Fantasy Chronicles of Sylaria (Open)

[Kirby3178]

Akira and Saffron had made a deal and the plan was to leave tomorrow at dawn. But Akira perked up when Saffron said,

"We'll have to cross the mountains dangerously close to Orc territory. Do you speak speak Orc?"

Akira doesn't speak Orc, but she didn't give him time to respond. Again, Akira didn't know how to fight with a sword, so the idea of possibility of his first fight being against an Orc was concerning.

Saffron stumbled out of the room and Akira was left alone in his room. He looked inside his knapsack and found it full of field rations, a few potions, and a whetstone.

When the sun went down, Akira realized just how tired he was, and he fell asleep just as his head hit his pillow.

--------

Dawn came the next morning and Akira awoke feeling rested. He put his scimitar on his left side and his shield on his right. He ventured downstairs just in time to see Saffron trip down the stairs and into a server, and take a man's ale and chug it down.

Akira tried to stifle his laughter, but then walked up to her once she was on her feet.

"Morning, Saffron" Akira said "You ready to go?"

[Location: Lucky Dog Tavern/ Interacting: Saffron Beaumont ( XxJadePhoenixX )]

 

[XxJadePhoenixX]

The server's face blanched as Akira came over and addressed Saffron. Her expression was mirrored by several nearby patrons who heard it as well. "That is Lady Beaumont," the woman exclaimed in a tone that sounded offended, putting extra emphasis on Saffron's title. Then she turned to Saffron. "Milady, please forgive the rudeness of this--adventurer."

To her surprise Saffron simply turned to him and smiled. "All set," she said, "We'll set out from the west gate along the King's Road. We're already running late so we better go now."

Again she didn't wait for an answer before leaving the tavern and heading down the street at a brisk walk. Akira would have found it difficult to keep up with her if not for the fact that he was taller. Even so she was pretty close to pushing his limit, at this rate she would tire herself out before they even reached the edge of the city. As they walked they passed by fruit and vegetable stands and various vendors on the side of the street. People passed by them practically shoulder to shoulder only parting long enough to allow the passage of a horse-drawn carriage. It felt like there were far more NPCs in the city than there were in the game. On top of that it was also taking them a long time to reach the gate. There were shops and residences along the street they traveled that Akira didn't recognize. Somehow the city itself felt bigger even.

The crowds started to thin out as they got closer to the gate. On their way out of the city they passed a checkpoint where city guards were stopping everyone from entering the city to check their goods. Beyond the city walls lay the northern plains, its rolling hills stretching out for as far as the eye could see. Once outside of the city Saffron slowed to a more relaxed pace. Apparently, she was just in a hurry to leave the city confines, which was something of a relief because at her previous pace she would have burned out well before noon. As they walked they quietly conversed among themselves, or rather Saffron talked while Akira listened. She talked a lot about astronomy, magical formulae and the various alchemical properties of the plants they passed. She changed subjects so quickly and so often that it almost made Akira's head spin. It's a small wonder why this was the quest from the game that everyone hated. For starters it was an escort quest, so naturally her pace was faster than the player's normal walk but slower than the player's run speed. On top of that there was tons of dialogue as she never stopped talking. Of course, that was back before the game had become reality. Back then she was only concerned with studying the history of the Old Gods. Everything she mentioned back at the tavern about ley lines and magical fluctuations was all brand new dialogue. She'd never said anything like that in the game.

The two companions walked for most of the day, stopping only briefly for a bit of lunch about mid-afternoon. By evening they were a fair distance away from the city. Looking over their shoulder they could no long see the city gates far off into the distance. At some point Saffron apparently ran out of subjects to talk about and fell silent, allowing Akira to walk in peace for a bit. As the night waned on, though, she pointed to a nearby thicket.

"We can set up camp there for the night," she said, "Too many brigands on the roads these days."

With that she headed off into the grass, heading straight for the thicket...

**********

It was late by the time Scarlett had stopped running. The sun had already set in the west, casting a deep, dark shadow over the land. She collapsed on her knees in the middle of the plain, barely able to see through the tears in her eyes. The pain in her shoulder was agonizing. She tried to reach up and pull the arrow out, but the second she touched it a sharp pain shot throughout her entire body. She cried out, letting go of the arrow and falling over onto her side. Her tears streamed down her face and began to pool in the dirt. She hadn't known them all that long but Pierre and Emil were good, normal people and now they were dead. Dead because a group of ignorant players failed to understand this world they now find themselves in. The thought of Mildred and her three kids never knowing about what happened to them only made her cry even harder. After a while she pulled herself up into a sitting position, wiping furiously at her eyes.

"Fucking estrogen," she shouted, frustrated with herself.

At the sound of voices she looked up and saw two figures carrying lanterns walking down the road atop the hill not far from her. In a panic she quickly scanned her surroundings and though the grass came up to her knees she was way too exposed out here. A thicket lay not far from where she was. The trees would provide cover from the road but she needed to move fast. Any closer and they would see her. She quickly clawed her way to her feet and took off running for the thicket as fast as she could. Her legs burned from the exertion and her knees threatened to buckle under her weight, but the fear for her life kept her upright and moving. Once she was past the tree line she stopped and tried to climb a nearby oak. Unfortunately, her legs were so tired that they could no longer support her weight and after trying to climb up onto the lowest branch her grip slipped and she fell back to the ground. The voices were louder now and the light sources were getting closer. They were heading right for her. Instead of climbing the tree she tried to hide in the brush, albeit with little success.

"Did you see that," one of the figures, a woman said, "I think there's something over there."

Scarlett held her breath, her fingers tightening around the hilt of the sword she stole from the brigands. She closed her eyes and tried her best to calm her nerves, waiting and waiting, hoping whoever it was that was looking for her would pass. When she heard the snap of a branch behind her she sprung from her hiding spot and waved her sword around in front of her.

"Stay back," she cried, holding the point of her sword out towards her would-be assailants.

The pair she saw from the road was a tall, dark-skinned man with dreadlocks and a young woman dressed in wizard's robes holding what looked like a floating orb of light above her hand. They both looked surprised the moment Scarlett appeared out of the brush in front of them.

"It's an Elf," the woman said with a note in her tone that sounded something like awe. "I've always wanted to research one up close," she added, taking a step forward.

"I said fucking stay back," Scarlett shouted at her, shifting the tip of her sword over to point at Saffron. The scholar quickly stopped in her tracks and held up her hands.

"Av-'osto," the woman said in a language Scarlett didn't recognize, "Le nathlam hí."

The Elf looked confused. "The fuck you saying?"

Saffron's eyes widened with surprise. "An Elf who doesn't speak Elvish, fascinating."

Scarlett shifted her gaze over towards the man. "Hey you, big guy, drop the sword now," she demanded and when he didn't immediately respond she pointed her sword at him. "Fucking drop it!"


[Location: The King's Road / Interacting: Akira ( Kirby3178 )]

 

[XxJadePhoenixX]

"We should be heading out by your leave," he said, not even giving her a chance to explain what the quest was.

In a hurry as always, Tom, Brianna thought to herself. She turned and headed up the road to the east towards the river. "Some boys went missing about two days ago," she explained as they walked. "Chances are they're probably already dead, but I promised I would go look for them."

She pointed at the sword on his hip. "I hope you know how to use that. If I'm not mistaken there are some goblin camps nearby."


[Location: Hiddleston Residence in Haversham / Interacting: Atlas ( starrar2356 )]

 

[starrar2356]

" haha I guess we shall find out together." he says with A smile on his face and his hand no the hilt of his sword ever eager to us it and test himself in sword combat.

" well Lets at least hop we can find something to bring back then to at lest give them closure you take point i got your back." he says looking back at the white cottage Then back at brie with a smile happy to be able to quest with his friend again. " Just another life as a gamer though this is not a game anymore." he says with a slightly sad smile on his face.


[Location: Hiddleston Residence in Haversham / Interacting: Brie ( XxJadePhoenixX )]

 

[Kirby3178]

As Akira unconsciously forgot to include Saffron title, the server exclaimed in an offended tone,

"That is Lady Beaumont!"

Akira was going to apologize, but Saffron didn't seem bothered.

"All set," she said, "We'll set out from the west gate along the King's Road. We're already running late so we better go now."

Before he know, Saffron had sped out of the tavern and into the street. The server gave Akira an agitated stare as he ran off after her. The streets were full of people, which was normal for the game since Aerilon is a hotspot. But these people seemed like NPC's, so Akira found this odd. He also caught glimpses of shops that he'd never seen before, and he'd walked Aerilon's street dozens, if not hundreds of times in the game. Once the two reached the gates, the crowd began to thin out, leaving the city guards who were running a checkpoint for those entering the city. This entire time, Saffron was moving unreasonably fast, like she was eager to get out of the city. Fortunately for Akira, she slowed to a more relaxed pace once they got passed the gates and into the plains and rolling hills that lied beyond.

As they walked down the King's Road, Saffron rambled on about astronomy, magical formulae and the various alchemical properties of the plants they passed. Akira quickly realized that this was like most escort quests, and he, like many other players, wasn't enjoying it. After spacing out, Akira found himself silently taking in the landscape. In the real world, he lived in a city apartment complex, so the most greenery he saw in one place was the park a few block away. Up to this point, Akira had only used his eyes and ears to be immersed in the world of Sylaria, but now he got to use all of his senses. It was a nice day, the temperature was moderate and the sun was shining. There was a slight breeze which rustled the grass and the trees.

After stopping for a few meals, the night came and Saffron had stopped talking. That was until she said.

"We can set up camp there for the night," pointing to a nearby thicket, "Too many brigands on the roads these days."

As the two approached the thicket, they saw something moving.

"I think there's something over there." Saffron said

Then suddenly an elf appeared from the trees holding a sword. Saffron was instantly fascinated, but Akira instinctively reached for his scimitar. But the elf saw this and she shouted.

"Hey you, big guy, drop the sword now, fucking drop it!"

Akira paused, and slowly unhooked the scimitar from his belt and threw it a couple feet in front of him.

"Okay, okay, calm down." he said


[Location: The King's Road/ Interacting: Saffron Beaumont ( XxJadePhoenixX )]

 

[XxJadePhoenixX]

Scarlett was panting heavily, her body felt so tired that she couldn't even stand. The only thing holding her up was pure adrenaline. "Okay," her voice sounded dry and hoarse. Her sword drooped in her hand as her shoulders slumped. "Okay..."

She collapsed on the ground right in front of them, her sword clattering off to her right out of reach. In the dim light of Saffron's spell the two companions could make out the shape of an arrow sticking out from her shoulder. "She's wounded," Saffron said, tossing her orb into a nearby tree. The orb stuck to the tree but continued to illuminate the area. Then she turned to Akira. "Give me your waterskin," she told him.

Akira untied the skin from his belt then handed it to her. Saffron snatched it from his grasp and hurried over to kneel next to the wounded Elf. The scholar carefully rolled her over onto her side, tipping the skin over and pouring some of the water into her mouth. "I'm very sorry, but this is going to hurt a lot," she apologized just before she grabbed the front of the arrow and snapped it off. Then she pulled the rest of the arrow from the Elf's shoulder.

Scarlett's pained cries echoed off the trees, stinging Akira's ears. Saffron turned her over again, pouring some water onto her wound to clean it. Then she set the skin down and held her hand over the wound on Scarlett's shoulder. She closed her eyes to focus and a second later a bright light appeared from her hand, flowing into the wounded Elf's shoulder. Bit by bit the wound stitched itself closed again and the pained expression on the Elf's face lessened somewhat. A moment later the wound was fully healed and Scarlett looked down at her shoulder in shock. This was the first time she'd seen someone perform magic since waking up her.

"Um, thanks," the Elf said as she sat up to look at the woman who had saved her.

Saffron flashed her a smile. "You're very welcome."

The excitement kind of died down after that as Saffron and Akira set up their camp. Their new Elven companion wasn't very talkative and as the others sat around the fire she sat leaned against a tree several feet away. Saffron's eyes occasionally darted between her and Akira. She had so many questions to ask, but no idea where to start. "Well, that was pretty exciting, wasn't it," she said finally, breaking the awkward silence that had fallen between them. "Not that you almost dying was exciting or anything, but--," she hesitated suddenly after realizing she was rambling again and making it worse. "Anyway, my name's Saffron and this is Akira."

Scarlett's ears perked up at the mention of the girl's name. Lady Saffron Beaumont, an NPC from the city of Aerilon. She had one of the longest quest chains in the game according to her sister and everyone hated it. If Saffron died at any point during the quest the quest would fail and you would have to go all the way back to Aerilon to start again. Scarlett herself had to redo the quest five times. It was one of the most frustrating experiences for new players. "Are you fucking kidding me," she scoffed lightly, a smirk curling her lips. She shifted her gaze over to Akira. "In the middle of all this you're on an escort quest?! So what, you wake up in the game and it's just business as usual for you?"


[Location: The King's Road / Interacting: Akira ( Kirby3178 )]

 

[Kirby3178]

The elf was panting heavily and she collapsed as if she was running on adrenaline. Saffron asked for Akira's waterskin and he gave it to her. She snapped off part of the arrow and pulled out the rest. The elf shrieked in pain, leaving a ringing in Akira's ears. Saffron then put her hands around the wound and a bright light appeared. After a minute, the elf's wound was completely healed.

"Was that Cure Wounds?" Akira thought.

"Um, thanks," the Elf said

"You're very welcome." Saffron replied with a smile

Saffron and Akira set up camp, while the elf sat in silence on the other side of the clearing. Silence fell upon the group, and Saffron, in true Saffron fashion, broke the silence.

"Well, that was pretty exciting, wasn't it. Not that you almost dying was exciting or anything, but--," Saffron stopped herself after realizing she was rambling and instead introduced herself and Akira. Akira glanced at the girl and that when he was just able to see that the elf had long red hair.

The elf seemed to perk up when Saffron said her name. The girl cursed then turned to Akira.

"In the middle of all this you're on an escort quest?! So what, you wake up in the game and it's just business as usual for you?"

Akira was taken aback by the girl's hostility. But, his eyes widened as she mentioned the game.

"In the middle of what?," Akira asked "I woke up two days ago and all I've been able to gather is that Sylaria is now real. So is this 'business as usual?' of course not. I just so happened to stumble upon this mission, and I thought that it could help me get some answers," Akira breathed and tried to get his tone under control "Look, you're a player, or used to be a player, like me, right? I don't know why we're here, but maybe we can find out. Anyway, what's your name?"


[Location: The King's Road / Interacting: Saffron and Scarlett ( XxJadePhoenixX )]

 

[XxJadePhoenixX]

Thought he could get answers? From doing a quest? Scarlett couldn't believe what she was hearing. Here she was struggling to stay alive and this guy was just playing the game. She almost went off on him when he asked her for her name. With a sigh, she averted her gaze. "Scarlett," she said, opting to give out her character name again instead of her real name. The truth was just too embarrassing to explain.

Saffron was up on her knees now as she listened to them talked, very eagerly shifting her gaze from one person to the next. When the conversation died down she was the first to speak up. "There, you did it again," she said, looking at Akira who stared at her uncomprehendingly. "Back at the tavern when you asked about the adventurers I was with. You said I mentioned that they were 'caught' in a game, but I never said the word caught. And just now you said that Sylaria had suddenly become real. What are you talking about?"

"You're a fantasy, lady," Scarlett suddenly interjected before Akira could answer. "You're a fictional character in a video game and none of this was supposed to be real."

The other woman looked slightly offended by that. "Well, obviously, I'm not otherwise I wouldn't be talking to you," she answered, then she shifted her gaze to Akira, "Is what she's saying true?"


[Location: The King's Road / Interacting: Akira ( Kirby3178 )]

 

[XxJadePhoenixX]

The river was not far from the village, just a short walk through the woods. Brianna and Atlas quietly made their way through the brush as they approached the boys' favorite spot to play. As Brianna suspected the place was empty, no sign of the children anywhere. There were some strange footprints on the ground, though. Brianna wasn't much of a tracker, but even to her inexperienced eye she could tell these tracks weren't human. Goblins, most likely. She signaled to Akira to get low then quietly crept over to him.

"Just as I thought," she whispered to him. "Up the river is a goblin camp, it's the most likely place that they would have taken the boys."

It's also bound to be guarded and the two of us going together would be suicide, she thought, but she left that part out. As crazy as this was she couldn't help but feel motivated to go. The sobbing mother who sent her on this quest reminded her too much of her own mother after complications during pregnancy led to a miscarriage of her little brother. It also left her barren and unable to bear children, which came as a huge blow to her parents because they never wanted to stop at one. That's why they adopted Alex, so that Brianna could have a brother and they could have a son. Only Alex didn't take to his new environment that well. He refused to call them mother and father and was constantly getting into trouble. Kind of like her right now, actually.

"We'll approach from the north side of the camp away from the river, the brush is thicker there," she said, "Try not to make too much noise, that armor of yours is pretty loud."


[Location: Evernon River near Haversham / Interacting: Atlas ( starrar2356 )]

 

[Kirby3178]

The elf stared at Akira in disbelief, then looked away and said her name was 'Scarlett'. Saffron was hanging on every word of the conversation between Akira and Scarlett, then once it died down, she recalled what Akira had said back at the tavern.

When Saffron asked what Akira meant when he said that the Adventurers she was previously working with were 'caught in a game', Scarlett spoke up.

"You're a fantasy, lady," then continued "You're a fictional character in a video game and none of this was supposed to be real." Scarlett's words were harsh, but she wasn't wrong.

Saffron said defensively, "Well, obviously, I'm not otherwise I wouldn't be talking to you," She then asked Akira if what Scarlett was saying was true. Akira sat in silence, his head was feeling like it was going to explode.

"Yes, in the world where we come from you are a fictional character in a video game. But, this world has clearly become reality. When I woke up, I was in a tavern, with a plate of real food that I could taste in front of me," he paused and sighed "So, are you still a character from a game? Based on the limited information I have, I'd say no: you're just as real as everything around us." Akira fell silent and stared into the flickering fire.



[Location: The King's Road / Interacting: Saffron and Scarlett ( XxJadePhoenixX )]

 

[XxJadePhoenixX]

"When you woke up," Saffron repeated, "How long ago?"

"For him, I don't know. For me it's been four days," Scarlett answered. "Four days in hell," she added under her breath.

Saffron just stared at the woman. She was having a hard time believing what she was hearing. Another world? Video game? Food that tasted real? It all seemed too outrageous to believe. In all of her magical studies she had only once encountered a dissertation that had postulated the existence of multiple universes but thus far any research into the subject had failed to provide proof of their existence. What's more Akira and Scarlett's confession seemed to imply that this world simply did not exist before their arrival. At least not in the way that it does now. Could that even be possible, she asked herself. Could this world have only come into existence a few days ago?

"I don't believe it," she said aloud, leaping to her feet. "I have memories of my childhood. I remember playing in the garden when I was six and the pony my father gifted me for my ninth birthday. I remember my apprenticeship and the pride on my father's face when I passed my entrance exam into the University of Arcane Studies. Are you telling me that none of that is real?!"

"Ding ding ding, give the girl a prize," Scarlett answered mockingly.

The scholar ignored her comment and pressed on. "What else aren't you telling me," she asked turning towards Akira. There was a sort of desperation in her eyes now as if she was keenly aware that there was far more to this story than he was letting on.


[Location: The King's Road / Interacting: Akira ( Kirby3178 )]

 

[Kirby3178]

Akira stared at Scarlett, after proclaiming that she'd been in this world for four days, 'four days in hell' as she so eloquently put it. Saffron expression indicated that she was processing the possibility that the world she knew was fabricated. Akira was the kind of person who found it easy to stay outwardly calm when in a stressful situation. But in his head, that was where one would find a swirl of questions, emotions, and thoughts. Saffron became vocal with her disbelief, to which Scarlett gave a snarky response. He'd never liked how cold Scarlett was being towards Saffron, but he was sure that her time here had had an effect on her.


"What else aren't you telling me," Saffron asked. Akira raised his eyes to meet her's. The desperation in her eyes made Akira sift through his memory.

"In the real world, before I came here, I logged in and was looking at a Notice Board for possible quests to do. I found one and decided that I wanted to stop at the Lucky Dog to heal and boost some of my stats. But then--," Akira's eyes widened as he recalled the moment before he blacked out "But then I got an item sent to my inventory. I remember it was a scroll that had a seal on it, but I was already blacking out before I had a chance to read it." Akira put his hand to his head.

"What was it called?" He thought. He looked to Scarlett.

"Do you remember what happened before you woke up here?"


[Location: The King's Road / Interacting: Saffron and Scarlett ( XxJadePhoenixX )]

 

[XxJadePhoenixX]

The Elf shifted her gaze to him, her thoughts racing, trying to remember anything from the day she blacked out. Did she also have a scroll sent to her inventory? She couldn't be sure, she was rather distracted with the gankers that had attacked her at the time, but maybe there was. Maybe that was the missing piece. "Four days ago was the 25th of May, wasn't it," she asked, talking mostly to herself. "I remember it because my sister wouldn't shut up about it. That was the day that the newest expansion for Chronicles of Sylaria was supposed to like go live, or whatever. That's why she kept pestering me to log in and level up my character. She wanted to play the new content with me."

Saffon's expression suddenly lit up as a thought occurred to her. "Four days ago was also the day of the largest celestial event of the last four centuries. The Planetary Conjunction," she added, her demeanor changed entirely with a strange sort of eagerness as she finally began to put all the pieces together. "Aurelia, Coronis and Fortuna were all in alignment that day. That was also the day that the largest fluctuation of the flow of mana across the world occurred. There was a surge of magical energy so strong that it lit the sky for thousands of miles turning night into day."

Scarlett just stared at her, blinking uncomprehendingly. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"I need you to tell me everything," she said as she came around the fire and knelt down uncomfortably close to Scarlett.

The Elf was taken aback by surprise. The woman was completely different from the way she was a second ago when it looked like she was having an existential crisis. "I'm not even sure where to begin," she said, leaning back a bit to try to create some distance between herself and Saffron.

"Start with what you said just now. What is an 'expansion'?"

"I don't know, that's just what my sister called it," Scarlett answered with a shrug.

Saffron frowned at her. "Alright, then what do you mean by 'level up your character'?"

"I mean my avatar in the game."

The scholar looked confused. She had a basic understanding of what an 'avatar' was in relation to the Gods, but she didn't quite understand how it connected to this 'game' she mentioned. "And your avatar iiiis you," she asked curiously, her tone lilting upwards at the end.

"No," Scarlett answered, getting up and moving away. "I mean, yes... I mean, it's fucking complicated, alright," she said, turning back to face Saffron. "Look, this isn't even my real body. In the real world I'm a..." The words caught in her throat before she could finish that thought. She was about to say, 'I'm a guy,' but then she remembered that Akira was still sitting behind her. "Uuuhhh, totally different person," she finished sheepishly, her cheeks flushed pink with embarrassment.

Saffron shifted her gaze to Akira. "Is that also not what you really look like?"


[Location: The King's Road / Interacting: Akira ( Kirby3178 )]

 

[Kirby3178]

Akira wondered what Scarlett was going to say before she stopped herself, but he didn't want to pry. Though he could tell that whatever it was, either embarrassing or personal by the way her face turned red.

Saffron looked to Akira and asked, "Is that also not what you really look like?"

Akira shook his head, "Well, not exactly. In the world I came from, my name is Elliott. I'm not as tall or as muscular as I am in this body, but I am dark-skinned and I do have dreads. I'm also a musician in the real world." It was odd, Akira know what his face looked like, but he just as vividly remembered his face from the real world, or the world he came from, he was still confused on the whole 'Sylaria being real' thing.


[Location: The King's Road / Interacting: Saffron and Scarlett ( XxJadePhoenixX )]

 

[XxJadePhoenixX]

"So the differences between this body and your 'real one' are physical," Saffron asked. She rubbed her chin thoughtfully as she shifted her gaze between Scarlett and Akira. While Akira had been kind enough to provide her with a description, however brief it was, the Elf was not very forthcoming with details concerning her past life. How drastic can these changes be, she thought. AKira's description of himself didn't seem that far off from his current appearance. Scarlett's confession, however, was that she was a totally different person in the other world. But how different? "Are you not an Elf in your world," she inquired, fixing her gaze directly on Scarlett.

The Elf seemed taken aback by her sudden directness. "No," She answered, "No one is. Elves don't exist in our world."

"Oh, so you're a Dwarf." That seemed like a reasonable enough change to cause a good deal of embarrassment.

"Wrong again," the Elf replied.

Saffron looked confused. "Orc then? Halfling? Goblin?"

Scarlett's cheeks burned hot and were burning hotter. She did not want her to continue this line of questioning. "Look, we're human, alright? We're both human," she said finally. "There are only humans in our world."

The scholar gave her a sour look. That seemed like a really dull planet. "From Human to Elf and from Elliot to Akira," she said, talking mostly to herself. Then she stood and stepped closer to Scarlett. She studied the Elf's face closely, even when Scarlett tried to avert her gaze. "You're hiding something."

Scarlett's face blanched and she quickly turned away. "So what if I am," she asked, "What difference does it make?"

"Could be nothing, could be everything," Saffron answered. "I need to know every detail about your arrival. Any piece of information could help."

Again the Elf wasn't very forthcoming. Opting to stay silent rather than telling her the truth.

Saffron threw her hands up in the air in frustration. "Fine, then could you at least tell me your name?"

Scarlett rolled her eyes and groaned inwardly. She just wasn't going to let it go, was she? The girl was like a dog with a bone, or a cat pulling on string. Finally, she let out a long exasperated sigh. "Alex," she said at last, "My name is Alex."

The scholar blinked and gave her a peculiar look. "Alex?" She repeated, "As in Alexandria? Alexis? Alexandra," she asked all the while circling the Elf as the woman tried to hide her face. Then a rather unlikely thought popped into her head. "Alexander?" She said, her tone lilting upward at the end rather dubiously. She thought the question was rather dumb, but she didn't expect Scarlett's reaction to the name to be quite so immediate or so telling. "Oh my stars, you're a man," she muttered under her breath, covering her mouth with one hand.

Scarlett's face turned bright red. "Don't you fucking dare tell anybody," she snapped, pointing her finger threateningly at the girl. "Either of you," she added, shooting a death glare at Akira.

Saffron seemed unphased by the threat. "But wait," she asked, turning to face Akira, "If she's a male then are you...," she left the rest of her unspoken question hanging in the air.


[Location: The King's Road / Interacting: Akira ( Kirby3178 )]

 

[Kirby3178]

Akira was surprised to learn that Scarlett was really a guy named Alex. He'd heard of and known people who play the opposite gender in video games, but in these circumstances it was shocking. Scarlett's face turned so red that Akira though she was going to burst a blood vessel.

"Don't you fucking dare tell anybody," she demanded, pointing to Saffron. But when Akira received a death glare, his heart skipped a beat.

"I won't, don't worry" he said. Saffron didn't seem to feel the menacing aura emanating from Scarlett, rather she stared into space then turned to Akira and asked.

"If she's a male then are you...,"

"A female?" Akira finished "No, I am a guy both here and the real world." Akira wondered if there was any reason why Alex was playing the opposite gender, but he held off because he realized just how long they've been talking for.


[Location: The King's Road / Interacting: Saffron and Scarlett ( XxJadePhoenixX )]

 

[XxJadePhoenixX]

Now Saffron was very confused. She turned back to Scarlett. "Then why is this you and the other you so different," she asked.

"Because that's just how it happened, alright," Scarlett answered, throwing her hands up in the air in exasperation. "My sister made my character for me, she asked me what I wanted and I said someone hot. So she made me a smokin' redhead to look at."

"'Made your character,'" Saffron repeated, "This is so hard to follow."

Scarlett looked helplessly at Akira. "Can you explain it to her?"

Akira nodded and though he tried to keep it brief the conversation went on for another hour as Saffron kept asking questions any time she heard a word she wasn't familiar with. Like 'computer', or 'keyboard', or 'mouse'. Eventually, the conversation had to end as it had gotten very late. With some prodding from Akira Saffron finally agreed to continue the conversation in the morning. Meanwhile, the three of them settled in for the night. Akira and Saffron slept near the fire, but Scarlett decided to sleep some distance away as she still did not trust them. It was a bit rough getting to sleep without a mattress, but eventually exhaustion took over. When Akira and Saffron awoke the next morning they noticed that at some point during the night Scarlett had moved closer to the fire. Saffron of course had suggested it the night before as the night had grown quite chilly, but in true Scarlett fashion she did what she wanted.

When Scarlett awoke the next morning and saw Saffron smiling at her she rolled her eyes. "Oh, shut up," she said climbing up onto her feet.

"Oh," Saffron said, reaching up to remove some branches from her hair. "There, that's better. You know, if you want..."

"No," Scarlett interrupted her.

"But..."

"No," she repeated.

Saffron made a face but finally turned away. "The Circle of Swords is a few days journey from here," she said, "We don't have enough provisions for the three of us so we'll have to hunt on the way."

"The 'three of us'," Scarlett asked, turning around to look at her. "Look, if Sir Lancelot over there wants to help you with your quest that's his business, but I'm not marching out into the middle of the wilderness to be eaten by some mythological beast."

Akira looked like he might have been about to say something but Saffron held up a hand. "Alright, then where will you go?"

"I don't know, someplace safe."

"And where's that?"

"I... Um," she started looking around trying to figure out which way was west.

"You have no idea where you are, do you," Saffron asked pointedly.

Scarlett stared at her but said nothing. That was all the answer Saffron needed.

"Just hear me out, alright," she began, "Four days ago, the same day you say you woke up here, there was a powerful surge of magical energy that filled the sky. A surge that originated at the Circle of Swords."

The Elf crossed her arms over her chest. "Okay, still don't see why I should risk going there."

"Because it's all connected," she said, "You, both of you, the magical surge, the fluctuations of mana throughout the world, it's all connected somehow. Something is happening at the Circle of Swords and whatever it is may hold the key to figuring out why you're here."

Scarlett averted her gaze to look over her shoulder at the horizon through the trees, her mind racing for any reason, any excuse not to accompany them on this journey. Much to her chagrin, the girl was right, she had no idea where she was or where she was going. Chances are if she wandered off on her own she would just die of starvation, or worse. As much as she hated to admit it, sticking with them was really the smart option and might even shed some light on how she ended up in this world in the first place. Finally, she let out a long exasperated sigh. Fuck, she swore under her breath. "Fine, I'll go."

"Excellent," Saffron answered, jumping up and clapping once. "And don't worry, both you and Aki--Elliot, will be well compensated for your time."

The Elf just rolled her eyes but said nothing. After they had finished packing up their camp they set off across the plain heading east. Since finding out that neither of them was actually from her world Saffron took it upon herself to fill them in on Sylaria's rich history. Neither of the two adventurers could get a word in as Saffron yammered on, switching subjects quite frequently from history, to astronomy and any other topic she felt she had to elaborate on to explain a difficult concept. Scarlett resisted the urge to make a face and stepped up alongside Akira as they walked.

"Does she ever stop talking," she asked him, a hint of annoyance in her tone.


[Location: The Northern Plains / Interacting: Akira ( Kirby3178 )]

 

[Kirby3178]

As Saffron rambled on about Sylaria's history, among other things, Scarlett stepped up to walk along side Akira.

"Does she ever stop talking?" she asked

"Unfortunately, no," sighed Akira "And now that she's rested, this'll go on for a while."

Akira found himself admiring the landscape again, while Saffron talked about constellations and their meanings and significance. But, as he was daydreaming, Akira felt a chill run down his spine and it made him shudder. He looked around and didn't see anything out of the ordinary, well ordinary in this world.


[Location: The Northern Plains / Interacting: Saffron and Scarlett ( XxJadePhoenixX )]

 

[XxJadePhoenixX]

"Great," Scarlett quietly muttered to herself.

Their journey across the plain continued for most of the day. About late afternoon they could see the tree line marking the forest at the foot of the mountain range to the east. At some point during their journey Saffron either ran out of things to talk about or was tired of speaking. Either way, a nice comfortable silence had fallen over the group and Scarlett was thankful for it. The sun was sinking low over the horizon, obscuring the hills behind them. There was a steady thumping from somewhere in the distance that sounded like it was getting closer. Scarlett looked around but couldn't quite figure out where the sound was coming from.

"What is that," she asked aloud.

The other two stopped in their tracks. "What is what," Saffron asked.

"Some kind of thumping sound," Scarlett answered, turning around. "It sounds like it's coming from behind us."

The three of them stood there for a moment, shielding their eyes from the light of the sun. After awhile they could start to make out several figures silhouetted in the sunlight coming towards them. They seemed to be riding on some kind of animal. A horse maybe? It was difficult to tell.

"Warg riders," Saffron suddenly cried out. "Run! Head for the trees!"


[Location: The Northern Plains / Interacting: Akira ( Kirby3178 )]

 

[Kirby3178]

The sound of wargs paws pounding against the road grew louder and louder as the trio ran for the tree line. Akira looked back to see tiny green creatures riding on the back of the wargs. Each of them wore leather armor and held either a crudely made spear, bow, or axe. There were at six of them.

Akira hated goblins, they were among the most annoying monsters to fight in Sylaria since they had such small hit boxes, move incredibly fast, and usually appear in groups. But Akira's distain had to take a back seat, since he had no fighting experience.

The riders were hot on the groups heels as the group grew closer and closer to the trees. Akira glanced back to see one of the riders getting dangerously close. His heart began to pound and the adrenaline coursed through his body. Akira equipped his shield, stopped, spun on his heels and raise it just in time to block the first rider's attack. The goblin had the power of momentum and a surprising amount of strength begin its strike with its axe. Akira was able to block it, but staggered back as his footing wasn't solid. Two riders thundered past Akira towards Saffron and Scarlett. He glance drew back and forth between the rider in front of him and the two closing in on Saffron and Scarlett.

"Saffron, Scarlett, behind you!" he shouted


[Location: The Northern Plains / Mentioned: Saffron and Scarlett ( XxJadePhoenixX )]

 

[XxJadePhoenixX]

For the fourth day in a row since arriving in this world Scarlett found herself running for her life. It almost felt like divine punishment of sorts. Back in the real world she'd steal cars, pick pockets, graffiti walls, but even when she was running from the police it never felt like her life was in danger. Not like here, not like right now. The tree line in front of them felt so far away, even running at her fastest speed. She kept casting a glance over her shoulder at Akira to make sure he was still there, but the wargs were almost on top of him. When it was obvious he wouldn't outrun them he pulled his shield off his back and raised it up just in time to catch a heavy blow from one of the riders. The force of the blow was so fierce that even with both his feet planted he was still staggered. Two more warg riders charged past him at her and Saffron. The first held a wicked-looking blade in its hand that had a sharp curve to it. He raised the weapon up over his hands and swung it down at Scarlett's head. Scarlett looked back in time to notice the danger and somehow managed to duck under it, but the move caused her to lose her footing. She stumbled head over heels onto the ground before rolling to a stop laying on her back. She stared up just in time to see the second warg rider skid to a halt beside her. The warg's massive jowls opened up, threatening to engulf her head. As the warg reached down to bite her a sudden blast of fire exploded on its face.

The warg staggered to the side then fell, the skin and fur on its face completely sizzled away revealing its huge skull. A second firebolt killed its rider as Saffron ran over and reached a hand out to Scarlett, helping her back to her feet. The two of them ran together with Saffron holding onto Scarlett's wrist. As they fled a realization slowly began to dawn on her. I'm the damsel in distress, Scarlett thought, much to her chagrin. They raced a few steps more before Saffron let go of her wrist then turned and sent a massive fireball at the pack of warg riders behind them, the explosive force of which scattering them in all directions. That granted them enough time for Akira to catch up to them. As the three of them continued running for the tree line Scarlett glanced over her shoulder at Akira.

"Why does it feel like we're the ones being escorted," she asked...


[Location: The Northern Plains / Interacting: Akira ( Kirby3178 )]

 

[Kirby3178]

Akira's senses were so stimulated that he didn't process that Saffron was shooting fireballs at the warg riders. She blasted a warg and its rider with two, then fired a second that sent the rest running in different directions. This gave Akira the opportunity to catch up.

"Why does it feel like we're the ones being escorted?" Scarlett asked as the group continued running.

"Well I don't know about you, but I have no idea how to use my weapon. Let's just be happy that she's on our side." Akira replied

The group made it to the tree line and stopped to catch their breath. In the real world, Akira tried, emphasis on tried, to workout and stay in shape, but after a fight like that, he would be panting like a dog. Fortunately in Akira's body, he felt fine, at least physically, mentally he was still trying to calm down. And as Akira was calming down, a thought occurred to him.

"Hey," he said to Scarlett "I know that random monster encounters were a part of this quest in the game, but did she ever help fight?"


[Location: The Northern Plains / Interacting/Mentioned: Scarlett and Saffron ( XxJadePhoenixX )]

 

[XxJadePhoenixX]

Scarlett stopped to think about that. She had to repeat the quest five times and not once did she remember Saffron ever helping her in combat. "Um, no," she finally answered.

Saffron came back, bursting out of the brush. "What are you doing," she asked, "Don't stop running."

It was already too late, though. By now the pack had recovered and were gaining on them. As the first pair of riders burst through into the wood Scarlett turned just in time to see their wargs leaping at her. She raised her arms to guard her face, but a sudden wall of fire rose up between her and the goblins, pushing them and their wargs back.

"Go, now," the scholar shouted, using every ounce of her energy to keep the wargs at bay. "They won't follow you into Orc territory!"

Scarlett rushed past her into the brush, she had no intention of dying in this body. Saffron was still maintaining the wall after she had gone and not once did Scarlett look back to check on her. The scholar looked like she had every intention of staying behind to buy them time when suddenly she felt someone snatch her by the wrist and pull her along. She let out a startled yelp then looked up to find Akira holding by her arm and running with her as fast as he could. Behind them the wall of fire gradually burned down to cinders. The pack of wargs waited until the last few embers had died out before charging into the trees to continue the hunt...


[Location: The Northern Plains / Interacting: Akira ( Kirby3178 )]

 

[Kirby3178]

As Akira and Scarlett were talking, the warg riders returned and the goblins had angry looks on their faces. Saffron summoned a wall of fire to keep them back and Scarlett didn't hesitate to run deeper into the trees. Akira was about to do the same, but looked back as Saffron didn't seem like she was going to move. Something inside him drove him to grab her by the wrist and follow Scarlett.

The riders continued their pursuit. Akira didn't bother looking back, he was just bobbing and weaving through the trees to make it more difficult to be hit. Scarlett was a few dozen feet in front of Akira and Saffron and it didn't seem like she was looking back either. They all kept running, but Akira heard the sound of paws pounding the ground getting closer and closer. But then, he saw a light up ahead.

"Is that Orc territory up ahead?!" he called to Saffron.

[Location: Northern Plains / Interacting/ Mentioned: Saffron and Scarlett ( XxJadePhoenixX )]

 

[XxJadePhoenixX]

Scarlett was very quickly running out of breath despite the fact this new body of hers was more conditioned than her last one. Four days of constant fleeing, though, was finally beginning to catch up with her. She stumbled in the brush and fell. She tried to push her way back up to her feet, but her arms felt like jelly. I can't do it. I can't go any further. She was about to finally accept her fate when suddenly she felt someone scoop their arms underneath her. She tilted her head to the side and saw both Saffron and Akira, each wrapping one of her arms around their shoulders. They continued to run, dragging Scarlett's feet along the ground. Carrying the weight of the Elf meant they were moving slower now, but they were so painfully close to safety. All they had to do was push on just a little further.

"Akira, behind you," Saffron called out as she looked back over her shoulder.

One of the warg riders was practically right on top of them now. Both Saffron and Scarlett stumbled and started to fall as the warg leapt at them from behind, Its razor-sharp fangs bared and aimed directly for Akira's throat...


[Location: The Mountain Foothills / Interacting: Akira ( Kirby3178 )]