Jazper

Jazper was unimpressed.

The entirety of the fourteenth floor was too monotonous to take any kind of real landscaping notes. It seemed the whole floor was designed to turn players around so that they eventually lose their wits. She had taken note of every turn and crevice she had "explored," however, so she hadn't find herself turned around too many times during the day. She brushed a strand of hair from her eyes as she rounded yet another charcoal-black corner. In the near distance she cold see the zones occupied by monsters, and little flashes of blue lights that indicated spawning mobs. She slid down the wall to her bum and equipped her journal and pencil. She began scribbling little notes of the landscape as she sketched the view in front of her. The sun was beginning to set and she didn't have any flashlight-like equipment, so she hastily made work of the final details in her drawing. The sunset lasted much longer in the game, though, so Jazper wasn't too worried.

Of course she could always come back the next day, as her floor mapping usually takes more than one day cycle, however spending just 8 hours on the floor was sickening her. It was yet another level that had such little thought put in to it other than to create a depressing atmosphere to confuse and sadden players. She rolled her eyes at the finished drawing. She stood up and clapped the journal shut before returning it to her inventory.

The sun had almost completely set by the time Jazper had walked back to the main settlement, Stonewall. It seemed most players had possibly returned home or were at least out in the fields, as majority of the population of the army village was NPCs at the time. Some shouted obnoxious jeers programmed in to their dialogue as she walked by. She wondered for a moment if this was the true perception of soldiers, as if they don't abandon most human survival instincts and rush headfirst in to battle for the sake of others... Then again, that's what all of the player's of this game were supposed to be doing on the frontlines. She rolled her eyes at the stereotypical shouting as she passed by a tent bustling with NPC suits of armor. She eventually reached the outer banks on the opposite side of the camp, nearing the small gate. She exhaled softly as she noticed a player standing directly in her way in front of the portal.

She was going to tap the man's shoulder, but as she reached out she realized the small dragon creature perched on his shoulder. "Oh.." Jazper mumbled. "What an interesting design... I haven't seen a familiar with a dragonic model yet. It's possible it's rare.." She was moreso thinking out loud than talking to the man, but her whispers were most likely audible at their current distance. 

Jazper was content with the boy's simple reaction. She smiled softly at the boy and extended a hand to meet his. They shook each other's hand for a moment before Jazper pulled her's away. "My name is Jazper. I appreciate you asking before reading my tag." She bowed, although it wasn't necessary. She took a moment to obeserve his laid back attitude. It seemed he didn't have many common worries that others allowed to keep them anxious or irritated. Jazper would have to admit, although others would consider her the latter (she really wasn't, though), she preffered this boy's choice. The breeze blew by and brushed Jazper's hair in to her face for a brief moment. When it fell back down, her face was back to her usual, calm expression. "May I ask where you're heading off to so confidently?" She faked a convincing chuckle.

Jazper was standing before he could properly offer his apologies. She ignored them, as there was no real reason to apologize. Apologies should be saved for purposeful actions; at least, that's what Jazper believed. She understood it was just a formality, but if she said it once she said it a dozen times: Formalities are annoying. Jazper adjusted her dress and made sure her two braids fell evenly in front of her chest again. "There is no reason to apologize... unless, of course, you ran in to me purposefully," Jazper eyed the man narrowly for a second, but then glanced away. "You seem innocent enough, and I wasn't paying attention either, so it would be rather harsh of me to assume you were making an attack. I have to hypothesize that not all male players in this game are trash..." She turned back towards the man. He had jet black hair that immediately interested her. Since the announcement that this world was one large venus fly trap, everyone was altered to resembled their real life appearances. She found it interesting someone could possess such pitch black hair. Of course,there are hair dyes and such, but the observable texture of his hair indicated that it was natural. "Well then... I would explain to you why my head was down but I don't divulge private information to strangers... Where were you heading so hastily that you didn't notice me?" Jazper questioned, possibly hypocritically. She lifted her arm as if to express that she was going to take note of whatever he answered with.

Jazper furrowed her eyebrows downward in what could only be perceived as a perturbed expression. She eyed the boy for a minute. "I don't suppose you have reason for assuming I need help..?" Jazper asked as her face fell flat again, her tone remaining even. She still seemed to speak pointedly. "I never indicated that I am in need of assistance, and I surely don't have the appearance of someone who is in trouble... or do you beg to differ?" Jazper cocked a brow. She continued to eye over the boy, who didn't seem to boast anything particularly great, but surely wasn't as low leveled as her. She tilted her head to the side. "You're the youngest player I have ever encountered, so maybe this is common practice... Offer.. help... before even asking my name? It seems you don't even have the slightest grasp of common courtesy." Jazper finished her slight scolding with an adjustment of her dress. She wasn't positive where the frustration was stemming from, but it certainly wasn't all from the innocent player standing before her. She would have to properly assess her feelings later. "...I apologize. However, you must note that I am plenty used to men assuming I want their help simply because I am of prettier, feminine appearance. I find it irritating and borderline misogynistic; I have resolved to not tolerate it, even if that means being what most people identify as harsh." Jazper sighed. "I don't like talking this much, usually..." She thought aloud.

Jazper certainly enjoys the third floor. She still felt herself so absolutely intrigued by its layout, despite it cearly being one of the laziest concepts. She continued to sketch little plants and NPC elf children ripping them up. It was a quaint settlement, but nonetheless, it was one that she enjoyed the most so far. That is, she certainly hadn't explored every floor yet, but for now this one remained her favorite. She felt quite silly for giving in to human emotions like "homesickness" or "infatuation" but she figured it was safe to indulge as long as she was doing so in moderation. She smiled faintly as she crouched down to a little NPC elf. It turned to her and smiled brightly. "Daddy says not to venture to near to the forest, but Valyka and I always explore the treeline! Maybe when we're big and strong like him, we can go in further!" More of the tacky dialogue that just added to Jazper's amusement with the floor. She stood back up without replying, the small smile the only thing expressing her content with her surroundings. Her emerald eyes were hard and blank as ever. She nudged her hair from blowing in her face as a particularly strong breeze blew by. As she did, she caught eye of a blue-clad player walking by casually.

Jazper watched as he strolled by a few yard away, arms folded behind his arm and head tilted towards the sky. He seemed to carry himself with a confidence that threw off the quaint aura of the area. Jazper frowned. She walked hastily over to the young man. "Excuse me..." Jazper started, a slight grimace on her face. Her voice faltered, however, when she caught herself acting foolishly. She didn't even know what she was going to say to the boy... 'Excuse me but your cocky demeanor is throwing off my metaphorical home life fantasy..?' Jazper thought. Even she questioned her own judgement occasionally. She would blame it on this game altering her usual state of mind, but she would know that to simple be a falsity she created to calm herself. "How ironic it is that insanity can cause peace of mind... Oh!... Perhaps I should filter myself. Pardon my interruption," She bowed. 

Jazper smiled and waved politely at one of the NPC elves that had done the same in her direction a moment ago. She only wished the NPC were capable of speech outside their general dialogue parameters. As a younger child, she always insisted on being different elf or fairy creatures for Halloween. Jazper even crafted her own pointy ear prosthetic so her costume seemed more authentic. The entirety of the third floor seemed too much like home, though. Most would argue that it is quite the departure from the real world, there being a heavy fantasy aspect here, but to Jazper, it just seemed like a really good festival set up. All the dialogue she had engaged in was so corny thus far that she actually felt like the writer's were feeling bored when they designed this floor. It was still cute, nonetheless, and made Jazper's stomach turn when she thought of the autumn nights spent thinking about how it would never be possible for her to grow a pair of wings or a set of pointy ears, unless she had some new unheard of birth defect.

Jazper wondered, for a moment, why she always had to think so analytically. She lowered her head to watch her virtual body continuing to walk forward. She wondered why, if just for a moment, she couldn't turn off her overly tactical way of thinking so she could just dream of one day being that fairy she so much wanted to be. Jazper sighed. She lifted her arm again to scribble "ホ" next to her sketch of the third floor's settlement; it is a Japanese character, part of the word home. She figured, then, that she should continue on to the fabled «Forest of Wavering Mist» that too many NPC felt the need to tell her to steer clear of. Just as she was looking up, she was colliding with a solid figure. The game forced her back a foot, and her screen flashed white for a moment. She felt dazed, but she glanced up to see she had run in to another player.

I will be tagging along with Helios for this quest.

When she stepped in to the small space surrounded by trees, Jazper inhaled sharply. It was breath taking. She would have never imagined something so gorgeous being places in the middle of these ominous forests. The entire area was littered with large, beautiful tropical flowers that boasted almost neon colors. Jazper was instantly curious as to if they would glow at night. The entire area smelt of perfume, any kind one could imagine, all blended perfectly together. Jazper wondered for a moment if what she was seeing was simply a trap or hallucination of the forest to get her to walk stupidly in to her death. However, she was already seven feet in to the clearing and nothing had been triggered to attack her. Besides, there was no treasure chest or lame banana motif around that could fall in theme with the gorillas attacking her anyways. She figured she was safe, but if she did fall in to trouble, she could simply flee. There was plenty of forest to escape to. She almost skipped over to the nearest flower. It was a fluorescent pink, which usually nauseated Jazper, but this display of the loud color was so gorgeous, she was beside her usual self. 

Again, she wondered for a moment if this were a trap. She did feel an odd burst of positivity when she laid eyes on the grove... and now she was even perceiving things out of character. She pulled her hands away from the flower suddenly and took a small step back.

The berries had shattered as she attempted grab them, but she wasn't concerned with them for the moment. She watched as the buff Gorilla monster started climbing up a nearby tree and jumping to an even further one. Jazper took the moment to glance around for any other beasts, and then quickly scurried along the ground through the bushes. She crawled swiftly on all fours further in to the forest, not stopping until she was sure she had put enough distance between her and the mob. She finally stood and brushed off her dress, adjusting her hat as well. She began walking towards a small clearing she could see up ahead. She moved towards it hastily, having not detected any new monsters in sight.

She walked over to the forest again, where the growling and moaning intensified. She shrugged. It wouldn't hurt to do a little exploring within the forest. Or, actually, it could hurt; it could do a lot of hurt... but like she had speculated before, it wasn't necessarily a great concern of hers. She understood the SAO parameters pretty well, even for someone of her lower level. She could easily avoid aggro from monsters if she so pleased. She stepped inside the forest, feeling a slight change in the air, signalling that she had moved through a barrier. «Western Forest of Haunting Echoes» appeared in her line of vision for a moment, before fading away. It would seem all the forests on these islands are labeled as "Haunting Echoes." When the sign had fully disappeared, she realized immediately that there was a «Gruesome Gorilla» only 15 meters away. Jazper could see its hot breath steaming from its nostrils every few moments. She almost jumped, surprised by the mob spawning so close to a barrier. She slowly shifted behind one of the large, tropical trees, and then slipped in to a large bush. As she crouched there, watching from her safe distance to see the monster's movement pattern, she caught notice of a few small berries clumped together on a branch. She reached out towards them.

The two had walked in silence to the town barrier, slipping through it with ease as they neared their destination. The man had a very odd countenance about him. He was certainly kind-hearted, but it would seem he's corrupted by something of greater power. He briefly mentioned twice now his battle with madness, but Jazper couldn't pinpoint whether he was joking or if he was actually admitting to mental instability. If the latter were true, then it wasn't very smart of her to trust him as an escort. The game parameters block any player at her level from even coming close to defending against someone of his stature, so it wouldn't be easy to escape if he decided to take a turn for the worse. Jazper glanced up at the man sliding his battle helmet in to place. If anything were a testament to his mind's current state, it would be the crude way the helmet as designed-- clearly made to carry an ominous air about it. If this man truly was perceived as mad or evil, his attire wasn't helping. Jazper had to assume he didn't care about appearing "friendly;" after all, that is only proven by true character. Jazper suddenly wanted to study this world's people. She felt the little tug at the back of her mind to take note of those involved in this game. She brushed it off as they continued to walk.

They were soon walking down a slope towards a dense, tall grass a putrid smell dancing around her nostrils. The ground became slippy as they walked down a few yards. When they got down to the bottom of the hill, Jazper furrowed her eyebrows. "I forgot about the smell," She sighed. "Should I be wary of trusting you... since you didn't remind me of the aroma?" Jazper smiled at him, attempting some type of joke, even though she didn't think it was very funny herself.

She stepped over to the side where some tall grass ended in big, white flowers. A flash of blue light appeared to the left of Jazper. She immediately identified it as two spawning «Ravenous Wolves», creatures that had probably seen better days. They growled as long, black tongues hung from their rustled wolf bodies. Jazper kept her face calm, ignoring them as they growled and crawled towards Nikodemus. She reached out her hand to pluck the flower from its spot atop the grass. The flower withered when meeting her touch, and shattered away.

---

«Ravenous Wolf» 55/55 HP | DMG: 18 | MIT: 14

«Ravenous Wolf» 55/55 HP | DMG: 18 | MIT: 14

Jazper smirked on the inside, but kept her face stoic per usual. She nodded at the information, slightly impressed that the man was so well informed on the area. Jazper swiped down her menu and clicked on her journal, the small black notebook appearing in her hand as she did. She pretended to scribble down notes in the book where she had already marked said lowlands. There was a note next to it in someone else's handwriting: "Note Cred: Aryeh! ;-b" Jazper frowned. She quickly shut the book and returned it to her inventory. "Well then, I suppose we should get going," Jazper insisted, walking past the man. After a few steps, she stopped to turn back towards him. "I'm assuming you're the trusty tank that I should have helping me, correct?" She paused to glance at the man's expression. "I normally don't fraternize with other players but I suppose for the sake of survival I should trust you as my escort," she stated matter-of-factly, as if the man had already offered. She understood that the more precise method of gathering materials was to force mobs in to dropping them, however she lacked the proper level to properly execute that method. It only made sense to have the man escort her through the swamps until she could find the proper amount of supplies.

She glanced over at the forest as she continued walking. The sounds of the beasts within were still coming through loud and clear. She couldn't see any kind of identifiable path through this forest, either, much like the one on the main island on this floor. She turned to face in front of her just in time to stop before she ran in to a sharp rock protruding from the water near the coast. She ducked underneath it and realized that there were beautifully colored shells clinging to the underside of the brown rock. She furrowed her eyebrows, watching them curiously. They appeared to be... moving? Jazper reached up and wrapped her fingers gently around one of the moving shells. She started to pull it, but a small sign appeared that read  «Immortal Object» in front of the stone. Jazper peered closer and realized that the moving shells were actually just bumps of wet algae clinging to it. They were arranged in such odd patterns that they looked like little slugs moving along the rock. She shrugged and stood up.

She stood from her kneeling position and took a few steps over to a different patch of seashells. She knelt again. She wondered for a moment if the gathering rate was determined by a luck system, or if there was actual skill involved in the action. Jazper assumed it was a bit of both, but it could lean either way; or neither way. This game had proven so far to be-- for lack of a better term-- random. Jazper often ponders on the idea of randomness and whether or not anything truly is random. All energy is already existing in the universe. Nobody can actually create or stop using energy, as it is already there and constant. Is anything random if every bit of energy is already in place to allow it to occur? Jazper reached out and slid her fingertips across a spiky, red shell. It started wiggling in the sand, and then a little blue crustacean-like creature popped out from under it. It looked at the player and jumped, starting to scramble away. Jazper's face remained stoic as ever as she reached down and plucked the shell off its back. It continued to scramble away, muttering and whining under its breath and eventually disappearing in to the sand a few feet from her.

The shell was actually rather gorgeous. She twisted it in her hand for a moment, observing its odd structure. It could possibly be a high grade material for crafting stun potions or something of the like. Just as she was gaining real interest in it, it shattered suddenly in her hands. She stared at her empty palm, now, straight-faced. She stood up and moved on.

A guild. Jazper wondered if she would ever join one. She really had no use for it, although it would make gathering resources and information much easier, as she would have more people to give her roaming tips or support in the field. Then again, she would have to give up her status of "Solo Player," and break a promise... Anyways, promises are foolish, of course, as there has been no living, intelligent species with the ability to predict the future. Making promises has proven throughout history to mean nothing as circumstances change, and motives along with them. However, she knows that he would not have broken a promise to her, so she digressed from her realist thought. She closed her eyes for a second as she spoke. "The smith mentioned gathering materials for he to provide a tutorial on crafting. Although I have traversed most areas with materials available, it escapes me now what area has the most resources available," Jazper tapped a thin finger to her bottom lip.

She was testing the man. She remembered exactly where the first floor carried the most abundant resources of materials, because he had showed her that one day, awestruck with child-like wonder. It was adorable, and yet so stupid. She smiled faintly at the remembrance, the first time she had genuinely done so in the man's presence. She glanced back up at him. "I don't suppose you know an accommodating location..?" She prodded. 

Jazper swallowed all the information he offered her at once. She glanced up at the warrior's tinted cursor, nodding knowingly as she continued to listen. So, he carries a name of infamy. Jazper wouldn't know. She had been caught up in her own world, so-to-speak, gathering bits of information about the world. She thought for a moment that along the way she must have forgotten about the people inside it, but she reminded herself that they were simply unimportant to her. Humans add such little substance to the actual observable universe in the real world, that she had, in a way, disregarded them altogether in her research. She would have to eventually shift that way of thinking, though, as this world is directly affected by human interference. After all, portions of it are unlocked directly by consequence of player action. In essence, it was a core opposite of principle in relation to the real world. Jazper stared at the man for a moment and then smiled. "You unlocked a point of hypothesis for me... Thank you," She nodded. The man had a deep voice that must be rather suave to most young women. She tilted her head slightly at his pleasantries. He seemed genuine, but also naive. "I would agree on it being nice to meet you, Nikodemus, however it would be foolish of me to force a statement I'm not sure will remain true... Hm. Well, I suppose at least for the time being, it's been nice to meet you as well."

They only had to cross the plaza and walk down a small path before they had arrived at the "SMITH"'s shop. It was small and quaint, and for some reason, Jazper had expected something grande. Maybe that was why she couldn't find it to begin with. He gestured for her to step inside, and she curtsied politely. She walked past him so she could speak with the NPC. "Welcome!" The old man boomed. His hands were decorated with calluses and scars, most likely a testament to his hard work as a Master Blacksmith. Jazper discussed lightly with the man about what being a blacksmith truly is and how she herself could become one with enough "dedication." After enough idle dialogue, she was granted with the «Earning A Living» quest. She humbly accepted and then made her way back out the shop. The older man waved her off, and she smiled simply out of respect as she exited. She wasn't positive why she felt the need to express kindness to something that was quite literally code and data, but nevertheless, she did.

"It seems you were correct about the quest. You've proven to be trustworthy, so I dare to make another inquiry of you; that is, if I may." She eyed the man and his familiar.

Jazper nodded again. "Thank you. Yes, I would prefer you show me the location. I really don't wish to waste more time searching for the place," She faked an unconvincing laugh. "Lead the way." She seemed to command more than offer. She was grateful that the man had offered real help. She was nervous that she may have to read between the lines of some ridiculous, half-ass information. She has come to realize that most of the men that frequent these games had judgement slightly clouded by misogyny. They always requested something promiscuous in return for her inquiries, or they just flat out ignored her. It was a breath of fresh air to be given a straight answer right from the beginning. She was tempted to rest a hand on her sheathed sword, though, to make sure the man understood not to try any kind of scheme on her. "My name is Jazper," she suddenly introduced herself. They walked for a few more steps and she sighed. "It is a common practice among humans to formally introduce oneself as a sign of respect and kindness." She glanced at him with narrowed eyes and flat expression. "I assume you've never heard of this method of introduction, as you didn't initiate any such thing." She smiled faintly. "Although, I must admit I could do without the empty formalities..." She thought to thank him, but he most likely wouldn't understand. She decided to filter herself for the rest of the walk.

Jazper nodded graciously. The man spoke formally. There was a bit of professionalism dropped in his tone. She couldn't immediately tell if the character standing before her was a reflection of the real life man controlling it, or an imaginary character for roleplay. Either way, she found herself fascinated with his entire disposition. He exuded confidence, as if the power wielded in this world was something tangible. She didn't want to waste the man's time with thoughts like that, so she spoke immediately. "I am currently looking for a way to earn a profession. I am aware there are NPCs that grant users job titles for access to certain game mechanics," She paused to glance at the midnight black crow on the man's shoulder. She pondered its existence in this world for a moment, and what its code truly believed this man was in relation to it. A master? A partner? Her thoughts didn't show on her face, however, and passed in a second as she looked back to the man's bright blue eyes. "If you could, I would like to be directed towards a blacksmith that can grant said quest." Jazper eyed the man tentatively. His armor was certainly something of higher grade, so he must be knowledgeable of at least a local armory. No matter what he wishes to admit, one must invest time in to finding the proper armor. By the laws of possibility, he must have at least one ounce of knowledge on the smith'ing world.

Jazper had been traversing the first floor for the entire day. Her feet were beginning to get tired, but she still hadn't quite pinpointed what she was looking for. She was beginning to believe the Town of Beginnings was built way too large for any normal human to comprehensively navigate without strain. Then again, the game wasn't intended to be easy by any means, so she didn't expect any easy passes. Jazper didn't wish to spend so much time on a floor she was no longer interested in. She had already done so much mapping of it that it was nearly impossible to even care about any of its villages or inhabitants anymore. Jazper had only returned to find information on earning a profession. She was positive, then, that she wanted to become a blacksmith. She was going to forge her own Katana eventually, but it would take time to hone her craft, of course. Either way, it would be childish to plan so far ahead when she didn't even possess the means necessary to do any such crafting. Jazper had spoken briefly with a player back when they had first joined... before the announcement... and said player had informed her about the quest that grants a job, but now for some reason she could not remember where she had to go to get there.

It was not long before Jazper decided to return to the town square. It did not make sense to exasperate herself walking in circles. She did not wish to appear weak to the other players, but she figured not many people would think much of simple directional inquiries. She eyed the area until she noticed a nice suit of armor standing tall near the fountain. Jazper began walking toward them, hoping that she could have a simple exchange with the man. She did not touch him, but she made her presence known by standing in front of him. She bowed. "Pardon me. I am need of some information and was wondering if I could bother you for it." She spoke politely, and softly. The sun shifted in the sky and illuminated her bright green eyes, accentuating the brown freckles that littered her cheeks. She was shorter than the man, but not so that he was towering over her. She nodded. "I, of course, understand if you are busy with other tasks." 

She recognized the bright lights of spawning monsters flashing about a half mile down the coast. It seemed they don't appear within a small radius of the sailor NPC's. At least, it seemed that way. Jazper eyed a «Killer Kroc» that was just meandering around a couple hundred yards away. It didn't seem at all interested in jumping her, so it must have either an incredibly small aggro space, or the NPC must emit some type of save zone radius. Either way, Jazper felt safe staying in the small area she was in for the time being. Eventually, she would have to venture deeper in to the island, but for now she would play it safe. She wasn't particularly concerned about being attacked, but it didn't make sense to just up and throw her life away. She hadn't accomplished nearly enough. Jazper dipped down to examine a small shell dug slightly deeper into the sand than the larger ones littered around it. Jazper crouched down and pulled the shell from the sand. It shined a brilliant orange in the light of the synthetic sun, but then quickly turned in to an ugly shade of brown, and then instantaneously burst in to several tiny polygons. It seemed that was some type of gathering material. Jazper realizes, perhaps, that there was a certain method to gathering. That would be an odd mechanic. 

Jazper turned from the ocean and towards the coast. Her two, long braids blew wildly in the sea breeze. Her dress blew too, whipping around violently along with her locks, covering her face and making her appear to be more like some odd apparition than a player at all. She glanced around for a moment and then began taking small steps up the coast. She gripped her journal tightly; if she lost it, most of her hard work would be lost too. She was smart enough to keep copies and screenshots of her work in her inventory, but there was only so much storage space available for her. Besides, being intelligent does not mitigate the displeasure with having to redo entire bodies of work. Jazper made her way towards the treeline, deciding to glance inside just a bit before walking the rest of the beach.

As she neared, the cries of the wild beasts inside grew louder. She could hear the booming, primal roaring of what sounded like a gorilla. The thumping of its fists against its chest could be heard, even from where she stood a few yards off. Jazper realized then that the sounds must be part of the game sound system, as that chest-banging noise is perfectly impossible to hear from more than ten yards away, and there were clearly no gorilla beasts on the treeline. She pulled up her arm to take a few notes, and then began heading back down to the water.

She dipped a finger in to the waters slowly slipping past the dark oak of the boat. The water was oddly warm. Jazper sunk her entire hand in to the ocean's warmth and closed her eyes. About sixty-eight degrees Fahrenheit if Jazper was estimating correctly. She pulled her hand from the water and opened her eyes, revealing that her once-distant destination was actually much closer than she had originally thought. She quickly scribbled a "68°" in the waters of her drawing as they neared the rocky coast. Another five minutes of calm and the two were within walking distance of the beach. The moans and cries of beasts echoed off the forest barriers and riddled the coast with an ominous air. There was an odd smell, slightly reminiscent of blood, that tainted the waters suddenly. Jazper was not bothered, but still fascinated at how acutely the game makers mastered reality in this world. Smell is a sensitive and specific sense to duplicate; she was impressed. The boat rocked to a stop and the NP turned to face her. He stepped out and held his hand open for her. She stood, adjusting her dress and taking his hand. He helped her down from the boat and then smiled faintly. He formed their welcoming gesture with his buff arms, and Jazper bowed. "Juu won hakabuki!" He nodded with a faint smile. The sailor then stepped back inside his boat, and laid down. Perhaps he was telling her that he would wait on her return.

The boat threatened to teeter slightly in the still waters. The crystalline ocean was an odd contrast to the ominous islands that lingered in it. The thick forests that covered each island of the floor were almost a direct opposite of the cerulean blues that painted the water; they were muddled, moaning, and begging for comprehension all the while being much too confusing. These blues that her and the sailor NPC were drifting across were clear and concise. They knew their purpose and aren't easily swayed. It had been a bit since Aryeh's death, but Jazper was certainly not keeping track of the days. She sketched the small island she was heading to in the distance into her small, black journal. Beside it she had made notes of the native NPC's language and what she had interpreted them to be. It was certainly not easy to understand with her language modifier switched off, but it was something she was willing to attempt to grasp. She had already pinpointed certain phrases, such as their formal greeting and farewell, as well as what she assumed was "Thank you," and "Island," but she obviously had a while to go before she could simply speak with them. However, her mission on the sixteenth floor was not only to defeat the language barrier, but to graph out the land and see if she could find interesting materials to study. All materials would be useful in the long run, of course, but she wants to catalog every single one available to her if possible. Jazper believes, just based on typical game algorithms, that there could be some type of rare material on one of the smaller islands.

The one the NPC was guiding her to looked rocky along the coast, but then quickly turned in to a dense forest, much like its sister islands. The prospect of stronger monsters tearing her a new one didn't necessarily bother the blonde-haired women, but she knew she was going to have to be an extra ounce of tentative not to wander too deep in to dangerous zones. Jazper's face mimicked the water; still, calm, and not wavered by the foreign feelings tearing through it.

#THE STORY

SEASON ONE

«  ARC ONE: ENTER THE DRAGON »

» COMING

» SOON

RELATIONSHIPS

» COMING

» SOON

COSMETICS

Jazper is currently jobless. They will eventually (in the most likely scenario) pursue the blacksmith or tailor profession.

THE ARSENAL

[0/5 current SP]

NON-COMBAT

»

»

PASSIVE

»

»

COMBAT 

»

»

WEAPON 

» [Rank One // 5 SP] One-Handed Curved Sword

»

INVENTORY

»  COL: 0

»  MATERIALS: 0

» STARTER SCIMITAR [CURVED SWORD]

» JAZPER'S STARTER OUTFIT