Joanne

Joanne walked with her brother further down the trail, enjoying the nice shade from the trees lining the path. It was a lovely day outside made even lovelier when they found the nice cool stream. 

"Ah, it looks like we'll have to cross once we loot this side,"

Joanne smiled and had an idea. "Let's loot around this side as quick as we can. That water looks so refreshing!" The armor that lined her body was beginning to warm up under the noon-day sun. A nice dip in the shallow river would be a nice refresher. 

She took a few minutes to look around and finally came across some more glowing moss on a tree nearby. However, when she tried to take it off the tree, it shattered into thousands of minute pixels. "Ah, maybe I'll have more luck with the next material I find..." she thought aloud. She looked over to see how her brother was fairing. 

2/5 materials found

"...do you have any idea where we should start?"

Joanne smiled and nodded her head when he asked this. "There is a quiet flower field in the middle of a rose garden about a ten minute walk from the North Gate of town." She motioned for him to follow her as she took the lead, excited to get started with this quest. The garden also was someplace she went to relax, and it was something she had shared with few people. She turned back, glancing at Dederick and shooting him another smile. She trusted him enough to share with him this secret place. 

As they approached the garden, she could see that it was comprised of hedges bordering paths lined by rose bushes. The paths led to a middle grassy field where tulips, daisies, and other small flowers grew in abundance. She approached a red rose bush and attempted to pluck one of the blossoms, but it disintegrated in her hand as soon as she touched it. 

Then she turned towards Dederick and explained the significance of this place, gesturing around at it as she did so. "This is a garden I found while trying to find a place to rest one day. It's always been a place where I can relax and spend some needed time meditating and training my mind." 

@Dederick

0/5 materials found

Joanne sighed dramatically, joking around. "Oh, there you go taking all the materials. You must be the material god or something," she giggled. "Or are you hiding them all from me?" This was all in jest as she laughed and searching around the area. After a few minutes of searching, she came across some odd glowing moss on the side of a tree. "This is odd," she said as she carefully plucked the moss off and put it inside of her inventory. She quickly checked her stats after she had touched it. Luckily, it didn't seem to have had any ill effects on her. Maybe when mixed with other ingredients, the strange properties of the moss would become evident. 

"Well, at least that's one more down," she said happily. "Just three more to go, and then I can go back and craft my very first official alchemist potion." Her voice rang with glee. 

2/5 materials found

 "No offense, sis, but you never seemed like the person who would end up writing a book." 

Joanne smiled, saying, "I know how outlandish it sounds brother, but stranger things have happened." She gestured around her at the world which surrounded them. "Including this." 

"That makes me wonder: what type of sick person would make a game like this? Just to toy with people's lives. I mean, it makes you feel like a puppet, doesn't it?"

With this thought, Joanne leaned over and hugged her brother, holding him close. "I don't know what type of person created this game. All I want to know is how to get out of here so we can get back to reality. Back to safety." She sighed heavily and sat back in her original position. 

She looked around, trying to find some sort of bug or bark or root to gather, but to no avail. "Speaking of creations, it seems that there are no items spawning in this area anymore." Standing up, she offered her hand to her younger sibling. "Come on, we can continue to speak while walking further down the trail." 

Joanne's blush matched the deep hue that Dederick's had just had. "U-um nothing. Nothing about the horses at all." She cleared her throat. "Ah, yes. Speech-to-text. It's where you speak and the electronic system that you are using tries to type out what you're saying. As seen from your message, uh... let's just say it still needs some work." 

She shook her head. "Oh, right! We should go pick up that quest now!" She gently grabbed his wrist and pulled him along as she made her way up to Zachariah's shop. 

"Hello, Zachariah, sir!" she called as she entered the shop.

"Ah, hello, new player! I have a favor to ask of you. Would you be able to go out and collect some materials for me? In return, you'll be well rewarded," he said cheerfully. 

"Of course, sir," she replied, taking note of the materials that he wanted. Then she turned back to Dederick. "Ready to go?" she asked happily. 

@Dederick

Joanne couldn't hold in her laughs as Dederick approached her. She really did try her best, but all she could do was hide her face and turn away. After she had caught her breath, she gaspingly said, "I-i'm sorry, Dederick, but it's just-". Her speech was interrupted by a snort-laugh. She was bent over now. "I'm so sorry *gasp* but this is too good." Her eyes were tearing up with laughter as she brought up her display and showed him what he had sent. She wiped the happy tears from her eyes as she looked down and asked, "Did you accidentally use text to speech, hun?" She placed her hand on his shoulder. "I'm also sorry for laughing," she said, smiling. "But that is probably the funniest mishap to happen since me accidentally butt-dialing my mum while trying to get two horses in heat to m-" She stopped herself just in time and blushed. "U-uh, I'm gonna drop that thought right there." 

"Oh, and yes the armor! I got it from Macradon's shop! Apparently he's a big hit around here," she said while displaying the armor. For once, she was wearing something that showed off her figure at least a little bit. 

@Dederick

After a few more moments, Joanne broke the silence. "You know, when this is all over, I think I'm going to write a book about what took place in this world. People need to know what happened here: who died, the psychological effects, how we coped... the list could go on forever." She sighed and closed her eyes, focusing on the gentle breeze blowing against her face. It was strange that she could feel something that wasn't real. 

Next, she brought her fingers up to her cheek. She could feel it as if it was her own physical body. She breathed, felt, smell just like she could in the real world. How had technology gone this far? And the even better question: why had someone used this technology for evil instead of good? These questions befuddled and perplexed her. 

Looking back up at the sky, she wondered if the creator of this game was watching them, an invisible eye in the sky. 

Joanne looked over at her brother, pausing for a moment to think. She looked up at the sky with him. When will we see mum and da? she thought to herself. When she had been alone, it had been surprisingly easy to forget about things like that. But now that her brother was with her, she had a reminder of what home felt like. "That, I don't know, brother," she said softly. "But I promise that I'll do everything I can to make sure that we see them again. I miss them too..." her voice trailed off as she gazed up at the clouds, thinking back on her childhood. She missed mum's cooking the most at this moment. She could remember the lamb stew and fresh eggs in the morning. She remembered riding her horse and collecting eggs from the chickens. It was strange, but she missed those ordinary chores the most. It was odd how something so trivial could make up so much of a person's life -- so much of their being and existence. 

1/5 materials found

Joanne's eyes widened in surprise at the news. True, she had not been expecting it, but that didn't mean she was mad or disappointed in her brother. No matter what happened, she would always support him. And that support shone in her eyes as she smiled and drew her brother in for a big hug. "I'm happy for you brother. And proud that you felt that close to me to tell me." She pulled away and held his hands in her own. "I have seen how hard it is for some people to come out at first. I have had a few friends and customers who are out and who have explained the process to me. I support your decision one hundred percent! And I'm sure mum and da will as well." She hugged him once more. 

Then a devilish grin came to her face. "Now, have you had any boyfriends yet?" she teased lightly. 

1/5 materials found

Joanne stood in front of the NPC alchemist's shop. Before she stepped into the shop, she sent a message to her friend Dederick: 

Quote

Hello Dederick,

Would you care to meet me in front of Zachariah's shop? It would be greatly welcomed if you could join me for the first lessons quest.

Sincerely,
Joanne Hawke

She waited for a few minutes outside of the shop, hoping that Dederick was free and able to join her. She smiled. He may not be able to recognize her with all her new armor and items. She was wearing a new heavy armor that had silver and gold trimming around the breastplate. She had traded out her long sword for a Spanish-style one, and at her side rested a shield with the emblem of a hawk on the front. It was the emblem of her family, and it reminded her of home. She adjusted her clothing and hair, making sure as to look proper and presentable. 

@Dederick

Her eyes widened as he brought his hand close to her, holding her breath. As his thumb touched near her lips, she took a quick breath in. It sounds like a strange thing to say, but she had never had something like this happen to her before. Yes, age 25, and she had never had much in the way of romance in her life. She had just spent so much of it training. So, it's safe to say that she was quite surprised by the gentle gesture. Then when he brought his thumb to his lips and sucked the relish off, it took all her strength to keep in a squeal from all the emotions running through her mind. Excitement, confusion, embarrassment, and ... what was that emotion? She hadn't felt it before. 

She was so overcome by those sudden emotions that all she could do was nod her head. Her cheeks were bright red, the hue now spreading across her whole face. She couldn't speak for a moment or two. When she finally composed herself again, she cleared her throat and said, "Well it seems like these hot dogs were a good idea," she said, smiling nervously as her voice cracked. "We-we should do this sometime again," she said hurriedly. Uncharacteristically rushed. It had even surprised her. "Er, I mean go out and on quests and stuff..." For once she was at a loss of words. She shook her head clear. "I think we made a great team today, is what I'm trying to say," smiling and fully composed again, her emotions hidden behind her calm expression once more. 

@Dederick

Joanne's widened as she watched Dederick eat with such enthusiasm. She picked up her hot dog and took a moment to look at it. It looked okay, and she'd probably eaten worse in the real world. She bravely took a bite, half fearful that there would be a crunch when she bit in. To her surprise, the hot dog tasted pretty good and not toxic at all. As she was devouring her hot dog, she looked over at Dederick. She couldn't help but giggle as she noticed the mess of chili and cheese around his lips. Reaching over, she wiped around his mouth with a napkin gently, dabbing carefully. She had done this instinctively without thinking. But after a moment, she realized what she had done and pulled back quickly. "I-i am so so sorry!" she said, stuttering and blushing profusely. "I-i just meant to help! I didn't mean to um, y-you know..." she trailed off as her voice failed her. She hoped that she hadn't offended Dederick at all with her actions. 

@Dederick

Joanne was a bit taken by surprise from her brother's answer. She took a deep breath in and walked over to him. He needed her now. While going to sit next to him on the log, she noticed a red and white mushroom. She plucked it and put it in her bag. One material found. 

She put her hand on her brother's shoulder. "It's okay, James. You're still young. You have a lot of time ahead of you." She smiled and thought about herself. "I mean, look at me. I'm still unmarried and haven't had much experience in the way of dating either. I mean mum and da have been bugging me while you were gone. You'd think I was nearing the end of my childbearing years!" she joked, laughing lightly. 

"But, brother," she continued, "don't let such things get you down. Mum, da, and I are proud of you. I mean you're the first of the family to go to the big city and make it big. You might not be at the top yet, but you have many years ahead of you." She nudged him with her arm. "I mean, you computer people get paid even more than mum and da make in a quarter year from selling produce and horses. And who cares about one girl," she said, becoming more enthusiastic and energized. "You are an amazing man, and I'm sure you will find a woman one day who appreciates you for who you are." 

1/5 materials found

Joanne nodded her head in agreement. Yes, the gathering quests were quite high in number in this game, but at least she wasn't fighting bosses all the time. She followed her brother out of town, impressed by his weapon. "Just be careful, brother. It's best that you be careful to keep from damaging the tip or edges of the blade." 

As they walked along the shaded path leading North from the town, Joanne attempted to find any honey or flowers to harvest. Unfortunately, her search resulted in nothing being found. She expected as much, she having only started searching. "So, brother. How were you enjoying London before. . . well before all this happened? Mum, da, and I never heard much from you except when you came to visit." She began rubbing her right arm. It was a nervous habit she had always had. One of the rare ways that she gave away her emotions. 

0/5 materials found

Joanne was originally going to be a blacksmith when she was deciding on a career path in the game. However, as she looked at the public forums more often, she realized that the community was in greater need of an active alchemist than a blacksmith. So she decided to visit Evangeline Calora, the Master Alchemist NPC, to learn more about alchemy. As she entered the older woman's tent, she was hit by the smells of several strong alchemical mixtures. She was greeted by Evangeline, who (of course) requested the Joanne find some materials to help craft a potion. "Of course," Joanne responded and left the shop with a final wave goodbye. 

Outside, she met her brother, James Hawke, who she had dragged along with her to help with today's quest. "Hey, brother. Turns out that the NPC wants me to fetch five materials. It seems that that's the normal and most common quest around here." 

Joanne was eating lunch when she received James' message. She quickly finished her sandwich and tea and headed over to his shop. Upon entering, she greeted her brother and walked over to the counter. The unwrapped weapon lay in front of her. She listened to her brother tell her the enchantments that it had. "Thank you, so much!" she said as she hugged him. She took a moment to balance the weapon in her hand. It was in lovely condition indeed. With one last goodbye, she left the shop, saying, "You'll have to help me test out this weapon later when we go hunting!"

Joanne walked into the shop, approaching her brother with a wrapped sword in her hand. "Hey brother! I have an item for you to identify. It's the one handed straight sword that we found during our lest quest." She unwrapped the sword on his counter. The blade had a reddish hue to it, the guard a Spanish style guard. "Name it 'Dancer'." Dancer had been her first horse when she was a younger. She still had her, but she was old now and couldn't go out for rides and training like they used to. "You know what to do. I trust you'll let me know when the blade is done." She laid 320 col down on the counter. She smiled and waved goodbye as she left the shop. 

Joanne stepped into the cafe and was greeted with the sweet smell of baking bread. Her body relaxed subconsciously. Stepping up to the counter, she was greeted by the perky shop owner who had pink, bouncy, long curls and wore a white apron over a pink, short dress. She wore white and pink striped stockings that rose up to the knee with black heels to match. Her name was Peppermint -- a fitting name indeed. 

"How can I help you?" Peppermint asked in her happy, chirpy voice. 

"I'd like a ham and cheese croissant and a blueberry crumpet," Joanne responded happily. "Oh! With two cups of your famous strawberry lemonade," she added on.

"You got it!" Peppermint said as she pranced back to the kitchen to prepare everything. "Just take a seat where ever you like," Joanne heard her call from the back. 

Joanne took a small table by the window so that her brother could see her when he finished his quest. As soon as she sat down, she saw him race out of the tiny shop. She waved to him, and he entered the shop. "I'm assuming all went well?" she said. Her brother's expression was one of excitement. She could tell that he had completed his quest. She was proud of him.  

Joanne laughed, following her impatient brother. "Slow down, silly!" she yelled as they both raced through the forest. Usually, James would be the one to lag behind, texting or looking up something on his phone. Rarely in a rush. She smiled. Proud that her brother was finally growing up and starting to enjoy himself. 

As they approached the town, she pulled back on her brother and made him slow down. "Alright, alright. Calm down now," she said, still lightly laughing. "I'll head over to a cafe and get us a nice lunch, and you can head over to your mystery boy." She smiled and waved goodbye as she headed over to a small cafe called "Cutie's Creations". It was a nice little shop that served tea and biscuits along with small sandwiches and light lunches. The inside was pink and white, giving off a very feminine and cutesy vibe. Normally, Joanne wouldn't venture into such a place, but the food on display in the window had caught her attention once, and now she visited at least once a week. 

Joanne looked around the shop, her eyes settling on the blond man with the pen pad. After Dederick had placed his order, she paused and took a moment to think. "Uh... I'll have a polish hot dog with relish, mustard, and ketchup." She didn't like to add much to her hot dogs. Just nice and simple so that she could still taste the meat itself.

After ordering, she followed Dederick over and sat in the chair that he pulled out and offered her. "Thank you, Dederick," she said, smiling. How polite of him, she thought to herself. She hadn't met any other player with proper manners. When she heard the words "mystery meat cylinders" leave his mouth, she began to question her decision on what she ordered. Her eyes widened a small amount. "Um, mystery meat? Do-do you know what he puts in them?" 

She was mildly worried, but in the end she figured that if anything in the game was going to kill her, hot dogs would probably be at the end of the list. 

@Dederick

"Oof. You okay over there?" Joanne asked as she saw her brother go flying. That buck really had some power. A bit more than the boar did. Luckily, it was still a first level animal and couldn't do them much harm. 

While waiting for her brother to finish, she sat down and picked at the white flowers next to her boots. She picked one, but it immediately disintegrated in her hand. Odd. I still don't understand why I can pick up some and not others. She un-equipped her helmet and armor, letting her body relax and breathe. It had begun to get hot under all the layers in the noon-day sun. She hoped that James was able to get the materials he needed with this next kill as she was getting a bit peckish. She would take her brother for lunch after he completed his quest. There was a nice cafe that they could visit for something light. 

[H: 3 | 0] James: 36 - 1 =35/40 HP | 2/4 EN | 2 DMG | 23 MIT | BLEED | LIGHT MOMENTUM
[H: 0 | 2] Joanne: 39/40 + 10 = 40/40 HP | 2/4 EN | 2 DMG | 9-10 BLD | 18 MIT | 2 REGEN (10 TOTAL) (2/2) | 2 THORN (18 DMG total)

vs. 

Buck 1:  1/30 HP | 15 DMG | 2 ACC | -2 EVA 
Buck 2: 8 - 18 = 0/30 HP | 15 DMG | 2 ACC | -2 EVA

"I'm fine, brother. Worry about yourself." She looked over at his buck's health. "Though you are doing very well. One last hit and it should be done for." She looked at her buck. If she could just land a critical, she may be able to take the beast down. However, she couldn't even get one last hit in before the darn thing charged her. She brought her shield up instinctively and felt a crash against it. But after a moment, she felt nothing as the buck exploded into pixels. She looked down and found a basic amount of loot on the floor. After picking it up, she continued speaking, "Hopefully, you get something better than this." She held up the small bag of col that she had gathered, showing it to him. "We still got a good amount of loot from today. Especially you. And then you'll get to identify them and be able to use them afterwards." 

[H: 3 | 0] James: 36/40 HP | 2/4 EN | 2 DMG | 23 MIT | BLEED (2/2)| LIGHT MOMENTUM
[H: 0 | 2] Joanne: 38 + 5 = 40 - 1 = 39/40 HP | 1/4 EN | 2 DMG | 9-10 BLD | 18 MIT | 2 REGEN (10 TOTAL) (1/2) | 2 THORN (18 DMG total)

vs. 

Buck 1:  1/30 HP | 15 DMG | 2 ACC | -2 EVA 
Buck 2: 8 - 18 = 0/30 HP | 15 DMG | 2 ACC | -2 EVA

loot gathered
90 col + 60 = 150 col
2 T1 materials
 

"I told you to be more careful," Joanne scolded her brother lightly. "You're lucky this isn't the real world, or that would have really hurt." She took a break from speaking to face the second buck as it sped towards her, antlers down. She spun her sword around in her right hand while waiting for the right moment to strike. When the moment hit, she ducked behind her shield before lashing out with her sword. The buck crashed against her shield and bounced off as blue sparks flew off her shield. The slash landed across its chest, merely grazing it. It seemed that the shield had done the most damage. 

She stood back up and prepared for another attack. This buck was tough. The last hit had managed to push her back a foot or two, even with her shield raised. She moved her shield arm around, letting it stretch out and loosen after that last attack. 

[H: 2 | 0] James: 37/40 HP | 2/4 EN | 2 DMG | 23 MIT | BLEED | LIGHT MOMENTUM
[H: 0 | 2] Joanne: 39 - 1 =38/40 HP | 2/4 EN | 2 DMG | 9-10 BLD | 18 MIT | 2 REGEN (10 TOTAL) | 2 THORN (18 DMG total)

vs. 

Buck 1: 15/30 HP | 15 DMG | 2 ACC | -2 EVA 
Buck 2: 28 - (2 + 18) = 8/30 HP | 15 DMG | 2 ACC | -2 EVA

As she followed James, she heard the sound of antlers clashing growing louder and louder. They soon approached a stream where there were two bucks fighting, their antlers interlocked. She motioned for James to take the buck on the left as she took the one on the right. Those antlers look dangerous, she noted. She would need to be careful and use her shield whenever possible to avoid getting skewered by them. 

She decided to make the first move and test the waters since she was more heavily armored. Stepping into the open sun in front of the bucks, the light gleaming off of her armor, drawing the bucks' attention. Now it was her move. She dashed forward, drawing her sword across the side of the second buck before jumping back to safety. "Be careful," she shouted to her brother. 

[H: 0 | 0] James: 38/40 HP | 2/4 EN | 2 DMG | 23 MIT | BLEED | LIGHT MOMENTUM
[H: 0 | 1] Joanne: 39/40 HP | 2/4 EN | 2 DMG | 9-10 BLD | 18 MIT | 2 REGEN (10 TOTAL) | 2 THORN (18 DMG total)

vs. 

Buck 1: 30/30 HP | 15 DMG | 2 ACC | -2 EVA 
Buck 2: 30 - 2 = 28/30 HP | 15 DMG | 2 ACC | -2 EVA

Joanne's armor glowed red as her health regenerated once more. She stretched, feeling refreshed from the effect. The fifth boar didn't like what it was seeing and decided to charge before anything else happened. Joanne brought her blade forward and slashed across the chest of the boar, which then came back around for another attack. Instead of trying to parry with her sword, Joanne raised her shield up at the last second and let the boar charge into it. Boom! As soon as the beast hit her shield, it exploded into light blue pixels. She stood up from her crouched position behind  her shield and checked the ground to find two extra items dropped by the boar. She put them into her inventory and looked back towards her brother, the last boar charging towards him. She pointed in warning at the boar, wondering if he could take it out before it attacked him. 

[H: 1 | 2 | 0 ] James: 39/40 HP | 2/4 EN | 2 DMG | 23 MIT | BLEED (2/2) | LIGHT MOMENTUM
[H: 1 | 0 | 1] Joanne: 38 + 5 = 40 - 1 = 39/40 HP | 2/4 EN | 2 DMG | 9-10 BLD | 18 MIT | 2 REGEN (10 TOTAL) (1/2)| 2 THORN (18 DMG total)

vs. 

Boar 3: 3/25 HP | 10 DMG | 3 ACC | -3 EVA 
Boar 4: 10 - 12 = 0/25 HP | 10 DMG | 3 ACC | -3 EVA 
Boar 5: 7 - 2 = 5 - 18 = 0/25 HP | 10 DMG | 3 ACC | -3 EVA 

loot gathered
75 col + 50 = 125 col
2 T1 materials
1 Rare Weapon [ID: 127601A]
1 Uncommon Consumable [ID: 127601B]