Oske 0 Posted August 19, 2014 #1 Report Share Posted August 19, 2014 It was Oske’s first time in Florenthia. After she and Daeron has parted ways, she spend a while just sitting in her shop, thinking to herself. She knew it wasn’t good for her, but then again, what was in this virtual world? It wasn’t like she was getting fitter running up and down a path that didn’t actually exist. Everything was created by the system. There was nothing real to it. She had ignored the news of floors being cleared, but eventually decided to get back into shape and head toward the next chapter of her life. It was time to move on. Moving on was hard when she was hanging from a branch over waters infested with death, though. The moment she stepped onto the other side of the portal, she tripped and fell through the well weaved path in the treetops. What kind of idiot was she to fall right through the branches, so obviously broken in places but still walk able. She let out a wail as she fell, grabbing onto the branch for dear life. NPCs approached her, but were unable to do anything without falling into the waters below. “Well, this sucks.†Link to post Share on other sites
Oske 0 Posted August 19, 2014 Author #2 Report Share Posted August 19, 2014 After hanging there for a while, Oske noticed something that caught her eye. A little girl with peppery golden hair was reaching through the branches, her short arms just out of reach for Oske. Oske tried to reach up with one hand, but suddenly her grip slipped from the branch and she came hurtling down to the waters below. Before she knew it, the little girl was suddenly flying after her. She didn’t seem to have a name above her head, and she didn’t seem to be an NPC either. Oske opened her mouth to speak, but only bubbles escaped as she landed in the water and splashed about. Her cape was dragging her down, along with her armor. She gasped, and realized the short (a group of branches and roots) was not that far away. She started to swim toward it. However, hearing another splash as the little girl hit the water, she turned and swam toward the girl. “Hey!†Oske called nervously. “Don’t splash so much!†The girl was freaking out, splashing about in panic. Oske dove under and swam toward her, picking her up on her shoulders and almost sinking herself. She gasped for air, and noticed… a long eel approaching them. Oske took a deep breath, held the girl for a second, and shoved her as close to the roots as she could. She then unsheathed her sword. (-1 to rolls by Oske due to water resistance) Oske: (25/25) Eel: (16/16) Link to post Share on other sites
Oske 0 Posted August 19, 2014 Author #3 Report Share Posted August 19, 2014 With a sloppy swing through the thick, murky water, Oske nearly lost her sword as she tried to slice the eel. It easily swiveled out of the way, it's fins flopping and swirling in the water. The big yellow eyes in its head glared at her, and it shot at her faster than imaginable. She gasped, trying to lift up her shield, which seemed heavy as bricks at the time. (-1 to rolls by Oske due to water resistance) Oske: (25/25) Eel: (16/16) Link to post Share on other sites
Oske 0 Posted August 19, 2014 Author #4 Report Share Posted August 19, 2014 The eel lunged at Oske, making the mistake to jump out of the water. She quickly lifted up her shield out of the water and the eel rammed right into her shield. As it hissed and fell backwards, stunned for a moment, it began to float backwards. It was her chance to get away. She quickly started kicking and pumping her legs hard in attempts to get away, but everything was weighing her down. The eel was starting to catch up again. (-1 to rolls by Oske due to water resistance) Oske: (25/25) Eel: (16/16) Link to post Share on other sites
Oske 0 Posted August 19, 2014 Author #5 Report Share Posted August 19, 2014 As the eel caught up to Oske, she turned and slashed for it. It dodged again, as her blade was incredibly slow. It swam back a little, as if afraid. She turned to look at the girl she was swimming toward. She looked scared, but Oske hadn't taken any damage yet... but neither had the eel. She reached forward, trying to grab at the roots with her hands. They were so close, yet... so far! (-1 to rolls by Oske due to water resistance) Oske: (25/25) Eel: (16/16) Link to post Share on other sites
Oske 0 Posted August 19, 2014 Author #6 Report Share Posted August 19, 2014 The eel opened its mouth, ready to latch its teeth onto Oske's leg, but just as it snapped down she ripped herself from the water and gasped, sitting on the roots. The eel poked its head out of the water, snarling with rage. She took a deep breath. While the whole encounter had been uneventful, it was still terrifying. With such horrible skills in the water, she could've actually died. Taking another shaky breath, she looked at the little girl. "Are you okay?" "Yes," she replied shyly. "Let's get back up there, okay? I think it'll be difficult to climb back up there from here, but I see some footholds. Hear, climb on my back." The little girl stared at Oske. "Yeah, okay, I'm not that strong. But I think I can carry you. Just... hop on my back. Link to post Share on other sites
Oske 0 Posted August 20, 2014 Author #7 Report Share Posted August 20, 2014 After a little moment of struggle between Oske and the girl, she began to climb the roots with the tiny hands nearly choking her, around her neck. “So, uh, what’s your name?†Oske panted. “I don’t see a name, or… or even a health bar. But you’re not an NPC, right? That wouldn’t make sense. I can carry you…†The little girl didn’t say anything at first. “My name is…†the sound she made after that was a series of numbers and codes that Oske just couldn’t understand. Oske found her foot stepping on a large branch, and she lightly set the little girl down to take a moment and breathe. “That’s a… nice name.†“You have to input a name,†the little girl replied. Oske blinked in confusion. The little girl sighed softly. “I’d like to get back to the village.†“O-of course,†Oske said. There was a staircase in the trunk now, leading up to the town above in the trees. Link to post Share on other sites
Oske 0 Posted August 20, 2014 Author #8 Report Share Posted August 20, 2014 Once they were back in the village, the little girl was swinging back and forth nervously. Oske paused when she heard a strange pinging sound—the sound players made when they were hungry. “Oh! You’re hungry. I think I have some food… a player dropped it earlier on my way here. I guess they didn’t want it. Do you like peppers?†“I don’t know,†the girl replied. “What’s a pepper?†“It’s food, and… oh yeah. It’s not really a pepper, not here. It’s a stuffed… uh…†Oske pulled up her menu and pressed the pepper-treat. “A stuffed Hailn. How do you even pronounce that…? Anyway, here you go!†The pepper-like vegetable was stuffed with spices, some type of meat, and other vegetables. Oske wasn’t particularly interested in such food, but the little girl immediately gobbled up the pepper. Oske jumped back when a keypad and an empty box popped up in front of the little girl. INPUT NAME “Wh-what’s this?†she stuttered. The little girl looked up at her. “Input a name.†Link to post Share on other sites
Oske 0 Posted August 20, 2014 Author #9 Report Share Posted August 20, 2014 “I-I don’t understand,†Oske stuttered again. “You’re not… a familiar, are you? Are you some type of AI?†The little girl stayed where she stood. “You’re awful lonely.†“Excuse me?†“It’s not hard to tell. You were in the real world, too, weren’t you? I know. I’m just another AI. There’s a lot of us, but you would never know,†the little girl giggled. Oske suddenly reached forward to grab the girl’s shoulders. “Do you know anything about SAO!?†she gasped. “Of course,†she replied. “It’s an VRMMORPG. Sword Art Online.†“No, I mean… do you know how to get out or anything like—†“We AIs are cut off from the main system for the most part. There are very few things I can do on it, and I am here simply for ‘special effects.’ But I guess I decided to like you, so… I followed you here.†Link to post Share on other sites
Oske 0 Posted August 20, 2014 Author #10 Report Share Posted August 20, 2014 Oske stared shakily at the keypad. “So… you’re trying to be… what? You want to be my friend?†“I’ll be whatever you want me to be.†Oske paused. She remembered the days when she was really out there in the world. With her friends, she played tabletop RPGs. It was the time of her life, and every time she had a little girl following her around to help her with adventures. That little girl, her daughter, was her true companion. It didn’t matter that she wasn’t real. Oske slowly typed in the name “Pepper†and pressed the enter key. A name popped up above Pepper’s head, and she smiled slightly. “Do you want to be my mommy, miss Oske?†“Y-yes,†Oske said blankly. With that, Pepper threw herself into Oske’s arms and hugged her. It was a virtual warmth, but it didn’t really matter. Nothing really mattered anymore. Even if her daughter was a figment of imagination, she was still… someone to depend on. Link to post Share on other sites
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