Sakura

She’d spotted the collection of silk threads through pure coincidence, the shimmering of the sun reflecting off them just before she had managed to walk straight through them. Cautiously, she’d pulled herself to an immediate stop before raising a hand and gently touching the item, watching as it shifted beneath her fingertips. She’d glanced in either direction, noticing how it ran between two small trees that were several metres apart. She could see several layers of the silk going back and forth, and as she followed it gently with her finger, she noticed as the silk came loose, falling toward

Luck wasn’t on her side. Although she’d cleared away the thoughts from moments ago, Aoi dragged herself from the brush – noticing the small cuts that slowly disappeared as the system cleared away the minor abrasions that spikes within had caused and returned her form to normal – with nothing to show for her effort. The heavy sigh that passed through her spoke more than any words could as she relived the failure that had been her entire gathering process since she’d left the town. Her eyes drifted across the area and towards a pair of boars, their forms having moved away from the small herd – W

Aoi moved through the grasslands with a half-abandoned purpose. Her search for anything of use had turned up nothing thus far into her walk, and as she avoided the nearby collection of boars and other creatures, she found herself contemplating the gathering system within the game. It was becoming more and more clear that gathering was far from the most useful of skills, unless there was some odd way of increasing her chances that she’d yet to come across. The game is of course designed around rewarding combat. It’s a fantasy game, an MMORPG…it’s meant to be about fighting. Still, it would

Nothing stood out to her as the grass stalks slapped back into position. Figures, it would’ve been too easy if I found something immediately out of the gate. As tempting as it is to just rush forward and fight things for the loot drop, I think the safer bet is to do some gathering for a bit. Maybe with time I’ll get better at it. It was a wishful thought, she knew, but at the same time she felt that she simply wasn’t ready for solo combat yet – even against these small boars, she’d heard of players ending their combat experience poorly. Poorly, being that their final moments were recorded into

The city had come alive while she’d been inside the shop, and as Aoi had pushed her way through the now filled streets and back to the front gates leading into the world beyond, she’d found herself wondering if she’d made the right choice. Tailoring had been an easy deduction simply because it was similar to something she’d done in the real world, and she’d seen little in the way of tailoring shops – beyond those handled by non-player characters. She knew that wasn’t saying a lot in the bigger picture – she’d barely explored the world compared to many others, and was aware that she may have mi

The door jingled slightly as she entered, a small bell above her signifying her entry into the area, alerting the character behind the desk that peaked out briefly before disappearing for a second. His voice rang out from behind the temporary wall that had been placed to provide some form of privacy, a light and friendly tone that seemed almost playful to Aoi’s ears. ’Hello! I’ll be out to help you in just a moment!’ Seconds passed before the man reappeared, his presentation smoothed out and a smile upon his face as he settled against the counter. Aoi could see a twinkle in his expression

Earning a Living: Tailor Tolbana had been an experience, and although not one that Aoi wanted to relive, it was also not something that she would say she was entirely upset at having completed. The first lessons quest had been taxing, in its own way, and yet she knew that she had already learnt valuable lessons from engaging in it – if nothing other than the boost to her capabilities and skills that had come with its finalisation. It had also inspired her to continue with some of the more basic quests, realising quickly that she needed to create a foundation of her skills and capabilities

’Quite right, quite right! Well, that’ll be all from me for the evening, I do believe!’ Aoi’s head turned at the familiar voice’s sound, her eyes glancing across the room to spot the mayor she’d been hunting down for the last two hours. Her eyes lit up as she recognised the figure, her body naturally moving towards him before she could stop herself – even if she lost her room, she knew that the completion of this quest would be fulfilling enough in the moment. She could figure out accommodations later, perhaps at another of the inns that dotted the town’s various corridors. ’Excuse me, Ma

Aoi turned another corner as she searched for some sign of the town’s mayor, hoping to drop the envelope that Pete Larkin had provided in his hands, and call an end to the quest that had taken up most of her day. She glanced upwards once more, noticing the changing scene in the sky above, a reminder that she still needed to find somewhere for the evening to layover and sleep – and she knew from experience that the local inns would fill soon enough. Where could he be hiding? It’s not like he goes to sleep…or does he? Shit, am I going to have to wait for tomorrow? Her face twitched ever so

’Ah, aye! That should serve Dorian right, for how he treats his debtors!’ The sudden call brought Aoi out of her thoughts as she turned away from the small collection of items within the chest and found Pete standing above her with an envelope in hand, and a large beaming smile split across his face that held no humour to it of an innocent nature. He’d held out the envelope – the item covered in a residue of slim that Aoi realised she didn’t want to be able to identify – and waited for her to take the item. Slowly, with hesitation and a true desire to do anything but touch the thing, she

A shift in the pile brought Aoi’s attention to something wooden with metal lining that had hidden within the depths of the various items piled beneath her. A cursory glance over it confirmed that it was exactly what she had expected when it had first appeared – a treasure chest designed to appear like any pirate’s treasure in any other form of media. She’d resisted the urge to roll her eyes as she’d grasped the handles on either side and shifted the chest to the forefront, glancing over it as it came more and more into sight. Though elegant in design, it somehow appeared simple at the sam

Sighing heavily in a show of desperation and acceptance of her situation, Aoi stepped down towards the raft, digging her hands into the pile with an ease that seemed contrary to the complaining behaviour she had displayed mere moments before. A part of her was happy that she would, at least, not have to travel anywhere to get her current task done. The work was far from glamorous, though Aoi admitted to herself that it was far from the least appealing thing she’d ever done. Still, she found her nose curling backwards slightly in response to the smell and feel of the wet logged materials,

The docks had been easy enough to find. The smell alone had drawn Aoi a part of the way towards her destination. Pete Larkin, however, had taken some time of perusing the small area before she spotted the white hair and elderly expression of the individual. I wonder if they’re all related somehow? She’d approached his work area, a mess of nets, lines and other traps designed to draw in some measure of aquatic life and goods. Although she’d wanted to launch into her declaration of presence in the moment, she’d awaited until the man had noticed her, giving a slight bow in introduction bef

The creature exploded, and Aoi let out a release of breath, as if signifying the pent up emotions and tension that she had been holding on to towards the end of the fight. She knew that there had been, at least for a moment, a time when she had been worried about the overall outcome. Relief had flooded through her, however, as the final creature fell and she felt a measure of calm return to her nature. Right, let’s get these tusks back to the blacksmith, and see where it goes from there. Storing away the final item she’d received, Aoi turned back towards the town and salvation. She didn

Aoi rolled out of the way as the boarlet closed the final few steps with her. In her hand, the crossbow snagged and fired into the distance, the arrow flying far above the creature and leaving no trace of its existence behind. Rolling to her feet, Aoi forced more distance between herself and the boarlet, trying to regain the footing she had earlier, and the flow that she had started the fight with. At least it missed me as well. She felt herself shrug naturally in response, the motion encapsulating the jitteriness that she was feeling course through her body. The boarlet had come close to

Another quick shot caused the second boarlet to explode, the arrow clattering off a nearby tree and angling back into the third and final of her opponents. This time, however, she wasn’t fast enough to dodge out of the way of the creature as it came colliding into the side of her form, throwing her to the ground and leaving her scuttling back as she tried to regain her footing. Health! She glanced upwards and checked on her health bar, confirming that she was – for the moment – okay. Still, she could feel a shiver pass through her as she saw the drop, significant to her in the current mom

The first of the boars exploded as the small arrow impaled itself into, and through, the boarlet’s form. Aoi watched in amazement as the small arrow ricocheted off a nearby stone, bounding back and impaling itself into the second boarlet as the creature rushed forwards in an attempt to impale her. Through sheer luck in the moment, she was able to side step the assault and watch as it faltered a small distance away, the damage done to it leaving it barely able to remain on its hooves. Well, this is…easier. Aoi found herself struck by the ease of the combat, thinking back on how difficult i

Another wave as she passed by the guard, her pleasant and charming smile plastered on her face before she moved out of sight and allowed it to fall to her natural, soft expression. She’d been told before that it was adorable, in a way – though Aoi had no idea what the individuals had meant by adorable. She’d assumed that it was simply a way of saying she didn’t look entirely like a bitch, but also didn’t appear approachable. The boarlets had been easy to find. Small, grunting forms that grouped together in the nearby fields closest to the walls of the town itself. Aoi had spent a few mome

The path to the blacksmith was, in all truth and telling, short and simple. Aoi had passed it numerous times during her original search for the alchemist, the building standing out against those surrounding it due to its defined smithing area. Smoke bellowed out from the work area, and although it seemed thicker than the smoke within the alchemist’s shop, Aoi found it less blinding and overpowering compared to where she had been previously. ’Excuse me, I’m looking for Lyle the blacksmith?’ She called out as she entered the area, her voice lilting with a pleasant tone – or at least what sh

As the flower once again broke within her grasp, a new notification appeared at the corner of Aoi’s vision. She glanced towards it, her expression turning in surprise as she saw the direction to return to the alchemist. Pushing herself to her feet, she glanced back towards where the flower had drifted to the ground, knowing that she hadn’t completed the task she’d been sent to handle at all. Sighing to herself, she spun on the spot and made her way back towards the town. If the quest directed her to return, there was no point in continuing on the path of failure that she had followed thu

The flowers seemed to break apart in her grasp as she reached for the first one. The red and golden hues drifted slightly, before becoming a kaleidoscope of colours upon the air, and eventually disappearing into nothingness and leaving Aoi confused about her lack of progress. She’d known, expected even, that collecting items wouldn’t be the easiest of tasks – most games made it a task within a task to do such collection runs, and Aoi wasn’t surprised that this one made it difficult in its own way – however she could feel herself becoming somewhat frustrated at her entire lack of success.

The bushes gave up no secrets, and as Aoi dug through them without any knowledge of what she was looking for – nor, more importantly, how to collect it – she couldn’t help but wonder if the alchemist had chosen some odd prank to place upon her in an attempt to shoo her away while he avoided paying back whatever loans he may or may not have taken. He likely wouldn’t do that, I would think. These are essentially artificial people, non-player characters that are designed to do specific tasks. They wouldn’t be so personalised as to…would they? She couldn’t help but stop herself from doubting,

The clean, cool air undisturbed by the scene within the building was welcoming to Aoi. Letting out a breath she hadn’t realised she’d been restricting, she turned towards the distant wall that held the gates back out of the town. Feet moving without thought, she began the slow trek back across the settlement towards her next destination, wondering for the first time if there was any sort of time limit on completing the task that the mayor had given her. She’d seen no such notification upon accepting the quest, but she remembered her unfamiliarity with the game, and the consequences that had co

The shift between exterior and interior was like changing worlds; the smoke covering the area thickened, as did the mixture of scents that assailed her nostrils. Were it not for her preparation at the entryway to the shop, Aoi was certain that the wall of smoke and smells that greeted her would have stopped her in her tracks almost immediately. Thankfully, she found herself able to continue onwards with only the barest of pauses, her eyes searching the interior slowly before spotting the form of an individual seated just within. ’Hello, I’m looking for Zackariah. I was sent by the mayor.’

The shop was far more difficult to find than Aoi would have thought, considering the fact that she was living within a game world. She’d wandered streets for hours, asking for directions as she went. Though she’d obtained some help and guidance from various individuals she’d passed, numerous detours were made after she’d mixed up her directions. It was with relief that she’d stopped before what was clearly the correct building – an aura of smoke and scents drifting from the open door that could mark nothing less than some sort of concoction of potions and brews. Stopping upon the edge of