Agents Temporalis

[Mythy the Dragon-Wolf]

OOC Thread

LAUNCH DAY: 3 HOURS UNTIL LAUNCH
Current Era: IRL
Current Quest: Meet up and party!
< @Quiet One @Esper @Crow @CyanDies >
~~~~~~~~~
​

Today was Friday - a near-universal good day, as college classes ended for the weekend, other schools did too, and many jobs were on hold for the weekend. But for a particular group of friends, and many more besides, it was a much more important day than a simple Friday. Because a heavily anticipated game was coming out: Agents Temporalis. A full-dive, group-instanced VRMMORPG that was hailed with branching stories, depending on quests taken and outcomes achieved. It was groundbreaking in many ways, and was appealing to all kinds of players.

The beta had ended a few weeks ago, and Travis - the unofficial but undisputed leader of a small group of friends - was still super Hyped about it. He'd helped his friends get the game, and even the divegear if need be. All so that they could hang out in the world together, test out the beta, and get the sweet Chrono Trigger title for their characters. And now, the day had finally come. It was launching in a mere few hours, and Travis was going to make sure that his team had an awesome weekend binging on it.

~~~

Travis sighed and leaned back in their booth inside their favorite pizza joint. Three hours to launch, and he could barely wait. If his friends didn't show up soon, he might not be able to wait! As such he pulled out his cellphone and texted into their group chat: "Hey, where are you guys? C'mon, it's party time!" he smiled and then closed off his phone. It would only be a matter of time until his boyfriend and the rest of their team joined him, he was sure.

As he waited, he reflected on the beta. They had two ranged and two frontliners - plenty of DPS. That would worry him, if he didn't know that as a Tank, he could pull the harder things to focus on him. And even then, his beta character had been able to get some healing skills - a paladin-type, if you would. no doubt that he could get even better at it, since they would no longer be level-locked to level ten. Sure they had to start over, but that was part of the fun! Every system would be unlocked, so they could start and enjoy the game to the fullest!

He just had to wait for his friends to show up, so they could party and get ready to game.​

 

[Quiet One]

ON MY WAY! ON MY WAY! Coby thumb-typed as he ran towards the pizza place. He burst in and looked around for Travis. Seeing him at their favorite table he breathed out a sigh of relief and walked over. He had his typical grey hoodie on, covering his androgynous - almost feminine - physique. As always his thick bangs covered up an eye and he pulled the earbuds out of his pink music device when he got to him.

"I'm sorry. I was in my art class and I had my music on and I just got really into it and..." He blushed when he realized he was the first to arrive. He immediately quieted down and scooted over beside his boyfriend. He was significantly shorter than Travis, and leaned his head on his shoulder with a small smile.

"I've been really looking forward to today," he said softly. "I wasn't sure about this VR stuff at first, but then - " He blushed and stopped as he remembered. It had been the first time they kissed. He was trying on Travis's dive-gear and, when he finished the level, he felt a kiss on his lips. "Well, you know. Anyway, I can't wait to go back in. To be Madilynn again and be cool."

 

[Crow]

Before this day, Benjamin "Min" Koh was excited, excited for what was to come. But when the day came, he was nervous, a nervous, socially awkward wreck.

He's hung with those people before. They were all adults, or pretty close to being adults. Sometimes, he felt out of place, effectively being a child.

He walked into the pizza place, the location of this supposed Party time.

"How many people, Miss?" a waiter asks.

"Uh..." Min stutters, "my seat already reserve... someone else reserve one..."

"What was that?"

"Oh! I meant, I'm sitting with someone here."

"Go right ahead."

Min walked towards where Coby and Travis were sitting. "Oh... Travis, Coby, h- hi... so, you all hyped for it?"

Min was always energetic online, but in the physical plane of reality, he was jittery. Very jittery.

"So... you all want to look at menu?"

 

[Mythy the Dragon-Wolf]

< @Quiet One @Crow >

Travis couldn't help but chuckle at his boyfriend, who was always just so cute when flustered. As Coby slid next to him, the other man wrapped an arm around Coby's shoulders and laid a gentle kiss to his head. "You're always cool to me, Coby." came a whisper, though before anything more had been said, their youngest friend had also arrived.

"Benjamin! Good to see you, c'mon, sit." he laughed gently and let him sit where he wanted to. "Don't worry about the menu, I already ordered everyone's favorites. Don't want anything getting in the way of our party." he grinned wide, quite obviously excited for it all. "And you bet I'm hyped! I've been waiting for this day for weeks now!" he pulled Coby a bit closer. "And so freaking glad they made it a Friday. We can just binge it this weekend!"

 

[Quiet One]

Coby squirmed happily at the kiss, rubbing his head against Travis's shoulder like a love-struck puppy. Under the table, he took the taller boy's hand, smiling at the little moment of intimate privacy. That moment ended, though, as Benjamin came up. Not to say that it was ruined; if any one of their friends could understand Travis and Coby, it was their sixteen-year-old kid friend. It had taken him a while to warm up to Travis's other friends, but Min Coby clicked with immediately. They were so alike, practically brothers.

He sat up slightly to allow a spot for him to sit beside him. He then turned to Travis, looking up at the handsome young man. "Pepperoni and mushroom?" he pleaded. Soon a waitress came by with drinks. His was a Diet Dr. Pepper. If Travis had gotten the drink right, he was sure to have gotten the food. He smiled and leaned into him again.

 

[Esper]

Amalia zoomed down the street on her motorcycle. It was loud, hot pink and made a statement about her wherever she went. She loved the feeling of hearing the wind blow around her as she rode down the streets. Pink was a bright color and fitting for the bubbly personality that she presented to the world. Inside she was something else most days, but it didn't pay to be cold until she needed to be and so she smiled if only so others would be less curious about what she felt was a strangeness within her.

She was heading towards a meeting with her friends. They called it a party, but she called it an excuse to leave the house. Some days she needed one and today was one of them. The voice in her ear chirped with the text alert and her phone translated that into speech. "Respond, 'On my way two blocks down. Don't want to miss the party", she spoke into the blue tooth as the phone turned her words into text and shot it off as a reply. She liked gaming and she liked her group of friends truly. They experienced both sides of her and for what it was worth accepted them.

After arriving she turned the engine off and dismounted it. It had an electric key and wouldn't respond to anyone who didn't have it. The purr went silent and she took her helmet off, shaking out her hair, trying to look as nice as she did before she left. The leather jacket would stay on which complimented her black skinny jeans. She wore calf high boots today with little skulls logos on the toe region. She stepped into the pizza parlor feeling a little out of place, but this was the city and she had met all manner of interesting people including what her parents coined a gamer club.

Well at least she wasn't last, she thought to herself cheerfully waving at the group. "Sorry for the attire. Just got out of a study group", she began before sliding into a spot. She droned on for a little about some guy in her study group she thought was cute until the pizza had arrived. "Hmm. Oh food. I'm starved. I got the bill by the way. Let's have a good time then, yes?"

 

[CyanDies]

Nathan Grant
Era: IRL
Quest: Meet up and Party!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Nathan turned on his cellphone and got into group chat to finally find Travis' text, 'Oh... Wait, what! Shit!' He was a block away from the pizza place, and he still hadn't gotten there. A couple minutes of sprinting later he had arrived, Panting he clambered into the pizza place, One of the waitresses came up to him with a concerned expression, "Are you alright sir?".

Nathan nods, "Ye- Yeah... In retrospect, I don't know why I ran all the way here..." He facepalms mumbling about 'Doing it again'.

Sighing he looks around finally finding his friends most of them already there.

Walking over he waves, "Hey guys!"

He walks up to the table while seeing Travis and Coby snuggling up on each other, and then he sits down next to Ben and grins, "Am I late?"

 

[Quiet One]

Coby shook his head at Nathan's question, his mouth covering the tip of his slice of pizza. He ate with his hands holding the crust and took small bites, though they still managed to shut his mouth completely. He smiled after he swallowed and gave a little wave to the fifth member of their party. "Hi, Amalia. Sorry I didn't say anything...pizza."

With that, he went back to take another bite. Mm. Pepperoni and mushroom was his favorite. He was so glad Travis remembered. "So...how long are we going to be playing for tonight? If they didn't change too much from the beta, I could probably live in there." He asked this of everyone, since some of them might have to go to bed sooner than others, and playing without the whole party...just didn't feel right.

 

[Mythy the Dragon-Wolf]

LAUNCH DAY: 2.5 HOURS UNTIL LAUNCH
Current Era: IRL
Current Quest: Meet up and party!
< @Quiet One @Esper @Crow @CyanDies >
~~~~~~~~~​

Once Amalia had arrived and sat down, talking about a boy in her group, the pizza had show up. Or rather pizzas, as two came, each separated into quarters by ingredients - not to mention the cheesesticks and cookie platter. Travis wasn't entirely picky, so he would have whichever slice fancied him at the moment, and the others in his group could each have their favorites. Even the drinks that came to the circular booth would be their favorites, himself getting a chilled-mug root beer. Once Nathan showed up, he chuckles and shakes his head, an arm still wrapped around Coby.

"Nope! Not late at all, Nathan. Food just arrived, this one really couldn't wait." he said kissing Coby on the head before taking a swig of his drink. A quick glance to Amalia asked silently if she was sure about picking up the entire bill, as he'd had it in his mind to pay, or at the very least split it around. But whatever her answer he would smile and shrug.

"We're binging this weekend." he answered Coby with a grin, and chuckled before nodding and looking around at the group. "I'm sure we'll have some things to do, but remember we promised to play the whole game, beginning to end as a party. So unless something really changes, we're gonna do that." he said, glancing at each of them in turn.

He had never really accepted the title of leader, but as an ingame tank, and even IRL it just seemed natural for him to lead the others. He listened to them of course, and was a good friend to the best of his ability. "A good few hours tonight at the very least. Plus, on the bright side we already have our characters made, so once the beta info is imported we're not gonna have to worry about waiting to make our characters once more. Which makes me wonder what you're all looking forwards to, cause the full game's gonna be way more robust than the beta - and that was already amazing!"

 

[Quiet One]

Coby blushed at yet another kiss on the head and nudged Travis with his shoulder. "Stop doing that!" he whined. In a whisper he added, "People can see us." He was always scared of anyone spotting him. Not because he was ashamed of being gay, but simply because he was really shy about anyone seeing him be intimate. Travis was much more open - he loved that about him - but he couldn't get past his own timidity to enjoy much public affection.

"A-Anyway, that's good," he said in response to Travis saying they'd have a few hours. "Means we might be able to finish our first quest tonight. Or mission. Or...what's it called? You know what I mean," he looked up at Travis, blushing as his noob was showing. "I-I just want to go to bed having accomplished something in-game." Under his breath he added, "bet the graphics and touch interface are better than the beta. It'll be like really being her."

 

[Esper]

Amalia nodded at the expression. She picked up on the cues of others pretty well. It was one of her talents, she figured, compensating for the natural coldness within her. "Daddy um...pays me to go to school I guess? So as long as I keep good grades anyways. He calls it an investment in my future. A little weird if you ask me, but I don't control how others act. Eh." She finished the thought and took another sizable bite of the pizza, chewing with one side while keeping an aware expression on the room around her. She listened to the chatter on their first planned activity and made a note to prepare for the dive mentally. She was one of the damage dealers, quick to react. Control the situation through overwhelming the enemy on multiple fronts and with rapid strikes.

Her thoughts trailed off, remembering she also had meant to do a video this weekend for her channel. She had followers that were amused by her unique style in presenting facts, a mix of sarcasm and observations. Some called her a voice, but that wasn't something she aspired to be personally. She always felt more like a student in the art of deception and diplomacy. Your competition had to think they knew your next move, then you could put them on the ground hard. It also helped her network, knowing what made some people tick. She enjoyed it like a science. Business in a sense was just another tool to meet an end, a very complicated tool for scientific use. She wondered how much of the Player versus Player aspects would survive from the beta as well. Her thoughts trailed on in that manner as she kept an ear open to those around her.

 

[CyanDies]

Nathan Grant
Era: IRL
Quest: Meet up and Party!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Nathan takes a cheese stick and takes a bite out of it, keeping quiet since he had missed breakfast for whatever reason. He sighed knowing he should have probably eaten breakfast before coming. keeping quiet he takes a couple pizzas, then proceeding to takes hefty bites with the occasional sip.

 

[Crow]

"Four cheeses pizza? Th- thanks," Min expresses his gratitude as he takes a slice of his favourite pizza flavour - four cheeses. He had settled in his seat.

Min turned to Amalia. "My secondary school finish already." With a cough, he reiterates his sentence. "I mean, Middle school is out for me... I've got a few choices to choose from for my next stage in education. Junior College, Polytechnics... the third choice that is least reccommended... then after that, it's probably Uni, then a job. It's tough to plan and invest... I'm actually kind of worried..."

Taking a sip out of his coke and eating a cheese stick, Min smiles.

"But I guess it's days like these that are meant to take our mind off school... so it's best to enjoy ourselves."

 

[Mythy the Dragon-Wolf]

~~AT THE PIZZA PLACE~~
< @Quiet One @Crow @Esper @CyanDies >

Tyler looked between his friend and smiled at them each, though was slightly concerned about Nate, who didn't seem like he'd eaten much earlier in the day. He hoped he would get his fill now so they could really enjoy their game time. He continued his eating and rarely took his arm from around Coby, as the hours passed. They laughed and joked and planned and strategized, letting the time pass them by as they did so.

Eventually Travis' phone went off with an alarm he had set to tell them all that the game was about to go online. His grin widened and he shut off his phone, looking at the empty table. "Right! Game's starting soon, so we should get to our gear. See you guys soon - c'mon Coby." he said, standing up while holding the other's hand. With a glance to Amalia he laid a $20 bill on the table. He knew she meant well but he couldn't just let her pay for everything, not in good conscience. He smiled at them once more and then pulled Coby out, holding his hand all the way to the dorms.

~~AT HOME~~
< @Quiet One >

Once they got through the door to their room, Travis turned around and kissed Coby deep for a moment, just holding his boyfriend in a close embrace. He knew Coby was shy, but loved the affection, and figured there was time for just a little kiss. He pulled away and chuckled softly. "Alrighty then. See you soon, Coby." he said with a wink, heading to the his bed where he always had his divegear setup. With a final glance to Coby, he winked and laid down, the gear on his head as he closed his eyes.. and began to dive down deep into the game...

~~~~~~
LAUNCH DAY: 6:00 PM
Current Era: Nexus
Current Quest: None
< @Quiet One @Esper @Crow @CyanDies >
~LOGIN~
~~~~~~

The Nexus

The world around them would begin white as the gear read their bodies, their movements, and recognized them as who they were. Once everything was verified, the game began to load in, and a computerized voice would say "Welcome back to the Nexus, Chrono Trigger." as it did. First formed the outside of the city which was the nexus, as if it was being built with the players onlookers to the construction. Then there was the feeling of flying, or floating, as they were transferred to various places around the Nexus, where the loading would finish and they would be able to move about.

"Holy... the movement feels like it has so much more Fidelity..." Travis/Salvis said to himself, holding out a gauntleted hand and gazing at it. His armor was just like he had it in the beta, but it was new. Un-customized and ready to grow with him once more. He grinned and pulled out his sword and shield, giving them each a few practice swings. "Yeah.. this is going to be fun." he nodded, and took a quick second to check and choose his first level skill.

Once he was done, Salvis sprinted around the Nexus, leaping and vaulting over barriers, laughing all the while. It felt amazing, like he was actually Salvis now. There wasn't any lag or anything! But his movement had a final destination, the questboard. There weren't many players in the game as of yet, but otherwise most of them were at the questboard. Thankfully he remembered how all his teammate's characters looked, and so could invite them to a party one by one as they arrived.

"Right! Time to pick a quest, huh? What're you all thinking?" Salvis laughed and walked his way to the board, leading his team once more. It was already exhilarating... what would the actual gaming be like...

Questboard

~Bronze Age~
Assassinate the Temporal Leader
~Feudal Age~
Prevent the outbreak of war
~Powder Age~
Prevent a Massacre
~Steam Age~
Stop the Mass Murderer
~Network Age~
Find the Industrial Sabatour
~Cyber Age~
Destroy a Computer Virus
~Ascension Age~
Protect the Interstellar Launch

​

 

[Quiet One]

~~AT THE PIZZA PLACE~~
​

Coby stayed firmly nuzzled against his boyfriend as he ate three big slices of pizza. He was much hungrier than he thought. He didn't know if it was because of nerves over getting started or the fact that he had a small lunch, but either way he probably ate more than anyone else at the table. Which made him blush further when Travis and Amalia both started trying to divide up the bill. He had no money on him, and mooching off the gang for pizza made him feel a little guilty. He resolved to make up for it in-game.
​

~~AT HOME~~
​

He shared a dorm room with Travis, so they were together all the way from their favorite hangout to their bedroom. They didn't get past the front door, however, before Travis spun him around and pressed their lips together. Coby absolutely melted, clinging to him until the kiss was broken.

"No fair," he said breathlessly. Then with a soft smile added, "I'll get you for that IG."

He went to his own bed and powered up the system, putting the dive gear on his head and waiting for the world to load...
​

~~THE NEXUS~~
​

Coby watched in rapt fascination as the city in the sky built itself before him. He walked forward while it was loading, stepping onto the street as it was being built. Once the Nexus was loaded he looked down and squealed happily. He had boobs! More importantly, he had the corset on over his button-up shirt. His hair was no longer in his face, and was instead cut in a tomboy style with a bowler hat covering it. He felt a weight on his back and twirled excitedly to see his gas-powered jetpack and the handle of that steam-powered sniper gun he'd come to love. The barrel was detachable since the whole weapon was around equal to his character's height, and he could feel it slapping his thigh. He looked at his hands - manicured and feminine with thick iron and copper gauntlets around his wrists. He flicked his wrists and two handles swung up. He squeezed the handles and his fists were covered in steel with brass ribbing.

Her fists. Coby would have to remember that. Madilynn Winchester was a girl. A spunky, daring, but deadly-accurate sniper.

"Madilynn. Madilynn Winchester," she repeated. Coby couldn't help it. The feminine voice and London accent sent her into a new fit of giggles. "No more giggling. Got to find the others."

Coby/Madilynn activated her gas jetpack and shot up over thirty feet. She landed without a problem and continued sprinting onward. Having a jetpack gave her a tiny bit more protection from fall damage, but either way she couldn't get hurt in the Nexus. It was a non-playable zone. She knew right where everybody was meeting - the questboard. And it wasn't long until she found it, and Salvis - Travis' character - looking over the quest options. She shimmied her jetpack, which had recharged, and shot towards him, tackling him in a big hug. Just unfortunate that Salvis the Tank was so big Madilynn couldn't get her arms around his waist.

"Got you! - Oh! I can feel the metal of your armor! That's so cool!" she said and pulled herself away. Coby felt much more brazen as Madilynn. "Told you I'd get you back."

But in the end, she was still Coby, so she leaned against his side with his arm around her shoulders as they looked at the quests. She pointed at the Bronze, Feudal, and Steam Age quests. "One of those sounds good. Which do you think will be best for our team?"​

 

[CyanDies]

NewNathan Grant
Era: IRL
Quest: N/A
~Pizza Place~
Finishing up his last piece he lets out a content sigh, looking over at Travis just in time to see him give a concerned glance. He just waves his concern 'It was fine, He'd just hadn't eaten this morning he would be ready to go when it was time to play' as he thought that Travis' phone went off most likely signifying that the game was going to launch soon. Nathan thanked Amalia for paying as he got up and walked out of the parlor.
~Home~
Walking into his dorm room he went into his bedroom with haste as that is where his dive gear rested. Nathan fidgeting in excitement powered on the system a beep ringing out as the LED turned to green, pulling it on he hears it purr as the game starts.
~~The Nexus~~
Instead of the originally chunky loading, the game was building everything before him the sleek metal appearing A clink and a weight appears on Brando as he looks down to find his sleek silver revolver and gauntlet in place. Stepping out into the street the game had finished loading as he looked up to be greeted by his messy mop of white hair with the occasional black streak.

A grin appearing on his face as he hears his trench coat slightly waving, looking over the Nexus he finds the quest board and soon both Cob-Madilynn and Salvis. He starts his run over noticing the visible and audible difference in his steps. Finally over with Salvis and Madilynn, Brando greets them, "Hey guys! This is amazing!"

Which was true, he did expect the game to be better, but not this realistic! Looking for the quest he looks over both the steam age and network age, the quest there definitely exciting him most.

 

[Esper]

~Pizza Place to Home~
​

Amalia smiled and decided to leave the twenty as a tip. She figured it would leave a nice impression on the staff there. She walked up to the counter and paid with her card, then dropped the twenty into the jar. She winked at the young man who looked to be of college age as well, perhaps even attended the same school. "This should cover the bill. Thank you for the wonderful hosting, Jon", She smiled before walking away with a saunter as she put her bike helmet on and revved the engine.​

She sped home relatively quickly. Traffic was light for that time of day and she lived close by to the pizza place. After a few blocks she pulled into what looked to be an upper class neighborhood; nice cars and homes. She stuck out through a sore thumb to say the least with the loud, bright bike. She pulled into the garage and left her helmet on the handlebar as the door closed behind her. As she stepped into the house she walked by her father's study. It was partially cracked open, so she tried to walk by quietly.

"Home already? Your mother and I are going out tonight so just order something for dinner", her father spoke, looking up from his computer briefly. He was dressed in his usual business garb, probably fresh from work. Being the boss he made his own hours, which at times seemed to irregular at times, but usually they evened out after the business quarters began.

"Mhm. Probably just going to play my game tonight. I got my project done with the group. It turned out pretty nice actually. The presentation really came together. Have a good time tonight, ok?" Amalia smiled and headed to her room and closed the curtains. The sun came in from either side of the room, catching the morning and evening sun. The evening sun would show from her balcony. She didn't like the glare much, but it was otherwise nicely furnished and breezy. She laid down on her bed after preparing for the dive and got comfortable.

~The Game~
​

Amalia laid there and her would began to fade around her and she began the transformation into Cyren Steelheart, a mercenary of the Matrix Age. Her armor could shift in colors, but the current color scheme she chose was a silvered chrome with white LED lighting. During missions the properties could change into an active camouflage, an upgrade she would later need to earn back, hopefully soon. It let her get the jump on enemies and act as a controller on the front line to keep enemies off the support and ranged.​

"Right so we were meeting at the questing board", she thought to herself as she began to test out the controls once more to readjust. It ran a lot smoother than the beta and looked quite a bit prettier than it had previously. She placed her first talent point into 'Thunder Punch' with a grin. The options were all similar, but specialized based on the weapons chosen. The close range stun was a front line thing, but depending on the implement used it would manifest in different ways. It seemed to give the game a personal feel to it while still keeping the balance.

She approached the rest of the party and waved. Her footsteps were quiet as she approached. In other games she had played a sneaky controller and this one was no different for now. "Hi everyone. So which quest are we going to be embarking on first."

 

[Crow]

Finishing the final pieces of the pizza, Min was preparing to head off. "Th- thank you for the meal," Min greets as he bows his body. With that, he leaves.

When he reaches home, his parents were still out working. He had gotten used to this. He moved with them so that he could be closer to them, but all efforts to do so were not very successful.

He boots his computer up and prepares to play the game.

---

The Nexus.

How does one describe it?

Its sleek, metallic floors? The orange skies? Quite a few ways. But what was more interesting was the one that Min saw the world through.

Min looked at his- no- her- reflection.

Min noticed the leathery red shawl and the blue dress underneath it. They were made from her wings. Min didn't seem to be wearing any shoes.

"So my wings are my armour, kind of odd how they're detachable," Min comments.

Min was Min no more, Min was Cassandra, Daughter of Bahamut, a great beast from the Feudal Age. Thanks to the special code key, Cassandra had story bonuses to add to her character.

"Well, time to find the others. Gee, I feel a little naked, to be honest."

 

[Mythy the Dragon-Wolf]

Example Street

~~~~~~
Winter | 12pm | Soft Snow
Current Era: Steam Age
Current Quest: Stop the Murder Spree
< @Quiet One @Esper @Crow @CyanDies >
~~~~~​

Salvis looked around at his team as they all spoke, and eventually they came to a decision that the Steam Age quest would be a good first start. So as party leader, he separated from his lover and smiled at her before going to the board. He used some system commands to accept the quest. Almost immediately they began to glow, and the Nexus began to deconstruct around them. Once it was gone, there was a pause as they were 'anchored into the present' as the lore of the game explained, and then they would see the streets and buildings of the Steam Age come into sight. This area was a large city named Noldon, and was obviously a London-inspired place with the steampunk motif.

They appeared in an Alley on the outskirts, and Salvis took a step forwards. The sky was grey, and a soft snow was falling down from the clouds above. One landed on his face and he shivered - the air and snow was actually cold! Not uncomfortably so, but it felt like there was actual snow and briskness in the air. From what their gear told them, it was just past noon in where they were sent, and Salvis turned to look around.

"Alright, this is a big place to explore. Here's the plan, we're going to split up and look for a crime scene-" they had been given credentials that would allow them to act like an investigatory body in this age for the quest- "Once you find it, ping your location and send a chat message, and we'll meet there. On the way, though, don't be afraid to stop NPCs and ask them some questions. Never know where a clue might be." he explained, and looked down.

The mission lore postulated that there was a Temporal aiding the murderer, as at this time in history he had already been caught and executed. But since he was still going strong, there was obviously Temporal assistance - however the mission lore was never spot-on, as it let the players do the mission to their own liking and find things out themselves.

"Alright, let's get started!" he smiled at his team, trusting them all as he turned and headed out of the alley, turning down the street to begin. Perhaps they had wanted to talk more, and they could pull him back if they did. but for now, he was simply too excited to stay still for too long!​

 

[Quiet One]

Madilynn smiled as the world around them transformed into the steampunk city of Noldon. She put her hands on her hips and surveyed the new environment, trying to think like a Londoner - or, Noldoner. Her first thought was to walk around one of the fresh food markets and try to gleam what she knew. Maybe try out the taste algorithm in the game.

"I'm going to try the markets," she said to the group. She tapped the air and a screen appeared. The buttons were like those of a typewriter, keeping to the steampunk aesthetic. She searched her stats and pointed to one for the others to see. "Hey, according to this I get an influence bonus because of where we are. I can even check out people's houses. That's...kind of strange."

The group split up to explore the environment and find information. Madilynn immediately went to the shops, browsing the carts boasting fresh fish, fruit, bread and pastries. She checked her stats to see she automatically had a small budget of 500 pounds. She whistled and bought a small pastry, eating it as she walked along. She immediately went still as the taste hit her. It was so...good! Rich, sweet raspberry filling, warm, fluffy crust...her knees knocked together in pleasure. "Wow...

"Okay, anyway...back to business. Who to start with...?" She looked around. Coby remembered some of his history, and knew that Jack the Ripper was a murderer that mutilated prostitutes in the White Chapel neighborhood. Madilynn looked at the streets, but saw no signs. She did, however, see a woman who had all the hallmarks of a 19th century hooker. As well as a bronze and copper leg, which was a hallmark of the steampunk world. She made her way over...