After many mishaps and misgivings, the group of Discord buddies, who may or may not be seriously reconsidering their buddyhood, congregated once more at the West Gate. Magpie, though still suffering from getting absolutely tossed to the curb by a player that got sick of her disruptive shit, looked to be the best out of all of them, sporting a non-beginner class and an HP bar that still had 80 left. Ames, though not in the possession of any glorious magical powers himself, did, due to Krizanteme’s abrupt log-off, find himself in possession of not one, but two of Fa Trung’s Talismans. Lugh may be the tankiest fellow around and may possess actual weapons, while Raiman had a slick new crossbow and knew where one could exchange precious ores for actual currency, but Ames was swole and was really feeling the effects of having +10 to all her stats. There was a spring in his step, a sureness in his balance, a sturdiness in his gait. Weaponless though he may be, the red-haired warrior felt confident going out into the monster-infested wilderness.

The moment they took a step out of the West Gate, they all heard a ping in the back of their heads. A screen appeared before their eyes, the contents different for each player.
[hider=Ames]
Weapon Proficiency LVL 1 [sub]Increase proficiency with all weapons.[/sub]
Power Attack [sub]Actively consume SP while preparing for an attack; unleash for increased damage on attack.[/sub]
[/hider][hider=Amulak]
Mana Control LVL 1 [sub]MP cost and damage of spells can be increased or decreased by 20%.[/sub]
Magic Bolt [sub]Fire a concussive blast of mana towards a single target. Requires a three word chant.[/sub]
[/hider][hider=Lugh]
Weapon Proficiency LVL 1 [sub]Increase proficiency with all weapons.[/sub]
Power Attack [sub]Actively consume SP while preparing for an attack; unleash for increased damage on attack.[/sub]
[/hider][hider=Magpie]
Improvised Weapon Proficiency LVL 1 [sub]Set equipped weapon’s damage bonus to ½ STR if damage bonus is less than ½ STR.[/sub]
The [Magpie] Special [sub]Swing wide for a powerful, but inaccurate whallop.[/sub]
[/hider][hider=Raiman]
Ranged Weapon Proficiency LVL 1 [sub]Increase proficiency with ranged weapons.[/sub]
Zoned In [sub]Increase AGI by 20%, passively consuming SP.[/sub]
[/hider] 
Naturally, without having selected a class, neither Klein nor Ari had the same benefit. Whether that would be an extremely detrimental thing or merely a temporary setback was yet to be seen.

Regardless, with skills now understood, and at least two of the party members armed with proper weapons, the group of seven marched off, following the beaten dirt roads that extended out from Nyu-Taro before spotting the familiar sight of other players going up and down the Pearl Bloom River, farming all sorts of monsters. The waters were fresh and sparkling, though the blood of slain beasts made it a bit murky, while the ‘pearls’ that bloomed within the river appeared to be clusters of alabaster lotus buds, which extended out from the riverbank towards the center. It would have been a pretty place for a picnic, if not for the amount of Immortals going around killing everything they could find. Close to Nyu-Taro, the population density was a bit intense and friendly fire seemed rampant, but the further down the river they trekked, the less Immortals there were, until finally, at a wide bend of the river, the party found themselves relatively alone.

It was here that they spotted their first unclaimed prey.

Amongst the reeds, two green, humanoid creatures, sporting turtle shells on their backs and a bone-like plate on their crown, stared at the party with dead, fish-like eyes. Lugh and Ari, connoisseurs of anime, would know what they were: kappa. Rudimentary spears were in their hands, and their beaked mouths were filled with an abundance of small, tiny teeth. The creatures didn’t lash out or charge though. After a moment of observation from both sides, the creatures grinned, then smugly stepped out from the reeds, approaching the party with the menace of someone who can’t beat you up without getting closer.

Real cocky, honestly, when they were only five feet tall.