>>29136269
>>”Can you do me a favour, and keep my class to yourself? I don’t want to be a celebrity just yet.”

>>29136269
>”Can you do me a favour, and keep my class to yourself? I don’t want to be a celebrity just yet.”
Definitely need her lips sealed.

>>29136269
>>”I overreacted too. The first person I met attacked me without provocation.”
Let's get on her good side.

>>29136315
”Can you do me a favour, and keep my class to yourself? I don’t want to be a celebrity just yet.”

Lily nods, "Yeah that's probably a good idea. If you get a big enough reputation the meat are gonna come after you just for bragging rights. And some of them are good, abilities or not."

>>29136404
”I overreacted too. The first person I met attacked me without provocation.”

"Well, I'm certainly not going to take you lightly." She nods, "Well, it's okay. No one actually died, although..."

You realise Lily has been staring at you for a little while, and when you look down you realise why. Despite the fact that all you feel is a nagging pain, you can see the bones in your forearms have been shattered, and are at unnatural angles. Your ribcage sags. You really shouldn't be standing, let alone moving under your own power. Yet you are.

You feel a bit sick, and you shudder at the sight of your broken body.

"You need to lie down," Lily says. "Seriously." So saying she flops back on the grass. "Your health and spirit regen when you lie on the earth. Doesn't work on clouds, bridges, and in water though." She starts cleaning the blood out of her ears with a handkerchief.

You lie down. You're feeling a bit shaky; you don't have much choice. Almost immediately, the red in your vision starts to clear.

"Takes a couple of minutes," Lily says.

>"Is there are contacts list somewhere? I'd like to be friends."
>"Got any levelling tips?"
>"Are you still going to get me over to that city over there?"
>Write in.
>Quit Arcadia

>>29136516
>"Got any levelling tips?"
>"Is there are contacts list somewhere? I'd like to be friends."
This seems a shoddy healing system, you're totally prone if someone else attacks you!

>>29136516
>>"Is there are contacts list somewhere? I'd like to be friends."

>>29136516
>"Is there are contacts list somewhere? I'd like to be friends."
>"Got any levelling tips?"
>>29136556
Pretty sure that's the point.
I'm thinking we should find ways to maximise our HP and SP, along with unlocking as many abilities as possible, rather than improving other stats or upgrading existing abilities (if that's possible and not required).

>>29136624
Yeah, sounds like a plan.

>>29136556
"Got any levelling tips?" You ask, gingerly feeling your bones ease back into place. This is definitely not something you'd feel comfortable doing if you weren't somewhere relatively safe.

"Well, most people start out with one ability, and it's on a big cooldown, so they focus weapons at first. You're a little different, so maybe spirit would be better. You don't have to stick with a staff either, there's no restrictions."

"Is there are contacts list somewhere? I'd like to be friends."

"Yep!" She sounds so enthusiastic you wonder if she was waiting for you to ask. "Take out your mirror." She takes out hers, and sits up, "And smile!" She holds hers up, so you can see your reflection in it. You smile, a little unconvincingly; you've never liked having your photo taken.

"Now you do the same for me." She gives you a brilliant smile to reflect, and when you look at your mirror again, you see 'Contacts' has been added to the list of options. Touching it gives you a few second loop of Lily's smile. "You just tap it to try and contact someone. And it makes a noise if someone pings you."

It's really starting to get dark now, and the stars are coming out. Lightning still flickers far off in the south. Lily's staff provides a little light; enough to see each other by.

>"What's the deal with the Pieces of Arcadia?"
>"How much exp does it cost to unlock new abilities?"
>Write in.
>Quit Arcardia.

>>29136758
>"How much exp does it cost to unlock new abilities?"
This is going to be the core of our class.

>>29136758
Huh, that's pretty cool.
>"What's the deal with the Pieces of Arcadia?"
Let's get some plot in!

>>29136758
>"How much exp does it cost to unlock new abilities?"

>>29136758
>>"How much exp does it cost to unlock new abilities?"

>>29136758
Is there any sort of in-game clock? There was a bit of a temporal shock the first time I logged out and I'd like to not starve to death playing.

>>29136801
"How much exp does it cost to unlock new abilities?"

"Um, let's see. Three for second rank, six for third rank, and ten for fourth. I don't know about fifth; it's a lot, whatever it is. Trouble is, you go for abilities too fast, you get good abilities but not the spirit to cast them without resting a lot."

You have one exp so far. Looking at your character sheet, you also notice that your hit points and spirit points have regenerated. That didn't take too long at all.

"What's the deal with the Pieces of Arcadia?"

"Well, they're bits of stuff. Tiles, rocks, bits of glass, or wood. You'll know them when you see them. And you find them just by looking in odd places or taking them off monsters. And you can use them either to give yourself nice gear, or to open secret pathways; the world's full of them." She waves a hand at the square of earth, that's floating serenely nearby. "Six pieces in that. I made it really fast. You can keep adding them to things as you go."

"Anything at all?"

"Pretty much. People can get inventive. And there's a rumour that collecting them can turn meat back into their original class. Only, meat can't see them. They just see rocks and things. So some of them go after us to try and get our pieces. But it's just a rumour."

"Is there any sort of clock in here?" You ask.

Lily looks shocked, slightly, like you swore unexpectedly. "No, but no matter how much you eat here, you'll still get hungry."

>"Wait, you can eat here?"
>"Secret pathways?"
>"Well, there's certainly nothing here, let's go somewhere else."
>Write in.
>Quit Arcadia.

>>29137018
That's the point. I'd like to keep playtime in mind so I can keep up with things in the real world, like classes. I flunk out, I lose my housing, I lose my housing, I can't log in.

>>29137018
>"Wait, you can eat here?"
This place is weird.
>"Well, there's certainly nothing here, let's go somewhere else."

>>29137018
"So, is this a piece?"

Show her the mirror shard we got off the Meat.

>>29137018
...so we can't keep track of time?

>>29137018
>>"Wait, you can eat here?"

>>29137018
[x] "Be right back."
[x] Quit Arcadia, write a quick app to tell us ping us with the time every hour, then log back in.
OI IT'S THREE BONG. TIME FOR A CUPPA.

>>29137129
Smart idea, anon.

>>29137129
Thought about something like this involving forced shutdown/logout, but this is probably better. Hack the client to send us an in-game message every hour.

>>29137167
>hack the client
While we could probably do that, and from in-game too, I suggested logging out so that Lily wouldn't find out that we're a hacker.

>>29137200
Didn't mean we should do it from inside the game, you silly goose.

>>29137053
"Wait, you can eat here?"

"You weren't tempted to try one of the crabbyapples?"

"No. They had little black eyes. Like insects."

Lily laughs. "There's more appetizing food in the cities, if you're interested. But like I said, it doesn't fill you up."

>>29137086
"So I can't keep track of time?"

"If you're really worried, you could set an alarm before you play." Lily seems entirely unconcerned.

>>29137073
"Is this a piece?" you ask, taking the fragment of mirror out of your pocket.

Lily looks at it and one hand goes to her mouth. She shakes her head. "No. That's...that's a piece of mirror. I didn't know they could break," she says softly.

>>29137129
"I'll be right back," you say, and quit Arcadia.

In the real world, it's started raining lightly, and it's about nine in the evening. Emily is sitting on her bed watching something on her laptop, and doesn't notice your return. You can hear people talking in the corridor outside.

You set a recurring reminder for every hour, and log back in. Lily is still there, and nothing much seems to have changed.

"Welcome back," she says.

>"What do you mean mirrors can't break?"
>"I got this off meat. Any ideas how he got it?"
>"You did offer to get me to the city earlier. Is that offer still current?"
>Write in.
>Quit Arcadia

>>29137241
>"I got this off meat. Any ideas how he got it?"

>>29137241
>"I got this off meat. Any ideas how he got it?"
Let's find out.

>>29137241
>>"What do you mean mirrors can't break?"

>>29137241
"Mirrors don't break? But I got it off that Meat I killed earlier, what does it mean?"

>>29137263
"I got this off meat. Any ideas how he got it?"

Lily shakes her head slowly, she still looks worried. "When players die, their mirror goes away. At least, as far as I've seen. I've never seen a mirror anywhere else but in a player's hand. I'll ask around, though. I don't really go in for PvP, so there's stuff I don't know."

>>29137321
"What do you mean, mirrors can't break?"

"Well, they're the game interface. It doesn't make any sense if they can beak. I've seen people get all kinds of beaten up, but their mirrors have always been fine. Maybe, maybe this isn't a player's mirror, maybe he discovered some other kinds?"

She sounds a bit like she's trying to convince herself. "Could you put that away now, please?"

>"Thanks, could you let me know if you find out anything useful?"
>"Maybe I should talk to some meat."
>"You did offer to get me to the city earlier. Is that offer still current?"
>Write in.
>Quit Arcadia.

>>29137459
>"You did offer to get me to the city earlier. Is that offer still current?"
Let's get metropolitan

Rolled 22

>>29137459
"Maybe I should talk to some meat. Maybe we can find some in the city?"

Before putting the mirror away... try accessing it like our own interface.

>>29137459
>"Thanks, could you let me know if you find out anything useful?"
I think we should avoid the city. Seems like the kind of place mods and admins would be found, and I doubt they'd be happy to see what class we are...

>>29137495
>>29137480

The fragment of mirror doesn't react to your touch. It feels like an ordinary piece of mirror.

"You can talk to meat if you like; not all of them are jerks. But if you get in a fight, they don't yield the way players do if they're beaten." She frowns and looks down, "You know, I probably could have caught myself if you'd let me drop earlier, but I could have died too. And when I thought I might, I was so angry. For those few seconds I wanted kill you, even if I had to raise an army and find the edge of the map to do it."

"Of course, I probably wouldn't have, but now I see why some meat are so angry. Anyway," she lifts her head, "You will find meat in the city. They like cities, and in public they probably won't attack you, and if they do, nearby players will jump in and help you. We gotta stick together."

She leaps up onto her square of earth. "It's not really designed for two," she explains. "But it should be safe enough; we're not going to do anything fancy."

The Sweetmeadow Slave is still slowly building its bridge, but you realise it's going to take a very, very long time to finish.

>Jump up onto Lily's square of earth and hang on to it.
>Jump up onto Lily's square of earth and hang on to her.
>"Actually, I've changed my mind."
>Write in.
>Quit Arcadia.

>>29137656
>>Jump up onto Lily's square of earth and hang on to it.
>>Jump up onto Lily's square of earth and hang on to her.
No way in fuck are we getting on a tiny flying thing without grasping everything in reach.

>>29137656
Ask the Slave if it needs anything else, then if not jump onto the square and hold onto Lily.

>>29137656
>Jump up onto Lily's square of earth and hang on to it.
>Jump up onto Lily's square of earth and hang on to her.
>>29137685
Agreed. FRIENDSHIP GRAPPLE!

>>29137698
Mecha Shiva?

>>29137698
Them eyes are getting clenched. Fear of heights is a-go.

>>29137698
>>29137685
Dude, you're going to make her crash her yard.

>>29137759
Hey, better that we crash immediately at a low height.

>>29137769
Are there laws in the game about keeping bits of pasture under a certain altitude?

>>29137685
>>29137690
>>29137698
Lily looks perfectly at home on her square of earth, but you are not. You effortlessly leap your own height and wrap one arm around Lily and with the other dig your fingers into the grass.

"You afraid of heights?" Lily asks, looking amused. She feels as real as anything else here.

"Do you need anything?" you call to the Slave.

"I am fine," it replies, not looking up from its work.

You sail out over the edge of the chasm on Lily’s square of lawn. The mist below has long fallen into shadow, and looks a pale blue in the twilight, gently rippling against the sheer cliff faces like a gentle sea.

“There’s stuff down there, you know,” Lily says. “It’s actually a pretty good place to find pieces of Arcadia. But getting down safely isn’t always easy, and you can’t always see what’s waiting for you at the bottom.”

You’re getting quite a bit of speed up, and the cool evening air ruffles your hair and tugs at your clothes. As you get closer to the city, you can hear faint strains of music. Lily doesn’t set you down at the white marble gates, but simply sails into the city. She slows down to dodge tiny lanterns and brightly coloured banners strung on ropes.

Elegant minarets, as crisp and white as meringue and as numerous as trees make up the higher levels of the city, and you drift more slowly now, so you can see the doorways that open onto sheer drops, and the narrow walkways that join the towers. They move, you realise, watching a young man turn a stone wheel that rotated the entire section of tower he was on, moving the walkway to a destination he preferred.

1/2

>>29137805
>turn a stone wheel that rotated the entire section of tower he was on, moving the walkway to a destination he preferred.
oh no
not puzzle platforming
please god no

>>29137805
Below you, you see narrow streets of white dust connecting a series of small squares open to the sky and each different - you catch glimpses of gardens and fountains and open-air cafes.

Someone shouts ‘Nice artefact!” from a window and Lily waves in response. You see a couple standing watching the last of the sunset from a high window with their arms around each other, you see a fistfight in the dust. Tiny white birds, the size of sparrows, wheel and whistle among the buildings.

“Some people never leave the cities,” Lily says. “They just hang out and socialise, or get a job selling stuff. There are Slaves here too, but good luck finding them; they’re usually well disguised.”

She lets the square of earth drift over the city, so you can see the shape of it. On the western side you can see another set of city gates, beyond a huge open area. This is the central markets. Hundreds of tiny stalls are crammed into the area, and from all the buildings produce, or tables and chairs spill out onto the street. It’s busy here; you see plenty of people, but also large numbers of solemn-looking humanoids with noseless, furred faces and long stripy tails fill the city out, making it feel genuinely crowded.

“Only players are human,” Lily says, as she lowers the lawn to the ground outside a bar staffed by an NPC serving a handful of customers sitting on stools, players and otherwise.

You notice there are no signs. Not a one.

>Explore the markets.
>Buy food.
>Ask Lily what she wants to do.
>Write in.
>Quit Arcadia.

>>29137849
Shhhh. Let OP write.

>>29137804
If not they should add some.
>>29137849
Shhhhhhh
Accept it anon.

>>29137874
>>29137876
Shushmind?

>>29137870
"Seems kind of lonely, in a way. They have this big virtual world to explore, and they just do things they could do in the real world."

>>29137870
>Ask Lily how people get around without signs.

>>29137870
>Ask Lily what she wants to do.

>>29137870
>>Buy food.

Do we have currency?

>>29137906
"Seems kind of lonely, in a way. They have this big virtual world to explore, and they just do things they could do in the real world."

"Well that's roleplayers for you, but they always have the option to take off and explore. Some people do both. And there's plenty to explore within the cities as well, but I don't like them as much. The open skies suit me better."

>>29137927
"Where are the signs? How do people not get lost?" you ask, looking in vain for a menu at the bar.

"They get lost," Lily says. "I think that's the point. There's no paper here, or pens, or anything like that. If you want to know what a shop's selling you look in the window or ask. That's why they're all shouting," she says nodding towards the markets. "Knowledge, has to be earned, not shared. That's what the whole bridge thing is about too."

>>29137939
"What do you want to do?"

"Well, I should see if there's anything I want to buy. I don't get into town often, so I suppose I should have a look."

>>29138002
"Hang on." You hurry over to the bar. "How much for the special?" you ask.

The barman holds up one of its three fingers. You have 14 coins.

>Buy food.
>Don't buy food.
>Treat Lily as well.
>Write in.
>Quit Arcadia

>>29138057
Buy food. Treat Lily.

"So everyone just kind of hoards what they've learned about the world?"

>>29138057
>>Buy food.

>>29138057
>That's dumb. Fair enough not giving out info in some kind of game UI, but signs are older than language.
>Treat Lily as well.

>>29138131
>Signs are older than language
>Signs older than language
>Signs
>Older than the thing on signs

Did you fail your Int check or something?

>>29138057
Can't people carve wood to make signs?

>>29138158
You are aware that signs don't require words anon? A crude arrow on a cave wall is a sign.

>>29138205
Yes, but this kind of society is above/beyond that, and I highly doubt shop owners/residents are going to scrawl shit on the side of their buildings.

>>29138231
Well they could use normal signs then. My only point was, signs are easy enough - and important enough - to make that they came before language, what kind of dumbass place would disallow signs?

File: 1388285759807.jpg-(118 KB, 650x900, 1388212760880.jpg)

118 KB JPG

>>29138070
>>29138073
You hand over the money, and the flat-faced humanoid smiles and thanks you gravely. You can smell something cooking and a few moments later you are presented with two skewers. Each has three tiny birds impaled upon it, flame grilled in some kind of spicy marinade. It actually smells pretty good. Everyone else at the bar is eating the same thing.

You offer one of the skewers to Lily.

"Ooh. Thanks. I've never been here before. Gotta try the local delicacies." The bones of the tiny bird crunch under her teeth.

You start winding your way through the markets. Stalls selling clothes, jewelery and weapons are patronised by both players and NPCs in equal measure, stalls selling more mundane items like cookware and raw food attract mostly NPCs. You catch a glimpse of a player with a maximised bust selling crabbyapples from cages, and flirting with her player customers.

>>29138189
"Can't people carve wood to make signs?" you ask. The meat is delicious, but something about it does seems unsatisfying, no matter how hot and spicy it is.

"People have tried. NPCs take them down pretty fast, and if people persist, well, NPCs get less friendly. And bigger. Ooh, that's nice." She pauses to admire some jewelery.

"Lily!" Three players are having a conversation nearby and one of them turns at the sound of Lily's voice. He's carrying a sword and shield, although he's not holding them aggressively. "You're not here to cause trouble for me, are you?"

"Mason." Lily smiles politely. "Why would I do that? I'm just showing my friend around."

>Introduce yourself.
>Let Lily do it.
>Let them talk and explore on your own.
>Write in.
>Quit Arcadia.

>>29138296
Have you not gotten the vibe yet? People don't share knowledge, power, ANYTHING in this world. On any level.

>>29138306
Let Lily introduce us. Ponder a life of crime in front of the jeweler's stall.

>>29138306
>Let them talk and explore on your own.
Lily's been great and we'll see her around, but for now it is time for adventure.

>>29138319
Yeah, I'm saying that's a dumb concept. Hey, guess what happens when a merchant (that isn't on main street) doesn't share knowledge - he goes fucking bankrupt when no-one visits his store!

>>29138306
>>Let Lily do it.

>>29138306
>Let them talk and explore on your own.
Let's make note of some shops to remember then.

>>29138361
Now, anon... I know you're probably not familiar with this concept... but we're playing something called a "game." Its like playing pretend, but with rules... and the character in the game we're playing? She's also playing a "game." So, while normal people need to worry about food, clothes, rent, etc, neither one of our characters really do.

>>29138382
>>29138360

Rolled a d2. This option won.

"We think we've found the Slave," Mason says.

"Like I'm going to try and stop you by myself." Lily doesn't seem impressed. You decide to wander off; you have Lily on your contacts if you want to get in touch.

The entire city is lit by lanterns now, and large moths flap in the air above the slowly swirling crowds. You see many stalls, selling a large variety of things, as well as players standing around and talking.

>Weapons stall.
>Clothes stall.
>Potions stall.
>Approach someone.
>Write in.
>Quit Arcadia.

>>29138543
>Weapons stall.

>>29138543
Visit the weapons vendor to unload our loot and maybe get an upgrade. If we're not limited by weapons, let's try for something ranged. We can chain it with Preach (Pray?) to stun them once they get into melee range, then retreat to shoot at them again.

>>29138543
>Clothes stall.
Let's see what passes for fashion here. Can we even afford anything?

>>29138556
>>29138573
There are several weapons stalls, most of them with a few customers, but none of them seems better than any other. You approach a stall run by a tall bald player. None of the weapons for sale glow like Lily's staff, but there are a bewildering array, mostly blades and axes, but there are several bows on display.

"Howdy," the stall owner says, offering you a pleasant smile.

>How would you give me for these daggers?
>How much would you give me for this staff?
>How much do these bows cost?
>Write in.
>Quit Arcadia

>>29138705
How much are these bows here? The white one, and do they come with ammunition?

>>29138705
>How much do these bows cost?
Range is king

>>29138705
>How much do these bows cost?
>How would you give me for these daggers?
>How much would you give me for this staff?
TRADEINS!

>>29138795
How much for a romp behind the stall, handsome?

Then stab him and take what you want.

>>29138705
>>How much do these bows cost?

>>29138724 >>29138762 >>29138795


"Well," he says conversationally. "My lady," he adds suddenly, as if he'd forgotten. "Your longbows are fifty, your shortbows are forty. I'll throw in ten arrows and a quiver for nothing. Every twenty arrows over that I'll sell for five."

"Now this white bow here was sold to me by a very spiritual young woman, who claimed that she had found the bow deep in a great forest-"

"I don't really need to know that stuff." Right. It figures some guy running a stall would be into roleplay.

"How much will you give me for this staff and daggers?"

"Well, I must examine them closely," He bends down and makes a show of staring at your staff, rubbing his chin. "I'm afraid this staff is quite common. I could barely offer you a coin or two in payment."

"Now these daggers, is there a story behind them?"

>"No."
>"I killed some guy and took his stuff."
>Make up an epic tale.
>Write in.
>Quit Arcadia

>>29138929
Try Intimidation
"Listen, I'm not into roleplaying. Just tell me what the daggers are worth or you'll get to inspect them. VERY closely."

>>29138929
"Nope. Totally ordinary daggers, not cursed or anything, definitely won't come alive in the middle of the night and try to stab you to death."

>>29138929
>>"I killed some guy and took his stuff."

It's probably killed some people before. Who knows with meat?

>>29139033
>>29139028
>>29138975

He seems somewhat disappointed by your response. "I see. Well, maybe next time then." He takes it well enough. He'd have to, you think, otherwise he'd go out of business one way or another very quickly.

"I'll swop you the daggers for the bow," he says. "Extra arrows five coins for twenty."

>Take the offer.
>Take the offer and buy extra arrows.
>Try and haggle.
>Try elsewhere.
>Write in.
>Quit Arcadia.

>>29139169
Haggle, then take the offer if he offers less. Hell, if he refuses the offer even. Just at least try for a lower rate.

>>29139169
>Try and haggle.
That's RP-ish, right?

>>29139169
Actually, do we even know how to use a bow?

>>29139223
Not really, considering it's an "actual" commodity (and I use the term loosely). It's something he has, and something we want, so the line's kind of there, even if it's blurred.

>>29139228
We've been told bows aren't beyond the scope of our class.

>>29139169
>Take the offer and buy extra arrows.

>>29139205 >>29139223

Skillcheck 1d100 DC 25 (you really aren't good at this)

>>29139228
Lily told you there are no weapon restrictions. You'll be as good with it as you are with a staff, unless you start assigning points to weapon skills.

Rolled 86

>>29139267
DICE! HEED MY CALL!

Rolled 84

>>29139267
"Throw in fifty arrows for five coins, and you have a deal. Not like you don't loot these off dead PC's anyway."

Rolled 2

>>29139267
"You can do little me a favor... riiight?"

Lean over. Expose pixel-boobs.

>>29139330
PRAISE BE TO THE DICE GODS

>>29139330
"You can do little me a favour, riiight?" You have never attempted this in real life. You never would attempt this in real life. In real life, you don't really have any boobs to attempt it with. You squeeze your arms in a little for extra cleavage, stick your bottom lip out in a way you hope is pouty and open your eyes really wide.

You're a little surprised when his gaze drops from your face to your chest. I am cute, you tell yourself, I am adorable, and you want to give me a discount.

It's as if he heard you. "Well, um." He smiles, for the first time. "I, I suppose. I could throw in some extra arrows for free. I uh, would you like to I mean." He coughs, "Dearest maiden, it's my honour to serve you. Please, remember me as Charles the Bold, and drop by any time, any time at all. In fact, I live just over there, if you would like some tea sometime."

>"How lovely, some other time perhaps."
>"How lovely, I would like some tea."
>"Thank you. That will be all."
>Write in.
>Quit Arcadia.

>>29139474
>"How lovely, some other time perhaps."
Sucker!

Rolled 4

>>29139474
"Perhaps another time... handsome."

Take whichever bow looks the most ornate/powerful while he's bedazzled, along with a quiver and however many arrows he'll part with, tittering vapidly the whole time.

Whether or not it would work IRL doesn't matter.

We were cute.
We were adorable.
And he gave us a discount.

>>29139474
>"How lovely, some other time perhaps."
Fuck yeah boobs.

>>29139545
They're a superpower that mustn't be abused unless we really really need STUFF.

>>29139474
>>"How lovely, some other time perhaps."

>>29139506
>>29139485
>>29139589

"How lovely, some other time perhaps."

"Yes, my Lady. I await your return with every fibre of my being acquiver with anticipation. Know that should you need anything, a shoulder to cry on, a fool to caper for your amusement, even, dare I say it, a lo- lo-"

"This one, thank you. Goodbye."

You flutter out, Charles the Bold still trying to compose poetry behind you. Fucking hell! Pretty girls do have it easier, you scowl.

You hear a strange buzzing. Oh right, your timer. It's 10 o'clock.

You examine your purchases. You've acquired one Fine White Shortbow and Steel Arrows x 30.

You feel pretty pleased with yourself, and yet still pissed off as well. Well, it's not like you ever thought life was fair.

>Keep exploring.
>Find Lily again.
>Write in.
>Quit Arcadia.

>>29139662
>Keep exploring.
See if we can find something to practice on, preferably without wasting the arrows.

>>29139662
>>Keep exploring.
Let's see if we can find a bridge to the outside.

>>29139662
>Keep exploring.

>>29139662
Logout. Bio and grab a bite. Maybe think about investing in some kind of absorbent undergarment to minimize time spent outside the game

>>29139705
>>29139760
You wander on, half-listening to fragments of people's conversations; you hear flirting, jokes, tales of adventure, discussions of bridges and theories as to the location of secret passages. You hear gossip. The NPCs talk too, but their concerns are less interesting; the weather, the harvest, the crowds.

>Ash.

You pause by a fountain, in which you see fish flitting about. There's even someone sitting on the edge and fishing; a guy with a shield on his back and several jars of water in which to put his catch.

>Ash.

You watch the fish for a moment, and then you see something pale and beautiful lying on the bottom of the fountain. It's like...oh God you'd thought you'd lost it, but it's there, it's right there. You missed it so much. But it's okay now. It's right there.

>Hey, Ash.

It's just a bit of tile, but it's everything you ever wanted. Your chest hurts with love for it.

>Wade in and grab the piece of tile.
>Force yourself to look away.
>Write in.
>Quit Arcadia

>>29139918
Grab it, even though it's a trap.

>>29139918
>>Quit Arcadia

We probably pissed ourselves didn't we?

>>29139918
>Quit Arcadia
"waddayawant I'm tryin ta grind here"

>>29140033
>>29139966

Emily is leaning over you saying your name over and over with a worried expression.

"What do you want now?" you ask. That tile was so beautiful.

"Mike's here," Emily says.

"What?" You push your glasses up onto your head and rub your eyes. The last thing you want to do is meet Mike. "I don't want to see him."

"Neither do I!" Emily sits down on her bed. "We had a fight, and he said I deserved whatever I got."

"So you broke up?"

"I don't know. I thought we'd talk it out once we calmed down but there's someone walking around out there." She nods towards the window. "I think it's him. I'm not putting up with this, Ash. I'm going to tell him to piss off once and for all."

She looks at you apologetically from under her fringe, "Will you come with me please? Just so I don't chicken out and go back to him. I don't care if he's got flowers or whatever."

>Look out the window.
>"Call campus security and have them toss him out. I'm busy."
>"Fine, I'll put on my shoes."
>Write in.
>Quit Arcadia.

>>29140198
>Quit Arcadia
w-what?

>>29140198
>>Quit Arcadia.
Oh god.

>>29140238
>>29140252
Actually that was totally my mistake, guys.

>Play Arcadia.

Is what it should be. Apologies.

>>29140198
"Of course we'll come with you. Give me just a moment."

Go to gym bag.

Take out softball bat.

Cock it up on your shoulder.

"Okay, let's do this."

>>29140198
>>Look out the window.

>>29140298
Oh well in that case
>>29140198
>Look out the window.
Also, you're totally going to pull that for real later, aren't you?

>>29140302
Don't try and be a fucking hero. This isn't one of your Vee-arr games. Call the fucking cops - not the campus cops, the real ones - then open the window and find out what he wants. DON'T go out to meet him, DON'T invite him up.

>>29140326
>>29140319

You stand up and go to the window. The rain has stopped, but water still beads the glass, and the bitumen of the carpark gleams under the streetlights.

Emily joins you at the window and you open it and both lean out, shoulder to shoulder. Your breath steams in the cold air. You can see four girls from your dorm walking towards the front door, talking and laughing, and another one is camped out where the smokers feed their habit near the little garden, hunched over against the cold, and looking at her phone.

You don't see anyone who might be Mike, and Emily doesn't look like she sees him either.

There is a weird smell hanging about out here though; something hot and metallic, which makes no sense, given the cold and wet nature of the night outside.

"Are you sure it was him?" you ask.

She nods, "I heard him chucking stuff at the window. Not hard or anything just like, I dunno, little stones or something. He's probably waiting around the front."

>Put on your shoes and grab your softball bat.
>Put on your shoes and take an umbrella.
>"Emily, just call the cops, seriously."
>Write in.
>Play Arcadia.

>>29140473
>Shoes. Bat. Cops on speed dial.

He's in the building. Probably asked one of the girls where your room was.

>>29140473
>>Put on your shoes and take an umbrella.

We should look into buying a taser.

>>29140473
Mike is a space alien

>>29140473
>Put on your shoes and grab your softball bat.
>"Emily, just call the cops, seriously."

>>29140581
>>29140545
>>29140495

When you start putting your shoes on, Emily hugs you. "Thank you! I'm so sorry I got angry at you earlier, you are amazing. Thank you."

She lets you go and you finish putting on your shoes. When you pick up your bat she shakes her head.

"It's not that bad. He's not like that."

"Emily, just call the cops, seriously."

"Then everyone will know," she says. "After I've been going on about him for weeks. I'm going to be gossip for the rest of the semester. If he does anything, anything, we'll call them, but he's just a jerk, that's all. A really hot jerk. I think he's just used to girls crawling back to him when he says he's disappointed in them." She hangs her head, "I've done it once or twice myself. But no more!"

You take the bat anyway. The dorms are quite noisy, and there are people standing in the corridor talking into other rooms. You get some odd looks as you walk past with your bat over your shoulder.

"EEK! Kill it! Kill it!" You hear some shrieks followed by some thumping sounds as you walk past one of the rooms.

You step out the front doors without having seen Mike, or anyone else suspicious. There are a lot of people about; a least a dozen would hear you if you screamed.

That burning hot smell is more noticeable when you step outside. You wrinkle your nose.

"Do you smell that?"

"Mm." Emily doesn't look too concerned.

>Carpark.
>Back around the side of the dorm to your window.
>Abandon Emily.
>Write in.
>Play Arcadia.

>>29140775
Wait where we are. Keep Emily inside where she can lock the doors. Just squat on the front stoop, bat on your shoulder, like some kind of delinquent.

>>29140775
>Back around the side of the dorm to your window.

>>29140775
>>Back around the side of the dorm to your window.

>>29140969
>>29140914

You poke your heads around the side of the dorm, looking back towards your window. It's a lot darker there, but there's enough background light that you can see that there does seem to be someone standing underneath it, looking up at your window.

"Is that him?" you whisper.

"I don't know," Emily says. "Yeah, it's his height."

It starts to rain. Not heavily, just the kind of drizzle that's been on and off all week. You blink rainwater out of your eyes.

"Crap, let's get this over with before it starts to pour. Standing in the rain is not romantic." Emily says and starts walking towards your window.

You scowl and hurry after her. You keep smelling hot metal or plastic, and you keep glancing towards the car park, expecting someone's engine to have melted down or something. It has to be coming from somewhere.

Emily's stopped walking. "He's not wearing a shirt," she says when you join her.

Mike's head is bowed now, but you can see the streetlight gleaming off his bare shoulders.

"That's pretty weird." you say. You've stopped a good twenty feet away.

"Hey!" Emily calls. "Mike? Is that you?"

Mike lifts his head and starts to turn towards you.

Emily's phone rings. She glances at it irritably, does a double-take, and answers it.

"Mike?" She asks cautiously. "Where are you?"

>Grab Emily and pull her back.
>Wait and see what happens next.
>Warn the figure under your window off.
>Write in.
>Play Arcadia.

>>29141141
>>Warn the figure under your window off.

Rolled 57

>>29141141
"Batter up, motherfucker."

Go for the knee.

>>29141141
>Grab Emily and pull her back.

>>29141177
>>29141172
"That's not Mike," you say, stepping past Emily. "Hey you!" you raise your voice, and your bat. "What the fuck are you doing here?"

"I'll call you back," Emily mutters and hangs up. "Ash, what the hell." She sounds, well, really impressed. More impressed than she was at your excellent marks last semester.

You're gonna make this idiot pay. You think. You were always crap at softball, but adrenaline is pumping through you, and you're feeling mean.

Despite the smell of rain and damp, everything still smells like melting plastic.

The figure looks at you. You can see the whites of his eyes, even from this distance. It's hard to breathe. It's hot. You feel sweat trickle down the side of your face. Your eyes sting, and you blink them faster. It's like you're looking into an open oven.

The figure shimmers, as if in a heat haze.

>Run forward and take a shot at the figure.
>Back off.
>Turn and run.
>Write in.
>Play Arcadia.

>>29141141
>Grab Emily and pull her back.
alarm bells are ringing here.

Hello Meat.

>Write in.
Use PREACH.

Rolled 20

>>29141319
Fuck it, worth a try.

Pray.

>>29141343
Meant
>>29141337

>>29141319
>Turn and run.
>"Call the cops now, I think this guy's on drugs."

>>29141319
>>Back off.

>>29141343
You take a deep breath and PREACH as best you remember the syllables.

It's really hot here. You can feel the skin on your face and hands heating up, and feel it through the front of your clothes. Every spot of rain that falls on you feels like a blessing.

"Is that Swedish?" Emily asks. She's holding one arm in front of her face. "What is with this guy? Ash?" The figure hasn't responded to your shout.

>>29141320
>>29141378
"Emily, let's go." You lower your bat and grab her arm, and she doesn't resist as you turn away. It's such a relief not to be facing that heat even though you can feel it on your back.

You run.

Roll 1d100 DC 60

Rolled 39

>>29141485
Okay, so confirmed: We aren't in the game, this guy isn't normal.

Maybe the game's some kind of battleground for the end of days, demons are invading, and we're going to be the ones to fight for the sake of good and right.

Doesn't matter right now.

Run, bitch!

Rolled 99

>>29141485

Rolled 67

>>29141485

>>29141512
...son of a bitch. OP takes the successful roll, right? Or does he average?

>>29141571
nope, best of three means crits are there to bite us in the ass if they are in the first three.

>>29141609
So by "best" of three... he chooses crits, good or bad, even if there's a successful roll?

Guess that makes for interesting stories... but I don't like the idea of being butfucked by something that smells like a Mattel factory fire.

>>29141512
(Crits of all kinds override other rolls. Crit successes cancel failures to a normal success.)

You let go of Emily's arm; you can both run faster that way. Then you trip.

"Ash!" Emily sees you go down and turns, slowing down. You bang your left knee on the ground, and keep going, scrambling with your free hand, and ignoring the pain.

Emily reaches the edge of the dorm ahead of you and skids around the corner.

You're nearly there when you hear a ptsch! and your way is suddenly lit by the end of your bat, which is on fire. In fact, your jeans are smouldering too when you fling yourself around the corner.

>Stop drop and roll.
>Get inside first.
>Throw the bat away.
>Write in.
>Play Arcadia.

Rolled 25

>>29141666
Throw the bat at the thing following us. Aim for the head if at all possible. Buy time!

>>29141666
>Throw the bat away.
also
>666
uh oh

>>29141666
>>Play Arcadia.

>Write in.
Throw the bat AT the fire guy.

>>29141726
Already did.
>>29141684

>>29141684
>>29141696
You fling the bat at the figure. You can't even tell if he's following you or not. You can barely see thanks to the heat and rain when you look at him, but it feels like a good solid throw, better than you'd expect for such an unwieldy object. You see it's glowing end sail away into the comparative darkness, and hear it hit something before it clatters to the ground.

Now, there is the small matter of your smouldering clothes. Emily's holding the door to the dorm's heavy door open for you, and beckoning you frantically with wide eyes.

>Get the fire out first.
>Get inside.
>Write in.
>Play Arcadia

>>29141808
Slide out of your jeans (thank god for shitty food and lack of meals) and RUN.

>Play Arcadia

>>29141808
>>Get inside.

>>29141808
>Get inside.

>>29141845
>>29141828
You shrug off your jacket, and stumble through the door. Emily slams it shut behind you, as you try to smother your jeans with your jacket.

"She's on fire!" Emily yells, and if that brings half a dozen people pouring out of the common room to have a look. Acting quickly someone thinks to throw her drink over you and the others soon follow her example. Mostly coke, and blessedly cool.

Your face and eyes sting, and you can smell singed hair and clothes, but it's not that overwhelming burnt smell you noticed outside.

"Oh my God, are you all right?" Emily still has her back to the door. There are a lot of people looking at you both, and you're liberally doused in soda.

>Call the cops.
>Reassure Emily.
>Oh crap, your glasses! Are they okay?
>Write in.
>Play Arcadia.

>>29141966
Reassure Emily, then check our equipment/clothes.

>>29141966
>"Call the cops. I don't give a fuck."

>>29141966
>>Oh crap, your glasses! Are they okay?

Those are important.

>Call the cops.
I don't think we can handle this.

>>29142020
>>29141986
>>29141988

"I'm fine, I think."

You can hear other people asking questions but both you and Emily ignore them for now. You pull your glasses off your head and look at them. They're water resistant, but not waterproof. They've also been splashed with soda. You power them down for now; you're more worried about the heat you were exposed to than the liquid, but you won't be able to examine the insides until you're back in your room.

Your jacket and jeans have scorchmarks, as to the soles of your shoes, which look slightly heat-deformed.

You glance at Emily and realise her face is bright red. You look at the backs of your hands, and realise your skin is the same; you've both apparently contracted a bad case of sunburn.

It stings.

Emily nearly jumps out of her skin when someone puts a key in the lock and starts opening the door.

"Hey, let me in." Emily cautiously holds the door as two other students you vaguely know step inside. "Man it's cold out there. What's going on?"

What is going on? Everyone's looking at you and Emily and waiting for an explanation.

>Tell them what happened truthfully.
>Someone played a stupid joke on us.
>Someone threatened us. We're going to call the cops.
>Write in.
You can't play Arcadia.

>Write in.
I don't know. I just don't know.

>>29142172
Shrug and move on.

Rolled 67

>>29142172
"Lighter blew up while I was lighting a smoke..."

>>29142172
You know what? None of it seemed real. It just doesn't make sense what just happened. So idunno. (deflect question to Emily)

>>29142226
>>29142213
>>29142192
You shrug and mutter something noncommittal and vague. It doesn't look like whatever was out there is trying to come in. You don't smell it, at least.

Emily is equally vague, and she detaches herself somewhat reluctantly from the door. Cradling your glasses in your hands, you make your way back to your room. People are discussing what happened, and no doubt weird rumours will follow in the wake of events this evening, but you really don't care that much.

Emily's pretty quiet too, and she sticks close to you, looking rather guilty. It was definitely partly her fault, you decide.

~~~
Alright, the typos are showing up again, which means I should call a halt before what little talent I have evaporates.

Thank you all for playing, I'll endeavor to have another thread up tomorrow.

This is seriously the hardest conditions I've had to write in, so any comments are welcomed.

>>29142332
So what? What just happened is freaky enough, and if Mike "showed up" here - and she recognized him - then obviously you're not the only one shaping the world/these strange events.

We need to fix our glasses, and we need to get back online.

~~~

Thanks as always, QM. I'll see you tomorrow. Get some rest.

>>29142332
Do you post in the Quest Generals? Nobody should mind a little bit of shilling if it means we can have more players.

Anyways, get some sleep and thanks for running tonight. I look forward to tomorrow!
And thanks for getting a Twitter too!

>>29142402
Sometimes. Honestly, I'm kind of okay with starting off a bit small playerbase-wise, but I might drop a comment in there next time I run.

yo guys next time we see phantom figures like that we log into arcadia

10 bucks says theres a game figure exactly where the real world one was

>>29142479
I'll take that bet.

>>29142527
its on motherfucker
unless you're OP and you ditched your trip
in which case fuck you

>>29142604
Creative, but not OP.

there was blatantly another bug in someones room as we walked out of the dorms. Gotta remember to kill that on the way back to our room next session.

>>29142712
hi meat
>Crush the bug with your bare hand
bye meat
Don't fuck with the greatest