Fantasy ❥ Lifeline

[Doughnut]

Chae Rim

Location: Vairin Castle| Interacting with: N/A| Mentions: Enum BoltBeam Bum Bear Dawnstar OldTurtle ThatGuyWithSouvlaki

It all started with a simple error. People thought that it was just a bug so they had to wait for the company to fix the game so they could log out again. Which was weird as one got always thrown out of the game when there was something wrong. The weird thing was that it only happened to a select group of people who played. Some were thrown out while others got… stuck. They could not go back to the “menu” neither could they force a shut down. The only thing that was sure was that they couldn’t get out. At least not in the near future. They were scattered around in the world of Lifeline, assigned to a guider who would help them out however they could. And maybe even find a way to bring them back to the planet called Earth.

Meanwhile in “the real world” the people’s bodies actually got transported into the game, only leaving their VR set behind. However they could not manage to start it up as long as someone was in there. Which made it even more difficult to help. Even the company was astonished by this phenomenon. Not knowing how this could happen. But how could that be right? Maybe an employee wanted to test out one of their personal projects which went terribly wrong or it could have been their actual intention to make this happen. Nobody really knew but people were certainly trying to figure this happening out.

Several theories came to light, most of them being false. However one thing was for sure: if they died in the game, their bodies would be brought back without a sign of life. It was fearsome how this could even happen. Parents actually having to hope that their children wouldn’t come back, yet they wanted to see them again. The people did keep hope in seeing them back alive somehow.

Back to Lifeline. Vairin was the kingdom the story would be focused upon. A well-thriving place with the matching crime rate of course so there was a need for soldiers at all times. It became a more safe place along with time. A safe haven as people called it [with a few exceptions of course]. Consisting of a big market place, countless small streets with shops in it, a spa, training grounds on the outer side, etc. There was even a forest to the west of Vairin which was populated with all kinds of animals and plantation.

Focusing more in to the place where you would be spawned was inside the Vairin Castle which was located right in the middle of the kingdom so it was pretty easy to spot because of the size of it. In there one of the top was awaiting for the new “heroes” as the inhabitants would call them. Those would save them from coming evil. Her name was Chae Rim. The best one could wish to be in their team and the worst to be standing against. Despite her young age, she had achieved an amount of tasks which were deemed too dangerous for the average human being. But not for her due to her investment in herself. To make it so that she could survive when things would take a turn for the worst.

The room she was standing in was meant for training beginners. Getting them used to their weapons and creating their own style of movements and techniques. They would always come here to find themselves, to find their place in this world even if it was indicated by “class”. Chae Rim was an exception on this as she didn’t want to be like everybody else and took the hardest way to achieve the top. Arms crossed over one another as she leaned against the wall, summoners trying their hardest to create a safe passageway for the players. If they messed up, it wouldn’t be a nice sight.

code by Ri.a

 

[BoltBeam]

Belle Lysiris (LiteralTrash)

The routine had always been the same. From early morning to late at night, I have always been busy. By day, I do what I want. By night, I patrolled the hospital and then indulged in virtual reality - Lifeline - to unwind from the stress of my work. Sometimes it would help, but often times it would only make the situation worse. However... If it's one thing I had noticed, it all started to pick up when people started getting stuck...

And that I was soon to join them.

It would start as normal. I had come home from my shift, and I was just playing and helping people - the usual. I indulged in aiding others, as that was what I would always do. I was well connected, you see, and could afford to make somewhat dangerous adventures to and from various locations in Lifeline's world, but at the end of all of it, before I am done, I would ordinarily stop by at the marketplace. However, this one time... I tried to leave...

"I-I can't- I can't log... I can't... log... out?"

Those were my first words of horror, shock, fear, and realisation of what was going on. The rumours I have been hearing are turning out to be true. This is the first step of this awful process. If my records were correct, people who suffer it are first locked in and cannot escape - what happens next is only a mystery, as I have not heard anything beyond that. So far, that seemed to be the case. I was stuck, with no escape methods available.

"S-Stay calm, me... Stay... calm... No, this is perfectly normal to be freaking out! It's finally happening!"

I would panic and flail as much as I humanly could, but nothing would happen. My energy would wane, my consciousness die, and my body shut down over time as I indulged in a gradual daydream. The daydream looked just like Lifeline... But... why? Why was I daydreaming of Lifeline when I was just playing it, and what significance did it have? No matter my questions, there would be no answers to them. Oh, the poor girl the past me was...

She didn't see it coming.

Within minutes, my daydreaming would abruptly stop and I would be asleep. Or so I thought. However, I would later find myself not asleep, but actually awake. I was perfectly functional in my body, but... Where I was? That was another story entirely. This was Lifeline. I could not help but recognise it. But... I can't feel my Virtual Reality tools on me. I feel perfectly normal. I looked around and then down to myself...

"...I'm inside the game? I'm inside Lifeline?!"

My surprise was anything but spontaneous, but it was at that moment I realised my situation. I seemed to have been transported inside of the game - though as she would look around, it would appear she was in Vairin Castle. Why else would you be here if you weren't a 'new player' or up to something around the general area? I shrugged, and would hope to find out...

But that was all past tense, so let's go to the present now!

After my transition from real life to virtual, the first thing I would do was head straight to the beginner friendly rooms. And that is what I am presently doing, even now. Roaming the familiar yet still alien castle, now inside of it in person, and from my own eyes. It's an incredible piece of work to see this close to my face - and it will definitely remain such for a while. Now approaching the designated 'beginners room', I intend to keep my situation a secret, that is, unless I don't have a will or choice to keep said secret. But for now, my situation as I stand, is forever living in Lifeline, starting from nothing as I had done so in virtual reality and working my way up - except now for real.

My name is Belle Lysiris, known as Trash and/or LiteralTrash. I'm a socialist adventurer in Lifeline - now permanently living within it. I have just arrived to get myself sorted as a 'new player', so to speak, and it should go pretty easily. That woman there seems like she'll help me. I hope she can; otherwise this is going to be an even 'bigger' mess!

Mentions: Doughnut

 

[Bum Bear]

Gamer Tag

mood: confused and scared
location: beginner's room
mentions: n.a
tagged: Chae Rim ( Doughnut ) & Belle ( BoltBeam )

=

Etsuko Satou ​

It was a slow night. The cicadas sung loudly as the crescent shaped moon which she always thought looked like a toenail stood high above the high rise building in the middle of Tokyo. Etsuko stared at the toenail blankly, taking a puff of her favorite American brand of cigarettes, she exhaled through her nose, two streams of smoke pouring out from each nostril. How tiresome. She took a seat on the dirtied concrete next to the back door of the convenient store that she was happily employed at, the pungent scent of trash along with the strong acrid smell of tobacco mixing together to make something indescribable. To others, she was sure they'd find this smell offensive and putrid, but to her, it had been the scent that defined her thirty minute breaks everyday for the past four years. Day in and day out, with these same brand of cigarettes while surrounded by the store's garbage, she'd smoke out back just thinking. It wasn't anything breath taking or thought provoking, it was just about anything really. At first her thoughts brought her to think about her past decisions, what maybe she could have done better, about how she could have graduated if she had only stuck it out a bit more. Rather depressing, but those were the thoughts that plagued the mind of a twenty-one year old Etsuko. Now, at a somewhat youthful twenty-five, she knew better then to dwell on past mistakes. There was nothing that she could do to change it so it'd be waste to think about it now. Yes, here on the filthy steps behind her job, she didn't think about her mistakes. Etsuko thought about what would be on tomorrow menu, would it be fish or ramen again? Did she have enough in her wallet to even think about buying fish? The answer was always no, but that didn't stop her from dreaming about it from time to time. These thoughts, as mundane as they were, kept her going. Made her life a little bearable, and overall was a decent distraction to the reality that plagued her daily.

"Etsuko. I-i ya ... I'm sorry to interrupt your break, but could you come to the front. I-i really need your help." a timid voice called from behind, a boy wearing thick rimmed glasses with a face full of freckles and skin almost as white as her own.

Yamamoto Sota, a newbie who the boss had hired a week prior after the last girl quit because of a heated argument with a customer. The kid was pretty young, maybe around sixteen or seventeen if she had to guess. He didn't look like much of a talker, that much she could surmise just by his demeanor. His hair was slightly messy, his eyes never focused on any part of the face, and he had a stutter that she couldn't tell if it was physical or due to him being nervous. The way he stood behind the door hadn't bettered her opinion of him either, the kid almost peeking through the small slit he created between them. Etsuko took another puff, this time allowing the smoke to penetrate deep within her lungs before exhaling out of her mouth, rubbing the bud against the ground before tossing it in the open trash can next to her. Break time was over. She rose up to her feet, dusting away the small bits of dirt and pebble that clung to her hands as she made her way through the back door and into the small break room allotted for store employees only.

"Alright Yamamoto, what seems to be the issue?" she inquired, her eyes narrowing down at the poor boy who obviously felt uncomfortable by her natural glare.

"Uhm, oh, uhm it's ... I ya." it took him a moment to finally get the words out of his mouth, Yamamoto stuttering profusely as he fumbled over the words in his head. "There's a c-customer out front who having an i-issue with an item he b-ba-bought here, and he's asking f-for a refund, but the item he wants to return has a-a-already been used." he finally said.

Oh, so it was one of those people. The kind who liked to come in and start trouble when things weren't going there way. Etsuko scratched the back of her neck, knowing full well the pain she'd have to endure dealing with these kinds of customers. Glancing down at her frightened co-worker, she couldn't help but feel sorry for the poor boy, but at the same time, this was something he'd have to get used to if he wanted to keep working here.

"Okay, I understand. I deal with them, but make sure you watch from behind the counter. Consider it training from your senior." she stated, giving the kid a reassuring weak that worked more to scare him then it did to relax him. Can't win everything, she supposed.

After fixing her hat, she gave herself a little slap on the cheeks, a wide grin appearing on her face almost instantaneously , her warrior face as she liked to call it. Prepped and ready for battle, she walked out of the break room and onto the battlefield, a middle age man holding an opened box of lotion standing at the register angrily. She could feel his rage from where she stood, but Etsuko would not back down from this menace, even if she wanted to. Heading towards the counter, she engaged the man in conversation, trying to be as polite and understanding as she possibly could but to no prevail. He shot down her kind words with hateful grunts and sighs, shooting her with the all too familiar "I want your manager". She deflected it with a simple "He's not here at the moment", causing him to become more enraged. Nothing she hadn't come across before. The man demanded for a refund, his wife not at all happy with the skin care product he had bought for her. However, a refund was not optional as half of the product had already been used and store policy dictated that no refund would be given to products that have been opened and used. Etsuko explained this, still managing to keep her warrior face although she could feel her anger bubbling up inside her when he insulted her eyes. They always went for the eyes. Soon, she had to threaten to call the police if the man continued to cause a commotion in the store which took a moment, but as she picked up the phone to dial the number, the man made his escape, slinging an onslaught of slurs at her before leaving. A classic move.

Soon, the store was empty again, just leaving her and the newbie alone. Checking the time, she realized that her arguing had brought about the end of her shift, a tired smile gracing Etsuko thin lips. She returned to the back, snatching off both her hat and name tag and tossing it into her locker. Etsuko would tidy of the backroom before exiting though the backdoor, no longer an employee at seven-eleven but a regular woman on her way home, or maybe not. Walking a few paces to the north, she couldn't help but noticed a crushed can sitting idly on the sidewalk. A vein popped out onto her head as she swung her right leg back and kicked the can up into the air, the sound of metal clanking as it fell a few meters away from it's original position. That felt good, but she was still pissed. She hated it. Everything about it. What gave him the right to talk about her the way he did? Why weren't employees allowed to defend themselves against idiots like those without the fear of being fired? Her mind raced while her legs walked her to the usual place, a bar a couple of block down from where she worked. It wasn't the fanciest or the nicest place to drink, but for a broke convenient store clerk looking to drown all her sorrows with booze, it was the perfect place to be.

The night was young when she arrived, the bartender greeting her with a glass of cheap whisky on the rocks. The man knew her too well. What was supposed to be one glass turned into four, the woman slowly losing all ability to function as she took another gulp of whatever she had ordered. At this point, she could be drinking piss and she wouldn't be able to taste the difference. Her last memory of that night was of her friend coming to pick her up after the bar keep called for her designated driver. Her vision began to blur as she laid on her friend's lap, the girl telling her something that she couldn't clearly make out. Eventually, everything went dark, Etsuko passing out piss drunk ... or so she thought.

"Shut up. It's too loud in here." she cried, covering her ears with her hands. "Can't you see I'm trying to sleep." she groaned, letting one of her ears go in order to search for the T.V remote.

The noise was too loud to be her neighbors, so that meant it had to be coming from inside the house. Searching on what she thought was her couch, her hands were met with nothing but cool floors that felt too rough to be the hardwood she had at her apartment. Forcing open one of her eyes, she could see slight movement happening to the side of her, a bright light causing her to fall back in pain. What the? Rubbing her eyes open, she found herself lying on the middle of the floor surrounded by people who didn't seem to pay much attention to the woman in a drunken stupor passed out on the ground. Adjusting her vision, she began to recognize some of the people and parts of her surroundings. Wait a minute. Was she ... Was she in Lifeline right now? Etsuko clutched her head, the events of last night slowly coming back to her. Last night ... I was working. I had to deal with an asshole, and then I got off. What did I do after that? ... I went to the usual place and I drank a few ... way too much whisky. Then I think the bar keep called Yumi ... Yeah, it had to be her. I remember smelling her flowery perfume. So Yumi came to pick me up, but what happened after? she questioned, the pounding of her head evolving to a sharp pain. What did I do next? I got home, and ... and what? the pain worsened as she tried remembering what happened. Then it hit her. She must have gotten on the game when she got home. She didn't know how she managed that feet, but a drunk Etsuko had never failed to surprise her yet.

Taking a deep breath, she realized that she must have passed out while playing. She must look like a fool, just thinking about how she'd look all passed out on the platform used to play the game. Well, now that she knew where she was at, she knew what she had to do. Etsuko looked to the bottom of her screen to find the menu icon, but for some reason it wasn't there. Weird. Then if that wasn't an option, maybe she could use a voice command to log herself out.

"Log o-off." she stuttered, the sharp pain in her head causing her to flinch. Nothing happened.

"Log off." she said clearly, enunciating her words to make sure it understood her commands. Still, nothing. Etsuko was starting to get frustrated.

"I said log off." she said once more, the woman still lying on the floor. What was going on. The menu button was gone ... now that she looked around, it seemed liked all the icons had disappeared. What the hell was happening right now? She didn't want to believe it, but could she actually be stuck ... in a video game? No, that was crazy talk. How could she be stuck in a video game, that didn't make sense. She didn't live in some crappy anime world where people could just get sucked into video games. That just wasn't possible. Before she could think of another reason, her stomach started to feel a little funny. Soon, she found the contents of yesterday all over the floor, a yellow puddle of what she assumed was whisky and maybe chicken. One more hurl and she could feel herself sobering up a bit, her first order of business being to escape the scene of the crime. Pushing herself onto her feet, she wiped the tears that ran down her face and moved towards familiar signs, things she had remembered seeing when she played.

Walking for what felt like hours she found herself at the beginner's room, she entered one that held two women, one with white hair and red eyes while the other was donned bronze skin with a bundle of silver hair hidden away by a hood. Her eyes narrowed down on the strangers before her, unsure if everything was the same as before. She couldn't tell if they were player characters or NPC, but regardless, she needed answers.

"Do either of you know what the hell is going on here?" she questioned, legs wobbling as she leaned against the wall for balance. Etsuko was nervous, scared even, but now was not the time to show fear. She wasn't even sure if what she thought earlier was true, so she'd need to keep some semblance of rationality with her if she were to piece together what was going on.

-

 

[Enum]

Leon 'Austus' Reman​

Location: Beginner room
Mood: Confused yet Excited
Interactions: Bum Bear , (Etsuko) BoltBeam (Belle), Doughnut (Chae Rim)
With: As above
Tags:

It was another hellish day.

Leon had just made it 'home' from a long business trip. His stuff had already been taken to their places, and he had just sat down in the extravagant 'living room' inside one of the many homes owned by his family. This one in particular, a grand piece of work in Minato-Ku, Tokyo, was actually considered quite small relative to Leon's father's massive estate(s) in the USA. Leon didn't mind the size, however, as it was just a temporary place he kept in mind to get away from his family. He had been having arguments with his father, Jeremiah Reman, about the nature of Leon's work. Jeremiah Reman was a man of class, and was widely known for having his fingers in several pies, so to speak. Leon's family had always been loaded, but Jeremiah Reman was the cream of the crop in the Reman family, as he was not just heading several companies, but had investments in several others outside of his immediate control. There were many mixed feelings about the Reman family, as Jeremiah Reman was a fairly average CEO in terms of extreme wealth. He made a lot of money and it was not always in the most economically fair of ways.

Leon was the exact opposite of his father. Leon had inherited quite a bit from his grandparents and had several investments from his direct family. Despite Leon's success at a young age, he and his father were often butting heads over silly arguments. Jeremiah didn't appreciate how Leon conducted business, since Leon always favored humanitarianism over profit. Leon also never made public appearances, which upset his father greatly, since Leon often refused to attend any social outings beyond his own family. Despite his mother's best attempts, Leon never got along with his father, and it always made his direct family uncomfortable for the two of them to be in the same room at any given time. And so, when Leon had no choice but to attend a large family gathering to celebrate the recent successes of his extended family, it was no surprise when what started as a fancy get-together had devolved into a powerful disagreement over management between Leon and Jeremiah. When all was said and done, Leon had cancelled his return flight to America and instead opted to fly to this getaway home in Tokyo. It hadn't been visited since Leon was a child by anyone EXCEPT Leon, since Leon's family had nicer homes in better places. This was Leon's favorite getaway home, since it was 'small and simple,' as he'd put it. He visited it regularly when he wanted to get away from everything, and the city was also quite an exciting place to be. There were no servants, there were no maids, and there was nothing besides some lavish decorations and activities to keep oneself busy. Unsurprisingly, someone had been hired to clean and dust the place long before Leon got there, but it wasn't of much concern. It was home for now, perhaps for the next few weeks if the disagreements with his father maintained course.

Leon poured himself a drink; a cheap booze he had purchased just before making it to the house. He never enjoyed drinking, but it was something that helped take his mind off recent problems. It also created a fantastic disconnect from his father, since Jeremiah refused to drink anything but the 'finest, most well prepared drinks in the house.' He sat in silence, trying to recover from the long weekend. He tipped it back, retching at the taste. The large television muffled the noise of his body rejecting the 'acquired-taste' glass of what looked and tasted like piss. The news was as boring as it usually was, especially since Leon was struggling to understand anything being said. His Japanese wasn't perfect, but he'd learned enough to communicate decently. Despite the images on the screen, Leon was primarily focused on something else; Lifeline. It was one of his favorite games. RPG's were the perfect way to waste time, and Lifeline was beyond innovative. He'd loved the play style of the game, and he had already spent copious amounts of time playing it and knocking out the early quests. He hadn't been able to play for a while, since life had been hectic recently. He decided he had enough time to change that, so he stood, emptied his drink, and headed to the mat. Leon knew the console Lifeline used was expensive, but he had one in just about any house he normally visited. He fitted himself to the gear and started the game. The opening sequence was usually disorienting, but something felt off about it this time.

When his vision adjusted to the light, he found himself in a strange place; the beginner's room. This was odd, as Leon had logged out in a zone quite a ways from here. His usual gear was still available, only the location seemed to be different. He decided to report the bug, seeing as it would definitely screw over high-level players if they were restarted at the beginning of the game. Leon was caught off guard when he noticed the menu was missing. Not only could he not access it in any way, but the entire icon was gone. He immediately called to log out, but the game didn't respond. He reached up to try and pull off the gear, but his hands only met his hair, which felt entirely REAL. Leon gasped as his hands roamed his armor and head, realizing that all the items he had on him felt like they really belonged to him. Questions raced through his mind, and he felt liked he was on the verge of a panic attack. He had heard rumors of this happening, people getting absorbed into Lifeline, but he didn't think any of it was real- or that it would happen to him. As he stood there looking like a tool, he overheard quite an interesting voice say,

"Do either of you know what the hell is going on here?"

At least that's what he assumed he heard. The language barrier was a bit confusing, but he got the gist of it. He rushed over to where he'd heard the loud frustration and found three strange characters staring each other down in confusion. He approached carefully, his gear usual gear clanking loudly due to his poor stealth rating. He stood before them, his heavily armed character looking a tad strange next to the two smaller classes before him. The darker women before them seemed different, she was too composed (and too strangely posed) to be a normal player. Nobody could just sit like that unless they placed a chair in the playing zone of the mat- and even then the game would reject play with an obstacle in the way. He waved his hand to them as he approached and tried to speak. He assumed this was a Japanese server, considering his location, so his speech was slow and stuttered.

"Uhm, hello," he greeted them rather timidly, which looked quite odd for his size, "I'd like to know the same, actually.

codedbycrucialstar​

 

[OldTurtle]

The door swung open inwards and Sebastian clumped through the doorway, his face twisted into an expression of distaste. He crossed his small apartment, dropped his bag onto the single couch, and followed the bag down onto the dark seat with a heavy sigh. It had been another day of unsuccessful of job hunting. Seb had graduated nearly a year ago, but had so far been unable to secure a job. He'd been to over a dozen interviews already, but not one of them was successful. The man was quickly growing frustrated with the series of failures, and his building impatience was him jittery and anxious.

Seb snatched up his phone from the nearby bag and turned it on. Almost immediately, he switched it off and tossed it back onto the seat next to him. His parents had been calling and texting frequently, always, always, always asking about his employment status and listing off the names of other graduates his age they knew who had already become employed. Meanwhile, Seb was working as a waiter at a neighborhood cafe to help pay the bills. He knew that his parents were only worried, and that they meant well, but he just wasn't up to deal with them just yet. He'd call them back in a little while, he decided.

Seb let his eyes wander across the small room, looking for something to distract himself with. They fell upon a pile of equipment in the corner of the room. His Lifeline headset and platform. Huh. He'd received it as a present some time ago, but after graduating, the set had been left forgotten. He'd been too busy in the past months for any gaming. Seb licked his dry lips as he watched it, struggling with his conscience. There were definitely more productive activities he could do with his time, but none of them were nearly as attractive as this option. Well, it wouldn't hurt to play for just a little while, right? Besides, it might help him relieve a little stress. His mind made up, Seb leapt from the couch and strode over to the gaming equipment. He quickly set it up and fit himself with the gear, logging in to his account, Guildenstern.

The first scene that greeted him upon startup was, oddly enough, the interior of a castle. Seb stared for several seconds, trying to recall why he was there. He didn't think that was where he'd been the last time he played Lifeline. But then again, it had been a while, so maybe he was just remembering wrong. Brushing the question aside, he stepped forward, only to be met with a sudden bout of dizziness. Seb crashed to the ground with a sudden cry, slamming his head into the cold stone floor. He lay there for a few seconds, groaning at the ache in his head. Why did it hurt so much? He usually kept the pain settings lower than real life, but this hurt too much. Had he accidentally reset the settings? Seb rolled over onto his back, trying to blink away the pain.

"Log out," he muttered. Nothing. There was no responses from the game. No sounds, no messages, no lights, nothing. He brow furrowed in confusion, he tried again. "Log out. Log off. Exit. End."

None of the commands were working. He sat up quickly, quickly growing worried. "Menu?" he asked hesitantly, still holding out hope. Again, nothing. Panicking, Seb rushed through every command he could remember. There were no screens, no interfaces, no messages, nothing at all. He scrambled up to his feet and nervously eyed his surroundings. Definitely Lifeline. There wasn't exactly random castles everywhere. Besides this looked somewhat familiar. If he remembered correctly, this was Varin Castle. Seb hadn't played in the region often, but it was pretty recognizable.

What the hell. What the actual hell was going on? Why was he here? How was he here? Was there some bug that made it so that he couldn't log out? No, that was ridiculous. If there was a bug that big, the game would never have been released. It just couldn't happen. No way. Then was this some sort of dream? Seb pressed his hand against the wall closest to him. It certainly didn't feel like a dream. While Lifeline was incomparably realistic, this just didn't sit right with Seb. Wait. Wait just a second. It was him, he realized, staring at the hand still pressed against the wall. Seb hadn't noticed at first, as he was still dressed in Guildenstern's equipment, but this wasn't right.

Seb snatched his hand away from the wall and examined both of his palms. There was a small scar along the right thumb from one time he cut himself while learning how to cook a few years back. His nails were a bit too long, having forgotten to cut them recently. The hands were pale, a far cry from Guildenstern's darker complexion. This was his hand. Not Guildenstern's. His. Falling back into a panic, Sec ran his hands across his body frantically, feeling a far thinner frame than it should have been. Then came his face. The final blow. He felt the contours of his face with his fingers. So familiar. He knew that face. It was one he'd lived with for the past twenty two years.

It was undeniable. This wasn't just some bug or error. Was he actually trapped in the game? It was an odd, unreasonable suspicion, butSeb couldn't deny it. Had he, defying all common sense, somehow been pulled into the game itself? This... this had to be a nightmare. No, this was a disaster. This was something that could only happen in movies or books. Not to him. Not to anyone real. It was impossible. Seb's hands trembled violently and he felt his breaths come shorter. His knees suddenly weakened and he fell forward, barely catching himself on the wall. No, no, don't panic, he chided himself. This is no time to panic. Seb sank to the ground and struggled to steady his breathing. Eventually, he steadied himself and arrested the shaking in his hands.

"Okay," he muttered, looking up from the ground. "Okay. First, an explanation. Let's not assume anything crazy." He laughed weakly. "Other people. There's got to be other people."

Seb rose from the ground, brushing off his knees, and peered around again. He was in a long hallway, with a large door at either end. He chose to walk forward, figuring that he was bound to run into someone eventually. He didn't. For whatever reason, as Seb continued to walk, there was not another soul in sight. But he persisted, going in what he'd arbitrarily decided was the "forwards" direction. Eventually, he found himself nearing an area that was familiar. If he wasn't mistaken, this was the beginner room. Then, there was the sound of voices. Seb picked up the pace, hoping to find whoever had spoken. He entered the room just in time to catch the tail end of someone's question.

"--the same, actually."

Ah, praise the sun! People! There were real, live, proper people here! Though Seb couldn't really be sure about any part of that statement, he decided to ignore it. One problem at a time, Sebastian. One problem at a time. The room was dominated mainly by four colorful characters: a tall, dark-haired, heavily armed man, a younger girl with shockingly silver hair, an older woman leaning against a wall, and another woman with bronzed skin, also with a head silver hair, though it was mostly covered by a hood. Oookay. Weird, but no matter. Worry about who they are later. For now, answers.

"Er, what was that?" Seb questioned, having missed the rest of the previous question. "What's going on?"

Doughnut BoltBeam Bum Bear Enum

 

[Dawnstar]

Aaron Kingston [TheEighthKing]

Aaron had already spent several hours on Lifeline today, trying to grind the best he can with his support class to get himself into a better position with his friend's upcoming raid. His attempts hadn't been the most successful and he mostly ended up messing around in one of the city-hubs cheering people on, chatting in the digital tavern or healing solo-players who came back wounded as they walked past.

Ooooh the joys of being bored during an uneventful summer vacation - His house in the real world empty, his mother out at work, and his elder sister out on a road-trip with some of her friends.

"Praise this All-Mighty Stick!"
"Praise it for your King was Here!"
Aaron was being a goofball roleplaying his Cleric's proselytizing with an oversized Cross weapon in-hand and his limited-edition crown upon his head. Few people were listening but he still saw a couple of people amused in their passing, and that's all that really mattered.

Huh what..? Why am I so.... tired.. Aaron felt his eyelids, trying to hold his head up before everything with his body became heavy and he collapsed.
...
....
"Do either of you know what the hell is going on here?" These words shouted from the next room over suddenly forced Aaron awake. Huh... What, where am I..? Aaron was dazed for a moment as he stood up. Something's not right...? A feeling clawed at the back of Aaron's mind, he knew something had changed but the reality of it hadn't hit him yet.

No instead Aaron just charged out of the room to check out what the commotion was, seeing witness to a room of confused and rather eccentric looking players observing them in all some distress - Unsure as to why, and oblivious to his current situation the newly arrived short-teenage boy, with his messy-blond hair and dressed in a simply gold-and-white version of low-tier priestly garb, as well as his signature crown just decided to just spin a joke.
"Woah, are one of you an elementalist? Your conversation is hot enough in here!"

 

[Huntertabbysandshark3]

Harison​

for harison things where normal he had gotten home from work late that evening intensity angry actually his class was utterly useless he was angry and wanted to let off some steam, lifeline was his outlet logging into the game he was glad to be within Elementalist putting on the mask of thokk, spending a few hours of playing the burning people to and other creatures to death. that was until something happened he felt his body lighten somewhat a strange zapping sound before nothing? shouldn't he have been thrown out if something was wrong? so there must have been nothing then right, harison now.. thokk continued on his merry way as the polite and destructive orcen wizard well Elementalist. but the when he was about to log off.. he couldn't bring up the menu? what had gone on... hmm he decided if something happened like this it would probably be a safe bet to get back to beginner zone right? people should be there, as such he headed over slowly but surely. once he did get there he opened up the doors to the room with a deep bow greeting the rest of the group that seemed to have gathered "hello everyone, im not sure whats happened but, i do fear we might be all trapped in here"

(sorry if this is bad i just wanted to get a intro out)

 

[EldridSmith]

Hank had just finished up the gate the governor and had given him a call telling him he could pick it up whenever he wanted this week and that it would be in the back of the shop. After hanging up he went inside to get some sleep and play around with his VR set. He had just gotten a new warhammer he wanted to test out and he was really looking forward to it. His character awoke within his blacksmith shop which had garnered him a decent share of fame thanks to his skill. He grabbed his hammer and headed out to crack a few goblin skulls before returning to his shop. The hammer was even better than he expected. The only downside was it's unrealistically large size made it a slow weapon. He went back to his shop and hammered out a new swords to and he put them on the sword display rack out front. He honestly wished the fantasy world was real as the runes he was learning how to make in his free time greatly increased his equipments performance. However when he tried to log out and couldn't, he didn't really think too much about it and continued working until he felt tired. Wait what. He was tired in the game. That shouldn't be possible. I hope this isn't just some wacky dream. He thought to himself. He began making trying to find Chaerim, one of his favorite waif--NPC's to try and find answers.

 

[Doughnut]

Chae Rim

Location: Vairin Castle| Interacting with: N/A| Mentions: Enum BoltBeam Bum Bear Dawnstar OldTurtle ThatGuyWithSouvlaki Huntertabbysandshark3 EldridSmith

The people started to flow inside the room one by one. It seemed like she had a decent amount of people under her wings for the time being. If they survived all the better but it was common sense to not hope for that as the opposing threats are not a light joke. She sighed as she eyed every single one of them, as if staring into the depths of their souls. Her eyes were that intense and could make anyone uncomfortable, especially if they were socially awkward and/or sensitive. She let out a deep sigh due to the slight panic going on. Well, who could blame them? They got transported into a completely different world yet not completely. A weird thing to say indeed.

Once she had enough of the confusion that existed, she pushed herself straight up and walked to the group of “heroes” that she was going to train for the couple of days. Perhaps even weeks, depending on the progress they would make. Of course it wasn’t going to be easy, even more if they weren’t used to any kind of fighting. Scraping her throat before letting her voice out loud and clear, demanding to be heard with no exceptions. That was the kind of aura she had when she had to take the lead.

”Alright, since you are all here, I’ll begin my explanation about what is even going on right now. You’re now in Vairin Castle, summoned by the highest ranking summoners in order to protect us from oncoming evil. You must think it’s unfair since you didn’t exactly have a say into this but there’s no turning back until the evil is destroyed. And no, you can’t be summoned back to that same threat. However I am here to guide you to the best of my abilities.” She explained.

”For now, the least I can do is answer any of your questions.”

code by Ri.a

 

[BoltBeam]

Belle Lysiris (LiteralTrash)

And they didn't stop coming, it seems. Shortly after my own arrival, one after one people came on in as well - presumably in the same situation as me. All of them seemed to be asking the same thing - about what the heck is going on here. Well, except for one, who wanted to make a joke about the situation instead. That person's words were the following - and were actually said out loud:

"Woah, are one of you an elementalist? Your conversation is hot enough in here!"

Oh of course... Of all things that had to break said chain was a damn pun. I shook my head as I also collectively joined the numerous groans filling the background, in sheer disappointment. "...Really?" I asked aloud, voicing my disappointment, yet speaking to nobody in particular. As I would intend to continue, however, I would be shaken off by the sound of Chae Rim's footsteps fast approaching, and no less that intense stare of hers fixated among the group; staring into and through everyone in an instant as she came closer and closer, step by step.

”Alright-"

Oh God, it talks. She talks.

I continued to remain silent as her actual explanation followed. Vairin Castle is nothing new, but this summoning is perplexing enough, intriguing me as with the mention of summoners and oncoming evil (that forbid our exit until they are gone). Thankfully, it seems she is on our side. I attempt to step forward. "Er, yes... I have questions - several." I began, stretching myself after a step forward to help Chae identify where the speech came from.

Welp, best make these questions count. Here goes!

"While I understand the reasons we are summoned here, my first concern arises to as follows - while we are here, what is left of us in reality?" I asked, that being my biggest and prime concern. As here, I am technically unemployed, and without me, the Lifeline Hospital back home will see a sharp decline and probably worsen... I didn't like that one bit, and I still don't.

"And secondly, do you at least know what kind of evil we are up against? Any information on that which we are here to repel would be greatly appreciated; your own aid included." I continued, then stepping back after asking my two questions, with nothing more to say. I can only hope I get my answers, but for now, I looked around to the rest of the group I seem to be bundled with.

Dull worker, businessman, bookworm, entitled something, elder, and blacksmith. That seems to be the others? I sighed heavily and shook my head in worry, and crossed my arms passively before me and trying to maintain a calm, yet serious exterior as I continued to worry inside myself, and only to myself - in the core of my brain. Within said brain, the following words crossed my mind...

Yeah, this may or may not end well...

Mentions: Dawnstar , Bum Bear , Enum , OldTurtle , Huntertabbysandshark3 , EldridSmith
Interactions: Doughnut

 

[EldridSmith]

Hank arrived and saw the gathering of worried people, exceptmost of them seemed worried and concerned about the entire ordeal. Hank could understand some had families and other things to worry about but for him nothing really changed, he was still a blacksmith, he was still strong, if not stronger now, and he was still single. However several memories of his attempts at romance with Chaerim, the flowers, the hand forged metal roses, and several other attempts all flooded intohis mind. Does she even remember me? He wonders, he knew he wasn't the only person who liked her but he made sure to keep his old fashioned, chivalrous and polite southern style of doing things so at least he shouldn't have left any bad memories. As he was about to ask his questions a girl with white hair spoke up. Not being one to interrupt he stayed silent, waiting for his turn to ask questions. He looked around to see who else had been drawn into the world before returning his attention to Chaerim.
Mentions: Dawnstar , Bum Bear , Enum , OldTurtle , Huntertabbysandshark3 , Doughnut