Phantasm Quest

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A clear day in Lyria. No one should assume it to stay that way, of course. The world was fiction; easy to manipulate by its creators. Rain could fall just about anytime, as could snow or hail. Especially if the element powered characters called for it. For now, the weather was warm, with plenty of sunshine to go around.

Someone taking advantage of the warmth was Spyte. She was a creature who despised the cold and was always weakened by it. Any amount of heat was more than welcome. The robed naga sat comfortably in front of her guild hall, her long body looking like a pile of thick, coiled rope. She had her arms folded over her chest and a thoughtful expression on her face. Leaning against a wall of the structure behind her was her Druid weapon: a handmade staff with a brilliant gem upon it.

She and her fellow guild members had been trapped in Phantasm Quest for quite some time. An exact number of days was unknown. It didn't matter, anyway. A guild had yet to free itself from the cursed RPG. Not many solved the mystery of how to reach the fabled kingdom in the sky. The Skyland Knights knew, though. Certain objects had to be acquired in order to get there. The questing required would take a long time... A very long time.

Spyte calmly sighed to herself and reached for her staff, using it as support to help her straighten up. She was considerably tall and quite intimidating. Vicky still couldn't believe the difference between her meek, small human form and this figure of her naga character. Sometimes, she wished she created something more human instead. As she often told herself: 'Too late for that now.'

So that she would still be exposed to the daylight, she slithered through the lush grass of her guild's territory, simply enjoying the morning. In the distance, there were low leveled creatures running about, not bold enough to approach the Skyland Knights. A single step near them and those critters would be obliterated.

There was business to attend to, but for now, she was relaxing like the rest of her companions. They would have to set out on their journeys once again. Very soon, in fact.

They couldn't stay here forever, right?

"That scroll... Where is that scroll?" she asked herself, a long fingernail scratching at her rough-skinned cheek. Thinking outloud was typical in real life, therefore in game. People often teased her about it and said it was a sign of insanity. Not much later did she remember the item to be on her bookshelf. Slithering all the way to her room was such a chore! A disadvantage she always cursed was her sluggishness.

Her eyes then began to search for someone to fetch that particular scroll for her. Out of everyone, Extalin would be the most willing. At the thought of him, she braced herself, expecting an out-of-nowhere attack of love...
 
And so she woke up, combing her fingers through her straight, extensive hair. In a clearing of a dense forest at a pond, the sunlight poured down upon her, making her hair shimmer like rose quartz. Her presence had an almost ephemeral quality to it, her radiance and almost supernaturally light demeanor making her seem to float like a fairy. A mischievous smile was on her face, for she had been quite aware exactly when she had arrived here that she was trapped in Phantom Quest. She did not mind that fact at all; however, she still slightly wondered what she would do. I guess maybe play as always, she thought to herself as she put her armor over her undergarments and then put on one of her less flashy dresses.

However, the dress was still quite showy. The mint green sundress was adorned with many ribbons including one large one on the back, one in the front, and a few on each shoulder strap. She wore a pair of mint green flats to go along with the dress. Her show of ribbons and sparkles was almost complete except for one thing. Her wand. She took it out and waved it around, toying with it for a bit before she teleported to the guild hall.

Her own show dwarfed in comparison to the sheer size of the guild hall. Its massive form arching over all who ambled along its corridors would be amazed by its height and majesty. Light flooded in as if from the heavens, making Magia seem once again inhuman, a mere fairy or spirit mischievously floating and prancing about before flitting off into the unknown once more. Since this was one of her first times to go inside of the guild hall in person, she still could not help but be amazed by it. She stared in awe at everything for a few seconds, knowing that it was not real, but that it felt very real to her. She then proceeded to go along with her (lack of) business, wandering about whilst hoping someone would come up that she could talk to. I wonder how everyone else is processing this, she thought to herself as she continued to walk down the guild hall.

Eventually she entered a garden. The sweet smell of flowers hung in the air, only mitigated by a soft, warm breeze. Today Lyria's sun shone down upon everything, embracing its fantastical domain. For now, for this fading instant, the world around Magia was much like her. The flowers and leaves shimmered and the pond in the center of the large garden shone in a pristine azure. This garden felt like a fading spirit, an enchanted place that would disappear soon. It seemed to float above the mere realm of mortals, suspended in a preternatural glory. The little fairy continued wandering through the garden, knowing that she would soon be forced back to the mere realm of mortals.

 
Lars was reclining in a wooden chair, sitting far down the seat, his arms draped over the arm rests imperiously. In one hand he twirled a small dagger, the handle wrapped in black leather with a simple 'tilde' hand guard. The blade itself was black, with wave like patterns of white layered along the length of the blade. It gave off an unnatural sheen as he spun it deftly around his fingers by the hook of the guard; as the blade sliced through the air, it was completely silent, and the handle did not rattle around as he tossed the dagger back and forth.

His legs were crossed and his eyes appeared closed. His attire was rather plain and functional. He wore loose garmets of black and white linen for mobility. The clothing was loose at all joints, but along sections of the arm, leg, and torso they were tightly fastened to the body with a mini gorgon's knot of leather straps.

The first thing he had done, when he woke up and immediately knew what was going on, was to simply sit and play with the dagger. Obviously, while doing such a thing was merely a flourish when performed via the game's GUI, the movements came to him naturally, and he found that even when thinking about the motions explicitly he would not lose them as if they were merely ingrained muscle memory. He had carefully stretched his limbs. Taken sudden running and stopping starts, leaped up to and run along the walls, moved without making a sound, kicking above eye height. The system magic did not fail to amaze him - it had even saw to outfit him with an athletic build; lean muscles, low body fat, flexible tendons. He then performed a few stabs, but knew it was superfluous. Something was up.

So.

There he was on the chair, absentmindedly spinning the knife, and wondering what was going on. He caught the dagger as it fell, point down from a previous throw, and whipped it across the room. It was silent as it spun through the air, and slid - not embedded, with a thunk - but slid, into the middle of a portrait across the room. Right in the throat.

Bullseye. A small grin spread across his lips.
 
Young hated mirrors.

In Korean myth, they were portals to opposing worlds. Thin veils of nothing that held similar selves at bay; from invading and killing their clones. The child's hatred grew stronger, as he now couldn't recognize himself, in any reflective surface. Even a still lake betrayed his eyes. What had happened to him, and many others, was a heavy weight to bear.

Currently, the Druid was sitting at that same stilled lake, amongst the critters of their Guild's domain. He had a baduk board in front of him, playing by himself, for no other reason than to occupy time. Letting out a frustrated sigh, the effigy that was Wang Munmu summoned a bit of air to disturb the surface of the lake. The child in him found it invigorating that he had the opportunity to escape his parents. The other portion, however, did not wish to remain here for long.

You can't log off of life.

Laying his staff, horizontally, in front of him, he continued his game of baduk.
 
Patten loved Phantasm quest, probably more than she loved making candy with her family. She kept a loyal connection to the game every day and even did some all night raids for the sake of her guild. It was her escape from life in a way, she had no plans for college after all, her parents couldn't afford to send her anyway, and she was already planning to take on the family business while her brother worked on his writing and such. In Phantasm Quest she was the good guy, the one who everyone else depended on and she would never give up that position for anything...However, She had not expected for her position to go from fun and games to real life...

Patten, or now Emdra as everyone knew her as, was stuck in her favorite game, usually a dream come true for some but not for her. Even though she was a heavy gamer she was also very family oriented. She would always sit with them for dinner and even hang out with them when she was takeing breaks from raids and leveling. The usually peppy girl, now elf, was quite and sad, having a hard time adjusting to the new situation before her...

That didn't stop her from takking out her upsetness on a few passing low leveled creatures though.

Which is why now, running about the field near the lake in front of the guilf hall, the other member could see the usually happy and innocent elf screaming with rage while chasing after a cute and fluffy creature of sorts, it seeming to be close to death. With her staff held high it seemed that Emdra was determined to gain a few levels that day or just get rid of the stress that she had been feeling since she had gotten stuck in the game with the rest of the group.
 
Incompl_te. It was a name meant for his fake persona, not for living in. But there he was; or "she" now anyways.

Upon a balcony that surveyed a garden of mystical sorts, Incompl_te let herself doze against the fluttering breeze. She was small, and her white clothing did her no justice against the enourmous, imperial back of the Guild Hall. Only the drapes of dark hair hanging oddly between the intricate bars betrayed her position, dancing serenely in the wind and backed by the determined sun.

A sudden stop in the wind jerks her back awake. She looks around, and judges the time by the shadows. Midday. The sun was high in the sky and illuminated all the breathtaking details of her surroundings, making this fake world all too real. She could see everything from here. The deep purple mountains in the distance, a forest. She had been in all of these places. Just not like this.

The small girl stands up, bunching her hair up and letting it fall back again. The first day she had been warped into this reality, walking and talking with these dainty features was a chore. Now, she had remembered- somehow- how to do everything from running to working fluidly with her swords. She looked behind her, at her blades. Balanced against the arch that lead into the porch, sheathed so that the sun would not make the harsh glint of the edge even more blinding, they seemed real too. The smell of crisp air, the feel of the polished porch edge. A slightly bitter taste in her mouth from the nap. The rustling of the garden below. Real.

She begins to think. All the same questions over again, all unanswered. How did this happen? Was this another world that she was playing this entire time? Was...he in here somewhere? How does she, along with all the members of Skyland Knights, return to their normal reality? It was futile. She scratched her head and sighed. A small finch landed next to her and pecked at her hair. Upon seeing the lack of food, it jumped once and left for the skies again.

The breeze came once more, and she closed her eyes; dark eyelashes on cream skin. The wind felt just like the ones back in his normal world, except with a hint of...magic? Magic. What the "real" world had lacked, and what had brought them here. Was that it? Magic? What was this magic then? Why would it bring us to somewhere, just to escape? She shakes her head. This was all too much, all so suddenly.

"Distractions...distractions..." She mutters under her breath. She considers the garden below her; plenty of distractions amongst those curious plants wound in a labyrinth. This porch was a great fit for her- away from the others and high up- but being awake here made everything seem solemn. She might as well make the best of what has come.

Grabbing her blades and tucking them safely in her belt, she makes a daringly long jump into the brambles below.
 
This wasn't as easy as he'd remembered before he got sucked into the game. Equintus stood outside a group of target dummies, taking a deep breath. The training area was a fenced in enclosure outside the guild hall. Before... this, it was a place to test out builds and keybinds to get practice in before a raid. Now... well, it did the same thing, but it was just much more real now.

Somehow walking with four legs had come naturally to him, but combat... not so much. The dummies were set up in the clustered formation he wanted, picturing them as a charging horde of goblins. He pulled his lance out of his pack, and dashed toward the group, hooves kicking up dirt behind him as he reached a gallop and plowed right into the group of dummies. They fell to the ground and he dropped the lance, drawing his longsword as the dummies reset to a standing position. The blade was truly long, but it fit naturally in his hands, centaur build able to accommodate the length and weight easily.

He swung into the dummies, before intentionally allowing thoughts of the dummy he'd placed one centaur-length away from the rest of the group to enter his thoughts. He leaned forward, planting his weight on his front hooves as the back lifted off the ground and jabbed backwards, catching the dummy in the chest.

And then he stopped again, the frustration he felt inside not reflected on his features. His style of fighting to do was easy when it was hands off, he just had to be quick with the mouse and keys and his avatar would handle the turning and fighting. The problem wasn't that he couldn't do it, it was that it was like riding a bicycle. Not something he could focus on and achieve, only when he let go and let it happen. And he couldn't tell if it was happening because of any real instinct on his part, or something...

No. He didn't want to imagine the alternative. But, he was also tired of the constant practice and drilling. He sheathed his sword and slipped his lance back into his pack and left the training grounds, hooves clopping nicely against the earth as he circled the guildhall. He entered the attached garden, seeing Magia and Incompl_te, with Spyte slithering with a purpose towards the others, having that look of someone trying to find something on her features.

"As good of a distraction as any," he decided, and trotted into the garden, hopefully to distract himself with other people.
 
Will-Extilan loved the guild hall. Loved it! The Imperial Japanese exterior which seemed almost like an area for a very powerful, very civilized monster (Nobunaga from that game maybe?). The interior that seemed right out of a mansion mixed with trophies of the guild members, a library of information and, quite possibly the best addition, a cafe. Did he mention that he worked at the cafe? Yep! Tea-smith of the Skyland Knights! Good thing he invested some skill points in it.

Of course, there was a lot to do in the guild hall, and it seemed structured towards players actually living there. I mean, why else include rest rooms and an open air hot springs (which is very awesome)? Well, Will couldn't really complain since Extilan had paid for a good bit of the additions from his own money, received from all those hours of questing.

Plus, it was easy to hide in the area. That worked in Extilan's favor as he was about to attack Spyte with a whole bunch of love.

"Spyt- NOOOOOO! NOT KENNY!" Extilan had moved from his spot slightly and was just about to glomp Spyte when he saw Emdra chasing and attacking one of the 'monsters' that inhabited the area around the Guild Hall (which is quite a large area. Thank you teleporter.). Unfortunately, this was one of them that he had named and marked as relatively harmless... Not that anyone else knew that.

Exiting stealth, Extilan jumped from the rool, the fake panneling he had attached to himself following him as he hauled ass from nearly on top of Spyte to in sight of 'Kenny'. When the monster saw Extilan it grew pale and turned tail and ran towards Emdra, a 'Kill me please!' look on its face. "Don't hunt Kenny!"
 
A still figure had been slumped over on the desk, in front of the figure there had been a monitor flickering on and off every few seconds readjusting the graphics of a game. The headset that the figure had been wearing was something he made himself to help see the game as if from his own perspective. As time slowly crept by the chirp of crickets began to sing out through the night sky just outside of his room yet the figure still refused to move even after the computer went into sleep mode. This slumped figure had been known as Jake in the real world but now it seemed like he was merely a vegetable or asleep. As Jake slept peacefully his mind and soul was elsewhere.

Rikimaru had slowly opened his eyes as his hands stopped messing around with the harp and stopping the soothing music. He had been sitting on top of the rather large fountains in the main entrance of the guild hall. The Skyland Knights had been around for a while but this was all new to him. The sound of his music hitting his ears was real, no longer digitized by his speakers, the flow of the water below him was rushing soothingly and even had a slight chill to it. Even the air felt real, all this was confusing to him but he decided to just go along with it. It wasn't that he was used to anything like being sucked into a game or that he wasn't shocked about this at all, the only reason he wasn't freaking out was due to his wishing for this to happen. After playing a few more notes on his harp he decided to leap down and put his harp away before casually walking towards the garden where a large ruckus was being caused.

"Hey guys why don't you tone it down before i pin an arrow through your lips eh? Your being way too noisy way too early and now no one can hear my beautiful music, and if people dont hear my music i dont get tips, i dont get tips i dont get to buy stuff. Now you all want me to keep buying stuff so i can help out yea?"

He gave a very wide and toothy grin that showed his fangs before stretching out and laying down on the grass with his limbs spread out. He wasn't much for being too strung out over anything and he deeply enjoyed this new world. In fact he sort of hoped that they never solved how to leave the game. He much preferred this game world compared to the real world. In here he had excitement, fighting, danger, and one of his most favorite things, Women in revealing outfits~ He just couldn't get enough of this world.
 
Rhodes was busy leaning up against the Guild Hall's outer wall. It offered some shade from the sun, and she could see all the little cannon fodder enemies frolicking about from here.

Or, well, cowering in terror.

The past few days had Rhodes working on getting used to the game world, figuring out how everything works, so on and so forth. Today was the day she had decided to figure out what exactly magic and mana drain felt like, which meant casting spells. Casting spells meant killing stuff.

Already, the little creatures had a fear of her, one that was not likely to fade soon.

Riki started complaining about noise, so she couldn't really help herself and snapped at him.
"Riki, you dumbass! We're the only ones here! If you wanted to get money you'd go out and kill something like a normal person!"

Blowing a stray strand of hair out of her face, she sat down and went back to looking at the monsters.
"...Time to figure out my max range..." she pointed at the nearest monster, blue light gathering at her fingertip.
 
Sunlight streamed through the line of trees in 'god rays'. The beams were thick and golden, dust and dirt and whatever else floating through the air shimmering visibly under the ray of sunlight. The green of the trees and the patches of grass on the ground were illuminated by these 'god rays', and with these rays, the dark veil that had sundered the forest in shadow had been lifted.

Mereel lifted himself up from the ground and yawned deeply and loudly. One of the rays broke past a flurry of leaves that had decided to descend tot he ground, hitting him square in the face. With an annoyed grumble one of his eyes shot open (which he instantly regretted), and he moved out of the way of the sun beam. The other eye stayed clenched shut, as if a part of his body desperately clung to sleep.

He had always loved sleep, even in the real world. He would stay up all hours of the night and sleep all day. Even when it was time for class, he would wake up long enough for the lecture, do the homework, and go right back to sleep. Midnight would roll around and he would awake naturally, turn his computer monitor back on, and log back into The Game.

Ultimately, this lead him to where he was now-- knee deep in the forest and nature, smelling like an animal and wishing he could partake of a proper bed. His body ached from a lack of amenities he was used to, but he also had a strength he had never had before. It was a physical thing, something that allowed him to persevere past the lame desires of comfort and luxury that his mind desired. He was strong physically, just not so much mentally. This was something he hid from everyone.

Reluctantly, with the echo of clop-clopping behind him, Mereel made his way through the copse of trees to the edge of a clearing where their Guild Hall lay. It was a massive, impressive building, built to house any and all members and afford them all the comforts that was allowed within The Game. Mereel found it lacking, even the room and board. He also found he did not like people budding in on him and being nosy.

"Good morning," he said to no one in particular, to people who were milling back and forth at the front of the hall. There were all sorts of people, nameless people even, NPCs and merchants who interacted with them all as well. He learned long ago to ignore them all, but he still had a desire for some kind of... well, 'human' contact.

Mereel stretched his arms over his head, showing off his impressive physique. His arms and torso were lean with a runner's athleticism, the muscles taut and impressive. His legs too were impressive, the hair of his coat glistening silkily in a lighter chocolate brown. His entire body was sleek, and he was sure he could put any horse to shame in raw speed and power and grace.

He was a centaur. A centaur! A majestic beast, a powerful creature of myth and legend. Here he was, knee-deep in a digital world of hobgoblins and elves as a centaur.

He loved it, and hated it.

"Oh, Spyte, I didn't see you there," he said as he clop-clopped up the steps towards the inner workings of the Guild Hall. He was being facetious, of course-- she was just as... 'beastly' as he was. It was hard to miss either of them!

"You look like you're searching for something. I'm searching for a bath! Shall we go searching together?"
 
And so her instant of being lighter than the air around her faded with the end of her solitude. Leaping from above, a dark-haired woman entered her domain. This was one of the few times Magia had seen anybody else in the garden in the past few days. Her presence seemed too heavy for this light place. As if she were weighing everything down and it couldn't just float off into the heavens like it so desired.

Magia had to make her domain light again. She couldn't let this brooding woman dull her garden's splendor. Play time! Magia pranced up to Incompl_te shortly after she landed. Her preternatural presence seemed to usher the light back upon the place. A curious smile was upon her lips, one that seemed childish yet inhuman at the same time. Her showy attire and the light again made her seem to float.

She chuckled a bit at the brooding girl before she seemed to float off into the depths of the garden, the light and flora concealing her as if she were one with them.
 
Incompl_te's ironclad boots hit the bed of the garden with a resounding thud. Odd little creatures scampered away from her, and peeked at the intruder with inquisitive, beady eyes from behind the bushes. She paid no mind, and instead, surveyed the area around her. She was completely out of place. Even the pearly, luminously-veined plants seemed to draw away from her, afraid of her weapons, shrinking in her air. Indeed, she was petite-framed, but dominant.

She played with her tattered pink scarf, the only delicate thing in here that didn't shy away from her. The sharpness of her blue eyes began to take this place in. Years of playing this game. She could now practically guess the terrian from just a glance. The only thing that bothered her was a presence...what was it? It wasn't scared of her like the other fanciful creatures that inhabited here. A giggle. Where was it...?

Unnerved, she paced around her landing spot, fingers twiddling near her swords. Listening, looking. In the distance, she could hear a trot. Turning her head, she saw Equintus- a calm but determined centaur guildmate. He couldn't be the playful, childish entity that haunted this place, but she beckoned to him anyways. She wanted to know if he could feel it; or if this was her imagination fooling with her.

Then, the hairs on her neck stood up. She turned a side of her head- and there, she saw it. A girl, even smaller than her. Mint-green dress. A small smile, a glittering wand in her hands. Light embraced her, making the girl even more mysterious as she was.

And then, as soon as she came, she fluttered on her toes a few times and disappeared into the garden.

Target mode. When she was still Jason, it was a sort of skill you could learn from a hidden NPC after you achived a high-level accomplishment, and it activated in dark places or in the presence of quick, powerful opponents. Now, it had started up in her paranoia. The area's color faded but the edges were sharper. The target- the little girl- seemed to be framed in red light. You could hear her heartbeat, fading, fading as she went farther away. Smaller and smaller. Her own breathing. Nothing else.

Incompl_te drew her swords. Without even waiting for Equintus to catch up, she flipped around and made for her target.

She had found her distraction.
 
She definitely had her attention now. Magia skipped and jumped among the garden's growth. She was gaining some distance, but she knew it would not be long before Incompl_te found her. Games of hide and seek are better when I can actually hide.

After a few moments of searching, her pursuer found her. Glancing from her hiding spot, she noticed the blue-eyed woman quickly approaching with swords drawn. Oh my, I wonder if she thinks I'm a monster or something? She thought to herself as she quickly scaled up a tree in full bloom.

Like her flowing hair, the flowers were a pale pink, their delicate flowers easily caught in the occasional breeze. She sat from her branch a few meters above the ground as Incompl_te approached her. A casual glance at the petite girl's intense eyes made the fairy shudder inside for a slight moment. Her mischievous smile remained, but her thoughts no longer took a playful, pink hue.

In those few instants before Incompl_te arrived, a series of strange thoughts and sentiments passed through her head. Her thoughts were now clothed in black's profound mystery. Her once light blue eyes revealed her dark suspicions to those who dared to gaze into what seemed to be a fairy's soul.

Is it I that you found, or is it you that I've found? You seem to be familiar. When one searches for two . . . "Hello," Magia greeted Incompl_te, her slightly creepy smile upon her countenance, hiding the blackness that this girl's presence brought her briefly.

The light that had embraced her had parted ways with her being. The shade of the tree's dark branches cloaked her presence with a dun mood. However, her presence was still not natural. She resembled a fairy that had lost its
luster, her once shining, ephemeral presence taken by her dark introspection. Her thoughts themselves made the simple circle of trees around the two girls become a mysterious forest for her thoughts to become trapped in. It seems whoever you are, you've hidden yourself well.

She felt like this person was someone she had met before, possibly in real life. But she could not remember why or how. You hide much better than I do. Whoever you, are, teach me how you do so. Who are you? she asked in her thoughts, wondering when she would be able to get her answer.
 
Running fast. From an outsider's view, Incompl_te chased like a demon. However, in the eyes of the girl herself, the scenery besides her slid slowly by. Void of color, creatues in the bushes had lost their innocent shimmer, and watched in the gloom. It was quite unnerving, but Incompl_te brushed it aside for the sake of capture.

In this contraption of the most dream-like qualities, dimming out the light was the best way to find her target; So, she did. Atop a tree, the peculiar child sat, her legs swinging lightly. The smile still played on her face, but there was none of that previous delight in her eyes. A creeping shade took over the grove of trees around her, and for a moment, there was a complete, eerie silence.

Deja Vu struck Incompl_te, shattering her target mode. The red light faded to the glare of the sun, and color drained back into the garden.

The wind wound back up and the flowers of the tree danced with the girl's hair. Magic. This was magic. The real world had lacked it, there was no way Incompl_te could have seen this before, but...that feeling. Tugging. Somehow, she knew this girl. But, she was new to this guild, and otherwise hardly socialized with others since he had left...yet...she was sure this girl...knew something about her. Something important.

A little voice started up in her head.

She knows, but she hasn't found! She knows...you can't let her find. He is the only one who has called you "complete", you musn't lose that.

"Hello."

Incompl_te blinked. For a moment, she had lost traction of her surroundings. The curious birds near her took flight in her sudden return to reality, chattering. She shook her head and sheathed her blades. This girl was not an enemy...but what was that? A flicker ran past her mind, something omnious. But she had come here to draw herself away from her mind, not to ponder some more. Putting it in the back of her head, he decided to deal with it later.

As for the girl...her name. Magia, was it? Incompl_te was fairly new to the guild, and her antisocial mindframe and this girl's elusiveness did not do well with familliarity. She stayed blank-faced for a second, then broke out in a light grin.

"Oh- so it was you that was the imp I was chasing? Sorry. I had mistakened you for something else." She laughed, joylessness edging the sound. The wind whispered nothing to her apology.

This world simply got stranger.
 
There was some commotion in the garden, it sounded like. A place meant to be serene and relaxing... Yet, was a battlefield, sometimes. Either with outright PvP-ing or arguments. The glomping she was expecting was... Sloppy, too. He managed to make her wobble. Spyte put a palm to her forehead then, as she heard the scream of Extilan, who was trying to defend a creature from Emdra. The affectionate nature of the catboy was adorable, it was, but sometimes she really wondered about him.

Since using the chat command was useless now with them being in the game, Spyte figured out how to send messages to her teammates telepathically. It was an ability all of them had, and it was very useful. One just needed to be careful when they wanted to send a more private message, instead of a mass one.

So, guys. I'll meet you in the garden in a bit. We should talk. Finish whatever you're doing first, though. she said into their minds. That was when a centaur came towards her; it was Mereel.

His greeting made her smirk. Jokes on her size were more common than she realized. Spyte was quite large, and the patterns of her scales didn't help too much. Had she not learned the camouflage ability, the black and white colours of her body would give her away so quickly.

"Good to see you, Mereel. I am looking for something. I know where it is, but... Well, I need to actually get to it. I hate how freaking slow I am!"

A childish frown appeared on Spyte's face. Quite a strange, silly expression to see on a beast such as herself. Just because she was a monster now didn't change a thing. She'd have her animal familiar fetch the scroll, except... That tortoise was slower than she was. Oh, the joys of being a tank.

"Anyway, while I slither on over to my room, we can find a bath for you. I could have sworn we had something built near your stable, uh, room...thing..."
 
Alchemilla looked at herself in the mirror. It was still a shock to see a woman staring back. Greg had always gotten along better with girls, and while he could be quite masculine when the time called for it, he just never felt right acting like a typical male. He was caring, supportive and compassionate; all of which his male friends would mock him for. When he first started playing Phantasm Quest and saw the character create screen, he was drawn towards being a female healer. It felt right. He just never thought that he would actually end up being a female.

Alchemilla grabbed her staff and started re-enacting some of her favourite scenes from kung-fu movies. Some things never changed. She sighed, wanting to be back in her apartment watching a movie, her two cats curled up beside her. Without warning, a voice entered her head "So, guys. I'll meet you in the garden in a bit. We should talk. Finish whatever you're doing first, though". She was never going to get used to the telepathic messaging. Well, I should probably head to the garden. Quickly grabbing her pouches and robe, she got ready to leave. One last look in the mirror, a slight adjustment to her hair and she was ready to go. She left her room and went down to the garden.
 
Lars stood up from his seat, rolling his shoulders to work out the built up kinks. A few cracks and pops later he was ready to go; as he moved to the painting and retrieved his knife, he had a distinct feeling in his mind, as if someone had let off a champagne cork.

Ping. Report to the garden. Ping.

He slid the knife into its sheath and made his way there, to behold his teammates. Upon arriving, he leaned against the wall near the back, crossed his arms, and closed his eyes. His appearance was once again quite forgettable, and easy for others to gloss over. Brown, tussled hair, a small smile across his face, blue eyes hidden underneath their lids.

Underneath though he was already somewhat day dreaming. About a world that could be shaped according to his desire. A new reality, a fresh start.
 
By the time Emdra heard Extilan it was too late, she finished off 'Kenny' with a finally swipe and the beast fell dead before his body slowly disappeared into the air. For a moment she stood standing, holding her staff like a bat as she caught her breath from all the running, before looking up at Extilan with a frown.

"Sorry Extilan...I was in mid swing when I heard you..." She mumbled softly to the cat boy as she looked at the stop where 'Kenny' used to be. She would have to make it up to the cat boy later however for as soon as she was done apologizing she heard Sypte speaking about meeting in the garden.

She wasn't used to the voices in her head and would always look around before just doing as they said. If this were the real world people would think she was crazy, luckily it wasn't...though she still missed reality terribly so. Looking to Extilan with an apologetic smile she stepped a bit closer to him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I really am sorry Extilan...But I'm sure Kenny responded somewhere in front of the guild hall. They always do...It would also explain why the creatures knew to run away from me as soon as a new on popped up. Anyway, I'm sure you heard Spyte like I did so let's get to the garden before we get in trouble okay?" She said kindly to him as she started to push him along. "I'll make it up to you, promise!"
 
When Spyte arrived at the garden, she immediately took a comfortable spot nearby a fruit tree. She coiled around it one time before resting beside it, using the tree as support to help her sit upright. Some extra time was given to guildies still making their way over. Embarrassing as it was to admit, Spyte needed a moment to catch her breath. She rushed over here, which was taxing for someone who was already sluggish. Many of the Skyland Knights wanted to head home, so she wasn't going to take her time in getting things done. These people were her priority.

The scroll in her hand was unraveled so she could read it before making her announcements. This was the first time she actually looked it over. She didn't want to until she got a chance to talk about these quests with her teammates. Any important items gained in the game was better shared than kept secret, after all, unless the item in question was meant for her character alone.

"As you know, we need to reach the fabled kingdom in the sky. In order to do that, we have to acquire some special items. They're all pieces of a puzzle, from the looks of things. When joined together, a valuable treasure will be formed and... We're supposed to trade it to someone named Typhon, who will fly us to to that floating island."

With a single nod, she lowered the scroll so she could look at all who were paying attention. She still needed to get used to being stared at so often. When she was just a girl controlling a character she speaking through a mic, it was much less nerve wracking. Now she actually had to put her public speaking skills to work!

"There's a lot to be done. I have clues on where to find these pieces, but we don't get the quests until we talk to the NPCs, I assume. In addition to the rewards they give us, we'll find what we're looking for by completing a boss challenge.

We have to go to Mount Adonis, the Malefic Desert, Demelza Forest, and a hidden dungeon just outside of Lyria's capital town."


The mountain did not appeal to her at all; the weather there was always bitter cold and snowy. It needed to be done, though. It just absolutely had to so they could return to their normal lives.

"So! Any ideas on where we should go first so we can prepare for the trip?" Spyte asked them all, open to suggestions of any kind.