The Gamers: Prologue - Gamers, ASSEMBLE!

[Omnial]

Soren listened intently. Many things came out in the open. Aiko's true personallity, Rin's desire for power, Rei really not wanting these guys to move forward with the power, being easily annoyed, and giving in easily.

Good things to know, they can be used or avoided in the future.

Always need to make sure I know where Aiko is, and I need to be stronger than her, or at least useful in her eyes, that outburst might have been the tip of the iceberg...

Being taught how drops can be used to create places to fight monsters, now this was something that Peeked Soren's interest. "I have a few questions, if we can create an area to fight monsters based on items dropped by monsters, is there other items or ways to obtain items to do the same? Also, about how much stronger is a mob boss?" His last question was based on something he observed Rei do, and a hunch he was messaging one of the other gamers and had a chance of making their quest much much easier, "And you are gathering the rest of the Gamers who decided to not quit to show them these things as well correct?"

 

[Renose]

"Well there was this one idiot who I managed to get off my back in hopes that he would forget. Wanted to see if he found anyone else. And they can come to us, rather than us go to them." Rei just sighs. "Although it'd be easier if you all just quit, rather than pointlessly throwing yourselves into this problem. Its not like any of you have any reason to fight the Horsemen."

Rei just shakes his head. He then raises his hand up to the sky and chants "ID Escape!"

Suddenly the sky cracks once again, before shattering like glass, leaving them back on the crowded streets of Neo Tokyo once again. It takes about an hour after that, it being around 1:30 PM by the time they arrive at a slightly more deserted park in the Port Island District. Rei figures it'll be easier to just go here and there is nothing wrong with three students being here on a Sunday afternoon. Its a nice park. Quiet and quaint. A few people are there, but they either seem to be stopping momentarily or just passing on through.

On their way to the park, Rei answered Soren's question about Boss Mobs with a simple "Far stronger than anything you may have seen so far. Only one I encountered was three times the level of the standard Mob I fought, and yet far stronger than just three times. I only survived out of sheer, dumb luck. And Boss Mobs have a higher chance of appearing the more of the standard mob you kill. So when you do become able to fight these standard mobs, don't be crazy stab happy idiots or else you'll die."

Rei seemed to drop the subject after that.

"Before we do begin. Why don't you all tell me what Skills you possess? Ill need to know so I can figure out who has what they need to learn this and who doesn't? How many of you possess the Focus Skill is what I am mainly interested in"


​

 

[★Under The Stars★]

---

Hira looked at Jin as he said he didn't have much time to answer their questions. Now, Hira thought it would be important to ask something that specifically pertained to the power, rather than things that might get answered later, like what the place they're in right now is called. He'd rather know things like what Tae Min asked, which is who gave them the power and why. Immediately after Tae Min asked this question though, a question popped into Hira's head.

"Why is it that we can't reveal our power? Why does Gaia wish to keep things like this private? I realize that some people may try to take advantage of the powers, but the people with powers seem incapable of being caught. Or so I assume. I've never heard or seen anything like this in the entire world. It's fascinating and exhilarating. Why doesn't Gaia want us to expose the powers that were bestowed upon us? Oh. And to follow up with a stupider question, what is a natural ability user?"

Hira wondered if what he said was too long-winded, but he came to the conclusion that he was fine. Too many words seemed to be better than too little in this situation. The more specific that Hira got would probably get a more complex answer, especially since Jin seemed to be a being of great intelligence and power.

After he finished asking these questions, he decided to respond to Rei's message.

From: Hira Chikara

Unfortunately, I didn't find anyone who was less stubborn than I. However, I did find the others. They're not giving up on this power, especially because we met with the Messenger of Gaia. We need to find a spot to meet so we all can complete this quest.

​

 

[ERode]

'ID Escape'. So that was the word used to end the world.

'Pseudospace'. Another dimension that can only be accessed when one was outdoors. How did Rei learn of that 'exception' though? Who taught him any of this?

'Monster bones'. An item that could be used to make a Pseudospace. From the sounds of it, the remains of monsters can be used to summon more monsters, in order to fight.

'Boss Mobs'. An existence that comes once many 'standard' mobs have been slain. Thrice the level, but bears a strength that's beyond even that. A proper challenge then.

Rin trailed behind Rei as she rolled such nuggets of information over and over in her head, the raven-haired girl absorbing all she could about this new world that she would soon find herself in. The veteran Gamer didn't seem to understand why they were willing to chase their own deaths in pursuit of something 'insignificant', did he? Didn't understand why they would seek the defeat of the Horsemen when, in his eyes, they had no reason.

That was fine.

As long as Rei was willing to train them, Rin didn't need him to understand her motivations.

Once they reached a quiet park within the Port Island District, an uncharacteristically empty one considering the warm temperatures, Rin chained her bike against a streetlamp. "I have Focus, Katana Use, and Movement," she said, "If you plan on summoning monsters, do you have a sword I can borrow?"

 

[Skyswimsky]

Only in open spaces, huh? So it would mean that, in order to stay safe they could literally be indoors? With the exception of the, well, exceptions.

Despite her distrust towards Rei she absorbed all the knowledge he was willing to share. There were still too many unanswered questions though she doubted they would get much more about him. What she was certain of was that he didn't want them to die either. Thus, Aiko could take full advantage of him as long as she kept a certain distance.

"What classifies as 'Indoors'?" The white-hair now asked. "Does it simply need... free access to the sky? Something like a gigantic sports hall wouldn't work?" She still had more questions, especially about the Pseudo spaces, though expecting them to learn in a bit more about them the red-eye simply answered his question in return: Opening her Talents Window.

"Movement, Parkour, Cooking, First Aid, Ambidexterity, Knowledge, Dagger Use and..." She stopped for a second, not because to consider if she'd be willing to share her Acting Talent or not but rather because of the last skill. "Throwing Knife... Usage? Though it seems like I have to unlock it first."

The red-eye could only hope that their small group would stay limited to the amount of four. While she could see the advantages of working... together... Ai really couldn't be bothered to keep playing pretend in front of an ever growing audience. Not to mention it would run the risk of getting messy. Just like... in a class-room.

 

[Omnial]

So he is going to evaluate what skills we have first? Likely having certain skills would make learning the basics easier.

Opening his skills window, Soren waited for the two girls to list their skills first prior to giving his. Why does Aiko have so many skills compared to both Rin and I? Unless Rin is withholding mentioning some skills that she has? But I don't see how that would be to her advantage at this given point in time...

"Aside from the two Gamer passives, I have Night Owl, Knowledge, Engineering, and Mechanics." Closing the window shortly after going over them. Who am I kidding, I'd rather not be a jack of all trades, master of none. My skills show a productive future with or without this power. Aiko's skills show...Soren looked at the white haired girl again, Her skill set shows about as much stability as her personality does having those skills really shows something is up with her.

Changing his sights to the white haired boy instead, I wonder what skills he started with?

 

[Renose]

Not too long after the PM was sent, Hira would get a reply.

From: Rei Aamgi

Meet us at Kurosagi Park in the Port Island District.

It would take a bit to get there from their place in the entertainment district, so most likely Hira's group wouldn't get there until maybe fifteen minutes or so after Rei's group arrived.

Jin looks to Tae first. "Gaia, the very sentient Will of this world, is the being who gave you that power. As to why, I have no clue." It seems that not even a 'Messenger of Gaia' knows all of the answers. "It is strange though, as none of you seem the immensely hardcore 'Gamer' type like Rei Amagi was. Furthermore..." Jin brings his hand to his chin. "For six people to receive a power that only reared its head for the first time a month ago all at the same time..." Jin pauses, and just chuckles softly.

"It really is quite the mystery isn't it."

He then faces Majima. "As for how to get stronger, your power seems to be a bit different from others in the Abyss. Quite different actually. So how to train your power specifically, is a bit beyond my knowledge. So you'd be better off asking Rei Amagi."

Then he faces Hira. "A Natural Ability user is someone who is either born with their Ability, or it is granted to them later in life. They usually have a power pertaining to some facet of themselves or their lives, but with your case it seems you are the exception when it comes to the latter part."

After answering this question, his tone seems to take a less contemplative one and a much more serious one.

"To ensure that the world maintains balance and order. If Ability Users were to be able to reveal their powers to the world, I am certain that good could be done, but at the same time..." he aims his hand towards a building. He seems to chant suddenly in some strange language, and after a large amount of static glitches over a building, in the next moment after the 'glitch' the entire building crumbles down into dust, as if smashed by some great, invisible force.

"It would create a world of chaos, fear, and loathing; just as it was thousands of years ago. If Ability Users were allowed to utilize their powers in the real world, many of them would use their powers that go beyond the realms of human imagination to dominate normal people. More heroic types would go to stop them, and the ensuing battles would create more destruction and panic." Jin now turns to face them, hand now pointing at them.

"So Ability Users are confined to the Abyss, the ability to create empty copies of the world, known as Pseudospaces, being granted to them. Here they can exercise their powers to their fullest extent." He lowers his hand now. "And fight each other as much as they please. And any damage they inflict" he gestures to the now destroyed mega mall known as Septembres, "will be as if it never happened after the Pseudospace is broken." He now takes a more relaxed stance.

"The Abyss is what the world of Ability Users is called. Its an empty place where Ability Users are allowed to do what they want without restrictions, separated from the normal world. You may view it as fascinating and exhilarating" he looks to Hira, "but normal people would find this all terrifying. Just as they did thousands of years ago."

Jin now raises his hand back to the sky. "Unfortunately this is all the time I have. If you wish to learn more about your power specifically, you should meet Rei Amagi." He then snaps his fingers, and vanishes. The sky above seems to crack like glass, before shattering. This puts them back on the busy Neo Tokyo streets, and just as Jin said, the destroyed Septemberes is back to normal as if nothing ever happened to it. People are leaving and entering it as well, having no clue that it had been destroyed in a copy of the world just moments ago.

A Quest has been updated

Other's Like Me

Issued By
A Passing Thought

Objective
Find others who bear the class, 'The Gamer'.
Meet with Rei Amagi at Kurosagi Park. (Recommended)

Rewards
6 EXP, 1 AP
More information on 'The Gamer' power.

Failure Results
Unknown

 

[Renose]

"Daggers..." Rei seems to be inputting something into his phone as he listens to each of their skill lists, mumbling to himself. "A Katana, and..." he seems to look at Soren, before back at his phone, "you can settle with a Mace" is what he mutters, before pressing a few more things and then proceeding to stuff his phone back in his inventory.

"I can do you one better and sell you one. Just give me the drops you get from these next sets of monsters you'll be fighting." He raises his hand to the sky, and with another ID Create, the world is consumed by silence once again.

Except it isn't just the three of them inside of the Pseudospace. Instead there is also a UFO that seems to come down from above. Tied to its underside is a long box, that looks like it could be holding all of the things Rei mumbled to himself. It seems to fly right down towards Rei, the top dome opening up. He seems to pull four 10,000 Yen bills from his Inventory, dropping them into the top. He then pulls a black card out from his Inventory and slots it into the front of the UFO. The UFO beeps for a moment, before a robotic voice drones out from it.

"Payment registered. 400 Points added to your Membership. Please retrieve your Items, then reattach box to delivery unit."

Rei does so, pulling out a very authentic and battle ready looking Katana, a pair of Steel Daggers in their sheathes, and a light looking Steel Mace. After setting these on the ground, Rei closes the box and reattaches it to the UFO. It then beeps a few times, before departing.

"Thank you for choosing the Abyss Auction for all of your Abyssal Shopping needs" speaks a female voice from the unit, before the UFO then vanishes into thin air.

"It never ceases to be ridiculous and yet mundane at the same time" Rei mutters, before picking up the Weapons. Naturally he tosses the Katana to Rin, the Daggers to Aiko, and the Mace to Soren. He really doesn't seem to care whether or not they catch them.

"There, now you are properly armed. But first, put those away into your Inventory and we will begin with Pseudospace creation. For you two" he looks to Aiko and Soren, "This should get you the Focus Skill. When unlocking a Skill, if you train it for a while before unlocking it, you can reduce the amount of AP it costs by up to half. This takes a long while though. Not a few hours, but more like a few days."

Rei waits for them to put their Weapons into their Inventories before shattering the Pseudospace.

"To create a Pseudospace, you just need to focus on the energy inside of you. Focus on flowing it to your hand" Rei raises his own hand to the sky, "and then focus on letting it out while focusing your will towards Gaia. This will create a Pseudospace if you do it correctly, and you may get some sort of other Energy Skill as well if you do it really well." Rei now sits back against a tree and pulls out a book with a blank cover, beginning to read it.

"To break it, you essentially do the same thing only instead of connecting towards Gaia you imagine breaking the space above you. Take turns doing this." Rei seems to be content on sitting back and letting them just do as he just explained. After all, he doesn't really want them to learn how to do this, but at the same time knows that they have to.

"Feel free to give up at any time though. You'll die less that way."




​

 

[ERode]

So Aiko had a massive selection of skills, while Soren's talents were all centered around what he was good at doing at school. It quipped her interest slightly, but Rin ultimately decided that it didn't matter. As a new Pseudospace was made, this time an alien flying object floating within it, she engraved a couple more terms in her mind. The delivery service of this 'Abyssal Auction' was incredibly fast, and if Rei was able to throw 40k yen and expect them to make that amount back just by killing some monsters, then monster hunting really must be an incredibly ludicrous business.

Catching the katana with one hand, the raven-haired girl pushed it open slightly with her thumb, before testing the edge with a finger. It was razor sharp against her skin and she nodded once. Definitely a weapon.

The sword disappeared in her inventory as she nodded her thanks to Rei. Her own family had a collection of katanas for training as well, but she hadn't yet reached a level where training with shinken was necessary. The curiosity lingered, of how well she could cut through her enemies with a real edge, but Rin suppressed her morbid thoughts. There was still more to learn.

"I'll go first," she said plainly, before talking one step forward. Closing her eyes, she allowed her breathing to reach a meditative stage, her chest rising and falling slowly. One hand raised up, and, like dew falling off a blade of grass, she could feel her energy flowing within her. It was clearer than she had ever experienced before, the life energy that her father had always philosophized about, and, grasping that energy, Rin sharpened it. Thinner. Keener. A sublime edge that would slice away the veil of reality and expose a silent world.

Her hand fell, and simultaneously, silence reigned.

Mana Slice (Rank 10, Special, Cost: 15 MP)
With a cutting like wave of your hand, you project a thin 'blade' like projectile of Mana at a nearby enemy. This very precise Radius AOE has a range of 50% Focus (4) = 2 Yards in front of you. This precise AOE has Max Damage of 5 + 50% Focus (4) + 25% SPI (7) = 8 and a Dodge DL equal to the Accuracy (Natural: DEX) = Attack Result - 12 of your Attack. While it is considered a Radius AOE, it is only meant for one target.

"This ability…" Her eyes read over the basics of the 'Mana Slice', before they caught how low her MP was. "…interesting."

At Rei's instruction, Rin breathed out once more, allowing her power to flow through her fingertips. Her index finger glowed, a blue light shining from it.

"Mana Slice."

An all-too small blade flew out as she swung her hand, dissipating like dew in the morning sun. Hardly noticeable, and it consumed too much energy, yet…she looked at her hand, a light shining in her eyes. It was certainly something new, something special, something extraordinary.

With the command 'ID Escape', reality was restored, as Rin stepped back, allowing others to try things out.

 

[★Under The Stars★]

---

Hira listened to Jin as he gave each explanation to their questions, the longest answer coming from his question. Jin seemed to explain to him that the world would more than likely fall into chaos when allowing Natural Ability Users to use their powers in public. Hira also knew what the space was finally called that they were in. A pseudospace seemed to be an appropriate name for the spaces that were created to match reality. However, 'The Abyss' seemed to be an awfully ominous name for the place where Natural Ability Users are supposed to hide.

When Jin had finished answering their questions and said he had to leave, Hira quickly called out a quick "Thanks" before Jin had the chance to leave. Hira read Rei's PM shortly after and told the group about their updated situation. Hira turned to the other group members with a slight sense of urgency, not quite bothered with the fact that the mall just reappeared when they returned to the normal world. "Alright, so we need to go to the Port Island District and meet in Kurosagi Park. If we meet there, we can meet Rei Amagi and the others. That should help us complete the 'Others Like Me' quest. So, we should get going ASAP."

Immediately after saying all this, Hira would respond to Rei with another message. However, he'd try and hide himself from the general populace by turning his back toward them. He was worried that someone might see him typing on air and that might send some weird vibes. "I'm gonna send Rei another message real fast."

From: Hira Chikara

We'll be there as soon as we can. In the meantime, is there anything you need us to do?

​

 

[Skyswimsky]

"It can't be inside any building or facility even if it has an open roof."

Was Rei's answer in regards to open space. It seemed... ambiguous? After all it was the human mind itself that categorized certain places as either out- or inside. And fooling oneself to think of a cramped office space to be anything but inside wasn't such an easy task. The subconsciousness and core-beliefs were scary things. Still, only half satisfied with that answer Aiko decided to drop this topic for now. He never said 'It is not possible' after all.

Instead, the white-hair inspected her new toys. Clearly, they were better than what she currently had and the way of delivery was ... out-of-the-ordinary too? If she had known this would happen... though there was always the possibility of a refund. If anything she was more interested in this 'Shop' itself. Surely something she'd would soon learn, too.

Putting the daggers away the red-eye was about to give it a try as Rin cut in and quickly showed how it was done: In fact it seemed even like she learned something new: Mana Slice. This was... literally magic? Something they would be able to use, too?

More excited than ever now the white-hair actually asked another question before trying herself. "What does it mean if we see someone with question-marks in their tag?"

With those words the red-eye put her arm into the air and closed her eyes. Concentration. A mental image. something she adored? It was... difficult. Weird. But... doable? Drip. Drip. Stab. Stab.

Aiko felt how her breathing increased.

Drip. Drip. Stab. Stab.

"No!" She suddenly cried out in a rather scared voice - the complete opposite of what she had demonstrated so far. Touching her head she continued with a whisper. "I am sorry."

I am a failure.
Failure was not an option.
There is only success.

Completely ignoring her shameful display she had just demonstrated Aiko gave herself a few seconds to recover. Clearing her mind the knife-girl tried again. She would not fail.

A mental image...​

Silence. Drip. An [glow=blue]fathomless ocean[/glow] under her. Drip. Drip. A [glow=blue]vast sky[/glow] above her. Drip. Drip. Drip. Separated by ripples created by tears sliding off her pale cheeks. [glow=red]A victim.[/glow]

Silence. Drip. An fathomless, [glow=red]tainted ocean[/glow] under her. Drip. Drip. A vast, [glow=red]abyssal sky[/glow] above her. Drip. Drip. Drip. Separated by ripples created by blood sliding off the knife's edge. [glow=blue]A victor.[/glow]

Second time was the charm as Aiko managed to create a Pseudospace. Perfect except for...

Leech Mana (Rank 10, Cooldown 20, HP: 25% Max HP)
You place your hand onto the opponent, and then from their body leech out their Mana, and as such works only on those who have Mana or a force that's powered by Magic, to refuel your own pool of Mana. To utilize this ability, you must not only firmly place your hand on the opponent, but they must resist your power for utilizing this Skill (WIS, Natural). You drain an amount of MP equal to 20% (SR + 5% HP Spent) over their resistance. Be careful though, as an opponent who has control over their energies or Mana may be able to turn this draining against you. If an ally is willing, you can also use this ability to drain as much Mana / Energy they permit from them.

"..." Disappointment? Emptiness? Aiko shook her head for a second as she ID Escaped her own space. This was... dull. This was... something every single one of them could do - was supposed to.

 

[Omnial]

A mace was tossed to Soren, a blunt weapon for smashing, an item he never thought he would hold in his hand. And Item that was harder to catch then he thought it would be, as he fumbles his catch, dropping the weapon to the ground. Thankfully he tried to catch it with his artificial hand, otherwise he was certain he would have injured a finger.

Off to a good start...

Picking it up, he held it tightly, it seemed so foreign in his hand, yet so familiar. Inspecting it, Soren concluded it was due to some parts he had handled before being sort of a similar shape. He placed it in his inventory without further thought.

"That doesn't look so difficult," mumbling, Soren watched as Rin rehearsed the act dipicted by Rei without failure, "Or maybe it takes a bit more?" His opinion shifted course as he watched Aiko try, and have a slight obstical to overcome first.

Well, here we go!

Closing his eyes, He tried to force the imagery of what he wanted, Pictures of machines flared in his mind, grinding gears, sparks flying, the clank of metal on metal. Yes, just like that, but, magical! His arm started to shake as he tried his hardest. Nothing happened.

"I'm not giving up." Tenaciously he proclaimed as he lowered his arm, inhaling in deep, and then exhaling deeper, he readied himself for round two. He would continue this till he was going black and blue if he must! He would not be the only one to not achieve the goal!

Machines, grinding, sparks, clanking. It all returned. It was all connected, yet it wasn't touching in any noticable manner. Go Deeper. His minds eyes zoomed in. Millions of circuits connecting everything, lighting in nearly unison, then fading just as fast. Go Deeper, his own voice, yet not his words. His view changed to the center. He could feel it, he could see it. The lighting of the circuits, then the fade, it was rythmatic, and he controlled it, vaguely. His heart rate sped up, and so did the light. He could influence it, make it go faster, and faster!

 

[Renose]

During their trip towards the Residential district, Hira would get this message in response.

From: Rei Amagi

Give up your powers.

Back in the present, Rei figures that the group should, unfortunately, be arriving soon. In around 10 minutes or so to be exact. So he figures he may as well get this out of the way.

From: Rei Amagi

Ask them what kind of Weapon they want to use.

He watches the current three he has make their Pseudospaces and test out their new Mana Skills. He looks to Soren and Aiko. Who received this window.

The Focus Talent is available to unlock for 7 AP, 1 less AP than normal thanks to being taught how to utilize it.

"Remember, you can train a Talent or Passive for a few days to reduce its cost by up to half. For Focus, which starts at 8, you'll be able to grind it down to 4 AP. All Talents and Passives have an AP value. This shows not only how much you needed to unlock it, but half of this value is how much you'll need to spend later on to Evolve it. Or" he shrugs, "you can be impatient and spend AP you have now on it or the moment its reduced to match how much AP you have. Up to you."

For Soren

A Skill has been created through a special action. By imagining a flow of Mana through you as you practiced outwardly projecting energy, the ability to better flow Mana through you, Mana Flow, has been created.

Mana Flow (Rank 10, 10 + 20 MP/Minute)
You make the Mana flow through your being at a stronger pace, strengthening all Mana Abilities. While this Skill is active, all Mana Skills are strengthened by a numeral equal to 10% (12) + 10% (6) = 2.

All three of them would also get this window.

You have created your first Pseudospace, and thus now the Pseudospace Creation Talent is yours.

Pseudospace Creation (Rank 10, 0 AP) (Level 1, 1/10)

The ability to create and break Pseudospaces. It utilizes any WIS based Score you have that deals with focusing. You can create Pseudospaces that are empty, or ones that have Monsters in them by utilizing Items obtained from them, or other forms of Essence. Chant 'ID Escape' to break free from a Pseudospace, or

Enemy Space Cooldown: The wait period between summoning Enemy Pseudospaces
180 - 20% Focus (4) = 179 Minutes (For Rin)

180 - 10% (WIS) = 179 Minutes (For Soren and Aiko)

He looks to the three of them now. "If any of you have one of those bones, go ahead and pull it out. Your Weapons as well. We have maybe 15 or so minutes until the others arrive so we can complete the Quest and get some EXP and AP. Just take the bone into your hand, and clench it as tightly as you can as you say 'ID Create'. This will create a Monster Pseudospace and we can begin fighting."

Rei pulls out not only a sword, but a round, steel buckler as well and waits. He is still sort of laying back against the tree. "I won't be joining of course, I just want to see how all of you do." He then remembers something. Thinks for a few moments.

"Party Create."

He looks at the air in front of him.

"Bus Riding."

He then presses another window, then looks to the three of them.

"Party Invite: All"

A window now appears in front of Soren, Aiko, and Rin.

You have been invited to the party 'Bus Riding'. Do you accept?

[Y] [N]

"I recommend accepting that. So this way, you'll all be in the same party, and thus get equal EXP. You still have to fight though to get the EXP of course. Once you're all in the party, then go ahead and do as I said to make the Enemy Pseudospace, after asking any final questions you have, if you have any."






​

 

[ERode]

One by one, her fellow Gamers completed the task that Rei set before them, both taking two attempts in order to get the Pseudospace Creation done properly, eliciting a small smile of victory from Rin. Even a Level 2 like Soren needed that second try, huh? The raven-haired girl allowed herself that smug grin, before it disappeared once more, buried beneath the gravity of the situation that Rei presented them with. So they really were going to do it, weren't they? Summon the monsters that very nearly killed them last time.

Rin's eyes slid over to Aiko once more, wondering if it was fear or excitement that lit up the eyes of the albino dagger user.

"I'll go first then," she said simply, drawing out her katana from the ether and unsheathing it with a flourish. The blade was simple, clearly a weapon that was battle-ready but not made by a master-class artisan, but that was fine. It was serviceable. She no longer needed to swing around an iron pipe like a barbarian. She could slay these club-bow wielding monsters with a true edge.

She could cut them down properly.


Holding onto a piece of the Skeleton between her index finger and her middle finger, Rin breathed rhythmically again, ritualistically lifting her hand up. Before her stood the phantom of Level 5 Skeleton, rattling soundlessly in her mind's eye. Once again, her energy flowed in a perfectly thin edge, and once again, she sliced apart the veil of the world. A burst of static resounded in an otherwise time-stopped space, and, opening electrifyingly blue eyes once more, Rin nodded once.

Four skeletons manifested.

Her sword centered itself.

Her focus expanded.


"If you can't fight properly," the fairy of the Kendo Club said, "Leave this to me."

 

[Renose]

The four skeletons shambled into existence the moment Rin created her first enemy space. Seeing as there were four of them this time, needless to say the fight this time around would be a much harder fight. Fortunately, Rin fought hard. Of course, Soren and Aiko definitely fought hard as well, but Rin did the most throughout most of the fight, with Aiko really picking up the slack at the end to deliver a final combo blow with her daggers. Soren with his mace was definitely a help given how these creatures seem to be weak to blunt Damage and not so much to Slashing Damage.

In the end, the new Weapons definitely gave the three Gamers a much better chance of survival.

Rei seemed used to this fighting though when he had to fight a fourth skeleton that came after him. Of course, it got sent backwards a few yards when a projectile of Mana slammed into it, this having been fired from Rei's hand when he chanted 'Pulse Push'. While he did attack the thing a few times with his sword, utilizing a Skill called 'Swift Break' twice against the Skeleton allowed him to do some nice extra blunt Damage against it. Overall, Rei definitely seems to be used to all of this. And had some... strangely, for lack of a better word, named Skills.

The EXP received from all of the fighting caused all three of the New Gamers to Level Up once, giving them more AP and putting Rin and Aiko at Level 2 while Soren is now Level 3. Even Rei leveled up, hitting Level 10 now. A couple new Skills were unlocked as well for both Soren and Rin.

(Soren)

Handling of a Mace in combat has given you the option to unlock the Mace Use Skill.

(Rin)

A Skill has been created through a special action. By utilizing Kenjutsu to attempt to strike the wrists to disarm, the ability to better do so, Kote, has been created.

Kote (Rank 10, 5 HP) (Level 1, 0/3)

A move in Kenjutsu that involves striking the wrist in an attempt to disarm the opponent. You perform this attack as a Targeted attack to the wrist at a -20 Accuracy. If it hits, it not only counts as Crippling Damage to the arm, but if its a Devastating Blow it may actually disarm your opponent.

You can now create an Enemy Space for Death's Skeletons Lv 5.

After the battle concluded, Rei collected the drops. Just four singular bones like they received before. Fortunately no Boss Monster appeared. Which Rei was waiting for as he didn't get out of his combat ready stance for an entire ten seconds. He even moved closer to where the skeletons first appeared. Nothing showed up.

So he sighs a sigh of relief. "Q1" he chants, his shield vanishing from his arm before he sheaths his sword back onto his hip.

They needed to wait a few minutes for their HP to heal, everyone in the party now able to see each other's Health and Mana bars in the corner of their vision. Rei has 112 HP and 149 MP. By the time everyone was full up though, three others would show up, three individuals all bearing the same Gamer tag above their heads.

And upon these three appearing, all of the Gamers would receive these windows.

The Quest 'Others Like Me' has been completed.

+6 EXP, +1 AP

A Title has been earned.

1st Time Adventurer
Complete 1 Quest
+1 AP

And if they didn't already have a Title equipped, the name of this Title would now appear above everyone's heads as well, appearing right above 'The Gamer'.

Title to be unlocked:

???
Completed 1/5 Quests

"What's this? It seems like this all of the Gamers who, unfortunately; decided to all be stubborn idiots." Rei looks over the three now. "You are all aware that this could very well kill you right? And that it doesn't really benefit your real lives at all."​

 

[Skyswimsky]

Aiko accepted the party invite.
Another fight.
Another battle.

Another chance to risk her life. The thought alone that she could die with one simple misstep was enough to get her heart bumping. As the four skeletons appeared, one for each of them, Aiko couldn't hide the grin on her face. The mad excitement in her eyes. This would be her entry-point into... the Abyss? How could anyone NOT want this? Right now she did not even care about Rei ignoring her question. He was, in her eyes, not a potential ally.

"Kill or be killed..." Aiko whispered to herself as she took, with a quick call of Inventory, her new Knifes out of the space. They were clearly better than what she was capable of buying... were those bones really that much worth? Regardless Aiko now concentrated on matters at hand.

Without even getting a chance to get a feel for those knifes the skeleton, with a two-handed axe, already took the initiative as it charged at her to strike. Her mind was moving faster than her body as Aiko instinctively moved backwards: Only getting grazed as the very few health points she had trickled down. "Tzch..."

Aiko showed her displeasure only for a short moment - mainly for the fact that this reminded her of being weaker than before. Still, if anything, this made things only more exciting. Struggling prey was better than... .

Taking a quick glance around, Aiko moved onto the offense. Charging strike towards the Skeleton it was a simple feint of hers that allowed the white-hair to duck under its attack and get on its side: An opening. Using the blunt side, once again, to strike at the skeleton Aiko simply... missed. It wasn't as if the skeleton made any efforts to dodge. The girl could clearly feel that she simply wasn't used to the weight of the weapon yet.

It was only the matter of a second before the Skeleton turned towards her. Not this time. Already in a ducking position Aiko bend her upper body further back to quickly follow with a backbend kickover: Dodging the horizontal slash as well as attacking the skeleton in one quick move.

Now, in a standing position, Aiko made a quick jump backwards as she glared at the skeleton. Despite the difference in level it was weaker. It had to be. A lower entity by default. "..."

[glow=red]The eyes of a killer[/glow]

Suddenly Aiko... dashed away from the Skeleton which, lifting the axe over its head, charged after her. Throwing a few glances back Aiko made sure to let the Skeletal Warrior come closer just as she reached a tree.

Obviously, the white-hair quickly used the wooden object as a ramp to gain on height. With the Skeleton not giving up it slammed its axe into the trunk with all its might. It was... stuck?

This time, the red-eye did not push herself off the wall. Instead, as she was few meters above the ground, with the skeleton trying to pull out its axe, she let herself fall.

Gaining another source of momentum the sharp sides of the knifes smashed through parts of the skeletal arms like butter. Separated from its weapon the skeleton seemed perplex for a second to give Aiko enough time to get into position for a single leg sweep: bringing the skeleton to the ground.

A few fast and aimed stabs finally ended the skeleton miseries as Aiko was victorious.

...

---

The Skeletons were defeated as Aiko gained not just one, but two level ups. Putting her weapons back into the inventory it also seemed like she finally fulfilled her quest which meant... "Others... ."

Dissatisfaction.

As Rei was still adamant about people 'leaving this behind them' the white-hair calmed down enough to put on the most friendliest of faces to actually greet the newcomers with a welcoming bow. "Aiko Ito. Nice to meet you." Before glancing at Rei. "..." Wanting to say something, she instead decided against it.

 

[Sairoh]

Tae Min cocked a curious eyebrow at the answer that Jin gave to his question. It seems strange that he wouldn't know Gaia's reasons, given his title, he thought as he eyed the floating text. Still, he listened intently to what Jin had to say - being the messenger of the literal Will of the world had to he worth some salt. If not, the fact that Jin could seemingly tear down an entire September's building to simply prove a point was certainly proof enough.

Tae Min scanned the wreckage of the building inquisitively, before turning back to Jin. Somehow, I find it stranger yet how little knowledge Jin has about this power in general, given how knowledgeable he is on other topics, Tae Min pondered.

There were more questions the teen had wanted to ask (Six other people? Pseudospaces?), but as the messenger had forewarned, his time was short. He disappeared abruptly, shattering the aptly named "false" space with his departure.

More than anything, Tae Min felt... unsated.

By Jin's words, this new power and the society surrounding it was daunting at least and terrifying at best. And though Tae Min had no death wish on his life, he knew that he would surely regret turning away from something so novel and abstract on the basis of fear.

Before anything, I have to experience, I have to know more.

Opportunity was kind enough to not keep Tae Min waiting either, as Hira began to talk about meeting up with a certain Amagi Rei and the other gamers. Tae Min replied, "Alright," before the effeminate gamer turned around to send a message. While Hira did his business, it occurred to Tae Min that they still hadn't actually been introduced to each other yet.

Oh well, you only get to make a first impression once, I guess, he thought dismissively. If anything they could chat on the way to the park.

As they left, Tae Min pointedly turned to give the nearby September's one last, hard stare.

---

Once at the park, the big gamer group up seemed to have some interesting attendees, to say the least.

There was, of course, the white-haired, heterochromia iridium - possessing Amagi Rei. He was notably shorter than Tae Min had expected, and rather blunt to boot. Bluntness and animosity tended to more or less pass over Tae Min, however, more by his own ineptitude than anything else.

Tae Min scanned his eyes across the other gamers present - a male with unruly hair, a dark haired female with blue eyes, and yet another white haired individual. All of them had levels higher than his own. Is white hair a trend nowadays? he wondered offhandedly. Not that Tae Min would know, regardless, considering his own pinned and scrambled purple locks.

"It's nice to meet you too!" Tae Min replied to Aiko with a bow in return, and a warm smile with dimples on the side. "My name is Tae Min Lee," he spoke again, this time addressing the other gamers as well. "I think I'd like to be dubbed 'stubborn idiot number five', since five is my lucky number this week."

 

[Omnial]

With his mana skill created, Soren clicked away the window, it was a potentially strong skill, though it had no immediate offensive use, unlike Rin's. But it was to be expected, as Soren wasn't a fighter really.

Clicking to accept the party invite, Soren was a tad insulted by the name, though he understood that it was true, but it was not like they would simple going about with a slash follow as Rei hand fed them experiance points.

As Rin created the skeleton fighting place, as per Rei's instructions, they found themselves in combat once more, this time more prepared though, and with actual weapons instead of improvised on the go objects.

Clashing with the skeletons really wasn't Soren's style, and though he started off able to carry his weight, near the end he was running lower and lower on steam, a sad thing truly as his weapon seemed more efficient against the skeletons than the blades that the others had been using.

I should just take Rin up on her cocky offer, let her do most of the work. The thought crossed his mind as he finished bringing the mace across the ribbed torso of a skeleton. They do seem to enjoy this fighting thing more than I do.

Still looking like he was trying, Soren put in the least amount of effort near the end out of the group, not that the others seemed to notice, or mind, as they seemed to put in a lot more energy into their final sprint at the end.

At the end of the fighting, he had gone up another level, and the others had levelled up as well. It appeared that levelling through direct combat was a much faster method than grinding through the day to day activities.

As the other Gamers approached, they received notification of the completion of the quest, along with the rewards of doing so. Rei gave another, less than welcoming comment. It was Aiko who stepped up to the proper greetings first, being met with a young man, who looked fairly close to Soren's age. Tae Min. He greeted in a friendly manner as well, even making a fun comment out of Rie's.

"Thank God." Soren started as he walked towards the other Gamers, "I was worried we were going to be joined with more Tsunderes." He shot glances at both Rei and Rin. "I'm Soren," he didn't bow, but merely nodded to the new comers.

 

[★Under The Stars★]

---

Hira soon received another PM from Rei about weapons, but he decided to hold off on discussing this with the group for now. He simply looked toward the others and said, "Rei wants us to think about weapons to wield. So think about it while we head there and then tell Rei what kind of weapon you'll want when we get there. And make sure you know what you want, Rei isn't the most patient person in the world."

Hira decided not to message back Rei until they got there, since it wouldn't be long until they saw each other. In the meantime, Hira would think about what kind of weapon he wanted to wield while in the midst of battle. He had thought about this before, but he had always wanted to wield some two-handed sword. A greatsword, a claymore, or any other kind of weapon that was large enough that he could use it to block and attack with. He always thought that that kind of weapon would be his best bet toward becoming a better fighter and tank for the group. He had always enjoyed taking damage and taunting enemies to get them to stay away from allies that had much less HP than him. He had a dreamy look in his eye as they rode the train to go meet Rei in the Port Island District.

When they got off the train, he knew exactly where to go to find Rei. He had done a job near the park one time and mentally took note of the area around the job since he had to go there for a good three or four months.

When they had finally arrived, it was almost strange. Seeing the other Gamers was almost surreal. He had realized that he had finally formed a real party with this group of people. Well... Maybe not an official party, but they were bound together in the way that they all had the same power.

When Rei introduced them as stubborn idiots, then he crossed his arms and gave Rei a disappointed look. "Expecting us to give up a power of this caliber is just insane." He returned to his original, somewhat complacent attitude when introducing himself to the other Gamers. "I'm Hira Chikara. I mean, you can obviously tell that," he gestured to the area above his head where his name and level should be displayed, "But I thought it'd be a polite formality to introduce myself." He bowed slightly to the group. "I look forward to what happens with this group."

The moment directly after he finished speaking, he said quietly, "Private Messaging." When this window came up, he decided to open the window for the messaging thread with Rei. He messaged Rei so that he could efficiently get his item ordered while everyone was introducing themselves.

From: Hira Chikara

I'd like a two-handed weapon, such as...

He suddenly stopped typing for a moment because an interesting idea popped into his head. Would it be possible that he could get a giant hammer to fight with? Instead of a weapon like a claymore or greatsword, he thought it would be much more interesting to have a giant hammer. And he figured it would be much different than any weapon anyone in the group would be wielding.

He deleted the text of the message and began again.

From: Hira Chikara

I'd like a giant hammer for a weapon.

​

 

[ERode]

One at a time.

With a proper weapon, dealing with the Skeletons had become much easier. In the corner of her eye, she could still see Soren's mace dealing a disproportionately large amount of damage compared to how he was actually swinging it, while Aiko appeared to be struggling once more, her new daggers actually doing less damage overall compared to her combat knives.

That cursory glance, however, was the only glance she spared as her own opponent hobbled over, wielding one sword in each hand.

Nitto-ryu. Uncommon. She never had the pleasure of going up against something like that.

Not that it mattered either.

One quick strike and the edge cut cleanly through the wrist of the undead creation, no flesh present to slow the descent of the blade. With an unnatural clattering sound, the right hand of the monster bounced upon the ground, before disappearing in a burst of static. As if unaffected by the loss of one limb, the skeleton swung erratically with its remaining sword, iron grinding against steel. The blow parried, Rin used the curvature of the katana to redirect it, a flick of the wrist causing it to swing far off to the side, before another quick strike landed true.

Two blows, and the monster lost both weapons, only capable now of swinging clumsily with its handless arms.

The coup de grace was simple. Cleaving through the arms it used to defend itself, Rin bisected the monster, before rushing over to assist Soren. With uneven numbers and an overleveled Gamer that got involved in the fight after all, the rest was easy to mop up, Aiko summarily taking care of her own opponent with an acrobatic flair that was certainly…

…unique.

Nitto-ryu. She never had much of a chance to experience a dual wielding fighting style, nor had official matches ever featured an acrobatic opponent. As the pseudospace faded away, new windows popping up to alert her of the creation of new skills, Rin inspected the edge of her katana, before sheathing it.

"You said," she turned towards Rei, "that you weren't going to be joining."

A simple statement, before the blue-eyed girl observed the level up notifications that she had received, both from the destruction of those monsters as well as the completion of the quest.

Ah, there they were. All lower leveled than the high schoolers, all adults of varying ages. Tae Min Lee, a stranger with purple hair and a warm smile. Friendly, but there had to be a reason as to why he wished to take a step into such a violent world. Hira Chikara, an ikemen with too-long lashes, the only one that was level one. Extraneous words though. And did he think that his typing motions, no doubt the same sort of 'Private Messaging' that Rei performed, was going to stay unnoticed? Rin's eyes narrowed. What was the point of this sort of secrecy? Regardless though…Kazuo Majima, hard eyes but soft hair, a natural scowl on his face. A muscular build implied consistent physical conditioning, while a suit implied some degree of wealth. The most dangerous of all the newcomers, and the one most likely to use this power for an immoral purpose. Someone to keep an eye on.


"Rin Narimasa," she introduced herself, bowing to her elders, "A pleasure to meet you all."

"Are we going to continue with another combat simulation now, Rei?"