[PP - F01] «The First Few Lessons Are Free»

[Tyonis 0]

Tyonis shrugged off what appeared to be Spencer’s faux pas. Tyonis had an inkling suspicion that Spencer’s low self-confidence stemmed from more than a lack of social interaction and experience. In the Army, Tyonis would simply flat out ask: ‘You gay, bro? Because I really don’t care either way.’ But he wasn’t sure how a civilian would take that level of forwardness. The last thing he wanted to do was alienate or push Spencer away. The kid wasn’t all that bad company and they could both use a friend, he figured.

“Husbando is what I’ve heard, yeah. Some of my weeb-friends have one or two,” Tyonis hinted, implying that he did not care all that much about sexual orientation. The Army had drilled out that kind of prejudice from his system. All that mattered to him was: maintaining your physical fitness and shooting the enemy in the face. If you could do those two things, then you were golden. If you couldn’t, well you got treated like [censored], regardless if you were gay or not.

“I'm into hookers and blow, remember?” Tyonis waggled his eyebrows in reply when Spencer asked about his love life. “But no, not since I enlisted. There’s an old saying: you marry the military when you join. It sucks a lot of time out of your life and two overseas combat deployments are relationship killers.”

Word Count: 225
ID: 102256
LD: 8 (Fail) 4/5 Herbs Harvested.

Edited July 5, 2018 by Tyonis

[Spencer 0]

"Oh god weeb friends, I have way too many of those back home. And I'm happy I got the right terminology." He smiled and was happy that it seemed to him that Tyonis was cool with him and easy to get along with. This was something that Spencer always looked for in someone, someone who was cool with him being Gay. 'Okay we luckily passed that barrier, he probably already realized my social anxiety but I'm hoping I'm hiding it okay? Yeah probably not with how bad my stutter was at the beginning of us talking.' He blushed at his own thoughts and kept walking, they were really close to being done with this quest, even those Spencer wasn't doing the quest himself, he was happy to help out any way he could for anyone that is.

He hears Tyonis talk about relationships and frowned a bit, it sucked to see someone not have the opportunity to get a relationship with someone. Spencer was someone who really liked relationships and things like that, so it always pulled at his heart strings that he didn't find anyone in the real world. "Relationships for me have not always been the best. Well, I shouldn't say anything in plural. My relationship I've had was not that good.. but that's the past and it's over so no need to worry about that." He shrugged and bit his lip, he was still slightly nervous at his possible over sharring.

ID: 102261  LD: 9
(4/5) Mats Acquired

 

[Tyonis 0]

“Want to talk about it?” Tyonis invited with a solemn smile. He learned early on that his friends and fellow Soldiers all had their personal issues and that venting them was important to recovering from them or resolving them. He’d lost one friend to suicide - one friend too many - and there were many times Tyonis had wondered if there was something he could have done or said to prevent that tragedy from happening. It was the first and last time he’d shrug off another person looking to confide in him.

Spencer seemed anxious that he’d push Tyonis away with all his extra baggage. While that might be intimidating for a normal person, Tyonis was definitely not. He never considered himself to be normal and strove to stand above that label, so he did not shrink away when faced with Spencer’s reluctance.

“You can speak your mind, Spence. It’s fine, I’m a big boy, I can take what you’re gonna dish out, trust me.”

Word Count: 168
ID: 102262
LD: 2 (Fail) 4/5 Herbs Harvested.
 

Edited July 5, 2018 by Tyonis

[Spencer 0]

Spencer felt his body calm slightly when Tyonis asked the man if he wanted to talk about it. "T-thank you." He muttered, not really saying anything, just thanking the man for being so open and understanding. 'I got lucky with my first friend... Should I tell him about Eric? I mean no one died or anything, it is just a big part of my emotional distress, I'd be so worried about letting all of that out to him... I don't know.' His thoughts were cut off by Tyonis commenting again about how he can open up about what is going on, and it won't bother Tyonis. 'Okay.. Okay I will tell him.'

Spencer breathed in slowly, let it out, then opened his mouth to talk. "In the real world, I met a guy named Eric at a party. The two of us became friends... Then we became a little more than friends. He didn't want to come out, and because I was so head over heels for him, I accepted it and stayed with him even though it was hurting me. One day, I finally got up the courage to confront him about my feelings, and he dropped me because he was scareed. It hurt so bad because it's almost as if I didn't matter, and he couldn't get the courage to love me, which made me think he didn't at all..."

ID: 102274 LD: 10
(4/5) Mats Acquired

[Tyonis 0]

"Mhmm," Tyonis mulled out loud as Spencer began to spill his heart out. Steven found it difficult to empathize. He was what most would call a "cis male" so he was comfortable in his own skin and had no reservations about saying who he was, nor did he care what others thought about his identity. He had a confidence Spencer clearly did not possess. "Get over it and try again, that guy was a pussy and not worth your time." Was definitely NOT the right response. A fellow Soldier might take that as a lesson of tough love, but he wasn't sure if Spencer had the emotional strength to endure that sort of bluntness.

"Well," Tyonis began. "There is one thing you should be proud of." He paused and smiled at Spencer. "You and your bravery. It is not easy to admit your difference to the world. Not everyone gets along with Soldiers because of what we inherently stand for, obviously. So I sort of understand how you might feel. I can't say I will ever exactly experience what you're going through, but I can kind of empathize." He kicked a bush, just to see if a successful gathering prompt would fill his screen as he approached Spencer and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Hold your head up high son, because, though Eric lacked the courage to look at himself in the mirror and admit to himself who he was, you did not shrink from fear. You told him who you really were and what you really wanted. Ultimately, it doesn't matter if he loved you or not. What matters is you sought it. Failure is not the end of the world, just another reason to try again if you can and are willing. This may be blunt as hell, but the only final failure is death. So long as you live and breath, keep trying. I can't promise results, but I can promise it'll be better than doing nothing."

Word Count: 285
ID: 102277
LD: 20 (NAILED IT) 5/5 Herbs Harvested. First Objective Complete. Must now craft a healing potion in Zakariah's Workshop.
 

Edited July 5, 2018 by Tyonis

[Spencer 0]

Spencer expected the worst when Tyonis started to talk about his little speech he gave him about the love of his life that he lost in the real world. His little frown of sadness turned to a small smile, Tyonis was taking his baggage in strides, and offering up some advice and very kind hearted words in replace of any negative feelings that he was feeling. I was not expecting this at all, this man is really full of surprises, and a really cool guy on top of that, I'll definitely try to keep him around as a friend, maybe even join up on a guild with him? He ignored that last little bit of his thoughts, he knew that thinking about guilds already will be something a bit unlikely, it is going to take some people weeks to get used to the idea of being stuck here... some people might not even get used to it.

Spencer looked up at the man and gave him a soft hug, not caring about his own reserves of physical contact with people he hadn't known for long. He let go of the hug quickly, but he was really starting to feel better, not even hiding his feelings about being upset. "T-thank you Ty, really... Not many people know about Eric, and less know what to say about it." He laughed at that, rubbing the back of his own head. "You seem to be the most progressive solider I have even met, which isn't saying much. Some of my family are soldiers, and wow.... they are something else." He laughed and shrugged, seeing that the two of them had found all five of the herbs. "And it looks like we found all of the 5 things we are looking for, what's next? Going back to that shop correct?" He looked up at Tyonis expectantly.

[Tyonis 0]

Tyonis nodded and hardily slapped Spencer on the back for good measure  as if doing so would shake off the gloomy atmosphere from before. "You've got family in the Army, eh?" Tyonis eyed him in a new light but when Spencer began to imply something a bit more negative Tyonis shook his head. "Well, honestly, the Army's neck-deep in its own traditions and cultures, but change is something the Army must always have. Otherwise, there'd be no one in the Army but straight, white men," he explained with a shrug. "You've had it rough Spencer, I can tell. But you wear your scars proudly from now on. They are the mark of your struggles to show the world who you are. Maybe others like you can get something from your experiences too." 

Tyonis nodded when Spencer prompted him for the next half of the quest and he led them back to the workshop. The trip was uneventful, aside from having to push through more Players seeking to venture out of the starting city. Zakariah barely acknowledged them - not that he could since he was surrounded by new Players who wanted to start the tutorial quest line for some easy bonuses.

With a shrug, Tyonis simply went over to the alchemy table and opened his menu. He didn't need an NPC to explain to him how to drag and drop items into a window and press the Start button.

Word Count: 235
ID: 102299
CD: 1 (L.O.L.)

Edited July 5, 2018 by Tyonis

[Spencer 0]

Spencer smiled at the comments that Tyonis was giving him, and the walk back to the shop left Spencer in high sprits, happy to be able to help this man complete his task, and happy to give him some company when he needed it. Also it didn't hurt that Spencer was feeling better about his life after all of this ordeal. "So, after you are done with this quest, What are you going to do?" He was kind of hoping Tyonis would want to continue hanging out, but he knew that maybe the man would want some more company. "I'm not sure exactly what I am going to do, considering that the game is still going crazy with people all around running and being upset." He gestured tot he beginning city, there were some people that couldn't really get everything together. I'm so happy that I'm not acting like that, I wouldn't be able to bear with myself acting like that.

The tow of them got into the building and looked at the table that Tyonis was suppose to craft at, and the thing he made didn't look that good, but it seemed as though it finished the quest at least. "So... That's it?"

[Tyonis 0]

"Negative, Ghostrider," Tyonis denied as he picked up the vial full of black, formless goop. "Didn't get the quest complete prompt, so I guess I actually have to make this properly." He explained as he reopened his menu and got the rest of the ingredients. "There is one saving grace: each attempt only takes one herb. So I've got 4 attempts left before I resort to killing the NPC to remove this quest from my log." He announced loudly, wondering if Zakariah could even hear him above the din of Players vying for his attention.

"You know, I could have sworn I said I was terrible at arts and crafts IRL. No amount of time spent in Aincrad is going to change that, I'm sure." He dragged the next herb into the window and hit start. "Pray to whatever god you believe in. And if you don't believe in one, I'll know who to blame if this fails." Tyonis chided with a grin.

Word Count: 162
ID: 102305
CD: 4 (Success) Quest Complete. Must deliver package to Lyle Tealeaf.
 

Edited July 5, 2018 by Tyonis

[Spencer 0]

Spencer chuckled a bit when it was taking Tyonis a little bit in order to make this herb thing correctly. Crafting seemsa little annoying, I think I would like to cook more than doing alchemy... maybe I will become a cook... Hmmm.... He thought to himself and watched as Tyonis started to make another creation, telling him that he needed to pray in order for this to work." Oh God, don't let this strange man mess up again, he is already horrible at this, he doesn't need more pain with his horrid creations." He laughed and smiled at Tyonis, who was trying to make another alchemical creation. "So, what made you want to do VRMMORPGs? I just liked Neverwinter and gaming a bit so I decided to want to try it out, and if I wasn't trapped in here I'd probably like it a lot more than I am now. But it's good company." He smiled at Tyonis,

Tyonis finished the creation and Spencer cheered, it seemed as though the quest was done. "Is that it? Doesn't seem that difficult that is for sure." He shrugged and smiled at Tyonis, happy to have helped the man out a bit

[Tyonis 0]

"Well, god loves you more than he does me. Bastard actually listens to you," Tyonis complained as he practically threw the quest item in Zakariah's direction. He wasn't entirely sure what was going to happen, but when the Objective Complete prompt filled his field of view, he took it as a good sign. "Looks like we need to deliver this..." He hit the Next button on the objective window and a parcel materialized in his arms. "To some Blacksmith named Lyle Tealeaf," he informed. As they made their way toward the smithy, Tyonis answered Spencer's question.

"The Army drove me to four things: hookers, blow, alcohol, and video games." Tyonis announced, as if that singular statement would explain his whole life story. "But in all seriousness, single player VR games were how I and many of my buds coped during our deployments. FullDive lets you escape from the real world for a bit, and trust me, the Middle East is [censored] HOT. Yeah, sure, it was still hot as [censored] when you logged off but for the hour or so, you were in a totally different world. It really is escapism at its finest."

Tyonis paused at the entrance of the smithy and turned to face Spencer fully. His eyes were hard and unrelenting. "But that's all it is. An escape. This place, this world, it isn't real. In fact, it's more like a drug - a very, VERY lucid dream. Your accomplishments are worthless here since it can all be erased at the drop of some programmer's hat. If you want to make a true change, you need to remove the NerveGear and do it in the real world. That sense of tangibility is important to obtaining a true feeling of accomplishment, purpose, and fulfillment. Don't substitute this world for the real one."

Word Count: 234

Edited July 6, 2018 by Tyonis

[Spencer 0]

Spencer listened to Tyonis discuss why he used the games for escaping and playing them, talked a tiny bit about the war scene, and just discussed existential feelings all around. Spencer nodded and agreed with what the man was saying. "I can understand wanting an escape. Not to the same degree and needing that you have, but I get it. Needing a break from the world for a while sounds amazing sometimes." With Spencer's social anxiety, crowds of people and constant social interaction really got to him, and overwhelmed him. That was one of the main reasons that he went to the shop in the first place, everyone there was really starting to overwhelm Spencer. He also agreed with the acomplishments remark that he made, but Tyonis seemed a bit darker than Spencer.  Well he is in the army and he probably has seen a lot of things that he would rather forget, so I can understand why he would act a little darker and more blunt with his words. Spencer nodded along. "Man this conversation got way more deep that I expected, I just asked about video games." He laughed a bit and looked at the man. "So we need to deliver this package to someone else? Oh god don't tell me this is going to be a many part quest, I hate those with a burning passion."

[Tyonis 0]

Tyonis exhaled lightly, dispelling the heavy atmosphere and relaxing his expression as Spencer laughed a bit. "Yeah," Tyonis scratched the back of his head, looking quite awkward, "I got a bit too high on my soap box, there, didn't I?" He shrugged off his earlier mood and opened the door to the smithy, waiting for Spencer to step inside first. "As for the quest.... did you even read the beta tester's guidebook?" He asked incredulously then pulled out of his inventory. "It highlights all the basic quests on the first few Floors and even lists all their objectives. It's been really handy... wait..." he shot Spencer an accusatory glare. "Are you one of those assholes that calls Customer Service without reading the instructions manual first? Oh, I bet you are. Damn. Well, we can't be friends anymore." Tyonis declared and pushed past him to turn in the parcel and complete the quest, only to be prompted with the next in the chain. He smiled viciously at Spencer. "Oh Spence, guess what: there are three more parts to this!"

Word Count: 162 Thread Complete!

[Tyonis 0]

Reward Summary:

Tyonis gains...

• (5) Tier 1 Health Potions of Uncommon Quality (+40HP)
• (1) Tier 1 Damage Potion. (+1 Damage)
• (1) Tier 1 Over-Health Potion (+50 Temp. HP)
• 2 Additional Skill Points
• 1 Additional Skill Point (20 posts)
• 200 Col (20 Posts)

Spencer gains...

• 1 Additional Skill Point (20posts)
• 200 Col (20 Posts)

 

Edited July 6, 2018 by Tyonis