Futuristic Reveria

[fleurdelys]

a roleplay between myself and Viper
------------------------------------------------------------------------------​

The warm smell of brewing coffee and tea was slowly dissipating from the air as the grounds were emptied into the trash, and the equipment gradually went through its daily cleaning. The hushed thrum of conversation had settled, gone out the door with the last of their patrons; now, only the chipper voices of his co-workers remained, though their playful chatter was enough to fill up the otherwise empty café. He wasn’t sure what they were joking or talking about – though, judging by Phoebe’s half-disgusted, half-delighted jeer, Dave was probably guzzling down leftover whipped cream again – but it was nice to hear them having fun. It was the height of exam season, so their shift was pretty busy and tiring from the near-constant stream of sleep-deprived college students coming in and out for caffeine, or otherwise hunkering down in a corner to study.

Luckily, Finley was just about done his exams. They’d all been crunched together, which had sucked, but he only had one more tomorrow before he was finished for the semester – and he wasn’t worried. He was already sitting at a cozy 84 percent going into it, so he could technically skip the whole thing and still pass… but of course, he wouldn’t. He’d just feel too guilty about it.

I’ll do a quick review when I get home, then get an early night and do some more in the morning, he decided as he packed away the last of the leftover pastries. With his study plan mentally in place, he looked over to his co-workers, who continued to low-key flirt as they worked. “Either of you want to take some food home today? Got a couple croissants and a, uh…” Finley peeked into one of the bags to double check. “A blueberry danish. Interested?”

“Sure, I’ll take them!” Phoebe piped up immediately “Can you leave ‘em at the back, Fin?”

“Yeah, 'course,” he replied, though his words were promptly washed out by Dave, who started them back onto the flirting-train with a (honestly, pretty shitty) rib at Phoebe’s weight. As the two turned back into their own world, Fin wrinkled his nose ever so slightly before deciding to head to the back. The two were nice enough, and good to work with, but man did he ever feel like a third wheel. They should just make out already, he thought as he plopped the leftover pastries on the table next to Phoebe’s bag and returned to the front, where he saw Dave poking at Phoebe’s side. Or maybe that would just make things more awkward for me?

Well, whatever. Finley shook it off and head to the cash, where he removed the till and brought it to the back to count. After leafing through the bills and coins twice-over, he updated the ledger and stowed them away safely for the owner to review in the morning. Usually, the café’s owner would stay to count things himself, but for whatever reason he seemed to trust Fin enough to leave the task to him. It was flattering, he supposed, but he had to admit it was a bit nerve-wracking. What if he miscounted? Or got accused of stealing?

The young man looked at the Ziploc bag full of money that he’d placed in the open safe, the mild paranoia lingering like a storm cloud over his head. Maybe… one more time couldn’t hurt.

Just as he was nearing the end of the stack, the two not-lovebirds poked their head into the room. “Hey, everything’s done. See ya, Fin!” Dave gave a wave, with Phoebe following suit, and the pair head out together, still chirping and chatting away. Once the door closed in the distance, it was finally completely quiet. Finley couldn’t help but let out a small sigh of relief before he finished his triple-check in peace.

With the money put away, he locked the safe and then the room itself. After checking off the closing duties they’d all completed, he signed them off and replaced the café’s quality assurance clipboard under the counter. Satisfied, Finley grabbed his things, put on his coat, and turned off the lights. He locked the door behind him, making sure to rattle and push on it a few times to ensure it was locked, and then finally walked away.

His breath came out in faint wisps, drifting from between his lips before disappearing into the night air. It was chilly, but not too bad for this time of year. Good thing, too, since it was a decent walk from the café back to his dorm. Finley tucked his hands deeper into his pockets, hugging his arms close to himself to warmth, as he continued down the sidewalk at a steady, relaxed pace. It was a bit strange to think that, just a few years ago, something as simple as walking home at night was a completely different experience. Back then, his whole body was tense, and his mind was completely on edge. It felt like he couldn’t go a few paces without looking over his shoulder or glancing around, keeping all his senses peeled for any sign of his once-friend and bully, Nolan. He’d like to get the jump on him at night, especially in the later years of high school. And he could never guess what Nolan was going to do – was he gonna beat him up? Drag him into one of his parties? Or just shove him around and insult him a bit?

That was probably the worst part. Being at Nolan’s mercy; not knowing what was going to happen to him.

While things were definitely not as bad now – mainly he and Nolan no longer lived next to each other, or even the same neighbourhood – Finley still wasn’t free from his torment. For whatever reason, Nolan would occasionally drop by the café and give him an unnecessarily hard time; or sometimes, he’d show up at parties Fin went to and try to humiliate him again. Stuff like that. It wasn’t nearly as frequent or as bad as it used to be, but it was still annoying not knowing when he’d show up or what he’d do.

Finley found himself frowning as he thought about these things, but his expression suddenly eased as he came to a realization: when was the last time he’d seen Nolan? Not that he wanted to, but… well, normally he showed up at least a few times a month. Or he’d be around campus, talking to people, or even just walking through. But now that Fin thought about it, it’d been really quiet and peaceful lately. Life had been… actually pretty good for the past few weeks.

He should have felt relief and joy with this revelation – after all, maybe Nolan finally got bored of tormenting him and finally gave up? Maybe he’d be able to go on with life normally for the first time in years. He could stop keeping low at parties or ducking around corners when he saw Nolan on campus. He could just… live normally. But, somehow, Finley couldn’t shake the uneasy knot that formed in his gut. It was an amazing notion, sure, but… it didn’t feel right. Why would Nolan just give up all of a sudden? Did he move away, maybe? No, he’d want to get some ‘last laugh’ type of thing in, right? So then… did something happen? Was he sick, or hurt?

The young man frowned again. He shouldn’t have cared after the hell Nolan had put him through, but… some tiny part of him did. Yeah, he was a total shithead who’d treated him worse than trash, but it wasn’t like Finley wished any harm on him. (Anymore, at least.) They had been best friends at one point, after all.

He turned the thought over in his head a few times, thinking it over before shaking it off. Well, at the end of the day, Nolan's life wasn't any of his business. Finley had his own stuff to worry about, so he figured it was best just to focus on that for now.

Reaching up from his pocket, he drew the collar of his jacket closer around his face. Fin nestled his chin deeper into his coat, turning his face slightly downward and away from the slightly frosty air, his gaze naturally falling towards the ground as he continued onward back home.

 

[Viper]

One x One - Reveria Chronicles- Characters and Lore

Infernal Requiem stood on top of a volcano that made up the entirety of the island, the top solid for now but shaking non stop.

“Come on you stupid monster, wake up already!” Req demanded, his foot slamming into the top as if force would cause the eruption sooner. The stone cracked from the force but did not budge any further than that. That's what happened when strength was your lowest stat.

When this crater, eventually, opened up, lava would pool out and from the burning stream was supposed to be a fantastically powerful Boss Monster who did not like to be disturbed. Based on a text Req found in a ruined library under a quicksand trap, this creature destroyed all of the lands around this island just to keep other life forms away from it. With that in mind, if Req just stood here and made himself a nuisance, then the beast would have no choice but to come out of its hidey-hole and fight him.

A creature that lived in a volcano would surely make a fabulous item, perhaps a pair of lava resistant boots or maybe a set of lava infused arrows? With the best blacksmiths in the game on speed dial, it was hard to decide what to use his prey’s corpses for. And who knew! Maybe this monster would be strong enough to give him the last 1, 070,043 experience points he needed to level up! That would be nice… it had been so long since he felt the rush that came with leveling up.

With that thought in mind, Req slammed his foot into the ground one more time and this time got a response in the form of a rumble far stronger than any that came before. “About time,” Req said with a grin as he took a few steps away from the center of the crater. “Let's get this started.”

“Reveria Chronicles. Exorcism of the Twelve Thrones. Demon Prince Amaimon of the First Legion Wing’s Attribute. Let me tell their story.” As this spell was cast, from Req’s back sprouted a pair of large demonic wings, purple and black with spikes at the tips of each of the wing’s digits. There was already a hole designed in the back of this shirt so that a max of three sets of wings could be freed without harming the armor, but for now, it was just the single set. Demons were often resistant to flames, which made demon wings a fine physical addition since even if splashed, Req would be able to keep flying. And he needed to be able to fly since there was only a small bit of land here, and that land was at a 45-degree angle at best.

With a strong jump, Req lifted himself off of the shaking, cracking ground. He went up several meters, trying to avoid the burning steam seeping out of the cracks. While so high in the sky, Req muttered his spell a three more times, summoning the horns of a demon prince from the same quest that would increase his mana regeneration, a spell used by one of the lesser water gods that would allow him to control all of the oceans around them, and the final spell was a once a day ability, one that would give Req a strong boost in this fight to start with.

Raising his hands in the air, Req summoned a large ball of raw magic that threatened to burn Req’s hands and hair if he held it too long. “Come on, come on,” Req muttered with excitement as he fought the wind and this magical energy using only his wings which were, at this point, just as common to Req as his legs were.

The moment the volcano gave a final burst of steam and the top shattered, revealing a single molten claw, Req threw the great ball of magic at the beast he could only barely see. It made contact, shattering what remained of the top, the entire top bit of the volcano, and seemingly a portion of the solidified lava the beast apparently used as armor.

“Nice trick. Hope I can keep a record of that,” the ranker said in response to the strong black natural armor the beast was using, undisturbed by the monster in front of him even when it turned its gaze on him and roared a fountain of lava. “Makes me think of vomit.”

For an entire hour, Req flew around this island, chipping away at the beast using the ocean around them and occasionally mixing in magic from his past experiences. Bardic abilities were not the best for non-human targets, especially not normally ones of this caliber, but thankfully this subclass made up for all of the classic bardic weaknesses. The beast was stumbling by now, its flames weaker and its fury seemingly calming as the fear of death took over. It was pitiful the way the creature was trying to crawl back into his volcanic cave to escape the final blow.

“Yeah, I don’t think so you monster fuc-”

Req’s eyes opened to find a ceiling in front of him. No, not Req’s eyes, but Nolans. What in the hell happened? He did not log out, and the pain in his back sure did not imply that he was laying on the mattress like he was a few hours ago.

Shooting up into a seated position in a panic, Nolan saw a pair of men walking away from the bed holding the ReveCast. “That's mine you assholes!” Nolan shouted, his body already trying to get off the bed and rush at these strangers. “Give it back!”

Perhaps his concern should have been his kidnapping, but in that moment, Nolan was still in kill mode. He was so close to killing that beast! No other player had done so as far as records showed! Now all that progress was gone! More than that, Nolan was not going to tolerate some wrinkled old dicks taking Reveria from him.

Problem was, by the time Nolan’s stiff legs were moving and Nolan reached the door, it was already shut and the terrifying sound of a lock clicking was heard. That did not stop Nolan though from taking his legs, shoulders, and nearly every object in the room and smashing them against the door with all his might. Not even a dent could be seen on the door, so eventually, Nolan had no choice but to flop back on the bed.

This was a bedroom, a decent looking one since it had a desk and everything, but it also had a toilet and sink plus a bucket which, upon closer inspection, had a bar of soap in it. His shower. There was a slot in the door too, but when Nolan looked through it, all he saw was darkness. A food slot perhaps? For meals? His phone and wallet was gone too.

“No fucking way,” was all the young man could say. Had he really been kidnapped? Why? And more importantly, they used the ReveCast blocking his senses to take him here without him noticing, which likely meant that they knew he was a player… or they were just some damn lucky kidnappers. Was this happening because he made an enemy in Reveria? He had heard the rumors about these kinds of things happening, but he didn't think they were real. I mean, beating the shit out of your opponent in real life was one thing, but actually going too far as to kidnap? There was no way… maybe. And with this set up, it sure seemed like this enemy was abnormally well supplied.

Shame Req had made too many enemies to even be able to narrow in on a single suspect.

Not that it mattered. The door was impenetrable and the food slot would stay closed as long as he was close to it. He went three days without food just to test this theory before hunger overcame his reason. Clearly they knew his position in the room, by camera or worse a tracker, and if he was close to the door around mealtime, he would simply not get his meal. It only hurt him, so eventually, Nolan stopped trying to resist the meals or his status. This was not harmful, not directly at least. Nothing pointed towards them trying to kill him; if anything, this was more like prison, or at least how Nolan imagined prison feeling like.

Although unlike prison, there were no windows or clocks in here, so Nolan could only guess the time using his meals as markers. And even that failed when Nolan lost track of time after the second week.

The worst part of all of this though was that Nolan had no one to talk to all of that time. They would push the food through the slot and, no matter what Nolan said to them, they never heard a word. It got to the point that Nolan stopped expecting a response and instead would insult them just for the hell of it or he would ignore them too. Singing became one of the only ways that Nolan could pass the time besides working out, and sometimes he would sing the most annoying things he could think of or his actions just to hopefully bother whoever was watching him. Of course, it had no visible effects, but he felt better knowing that there was a chance that he was pissing off his kidnapper.

The day eventually came where Nolan was laying in bed as usual and the door opened. For all Nolan’s strength, he only got out two punches before a bag was over his head and a group of men was dragging him out of the room. They shoved him in a car for a bit before basically just tossing him out and driving away.

By the time Nolan got the bag off his head, the car was long gone.

It felt like forever since Nolan had felt the wind on his face, and for a moment, Nolan just sat on the ground and enjoyed the feeling. The wind was causing Nolan’s beard to tickle his face though, making him feel suddenly scratchy. “Gotta get rid of this beard,” Nolan muttered to himself, despising the feeling of having so much hair on his face. Normally he had a bit of stubble or perhaps just a band down his jaw and chin, but this made him feel like a wild mountain man.

Perhaps it was silly to be concerned about such a thing only moments after being freed from a kidnapping, yet there he was, on a familiar street at least an hours walk from home, just scratching his face without concern.

“Fuck,” he muttered suddenly, realizing that he had no cell phone, no wallet, and more importantly, no ReveCast. He couldn't even get inside of his apartment since they took his keys away…. Hopefully, it had not been so long that he was kicked out of the apartment for not paying the bills. Damn, that better not have happened.

Only one way to find out.

So Nolan walked the night street wearing just a casual outfit, no coat, and on such a chilly night he would have really liked something. Those assholes didn't bother giving him a coat before shoving him out of the car like a sack of potatoes. It was only luck that he was captured in a long sleeve, but even that was useless to keep out the cold.

Part of the way home, Nolan glanced up from the sidewalk to see a familiar face. Finley, good old Fin from next door. Of all the people who lived in this city, why did he have to run into this piece of shit? God, just seeing him was like bile in his throat. Honestly, Nolan just wanted to ignore the kid, but he needed to reach out to a friend or the landlord or… someone.

Calling the cops didn't even come to mind. It wasn't like he knew who captured him or where he had been. No, Nolan just wanted to go home, lock his doors, and check on his Reveria status.

“Well, if it isn't Finny! How’s my favorite sub-par barista? Just came home from work?” Nolan’s voice was loud and bold as usual, in fact, it was probably a bit more intense than normal. Nolan was trying to seem normal, or at the very least, not sound like he was shivering like crazy.

Approaching quickly, Nolan threw an arm around Finley’s shoulders. Wow, he was warm, and any kind of warmth right now was bliss. Subconsciously, Nolan tightened his hold and caused them to make more physical contact. Hopefully, Finley would not be able to feel how Nolan’s body was shaking. “Tell me buddy, you got your phone and wallet on you right now, right? Wanna give them to me? Promise I'll give them right back!”

Honestly, Nolan only wanted the phone to make a call, and he just wanted to have some spare cash since he would need some to tide himself over until he could get a new credit card. But there was no way he was going to ask Finley for help. Better to just take it. It would not be the first time Finley lost his lunch money to a bully.

Expectantly, Nolan held out a hand before them both, palm up. He clearly expected Finley to just submit right away.

“If you weren't so tiny, I’d ask for your coat too. But those noodle arms of yours kinda make that impossible.” Nolan had noticed the way Finley was starting to fill out. Honestly, he looked good although still on the smaller side. Given enough time, they could actually be the same clothing size. After all, their heights were nearly the same too. Nolan just had a fair bit more muscle on him. That being said, the fact that Fin was getting more fit was annoying. A fucking nerd should stay that way, not waste his time pretending like he ever could be desirable or any level of athlete.

 

[fleurdelys]

Finley walked in silence, accompanied only by the sound of his footsteps against the pavement. It wasn’t completely empty out on the streets tonight – a few similarly solitary people passed him by, and there was a couple walking in the same direction on the opposite side of the street – but it was pretty quiet nonetheless. While many would often put on some music to entertain themselves on their long walk home, Fin hadn’t done such a thing in years. He’d quickly learned better after that one time Nolan and his friends had gotten the jump on his unsuspecting, half-deaf ass. And so, he always was careful to keep his eyes and ears open, not just for Nolan, but for any potential attackers. Although his level of hypervigilance was not nearly as bad as it used to be, he knew the remnants of his extreme caution probably weren't super healthy to hang onto. But it wasn’t exactly something he could change so easily, let alone any time soon.

For today though, it would prove to remain useful, as he saw someone in his periphery turn his attention to him. Instinctively, Finley's muscles stiffened, his mind quickly snapping to attention in preparation for a potential threat. He was quite conscious of the fact that this was not a normal response to an oncoming stranger, either, but – well, maybe someday he could afford therapy to figure this shit out. Until then, he was getting ready to jump into fight or flight mode.

Of course, he did give this approaching person some benefit of the doubt. Maybe they were just looking his way, and he was overreacting; that had certainly happened before. Fin lifted his head slightly to get a better look at him: it was a tall guy with a beard and no jacket on… a homeless person, maybe? His lips curled into a frown as they came closer together, and it became obvious that he definitely was the target of the stranger’s attention.

Then, it soon became very, very clear that this was not a stranger at all, but the very guy he’d just been wondering about: Nolan. Ah, shit.

Nolan’s boisterous voice ripped through the peace he’d been enjoying, ruining any source of his contentment as he always did. Instantly, Finley’s frown deepened, his brow knitting together and towards his wincing eyes. “Oh. Hey,” he said flatly, his shoulders tensing as the other man draped an arm across them, bringing his body uncomfortably close to his. Awkwardly, Finley tried to widen the space between them, even wriggling out from beneath Nolan’s arm if he’d let him. Unfortunately, he knew that he was still outmatched in terms of strength, despite the physical gains he’d made in recent years; as such, he wouldn’t be terribly surprised if Nolan was firm on keeping the contact close.

After all, he must’ve been cold, too. While it was hard to discern at first, Fin could feel him shivering minutely, his body trembling so finely he wouldn’t have noticed it if they weren’t in such close proximity. Where was his coat? And more importantly, what the hell had happened to him? Now that the initial surprise had faded and Nolan’s face was right up in his, Finley could see he was in pretty rough shape. While he still had his intimidating stature, he had looked a little bit… thinner, maybe? As if he hadn’t been eating that well, or maybe hadn’t been working out or something? And obviously he hadn’t shaved in a while either… In fact, Fin wasn’t sure he’d ever seen Nolan with that much facial hair before.

And on top of that, he didn’t have his phone on him? Or any money, either? Finley tilted his head a little, studying Nolan’s outstretched hands before looking back to his face. All of these things, coupled with his unannounced disappearance, pointed to something... weird. He couldn't say what exactly, but something was definitely not right. But before Finley could say anything, he went on to top everything off with another stupid, immature insult about his body that nearly killed the inkling of sympathy Fin currently felt.

Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath in before letting it out in an audible sigh. “Gee, thanks,” he mumbled sarcastically, his gaze open and focused on Nolan once more. Finley studied him for a moment, considering his request before he finally slipped a hand into his jacket. “You can have some cash but that’s all I can do for you right now.” Luckily, he’d shoved a 20-dollar bill in his coat and had some loose change rattling around with it, so he could hopefully avoid taking his valuables out at all. Once he produced the money and placed it into Nolan’s cold, open hand, Fin placed his hands in his pants pockets this time, where he kept them protectively over his phone and wallet. Just in case Nolan wanted to pull a fast one, or something. Although Fin couldn't bring himself to leave Nolan out in the cold (literally and figuratively), he also couldn't bring himself to trust him completely. After all he'd done in the past, he'd have to be completely stupid to believe his 'promise' to return his belongings. Maybe if they were a few years younger he would've gone with his request, but things were different now. He had grown a spine (a little bit, anyway) and he'd learned the painful value of a dollar. And so he couldn't give up all of his cards and cash or his expensive electronic lifeline so easily, let alone to someone who'd proven himself time and time again to be a total piece of shit.

Deciding he was going to stay firm on limiting his help to what he had offered (or at the very least, try to), Finley changed the subject. After a moment, he arched a brow gently at Nolan. “What happened to you?” he asked, his tone a mix of curiosity and concern. “You need to, uh… go to the cops, or something?”

 

[Viper]

It was not surprising when Finley responded to Nolan’s presence with zero excitement. In fact, the boy tangibly tensed up. It was kinda satisfying actually. How could it not be? This reaction was born out of many years of hard work and trouble, not to mention punishments in the cases where Nolan’s schemes were caught by someone with actual authority like his father or a teacher. Never was enough to stop him though. His stubbornness overrides their justice.

When Finley tried to escape Nolan’s hold, Nolan refused to let him. His hand which once was just resting on his shoulder instead gripped tightly, his non-gloved hands and therefore his untrimmed nails digging into Finley’s sleeve. “Don’t be so hostile, bud, it feels like it's been a year since I last saw you! No reason to run away from a friendly chat.”

“You’re welcome, Finny,” Nolan said in a tone that clearly reflected that he recognized the sarcasm but was choosing to ignore it. Damn he did not have time for this tonight. He needed to get home. So, when the twenty was offered to him, Nolan plucked it out of Finley’s hands in a quick motion and shoved it in his own pocket. That should have been enough, but Nolan was not about to back down now. For that reason, Nolan put his hand back out where it was before, the open palm clearly waiting for the rest.

“Come on now, Fin, my friend. Don’t got all night here, and we both know that you have a phone on you. Don’t make me ask you again, alright? I’m really… really not in the mood for your attitude right now.” This train of thought was clearly a threat, or at least a promise that if he did not get his way that a threat was on the horizon.

That’s how things always were since middle school. If Nolan did not get his way, he would throw a tantrum, although instead of tears and pouting it was throwing things and most likely getting physical with the source of his frustrations. Frequently, getting violent got Nolan what he wanted whether that was an apology from someone he felt wronged him, a free lunch, or an invitation to get together he had no part being at. Not that he needed to do these kinds of things often. Nolan’s reputation either made people submit right away just to get him off their backs, or people liked Nolan thanks to his attractive appearance, confidence, and tendency to be decent towards the people he did call friends. Sure, his friends still had to deal with his temper and ego at times, but they also got to profit from his virtues as well. Such as Nolan being fairly good at school when he tried, able to get booze easily, and a talented player in whatever game they played, sports, cards, or virtual.

With the near-threat out of his mouth, Nolan’s bravado faltered when Finley dared to show concern about Nolan. Damn, did he look that bad that Finley was able to notice so quickly? No, no matter, who did Finley think he was? Showing concern to his bully while he raised his brow at him in some movie-version display of curiosity? Not only did it make no sense, but it kinda pissed Nolan off. Pity from someone this pathetic, so weak in body and will? Unacceptable.

With an audible scoff, Nolan suddenly shoved Finley away and towards the nearest wall with far more force than needed. The goal was to make Finley crash against the wall and keep him far far away from Nolan’s shaking body that was already missing the warmth that came from a human body.

Perhaps he should have been welcoming this sign of help. Perhaps he should be calling the cops right now, but with his record not to mention the fact that he lacked a single spec of evidence against his attackers? What would be the point? More than that, and at the core of the issue in this moment, was that Nolan did not want to admit a single thing to Finley. He had never shown weakness in front of Finley, not in over a decade, and that included the times that Nolan’s father or the cops forced him to apologize to the weaker boy. Even in handcuffs or with his father’s hand gripped around the back of his neck, Nolan would always apologize with a glare and monotone voice before coming back the day after and increasing the severity of his torment as a punishment for Nolan getting in trouble. His pride upheld time and time again, and a fucking kidnapping would not make him change that now.

“Why in the hell would I want the cops? I’m good,” he lied, honestly not sure how well he pulled it off. He knew that his tone was fine besides the cold stutter, but how was his body? His arms were down at his side, clenched of course, but his back was a touch hunched still after pushing Finley away. Got to fix that, sticking in that form for too long may make it look like he was stiff or on edge.

Rolling back his shoulders, Nolan put a hand on his chin and ran his fingers over his dark beard. “It’s the beard, isn't it? Some chick I’m trying to fuck is only into bearded guys, so I thought I’d give the look a shot just long enough to get in her pants.” Yes, lie, make an excuse, a believable one. “Planned on going to get it tamed in a few days before going after her. It’s a lot of trouble, but hey, she’s a ten so it's gonna be worth it.” Perfect. Finley knew Nolan’s habit of sleeping around. High school alone was proof of that considering how often he could drop one theater girl and get another one a few weeks later. Finley would also know this as a fact because a few times Nolan had made a point to show off his many conquests. Kissing her when he knew Finley was watching, pursuing Finley’s friends just to make a point, and other such unneeded displays of his sexual prowess. Never held a girl for more than two months, but never tried to either.

If only Finley knew that Nolan’s real world successes were about doubled in Reveria thanks to Requiem being far more open when it came to his sexual partners not to mention people in game tending to be more attractive on average than real world populations. Plus, no chance at pregnancy.

Speaking of Reveria and Requiem, Nolan needed to get back to that. And if Finley was not going to submit like a good boy, then he’d have to make him. “Now that we’ve caught up, give me your phone,” Nolan said sternly, his tone edging on anger although not there just yet.

To make his point as clear as possible, Nolan pursued Finley and grabbed him by the collar, using force to push him against the wall not caring if Finley’s head got bumped in the process. A cliche motion, sure, but a great way to hold someone in place for a punch especially if you closed the distance.

“Give it,” Nolan repeated, planning to punch his old neighbor in the nose if he didn't immediately do as he was told. He’d see how good Finley was at keeping hold of his possessions with a bleeding maybe broken nose.

 

[fleurdelys]

As anticipated, Nolan’s grip on Finley’s remained firm, his hold tightening enough for him to feel his once-friend’s nails press lightly into his shoulder through his clothing. Fin’s grimace deepened once he quickly realized that he was indeed stuck with this asshole feeding his false friendliness straight into his ear. Why don’t you just save your breath, man? He thought bitterly. You and I both know you’re not interested in chatting or being friendly. Honestly, he seriously wondered if it would be easier for both of them if he quit the play pretend and went straight to doing whatever he wanted, like always.

But none of these thoughts made it out of Fin’s mind; instead they stewed there, festering as Nolan played along with his sarcastic gratitude. While it would be great to cut to the chase, he knew that would probably mean just getting beat up right off the bat. And as much as he wanted to avoid wasting time, he wanted to avoid any physical confrontation even more. So he kept his mouth shut, his lips pressed tightly together to hold his tongue back, while his money was accepted without a moment’s hesitation.

Unfortunately, though, it wasn’t enough. Nolan’s hand returned to its position, expectant.

His stomach sank. Fin had known he couldn’t get away with ignoring Nolan’s other request, but he’d still had some sliver of hope that a bit of money would’ve been enough. A lump rose to his throat, nestling there comfortably as his pulse picked up the pace, his heart thudding briskly against the inside of his chest. The chance of a peaceful resolution was growing slimmer by the second. What was it going to be this time, then – fight or flight?

Finley gulped just as he asked about Nolan’s well-being, his mind racing in the background of his inquiry. Trying to fight the other man did not sound like a smart idea at all. Never had been, really. And now, even though he looked to be in rough shape, he still obviously maintained his strength – hell, Fin couldn’t even get out from beneath his arm. Which only left one option: running away. But this was not a straightforward option either. Nolan would find him again, and he would be sure to get back at him in some way or another. Actually, even if Fin did try to fight, he was pretty sure Nolan would deliver his vengeance at a later date as well.

Damned if I do, damned if I don’t.

Weary eyes looked back to Nolan. This was how it always was, wasn’t it? Even though they’d gone their separate ways after high school, nothing had really changed. No matter what Fin did, he was fucked; and in the end Nolan always got his way, one way or another. It made him angry, sure; of course he was frustrated, too, and – annoyingly – still scared as well. But mostly, Fin was just tired. So, so very tired of dealing with this shit and the slew of emotions that came with it. He just wanted all of it to stop so he could live his life in peace.

In the end, Finley had no choice but to opt for fight and flight’s less-discussed, often-forgotten sibling, ‘freeze’. As Nolan scoffed and pushed him away, he did nothing to resist, and only made efforts to cushion his impact against the brick wall. Rising away from the wall, he turned to face the other man as he brazenly claimed he was fine. Yeah, okay. Fin looked at him, brow still lowered and lips still drawn tightly against his face. And while he still watched him warily, there was the slightest hint of pity in his gaze. Although Finley felt pretty pathetic about himself, a small part of him felt strangely sorry for Nolan in this moment. Who did he think he was fooling? What did he hoped to accomplish by keeping up this machismo, even now?

Not only that, but his lie didn’t stop at ‘I’m fine’. Finley listened silently, standing like a kicked puppy against the wall, while Nolan shot off some cover story about growing his beard for some mystery girl’s sake. If he hadn’t randomly disappeared and wasn’t walking the streets without proper clothing, Fin probably would’ve believed him. But in the broader context of recent events, it was quite obviously fake, especially with his gratuitous embellishment about the girl’s being a ‘ten’. This was typical Nolan bullshit, though. He always loved to parade his success with women, especially around him. At one point in time it’d made him jealous – both of Nolan and, for a short period, of the girls we was with – but now that Finley gained more experience and comfort with his own sexuality, such boasting had less impact on him. Now it was just annoyingly douchey more than anything.

But he sure as hell didn’t plan on calling Nolan out on this. “Right…” was all he decided to say, just before Nolan asked for his phone yet again. Finley clenched his jaw, his hand curling protectively around it. He absolutely did not want to, but Nolan seemed like he was done asking. Within a few seconds his collar was bunched in Nolan’s hand, and Fin's back was forced against the wall. However, he was no stranger to this move. Fortunately, he’d tucked his chin towards his chest in anticipation for the motion and managed to avoid knocking the back of his head. Nevertheless, it was a clear demonstration of Nolan’s pretty much unchanged strength. He made his demand one more time, its brevity a sign that he was ready to talk with his fists if Fin took any longer to comply.

“Fine.” Finley spoke quietly, his narrowed eyes locked with Nolan’s as he produced his phone from his pocket and held it up, simultaneously unlocking it with his fingerprint as he did so. He tried to keep his breathing calm and steady, but it threatened to match the still-swift pace of his heartbeat. Then, after a moment he added, somewhat futilely, “But I need it back.”

Once he was released from Nolan’s grip and his phone was temporarily relinquished, Fin stood up straight and readjusting his clothing. He took a few deep breaths in an attempt to calm himself now that the tension was (hopefully) over. His hands found their way back into their pockets, where they sat as he watched Nolan make his call. Any inkling of sympathy for his former neighbour had vanished by this point. He would’ve been fine helping him normally if he’d just asked, or at least been somewhat truthful about his situation. Fin had no qualms about that; because even though Nolan was a Grade A Trash Human, he was still a human. But he was so damn insistent on being just plain trash. He could’ve easily used a payphone with the money he gave him – he didn’t have to use his phone right here and now. And he didn't have to get physical about it.

Really, though, what did he expect? For reasons Finley still didn't know or understand, it still seemed to be Nolan’s life mission to take every opportunity to make Fin’s life a living hell.

But Fin wasn’t without blame either. He continued to accept the way things were, and continued to bend to Nolan’s will without a fight. Even though he thought he was better than before, in the end he was still the same, pathetic, spineless coward he’d always been. For all of his fear and anger and fatigue, none of it was enough to spur him to change his ways. Fin was immobile. Useless. Weak.

Dark thoughts accumulated, gathering like storm clouds in his mind. Finley quickly became caught up in this swirling current of despair, his gaze falling to the pavement as his heart grew heavier and heavier. This had been a sobering reminder that, while he hated Nolan and all he did, Finley hated himself and his continued inaction even more. Maybe he even deserved this treatment after all. Maybe everything Nolan had ever said about him was right.

Then, just as these notions crossed his mind, he heard a noise that made him abruptly lift his head. Nolan was finished his call and had tossed his phone back in Finley’s direction. Hurriedly, he scrambled to catch it. He managed to sandwich the device awkwardly between his fingers, but due to a combination of his trembling hands – when did that start, anyway? – and late reaction, Fin fumbled and it fell face-down on the pavement with a flat thud. “Oh shit—” he cursed, dropping to his knees to pick it up and inspect the other side. The screen was still on, but there were a few spindly fissures that branched out from a spider-web of cracks in the bottom-right corner. Still cursing, Fin hastily tapped and swiped across his phone, testing out the functionality of the touch screen. Luckily it was still working, but there were a few visual blips that flashed across the damage now and then. Groaning, he rose to his feet, shaking his head at his phone. Great. Replacing the screen wouldn’t come cheap.

With a heavy sigh he glanced up, expecting some mockery from Nolan; but, to his surprise, he was already gone, leaving Fin alone in the street with his shattered screen and broken spirit.

*~*~*~*​

Fin stepped into his home, flicking the light on with one hand while closing and locking the door with the other. Normally he cherished the privacy and solitude his humble little studio apartment offered; but at times like these, where he felt lower than low, he wouldn’t have minded having a friend to talk to. Sighing heavily, he set his bag down before slipping off his shoes and coat. Before hanging his jacket up, he took out his sorry-looking phone, shaking his head at it again before he set it down on his desk nearby. He’d look into fixing that tomorrow. Right now, he just wanted to unwind and forget about his shitty feelings about the shitty end to his evening.

The young man dragged himself into the bathroom where he showered and brushed his teeth, still accompanied by a cloud of self-loathing. Although he’d crawkled out of his mental hole a little bit on the way home, Fin still felt pretty lousy about himself. By the time he’d finished washing up, he completely tossed out his plans to review for his exam. Instead, he set up his Revecast next to his bed, placed the headset on, and lay down to escape into the world of Reveria.

After confirming his login on the screen inside the headset, he felt the familiar sensation of dull pressure on his temples before he was presented with the usual loading text: ‘Welcome back to Reveria, Papillon-du-soleil’. A moment later, the text faded away, leaving behind Finley's exhausted mind, body, and spirit in the real world as Papi materialized in-game.

She stood in the town square of Toriel, Reveria’s starting city. The paladin took a moment to glance around, observing the number of players around her. It was quite busy as always, with a myriad of base-class users running about in their beginner gear, though she noted a fair handful of higher-level players too. What was she doing here, again? It’d been a few days since Finley played, what with exams and all – oh, yeah. She’d partied up with a guildmate and their friend who just got restarted. Right.

Papi tapped her chin, pondering over her options for a moment. She’d planned on going to a dungeon and taking out her emotions on her monsters, but now that she was here in Toriel, she could help out some newbies as well. Partying up and tanking for people was a great way to help people level up, especially if they’d died and had to restart from level 1 again. Spanking around a few low-level monsters would probably be better stress relief than more dangerous, high-level ones, too. Plus, maybe she’d even feel better about herself after doing something nice for people?

With that, it was decided. Papi took another second to decide where to go before she started off in the direction of Toriel’s church, where new clerics spawned. While this area was designed for all classes to be able to solo-level, support classes could always use some help. She always thought they were generally a little nicer than players who chose other classes, too – and obviously, she definitely wanted to avoid talking with any more assholes right now if she could avoid it.

Her plan with place, Papi strolled with a leisurely confidence through the town. She inhaled, slowly and deeply, enjoying the fresh air and warm sunshine on her skin; it was a welcome change from the weather in the real world. As she walked along the cobblestone streets, her armor clanking gently with each step, she noticed a few gazes lingering on her as she passed by. The blonde woman flashed a few friendly smiles and waves, some of which were returned and some of which were met with blushes and hasty glances away. She chuckled a bit, amused but sympathetic. In any MMO, higher-level players stood out in a crowd of newbies; they naturally captured people’s attention, but unlike other game formats, in virtual reality it was obvious when you were staring.

At level 89, she wasn’t even that impressive. But it was rare to see anyone over level 100 hanging around Toriel for any reason, so she was probably one of the highest-level players around right now. Although Papi felt a little bad about soaking in the attention, it was definitely just what she needed to help her forget her offline troubles.

 

[Viper]

Treating Fin like a piece of trash honestly felt like second nature by now. It was easy to fall into the routine after spending so many years tormenting the guy every time he saw him. Although Nolan would be lying if occasionally his feelings changed. He’d see that Fin was bruised all over and think “Why did I do that? We were best friends once; I cared about him a lot. When I saw him after having a fight with my dad I would run to hug him and he’d help me every time without asking for a single thing in return.” Of course though, it was around this time that Nolan would realize his train of thought and decided to double back. Those thoughts were problematic since they tended to shift towards other, more personal thoughts in the blink of an eye. Better to double back and rewrite those nice thoughts with memories of something far less nice.

At least, that is now Nolan tended to avoid thinking about things he did not like to think about. Can’t think positive things about someone who hates you and tries to avoid you.

And shoving Nolan into the wall like this? It was admittedly fun although he rarely stayed like this for long. One time Nolan’s dad caught him holding some guy against the wall just like this, cruel intentions and all, and the old man flipped out. Apparently being so close to another’s guy's face was always a sign of homosexual intent. Nolan naturally tried to argue, saying that no this was not gay I was going to beat the shit out of him, but that ended the same way it always did. He got hit in the face and in return Nolan stole some cash from his dad's wallet the following day.

Routine.

With that memory popping into mind almost every time he shoved some asshole into the wall like this, when Finley passed over the phone Nolan was more than happy to let him go and step away.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, fine, whatever, just shut up,” Nolan said, immediately typing in a phone number. Well, not immediately. He apparently was having a hard time remembering the number and had to restart about three times before he was confident enough to put it to his ear. It didn't help that his fingers were shaking a bit and he kept misclicking.

“Who the hell is this?” a voice asked in the other end, groggy. It was not that late but it was late enough that Nolan expected this piece of shit to be sleeping. He was probably wasted too, knowing this guy.

“It’s Nolan. I'm calling from Fin’s phone.”

The groggy voice did not respond right away and when he did, it sounded like a tried smile was on his face. “The next-door neighbor you are obsessed with? What you got his phone for?”

Rolling his eyes, Nolan stepped a few more feet away from Finley to continue. “So I gave you a spare key to my house, right? I need it.”

“Uh, I got it around here somewhere- but why you need it? Where’s yours?”

“It doesn't matter where the fuck my key is. When I get to your house you better have found it.”

Another pause, then a light chuckle that was not really a challenge but more of a curiosity. “Whatcha gonna do if I don’t?”

“Then my front door won’t be the only door I’m knocking down today.” This time Nolan paused and glanced at Finley, knowing that he was not saying anything embarrassing or wrong, but also not liking that he may be listening. This situation was bad enough without making it clear that he lost the keys to his house as well. “Just find it and I'll owe you one. I’ll be there within the hour.”

And he was done. With a quick flick of his wrist he returned the phone to its owner; a rather nice thing to do, if Nolan did say so himself. Sadly, Nolan only thought about erasing the call history after he had already passed it over. Once again, not a big deal, but Nolan did not like Fin having access to any part of his life besides the parts he directly chose to share.

“You’re a real hero, Finley. See ya,” Nolan said, turning and starting back down the path he was heading down before. It was a long walk, but at least now there was hope that he would find himself in his own bed by the end of tonight.

*~*~*~*

And sure enough, two hours later, Nolan was unlocking his door and stepping into the dusty but otherwise untouched place he called home. He still had all of his property, which meant that he was not overdue on rent enough to be kicked out and also confirming that his attackers were not thieves with a strange kidnapping hobby too.

His apartment was not clean, likely due to the initial capture and fight confrontation, but eh, it was rarely clean in the first place. He used to pay someone to come clean while he was sleeping, but he caught the bitch going through his things while he in Reveria and fired her on the spot. Made sure she had a bad reputation across the city too for good measure.

There was a lot too do here, but the first thing Noan did was take a burning hot shower to chase away the cold and get the spots that his make-shift prison shower did not allow him to clean. It was supposed to be a quick get in and get out, but he ended up just standing there for a good half hour before he even started his routine. He was even tempted to shave his face when he got out, but Reveria was calling to him.

It always did, which was part of the reason his apartment was so messy. He rarely stopped playing the game besides eating in the real world and hanging out in public once or twice a week. His shiners had healed up while in containment which was a blessing. He would not have been able to explain those away to Finley. Plenty of Nolan’s real-life friends nowadays were from Reveria too, so they knew about them and who he was in the game, but anyone who did not actively play did not know that Nolan was a ranker. He was not about to give his friends ammunition against him just because they did not understand the appeal of virtual reality.

Idiots.

“Fuck those guys,” Nolan said aloud, rushing to his room and quickly laying his hands on a spare Revecast he kept around. One was always on his person and the other was here, charging. With this method, he always had a spare if one broke or if one ran out of batteries. It was a beautiful cycle that meant he technically would never run out of batteries or, in this case, have to worry about his travel ReveCast getting taken off his person.

Still just wearing a towel from the shower, Nolan quickly got into bed and threw on the headset. The motion was rough, a product of his nervousness and anticipation, but he got it on quickly and restlessly waited to log in and for the program to boot up.

It turned out though that there was no reason to rush because the damage was already done.

It had been literal years since he saw it, but when he logged on this day Nolan saw the most horrifying sight, the tutorial bitch. It was a young woman, dressed like a mage but with warrior-like armor in patches with the most annoying smile plastered on her face. She had intricate tattoos across her face closely resembling the Reveria crest but also intertwining sharp lines befitting of such a bland, personality-less character.

When she spoke, it was like any tutorial text, bland and condescending. Only instead of jumping right into asking if Nolan wanted to hear the tutorial, which would only explain the basics like how pain and pleasure worked, how to level up, and what classes and races meant, or if he simply wanted to enter Reveria, the Guide had one abnormal thing to say.

“Infernal Requiem. Due to a lack of activity on your account for 36 days, your account and character have been reset. In a few moments, you will respawn in your home base as a level one player. We of Reveria want to thank you for returning and wish you well in your adventures.”

This was the default speech she gave anyone who reset due to not logging in. Normally this was because they did not pay the subscription, but Nolan had this whole year paid for, which meant that he was dealing with a worse problem. He paid, but without activity, the servers will still wipe all of your data to free up space and, clearly, as a punishment. It was a very unpopular policy, but despite the backlash, the Reveria creators have not budged even slightly. There is not a single recorded incident of someone getting their original character back after a late-login reset.

“No, no, no, you assholes. I got kidnapped! Give me back my character!” Nolan shouted as the login program started up. He knew it was hopeless, but the words came out all the same. Reveria would reset the number one player; they would reset a player that donated millions of dollars to them; they would reset even one of the creators of the game; all of this would be done without a second thought, so what hope did he have?

“Please contact the Reveria Customer Support line found on our website if you have any complaints or concerns. We of Reveria want to thank you for returning and wish you well in your adventures.”

And with that, Nolan’s vision went black for a single moment. It was like he was blinking. One second there was a beautiful NPC in front of him and the next he was staring at a tavern. It had been a long time since he saw this place, but he remembered it well, and the sight made him snarl. It was a classic tavern, two floors with a balcony overlooking the main floor. The ground floor was for recreational use, for anyone who wanted to come in and enjoy a proper tavern as well as support rising bards practicing their music or dance-related talents. The second floor was actually where new bards were supposed to go. If you went up there, you could find mentors, other bard players, and a bard-exclusive quest board as well as other related necessities.

Nolan spawned in on the second floor, standing beside four others who just spawned in as well. They were overlooking the first floor, all wearing the same outfit like some pathetic merry band. Any second now some higher level bard would come by asking if they needed help. Someone was paid to stand here and talk to the noobs like a kindergarten teacher. It was a policy set by the council that every class base should have a mentor around for new players to turn to.

Even over the loud volume of the tavern, Req could hear one of the scrubs next to him say, “Wow! It’s so realistic! This is crazy!”

Damn, shut up, you knew the game was like this when you bought it, Req thought as he pulled open his inventory and checked it out. As expected, all of his one of a kind loot and items forged just for him were gone. He only had the most basic bardic equipment and 20 Bronze to his name. It was pennies, and Req felt pathetic just looking at it. At least, looking at the ability list, he still had a few of his Lorekeeper skills on top of the normal bard level 1 skills. He'd likely learn bard talents up to level five or ten before his subclass would fully take over and block off all other class-related level-up rewards.

“This was totally worth the money already,” the faceless, brainless bard continued. Was the reaction fair? Yes, it was, but something about those words started digging into the once ranker’s mind. He was not supposed to be talking to people who reacted like this. He shouldn't even be breathing the same air of someone who does not consider this game part of their life, yet here he was, among impure, ignorant, untalented filth.

Just as Req started to think this, a cat woman approached the group. She was so yellow; yellow hair, yellow ears with orange stripes, and an outfit that made her look more like a school bus instead of what she was going for, a cherry non-symmetric traveler. When she reached them, she managed to get a few words out before Req reached his limit. “Hello there, bards-in-training! I’m PuddingPurr68, but everyone just calls me Pudding! I’m level 20, but I stick around here for you new guys to--”

“Oh, shut the fuck up!” Req snapped, his voice loud and angry that it drew some people’s attention from both floors. Pudding even stepped back a moment in shock. “Your level God damn 20, do you really think you are good enough to be giving advice to anyone? I mean shit, look at you!” At this point, Requiem made a grand motion towards your obnoxious yellow ensemble as if such a style was indicative of her strength. "You're a Goddamn banana pretending to be a furry!"

“There is no reason to talk to me like that. Did you reset or someth-?” Req saw her pause as she stared at him, likely trying to see his name. His had his settings set on public right now, so any player could figure out his name, rank, title and class. Not that all of the additional information mattered though. When she read his name, her slit eyes dilated in shock. “Wait a second, your name is-”

“Keep your mouth shut or I’ll rip it out of your skull,” He interrupted, finally deciding to get moving and quickly passed her. He was heading right for the steps so that he could get out of this beginner wonderland.

He knew how to play the game, there was no reason to be around here getting his ass wiped. No, he’d leave, grind on some shit, craft a mask or something, and lay low until he was back to his old self or at least a sort of tolerable 100+ level. No way in hell was he going to watch every whore and their lover gasp at the sight of a fallen champion.

And that would be a problem in any place with a tavern or bard guild. He was literally and figuratively sung as a champion among them. There were not many players belonging to the bardic subclass who were rankers, and even those that were mainly only got so high up because they are vital members of a multi-class team. They were support, but Req was a solo player through and through who could handle himself in any one on one duel no matter who his foe was. Of course, non-bards could recognize him too, but it was less annoying since those people never tried to use the ‘We’re the same class! We’re like family! We should be allies! Teach me to be a Lorekeeper too!” and similar trash. Even being a proud asshole didn't stop him from having fans among those who wanted to be powerful bards too.

Once reaching the first floor, Req proceeded to bash right into a pair of guys. He forced his way right through them thanks to his momentum. It was almost embarrassing though because the contact did not damage; just a month ago shoulder checking someone intentionally could have lost them hitpoints. They could have broken their shoulder! But no, here he was feeling like he was going to be the one bruised.

Not that it stopped him though. Req walked right through them and would have kept going if it were not for them calling out to him.

“Watch it, noob!” One of them shouted, his voice a familiar type of angry. The type that held venom but was always filled with sincere laughter right after, sincere laughter born of being an ass, but sincere nonetheless. Req used that tone all the time when someone less than him overstepped their ant-like place.

There was no way Req’s pride was going to let that slide.

“Oh get that dick out of your mouth and move next time if you don’t want to get bumped!” Req shouted back on instinct, turning around just in time to see the pair stop in their tracks and also look back at him. Req only moved enough to raise a single finger at them and twist his face in a snarl.

What a pair of idiots. No sense of style, which was a crime in and of itself. This was the bard class! The most fashion-focused class by far, and these idiots in their Pied Piper get up and wanna be pirate-prostitute were an insult to this entire tavern. They were only level 15 and 16 too, literal cockroaches worse than catty bananas up there. They were both some versions of the elementals, or whatever they were called, too; it was a race you could pick basically meaning that you are descended from one of the elements personified. So not a descendent of the gods, but the descendent of an elemental spirit monster and a human. It gave you resistance to that kind of element and some other bonuses, but honestly, those were only useful at later levels unlike some of the more base races that were only kinda useful but for the entire game.

“Well look at this guy! Level one and he thinks he can run his mouth! What? You some fallen hotshot or something?” The Pied Piper one said, approaching in a loud tone that had already drawn a lot of attention. It was not surprising that this was his first guess. Any level one person with an attitude tended to be a recent reset. Why else would a new player be so pissed, excluding the occasional outlier?

The second one, the pirate-prostitute, hesitated back for a second before approaching his friend. “Actually, I think he is,” he said in a softer voice but still enough that those directly nearby could hear; it was pretty clear that his friend was loud in action while he was just loud in dress. Still an ass though. “That’s Infernal Requiem, number three. He was supposed to show up for a competition at the coliseum last month but he never showed. No one had seen him since.”

“Shit, he really is a hotshot. Well,” Pied Piper said, drawing out the well long enough for him to slowly face Req directly again, “I should say was. Looks like you fall pretty hard now, huh? Back down here with the common folk, aren't ya?”

“As if it matters. I could beat you and any other of you in this tavern with not even a single experience point to my name.” This was a bluff, one that Req did not believe for a second even as he said it, but there was no way he was ever going to admit that. Let them challenge him. There was a chance he could take down one person as long as luck was on his side… but real luck, not the stat that was currently at 1 right now.

As Req expected and feared, the loudmouth seemed eager to take on that challenge. “Oh, let's see it then. You and me, right now. Considering how much of an ass you were when you were a ranker, I bet all of us would love to see you eat dirt.”

“Let’s play then,” Req taunted, knowing even as he said these words that he may end up embarrassing himself by losing. Better to lose in battle than to cower in fear like an actual level 1 loser.

The Pied Piper looking guy motioned with his hand towards the exit, implying that they should fight outside where there was more space. Req took the hint and headed out first. The street was far from quiet, but it would have to do. There was no getting out of this with his ego intact, so fight he would.

The moment he got out to the street though, one of the challengers gave Req a strong shove that sent his newly-weak body stumbling a few feet and into a table set up as outdoor seating for the tavern. Thankfully, Req caught himself with his arms, but a few of the dirty dishes on the table rumbled in response, a ceramic cup even fell with enough force to shatter on the ground.

For a moment, Req just stood there with his arms on the table, back to the street and to the pair who were laughing. He’d call them bullies, but he was far worse than them, so it would ring a bit hollow. This was technically not a fight, it was just a rude physical action, so there was no way a mod would get involved. They would have to do some serious damage or kill him without a combat mod around for this to be a crime.

But pushing him into this table would have a consequence. Any thought of accepting this loss was gone; he would destroy this level 16 prick in front of all of these people, shame him, and prove that a ranker was still a ranker even without their stats and levels.

“Black Scrawl it is then,” he muttered, his voice drowned out by the crowd that was gathering from the street as well as tavern goers who wanted to see the fight continue. This cursed talent was still on his ability list. He didn't really want to use it, it hurt like hell and was often unpredictable, but if he couldn't beat this random jackass with strength and wit then it was out of his hands. Hopefully luck would be on his side and he could A- keep this guy from hitting him long enough to attack himself and B- the attribute(s) summoned by the black scrawl would be actually useful and something he would be able to figure out.

It was a gamble, but no one succeeded without taking some risks.

So Req pushed off the table, put on his best ranker smirk, and snapped his head around to face his challenger. “Well, what are you waiting for? Are you going to summon a combat moderator or are we waiting for more of your friends to come over and circle jerk with you?” Walking into the center of the circle that was already forming, Req crossed his arms and waiting. In a voice loud enough for everyone to hear but with hoarseness similar to a whisper, Req glanced at the nearest passerby and made a few more comments. “Honestly, considering how much that guy talks, you wouldn't think I’d have to tell him how to do this.”

The Pied Piper wanna-be pulled out his weapon at this point and aimed it at Req. It was a sickle, too large to be a normal one but too small to be a scythe. It was actually a good weapon, a common one though, although it looked like it had at least one augmentation gem forged into it. That could be trouble, Req thought as the man introduced himself. “The name’s SixtyKnight, Infernal. You may have been a ranke--”

“I actually go by Requiem,” Req interrupted, raising a finger in the air like a student in class who had the gall to correct the teacher or remind them of the homework. SixtyKnight’s face went red in growing annoyance, apparently taking Req’s cocky attitude personally now. After all, this guy's information, including his name, was available to anyone who wanted to look, and Req was just not looking by choice. “You really should know that. I mean, it’s not like I was some teenage bard.” Meaning a player who never managed to reach level 20. “I WAS number three just a handful of days ago, you know. You should keep up with who your betters are."

“I think that you--”

“--I guess that’s unfair of me though,” Req interrupted again, his smirk turning into a smile to show to SixtyKnight and the crowd that this was intentional. The more pissed off a player, the easier it was to fight them. Angry people did not think tactics very well, so Req was pushing. “Considering that you named yourself SixtyKnight and are dressed like a gay Peter Pan, I should not be expecting you to be too intelligent.”

"Hopefully your strong though. It would suck if you boosted yourself up this much and ate shit." At this point, Req also pulled out his level 1, bardic dagger, meaning it was weaker than a rouges default dagger. Bards were supposed to rely on spells and avoid duels like this, so they never needed such strong base weapons. Too bad Req sucked at doing what he was supposed to.

The fight had to wait until the moderator got here, and based on the timer hovering in the space between Req and SixtyKnight, they had about a minute left to wait at max.

 

[fleurdelys]

It wasn’t hard to see how people got swallowed into the world of Reveria.

These people – colloquially termed ‘Revers’ – lived in-game as much as humanly possible, choosing to live in their fun, virtual-reality life instead of that of the harsh, waking world. It was definitely a sad phenomenon, especially when you heard stories about how people’s lives crumbled to pieces as a result. Still… Finley could understand how one could end up on such a slippery slope. Even now, just a few moments after he’d logged on, his real-life troubles were already fading away from the front of his mind.

Nolan? Who the hell that? Exam? What exam? These sounded like Finley problems, and right now that sorry loser wasn’t around. It was Papi at the wheel, and she hadn’t a care to her name. Today, she had no quests to take; no raids to participate in; not even any parties to join in. She was free to do whatever she wanted, for as long as she wanted. Well… more or less. There were obviously restrictions in Reveria, sanctioned by both the game’s administration and design, but even then, there was more freedom in this vast, vibrant realm than there was outside of it.

There was beauty in this liberty to not only do what you want, but to be who you wanted. And for Finley, this was where he could really empathize with Revers. After he put on his Revecast, he didn’t have to be a shy, awkward, gangly, pushover. Instead, he could put on this petite, blonde-haired, blue-eyed façade and be the best version of himself. The person he wished he could be in real life. But none of that could happen without stepping out of his head and talking with some other people.

And so, Papi was quick to make her way to the clerics’ home base. She passed through crowds of users and non-player characters alike, walking briskly by NPC-owned shops that emanated mouth-wateringly realistic aromas of freshly baked bread, or smoking meats. After making her way down a quieter, tree-lined path, she found herself on the footsteps of Toriel’s church: a grand-looking building made of white stones, with two looming spires, delicately-crafted stained glass beneath long, arched windows. It was truly an impressive piece of architecture, which seemed to borrow from a variety of real-life styles while somehow staying uniquely fantastic. Either way, it definitely got the ‘holy’ aura down pat – a sense of peace filled her chest when she gazed upon it. Though Papi couldn’t help but wonder if this sensation was amplified by her paladin class? She’d have to ask one of her rogue friends if they felt this warm, comforting feeling here, or if they just felt kinda guilty.

It was a thought for later. For now, she was curious to see if there was anyone interested in grinding some mobs with her. Papi ascended the steps and pushed through the heavy wooden doors to enter the building’s interior. On the other side of it was a fairly standard church layout: rows and rows of oak pews, separated by a crimson carpet that led up to a grand altar. The cleric NPC, a wrinkled, bearded priest, stood there, speaking to a few new players. Other newbies were scattered around, reading some tutorial information, talking to other NPCs and each other, or simply admiring the stunningly realistic sensations that came with their new VR bodies.

A few gazes shifted her way, the closest of which belonged to a tall, tanned girl with short, rose-pink hair who stood by the wall with large, forest-green eyes that were wide with bewilderment. As good a person to start with as any. “Hi there,” Papi greeted with a smile, lifting a gauntlet-covered hand as she walked up to her. The girl jumped a little, startled. “Are you new to the game?” If this were real life, Finley couldn’t imagine just strolling up to someone and sparking a conversation like this. But this was not real life; and this was not Finley talking.

“I am! Yes!” Her voice was delicate and melodious, like a windchime in a gentle breeze. “I’m, uh, SoaringRedPanda! This is my first time playing Reveria.”

“My name’s a bit of a mouthful, so you can just call me Papi. It’s nice to meet you,” she replied. “Do you want me to show you around the game a bit? I can help you get comfortable with the combat, if you’re interested.” Her posture relaxed, her shoulders rolling backwards as the warm grin lingered on her lips. “If you don’t though, don’t worry about it. No pressure.”

SoaringRedPanda’s face reddened, her eyes growing in size. “Oh-- really? Are you sure? I don’t want to trouble you or anything…”

Papi laughed, feeling the last of her troubles slip away. “Yeah, it’s no problem! I’m in the mood to help someone just starting out. Here, let me add you to my party then…”

Over the next hour and a half or so, Papi went through her usual ‘newbie tour’. She showed Panda the best equipment to get after she gained a few levels, where to go for healing and items, and what sort of things to avoid both in Toriel and the game in general. The rather timid cleric took a bit to get comfortable with conversing and with the new world around her, but eventually she seemed to ease up. By the time she’d gained a few levels and was ready to head back to town, Panda had opened up a bit about herself – or at least, her experience in games.

“I never used to like playing games, especially ones where you talk, because… well, people have picked on me when they hear I’m a girl. Or they think I’m a little kid, or something.” She laughed, sheepish. “But my friend convinced me that Reveria’s not so bad. She said there are a lot of girls here… or at least, people who play girls, so it’s not a big deal. And with the voice changer, no one bats an eye at how I sound,” Panda laughed lightly. “Anyway, I know it’s kinda early to make judgments, but… it seems she was right about this game, so I’m glad.”

“That’s great to hear.” Papi grinned, awkwardly trying to ignore the fact that she was one of those ‘people playing girls’. She was a little surprised, though, that Panda’s voice was genuine, unaltered by technology. Papi’s own was a bit similar – albeit not quite as soft and gentle; hers was a smidge deeper as well – but she, of course, had used the voice changer to accomplish such a thing. Pretty amazing, then, that Papi couldn’t tell what was real and what was ‘faked’… but then again, one should expect no less from the world’s most realistic VR game.

However, it was still a game, with real people and real assholes. “There will still be jerks everywhere you go,” Papi cautioned, “but there are plenty of good people around, too. You just have to find them.” As she spoke, the two passed through Toriel’s gates, back into the protective walls of Reveria’s starting city, where they stopped at the side of the cobblestone road.

“True…” The cleric’s gaze fell somewhat wistfully to the ground at her feet. Papi felt a little bad, hearing about a real woman’s struggles in the world of gaming. Here she was, playing a girl on a whim and enjoying the perks of the situation. Come to think of it, Papi had encountered some prejudice and harassment for being a female character as well – but she had laughed it off, being unable to truly take it personally. This guilt crept onto the blonde’s face as these thoughts formed in her head; however, when Panda looked up with a smile, she quickly put on a bright expression to match. “Well, thanks for everything, Papi. I gotta go now, but it was really nice playing with you.”

A hand found its way to her hair, spiraling a blond lock around an iron-clad digit. “Aw, no worries. I had fun too. Here – I’ll add you as a friend! I’ll message you next time I see you online.” With a glance into her personal UI and a few selections later, the two were friends. “Have a good one!” The paladin waved as the girl’s tall form disappeared from the space in front of her, her logout confirmed with a small pop-up message informing her that she’d left the party.

Although she stood amidst a bustling stream of NPCs and other users, somehow it felt quieter now that she was alone. Papi took the opportunity to check the real-world time – it was getting late, but she could afford to play a bit longer. To have a bit more respite from Finley’s life.

Turning her attention away from her UI, she joined the flow of foot traffic and headed back towards the center of Toriel. Maybe she’d see if there was someone else who wanted to party up? Or she could just take some time to indulge in Reveria’s VR experience with some fantasy food and drink. Maybe there was even some little event going on in town, like a show or concert or something.

The possibilities filled Papi’s head; but the flow of ideas was abruptly put on hold when she noticed some commotion up again, just outside the bard’s starting tavern. Frowning slightly, the paladin approached the scene to find two low-level bards having a spat outside. What the heck could two newbies be fighting about, she wondered? As she laid eyes on the offenders – a couple of guys, somewhat unsurprisingly – a crowd quickly formed a ring around them, and rapidly grew as insults were loudly thrown between the pair.

One of them was a real fresh one, being only level 1, while the other was level 15 – still new, but not so new that he shouldn’t know better. From the sound of it, though, they were both mouthy jerks… so she supposed it was their awful personalities that got them both into this fight. Papi, with her mouth still fixed in a frown, grimaced a little at the scene unfolding. Maybe this was a harsh opinion, but a fight between two low-level bards? Kind of pathetic, really...

Except—wait, did one of them just say he was number three? Papi took a look at their stats again, paying closer attention to their usernames this time, and recognized one of them as InfernalRequiem. Although she didn’t pay too much attention to the rankers, one would have to be living under a rock not to at least know the top five. But what happened to him? Did something – or someone – finally kill him?

She could only assume so, but it didn’t really matter either way. The two, foolishly, had now entered an official duel by summoning a PvP mod. As murmurs – some excited, some confused – rose from the people around her, Papi gently tapped her finger against her side, thinking. Although she was curious in how InfernalRequiem would do against someone with much better equips and stats than him, and she would love for these two jerks to give each other what they deserved, somehow… somehow, it felt wrong to just let it happen. Ultimately, neither of them had that much to gain from a fight that was probably started for the stupidest of reasons. Not to mention, it was disturbing the peace in what should be the most laid-back town in all of Reveria.

Maybe Finley would sit by, passively watching things play out, but right now, things were different. She was different… right?

With a deep breath, Papi stepped out of the crowd, with her shoulders squared, spine straightened, and chin up. Attempting an air of confidence as she came towards the two men, who were both at least a foot taller than her. The hairs at the back of her neck stiffened as she felt people’s gazes turn to her, and not in the way that she’d previously enjoyed. Nevertheless, she stopped between the pair and held her hands up, palms outward. “Hey, guys, come on… Surely you two don’t need to get into an official fight, right? Do you really want to risk losing your stuff over something like this?” Her gaze was on the higher-level guy, SixtyKnight, before she turned her attention over to the former ranker. “Or embarrassing yourselves?” Papi looked right back at Sixty to show she meant it towards both of them; though her comment was really directed more towards Requiem. She knew the experienced bard was amazing at the game, but even still… his stats and equipment were lousy. Surely even he would have trouble winning in this situation, right?

Jeers were thrown at the paladin from the crowd behind her: “Boo! Let them fight! Yeah, we wanna see a fight!” She tuned them out. Mostly.

Realizing the two hotheads might not respond to her reasoning, she went on. “If you two are so pissed at each other though, why not revisit this duel later on when Requiem isn’t level 1? It’ll be more interesting that way, right?” Blue eyes shifted between the two again. “You could make an event of it, even. A proper one, instead of some impromptu brawl in front of a bunch of newbies.”

 

[Viper]

Standing in the center of the street, waiting for a moderator to show up, Req made sure not to stand like he was a level 1 player. No matter what his stats said, he was number three at this game, and no one could take that from him; not even the game itself. His stance was wide, his head raised high so that he could look at his foes down his nose like they deserved. Well, foe; the second player was more emotional support than an actual antagonist. Despite that, elemental descendants tended to be taller than humans even though Req stood at a healthy height for a human, but despite the physical difference, Req would not let them feel like they were above him.

There were only two people that were, and even they would regret looking down on him had they ever tried to.

As they waited, Req held his dagger in his hand and started to spin it in his hand, tossing it up into the air and catching it just to practice. Things felt very different at this low of level. People truly did not realize how different the game played when your stats were maxed versus when they were low. The dagger was heavier than expected, and his hand felt slower even though he was still managing to catch it by the hilt each time he tossed it.

He should have been juggling right now, but no, he was just tossing and catching a glorified knife like he could teach himself to do in real life with no problem. Pathetic.

A crowd was growing by the second too, which normally would fill Req with joy, although even now he got a bit of a rush from being the center of attention. He chose bard for a reason, clearly. He liked eyes being on him. The only downside was the chance that he would lose. The chance was no zero though, so he would not back down. No way in hell. So let the crowd gather and watch; even if he loses to an embarrassing degree, at least it would be better than people talking about him running off like a coward. A loser could rebrand himself with enough wins, a spineless coward could not so easily.

At the twenty-second mark, one of the moderators showed up with their mask on as always. Req always found it strange that these people existed and were not just NPCs most of the time. After all, humans could never be trusted to be unbiased no matter what world they were breathing in. But eh, what could he do? He did not make the rules here.

The masked mod started their spiel but barely got past the introductory remarks before someone from the crowd entered the fray.

It was some hot chick in armor, white armor to be more precise that clung to her figure far more than actual armor needed to. But hey, this was a game, so if you wanted to look sexy and be safe at the same time, you could. Who was Req to judge? Normally he didn't even wear typical armor and half of his skin was always showing, yet his defense was in the thousands. She was wearing more than he usually did.

She’s a warrior, Req immediately identified, and after a moment more of thought, he settled on paladin or some other noble/holy subclass. Not only did the armor help him make this claim, but she also had that light air to her most paladins and clerics did. It was just the holy vibe that Req, in all honesty, was likely imagining. He always had been good at sniffing out the goody-goodies in a class just so he could fuck with them. The fact that she was stepping in between people who both clearly wanted to fight was proof that she was the type to pick a more positive centric class (at least on average) in comparison to the more brutish subclasses.

More important than all that though was that she was interrupting. On instinct, Req fixed his glare onto her. What in the hell was a level 100 doing here? Unless she was the Warrior council member, which Req doubted, then she was way out of her league here. Didn't want to grow up and fight some real badies? Or was she just a sucker for the big fish small pond feel?

Initially, Req’s glare was just a byproduct of him being pissed at the guy challenging him, but when she made the embarrassment comment while making a pointed look at him? Well, then the glare turned into a snarl and was most certainly directed at her. “Oh you don’t need to worry, Papillon or however your name is said.” The name problem did not trip him up even slightly, he just kept going like he had said it right and never questioned it. “This game is far more than just stats. You’d be surprised how much I can work this shit gear.”

Was this a boast? Yes, but Requiem believed it. He could make this armor work. After all, no matter your stats, you still had to move yourself around. You still had to think for yourself. Req could do both, so even if he was weaker, he would still be able to dodge attacks, run, and use fighting skills he knew in real life. Low-level people in this game rarely knew how to fight without skills up until they were taught to actually use their swords; Req came into this game knowing how to throw a punch. All he would need to do was throw enough punches to make up for the fact that each hit would do almost no damage each time.

Req had to wonder though if the woman heard him over the rise of the crowd. As usual, it felt good to get such a reaction. Req did not mind being booed himself since he didn't care about these shits anyway, but he did like it more when someone else was being booed especially when they earned it for being a bore.

The ex-ranker was just about to join them in their protests when this Papillon made a fantastic suggestion, one good enough that the annoyance from Req’s face faded into a toothy grin. A plan was forming.

He was weak right now, that much was clear, but he knew that he was still skilled enough at just existing in this game that the chances of his victory were not zero. With a bit of experience, some new armor, and a few quests under his belt, he would be unstoppable to these two schmucks. Req was already planning on grinding until he dropped, so this was the perfect excuse to do just that.

Ignorant of Req’s change in attitude, SixtyKnights raised his voice to join the protests. “Why should we? He picked a fight with us and you think we should just let the asshole walk away! Rankers like him need to get over themselves, and I’m just the one to cut that simile right off of his face.”

The crowd cheered at this, not out of some sadistic need for brutality, but because it sounded like the duel was going to happen still.

When Req raised his voice too though, they quieted down to listen to the rest of the drama. “Actually, Papillon has a good idea!” Req sheathed his weapon, making his point. “Why don’t we make an event of this? Oh, I’ll be happy to kick your ass here and now, but I am a showman. I kinda like the idea of having a real crowd watching our fight, not just these extras who happened to just be passing by. Besides, the stakes are WAY too low right now. Where is the fun if there are no consequences?”

“You’re just scared of losing in front of everyone!” SixtyKnight responded immediately, not biting the bait… not yet anyway.

Req just shrugged, “Like I said, I’ll kick your ass right now, but I don’t see why I should waste my time entertaining these guys when I don’t even get anything out of it. This is going to be my first duel in my new life, and I would really rather make it worth my time. So I propose you and I fight in the area where I can resurrect with a bang or you can shame me in front of thousands. What do you say a week from now? Same time?”

“I don’t need to go to the arena to shame you. I can stream this right now and everyone will see it before the day is over.”

He was right, but he was missing the point. “Well, don’t you want a prize for beating me, or is dick-measuring all you care about? Would 1,000 dollars change your mind?”

This caused SixtyKnight to pause for the first time, actually taken aback at the prospect of real money. People this level never made money from Reveria, so $1,000 was a lot of money. “Are you trying to bribe me not to fight you?” He asked, not really saying no but confused at the shift.

“Oh hell no,” Req said, quickly putting an end to anyone who thought he was using his money to run away from a fight. “I’m only paying you if you beat me. It’s a reward on top of the pride I’m sure you would feel. Of course… I would want something from you if I win. I can figure that out after I win though.”

This was where intelligence and experience came in. If you agreed to the terms of the duel, then you were held to them with the threat of death. And if SixtyKnight did not correct what Req just said, then Req would be able to ask literally anything of the other bard and he would not be able to refuse. Req could even demand that SixtyKnight never logs into the game again, and it would be legal. He would find it impossible to log in for the rest of his life or until Req rescinded this condition. But that’s why this was a smart condition to add to their duel, it gave him limitless possibilities.

SixtyKnight was still a bit surprised at the monetary offer, and so it seemed were those that were watching. Was this a bit scummy? Sure, if you thought using outside assets in-game was wrong, but honestly, there were entire markets dedicated to selling in-game materials for real-world money. Req was just causing some incentive to put off the battle… even though he now no longer had any income so this likely would be a lot of money to him in time. But all he had to do was win and he would not have to worry about paying a single cent!

When SixtyKnight looked at his friend, likely looking for support or advice, Req spoke up again. “But there are two of you, right? Let’s make it a $2,000 reward then. Still a one on one fight, but double the reward to whoever wins.” Meaning that SixtyKnight would make the $2,000 and Req could ask whatever he wanted of both of them.

“Okay, yeah, we’re- I mean, I’m in!” SixtyKnight said, accepting the deal in a loud voice that lacked the same intensity he had when shouting. The boost in money was too good to ignore.

Clapping his hands together, Req turned to the mod who had been watching in silence all this time. “That’s great to hear. So glad we could make this more fun. You heard the man, mod. Would you do me a favor and schedule this fight at the arena for us? And would you add in another condition too? If either of us fails to show up, then the other is automatically the winner, and rewards are handed out as if the fight happened. Sound fair, SixtyKnight?”

“Yeah, sure,” he said, “I’m done here then.” And with that, the man and his friend tried their best to get through the crowd. They looked like they were headed out of town, which was understandable. They wanted to get to grinding and quests as soon as possible so that they could win the money.

Now, what should he ask for when he won?

This was only a momentary thought before Req glanced over at the mod to find that they were already gone and Req had already received his invitation to the match next week. He accepted it in his UI right away. Then, he realized that the woman from before, Papillon, was still here.

Without even glancing at the slowly dispersing crowd, some disappointed and some more excited now, Req approached Papillon with a grin on his face still. “What a hero! If it were not for you, I would be fighting right now with no reward at the end of the tunnel. Now I’m gonna get beat that guy and some goodies afterward.” Req made no suggestion that he would have lost, only that he would have won without any type of gain. “I owe you one.”

“ Want a drink? Somewhere else than this level 1 place? I’m kinda short of coin at the moment, so a cheap drink is kinda all I can do; sorry. Give me a few weeks and I can hook you up with some rare shit.” Clearly, Req was not worried about leveling backup and regaining his former glory. In fact, he was talking like it was a guarantee.

For how pissed Req was when he first logged in and that entire fight scene, this was a rather large shift. Although to be fair, a lot had happened to change his mood. It wasn't every day you almost ashamed yourself in front of everyone but dodged the bullet only to get offered a chance to bring yourself back into the limelight in full glory. It was an easy 1-10 shift in the situation, so his mood followed suit.

 

[fleurdelys]

It probably would have been a better idea to step in and make her interjection before the mod arrived, but oh well. This was all a game, right? It didn’t really matter. Papi just had to keep reminding herself of that, especially when the crowd’s overt disapproval only got louder as this spontaneous fight was further delayed.

When the two bards looked to her, this random girl not minding her own damn business, she was met with a pair of contemptuous glares. The paladin attempted a smile, hoping it wasn’t too obvious that her uneasy attempt at a placating grin was just a cover-up for her discomfort. It probably was, though, as Requiem spat out a venomous retort, clearly none too pleased by her insinuation about the battle’s outcome. Papi flinched slightly, a grimace passing over her eyes as he bungled her name a bit, but she managed to recover quickly, perhaps fast enough for it to go unnoticed. “Well, yeah, that’s true, but…”

Another flare of hollers and boos from the crowd cut off her train of thought. Her shoulders rose slightly as she took a deep breath, trying fighting away the heat of embarrassment creeping up her face, before speaking again. Hoping to appeal to these idiots’ stupid sense of manly pride.

As luck would have it, her suggestion seemed to stick – at least with the former ranker. The man’s irritated scowl shifted into a smile. It probably would have been unnerving to be at the receiving end of this look, had Requiem been at his peak; but in this situation, his expression came with a bit of relief. It seemed she’d at least won over one of the two.

Of course, that was only half the battle. SixtyKnight spoke up, joining in with the still-growing cluster of disgruntled onlookers. Papi turned her head to him, her brow lowered slightly. She did agree that most rankers were arrogant – and especially this one, from what she’d heard – but this asshole was just as bad. Maybe even worse, seeing as his mighty self-opinion was completely baseless. Why did this level 15 bard think he was the one to do it? And not, you know, the level 89 paladin standing right here? Or any of the other higher-leveled people around? “I don’t actually think you’re really the one for the job…” Though whether he heard her was hard to say, as there was another burst of cheers and encouragement from the audience.

But the noise was short lived. Requiem spoke up as well, and his voice was enough to calm the crowd, all of whom were increasingly eager to see where this encounter would lead. Papi arched her brows a little, caught somewhat off-guard by the fallen ranker’s endorsement of her suggestion. She said nothing, however, and joined the rest of the observers in watching the bards’ interaction continue. There were a few mildly offended mutterings from the crowd when Requiem openly jabbed at them, but it wasn’t nearly enough to detract from the bards’ back-and-forth.

It soon became very clear that Requiem, despite being pretty big-headed, at least had a brain hidden within all that ego. Since his scowl flipped into a grin, Papi had a feeling that he was scheming something; she could almost hear the gears turning around and around. SixtyKnight, on the other hand, seemed to have tunnel-vision to match his one-track mind. Isn’t it obvious that he’s gonna put some stakes on it? The blonde thought, her attention settling on the still riled-up man. At least Requiem didn’t waste too much time getting to the point; he even forced Sixty to think a little once he offered up a thousand bucks as a reward for beating him.

While Papi anticipated there being some wager, but she didn’t really expect real money – let alone that much of it. Similar reactions stirred from the crowd, with quite a few people wondering if that was even possible. There weren’t any real regulations against it, and the vaguely-related ones that existed were rarely enforced, so it was pretty much fine. Heck, there was even a mod right here and there wasn’t a peep out of him. Papi looked over to the staff member, wondering if there was even the slightest change in his demeanor – maybe a bit of surprise, or something? But he remained statuesque; still and silent, probably just waiting to see if he was still needed.

Meanwhile, Sixty seemed to display some thought for the first time in this encounter, as he continued to hesitate on this offer. He even looked to another bard nearby for input, at which point Requiem upped the stakes to two grand, on account of the higher-level user’s friend. Papi couldn’t help but let out a short chuckle as the wager was almost immediately jumped upon. It seemed his thought process had ended prematurely, before any meaningful doubts or discussions could come to fruition. Well, it was a shame for SixtyKnight, but he was going to have to just live with the consequences of his stupidity.

In any case, the mod left after listening to Requiem’s request, and the two bards promptly began to make their way out from the buzzing, but diminishing, crowd around them. Papi watched their forms push through the bystanders until they were out of sight. With a soft sigh, she felt herself finally relaxed. It definitely helped when the attention moved away from her, but even she felt a bit tense watching the events play out. Nevertheless, she was glad that the two stopped their stupid fight and, most importantly, her decision to intervene had not been for nothing.

The crowd continued to break apart when Requiem walked up to her again, still grinning. She looked up, eyes slightly wide with surprise as she was met with a bit of priase. “Oh, well—no problem, I guess.” Papi laughed a little, awkward. “I’m just glad things worked out all right. No need to owe me anything.” He was pretty confident in how things would go, it seemed, but she could see why. The only advantages SixtyKnight had were his level, stats, and equipment. He didn’t seem particularly smart, and certainly didn’t have as nearly hours put into the game as Requiem did. With a bit of time to prepare, the ex-ranker would certainly even the playing field – maybe even then some – and be able to win.

She was ready to excuse herself and log off for the night when Requiem invited her for a drink. “A drink?” Papi echoed, her lips drown into a small frown. “Well…” A quick glance at the real-world clock told her it was nearing midnight. The exam wasn’t until about noon, and Finley was already in a good position to pass with minimal effort…

“Sure, why not.” She smiled, blue eyes brightening. Maybe a virtual drink would be a good way to end the day. “Resetting sucks, so this drink’s on me. Maybe you can treat me later on when you’re back at the top.” The paladin turned, letting her gaze drift through the remaining remnants of the crowd as she considered where to go. “How about we go to Rhea’s?” Papi suggested. It was an NPC-run tavern in the city, tucked away in a quiet alleyway within the fringes of Toriel’s center. Although it seemed like a run-of-the-mill establishment that wasn’t much different from the myriad of other pre-programmed businesses, it was a useful place for users who were more than newbies but still not that skilled at the game yet. Not everyone knew about it, of course, but she had a feeling that someone like Requiem probably would.

Once the destination was agreed upon, they set out. Rhea’s wasn’t too far from the bard’s tavern, though it was a bit of a challenge navigating through the side streets. Eventually, after following a winding route through narrow alleyways and between lively buildings, they arrived on the tiny street where the tavern was located. On one side was some kind of residential building, filled with NPCs that existed just to give the town some flavour and life. It was about four storeys high and made of solid brick, which cast a shadow upon the opposing side of the road. Some NPCs hung out on their balconies, puffing on a pipe, reading a book, or perhaps hanging up their laundry. Living out their pre-programmed lives just like the background actors in a movie.

Opposite to this was a mixture of buildings: some were stores, others restaurants, and another a relatively large warehouse. They were all the backs of these buildings though, with only simple doors and storage crates to be found. Rhea’s looked much like the backdoor of a building, too; there was no awning, no sign, or other decoration to signify its location. There was only a heavy oak door with a candleholder by its side and wine cask sitting just outside of it. Since there were a couple level 20 players heading into it, it wasn’t hard to miss right now; but when no other users were around, or if one was simply passing by, it would be easy just to stroll right past it. Occasionally there was an NPC sitting on the cask with a drink or snack in hand – just to give people some kind of hint that there was something here – but at the moment there was no one.

Reveria seemed to be filled with all sorts of hidden locations like this. Ones you would have to scour every single building in town to discover, or obtain some hint about from a piece of obscure NPC dialogue. Or else you’d have to hear about it from someone else. It was very much like reality in that sense, and these sorts of hard-to-find places played a big part in both keeping Reveria interesting and making it seem like a real world.

“It’s been a while since I’ve come here,” Papi remarked as they approached the door, just moments after it’d fallen shut. “I think it’s got some of the better drinks in town, actually.” Wrapping her armoured hand around the iron handle, she pulled it open with ease and stepped inside, holding it open behind her for Requiem to follow.

The air inside the tavern was rich with the aroma of freshly roasted meat, and warm with the energy and heat of the lively people inside. There were a handful of tables sprinkled with jovial NPCs, most of them being gruff, burly-looking men with arms that looked like hairy tree trunks. But there were also a number of players – all of them somewhere between level 20 and 30 – sitting around, chatting to each other or looking at a bulletin board hanging on the far wall. This, from Papi’s understanding, was the main reason players came to Rhea’s. Sure, it had pretty good food, but it mainly acted as a source of information and quests for people who outleveled most of the monsters around Toriel, but still wanted to get more comfortable with the game before they left the area. And of course, it was one of the game's first introductions the notion to people that Reveria was not just any old fantasy RPG, but rather a vast realm with countless secrets that you would have to travel off the beaten path and think outside the box to discover.

Papi had come here a couple times when she was around level 20, but not much since then. She glanced at the bar counter next to the door, where there were a few stools free. On the other hand, there were a couple of tables towards the sides and corners of the tavern, where they could probably have their drink without being noticed by others. Well, specifically speaking, where InfernalRequiem would be less noticed, or so she hoped. Then again, she supposed they were both far from the tavern's target demographic. Well, no matter. They were here. Either way, she didn’t have much of a preference where they sat, but she figured she should ask the bard in case he did. “Do you want to sit at the bar or a table?” She looked up at him, head slightly tilted. “Your choice.”

 

[Viper]

“Hey, your call. I’m not gonna complain if I don’t owe you a favor.” Req took her dismissal in stride, in fact, he accepted that he owed her nothing almost in the same breath as he said that he did owe her. And why not? Favors were annoying especially when you were the type to uphold those favors… he was not, but he also did not deny favors owed when it was easy to do so. If you wanted a 100 gold and he had ten thousand? Then he’d give it to you. But if you wanted him to help you move on a day he has a date with some hot person, then sucks.

“Yeah, a drink. What? Are you too young for that out there?” He teased when he noticed her hesitation, not caring one way or another. He’d been drinking for a long enough time to assume that this kid could get the occasional pass. To make his point about what out there meant, Req pointed to the sky as if reality was heaven. Although, to be fair, his motion also could be interpreted as pointing at space, or another planet, which reality most certainly was.

When his drink offer was accepted, he already started to turn away from the bardic tavern they were still standing in front of. “Even better; I’ll take you up on that free drink. Tell you what, when I’m back at my top, I'll get you some Queen Fairy Ale! Ever had some before?” Queen Fairy Ale was, at its core, a just a 1,00 gold ale with some fairy dust mixed into it at a very high heat then cooled again before drinking. The thing was, Queen Fairies were very rare boss monsters, not to mention very intelligent and sensitive. Either you killed one to get their dust, or you convinced them to give it to you; neither were easy tasks. It was rare and expensive for that reason.

“You have no idea how much I need this after the month I’ve had,” Req said almost in passing, his tone so flippant and dismissive to himself that one would never suspect that he had been kidnapped. He said his own comment so quickly, in the same breathe he was agreeing to go to Rhea’s. “Perfect. At least there we can talk to some people who know how to play… or at least overhear conversations of those who know. Depends on how strong the stuff you’re buying me is if I get sociable.”

Req had not been to Rhea’s in literal years. He got out of this country as soon as he possibly could. He had some close calls because of his desire to improve too quickly, but clearly he survived up until now. If he was being honest, he came here maybe three times in his life? First by accident, and the other two in order to get quests he was under-leveled for. Perhaps today would be no different, only now he would be picking a quest with a stranger. As a benefit, this was mostly an NPC tavern, so the chance of being recognized was a lot slimmer than any player tavern would be. It was not zero, but it was smaller, which was good enough for Req.

“I have not been here in years,” Req said aloud now, prompted by Papi’s comment. “Not since I was, God, maybe level 23? 24?” It was hard to remember now that he had so many more important memories, you know, like ones where something actually interesting happened. He also got out of this city as soon as possible, so who really could say. “So I’ll trust your taste buds. Don’t prove yourself a liar though!” Another simple joke, not to bully, but to tease.

Req was not the type to be shy even when he wanted to be. This was proven when the pair approached the tavern and Req’s feet unconsciously slowed down. They never stopped though. Instead, Req actually started walking a touch faster without warning when he noticed his slow pace. He walked through the open door without a moment's hesitation, and with a boldness that implied that he was someone important.

He was, sure, but his actions communicated that.

He did not even look around, almost refusing to acknowledge any of the others in the place if they looked in his direction. This was both a defense mechanism and an attempt to keep to his guns, which simply were not to diminish himself in front of anyone or show such a pathetic weakness like lack of confidence. So he stood there in the doorway he had just walked through with perhaps more intensity than necessary, taking the pressure from the door away from the woman who had led him here. It was not because he thought that she could not open it herself, it was just that holding the door for himself while still in the doorway made far more sense.

Standing there, half relaxed in the doorway half making it clear that he did not care about people glancing their way, Req glanced around the room to decide where they were to sit. “Let’s get a table. I like to spread out.”

And sure enough, when Req sat down at the table, he pulled up a spare chair and propped his feet up there, crossing them in a relaxed position. “So, tell me, Pap. What are we getting tonight?” She was paying, she knew better, so he differed to her. He didn't like her name though, so he gave her his own nickname without much thought. It was so common on this site to not call people by their full names that it was instinctual to shorten it.

"You got a different name I can call you by?" he asked after already giving her his own nickname. "Your full name is kinda a mouthful. Are you not English or what?"

Once the drinks were in hand, Req took a large swig before getting into the matter of things. “I’m a bit out of practice, but I used to be good at this so I gotta know. Are you a paladin? All of this...” Req motioned a hand towards her entire person, “Kinda makes me think so. Plus, what other class but cleric would bother getting in the way of a small duel? And there was no way in that armor you are a cleric.”

“You got an oath?” He was curious, and that was clear. He was also being very blunt about his curiosities. So when he had a question, he asked it even when there were a lot of questions on his mind.

 

[fleurdelys]

The bard was perfectly fine with relinquishing any debt to her and honestly, Papi was too. Surely some others would be more than happy to cash in a favour from a renowned and highly-skilled player like Requiem. But she just couldn’t really think of anything she would ever ask for. She’d much rather earn everything in Reveria herself, or at least somewhat fairly – that is, without the help of someone who was arguably legendary within the userbase.

Aside from that, she wasn’t sure if he was the type of person she’d even want to see again. “Hey, just because I look young doesn’t mean I really am! I might even be older than you, for all you know,” Papi shot back light-heartedly, keeping in stride with the man’s jest. Annoyingly, though, she felt a touch of warmth rise to her cheeks. While she didn’t follow the rankings very closely, let alone care about them, she still found herself rather flustered by his playfulness. Even though he had fallen from the top, he was still famous within Reveria, so getting teased by him felt basically the same as if he were to be teased by a real-life celebrity.

But, just like those stars in reality, at the end of the day he was just a regular person. The blush quickly faded from her face as she reminded herself of this, then accepted his proposal before offering to be the one to pay. However, she hadn’t been totally serious about letting him treat her when he regained his rank – it was just a polite platitude, like when an acquaintance says, ‘we should get together for lunch sometime!’, when both of you know that lunch will never happen. Nevertheless, Requiem latched onto the free drink idea pretty quickly, returning the sentiment by promising he’d treat her to some Queen Fairy Ale once he reclaimed his spot in the ranks.

“Never have, but I’d love to.” Papi grinned a little. “I’ll look forward to it, then.” More empty words. Which were fine – after all, they didn’t hurt anyone. Neither of them actually expected to see each other again after this encounter, anyway. With that said, this would be an interesting way to end off this play session. Out of all the things she could’ve expected to happen today, getting a drink with InfernalRequiem was not on that list.

If she were to base her opinion solely on how he acted in that random spat, she wouldn’t have wanted to drink with him at all. But he seemed to settle right down, and – to Papi’s pleasant surprise – he only continued to be agreeable: not only was there no pushback to her suggestion of Rhea’s but he even seemed pleased with the idea. “If you’ve had that bad of a month, it sounds like you’ll need something strong.” She looked to him, her eyes softened with sympathy. Finley was all too familiar with the feeling of having a bad month – hell, even a bad year. Maybe Requiem was here in-game to escape from something too, then.

But what that was, exactly, was obviously not apparent; nor was it relevant right now. There was no reason to linger here, especially under the gaze of a few curious, prying eyes; and so Papi was quick to be on her way. As the pair left the chattering crowds behind for the quieter, emptier side streets, their casual conversation continued. “Right?” the blonde agreed, casting a grin towards the bard. “Same here. But for you it must’ve been a looot longer ago, huh?” She didn’t know what level Requiem had gotten to before his reset, but she knew it had been in the quadruple digits at least.

He poked fun at her again, just a smidge, but Papi’s complexion held steady this time. “Have you ever heard of an untrustworthy, lying paladin?” The rhetorical question was punctuated with an arched brow and a humorous grin. While she did feel the pressure of his expectations weigh down on her somewhat, she didn’t fret about it too much. After all, there was no need to worry about what he thought if she’d never see him again.

Once they came upon Rhea’s, the bard’s energy seemed to shift rather suddenly as they entered the building. Although she couldn’t quite put her finger on it, it almost felt like maybe… he was a peacock of sorts, ruffling up his plumage and fanning out his tailfeathers. Making himself bigger and grander, while ensuring he grabbed as many eyes as possible. Not really surprising behaviour for a bard, whose sole purpose was to captivate and capture an audience. Papi couldn’t help but wonder if Requiem chose the class because he was already that type of person, or if he gradually changed to fit the bard lifestyle within Reveria.

Whichever it was, he was – unsurprisingly – good at grabbing people’s attention. An open door always caught a few glances by nature, but Requiem’s bold aura and self-important composure snagged more than one would expect, and those faces lingered in his direction for a spell before turning back to their own business.

It was a bit extra, honestly. If any regular player acted like this, it’d be super cringey. But Papi supposed he was used to carrying himself with this kind of arrogance, having been so high-level and high-ranking for so long. She said nothing, shrugging it off as inconsequential as Requiem opted for a more faraway table. Nodding, she followed him to his seat of choice, where he promptly put his feet up and made himself at home.

Papi sat down a bit more respectfully, first removing her sword and leaning it against the table before gently lowering herself into her own seat. “Uh, well,” she hummed, thinking back to the last time she was here. Her thoughts didn’t go too far, though, when he asked – after taking the liberty of nicknaming her himself – what he could call her. “Oh—yeah, I know.” Sorry, she almost said, before catching herself. No need to apologize for her name. “I speak English, but I just kinda liked the sound of it. Anyway, most people call me Papi, but Sol’s fine too. But I’d prefer one of those over ‘Pap’, if that’s okay with you. Kinda reminds me of Pap smears…” She wrinkled her nose.

“But hey, your name’s not exactly short either.” She piped up as soon as it occurred to her. “In fact, it’s just as long!” The blonde straightened up in her seat, holding up her hands and counting down the syllables on her fingers as she spoke. “Pap-i-llon-du-sol-eil. In-fer-nal-req-ui-em. See?” Six of her fingers had folded over twice. “What nickname do you go by, then?”

Shortly after this comment, an NPC barmaid came by, handing them a menu to look at. Papi gave it a swift once-over, quickly remembering what she’d had last time, then put the order in before the girl went away. Their order came out fairly soon after that: two glasses of Rheale, the in-house brew that was fresh and lightly sweet, but packed a surprising punch. It was said to be made with the tavern’s namesake in mind, a woman who was cheery and kind, but who could whoop your ass into next week if you crossed her. And aside from that, she’d gotten a serving of Fried Foes, or what users affectionately nicknamed Toriel Tempura – a basket of battered and deep-fried wings, stems, and other parts from local monsters. It sounded a bit gross when she first heard of it, but it was actually pretty tasty, and full of flavours she’d never had in the real world.

Once everything was in front of them, Papi joined Requiem in a drink. She looked up at him, watching with mild amusement as he gestured vaguely at her. “Yeah, I’m a pally. Clerics are great, but I wanted something more versatile. Some class that would let me solo if I needed or wanted.” The questions continued, though, to her surprise. She thought someone like him would only want to talk about himself, so it was a bit weird to get semi-interrogated like this. But it wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.

“I haven’t picked an oath yet, no. Haven’t really thought about which one is the best for my play style or has the best skills for my build.” Papi set her drink down on the wooden surface in front of her, her armor clinking softly against the glass as she drummed her fingers gently on the curve of the handle. “I’m sure once I get a bit further I’ll end up choosing something, but right now, being oath-less works for me.” It was a wishy-washy answer, yeah, and a little embarrassing to admit she was such a filthy casual in front of an ex-ranker. “If you’ve got any recommendations though, I’m all ears.”

She looked into the pale liquid sitting in front of her, reflecting on her wet blanket of an answer. Or maybe what really bothered her about her lack of conviction was that it reminded her of who she really was.

Sighing softly, she took another swig. Forget about it, she urged herself.

“So, what got you into that fight anyway?” The glass clunked against the table as she changed the subject. “I’d never seen such a commotion in Toriel before. Was it something bad?” Papi sat back in her seat, folding her arms across her chest and crossing one leg over the opposite knee. She cocked her head to one side slightly, awaiting the story curiously and, if she were to be honest, somewhat eagerly.

 

[Viper]

Req shrugged when she argued in favor of her maturity, “Hey, I have no way of knowing that. That’s why I asked. It’s not like your age needs to be verified here. But good to know you're old enough; I don’t have to try to censor myself then!” Now he could talk about sex, use swearing, and generally just be who he is without worry, cause everyone knew, Req did not care what anyone thought about him, and he would let you know it. That didn't mean he would be unnecessarily crude in front of kids though; not even Req was that feral.

“Plus, you look like you're blushing. Adorable, by the way, but it does not make you look older,” Req said with a laugh, still teasing and clearly enjoying himself. To highlight his point, he poked his own cheek where Papi was starting to go red. He was in a much better mood now than he was just fifteen minutes ago. This woman was the reason for that, and he was grateful. On top of being in a good mood, he had no shame about complimenting her, and even looked a bit closer at her to see how she reacted to his casual flirting. He wasn't trying to get anything sexual out of this though; he just enjoyed flirting.

When Req offered to get her some Queen Fairy Ale, he meant it. He was no promise-keeper, but he certainly did not mind sharing what he could. If she called upon him to pay his debt and he was capable of doing it, he would. “You’ve been missing out then. I don’t know anyone who does not like it even when they are not ale people. You may not be able to make it yourself considering your level, but surely you could have bought some or found it in some treasure trove.”

“You know, far too many people here shy away from monster based food. Like, you're in a fantasy land, so embrace it! Stop eating chicken and go hard on some hydra meat!” Ray said these words with passion, not anger, although his hand motions had become a bit overdramatic considering that this argument was self-prompted. “Honestly, the number of people that refuse to eat something unfamiliar here is staggering. Allergies don’t exist unless you chose them as a quest flaw, so I don’t get it… besides them being cowards, of course.”

Quest flaws were sometimes temporary, sometimes permanent low level curses. It was basically a negative you choose for your character so that you could progress on a quest. There were plenty of quests where you had to compete a quest with one of these flaws or succeeded in the quest required you to take on the flaw from an NPC. Alergies were one of the easiest to deal with, but these quest flaws could be as intense as you loosing 10% of your max health every time you sleep.

When Papi suggested that he had a bad month, Req could not help but laugh even if it came out a bit more forced than it felt. “Oh, you have no idea. I’m lucky to be here.” A vague answer, although not intentionally. Unlike Nolan in the real world, Req was willing to admit to being kidnapped. Why not? Let the world know that his life outside of the game was just as exciting as the in-game world. Plus, it took liability out of his hands. No one could blame him for being captured. “Feel free to fuck me up if your pockets are willing.”

“Oh, it's been at least two years since I’ve been anywhere near here, so I can’t even say. This place is really a blast from the past, you know. I’ve done way cooler shit, so this town is easily forgettable.” A casual brag Req did not even notice he did.

At the paladin question, Req laughed before he answered even though an answer was not needed. “Plenty. Y'all like to hide behind your class like a bunch of angles, but we all know that some of those oaths you take demand you to be shitty. Don’t worry though, you’re fitting the heavenly stereotype I expect from the average paladin.”

Req imagined that he was being obvious with his overcompensating entrance into the tavern, but could she really blame him? He was a reset ranker, one who was not popular in his prime, so of course he felt the need to make it seem like this was part of his plan and not some horrifying result of a mistake. Req got the reaction he wanted, and once he made his point, he relaxed a bit again.

“Papi, huh? I know you're a girl, but do you ever get people calling you Daddy, then? Cause when I hear papi, that is all I can think of.” This was not an insult, but it was not a joke either. It was just a statement of fact. Papi was what you called father in some cultures, and for Req, he said daddy more than father, so that was where his mind went. “I’ll sick with Papi or Sol then.”

“Hey, my name is at least in English. Papillon or whatever is a fucking weird word; very magical though, I’ll give you that.” A pause so that Papi could ask about his nicknames. “I go by Req most of the time; short and sweet, you know? And it's got a bit of a bite to it, which I like.” It was certainly less edgy than his original name, which he chose when he was in one of those teenage funks.

When the food and drink arrived, Req helped himself without even asking. Having all of this in front of him? Of course he assumed that she was sharing. Why would she buy something with him sitting right there if she was planning to eat alone? Req thankfully did not go too far, although his face lit up like a child’s when he took his first bite. While locked up the only thing he was given to eat was dry food or take out, basically shit, so this was heaven. “Oh my God, I forgot how good food could be,” Req muttered for his own sake, his mouth full as he did so.

Req grinned when his guess was confirmed, thankfully with no food in his mouth. “Still got it then! Good to know!” He was a good guesser and watching a player act and move often was enough information to figure out what their base class was at least.

“You can solo with any class,” Req said instinctively. He could not help it. Bards were technically a support or non-combat class, so he had a small chip on his shoulder about anyone who claimed that some classes could not solo this game. He did, so any class could. For a brief moment, Req considered changing classes just to prove the world wrong about clerics, but he decided against it. White was not his color, and focusing on healing rather than destroying was not his game. “Clerics would be great in the long game. You poison your enemy, and then you just keep yourself healed while they slowly drain away. It’s a simple strategy that could get a cleric far. Plus you have to consider the God you worship, which changes everything.”

“You got commitment issues, then?” Req asked bluntly. “You’re level hundred something; you’d think you would have found something that clicked by now. But eh, some people are oathless by choice since they don’t like the rules oaths bring. You do you.”

A pause as Req thought about what advice he could give. Sadly, he quickly realized that he could not help her. “Wish I could help, but I don’t really know you. I mean, if you got a party, that will come into play, and I have not seen you fight, so I have even less information. Seriously, paladins are not really my thing so I only know them when I was kicking their asses, but what little help I could give you is voided when I know nothing. If I see you kill some shit, then I may be able to make a recommendation or two.”

It was really a shame, he wanted to be more helpful. He was proud of his knowledge of the game, but that did not mean he knew everything or could world with nothing. He was a bard, and he had used some paladin skills, that was it. He did not even have many friends who were paladins! Plenty of enemies though. “I guess my one advice, in general, is not to take an oath that is centered on morality of any kind. You gotta make yourself flexible, and if you can’t cast holy and unholy spells, then you are not much good. Plus, doing the bad thing in a quest may give better rewards, so an oath that makes you be kind is counterproductive long-game.”

“Oh, the fight? They bumped into me, and I refused to kiss their asses and apologize. Some insults got thrown around; nothing serious or bad.” That was not what happened, but it was how Req was remembering it more or less. He knew he did not help matters, but he did see the pair as guilty. At least he could admit it that it was a minor reason to fight. “A small thing, yeah, but I didn't see any reason to let scrubs like them walk all over me. Sometimes it's the principle of things, you know? I’m not going to lick someone's boots just because they have a handful of levels on me. I did not do that as a ranker, and I’m sure as hell not going to do that now that I’ve reset.”

He would not say that he was level one. The very idea of uttering those words were nauseating.

“You let people walk all over you, and they will do just that until you look like the fucking pavement. I’m not playing that game.”

 

[fleurdelys]

“That’s fair.” In all truthfulness, it was a bit surprising that he would have made an effort to censor himself at all if he needed to. Of course, her assumption about him wasn’t fair – she knew that it was based on a very shallow first impression. But there was just something about his over-the-top, flamboyant kind of energy that made him seem the type to curse unapologetically in front of innocent ears. Nevertheless, it was kind of nice to be proven wrong about this sort of thing.

Although it didn’t matter in a way, because – as he’d so proudly proclaimed – he had no plans to filter himself now, as he aptly demonstrated by continuing to poke fun at her, this time for blushing. Words danced around in her mind, trying to connect into some witty retort, but the paladin couldn’t piece anything together that didn’t sound stupid. Maybe this was the continued effect of his ‘stardom’ – but even if it wasn’t, she was going to blame it on that. She pouted a little and decided to say the only thing she could come up with: “I’m not adorable.” Great. Such wit.

Thankfully they didn’t seem to linger on this too long, moving along to the matter of this promised Queen Fairy Ale. Papi, her embarrassment swiftly fading, nodded slowly as she listened to Req talk about the item. “I think I’ve seen it being sold, but I guess I just never gave it much thought. But if I see it again before you find me some, I guess I’ll have to try it, since it’s so good.” What would it taste like, she wondered? Now that the thought was in her mind, she felt oddly compelled to try some soon. Maybe she’d ask around her friends if they knew where to get it.

Her eyes, which had wandered away in thought, shifted back to Req as he launched into a mini-rant about eating in Reveria. Chuckling softly, she gave an enthusiastic nod of agreement. “Right? I mean, most people have no problem jumping into messy fights with monsters, and everyone accepts the risk of feeling some kind of pain. Then what’s the problem with just eating some fantasy food? Live a little, I say.” It really was a shame that some users shied away from fully embracing all the intricacies this virtual world had to offer. As the bard said, there were no repercussions unless you pursued them.

The mood lightened as they walked, conversing casually about this and that. As they continued along, her opinion of the ex-ranker began to shift from being based on outsider assumptions and knowledge to being backed by a real interaction. Although Papi still didn’t think she was that far off – especially at his off-handed humblebragging and generalization, which to be fair wasn’t totally untrue – he wasn’t that awful to be around. Tolerable, even. At least for now.

The unlikely pair sat down at their seat, where Req seemed to poke a bit of fun at her nickname. “Ha-ha. Never heard that one before.” The sarcasm fell out almost out of reflex. But when she realized his tone had not been mocking but somewhat neutral, and his question was an apparently genuine one, she cleared her throat and answered seriously. “But no, no one seriously does outside an isolated joke. Or maybe the bedroom.” Well, mostly seriously.

“A fucking weird word?” The blonde echoed, with a laugh. “It’s just French.” But it was kinda nice to hear it sounded magical – Finley was sort of going for a delicate, fanciful, feminine vibe when (drunkenly) picking it. It was quite a contrast to Requiem’s username and nickname, which did have a sort of snappiness to it, like he mentioned. “It suits you. Kinda gives the image like you’re going to ‘wreck’ someone up.” Or that he himself was a ‘wreck’, but Papi kept that one to herself.

Names were set aside when the food arrived at their table. Unsurprisingly, Req happily dug in, showing just how passionate he was about fantasy cuisine. There was joy in his eyes as he murmured something about how good it was in between bites. Papi picked up a deep-fried stem of her own and popped it into her mouth, watching the bard chow down with a slight grin. “You eat like you haven’t had anything in days,” she joked, once her mouth was empty.

A pause in the eating ensued, which was filled by a bit of game-talk. “Ah, I mean, yeah— I know you can solo with any class…” The grin flipped into a tiny frown. He almost seemed a bit offended by her offhanded comment, prompting her to clarify. “I was just thinking of one that was sort of easier to solo with. I’m not a really good or hardcore gamer, so…” Papi trailed off a bit. He did have a point, and she had to admit it. “You’re right, that is a good strategy. I guess, then… I like a bit of action, too. Getting into enemy’s faces and stuff, while being able to support at the same time.” That was a better explanation, right? And more accurate.

Just as she was satisfied with her answer, he made a comment that, in all honesty, stung a bit. “Well… maybe,” Papi mumbled. She couldn’t lie – she was hesitant about being locked into one path, or at least feeling bound to it as a result of the time and effort she’d have to put forth. Especially when she didn’t feel too strongly about one thing or another just yet. Maybe it was a problem, but this was just a game, right? She could play it however the wanted to. When Req continued his statement, she looked up at him. What was with this guy? Low-key insulting her and telling her to do what she wanted, all in the same breath? Did he just like to hear himself talk or what? “Yeah… I think I will for now,” was all she could manage in response.

She was beginning to think he wasn’t as tolerable as she thought when he seemed to give some honest, sensible answer to her request for advice. “Oh, no, that’s cool. Don’t worry about it.” Papi waved a hand, dismissing the matter. It would have been easy for him to rattle off some vague or maybe even bullshitted tips, or perhaps to regurgitate some tips she could easily find online. So she had to give him credit for taking it seriously, at least. Though she could’ve done without the comment about kicking paladin ass.

And he did try to give a helpful opinion anyway, limited as he was with the matter. “Yeah, that makes sense. I think maybe…” A short pause, as Papi formulated her thoughts. “Maybe that’s partly why I haven’t chosen an oath. I don’t want to limit myself, especially if I don’t feel particularly drawn to anything just yet. I know there’s gotta be some fun and challenge in figuring out how to accomplish things even if you are limited in some ways. But I like being versatile, so I want to try and stay that way for a while.”

Papi took a drink and a bite of a piece of some-kind-of-meat, contemplating on this for a moment before the subject eventually changed to what had happened at the bard’s tavern. Her head bobbed slowly while she listened to Req, who launched into a little bit of a spiel about principles and the like. However, the curiosity in her eyes quickly faded into something duller, something a little darker as Req’s words hit surprisingly close to home. ‘You let people walk all over you, and they will do just that until you look like the fucking pavement.’

Her eyes fell from Req’s face, settling on the grains on the table’s surface. It was true. Papi knew that – Fin knew that, and all too fucking well, really. After all that happened with Nolan over so many years, it felt like he’d been beaten past the pavement and into the earth below. Being able to stand up for oneself, and for others… that was his aspiration in the real world, but one he felt he could only fully realize in Reveria. It was pretty pathetic, in all honesty. He wanted nothing more than to be like Papi – hell, even like Req, in some ways – out there, on planet Earth. But how?

“What if you try to stand up to someone - you really do everything you can, and try so hard - but they just keep beating you down anyway?” She lifted her gaze, her mouth a humourless line. “What is someone supposed to do then?”

 

[Viper]

Calling her adorable was just something casual, said in passing, but he did kinda enjoy the reaction it prompted. In fact, when Papi insisted that she was not adorable, Req laughed openly as he responded. “Yeah, okay, sure.” Even through his laughter, his tone was sarcastic, but it was playful. He let the moment pass because his point had been made clear, and even better, her come back was pathetic and just proving that she was adorable. Was it shyness or insecurity? Who knew, and really, who cared about such things in Reveria?

There was too much to do here to be submerged in emotional issues.

“Good, good,” Req said quickly when she agreed to buy some if she encountered it before he did. It was not the most common of items simply because it was disposable; it was drunk and then it was gone until someone made more or found more. Continuing with the food and drink topic, then came up monster meat. “Exactly, you get me. You will fight a monster the size of a house but won’t take one bite of a sea serpent. Idiots, I say.”

Now at the bar, Req continued to poke fun at her name. He found his opinion justified since, after all, it was weird. When she spoke with sarcasm to him, Req lifted a brow and the corner of his mouth, a sign of his amusement being a touch tinged with negativity. Nothing serious, not even what could be called annoyance, but he was not used to letting people talk to him in the tones he used to talk to others. Still, when she continued, even a flicker of the negativity was gone instantly.

“I can’t blame them. Besides your nickname, you are clearly more suited to being called Mami or something. I mean, you are a very feminine looking woman.” Not an insult, just pointing out the long hair and feminine features that predominated her character model. “I’ve been called Daddy a few times in my life. Kinda gross to be honest. Whenever someone calls me that, I physically shiver. Completely ruins the mood, you know? I do not get the kink.”

Req, or rather Nolan, had daddy issues, and he knew it. That man was a bastard, and Req was just waiting for the old fart to die so that he could stop existing in the same world as him. Due to this hatred, Req and Nolan both found the word Daddy or anything similar to it to be disgusting and counter to any sexual adventures he was having. Like, fine, call your actual parent that, but keep it out of the bedroom and certainly don’t direct it to me or expect me to say it. It was not even funny to him as a joke when he was called that; that is why when Req ask Papi about it, he asked it with sincerity.

“And French is a weird language, so I rest my case,” he said this with such conviction, as if her admission to its language origin was concrete proof that his opinion was valid. “And glad you think so! I’ve become pretty fond of my name! I did not realize the wreck thing though… but yeah, wrecking someone up is fairly appropriate too, now that you're mentioning it.”

“Fuckin feels like it. Don’t think I’ve been full for a while.” Nolan ate a lot, he was a big guy who worked out, so he often needed to refuel. While locked up though, they only gave him one average-sized serving when normally he would eat two. He’d been hungry for a while. Req needed less, but he just wanted to feel full. That reminded him, he probably should have eaten before going under… oh well.

Req response about classes was an instinct, but he did listen to her try to defend herself. As she did so, Req sat there eating and nodding along. “Ah, okay, good then. Just pisses me off when people try to streamline classes like that.” This was not an apology, but it was akin to one. At the very least, it was an explanation for why he snapped.

Either way, Req moved on quickly. “If you're casual, then it makes sense why you would go for something easier to solo with. And if you like action and support, then I think warrior-paladin is a good class for you. Makes more sense then what I did when I first logged in. I just wanted to party, so I became a bard.”

Req had not planned to get so into this game or to get so good at it. He came here to drink and fuck, and that was it, but after a handful of fights, he realized how much he really did love combat. Not only could he let out his real-world frustrations, but he had the instincts of a fighter perhaps due to his home life and time spent fighting in the real world. On top of it all, Req heard all of the stigmas against the bard class doing adventures, and that pissed him off enough that he wanted to show them wrong. He would not let people look down on him or tell him what he was incapable of, it was that simple.

Req was interested in the talk about oaths. Bards never had to deal with that kind of stuff. At most, they had to pick what instrument they were going to be proficient within combat, but even that was easier to make happen or change than an oath was. Oaths were promises with rules, akin to warlock contracts, but a bard just picked something up and said ‘this is what I’m the best at’ and they were done most of the time. Req picked his voice, meaning singing, chatting, and vocal spells, but no magical weapons to use for melee fights. Other bards had guitars they could play but also bash people’s heads in, some had flutes that they could block arrows with, and then there were Req and his vocals, only having his fists but a slightly better proficiency with repelling mental attacks. It was a trade, and thankfully, did not mean that vocal bards could not have weapons; those weapons just were not going to be useful to enhance their bardic talents… most of the time. In Reveria, there were almost always exceptions.

“You’ll figure it out,” Req said almost like a parent encouraging their child, although in this case, it was a ranker to someone child-like in level in comparison to what he was used to. After all, at his peak, he could charm an entire city of NPCs with just one song. A level 100 bard could maybe do two and only if the bard could see and target them. “Oaths are kinda vital to paladins, but it's not bad to shop around before dedicating. Get yourself a team or choose to go solo permanently, then choose.”

Req was busy eating and talking, so he barely noticed the shift in Papi’s attitude. In fact, he did not notice it at all until she started to talk again. His comment was said in passing, like so many things Req said, but she was taking this kinda seriously. What, was she bullied in real life or something? That was a safe guess considering how often bullying happened, but it was still kinda hard to watch. Not hard to watch because of sorrow, but because it was a bit pathetic. Submission was never something he was good at, in fact, he could barely understand how people could give in to situations even though he was experienced in making people give in no matter what world he was talking about.

There was only one person who had ever made Nolan submit in any meaningful ways, but even then Nolan never rolled over or was walked on.

Still, Papi had been good to him today, so he would answer her. “What do you think? Don’t give up.” This was unhelpful advice, and it seemed like Req was going to leave it there as he took a long drink before slamming it down with a bit more force than needed. It was dramatic at least, although it was unclear if Req was being purposefully dramatic or if it was just a coincidence. “If you can’t beat that asshole in strength, then you beat them in other ways. They are going to hit you anyway, so give them a reason, cause it's gonna hurt either way. Steal from them, do things to piss them off, become better at them at something then flaunt it, and never apologize.”

It was hard to describe the tone Req was using here. It still held that blase attitude that never seemed to leave him, but there was passion in him similar to how he talks about the finer details of Reveria. He believed what he was saying because he knew it worked, and some of that ‘I’ve been through this before’ knowledge was seeping through even though Req normally adamantly refused to talk about his real life. Even now, he was being vague because what Nolan did and thought was not always the same as who Req identified as.

“Giving up is pathetic and unhelpful. So learn to take a punch, get your revenge when you can, and if possible, cheat until you win without shame or apology. It's simple.” And to Req, it kinda was, but he had also been doing these things since he was young.

His father was a violent man, abusive in many ways, and Nolan overcame it using the advice he was giving Papi right now. In fact, all of his examples of how to give the bully a reason to be pissed off were things Nolan did to his father all the time. He stole money from the man, he had parties at the house, and he learned how to think and fight just so that the old man could never look down on him. And of course, most importantly, he never apologized for anything he said or did. His dad did not plan on apologizing for his wrongs, so why should Nolan? Even if he was forced to say the words, he never meant it.

Similarly, Nolan had taken the same approach to Fin even though the reasons were different. In that case, Fin was causing problems unintentionally, but Nolan still got his vengeance that also worked as protection from Fin causing problems in the future.

 

[fleurdelys]

“Mami…” She repeated the nickname with a wrinkle on her nose. Somehow, that was worse – maybe because she wasn’t really a woman in real life. Papi’s real-life gender was also probably why she was completely unfazed when Req pointed out her femininity. Unlike being called ‘adorable’, which Finley could personally, the fact that his avatar’s appearance was quite womanly had no emotional impact on him. But even if it did, the feeling would have been eclipsed by Req – in true no-filter fashion – commenting how he’d been called ‘Daddy’ a few times before. The creases on her nose deepened. “Yeah, a bit gross.” In more ways than what he meant. Honestly, she did not want to hear about anything that happened to him in the bedroom.

Thankfully, the topic did not last long, and Req went on to insult the French language. Papi laughed, a little – it was a bit of an awkward chuckle, but an attempt at amusement, nonetheless. “You can have that one for free,” the paladin went on to joke, somewhat pleased to have come up with a suitable pun even he hadn’t thought of.

While he stuffed his face, the ex-ranker made a somewhat odd comment about not feeling full for some time. Was he on a diet in the real world or something? He couldn’t be short of food, right? As a ranker, the company behind Reveria would have taken good care of him – they made sure all of their high-profile players were living comfy, cushy lives so that they could keep playing and promoting the game. While not all rankers entered into the same sort of contract or agreement with the devs, Papi was pretty sure they had to have at least some kind of close relationship, at least from what she’d heard. So then, even if Req wasn’t a ranker right now, surely he was in good hands until recently. Surely he’d at least remember the feeling of satiety.

She peered at the man gorging on fantasy food in front of her. Contemplating asking about it – about what the hell had happened to him… and ultimately deciding against it. It sounded like a complicated story, and it was undoubtedly a personal one. Best to let sleeping dogs lie.

The tone of the conversation remained casual and shallow, albeit a little tense when Papi unintentionally stepped on Req’s toes. He seemed to lighten up soon after, however, explaining that making such generalizations pissed him off. “Fair enough,” she said with a small nod. She wouldn’t take something so personally, but they were on different levels of dedication to Reveria, so it wasn’t unsurprising that Req would feel a bit more touchy about a subject like that.

Good thing was that he wasn’t terribly offended in the end, and even validated her choices (or lack thereof) in her journey as a paladin. “That’s good to hear… thanks.” The blonde grinned a bit. “A bard’s the perfect party-animal class. But I guess the game pulled you in farther than you though, huh?” Funny that one of the best players in this game originally just started to have some fun and mess around. She supposed that was a testament to the game’s insane depth; even if you just tried it out of curiosity, or without any serious intentions, chances were you’d find something about it that captivated you and kept you coming back for more.

The bard seemed to slow down a little in his feast, at least enough to offer some encouragement towards her oath-finding. “Thanks, Req. I really do appreciate that… I’ll keep it in mind.” Getting herself into a team sounded nice – there were some guildmates she could probably do that with – but at the same time, the idea of staying solo was… comfortable. Maybe because Finley was sort of used to mostly dealing with things alone, out there in real life. Maybe because he wanted to become strong enough that he didn’t have to rely on anyone, for anything. Or maybe a combination of both.

Much to his dismay, it all got him thinking about his troubles outside of Reveria again. He’d come here to forget about it all for a while, and he had – yet now, when he least expected it, here he was stewing on it again. Req’s off-handed comment didn’t help the matter either; in fact, it only brought his personal worries right to the very forefront of his mind. Although he usually made a very conscious effort to separate Finley-problems from Papi-problems, right now he simply couldn’t pry the two apart from one another.

As a result, he found himself – without even thinking about it, honestly – asking for Req’s advice. If Finley was not hiding behind the façade of a knightly woman he would probably feel equal parts embarrassed and ashamed asking such a heavy question to someone who was still basically a stranger. But that was the beauty of anonymity. No one knew who he was, where he was, or the shit he dealt with on the daily. And chances were he and Req would never meet again; or if they did, this would be water far, far under the bridge. And so, the words came out without further thought or hesitation, Papi’s eyes focusing on the bard’s face as her voice settled in the air.

Her mind was empty, her thoughts quieted while she waited for the flamboyant man’s response. Although she had no expectations of what his answer would be, when he finally gave it, she was not particularly surprised at its straightforward simplicity. Her expression dampened a little, her brow knitting together slightly. ‘Don’t give up’... It was like saying ‘be yourself’. Not untrue, but not helpful either. The paladin sat back in her chair until the curve of her spine met the wood, silent. The bard took a lengthy swig of ale before he set the down cup with a hefty thud against the table and went on.

When he opened his mouth again, Papi’s expression shifted again. Blue eyes widened, just subtly, her eyebrows arched gently above them. Strangely… amazingly, she’d never looked at things that way before. “Huh…” she murmured, soaking in the thought. Was it petty? Yes. Immature? Of course. But sometimes, as it seemed, you had to fight fire with fire. Of course, there were obviously huge pitfalls to advice like this: like getting beat so bad he’d end up in hospital. But then maybe Finley could finally get some sense of justice for all the abuse Nolan had put him through. Maybe the key was escalating things just enough to grab the attention of people who could actually do something about his harassment.

Req’s words of wisdom didn’t stop there. He went on to add that giving up was pathetic and useless, and encouraged to play dirty if he really had to. “It’s simple, is it?” A short laugh slipped from her lips. If it was so simple, how come Finley’d never thought of it before? Shaking her head a little, incredulously rather than in disagreement, Papi raised her own glass to her lips and downed the rest of it, the bubbles in the drink tickling her throat on the way down. After setting her cup down (more quietly than Req, one should add) she flagged over the NPC server and ordered a couple refills for them both.

“I have to admit that I’m not any better at cheating or getting revenge than I am at fighting back,” she said, smiling wryly at the bard, “but you’re right. Giving in is pathetic and it doesn’t do me any good. So if I’m gonna lose anyway, I might as well go down swinging.” She chuckled, noticeably brighter now with this unorthodox advice under her belt. “I’ll have to think about what I could do. Maybe there’s something I have the upper hand in…” She trailed off a little, pondering for a moment before she looked back at him, grinning warmly. “Anyway, thanks, Req. I really appreciate it.” While he was still not her favourite type of person in the world, she truly was happy to confirm - after having her opinion fluctuate until now - that he truly had at least some sense of decency. It might not be the textbook definition of it, but she could see he wasn’t a complete shithead in any case.

The barmaid from before came by their table with a full glass in each hand and set them down with a smile. Papi reached for a deep-fried potato-type veggie as she collected whatever was empty and walked back to the counter. “So,” she started, rather glad to be able to steer the conversation back into more light-hearted matters. “do you have a game plan for levelling up?” She turned her body in her chair slightly, just enough to look over at a bulletin board on one of the walls nearby. “There are probably some quests over there you could start with,” the paladin suggested. “Even though they’re meant for higher level players, I’m sure you could get through them with your skills alone and get a good chunk of EXP.”

Curious as to what was available, she angled her body even further so that she faced the board directly. “Let’s see what they got right now…” Although she had to squint a little, her stats enhanced her sight enough so that she could at least read the main quest titles from where they sat. “Hm, ‘Retrieve stolen item’… ‘Treasure in an abandoned fortress’… ‘Defeat the beast in the forest’… ‘Collect items for my brew’…” There were a couple more papers beyond those but judging by the smaller print they weren’t as significant as the others she’d read out.

Spinning back around in her seat, she pursed her lips, thinking. “I don’t really remember things well… but I feel like I’ve heard okay things about the stolen item, fortress, and forest quests.” Just in passing, though, from word-of-mouth and online forums way back when she first started the game. Papi gave a small shrug. “I’m sure you know better than I do, though. Or you could probably burn through all of them if you really wanted.” Which, in Req’s case, could work too. Undoubtedly, he wanted to start working his way back up as quickly as possible. If he completed them all efficiently, he could likely finish at least two or even three in the time it would take a normal person to finish one. After all, these were technically beginner quests, still. They were meant to be challenging to first-time players, but for someone who’d pretty much reached the top they’d have to be a total walk in the park.

 

[Viper]

Seeing her reaction to the word Mami, Requiem had to laugh. “I know right? Gross.”

Req really did not consider himself a glutton. He ate a lot in real life because he was big and prone to working out, but his stomach in and out of the game was average. Still, his first real meal after a month of shit, it was hard to hold back and pretend to have manners. He simply ate and ate, giving up on civility quickly in favor of personal joy, like always.

“Trust me, I did not expect to get into this nerdy shit. I would have gotten insulted if anyone said that this would be my career a few years ago, yet here I am, and damn, I am glad to make my money here. Nerdy or not, I’m good at something not everyone can master, so it feels pretty good. Plus, I apparently thrive when I don’t have rules holding me back, so all the better for me.” Helped that he could beat the shit out of people without punishment, but that was another matter.

The topic change was a downer, but for Req, it was more about prompting personal annoyance than it was bringing him sorrow. He was not invested in this stranger's life, and he was not worried about his real-life either, so nothing truly mattered.

“Yep. Simple.” And to Req it was. If you were wronged then wrong the other more. Revenge was seen so often as a petty, unworthy and dishonorable, but it was more than enough to keep a fighter fighting. Honor meant nothing in war. Honor also meant nothing when someone was offering free drinks. “Thanks, Papi.”

Nodding while Papi explained herself, Req could not do anything more than just reinforce what he had already said. “You don’t need to be good at it. You just need to do it longer than the other person is willing to mess with you. It’s an endurance battle; not an intensity one.” Another pause as Req takes a long, deep drink and thankfully does not slam down the drink again. He just set it down like normal. “Fight until you drop for good, I say. Real-world is not that different than Reveria; monsters and assholes tend to require the same problem-solving. Fight till you die.”

“Look, I don’t know you, but if this person is as big of an asshole as you are implying, then I suggest you go to the parents. Nothing gets under a dick’s skin like prompting their mommy or daddy to shout at them in your place. It’s indirect, but often way worse than the cops. I know that would piss me off if someone did it to me.” Req knew that Nolan would go off if Fin ever went to his dad. Req hated his dad when nothing was wrong; if Fin gave that asshole a reason to be mad, then Nolan would surely be furious and frustrated both. Thankfully, Finley despite everything was no snitch, so it had never been a real problem besides once or twice. More often than not, dear old dad found out about the bullying without Fin's influence.

“Happy to help a lower player,” and by that Req meant a player of a lower level, and he also meant his old status. He was level one now, but he sure did not act or think like it. It would take more time to get used to this change. One could surely imagine so spending so long at an above-average level would change your perception of the game as a whole.

Eventually, the topic returned to the game, and Req visibly perked up. He clearly loved this game. “Game plan? Quest and quest until the day of the fight. I’m gonna aim high and make sure I face a few powerful NPCs." This was his job, so it was not like he had anywhere else to be. "You’re right, I can get through plenty with just my skills.”

It was the rule of his subclass. The stronger the foe he fought or watched, the stronger abilities he could summon in his own fights. It was a reward for fighting those greater than him, and as a level 1 player, everyone was technically greater than him so all fights would greatly benefit him. The better the stories, the better he would be.

Although he was confident in his skills, Req listened intently when Papi started to list off the quests. He clearly cared, and did not hide his wide-eyed focus. “Damn, I don’t remember any of these…” It was frustrating because early Req surely did these. But that was years ago therefore forgettable. He had a few memories of bandit quests, but those were common, so he did not know at this point if he was remembering correctly. “I like the sound of the stolen item though…. Means I can run in and kill, stealth steal, or talk and lie my way into a deal. Lots of options.” Options meant that Req could find a loophole. Maybe there was an item he could trade in order to get the quest target, dodging all fights.

Shifting out of his seat, Req wandered over to the quest board to read it more closely. It was a classic, filler side quest. Collect a stolen item owned by some unimportant NPC. Easy and straightforward, more or less. Reaching up, Req ripped this quest off the board and immediately received a notification that he had accepted a quest. He knew the routine, so quickly ignored the quest prompt and turned back to Papi.

“Gotta get a ring from some dull, NPC bandits. The boss is decently high level, but everything else looks to be pretty weak.” It was a start. Req planned on doing more quests, but if he succeeded in this quest, he would shoot up from one to at least five. “It’s gonna be easy.”

Even as he said this, Req’s mind was racing with possibilities and trying to remember if this was one of the quests that had a loophole. It had to do with chasing down rebel members, yeah? Maybe? Either way, the easiest way of getting the ring involved a bit of hunting first. That would be hard to do at so low a level.

Like a lightbulb, Req looked down at Papi and smirked with his artistically beautiful face. There was a spark in his eye as he planned the next week for himself and his new minion. “So Papi…. You are a level 100 plus in Toriel, so you probably don’t have plans, right? What do you say to helping me out a bit? Do a quest or two with me? In the long run, I can make it worth your while. Real-world money now or game money later, I can help you out.” And he could. Papi had to know this was a fact considering that just a half-hour ago Req put up $2,000 without hesitation.

“Come on,” Req pushed, shifting back into his seat with his legs on a spare chair as if prompting a stranger to help him out was normal. “Tomorrow, same time, you and I go after this bandit fugitive and get the prize with ease. What do you say?” He could do a quest or two alone, but with a teammate, he could do far more and level up even faster.

"It would even the odds." After all, his dear opponent had a friend at his side helping him out.

Req was no weakling in any form, physically or mentally. He could look at a weak-willed person with his gaze that, even casually, was intense and direct. It was not unblinking, but his occasional blink did nothing to reduce the focus in his eyes. He knew what he wanted, and just like how he handled real-life enemies, Req saw a simple path from A to B. It was forward and aggressive, and often that was enough to get his way. If not? Well, then he would move to C which was often violence. He was not threatening Papi, but he looked at her as if there was not any other option besides yes.

 

[fleurdelys]

“Wow, really?” It was not an expression of true surprise, but rather a more downplayed version of it, offered more out of politeness than as a true sentiment. After all, Req had pretty much just told him he wasn’t a true gamer, at least before. Either way, Papi couldn’t help but imagine the type of person behind his headset. He had to have been one of those frat boy types, one of those eternally popular kids who usually just cared about getting wasted and getting laid. Like Nolan. With this image in mind, she couldn’t help but feel a tickle of unearned satisfaction, a bit of glee that the game had been able to convert a douchebag into a full-on professional gamer. But of course, she kept all this to herself. Instead, she offered a more palatable, heavily-filtered version of her thoughts. “I guess you never know where life will take you,” the blonde remarked. “I’m glad for you, though. Not everyone gets to do something they enjoy for a living, and even fewer people get to make a career out of gaming all day.”

The shift in the conversation’s tone towards more somber, personal matters did seem to sour the mood somewhat, but Req took it in stride, nonetheless. Papi listened to his follow-up advice, with a small crease forming on one cheek as she pursed her lips to one side, contemplative. “I can see how it’d be a battle of patience,” she said, head bobbing slowly. “But to go until… until I die?” She let out a short, somewhat incredulous chuckle. Weirdly, although Finley could kinda get on board with being beat to the point of hospitalization, he didn’t want to straight up die. “I see what you mean – and don’t get me wrong, I’m really appreciative of your advice, but…” Her head tilted to one side, blue eyes falling from his face. “I don’t know if I value this more than my life… And like, is that really getting even? Seems like the crappy end of the stick to me…”

She chewed over this notion briefly, only putting it on the backburner when he spoke again. This time, Papi looked up at him once more, blue eyes widened and eyebrows gently arched. “Tattle on him to his parents?” the paladin echoed, frowning. “Well…” Nolan would absolutely despise dragging his dad into his personal business. Finley had always been extremely cognizant of his once-friend’s strained relationship with his father and had striven to be a place of support whenever he could. When they were younger, at least. Although this ambition was lost along with their friendship, Finley’s intentions never fully went away. Save for a couple odd occasions in which his own parents were involved, he left Nolan’s dad completely out of it. It was a completely idiotic choice that all his friends disagreed with, but ultimately, he could never bring himself to do it, no matter how horrible Nolan’s abuse got.

But now that his mistreatment persisted into their adult lives, maybe it was time to escalate things to his dad. Kind of ironic, really. “I’ll consider that. I’ll try it before committing to a fight to the death, anyway.” It would also probably be more effective than getting himself killed. And somehow, he couldn’t see Nolan being sad if he were to kick the bucket, and especially not if he were responsible for it. Maybe he’d be angry about facing the consequences, but clearly Fin’s life and well-being meant nothing to him. So why would he care?

Req had given her a lot of food for thought, though; and he didn’t seem too bothered by her request by the end of it, either. Still, when the topic returned to lighter matters – and about him – the renewal of his excitement and the improvement in his mood was obvious. His answer about his game plan was, rather unsurprisingly, as straightforward as the wisdom he’d shared with her. Then again, she supposed there wasn’t much else to do except grind day in and day out until his scheduled fight. “Sounds like a good plan. I’ll be sure to come watch you kick that guy’s ass.” What level would he get up to in this short time, she wondered? It would be interesting to see how much progress he’d make this time around, with his skills and apparently ample amount of real-life time.

Papi read out the currently available quests, which the bard didn’t seem to recall much about either. “Ah, that’s true. This stuff must be super boring compared to everything else you’ve done since starting the game.” Heck, she didn’t remember much herself and she had only made a tiny fraction of the progress Req once had. In the end, though, it didn’t matter much that neither of them had memories of these quests. The bard rose from his seat and made his way over to the quest board, navigating through the tables and idling patrons. She watched as he took the quest off the board, accepting it in the same moment he looked back towards her and shared a quick run-down of what he’d chosen. “A good a place to start as any.” Papi took a sip of her drink. It didn’t really matter to her what he picked; she was just keeping the conversation going.

After lowering her glass from her lips, she snuck a glance at the real-world time. They were drawing close to half-past midnight now; it’d probably be best to settle up and log off for the day. Bringing her ale back to her mouth, she took a few sizeable gulps before setting it down for good. It was probably a perfect place in their conversation to excuse herself too. Req was probably eager to get to start questing and gaining back his levels, so she could let him get to work and be on her merry way.

Just as she pulled up the shortcut menu to settle up their tab, Papi noticed the bard looking at her with a particularly wicked smirk on his face. She paused, returning his scheming grin with a wary look. The mischievous glimmer in his eyes did her no reassurance, and before he even opened his mouth, she knew she probably wasn’t going to be enthused about whatever idea had brewed in his mind.

He would’ve been well-suited to a merchant class, with all the deals he was making today. Her lips pressed together to form a tight frown, her eyes squinting slightly while he offered her monetary compensation to give him a hand in a few quests. Maybe this should be my last time coming to Toriel alone, Papi thought, her eyes following the bard’s form as he took his seat again. And maybe I should really just stick to minding my own damn business next time, too. The paladin remained silent as Req continued to lay out their plans together, sitting down with the same casual self-importance he had before. Honestly, up until now she’d never seen someone so cocky that they even sat with a swagger.

His proposal was rounded off with a comment about the odds, as if he were appealing to her clearly demonstrated sense of justice. Papi stared at him, still wordless. And he stared back with such intensity that she soon had to look away. Her expression morphed from uneasy apprehension to a mild scowl. Even though the words themselves had sounded like a request for help, Req’s tone made it pretty clear that he wasn’t really asking, but telling. In other words, this was not a case of, ‘if you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours’ but rather, ‘after you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours’. A subtle difference, in which one was easier to say no to than the other.

But declining was still in the cards. “Oh, that’s really nice of you to offer,” Papi started, fixing a sheepish smile to her face before making eye contact again, “but I’ve got some… IRL stuff to do. Exams and stuff, you know? It’s that time of year.” She shrugged her shoulders; her hands raised and palms up. “Sorry. I wish I could help but I don’t want to let you down or anything.” Quickly, she pulled up the tavern’s shortcut menu again and hastily clicked the button to subtract the necessary funds from her account.

“Maybe… one of your friends could help you out?” Req wasn’t exactly Reveria’s Sweetheart, but surely he had someone he could call on, right? “Or if they’re busy—I’m sure lots of users would be happy to team up with you instead. Better players than me, too.” Even if he didn’t have friends to give him a hand, he had to have some fans who’d jump at the opportunity of partying with her idol. Or at least, some people more than willing to do so for whatever price he was offering. In any case, there had to be someone other than her we could quest with. Anyone.

Just not her. She didn’t fully hate her time with Req, but she’d been telling herself this whole time that they wouldn’t have to interact after today – and she was determined to make that a reality. Papi wanted to just go back to playing with her guildmates or even by herself, happy and carefree in her fun, stress-free fantasy life. She didn’t even want to entertain the notion of only helping him out with ‘ a quest or two’, because she knew that would soon turn into ‘three or four’, and then who knows how long he’d milk her help for after that.

So, nope. This was more than enough interaction with a celebrity for her entire time in Reveria, and especially with someone like Req.

 

[Viper]

“Yeah,” Req admitted, not really noticing that Papi’s reaction was born more out of manners than truth. Not missing a beat, Req continued, “Hell, this is way better than my life was before, so I’ll take it. Don't tell anybody this though; I’ve been very careful not to overshare when being interviewed in the past. I like you, so I’m being chatty. Don’t make me regret it, yeah?” He could pay people to be silent far more than any force could pay them to be chatty. He just needed to know if this was that kind of situation.

Somber conversation overtook Req’s more common boasting. He was truly off his game if this was the type of conversation he allowed.

“I’m being dramatic,” Req admitted, raising his hands in the air in a half shrug. “And why not? If the alternative is to be tormented all your life, then yeah; death sounds better. You gotta know I’m offering advice for a situation I know nothing about." A small pause. "I’m doing my best over here.” And Req thought he was killing it.

“Childish, but effective if you know your enemy…. And I’m assuming you do based on that little frown.” Men and monsters really were the same. You could destroy a human with the same tactics used against monsters. Ice dragon? Use fire. Human with a crush? Shatter any chances they would have at the partnership. Same deal.

“Oh, you better be there,” Req grinned. “You got me into this, so you need to be there to watch me end it in front of the whole fucking world.”

Raising his hand to his head, Req twinkled his fingers in thought. “Something is in there, but I can’t reach it. If only I had my notes, I’d be speedrunning this game. Honestly, keeping notes with the in-game system was the dumbest thing I've ever done. Should have used an outside program." Maybe he should buy some guide books? He had real money he could bring into this game….

It kinda felt cheap though. I mean, some of the best players of this game were real-life rich people outfitted with the best of the best just because they could transfer real money into this game. Reveria developers did put some things in place that could counteract these rich players, but it was still a problem at times. Req never respected those guys, but now that he was low level and rich, the appeal was very strong to use his wealth.

Maybe he’ll do that if grinding does not work out.

After making his proposal, Req raised an eyebrow and pursed his lips a bit. An expressive but silent ‘really?’ He let her talk though, and waited until she had paid and finished her protests. As she refused him further though, Req’s mind was racing. He did not need help, but it would make this far easier, and making things easier was desirable. He was on a time crunch, after all. He’d push a bit further and see how it goes.

She was right about one thing though, there were others he could go to for help. He had a few upper 100 ranker friends, vastly powerful people, but he would not go to them for help, not at so low of a level or without a more specific favor in mind. He’d feel like an ant begging a human for assistance; he’d rather be an ant asking Papi, a grasshopper, to help him out. That would be far less of a personal insult.

Even worse than begging the help of his powerful friends would be asking for help from his fans. Most of them were pathetic bards seeking fame just like Req, and plenty of the others were horny fools far under his standards. Sure, there were some fine ones, but the average fan would be too distracted to be of use. Papi on the other hand did not seem to look at him as anything else than a fellow player; ideally, she saw him as a far superior player just with a level problem, but he could during this brief time prove this fact. He did enjoy being idealized by all, after all. No reason not to impress one more person.

“Aw, come on,” Req started, getting his feet off the chair and leaning forward in his seat. “Am I really asking that much of you? It’s one or two quests just to get me started. It’s not like it would be a waste of time for you. Look at us right now! I just gave you some advice; if you go questing with me for like a day or two, imagine how much advice about the game I can offer. I’ll let you grind information out of me the entire time we are questing, I promise. And that’s on top of some in-game or outside of game compensation. Whatever you need.”

“Come on. Just one or two quests when you are taking a break from studying. I’ll work around your schedule.” It’s not like he would be doing anything besides playing the game for a while. He could grind when this person was not helping him out, and the moment they came online, he would stop grinding and go with her for the quests. He’d definitely get a shiner, probably a bad one, but worth it.

Pulling up his menu, Req sent a friend request to Papi. Unlike typical games, just friending someone did not mean that you could contact them for a never ending back and forth chat. Instead, Reveria dealt with a letter like format. In order to contact a friend of yours, you would have to gain access to a spell or some cheap purchasable item that would allow you to send what were, in many ways, letters. Like a true medieval setting, contact across long ways was either slower or magical in nature. Req had no way of making contact through the friend system, but Papi surely would. Contact stones/crystals were a fairly common monster drop item.

It really sucked to pull up his friend list and see no one on there. Back in his prime, he had hundreds of contacts. Most of them were not actually friends, they were just other players that he wanted to have the ability to contact, perhaps for a favor owed, a rematch, or just because they had a skill set he may need some time in the future. There is another reason he could not go to the other rankers for help; he had no way to reach them but by foot into areas with far far stronger monsters. It would be suicide to reach out to them in person.

“Please. It will really help me out.” Req eventually said, refusing to fully beg but so close to reaching that status.

 

[fleurdelys]

Uh-oh… he liked her?

Papi wasn’t sure whether to feel about his choice to confide in her, however little information it may be, or about his request for confidentiality. It was inching into a territory of familiarity that she was not thrilled about. But either way, she supposed she needed to reassure him that she wasn’t going to go shouting his secrets (which were not even that juicy, in her opinion) from the rooftops. “I’ll take it to my grave. So to speak.” Pinching her forefinger and thumb together, she mimed the motion of zipping her lips closed.

From there, he continued to prove his penchant for dramatics through his advice, which he even admitted as a little over-the-top. Req sort of did have a point, though: he didn’t have many specifics to base his advice on, so she supposed she was grateful that he even bothered to try. “Thank you,” the blonde said, with a small, appreciative smile, “I know you are.” Who was she to fault someone for doing their best? Even if it was someone like him.

The activity in the tavern around them settled a little, with a few people logging off while others simply left to embark on their newly accepted quests. The even buzz of conversation that filled the air seemed to settle a little, fortunately just as they shifted back onto less serious topics. The paladin nodded a little as the bard lamented his thoughts and memories just out of reach. How frustrating that was, when you had something on the tip of your tongue. “Yeah, I don’t really use them myself,” she offered. The in-game notes were handy for quick access to information, or to just to quickly jot down something in case you forgot later on. And of course, they were good for the game’s sense of immersion: it was kind of nice to pull out a physical notebook or scroll and scan through your own writing to find what you needed. But of course, it was terribly inconvenient to lose your own carefully curated, personalized compendium of tips and tricks, along with everything else you worked so hard to get. “Maybe get some plain old notebooks IRL?” Papi suggested with a small shrug.

There were guidebooks of all sorts, both printed by companies and available online. And there were even ones you could get in-game from people – a lot of them were Revers, from the sound of it – who made their own business out of providing them. If rumours were to believed, you could get some particularly awesome ones for a hefty price, or even pay someone to collect all the information you wanted into a single, handy-dandy document, both in-game and out. Apparently, though, the quality and consistency of guides were a bit dubious. With the insane complexity of Reveria, some pieces of information would hold true for others, and some wouldn’t. There was a lot of behind-the-scenes, still-unknown and poorly understood mechanisms behind many aspects of the game; so it was very much a ‘your mileage may vary’ situation with these guides. Especially the free ones.

But none of it was of much concern to her. Occasionally she’d use information she saw online, but she rarely stuck to any guides or notes from others. It was more fun to just try things her own way and see how things unfolded organically.

In any case, it was coming up on a good point to try and leave – but unfortunately, this wasn’t as easy as it sounded. And, while she tried to gently let him down, she watched the expression on his face. His arched brow and tightened lips told her she could probably expect some further resistance when she finished talking. When the last word left her mouth she gulped, feeling a small lump in her throat. She could feel heat creep up the back of her neck, a slight burst of anxiety quickening her heartbeat, pumping blood just a little faster through her body. It was terribly annoying to feel herself beginning to lose her cool, but it was hard to keep her resolution firm beneath his resolute gaze.

He shifted his feet off his chair, discarding his relaxed, devil-may-care posture in favour of leaning forward, his body language synchronizing with the pressure of his words. She sunk a little in her seat, leaning back in reciprocation as she fought off a frown. He struck at her guilty conscience, bringing up the life advice he had given her while enticing her with promises of even more wisdom about the game. All that in addition to compensation, either within Reveria or outside of it. “Well…” Papi looked away, her eyebrows coming together on her face. She clenched her hands nervously in her lap. Why did he want her to come with him, and not any of his friends or even fans? Was it simply because she’d already gotten herself involved? Or maybe because he supposedly had grown fond of her, to some extent?

Whatever the reason, Papi didn’t like this situation. Her gentle refusal had been quashed and Req was pressing even more of her buttons in return. She did feel bad about asking him for such random advice, especially when he’d been a fairly decent sport about it. It only seemed fair to return the kindness, didn't it? And the paladin would be lying if she said she wasn’t even slightly interested in what sort of knowledge he might share about Reveria. While the aspect of compensation was not particularly of interest to her – especially anything IRL; Finley was quite, quite happy to keep his identities separate – she supposed it wouldn’t exactly hurt to get an IOU from a bigshot player like Req. As much as she wanted to avoid being tied to him in any way, at this point it was feeling inevitable. She could feel herself circling around and around the drain, and it was only a matter of time before she was sucked right in.

Her indecisive state of inertia was somewhat interrupted by a dialogue box that popped up before her eyes: ‘Infernal_Requiem has sent you a friend request. Accept?’. Two boxes with ‘yes’ and ‘no’ sat beneath the text, awaiting her decision. Papi, her features strained, glanced past the semi-transparent alert to the bard sitting next to her. His negotiation seemed to be reaching a point of pleading, with his determination tainted with what was perhaps a tinge of desperation.

She studied his face for a moment, trying to discern the emotions written there, before she closed her eyes and heaved a slow, heavy sigh. “All right, I’ll help you.” With quiet resignation, she selected ‘yes’ and Infernal_Requiem was added to the top of her friends list. It still wasn’t super clear why he was so set on having her help, but she supposed it didn’t matter. She felt guilty for turning down his help after he’d given her – a random stranger – genuine advice, and he did have a point about the pragmatic benefits she’d reap from partying up for a bit. But what had really sold it was the look on his face: even if it wasn’t fully genuine, it was still that of someone who genuinely wanted and needed some help. And Papi just couldn’t bring herself to say no, especially if it wouldn’t even trouble her that much in the grand scheme of things.

However, she was still wary of the fact that this could easily snowball into something more. If it got to a point where Req was stringing her along even more for another quest, then another – she could say no with more ease then.

… Right?

... She’d cross that bridge when she got there. “Well, I should be heading off.” Papi announced, nodding at Req. “I should be on tomorrow… so I guess if I see you online, I’ll send you a message and we can meet up. Actually, I’ve got a lot of Telecrystals, so you can have some too. In case you meet up with any of your old friends and want to touch base with them as well.” And maybe forget about me, she added silently while she pulled up her storage and selected the stack of 842 Telecrystals within it. After whipping through a few boxes on the menu, she removed 40 from her inventory. A small pouch materialized in front of her, which she gently set down in front of Req as she dismissed the menus.

With that done, she rose to her feet and gave him another smile, albeit one that was more strained this time. “Anyway… uh, see you tomorrow. Have a good one.” She gave an awkward wave before quickly signing off without further delay, her petite frame fading away from the space where she stood.

‘Thank you for playing Reveria. See you next time.’ The dialogue appeared on screen before fading to black, bringing Finley back to the waking world.

He slipped the ReveCast off his head and held it on his stomach, staring up at the ceiling through the dim of his room. That foray into Reveria had certainly not gone the way he anticipated. While he didn’t exactly feel badly about how it turned out, he couldn’t say he was particularly satisfied with the events that unfolded either. Shaking his head a little, he sighed and set the headset aside. He could deal with it tomorrow. For now, he had to get some sleep and try to wake up earlier to sneak a bit of last-minute review in after all.

*~*~*​

The rays of sunlight creeping through the cracks of his blinds woke him up before his alarm. Finley slowly stirred in his bed before rolling over and reaching for his phone. 7:14 AM. He could lie around for another 16 minutes before getting up as planned… but he eventually decided to get up and start on the boring, everyday routine that awaited him regardless.

Get up. Bathroom. Wash your face. Brush your teeth. Eat something. Look at notes. Go to school. Same old, same old. While there was some comfort in the familiar, Finley was eager to break free from the monotony after this exam – if even for a little while.

He flew through the test, snagged on a couple of small details but overall, he was quite confident about how he’d done. Finley hung around on campus for a while, killing time before he met some of his friends, and then spent a few hours more in their company. Although he felt generally relaxed and relieved to be finished for the semester, he found himself slightly on-edge after meeting Nolan again yesterday. Any tall or bearded guy that wandered into his line of sight grabbed his attention, pulling his eyes towards them as his heart rate spiked with anxiety. And even though none of them were who he feared, he went through this knee-jerk reaction over and over again nonetheless.

Frankly, it was exhausting. In the end he did not hang around campus very long; at a little after 1:00 in the afternoon, he parted ways with his friends and made his way back home. Normally, he would feel nothing but excitement about having a full day to run around Reveria without any cares or worries in the real world. But now that he knew what – or rather, who – awaited him there, any exhilaration was significant dampened by a sense of unease. Logically speaking, it should be a clear-cut situation: he logs on, parties up with Req, burns through the quests in maybe a day, and then they wrap things up, hopefully forever. But there was a volatility to the other user that cast doubt over this scenario. Somehow, he had a feeling that things would not be that simple.

He considered not logging into Reveria at all for an entire week, ignoring the virtual world and his new virtual ‘friend’ until after his fated fight. But Finley scrapped the idea after some consideration. For one, he realized how silly it was to let something like this keep him from enjoying one of his hobbies. And two, he also recognized that he would simply feel bad about doing that. The bard’s face rose from his memory, reminding him that, despite his arrogant and boisterous personality, he was still someone who needed a hand. It probably wasn’t easy for a hot-shot player to make that request of someone like him, either.

Better to just get it over with, he decided. So, after coming home and getting comfortable, Finley promptly set himself up with his gear and logged back into Reveria.

Papi spawned in Toriel, right next to the door leading into Rhea’s. When players logged out inside a building, they were always outside of it whenever they returned, to avoid awkward and immersion-breaking issues like having someone suddenly appear right on top of you.

Once oriented to her in-game surroundings, Papi pulled up her friends list and saw that Infernal_Requiem was online. Had he even signed off, she wondered? She supposed she’d ask, once they met up again. The paladin took out one of her Telecrystals from her inventory, much in the same fashion as before, and held the item in her hand. There were a variety of ways to contact players in Reveria, but crystals were the cheapest and most common method. They were smooth, oval-shaped stones with a clear, glossy surface that fit nicely in one's palm; they came in different colours as well, though the variations had no purpose other than for aesthetics. Players could input their message in a number of ways as well, from writing on it with a pen or quill, to using the in-game keyboard, or even holding it up to one’s mouth and speaking directly into it.

Seeing as there was no one in the empty backroad, Papi opted for a verbal message. She lifted it to her face, squeezing the crystal gently to activate it. “Hey, Req, I’m at Rhea’s. Let me know where you want me to meet you, if you’re ready.” After relaxing her grip, the stone replayed her message out loud. Satisfied, she clapped her other hand over the item, at which point it disappeared on impact. Although one could go through the UI to confirm the message and send it to one’s target, it was much easier to do things this way, especially as all one had to do was think of the recipient’s username and it would find its way to them.

These were also one-time use Telecrystals, which disappeared with every message that was sent. Reusable versions existed and worked more like telephones, where two people could create a connection between them and use them to chat on an unlimited basis, provided the crystals were not lost or destroyed. Either way, at the start of a conversation the recipient would see a light appear before them, which would transmit the message (either aloud, or through displaying the text in the air) when touched and disappear afterwards. Some classes of characters could even have their message spoken telepathically, in case it was something sensitive. However, in the event the user was not online or otherwise unable to receive messages, the crystal would remain in the user’s hands.

It disappeared without a problem, though, meaning all Papi had to do was stand around and wait for the bard to get back to her.

 

[Viper]

“I’ve considered getting books in real life, but never needed them before now. No point in logging out just to look at something, you know? Especially when most of the time I am mid-combat when I need my notes.” Can’t summon the powers of the fallen if Req does not know the quest he met them on and their official name or title, after all. His subclass was great, but there was a lot of memorizing and note-taking.

Nevermind the books though, this was about leveling up and beating that other bard to death in front of the world, just like old times.

Req tried not to look antsy or pleading, but he failed; he knew he did not hide it well enough. He was desperate. He needed someone if he wanted to speedrun these early levels, and sure, it did not need to be her, but she was here, she was high level, and she was a tanky class that could soak up the hits while he played bard from mid or far range. He did not have the equipment or stats to be close quarters even with his in and out of game fighting skills. You could only go so far until in-game balancing nerfed you. And as a final bonus, she was a no one who also did not care who he was; the perfect type to part ways with later without it coming back to bite him.

When Papi agreed to help, Req could not stop himself from clenching a fist and snapping it towards his guy in a show of celebration for being victorious. “You are not going to regret it.” And he’d try his best to make sure that she did not. As long as she did not backstab him and there was no incredibly enticing reason to betray her, then they’d be perfect.

A pause as he remembered manners, but when he said it, he was sincere. “Thank you.”

Taking the 40 Telecrystals with a quick thanks, Req gave his own farewells instead of commenting about reaching out to his friends. “Sounds good. I’ll be online.”

Req did not move from his seat the second that Papi left, instead of sitting there and picking idly at the crumbs of food in front of him, trying to think and plan. He could go get some first-level quests, but most of those were offered in the tavern, and he really did not feel like going back there today. Maybe it would be better to just go grind a bit on the local wildlife, relying on his natural physical skills to pull him through the boar fights.

“Maybe I should take a shower and eat,” Req said to himself, throwing a crumb back onto the plate and leaning back with his eyes shut.

God, this was all so crazy. He was at the peak of his life, and to have it all ripped away from him was Hell. If it were not for the emotional adrenaline and rage, he’d probably be pretty depressed right now, but all he wanted to do was work until he dropped. Nevermind that his human body was exhausted and not well cared for, his Reveria life was at stake. And that was on top of a month of actual, legit, kidnapping.

“It can wait; I can wait an hour,” Req muttered to convince himself that his human body needed attention just as much as his character did. With a final sigh, Req pulled up the log out option and was met with the familiar. ‘Thank you for playing Reveria. See you next time.’

Snapping his eyes open, Nolan slowly removed the spare ReveCast and crawled out of bed, rubbing his eyes and feeling stiff. He normally did not feel this way after playing Reveria, but this soreness was probably just because of how roughly he was handled during his reverse-kidnapping and then the long walk home after so long without cardio.

First thing was first. Nolan did not have his cell phone, stolen from him by those mysterious kidnappers, but his laptop at home was still there so he ordered a meat pizza, and while he waited for it to arrive, he took a burning hot shower. Once cleaned, every inch of Nolan wanted to shave that damned, ugly beard off, but that would take time from Req, and Nolan was simply not willing to do that.

Maybe next week once the duel was over, Nolan could make time for Nolan.

~~~~~

One whole pizza later, a whole lot of water and pop, and a trip to the bathroom later, Nolan was back in bed and positioning the ReveCast over his head. He had only spent an hour, maybe an hour-and-a-half awake, but he was ready now to knock himself out and not wake up for a long, long time.

Hopefully the headaches he would wake up to would not be too bad.

Before even fully materializing outside of Rhea’s, Req was walking towards the edges of the city. All over dinner he had been planning his grinding routine.

First, Req went to the town square and took about six simple material collection jobs. Collect 10 boar tusks, twenty rabbit furs, ten slime samples, fifteen mocha berries, and similar quests that you could do ever and over but for very small rewards each time. Perfect for grinding up levels and gathering a bit of pocket change.

Most of these flora and fauna were found in the immediate south and west of the city, but Req knew that they could also be found to the north if he just took some extra time walking out there. It also meant that there would be less players around. The south and west were always packed, which was fine since the space was wide and the animals plentiful, but Req was not ready for an audience. Not yet. Of course, there was a small chance that Req could run into low-level bandits that far north, but as long as he paid attention, he could avoid the few ones that were out there.

Privacy was not the only reason Req went out here though. In the north were these small blue-berries that healed ten hit points for every one you ate, and up north, these bushes were fairly common and tended to have at least a few ripe berries at a time. Free healing meant that Req could save all of his money for new equipment and also avoid the free rest spot in the Toriel bard tavern.

After about a mile or so, Req started to see the berries and the fauna he was looking for. The first animal he saw was a rabbit, a nice, non-combative target that would be hard to hit if he were not a bard.

Low-level bards were not supposed to fight in melee, they were spellcasters and supportive. Their very first spells were to boost one stat of one person by five, but they could not target themselves, so it was useless for Req. Their other spell was situational. It was a costly verbal spell called simply “Command: STOP”. If Req targeted a creature capable of hearing and shouted stop, he could make them freeze in place for a range of 2-5 seconds. As he got higher in level, more command spells would unlock for him and the freeze time would increase.

The main problem was, Req would need to throw one of his two daggers perfectly to kill the rabbit in one hit. They were super weak, but a level 1 player was too. Anything less than perfect would mean it would run away, and he would need luck to find it again.

No gain though without risk, and Req did know how to play this game. He had skill, which was far more valuable than stats.

“STOP!” Req commanded, his voice powerful simply because of who he was. The rabbit froze mid-jump, and with a quick pullback, Req let the dagger fly right into the heart of his target. Blood dripped, and as the command faded, the body dropped, dead. For a brief moment, glowing numbers appeared above the corpse. 10 EXP. Pitiful numbers, but he only needed a hundred to level up, so at least he would not be level 1 anymore. It would be a small victory.

As Req calculated his level up needs, Req watched a familiar sight. The corpse sat there for a minute or two before it faded into subtle particle-like glitter and vanished completely. In its place was fur and a foot. Item drops. Some creatures did not vanish like this, such as boss monsters, corpses when a quest was still going on, legendary beasts and beings, players, and other such notable foes. But for small things like animals in a forest? They would vanish after a few minutes so that a chef would have time to harvest as much from the body as needed and everyone else just questing or exp grinding would not need to worry about a forest full of bones.

But more importantly than basic game mechanics, “I still got it,” Req said aloud, pleased to have hit his first target exactly how he wanted to on the first try. If this kept up, he’d be hunting boars within the hour.

~~~~~

Req was not keeping track of time. He had no reason to since there was nowhere in the real world he had to be. After spending eight hours in the same patch of forest, going back and forth from town to submit his quests and get the rewards, he got the alert telling him that he should log off for a time because “Extended use of a ReveCast can cause marks and soreness to the temples as well as headaches and bladder-mishaps” but fuck it.

He had a job to do in here and a washer in his apartment out there, his priorities were clear. It wouldn't be the first time he woke up to a wet bed.

So he played for an additional seven hours, eventually abandoning his minor fauna and flora hunting in favor of a handful of low-level quests, mainly bandit hunting or slightly higher class beasts like boars and wolfs.

When the message from Papi arrived, Req was mid-fight with his first Boss of the game, just some simple bandit with so low magic it was pathetic; basic fireball and nothing more. Considering that he was supposed to be a few levels higher before doing this quest though, there was a bit of a challenge.

At least the Boss' movements were predictable.

Left punch, right punch, lunge, then a fireball at his feet. He’d jump back, throw another fireball with a smaller radius but far more power. Getting caught in their first fireball almost guaranteed getting hit by the second, so dodging was key. A good matchup for a bard with a lot of points in dexterity and charisma. Req also had a few points in perception just for future use.

“Reveria Chronicles. SlimeSlayer. Acid trail attribute. Let me tell their story.” Chatting these words, Req’s feet started to secrete a light purple ooze, and when he took a step, he left a trail not just where his feet landed but the area in between as if he were dragging his body rather than walking.

As a Lorekeeper, normally his powers came from quests, but when it came to non-bosses aka just run of the mill foes you meet while exploring, Req could learn some of their abilities if he killed a hundred or so of them. With fifteen total hours spent mainly fighting introductory beasts, Req had certainly met this criteria; this was quite harder to do once the world enemies were more powerful. For example, you’d never be able to rack up 100 kills on basilisks unless you really dedicated time to hunting them down and risking your life.

With the slime trail now coating the area, the Boss bandit had less movement, but the slime did not hurt Req, so he still had free range. And even better? The slime caused chip damage, so ten minutes after getting the message, the fight was over and the Boss was on the ground. Then came a branch point; kill the man for the exp or with enough charisma you could convince the bandit leader and his men to simply hand over their goods then leave them be, getting loot and some notoriety points. And right now?

“I’m a reasonable man. I could kill you here, but then I’d have to fight all of your men just to get to the little treasury I know you boys have in the back. Save me the trouble, and I don’t mind walking out of here with my blades unbloody… well, less bloody than they would be otherwise.”

The Boss, looking up at Req through his own blood, merely nodded and started to painfully stand up. “Get him the goods.” Immediately bandits went to the back of their camp and started to bring out armfuls of goods.

“That’s a good lad,” just as expected. Bandits, despite their violent methods, could often be reasoned with before any violence occured or after you beat their strongest man.

While waiting for everything to be brought to him, Req finally took the time to listen to the message from Papi and respond also in voice. “Sorry about that, I was finishing up a quest. Want to meet me at the merchant line? I just got some loot I need to sell. I’ll run over as quick as I can.” The merchant line was what it sounded like, a street in Toriel where there were dozens of NPC shops opened 24/7 ready to buy and sell.

Clapping the Telecrystal in his hands, Req then quickly pulled up his inventory and shoveled all of it in there. “Pleasure doing buisness, men! Keep up the good work and you’ll be restocked in no time!”

“Just get out,” said the bandit, prompting Req to make a quick chuckle and flip him off while walking out of their camp back into the forest. The moment he did so, he got an alert for completing his quest and felt the rush that always came with leveling up.

Level ten… not bad for just a few hours.

~~~~~

The merchant line was always busy, and in the afternoon, it was positively packed.

“It’s gonna be a bitch to find her in this crowd. May as well be productive while I look for her.” So Req did just that. He sold his loot, bought a few items, and only then did he start in earnest.

By the time he found her, Req looked significantly different. Level one was far from level ten, after all. He filled his clothing out better thanks to putting a few points in strength, he seemed taller with the help of his focus in dexterity, and when he spoke, the nearby NPC’s took notice in ways they used to not thanks to his commitment to charisma. Even his base aura was stronger now that he had more magic at his disposal.

His clothing was also different. Where as before his bardic uniform was simply a poor traveler with a flair for drama, he was now wearing light, black leather armor that exposed his arms and clung pretty tightly around his body. There were a lot of accents, almost a rainbow of color across his body in the form of ribbons, belts, detail, and the accessories that came with the clothing. It was a bit bold and gaudy, but it was a clear upgrade even if the armor itself was just something that could be bought. A lot of bardic clothing had a problem with being too flashy, but without the money to alter the outfits or make his own, Req could live with it.

He also has his weapons visible rather than in his inventory. A short bow was on his back with a few common arrows. It looked far too small for him, but it was his only ranged weapon. He also now had a new pair of daggers. The handles no longer looked worn, but cleanly wrapped in a vibrant red. The daggers looked a bit special. Whereas the rest of his armor was Common, the daggers were Uncommon. A lucky drop from a random Boss drop or a fairly expected reward for taking the notorious route when faced with a notorious enemy.

Req certainly did not look ashamed of his choices as he approached Papi.

“Finally found you! Guess it is my fault for picking such a crowded place, but I had to come here anyway so I figured kill two birds, you know?” Req looked happy, far happier than he did when they first met. The fights and the new levels were doing wonders for his mood. In fact, Req was popping the healing blue berries even now, and before their eyes, his scratches, burns, and bruises were healing.

“Either way. I’ve been thinking about how we should complete this quest, and I’ve come across some interesting information." Found within the loot of the Boss bandit Req just beat. " Apparently, there is a way to complete the quest with a lot less combat and just as much EXP. If you manage to find a dagger that belonged to one of their old members and make it to the boss, you can bargain your way to some great loot without fighting him. I’m not as good as I used to be, but I may be able to identify it if we encounter it in a shop or on a foe. “ At these words, Req brought one hand to an eye in an ‘ok’ motion, meaning a circle around his eye and the rest of his fingers upright. Lorekeepers were decent at identifying NPC or quest-related things.

“It’s probably the best bet since I’m still not suited at face-front or stealth combat. The more we can force dialogue, the better. You’d probably be able to kill them all in one swing even if we took the frontal assault method, but I gotta get EXP too, and I overheard that if we take this route, we may get a Rare item. "

“Maybe even two Rares or a Rare that will help you out more than it would me.” Req had no use for equipment that did not enhance his skills, so typically anything non-bard or non-mage specific was useless. It’s why he was still wearing weak but light leather even when he could have gotten stronger but heavier armor. Req knew what worked and anything that was not in that genre was just fodder for profit or for someone else.

"How's this plan sound?" Find a former member's dagger, get to the boss, trade the dagger for loot, complete the quest. It was like the quest Req did earlier, but far more risk and far more rewards. And if they were lucky, the dagger would be in a store or could be found somewhere, but if not, then they would need to find and kill the living-retired former member.

 

[fleurdelys]

Her agreement was met with an animated enthusiasm and confident reassurance. Papi gave a grin and an uneasy nod, unsure of what to say exactly to that. But she supposed that it was kind of nice to see him happy, at least. It’d been a crappy day for him for sure, so if this could be one bright spot for him… well, that made her choice seem a little more palatable. The words of seemingly genuine gratitude that followed soothed her uneasiness as well, at least somewhat. Req was a lot of things, but if ‘vaguely polite’ could be at least one of them then that would make their time together a little more bearable, too. Hopefully. “No need for thanks,” she returned politely, giving a small wave of dismissal.

And with that, they agreed to meet again the next time she logged in.

*~*~*
​

Once the Telecrystal dissipated from existence, she folded her hands in front of her and leaned against the wall of the building at her back. Humming idly, the blonde turned her gaze towards the sky, admiring the clouds that lazily floated through the blue tapestry stretched overhead. A slight breeze passed through the alleyway, brushing against her bare cheeks. It was little details like these that often went unnoticed here in Reveria, among all the monster-fighting and quest-taking. But it really was these finer aspects of the experience that made this feel like a real world. No wonder some people never wanted to log out.

The idle, rambling song emanating from her throat stopped after a few minutes when she decided to check the time. Still no reply from Req – was he busy? Or did he perhaps find someone else to quest with, she wondered? This possibility bloomed in her mind, filling the spaces between her ears with a quiet sense of hope. That wouldn’t be so bad, actually. To hear that he’d gotten another player to take her spot might actually be a good thing for both of them – surely, another person would appreciate the position more, right? Whether they were a fan of his, just looking to bank off the favour he promised, or otherwise, it would be a better reason than her guilt-fueled acceptance.

Or… it could just be that he was busy. Req was eager to level up as quick as he could, so it wouldn’t surprise her if he was in the middle of a fight or in some other situation where he couldn’t talk. Papi pursed her lips, deciding to give him a bit more time before she sent him another message. Unless just ignoring him and going about my day would be better? She wondered.

But not moments after the thought came into her head, a glowing orb materialized in front of her. “Damn.” There was a pang of disappointment at her chest. She’d sort of gotten her hopes up. But instead here was Req’s voice, confirming her assumption that he was just too busy to answer until now. Once the illuminated faded away with the contents of his message, the paladin stood up straight and gave a light sigh. Best to just get this going – the sooner they got started, the sooner it’d be over with, right?

Gathering whatever resolve she could muster, Papi made her way towards the merchant line. It was a pretty standard RPG marketplace, where NPC stores were available round the clock for players. It seemed that no matter what time of day it was, there were always tons of people online and needing to buy and sell wares. Generally speaking, though, there were always a huge number of people around, period. The streets between Rhea’s and the merchant line were crowded with players and NPCs alike, all headed to their own personal destinations. That was another impressive thing about the game – there was never any lag, no matter how crazy one’s surroundings were. She recalled hearing about someone testing out the game’s limits before, way back in the Alpha version. Someone had gathered up an insane number of potions – Papi remembered hearing at least a trillion, but it could have been more – and spawned them all in one spot from their inventory. While the owner of the items couldn’t move for obvious reasons, the people around them had no issues with the game’s performance at all. Something due to the fact that it used people’s brains to function, but in truth all of that was way, way beyond her comprehension.

The casual musings passed in and out of her mind while she found her way to the merchant line. The avenue was packed as it usually was, with clusters of people around stalls and a steady stream of figures trickling through the road. She stood at one end and looked around, squinting and frowning. It was going to be a little bit difficult to find him here… but hopefully he would spot her first. Once again, the majority of the players here were all below level 20, so she should stand out quite a bit. Still, she didn’t want to just stand around and wait like an idiot, so she gradually began to make her way forward. She perused the wares around, more to keep herself entertained than anything else. It was all basic stuff she had more than enough of, or simply did not need.

Luckily, the pair ran into each other soon enough. “Oh, there you are.” Papi looked over at the bard, almost missing his face in the sea of others. While his base features were still quite recognizable, the fruits of his levelling efforts were already quite apparent. His build was a bit broader and buffer, and somehow, he loomed over her even more than before. Naturally, he had ditched his default gear and was garbed in something that seemed a little more suited to his style. Infernal_Requiem was wrapped in black, his armour accenting the muscular shape of his character model, though the various accents gave him a certain flair that alluded to his class. The lack of colour coordination did take off a few style points, but everyone looked like that when they were just starting out. A mismatched mess of whatever equipment was best for their level. Despite that, though, he had a more powerful air about him – a feeling imbued by his stats, rather than what was on his back.

Speaking of equipment, though, he wore his weapons on his person rather than hidden away. A personal choice that varied between players. For Papi, she usually kept her weapons hidden in towns but would gladly wear them outside city limits. Although she was curious about what he’d gotten for himself, she couldn’t quite see until he came right up to her. When she did, her eyes were drawn to the daggers he possessed. Having hung around Toriel to help out newbies quite often, she knew the common items quite well. And this was not one she’d seen.

Evidently, he was proud; and admittedly, she was rather impressed, too. In the real world, not that much time had passed. And yet he’d done quite well for himself already – though she should really expect no less from a former ranker. “You’ve been busy, I see.” There was a slight smile, a hopefully friendly one, as he spoke. There was a certain degree of magnetism to his words that hadn’t been around before, which she supposed meant he’d sunk some points into charisma. Made sense.

“Don’t worry about it. We’ve found each other now, right?” Papi nodded, her expression brightening minutely at the sight of his chipper mood. He’d made a lot of progress and – judging by the injures he was healing up – had fighting a lot of mobs. It was good to see him in high spirits at any rate, and if he’d accomplished this much in less than a day, surely they’d be even more productive now that they were together. Again, meaning she could worm her way out of this dangerous partnership quicker.

Shifting her weight from one foot to the other, the blonde rested a hand on her hip while she listened to Req’s ideas. Which, she had to admit, were quite interesting. “Is that right? Hm…” A lot of quests in the game could be completed in various ways, and she supposed it did make sense to start introducing this concept to players early on. “That would be pretty good, though. I mean, you're right that it shouldn’t really be a problem if we have to fight our way through anyway... But I think this is a good idea, since as all this is for your sake rather than mine.” It would be helpful for him to try identifying it too, she was sure. Plus, the potential for rare items was honestly too tantalizing even for her to pass up. Was it something that people knew about already, she wondered? Or would it be a new discovery? Even if it wasn't something that would be useful for her, the discovery itself sounded fun. A tingle of anticipation rose in her chest. These ‘think outside the box’ strategies were especially appreciated in her position: combat itself was a joke at this level, so a challenge like this would make the quest mentally stimulating at the very least.

“Let’s do it.” Blue eyes glimmered, bearing a quiet undertone of excitement for a moment before she looked into the crowd, pensively touching a hand to her chin. “Now, where to start?” As her mind began to crank into gear, her eyebrows tightened. There was a brief pause before she began to speak again, her words deliberate as she worked through her thoughts. “Actually... now that I think about it… I vaguely remember hearing something about an exiled bandit before. A long time ago, though…” Papi pursed her lips, squeezing her eyes shut for a moment while she tried to rummage through the depths of her memory. “It was something like… like at a tavern, a couple of NPCs were talking about a guy living out in a cave outside of town. I think they said something like… he was banished from some group or something. But I don’t think I heard much after that. Or they didn’t tell me.”

Opening her eyes again, she shook her head a little, sighing. “Sorry. That was a really long time ago, so I could be wrong. Or, it could be that the guy’s not there anymore.” While most of the NPCs in the game stuck to pre-programmed behaviours and schedules, many of them also had protocols in which they could change that. Especially if, for example, players got involved. “He could’ve moved. Or maybe something happened to the dagger, and it’s in a shop or something.”

There as another lull in her speech before she continued. “This is just a suggestion, but... we could start by asking around a bit. I kind of remember which tavern it probably was, so we can see if those NPCs are there with the same dialogue. And we can check out some shops and whatnot while we’re at it. Then, if we don’t come up with anything here, we can go out of town.” Papi let the idea settle into Req’s brain for a moment, and in the end, he agreed with poking around town. The paladin volunteered to look for the tavern herself, seeing as she was the one who’d been there before. She left him to hunt around in the shops if he’d like, or wherever else he thought would might yield a good lead – his game sense towards such things would probably be better than hers, given the hours and experience he had over her. With that settled they split up, agreeing to meet back in the spot where they’d found each other in about an hour or so, and to touch base if they found anything sooner.

From there, Papi had to stop and think. There were a number of taverns in Toriel, and she’d been in most of them at some point or another. Furrowing her brow, she closed her eyes and thought hard for a moment, trying to sort out the faint memories that had become blurred together over time. It had been a while ago, so she knew it had to have been back when she first started out. Not a terribly helpful clue, though, so she had to rely on her brain. After much pondering and recollection, Papi narrowed it down to a handful of places before heading out. They were all quite popular taverns: easily accessible for newbies, and full of quests and information to help begin their journey into the world. In retrospect, it was rather clever that they had a hint to this higher-level quest in these beginner-friendly places. It would reward players who got to know the NPCs quite well in the beginning, as well as those who chose to backtrack, or those who simply dove deeper into the game. As she thought of these things, she made her way into the doors of the first establishment, wondering if she might be fortunate enough to get it on her first try.

Unfortunately, her luck was not quite good enough for that, as conversations with the NPCs yielded nothing. But, not one to get too easily discouraged, Papi simply moved onto the next. And then the next. However, by the time she reached the doorway to the fourth, she finally began to feel slightly disappointed. It could be the wrong time of day for these NPCs to be out, she realized. Although she could remember many of the details – the name of the place, where they sat, even what they looked like, for the most part – the time of day she’d been playing at escaped her.

Nevertheless, she had to try. As the door shut behind her, she scanned the room. After a while, most of the taverns all sort of looked the same, at least in Toriel. The wooden backdrop, the cozy lighting, the simple furniture – there were slight differences, sure, but not many that were overly distinct. But, somehow, as she soaked in the layout of the place and the quiet, more laid-back atmosphere, she couldn’t help but have a good feeling about this one. Straightening her back slightly, she peered a little closer at her surroundings, this time at the background characters that filled the spaces in between the clusters of new players. They had both been middle-aged men: working types, judging by their thick fingers and messy clothing. Sitting at the bar with a glass of ale in hand, as men do. One brown-haired, the other red-headed. Kind of fat. Unremarkable, overall, and so the details of their faces escaped her.

And yet, as it turned out, there were a couple of guys that matched that description, chatting at the counter like she’d recalled. With a surge of hope, she strode over, gathering glances from patrons as she passed. Papi took the seat next to them, sitting there for a moment while she eavesdropped on their conversation.

“Yeah, so… I had to pass by that cave again…” the brunet said, stroking his chin. “Gave me the chills. Practically ran by.”

The other took a swig of his drink before setting it down. “Huh? Why?”

“I told you about this before… there’s that guy in there, the one who used to run with that gang…”

Bingo. She couldn’t help but smile. Her luck stat itself was pretty low, but somehow, she still found herself stumbling onto such fortunate situations, minor as they may be. “Say, I’m sorry to interrupt, but I couldn’t help my interest in your conversation…” The woman leaned forward, catching the men’s attention. There was a minute pause before they spoke, their expressions briefly blank before they smiled at her. Now, her memories began to get clearer; the situation before her clearing the haze away. She had actually tried to talk with them before, which was why the event stuck out in her mind enough to resurface now. But her stats – charisma in particular – had been rock-bottom, and they’d paid her no mind. While it was still one of her lower stats, it was still mucuh better than before - evidently, enough to pass the check they were programmed to do. Though, judging by the softening of their eyes, she wondered if her appearance paid some part in capturing their attention now, too.

“That’s all right, little lady. You can interrupt any day.” The man closest to her turned his body, bringing her into their conversation. “You sure it’s not us that have caught your interest?”

Papi laughed. “I’d love to hear more about this man you’re talking about, actually…”

*~*~*​

She strolled out of the building with a satisfied smile. Unsurprisingly, it’d been a total breeze fishing information out of them. Papi glanced at the time, noting that she was just about due to meet up with Req at the spot. Slipping a Telecrystal out of her inventory, she sent him a quick message: “I’ve got a lead to where the bandit is. They didn’t mention a dagger, but the story seems to fit otherwise. Let’s meet at the city gates instead.” Then, with a clap of her hands, she was off once again.

The entrance to Toriel was not far away, and so she waited there until she saw Req’s form emerge from the crowd. Waving to him, she filled him in once he was at her side again. Apparently, this bandit was exiled from his gang and had taken some loot with him. He’d been holed up in a cave deep in the forest nearby for a while, allegedly biding his time for his revenge – although that part coudl have just been an embellishment. Nevertheless, once they were all set to leave, she turned and exited the gates. The world beyond was a familiar sight: a simple, trodden path leading down into an expanse of hills, deeper into the world of Reveria. There were some offshoots to the pathway that led to different areas in the vicinity, one of which would lead them into the woods in question.

“So, um…” Papi glanced back at Req as they walked along, deciding a bit of small talk probably couldn’t hurt to pass the time. “Did you play all this time? Like, since I logged off? … I guess someone like you is probably not fazed by getting shiners, though, huh…?” She smiled somewhat sheepishly. Finley was quite careful about his time in Reveria, always taking breaks to use the bathroom and – of course – to avoid the telling bruises on his temples. But for someone like Req, who had been such a high-ranking player, such things were probably just… parts of the job, he supposed.

 

[Viper]

Papi noticed him first. Req was busy at the time trying to haggle the price for the pelts he was selling, and by the time that Papi noticed him, Req had managed to badger this NPC into giving him 1.5 what the pelts were worth. A good enough number, and Req put the money into his inventory with a satisfying jingle of coins.

It was as he glanced away from his inventory screen that he saw and heard Papi. “Yo!” Req said loudly with a mock salute as a greeting. “I've been very busy. If this were not a game, we’d be having an ecosystem problem by now.” Merely the number of boars, rabbits, and wolves he killed reached the thousands, and then on top of it all were bandits, slimes, and more.

“I stayed close to town since I didn’t know when you would log in, so I didn't make as much progress as I could have.” A beat as he realized his unintentional accusation. He didn’t mean it that way. “Not your fault though. I’m just anxious to get stronger. Got a lot of thoughts going on up here about could, should, and would haves.” Req tapped the center of his forehead. “But I know you’re still my best shot, so of course I don’t regret sticking close.”

Req nodded along as she agreed with his quest-related thoughts. This was about him, that was a fact. Killing things this low level would mean nothing to her stat or class-wise. And he was glad to hear that she already knew some rumors. “Oh yeah? That’s good to hear. If we find that tavern, we can re-trigger the dialogue I bet since you're in my party, so technically this is my run on the quest.” Some dialogue would only trigger once for a player, so the only way to re-hear the occasional scripted, set dialogue was to be in the party of someone who had not done the quest before. The player who accepted the quest didn’t even need to be there physically for it to happen, you just had to be in their party, which Papi would be before they fully started their quest run. “It’s a start. I’ll take it.”

“I’ve certainly done plenty of quests with a lot less to go on. Ever heard of a Ghost Leviathan? Super rare, powerful sea monster that eats fleets, not just ships, when alive. So imagine that but also an undead that is normally invisible, often intangible, and now has access to magic. No one in all Reveria history has managed to kill one, and it's only been sighted twice in the entire game's existence, so of course, I had to track it down. All I knew was that it was in the ocean.” Req did not mean to, but he was going on story mode. It was hard not to talk about his past successes, there were many, and all were amazing. Plus, just rambling about this one event brought a large smile to his face and caused his hands to move subconsciously. It was a good and exciting memory, clearly. “And I did find it after three months of looking for it fairly frequently, making myself the third to ever see it and the first to fight it. It ran off before I got to kill it though, which sucks, but I did manage to get one of its scales before it did. Unfortunately, I never used it for anything, so now it’s gone along with all the other loot I had in storage.” This last fact soured Req a fair bit, going from an emotional scale's strong eight to a four within a single sentence.

He evened out with his next words. “Whatever. At least I know the trick to finding it again.” And he did. Ghost Leviathans never stayed in the same place, and instead of tracking them, you needed to track a different, pathetically small, weak but semi-uncommon fish that served as a vulture, eating the scraps the Ghost Leviathans left behind. If you found a horde of those fish, then the invisible things were surely around somewhere. This was a fact Req learned from a book in an underwater tower.

“Next time I’ll kill it.”

“Right, run-away bandit. Sorry.” Req focused again on his own without prompting. He knew how to focus, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t used to behaving in a more relaxed, casual fashion. And relaxed people felt no need to stay on topic religiously. Plus, this was also hour sixteen of non-stop grinding. His real, human brain was tired.

“Looking around the town works for me. I have a few ideas of places besides taverns I could check, since you got the taverns covered.” There were not that many, and she already knew what she was looking for. It made sense. “See ya soon, Papi.”

~~~

They were separated again. Req’s plan only included two places, the barracks where the Warrior class had their headquarters and the rogue headquarters located in underground tunnels that could only be reached if you knew which specific NPC shops had doors down there. Req back in his early-level days had friends who were rogues, so they took him down there all the time. Shame none of the NPCs would remember him anymore. He’d have to use his newly improved charisma to get down there since he didn’t know the password or anything.

Thankfully, the guard was easy. There was no true barrier for other classes to enter the place, and all Req had to do was enter the place, check the boards, and talk to the NPCs to see if there were reports of a rogue bandit. That was it. No real skill involved.

Tracking down and getting into the rogue base was harder. IT was meant to be. First Req tried to prompt some new players into taking him down there, but apparently, before they are even set free into the world they were given a speech about secrecy, so he wasn't able to push anyone real to snitch on the secret. That pushed Req to grind just a level higher then use his charisma to convince the shop-keeper that protected one of the rogue secret entrances to let him down there.

It was always dark in thieves territory, however, Req felt no fear. This was just an aesthetic. No traps or anything similar down here. Thankfully, this place was hard to get into but easy once inside. He had full access to their boards, NPCs, and players who didn't know better than to share information freely.

Req didn't get much for either location, but he got information only born out of player or isolated experience. Were this bandit the main quest, these would be bonuses. Extra opportunities to get traces of more experience. Not needed but beneficial.

~~~

After the rogue base, Req was feeling pretty good. He got a bit of intel about the bandit and learned a bit more about the whole dagger situation. Nothing about where the bandit was since one lone attacker targeting travelers going down a certain road didn't really narrow it down where there was a whole forest, a series of caves, and other structures out there.

That’s why it was nice when he finally got a message from Papi. “Perfect. That’s what we need.” His stuff was just fluff. “See you there.” He clapped and left the storefront.

This entry into the rogues base was fairly close to the entrance, likely so that they could escape the city easily if need be, but even still Papi beat him. She beat him info wise too. A cave, biding his time for revenge. Practical information.

“Look at you! Don’t even need me! All I figured out was that this guy of ours has been jumping passerbys, taking their food and everything. Ever since the law has been onto him, he’s been attacking less often.” Req moved his fingers into the shape of a X, a sign that he was crossing their info. “Based on what you are saying, I bet around the time he went to the cave was around the same time. Maybe he won’t be as established in there as I thought he would be. Maybe there is a monster in there that ate him and we will just get to loot the dagger from the ground.”

“Oh, by the way, fun fact, the dagger is probably poisoned. Rumors say that this gang likes to toxin their blades while building up the immunities of their members. Any bandit vs bandit fight is fair and skilled based but against anyone else they have an edge. It’s why there is a reward for getting that dagger, so that the formula does not get out and no outsiders have an edge on them.” A fun fact indeed. If Req did not need the exp, he’d want to keep the dagger to do just that. Isolate and recreate the poison, make himself immune, and use it against others. But right now, exp was far more important since a single immunity would not save him in the fight against that random bard player.

Req was ready to go. He was making sure his equipment was in good condition as he walked down the trails, just focused on his job when Papi suddenly talked. His eyes snapped up, not upset at the interruption but also not super expecting it.

He was out of practice for people in the real world, after all, and he was more out of practice for in-game adventurer parties.

“Ah…” Req sighed, moving his weapon to his back and shrugging. “Yeah, I mean mostly. I logged off for an hour after you left. You know, eat a pizza and shower, but that’s it. The bruises are gonna be hell when I log off.” Not to mention the headache he for sure would have. Thankfully there was still a lot of medication and booze in the house to numb all that. “Thankfully, I bought theater-level makeup to hide the shiners since I’ll probably have to go out next time I log off. It’s a pain, but what can you do when grinding is not really not an option.”

A touch of embarrassment crossed Req’s face as his mind continued to run his mouth, but that embarrassment was not enough not to share. Req half grinned, half grimaced as he admitted a disgusting fact. “To be honest, I can deal with the shiners. It’s the mess and the soreness that’s going to be a problem. My body is currently half-naked in my bathtub so that when I wake up the, uh, clean up will be easier. I got a pillow in there so that my neck and back does not hurt too bad, but I’m pretty sure it won’t work as much as I need it to.”

“Don’t get me wrong, I don’t do this often. Normally I’m in bed, logging off every few hours like everyone else. This… and a few other times… are just special circumstances that require a bit more sacrifice. You know? At any cost and all that.”

Req laughed, not boisterous, just to sort of break the chain of thought. “So yeah, that’s my current real-world deal. No big. What about you? What were you up to when logged off?” Hard to say if Req was actually curious or if he really just wanted to change the topic, but it served the same purpose.

As her answer teetered off into silence, Req now seemed ready and willing to continue the conversation. Hands behind his head, Req looked sideways at her as he grinned. “So… temporary-partner. Tell me about yourself. Don’t really care what, real-world or here. All’s cool with me.” Req despite his personality did like people as a whole. He was a social type, it was just that he normally was drawn to people as toxic as him. People who had similar coping mechanisms to their problems as he did. Papi didn’t, but in Reveria, Req had no true reason to dislike or avoid them.

“Favorite quest? Favorite enemy?” That was a classic Reveria question. As was his next. “How long have you been playing?” 100 plus could take someone years if they played infrequently, but Req planned on reaching that level within a month. There was a time spectrum that said a lot about someone and about their real-world lives.

 

[fleurdelys]

Req… talked a lot. So much. Did he ever stop?

If Papi were a more extroverted, opinionated person, she would have undoubtedly found it insufferable. Words seemed to pour out of him mouth like a broken faucet, unfiltered and seemingly uncontrolled. If she were the type who had a lot to say herself, it likely would’ve been tough to get a word in edgewise. But, thankfully, the paladin was quite content to listen and offer a few bland comments here and there when it seemed appropriate. “Oh, it’s okay. I understand, you’ve got a lot on your plate.” The woman nodded, lightly waving her hand, a gesture of assurance that she was not offended by his accidental faux pas.

After that, their conversation shifted back on track for a moment, and admittedly she found some small delight in his approval of her suggestion. But the topic deviated again soon after as Req launched into a tale of his past exploits. “I’ve heard of the Ghost Leviathan, yes…” Papi replied. But it quickly became evident that the bard’s question had been a rhetorical one, as her small voice was overshadowed by his description of the beast. Unbothered, she let his words wash away her own and rather happily stepped back into a passive role of listener once more. As he weaved his story through his words, she had to admit that his chosen class fit him perfectly. Or maybe was it that he had grown into being a bard. Either way, Req had quite the natural narrative flair. His intonation and voice were imbued with a natural charisma and charm; qualities that captured her attention with ease and pulled her deeper into his speech with every word.

Not only was he good at it, but he seemed to enjoy it as well – and it was that passion that really elevated the heart and soul of his personal tale. Unknowingly, Papi’s eyes glimmered with a sense of wonder, her own lips curling in tribute to his own smile. Although she did come to recognize the effect he had on her own mood, she couldn’t say she hated it, exactly. He was fun to listen to, and interesting, of course. The Reverian exploits of a top-ranking player were leagues more intriguing than any other stories she heard from her friends, or other run-of-the-mill users like her. Plus, she had a feeling that every syllable he spoke was the truth. A lot of people made embellishments – both online and off, of course – just as she had seen with the NPCs at the bar. But something about Req’s candidness supported his veracity.

Which also contributed to how he entranced her so. His story, bearing her emotions in its grip, brought her up on its highs and then down into the unfortunate low where it ended. “That sucks… I’m sorry…” A pout hung off her face as she offered her condolences, with shoulders gently slumped. He’d spent so much time hunting down that monster – losing the proof of his success must have hurt. And it must have been only one of the many, many trophies he had. While Papi could not relate on anything close to the same level, she could empathize with the feeling of losing something one worked hard for.

But unlike her – or rather, Finley – who was prone to discouragement upon defeat, Req didn’t seem overly troubled by this loss. His mood lightened somewhat, and he offered an insight into the bright side of his situation. “That’s true. You’ll never lose the intel you’ve got.” Papi grinned a little, her posture perking up slightly. Req, for all his quirks and flaws, certainly had contagious energy. With his upbeat, hopeful declaration, she found herself giving a chipper nod of agreement. “You’ll definitely get it next time. I’m sure of it.”

Before that, though, they’d have to get over the hurdle in the more immediate future. With their digression completed, the pair refocused on their current task and temporarily parted ways once more.

*~*~*​

When they rejoined one another at the city gates, Papi’s information was met with a light-hearted sprinkle of praise. “Oh, I mean—no, come on…” Laughing sheepishly, she waved her hands in front of her, as if warding away his words. She hadn’t expected any reaction other than simple indifference, so the sudden acknowledgement – careless and shallow as it may have been – caught her off guard. Gulping down a touch of discomfort, she shook her head a little to clear the thoughts away. Req zipped right along into what he had found himself, leaving no room for her to dawdle on her awkward, anxious habits. “Oh, right, okay. That makes sense. It’d be convenient if he got taken out by something else, but… I wonder.” She hadn’t heard of such a thing happening before, but then again, everything was possible in Reveria.

The bard went on to offer his own information about the dagger itself. “Really…!” Her eyes widened, her interest piqued. “Pretty smart for some NPCs, huh? Seems like a useful item in any case.” Papi nodded, a rush of enthusiasm bursting in her chest. Although it was not something she would use, considering her character class and level, there was always something fun about finding rare items, particularly ones she’d not heard of before. “Let’s go get it, then!”

She waited for him to prepare his gear, having little need to do anything special herself. When he was prepared, they set off. For a brief time, the space between them was quiet: the only sounds were the crunching of their footsteps in the dirt, and the cheerful melody of birdsongs from nearby trees. The silence was slightly uncomfortable, at least for the paladin. And so, she made her attempt at casual conversation to ease this tension and entertain the passing seconds. After posing her questions, Papi glanced over at the bard, curiously tilting her head at his sigh. She couldn’t tell if it was one of fatigue or sorrow, but the answer that followed seemed to suggest more of the former, if anything.

As the trend seemed to be, however, she listened attentively, saying nothing even as Req went on to confess his real body’s current state. However, she couldn’t help but crinkle her nose slightly at this piece of information that, frankly, she wish she didn’t learn. But when Papi realized the state of bewilderment that her face had contorted into, she hastily tried to wipe it clean and resume the more neutral expression she’d worn before. Although, whether Req noticed or cared about it was a different story.

Regardless, he assured her that this was not his usual routine, but rather one born out of the exceptional circumstances he found himself in. “Oh—yeah, definitely. It’s…” She wanted to say she didn’t think he was the type of person who would do that on the daily, but Papi wasn’t sure that was the whole truth. “I mean, you’ve gotta do what you gotta do, right?” It was a bit of a flimsy platitude, but it seemed to fit the current need to cover up her true thoughts with something a little more polite. However, it did serve as a segue into a sentiment that was more genuine. “I guess I didn’t really know how… hardcore rankers are, you know? I wouldn’t have thought to use any makeup, let alone theatre-grade—” Suddenly, she caught herself, realizing that most real-life women probably would think to use some cover-up on their shiners.

“Uh, like, I mean, I don’t really use makeup much in real life, except for special events… I just try not to keep my sessions relatively short.” It was a clumsy recovery, and hopefully one the bard didn’t read into too much. If she was lucky, he’d chock it up to social awkwardness. Which, to be fair, wasn’t too far off from the truth. Nevertheless, she cleared her throat and refocused herself once more. “A-Anyway, the point is… no judgment here, Req. If anything, I admire your dedication to go through all of that.” That much, at least, was true, too.

She was grateful for the subject change, even if it did mean turning the conversation towards herself. “Me? I just went to bed, and then I had an exam to go to in the morning. So exciting, right?” Papi laughed weakly in the face of her lame answer. It seemed to fall flat in the wake of his, but she supposed that was only the natural expectation. Why would a normal person have a life that was more interesting than his?

A stillness settled over them again, at least until he turned to her and spoke. Really, it was like he was incapable of keeping quiet for any longer than a few minutes. But, seeing as it was still a ways until they reached the thief’s den, Papi didn’t mind. It was easier to be led through a conversation anyway, rather than try and steer it herself. The only issue now, though, was that she wasn’t quite sure what to talk about. He had said that anything was good, but that in itself was not exactly helpful to an indecisive person. Anything and everything was just too much to choose from.

“Um… well…” The wordlessness on her end weighed on her, spurring her to stall somewhat with a hesitant mumble. Luckily, Req easily spat out some prompts, which narrowed things down more than enough for her to begin formulating a proper answer. “Hm, my favourites…? I’ll have to think about that, but I’ve been playing Reveria for… about…” She raised a hand, counting down on her fingers as her eyes drifted skyward. “Um, I think it’s about eight months now? I’ve just been slotting in some hours in between class and work, you know… And over the breaks.” Papi paused, contemplating whether or not she should mention that she was a student IRL – but eventually she decided against it. Req was a lot of things, but stupid wasn’t one of them.

Clearing her throat, they turned at a bend in the road, where the dense thicket began to draw closer. “As for my favourite quest so far… ah, it’s hard to pick one, but I really liked that questline in Ghormatha. The one that seems like a random, throwaway fetch quest for that little girl by the fountain?” It was a bit obscure, seeing as Ghormatha was just a tiny hamlet at the base of a mountain that pretty much no one stopped off at. But she had a feeling someone like Req would know what she was talking about. “I liked how it seemed so simple at the beginning… how you start off by just going to get her doll from where she left it along the mountain path. But when you don’t find it, you can either go back to her, give up, and end the quest, or get more clues and keep searching. And when you do, I mean, it’s a bit of a wild goose chase… but it also throws you down such a cool rabbit hole. Like, you find out the doll isn’t really just a doll, but a cursed item, And the little girl is possessed by a demi-fiend who’s haunted the area for years, which you have to exorcise!”

Papi beamed, though she felt a little sheepish at her burst of excitement. “I dunno, maybe it’s kinda lame, but… I was just surprised. I didn’t think there’d be such an elaborate quest in a dinky place like that, you know? I think I have fond memories since I stumbled upon it, way under-levelled, but still managed to get through it. Solo, too.” With the demi-fiend’s level and skills, it was definitely best tackled in a party – especially one with a dedicated healer, and a holy class. Luckily, Papi had a little bit of all the skills needed, and so she managed to scrape through. “I think it also kinda… made me like this class, too. So yeah.”

She looked to Req and dipped her head in apology. “Sorry to ramble like that. Do you have a favourite quest of your own…? Must be hard to choose though, with how many you’ve done.”

The paladin faded back into listening mode, which she was rather glad to do, should Req indulge her request. Nevertheless, the conversation carried them into the forest, where they eventually had to stray off the beaten path. The pair traversed through bushes and beneath the leafy canopies overhead, cutting through the foliage until they eventually came upon the gaping mouth of a cave within its depths. Once there, Papi stopped a ways in front of it and turned to her party member. “There aren’t a lot of caves around, so… I’m willing to bet this is probably it.” She wrapped an armoured hand around the hilt of her sword and pulled it from its sheath. The steel glimmered in the sunlight that leaked through the trees, its sharp tip glinting as she readied it at her side. It wasn’t a particularly stellar weapon – just one she had forged some time ago – but Papi didn’t see the need to dull any of her good gear on small-time quests like this. A level 66 blade was more than adequate for their purposes.

“Since the aim is for you to get EXP… I’m thinking that you should probably be the one to do most of the talking – and fighting, if it comes down to it. I’ll support and heal. For the negotiations, though, I’ll stand here and look menacing.” She flashed a smile, knowing that her petite character model was not exactly the picture of intimidation. But hey, even she was capable of a joke sometimes. Still, Req was the expert between them, so she didn’t want to make it seem like she was trying to boss him around or – God forbid – be better than him. “What do you think, though? I’m really open to whatever you want to do.”

 

[Viper]

“Fuck yeah I do. Thanks for being cool about it,” meaning, thanks for being cool about me being kind of a dick at times.; I'm in a shit situation and I sometimes act like it.
.

“You’ve heard? Cool, cool,” and Req went on to talk nonstop about his tracking down the ghost leviathan and the tragedy of it escaping. He too perked up when she expressed her faith in him. “Thanks for the vote of confidence. Just cross your fingers that no one gets to it before I do, cause that would be lame.”

Speaking of lame, thinking of the one that got away made Req think of something far more upsetting. “Aw, fuck, I was fighting a monster when I got logged out last month too. And that lava Legendary only shows up once a year and under certain conditions too. I think I’m more pissed about that then I am the Leviathan.” Of course, the reason he was logged out was because he was getting kidnapped, but losing the monster was just another annoyance. “I’m gonna have to redo that whole quest I bet, and it’s so fucking long!”

This was a shorter story, far shorter because there was no end to it and he didn’t want to talk about the whole quest line he had to do just to learn about the monster. It was all connected too much to his kidnapping, and if he let himself talk too much, then knowing him he’d slip up and mention why he was level 1 again.

So he let it drop.

~~~~~

Req grinned as she shyly refused to accept the compliments. It was cute. She was cute, and acting shy like this just elevated her avatar’s looks. Subconsciously, his eyes flicked over the rest of her body, but he quickly refocused. High libito or not, Req was only sometimes a douche.

“Sometimes when you accept a quest but don’t get to it for a long time, you can fail the quest because something else beat you to it. Hidden timers, basically. I mean, this is low level and also a fetch quest, so even if he’s dead when we get there, no big. But higher level quests, especially bounty hunts, can sometimes get killed by, like, NPC enemies like cave spiders or wild wolves, and they ate the body, so I had no proof of his death, so I failed the quest. It’s damn annoying, but makes sense.”

“What? Have you never failed a quest because you timed it out? Or do you just don’t do bounty hunts?” Req passed, cocking his head to the side in curiosity. “What kind of quests do you even do?” Meaning, fetch quests, political/social quests, any that she found, or any of the other thousands of quest-preferences. For example, Req went after any Bard centered quest but also pursued any rare quests, trying to be the first to find, read, do, or beat something.

At the mention of smart NPC’s, Req just shrugged. “I guess. I was asking about their specialities though. I bet if I had asked the reserve questions, those NPCs would not even have a guess.” Hard to be impressed when you could communicate with literal Gods in this game. Those guys were smart. Smart enough that Req sometimes thought it was Mods or actual staff talking to him through a voice filter or something. ACtually, that would not be far from possible, at all.

Once off, Req made an embarrassing confession. Seeing her disgusted expression, Req sighed out his next comment, “Yeah, you don’t need to tell me that. The things I need to do to make a living again.” He couldn’t rely on his savings considering that he had rather extreme spending habits and, now, he had a mission to get vengeance on someone in the real world. He’d need money to make that happen, which meant he needed to start making money again. “This is, well was, my full time job, after all. I basically am unemployed at the moment… and that cannot continue.”

Req made a sassy uh-huh at her hardcore comment. “You don’t use makeup?” Req picked up on that quickly, but he didn’t seem to care much as he continued. “Most girls I’ve been with wear make up all the time. You must be hot in real life too to dodge all that society-pressure shit. Good on ya.” Not playing enough to not get shiners made sense too since she was a casual player. Why would she bother to deal with the side effects? “But yeah, theater grade covers darker spots with less, so no one sees the bruise or that I’m wearing makeup. A win win.”

“Anyway, most of us are hard core, but there some…” Req trailed off, bitterness in his voice, “Players, I guess you could call them, who clearly got real world cash enough to just buy legendary loot and exp from their greedy followers.” Req was talking about the wealth-suckers nation, and their fucking Cleric queen/ Whispering silently but his anger making him audible, he made a final comment about the corrupt kingdom. “Fucking gold cock suckers.”

Those at the top of the chain, at least those at the true top and not just skilled but bought off adventurers, were idiots who probably had never done more than a handful of quests. They were money bags, not games, and Req didn’t even know why they were playing at all. It pissed him off since this was his haven, his heaven, and they were leeches. Even if Req’s dragon ranker friend didn't play the same way Req did, he was playing how it was meant to be played… for role players at least. The corrupt nation was just a scam that was shit at its source and therefore all the people it recruited shit too, no matter some of their strength.

They tried to recruit Req a few times, and he killed the messenger each time to send a message. Maybe they were the ones who kidnapped Nolan, causing Req to restart? This single thought, this possibility, made Req hate them all the more.

Req had a snarl on his face, one that Papi could easily translate as a further, greater version of his disgust at the rich man land before his thoughts trailed off.

“New topic.” Req said suddenly, trying to ignore his rage by asking about Papi, and it worked thankfully quickly. Nolan had Req had tempers that came and went quickly.

“Exam? You said you could drink, so college I guess? That’s cool! I did well in school, but I really hated it. Now I do this for a living and just go to college campuses for parties when I’m invited. Still, I kinda respect people who got the patience for that shit. What are you going for?” Req was curious, and he had other friends in college so it was not a forgien topic. Also, and most importantly, it was better than silence. Silence was boring.

That made it hard for Req to wait patiently for her to find a conversation topic, but he waited and helped through prompts. “Eight months and your only level 100-whatever?” Req said, obvious shock since he could not relate, but he quickly covered, “Shit, ignore me. We don’t play the same way. “

“Shit… I don’t know if I remember that. I remember a bit about Ghormatha though, tiny little mountain town, right?” Req wished he could pull up his completed quest list but, obviously, he technically didn’t have any completed quests on this character’s life. When she said the dolls, Req snapped his fingers and snapped his arm as the memory hit him.”That creepy ass doll, I remember now! I… I don’t think I exorcised the demon though…. I think I was impatient and sick of seeing that doll’s creepy face, so I just destroyed the doll as soon as I learned it was connected to a curse. Sadly, that meant I accidentally killed the kid.”

“Not my proudest moment, I’ll admit. But a really cool quest, a solid favorite choice. Not lame at all! Demon possession is sick! And isolated places always have the best quests.” Req paused, enjoying that she was enjoying her quest talk. “Anything to make you love your class more than you did before is a good quest.”

“Don’t apologize for rambling. I asked. And yeah, it’s hard to pick a favorite quest. Really hard.” Not only did he need to consider consider the quest likeability, but with his special ability, he also had to balance that with the Lorekeeper trait he got out of it. “I got a few that I like… let’s see…” he raised off, biting his thumb as he thought. A bad habit of Nolan that transferred to Req when they were thinking hard; sometimes they did bit hard enough to hurt themselves but only when they were thinking about something challenging or upsetting to begin with. This was not one of those moments though.

“I’m kinda a sucker for the Demon Prince Dimitrescu quest. I think he was like, the ninth child of the True Demon Lord and a Pure Vampire Queen? I don’t remember, but he had a thing for kidnapping mortals, eating them and worse, but he kept alive those who had use or he liked. So I let myself get kidnapped and wowed him with my bardic prowess. I think I was, like, level 700 at that time? Maybe higher? I don’t remember, but he adored me. Not only was he hot, so it was a fun time, but I completed the quest by making him really like me.” Clearly, a quest where many charisma checks had to be passed over a long period of time, and if you got them all, that unlocked a peaceful way to end his terrible ways. “I mean, I wasn’t able to do any other quest for like three weeks, but when I was there I sang, he and i had some fun, and when i was not doing that, I got pampered like a prince. In the end, he fell for me, I convinced him to stop attacking mortals, and he agreed as long as I came to see him every six months for a day or two. It worked out because, as a gift, he gave me one of his teeth that I could use to call to him whenever I was in a tight spot… and that was on top of the other skills I learned from completing that quest.”

“So yeah, basically it was all just a big party for me that ended with me having loads upon loads of skill-based rewards. I did some good too! A true win win that has kept in my mind since i do, well did, need to visit him twice a year. I wonder if I will meet him again if he will remember me…. I hope so. That will make my life way easier.” And hopefully Demon Prince Dimitrescu did not pick another mortal to care for during his absence, because Req could not kill this new person without making an enemy of the Prince and he’d just have to make someone else do it or wait. And that would be a damn pain because the rewards were truly demonic and above legendary.

“On the opposite side of the spectrum, I once accidentally fell into a quest, literally. I was walking through a graveyard trying to find a treasure, fell into a trap grave thing, and fell for like a legit hour. I entered the world of the undead and had to fight non stop for hours. It was insanity, but damn, it felt good to face an army and win. And once I beat the boss, I met the Lesser God of Bone.” The servant and child of the God of Death, but a God all the same. “It was insane, and I got the ability to regrow limbs. Well, each limb could only be regrown once, so if I lost a hand, I could grow it back with ease but only once. But then if I met a friend who lost a hand, I could regrow theirs once. I became a kinda-healer and an undead slayer master all in the same 24 hour span.”

“God I can’t wait till I get back to those days. Fighting bandits just doesn't have the same spark like it used to.” Who could blame Req for thinking this way when his quests involved him meeting a literal God and seducing a demon prince, but these were only ‘maybe they are my favorite quests.’ Req was on a level so far from non-ranker players, it was another world, and Req was clearly still enjoying the game but also facing the side effects of everything being so less important and impactful as he was used to. He remembered enjoying this stuff when it was around his level, but he was used to being near maxed in all stats. How could he go back without some mental push back?

~~~~~

Finally they reached the cave. “Looks about right. I’m ready to go when you are--” seeing her pull out her blade made him cut his sentence short. “And you seem to be, so let’s do this. I’ll talk, you add your intimidation bonus to me when the time comes, yeah?” it was the bonus of being in the party. Under certain conditions, conditions Req planned to meet, a party or a few party members could add their skills to his checks. After all, five people all interacting with one NPC should add up collectively, so Req made that happen. And Papi was a high level in comparison to this bandit , so her intimidation would be decently high even if she didn’t care about adding points to her charisma.

“We will try to sneak, but if we do mess up since I doubt either of us have high stealth,” Req paused to let Papi correct him, but no matter her answer, he continued, “so if we get caught on the way to our target, try to lessen their HP so that I can make the final blow. Otherwise, I’m gonna try not to prompt any enemy aggression since I can’t take a lot of hits yet. So yeah, like you said, you intimidate and like I said, you lessen HP and kill only if need be.”

“You're a champ, Papi. I really owe you one if this works out.” Req held out his hand for a first bump, “Hit it.” This was something he still enjoyed doing even if, to some, it was a childish boy thing to do. Although, maybe the way he normally did it wasn't childish because in real life and back in his ranker days he would put his full force into it just so see how they would stand up to him. Either way, it felt good.

With that, Req cleared his throat, his greatest weapon, and simply put his hand near the dagger on his side in case he needed it. His bardic powers were better when he was unarmed since, technically, he was supposed to be holding an instrument. With a flick of his head, he let Papi lead them into the cave, following the smaller, darker, but less occupied side path that would let them reach the bandit with the least amount of trouble.

The less of a show they made about their approach, the easier it would be to take down the bandit and the more EXP he would give him.

So that’s what they did. Although neither had high stealth, Papi was so high leveled that she could kill anything that saw them before they alerted the other spiders, wolves, or whatever other random cave creatures that existed in this place keeping them away from their NPC target. The only real struggle were the traps that truly did rely on their combined perception skills as well as their skills to actually jump over or disarm them. That was harder than the enemies. .

And they found him alright. Papi and Req were on a cave ledge looking down on the bandit traitor who was pacing in front of a few bags of loot, some clearly of quality while others clearly taken from a random passerby he met on his way here. And on his waist, glittering lightly despite the lack of light directed at it, was the quest-item poisoned Bandit Traitor Dagger they were here for.

“They’re coming for me, I know they are.” The bandit muttered to himself, his voice echoing up to the pair sneaking up on him. “They’ll send people after me if I stay here much longer. I need to move on… but where would I go?” Words similar in context to this looped for a while before Req had his fill.

“Alright, I’m bored. Let me go down and try to Charisma that dagger from him. If you get an alert that the charisma check failed, please come save me, yeah?”

Barely waiting for an answer, Req confidently swung himself off the ledge into the main area of the bandit NPC. He did not immediately respond to the new presence, but Req prompted a reaction quickly. “Hey there!” He started, causing the bandit to snap around and immediately brandish the poisoned weapon. “Woah, woah, woah, chill. I’m not here to fight you! I wanna talk.”

Before Req’s and Papi’s eyes flashed a familiar alert. “CHARISMA CHECK PASSED”

Req had trained himself not to notice such alerts, so he just kept talking like he didn’t know why the bandit was lowering his blade in order to have a conversation. “What do you want? I want nothing to do with you types. I’m leaving and never comin’ back.”

“That’s nice,” Req said sarcastically. “But I think you and I both know that as long as you have that dagger, you are not goin’ anywhere. So how about you hand it over? It will mean that your crew will leave you alone, thinking your are dead. Sounds like a win win for us both, yeah?”

CHARISMA CHECK FAILED

“Shit.” Req tsked, immediately taking a few real-world experience steps back.

“You’ve been sent to kill me!” Shouted the bandit, brandishing the knife annew, pulling out a second dagger to make himself a dual wielder. “As if I’d believe a word you’d say. They’d never let me leave without dying! The only way I’m getting away from those men is if you die here! So say your final prayers! No one but those of my ex-gang could survive a slice from this blade!” Of course, this was not true. High level characters, possibly Papi, could resist it long enough to cure themselves or resist it entirely, but hey, this was NPC dialogue.

Still, Req was into it as he brought out his own dagger and used it to block the first of the bandit’s attacks. “Bring it, bitch. I’m not alone, and I’ve been missing a real fight.” And Req has been. Before Papi could even get to them, Req and this NPC had exchanged a dozen blows, neither doing any damage but neither making it possible for the other to do damage. That’s because this NPC was higher level but Req was more skilled thanks to his real world experience and his history as a ranker. It made them equal matches until Papi arrived.

 

[fleurdelys]

Papi’s features tightened in a grimace as Req spoke of the legendary beast he had been battling when he had gotten logged out. “Aw, that’s really shitty, too… sorry to hear that.” She shook her head slowly, a humble gesture of her condolences. Although she had not yet been victim to resetting in Reveria, she knew the feeling of unfairly losing progress in other games and IRL. Whether it was to a power outage, fried laptop battery, or some malicious setback due to the external meddling of a certain someone, the frustration and despair was essentially the same. But, she supposed it was only true defeat if one were to let it deter them from picking things back up again. “But at least you’ll know what to do now. Maybe… you’ll even find a way to do the quest even better than before?” The paladin looked to him, gently arching her brows as she offered a small smile of what she hoped was encouragement. “I’m sure you’ll get it this time around.”

As the words faded from her lips, something suddenly occurred to her. ‘Got logged out’? Did something… kick him out of Reveria? Abrupt and unexpected disconnections were often due to someone in the real world removing the ReveCast from the player’s head – like an angry parent or partner. Was this connected to his reset? He spoke as though it were, but she was surprised that a top ranker like Req would allow himself to be in a position where someone close to him would jeopardize his livelihood like this. Papi frowned a little, slightly befuddled by the information and its implication – maybe she was totally misunderstanding? Ultimately, however, she decided that this topic strayed too far out of the boundaries of their acquaintanceship, and let it drop. It didn’t affect anything between them, so there was no need to get into it.

Evidently, her companion was not of the mind to linger on the matter either and they moved onto another subject. As the bard demonstrated his knowledge of the game’s mechanics, she bobbed her head in understanding. “Oh… yeah, I have heard about that.” He inquired about what sort of quests she did, to which she gave a sheepish shrug and a chuckle. “Um, well… I guess I do any and all kinds, it’s more about what’s interesting. Or what my friends and guildmates wanna do. Or, occasionally, what will give me a good item. In general, I try not to start any if I know I might be busy and not finish them in a timely fashion.” A bit of a wishy-washy response, but it was the truth. Papi wasn’t a rabid quest-hunter herself; she liked to just do whatever seemed enjoyable, helpful, or necessary.

A much different playstyle – and lifestyle, it seemed – from the user next to her. The paladin realized just a little bit too late that her distasteful expression translated itself in-game, and unfortunately Req seemed to have caught sight of it. “S-Sorry, I didn’t mean to—I was kind of surprised, I guess, is all. I didn’t really know top players had to go to those sort of lengths…” Her blonde locks fell forward on her shoulders as she looked down, hanging her head slightly in shame for her judgmental reaction. “I know it’s totally different for you than it is for me… You’re on a completely different level.” Papi cleared her throat. “So, um, yeah… sorry about that.”

Perhaps it was a bit overkill, but Papi sincerely felt a bit guilty; surely, the situation was difficult and unpleasant enough. Thankfully, they were able to move on from this topic as well, though the next one wasn’t necessarily much more comfortable. Req caught onto her comment about the makeup, though his response was, thankfully, not a suspicious one. Although that wasn’t to say she knew any better about how to reply to what he did say. “No, no, I’m really not hot at all—I’m just… a nerd… haha…” It wasn’t really a lie. “I don’t think anyone would really want to see someone like me made up anyway. Save it for the pretty girls…” Urk, was that… too much? Not enough? A real girl might say something like that, right? at least this part wasn’t a lie either – no one would really want to see Finley in any makeup. Probably.

Their conversation was, in truth, a little awkward with these ebbs and flows of comfortable and slightly dodgy topics – at least on Papi’s end. Still, she supposed she appreciated the fact that they didn’t linger on one subject too long. Req mentioned some of the P2W or ‘pay to win’ players in the game, his words bearing a sincere disdain for the group. “Yeah, I…” She trailed off, her own sentiments weak in contrast to Req’s biting remark; though his hatred was hissed on a quiet breath, the quiet words spoke volumes. Although not many liked these players, his vitriol seemed especially intense. Then again, she supposed it seemed to fit in with who he was – he was evidently quite dedicated to Reveria, having spent the better portion of the day just grinding mobs to get his level up. The bard seemed to hold his own set of principles and values as well, which – at least from what Papi could tell – appeared to respect Reveria and its rules. No wonder he hated P2W players so much.

“Um…” She cleared her throat, nodding in agreement. “Yeah. It’s pretty shitty. They have everything they need IRL, why do they need to use it to get ahead here, too? It’s not fair. Besides… why even bother playing here if you’re… well… not gonna actually play?” Papi breathed a small sigh. If she were to wager a guess (albeit an admittedly bullshitted one), most players were either here for the gameplay or as a sense of escapism; an opportunity to take on a whole new identity. Like Papi… sort of. And so, she didn’t quite understand the minority group that had to translate their wealth and power into this world, too. If they had it all in real life, why not just enjoy it there, where things really mattered at the end of the day? “I dunno. Maybe I’m too much of a pleb to understand…?” It truly did baffle her.

In this sense, she supposed she appreciated the high rankers like Req: people who really just seemed to like the game and were their authentic selves within it. Papi glanced back over at the user next to her again, wondering if she should try and word this sentiment in some casual manner in order to lighten the mood a little. Something that seemed much-needed, as there was a terribly deep and dark scowl on Req’s face. However, before she could even begin to construct a thought together, he abruptly veered the conversation away. While it wasn’t the smoothest of transitions, it was welcomed, nonetheless.

“Oh, yup. College.” Papi gave a small grin. “School is… well, I wouldn’t say it’s fun, but it’s not bad. I don’t hate it, but I won’t be sad when I’m done, that’s for sure. The social part is probably the best, I think.” It seemed that much they could agree upon. Though, his words piqued her curiosity somewhat. If he still went to college parties, was he still in his early 20’s? Maybe a recent alumni? … She realized it didn’t quite matter, nor was it any of her business; still, she couldn’t help but wonder about what sort of person she was really speaking to.

But it was not a train of thought to follow. Looking forward again, she distracted herself by glancing around through the foliage, scanning for any threats that may be lurking about – low level as they would be, it never hurt to be cautious. As her gaze shifted through the leaves and trunks of trees, she continued. “I’m in accounting. Hardly exciting, but it’s a good career, and I’m halfway decent at it.” Papi shrugged a shoulder, giving little else to the subject unless Req were to specifically ask. She didn’t mind some casual chit-chat about IRL stuff like this, but she didn’t really want to stray too far into personal territory on either end.

Req went on to question her level, obviously fairly taken aback at how slow her progress was. “I know, I know, I’m just a filthy casual.” Papi gave a weak laugh, waving a hand reassuringly in the air in front of her. “It’s fine. Like I said, I know we’re on totally different levels here. Well, figuratively and literally, I guess.” The paladin chuckled a little again at her sad excuse of a joke.

There were no hard feelings as they began to chat about some specific quests – a much more comfortable, neutral topic. A smile came upon her lips as Req admitted he’d just killed the weird doll without much thought. “I get that. It was pretty awful to look at.” He went on to commend her choice which, in spite of it all, sent a little tingle of warmth through her chest. It was always nice to be validated, and especially by someone who was of top-class caliber like Req. “Thanks… I agree. The fact that some quests can really make your class come to life is… just so damn cool.” Papi nodded, a quiet happiness exuding from her brightened features.

As Req thought of his own answer, it tempered, though only slightly. A sense of gentle kindness lingered as her gaze briefly lingered on his pensive profile. Curiously, his thumb was pressed between his teeth. Papi blinked, the mellow joy fading from her face as she felt a brief flash of déjà vu. Somehow, despite Req’s fantastical garb and unrealistically perfect appearance, the sight seemed familiar. But she couldn’t quite place it, and especially not as he shared his answer, seizing her attention away.

“Oh… oh! I’ve heard of that one.” She nodded in recognition before falling quiet again, soaking in the tale that he began to weave. While the pictures and details filled her head, she felt a slight colour rise to her ears as Req alluded to seducing and being wooed by the Demon Prince Dimitrescu. Papi wasn’t quite expecting such a candid admission but, considering Req’s personality, she realized that probably should have. Once this thought passed through her mind her fleeting embarrassment faded, leaving awe in his creativity. “I, um… I know this will kinda make me sound like a fangirl but… that’s really, really awesome. Honestly.” There was a twinkle in her blue eyes as she looked up at Req, a sincere admiration in her gaze. “Definitely, it’s win-win for everyone. It’s so amazing that you could finish the quest such an involved and creative way… kudos. Truly. I don’t think I would’ve thought to do something like that.”

Glancing away, slightly bashful at her bout of geeking out, she scanned the next area they ventured into again. “I hope he remembers you too. It seems like you definitely made an impression, so there’s probably a decent chance, right?” Papi paused, attempting to suppress the next words to come out of her mouth; however, the curiosity was just too strong. “I would love to know how that goes. It’d be fascinating to know how the AI would respond in this kind of situation. Oh—and, I mean, I wanna know how things work out for you, too!” It sounded a bit tacked on and maybe to some extent it was, but she wouldn’t mind a little update anyway.

Closing up the Dimitrescu chapter for now, Papi arched her brow at the next quest he spoke about. “Really? Dang… that’s some incredible luck to stumble upon something like that. And most people would definitely get killed down there, so it’s even luckier that a skilled, high-level player got that quest. What’re the odds?” And actually, Papi did sort of wonder what the odds actually were.

“When I hear you talk about those kind of quests, it really just goes to show the difference between someone like me and someone like you.” The paladin grinned, a little sheepish. “It all sounds like a fantasy within a fantasy to me. But maybe one day I’ll get there! And I know that you’ll be climbing the ranks again before you know it.” Papi turned and gave him two gauntlet-clad thumbs-up and a beaming smile. “You can probably keep taking quests beyond your level after this, so the EXP gain will kinda keep scaling, right? Soon enough, this forest will all be like a distant dream.” The paladin outstretched her arms and waved them outwards slightly, motioning to the serene greenery around them.

Her arms relaxed back at her sides with a soft clink as her different pieces of equipment fell against each other. She wondered if this bout of cheerleading was a bit too warm and fuzzy, seeing as she wanted to keep him at arm’s length… but, with a touch of further thought, Papi waved it off. A bit of kindness was all it was; a little encouragement to someone who was a little down on her luck. To that note, she decided it was probably harmless to share another thought that crossed her mind.

“By the way, I think the bard class really suits you. You’re a great storyteller.” Papi shot him another grin, though she decided to leave her boundary pushing to that. After all, she was pretty sure that Req knew all of these things she had told him. No need to preach to the choir, right?

. . . .

She said little else to the matter and, before she knew it, they had arrived at their intended destination. Req ran through his perspective on their plan of action as Papi stood, listening attentively. He was, after all, the professional here. Her lips remained closed, though her head slowly bobbed in acknowledgement and agreement with his suggestions. It was only when he finished that she spoke, “Sounds good. Since I’ll heal and shield you like I mentioned, we’ll have to screw up pretty badly for me to have to kill anything off myself. Should be okay...” They had lots of options, and even then, with an enemy this weak she could probably just body-block if she truly wanted. But there wasn’t much fun in that, was there?

The bard expressed his appreciation for her, even dropping a small compliment as he extended a closed fist to her. “Really, it’s nothing.” Papi shook her head, wearing a small smil as she knocked her knuckles against his, perhaps a little more forcefully than one might expect from a person of her appearance and stature. “Anyway... Let’s do this.”

Papi entered the cave, leaving behind the lush greenery as she ventured into the darkness within. She walked carefully through the rocky interior, carefully peering about with each step. None of the enemies were dangerous to her here – she would be able to swiftly one-hit-KO the standard, creepy-crawly cave enemies they came across, often without them even noticing them first. But thankfully, it seemed they managed to scrape past or easily defeat any that they did happen to unintentionally aggro. Rather, what was more perilous than the mobs were the environmental hazards: the party had to be more mindful of the traps and more intelligent dangers that laid in wait for them. Thin, barely visible tripwires were strewn across the path, along with several beartraps, pitfalls, and even a few pressure-activated plates. This, admittedly, was quite the weak point for Papi. Her perception was just good enough for her to see in the dimly-lit cavern, but it took quite the effort – for both of them – to catch each of these hidden tricks.

Still, it was quite manageable and before long, the pair found themselves staring upon the traitorous man while he anxiously shuffled around a collection of items, some valuable while others not. More importantly, however, the object of their goal bounced at his waist, bearing a faint luminescence in the dim candlelight around him. Papi peered at him, listening as the NPC’s harrowed murmurings resonated throughout the craggy chamber. Unfortunately, there was nothing particularly useful to be heard in his self-talk, even after a few cycles.

Unsurprisingly, Req seemed to grow impatient, deciding to interrupt the bandit’s endless chatter. Once more, Papi had no objections to his course of action. “Sure. I’ll be right—” He was already gone.

Falling silent, the paladin crouched in wait, her sword tucked away in its sheath. Papi watched the scene unfold, nodding a little at the first Charisma Check notification. So far, so good. Swiftly, her eyes darted back towards Req, her body at the ready to leap into action if necessary. Unlike some other roleplaying games, charisma checks in Reveria – at least from her experience – could be constant, and even non-verbal in some occasions. Some NPCs might continually assess one’s charisma during every second of the interaction, including the player’s body language. Others might ‘check’ every sentence a player would say, or perhaps every other; and, depending on a myriad of factors, the NPC might choose to end the conversation at any moment. Or, they may need to meet a threshold of failed ‘minor checks’ until communications ultimately broke down. Although Papi was a little doubtful that an early-game NPC like this bandit might have such complex programming (it was probably more likely that he had the more usual, isolated ‘flags’, as per tradition), she couldn’t be sure. As in the real world, few things in Reveria could be said with 100% certainty.

The men rallied a few more words without any additional alerts, but soon enough a few more words flashed in front of her: ‘CHARISMA CHECK FAILED’. Welp. Papi rose onto the balls of her feet, jumping down from her hiding spot atop the ledge as the pair launched into an exchange of blows, their blades flashing and clinking in a hurried rhythm. She landed on the ground with a thud, her armor clanking heavily with the impact. The bandit looked to her, distracted by both the sound and her sudden appearance just enough to give Req a momentary opening.

The bandit recoiled, letting out a cry of pain. Gritting his teeth, he lunched back at Req, returning to his assault in a moment’s time. Papi glanced at her party member, observing his movements for a split second: it seemed he was handling himself well enough, so she could spare just a second to cast a quick spell. She held out a hand, aiming the palm towards Req as she quickly uttered a small prayer, “Gods above, protect thy worldly servants against that which weakens our earthly vessels… Holy Resistance!” A light emanated from the palm of her hand, and a moment later Req’s body was enveloped in a faint, pulsating white glow. While she didn’t know the exact stats on that dagger, the spell would probably help protect Req from whatever affect it had to some degree.

Her ability could also have the secondary effect of adding to Req's intimidation factor – or at least, this was what she intended. By showing the bandit that Req not only had an ally, but a powerful one, hopefully that would turn the scales in their favour. Plus, the way his body was illuminated did make him seem a little more than human, which could be worth something. For now, though, the sudden change in Req’s appearance was enough to throw the bandit’s focus off yet again, opening up another chance for the bard to land more damage. Swiftly, Papi also took advantage of his broken focus. Inhaling deeply, she raised her voice to speak strongly and firmly, the soft tones of her character's voice sharpening into a more assertive, commanding register: “I think that’s quite enough!” In one smooth, fluid motion she drew her sword, flashing it in the dim lighting as she approached, her shoulders rolled back and her head held high. Despite her character’s small frame, the elaborate carvings in her armour and the gleam of her weapon would likely be enough to show the bandit she was not an enemy he should take lightly.

The NPC was struck by Req again, at which point he staggered backwards with a curse, hastily opening up even more space between himself and the two players. Blood seeped from his wounds, but there was still a good amount of fight left in him. Papi continued her approach for a few more steps before stopping, pointing at him with the tip of her blade. She didn’t want to do too much in this situation, as to avoid taking away from Req’s EXP, but she figured the situation needed one more little push in the right direction.

“You can willingly stop here… or we can make you. Make your choice.”