Boring. The one word that best described the day. Jessi had spent the last few hours trying to find something that would pass the time. She was tired of reading, there wasn’t anything worth watching on television, all of her friends were busy, and she had paced through the house nearly a dozen times. Jessie struggled to pull herself out of the chair and walked to the front door, leaning her forehead against the glass. Rain. She had the strange feeling that the weather wasn’t doing much to improve her mood. Jessi sighed before closing the door and slowly making her way toward her bedroom. “Maybe something in there might appeal to me right now…”

She opened the door and, more out of habit than anything, reached over and turned on her CD player. Jessie didn’t recognize the music. It was an instrumental album that a friend had given to her a few days before. She walked to the edge of her bed and sat. The combination of the rain, music, and lack of activity was too much for her. With her feet still on the floor, Jessie reached over and grabbed her pillow. “Nothing else to really do… At least this way I can’t keep watching the clock.” She covered her face with the pillow and let herself drift off to sleep.

She woke up to silence. The CD had ended some time ago, and the rain had stopped. It felt as if she’d been laying there for hours. Jessi tossed the pillow aside, and stared at the clock. She’d only been asleep forty minutes. After giving her alarm clock a mean look, she sat up and looked at the floor. “Why is it so hard to find something to do? I hate being bored…” It started to rain again. Jessi’s gaze moved from the floor, to the window on the opposite end of the room, then, to her computer.

“Maybe surfing the net? I’m up to try anything at this point.” She sunk into her computer chair, and after a few clicks of her mouse, Jessi was looking through the half page of spam filling her inbox. “Select All, and Delete…” She sighed again and sat back into the chair. “Now what?” She smiled slightly as her attention went to a VR headset resting near the monitor. Jessi realized that she hadn’t logged into The World in ages. “Well,” she told herself out loud, “I don’t have much to lose by playing for a while. Worst case scenario is that I wander Mac Anu bored out of my mind. At least there things will be a little more active.”


Username: Aiko
Password: **********
Logging in…......

Welcome to The World!


The golden rings left Aiko standing in front of the Chaos Gate in Mac Anu. It was another sunny day. Aiko hoped it would help lift her mood a bit. She watched as a Long Arm and a Wavemaster used the Chaos Gate. The Heavyblade always found it interesting to watch other players vanish, to be transported to one of the countless fields and dungeons. “Maybe I should make a dungeon run. It’s been a while, and I could use the refresher.” She made it a point to really think about it, before roaming into the city.

Everything was just as she remembered. Aiko stood in the center of the bridge and looked around. Despite her long absence, nothing seemed to have changed. People strolled the streets, occasionally glancing through the shop windows or trading with one another. Others raced by, to and from the Chaos Gate. The river was still flowing beneath the bridge and through the center of Mac Anu.

Aiko sighed and sat on the side of the bridge. “Seems like there’s not too much to do here, or at home… Unless…” The Heavyblade began going through her pitifully short list of member addresses. She couldn’t help but smile. "I really need to get out more..." It had been a long time since she’d contacted anyone. Aiko wondered if anyone would remember her. She chose a random name from the list and sent a Flash Mail:

She couldn’t remember ever having quested with this clanmate, or if she'd really talked to him before. Aiko wasn’t even sure if she’d get a reply. “The worst that can happen is I go through a dungeon alone, or I annoy someone else and hope they go with me.” She decided to wait a little while for a response before making any other plans. The female Heavyblade made herself comfortable and entertained herself by observing any players that walked by.

"... You see? Its the only way to save yourself. The only way to escape your prison. Don't worry about me, just get out of here. Otherwise you'll forget me, and forget about all of the Vangu--"

Wake up!

The room always had an eeriness to it. Even more so lately as it was empty, yet full. Formerly full of people, but now only full of dust and memories long past and forgotten by most. Once full of energy and activity, the room now sits as though ignored by time. Few remember its existence, even fewer remember how to get there. Only three have the means to get in. One became a legend. One disappeared. And the last wanders the land. Lately though, only two of them have been anywhere near it. Alone in the room, a heavyblader shuffles around in an effort to regain comfort after being subconsciously awoken.

Every time. The dream is always incomplete.

Gathering his composure, and consciousness, he picks himself up and stands at the podium. He couldn't help but stare down at it, and the lone goblet that rests there. The heavyblader, Lakely, raises the cup to his lips and empties it without haste. "White Cherry Wine? He must have left that here the last time he stopped by..."

He placed the goblet back atop the podium and smiled as he wrote a note in the dust "Mr. Kiwi, I can't believe you dipped into our stash..." He didn't sign his name. The note itself said more than enough to let its recipient know who it was from. I should get out of here before he comes back.

Lakely looks around the room one last time before heading toward the door and out into "The World". Mac Anu was sunny and quiet as ever, and seemingly more empty than it had been lately. There were quite a few people running about, but not enough to say the town was crowded. Lakely found himself beneath the bridge, his usual haunting ground while he wasn't roaming fields or sleeping in a lost hideout. He couldn't help but watch everyone in sight. It was then he could learn more about the true nature of people who had no idea they were being watched. Something was different today though, the people all looked excited, perhaps full of anticipation about something that would be happening soon. He could only guess that an event was on the horizon. An odd sensation came over Lakely, a sense of strange familiarity filled the air and dispersed soon after, only to be replaced by an uplifting chime.

Aiko? Is that the twinblader from before? No, her name was...Um...Well it wasn't important. Who is this Aiko though?

Lakely checked his contact list and found the name amongst the Radical Dreamers registry. She was apparently a clan-mate, and one that he did not believe he had ever met. He couldn't help but wonder what it was she was up to. His next destination was the Chaos Gate so he could wait for her while replying to her flashmail.

Nothing seemed odd about the situation, which the rightfully cautious swordsman found to be the oddest thing. Essentially, waiting was all he could do now other than leaving and forgetting about it all. What gentleman would leave a lady alone like that though? None that he knew of. Now it was her turn, she would have to be the one to initiate this little adventure.

The character customization of the game was one of the things Aiko liked best about The World. You could truly be anyone, yet still be unique. She remembered spending two hours sitting in front of her computer sketching different ideas before she finally decided. Most of the players she noted had clothing suited to whatever class they had chosen. Some were light and designed for quicker movements, others wore heavy armors best suited for defense. She glanced down at her own armor. Although hers allowed freer movement, her speed was nowhere near that of most of the other classes. The one downside to being a Heavyblader, higher defense and strength, yet lacking in speed. Aiko shrugged. She didn’t regret choosing her class at all. In fact, the loved the power behind the oversized sword she had across her back.

She received a reply to her Flash Mail sooner than she expected.

“Why is it that I always have to find the other person? Why can’t anyone ever tell me what to look for?” Slightly annoyed, she stood and stretched. “I guess I should head over to the Chaos Gate, then.” Aiko took her time. After all, if he wanted her to find him, he didn’t seem to be in any hurry. She was no stranger to online gaming. She could get a good idea as to what kind of character he might have through the short reply that was sent. “He’ll apparently not be looking for me, clue number one. Clue number two… maybe he doesn’t like people much and might seem to be out of place?” Aiko stopped and thought about it. “Maybe the second one isn’t totally right. It shouldn’t be too hard to find him in any case.”

She was halfway there when she stopped again. The thought crossed her mind that maybe she should make him wait a bit. “Maybe next time he’ll tell me where and who he is. So that brings clue number three, he may be the person that looks irritated because he’s waiting on someone.” Aiko smiled slightly and walked down the stairs on her left. She sat on a crate that was placed near the river. She didn’t plan on making him wait long, just long enough. The Heavyblader reached her arm back to grasp her sword’s hilt, unsheathing it. She sat there for a few minutes, letting her fingers trace near the edge of the blade. “I can’t wait to finally use this again… I just hope I don’t make an idiot out of myself.” Aiko knew she had a tendency to get in over her head every now and again. And she always regretted it.

Putting her sword away, Aiko got up and finally went to the Chaos Gate. It was then she realized it might be harder than she thought to find her quest partner. The majority of the people in the area seemed to be already engaged in some sort of activity. “Clue number four, I highly doubt he’ll be looking for me since he told me to find him, so he’ll definitely be making it harder by not drawing any attention to himself...” She went to a nearby wall and leaned her back against it, making sure she had a decent view of most of the players near the Chaos Gate.

Aiko was able to eliminate her possibilities by half when she took into account that who she was looking for was male. She then eliminated anyone that seemed overexcited in any shape or form, thus cutting her choices down to a handful of people that didn’t seem to be doing much more than standing around. “Maybe he already left?” She shook her head. She wasn’t going to give up finding him that easily. Once again, cutting the choices by eliminating everyone that seemed to be looking for someone, Aiko was left with only a handful of people. Four players were left to choose from: a Wavemaster in a green robe, a Heavyblade dressed in black, and two Long Arms, one in red, the other also in black. Suddenly, the Wavemaster turned toward the Chaos Gate and disappeared via the yellow rings. “Guess it wasn’t him. Hmm…”

Aiko knew if she stood idle for much longer, the one she was looking for might leave. “I guess there’s no other choice…” She walked toward the players, hoping to be able to tell which was strato. One of the Long Arms glanced her way briefly, before returning his attention back to the Chaos Gate. “Not him, I’m assuming.” Aiko stood in front of the male Heavyblader and smiled. She didn’t know for certain if it was him or not, but she wasn’t going to let him know that. “Hi,” she said, her voice hopeful, “You must be the one that got my Flash Mail. I’m Aiko.”

Listen. Close your eyes and listen to the emptiness and silence. There is nothing to be seen, even less to be heard. That, and that alone, is what some define as peace. Where once there was violence, torture and sadness, there is now only rest. That is what it's like to be free of a nightmare.

There's nothing like a dreamless sleep when you're stuck somewhere you can't leave. It's rare, for certain, but it's welcome. The usual dreams that come to you when you know you are trapped, they're all nightmares. And they're all worse than the one you're actually forced to live. In that rare, rare, instance it feels serene. Fully aware of your slumber, yet plagued by no vile images of the past, present, or impending doom. Babies don't sleep this well.

Imagine, after what seems like years, finally getting the chance to sleep that well. Now imagine it being torn apart and thrown away. Your peaceful silence cracked and destroyed; being replaced with the world you tried to escape and someone you don't know standing in front of you.

It must have been a while, it felt like it. Lakely knew this because none of the people amongst the Chaos Gate looked familiar at all, save for one. He looked around at everyone in the immediate area. He heard something; she had said something. She was the only one staring at him, the only one who had acknowledged him in quite some time. The swordsman looked at her and turned his head, trying to remember what it was she had said to him. She looked puzzled and unsure of herself now, so whatever she said must have had some kind of possibly misplaced confidence. He leaned his head back and closed his eyes, trying to remember how it sounded when it pierced and shattered his tranquility.

“You must be the one that got my Flash Mail. I’m Aiko.”

Aha, that must have been it. It made sense, she seemed so proud of her assumption; his silence was doing wonders toward crushing that pride. With his head still cocked away from her, and his golden eyes still closed and shrouded by his hair, Lakely felt she might deserve a little unfair treatment after she unfairly ruined his peaceful moments.

"I'm sorry, no. I don't know what you're talking about. If you're looking for someone, check the message boards. They might be lost and looking for you too." His face was cold and stern. A stone statue of seriousness, and that was the one thing that would make her believe him.

Even with his eyes closed he felt he could still see her shoulders slump in agony. She stuttered through an apology over and over, repeating herself time and time again. Lakely heard her start to shuffle away, her blade dragging across the ground. She was the female heavyblader at the Radical Dreamers' place. He had seen her there before; that was where he knew her.

Of course he knew that all along, and found a certain delight in listening to her walk back toward the Chaos Gate to get a better look at everyone in the area. It was even more fun when he opened his eyes and saw her walking toward a person a few feet to his right.

"Wait! Aiko, was it? Come back for a second." She approached him hesitantly, was she unsure of what he might do? "...I'm sorry, that was just too much potential fun to pass up. You were right, it's me." He held out his hand toward her, "you can call me Lakely." He couldn't help but smile the entire time she introduced herself to him again. She looked flustered, for sure, but he assumed she'd be alright.

"So what's on the agenda?"

The Heavyblade was silent too long for Aiko to be sure she was correct in her assumption. Uneasiness began to creep up on her. She hated feeling like an idiot, especially in front of people she’d just met. “If this isn’t him, then he must be standing back and laughing at me. After all, most people would’ve come up to me and corrected me by now…” She could feel herself blushing. The look on his face, and the tone of his voice confirmed it. She’d confronted the wrong player.

As embarrassed as she was, Aiko made herself stand her ground instead of her usual run away and hide tactic. “I’m sorry,” she began, “I just thought… I mean, you seemed to be waiting and… I’m sorry, I bothered you, then. I’m looking for someone and thought you were him. I’m sorry again.” “That was smooth. Now I remember how I hate talking to people. Most of the time I feel so stupid afterwards!” She stopped and looked around. There was only one more person that could be the one she was looking for. Hopeful, Aiko started walking towards him.

"Wait!” The Heavyblade called out, “Aiko, was it? Come back for a second." Aiko stopped. “Now what does he want? To rub it in that I made a mistake?” She turned and slowly approached him again. He smiled at her, "...I'm sorry, that was just too much potential fun to pass up. You were right, it's me." He held out his hand toward her and continued with his introduction, "You can call me Lakely." Aiko didn’t know whether to be relieved or upset. Either way, she was flustered. She looked at his hand and then back at him. He had a warm smile, she’d admit that much. She took his hand and shook it. “I’m Aiko,” she said again, “You know, first impressions are the most important, don’t you?”

"So what's on the agenda?"

She almost laughed as he seemed to ignore her first impressions question, “Well, I was bored and thought that I’d make a dungeon run. And because I didn’t feel like going alone, I sent a random Flash Mail to the first person that I noticed online. Lucky you.” Aiko smiled at Lakely and continued, “Considering you’re so much higher leveled than I am, I’m apologizing now. I’m really not that comfortable pushing my luck on monsters more than a few levels stronger than myself.” He remained silent, but nodded his head. He seemed to be waiting for her to continue. “Since it’s been a while, I was thinking a level ten field would be good.” Lakely stared for a moment, “Level ten? Don’t you think I might stand out amongst the crowd?” Aiko looked down at the ground, “I’m sorry. You’re probably right.”

“Well, I guess it could be fun anyhow,” Lakely spoke up suddenly, “I’m up for it.”

Aiko didn’t expect him to agree so quickly, although she had hoped he would. “Alright then,” she began walking to the Chaos Gate, “Let’s get to it.” “I’m sorry again for tricking you,” Lakely said once her back was turned. Aiko stopped and faced him again. “Does he really feel that badly for having played such a small joke? I mean, yeah it was a little mean… but he doesn’t have any reason to dwell on it.” “It’s really okay,” she assured him, “And if you feel that bad about it, you can make it up to me by helping me reach the Gott statue.” She ran to the Chaos Gate, reciting the keywords to the field she’d chosen, “Detestable Destroyer’s Scaffold.” Seconds later, she yellow rings engulfed her and she was taken to the field.

Aiko couldn’t help but laugh out loud. A beach-like environment with oversized sea shells scattered throughout. The air was dry. She sky was clear. “I love it!”

(OOC: I learned that I like using the color codes when speaking, so from now on that's what I'm doing.)

The color was slowly starting to drain from Aiko's face. It wouldn't be much longer till she was back to her old, slightly familiar, self. “Well, I was bored and thought that I’d make a dungeon run. And because I didn’t feel like going alone, I sent a random Flash Mail to the first person that I noticed online. Lucky you.”

Heh... Quite...

“Considering you’re so much higher leveled than I am, I’m apologizing now. I’m really not that comfortable pushing my luck on monsters more than a few levels stronger than myself.”

Yeah, I suppose she's making sense. Lakely gave her an understanding nod.

“Since it’s been a while, I was thinking a level ten field would be good.”

Lakely couldn't help but stare and wonder how this day would turn out. It could go one of two ways. One, it could be a repeat of his last journey with a certain low-leveled twinblader. He still remembers having to swoop into every battle and bail her out before a Swordmanoid or Goblin got in one too many hits.

On the other hand, it could go in a completely different direction. This girl, Aiko, was a heavyblader as well. So surely she should be able to hold her own? He could only hope for that much, at least. His curiosity got the best of him though. He was interested in seeing how this would turn out... But he wasn't going to SHOW that.

He smiled at her, “Level ten? Don’t you think I might stand out amongst the crowd?” She immediately looked away and wore an ashamed look on her face as she apologized again. He couldn't put her through that again. It would be best to let her know he wanted to go before she decided against it. “Well, I guess it could be fun anyhow. I’m up for it.”

Aiko's expression changed once more before she agreed and turned around toward the spiraling Chaos Gate awaiting them. He knew this little adventure wouldn't work out well if he continued picking on her like he had been. He looked up at her once she had started to step away. “I’m sorry... Again... For tricking you.” He smiled when she made it a point to assure him that she wasn't upset.

“It’s really okay. And if you feel that bad about it, you can make it up to me by helping me reach the Gott statue.”

The two heavybladers approached the Chaos Gate. Aiko called out the keywords she'd chosen, and within a few seconds they were being pulled away from the slightly metropolitan feel of a crowded Mac Anu.

---------- Δ Detestable Destroyer’s Scaffold ----------

Lakely could feel the warm stone streets as they were pulled out from beneath his feet, only to be replaced with a soft, warm, and somewhat scratchy surface. The texture of where he stood now was much more forgiving than the concrete he was so accustomed to. After opening his eyes he realized why. He certainly couldn't remember the last time he was in an area like this. He was surrounded by miles and miles of sand, palm trees, giant shells, and much much more. The clear sky above him was almost completely cloudless. Good for a nice summer day at the beach. But for a situation where they might be stuck walking around for hours looking for a dungeon... Not so much... The fact that the sun had direct access to them whenever it wanted would be a problem. Lakely could see this was definitely going to be an interesting day. His thoughts were assured when his female counterpart began laughing out loud. "I love it!

I guess she's already gone hysterical. Haha, heat strokes are really serious business...

He smiled and walked toward his former clanmate and sat on a nearby clam shell, hoping it wouldn't open and be upset about its new-found position as a chair. The sand beneath it shifted and settled, almost rocking Lakely off and down to the ground. Luckily, he wouldn't have to face that kind of embarrassment just yet. Aiko turned and looked at him, curious as to what he was doing.

He looked up and smiled, "What?"

She extended her hand out to him. "Come on, stand up. No sitting around, let's go find the dungeon." He took her hand and rose to his feet. "Let's walk around at least. I want to get to know you."

Lakely laughed and turned toward her, "Well, what do you want to know?"

She giggled and stared blankly off toward the horizon, "Um... Well... What's your favorite color? Favorite food? Are you a morning person or a night owl? Um, do you read? If so, what's your favorite book? Do you like to sing? How long have you been playing 'The World'? What do you think of me so far?" She paused, "I think that's all. Hehe, I didn't mean to ramble them off like that! I promise!"

Lakely turned his head to look at a tree nearby to keep Aiko from noticing his smile fade. "I, uh... Well..." He turned back and looked at her, noticing how happy she was here in this field and curious to learn more about him. Her enthusiasm was enough to bring back his smile. "Heh, where do I start? Let's see, I would say green is my favorite color. I uh, don't know about favorite food. I tend to do well both in the morning and night," he paused.

Looking up, he sighed as the warm breeze blew across his face. "I haven't had a chance to read lately. No opinion on favorite book, I guess. Singing is great, definitely. So far, you seem like a good person. Someone who I could see being a good friend to have around here. And um..." Hesitation overcame the male heavyblader. He wasn't sure how much information he should tell her about his situation. Getting her too involved could cause problems for her down the road.

I'll tell her eventually, just try and dodge the question for now. He turned to look at a shell they were approaching, "Oh, and I couldn't say exactly how long I've been playing. I know its been a while. But enough about me for now, what about you," he chuckled, "I want to hear your answers to those same questions!" He turned to see what she looked like as she strained to remember all the questions she had strung together earlier.

Aiko: +1 Level, + Shidan, x1 Ice Storm

Strato: >.>' I didn't know whether or not you were getting rewards for this, or for your solo you've been working so hard on. ^^; please let me know which so I don't (hopefully) gyp you on a reward.

Man, you guys should have finished this, it looked like it was going to be a good, light hearted adventure. Hopefully you'll be able to quest together sometime in the future!