Fantasy Time to Upgrade

[Cam E. Leon]

Lyla nodded to the small childs words, not really focusing on them as she went through the skill store. Looking at other stuff in it. She could also earn skills as well apperently, so she was confident she would earn her claw skills no problem. The real thing was she needed skills she wouldnt be able to acquire herself. Plus it was always good to read the store to see what skills there are. Knowing skills makes it much easier to go for the skills without buying. Turning to the small child, "No offense taken, I'm a bad leader Anyway" she said nodding her head before she found some interesting ones to work towards. Hmmmm yes, Cooking seems good, she saw a few different claw skills that she could work towards, hmmm and maybe a resistance skill..... she wondered. "Ya guys think if I cut myself repeatedly and heal it I'll build up resistance?" she asked casually making a small slice in her arm as she accepted the party invite
Djinni Deathkitten Regynleif

 

[ManofManyRoles]

Charity Desmond

As the group discussed, Charity stood silently, eyes flitting from one figure to the next as her mind worked at the problem that lay before them. Keena seemed greatly unconcerned about the psychological backlash of 'dying' one might endure, callous almost. And yet Tabitha seemed no better, wanting to gear their own method of survival around the survival of the youngest members present. Charity turned her head slowly to regard the other group that indeed did have a child present. This is an awful mess... 'Oh your name's Charity?' caught the tall woman's attention, eyes darting to the speaker as she calmly nodded her head, a hand slowly raised to give a wave of greeting to Lily as she spoke. A glance over to Tabitha as she slowly lifted the pen to her pad of paper, starting to write on it. After a few moments, she tore the paper from the pad and passed it over to Tabitha, giving a small nod to encourage her to take it. Small sentences, not enough paper space. We are overplanning. I think the Tutorial wouldn't care who finished first. All are expected to finish, I'm sure. Or die trying (?). No guarantee we can backtrack after completing Tutorial. True to her 'word', the small pad of paper was running out of space by the end of the note, the neutral and calm expression of Charity boring into Tabitha as she studied her, and then glanced towards the other party, flicking her gaze between he shorter blonde and them as if to convey some sort of message, unspoken as it was.

Deathkitten Kyrenka Osuka

 

[Deathkitten]

Illia​

Illia shrugged, "Honestly? Not sure. If you end up getting one, though, I'll have to try next. That would also mean there would probably be things like poison resistance, acid resistance, disease resistance, fire resistance, etc. I'm liking you more and more, Lyla." She smiled softly as she regarded the party screen. So far, one acceptance, so two people. She and Lyla. Hell, even if it were just the two of them, she'd feel somewhat satisfied with her luck. Everyone else was a nice bonus if they agreed.

"My highest stat is intelligence at a C - in layman's terms that's somewhere around 130 to 140 IQ... not that IQ is a great scale to go off of in and of itself but I digress... Then Cunning and Wisdom at D and Charm and Presence at E. Everything else is at F... so... unfortunately, my physical stats aren't the best. I'll have to work dutifully to remedy that. I understand why some of you might be reticent to share your stats with a stranger - it is usually private from what I understand - but I think it'd be best to at least share our best stat if we have one. That way we can come up with a good party structure. Despite my intelligence, I still don't want to be party leader. Since I'm only eight, I couldn't imagine anyone would listen to me naturally. My other suggested leader would be Dr. Rath... Rash... Dr. Alexis, if not Leon." Illia blushed ever so slightly at her stumbling over the doctor's last name. Talking clearly was so difficult sometimes in this damn little body.

Cam E. Leon Djinni Regynleif

 

[Djinni]

Dr. Alexis Rajnish

The doctor grimaced, considering what the child said. She hadn't thought of the fact that the other kids were in fact grouping up with lots of other teams instead of bunching up for the most part like she had hoped. That would have made things much simpler, since most team combat centered activities didn't actually require killing others, only completing particular goals. In fact, someone had historically "won" the tutorial solo without hurting anyone through a combination of stealth, charisma, and clever traps. But that was only one of countless runs. She knew she had no hope of such a thing.

"I suppose you're not wrong... I guess I must withdraw my objection then," she said as she hit accept on the invitation. She was about to do so herself... though this was beginning to get rather suspicious. She knew a lot about this whole thing. That in itself wasn't strange, but the way she approached it... the odds of being brought in at all, nevermind as a child, was extremely low. Illia didn't sound excited about any of this, almost like she begrudged the whole experience. Why would a child who wasn't hoping to get taken into the tutorial research it so thoroughly? How would they know pretty much any of what she does? That wasn't even addressing the fact that she didn't act like a child at all.

This was only exacerbated by her suggestion of leadership. Wise. The one who spoke in third person seemed shy, which was a poor leadership choice, Lyla was psychotic, no one else would take Illia seriously, and while Rajnish herself was excellent under pressure, she was unfamiliar with combat leadership. She was better with the fall-out. The question was, was that the same thought process the child had? Or was it because of something baser? This Leon character was the only male in the group, and men were more often attributed with leadership traits, nevermind military or militia personnel. "Agreed, concerning leadership," she said offhandedly, deep in thought about what might be going on with the child.

Watching the psychotic one cut herself while wondering out loud if it would do anything helpful, she just sighed. Countless idiots had crossed her table who had this exact idea. "Lyla. Stop that," she said sternly, lightly bopping her forehead with the haft of her spear. "I can answer your stupid question. Yes, it works. No, not very well. It almost always winds up leading to hospital visits because it's so damned slow. You said you're a fighter by trade, right? You'll do just fine at getting it in short order. It's a very common skill in the Tower. And if reason isn't enough to convince you, then the fact that I won't be healing minute wounds should. Healing magic is costly, and I'm more interested in putting your guts back in you than keeping you comfortable."

With a moment of thought, she made a dire threat. "Also, I'll "heal" your hair back to its default natural state, including hair pigmentation and pattern if you make me heal stupid injuries." Could she actually do that with healing magic? Not even a little. But Lyla didn't seem like she'd know that. People usually listened when you threw big words in there anyway.

 

[Djinni]

Leon Langley

"The kid's right, we'll surely need to fight some younger people here today," he chipped in as he hit accept on the invite, already having realized that. He'd sized up everyone he laid eyes on already so far; as had Lyla and Riann, more than likely. A group ready for battle... he could've asked for a much worse team, to be sure. Though he doubted they were up to his usual group's standards; he'd seen someone put down five monsters, reload, and take down another three in under four seconds before. He was nowhere near that standard himself... but damned if it wasn't a sight to behold.

Debating on the validity of Lyla's method was interrupted with a deeply uncomfortable suggestion: him being squad leader. "Woah, slow your roll kid," he protested, taken aback. But as he thought about it, his gut sank. She was right. The only other person with combat experience that he knew for sure was a psycho, and even then, fight rings were very different. But he had no leadership experience! How the hell was he supposed to know what he was doing, nevermind what anyone else should be doing?!

I mean, sure, his squad leader was a fucking bamf who he'd learned a lot from... and there weren't any other good options either... and he had actual monster killing experience... and he'd taken more human lives than he cared to admit... and... fuck.

"I... shit. I guess she's right. I suppose it's not technically do or die in this setting anyway, and there's no guarantee we'll be working together afterwards... fine. I'll call shots I guess. I still expect you guys to put your thoughts in, though," he said, doing his best to channel his squad leader. Taking a deep breath, he let out a long sigh. "Fine. My first thought then is to minimize the amount of kids we're gonna be traumatizing here. I've put lead in people on a way more permanent basis than this, but never kids, and I am going to keep that to a minimum. I suggest we go around to the different groups with kids and try to convince the tikes to form a larger group of their own. At the same time, we can be scouting out their capabilities. If we hide our weapons and grab something we're not actually familiar with, it'll minimize how much they learn about us and make them underestimate us because of the obvious discomfort," he suggested, trying to strike a less empathetic note at the same time. He pointed at doctor Rajnish especially. "And in your case, take off your doctor's coat. Look as normal as possible. They'll be measuring us up just as much and we don't want them targeting our healer first."

As people set about into action, he gestured Lyla over. "I suggest you stay behind and keep an eye on our weapons and whatnot," he suggested as he began stripping off his kevlar, bandoleer, and shirt, trying to hide as much of his militia background as much as possible. Thankfully he didn't sculpt himself all TOO much... but he didn't have the best diet, so he still showed off his muscle fairly well. And what muscle there was. "Be openly aggressive to anyone approaching to recruit you or mess with our stuff," he advised, handing her his stuff. "Remember. There's no rule against combat in the starting area, as far as I know. I don't want you to go starting anything... but don't be afraid to finish it if someone gets too troublesome with a lone woman carrying a bunch of good-looking gear, huh?" Turning to Illia, he gestured her over. "I'd suggest you stay too. People are less likely to come after our shit if there's a kid here," he suggested, an unspoken "and prevent her from getting out of line" meant to be conveyed subtly to the kid. She was a weird one, too mature for her age. He'd work with that.

Regynleif Deathkitten Cam E. Leon

 

[Kyrenka]

~Liliana Bermudez~
​

She wrung her hands as her eyes darted from speaker to speaker. She really didn't have much to say to contribute to the conversation. The familiar scratching sound of writing drew her back to Charity as the taller woman wrote a new note and passed it to Tabitha. Immediately Taylor leaned in to read over the smaller woman's shoulder. "Yeah, that sounds right. I think each team is expected to complete the tutorial. I'm sure the stronger members can carry the weaker members through though." Grey eyes flickered to Liliana's when he said that before leaving them just as abruptly. Shrinking in on herself a little, the brunette was reminded of how inexperienced she was; and therefore how much of a burden she would end up being.

"But once it's done that's it, right?" She cleared her throat before continuing in a louder voice, "Once we get through the tutorial, we'll be back where we're supposed to be and be OK." Glancing down at the screen Taylor had given her, she hesitantly selected what she thought would be the best abilities considering her inability to wield a weapon.

Taylor glanced again at her, this time his gaze held as he spoke, "Getting through the tutorial is the first problem. If we're in teams I doubt another team would cooperate with us, and that's even if we're together. We might get sent to different places, I don't think the tutorial will be the same for all of us." The stare broke as he ran a hand through his hair. "And that's not even taking into account if any enemies we face can 'respawn' or something." He heaved a sigh at the thought.

"Then maybe making a big group is a good idea after all?" Turning to Keena, Liliana asked, "What do you think? We need more people, right?"

((Interacting with ManofManyRoles 's Charity, Osuka 's Tabitha, and Deathkitten 's Keena))

 

[Regynleif]

Riann kept herself quiet and observatory throughout the group's conversations, other than to give the occasional affirmative towards whatever they decided. This was a good set up, and she truly did not understand the hesitance when it came to the youngest. When the towers first arose, her own parents assured she would be ready for the day she was hopefully chosen by having her take her first life. "No hesitation Ri-Ri, not when it's life or death. Get used to this feeling now."

The girl simply shrugged to herself and shook off the thoughts as Leon took the obvious route of leadership. She felt a lot better after accepting the party invite and her more bubbly side started to shine through. "This is great! Riann is very happy to be here. and Riann will do her best to support everyone!" Following Leon's lead, she took off her two daggers without hesitation, not bothered since she knew that there was still several obscured on her person....

 

[Cam E. Leon]

Lyla was about to make a second cut on her arm before she turned to the doctor in fear. "pfft waaah My hairs naturally pink. Th-theres no way it would work on me. A-after all why would it work on natural hair color" She said her voice shaking some. Truth be told she had spent a small fortune on her hair. To get an illusion mage to caset a high level permanent illusion to make her hair the brillian pink it was. "However, for your own sake. I shall not draw my blood. Unless necessary" She quickly added before spinning around to salute leon. Listening to his words gave her a big smile. "so wait. You just want me to sit here, and act scary! Oh sir, your honeyed words make my heart flutter!" she said taking the stuff and calmly tossing it on the ground before using it as a pillow. She calmly hummed as she sharpened her claws on a whetstone "toodaloo, you all have fun now!" She waved them off
Deathkitten Djinni Regynleif

 

[Deathkitten]

Keena​

Keena shuffled, uncertain, but… everyone seemed to be keen on joining up with the claws and bazooka team. Honestly? She didn’t care that much. It made no difference to her. She just wanted to get through the tutorial. The other group looked like they were starting to kind of split up, though, so they needed move quick.

“Rushing the tutorial will just get us bad rewards if we do it poorly,” she said, starting to head across to the other group, “Well. I’m gonna go talk to that party for us. Come with if you want. I don’t wanna miss our cue. If they finalize the party first we won’t have the chance.”

“Hey!” Keena called out with a raised hand waving, “Bazooka dude! Wait up a moment. We wanna join you guys. Is that cool?”

 

[Deathkitten]

”This is entertaining. More entertaining than I thought it was gonna be,” said the white haired elven-looking boy with pointed ears. He wasn’t tall like an elf, though, standing at a modest 5’8”.

“Of course you think so,” responded the dark-haired boy, taller than him by almost a foot at 6’6” who also seemed to have elven blood in him.

“I think it’s sad to see some of them panicking, personally,” the girl of their little group said, white-haired and shorter than the other two at 5’6”.

“Don’t worry about them, Kaya. It’s only the tutorial. Most of them are never going to go into the tower anyway. They might have to deal with monsters or whatever but it’s not like the cowards among them have the bones to conquer anything,” said the white haired boy.

The dark-haired one responded, “That’s a rude analysis of them, Averis.”

“But is it wrong?” Averis said back, grinning.

“I didn’t say that.”

“Guys, three isn’t a good number for a party. We need to at least find some people that won’t totally suck…,” Kaya whined, biting her lip as she looked around the area.

“Yeah I know. The end boss fight would suck. Plus we need minimum four for some secrets. Julien? What do you think?”

Julien, the dark-haired one, shrugged, “Either way I don’t care much. But we do need at least one more, preferably two to three. All I see are humans, though.”

“Humans are fine! They’re kind of sweet and clueless… oh that sounded rude. What’s a better way to put it? New? They’re cute and new. Though it’s not like we’re old and experienced, ourselves,” Kaya said, smiling as she looked around, “I suppose… should we wait to see if anyone approaches us?”

“Maybe.”

“Yeah, probably. But if no one approaches us then we’ll need to approach them.”

“Alright. Well, let’s see who’s interesting in this batch.”

 

[Djinni]

Dr. Alexis Rajnish

Solidifying her threat to the large woman with a menacing glare, she began doing as suggested in removing her doctor's coat and weapons. She wore a long-sleeved white shirt underneath. "That's best," she said wryly as she grabbed the most uncomfortable-looking weapon she could find. In her particular case, a large ax and a shotgun.

As the red haired woman separated from the other group and made her offer, Alexis raised a brow. Ten people? It wasn't a strange group size... but it'd be pretty overwhelming on her end to be able to keep everyone alive and healed. "I'm not sure about that..." she said, her reluctance clear in her tone. "Ten people? It seems like a little much... but it might be good for the boss," she said with a shrug. "Up to you, chief, I can see it going either way."



Cam E. Leon Deathkitten Regynleif

 

[Djinni]

Leon Langley

Although glad that everyone was going with what he suggested, it didn't much help the nerves of sudden leadership. This only became more apparent when someone from another team started moving their direction, loudly requesting their teamwork. His own thoughts ran fairly parallel to Alexis', but something came to mind that she didn't seem to think. Later connections. The more people they worked with in a positive manner, the better it would be for them in the end... moreover, he may not be stuck with leadership if they joined together.

"We'll need to meet with your team. We can always separate into squads if we wind up with too many," he said with a shrug. Turning back to the woman who proposed a union of their teams, he yelled back over to her. "Please get a list of your names and abilities ready. And for those comfortable with it, stats. We should make an informed choice."


Deathkitten Regynleif Cam E. Leon

 

[Deathkitten]

Keena and Illia​

"Sure. They'll have their say too, of course, and will have to meet you all themselves. We've got... Tabitha, who is this... like... monk girl kind of? Fighting type for sure. She's ripped. We have Charity, who's mute but seems to carry herself well enough. And we have Liliana, who is shy. I dunno what she does. And then we have Taylor, who looks like a girl but is in fact a boy and he seems like he has a good head on his shoulders - fairly assertive. I'm Keena. I'm a performer in my normal life, an acrobat and whatnot. I've done a bit of everything. I chose two simple skills, Dash and Slash, and my high stats are Agility, Dexterity, and Presence, followed by Cunning and Mana in that order. One C, two Ds, two Es. Never expected to have that high of stats, but here we are," Keena gave a smile to Lyla and Illia, "The others can give their information if they're willing."

Illia sighed, "Devour and Appraisal, Intelligence, Cunning, Wisdom, Charm, and Presence in the same sort of order yours are. Having this many people with at least one C-rank stat would be pretty decent, Leon. I'm for it even just based on that as long as no one's nutso."

"You're well-spoken for a kid. I guess that high intelligence is really something, huh?"

Illia nodded, "I guess."

Keena looked back at her group, and then to Leon's again, "I agree that we could break into smaller squads inside the same party. I know I can play scout. I imagine that Tabitha would play melee, possibly tank? I'm not sure for everyone else but if we do group up we should make sure that everyone has their role they fit into so we can flow better as a party. A disorganized troupe is not a very good one to watch and only results in falls and broken bones."

 

[ManofManyRoles]

Charity Desmond

As everyone continued to mill about, either in panic or an eagerness to get moving, Charity had a moment to take a slow inhale of breath, working on getting her own bearings. She had to put her panic in the backseat, at least for now. She did research and history as her day job, she knew she had done more than a few studies on towers and Tutorials in her life, she just had to let her anxiety shut up so her brain could work. Her gaze slowly shifted about towards her small 'team'...how was she supposed to communicate her knowledge when she couldn't speak to anyone!? Do I have enough paper for an entire briefing? No, of course, I don't. Biscuits, what do I do!? Just...try my best, I guess? Charity put her pen to paper, the soft scratching of words being scrawled on it in as small and fine a print as she could muster, moving as quickly as she could without risking it becoming illegible. Who should we give the note too, who would communicate it most effectively!? Gaze settled on Taylor, practically staring through him before she continued her writing...a flip of the notepad as she moved to 'page two'. A page and a half later on her little notepad before the rip of paper could be heard, the taller woman practically forcing what she had written into his hands.

Hello. I'm Charity, as you know by now. I was and am a research and historian, several studies and papers on towers. I am brief to conserve paper, sorry. We can expect several 'rounds' to provide a general sense of what to expect. Each stage has a secret, that will supply a large reward if found. That includes the waiting area. Suggest we find it, please share. Challenges can include capture flag, groupxgroup combat, dungeon clear, labrynth clear, boss fight, treasure hunt, monster hunt, tall climb, elemental challenge, investigation mystery, civil problem fix, stealth challenge. Usually 5 rounds, sometimes 3-10. We must find secret in waiting room. Please communicate, I'll start looking. Every mention of the secrets were circled a few times with arrows pointing to them, Charity staring cooling at Taylor before she looked around slowly. She stood at least a head taller than most parties present, she wouldn't be hard to find again. Not to mention with white hair, she practically stood out like a sore thumb. Giving a brief nod to Taylor she started off to look around, all while trying not to look too suspicious as she did so. As she moved her eyes landed on the trio of elven folks, practically staring into their souls as she walked before she snapped her gaze away, picking up the pace just a touch to avoid whatever awkward situation may come of her staring.

Deathkitten Kyrenka Osuka

 

[Osuka]

Tabitha Miller

Cool! Awesome! Fantastic even - the group was communicating and ideas were getting slung around left and right! If they were right - oh, let's face it, they were probably right since Gramps never talked to her about how the tutorial went, then her idea of setting up relay teams probably wasn't going to work out as stellar as she thought it would, especially if someone was forced to complete the tutorial just to keep themselves alive. Her idea of further growing and diversifying their unit seemed easy for the group to latch onto, though, and she was definitely not missing the chance to say hello to some potentially new comrades in this bonkers situation. So, with a quick skip of her feet, a loop of her arm around Liliana's and Taylor's, and a cheery "Forward March!" disposition that would've won her at least a nomination for her acting skills, she was off to follow Keena and Charity. Naturally, though, if neither of them were up for the friendly display of comradery, there wasn't going to be much she could do about it, and getting away from her would be extremely easy to do. Everyone moved at their own pace and she wouldn't take it personally if the close proximity made them put-off.

Unfortunately, this also meant that she couldn't really help herself. One of her coping mechanisms for new, stressful environments was physical touch. If she couldn't curbstomp something, she was trying to hug it instead... Though it worked only a "stellar" seventy percent of the time if she was being generous.

But that didn't matter because right now she had just finished her skipping from one place to another to plant herself very firmly and confidently in front of who everyone seemed to be either relying on or looking towards, and that was the man with the rotary grenade launcher. Now she just had to do what she was good at and hope that it worked!

"Well howdy, stranger!" She started, offering a hand to the man with the grenade launcher. "The name's Tabitha, but if ya'll wanna be friends, I reckon ya could just call me Tabby. What's yer name? Mind if I sit with y'all fer a spell n' see if we're all up fer some jolly cooperation?"

Naturally, what with her piddlefartin' around, she wasn't there for the agreed upon discussion of level secrets, stats, and all the specifics, but it was a socially tactical choice. She had approached after Charity had left, and she most certainly didn't miss the fact that she had been looking at quite the... Conspicuous group of individuals a fair pace off, but at this point, she wasn't entirely certain that they had enough for even more people in the group; it was a shame since she, obviously, would have wanted to recruit them as well, but between her group's numbers and the ones who were still with Mr. Launcher's (she made a note that she wouldn't call him that to his face and redact that thought as soon as she learned his real name) circle, they'd be hard-pressed to agree on allowing three more, let alone just one.

With her supposed all-too-cheery disposition having been established to those she had just greeted, it was time to take quick stock of the group. Obviously, first, was the man with the Grenade Launcher. He'd seen some shit and had kept to weapons that he was either confident with or scary proficient, but she was going to bet on both and let it be. Couple that with his outfit alone, and he was either part of some group of armed forces or he had plucked them from someone who was dead... She was going to bet on the first since there didn't seem to be traces of blood and holes in it that would point to the latter, but she wasn't an expert. He'd be an obvious pick for a team lead given his observable demeanor, and she was willing to bet that someone would try to shove the role on him if they haven't all already done so.

The second one, which she was unable to avoid, was the kid... A little kid who looked like she was way too used to situations like this. Honestly, she even looked... Bored?? What kind of absolute hell would a child have to go through to look so opposite to the others that it was actually shocking? She was so pale and frail that she immediately reminded Tabby of thin glass... Just the slightest touch and she could break into a million alabaster shards, but her disposition was entirely the opposite of her current form. Maybe she had sorted her ability already and it had that drastic effect on her? How rare was a case like that? No, she didn't see adults or children suddenly change into a violently stark contrast of themselves, as far as she could recall, so they had to be a kid.

The thought was unsettling and she refused to ruminate more on the train of thought.

Tabby was wasting time thinking everyone over. This wasn't going to be productive - especially if their first questions were going to involve skills and stats. She would get a straight answer out of each if they were all honest about their stats... Of course, they could also end up lying and kill her end of the potentially combined team off for the end-stage loot, and by the time her group respawned to try again, they'd either have killed each other for the whole sh'bang or scrambled for the exit. After that, well, revenge outside the tower wouldn't be tolerated, would it? Maybe she was just overthinking it, but in a situation like this, people's real colors showed when it came down to power, money, or status, and discretion would be key in this particular chapter of the story.

Even throughout her quick glances and ruminations, however, Tabby was sure to keep her jolly-older-sister demeanor up as if she hadn't had a single thought past her introduction, and unless the situation violently changed, she made a mental note to make sure she kept it up. After all, it was mostly true anyway - this was a chance to network, make friends, and learn more of the stuff that Gramps hadn't taught her anyway. This was an opportunity for growth, and that's what she was constantly looking forward to.

Djinni
Deathkitten
Kyrenka
ManofManyRoles

 

[Djinni]

Eko Mabara

It was time, Eko thought as he stared down at the red clay tablet in front of him, decorated with symbols along the edge. It wasn't time for his Ritual, as his mentor hadn't approved it though he had become near his equal with the sling, but Eko Mabara was done waiting. He knew very well why he hadn't been advanced yet; he knew the Council wanted to prevent him from attempting to join a party outside the village to bring back for help. At the very least he could get assistance for the bandits, if not become strong enough to stop them himself! But no, they were so caught up in their Path of Harmony that the thought of killing even bandits when it wasn't strictly needed was just too much to even consider. The notion boiled his blood.

As the Skill Selection Screen appeared before him, he felt the small hairs on his carapace raise in anticipation. When he did this, he would be transported to the Tutorial. He'd heard tales of the Tutorial from others when he was young, but never paid it much mind. It wasn't until well later on, after he had given up his career as a Home Digger to be a Hunter for the good of the people, that he began to have any interest in the Tutorial or anything to do with it.

Considering his choices carefully, he decided to go with things that no human party would easily be able to acquire, or at least use nearly so effortlessly as he could; his venom. Bumping it from the F it was normally at to E, as well as bumping his Luck stat to the same, was the wisest choice here... or so he thought with his wisdom at an F. He'd figure it out as he went. He had to.

Time to start his little adventure, then, and hope that breaking with traditions in this way wasn't enough to get him exiled. The others weren't... but they also weren't the fourth young person in a relatively short time frame to do so.

Hitting "Accept", he blinked in surprise at how immediate it was. How plain the place looked. It seemed like their training arena... but he supposed this might not be a coincidence. What was not surprising was that he was being stared at, his hunting poncho doing little to hide his four arms or six foot tail, ending in a stinger as long and large as a finger, tapering to a fine point.

Shit. He forgot how tall humans were. It freaked him out a little. He was 4'4", not tall for his people but certainly not short... yet in comparison, he was on par only with some of the children and shorter females.

What now? He thought as he stared back at those around him. One person was dressed like some of the mercenaries that showed up in his home from time to time, another like one of the traditional monks from deep in the plains. Aside from them, there was a red woman, a starved-looking child, a giant with metal claws and strange hair with hair like berries, a golden woman, a scared-looking girl, a... doctor he thought they were called, and one who was ambiguously male or female. They seemed to be in the middle of a discussion of some kind. Not that far away was a pale-haired giant. Speaking of giants... there were a trio of elves. Maybe they would be good to team with? They would be more trusted than the humans would be... but he had to resist the urge to stick with the familiar. "I... seek team," he said, clearing his throat and tapping the chitin of his hip nervously. Flexing all four arms, he showed off his stinger. "C strong. B fast. C dex, mana," he said, immediately going to a more traditional greeting of warriors... or wannabe warriors in this case. He gestured to one of his slings, and tapped the bag of stone bullets on his hip. "Climb walls, stun sting, armor. Eko Mabara," he finished, lowering his hood and goggles to show his head. "You?" He was clearly nervous, though they wouldn't necessarily be able to tell. He was relatively meek for one of his people... and the humans he'd seen were pretty tough for the most part.

(Only robes and goggles)
Deathkitten Osuka Kyrenka

 

[Djinni]

Leon Langley

The conversation cut to a stop immediately as a figure popped up suddenly, someone distinctly inhuman. He was never bothered by non-humans, and had worked with a few different kinds in his field, but this one... was certainly new. He supposed there would be stranged places to meet such a figure, but it was still unexpected. They had a rough tone, like their throat was stiff, and looked distinctly less human than anyone he had met previously. "Oh. Uh... hi...?" He asked, finding his sudden appearance and openness very strange. Didn't he know that was a safety hazard? Especially since you can't sue or report anyone for violent events that occured within the Tutorial? Regardless, those were very good stats indeed... maybe he was so open about it as a challenge or flex of some kind, confident no one could take advantage?

Not quite as strange was this monk looking lady that approached as well, Tabitha. "So I was hoping to discuss cooperation, yes, though it seems there's a more... independent party in discussions now. I guess we should generally follow his lead if we're going to be working together on a team; key stat, skills, as well as general talents that may be relevant. My name is Leon Langley. I have swift enchanting and create gunpowder," he said, a dark sphere appearing over an open palm and pouring a small handful of gunpowder. The appearance of the sphere surprised him, not having actually done so before, and he decided to casually further test it by doing a swift enchantment. To lighten the mood, he enchanted it to float, staying in place as he moved his hand away, before enclosing it in his hand again, removing that enchantment, and instead making it evaporate. The whole thing felt very strange, like pulling on a muscle he'd never used before... but it wasn't a bad feeling. "My key stats would be a C in mana and D in dexterity and luck. I was a shipment guard for foodstuffs, so I'm pretty good with firearms."



Dr. Alexis Rajnish

Jumping in place, Alexis couldn't help but stare at the new figure that appeared. They were... so strange. She couldn't help but study him for characteristics she could discern. It's not like she wasn't used to non-humans, but this one certainly was different indeed. The researcher in her couldn't help but wonder all kinds of things that might be considered offensive to ask about; did he have bones, or did the exoskeleton account for that? How did the venom work? What about the climbing? Was it done through pads, magic, adhesives, claws...? She was inclined to believe magic, since he was probably pretty heavy and far larger than anything that used any other method.

No! Bad Alexis! Don't stare! Shaking her head sharply, she cleared her throat. "Oh! Hi there, Eko! I am Doctor Alexis Rajnish, I have Alchemy and Healing magic at rank F. My key stats would be intelligence at a C, and deterity and cunning at a D. I'm a trauma surgeon, so I'm well familiar with the human body and a few other species... though I'm afraid your own aren't on the list, Mr. Mabara, though if you're willing to answer a few uncomfortable questions I can make some educated guesses."


Deathkitten ManofManyRoles Kyrenka Osuka Regynleif

 

[Kyrenka]

~Taylor Walker~​

Taylor watched Keena walk off towards the group surrounding the man with the bazooka. Maybe she'll have some luck. Before he could even think about pursuing another team, he felt the heavy pressure of eyes boring into him. Turning to face Charity, he met her stare as she slowly wrote in her notepad. His eyes flickered away uncomfortably as she purposefully moved onto a second page. Does she have to stare? It was really fucking weird. He silently waited as Charity eventually finished, ripped the pages out, Liliana's body pressed into his side as she read over his shouder.

Mouth gaping, she cried, "There's that many stages!? That...What the heck!" Her mouth opened and closed as she reread the information so many times that Taylor just wordlessly handed them to her. Secrets huh? He never played many games as a child, but from what he knew about the Tutorial was that it was like a video game. Glancing around, he frowned. He had no idea where to even start, much less how to be as inconspicuous as possible.

That was made worse instantly as Tabitha trapped his arm with hers and forced him and the surprised Liliana forward. They stopped right by the group Keena had approached, and he desperately searched for an opening to leave. Hasn't anyone here heard of personal space? At this point, he really didn't know why he had expected people to be more...prepared? No, that wasn't the word. Hardened. That was it. The children and their inexperience were expected, but everyone else were so...different. He didn't like it. It made him lose a bit of faith in his comrades. Eyes searching for anything that could be this 'secret' that Charity was so insistent on finding.

---

Tabitha's larger frame was perfect for hiding behind as they were whisked over to the other team. The papers that Charity had written on were still gripped in her hand. Why are so many challenges...It was like the Tutorial was built to be as difficult as possible. It made her stomach roll with anxiety. Gulping down her nerves, her eyes flickered from person to person before landing on another newcomer. The...man? Boy? He showed off his four arms and giant stinger as he introduced himself as Eko. Liliana's mouth gaped again, eyes wide in amazement. Is that the Elderblood skill? It's awesome! She excitedly whipped her head to gauge Taylor's reaction only to be disappointed as the blond barely glanced at the other guy before letting his gaze wander. Excitement took charge of her previously timid demeanor as she chimed back, "My name is Liliana!" She frantically waved him over. "Come join our team!"

Suddenly realizing that Tabitha hadn't read Charity's note, Liliana tugged on the arm still in the taller woman's grasp. "Uh, Charity wrote this." She held out the note for the blonde woman to take. The brunette had done her best to memorize all the challenges they needed, but still it was a lot. Seriously, this is unfair.

((Interacting with Deathkitten 's Keena, Djinni 's Leon/Alexis/Eko, ManofManyRoles 's Charity, Osuka 's Tabitha, Regynleif 's Riann, and Cam E. Leon 's Lyra))

 

[ManofManyRoles]

Charity Desmond

Charity had, at least to the best of her ability, drifted through the floor as she scanned her surroundings for anything that might qualify as a secret or even a hint towards a secret. Alas, there was no such luck to be had for her right now. Not that she should have been surprised, the tutorial section was likely the most difficult to locate for good reason. Ever the picture of calm and poise as she did her rounds, even if on the inside she was dying of panic and fear. There were so many people here, what if she ended up having to fight someone? She didn't want to fight someone! She didn't want this costume scratched, torn, or damaged either, it took a long time to sew this together! She wasn't even entirely certain what skills she had taken in her panicked button pressing, was there a way to check that? There had to be, rationally she knew she probably knew how to do that from her studies alone...but that would involve her being able to calm her mind down enough to think and not have her mind be torn in a thousand different directions!

This was getting her nowhere, she was walking in circles by now, and her own party was hosting a conversation with the other group by now. Charity stared towards the group and the otherwise odd individual who had joined them, eyes settling on Alexis and Leon for a few moments, and then Lyla, before she slowly shifted her attention away. Don't stare, staring is bad! Oh, what should I do...I need to speak to someone...didn't I see elves, earlier? Charity scanned her surroundings before her eyes settled on the trio of elves nearby, a hand clenching into a fist in her pocket. Oh, she seriously didn't want to talk to them, she didn't want to talk to anyone really! Oh drat, if anyone present had a chance of knowing anything...it'd be the little trio over yonder. Charity strode forward, not especially hard to notice given she was the second tallest person in the room, outside of one of the elves conveniently it seems.

So despite her inner turmoil she kept her picture-perfect expression on as she approached the trio, giving a calm nod to them. There was an awkward pause as she simply...stood there for a second before she slowly started to scribe on her notepad as always, the gentle sound of pen on paper audible if one was listening for it. Then came the soft riiip of the paper as she tore it from the pad, glancing between the three elves...who should she give this to? Her eyes settled on the girl, focus boring into her before she slowly moved, almost mechanically she handed the paper over to the elven woman, neat and beautiful calligraphy scrawled across it. Hello there. My name is Charity. I apologize, I have to communicate through writing. I hate to make assumptions but based on body language and you three sticking together, you seem rather familiar with the situation at hand. Might I be able to request your assistance?

Deathkitten

 

[Deathkitten]

Illia and Keena​

Illia blinked blankly at the number of things that were happening in front of her. After a moment, however, she just sighed and stood up from her seated place beside Lyla and walked up to the new people. She tapped on her screen and sent all of them an invite, “Everybody! Here. Just join the party and we can trade details as we go. For the new people, I am Illia. I’m only eight but I have a C in intelligence, D in cunning and wisdom, and E in charm and presence. My skills are Devour and Appraisal.”

“As of right now, Leon is party leader. I would be, but I am a child and wouldn’t be naturally respected like an adult, which is fine. Leon is fine with being leader if necessary, but if any of you guys have a better idea for who should be leader, let it be known now please,” she said, voice loud so everyone could hear her.

Keena raised her hand, “I’m Keena. Agility C, Dex and Presence D, Cunning and Mana E. Abilities Dash and Slash. I have no problem being leader, personally, but I doubt I have as much experience. I have experience leading a team, but for performances, not combat.”

Illia put her small hands on her hips and looked around at the others, “Anyone else?”

ManofManyRoles Djinni Cam E. Leon Regynleif Kyrenka Osuka

 

[Deathkitten]

The Elves​

Kaya took the note with a curious expression and smiled as she read it back aloud to the two boys. Julien was the only one taller than her, and he said nothing, watching her, eyes practically boring into her. Averis was the first to speak up. He grinned and took her hand in a fluid movement, giving her a fanciful bow and a kiss on her knuckles.

“I never expected to see a human that’s almost as beautiful as an elf. A pleasure to meet you, indeed. I’m Averis. That’s Kaya. And tall dark and intimidating there is Julien,” he purred, releasing her hand and walking around her as he sized her up, “Now what would assisting you get me? And what would it entail?”

“Averis! Keep it in your pants you sleaze!” Kaya snapped, lightly shoving him as she stepped up to Charity, “Sorry about him. He’d be attracted to a telephone pole if it wore clothes. Anyway, of course we can help. We know a thing or two as is. Do you already have a party? A party is like rule one of the tower and likewise the tutorial if you want to survive.”

Julien spoke up finally, arms folded, “She’s looking for the secret.”

“How do you know that??” Averis said, smacking his arm.

“She’s been looking all around like crazy. All I did was watch. Not my fault you’re as observant as a chicken nugget.”

Kaya intervened again, “AAAAAnyways. The tutorial secret is one of the hardest ones to find, usually. Why do you want it so bad?”

ManofManyRoles

 

[ManofManyRoles]

Charity Desmond

Despite her cool outwardly expression, the poor woman's heart felt like it wanted to crawl out of her ribcage and vacate the premises. At least, that was the way it felt with how her anxieties were making her heart rate elevated. Or was it a neutral resting heart rate, and was it her anxiety making it feel like it was going so much faster than usual? All the same, she met the tallest's gaze, though more so out of respect rather than a challenge. Oh god, he's taller than me, I'm not used to people being taller than me. He probably doesn't trust me, please don't hate me before you even know me, sir! Her train of thought was promptly derailed as the elf, Averis as he introduced himself, gave a bow and a kiss to her knuckles, blankly watching him...though of course, on the inside... That'sveryniceandallbutnotnecessarypleasestopandthankyou! Charity's gaze followed the shorter male as he started to circle her, though her attention snapped just as quickly to Kaya, a small nod towards her out of appreciation. At the question of 'do you have a party' she nodded calmly once again, tapping her pen at her breastbone for a moment before pointing over yonder towards the two groups turning into one, nodding calmly to answer the question.

Julien, it would seem, was the silent and observant sort it would seem, attention snapping to him and then drifting to Kaya once again. Slowly her attention turned downwards toward her pen and paper, calmly writing on it...one sheet wasn't going to be enough, drat! There came the soft thwip of paper being flipped over followed by the scritch scritch scratch of pen on paper and then the soft riiip of paper being torn, both sheets being handed to Kaya once again, neat and beautiful calligraphy once again stating her mind for her. I am indeed partied with the group I motioned towards earlier. As your companion, Julien, stated I am indeed searching for the secret here. My reasoning is several-fold. I am a historian and researcher by trade, so it's an opportunity I likely won't get any time again soon to study an occurrence that is considered much rarer to discover than others. Likewise, it is reasonable to guess that rewards are better, based on difficulty. Thirdly, the challenge of discovering it is good problem-solving practice. I am willing to offer aid or cooperation in turn, as well as my own parties if necessary, within reason. Or vouch for you, if you likewise need a party outside of yourselves. You have no obligation to assist me, which I do understand.

Deathkitten

 

[Deathkitten]

The Elves​

“Oh my. A seeker of knowledge?” Kaya said, smiling as she read the pieces of paper, “You know, with a difficulty like being mute, you’ll want to look into a skill or a spell that allows you to write in the air. I think it’d help you quite a bit in your endeavors.”

“Historian and researcher,” Averis repeated, reading over her shoulder, “Neat. Humans have those too.”

“Of course humans have them,” Julien sighed. He looked slightly down and met Charity’s eyes, “I want to ask you first, how motivated are you? Are you going to take on the tower? And do you think you deserve rewards the tower might have, especially those as special as secrets?”

Kaya pouted, “Those are important questions… but, Julien it’s not that urgent. She has to write everything out. Cut her some slack.” She waved her hand and suddenly, in front of her, a quest notification appeared. “Here we go. You’re the first to approach us. Make sure you make your party before you really start the quest. This is just the beginning. But, make sure you take notes. A researcher that writes nothing down isn’t much of a researcher at all.”

[Quest Notification]
[You have discovered the first step of the secret of the tutorial waiting area. You have approached the elves with the intention of discovering the secret.

Will you accept this quest and the challenges that come with it?]
[Warning: Accepting this quest will have unforseen consequences.]
[Y/N]​

 

[Kyrenka]

~Liliana Bermudez~​

The brunette listened as Keena and a little girl, wow she's tiny, named Illia made their announcement. I thought we already joined the party? Then it clicked; this was structured like a video game after all. Somehow, having video game aspects in real life just didn't fit together in Liliana's mind. It was too surreal. Helping herself to Taylor's phone again and ignoring the, "Wha- hey!" he yelled out, she once again stared at the Status Screen. This time, she actually took the time to explore things.

First, she sent out party invites to Keena, Tabby, Charity, Taylor, and Eko. Then she diligently sent out an invite to every other person that didn't have a party. The more the merrier. As requests were accepted, she messed around with the party settings and proceeded to click on names. Exploring the screens that popped up, she found that she could turn on the ability to see party members' statuses. I can see their statuses! This is so cool! That would be useful if they ever got separated.

"Taylor look!" Reaching across Tabby to show the other blond the screen, Liliana excitedly chattered, "You can send party invites and see your teammates' statuses! I think there might be a minimap option so you can track locations!"

Grey eyes glanced down before meeting her own. "You know I can't see what you're showing me, right?" Shocked, she could only utter a confused sound before Taylor sighed and continued, "You are the only one with access to your Status Screen. Nobody else can see it. When you show me my phone all I see is my Status Screen."

"Oh." Flushing with embarrassment, she lowered her head. I really hope I'm not the only one who didn't know that.

---

~Taylor Walker~​

Taylor resisted the urge to sigh again. This girl was leagues behind everyone else. How did she not know this? This wasn't some hidden information like what Charity had told them, this was common knowledge. "Here," he grabbed the phone back from her hands. Empty hands began to wring themselves and once again he felt a strange kind of guilt. It's not my fault she didn't know. So what if she's embarrassed? Ignoring it, he carefully accepted Liliana's invite and sent his own to Tabby, Keena, and Charity. Frowning as he clicked on Liliana's name, he couldn't see her status. "Where's the stuff you were talking about?"

"You have to change it in the settings." Taylor startled and whipped around. Green and messy hair that matched vibrant green eyes belonged to another newcomer who had invited himself to Taylor's personal space. The blond stared, honestly a bit speechless. Hasn't anyone heard of personal space anymore? The sheer audacity of his teammates was astounding; and not in a good way. He'd be more upset if he wasn't so bemused. Looking down at his Screen again, Taylor clicked through various screens before finding what he desired. "I'm Nick by the way."

"I'm Liliana!" The brunette still hadn't made any effort to escape Tabby's grip, which made her look a bit like a child keeping close to her guardian.

"Oh! You're the one who sent me the request?" Taylor looked up at that.

Staring at Liliana as she grinned and replied, "Yup!" he felt his stomach sink. She did not just invite everybody here. That was so so fucking stupid and dangerous. There was no way she was that dumb, right? Glancing down at Nick's pants that were awkwardly stuffed with guns, Taylor felt his stomach sink more.

---

~Nicholas Skvortsov~​

He had been gauging people and their potential as teammates when he remembered the Status Screen. Stuffing the guns he picked up haphazardly in his waistband, he pulled out his phone to check out his Screen. There was one invite, and he felt himself immediately smile. Awesome! Someone wants me! That was a relief, he knew that his posture and behavior practically screamed 'liability' so the fact that someone was willing to take a chance on him was like a godsend. Accepting the request without even weighing the pros and cons, Nick watched a name pop up. Liliana?

He glanced around. Nobody was looking at him and nobody was making their way to him. Huh. He messed around with his party settings until more information popped up, as well as a minimap and the location of this Liliana. Nice! Nick made his way slowly, checking his minimap while occasionally glancing up to make sure he didn't run into someone. The arena was actually kinda crowded now that everyone was congregating into groups. Almost... He hovered as he tried to identify which of the three people in front of him were Liliana. Maybe the brunette? She kinda looks Hispanic. But then again Shakira is pretty blonde.

When the one blond, obviously male by his voice, asked the other girl a question Nick immediately jumped into the conversation. He winced as he realized that the other guy didn't realize he was there. Oops! He must not have liked that because the blond ignored him. That was fine since the brunette, Liliana, cheerfully started a conversation.

"Thanks for inviting me! I was actually a bit nervous about finding a group, so I'm glad you found me first." Turning to the other nameless people gathered around, he asked, "And who are all of you?"


((Interacting with Deathkitten 's Keena, Osuka 's Tabitha, Djinni 's Eko, Cam E. Leon 's Lyra, and Regynleif 's Riann. Mentioned ManofManyRoles 's Charity))

 

[ManofManyRoles]

Charity Desmond

Charity shifted her weight ever so slightly so she leaned to the side just a touch, her weight shifted to the right as she gently tapped the end of the pen against the paper, making little meaningless dots in the corner as she listened to the elves. Charity's attention jumped straight to Julien as he addressed her, not having too much difficulty meeting his gaze as the height difference wasn't too terrible. Though the question did send her inner thoughts into yet more turmoil. He's so terribly serious. What does he mean motivated?! I'm motivated to go home, but if I'm going to be stuck through this tutorial I may as well see what I can learn about the tower for my studies! Then again, I'd rather not run the risk of dying, so maybe I should just go home. And what does he mean DESERVE rewards!? Does anyone deserve a reward? I suppose you do, hence what makes it a reward. But what makes one truly worthy of a reward when it comes to the tower-

Faster and faster did her mind race, even if on the outside she was stoically meeting the tall male's gaze and only offered him a calm nod in return, even if it was her body acting on its own. After a few moments, she started to pen away once again, the soft scratch scritch scratch, followed by the riiip of the paper as she handed it over to Kaya. Thank you for your assistance, all of you. You have my gratitude, and I do owe you for such aid. To answer Mister Juliens question, I am unable to give a solid answer at this time without presenting you a thesis on my thoughts on this matter. I do apologize. Charity blinked as her field of vision was suddenly 'updated' with the quest notification, causing her to give a slight blink of confusion before giving a nod. Ensure she was partied with her group before accepting the quest, which was of sound sense and reasoning. Charity stowed her notepad into her pocket with its pen as she fished out her phone, her display popping up once again. Oh no, I just realized I panic clicked! What did I put points into!? Wait...Elderblood and Hunters Mark!? Those sound ominioous! Oh no! Oh no no no, what's the undo button!? No time to worry about that now, even if she truly wished to worry about that right now. Noticing the party invite she paused before hitting 'accept', a little notification of Charity accepting the invitation likely being shared as she partied up with her group properly now. Like Liliana, Charity quickly adjusted her settings to see statuses, locations, and a variety of minor adjustments. However, Charity's knowledge on how to do this was more so due to her day-to-day job and less so clicking things at random.

After all was done and she had accepted the party invite, the quest she had been given but not yet accepted would likely be shared. Though, it stood to reason that as she had been the one to receive it, only she could well and truly accept it. At least, she imagined that was a reasonable belief. Charity gave a polite bow to the elves before slowly backing away, giving a wave of goodbye before starting towards her group. It was rather impossible not to see her approaching, a woman of 6'4 with long white hair was rather apt to stand out in at least a few ways. As she arrived she gave a calm wave of greeting, even as she had another anxiety attack on the inside due to having to interact with yet more unfamiliar faces. One of them wasn't even human, what was he!? He was so tiny! Again she fished out pad and pen and calmly wrote out, the soft riiip as she tore the page and turned it around to present it. Hello. My name is Charity, I apologize I am late introducing myself. I have procured a quest in the interest of locating a secret in this area. Hopefully, this information from an earlier note has been shared. I will accept it if and when we are all prepared for such. I apologize, this is the best means for me to communicate, please be patient with me.

Deathkitten Osuka Djinni Cam E. Leon Regynleif Kyrenka