Your Life For A Price

[Jessika Claire]

Signups & OOC:
https://www.iwakuroleplay.com/threads/your-life-for-a-price-signups-ooc.33591/

Greetings, player! You have been hand-picked by OcculusHQ to be part of the new beta-testing for the world Aria. There have been several updates and we're confident that your skills would be very beneficial in testing this! This is going to be our last update before we officially release this game. Of course, you will be given a copy months before it is released to the public. You will be rewarded for your efforts as well! Soon after accepting you will receive a game console of your choice as well as a $10,000 check and a full scholarship to a college of your choice! Please read the terms and conditions below. Check the box to confirm that you have accepted the terms and conditions! We hope to hear from you soon and are very excited to get to work with you!
-OcculusHQ

Soon after receiving this e-mail, you checked the box without a thought, because who actually reads the terms and conditions? Unknown to you, this blind acceptance would change your world forever, both real and virtual. Every player was sent this e-mail and every player accepted without a second thought.

Aria is a beautiful land much like the world today. There are mountains, forests, oceans, deserts, and many other realms. Off in the icy realm, there is a tower that stands 100 levels tall. This tower is new to the update and is one way of escape, though many will die trying. There are cities and towns scattered across the world and some people have chosen to give up on escape and have chosen to live peaceful lifestyles as merchants, shopkeepers, or just as everyday townsfolk.
You would enter the game as usual and go on with your business, but at the end of the day, a cold realization falls upon everyone.

The log out button isn't there.

Every single player is teleported to the center of Aria, a busy village with a large clearing in the middle of it. You are all trapped here and there is no escape. Not only that, but there are several rules - rules that you'd better remember because it could determine whether you live or die.

Let the game begin.

 

[Jessika Claire]

"Greetings, players" a loud, female voice boomed overhead. The beautiful blue skies faded into a sickening red and a black cloaked figure appeared floating above the village. "I'm sure you've all realized by now that this is no ordinary game. Your log out button has been removed. Now, that doesn't mean that there is no way out. That certainly is not the case. I've given you several ways out. I want to separate the truly gifted players from the ones who only put on a good show. One way is to defeat the 100 levels of the tower Northeast of here in the cold Arctic. It is a difficult task and the chance of your failure is very high, especially if you go about it alone.

"The second way is to collect 1000 points the way you usually do." the figure saw some players opening their virtual menus and let out a laugh that rang throughout the crowd. "I know some of you have already acquired 1000 points, and I've accounted for that. Your accounts have been wiped clean. You start with the most basic of weapons and armor. You do still have your skills, but they're only as good as you are. I'm sure you're all aware of how to earn points, yes?"

"20 points for killing another player, 10 points for killing a boss, 5 for killing insignificant creatures, and 1 for crafting. Simple as that. You can also buy another characters freedom or revive a fallen comrade. However, you can only revive the fallen if it is done the week of their death."

The figure began to fade, but the voice did not.

"Ah. I thought that I should mention that in this game, when you die, you do not respawn. You do not wake up in your own bedrooms. Your brains are fried and you die both in game and out."

The sky returned to its usual blue, but the damage was done. A hushed silence fell over the crowd. Their lives were on the line in this game and it was up to them to decide how they would play.

 

[Merry Berry]

Marianne watched in horror as all of her equipment vanished, including her beloved katana that she had won by beating a very difficult boss, and was replaced with a wooden longsword and the other basic stuff she had started off with. She could see that it was not just hers, but the equipment of everyone else disappeared in a puff of glittery smoke. Some broke out in panic, while others, like Marianne, decided it was best to escape somewhere they would most likely be safe. Marianne thought that it would be a good idea to head for an inn, since the locks prevented others from coming in, no matter what. She hoped that that was still in effect.

Once inside her room, she began trying to figure things out. Was it really so that they had no way of escaping, except gathering 1000 points? It was true that the log out option was removed, so for now she had to believe the voice in the sky. But how was she supposed to gain all those points? True, she had gotten a lot of points before, but that had taken a lot of time. She immediately ruled out killing another player, since that would just be plain inhumane,, and she came to the conclusion that the only way was to continue as she had before, by completing dungeons and defeating bosses. She still had to start off from scratch, though, so she decided that she should start training right away. She headed out from her room, and towards the field next to the city were she began slaying some of the lowest leveled creatures there were in the game.

 

[Laggy Lagiacrus]

While the reactions to the news varied, Galahad managed to keep his cool. It wasn't as if he had been in worse situations before, though given his history, he at least knew how to handle situations in which most would run around like a headless chicken. He composed himself, though swore under his breath a little, as his hard-earned spoils of war vanished from his body, leaving on him the shoddy armour one would expect the lowliest of newbies to be donning. He did not waste time trying to think, or to seek help. Instead, he did what he had trained himself to do – keep a stiff upper lip, and carry on with business as usual.

He assumed that his advert on various bulletin boards would still be up – after all, it wasn't like he was any less skilled, he just had terrible equipment. If someone wanted him, they could contact him. A mercenary for hire, he was – dirt cheap, and willing to take on any mission as long as it involved danger. And now that one wrong move could spell disaster, pretty much everything could be potential suicide. Job offers would likely find their way to him once the populace had gathered their bearings, and had actually gathered enough funds to hire him out for a while. Pig Iron Broadsword in his hand, he set out, hopefully so he could find a mine – and make some gear actually worth wearing.

 

[Jessika Claire]

Aria's body froze as she gripped the wooden sword in her hand. She was back to square one, just like everyone else, but there was a difference between her and many of the players around her. That difference was that she kept her cool. She rolled out of the way just in time, avoiding a blow from one of the men behind her. His mind was unstable and he was swinging at all of the players around him. This was the unfortunate reality of the situation. Some people would let their fear take over. Unfortunately, she couldn't do anything about it. Perhaps one of the higher ups could bring people together. She checked the rankings, looking for the people who could step up and lead their people, but the rankings had been cleared as well.

Aria snuck out of the crowd without much trouble, although the lack of weight on her was troubling. Her armor and weaponry had been her pride and joy and it had been taken away from her. Her sword was too light; her body was too exposed. The only thing she had left was her clothing and the scar that covered her nose and mouth. She decided to head into an Inn for the night. She needed to come up with a plan. She'd had well over 1000 points, but now she was back at 0, just like everyone else. She opened the door to the Inn and saw the innkeeper, looking quite shaken from the announcement. She felt pity for the woman, but could do nothing about it. "I need a room for a few nights. I don't have anything," she added on, but that went without saying, "But for as long as I stay here, I can protect you. There are a lot of people who will attack the innocent, and you'd likely be a target." The woman simply nodded and handed her a key. Aria thanked her and went to the room number written on the key, wanting nothing more than to wake up from this mess.

 

[Jae- The nonexistant]

Jae's eyes widened and her head dropped, staring at the ground in utter surprise and horror. She looked at the wooden sword that had replaced her dear axe. She flinched as her armor was replaced with basic armor. With a sigh, she looked up, barely dodging a swipe from a nearby man. She stepped back, realizing the effect of those around her. I need to get out of here... She thought to herself, turning and slipping silently passed a few people. She made sure not to bump anyone, as that would draw more attention to herself other than the clear tattoo on her left shoulder, a black hood and a scyth, death. She made it out of the crowd and started towards the nearest Inn, deciding it would be safer there, though, as she approached it, she changed her mind, sitting on a rock in front of it. "I need to find somewhere else...more hidden.." She thought to herself. At least people still know how to contact me for assassins...so I can earn more points..if they still want an assassin. She sighed.