[SP-F1] The First Day

[Merlyn 0]

Spoiler

AGGGGHHHHH. I am so unused to this site. I hit enter and it refreshed and posted before I was ready!

So, this thread was basically supposed to be an introduction to my character that I can reference when participating in other threads for inspiration on thoughts and stuff. I wasn't sure if that was okay, so I was gonna ask someone first... ah well. I hope it's alright. I'm probably gonna upload a bunch of posts at once cause I wrote a bunch in OpenOffice. I was originally gonna format each one though... Ah well. 

I'm not even done with the whole thing yet... now it's just gonna lay here undone until I can finish the story. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

 

 

Wait, hold on a second.

What the hell is going on?

It had been 3 minutes since the announcement. All at once, the language around Josiah had turned from Japanese to perfect English. Not only that, but he figured out that he couldn't log off.

“What is going on?” he mumbled under his breath and turned to the man on his right.

Alright. Construct your face. Remember to smile, and let it reach into your eyes. Keep your voice laid-back and relaxed, and a little upbeat. People are more likely to talk to someone who is acting upbeat and easy-going then curt and brief.

His mantra complete, a lazy smile slid its way across the confines of Josiah's face like a snake would slither its way up a tree trunk, and he began to speak at the Japanese man in front of him:

“Hey, dude. You know what's going on here? I kinda didn't - “ Josiah got out half of his explanation before the expression on the man's face shocked him into silence. It was... disgusting, full of fear and surprise and depression, and from this one look, the American was able to ascertain all he needed to know about the situation. The man, about ten years older than Josiah himself, choked on the miasma of terror that was floating about him, and inwardly Josiah winced. So, this was actually happening.

“You... you didn't hear? We're trapped here! I... oh god, I told Makise that I would be home for dinner, what am I going to do? I mean, what... “ the rest of the man's diatribe faded out as Josiah began ignoring him. Sad as it was, nothing that the adult was saying made any sense, and Josiah himself was already beginning to understand the implications of this anyways.

 

So, they were trapped here.

 

Edited July 3, 2016 by Merlyn

[Merlyn 0]

So we have to escape...

The first step would obviously be organization. They would need craftsmen, fighters, and alchemists. Fighters would bring materials for the craftsman and alchemist guilds, whom would craft and create potions for the fighters as they come back from clearing floors. Toby and Josiah had already discussed this at length before he had entered Aincrad. He didn't know if Toby was there, but Josiah could apparently understand and communicate with the other players somehow, so he wouldn't be needed. This setup would increase efficiency in level-grinding and monster-hunting, and make clearing the floors easy.

However...

However, originally Toby was going to spearhead that all. Josiah himself was just to be a piece, a foreigner unable to speak for himself whom would act as a loner in raids on floor bosses. It's why he chose the dagger, so that he could sneak around and fight off single targets without communicating much with the rest of the party. Josiah himself was never big for communication anyways, even if everyone was speaking his language now.

And besides...

If it was me leading the charge...

We would be doomed to failure.

[Merlyn 0]

“Aghhhhhh!”

Josiah's hands flew to his face in a flash, and not a moment later his cheeks turned red as the other players turned to look at the foreigner that was freaking out five minutes late. He waved his hands in protest, and a dry laugh escaped his throat.

“Play it off...” he mumbled under his breath, giggling at his own awkward outburst before sinking down onto the fountain, holding his head in his hands.

What was he doing? He was no leader. He could barely even get out of the bed to go to class most mornings. It was weird of him to even think that.

It was weird, wasn't it though? Strangely lonely, being in this new world. He looked around, and realized that most of these people had friends that they were processing this with. He couldn't see Toby, although there was always the chance he was hanging out with his girlfriend from back home, but almost every other person he could see was either holding each other and bawling their hearts out or arguing about the right way to proceed with their life. It was all so... normal, somehow, even despite the strange.

That's right. Most of these people went to school together. Or were coworkers, or even families. He could see a father holding his son and whispering that things were going to be alright. God, even the eleven-year olds were together with someone.

“I mean, that makes sense. I am the foreigner in this game, right?

All of them would rally without his help.

He would just sit back and watch in the background, as he always has, as others take care of his problems.

A rush hit him in the stomach, and he crumpled into himself, the realization that he would just continue living as he always had somehow causing his stomach to churn and ache.

Jeez...

Look at you...

How Pathetic...

And Josiah sank into the darkness of his mind.

Edited July 3, 2016 by Merlyn

[Merlyn 0]

He was in college. Out in Berkeley, Calfornia, during the second semester of his first year. As usual, he was sprawled out on his bed, watching the latest anime while the day sped by around him. Toby was at his usual spot at the desk next to him, trolling online forums and every now and then mentioning something interesting happening in the game industry.

“Hey, Toby. You ever think about Heaven?” Josiah leaned back in his bed as he finished the final episode of an action show, cracking his knuckles and wincing as the pain in his wrists intensified.

Toby scrunched up his face, and clicked through his forum to another page as he considered the question, “I don't know. I never thought about it. Why, you gonna kill yourself or something? Do it when I'm out of the room. I don't need the trauma.”

Josiah barked out a laugh even as his eyes winced at the comment, “That's cruel dude. You know I would never hurt myself as long as you're here with me,” his hands formed a heart and a goofy grin showcased themselves on Josiah's face, and he stuck his tongue out at the Japanese transfer student.

“Then I really need to get out of the room then.” The two shared a laugh, and Toby smirked as he continued, “Ok, I'll humor you. What about Heaven?”

[Merlyn 0]

“Well,” Josiah adjusted himself on the bed, sitting up in a criss-cross and pushing back the hair from his eyes, “you know how it's treated as a reward, right? Like, if you do good in life, you get to spend eternity in happiness and all that stuff.”

“Sure. That's the story, right?”

“Yeah. So I've been thinking...” here Josiah cleared his throat, almost of guilt, and continued, “you know how a job works, right?”

“Oh?”

“You get paid for doing something. You don't usually want to do it, and most people that have one hate it. But they do it because society forces them into it. If they don't, they are kicked out onto the streets and live their lives begging for loose change. And screw them,” Josiah cut himself off, but Toby had focused his attention fully on the young adult, and so he forced himself to continue, “well, if you think about it, isn't life a job then?”

“You mean that not many people enjoy it?”

“I mean that you are forced into it. Even if you hate it. It's weird, right? I mean, we work for years doing something that we may not even want to do for a prize that we don't even know exists. It's like working without even knowing that you will make money at the end of it.”

As Josiah finished talking, Toby laughed and looked back with a wry grin on his face,

“Hey, you know what they say. God made us in his image.”

“Heh,” Josiah's face turned from an earnest cry to a soft smile, and he returned the laugh, “I guess that's true.”

With that, the two had continued on with their hobbies, but Josiah began to think.

This world is grey. Stale, flat, and worthless are all its offerings.

If God made this world in his own image, then does that mean he really doesn't give a damn about us?
I wish... I wish I was born into a different world. One vibrant, where even someone like me can be a hero.

I wish I didn't have to be Josiah Greene.

I wish...

I wish...

“I wish you would look up! I've been calling your name for the last five minutes.”

Edited July 3, 2016 by Merlyn

[Merlyn 0]

Josiah was disturbed from his reverie by a voice, and blushing, he immediately jumped onto his feet from the fountain, and looked down embarrassingly.

   “Sorry, was daydreaming. What's up, I'm - “ his voice caught in his throat as he stared forward at the girl in front of him.

   She was... radiant. Black hair flowed down to the back of what was possibly one of the most beautiful women that Josiah had ever met in his life. Pale skin contrasted with sharp green eyes, and he could dimly see the outline of a cloth bandage being held in his direction.

    “You looked like you were crying.”

    Huh?

    Confused, Josiah put a hand to his face, feeling a touch of wet salt that had found its way there unbidden, and he wiped away a tear that had crept onto his face without permission. Well, this was going well. Not even an hour into this new situation and he was already in tears. Not only that, there was a girl to see it. And Josiah was never good with girls.

    “Uh... sorry. I'm fine. Didn't even know it was happening.” he gave a sheepish grin and rubbed the back of his head, “I was just remembering something from before I came here.”

    At this, the girl frowned and sat down on the fountain where Josiah had just been, resting a hand on her chin and resting the elbow on her knee, as if lost in deep thought.

    “Why?”

Edited July 3, 2016 by Merlyn

[Merlyn 0]

What? What is she talking about?

The girl giggled at Josiah's stumped expression, and pressed on, her hands switching positions to form a bridge that she rested her head on, “I mean, why even think about that grey and boring world? You have this one now.”

See look...

She has the right idea...

Isn't this what you've always wanted?

Josiah fiercely shook his head, and stated, “Wait, I don't get it. Are you saying that you aren't - “

“You're a foreigner, right?”
The retort from the girl shut Josiah in his tracks, and his normal, easy-going smile and goofy exterior faded, replaced with a sneer of a cornered animal.

“What about it.”

However, the girl's face showed no signs of unease at this development, and she continued to chat as merrily as before, perhaps even more so,

“You would rather log in to a videogame of a world in which you can't speak the language, to play with people you don't even know, and get renown of purely virtual value, rather than make actual relationships with people in that world, right? So, isn't this Heaven for you?”

Josiah's eye twitched involuntarily, and his expression, normally malleable to his wishes, was unable to retrieve its mask, and a clear plea showed, readable to anyone that could understand facial queues.

Here, you can be whatever you want to be.

Your wrists don't hurt. You can do things you can't back there.

Heck, you don't even have to go to the bathroom anymore...

 

Edited July 3, 2016 by Merlyn

[Merlyn 0]

“Think about it. Life back there is terrible. It's like God decided that, whether we like it or not, we are forced to stay there. Doesn't this feel like something we were owed? I can't be the only person who thinks this way... I figured if anyone would, it was you.”

You can be a hero here.

You don't have to worry about failing.

About not being good enough.

“We can be anyone we want to be. Here, it doesn't matter about our past; who we were and what life used to be are just that, in the past. I've even abandoned my real name.” An open, sincere smile played across the face of the girl, and Josiah felt an unshackling in his heart. Normally, he would think about whether or not she is lying, if she is using him or luring him into a trap, but in this moment, he could only think about what came ahead.

He didn't care what she really thought of him at all. All he could feel was gratitude, at a God that he felt had abandoned him long ago. Water welled in his eyes, and he felt unbidden the corners of his lips tugging up. He tried to suppress it, but they continued to move, until he beamed at the girl in front of him.

The smile leaped off her face, and he could see a reddening of her cheeks, although he didn't know why. She quickly recovered, and leapt to her feet, holding out a hand in front of Josiah.

“Hi. I am Mari. That's the only name I want to be known by in this world. We're going to be heroes.”

With one hand wiping at his face, Josiah clasped her hand in his.

“Geez, I'm being such a wuss right now. I promise I'm not normally like this.”

“Idiot. You're supposed to tell me your name when you introduce yourself.”

“I guess... you already know by looking at me right? I'm Merlyn. That's the only name anyone needs to know.”

With that, the two left the town square, heading for the nearest inn. The sunset dwindled into night, and as they had a drink in that inn, Merlyn could only feel like the world had given him a second chance. He would not waste it, no matter what life threw at him.

He would regret making that promise.

A week later, Mari vanished into thin air, wrapped in his arms.

 

Spoiler

I STARTED THIS THREAD WHEN ONLY HALFWAY FINISHED! Have a flight to New York comin up, probably will finish this on the plane and then ask for locking after I hit 20 posts. Then it's finding friends time. Oh joy. :P.

I don't know if I'm supposed to write OOC in these but whatever. I've always been someone who likes to make sure people don't misunderstand stuff. I do want to level up to 2 so I can start fighting stuff!