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[Jod]

Codex Regius

...and so it begins

 

Valiantrelm

 

 

The city of Gelt situated at the Northern reaches of the Knightly territories. Just further north one can find the Ice Wastes, the only part of the realm that never seems to get that cheery mood found throughout realm during summer. The onset of winter doesn’t really make the Wastes any cheerier.

 

Called by many as the crystal city, due to its gleaming spires and castles built from Star Obsidian, it is perhaps amongst the most beautiful cities within the realm. During winter the city enjoys surge in activity as the knights of the realm migrate to the border for their annual stand off with the horde.

 

This winter like any other also saw a surge in Labrynthian visitors, all looking to take a part in the action that was to come. Other were tradesmen of all kinds looking to profit off the needs of the many fighters sure to be coming to the region.

 

The streets were already full of Knights gallivanting about in shining armor, however with most knights being as smart as the helms they wore. Already half of them were out and about exchanging fisticuffs over some imagined affront or the other. The other half were busy serenading and flirting with the many fair maidens that could be found around the city. Absolutely none of them were upto any good.

 

You are one among many of these visitors, fresh off your cabby in the inter-dimensional train service between Junction city to Valiantrelm, the Zenith Express. As you step out of the little station, the city looms before you. A rather beautiful collection of thin yet elegant spires, and other medieval architecture, a refreshing change to the eclectic mish-mash that makes up Junction City. You have recently bought or acquired information regarding certain juicy quests available in the area.

 

> You make your way through the bustling streets to the point of contact for the quest. You have an appointment with a junior member of a guild called Rancid Apples.

Spoiler

Name: Genlo

Castle Crash

> The Guild Rancid Apples wishes to move into Valiantrelm, and take up some territory. Regarding this they have obtained information of an abandoned castle, out in the Ice Waste. The information says that the Castle is populated with relatively weak monsters. Unfortunately the guild members are busy people and don't have the time to clear out the Castle. So instead they have put up a Quest, requesting that the Castle be cleared and claimed by a third party in the name of Rancid Apple. All loot and gold earned can be kept by the quester...

 

>Instead, you go down to the city gates and speak to the Forward Seargant, situated in a little cabin near the gates.

Spoiler

 

Name: Sgt Cassandra

The Knight’s Charge

>Winter has just started in Valiantrelm, and both sides the Frost Horde and the Knights are preparing their forces. However Helzor,  Ice Knight of the Horde has gone rogue and has been spotted prowling the noob grounds near the city of Gelt, his presence is affecting trade and causing the cities primary population to leave. Based on reports, Helzor is protected at all times by a guard detail. The quest has been put up by the Mayor of the town, he suspects some kind of foul play involved in the situation. The mission is simple, investigate and eliminate.

 

 

>You make way to the manor of the Duke Crait, and find that the Steward is already waiting for you at the gate.

Spoiler

Name: Knight Folda

The Ruins Of Telar

>Ruins have been observed to have risen near the border to the Ice Wastes, according to records there is not supposed to be any structures current or old at the location. Small groups of creatures have been seen migrating towards the ruins. The authorities of  Valiantrelm are worried that if this continues, they realm may have a second horde in its hands by summer time. This is absolutely unacceptable as the Knights won’t have enough time to recover from the Frost Horde, and will be demolished.  You are tasked with investigating and eliminating the source.

 

 

 

Gaearelm

 

 

Steel city can be called the economic capital of Gaearelm, this wealth is ofcourse shown by gargantuan yet stately skyscrapers that mark the cities skyline. The largest of these Tower 32 can probably house a small city within itself alone.

 

It is a modern scene mimicking and drawing inspiration from a number of real life cities, and then taking the designs further. The result is a city that has a more modern aesthetic, at odds with its superscientific competitor in Stellarelm. Of Course unlike Stellarelm the denizens have a far better appreciation for common sense and beauty.

 

Of Course that doesn't prevent them from going a bit greedy and overstepping their bounds, this is of course where the League of Superhero’s come in. They prowl the cities and thwart and unlawful activities they get their eyeballs on. Though the League can get a tad over zealous at times , ending up causing more problems than they solved.

 

The City is always busy, always chock full of denizens from all over the Labrynth. In many ways if Junction city hadn’t existed, Steel City would have become the “Center of The Labrynth”. It is still considered a major economic center within the known realms of the Labrynth and any merchant worth his salt knows to have a base in the city.

 

You arrive at the Inter-dimensional Station via the Silver Streak Daily Train service between Junction city and Steel city. The station like rest of the city is a modern affair with chic interiors drawing strong influences from minimalism You already know where you want to go, there is a certain Quest you’d like to partake.

 

>You take a cab to the Police HQ a tall building, unlike the rest of the city not very pretty, but very stout. After you pass through security, you find yourself in an expansive lobby area, with a polished marble, the walls are a soothing pastel. Seated at the far end of the Oval room, is a simple Oak reception table with a dainty looking police woman with auburn hair..

Spoiler

 

Wiretap

>A new villain has risen to power in Steel City, she calls herself the Surge. She has even been able to round up support from several of the minor gangs that prowl the streets of the city. Though she is not yet powerful enough to appear on the League's radar. She has been causing quite the ruckus, including a few bank heists and several protection rackets. The Steel CIty Police force has come across plans that the Surge, will soon maneuver to expand her territories with the help of an unknown third party. They have taken the decision to put up a bounty. The primary directives of the quest are to investigate and then bring back “the Surge”

 

 

>Instead you make your way to the Metro. After a short journey through the metro and then another short bout of walking you reach an abandoned bus stop. You wait for a while, and then at the appointed time a black limo pulls up infront of you. The windows drop and a beautiful woman gestures for you to sit inside.

Spoiler

Name: Mac

An Exchange of Goods

>The  Hapherd Agglomerate, is about to finish the construction of its largest RnD Labs, the Adeptus Complex. Once operational, it will become the largest research center in the city and probably most of the realm. However, the Agglomerate needs to move some rather sensitive materials to the new labs, with utmost secrecy and haste. There are fears that information has been leaked regarding the materials, the loss of which would harm the company greatly. Unfortunately the transfer would also make it a very juicy target for corporate mercenaries. Hence as a precaution the Agglomerate has posted a quest for a protection detail during the transfer.

 

>You can't wile your time about enjoying the city, you have serious work on your hands, you follow a little map, to a small tributary road to one of the arteries of the city. A section of the road is cordoned off by holotape, behind it is a large truck with an array of some sort of droids latched securely into custom made groves, straps and sockets. Leaning against the yellow truck is your contact Phil

Spoiler

 

Name: Phil

Something in the Sewers

>Steel city boasts one of the most advanced and complex sewer systems in the entirety of the realm. However it has come to the Central Sewer Authorities notice that there have been some disturbances regarding missing personel and stolen equipment near treatment area six within the sewers. Unfortunately surveillance attempts to investigate the matter have failed, as the power supply to the sector has been cut. The Quest is required those interested to protect a team of maintenance droids as they fix the power supply to the surveillance system.

 

 

 

Spoiler

You can also go exploring, which will be akin to random encounters whose difficulty is based of a roll, can be risky as it can be rewarding. Includes much adlibbing

Edited by Jodgod, 27 August 2014 - 03:52 PM.

[Faye]

[Assassin] Fay

Lv. 20

| Location: Valiantrelm

 

As the interdimensional train slowed to a stop on Valiantrelm's station, a group of adventurers set their foot on the beautiful landscape of the medieval realm. Their feet were greeted by light, prickly frost that made soft cracking sound every time they took a step. The whole city was covered in velvety whiteness that glistened beautifully against the soft rays of light that fell from the soothing, blue sky.

 

The last to depart from the train, was a petite girl dressed in an oriental outfit. A small girl with thin air of existence, snow-white skin, and unusual eye color even for the mystical labyrinth, to be exact. At a glance, it would not be surprising if people would think that she's a kind of snow spirit pet that a player brought to the town.

 

"Woah.. It's been two weeks since I played this game, but it's still hard to believe that this body is mine.." the petite lady thought to herself as she saw her reflection in the pool of freezing water on the side of the railway. "It's so delicate, so.. feminine," she continued daydreaming as she stared at the blurred reflection.

 

Having sensed that her party members were watching her, however, she quickly averted her gaze, and.. "Ahem! So, since we've arrived, why don't we start discussing the quest we're going to take first?"

 

Tried to change the topic.

 

"Since most of us excels at mob-cleaning, I think this 'Castle Crash' quest would be ideal for us. It has low difficulty level and I think it will let Taal-kun and his crowd control shine," said the girl as she produced a small scroll from her inventory. "Or we could also gun for this quest," she added as she pointed on a line on the scroll she just produced. It was marked as 'The Knight's Charge'.

 

"This might sound a bit selfish, but I think this is the perfect quest for an assassin like me," she continued. "And defeat-a-boss quests would usually give better rewards, don't they?"

 

"So what do you think, Taal-san, Thea-san, Ita?"

[Officer Judy Hopps]

Teysa the Fantabulous

Impatience is what marked the first of a Dragonkin that stood in the bustling streets that lined the outer ring of a grand Manor. First, she had heard of a lovely questing opportunity which lead to her walking before a luxurious home. Far more luxurious than any cave she had ever slept in. However, this game world, with how expansive it was supposed to be had once again teamed her up with HIM to get the job done.

A mild "hmph!" And a cheek puff of utter indignation escaped her at the very thought! She didn't get it! Wasn't one dragon enough to get the job done? Nooooooo, of course not. Apparently transforming into a GIANT FIRE BREATHING WINGED WYRM wasn't enough for these people. "Always in parties of three or more," the quest giver said and then it even piped in with a comical note! "And if you don't have one, we'll find one for you in the que system!!"

So she waited. Hoping that she'd get a competent party for this new ordeal, but noooo. Well, yes. Sort of. HIS name was the first to pop up into the party lineup. Marcellus. Mister Jerkface DPS race himself! They had worked together almost constantly for the past year! Even though it was supposed to be a RARE event to get paired up with someone more than once, she had worked with him at least sixteen times over the past four weeks!

Incoherently grumbling in draconian tongue underneath her breadth, she annoyingly kicked a pebble as she folded her arms. Of the last several times that they had met, the amount of damage they had both dealt was changing. At first, she had beaten him by a mile; with him doing about half of what she had done. Now, he was beginning to close the gap, with him actually BEATING her numbers (how dare he! Pah!) By mere fractions of a difference when she got a little complacent. And as a result the little dragoness was as determined as ever to win and reestablish that gap once again.

That being said, the moment that the party was completed, Teysa bribed a mage to get a teleport to the outskirts of their objective. Where she stood and waited impatiently with due tension for her two partymates to arrive. First naturally came Marcellus, and the second he arrived, he received a hug with the kind of strength she was known for. Naturally almost bringing his ribs to a near-breaking point with the kind of physical force that was unheard of normally for someone her size.

Then again, she only remained as such to not cause discomfort and panic among the commonfolk. Here, in this open field, her true form would soon be seen.

"Heeeeeey Marcellus!" She cried out, giving him one last crushing squeeze for good measure. Setting him down, she cracked a slightly fanged grin, because she couldn't really do anything else in this petite form. "We meet once again, I suppose!" Naturally, such a jovial tone was a ruse, and he would know it.

There was a spark of flame in her eyes that marked the fiery tendency of her competitiveness. She was going to beat him, this time soundly because of her new toy so aptly called "Squishy the Terrible". That aside, she rotated the glowing stone in her fingertips as she eyed up.the swordsman first before the jutting her thumb at the new person she didn't recognize.

With technology that seemed a bit advanced for the realm she played in. Narrowing her eyes, she looked back to Marcellus.

"D'you know this guy?"

Edited by Feisty-Pants, 28 August 2014 - 12:17 PM.

[Darkoda]

Bullet Time

Ruins of Telar

 

Getting paid to play a cutting edge video game; it sounded like the kind of things dreams were made of and normally, those people would get hit in the face with the reality of what being a game tester actually involved. But this time, they’d be pretty accurate. Bullet cradled her newly adjusted cannon, stroking the weapon that was almost as tall as she was. It was only a prototype, she needed some more materials to really go to town on it but she was almost there. She had laid the foundation for her class abilities to shine and now all she needed was the equipment to go with it.

 

That is what she’d like to do but she was supposed to be doing a job here and some random ruins that no one could quite recall coding into the game? Well that was something worth investigating. If that damn rabbit was behind this mess….

 

The knight program tossed her the quest, confirmed that it knew nothing about the ruins and then fed her a line about needing a party which led to her being tossed with these two random people on the way there. Well at least one was easy enough to recognise from their accessories; one Dragon. Now who was the other one?

 

Well she could get that after re-educating this little one about who she actually was. With a glint in her eye Bullet let her plasma cannon fully extend on her arm, turning on the fancy lightning effect to get the proper mood going. “I am no guy, little dragon; I am Bullet, mad scientist, inventor and the one who can offer quite a lot in exchange for a few favours. Whether you need an upgraded sword, or clothes that are more than barely decent, I’m your dict – I mean girl! Just bring me your drops and I can give all the inventions!”

 

The crackling lightning and thunder around her really did add a nice touch. She knew that splurging on that thunder elemental affinity would be worth it!

[Orcraniil]

[Druid] Taal

Lv. 20

Location: Valiantrelm

 

Taal stifled a deep yawn as he stepped off of the interdimensional train at Valiant Station. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, inhaling the cool winter air and getting a feel for the land with Tectonic Satellite. Not using much energy, to others it would seem as though he was just doing breathing exercises. Despite the oncoming winter, the land was still fairly vibrant; the animals scurried about to prepare for the inevitable snow and ice. The local fauna was fairly silent, as could be expected given the season. Taal snapped out of his trance and an uncontrollable smirk crept onto his face as he observed his party members starting to group up. Their party was a relatively new one, but Taal felt they had potential. Fay, the small assassin whose eyes were the only thing that betrayed her true nature. Going just by appearances, she would seem rather timid and weak, but appearances don't often mean too much. While most like to adhere to the quiet mysterious assassin cliche, Fay was actually one of the more most outspoken members of the team. She could even be considered the heart. 

 

Speaking of heart... That brings up the subject of Itano. The metal-mage was rarely online without Fay, though if there was any connection to be made there, Taal would assume they were likely close friends or something similar. No one other than close friends or siblings would have the kinds of arguments and fights they do and still hang around each other. Like Fay, Itano has a very good understanding of his class and when/how to make the most of it's potential. The guy certainly proved he can make some interesting things happen in fights. Unfortunately, he's a bit on the weaker side of vitality and so is his constant companion to be honest. Nevertheless, I'm glad to have him in the team and his skill has proven itself in every fight we've been in since our short stint as a party began.

 

Pantea. The Swordswoman and generally the all-rounder of our team, she's pretty good at holding down the front-line while Itano works his magic into metal and Fay positions herself into a prime spot for them mad DEEPS son. Don't be fooled by my wording though, Pantea can put on the hurt when she really needs too. She hits hard enough to make her impossible to ignore and is fast enough to pursue the fastest of mobs. That's not to mention the possibilities her Energy Burst provides should we get into a bit of a hairy situation with some particularly long ranged mobs or we get overwhelmed with a bunch of little guys. She has a depth to her play that a lot of people lack. I'm glad to have her in the party.

 

Now that introductions are over...

 

Fay was sort of staring into a pool of frozen water when she looked up and noticed everyone else had already grouped up and was watching her. She kind of found herself in a sort of leadership spot with the party. It wasn't like she volunteered, it's just one of those things that sort of happened. Taal has no desire over leading anyone, knowing his indecisiveness would cause more than a few issues. She made two propositions, one for "Castle Crash", mentioning the fact that our team composition kind of lends itself pretty well to cleaning up small mobs efficiently. She even mentioned that Taal's crowd control would be particularly effective. The second proposition was "The Knight's Charge", a quest that involved a small amount of stronger monsters and a boss. While there would be less loot in "The Knight's Charge", it would more than likely be of greater quality than what would be found in "Castle Crash". What settled the choice for Taal was the glint in the assassin's eyes as she mentioned "The Knight's Charge" being perfect for an assassin.

 

"Well, I don't really care either way, though I do think the higher quality items will be on "The Knight's Charge", so I'm throwing my vote into that one."

 

The cute girl wanted to assassinate something, who am I to argue?

[I-Am-X]

[Demon] Plague

Lv. 20

Location: Valiantrelm

 

With a smirk, Plague stepped off of the inter-dimensional train coming in from Junction City, holding a leash in one hand. 'He' recently 'acquired' some information from an all too willing informant about some big request from the known guild of 'Rancid Apples'. Though, he didn't seem too 'willing' after all said and done. A Katana through the throat would do that, I suppose. Heh. Aside from laying waste to all that lurk within the castle, all it's treasures found during the raid go to the party responsible. Who in their right mind would turn down an option to destroy and loot a place? Though, I hope there's more than just a horde of low-level monsters in there. Torturing some monsters is fun and all but a PC is much more fulfilling...maybe i'll finally get my hands on a rogue elf girl...

 

After wiping the drool from her mouth, and the creepy smirk that has, once again, sent those in the near-by area in a panic. "Looks like I got carried away again..." she said under her breath, without much thought of the others. With a sigh, she tugged hard on the leash and heard a thump on the ground and glanced at the pile of meat on the ground. "Time to get a move on meat." That 'meat' would be Corvus. He's a toy that Plague and Mahvan picked up during a Quest a few weeks ago while Plague came across him and tortured him for information. While initially planning on killing him like they always do with informants, Plague later re-considered and called Mahvan off. Amused with his reaction to it all, ontop of the fact he was using one of the experimental classes that was offered in one of the games latest promos, Plague decided to take him on as their newest plaything. After all, the class could be quite useful in the future.

 

Not waiting for Corvus to get up, Plague walked on, dragging Corvus on the ground when she was flagged down by their party member, Mahvon. Dragging Corvus along, she approached Mahvon. "Well, our job is done. Found us a good one. All the information is in here." Accessing the menu screen, she plucked a data file and sent it Mahvon's way.

 

OOC

Spoiler

While I started with he and then started using 'she', no one other than Nadeshiko (Mahvon) knows Plague is a girl. Not like it's a secret or anything but given the way her avatar looks (and the face being a creepy mask) it can be assumed Plague is a guy for the moment.

Edited by I-Am-X, 28 August 2014 - 03:54 PM.

[Diabolical Rhapsody]

[Demon] Mahvan

Lvl. 20

Location : Valiantrelm.

 

She sat opposite Plague looking at her visage blankly. Lost in thought as the train carried onward towards their destinations. For a demon like her to have someone watching her back was a strange feeling. Ever since she had known that Shino too played Codex they have formed a team. Though, good friends in real life, it is in the game that they really shine. Simply because they are not identified by their fathers, Nadeshiko is free to run amok and wreak havoc to her heart's content. Shino never minds, rather she too indulges in it a few times. The codex is a place where they can be their true self, atleast Nadeshiko is such. The 'Ice Queen' of the school is a malevolent and repulsive demon in game and though she is not even near the notoriety of the demon NPCs, she wants to subjugate them all under her boots.

 

They arrived at the station and the gigantic city loomed at a distance. Unlike Junction city which was a horrific mishmash of things, Gelt held that medieval charm, that draconian aura that tingles the spine and a lovely cold that shivers the bones. She steps out on the light padded snow, thousands of special snowflakes crushed under her boot. She felt a joy with that thought. Bringing destruction where she goes, as if Death accompanied her like her namesake she couldn't help but letting on a diabolical grin spreading on her face as she took in the sights. Despite her enchanting beauty and lithe, Junoesque form her expression was strangely unsettling. She didn't wear a loud make-up nor her dress showed any leaning to vile side and yet the way her lips parted and the pincers showed from them, the way her heterochromic eyes sparkled and the unseen aura that radiated from her was deeply perturbing. For the onlookers gathered by, it was quite a nervous few moments as two, clearly deranged beings stood amidst them reeking of malevolence and cruelty.

 

A thud broke her out of her reverie, she looked on to Plague to notice her little plaything behind her. He was a strange one, unlike her who rejoiced in inflicting pain, he rejoiced in it. It hadn't been long when he was captured by them and was tortured by her for information. She would have killed him like she did others but Plague found some strange humor in this entity and decided to make him her plaything. Surprised by the sudden growth in their party size, Nadeshiko realized that it didn't affect the group dynamics much. Instead of two melee, they now had three. It was also not necessary for her to talk to them, she just communicated with Shino and traveled with them. 

 

Shino slowly walked up to her before sending a personal message, filled with details of the quest that she had acquired. Mahvon nodded and turned towards the gates, sending a 'Thank you' in the PM. They were going on a monster hunt, perhaps it will sate some of her boredom that she was feeling. She had been active for quiet a long time (3 days), she hoped that the din of battle will get her blood flowing again. She equipped the chains, as two large chains covered her sleeveless dress and marched onwards to the destination in silence with Plague following behind, busy with her plaything.

Edited by Diabolical Rhapsody, 28 August 2014 - 06:05 PM.

[Vafhudr]

Zoe Pym - GGalatea

Class: Monk

Level: 20

 

“How are you doing today Zoe?” The nurse asked affectionately, but with that edge of professionalism that comes from being affectionate as part of your job. Zoe, not without difficulty, adjusted herself in her bed and smiled weakly back.

 

“I am a bit tired. I didn't sleep very well last night.” she said, her breathing heavy and slighlty laboured.

 

“It will be like that for a few more more weeks, maybe months. Now that you are off from the artificial breather at night, you will need to learn adjust to breathing while sleeping. Do you feel any stress or anxiety?”

 

“No. I would just wake up... gasping for air. It recedes after a bit, but it does take me perhaps half an hour to calm myself and go back to sleep.”

 

“Mention it to Dr. Leblanc during consultation later today. Now, come on, it's time to get your day started.”

 

Zoe's life was regimented. She would get up at 8:00 AM, at which point the nurse, Madame Sevigny usually, would help her out of bed, massage her to make sure her blood was flowing properly after several hours of immobility, wash her and help her dress, and then escort her to the common area where she would have breakfast with the other patients. At 10:00 AM, she would have her daily consultation with the physician in charge of her. When not undergoing therapy, when she would be much more limited as the doctor monitored her physiological reaction to the injected genes (or when she was simply knocked out by the medications), she would then do her daily “walk” - with the help of braces and two nurses, she would walk, with gymnastic support beams, for as long as 6 minutes. This would then be followed by a short massage session to help blood flow in her legs. She would then rest in the garden until lunch. After lunch, her and the other patients would partake in afternoon activities. Despite their condition, they were encouraged to do specially adapted sports such as power soccer and wheelchair tennis. Zoe partook primarily in tennis, since the concentration necessary for tennis helped her combat the ADHD she had developed as a mental dimension to her disease. After that she was washed again and allowed some free time or a pass time.

 

And this was Zoe's favourite moment of the day.

 

VR technology was a godsend to someone like Zoe. The direct neural interface eliminated the need for controllers or keyboards, things that would have been obstacles to her in the past – her finger dexterity, specifically, being still fairly low. Installed in her bed, propped by a few pillows, the nurse adjusted the headset, a sleek helmet of of plastic composite containing the most advanced VR technology available on the market. The experience was a like a long, extended daydream that took place in real time in an alternate, simulated world. The nurse pluggeg the small crown in the wall. While it did have a battery life, it was better to simply leave it plugged while playing.

 

“Are you comfortable, Zoe?”

 

“Mhm.” she nodded, a smile on her half concealed face.

 

Let's begin.

 

The Login screen flashed before her. She vocalized internally her name and server number. A special provision had to be made since this was hospital property and not her own. It was a shared address which was a bit of an issue.

 

Player – Zoe Pym

 

Active Character – Galatea. Class: Monk. Level 20.

 

Is this your character? [Yes.] [No.]

 

[Yes.]

 

Welcome back, Galatea.

 

[…]

 

When she opened her eyes, Galatea awoke in her room in her apartment in Stellarelm. Players would simply start in Junction City, usually, but if you bought an apartment or a house in game, you could also set it as your entry point. It was as if she woke up from an unpleasant dream. The dull ache of the body she dreamed off was gone. So was the breathing difficulty and her heart that felt swollen in her breast. All she could feel was... satisfaction. A feeling of physical fulfillment. The blessing of the Gear Gods. She didn't “sleep”, but she did need time for maintenance. Her room, if you could call it that, was a well lit chamber, filled with mechanism and contraptions meant for the maintenance of her body and parts replacement. As a cyborg, her race allowed re--customization on a daily basis. This was a mostly aesthetic function, but it means she could also outfit herself with weapons and whatnot. She could simply remove her head and organic core and have them move in another body, if she so desired. Her current body was an all-purpose body for which she had developed a strong attachment. Small, but packing more punch than most models. It was concentrated muscle packed in a 5 feet 5 frame, all metal muscle and synthetic sinew beneath a thin layer of plastic flesh. Her mind, unclouded, stopped for a moment to move her mechanical fingers. They moved with inhuman alacrity. Her smile grew stronger. She pressed a button and her mechanical cocoon of plugs and arms, half fused to her, receded back into the walls, leaving her standing alone in the center of the chamber. The door open and she stepped out, smoke billowing around her as the cool room air met the warm air outside.

 

She was greeted by a spectacular view of Stellarelm, a blood orange dusk peeking through the rust coloured cloud. It's spires and towers provided a shining, jagged landscape a la Blade Runner – but not as rundown or seedy. It was pristine and shining with a dull metallic glow, the virtuality of the world divorced it from such concept as decay and poverty. Her apartment, in the most modern of fashion, was all glass and steel with a vaguely egyptian twist.She was at full energy, so she did not need to consume anything from the fridge. She nevertheless brought out a piece of [Chocolate Cake – Dark Chocolate Mousse], and with a fork and infinite care, took a piece of the take and put in her mouth. She smiled to herself as she enjoyed the treat. Hospital food gets blend really quickly and as a health institution, sugary treats were frowned upon. The taste of chocolate, twices simulated, once by the virtual reality and once more by her artificial mouth and tonge, sent a wave of pleasure through her.

 

Another beautiful day in paradise. Another wonderful day to be alive.

 

There was business to be done. Her finger hovering in the air, she summoned a screen – a simply chat screen. DANGERZONE and 41 were online. Perfect. She was afraid for a moment that she had missed them. The game world had it's own sense of time, but time zone still had an impact on who would be online.

 

GGalatea: Hello guys!

GGalatea: Sorry I couldn't make it the other day for that dungeon raid. RL happened.

GGalatea: Anyway – are you guys in a mission or just in the overworld?

GGalatea: I got a bunch of notifications for new missions. Some of them seem like they could score some solid loot.

GGalatea: I am looking specifically at that Castle Crasher one. Dungeon. Monsters. Maybe some other players or NPC. I think they are some serious money to be made there for our little trio. :3

GGalatea: I'm going to go hang out in Valiantrelm regardless.

GGalatea: Gelt is such a wonderful place. Really like the design.

GGalatea: I'll see you there, hopefully. Don't forget to pack warm clothing! xD

 

As a cyborg Galatea would barely feel the cold. It would only be a pleasant coolness, a simulated cold for her own aesthetic appreciation. She closed the window and activated the fast travel function. The interdimensional cabby was nice, but when you are alone and no other player can interfere, it's much more effective to simply use the fast travel. Her room disolved into a black room – and suddenly the map loaded and the world of Codex Regius was literally at her feet. She simply strutted toward the location [Gelt] on the map and stopped on it. A small screen appeared [Travel to Gelt? [Yes] [No] ]

 

[Yes]

 

[…]

 

Gelt was as breathtaking as she remembered. This time the textures even loaded properly. The connection might have been bad last time, she thought to herself. The mix of medieval gothic combined with the stuff of star and light made for a truly wonderful sight. She had materialized in the grand station – arrival point both for the cabby and any fast traveler. People popped into existence around her, or came out of the cabbies' door. It was modeled on the great train stations of Europe and this particular station combined that aesthetic with that of a cathedral and an ice cave/castle.

 

Strutting down the stair she made her way outside, buffeted by a gust of cold wind. She would actually need to to go to the mission start point to trigger it. So she made her way to that Rancid Apple guild. Having accepted the quest earlier she now needed to go start the mission by talking to the Junior member.

 

To her pleasant surprise, DANGERZONE and 41 were already there. She beamed at there sight, and ran through the crowd, carried by her powerful legs and tackled hug the both of them.

 

“Well hello there, lovelies. Fancy meeting you here!” she said with a coy smile.  

[Socrates]

[Swordsman] Pantea

 

Lv. 20

 

Location: Valiantrelm

 

 

Finally! Escape from the hell train!

 

 

Pantea jumped off the polar express, landing carefully on the cool pavement in front of her. Pantea took another step away from the train, trying to avoid the descending crowds of those now filing out behind her. Stepping up on her tip-toes and rolling back onto her heels, Pantea began slightly stretching to get the blood and heat flowing through her body.

 

 

“I still I have to get used to this,” Aaron thought. By choosing to be a girl in Codex, the higher center of gravity had thrown off a couple of movements that Aaron had been so accustomed to while playing basketball. While Aaron could still pivot as Pantea, leaning ‘her’ weight to the right or left had taken some time to master. This, compounded by the dual realities that Aaron existed in, constantly made it difficult to maintain the subconscious motor skills required for Pantea’s class.

 

 

There were even instances when Aaron would go jogging before laying down to play the game. Upon entering the world and trying to calibrate Pantea’s senses, Aaron would slip and fall by turning too quickly. Other times, she would try to do back-flips and handstands, but would quickly become unstable after applying force incorrectly. For now, however, Pantea had been logged-on for enough time that Aaron could properly control her.

 

 

“Oh all the single ladies.” Pantea turned and grinned at all the fair ladies surrounding the train, welcoming the baby-faced adventurers to Valiantrelm. Most of these ‘maidens’ surrounding the train, however, were just NPCs. The PCs that blended in with the crowd of ladies most likely were like her: a man in one reality, playing as women in another. Speaking of women:

 

 

Pantea spun on her heel, turning to look back at her group. A tinge of excitement overwhelmed her, her eyes glowing as a beaming smile spread across her face. Trepidation set in for the quest that they had traveled to Valiantrelm for. Focusing on cute Little Fay lost in thought, Pantea waited until the assassin uncharacteristically noticed her surroundings. Blushing at her own mistake, Fay diverted the attention, drawing their view to the potential quests that could be undertaken. However, all Pan wanted was to fight something, so truthfully any quest would have done. But with the potential for a harsher environment in Valiantrelm, Pan’s excitement for battle ricocheted off the charts. With an explosion of energy, Pan leaned into Itano’s shoulder, sending himoff-balance. Slightly giggling and cheekily smiling at the awkward Itano regaining his balance, Pan spoke, “So Mr. Leader, what do you want to do?”

Edited by Socrates, 29 August 2014 - 10:55 AM.

[Linx]

Benjamin Hunt

3683 Elm Drive, XXXXXXX, USA

 

Benjamin awoke, the dull ring of his ceiling fan welcoming him back to the living world. It glared up at it petulantly, hating that sound with every fiber of his being. He could swear that drone had become so constant that it haunted him in his dreams and while playing Codex. He often fantasized about the day he could tear the thing from his ceiling and end that noise forever. But it was a day far away, and that was one of many noises that drove Benjamin mad.

 

To his left, the gentle hiss of his breathing machine, the only thing that prevented him from suffocating in his sleep. With a slap, he switched the machine off, pulling the mask off his face and haphazardly laying it across the machine and its stand. His hand quickly found the small remote for his bed, flipping the switch to slowly raise him to a sitting position. Tiredly, he rubbed his eyes and stared down at his blanket-covered legs blankly. They were so much thinner than he remembered them being. Then again, he didn't use them as much anymore.

 

Benjamin's gaze quickly shifted to the open door of his bathroom. He took a deep breath, both psyching himself up and seeing if he was ready for it. He absently rubbed his chest as he shifted his legs off the bed. With a slow breath, he lifted himself off, easing his way into his morning routine.

 

--

 

A freshly laundered Benjamin eased himself back into his bed, rubbing his chest as he emitted a small cough. It was a relatively good morning, his chest didn't ache as it sometimes did. And the gloomy weather that greeted him from beyond his window cast a comforting blanket on the day. A perfect day to waste on video games regardless of your health.

 

 

He reached above him, pulling the conveniently mounted crown from its hiding place, just as a knock sounded at his door. His mother's voice sounded through the edges of the frame.

 

"Benjamin?"

 

He made a point of ignoring her call, quickly placing the crown on his head and logging in. He was up for many things in the morning, but talking to her was not one of them.

 

_______________________________________________________________

 

Quintus Lv 20

Monk - Shivite

Valiantrelm

 

The unassuming monk known as Quintus stepped off the Express, stopping to drink in the beauty of Gelt's winter. Though, Quintus may have been a bit biased. The other relms he had visited were fun, but nothing felt the same as walking the verdant hills of the Valiant summer and the hushed beauty of her winter. It was exhilarating in a way that few people take the time to enjoy.

 

Which was the precise reason Quintus had traveled here. Even from where he stood, he could see the large amounts of traffic flowing into the city beyond. Word had been circulating about juicy quests in Gelt, and with the annual Horde just over the horizon, the city was going to be packed. Really, what a bore. Today, he was going to take a walk and enjoy the season.

 

Quintus turned away from the glimmering city, tracking through the crowds of people to navigate towards the nearest Road out of town, meandering west into the countryside.

[Wandering Rogue]

Kenny Jorgenson

Chicago, Illinois

 

"...but wait, there's more!"

 

Kenny rubbed as at his eyes while staring blearily at the shouting man in the infomercial about...what was it about?   He seemed to be cooking or maybe he was cleaning up the kitchen?  No, wait it's his watch.  Really?  With a yawn he stretched out his back while listening to the outrageous claims about the watch as he wondered how long he'd been asleep for.  That was the problem of having all day to do whatever he wanted.  His sleeping schedule was an early victim.  Naps like this one had long since rendered anything resembling a typical day and night pattern for him moot.  With his hand he fished blindly around on the end table for his phone while knocking over just about everything else in the process.  The time displayed when he found it brought a short curse from his mouth as he switched off the tv and moved to get up.

 

He crashed into the carpet face first.  

 

Ouch.

 

Kenny did it again.  You'd think after half a year he'd of started to get used to this whole missing leg thing but nope.  This amputee found himself sprawled out like this under similar circumstances with alarming consistency.  His nephew had even offered to make him some kind of robot leg which would of been cute if he hadn't been so serious.  Still kinda cute.  Course it didn't interest him.  Kenny just rolled over onto his back and laughed at himself in a chuckle that echoed about his home.  He'd of kept on doing it to if he hadn't been late to log in.  

 

Can't keep em waiting now could he?

 

 

 

DANGERZONE

Gelt,Valiantrelm

 

They weren't waiting when he got on.  Neither was even on and it wasn't because they were late DANGERZONE had just arrived early.  He messed it up....again.  The time they were supposed to meet was set in game time and not his time.  He could of slept a whole extra hour or something more productive than play a game but who was he kidding?  Kenny didn't have any plans and wouldn't of made any either.  Unfortunately, DANGERZONE had a more active social life than his player these days.  Such is life though you know?  It wasn't anything to dwell on so he didn't.  DANGERZONE just took the time to wander about his races home realm and explore.  

 

Ferosrelm was one of the lesser known realms.  Not that people weren't aware of it.  It just wasn't really a popular hub.  The environmental hazards made nature protection a must which most just didn't have on hand.  Races with a passive resistance or immunity were few which generally meant you could wander around the area and meet almost nobody.  Which was nice.  Kenny didn't necessarily want to be alone but he didn't mind the quiet as he explored the zone.  Every knew there were secrets out there but not many had much patience to figure them out.  DANGERZONE was not a part of the many though and something about the realm just screamed "hide it here".  Which was strange since he only ever seemed to end up gathering herbs and grinding exp on these hunts.  Still was a better way to kill time then in bar or something in one of the cities.

 

----

 

41 and GGalatea both came online at about the right time with 41 beating her out.  She hadn't missed much then some small talk.  Talking to 41 though had a habit of making Kenny feel old.  He was a good kid though and worked well enough with his DANGERZONE that he never let it bother him.  GG though was probably what kept their little group together more.  She was the one that usually tracked down things to do though a bit indecisive that one.  Usually fell on Kenny to figure out what direction to go which was fine with him.  It was a role he was used to and if he was being honest kind of missed.  It'd been a while since anyone had looked to him to take the lead in just about anything.  DANGERZONE pulled up his notifications to see just what quests GG was referring.

 

DANGERZONE:  Castle Crashing.  100% smells like a trap.  Let's do it.  Come on, you know it'll be fun...

 

Which of course they would.  Even if the job turned out fine or was a bust they'd be fine.  They were a good team and together they were able to handle most things that came at em.  If it did turn out like a trap though...well that would just be an extra bonus.  Seriously, Rancid Apples?  Who were they fooling?  That just screams we are going to stab you in the back enthusiastically.  Which is why Kenny rushed out ahead and made contact with the client before anyone else did.

 

As pretty as Gelt was, it was also freaking cold.  Now, cold didn't translate exactly in the game as it did in the real world but it was enough to make Kenny wish he owned a thicker coat in game.  Maybe he'd hunt down some birds later or something later.  You need feathers for that stuff right?  Whatever, he'd figure it out when his teeth didn't chatter so audibly.  Course, DANGERZONE couldn't be allowed to be seen that way.  Just got to lock your jaw and think warm thoughts.   Summer thoughts.  

 

Nope.  Not helping at all.  Whatever.  DANGERZONE just put on a shit eating grin filled with a confidence that matched his swagger filled gait.  Shame that nobody could see his smile what with the mask and all.  

"Well...since this is the spot the notice gave that'd make you Genlo, right?"  Kenny was cocky. Anyone that had spent more than a minute with him could tell that.  His voice and body agreed on that as he stood in front of the Rancid Apple member. DANGERZONE cocked his head to the side inquisitively.  The kid looked about as shady as the guild sounded which was a lot.

 

Character Info

Spoiler

Handle:  DANGERZONE

Level: 20

Race: [Dire] - A race of vaguely humanoid shaped beings that live in Ferosrelm, the swamp realm.  A place so toxic and deadly that anything and everything is deadly and those that adapt to it must do so to such an extent to be unable to live normally elsewhere.  The Dire are such a people whose bodies must be encased in a airtight suit filled with the air of their home when traveling elsewhere.  Which is for the best for beneath those suits their bodies are twisted and sickening to behold.

 

Class/Role: [Plague Doctor]

 

Abilities:

• Death-defy [5] -  A poison distilled from a rare strain of squirrel in Feros who have developed the ability to simply not die for short spans of time.  This will not heal anyone or prevent them from being hurt.  All this poison does is prevent the targets health points from going below one for the duration.

• Unnatural Growth [5] - This comes from a carnivorous plant with the ability to regenerate at an incredible rate.  The poison made from it grants a much lesser rate or regeneration but the effect can be stacked.  Tends to make the subject extremely thirsty and crave sunlight.

• ​Toxic Presence [5] - The Plague Doctor releases a concentrated dose of the toxic atmosphere of Feros in his immediate vicinity that applies a highly damaging damage over time effect to anyone caught in it for any time as well as continuously applying nature damage to anyone that remains within.  It may also randomly apply a temporary side effect such as nausea, upset stomach, diarrhea, skin discoloration, etc.

• Poisonous Visions [5] - A hallucinogen produced by the sweat of local amphibious life that has been tinkered with for a stronger and more immediate effect.  A targeted aoe cloud that applies a long slightly damaging damage over time effect that also slows response time as well as interferes with the understanding over information.  Status information on those nearby shall become incorrect.

• Will [10]

Inventory:

• One Handed Crossbow [LVL 6] Damage [1] Range [2]  Poison  [3]

• Energy Potion [10]

[Jod]

Castle Crash[DANGERZONE]

 

"Aah Some came after all" said Genlo, as he studied a the small group in front of him. He made the fact that he was going to be doing so fairly obvious, it helped him feel important.

 

"Yep. I'm Genlo. So before you get on with the quest I'll explain a few things fer you" He said, a rather annoyingly sarcastic expression lining his face. "You might not know how to capture a castle, by the looks of you fellows, I'm pretty sure you dont know. Well anyway you'll notice that you have the guilds flag  in your inventory, all you have to do is raise it on the pole at the very top of the castle. As simple as that!"

 

The bringing out a data fragment out from his inventory, he passed it to the three fellows in front of him, daintily plopping it down with his rather large claws. "This here is a map of the place, a gift from the guild of course" he said, "Wouldn't want to strain you're little pockets would we, kufufufufu"

 

> DANGERZONE, 41, Galatea -> Map of Castle Xaxas

Spoiler

Edited by Jodgod, 29 August 2014 - 08:02 PM.

[SliceAndDice]

Hayasaka Kyosuke//

Marcellus

 

It was with heavy breath and weary steps that Kyosuke finished the walk from the train station to his home from school. It was always a long walk, and on days like today, where the Kyoto sun decided to become a blistering destroyer of humanity, it seemed longer still. It didn't help that the school day had been exhausting, with two pop quizzes and a very difficult test. At least the Track & Field Club Captain had cancelled practice on account of the heat advisory, which meant he'd get some extra time to himself that afternoon and evening.

 

"Silver linings, Kyosuke, silver linings. MOM! I'M HOME!"

 

"How was your day?"

 

"Long. Tiring. Hot."

 

"Homework?"

 

"None today. Probably means there'll be a lot tomorrow though."

 

"Make sure you keep up with your studies!"

 

"Yes mother. I'll be upstairs on the Gear for a bit if you need me."

 

With that taken care of, he trudged upstairs, dropped his bag on the floor as he half dragged his feet across the threshold of his room, closing the door behind him. A quick stretch of his arms invigorated him enough to finish the journey to his bed, which he promptly flopped into in a manner that was not unlike a sack of rutabagas being tossed into the bed of a truck. After a moment, he reached over, grabbed his visor-like VR Gear, and pressed the power button on his VR Console before sliding the Gear onto his face.

 

"Thank God I can do this while laying down. Link Start."

 

A few moments later Hayasaka Kyosuke closed his eyes, let his limbs go still, and dropped all the way into the virtual world of Codex Regius...

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

[Ruins of Telar, Gelt, Valiantrealm]

 

Marcellus' eyes opened shortly after, and a quick glance told him two things- first, that he was still in the Valiantrealm Inn that he'd logged out in last play session. And second, that the Gear needed to be recalibrated for vision detection; it was swaying too much when he turned his head, like how water sloshes when the container it's in moves. That meant his mother had tried to dink with it when he was at school.

 

"Ugh. Dammit mom, how many times do I have to ask you..."

 

A few finger strokes on thin air brought him through the menus to the calibration page. After that came the series of eye and head movements to tell the Gear how much to move the visual range and the HUD in order to match his inputs, followed by a short reboot. By then he was slightly irritated, but he could move without making himself dizzy and so he walked out of the Inn and into the chill of the mountain air. His minimap of the town of Gelt told him there were three Major Quests currently available for his level, one of which had its giver just nearby. That one would have to do; he was itching to start stabbing and electrocuting things as soon as possible. As it turned out, it was a Group Required Quest, which meant it was time for him to get in the Looking For Group Queue and get to waiting.

 

Amusingly, he didn't have to wait long. A scant three minutes after he signed up, a party popped up as forming for the Ruins of Telar Quest. And, surprise surprise, the Party Leader was someone he knew; little Teysa, the full-blooded Dragon player he'd been working with several times of late. He knew it was her at a glance by the little star that popped up next to her name, indicating her presence on his Favored Players List. She didn't know she was on it; he'd added her and simply neglected to mention it after they'd been tossed together for a second time in a week roughly a month before. She always got annoyed at the idea of working with him, especially given his competitive streak against her (which, he noted, had all started when she decided to rip on his Class choice in the first place). Teysa was cute when she was annoyed.

 

"Eh, what the heck. Let's see where this goes."

 

A swipe and tap of his fingertip and the party was formed. As Tesya was waiting by the Quest Start Point, Marcellus decided he ought to make his way over. With the distance he had to travel, it would take him about 2 minutes of walking and half that in running to get there. Teleportation would have been more convenient, but there were two problems. One was that he was lower on funds than he wanted to be, after dropping quite a bit of gold on his new sword, and mages weren't free. The second was one of the reasons nobody ever rolled the Wyrmborn Class; in order to acquire the branching skills that would eventually become the Class' primary source of power, they needed to actually use their physical skills in the game. While fighting did cover that, the reason a lot of Wyrmborn attempts were abandoned was because they never ran to their destinations or actually lifted things in the game, which counted for significantly more activity than any amount of combat. So, with an image of Tesya's awestruck face when he surpassed her DPS completely at a later part of the game as his driving function, Marcellus began to jog out across the snow to the ruins.

 

As he came trotting up, Little Miss Smaug herself was standing there, arms crossed and waiting on him. When he got close enough, she hopped forward with a feigned happy greeting and threw her arms around him in a tackle attempt cleverly disguised as a hug. The squeeze would have probably worried a normal human, but Marcellus had the stats to stand toe-to-toe with her strength and it all felt like little more than a slightly taut rope looped around his midsection.

 

"Hello Tesya, it's nice to see you too."

 

He smiled as he put his hand atop her head and ruffled her green hair. He pushed down a bit as he did so, a return gesture for the bear hug from earlier. By then, their third member had joined them. It was a woman, dressed in rather anachronistic apparel by Valiantrealm standards, and toting some mechanical equipment with her. She introduced herself as Bullet, a mad scientist and inventor by trade, and said that she could upgrade some items for them if they felt like it. Then she put on a lightning show, which would have likely been more impressive if Marcellus wasn't able to do something similar by exhaling. But then, Bullet probably didn't know that.

 

"Inventions and upgrades? That means you're running the Scientist Class, if I'm not mistaken. Good for you, not many people have the guts to even try for that one. Name's Marcellus, by the way. Nice to meet you."

 

He extended his hand for Bullet to shake, a small smile coming to his face as he did so. It was always refreshing to run in to somebody else who took the road less traveled in the game, after all.

[Juro]

Burninator - Pyromancer

Gelt, Valiantrelm

With arms crossed and resting across his blue jacket-donned chest, Burninator sat in silence – he was actually sleeping though - as he rode the Zenith Express towards his next destination. From the gossip he had heard and confirmed from other players, it had seemed like several quests had become available in the northern part of the realm, specifically Gelt in Valiantrelm. This was an opportunity to actually achieve some sort of progress within the game instead of just aimlessly grinding. This was something Burninator couldn't just ignore.

As the inter-dimensional locomotive was put to a sudden halt, the young pyromancer couldn't help but jar forward. It wasn't strong enough to toss him off his seat, but it had just the right amount of force to wake him up from his little nap.

“Oh. So this is Gelt, huh?” said Burninator as he gazed from across a window upon the snow-covered medieval structures that filled the span of his visual field. “Can’t say I've been to a place like this before.”

Burninator quickly made his way inside the confines of Gelt where knights, bards, and fair maidens filled the streets. It was literally just like a scene from some fantasy novel, but I guess this was what one would expect from one of the most popular VRMMORPG's out today. However, despite the captivating and awe-inducing sights and sceneries Gelt had to offer, Burninator had other plans. Raising his right hand and swiping it across the air, a semi-transparent blue screen suddenly appeared in front of him. It was a map of Gelt and showed the location of the various buildings and NPCs that were scattered across the city.

Among the quests that were up available, Burninator had chosen the one given by Knight Folda. It seemed like a relatively simple task; hordes of monsters suddenly appearing, so the need to have they exterminated arose.

[...]

As the pyromancer made his way to the Telar Ruins, he had come across what looked to be three other players. A blue-haired male sporting clothing similar to his own who gave off an air of seriousness, a female barely dressed in ribbons and scale-like armor who appeared to be the exact opposite of the first player he had seen, and another one who was clad in armor that was more mechanical-looking compared to your standard steel plates and mails.

"It seems like they`re already acquainted with one another. They're probably here for the same mission as well. Maybe I could just join their party or something." thought Burninator as he slowly approached the group.

With a smile accompanied by a wave of his hand, he greeted his fellow players and introduced himself. "Good day guys, the name's Burninator. Sorry for suddenly barging in, but I was just wondering if you guys are here to do some quests."

Edited by Robb, 30 August 2014 - 10:03 PM.

[Asor al ed Ergnas]

 

 

"...and in other news. The Notorious Hacker Decepio strikes once again. Authorities traced his IP address to a well known slave trading ring in Southeast Asia. It is unknown how Decepio managed to do this, but authorities are baffled none the less. This isn't the first incident of the "Superhero Hacker", doing such a thing. Just in the past year he has shut down more than seventy highly illegal operations, worldwide. Ranging from drug and human trafficking, terrorist organizations, and once even an animal fighting circus. Officials say it puts them in a awkward position because though he may be doing good, the way Decepio takes action is both highly illegal, and immoral. One United States Official stated, "The problem is that he breaks through our most secure systems with an ease unseen before. He can access or reveal information and destroy nations, and put innocent lives in jeopardy. Regardless of his "noble" actions, the hacker by the alias "Decepio" is a menace and should be stopped." The Hacker in question, has not replied to efforts to be interv-"

 

Yugari Tenasi tapped a button on his 3D interface, and it shut his news monitor off. . More drivel from the media. Plus he needed to focus his efforts on building a robotic leg for his uncle. He enjoyed background noise, but that wasn't the right kind of distraction. Instead, he pressed another button, and swam his finger in a semicircle around it, and after a few seconds, music began blaring.  Nodding in time with he music, he used the modeling interface to run a simulation of the current version of the leg. "Initiate controlled walking animation." He muttered to his computer. It showed a plain white figure walking normally down the street with the robotic leg. "Add in obstacle parameters. Hinder walking animation." Tensai said aloud, tapping a pencil on his nose. On the screen, the sidewalk created a pothole, in which the leg fell into. The Model struggled for a second, but then the leg ripped out of the sidewalk; along with half the pavement. "Ahhhh darn. End Simulation."

 

He waved his hands across the simulation and modeling data, and dropped it into a WIP folder. "If Uncle were to actually even use the leg, he'd only use it if it were as strong as anyone else. Oh well. We can work on that later. Tyrone, let's see my emails." Instantly a very empty folder opened up. "Ah. Right. Drop Data Walls, remove spam, and reroute IP to one of my selected list of targets. Go for something subtle." these commands were followed flawlessly. As the data walls dropped, The email folder was flooded with over 20K emails. But after 2 seconds, only three remained. One was his service fee from The World Collective, another was from his Uncle telling him to not make him a robotic leg, and the last was Mr. Donald Morgan, asking "Decepio" if he could send in the numbers for his business; and log into Codex today. A blip on his World Radar with virtual pins began flashing. Meaning that some bad guys were getting nabbed. Judging by the location, it was some snuff filmmakers. "Pay all current bills first, and wire the remainder into Mother's offshore account. Tell Uncle "But It'll be super boss! I am so close to it not destroying everything with every step! I'll be in Codex for the next few days, come say hi to your favorite nephew!", and tell Mr. Morgan that his information is already waiting on his desk, and that I'll be in the game shortly. Also, send my calling card to whomever is heading the investigation of that Pin"

 

Tyrone beeped a few times and followed Tensai's orders. He stretched, and changed the interface. A Modified version of Codex Regius took up the whole of it, with data streams and different lines of code. The ten year old boy, stared at these numbers for a little while, compiling the data in his head. "There. That's bingo." he said pointing at a stream of which had an odd numbered glitching sequence, and had rabbit symbols. He plugged himself into the game and grinned. "Follow the White Rabbit."

----------------------------------

 

Ubi The Rabbot: Fists of Funny!- Episode 1

 

A group of low level players were in Plainsrelm. A beginner area with cutsey monsters and a ton of easy quests to get players used to the game. "YAH!" a Warrior yelled, as he struck down a Highlands Jackabbit. It went down easy with a screech. "Seriously, these enemies are so weak. We should move onto Gaearelm." A Mage said in a bored voice. "Yeah, but can't beat these respawn rates. This particular Highlands Jackrabbit spawns every thirty seconds and gives double exp!" said the Warrior. A Rogue was looting the corpse of the monster, but..."Uh guys, this lootable is locked." he said with a puzzled look. "It's shitty loot anyways, I don't know why you bother. Probably just a bug." the Mage said. Interested, the Warrior moved closer and noticed something odd as well. "Are...Defeated monsters supposed to move?!" he said, as him and the Rogue jumped away. "Hijack Initiated. Welcome to Codex Regius, Ubi."  A computer voice sounded as a cone of multicolored data engulfed the Highlands Jackrabbit. It floated up into the stream, and white armor erupted around it. "W-W-What the actual fuck?! Is this some sort of event?!" the Rogue yelled. Then the stream stopped with a shockwave that knocked the party off of their feet. Standing there, only three feet tall, was Ubi The Rabbot. "Ayaaaahh! Lookie lookie at these guys! Thanks for killing it, make's my life so much easier~!" Ubi sounded out gleefully.

 

"It's gotta be a rare event. I bet we get some sweet loot for killing it!" the Mage sounded, getting back on his feet, and launching a fireball at Ubi. "Chu?" the Rabbit said confused. And batted the fireball down with one of his ears. "Heya! that's not very nice!" Ubi yelled out in an adorable voice. He jetted towards the Mage, and punched him in the stomach. "His HP! It's at 1!" the Warrior said in a shocked voice. "You guys don't wanna fight me~ I am super strong!" Ubi said, posing grandly. He held out his hand, and a sack of gold appeared. He tossed it to the Rogue. "For your troubles! I am off! Haha!" and ran off at a high speed and yelled out "Initiate Relm transfer, Valiantrelm!" as a portal appeared that vanished as soon as he went through it. The party of a Warrior, Mage and Rogue all said in unison, "What the fuck just happened." 

 

Ubi appeared on top of a spire of one of the many glittering towers of Valiantrelm. Opening his contacts list, he sent out three messages. One was to a wily coder after his cute fluffy tail and read simply as "!!!" and the other two were sent to Mr. Morgan and another player named Weiss. He was some smart kid Ubi had helped out before, and taken a liking to his fun class. "Eyyyoooh Dashie! I'm hopping around Valiantrelm today. If you wanna see something neat, come on this quest with me and a friend. Go to Duke Crait's manor to party up for The Ruins of Telar." He sent to "Dashie" and to Weiss he sent out "Chika-chika~ woow! you are doing realllly good! Your data is looking spunky! I'm available for a quest today, so meet me at Duke Crait's manor to party up!"

 

Once finished with sending his messages, he put on a disguise. Which consisted of Mustache Nose Glasses, and a hooded cloak. "Supah incognito!" he yelled out as he jumped deftly down from the spire and mingled with the crowd below. A blip sounded in his head, and updated him that Uncle Kenny was on with his main group, and doing a quest for the guild Rancid Apples, Frowning slightly, he sent him a message simply saying "Be careful Uncle. That guild is nasty business. Don't let them 1-2 Punch you guys out!"  and with that, he reached the manor in his walking. Lounging against the wall, he waited for his party to come and accept the quest with him. He made fart noises and kicked his feet around while sitting down in the meanwhile.

Edited by Asor al ed Ergnas, 30 August 2014 - 07:09 PM.

[Darkoda]

Bullet Time

Ruins of Telar

 

Bullet smiled brightly and maybe a bit overzealously as she shook Marcellus' hand, already adding him to her private records of players she'd run into with the potential of being interesting. Anyone who could recognize her class at all was already in her good graces, but there were far too many humanoid classes for her to do the same for him just like that. Of course that's what the query feature was for; this was a MMO after all, one's character name and class were quite public for anyone who wanted to check.

 

"Got it right in one; I can't pass up a chance to make my own tools of doom." And if she of all people wouldn't play the class that she made, she would never hear the end of it at the office. "And I see you're a purveyor of the more exotic classes as well, Mr Wyrmborn."

 

And right after, a new player showed up, Burninator? Well given his class the reasoning was quite clear. "It seems that these ruins are drawing themselves a crowd." Understandable given that they shouldn't even be here, which was more reason for her to investigate before the place got swarmed with people. Or other more annoying sorts....

 

Her eyebrow rose when two reports came through her HUD in close succession; one of them though was from a certain pain in the ass rabbit which, typically was something idiotic. Three exclamation marks? She moved to the other one, blnking at the line of complaints from three new users about a random glitched rabbit at the starter......areas........

 

A message was typed out and sent right back to that hacker rabbit, short and to the point. [If you don't stop messing with the new people, I will gift every new player a jammer that one hit kills people using illegal rabbit cyborgs. And so help me, if you're the one behind these ruins.....]

 

Ugh, she did not get paid enough to have to chase down a bloody world notorious hacker. If she wanted these kind of headaches, she wouldn't have spent the past few years playing keep away from a few world governments. And people wondered why she turned down those jobs to work at a technology company....dealing with just one skilled hacker was bad enough, the whole world's gamut of them? No thanks.

 

'You're the best programmer, you're the best to deal with the security issues! We'll even pay you 24/7 overtime!' No one mentioned how annoying it is to be the one chasing!

Edited by Darkoda, 30 August 2014 - 08:31 PM.

[Führer Itulhu]

[Metal Mage] Itano

Lv: 20

Location: Valiantrelm

 

“next up Valiantrelm” a voice echoed through the speaker system of the train, it seemed the destination for the group was reached and they all got off the train. Itano stretched his arms as he exited the train.

 

Itano looked around him and took note of his party, next to him was Pantea A swordswoman who would normally act as the front of the party in battle due to the fact she could handle damage better than the rest of the group and could pack a punch up front. Next was the Druid, Taal As his class suggested he was a Mage who used nature type magic which put him in the back, pulling off devastating attacks from the distance. And last of his party members was Fay, the assassin who in reality was his sister, she would treat the rest of the party as a distraction for the enemy as she snuck around and deal heavy damage, she was the one in the party who could deal the most damage and do it the quickest, truly fitting for a Burst DPS class.

 

Itano looked at Fay as she looked at her reflection then cutely averted her gaze as she noticed her party looking at her, She was the first one to speak and suggested The Knight’s Charge… which wasn’t a bad idea as he thought less people would choose it over Castle Crash, but as he started thinking he suddenly lost his balance from a sudden weight on his shoulder which came from Pantea leaning on him.

“So Mr. Leader, what do you want to do?”

Straightening himself up Itano coughed and gave his thoughts,

“Honestly I think The Knight’s Charge is the better choice, Castle Crash Is more likely to attract attention and less chance to obtain expensive loot” Itano then pushed up his glasses, a habit he had IRL before the girls forced him to wear contacts because ‘it doesn't suit your image’ or something like that, ignoring his thoughts he continued on.

“I would much prefer a quest where I can obtain more coin, the more I obtain early on the sooner my plans can unravel… well anyway I think this also a good chance to test the ability of our party against bosses, we need to have a good idea of our formation against bosses early on”

With that the group all decided on The Knight’s charge and accepted the quest, the group now prepared and was ready to head out

[Faye]

[Assassin] Fay

Lv. 20

| Location: Valiantrelm

 

With the decision made, Fay made an excited grin and stretches her body. And once the cat-like exercise is done..

 

"I'll race you there then! Loser get to treat the winners with a serving of jack rabbit steak, OK?" the small assassin one-sidedly declared as she burst into a dash. In just a few seconds, she's swallowed into the sea of crowds and disappeared from everybody's sight.

 

-------====>>>-----<<<====-------

 

Somewhere in the cabins near the gates, stood a lonesome female knight. Her face was covered in a half helmet made of cast iron. Undoubtedly, she's one of the NPCs that guard the place. But there's something different with her compared to your run-off-the-mill guardian NPC. That is, of course, because she is a named NPC. A unique amongst the generic, she was given a name, a personality, and slightly different appearance; things that signifies her importance to players.

 

From the shadow of this particular NPC, a small figure appeared.

 

"Lady Cassandra, I presume?" said the small shadow from the soldier's back without revealing herself. "Shh.. No need to get agitated. I am no enemy of yours," she added when the NPC hastily turned around to find her guest. "You are in need of a.. Professional to take down an enemy, I believe? Well I am here to help."

 

Truth be told, there is no good reason for a player to do this to an NPC. This 'Cassandra' would grant the quest to any player who passed the level pre-requisite that talked to her. They do not need to be an assassin, nor do they need to show their skill to her in order to get the quest. So why would Fay go to such a length to hide her presence while talking to the quest NPC? Was it role playing? Perhaps. But the main reason was.. That it was fun.

 

Since the player is invisible to the NPC in stealth mode, she would not be able to give out the quest to said player. But at the same time, since Fay, the phantom player, has initiated a conversation with her, the NPC had her quest-giving scenario triggered. As a result, 'Cassandra' is now stuck between wanting to give a quest and not knowing to whom she should give it to. After just a few seconds, she would start scouring the place to find the thing that interacted with her. She'd began to spout some nonsense such as 'show yourself, ghost!', and all other hilarious responses.

 

Just like all other good things, however, this little prank would need to end. When Cassandra draws her weapon out and readies her stance, Fay knows that it is time that she showed herself to the poor NPC. After all, having a (high-leveled) NPC wreaking havoc inside a peaceful town is not a good thing, is it? As such, Fay finally revealed herself to Cassandra.

 

"Boo!" she exclaimed as she appeared from behind one of the pillars of the cottage. She's cautious enough to choose a pillar that is situated outside Cassandra's swinging distance just in case she's programmed to attack anything that surprises her, surprisingly. "The name is Fay, and I am here for the bounty you have set up," she continued once she confirmed that the NPC is no longer hostile. And as if it had been planned beforehand, her party members appeared in the horizon right after she's finished her introduction.

 

"Yo! Took you guys long enough," addressed the small assassin casually.

 

Of course, she doesn't let the fact that she ran off with the only quest map the team had to bother her one bit.

Edited by fayrine, 31 August 2014 - 04:16 PM.

[Jod]

Knights Charge(Fay, Itano, Socrates, Orc)

 

The knight was startled to be sure, when she heard the voice whispered into her ear. She jumped into action, drawing her sword. “Show thine self, face me with honor! Tarry not in the shadows ghost! I shall cut thine ephemeral flesh with mine blade, and show unto thee the error of thine ghostly ways!”

 

Then with zealous energy she began to stab furiously at random directions hoping to get a hold of the pesky ghost that had the gall to the be out on a haunting on her watch.”Face me ghost! have you no honor!”

 

However try a she might she could not draw the ghost out, she even went as far as to lose her knightly composure, and began decimating pieces of furniture around her with extreme prejudice. However luckily for the furniture, the ghost finally made itself known with a “Boo!”,

 

The Lady knight of course reacted immediately swung at the sound without a moments though pulverizing a nearby pillar. “Haha! Time meet mine might ghost!” she said.  But before she could continue the ghost spoke to her.

 

"The name is Fay, and I am here for the bounty you have set up," it said.

 

“ Heh? What? The bounty…!”

-------

The party stood atop a hill overlooking the snow laden plains of Geltwez, a few miles north of the city. The knight’s information was rather accurate. Though it had taken them some time to actually get the information, the knight had not been happy with their little prank.

 

What should have been a playground for beginners had turned into the playground for a small group of Horde soldiers. They could see the six Bex’s patrolling the area in a diamond formation, however there was no sign of the rampant Helzor. The soldiers had not noticed the group perched atop the hill...

 

Spoiler

 

Race: Bex

Class: Spearman

 

 

 

Ruins of Telar

Finally when a large enough group had gathered in front of the gates, the Steward cleared his throat gathering the. “ Good morn, fine warriors of the realms and beyond. Foremost I wish to thank thee for thy aid to the Knights of the Realm” he said

Then turning around he gestured for the players to follow him into the Duke’s estates, leading them into a large meeting hall. “Be seated, friends, I shall attend thee regarding important bearings for the mission at hand” he said, gesturing for the players to sit down on several sturdy oak chairs  facing a similarly sturdy oak dias.

The steward shuffled to the dias, waiting patiently for the players to arrange themselves and settle down.The steward began his big speech, clapping his hands together to get attention…

“ As all of ye wil be knowing, apart from the Horde up in the waste, their appears to be another nexus of collection growing at the border of our lands and the Ice Waste. Based on figures from our courtly scholars, it is approximated that the nexus will grow into a full sized Horde of its own by the first melt of summer.

Another thing that is unexpected is that, instead of motion from beasts within the ice wastes, It seems that they are in fact coming from the south, the fair beasts of the Knightly realm collect in the wastes.

Be warned brave souls, the closer you get to the source, the more does peril loom. For monsters and beasts from all the realm may be found in the place. The very weather will halt thine senses as the land is covered by a near constant blizzard…”

-------

The two teams approached the snow blasted valley of Izled. The larger of the two groups approached the valley by a more direct route, heading straight north towards the valley cutting through the thick snow and against the blizzard.

The smaller, meandered westwards planning to head into the valley from the sides, making sure to keep the wind against their backs.  Only till the valley of course, its steep walls would block out the wind….

 

(Morv, Sangre, Britza )

You are about four miles away from the valley, however you notice a large hulking figure patrolling some distance away from you. The low visibility, prevents the creature from spotting you. As far as you can tell it seems like the creature is a Frost Giant.

Spoiler

Race:Frost Giant

Class:Frost Giant Youngling

 

(Missy, Slice, Dark, Juro)

You are one mile from the valley, when suddenly you are ambushed by a group of foul creatures. They are clearly Yubex’s, the shadow warriors of the Horde. You are surrounded by three of these creatures.

Spoiler

Race:Yubex

Class: Shadow Warrior

 

The rest are on the way....

Edited by Jodgod, 01 September 2014 - 05:33 PM.

[Crouching Bacon]

[Escort] Corvus

Lvl. 20

Location: Valiantrelm

 

Corvus shivered in excitement as Plague dragged him away from the train and out into the gigantic city that was Valiantrelm. The ride was dull enough; Corvus was ignored for the most part and neither his master Plague nor his mistress Mahvan had enough enthusiasm in them for a card game. Mahvan didn't even bring her wolf summons out to play with him.

 

But now, finally, a quest.

 

He kept himself in human form for now, not wanting to hamper his master's steps. Still, it was a strange sight; a man with a flaming red tail behind him being pulled along by a masked demon with fearsome katanas. Then there was Mahvan, that malevolent succubus - Corvus often wondered what it would be like to carry her off into battle.

 

There would be battle soon enough.

 

He licked his lips as Mahvan put her deadly chains on.

 

"Those small-time bait don't deserve her."

 

A glare from Plague shut him up; Corvus followed quietly as his master continued to pull him along towards the massive gates, dreaming of the monsters they would obliterate.