked forward, hoping to at least get in touch with a few NPCS hopefully to find at least a place to rest a while, perhaps even the area quest to break the monotony of slaying boar after boar…Exploring always kept his mind at ease, letting him put his thoughts elsewhere for moments at a time, away from both his real-world and in-game concerns, and this seemed to be the perfect diversion for the time being. The first few days of the game were starting to wear on him, perhaps more than he wanted to admit and it was now beginning to become a ceaseless grind. The sun was starting to dip near the hills in the distance signaling late afternoon, however ultimately it didn’t matter for the time being, as the hours of the killing wore on…blending the hours together without end. The swordsman’s hand rested on the pommel of his blade as he walked, a soft sigh escaping him as the first house came into view, his light grey eyes searching for any NPC or player that could give him information that only until now was just a rumor. The informational NPC in  Tolbana was vague, only hinting at the town's location and that they had not been heard from for some time and no matter the social checks that followed he was only left with rumor and speculation...at least his curious nature was peaked...

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[Isley]

"Just finding poetry in the fallen snow…" ☒ @open ✐ 000 ✉ To Battle!!! ^_^ Isley Lv1 Second open post. Same rules: If no other person replies in 24 hours I will reply to myself. For planning purposes I will post the quest start and acceptance when having Old man Rob explain the situation at the square. End game plan is to have the town harassed by Kobold patrols seeking tribute from the town, the group or lsley alone will look to eliminate this threat and hopefully gain the villagers thanks. Isley ran his fingertips along the side of the wood as he passed the first cabin. I was small, much like the other sparse huts that made up the town, a thatched roof made of the innumerable grasses of the plains floor held together with clay mortar no-doubt taken from a pit nearby. The wood was solid at least, resembling the rough dark wood that was often found in his home in the real world, albeit without the care and attention that sanding and oiling would do it. He moved slowly, soft grey eyes taking up his surrounding as Isley adjusted to the rapidly decreasing light, his steps scraping on the rough ground, dried from the rains that rarely came, the occasional stone brushing up against his boot. The Swede blinked, almost relishing from the solitude of the town, taking his time in the moment for one of the first times since the death game had begun…enjoying the quiet that Isley much needed to collect his thoughts. The town seemed deserted, a lack of activity that brought a furrow to his porcelain brow, torches on the porches of houses remaining unlit for the most part signaling a lack of their owners. The small town square was visible in the distance from his position, a ring of larger houses marking its location to the side, forcing him to quicken his step. He felt eyes on him, a sinking feeling that his relishing solitude was to be disturbed, only to find himself part of someone’s entertainment for the beautiful plains afternoon. Isley turned his head as he rounded a corner in the direction of the square, his hand shooting reflexive to his weapon…only to be met with a quick gasp of air and the wide brown eyes of a surprised young child meeting him. “I don’t mean any trouble mister! Just was looking you over, not many visitors around here!” The youthful boy spoke rapidly, waving his hands quickly with each word for emphasis, his voice stuttering slightly from his nervousness…whether this was from his over-all situation or the surprise discovery remained to be seen. Isley lifted a brow at the boy before offering a soft smile, “I don’t mean any harm kid…Just trying to find where everyone has ran off to…” The swordsman responded, taking his hand off of his weapon and lifting his palms to the kid in a show of innocence. His voice was gruff from the first stages of exhaustion, a result of his prior days grinding with little rest, a soft tinge of his Swedish accent flavoring his words. “Not many left besides my mum and a few other families that stuck around…Old man Rob is in the square but he doesn’t get much business these days…not since THEY came…” The boy rattled off, seeming to calm himself slightly as Isley relaxed his stance, his voice still firing sentences out on all cylinders as if his mother just got done stuffing him full of sugar… Isley tilted his head slightly at the last phrase that the child managed to get out, offering a quick blink of his grey eyes. “Who came?” The swordsman questioned, reaching up to scratch his chin before thoughtfully running his thumb and forefinger through a few stands of long brown hair that had escaped the linen bow on the back of his head. The boy stumbled over his words, a moment before answering, the child’s energy forcing him to direct his eyes to the ground and kick at a few stray stones at his feet. “Creatures with sticks…They want to take everything from us…” His answer was quieter, stammered softly as if filled with regret at his own helplessness. Isley could not help but feel pity for the kid, NPC or not, almost amazing him on an unconscious level that mere digital realities could inspire such feelings in him. He grinned at the child a moment, before turning to mess the boy’s hair a moment playfully, his usual cold demeanor melting for a singular moment…at least no one was around to see it this time… After bidding his new found acquaintance goodbye, Isley's steps moved quicker, in the direction of the square and what he hoped would be the quest starting point that awaited him.

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[Quantum]

"Your weakness shall be revealed as if I was watching through a magnifying glass." ? @tagged ? 000 ? notes Quantum Lv1

Quantum stayed on the edge of the village, hands held up to his eyes as he looked around for any signs of life. For a community to have nobody outdoors, no light shinning as a beacon of life in the outer homes, it gave the warrior a sense of dread. Slowly he took step after step into Horunka, his guard raised in case there was an ambush wating for the unwary players. As quick as he could get his slow character to move, Quantum made for the corners of each building he passed, peering around each corner slowly with his arm stretching over his back to touch the pommel of his blade. He made his way slowly through the town in this manner. Each couple yards a new suspense. Until he saw another person off a little bit away. As he began to feel relieved, the physicist began moving like a normal person again in his appraoch. "Hey is there anyone else around!" Quantum called out to the stranger, his hands shoved into his pockets so as to keep them from nearing his blade. He wanted to try and appear friendly at all times if he could, and though he had not met any of the pk'ers before, wanted to give everyone at least the benifit of the doubt. The physicist drew closer, now seeing the hovering name above the other player. "Sorry, thought you were an npc there. Have you seen anyone about yet?" He asked quickly, reaching up to move his white hair away from his eyes.

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[Isley]

"Just finding poetry in the fallen snow…" ☒ @quantum ✐ 000 ✉ Yay! Company!!! Isley Lv1 Isley rolled his eyes despairingly as soon as he heard the voice of another player speaking up, his solitude spoiled for the time being. He enjoyed the quiet that these exploration interludes provided, a coping mechanism that let him be alone with his thoughts...hopefully allowing him to come to terms with the new reality that he found himself in. The Swede rested his wrist on the pommel of his scimitar, pushing it down slightly causing it to tilt, as he appeared non-chalant and relaxed regarding the encounter thus far. The child disappeared several moments before, passing on the information then disappearing into wherever NPC’s wander off in the internals of the system’s operating code. The swordsman offered a quick nod in greeting, his eyes shooting reflexively in the direction where the boy had sprinted off to, the light from the few torches that were left becoming much more needed as the sun finally retreated behind a nearby hill. Isley studied him for a moment in the dim light, silently thankful that the other PC was older like he was…the swordsman silently gracious that at least he wouldn’t be dealing with another youth for the time being. He pulled his free hand from the pocket of his leather starting trousers, finally gesturing in a quick two-fingered wave before taking several steps in Quantum’s direction. “Everyone’s cleared out or in hiding” Isley answered, somewhat hesitantly, now unsure if he should refer to these independent programs as people or NPC’s…silently pondering how strange that the perception of reality begins to shift based on perspective…”Managed to find a kid a bit ago…He said the merchant in the square would be able to give us more info…Probably has the start trigger too…” He added, the soft tint of his Swedish accent appearing. Isley’s expression seemed unchanged through the explanation, his body language seeming relaxed for the time being as he took a step toward the small village square in the distance, “If you want to come along I wouldn’t mind the help…it sounds pretty tough…” He said as he turned his head to start to his goal, set on starting the village’s quest weather he had company or not, his features remaining calm enough to not betray his aversion to groups…Well, unless circumstances called for it…and this most definitely would qualify…

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[Quantum]

"Your weakness shall be revealed as if I was watching through a magnifying glass." ? @tagged ? 000 ? notes Quantum Lv1 [http://i68.servimg.com/u/f68/17/89/29/86/hp10010.png" alt=" "]

With a sharp intake of breath, Quantum nodded as he understood. The world was a mixture of game and reality, and he always seemed to blur the two. Of course if the village was mostly empty then there would have to be a quest associated with it, he personally just hoped that it would not be as hard as the other person suggested. As a physicist, he knew scientific facts and theories that could confuse almost everyone here, but that knowledge was useless when compared to experience in combat or with other kinds of mmo's. He had never really been a game player before, and though he learned quickly, there were plenty of things that still would pass his eyes that a video game savant would easily notice. "So has anyone else completed this quest before?" Quantum asked of Isely. "Hopefully it was not too difficult that everyone abandoned it." He tried laughing away, but it ended with a few forced chuckles as he began to feel nervous. Should he risk his life dealing with this quest or go back to farming like most of the other beginners. No, his knowledge so far told him that if he did not move further within the game at a rate that was above the mass of other players then his chances on the front line were to grow slim. A couple slightly quicker paces brought him to the side of the slightly taller man as they headed for the center.

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[Janeiro]

Janeiro took a deep breath. It's alright. You are alive. No sign of dehydration, her head felt normal and her mind was sharp as ever. After putting on the NerveGear alone in her room she had panicked, thinking even if she was successful in the game her real body could die neglected like that. For days she had hidden herself from the other players, not wanting to form any new bonds and then be another face for them that faded away, another reason to go crazy or give up entirely. But somebody must have found and saved her, bringing her to a hospital hopefully. The days were spent in this quiet town that nobody ever visited which she found after marching straight for several hours right after that announcement, but there were the same boars around for the grind. There was a quest available, but...

Surprised to hear voices, she turned her head around. A pair of adult men was on the road, Janeiro close her inventory after selling her loot to the merchant. She looked at their hands, their gait, eyes. Didn't seem like people who wanted trouble. Focusing so much on the approaching two players, she had not noticed that her body had tensed up and her hand had laid itself around her sword's hilt. Janeiro relaxed and stood up straight. Those guys were really old. But maybe that increased their chances of survival, it could be wiser to join up with them than with some flippant teenagers.

"Hello, I am Janeiro. It is a pleasure to meet you." She greeted them, but there was more politeness than warmth in her words.

[Isley]

"Just finding poetry in the fallen snow…" ☒ @tagged ✐ 000 ✉ Slots filled! Locked! Isley Lv1 The night was clear now at least, a soft cool breeze countering with the heat of that day, the ground still radiating with the parched earth with a soft dry crack appearing every so often in the packed earth of the road…a subtle hint of rains long past. The town was worse for wear in appearance, the child was not kidding, and the cabins were hardy and solid but overall lacking in decoration or any sign of prosperity, their age and lack of care giving them a worn appearance. It was clear that whoever was holding the town hostage had done so for some time and the game cardinal system wanted to appear clearly to reflect that to the players, with the only sign of life offered being the rare dim torch that allowed them to see each other and the eventual goal of the square. Isley stepped off, the heel of his boot grinding slightly into the dirt as he took his hand from his weapon to rest both comfortably in his pockets. The Swede nodded at Quantum as he stepped in beside him, “No, I doubt it anyone has completed it from the looks of the village…” He answered, his eyes wandering to the shabby constructs that surrounded them, “The system tends to illustrate when area quests are completed, especially when they are completed the first time.” The man’s point was proven just be the sheer solitude that the place afforded, while normally one would assume that several dozen families would be able to call the village home at any time, from what at least he could see, the place was more or less deserted at this point. He couldn’t deny that he shared in Quantum’s apprehensiveness, the butterflies in his stomach beginning to flutter from the feeling of putting his life on the line to aid digital constructs. For some reason the reward seemed to appeal to him less than the altruism, or at least the simulated altruism, that the quest provided, stirring some feeling within him that he couldn’t describe. Isley shook his head to muffle the uneasy feeling growing in him, his eyes narrowing as his driven nature once more appeared to settle in place. They were upon the square quickly, the change in location cutting their conversation short, the area lit up a bit more brightly than the main street that the pair had traversed, allowing them both to get a clear look at each other for whatever that was worth, both characters lacking overall uniqueness in their present newbie-configurations. Isley turned to look out over the gathered buildings, the same style and condition as the others, but obviously having a larger and more purposeful existence. An elder looking NPC loading several sacks of unknown goods in the back of a horse-drawn wagon nearby, a golden symbol above his head indicating him as the quest-trigger and it was safe to assume that this was the “Old-man Rob” that the child pointed out. The horse seemed nervous, kicking softly at the hardened ground of the dirt covered square, its black and grey markings showing up well in the dim torch light. The older man strained a bit as he moved the engorged sacks from a dwindling pile on the ground to the back of the cart, the contents shifting as he picked them up in his arms. One could only guess that it was wheat or some type of grain from the sound and how it shifted, however ultimately one could only speculate where it was headed… Isley reached out to get the man’s attention, only to stop short as he heard a third voice…forcing him to turn his head in Janeiro’s direction. He lifted an eyebrow a moment, feminine features tensing with the realization that their small quest party was growing larger by the minute, regardless of the safety that it may provide. The Swede studied the girl a minute, finally relaxing, her politeness, regardless of the undertone, was doing much to put him at ease for the time being. He offered a soft smile to the girl, not so much as a greeting, but silently knowing that he was going to the drop group immediately after completion and take some much needed alone time to make up for the present endeavor…that is, if they survived the ordeal. “Isley…” The swordsman said, his Swedish accent growing thicker as he introduced himself, giving his name to Janeiro and finally to Quantum, prompted by her immediate introduction, offering Quantum a nod as well. He turned back to her, shrugging softly, “We were about to start the area quest…” He added flicking his head in the direction of the NPC nearby, offering Quantum a quick glance before he continued…“You want in?”

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[Quantum]

"Your weakness shall be revealed as if I was watching through a magnifying glass." ? @tagged ? 000 ? notes Quantum Lv1

Quantum's eyes narrowed as the light of day faded to naught and it soon became much harder to see. Luckily there was enough moonlight to view their surroundings by, but he hoped that they would not be going into the forest tonight. Each of the simple houses he passed were dead, and though he did know that the place was mostly abandoned, Quantum could not imagine that it had ever once been occupied. As the pair entered the town center, the teacher saw the same quest npc that Isley did. But rather than sit and watch, Quantum walked immediately towards him with a friendly smile. "Here let me help with that." He told the elder npc. Even if it was just a digital construct, they had emotions and lived he had witnessed. Almost to an unnerving point, he could feel pity for the villagers. He accepted a simple thanks to turn, one that he could tell was solemn, and turned to see that there was another player joining them. "Are we doing introductions now? I'm Quantum." He said all friendly like. Another younger player, this was getting to be the normal he noticed.

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[Janeiro]

In Janeiro's opinion, Quantum's friendliness with the NPC felt almost misplaced here, where gloom and silence were noticable with every breath one took. She glanced at both of them and guessed that their alliance wasn't very old either. The pragmatism was pleasant though. She also noticed that both were pretty tall, mostly because she had almost no contact with foreigners in real life. The height difference made her feel smaller than she was, but it was silly to focus on that for now.
Janeiro nodded and was happy that they accepted her in their party. "I have tried the quest before, but alone it seems impossible." Her glance flickered to the side. "Well... at least for me it was. The kobolds are nastier than I thought. And unlike the simple beasts they actually try to circle you so watch out. And you" She glared at Quantum who was helping Rob with his heavy sacks of grain and the gap between her eyebrows narrowed angrily. "Don't get exhausted before you even start fighting, okay?" Janeiro paused for a second. "That is, if we are going right now. Or did you want to wait for dawn?" Now she felt rude.

[Isley]

"Just finding poetry in the fallen snow…" ☒ @quantum and Janeiro ✐ 000 ✉ Party Request and Quest Acceptance Isley Lv1 Isley watched curiously as Quantum loaded the last grain laden sack, the cart settling into place as the wooden braces underneath bounced to absorb the shock of the weight difference. He lifted and eyebrow a moment, showing off his pale grey eyes before offering the fellow player a soft nod of approval. Quantum’s altruism proved that Isley wasn’t the only one dealing with the altered reality that was now their home, the Swede had enough of a hard time coming to terms with how to handle these programs…and ultimately it would only serve to reinforce that the quest was not just a quest, but that he truly felt like he was doing some sort of good…even if it was only simulated. Isley blinked at Janeiro, lifting his lower lip slightly in consideration before gesturing at her to relax a bit with his hand, “His choices are his own…I’d say let him do what he has to do..” The swordsman said looking on coldly, shaking his head at her reaction to Quantum’s act of kindness, a deep somewhat dark chuckle escaping him. “Besides, it lets us know that not everything shouldn’t be about death and gloom…” The Swede added with a shrug, moving to rest his hands in his pockets, the handle of his scimitar braced up against his exposed wrist. People would notice pretty quickly that it was difficult to get a grasp on him, his icy demeanor doing well to cloak any evidence of the thoughts running through his head for the time being. The swordsman pulled up his GUI with a flick of his fingers, sending a party request to the pair right as the final bag was loaded…the audible alert seeming sudden in the grand scope of things. Old Man Rob offered a thankful grin at the Quantum as he stepped back out of the way, voicing his thanks enthusiastically, by offering the physicist a soft pat on the back as he finished. “Not many travelers around here these days…good to see some people have decency to help an old man…” The aged merchant said, offering Isley and Janeiro a deep nod in greeting. “Rob,” The NPC stated, taking a cue from the round of introductions…not noticing that the trio most likely meant it for themselves. Regardless of this fact the elder held his hand out to Quantum to shake, “Well, what are you folks doing in town? Not much left here in these parts, most everyone has ran off…” He continued shifting his glance between the three players, his voice hold a smoky country-raised tone. Isley narrowed his eyes as Rob echoed the statement they had already received before from the stray child, his curiosity peaked for the moment. He ran a quick hand up to his long hair, reaching back to adjust the thin bow that held it in place, “That’s what we were wondering actually…What happened here?” The grey-eyed swordsman asked… A soft beep would be audible to the trio as a quest acceptance box appeared before them, titled: Ransom for Horunka…Rob’s golden icon changing to indicate a quest-in-progress… “Big group of Kobolds outside town have been raiding and harassing us for months…rambling about getting tribute for the king…strange creatures the lot of them…but they come well-armed enough to hassle about anyone that passes by…” The merchant said shaking his head, the soft taint of self-pity flavoring his words, the quest storyline obviously engaging, “Hell, that what this damn cart is for, payment so they leave the town alone for another week…” He continued, patting the painted horse softly on the haunch. Isley looked to the other curiously before offering a nod, “If we were to give you a hand, could you point us in their direction?” The Swede asked with a blink, not bothering to look to the others for their input. The merchant looked hesitant to give the dark haired swordsman the location, his demeanor suddenly growing nervous at the thought of the players confronting the lowly creatures that were in wait…

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[Quantum]

"Your weakness shall be revealed as if I was watching through a magnifying glass." ? @tagged ? 000 ? notes Quantum Lv1

Quantum did not like the way that the girl glared at him and her tone made him want to snap. But with the practice of someone who almost constantly had to teach students who honestly gave zero damns about his classes, he ignored it. "Something as simple as that would not cause me any issues, what are we expecting to be attacked at any minute?" He tried to laugh away, but a sorrowful look from the old man made the physicist snap his mouth shut. "Besides, it's more mental exhaustion than physcial in here. I bet that those people who are quite used to staying awake for days on end are the ones who will get ahead of us the fastest. The system just causes us to feel physically tired by stimulating certain parts of the brain." Embarrasingly his stomach churned at that point, and the larger man looked at himself in surprise. "Hunger too it seems." He ended his rant as Rob introduced himself, though he could have gone on further about which parts of the brain exaclty were affected. Quantum accepted the shaking of Rob's hand. He let Isley handle most of the talking if he could, party leader had certain privelages is what he had become used too. And without even really reading what each of the messages said, accepted both the party invite and the quest. But they were at an impass, it seemed that Rob did not want to let them get themeselves hurt over his troubles. "Look there gramps." He pointed out at the village, it's darkness swallowing it to look more akin to a mausoleum than community. "We aren't dumb, and we know not to run in blindly. And I hope that the others understand the risks as much as I do. But would you not want to see lights and families in each of those homes though? We are offering a chance at that future." Quantum tried to paint an image of what the place once was, and could be again to the elder NPC. With a little bit of luck that would be enough to get the ball moving again. He himself would like to see this place full of life again too, maybe get some of the other players to help guard the place rather than moping on their asses in The Town of Beginnigs feeling sorry for their situation.

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[Janeiro]

Ugh, great first impression, Janeiro thought to herself. "S-sorry. You're right." She replied to both of them. Her head was lowered. Why do I have to make such a fool of myself? This definitely wouldn't help showing that she could be a valuable asset to the party. She would have to make up for it in battle, Janeiro decided. Even though they reprimanded her with a few words, now they seemed content to ignore her stupid remark. Maybe that's what it means to be mature. This was a videogame, more or less, but it was much closer to real life in more aspects than she expected at first. No hiding behind the screen, no muting, they were even forced to show their real faces. No ragequitting either. She wondered if touching another person felt real. They had been trapped for a few days now yet due to her chosen isolation there had been no opportunity to find that out.

Quickly yet concentrated she read through the quest description although she had known what it had been about before, scanning it for clues she had missed, but there was nothing. When Quantum started his lecture about how some of the game mechanics worked, she listened keenly, and felt slightly disappointed when his stomach interrupted him and he stopped. "We could stay here for the rest of the night then, maybe..." She proposed. "I would pay for the lodgings if you don't mind." She looked up into Quantum's eyes. "You seem to know a lot about this, if you want to explain it in further detail I would be happy to listen to it. Um, after we ate. And only if you want to..."

[Isley]

"Just finding poetry in the fallen snow…" ☒ @tagged ✐ 000 ✉ notes Isley Lv1 Isley couldn’t help but smirk as Quantum lectured the poor girl, silently knowing that he was one of those certain players that stood to benefit from their insomniac tendencies. The Swede reached up to rub his neck a moment, stretching the joins slightly, knowing that a bit of rest would do him good since he was on the tail end of a days-long grind. He nodded softly to the pair, knowing Quantum was correct, however he doubted the pure logic of the idea that their world was only a series of stimulated nerves. The world seemed more real to him by the day with even the NPC beginning to take on the qualities of anyone that he has encountered in his years…the place may not be the reality, but it certainly was becoming a reality… Rob seemed at ease with Quantum’s explanation, finally offering a sorrowful shrug in exchange, a warm smile finally gracing the NPC’s features. “Well, you certainly got spirit kid!” The older man’s smokey voice exclaiming, a deep chuckle escaping him. “I’d love to see the families come back again…you may not believe it but this place used to be one of the most vibrant trading posts in the plains, people from Beginnings and Tolbana used to do their business here all the time…” Isley lifted a brow at Janeiro’s expression, hoping his few added words didn’t cut deep, driven home by Quantum’s reflexive lecturing. He shook his head at the teacher, finally patting Janeiro on the shoulder, the rare gesture escaping the older Isley despite his more anti-social persona. He offered the girl a nod at her offer, but was almost immediately interrupted by the Old-Man Rob… “Oh no! If you’re all offering to take the weight of this town on your shoulders the least I could do is spring for a few rooms and a bowl of stew” Rob explained, “Besides, I owe this man here anyways for his labor!” The NPC laughed loud enough to make the dimly lit square echo slightly, his hand slapping his thigh. He led the trio into the larger building behind them, the shabby place opening up into a comfortable, if not well aged, inn common room. The place was seemly deserted aside from young woman in an apron stirring a rather large soup-pot. The room was comfortable enough, but clearly meant for much more visitors than the small party, several rugs inter-dispersed with sets or tables and wooden chairs. At the far end, on the other side of the open kitchen area was a set of stairs that lead to the individual rooms that they would occupy for the evening, but overall the place had a rustic country flavor that couldn’t help but put anyone at ease. Isley looked over the surroundings with a quick nod of thanks to Quantum, following closely behind the older man to finally place himself behind a nearby chair to wait for the others to sit as well. “Nice place…” The Swedish swordsman said, offering a rare smile to the merchant-proprietor. He knew that small towns like these usually had establishments that were part-store, part-inn, and it seemed for now that they could relax despite the events planned for tomorrow morning. The apron’ed girl walked over with a large platter containing three ceramic bowls and a rather large loaf of dark-brown bread in the center, the smell rising over the trio. The stew was thick, a dark brown from the beef stock and fat from the numerous cuts of meat that inhabited it, the bits floating to the surface along with the occasional carrot, potato, and onion. The older merchant had wandered off in the middle of service, most likely leaving the trio to their ends for the night.

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[Quantum]

"Your weakness shall be revealed as if I was watching through a magnifying glass." ? @tagged ? 000 ? notes Quantum Lv1

Immediate feelings of regret filled Quantum as he saw Janeiro hang her head. Have I been too tough on the girl? He asked himself without muttering a word. There was the thought to try and reverse his intention with a few kind words or to something along those lines like he would have done with some of his students back in the real world. However that might have defeated the purpose in the first place of his remarks, and left it at the kinder gesture that Isley gave her. He was thrown off by the the offer as he looked into the younger girl's eyes, but he laughed it off instead. "I'm pretty sure you don't want to listen to this professor give a lecture, especially about something as boring as the brain." He was thankful for Rob's interruption allowing him to break eye contact to look at the old man. With a wave off he made it seem like the effort was no big deal at all, which of course it was not, but gratefully nodded his approval at the offer of a warm meal and rest. Feeling it would be rude as a guest, Quantum unequipped his weapon so that it would sit in his inventory. The food smelled great as it wafted away from the large pot and made the entire room just that much more welcoming. However when it was put in front of him rather than diving for the tableware first as he might have done if it was his own home, the teacher instead waited for the others to start eating first. There had been a few occasions to partake of the in game world's cuisine, mostly fruit and other non cooked items other than hard bread so he was entertained by the idea of eating something warm for a change. Quantum barely knew these people before him, and yet they were about to head onward towards something that could possibly kill them if they messed up. He began to wonder why he was doing this again, why not just take a crafting talent with his leftover point and hide away in town all day. But his mind had been made up already, and even a moments weakness as his focus wavered meant little to that. Still however, that was no reason to charge headlong into battle with a couple of complete strangers. "Well, we made some basic introductions. But why not give a bit more personal info about each other?" He asked trying to play away from the gloom that had suddenly arisen from withing. "I'll start. Used to teach high school science, mostly physics but had to cover a chemistry class here and there. Never really cared for games, still don't actually. A bunch of what I know is just from studying popular mmo's in the months leading up to the start of this... ordeal." He had to try and pull away from anything that remotely reminded him of the game, but could not find the words to continue and hoped that one of the other two could lighten the mood in his failure.

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[Janeiro]

When Isley's hand touched her shoulder, Janeiro twitched. It felt very real to her, even through her clothes. Nothing "virtual" about it. Her attention was quickly caught by Rob again who kept on talking and finished by inviting them to his home, which surprised her. So far Janeiro had been cold to NPCs, asking quickly for what she needed without any greetings and still got what she wanted. Observing how others treated them, and the change in the digital construct's behaviour was unexpected and interesting.

The inn was a very welcome change in atmosphere. The silence was replaced by the crackling of the fireplace, which together with some lamps created a dim, comfy light. She mimicked Quantum and let her sword vanish, then sat down, her back straight and her hands in her lap after she made sure she wasn't sitting on her long hair. It had been a while since she ate a meal with other people. It was nice. After making sure everybody had their bowl in front of them, she clasped her hands together and closed her eyes for a short moment. "Itadakimasu." She proceeded to take her spoon and started eating quietly. While her skin was feeling warm from the fire heating up the room, the heat of the soup felt like it spread through her whole body, into her toes and fingertips and her ears. Furthermore it tasted as great as the aromatic steam which rose from the bowl had promised. She focused on her food until Quantum began talking about himself, her blue eyes staring at him curiously. A teacher... Although the 'used to' made it seem like it had been long ago. Janeiro did not dare to ask whether he had quit teaching before being imprisoned in the game or whether he was just not very optimistic to get back soon. It was true, they might be here for a very long while.

When she felt it was her turn to talk she resisted the urge to stand up. Stupid old habits. And this wasn't a classroom. "I'm attending Tokyo Metropolitan Hibiya High School, class 2-3." Janeiro noticed she was stuck. What was there to say about herself. "I am usually not an MMO player, but I like video games... I am part of the Kenjutsu club..." It felt really awkward to end it on this note, but her mind was blank. "I took up tailoring here." She decided to focus on her food again, failing just as much as Quantum to create a nice conversation.