Kara's head felt heavy, her eyes unable to open of their own accord. She couldn't move her arms, her hands, or her legs. Every part of her body felt numb, and her tongue was thick with sleep. Even if she had been able to move her lips, she doubted she would be able to speak legibly. Her mind was fuzzy, and she couldn't quite recall how she had come to be here. Where was here, exactly? It would have been helpful to be able to open her eyes, and view her surroundings, but she couldn't get her body to listen to her mind's commands. Was her mind even making the commands? Hard to say. Hard to think. She let her mind go and wandered back into the darkness of sleep, hoping that with unconsciousness would come some sort of clarity as to what exactly was going on. For now, she just couldn't give a damn. Veera was minding her own business. The lead she had thought about following had disappeared, and now bored with the idea, she had let it go. She had bought another pasty, vegetable this time, and was munching quietly when her senses warned her to stop. She held her foot in the air, moments from taking that next step, when a young man crashed into her path. Had she moved forward, his body, his naked body, would have been slammed into hers. As much as she could enjoy the look of him, she certainly didn't think that this was the type of conquest she had in mind. "Pardon me." She said politely, foot still held above the ground, food in her hand as she looked at the man. "You seem to be a great hurry. And missing a great deal of clothing. Is there something I can possibly do to assist?" An assassin who offered help to those in need around her was the last one looked at when things went wrong. At least, it had always worked in the past. A smile twitching at the corner of her lips, she held out her pasty to him, eyes solemn. "Have a pasty?"
She had asked him. Him. It was to upset him, he was sure of it. He groaned, wishing he could bang his head against the nearest wall without drawing too much attention, but from the way Tessa was glaring at him, it wouldn't be the most socially accepted idea. Neither was punching the girl in the face, but the thought entertained him for a little while. "Leave it to the man to have to ask for directions." He muttered before flicking through his inventory, and equipping his axe. Hang on....There was a ring in there he hadn't noticed before. "Hey...Tessa? What's the ring for?" He closed the inventory screen and turned to his sister, who was currently going through her own, a slightly frown on her face. "Oh. That. We should go outside of town for that." Bryce shrugged, and slid his sword into the sheath before making his way outside of town. As they walked, it occurred to him that they were passing very few players. Were they some of the only ones left? The thought of being last irked him to no end, but in truth, he wasn't sure what he could have done to be one of the first one's to the goblin's camp. He didn't look to see if the girl, Emma, was following. They were about halfway there, when Tessa tapped Bryce on the shoulder. "Okay. So those rings belong to our summons. I think they gave them to us, or something." She frowned, holding her sniper rifle loosely in her hands. "I remember reading the summoning words somewhere...we have to use them to battle for the right to summon them. Like that one game we used to play before we started VRMMO's." Bryce could only shrug, unsure as to what she was referring. "Oh, right. Stand back Bryce. You too Emma. We can't help each other fight our summons, so maybe you guys should take this time to fight your own. I'm not sure why," she hoisted the gun so the barrel was pointing skywards, her fingers in place to quickly shoot, "But I think we're going to need them soon." With that, Tessa stepped away, her feet spread in a guarded stance while she perfected the sight on her gun. After that, she spoke calmly. "Open, gates of Heaven. Release, Lancelot!" While nothing so dramatic as the gates of Heaven opening occurred, a man appeared before Tessa. He was quite a bit taller then she, about the same height as Bryce with curling blonde hair and the face of an angel. Of course his sister would get Lancelot. He thought with some amusement before turning away. If Tessa said he couldn't help, he couldn't help. "Watch out." He growled at Emma as he pulled out the <<Weapon Evolution Potion>> from his inventory and doused his axe turning it into a much heavier, and much more bad*ass weapon. A battle axe. "Open, gates of Heaven. Release, Boudica!" In a flash the warrior queen stood before him, her flowing red hair cascading down her shoulders as her green eyes, matching the dress she wore, flashed with anger. "How dare ye?" She screeched, drawing her bow and aiming it at him. He grinned and rolled to the side, avoiding her arrows. And so it began. Tessa stumbled back before tossing herself to the side, avoiding another deadly blow from Lancelot's sword. Once she had conquered her summon, they would make the perfect team. Until then, he was going to make one bitch of a battle. She bolted another few feet, turned and knelt on the ground to steady her aim before pulling the trigger. It was a hasty shot, but the bullet glanced off his armor, denting it on the shoulder. Lancelot looked at the slight injury with nothing but annoyance before pressing the attack. She backed up yet again, trying to implement the same strategy that had worked in Gun Gale; keeping her distance and using her patience to find the perfect shot. Only it wasn't working with Lancelot. Each time she tried to create distance he would see through her and cancel it out, rushing forward and causing near panic every time he drew close. He had only just escaped death multiple times, and her HP was now at half. It was time to be dangerous. As much as Tessa hated taking risks, that seemed to be the only way this was going to end. With a risk taking, awesome, breathing removing move. She dodged to the side and turned, trying once more to put as much distance between them as possible. Lancelot allowed her, following more slowly behind. He didn't realize that she wasn't going to simple sit and shoot at him. Oh no. As she ran, she equipped her pistol quickly, turning and knocking off a few shots. They took away some of his HP, still leaving the majority of it. Hopefully this would be enough. She turned, and instead of dropping to her knees, ran back at Lancelot, up a slight incline in the ground. He stopped moving, wary of her unusual movement. Once she had sensed she was near the top of the small incline she jumped, using the force from her body to flip and tilt herself vertically. Oh this is going to hurt. Lancelot's surprised face looked up at her as the barrel of the gun tapped the place between his neck and collarbone, and she fired. Despite the pain he must have felt, he grinned, falling to his knees in defeat as she smacked into the ground, the gun falling from her grasp and clattering across the scattered rocks. "You are a worthy master. I shall serve you." He whispered before bowing his head and disappearing, the last thing she saw his golden hair. Breathing a sigh of relief, she let her cheek rest in the dirt, marveling at how real the grass felt. Her chest ached from taking the blow of the landing, and her side burned from a particular wound the warrior had given her. But she was alive. And she had conquered her summon. "Hey." Bryce helped her to sit up, worriedly glancing over her body in search of injuries. He himself was holding his shoulder, the remains of an arrow shaft sticking out. She flicked him on the forehead before looking for Emma, wondering how the girl had fared as she opened her inventory and quickly equipped the newly named Summoner's Ring. They were both in pretty rough shape, and still had to level up before they could move on. She hoped Emma had fared better then she had as Bryce's healing spell gently washed over her. She hoped they weren't too late to gain EXP before something awful happened, like a boss appearing. Fighting a boss at level one....she shuddered. That would be the end of all nightmares, for sure.
So. Many. People. First it had only been the girl, and that was fine. Tessa was passable, good even at one on one interaction. Then the man with white hair, more of a boy really, had appeared, introducing himself. That had been okay, but then a second man had come. Tessa bit her lip as her face flushed, struggling to win the battle against her instincts to panic and run. This girl, Alessia, was helping her. She needed to stay. She could do this. Just one breath. Her hands gripped the bottom of her shirt tightly as she licked her lips. "I'm Tessa." She managed to whisper as she ducked her head, her words barely even able to be heard above the din of conversation in the guild hall. "I need a Dragon Slayer because...because.." How could she tell them? She had no idea herself. Except that one day in a panic she had nearly torn apart her parent's house, and completely destroyed her own life in the process. "I....I need help. I need someone to tell me what to do." She stuttered her way through the entire sentence, keeping her eyes on the ground and her voice barely above a whisper. It wouldn't help matters if she needed to repeat herself, but she couldn't manage to bring her voice up any louder. "I....I need help." She repeated lamely, her face coloring darker red as she secretly cursed her own social inadequacies that make it so hard to carry on conversations with others. If only she had been socialized more as a child. If only she had found a boyfriend. If only she had- Whoa, getting ahead of herself there. But somehow, the thought of having sex gave her courage, and she raised her voice, though not her head. "I think I'm looking for the Dragon Slayer who has Sky Magic. I need someone to teach me how to control myself." Please let this be it. She prayed, to whomever was listening. She even managed a small smile at white haired man who stood next to her.
Tessa flicked open her screen with deft fingers and accepted the request sent from the girl. <OutbackHeroine> would like to join your party. Never would have guessed. Tessa kept her thoughts to herself, wanting to avoid another outburst as she flicked to the inventory screen and equipped the <<Weapon Evolution Potion>>. "I just want to give this a shot." She told her fellow group members as she doused the gun in the strange liquid. As soon as both objects connected, the gun shuddered in her hand before elongating, becoming heavier. The bottle disappeared from her hand in a burst of pixels as she held onto the changing weapon with both hands, raising it up to reveal a sniper rifle. Perfect. She turned to Bryce, who was watching her blankly, arms now crossed. She hadn't realized he had even gotten up from the ground yet. Way to go, Tessa. Paying attention to your surroundings. He was pissed, she could see it. There was no way he was going to evolve his weapon now, in front of a stranger. Tessa shrugged and reached up, shifting the gun to one hand for a moment to flick the middle of his forehead. He blinked in return, but otherwise gave no reaction. Boy was he mad. "Maybe it would be better to group up. Perhaps if the guild you were going to join seems respectable, we will too. It would be nice to have some other people watching our back." Bryce shifted, and she ignored it. He would just have to get used to the idea that they could no longer take on this world alone. If it was the two of them against roughly nine hundred and ninety eight other players, she didn't think the odds would remain in their favor. "So...I'm Tessa. Since My user name can be a mouthful in an emergency. And this is Bryce." She tapped the body of her gun with her finger, already accustomed to the added weight. The barrel was long enough that it nearly touched the ground, and she shifted, pulling it up just enough that it was still aimed at the street, but not enough that it would bump against the ground should she get pushed, which could irrevocably damage the weapon. Not a good way to start. "Do you know of any place we can go to level up? I think that should be first order of business. Who knows, maybe we'll find your guild there too." She suggested, uncertain if her role was still one of the leader. Bryce always let the decisions fall to her, and only acted when the situation was dire. This stranger, whoever..... Bryce was fuming. Not just mad, not even a little angry. Fuming. Tessa knew how he felt about strangers, and yet here she was inviting the one person who had attacked him to stick around with them. Did they need to group up? Probably. Did it have to be her? No! He hoped this was reflected in the way he stared at Tessa, but if it bothered her she gave no indication. In fact, she flicked him on his forehead, a favored act of hers to annoy him. It worked, but he tried not to show it. Tessa knew what was right, and by god he would do his best to follow her. Even if he felt distrust and pent up rage towards their new companion. "I think there's a camp, someplace to the east." He added, keeping his voice low. It was easier to keep it calm, this way. He didn't want to start a fight with this girl, and get Tessa almost shot again. Again. They had barely been in this world an hour and already she had been put in danger. Was it his fault? Eh. No. It was this girl's. The girl they were going to travel with. He felt a migraine coming on.
Tessa glanced at the others, trying to gauge if they were as unnerved as she was. However much Ze Operator frightened her, she could not turn back. Noticing his particular antagonistic attitude towards Alexis, she stepped forward, hoping to take the attention off the other girl. If they were going to work as a team, she would start by protecting her teammates. It meant everything for her to win. "I'm ready." She declared, finally taking her hand off the wound and crossing her arm, thankful that it had finally stopped bleeding. She would have hated to use a healing potion this early in the game, when god knew what else was waiting for them on the floors of the Tower.
Tessa turned, immediately offering an uncertain smile in an attempt to cover up her anxiety. She had stood awkwardly in the guild hall for god knew how long, trying to work up the courage to ask someone for help. "I'm Tessa." She introduced herself to the dark haired girl, biting her lip after speaking. Nervously, she held out her hand for the new girl to shake. "I'm new here." She clarified unnecessarily, feeling the need to try and make this post longer because she didn't need any more inadequacy in her life. "You're a member too? Would you be able to point me in the direction of a dragon slayer? I don't know anything about him, but he's supposed to be here...somewhere." As with Skadi and Thea, Tessa felt frustrated at her inability to gather more information. She didn't even have a physical description, and for the life of her she couldn't remember the name that had been given to her.
Tessa felt her heart race and eyes narrow when the barrel of the gun was pressed into her face. Unlike Gun Gale, one shot and she would be done. It felt more real, more definite. Despite the heat of the moment, she kept her calm and waited, praying that this girl wouldn't show the spark of madness every player revealed when they killed another. And to her relief, it didn't appear. The girl lifted the gun away, and Tessa let her own drop towards the ground, though she kept it equipped. The girl began to apologize, and Tessa felt a small inkling of empathy. Her first time? No wonder she's scared. "It's okay. He deserved it for being rude." Tessa shot a look at Bryce, warning him to keep quiet. He remained where he was, face pale except for the marks where the girl had slapped him. Undoubtedly he hadn't thought that even the smallest gesture could turn into something much worse. "Everyone is on edge. Say, if you need someone to grow up with, we were heading to the edge of town. Probably some monsters or creatures that we can fight to level up. Bryce and I haven't played a fantasy VRMMO, but this isn't our first time. Might be able to show you a few tricks." Bryce, to her relief, didn't say anything when she offered companionship to the girl. Perhaps he was finally learning that they would need to trust others.
The girl came out of nowhere. No sooner had Bryce dismissed her then something took him down with all the force of a full force train. He hit the ground with a thud, staring up into angry eyes and a face that would have been sweet, but was twisted with rage. It was then, Bryce knew he had made a deadly mistake. He had been too shocked to stop the barrage of hits her palms had landed against his face as she screamed at him, most of what she said unintelligible to his ears. It was the final slap that brought him back to his senses, causing his ears to ring as his face burned. His eyes fell on Tessa, who was standing over the girl, her eyes burning but her expression calm. Tessa had heard the sound of Bryce falling, and had turned just in time to witness the first slap. She had crossed her arms over her chest, unable to keep herself from thinking, that's what you get, as the girl pummeled her younger, and much larger brother. Finally, the girl drew back, and Tessa stepped forward just as the sound of the slap resounded across the courtyard. She smoothly raised her pistol and pointed it at the girl's head, the air around her still and tense. "That's enough." She said, her voice quiet, carrying through the quiet air as easily as if she had shouted. Her finger flicked off the safety before wrapping around the trigger. This was no bluff.
Tessa opened her mouth, then shut it. Tried once more to speak, and then pressed her lips together. And for once wished that she had actually experienced what this woman promised just once, in hopes that she could have answered with some confidence. Instead, she was left uncertain, and a little frightened. Clarify, Tessa. Clarify what you want. "I....I would agree to an alliance." She swallowed, her throat suddenly dry. She had always been at ease with herself, but this woman oozed confidence and self assurance. It made Tessa a little jealous, if she was being honest. It doesn't help that the V-Card is practically displayed on my chest. She thought to herself, flushing as she pushed herself to her feet, hand still pressed to the bleeding injury on her side. It burned where the rock had cut her, the liquid warm against the palm of her hand. Annoying. Though she was secretly relieved to have something else to focus on, other then the woman's odd and unclear suggestion, and how for some reason it intrigued her.
Welcome to the forum! Don't mind the scary people, they just use spell check and google to sound intelligent. I hope you have fun posting here!
The price of freedom is almost always a broken heart.
I'm sorry that this had to happen to you. I hope you find peace in knowing she loved you and you loved her. There is nothing more precious in life then the love of a child or an animal.
That's three mouth dropping actions and one smiling action. Conclusion: You like mouths.
Keanu Reeves can teach me any time.
If I do it, can I do something naughty on the forum and be given a freebie? I so love naughty things.
You will regret it for the rest of your life.
I'll take that cat off your hands.
I prefer to flutternuff, so it couldn't have been me.
Am I the only one who doesn't get it?
I don't recall ever seeing you but I do recall enjoying your cyber presence every great moon.
