Scout

The Flower, Russian and Hunter [ Cont. Em + Scout ]

Nero watched as Jacob took his leave rather quickly. What did he know..? He furrowed his brow at Alice's question and shook his head, "That's what I was trying to explain. We were holding hands one minute, a guy separated us, and the crowd seemed to swallow her whole. It felt... eerily methodical... Not to mention I should have been able to trace her foot prints if she'd just wandered in the wrong direction." Jacob was giving instructions to anybody he could find and Nero's eyes widened; did he think..? It would explain how the group would be able to get around his ability to track, but there was no way they'd taken her. He stopped speaking and opened his menu, looking at the obscene number beside the Col symbol in his inventory. Is that what they wanted? His fortune? His entire safety net? Even with his house, several crystals of each type, large potions, and materials yet to be sold, he had a very hefty sum of money. But then, they could easily be after her as Alice's friend... Though there was no way that guild had anything to do with Rose. The boy shook his head in disbelief, his fist clenching and unclenching at his side different parts of his body flashed. His combat gear had replaced the casual clothing within moments and he shut down his menu.

"We brought food with us," He explained a bit darkly, "She's a better cook than the NPCs at quite a few of hte restaurants." The boy rubbed the back of his neck before looking at her in shock, "Wait... you didn't know?" There was a pause and a sigh from him, "Guess that makes sense... Lately, a guild has become rather... infamous for their methods of getting ahead in the game. They've found that the best way to amass experience and loot is through player killings and ransoms... I haven't taken them seriously or been listening to the rumours about them too seriously. I don't know why nobody told you about them, but I think Jacob knows more than he's letting on," He noted, turning his head to find other man who had already begun a swift search throughout the area. At that moment, Marius approached the pair - it was always strange to see him without extremely bulky, heavy armour on, despite how refreshing it was.

"Hey, guys, what's going on? I've seen a few people from the Guild in their armour sifting through the crowd. Did somebody lose something?" He asked, tilting his head in curiosity. Nero quickly explained the situation yet again before taking a few deep breaths.

"C'mon, I don't want to waste any more time... Jacob's already been looking for a few minutes, let's go find him." Since finding Alice, the white-haired boy had calmed down greatly; not because he had stopped losing his mind, but because he'd become focused. It was very easy for him to drop everything around him, pick one objective, and concentrate on nothing else. He was detached more than anything. His irises flashed to a green colour as he looked around and finally found the trail that Jacob had left behind as he dashed away. "C'mon, he went this way," He said, taking off at a light jog after the man who was now several minutes ahead of them.

Last Embers ~Reboot~

Agreed!

Digital or Real?

Yeah, we'd start the RP with them at 12, in real life, as friends, and then advance on up. 24 sounds just fine to me. The extremely massive level cap is a good idea - meaning the game took a lot of time to be released. I was thinking maybe they'd been playing for a year or so, making it plausible that they would be able to move from their original side of the map (sci-fi <----> Fantasy) with a basic understanding of the game and then become online friends without knowing at all who the other person was until a ways in. Yeah, we decided on London officially and feel free to post your CS whenever it's ready! I have work today, so I won't be able to make and throw mine up until tomorrow. ^^ Keep in mind that online, they'll look at least somewhat different from how they did in the real world.

Hm... That about covers our bases! Though it would be good to have a "real-life" storyline in progression for each of them when they logout. Unless you wanna focus on the game and those two for a while without any other kind of subplots - that'd be fine too.

Digital or Real?

Awesome! And yeah, I think the taming could be some kind of animal that they either pick or, later, tame themselves. Maybe. I don't know, heeheh. As far as the riders go, I think that we could use some kind of bike like this:



This

But it would be somewhat customizable, like they could shift the colours and upgrade it and the like with the right skill or money to have somebody else do it.

I don't see anything wrong with having the Mechanic myself, really I have no preference at all, so if you just wanna do the fantasy side, feel free. Feel free to take whichever you like. ^_^ I'm a little more interested in how far along we think they should be in the game when they meet - high-level, mid-level, or complete newbies? And how long has the game been out? Are they veterans of the game, or, again, newbies?

These are things we can keep discussing as we go too, once we get our characters out.

Far From Home

Nero's hands rested inside of his coat pockets as he approached the small group gathered around Luna - her friends. He looked to each of them as the excitement from battle left his face, leaving a rather placid expression behind. He nodded, looking to Fitch, "Nice reaction time. You were right on Heathcliffe's tail with that block; definitely a big help," He mentioned before turning his gaze to Kenshin. "Impressive speed, keep it up, you took out a lot of those imps on your own." Next came a look to Suto, "That was really brave of you, moving to the aide of your friend quickly like that - we could use more like you. Everybody else, you did a great job," He said, looking to them each before pausing, looking to the stairs, and then simply walking away. Heathcliffe was speaking and there was some cheering as Nero approached, but the red-armoured man started up the staircase first in order to open the next floor.

Fitch sheathed his blade and placed his shield on his back as Yari darted for Luna at the end of the battle. His steps, however, were slow and deliberate as he knelt down beside her, a small smile on his face. "Glad you're okay. Yari, give her some space," He said calmly, looking to the blue-haired girl with a small laugh. She blushed and nodded, falling back onto her heels. The two of them thanked Nero as he left and Fitch looked over to Suto, "He's right, you know. Your quick-thinking was pretty admirable," He said before climbing to his feet. He put a hand on Yari's shoulder. She looked up and nodded, rising to her feet. "Alright, guys, let's get up to the next floor. The party's bound to start up soon, we're gonna wanna find a place to wind down before they start."

Yari put her hands on her hips, "Yup, he's right, c'mon guys," She said brightly, offering Luna a hand to help get up and heading for the stairs. The group moved to the next floor and shortly after they'd calmed down and gotten a moment to relax, the flood from the lower floors began. The party was amazing, as usual, and Fitch had no doubt that Suto had spent nearly all of his spoils from the boss battle indulging on anything and everything of the party. The group sat around a single table at a very run-of-the-mill bar, clinking glasses and laughing.

---

Floor 21, Aincrad, 5 months into the game

"Happy birthday!" The group rang out in unison. Yari blushed brightly, staring down at her lap with a bright smile on her face. She had made it to her birthday with all of her closest friends. No, she didn't get to see her parents today or anything as such, but she was still with people she considered to be family. She was finally eighteen - in real life, she would be getting ready for entrance exams in her senior year. But instead, she was spending every day on an adventure and helping everybody get one step closer to escaping Aincrad.

Nero had even decided to attend. He had become renown as the wealthiest player in all of Aincrad rather quickly, as he worked tirelessly for priceless materials and countless hours to gain his status. He did not wear his blade on his hip or have any kind of protection on, merely opting for a nice, white-with-red trim jacket over a black shirt for the occasion. Beside him was a girl who was called Yuna, his well-known girlfriend who had been able to build up her own seam shop and bakery without too much investment from him. She had a multi-layered dress of a nearly transparent hue of azure, made from a unique silk that came from one of Nero's first unique monster hunts. Her hair was short and brown, framing her small face rather cutely. She and Nero were both younger than all of the present company, but only by about a year, and at this point age was but a number.

There weren't gifts from every single person, but when she was given her gift it was a lovely white gown-like dress, which they said was made from a high-leveled arachnid beast's silk on the twentieth floor. It wasn't unique by any means, though, it was more the skill put into it that made it as nice as it was. After insistance from the entire group, she finally put it on and ran a hand through her hair, grabbing one of her arms with a hand in embarrassment. Fitch's jaw nearly hit the floor, but he had to hide his surprise and smiled.

"You look wonderful, Yari," He said with a smile. Their small party had amassed enough money to get her a bracelet which would boost her DEX attribute rather significantly. It was jeweled and just stunning with a ruby-like mineral dotting around her wrist. Her favourite, however, had come from Fitch. However, she hadn't been able to show it off yet. In fact, the two of them weren't sure when they would be telling the others that on her left hand was not some skill-based ring, but one which signaled their marriage in the game. He had asked her just earlier that day, but the rest of the group didn't even know they had been a couple, so it may complicate things to say anything about it. However, they knew they would be able to eventually, the others would understand.

Last Embers ~Reboot~

I'd hope so, Avery and I are mid-collab. ^^"

Until the End (Scout and Vena Sera)

Komada wiped at her face, forcing herself not to cry. She could tell how hard Ren - or rather, Hanta - was working to keep a cool head and she didn't want to make things too difficult for him, so she nodded at each of his statements, giving a quiet affirmative. At least he knew what he was doing; they could be safe together, taking things slowly, being safe. She gave a small smile, "Okay. We'll be okay," She told herself more than anybody with a nod. After a long inhale, she blew air heavily from her lungs, opening her eyes with a smile, "Yeah, leaving now would make things harder... I think I saw one nearby when I was looking for you," She noted thoughtfully, putting a finger to her chin as her brow furrowed and her eyes swept the area. "Aha! There it is," She said with a bright grin, "I know why I remembered it..." She blushed slightly, "It had a really cute name."

The small building amongst the large city was slightly off-putting, though it certainly looked like an inexpensive place to stay, boasting the name 'The Skipping Kitties.' Not a single player was entering that tavern, which was puzzling to the small girl as it was clearly the best inn of the entire town. "Can we please stay there?" She asked with a bright smile, staring up to her friend, her hands clasped together over her heart. Of course he was going to give in to her pleading, he almost always did. As they approached the counter and Hanta started to ready two rooms, Komada cleared her throat and looked to him, interrupting the process, "Erm... Onii-chan, can we share a room for just tonight?" She asked quietly, her gaze falling back to the floor as her booted foot scraped it absent-mindedly. Her face was heated in a blush as she looked all over the room without meeting his eyes. That night, they stayed in a two-bed room, which essentially costed less than two separate ones. It took a few hours, but Komada finally fell asleep, having taken the bed nearest the window. From the third floor at the top of the small building, one could see down to the road and the few players who would walk past now and then. She was quiet that night, answering any question with a maximum of two words and not turning away from the window. Despite her silence, the girl appreciated having somebody she cared so much about nearby as she sobbed without sound, every tear that fell would dissipate the moment it left her face.

Komada laid in that bed for several hours without sleep, but when it did come, it was deep. She woke up late into the next day, it had to be noon when the light that blared through the curtains finally reached her eyes. She blinked a few times, slowly pulling herself up against the headboard and looking around the room, her eyes still drooping slightly. Where was she? This wasn't her bedroom... Had she fallen asleep with the NerveGear on? Was that healthy...? Or even possible? She pushed herself from the bed, her bare feet landing on the wood while her shoulders slumped tiredly. The girl pulled the curtains aside and saw the bustling road outside as people were running about all of the shops in the area to find whatever goods they needed.She stretched and gave a long yawn... Wait, these weren't even her clothes. She didn't own a yellow nightgown with white flower petals dotting it.

That was when the events of the prior day hit her like a bullet train. Her eyes widened as she fell back a step in shock, putting her arms out to find her balance. She froze in dread before swiping her left hand down through the air. The menu instantly appeared and she deflated, looking for the button that hadn't been there. No, she wasn't dreaming. She started to look around frantically, "Oshiro?" She asked, looking around. He very well could have been in bed; until now, she hadn't been fully aware of anything around her. "Onii-chan?" Finally, she whipped around to see if he was in his bed, her eyes shimmering as tears built up in them out of fear.

Far From Home

Hm... sounds like a boss for the 70s-90s floors. ^^ Good idea putting it here, so that we can reference it later.

Of Deceptive Intentions

Shar dismissed the prideful feline as she commanded him. He shook his head, allowing her to get up, effectively being ignored as he prepared for their departure. He made sure that his blade was firmly secured to his hip as he fixed the red-trimmed coat over his shoulders, yawning and rubbing his jaw to help wake himself up fully. He spent a minute before the mirror, making sure he was crisp and organized - he was not the most recognizable of people, as his dark brown fur was rather common among canid species. Iris, meanwhile, was moving about the room, making sure that it was straightened up. The colonel finally started for the door, "Are you coming, Iris?" He asked her, his brow furrowed.

"Sorry, Mister Shar, I'm not permitted to leave the brothel, even with you... They also aren't selling, before you ask; and believe me, even if they were, you would faint at the offers that have been given for me," She said meekly, shame riddling her body as she stared at the ground. Her Sight gave her a very strong advantage at the whore house, making more money than any of the other girls rather quickly. She would have to do those things regardless, it was merely easier to be able to be fast and efficient than slow and awkward. Her eyes shifted about, "However, because of the package you've paid for, I'll be here all day; the privacy will be refreshing," She assured him with a smile and a nod. He felt something off; she didn't want privacy, she wanted companionship. He sighed and stared at her silently for a moment, trying to find the words.

"We'll be back for you, Iris, don't worry," He told her with confidence, finally striding from the room.

"... Bring a replacement vixen to our room," He heard her voice as he approached the desk where Ciscera stood, a slight snarl welling from deep inside of him. She had the gall... He nearly cut in as he came forward, adjusting his sleeves.

However, the leopard responded before he had any need to, "I am sorry, ma'am, but there are none others... Iris may be young, but she by far the most talented girl we have; not one customer leaves unsatisfied after being with her," She responded, "I think you and your companion would be quite pleased if you waited just one more night. 'Tis a busy time of week after all," she said without caring that Ciscera was left with discomfort.

Lykos, however, smirked as he came from behind, "Thank you, a replacement won't be necessary. I'm sure that everything will be fine," He said, ending his statement with a hiss as he glared at Ciscera. "Come, Ciscera, we've a busy day ahead," he ushered her out of The Quivering Hills. After being hit with a breath of fresh air, Shar realized how light-headed he had become while surrounded by incense and smokes. As they started to walk, he lowered his voice so that she could hear him, "Ciscera, we cannot have Iris replaced. I don't care what you think of her - but you've no idea the spot of luck we've run into by meeting her. She is not some piece of trash for you to throw her away, you must trust me on this, she's very special," He said firmly, deciding not to explain much further than such. The next problem lay in her fur and superiority complex, the latter of which would likely be the hardest to crack. "You can't boss me around, either; you have no army to support you and, in fact, you need me. You know little, if nothing, of the land outside of Riverslade. Now, your fur is quite obvious - how do you propose we go about fixing it?" He asked, readjusting the collar on his coat..

They had walked from the Quivering Hills into one of the middle-class areas of the city; the street was lined with wooden stands, open-faced shops, and stores with signs. Many of the stalls had crates of ripe-looking fruit, some with small and large weapons, though rather crudely made in comparison with the weapons of the two warriors, ones with jewelry and other assorted goods. However, one of the higher-end stalls seemed to be full of spices and oils as well as dyes for painters and tailors, thread, and other crafting supplies. It had a name above it and beside it was a store with the same name - the stall outside must have been a mere teaser. Shar looked around with a furrowed brow before pointing it out, "Might be something over there you can use..? Dunno, I've never had to do anything about my fur colour," He noted as he led them to it. It was a start, and the inside would have a large variety of objects within. As Lykos left Ciscera to search, he started eyeing different items and fingering them slightly as he allowed the tigress any time she needed. The longer they spent in clear view, even if she was hooded, the more likely they would have to make another mad dash and the colonel could feel the soreness burning through his legs after weeks of abuse and a lack of adrenaline.

Digital or Real?

Hm... Those look quite good! I am totally fine with Mythics/Mechanics; for the record, regardless of the character I play, they'll actually roleplay it.

I imagine Riders would have some kind of customizable speedbike which they can improve using cash (which gets really expensive over time) or finding/being a skilled Technician.

Then, looking at "Flyers" what if we changed it to "Tamers" - so that rather than making it easy to fly, one would tame animals as mounts, battle companions, or pets (they can only choose it as one) and they can train them to do certain things. Higher level Tamers can tame stronger monsters and at some level they would be able to obtain an egg for a flying mount, which they can then use to access higher leveled air-based monsters?

For the future-based weaponry of the sci-fi world, we could do something like the game Fallout, where there are bullet guns, laser, and plasma-based guns, perhaps multi-barreled or whatever we can think of, seeing as while we're playing, we would come up with new weapons that have different abilities/play styles, I don't see much need to do toooo much info on this. It'll be cool to have a little more view on the settings than the gear when it comes to the "cyberpunk"-y area of the game, from the architecture to the tech all about.

Hm... As far as what our characters pick, how about we make them and decide who is taking on which "role" (though it's less close-minded that a true role, just the basic of whether they're the one that moved away or stayed and lost them, etc.)

Sooo... perhaps we make our characters, share them, and then we can see who fits the very best as we develop them through their childhood for those short sections?