[center][s][h3]Theodore Smith[/h3][/s] [h2]Dirk Davidson[/h2] Interactions: [@Achronum][@Tybalt Capulet][/center] [hr] This was it - the highlight of Theo's life. The wave gear was a piece of technology that outrivaled any other gaming system on the market, allowing the most immersive experience possible. It also was the only system capable of playing the most anticipated game of all time - Talrae. It was a technological masterpiece, easily worth the small fortune his parents spent on it. The company said it was impossible to tell the difference between the game world and reality, and even things like food were replicated with incredible accuracy. Hell, the people that made it were probably just torturing the customers at this point, only releasing 10,000 at launch! His dad said he nearly was mugged when he was purchasing this. But oh lord, Theo might have been fine with that since he now has his hands on this baby. Without wasting time, Theo set up the system, touching his body all over as it said in the instructions. After finishing this, he immediately called up the closest thing he had to a hang out - Joe's pizza. He had been a faithful customer for years, and he wanted the first thing he ate after the experience he was about to have. [color=fff200]"Hey Joe, I need the usual. Tell Vinny I'm leaving money on the counter and to just drop off the pizza, alright?"[/color] "Whatever you say, big guy. He'll be over in about 30 minutes, you live a while away." And with that, the call was over. Joe was like a second father-figure for Theo, and he was always ready to offer advice. Vinny, on the other hand, was arguably the best friend that he had. He had been delivering pizzas for the past 10 years, ever since he was 16, and the two were close. Of course, he started poking fun at [i]Mr. Doctor[/i] ever since Theo got into college, but it was in good fun. Theodore smiled slightly. Quickly he grabbed the remote and, on his way to unlock the door, turned on the television and set it to the news channel. He wanted to let Vinny know it was okay to come in. He then rushed towards his bed, and gently lowered the helmet-like device on to his head. It was far heavier than he expected, but considering people were supposed to lay down while using it, weight probably didn't matter that much. He cracked his neck, before focusing, trying to allow the Wave Gear to sense his brain waves and activate. Remembering a portion of the instruction manual that talked about this, Theo opened his mouth and closed his eyes. [color=fff200]"Link Start![/color] Upon recognizing the phrase, the device immediately knocked him out, throwing Theo into a virtual world. [hr] The character creation was swift, considering Theo was used to creating Dirk - Blond hair, a handsome and masculine face, extreme muscles, and a winning smile. The looks of a real hero. After finishing that, he turned towards classes - of course, marauder was tempting. Dirk was the kind of guy that fought with ridiculously oversized weapons. But, alas, DPS wasn't that important in these types of games - they didn't grab attention. Theo knew that Dirk was the center of attention, the hero. He chose the second most fitting role, a musclebound bastion that protected the weak while fighting for justice. A role that needed to be filled in every RPG. Selecting the token tank class, the paladin, Theo slowly hyped himself up. For once in his life, he would truly be great - or at least, he told himself that. He was finally going to be Dirk - not play as him, not pretend to be him, but [i]embody[/i] him. After getting in character, he chose the most fitting skills and attributes, and logged into the world of Talrae. [hr] The sounds of people and sunlight warming his now tanned flesh alerted Theo that he was now in the world. Opening his eyes revealed the festivities that surrounded him - players running around with children NPCs, merchants trying to sell their wares, and guards keeping an eye on the shadier individuals. Glancing down to his body, he saw the starting item that paladins received - a single shield, a buckler to be specific. It was slightly heavy, but looked sturdy and reliable compared to the simple cloth that he was clothed in. Theo sneered slightly while examining the garb - Dirk who never wear something so simple and boring. Quickly, he made his way to the armor shop and, after seeing the price of plate armor, settled for leather armor. After all, he would just do some quests and buy the more attractive plate as soon as he gathered the cash. Theo opened the menu, equipping the leather as he mad e his way to the weapon shop. There, he bought a longsword, which he planned to use for awhile since he didn't need to deal damage. The prices were steep, but the thought of bartering never even crossed Theo's mind - usually, you can't barter with NPCs, so he didn't think it would work, even when considering how lifelike they acted. With most of his starting gold depleted, Theo was ready to immediately begin questing. He was about to say something in chat, before realizing their was no chat, and opened his mouth to yell - He was cut off by a bright light enveloping him, causing him to appear back to the town square. Dozens, if not hundreds of lights were following, and everyone was bewildered. The sea of handsome and beautiful faces, the kind people always picked in character gen. Theo understood - no one wants to play as something ugly, or themselves. Eventually, the teleporting stops, and a dark, ominous voice begins to reverberate throughout the city. The voice was threatening, but Theo was able to keep a straight face thanks to his Acting Skill. The form of the final boss ripped itself from a hole in the sky, the being known as Malgoth. Personally, Theo thought his design was a little edgy, and always enjoyed to call him "Mall Goth". However, his presence was so intimidating, the thought of joking never even crossed his mind. The being welcomed the crowd to the world, before unveiling the horrible news. [hr] Hundreds, if not thousands of players were freaking out, distressed, or otherwise in shock. Apparently, death here would result in their deaths in the real world. They were stuck here. Theo found this idea laughable. There was no way in hell they were stuck here. The admin was trying to troll them, and he fabricated a couple news articles and stories to make the prank more realistic. After all, their was no way the news of the girls death would spread so quickly - she literally just died! She was probably an actor, and was hired to fake her death. And how the hell would they manage to sneak devices capable of emitting microwaves, powerful enough to kill people, into a commercially available product? And how would the servers be repaired if all the employees were supposedly "arrested"? No, the whole thing had to be a lie... It had to be. After all, there was no way Theo was that lucky - to finally escape his old life and become his idol. But the sinking feeling, the thought that it may be true, remained in Theo's head... He continued to play as Dirk, not even checking the logout button. Everyone else had tried, some were still doing so. Dirk wouldn't waste time - he would keep everyone safe, calm them down, and tell them it was all probably some sick joke. But right now, Theo was in his old skin, and while it was impressive physically, it wasn't something he wanted to be plastered all over the internet as "The nerdy kid who seriously thought people were trapped in a video game". Instead, Theo continued to do what he was doing before hand - find a party. Hell, with so many people freaking out, the remaining were probably frantic to gather into groups and find protection. It would be easier. He spotted them in the distance - a black-haired girl in regular clothes, and a red head dude in cloth robes. Judging from appearance, cloth armor was most likely a mage given the staff at his side, and black hair was either a marauder or swordsman because of the katana. A big assumption, but Theo was willing to take the chance. Slowly, he made his way to the small team, at his paladin-pace. Upon making it there, he heard red head speaking to the girl. “Sorry for the forwardness but I figured the whole trapped in a death match thing trumps manners in this situation. Kajin Najin, mage and healer at you service! And for the low low cost of making sure I don’t get cut too badly, I can be your pocket healer and patch us up! What do you say, party up?” Jackpot. The name Kajin Najin screamed weaboo, but honestly, Theo didn't care - he liked anime, and also living. And to live, he needed to find a healer to latch onto. Fast. Using his Acting skill and speaking in that larger-than-life, Dirk voice, Theo addressed the pair. [color=fff200]"You know what's great at making sure people aren't cut up? Shields!"[/color] Theo gently tapped his Buckler [color=fff200]"I, Dirk Davidson, would also love to party up with you two! I will do my best to make sure you don't die! ...So, please do the same for me."[/color] Theo added that last part as more of a mumbled side comment, and before the others even agreed, he opened his menu and sent the two party invites.