Salem

All he could do was offer another nod of affirmation. There was no reason for her to thank him, but she extended gratitude in spite of that. If she acts this indebted to everyone, she's gonna be taken advantage of., he found himself assuming. Maybe that's unfair., came the immediate reflection. It seemed nonsensical to praise her capabilities one moment only to ridicule them the next. He just couldn't shake the feeling that she was someone who needed protection. She seemed...too bright for the world, too uplifting with the gravity of their current circumstances. The instinct was unfounded and misplaced. I'm the weak player here, he was sure to remind himself. 

Shall we head back to town?, he parted from his thoughts to listen,...Maybe we can find somewhere to have a coffee?

Salem was caught off-guard by the candid invitation, as if his personal thoughts had seeped through and dispelled their chances of continuing a conversation. "Sure", he found himself replying, "That sounds...really nice." With the curt bow of his head, he ushered them forward and back toward that winding path. "Let's take care not to wander into any boars", he jokingly remarked, "I haven't actually engaged in combat yet, and I don't think either of us is ready for that sight."

A sequence of softly-heralded alerts tumbled through his interface as Nymoria signed their titles to him. For a brief moment, he felt overwhelmed, or perhaps it was the pangs of exasperation. Are we meant to do all of these at once?, he grumbled as each menu was expanded to skim the details.

Looks like you can do them as you wish., the female player had speculated, Maybe...together? Salem looked up from the text to regard her as she had finished posing the question. Unless you do not want to do it with me. I would understand. You must have other friends here to find., she quickly deferred. 

"I'd like to.", he insisted with a nod. Although her assumption of his popularity had been inaccurate, he made no effort to correct it. "You're not an ear-full, I appreciate that.", he offered as an uncertain hand raised to rustle the back of his head. The unintentional ambiguity of that statement hadn't occurred him until after he'd said it. A rising embarrassment indicated that it was his turn to evade her glance. "Ah -- not like that, what I mean is, you know how to handle yourself. You make for good company." With a pointed inhale, he waved his hand to motion their departure. "If we're done here, let's head back to the surface." There's no reason to wait for monsters to spawn and attack us. Carefully, the two of them made their way back to the tunnel they'd descended from. Salem was careful to keep a watchful eye on Nymoria as they hobbled over slippery stones and ducked beneath low-hanging passageways. By the time they'd exited the cavern, the sun had skirted across the sky to a marginal degree. How long was that? An hour? Haven't gotten a grasp on the day-night system here... 

Salem felt a similar excitement as the two of them swiftly translated swathes of symbols into recognizable letters. He appreciated the strategy of it all. There was an infectious nature to the challenge, an unexpected deviation from the usual adrenaline of combat. At the very least, battles that were waged from the other side of a computer screen. Tilting his head, he followed her examinations of the text. Line by line, it was beginning to sound like...

"I swear to god, if this translates into a riddle --", he remarked to her with a sarcastic smile.

Casting his speculation aside, he continued to pick apart the text. This time, he'd left the template of his message open just to write out, erase, and rewrite each attempt at deciphering a word. I'm seeing "free", "forest", "harness", "benefit", "Keepers of Nature". Uniting his new findings with Nymoria's seemed enough to provide the remainder of what they needed. Ever so slowly, new letters began to reveal themselves, until eventually:

"...the unmoved titan who is callous and free; a sly shadow high in the branches of the forest; and lastly, that which prowls and safeguards the sky. Only once vanquished will you harness their power to your benefit. These are the Keepers of Nature.”, he had successfully interpreted and shared with her.

"Nym, I think we did it.", he declared with a contented sigh. Now, he pondered with a second reading, What does it all mean?

***

ID:222943 | LD: 10 | Cipher Attempt | Result: [62/60]

The cipher has been decoded!

Nymoria immediately became immersed in the challenge of it all, her hands tracing an invisible line in the air as her mind began to unravel the code. Rather than lurking over her shoulder, Salem instead took a moment to examine their picturesque surroundings. The grotto's ceiling was dappled with columns of stalactites that occasionally dripped into the deep cerulean spring below. Countless ripples of refracted light undulated across the limestone walls while others still spilled and twisted across his body like some sort of lovecraftian horror. Maybe I was wrong about this world., he marveled silently as his gaze drifted upwards to follow the fading projections. Swaying above them were wispy vines that sliced apart what few sunbeams had made their way through the overgrown vegetation. Compared to the matted-down moss that clung to the sides of the cavern, they appeared more eloquent and free.

A few moments passed before an alert commandeered his attention. Opening the message, he began to read Nymoria's findings, perhaps more accurately, speculations.

'Seeking' seems a safe assumption., he wrote after some consideration, There aren't many other words with two ee's placed together in that configuration. They could be two o's...but let's explore this possibility for now.

"Wait a second...", Salem halted his typing and lifted a hand to cusp the bottom of his chin. Those two characters appear again at the very end here, but -- not the same word. He continued typing to include the observation in his message. Besides that discrepancy, we can assume that the end of 'Seeking' is an 'ing'. Let's try to apply those letters elsewhere. His first instinct was to work from the beginning. 'I_' -- 'If'... 'If seeking' 

'I~' 'I-' similar words with different spellings. 'In', he determined for the one that shared the first two characters from 'ing'. That leaves... 'Is', was his guess. If these are correct, we've unlocked the letters: s, e, k, i, n, g, f, and s so far. That should give us a solid trajectory.

By the time he'd finished writing the message, Nymoria was already scouring the text in search of additional connections. Still, he thought it best to send his summary as he had written it out.
 

***

ID:222802 | LD: 5 | Cipher Attempt | Result: [41/60]

To: Nymoria
From: Salem

There's probably a lot that I don't have experience with. I woke up two days ago.
 

He took pause to consider if there was more to add to that statement. A change in their path prompted him to send it as is. Only a matter of seconds lapsed before the two of them meandered around and into a flooded basin. At the cavern's center rested a singular elder tree. Even from afar, one could appreciate how the cascade of roots had tirelessly snaked around a pile of boulders to prop itself beneath a beam of light.

If that's not the most videogame-looking waypoint I've ever seen..., he mused upon seeing it.

Salem figured it best to linger back and await the onslaught of whatever traps would inevitably be set off by Nymoria's interaction with the relic. When nothing spawned, he cautiously chose to accompany her by the base of its trunk.

This look like a cipher?, she asked, motioning to the bark.

Leaning forward, he began to examine the strips of runic carvings. "I'd say so, but it's not written in any language I can recognize.", he noted. With hand outstretched, he borrowed the tablet to have a closer look. "These share similar markings, that's good at least. We could start with decoding the shortest articles, though that assumes its alphabetic. Their characters could just be symbolic." He passed the object back to her before inquiring, "Have you encountered anything like this before?"

***

ID:222704 | LD: 9 | Cipher Attempt | Result: [28/60]

Nymoria seemed uncertain in how to respond. After a look of consideration, she signed, Not a lot of information, sadly. Could have been given everything about the quest, for the right price. Beyond my price range though...

Like a micro-transaction then? Seems odd to stunt progress so early on with a paywall, especially if we're not exchanging real currency... "Who do you pay?", he asked while she was still facing him. It seemed an important subject to be informed on, especially if the majority of quests were unlocked that way.

The pair continued searching the forest floor for any signs of the cave. It proved to be a difficult endeavor, however, because of the sheer number of roots, shrubs, and vines clambering across every surface. Salem determined to pay special attention to any rocks that seemed to protrude upwards and out of the multitude of mossy knolls. Eventually, his companion emitted an excited squeaking sound, tugging at the end of his sleeve to get his attention. He turned her way to see a large recess in one of the slopes, its opening concealed by draping grasses like a more whimsical entrance to a 70s bedroom.

"That appears to be it", he remarked to himself before praising Nymoria, "Good job!"

You must be good luck!, the belated woman began to sign, I've been searching all morning for this! Finally found it, after finding you!

Salem smiled at that, partially because the sentiment made no sense, mostly because of how enthusiastic she seemed at the discovery. He couldn't recall another point in his life where he watched someone get so excited over something as dank and depressing as a glorified hole in the ground. Her curiosity demanded he pick up his pace, lest he lose sight of her at a moment's notice.

The pair descended into the cave as light quickly dwindled from the tunnel behind them. As far as caves went, this one was easy to navigate. Sure, there were a few slippery rocks and crevices where he had to contort his skeleton to sidle through, but at least they hadn't encountered any monsters. Salem was certainly surprised by how navigable his surroundings were. With a dim radiance encompassing them, the atmosphere was less like a real cave and more like a closed-off closet with a light on the other side. 

He had caught a glimpse of something fleeting, a resistance to his touch, a factor left uncalculated. Whatever hint of fear that he identified was quickly circumvented by a wave of...laughter? For what felt like far too long, Salem stood there, engrossed in embarrassment as the woman keeled over and nearly hacked out a lung at his expense. Probably the better alternative, he reassured himself through a veil of crimson, At least she hasn't run away or attacked me.

He did his best to crack a candid smile as she regained her composure and began to sign. You did get your point across, but...sorry. Not many people try and...make it work. I appreciate you for that. The thanks evoked a more genuine smile, though bittersweet in origin. Salem understood all too well how scarce seemingly obvious accommodations could be. He was thankful many of those hinderances were no longer applicable to him here. 

Oh, my name is Nymoria. It's spelt with the symbols for 'broken' and 'flower'. It's a pleasure to meet you., she introduced herself.

Salem, he typed out and sent to her account. Blessedly, the system had auto-suggested her after a couple of attempts at spelling the first half. A pretty unique name, he noted to himself with a returning bow. 

The caves are never so dark that I can't readhear what you're saying, but I can type fast., Nymoria assured, So messages would be good. That way you can readhear what I'm saying back, without needing to watch me. The woman seemed to reabsorb whatever color had finally left his features in another another bout of insecurity -- or something, he hadn't entirely identified what that was.

With a wave of his hand, he motioned her toward, what was hopefully, the direction of the cave. In actuality, he had no clue where he was going. Was it...Secrets of the Wild she had said? He opened his UI to search for a tab on quests. All that could be seen was the First Lessons quest he had already completed and a few others that had been issued from spontaneous interactions with various NPCs. No information then..., he surmised. 

Do you have any leads?, he started to write, What sort of cave is this? Hole in the ground cave? Hole in a mountain cave? His questions felt juvenile and undeveloped. He sent them over anyway, then looked to Nymoria for a response.

Salem could feel his muscles constrict as the woman moved toward him with a deadpanned stare. As moments passed, he quickly understood why the reflex was misplaced. She's reading my lips. Under any normal circumstance, the limitation would be easy to identify. His condition in the real world had made him more receptive to that. But in SAO? Isn't the game...supposed to fix that?

A frustrated flurry of signs implied his question had lacked the appropriate etiquette. Yes. Can understand you. A bit. If looking at face. Hard to hear. Impossible sometimes., she responded with flushed features. Looking for cave., she rapidly continued, Quest near here. Are you also looking for cave? Scent of the Wild? Have you heard of it?

"A cave?", he questioned the concept aloud.

Maybe...we could look together?, she suddenly suggested.

She wants to go on a quest together?, his mind began to simulate the logistics of that. Well, she should definitely have a guide if she's going to descend into a cave. But I don't know any sign language. She'd need to be able to read my lips. Maybe I could go in before her -- no, that wouldn't make it any easier. She could walk in front of me. For some reason, ushering her down into the monster-ridden abyss didn't seem the right solution. That's not the issue, it would be way too dark for her to see anything I was saying, anyway. I could -- His eyes shot down to glance at her hand. Not ideal., he discounted with a slight frown. Maybe -- A realization caused his eyes to widen. "Is there an in-game --" 

By now, the timid player had already ducked to shuffle her way past him. Without consideration, Salem extended an arm to halt her. Clasping one hand carefully around her shoulder, he did his best to guide - not force - her way back to facing him. He took special care to lean forward so she could understand his next statement.

"Message", he said bluntly. The emphasis on annunciation felt foreign and more demanding than he intended. Was tone going to be an issue with her? Provided it was, he offered a follow-up. Releasing her shoulder he lifted his left hand to summon his UI. After a few stalled moments of unsuccessful navigation, he eventually found his way to creating a new DM. 

Salem raised his right hand to cover his eye before lowering it to conceal his mouth. 'Neither of us will be able to see', the charade seemed to imply. He couldn't deny that all of the motions made him feel pretty ridiculous and somewhat Neadrathalic. His only hope was that it came off as helpful rather than demeaning.

An icy glance shot her way as Salem flinched in turn. It wasn't like him to startle easily, but in some ways, this world had put him more at a disadvantage than the waking one. Another player., he quickly determined. Tension gradually bled from his features as he inspected her appearance. Small. School-girlish, docile., were his initial instincts.

Her hand lifted to offer a candid greeting before cycling through a series of gestures. You. Here. Alone?, came the projection of a feminine voice. Its cadence, although soft, sounded off, like a computer's rigid recreation of human speech. 

Did her lips even move?, he reflected apprehensively. The green icon above her head seemed to denote her as another player. Still, he considered, Could be a trap. 

"I'm not an enemy.", came his avoidant response. There was no reason to dispose of whatever precious leverage he had.

But as silent seconds passed, his assessment began to feel misplaced. Here he was, a six foot vagrant dressed in all black trudging along the backcountry of the first floor. The girl before him looked like a goddamn deer in the headlights, with trembling legs and darting eyes, it was a wonder she hadn't succumbed to cardiac arrest. 

The realization hit Salem like a brick to the head.

"I'm just out for a walk. Came to recently and looking for a way to level up." He paused before asking, "You sign everything you say?"

Scents of The Wild: Keepers of Nature

Sticks snapped beneath the soles of the solitary player as he made his way to a nearby forest. Still new to the circumstances of this simulated world, Salem found himself in search of substance, perhaps more importantly, something to do. If this game was like any other he'd played, he'd have the opportunity to beef up his stats in a matter of days. Advised against combat, he instead sought to hone his skills through other means.

Best not to leave the first floor until I've completed some quests., Salem cautioned before adding, Seems restrictive, but I'm not about to die to a baby boar.

Floor 1 seemed as vanilla as it got: grassy fields, blue skies, and a modest helping of deciduous trees. Snaking across the prairie was a dirt road that connected The Town of Beginning to...well, wherever he was going.

Salem was soon enveloped by the cool shadow of a leafy canopy that rustled overhead. With hands in his pockets, he allowed himself to bask in the ambience. The humming of bees, croaking of frogs, and whirring of cicadas formed a melody made evermore pleasant by the fact he wasn't being eaten alive by mosquitos. So there are some benefits to the game's limitations, he quietly considered.

*crack*

Hands drew from Salem's jacket in an instant as the sudden sound commandeered his attention. 

***

Salem | HP: 60/60 | EN: 24/24 | DMG: 4 | ACC: 2

Salem stared at the notification, blinking a few times before giving a slight bow to Elora. I have no idea how much this 'col' will get me, but "Thank you.", he said anyway, "If this is enough to move out of the inn, I appreciate your generosity." Though, he continued to speculate, I'm not sure she can afford to hand out this much currency to every player she encounters.

"Let's get this quest finished.", he ushered them to return to the NPC's establishment. Zackariah greeted them cordially, his attitude still optimistic in the odd hours of evening. After being prompted to cast all the materials he'd gathered into a large cauldron, Salem had successfully crafted his first consumable item. The potion was lackluster in appearance, its off-green contents sloshing carelessly through the walls of a simple glass bottle.

"That healing potion could help you in the next leg, but it's been a long day.", stated Elora. "I'd recommend getting some shut eye -- and some daylight -- before initiating your first fight." 

She gave him a curt wave before saying her goodbyes, "Message if you need me, otherwise, good luck."

Salem nodded as the woman slinked out from the shop and into the cool night. Now, to find a place to crash.

Thread Summary

Elora recieves:

2317 EXP (Word Count [8,277/10*4*0.7])

Salem recieves:

1029 EXP (Word Count [8,277/10*1*0.7] + Quest [450])

• 500 Col (+50,000 from Elora)
• 5 materials
• An Assortment of Potions:
  • (5) T1 Uncommon Health Potions: Heals 5% of Maximum HP.
  • (1) T1 Uncommon Damage Potion: +1 DMG for an entire thread.
  • (1) T1 Uncommon Overhealth Potion: Adds 5% of Maximum HP to users Maximum HP for a thread.
  • (1) T1 Health Potion (Uncommon)

Salem's hand reached to remove a bulbous purple flower from the corner of the cottage's foundation. Momentary pause soon gave way to a triumphant alert.

    ALL ITEMS GATHERED!    

The translucent notification quickly faded, its fleeting congratulations immediately curtailed by a reminder to return to the quest-giver.

"That was remarkably tedious for an introductory quest.", he commented dryly as a hand waved to dismiss the menu.

"Yeah -- but they say it's necessary, I guess -- I don't know. Just one of those things you gotta slog through to get to the meat of this game."

That doesn't bode well for the rest of this hell.

"Come on!", yelled Elora with a slap to his shoulder, "Let's get this shit back so you can start killing dragons and shit. Actually -- it's probably the baby pigs next. Don't worry, they deserve death --", she was sure to console him.

"Right...", he feigned his agreement. Should I be concerned?

Salem carefully knelt down to pluck one of the many plants from the interactable flowerbed. Unlike many of his previous attempts, this item promptly left the patch of soil and entered the pockets of his digital inventory. Seems like we just needed to find the correct materials. That, or the system is being a prick and railroading me into "earning" my reward. "What's that? Number four?"

"Yeah, only one more to go.", Elora reassured, "It blows that this has to drag on for so long. At least now you know why I insisted to help."

"You can't even help."

"Well -- obviously, but it's better to have someone to talk to while you meander for hours in search of weeds. And again, to make sure you don't die."

He gave a stifled sigh before saying, "Thanks for looking out for me. It's gotta be a total chore for experienced players to play chaperone."

Salem observed as the overeager elf stooped down to assume a ready stance. 

"GO!", she commanded as her heels sprung from the dirt. Dust billowed around them in patchy plumes as slender legs carried her forward with surprising agility. He swiftly followed suit, knees hinging with a certain stiffness he hadn't recognized before.

Each impact sent a dull shockwave from the base of his foot up to the root of his spine. This is more unfamiliar than I expected, he assessed rather robotically, I can feel my muscles contracting, the warmth of blood coursing through my legs.

He caught a glimpse of Elora looking back over her shoulder, at least, her pointed ears had momentarily seemed to skew in perspective.

She isn't slowing down for me., he noticed . Little by little, he'd begun to increase his speed. An imperceptible breeze surged into a steady wind as cool air licked the surface of his forehead. Salem's heartbeat climbed into his ears, urging him forward like a pounding war drum. With a steady breath, his pace quickened.

Elora's form drew nearer, then tore behind him in a blur. By now, his legs were carrying him forward faster than he could control. It feels like -- as if I'm flying -- Muted thuds morphed into sharper clatters as Salem's shoes transitioned from earth to the stony streets of the forested settlement. It took more than a few paces for the exhilarated player to realize that he'd cleared the race's threshold. A ragged exhale released the adrenaline from his legs, gradually allowing him to come to a shaky stop.

Seconds passed before he began to hear his companion's approached.

"JEsUS --", heaved Elora, "D'you run from the cops, or what??"

"Seems like the day and night cycle is fairly short here", Salem found himself remarking absently. Within only a few hours, it seemed the oversized emission sphere had slumped just above the world's horizon line. 

"Oh, yeah, I've noticed that too. Most of the time I start a quest and don't have it finished until well after dark.", after a brief pause, Elora added, "Granted, I tend to wake up after noon."

"Suppose it makes things a little more interesting.", he commented with a shrug. Not a very accurate reading if that's the only way people keep track of time. "Where are you leading me, again?"

"Harunka village", she declared with a gleam in her eye, "It's where I did my first lessons' quest."

"And how'd that go?", he humored dryly.

"I nearly died."

"Actually?"

"Yeah, I slipped and fell into a river."

Salem couldn't place a moment previous when he had felt simultaneously dumbfounded yet completely unsurprised. That sounds like something she would do., he was careful not to say aloud. A glace in her direction revealed that she was already anticipating a response.

"And?"

"Well obviously I didn't die --", she continued with newfound sheepishness, "The guy I was with saved me. I don't know where his is now."

Salem's imagination flooded with scenes of a gruesome disappearance as the poor player was swept downstream, despite his heroic effort.

"But! We got all five items!", she resolved on a higher note. 

"So, you said we needed to beat one hundred floors.", he recounted aloud, "How far have we gotten?"

"Twenty six -- NO, twenty seven!", she declared with a snap, "Floor twenty eight is up next. That's the raid I'm gonna be helping with."

"Barely a quarter...", he let slip beneath his breath.

"It's slow work.", admitted Elora, "And knowing that makes it all the more discouraging. Why even try when it's already been so long? It's so much easier just to step away and accept things for what they are."

Salem's teeth ground together as he began to mull over his perspective. On one hand, he believed that strong individuals had an obligation to lead, to shepherd those who didn't know how to fend for themselves. On the other hand, he understood the virtue of selfishness. There was no glory to be gained in hurling yourself through a meat grinder. Better to protect what you already have., thoughts keenly reminded.

"I suppose it all comes down to what you're willing to die for.", he finally stated, "And whether or not you truly wish to escape."

"My sister and I were fairly close. She was definitely the responsible one. Had a way of sticking to schedules and doing what we were told." He shot Elora a knowing smirk. "Sounds like your brother was the same way."

She returned the smile with a brief nod, "Yeah, but we were nothing alike. Aside from what we got up to -- that's what comes from overbearing parents." Elora's face lit up for a moment as she seemed to recall a fond memory. Within a few moments, her features sagged back into a sorrowful expression. " 'Cept he always managed to get away with it.", she muttered beneath her breath.

"What's that?", he prodded curiously.

"Nothing", she dismissed. Sitting up straighter, she released her arms from around her knees, raising one hand to curl beneath her chin in an equally inquisitive manner. "What kind of trouble did you get up to?"

Salem spat in a joking matter, his eyes evading her's until he realized that she was serious. "I'm sure you can imagine.", his hand reached into his pocket, brushing past the rock he'd only just collected.

"They're not here --", she laughed before adding, "Shops sell a substitute, but it's nothing like the real thing."

"Actually --"

Clasping an especially red-looking rock, he raised it close to his face to inspect its features. "When you come close to death, it becomes all you think about. At least, for a little while.", he continued, "Sometimes it moves to the back of your mind. Most of the time, you're left to think about the 'what if's'." Turning over the stone revealed a spiderweb of scarlet veins. They coursed across its surface, eventually scattering in dozens of directions. "I wondered about my parents, my friends...all of the experiences I'd never have." 

From the corner of his eye, he could see Elora fold her arms and draw her knees to her chest.

"If we really are trapped here...what does that mean for them?" Instead of hurling the rock, he simply slid it into one of the pockets of his trousers. Salem couldn't help but imagine the sadness of his family. Are they still holding out hope?

A reply from Elora cut his speculation short.

"How long has it been?", he spoke up after a long stretch of silence. His throat felt horse, his voice more shaky than before.

"No one knows for sure...", Elora admitted, "Some say it's been two or three years now."

Years..., the realization slowly began to settle, All of that time I spent loading in... "Is that why you seemed so surprised earlier?", asked Salem, his eyes turning to regard her, "Have I been asleep this whole time?"

Her mouth opened to answer him, then suddenly closed, its reply replaced by a hesitant nod.

"Damn...", he wavered as a hand lifted to cusp his forehead and cheek.

"...Most woke up right away...", explained Elora, "Some of us a bit later..." Her hands combed through the rocky shore. "Others are still sleeping. We're not sure why..." Freeing a stone from its place between others, Elora began to run her fingers across its smooth surface.

"I thought this game just had a shit loading screen.", he cracked, his laugh a mixture of humor and pain. 

"Yeah, plenty.", he replied as his hand plucked a reed from beside the stream. It's tapered stock gently transitioned from rutabaga-purple to a verdant green. A complimentary chime indicated that this material satisfied the quest's requirement. "There was stuff on basic lore, mechanics, and I chose which package I wanted to start with."

Elora seemed dissatisfied with the answer. In a nervous gesture, she cleared her throat and began to inch towards him. "That's -- yeah, makes sense. Nothing -- anything about -- umm -- dying, though?"

Salem could feel constriction in his chest, an instinctual indication of underlying wrongness. "Not...that I can recall.", he said, searching for whatever it was the woman was getting at, "Just the usual 'Don't run out of HP or it'll be game over'."

"Oh", croaked Elora. By now she was standing before him, anxiously twiddling her thumbs. "So, actually -- you might want to sit down for this one."

Cocking his head and folding his arms across his chest was enough to imply she may as well continue.

Wait... "If you can't actually help me with the quest, then why did you bother coming along?", he inquired through narrowed eyes.

With a nonchalant shrug, Elora replied, "It's not fun to do these things on your own, besides, someone's gotta keep an eye out for you so you don't get killed by a stray boar."

"As selfless as that sounds, I'm sure I can handle killing a low-level mob. It's not like this game would put anything stronger outside of where I just started." To Salem, the logic was sound. He'd never played a game where he and the other players were immediately thrust into anything but an exhaustive tutorial.

"You'd be surprised...", she suggested somewhat ominously, "People have died from baby boars, mini bosses -- player killers."

"PVPers are always a pain.", he groaned as his eyes searched for the aforementioned materials, "They're always fun to play but some of them make it impossible to get anything done."

Regarding Elora as she teetered down the hill, Salem took note of the way her boots seemed to sink into the unusually spongey soil below. With care, he descended the hill at a diagonal so as to soften the precarious decline. He had nearly reached the bottom before an especially precarious patch of topsoil slid out right from under his boot. The displacement of one leg dominoed onto the other until he found his back smacked against the side of the slope. Slippery mud quickly sent him toppling toward the basin, where he soon floundered to a hault. Releasing a groan of pain, he hissed sarcastically, "Yep. Like a total natural."

The unintended joke sent his green-haired companion into a fit of laughter. Lips buzzing and all, Elora lurched forward and seized her stomach as a means to suppress the outburst. Salem couldn't help but laugh himself as a gloved hand raised to smear an accidental helping of mud across his forehead. "Ok -- I get at least ONE free pass, alright?" Accepting her hand, Salem found himself surprised at the amount of strength she offered in assisting him up.

Salem appreciated the silence. This was the first time he'd had a moment's peace since encountering the blasted woman. Hiking in this sort of environment could best be described as 'pleasant'. All around them, dragonflies danced in the temperate air. Salem swore he had spotted one phasing through a stray flower on more than one occasion. An undulating emerald sea expanded as far as the eye could see. Gradually, he'd begun to detect the sensation of fine water droplets drifting into his arm. It wasn't long before a barely-audible static grew into a substantial rumble.

As the two of them climbed a nearby knoll, his companion exclaimed: "Oh! I've been here before! This is where Jackpot and I came to gather herbs for my Alchemy quest."

Is Jackpot a player or some sort of pet?, he silently wondered.

"This'll be a great place for us to find materials -- LOOK!"

Before he could follow her gesture, Elora was already racing down the slope to the banks of a sandy stream.

"So, are you good at landing on your feet?"

What should have been an innocent inquiry felt like it had carved a fissure through his chest. Images of shrapnel coated in scarlet suddenly overshadowed the serendipity he had felt. Turning away from her, he did his best to stifle his nerves. "Nah", he managed to admit with an uneasy laugh, "I got pretty fucked up." Massaging the sides of both his thighs with anxious hands, he decided to elaborate, "I couldn't feel my legs until today, at least, not for a few years." Not since the accident. "It feels good to move again.", he concluded before brushing past her to create some distance between them. She didn't need to know that..., his conscience cautiously scolded. What had gotten the better of him? The emotions regarding all of it still felt too raw to handle. Besides, someone like her, she wouldn't understand.

"I'm sure it'll take some getting used to.", he added for good measure to dispel the dampened atmosphere.

Salem took note of her fiery reaction, not to mention the accent that came along with it. Is that...Scottish? Irish maybe? It subsided almost as quickly as it had begun to garnish her words. I guess she's quick to anger, but also quick to console. Interesting. The outburst was followed by an attempt at small talk. Desperation to fill dead air was bothersome, especially when it replaced a far more engaging topic. 

"Claws.", he responded bluntly as his hand reached up to -- Actually.

He seized the opportunity to summon each apparatus, leather gloves reinforced with a concealed ribbing. Quadruplet blades extended several inches from the base of his knuckles. Leaping up, he briskly lodged one set into the bark of a passing tree. The other swung, swiping a ripened fruit from where it hung with surprising precision. The object promptly popped out of the air and entered his inventory with a playful alert.