Necryptonix

As soon as Sey turned his back to look, Nix swooped down and dug her fingers into the earth, getting a healthy scoop of dirt and grimacing at the feeling of it getting under her nails. Knowing she only had a few moments before the chance was missed, she chucked the dirt at his back while lungth hing to the side to start running. She had a feeling he wouldn't be too happy with her if the dirt hit its target. She bolted away, not looking back, a manic grin on her face as she tried to suppress her laughter -- laughing would only slow her down. Once she was out of breath and had run a fair distance she stopped and turned to face him. "You may not be afraid to chuck mats, but I'm not afraid to throw dirt! Fear me!" She wiped her hand off on her pants, trying to ignore the grimy feeling the dirt had left. 

ID: 77728

LD: 3 (No Mats)

"And by the way, your hair isn't that shiny!"

@Sey

"Luck?! Excuse you sir, I am, in fact, an individual of many talents and skills, and I am insulted that you would think any less of me!" Nix hoped Sey would understand that she was being sarcastic, judging from her suddenly lofty inflections, high pitched voice, and strange fake accent. She held the material out to Sey, lips pursed, eyes slightly narrowed as she noted some caution on his behalf. She briefly considered chucking it at his face as soon as he reached out for it, but decided that would be much too obvious. His clothes were pretty fancy, she imagined he wouldn't like it if they got dirty....but if she bent down now to grab any dirt he would surely notice. Although...if she tricked him like he had tricked her....Suppressing a grin again and carefully composing her face into one of unease and confusion, she leaned over to look behind Sey.

"Hey, do you know what that is? It's really bright..." She pointed in a vague direction.

ID: 76503

LD: 16 (+1 Mats)

@Sey

Necryptonix jumped at the shrill whistle, eyes wide and visibly leaning away, she raised her hand. "Me, sir. Two-handed assault spear, that's me." She gestured to herself, trying to keep the look of unease off her face. She took a moment to take a deep breath and straighten up into a less defensive posture. You ordered this ya know, you shouldn't be so jumpy. If he was going to hurt you, it wouldn't be on this floor...

Nix stepped up to the black smith then, having to navigate through the press of bodies from other players and keeping an eye out for Chewie for fear of stepping on the little bear. She was painfully conscious of how much bigger the black smith was compared to her, though she tried not to think too hard about it. Do not think about how easy it would be for him to snap you in half, do. not. Finally standing before the smith, she put on a smile and crossed her arms behind her back. "Is it ready then?"

@Mack

"Hey! You get back here and face your just deserts!" Nix yelled to him, trying to keep her angered facade on as the white-haired player bolted away. She had no speed buffs at all, so she knew she wouldn't be able to catch him, but she could at least try to preserve what was left of her dignity. She had to hide her embarrassment after he had fooled her, and this was the best way she could think of to do it. She vaguely considered throwing her spear, but she knew without a doubt she would miss, or worse yet, would actually somehow manage to hit him and do real damage. She would never forgive herself if she did that. With a frustrated sigh she came to a stop and tried to strike a regal and intimidating pose with her spear held upright in front of her, but the sun was starting to set and she squinted against its reflection on the metal of her spear tip. 

ID: 75449

LD: 15 (+1 Mat)

She noticed a root material that she had accidentally dug up with the butt of her spear, and stooped to pick it up, before waving it in the air. "I've got something for you, ya weenie!"

@Sey

Necryptonix blinked in surprise at the little bear's antics, then took the big smith's advice and stepped in to the tent to fill out the form despite her lingering bewilderment. She gave @Shield a shrug and a smile before going in as he too found himself getting harassed by the little familiar. "Feed the bear, apparently." She waved, and entered.

Inside she grabbed a form and a pencil and tapped her lip thoughtfully for a moment as she deliberated on what exactly she wanted. A two handed spear, obviously, but what kind of enhancements do I want...after a few more moments, she scribbled down what she wanted and looked for a place to put the order form where the big smith would see it.

"It's kinda crowded in here, so I'll just wait outside, yeah?" She wasn't sure if the smith heard her, but she carefully scooted out of the tent, wrapping her arms tightly around herself to try and retain some of the tent's warmth before she was back in the snow. Once outside, she cleared snow from a spot with her boot and sat down, knees pulled up to her chest, and looked at the sky. 

@Mack

She snorted again as Sey claimed he wouldn't warn her. But at the other player's exclamation, Nix jerked upright and shoved herself to her feet, whirling to face whatever enemy Sey had spotted with her hand flying to the pole of her spear. Her eyes jumped around for a few moments, breath coming fast from adrenaline. And then she realized what he had done. Nix whirled around once again, quickly spotting the other player's white-hair in the sea of waving grass. She narrowed her eyes at him. "Oh you must think you're just soooo funny! Well let's see how funny you are after I turn you into a human shish kabob!" Nix grinned wickedly and shook her two-handed spear at him, then leaped forward into a run heading straight for the other player. Of course, she didn't actually plan on hurting him, just getting his clothes a little dirty. I wonder if he's ticklish?....

ID: 74632

LD: 14

@Sey

Nix tried to put on her war face, but she couldn't help laughing as the white-haired player threw another material her way. She tried to catch the material before it hit her, but it slipped through her hands. Once again pasting on the most insulted grimace she can manage, she picked up the material and glowered at Sey. "Honestly, how old are you?! Three?!" She tossed the material up and down in her hand before winding up like a pitcher and chucking it at the other player. Without looking to see if he caught it or not she turned and bolted the other way, for fear of retribution. She couldn't run very fast however, as she was laughing and was finding it hard to catch her breath.

Necryptonix stumbled over something, having to throw her arms out for balance, before falling to her knees. 

ID: 74613

LD: 3

Nix snorted at her own clumsiness before breaking into giggles and laying down in the tall grass, arms and legs thrown out like a starfish. "Hey Sey, if something tries to kill me you'll warn me, right?"

@Sey

Necryptonix listened with some sympathy as Sey worried about his tech skills slipping. "I bet it's a lot more than your tech skills slipping....I don't even want to imagine what my body must look like now that it's been in a coma all this time. Probably a skeleton." She wrinkled her nose and grimaced. "A smelly skeleton. Hopefully they get female nurses to do all of my bathing." Her grimace slipped into a snort and a shrug. "What do you think, is hacking like riding a bike? Maybe you'll be able to pick it right back up again."

Nix's face flushed at his Picasso comment, and she tried to dodge the material Sey threw, but it still hit her arm. She giggled, then put on a fake-insulted expression and picked up the material. "Honestly, all you higher-leveled players think you can do whatever you want!" She took aim and chucked the material back at Sey, aiming for his chest. He can call me Picasso all day long, as long as he doesn't ever expect me to actually draw anything...She grinned at the other player, a glint of mischief shining in her eyes as a new idea occurred to her. "You better watch your back, Sey. You've just entered into a war with the master of pettiness!" 

ID: 74408

LD: 3

@Sey

Nix listened intently to the white-haired player's words, hands back in her pockets as she walked. She really was interested in what he had to say, she knew nothing about computers or how they worked so to her it was like a whole different world. "So you aren't a malicious hacker, but you could be, if you wanted to?" She smiled teasingly. "I'll have to keep that in mind, stay on your good side if we get out of here."  She winked, still grinning, then continued walking. She chuckled as he commented that she was observant. "Well of course! I have to be, doing what I want to do, " she sighs wistfully, a sad smile barely curving her lips, "I was a history/art history major in the real world, second year. If you aren't observant, detail oriented, you don't make it far in that field. You have to discern the relationship between monks based only on their monastery's inventory list. Derive the artist of a work based only on the brush-stroke style, write a 10-page analysis paper on a piece of art that is nothing but a blue square. I love it, I really do -- well, did. I guess I can't really use the present-tense here any more." She lets out a breath, realizing that she might have getting a bit too excited while talking. She glances over at Sey, giving him a sheepish look, and apologizes, "sorry about that, I can get a bit carried away sometimes." 

She looks ahead then, nodding in agreement with his assessment that they should head out. "I think I know another place where we can find a few things, just follow me!" Cheerful once more, she started skipping off.

-----------------

Necryptonix came to a stop in an open, grassy field. A few trees and boulders dotted the landscape, but otherwise it was just a sea of waving grasses. "What do you think? I imagine there must be some materials hidden in all of this grass." She took a few steps forward, brushing aside grass roots with her boot.

ID: 74359

LD: 18 

+1 Mats

"Aha! See?" She held the grass root material out to Sey, face full of smug triumph, before she started walking more purposefully again.

@Sey

Nix stared in shock as the bear came rolling by, face beginning to turn up in a confused smile until the bear started climbing up her. Nix jumped and yelled out a shocked "hey!" then went rigid, not wanting to make the bear's claws have to dig any deeper as he climbed. "Dude! Where are your manners?" When he put his nose in her face she scrunched up her face, but she was smiling. "Oh yeah, you think just because you're cute I'll forgive you, huh?" She watched him point at the tent and then down his throat, and she laughed. "Wow, you're a smart one aren't you? You must be the bear that signed this letter then...." She sighed, and pulled out some bread from her inventory with a sense of resignation, then offered it to the little bear. "What do you think, is this acceptable? Do I have permission to meet your friend now?" All this walking in the cold, and now I'm paying a food tax to a bear...this has to be the strangest day I've had yet. After a few moments, she started trying to take a few tentative steps forward, waiting to see if the bear would try to stop her.

@Mack

Nix gazed at Seul uncertainly as he said gaining the experience was enough. She'd have to remember those words, and remind him of them if things turned sour between them. But she nodded in agreement as he suggested they get moving, and stood up beside him, stretching a little and then waving at him to follow her. "I think I know the way, but if you see me steering us in a bad direction please correct me. I'd hate to get killed because of a faulty memory." She gave a half smile at her joke and then turned away to walk towards the city gates. 

She was speed-walking, weaving in and out of other players and hoping the other boy would be able to keep up with her. She just wanted to be sure that they got everything they needed and were back inside the city walls before nightfall. She had no desire to find out what sorts of beasties came out to play once it got dark. Once she reached the gates, she pulled up her menu and found Seul's name, then sent a party request. "Here, we should party up before we get out there, in case something bad happens."

Nix snorted as he tried to relate to her love for nature, sensing that he wasn't being entirely honest with her about that. It's interesting though that he's trying to fake it...a desire to fit in, perhaps? She filed that way for future investigation, and watched Sey out of the corner of her eye as he kicked at the ground. Hack the nervegear? Does he really have that kind of skill that he thought he could?...Another interesting thought, filed away as well. "So, if you tried to hack the nervegear you must be some kind of big techie guy, yeah? If you don't mind me asking, what did you do for a living before we got stuck here?" She cocked her head at him, honestly curious about his answer. She had never been very good with technology herself, breaking things as often as she used them. She far preferred reading off paper. Computer screens usually would start to hurt her eyes if she read off of them for too long.

Nix paused to poke around the exposed roots of a tree.

ID: 74167

LD: 7 (No Mats)

But still found nothing. With a frustrated sigh she turned to look at her companion. "Hey, maybe we should try a different spot. Any ideas?"

She chuckled a bit more at his embarrassment. Ha, got under his skin a bit with that one. Good to know there's a human being in there...She smiled to herself at the thought. And nodded along in agreement with his statements about there being a lot to see in the world. "Don't I know it. I love how it looks around here, although there's one thing they didn't manage to capture correctly." She grimaced and looked over at Sey. "Do you remember the smell of dirt after rain? It's one of my favorite things in the whole world, but in here they didn't get it right. It just smells like grass. Very disappointing." She shook her head and went back to studying the ground, grinning when he mentioned that he wasn't sure her chill act was actually just an act. "Okay, maybe it isn't entirely an act. I'm worried as hell, but I've also come to accept the situation...so it's easy for me to be calm because I know there's very little I can do to fix it unless I work my ass off and help the frontliners. I don't believe in complaining about something unless I'm actively trying to fix it." 

Nix crouched, picking through some dirt and rocks.

ID: 74133
LD: 2

There was nothing there though, and when she stood her hands were muddied. She grimaced and wiped them on the grass. "Nothing here, unless you count muck and grim as a good material." She started walking again, looking up to watch a puffy cloud roll lazily by, and asked, "You seem pretty calm yourself, what's your story?"

@Sey

She couldn't help it, his story had her bursting out laughing. "I'm sorry, I know I shouldn't be laughing, but I can just imagine how strange that whole situation must have been for you," she laughed a bit more, trying to contain it for fear of insulting him. "Well, I'm very glad you didn't die. Who would I get to tease and embarrass otherwise?" She gave him a teasing smile and continued moseying around the area. "So you aren't like the others, huh? It didn't seem to bother you when I accidentally mentioned the real world. Why is that?" She tilted her head towards him, waiting to hear an answer.

As she walked she noticed something shining in the grass before her, so she stooped to pick it up and examine it closer.

ID: 74130

LD: 13

No Mats

When she looked at it closer though she realized it was nothing, just a scrap of shiny, tattered cloth. "Damn, never mind, it's just some trash or something." She sighed and tossed it away before walking off again. Better luck next time, I suppose....

@Sey

She chuckled as he asked her to make the best of it. "Yeah yeah, I will. It's not like there's any books or games in here to blow Col on anyway." She sighed, a wistful smile crossing her face. She really did miss books. Reading outside on a nice day was her idea of perfection, and the distinct lack of books in the game was a constant thorn in her side. I wonder what book he's carrying? I'll have to try and get a look at the title next chance I get...Nix pushed a stray strand of hair out of her face and looked out over the pond. She wondered what sort of player was kind of enough to take care of the orphan kids here, and if she had anyone taking care of her. It had to be exhausting, with so many children. Maybe I should volunteer some time, although god knows I'm no good with children.

She looked up in surprise as he mentioned that his rushing into things nearly got him killed. "Wow, that sounds like quite the story. Care to share? You know, for learning purposes." She winked, and went back to examining the ground around her, taking slow steps and nudging things aside with her boot. 

ID: 74126
LD: 20 

+1 T1 Mats

Nix leaned down to pick up a rare plant, and with a smile held it up to Sey. "Hey, I found something for ya!"

@Sey

Nix nodded and sighed at his comment about no one being able to hack the game. "Yeah, I've come to realize that. Don't worry, it's not pessimistic, just realistic. Although the two seem to be one in the same these days." She gave a small smile and chuckled as he explained he couldn't offer much. "What do I look like to you? A gold digger? Relax, if you tossed me 2 Col and a decent cheeseburger I'd be a happy lady. Don't stress out about it."

She meandered away a few steps, hands in her pockets as she scanned the ground carefully, listening to him speak again.She smiled a bit, amused as he reminded her she could die here. "I know it, that's why I tried waiting things out until I was certain we weren't getting outta here the easy way. But it looks like risking my life is the only way after all." She held up her hands and gave a resigned shrug.  This guy seems so serious...I wonder what he's hiding under all that cool personality. She peeked over at him, examining him, trying to glean as much as she could from his appearance. It was then that she realized, she wanted to crack him. Make him laugh and get animated about something, see who he really is. She looked forward again, a small frown on her face as she realized the difficult task she had set for herself. Oh well, it's never fun if it's easy. She put an amused smile back on her face, and bent over to examine the ground.

ID: 74119

LD: 9 (No Mats)

Nothing, oh well.....She stood up again and kept walking, hands clasped behind her back. "So, Sey, what do you like to do for fun?"

@Sey

Nix's eyes widened a little in surprise at his sidelines comment and she turned her head to look at him. "Oh, no, you misunderstand me. It's not my intention to sit on the sidelines forever, I promise. I just wanted to wait things out a little while and see if anyone in the real world was going to find a way to hack us out before I ran around risking my life, that's all. But since we're all still here, I guess it's about time for me to go and make myself useful...so I'm taking one last vacation day before I get moving." She smiled. "So you know, your offer might have come at just the right time...although, I would feel bad just taking your money, so how about we make a deal? I'll help you find materials for your restaurant, and you can help me find some armor or something." She pushed herself up onto her elbows and held out a hand to him. "Deal?" 

She chuckled then at his question about worries. "Wrong again my friend, I'm as worried as the next guy. I just don't see the point in making myself miserable over it. Being sad doesn't help anyone, least of all me. It's like I always say, if I don't laugh about it, I'll cry about it. And I'd much rather laugh." She stood up, then, raising her hands above her head and stretching, before leaning next to him and whispering conspiratorially, "That's the trade secret ya know. My chill nature is completely fake. Don't tell anyone." She winked then and turned away to survey the area.

Nix gave the other player a relieved smile. "Of course, I wouldn't want it any other way." She pulled out a piece of paper on which she had written all of the items the smith had demanded and showed it to the other player:

"This is what the smith told me I needed, for him to make me some new light armor. The Dark elf will be in the Forest of Wavering Mists, the other stuff we'll just have to root around for as we go, I think." She looked up at Seul. "Of course, I won't ask you to help me for nothing. If you can think of any way I could repay you despite our level differences, tell me. I want this to be a fair deal for both of us." Nix had never enjoyed owing people anything, and she wasn't about to let herself become dependent on another player now, so if she could think of a way to pay him back for all of his help she would feel a lot better about the whole situation. She knew too well the amount of control someone could exert over another person after doing them a "generous" favor. She wasn't about to let herself fall into that trap again.

Nix gaped at him as he dropped the key in her hand,and she quickly stuttered out a thank you. She waved goodbye to him almost in a daze, and called out "Be safe! Have a good night!" as he walked away. Shaking her head again in amazement at his seemingly sincere generosity, she turned and headed to the inn, key held tightly in her fist. Well, if nothing else, now I know that if I die there will be someone in the game who will notice my absence. That's...comforting. I think. She couldn't help but smile though, happy to have completed what she had set out to do and to have made a new friend along the way. She hoped that she would get the chance to pay him back someday for all of his unasked-for kindness. She knew today would have gone a lot differently if he hadn't appeared, and she wanted to give him something back for that. I managed to make him laugh though! She smiled to herself and went into her room, thoughts already beginning to cloud with sleep.

Summary

Necryptonix: 200 Col + 2SP + <<Martial Arts>> Extra Skill

Beatbox: 200 Col + 1 SP

Thread Complete

Nix's grin widened at his answer. She skipped another few steps forward before glancing back and saying, "Well that's a shame, cuz you're about to eat my dust!" As soon as the last word left her mouth she launched herself down the path, praying to whatever gods were listening that she didn't trip again and make any more of a fool of herself than she already had. 

--------------

Necryptonix breathed an audible sigh of relief when the lights of Urbus came into view. It had been a long journey, made even longer by her reckless sprint down the mountain. But hey, she had only stumbled once. She counted that as a win. Thoughts of how warm and comfortable a bed would feel after such a tough day danced through her mind. Her hands were back in her pockets, and she idly glanced around at the players doing last-minute errands before all the shops closed up for the night. She fought off a yawn, just barely, and pointed out the nearest fair-priced inn she saw. "There?" She looked to Beatbox.

Nix listened closely as he spoke. She hadn't realized how much she had craved thoughtful conversation, and she had to resist the urge to enter into a monologue of theories and hopes and fears. She frowned as he talked about the player killers, nodding in agreement with his comments. "Lord knows I haven't been doing my part in all this. I was selfish. I'm glad you and your people have been picking up all the slack me and others have left -- we all owe you more than we could ever repay...you frontliners are heroes. Every single one." She moved her hands so that the were clasped behind her back once more. "And even if we never make it out of here, it's gotta be worth something, being a hero to all these kids." She smiled a bit, then skipped ahead a few more steps, glancing back at him with an evil look in her eyes. "Hey, Beatbox, you hungry?"

Nix studied the note, seriously tempted to find the person who posted it, but also worried that it would be a trap. Posting a note like this in the town of beginnings, where all the weaker players reside....if it is a trap, it's just downright cruel. After a few more moments of deliberation, she ripped the note off the board and started walking, mulling over the clues in her mind. What kind of print is that?....a bear? Must be a familiar's print, so maybe I'm looking for a beast tamer? Have I ever seen anyone with a bear familiar around here?....Necryptonix kept walking, determined to find the the player who posted the note.

-----------------

After spending all day asking every player she could find on the floor (which, admittedly, wasn't many other than all the children in the city), she knew that there was a player with a bear familiar, and that he was very large with red hair, and that he runs a blacksmith shop on the fourth floor. So she traveled to the fourth floor to see if she could confirm the rumor, and hopefully find out if he was the man who posted the note. 

She had never been to the fourth floor before, so this was a kind of adventure for her. Once she arrived, she began to regret it almost immediately. Snow swirled all around her, and she shivered from the sudden change in temperature. She wrapped her arms around herself, willing her teeth not to chatter, and tromped through the snowfall towards the nearest lit building. Once inside she once again began the process of asking players if they had seen the giant red-haired man, and thankfully the players here were more forthcoming with their knowledge. Soon she found a player who informed her of the location of the man's tent, and after she basked in the warmth for a little while longer, she went back out into the cold to find the blacksmith.

----------------

Necryptonix stopped, looking at the tent, blowing warm air onto her fingers for a few moments before getting up the courage to approach it and knock.

Oh no! I'm sorry to hear it, and I hope you find peace soon. 

Nix's eyes widened somewhat at his words, truly surprised that he gave a damn about the scenery at all. She thought she was the only one. She followed him, saying "Actually, I agree with you...it's beautiful here, so staring around at the environment is how I've spent the  large majority of my time, annnnnd probably why I'm still so weak." She shrugged. "It's easy to convince yourself everything will be fine when the sun is shining and there's not a cloud in the sky. Why risk your life when you think you're gonna be home in a few hours?" She walked with her hands in her pockets, eyes back to watching her feet as she picked her way carefully along the treacherous ground, lost in thought. "You know, it makes me wonder if that isn't exactly what the game master intended, making this place so realistic and beautiful that we lose the will to leave. Like the sirens of old..." She trailed off, catching herself before she got any more philosophical and scared the poor guy away. She smiled, to try and show that she wasn't as crazy as she sounded, and kept walking forward.

His generous offer threw her off guard, and the mention of a raid even more so. She peeked over at him again, trying to see if she had missed any obvious indicator that he was a much stronger player than she had originally thought. "Oh, I appreciate the offer, but I couldn't let you do that. I really don't care if my clothes get stained, honest. You don't need to waste your resources on me. I'm not really much of a help to anyone right now, if you haven't guessed yet." she gestured at herself, her starter gear still appearing almost new from lack of use, her hair splayed out around her in a messy halo, and then she waved vaguely up at the sky again. She shrugged apologetically at him, somehow feeling guilty that she hadn't been doing more for everyone. Hindsight is 20/20, we always know what we should have done after the fact....She sighed, and gave him a tired smile. "But anyway, I guess my story ends the same way as everyone else's here. I used to do a lot of things, baking, and reading, and getting far too heated in class discussions, and then I came here. Now, apparently, all I really do...is this." Another vague gesture around herself, then she looked back up to the sky. "Gotta hand it to the game developers though, they may have made a killer-game, but they complimented it nicely with killer graphics." She smiled at her own joke.