[PP-F1] 'Beginnings' [Complete]

[Caelam 0]

He watched the data files slowly rise and dissolve, drifting into the cloudless blue sky. The weight of his failure bowed his shoulders as he turned to Alkor and frowned wordlessly. Now that the mob had disappeared, the background audio came pouring back in, from the rustle of the wind to the forlorn chirp of a distant bird. It was peaceful, calm, but Caelam's knuckles were white where he gripped the haft of his spear.

It made no sense. Why couldn't he land a single hit? He knew there was an accuracy score generated by the game, but there was no way it could be so consistently abysmal. He must've been doing something wrong, but what? The movements had seemed natural, the blade sure to find its mark. He shook his head, disgusted. "Let's get out of here. Where to next?"

[Guest]

"Let's see if we can't find you some gear or something," the shorter man suggested, "maybe there's something that will help with your accuracy score?" Alkor couldn't help but feel like if they'd stayed out a bit longer, Caelam would have hit something... and hard, at that. You can't go forever on a streak of bad luck. Eventually, it'll turn around.

For now, though, it would benefit both of them to press forward. "Back to town. Mingle a little. Mostly near shops and such. What do you think?" Caelam was the better between the two of them at talking to people, so he'd be better off leading them from place to place within the safe zone. "We'll move on to Harunka Village. The town of beginnings doesn't have anything decent to offer you, except a bottomless pit for money and time."

[Caelam 0]

"Hang on..." he trailed off as a notification flashed before him. The glaring 'Congratulations' hung in the air for a long moment before his health bar began to refill, going from yellow to green and coming to rest at 7/7. "Looks like this wasn't a waste of an afternoon after all."

He couldn't help feeling some measure of pride, despite his rather lackluster performance. 'It's only level two.' Caelam reminded himself. Shouldering the naginata, the youth turned to his companion and nodded. "Sounds good. Even if they lack stat buffs, some damage protection couldn't hurt." His gaze cast along the horizon.

"Then we'll have to go back out, though. I wasted enough time huddled in the town of beginnings. Now I need to make up for it; I need to push myself. And," he said, still staring out across the plains. "I'm glad you've got my back. This isn't going to be easy."

[Guest]

He clapped Caelam on the shoulder and offered a smile. "Congrats, bud." The weight of it would feel light for the newer player at first, but every level above one was a step in the right direction. Every bit of strength they gained would inevitably be added to the collective strength of every player struggling through the death game. "Don't let it go to your head. One fight at a time."

Alkor started in the direction of Honruka on his minimap, marked with a custom indicator since he was currently basing all of his daily routines out of the small village. It was distant from the rest of everyone in the game, since they either huddled around the Town of Beginnings or stayed in the main cities on higher floors. Eventually, though, Alkor would be strong enough to move up. Then, strong enough to get his own place to live.

"Honruka is a hole in the wall," Alkor told Caelam, "but it's functional. The NPCs here are backwoods compared to the ones you're used to. But they have better stuff." The youth indicated the outpost in the distance. "It's not far, now."

[Caelam 0]

The slender youth just shrugged. "I grew up in a hole in the wall." Although backwoods didn't begin to compare to the residents of his hometown. Still, after the bustle of the town of beginnings and then the stress of their fight on the plains, it would be nice to relax and interact with the mostly friendly NPC's. It was a lot less frustrating than getting tossed around by a pig. Besides, there would be shops, and acquiring armor seemed like it should be a priority.

'Not that I have the col to pay for it.' He admitted. Well, he'd deal with that when they reached the village. His last glance at a map had been just before meeting Alkor, but he was fairly certain they were close. The plains gave way to timber, and then forest. The silence between them was filled with the hum of insects and the rustle of underbrush. Beneath the treetops the world seemed caught in an eternal twilight. Caelam was loath to speak, but at last he turned to his companion.

"I know I've said it before, but I can hardly believe none of this is real." He turned a circle, slowly, and shook his head. "How high have you been?"

[Guest]

"Ninth floor," Alkor replied. "Lava fields. Dangerous place- you can die in the main city- or any of the cities, really. If you fall off the side, there's nothing to catch you but magma." He reflected on the area with a wince. That experience had been worse than he had wanted to admit, going at such a low level. "Field boss. Nasty bugger, too."

He didn't want to say any more than that. What he'd said was more than enough. "Came extremely close to death. Close enough that I want to prevent anyone else from dying from now on. But I can't do that without becoming stronger." He took a deep breath. "I want to be strong so that no one ever has to be as scared as I was, that time."

Alkor turned his gaze on Caelam. "What about you?" He asked the younger man, "what do you intend to do?"

[Caelam 0]

His expression was impassive as Alkor answered. The genuine emotion in the man's voice was...unexpected to say the least. His words had weight, impact. You tasted their full meaning, and suddenly Caelam felt hollow. 'He was off fighting for his life, and where was I? Cowering in the town of beginnings, staring at the ceiling and wondering how long it would be before I went insane.' If his self-loathing was deserved, Caelam pushed it away anyway. Guilt wouldn't get you anywhere, especially not the front lines.

"...wow." He said after a long pause, and gave a little shake of his head. "I had no idea. Not that I had any clue what you'd been doing since we parted ways. To be honest, I was sort of angry at you. For being brave enough to leave when I wasn't, I think. Stupid. That's why I waited so long to send that message." He cleared his throat, suddenly uncomfortable.

"Anyway. All I want to do is get to the front lines, and help with the push to the top floor. Then I'm going to sue the company into the ground and live like a king for the rest of my days!" His quip and the grin that accompanied it were meant to dispel the somber mood, but instead they felt foolish, like an intrusion. He shook his head again. "We could be stuck in here for years, you know. In fact, at the rate we're leveling up, we probably will be. Everything will be different when we get back...if we get back."

[Guest]

He stepped closer to his friend just as he finished speaking about his bitterness, and Alkor locked eyes with the youth. "Hey," he said evenly, "no hard feelings. It's in the past." He gave the boy a firm shake, testing his heartiness, and Alkor grinned wickedly. "We're gonna get you there, bro. One step at a time. We're gonna be the strongest front liners this game could ever have baited in."

Alkor released Caelam in a quick motion and pointed toward Horunka, not eighty paces ahead of them. "I don't think the spear suits you, man," he said earnestly, "let's switch you to something more your speed. What do you think?"

In the end, it was up to the other boy what type of arms he carried. To Alkor, it was a helpful suggestion that might even take Caelam further toward his goal on the front lines. "Do you know what it is that you want to do on the front lines?" Alkor asked suddenly. "We need to get you prepared for it."

[Caelam 0]

He smiled as the older boy clasped his shoulders, the expression saying more than Caelam could ever put into words. With a silent nod, he fell back in step. For the first time since finding out he was trapped inside the game, he felt good. Like there was some hope of surviving after all. Whether it was the comfort of having a companion, or the exhilaration of gaining a level, he couldn't say. And frankly he didn't want to analyze it too much. He had a habit of rendering things down to their base components; lately he was of a mind that he should feel more and think less.

He eyed the spear with contempt. "I doubt the weapon's entirely to blame, but you're right, this isn't my style. The reach is nice, but I'd rather have something I can wield one-handed." 'Like you.' He thought but didn't say. Remaining silent as they progressed into the village- if you could even call it that- Caelam studied the few buildings and milling NPC's impassively. Even more impressive than the realistic sensations and incredible graphics was the way the game captured the realities of everyday life among its computers. Everyone, from the laysmith hammering nails to the plump woman beating a rug outside of her home, seemed perfectly natural. He couldn't detect the slightest hint of programming behind their movements. It was wondrous, really.

Alkor's question snapped him back to reality. He looked over rather sheepishly and then shrugged. "Not exactly. I always picture myself in a support role, but from what I've seen the game doesn't really cater to that."

[Guest]

"Support is a relative term," Alkor explained, "there are many roles to fill, and each of them does something the others can't quite do. Take me- I'm fleet footed, and built for dealing damage. That's what I want to do. I want to be one of the players who focuses on taking out the boss. While I don't necessarily protect anyone, I help make sure the boss goes down quickly. The better I am at my job, the less casualties there will inevitably be."

He went on to explain several other things, about solo play, and about class roles. The biggest thing, he decided, was to find something that Caelam felt comfortable with. "The closest thing, I think, to "support" would be the Tanking role. You're the player's first line of defense. The bulwark against which enemies crash and fall apart. You keep a constant hate score generating, and you soak up massive amounts of damage. That also makes it one of the most dangerous roles."

Not that it would sound appealing, but Tanks were always needed in high level fights. They were of the utmost importance, since damage roles were much more common. Alkor was going to have a lot of competition.

[Caelam 0]

"Gee, you make it sound so enticing." Despite the sarcasm, Alkor had managed to pique his curiosity. From what little he'd seen, there weren't many tanks, and if he could fill a role that played an important part, wouldn't it be worth the risk? Unlike his companion he was much more interested in saving his own skin than anyone else's, but...a tank would be good for a group, and a group would be good for his self preservation, no? "Something to think about, I suppose. And I don't mean that in an offhanded way. I'll consider what you've told me." After all, they might both be beginners, but Alkor obviously knew a lot more about the game than he did.

He paused in the shade of what he assumed to be the tavern, letting his slender frame sag against the rough wooden exterior. After a hard day of slashing the air, he felt he'd deserved a bit of a break. After a long moment of silence his gaze slid over to rest on his companion once more. "So, if I were to fill a tank role, a sword and shield combo would be the best way to go, don't you think? I'd need all the damage protection I could get."

There were one handed spears he could wield with a shield just as easily as a sword, he knew. Yet his misfortune with the naginata had spoiled the weapon class for him. Alkor was right, he needed to switch it up. Standing, he cast one last look around the tiny village and then flashed his companion a grin. "Ready to go again?"

[End]

Spoils: 400 Col (200 each)