Salem

"Seems like the day and night cycle is fairly short here", Salem found himself remarking absently. Within only a few hours, it seemed the oversized emission sphere had slumped just above the world's horizon line. "Oh, yeah, I've noticed that too. Most of the time I start a quest and don't have it finished until well after dark.", after a brief pause, Elora added, "Granted, I tend to wake up after noon." "Suppose it makes things a little more interesting.", he commented with a shrug. Not a very accurate reading if that's the only way people keep track of time. "Where are you leading

"So, you said we needed to beat one hundred floors.", he recounted aloud, "How far have we gotten?" "Twenty six -- NO, twenty seven!", she declared with a snap, "Floor twenty eight is up next. That's the raid I'm gonna be helping with." "Barely a quarter...", he let slip beneath his breath. "It's slow work.", admitted Elora, "And knowing that makes it all the more discouraging. Why even try when it's already been so long? It's so much easier just to step away and accept things for what they are." Salem's teeth ground together as he began to mull over his perspective. On one

"My sister and I were fairly close. She was definitely the responsible one. Had a way of sticking to schedules and doing what we were told." He shot Elora a knowing smirk. "Sounds like your brother was the same way." She returned the smile with a brief nod, "Yeah, but we were nothing alike. Aside from what we got up to -- that's what comes from overbearing parents." Elora's face lit up for a moment as she seemed to recall a fond memory. Within a few moments, her features sagged back into a sorrowful expression. " 'Cept he always managed to get away with it.", she muttered beneath her brea

Clasping an especially red-looking rock, he raised it close to his face to inspect its features. "When you come close to death, it becomes all you think about. At least, for a little while.", he continued, "Sometimes it moves to the back of your mind. Most of the time, you're left to think about the 'what if's'." Turning over the stone revealed a spiderweb of scarlet veins. They coursed across its surface, eventually scattering in dozens of directions. "I wondered about my parents, my friends...all of the experiences I'd never have." From the corner of his eye, he could see Elora fold he

"How long has it been?", he spoke up after a long stretch of silence. His throat felt horse, his voice more shaky than before. "No one knows for sure...", Elora admitted, "Some say it's been two or three years now." Years..., the realization slowly began to settle, All of that time I spent loading in... "Is that why you seemed so surprised earlier?", asked Salem, his eyes turning to regard her, "Have I been asleep this whole time?" Her mouth opened to answer him, then suddenly closed, its reply replaced by a hesitant nod. "Damn...", he wavered as a hand lifted to cusp his f

"Yeah, plenty.", he replied as his hand plucked a reed from beside the stream. It's tapered stock gently transitioned from rutabaga-purple to a verdant green. A complimentary chime indicated that this material satisfied the quest's requirement. "There was stuff on basic lore, mechanics, and I chose which package I wanted to start with." Elora seemed dissatisfied with the answer. In a nervous gesture, she cleared her throat and began to inch towards him. "That's -- yeah, makes sense. Nothing -- anything about -- umm -- dying, though?" Salem could feel constriction in his chest, an ins

Wait... "If you can't actually help me with the quest, then why did you bother coming along?", he inquired through narrowed eyes. With a nonchalant shrug, Elora replied, "It's not fun to do these things on your own, besides, someone's gotta keep an eye out for you so you don't get killed by a stray boar." "As selfless as that sounds, I'm sure I can handle killing a low-level mob. It's not like this game would put anything stronger outside of where I just started." To Salem, the logic was sound. He'd never played a game where he and the other players were immediately thrust into anyth

Regarding Elora as she teetered down the hill, Salem took note of the way her boots seemed to sink into the unusually spongey soil below. With care, he descended the hill at a diagonal so as to soften the precarious decline. He had nearly reached the bottom before an especially precarious patch of topsoil slid out right from under his boot. The displacement of one leg dominoed onto the other until he found his back smacked against the side of the slope. Slippery mud quickly sent him toppling toward the basin, where he soon floundered to a hault. Releasing a groan of pain, he hissed sarcastical

Salem appreciated the silence. This was the first time he'd had a moment's peace since encountering the blasted woman. Hiking in this sort of environment could best be described as 'pleasant'. All around them, dragonflies danced in the temperate air. Salem swore he had spotted one phasing through a stray flower on more than one occasion. An undulating emerald sea expanded as far as the eye could see. Gradually, he'd begun to detect the sensation of fine water droplets drifting into his arm. It wasn't long before a barely-audible static grew into a substantial rumble. As the two of them cl

"So, are you good at landing on your feet?" What should have been an innocent inquiry felt like it had carved a fissure through his chest. Images of shrapnel coated in scarlet suddenly overshadowed the serendipity he had felt. Turning away from her, he did his best to stifle his nerves. "Nah", he managed to admit with an uneasy laugh, "I got pretty fucked up." Massaging the sides of both his thighs with anxious hands, he decided to elaborate, "I couldn't feel my legs until today, at least, not for a few years." Not since the accident. "It feels good to move again.", he concluded before br

Salem took note of her fiery reaction, not to mention the accent that came along with it. Is that...Scottish? Irish maybe? It subsided almost as quickly as it had begun to garnish her words. I guess she's quick to anger, but also quick to console. Interesting. The outburst was followed by an attempt at small talk. Desperation to fill dead air was bothersome, especially when it replaced a far more engaging topic. "Claws.", he responded bluntly as his hand reached up to -- Actually. He seized the opportunity to summon each apparatus, leather gloves reinforced with a concealed ribbing.

Salem did his best to listen to her lamentations as he scanned the nearby scenery for additional plant life. Rolling over a few stray stones with the end of his foot proved fruitless, so he resorted to continuing along the path they had initially embarked on. The sensation of sunbeams trickling down from above stretching over the extent of his body was enough to raise his spirits. I could get used to this, he reveled as memories of frigid limbs became saturated in the warmth of this alternative reality. "I don't know what to tell ya...", he replied with splayed fingers combing through wis

Her appearance doesn't match her level., he observed with a bemused glance, Maybe that's for the best. Sometimes it's more advantageous to keep your cards close to your chest. "Must not take too long to get there if you've already unlocked it. I'm sure you'll do fine." A second take at her revealed an even more disheveled expression. "You're right! If I managed to join them after such a small amount of time how will I even know if I'm ready to fight?", the woman whined as her form began to crumble from an overwhelm of worry. "What --?" I didn't mean it like THAT!, Salem searched for

To say that Zackariah was easy to find would be an understatement. Traveling the few blocks necessary from the quest's starting point to his shop took mere minutes. “Oh, hello,", came a cordial greeting as Salem entered the building. "Are you here to order something? I’m sorry, but I am currently swamped with orders, and I’m running out of supplies.” "No, just here to fulfil this quest.", he stated, gesturing up the informational guide that sat within his UI. A few segments of dialogue later proved that the quest wasn't going to be as straightforward as it appeared. At least that's prett

"I can see why people leave.", Salem cracked and spared her a glance. Green icon. That would make her a player., he inferred from the sea of of unmarked characters surrounding them. The perspective shift didn't cause him to regard her much differently. After all, a lot of people ended up being just as repetitive and superficial as pre-programmed entities. The two of them soon stepped outside of the bar and into a busy cobblestone street. Salem could feel his eyes synch in reaction to the difference of brightness. Raising a hand to shield his eyes, he began to make out the various signages of d

Oh boy... a tutorial., he thought with some exasperation, I guess it's not entirely unnecessary. I can just skip through her dialogue once it starts to become unnecessary "Sure", he remarked, "Why don't you take me to one of your favorites." Salem couldn't help humor her programming. After all, she was interesting and charming enough to tolerate. "Alright! Follow me then!", she commanded, enthusiastically taking the lead. "I didn't get your name, by the way. I'm Elora.", she added with a soft smile. Reciprocating the curiosity, he answered, "I'm Salem." Kind of weird the game wouldn

The sudden blur of an object in motion was enough to cause Salem to startle. He quickly jolted backwards, narrowly avoiding a door in a crash-course with the wall across from it. "Jesus!", he couldn't help but shout as the large slab slammed to a hault. "Piece of shit! Good riddance!", shouted a slender woman with the shake of her fist. She gave pause for a moment, rolling a sore shoulder before turning to face his direction. "Oh hell! That didn't hit you did it?", she began with a surprised squeak, "There aren't usually any other players this early -- well at least not walkin' around!"

A whirlwind of vibrant colors encompassed his vision as Salem awoke in his new reality. The elaborate neon flares fizzled out into the happenings of a humble cedar abode. A few confused blinks seemed enough to ward off the dizzying introduction. With fingers outstretched, he began to examine his alternate form. It all felt so strange, yet also so real. Certainly at least, more real than any “[insert] reality” games he had previously played. Few other observations oriented him before he had slowly begun to stand. The process of activated nerves and cinched tendons were arguably the most comfort

INTERACTIONS & ENCOUNTERS COMPLETED QUESTS

LEVEL - 5 HP - 100 EN - 28 DMG - 4 ACC - 2 SKILLS Non-combat: Passive: Combat: Weapon Skills: Claws R1 INVENTORY Weapons: [Equipped] Claws R1 (Rare) with 2 slots of Accuracy +4 DMG +2 ACC Attacks: Equipment: Items: Total Money: 105,400 Col Money Spent: 0 Col Total EXP: 2,012 Mats: 15 Total SP: 25 SP Spent: 4 Remaining SP: 21

Username: Salem Real Name: ??? Theme: "A Grave Consequence" Age: 20 (Joined at 18) Sex: Male Sexuality: Bisexual Height: 5'11 Weight: 170lbs Eye Color: Blue Hair Color: Dark Slate Gray General Appearance: Salem's body is average in build and lacking in any remarkable features. From the outside, he seems like someone who is reserved in personality. Long strands of dark hair frame his face, which is somber in expression. Despite his quiet disposition, he gives off an air of someone who can be approached and conversed with. Attire: He prefers